I would love to make this vow...

Our Daily Bread
I really liked the devotional today.  Marriage has been on m mind a lot lately with the passing of the same sex marriage law in New York.  Woohooooo!  I have two things to write about this topic.

First, it is difficult to know when same sex marriage will be legal in the state of Ohio.  I don't entirely disagree with the decision being made by each state instead of the federal government.  I don't want anyone to scream about "special rights" since marriage law is usually controlled by the states now.  The problem with not having a federal law is that the state-sanctioned marriages may not hold up to the same rules as the federal laws for taxes, Social Security, etc.  How is that going to work?  Regardless of these details, I look forward to the day I can legally say "I do" and have the marriage recognized in the US. 

Second, the other part of the equation (and maybe the more difficult part!) is finding the right man.  hehehe  God promised me the man meant for me in my dreams, visions and prayers.  I am doing my best to put myself in the right places to meet him.  I am praying and working towards being the "whole man" that can love and be loved.  The next love I have will be for the rest of my life.  I know all of this sounds corny.  Having that kind of love is a desire of my heart.  I thank God and praise God for his promises to grant the desires of my heart!

Lord, you work in every part of our lives if we just let you.  I want to trust you.  I want to flee to you.  I stretch out my hand to you to ask for wholeness.

Foodie Friday
No recipe this week.  I am writing about the pizza challenge I took when I was in Chicago last weekend.  My favorite Chicago pizza is Giordanos.  It is a think crust, stuffed pizza (also known as Chicago-style pizza).  I love the buttery crust.   I love the cheese stuffed in the layers.  I love the generous toppings.  I love the sauce on top the pie.  My mouth is watering thinking about it! 

A new acquaintance I met on a bus traveling to Wrigley Field told me about Mancinis Pizza.  I didn't think there could be anything better than Giordanos, but I thought I would give it a try.  I found a Mancinis restaurant and ordered a pizza.  I wasn't exactly sure what to expect when I opened the box.  It was a "home-style" crust (not stuffed) with LOTS of toppings.  The toppings had a great taste as did the cheese.  I was disappointed with the sauce.  It tasted like the sauce I would get out of a can at the grocery store.  Very disappointing considering how good the rest of the ingredients tasted. 

I have to admit that Mancinis is probably better than any pizza I have had in Columbus so far, but it was still not Giordanos!  I will continue my tradition of ordering a Giordanos pizza whenever I venture to Chicago!

Other Stuff
I had an appointment with my counselor last night.  It went well.  There are some things I just don't "get" at times.  I am working on it with him and in my prayer life (praying to be made whole...). 

I had dinner with my walking buddy and her husband last night.  We always have a good time when we get together.  I need to go back to their house tonight to finish fixing their computer.  The monitor is not working right.  I have no idea why.  I brought some stuff with me from home to work on it.  I will figure it out.

Not much planned for this weekend.  I want to see the movie The Zookeeper.  I plan to attend church on Sunday.  I want to walk or go to the gym or something in there somewhere.  ;-)

Hang in there, my friends!  I will be upbeat and steady.  That is what I do....

How do I flee to him?

Our Daily Bread
The devotional talks about something that I don't really understand -- fleeing to Christ.  The scripture talks about how David wanted to flee his troubles and his enemies.  He had good reasons as lots of enemies wanted him dead!  Yikes!  I don't have that issue, but I still have the feeling that I want to flee from my struggles.

Like I mentioned several times in my postings, I have a tendency to whine when I compare my life to the struggles that others face.  I am a whiner.  I finally realized that whining represents my feelings and my feelings are important!  There are very few things in my life that make me want to flee.  They are mainly my health issues and my romantic life.  I am doing my best to flee to Christ, to turn over all the things in my life over to Him.  Resting in him is where real peace originates. 

So please pray for me that I can finally turn some important things over to God.  I can trust God.  I can rest in His promises.  I can flee to him.  So can you...

Lord, thank you for being my place of rest and comfort.  I can rejoice in good times and rest in you during the not-so-good times!  Thank you!

Technology Thursday
There are some interesting things going on via the Internet.

Facebook
Facebook introduced their video chat service this week, including group chat.  Experts are wondering the impact on the Internet as well as the impact of businesses using the platform for doing business.  It will be interesting to see how this pans out.  Over two million users tried the service the first few hours it was available.

Google+
Google introduced the Google+ service into beta (by invitation only) this week.  It also includes video chat and group video chat.  Are we seeing a pattern here?  Microsoft buys Skype to get their videochat technology.  Facebook introduces it.  Google introduces the functionality.  It will be very interesting to see how this all shakes out.

Apple
I am an Apple gadget geek.  I like reading the rumor sites about the new products coming out.  There are rumors about iPad3 this Fall.  There are lots of rumors about the next iPhone(s).  The latest iPhone rumors include a slightly upgraded iPhone4 AND a new iPhone5 will be introduced in September.  That would be COOL!  hehehe.  I use an iPhone 3GS.  I soooo want the upgrade to iPhone5!  hehehe  I will see what happens.

Other Stuff
I had a FANTASTIC appointment at the eye doctor yesterday.  Both eyes are in decent shape now.  The left eye has healed from the February surgery.  The right eye has no swelling like it did in March.  Whew!  The doctor lifted my activity restrictions.  Woohoooo!  I slept like a normal person last night!  It was great!  I plan to start back to the gym on Friday (slowly at first!).  I am very excited!

My prayer group had a great session last night.  It was nice getting together (even if a few folks has to miss the meeting).  We had a beautiful evening at Sharon Woods Park.  Nature played its part in the evening with some woodsy animals hopping around close by!  We had a great talk and shared prayer requests.

