hey, it's ok (tuesday) 1.24

hey, it's ok


...to not be surprised in the LEAST that paula deen has type 2 diabetes.
...(but to not blame it on the butter and heavy cream.  those are real foods at least, unlike the processed crap that southern cooking is full of.  done with the soapbox now).
...to not get the pioneer woman worship.  i mean, yes, her recipes look good (and taste good from the one or two i've had) but why does everyone flock exactly? (seriously, can someone explain this to me?)
...to be sad about seal and heidi klum splitting.  out of all the celebrity marriages, they seemed so much more grounded and solid
...to be writing this list waaaaaay late
...to have copycatted (kind of) a favorite dip from trader joe's to avoid having to buy it so often.  way cheaper this way! (i'll share the recipe soon, promise!)
...to be a bit tired of the schizophrenic january weather in tn.  tornado warnings twice in the last 5 days?  and temperatures fluctuating between the 20s and the high 60s...no wonder we're all sniffling
...to drink way more water now that i have my OWN pitcher in the fridge (with fresh mint leaves in it).  it's amazing what a slight bit of fresh flavor will do!
...to realize that you've used (a whole lot) of parenthesis in one blog post. (oh well)


(please visit amber's blog and post your own list of things that are ok)

storm

in 2007 i wrote this bit of a memory.  in 1990 my hometown was flattened by a tornado, devastated.  in my own way, i share this as a tribute to those affected by the storms all over the south this week.  may you find strength and hope that there is "another side" and you will come out stronger.

in the meantime, my prayers are with you.
as are the prayers of thousands.

i will never forget a few years after our tornado when we went on vacation to nashville (ironic) and stopped at a restaurant.  the waitress, upon finding out where we were from, immediatedly sobered up and said "petersburg...that's where that awful tornado was a few years ago, right?"
when we confirmed she told us with tears in her eyes that her family had prayed for us all.
and somehow, that meant a lot.

so i hope 5 years from now a waitress is moved to tears when she finds out where you were this week.  i hope a teacher is able to comfort your children, and a pastor is able to shine God's love into your lives.  and most of all, i hope you find out something about yourself that you would have never known otherwise.  and i hope you forget -- but not really.

It’s on Wikipedia now. An article entitled “Lower Ohio Valley Tornado Outbreak”.3 sentences that are supposed to sum up that time in my life.

“Petersburg, Indiana was the hardest hit town affected by the outbreak. It was one of two towns in Indiana that were hit by an F4 tornado. Six of the 12 people killed in Indiana were in Petersburg.”

It’s a rather simplistic answer to the questions we all asked in 1990. I was 9. Mercifully, I remember little about those weeks, months, years after the storm hit us. The images I do have in my mind are vivid though, and have not faded with time. My next door neighbor and I crouching underneath her staircase, crying and holding on to each other sure that we were going to die. Walking out of her house after the freight train had sounded and long gone, and seeing the debris that covered our yard—like snow, in June. There was wallpaper from the nursing home that was flattened—we recognized it right away.We moved slowly through the next few hours—finally getting our power back after 3 days. We couldn’t leave the house for the longest time. My father was a police officer and when we finally left the house on Sunday to go to church, he was going to drive us through the worst-hit part of town on the way back home so we could see. The roadblocks wouldn’t let us through, even with his badge, because I was in the car. When we finally were allowed to drive through downtown, weeks later, I didn’t recognize it. The historic buildings—gone. Only a very few were left standing, and those were in pretty bad shape.

Slowly, but surely, our town was rebuilt. The Red Cross was a visible presence for months. Construction became a way of life. People cried a lot, but they soon shook off the tears, got on their feet and began trying to put the pieces back together.

I watched all of this, baffled. And then I forgot.
But I never did, really.

The next year we moved closer to town and I changed elementary schools. Only--this school had been destroyed by the tornado, so the temporary school was a system of portables connected by a covered walkway. I was reminded of the Storm every day at dismissal as we stood on those walkways.

