This Day in History

Today television is full of spooky movies and shows about the history of Halloween.  But I'm pretty sure there wasn't a single one about something else that happened on this day.

On this day, 498 years ago Martin Luther carried a world-changing document to the doors of the Castle Church in Wittenberg where he posted it to be read by those who would come the next morning to worship on All Saints Day.  Thus began the Reformation of the church, prompting widespread social changes not the least of which was use of the printing press to publish Luther's writings including a translation of the Bible for the first time in the common language of the people.

Changes in education.  Changes in religion.  Changes in politics and government.  The world would never be the same.  And it started on this day, October 31, 1517.

2017 will be the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.  I have decided I want to go to Germany that year.  I'm going to start looking for a group with which to tag along.  The very idea of celebrating Reformation in Wittenberg on the 500th anniversary gives me goosebumps.

Happy Friday

Today is Friday.  I've had to remind myself several times.  I worked from home yesterday and today (kiddo home sick from school) and it totally has me thrown.  I keep thinking today is Saturday and I need to go to church tomorrow.  Then I remember tomorrow is Saturday (usually after a particularly large yawn) and I'm relieved I can sleep until I wake up which will be all too early as it is.  I think I will need every minute I can get.

Game Day

It's game day again - Husker football game day.  In past years, I've hosted football watching parties.  They're fun - food, friends, family, football.  I'm not sure what happened, but last year I did very few and this year I haven't done even one yet.  Don't know if I'll get around to doing any this year.  This makes me sad.  I don't know if I'm too busy or too tired...maybe it's both.

So I'm sitting in the big, comfy recliner barely keeping my eyes open thinking how I really need to find the time and energy to have a football party some weekend...but next week is Halloween.  The week after that is a late game which is always harder for everyone.  The next two after that don't appear to have times yet...and I have choir concerts in November and there's Thanksgiving...

Always finding some excuse.  Shame on me.  Well, folks (all, like, two of you who read these), should I even bother?  Would anyone even come?  Hard to plan when it seems like I'm just surviving from weekend to weekend.  Life appears to be getting too busy for pretty much all of us.

That just might be the rub.  We probably all need to just stop and do something different on one day.

One More Thing Done

Today I can check another sign of adulthood off the list.  (Did you know there's a list?)  Today I closed on refinancing my house.  Yea!  Lower monthly payments!  Yea even more for what I expect will be better customer service with the new lender.  In the short term, I get to take a month off and my next payment won't be due until December.  Thanks, new bank!

As I was leaving the appointment, my arms full of paper, the rain coming down on the heavy and cold side, I was thinking, did I really just refinance my house?  I can't say that I ever sat down and planned to do it.  In a way, it happened almost by accident - and mainly because I was so fed up with the old mortgage company I would have paid to leave them.  It took me quite a while to stop calling the mortgage payment a rent payment.  Now I've refinanced that not-a-rent-payment.  I feel so grown up!

Day 8

I have now had a foster child in my home for eight nights (seven days).  Samson came home Sunday and wakes me during the night with barking if she happens to be up and moving around in the hallway.  Thanks, pup.  We are still adjusting to having a long-term guest.

Reformation Celebration Sunday!

Please join us at Redeemer Lutheran Church on this Sunday (October 25th) for a Reformation Celebration.  Service starts at 5:00 with an awesome authentic German meal at 6:00.  Local musicians will be participating including the Lincoln Lutheran Choir of which I am a member.  I am really looking forward to it.  Hope you can make it!

It's been a crazy couple days.

So I've had my foster care license for over two years now, but no placements and only a handful of visits a couple years ago...until yesterday.  I officially became a foster parent last night after only a couple hours notice - which is not how anyone wanted it to go, but that's what went down.  Today we did a little shopping, met a friend and spent time watching TV after school and work.  Tomorrow and Friday I will be working from home as it is Fall Break time.  It's been years since I spent real time with a real pre-teen.  Two words: learning curve.  But I think we'll be okay.  Meanwhile, I pray she gets to be reunited with her family.  It's sad so many kiddos go through such scary things as this.

But the craziness doesn't end there.  The same day I got the placement call, I heard from the bank that my refinancing and loan for doing work in the basement is finally closing...on Friday...this week.  Wait.  What?  We went from silence to closing in how fast?!  Uh...okay.  But the banker I've been working with will be traveling, so I have to meet with someone else to go over the paperwork.  Great.

Add a work get-together-thing tomorrow night, baby shower in Omaha this coming Sunday, and last week I was in CO for work (which went well) getting back late Friday and then had my nieces over the weekend (which was cool).  And those are only the highlights.  But I miss my Samson boy and don't feel like I've had more than five minutes to breathe for the last two weeks or so.

I need to stop on the computer now because I did something to my elbow today that has made it hurt more than it has a long time.  What did I do?  I sat down.  How, you might say, do you manage to hurt your elbow while sitting down?  I'm not real sure.  I think I was just slowing my descent and maybe I twisted my arm funny?  No idea.  Really, really hoping the chiropractor can lend some valuable assistance tomorrow or the massage therapist the day after that.

It's supposed to freeze tomorrow night.  I'll have to cover the part of the garden that's still producing.

Have I mentioned it's been a crazy couple of days?