Downsizing

We had this crazy idea. What if we sell our house and downsize into an apartment?
Cons: Less space, less stuff, no yard, no play fort, no culdesac.
Pros: Less space to clean, less stuff to take care of, no yard to mow, no landscaping upkeep, less money spent on housing.

The catalyst for this idea came when Creighton and I were brainstorming about his PhD. He has completed his course work and is now ready to tackle the dissertation.

I heard a statistic on NPR that less than 10% of PhD students actually complete their dissertation.
One of Creighton's mentors cautioned him saying, "The saddest phrase in the English language is 'All But Dissertation'".

Throughout the last 3 years, Creighton has been working full-time as a church pastor while completing coursework for his PhD. While he is a high-capacity student, he has not been able to fully embrace his academic experience. To be able to focus on researching/reading/writing everyday would allow him to truly experience what he is learning.

This schedule has been a challenge for our family. The truth is, we should have this when we first moved to Kansas. As a matter of fact, that is the whole reason we are in Kansas!

Don't get me wrong, I love my house, LOVE IT. But it is... just a possession.

What if we could strategically create space and time for Creighton to focus full-time on this thing? It could take a year (as opposed to 3-4) and we could get it over with!
So that is the goal, the dream.

SAY A PRAYER FOR US!

I don't mean to brag, but...

But my braiding skills are pretty much awesome.

Introducing Ashley McBride, an amazing woman who:
Lives with us.
Helps shepherd my children.
Has beautiful, silky, straight hair.



She shared with me that every once in a while she braids her hair at night and sleeps on it. By morning, voila - body and waves.
Her typical technique is to weave two french braids - last night I suggested we try three.



"I will help you because, well, I don't mean to brag but, I can weave a tight french braid."

She was game and we chatted while sectioning out her hair into three braids. I brought my A-game. I broke a sweat and my hands almost cramped from the high level of skill these braids were asking for.
Upon completion we were pretty excited that we had just channeled Julia Styles in "Save the Last Dance".










Ashley had a leisurely morning. Went out for breakfast, enjoyed some relaxation with her bestie Liz (shout out!). Little did she know what she was about to unravel.


She texted me this photo with the comment: Umm, I think that I am going to stick with two braids from now on.

Our first stitches

Recently I posted a story about our first fracture - roughly one month ago: http://ziondreamer.blogspot.com/2010/03/our-first-fracture.html

Well, we have another first. Stitches.

Monday night we were at Canon's first baseball game and Cosmo was standing on the side of my friends car making her baby laugh. Suddenly, my friend and I heard what sounded like a boiled egg cracking. We were standing about 3 feet away at the time. Cosmo started screaming and holding his side.
I picked him up and as I held him I lifted his shirt to search for the wound. Found nothing. I lifted him to ask where it hurts - and as I looked at his face, I saw blood running down his head.

I froze.

A little side note about me. I am a quick-on-my-feet-problem-solver (when it comes to work or to other people). But in this situation I couldn't even think. I'm realizing that this is a pattern. I freeze when it comes to personal high stress situations.
I just held him tight and said, Jesus help me, Jesus... (with an "o shit" sprinkled in here and there).

My friend Laura sprung to action. She ran off to get towels and water. And to get my husband who was finishing up post game refreshments with Canon's baseball team.

Creighton came a-running and loaded me and Cos up in the van for what turned out to be a 5 hour emergency room visit. The child got stitched up and all is well. He's such a trooper. Here are the photos.

The taste for blood

Apollo killed his first bunny this morning.

Before you get to impressed by his prowess. It was a barely born baby that weighed zero and some change. The kids saw it right before school. I didn't hear about it until I drove away for morning school drop-off in the car. "Mom, we saw a mommy bunny bounce away and we saw a baby bunny nest in the back yard."
"Umm, really?" I queried. Because unfortunately I had just released Apollo out to frolic for the 10 minutes it would take me to shuttle the kids to school.

Multiple thoughts swirled in my mind.

My first thought was, "I hope Apollo mames and kills all the bunnies (baby or not) he can find".
REF: http://ziondreamer.blogspot.com/2009/05/smear-campaign.html and
http://ziondreamer.blogspot.com/2009/05/last-night-i-swerved-to-hit-rabbit.html

My second thought: Apollo is not that bright. We always called him "the pretty one", and Starbuck, "the smart one". I tried to assure myself that his only M.O. was to bark at the neighbor or chase tree pollen. I was certain he'd miss the scent of freshly born rabbit meat.