And then I went to middle school, and I forgot.
But I never did, really.

A couple of years later we began attending another church. This one was brand new—because the original building had been flattened by the tornado. Every week as I walked through the front doors I saw the sign that said “Dedicated to the glory of God, June 1991” and remembered that it was because in June of 1990 their other church collapsed.

And then I went to college, and I forgot.
But I never did, really.

thursday's ten: things that make me go "huh?"

today's ten list


is one of those not-so-rare glimpses into my mind
where i'm a little baffled by the environment around me. for example

1. the royal wedding is not only trending on twitter, it's a promoted trend. do they NEED any more promotion? and who exactly is getting the proceeds there?!
2. on my least favorite kids show that finn likes: teacher suzie never comes up with her own lesson plans. she always waits for a 3 year old to do it. AND she's clearly a failed singer. she must live in nashville. the "big thing" she does for her kids every day is perform a song for them. i'm sorry, but most 3 year olds wouldn't sit still for half those songs.
3. storms have devastated the southeast, yet we're more concerned with a royal wedding. it's not that i don't wish them well, and it's not that i may not tune in to see the dress at least, but let's give a little bit of recognition to those suffering in georgia and alabama (among others). the death toll is over 200 as of right now.
(and it totally reminds me of last year when nashville flooded and the only news was that of a bomb threat in nyc that turned out not to be for real after all. is it any wonder i get irritated with media priority?!)
4. why are people so fascinated by trash tv? i'll just leave it at that...because i don't want to give any more recognition than these shows already have.
5. is it just me or are allergies WAY worse this year than most here in mid-TN? i want to chop my sinuses out on a daily basis.
6. why on earth do people participate in those copy and paste statuses on facebook?  you know the ones.  "it's CAT week!  if you have a cat who makes your life better, please post this in your status."
and people DO.
7.  on the facebook/twitter subject...do people not read what they write?  like, ever?  i so often want to bring my red correction pen to facebook with me...
(and yes i know i type without capital letters, but at least i KNOW i'm doing it.  i know how to type correctly.  and i apologize if it drives any of you crazy :-)
8.  i know, i know, i KNOW that whole wheat pasta is better for you.  but i don't get it.  how can you all stand eating cardboard?!  gimme my white pasta and i'll just eat less of it.
9.  the "end of the world" billboards.  if you haven't seen them, you don't live in the south. ;)
10. fast food restaurants that serve way too many options.  like fish at a burger place.  i don't trust mcdonalds to do a good fish sandwich, sorry.  and i heart mcdonalds, for real.

hey, it's ok (tuesday) .8

hey, it's ok!

...to love law & order: uk because of the accents and wigs

...to plan out menus every week

...to often scrap said menus on day 2ish because you totally underestimated your level of busyness

...to heart fruit roll-ups at the age of 30

...to still get a little giddy when looking at my ring finger

...to hide from status updates on certain nights, until you've watched the show that everyone else is talking about (helloooo grey's last week that i still haven't watched!)

...to be a few days into tornado season and beyond ready for it to be over. the sirens make it hard to take a decent nap!

(visit amber for the original)

Monday's Memory: the one with the rose

this one is kind of bittersweet

this is a picture taken last year

in my backyard

my beautiful rosebush

flourishing

giving promise...hope

there was something about that first rose every year...

it was there when i moved in

and it was such a surprise when i saw that first perfect yellow rose

i loved watching for new buds

new blooms

we dug it up when i moved

put it in a pot...

i was so excited

to be able to take my beloved rosebush with me

but i'm afraid when nashville flooded

my rose may have become a casualty

i hope...

i pray (for real)

that it only LOOKS dead

because

damn

i love that rosebush...

sparrows

*written last friday after arriving at the cabin*

they were everywhere today.

one landed in front of me as i walked into the grocery store

pausing every few moments to turn

and look at me

inquisitively

as if he were wondering about what was going through my head

just as i was wondering what was going through his.

then as i sat in traffic, trying to just get out of town

they kept landing in front of my car

taking a moment to splash in a puddle

in the midst of heavy traffic

only flying away when the light would change and traffic

began moving.

it took a few times -- and then i got it.

i'm a sparrow too

and God is watching out for me

just like He is for them

i don't think it coincidence

that my favorite song to play on the piano

when i am stressed or at the end of whatever rope i've been clinging to

is

"His eye is on the sparrow"

oh -- i know He watches me

and that is why

through death

foreclosure

asthma

floods

and whatever else may come

(and it will)

i am ok.

Thursday's Ten: ways YOU can help

i've had so many people out of town ask "but what can we DO?"

i hope you don't mind that today's 10 is ways to help out nashville. it's honestly written because people have asked for it to be. there are tons of blogs and sites out there with similar lists, but i want to specifically focus on what out-of-towners can do.

this is in no way a comprehensive list, and if you live close to our area other blogs (such as nashvillest) will be good resources for you if you don't know anyone specifically who was affected. chances are you DO know someone though and are already helping in whatever capacity you're able to.

for those of you with a bit of distance between your place and ours, here's a short list of concrete, simple things you can do to help those who are hurting.

1. we need donations of gift cards--home depot, wal-mart, target, lowe's, kroger, etc--for people who are rebuilding/replacing ruined items. gift cards instead of items simply because we NEED people to be able to spend money in our city right now.
i've also seen a few people mention gift cards to local restaurants for people who have a kitchen that is inoperable.
here is one place that i know is taking donations of gift cards:
Otter Creek Church

2. are you affiliated with a church in your city? if so, contact a "sister church" in nashville. ask if they have specific needs in their congregation, or if they have specific ministries that are in need of extra donations/supplies for flood relief. most churches down here are taking care of everyone they can.

if you aren't affiliated with a church try one of these:
http://www.graceworksministries.net/ (independent ministry)
www.disasterreliefeffort.org (churches of Christ)
http://www.dioceseofnashville.com/ (Catholic)
http://www.christchurchnashville.org/ (non-denom)


3. text for good! the american red cross will receive a $10 donation to disaster relief if you text "REDCROSS" to 90999

4. bottled water is needed right now. no, it's not the environmentally conscious thing to do, and it hurts my eco mind to use bottled water, paper plates and cups, and other disposable items. but the fact is, one of our water reservoirs was flooded and is currently inoperable. nashville residents have been told to cut water usage by at least half. this means most of us, if we're listening to the pleas, are pretty stinky right now since no one is taking good showers. but you know what? i'm happy to take baby wipe baths and rinse out my hair every other day--or two--if it helps my nashville. we're being asked to limit water usage to cooking, drinking, and hand washing and VERY limited other usage. if bottled water is donated, it'll cut down that much more on city water usage.

5. buy a t-shirt. right now all i have is the facebook fan page, but there should be an online store up soon.

6. for those of you concerned about the fate of animals, the nashville humane society and metro animal services are accepting donations that are more pet-friendly. :) there are also several area vets and kennels that are boarding animals for displaced families.

7. one of the coolest things i saw on facebook earlier this week was that students at my alma mater (Trevecca) were given an opportunity to receive credit by volunteering in the flood relief in lieu of their exams in some classes. how amazing is that? trevecca has always been a school of service, and i'm proud to be an alum when i hear things like that.

by the way, trevecca sustained some damage in the electrical/maintenance facilities, print shop, gym, student activity center, and a couple of athletic fields. yet i didn't find out about that until i read a press release on a nazarene church's website informing the greater nazarene community of this. clearly, student efforts are focusing on what they can do off campus...did i mention i love my university?

trevecca's flood relief efforts: http://www.trevecca.edu/info/newsandevents?id=3955
lipscomb's (i should also note that lipscomb is one of four main shelters housing families who were displaced. the others are the gordon jewish community center, al menah shrine center, and people's church in franklin)
belmont
vanderbilt

i couldn't find any other local universities with flood relief efforts, but i'll keep my eyes open in the next few days.