My third thought was, "Wow, I hope Cosmo (the 4 year old) does not witness the gore of a dog ravaging a bunny carcass when we pull up."

AAAANNNNNDDD he definitely did. I will spare you the details. Needless to say, I was 15 minutes late to work because I had to hose the blood and wipe the lusty smile off of his face.

Pose I am working toward

One thing I love about yoga is the balance poses. Ultimately, I would love to do a full-blown hand stand.
For now, I'm working on the head stand and the variations thereof.
I have the standard headstand down pretty well.
It looks like this:



BTW, this is not me.








This is me:













And this is what I am trying to get to:




Doing the splits while balancing on my elbows. Piece of cake.

New cliches at work

The first church job I had, I was always astounded at how many cliches I heard. I wondered if this was a vocabulary that people learned in seminary or from the corporate world or simply from watching the movie Office Space.
I kid you not, my supervisor frequently used the phrase, "I'm gonna need you to go ahead and (FILL IN THE BLANK). So if you could go ahead and do that, that would be great. Thanks."

Here I am 10 years later, at mega-church-take-two. Only this experience is rainbows and roses compared to the prior. It is a significantly more healthy atmosphere. However, I am still intrigued by the amount of cliche action I get.

I have started a list of cliches I hear my co-workers (mostly the ones in leadership) throwing around every other hour. Terms like: "We had some misses on that" and "I'm gonna have to push back on that". Another one I enjoy hearing in meetings: "Could the two of you have that conversation OFF-LINE?"

There is a new one that brings a tear to my eye.
"Let's all stack hands on this".

I am going to keep the list going. Care to add to it??

My daughter's photography

My 6 year old daughter Whitby took all of these photos. I think she has a pretty good eye -- of course, they are all of me. HAHA

Consistency

It is funny how discipline in one area of life is an influence for other areas.

For the past week, Creighton and I have been working out everyday. We started P90X, a 90 day extreme fitness program www.beachbody.com (Stay tuned for day 1,30,60,90 photos which will be posted on this blog).

For the past few days, I have caught myself making healthier food choices. I have been drinking water way more than usual and have started taking vitamins again. I have chosen green tea over coffee since Sunday. And today I randomly picked up an apple and ate it (something I have probably only done *none* other times in my life).

Consistency from working out to eating more healthy - that's not much of a stretch. But I have also had more discipline with bible study this week - hungry for God's word.

This is a phenomenon I have experienced numerous other times in my life, yet somehow I always forget about it.

I am excited about the upcoming 90 days. Not only because of the rockin'bod I will have on June 15th, but because of the growth I expect to experience emotionally and spiritually.

Lord, I pray for a renewed commitment to you. Help me prioritize health and wholeness. I give you my body, my mind and my heart. Help me be faithful with the time you have given me.

Texas Independence Day: The Video Recap!

Doctors, hospitals, medicine and sick people

Recently I have done some self-evaluation because my son Canon (age 8) broke his foot and I did not take him to the doctor till 2 1/2 days later.

In the rear-view mirror, I see that my under-reaction is a consistent pattern. I'm fairly certain that at some point in my life, I picked up an issue with doctors, hospitals, medicine and sick people.

Could it have something to do with my dad, the rancher who 1. refuses to retain health insurance because it is a big-business racket, 2. treats the skin cancer on his leather ears with some kind of equine concoction, 3. sews his own stitches, and 4. used to pour "monkey blood" (what is that stuff anyway) on our wounds and say, "Now get your gloves back on and get back out there".

Perhaps.

Does it have anything to do with my experience in grad school as a hospital chaplain for the summer where 1. I felt fear and anxiety every time I entered a patient's room, 2. saw every kind of freak-nasty ailment a person could have, 3. became a germ-a-phobe, 4. came home everyday with irrational fears like catching spine-cancer or diabetes.

Possibly.

Or how about the more recent onset that 1. My kids seem to have no tolerance for pain, 2. ER visits are the most exasperating wastes of precious money and time imaginable, 3. sick people still come to work and school and church when they're admittedly and visibly sick, 4. my family seems to pick up every bug and sniffle that comes along.

Probably.

It drives me crazy every time my kids ask me for a band-aid. All compassion drains from my body when my husband gets sick. I disregard the effect that cold medicine or pain reliever might have - it doesn't even cross my mind until my husband inquires, "Um, have you taken anything for that??"

On one hand, this is the way I am. I don't think I am alone in this. And to some extent I think it's wise and level-headed to NOT FREAK OUT WHEN SOMEONE GETS A HANGNAIL.
On the other hand, I think there is a balance. My reaction time could use a little work. For example, let's say, YOUR SON BREAKS 3 BONES IN HIS FOOT AND YOU DON'T TAKE HIM TO THE DOCTOR FOR 2 DAYS.

So what is that balance?

Our first fracture

Canon fractured three metatarsal bones in his foot Saturday.

He and his friend were laughing and chasing each other around in the living room. I distinctly remember saying, "kids, y'all chill out because....", and right before I could finish the sentence, Canon's friend grabbed his right foot. His body came crashing down onto his left foot, breaking the tree middle bones just behind his toes.

The child screamed and cried for about an hour. I had little compassion in the situation. He has a flair for the dramatic, and I have a "get up and get back out there" attitude when it comes to injuries and pain.

I told him he was ok. We iced it, and I sent him upstairs to lay down and rest. Told him to take it easy the rest of the evening (he dutifully played star wars legos on PS2 till bedtime).

I realized it may be a sprain of some sort when he woke up Sunday morning and it was swollen like a puffer fish. I continued to ice it and encourage him to rest. But still had no intention to take him to the doctor.

Finally on Monday, Creighton urged me to take him to get an x-ray. I straight told him that was unnecessary. Here is how the conversation went:

Me: "It is a sprain, he will be fine in a couple of days"
Him: "You don't know that, it could be broken"
Me: "I bet you TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS that we are going to get there and the Doc is going to charge us $120 and send us home with some advil"
Him: "This is your son, Nikki. You need to get it checked out."
Me: "Creighton, he is going to be fine, he just needs to lay off of it for a couple of days"
Him:"Nikki, you are not a doctor, and you are going to feel terrible if it is broken"
Me: "SSSIIIIIIIGGGGGHHHHHH, Ok, I will take him"

You can imagine the humility with which I made the phonecall to inform Creighton of the news.

Him: "hello?"
Me: "hi"
Him: "Well..."
Me: You were right. I was wrong. It's broken. I'm sorry.
Him: "Aagh, that's ok. I'm just excited that I get to think of ways for you to work off that ten thousand dollars!

My friend hearts cats.

Texas!

This Friday night is the Annual Texas Independence Day Party at Casa de Alexander. March 2nd is Texas Independence Day. Ever since we moved to Kansas, we have needed a reason to remember and celebrate the mother-land.
So the TX party is a fun way to bring people (TXan and non-TXan alike) together for some Shiner beer, some Tex-Mex food, and this year.... A Mariachi Band.

I can't wait!
I got a local restaurant to donate chips/salsa/queso to the party. And we are putting together a stellar music playlist of distinctly Texan artists.

Should be GREAT fun!

Truth about the Tooth Fairy

Creighton and I have chosen to tell our children the truth about Santa and the Tooth Fairy.
We have always said that they are cultural traditions that Americans enjoy celebrating. Until recently, they have simply said, "oh, ok."

Tonight, Whitby had three teeth she needed to sell to the Tooth Fairy (yes, I said three - we're a little behind).

As she was drifting off to sleep, she asked, "So Mom, how do the quarters get under my pillow?". I told her that they magically appear while she is sleeping. Not good enough for her. She pressed harder, "Mom, are you the tooth fairy?" "Yes", I confessed. She exclaimed, "YOU ARE??, Even for all the children in Mexico?!"

I then explained how for all the children in America and all around the world, the mommy is most always the Tooth Fairy. We sat there in silence as she pondered.

"Well", she said, "I still don't know how you magically get quarters under my pillow..."

Obsession de jour: Caprica

If you loved BSG (Battlestar Galactica), then you will love Caprica - the new series on Sci Fi. Caprica takes us back to the beginning of how Cylons were created. It's riveting.

REFRESH 09!