8. donate monies online
community foundation (in conjunction with the mayor's office)
american red cross
second harvest food bank
salvation army
nashville rescue mission (ok, so this isn't a flood relief specific page, but they serve nashville's homeless population and they were definitely hit hard...so a donation would not be out of place for them. another worthy homeless ministry is room in the inn which several area churches participate in. another homeless project which is absolutely amazing and wonderful is the newspaper, the nashville contributor)

9, visit us. we depend heavily on tourism dollars. yes, opryland hotel and downtown are currently under water. yes, some tourist attractions will be closed for a few months. but let us show you the other sides of nashville, the sides tourists typically miss. we'll be glad to have you, and grateful that you remember us.

10. or come down for a weekend and help families clean out their flood-soaked basements or houses. hands on nashville is coordinating all the FEMA volunteers, so that's a great place to look.

and pray. please. i've stopped watching the news--it's so horrible to see places that i love literally in ruins...and then there are the more personal aspects as i help people i dearly love try to sort out what is salvageable and what must be thrown away. we WILL rebuild, and we will be stronger for it...but right now it's just overwhelming and hard. pray that help will be swift and effective, that clean up will be as smooth as possible, that the city and her people will be resilient.



side note: if any of you are from indiana (southern) or the part of kentucky i'll be driving through to get there and want to send anything down with me, i'll be up thursday-saturday for a wedding. i'll have limited times that i can pick stuff up but please email me or call if you have my number and i'll DEFINITELY meet you and get anything you want to the appropriate place.

i'll also be going to the gatlinburg area later in the month, so if any of you are on the way from nashville to there (or close) i can do the same then :)

Dear Nashville

i love you




(and you can see one reason why here.
i've sat in stunned silence while looking at flood damage
honestly, this is the first thing that has made me tear up. the pictures have left me shocked and heartbroken; seeing damage firsthand has left me speechless. but THIS...this speaks of what we all feel as members of this city--this community.
and this made me cry.)

and then there was the time that nashville nearly drowned...

(titans stadium)

we're officially in a state of emergency here.
and while there are bad things happening
(anthony's parents had a flooded basement yesterday
his granny's house has 3 ft--at least--of water sitting in it)
i'm choosing to focus on the positive

(the walmart a mile from my place--saturday mid-day)

i don't have any firsthand sensational pictures to post
like many of my friends do
and at first i was kinda bummed about that
then i quickly realized how silly that is

(on the other side of me, less than a mile away)

the fact that i don't have any awesome storm pics
no waves going through my backyard
no rivers down the street

(another major intersection--this one about 3 miles away perhaps)

it means that i'm safe
secure
and dry

many that i love aren't so lucky

(downtown street)

i will say that i don't know the status of the storage unit just yet
(and am oh-so-thankful i secured renter's insurance on the contents of it just friday!)
but the things there are just that--things.
emi is safe
i am safe
anthony and his family are safe

we're good
:)

i'll leave you with a couple of more humorous things from the storm
(because as you can see above there is much in the way of seriousness
but i--we--need to laugh)



facebook status from a friend:
K, now we know it is bad. Naomi Judd just called the TV station to report that her fence has been knocked down and that her buffalo are now roaming wild! Flooded house, yes, but wild buffalo, lookout!!

and further proof that nashville not only doesn't stop the music for water--it also doesn't stop creativity!
"Tennessee's Not Landlocked Anymore"


this one's not funny...just poignant. i love this photographic proof that you can't stop the music here, no matter what.
i think there's a whole blog post just in that statement

...i'll work on it...

You Can't Make This Stuff Up: Volume 11

no one on facebook can stop talking about the rain
and there are reasons why

namely this one


it's supposed to get worse
less than a mile from my house is a walmart that is nearly submerged
people are using boats to get stuff out of their flooded houses
inSANE