Refresh is finally here! I am so excited for tomorrow. Rudy Rasmus, Sally Morgenthaler, Mike Gaffney, Jim Griffith and Billy Abraham will be with us this week.

Please pray for the 155 campus ministry leaders who have carved out time to attend this event.

Ginko Love

Ever since we met our first ginko in Kentucky, we have loved this spectacular tree. There are three ginkos by Creighton's church. Sunday afternoon, we went for a walk (and to play in the leaves). We shot these fun photos.

Obsession de jour: Glee

Who has time for a new show in their life??

You do!
Glee is delectable. When my friends Alex and Rob (both men, both straight) told me about it, I thought, "Are you kidding?" Even if I was desperate to add a new show to my viewing repertoire, there is no way it would be a show about high school glee club. Well, I checked it out and I was hooked before I could text the words, "Don't stop believeing" to Rob and Alex.

40 days of prayer for campus ministry

This is one of my favorite ones- written by Bishop Scott Jones:
collegeunion.org

Day Nineteen (September 4th)
September 4th, 2009


Oh, God, you have given us a vision. Like the man of Macedonia asking Paul for help, we see a generation of young persons asking
if you exist,
if there is meaning in life,
if there is a church where worship is passionate,
if people care for the poor,
if there are safe spaces for deep conversations,
if community can still be created,
if racism and sexism can be overcome
if the Bible is your word
if a moral life is still possible
if . . .

You have also given us a vision of a church
that needs new life
that needs a new generation of leaders
that is growing
that has younger people
that has more people
that has more diverse people.

I thank you for campus ministers, student leaders, board members and supporters who pray, who give their money, who give their time and who yearn for the ministries that lead a spiritually hungry generation to become the passionate, gifted leaders of your church. Give us the wisdom we need to do our work well. Most importantly, help us be part of what you are blessing. In the powerful name of Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.

Author Bio:
Bishop Scott Jones has served as the bishop of the Kansas Area of the United Methodist Church since 2004. Prior to this, he served as the pastor of 3 different churches in Texas and taught on the faculty of Perkins School of Theology. From 1997 to 2004, he served on the board of directors of the SMU Wesley Foundation, being vice chairperson for the last five years of that term. His most recent books are Staying at the Table: The Gift of Unity for United Methodists (2008), United Methodist Doctrine: The Extreme Center (2002) and The Evangelistic Love of God and Neighbor: A Theology of Discipleship and Witness (2003). Scott is married to Mary Lou Reece, who is president of Reece Construction Company. They have three children.

Meta-blogging

Do you ever blog about blogging or blog about not blogging?

I talked to one of my friends the other day about this. She blogged about how she hadn't been blogging and I thought of the many times I have seen this phenomenon. We begin to feel pressure to write something insightful or witty or comment-worthy. We stress when we haven't blogged in a few days or weeks. Then we log on and start blogging about our non-blogging. We've all done it at one point or another.

Since I am first and foremost an expert blogger, I encouraged my friend with these simple rules to blog by.
1. Release yourself from the pressure of blowing our minds every time you sit down to write.
2. Release yourself from the expectation that you won't be ligit if you don't post everyday.
3. Get back in the swing of things by posting a photo or something funny that happened at Petsmart. Jot down a musing or a song lyric that is meaningful. Chances are, it will be meaningful to us too.

This is a window into your life. It is a way for us to connect with you. You don't need to wow us every time you sit down at your computer. Just tell me a little somethin.

To quote Facebook: What's on your mind? Share.

PS: That reminds me of a song.
http://tinyurl.com/lfte39

What does a Producer do?

I'm a Producer for a large church in Leawood KS.

What does that actually mean?
Seriously, I think I know what it means, but I may have a different definition for the word "producer" than others.

If I was a producer at your church, what would I be doing?

Obsession de jour: Sharon Irving

40 days of prayer for campus ministry

Day Four (August 20th)
August 20th, 2009

Jesus

We know students are thirsty for a relationship with You. Like the woman at the well in John 4, many young adults have never found the “living water” that You offer freely and without condemnation. Come Holy Spirit-quench their thirst to know the one, true living God.

Each time they gather for worship-meet them in their fellowship, the music, the spoken Word, and their prayers. Let Your Spirit of grace and freedom fall as two or more gather in Your name. Raise up a new generation of psalmists who sing of Your faithfulness. Inspire artists to enflesh the Gospel in every medium imaginable. As they seek Your face, let all Your goodness pass before them. For it is in worship that we discover that Jesus quenches our thirst to know God.

Each time a small group or Bible study meets-fill that space with grace, wisdom, and hope. Tie their hearts together with Yours. Let the Word be taught with clarity, authority, and truth. Help them find the support, encouragement, and the accountability they need to live out their faith in their college years and beyond. For it is in small groups that we discover that Jesus quenches our thirst to follow God.

Each time they serve their neighbor-whether it is across the city or around the globe-lead them by Your mercy. Empower them to live out the Gospel to the least, the lost, and the last. Build up their faith and the faith of those they go to serve in Your name. Allow their hearts to become impassioned for Your people throughout the earth. For it is in reaching out that we discover that Jesus quenches our thirst to serve God.

Each time Your people gather, speak to each student’s heart about who they are. Allow them to catch a glimpse of what they were created for. Help them see where their gifts and passions meet the world’s needs. Give them a vision for their life that takes a lifetime to accomplish. Call them to serve your Kingdom in their homes, in the workplace, and the public square. For it is in leading that we discover that Jesus quenches our thirst to serve others.

Our pray is that our campus ministries will be springs of living water in dry and weary lands-bubbling up and overflowing to quench the thirst of this generation of college students.

In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Author Bio:
Nikki Alexander is the coordinator for Refresh Campus Ministry Conference - http://collegeunion.org/ refresh. Nikki works at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood KS as the Event Producer in the Technical Arts Group.

Chronic(what)cles of Kindergarten

Whitby Alexander started Kindergarten today. I wonder if, in the minds of every mom out there - is this a sign of my baby girl growing up or a sign of me getting old? Seriously, I have felt very weathered lately. The fact that I still have a 3 year old helps a little with the yikes factor of aging.


Can I get a witness?

Outing with the kids for my birthday

Another birthday already?

Well, with dad out of town me and the monkeys made the most of our day. We started off with breakfast and quick playtime at Chick-fil-A. Then headed over to Deanna Rose Childrens Farmstead. Deanna Rose is a magical place (free!) where children can experience life on the farm. There are horses and chickens and goats - Oh My!
For a quarter you get a handful of feed and the goats with love you for it.

We had a fab time for about 3 hours. Went home and took a much-needed family nap.

Then around 3 we left to go pick up Creighton at the airport. Took him to dinner and the waitstaff at On The Border sang me a birthday song. Hey, free dessert...

Home by 8. Watched some Comedy Central. Good times.

A special message for Jason Watson

Hairless is hot.

National Worship Leader Conference

What a privilege it is for Resurrection to host the NWLC 09!
To follow updates on twitter - use the hashtag #nwlc09.

Cow Appreciation Day

Chick-Fil-A hosted a "dress like me, get free chicken" day.
We walked in and the kids said, "Moo!" as I asked the manager, "Did we put in enough effort?"

The kids enjoyed a free breakfast and playtime this morning.

Favorite spot in my house

Over the past 8 months, I have fallen more and more in love with my house. Even though it was built only 20 years ago, it has an old soul. I love to sit and surf and sip coffee at the table while I oversee backyard playtime.
There are new discoveries all the time as well.
In April, I looked out the window everyday to see blooms emerge on my wisteria vine.
And, I discovered I have a peony and a cluster of white daisies (white daisies are the signature flower of all the women in my family).

Life seems so busy most of the time. Remember to sit and discover and be thankful.

Saint Pamela's Feast Day

Last summer, I shared In Memorarium, about our memory tradition remembering the life of my mom - Pamela.
Since the 21st of June was Fathers day, the kids and I spent the weekend with my dad. Knowing that my sister was going to come visit us in Kansas, I waited with the intention of sharing the Cheescake Factory tradition with her. I took off work Tuesday and Dana and I drove down to the Plaza to window shop and enjoy uninterrupted time - just the two of us. We walked over to CF for lunch.
It was a delightful time of memory sharing with a few tears.

We ordered Mom a cosmo and gave thanks to God for the time we did have with her, for the privilege of knowing such an extraordinary person.
Here's to you mom- we still miss you desperately.