Hang in there, my friends!  I will be upbeat and steady.  That is what I do...

Weak and weary?

Our Daily Bread
"Do not be weary in doing good..."  Wow, I thought about how many times I had  been weary by not being good!  I am so ashamed!

So how do we "do not be weary" when doing good?  What is weary?  We usually think of tired or fatigued when we talk about being weary.  I like this alternate definition:
"Having one's interest, forbearance, or indulgence worn out"

Wow!  As a Christian, having one's interest or forbearance worn out sounds very, very serious!  We should never do that!  hehehe  Seriously, the expression that I heard when I was younger is "you cannot dip from an empty well."  If we think of our interest and forbearance as a water well from the Old Testament, folks would stop dipping into a well that they knew was dry.  We can "dry up" when we push ourselves too far.  Take care of yourself!

Lord, I want to keep my interest and forbearance when serving you!

Witness Wednesday
The later part of my 40's were odd to me since I was single again at that age.  I was in a new age bracket on every survey I knew of!  After a few months, I started dating.  Yikes.  I did the online thing for a few years.  I met some nice guys.  I met some real  losers.  I went out with a great guy who was a seasoned professional.  I went out with a 32 year old hairdresser with a Mohawk hair cut.  Go figure.  I got very tired of dating so I started something even more odd -- a back and forth relationship with two very different men.  I have written about Ying and Yang many times in my blog.  I won't write any more.

The last few years of my 40s left me tired and weary...  yes, weary of pursuing another relationship.  I will talk about how things changed in my 50s.  Yes, they did change, praise God!

Other Stuff
Prayer group tonight - Yeah!

Eye doctor appointment today - eeeekkkk!

Life is good.  Appreciate it!

Hang in there, my friends!  I will be upbeat and steady.  That is what I do...

A real friend?

Our Daily Bread
What is a friend?  I love the definition suggested in the devotional:
Someone has defined friendship as “knowing the heart of another and sharing one’s heart with another.”

Very cool!  In this day and age, many people consider the folks on Facebook their real "friends".  How sad!  I have a buddy from Texas that had over 2000 "friends" on Facebook.  When I asked about one that was particularly cute, he said "I don't know all of these people!".  DOH!  The saddest part is that many folks are so lonely in real life that they consider themselves better "connected" since joining Facebook!  Yikes!  Oh well.

The point of the devotion is that we all know that Jesus is our friend.  Are we his friends?  Can he share his heart with us and we do things that are for his good?  I was impressed by that approach to the devotional.  What do you think?

Lord, I want to be you friend even though you don't need my friendship.  Help me build trust so you can share your heart...

Special Edition - Chicago
I had a nice drive home today.  The weather was absolutely beautiful!  Wow!  My GPS took me a very odd way home, but it worked.  Whew!  I may just stick with the way I know next time!

I had a great time at Oak Park yesterday.  Here are a few pics of some of the Frank Lloyd Wright homes I saw:

I went to Ikea after I rested for a little while in the hotel.  I found this kitchen that I want:

It was even on sale!  Oh well.  I have spent too much money on the house and stuff this year.  I need to wait until next year for any more work!

Other Stuff
I am excited to be home.  I look forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight.  The one at the hotel hurt my back!  Oh well.  I have a checkup with the eye doctor tomorrow afternoon.  I will let you know how it goes.

I have a meeting with my prayer group tomorrow night.  I am excited about that.

Not sure what this weekend will bring.  What does it matter where the road goes as long as God is leading?  ;-)

Hang in there, my friends!  I will be upbeat and steady.  That is what I do...

Caution: sign ahead.

Our Daily Bread
The devotion today is about a ruling to allow a cross to be displayed on public land. Personally, I have no problem with separating church and state. Imagine how our government would mess up religion if we let them! Hehehe

The important point is that we have a choice to display the Cross in our lives. No law or government can take that away from us!

Special Edition - Chicago
I had a nice time at the church visited yesterday. Very cool. After church I took the train and bus to Wrigley Field for the Cubs-White Sox game. It was packed! I stayed til the sixth inning then went back to the hotel. I was tired. I didn't sleep well the past two nights. I think the bed is killing my back.

I plan to visit Oak Park today. I will see how that goes.

On a side note the new OTC lotion my dermatologist seems to be helping my psoriasis. Woo hook!

Hang in there my friends! I will be upbeat and steady. That is what I do...

Hungry for the Word

Our Daily Bread
Have you ever HUNGERED for the word of God?  I don't think I ever have. I understand better what that means at this point in my life. God has been working in my life since I made a stronger commitment to read and study. Praise God!  I pray that we all can better understand this concept!

Thank you God for your Word. I want to feed on it and grow in you.

Special Edition - Chicago
It is a beautiful day here. I am waiting for church to start. This should be cool. I found the directions to the CTA station for my trip to the ball park after church. It is not far.

I hope you have a great day!  Hang in there!

What ya doin?

Our daily Bread
I am a silly old bear! I had some friends in Louisville that started every phone conversation with:
what ya doin?
nothin'
what ya wearin?
nothin'

Like I said...

Imagine if you had to answer that question to God throughout every day of your life. I mean the What ya doin? question of course! I know I should think about that more before I do seemingly stupid stuff not just before big decisions!

Lord I want to be able to explain my every action to you!

Special Edition - Chicago trip
I am having a blast in Chicago. I had a decent drive up here despite some nasty storms north of Indy. I relaxed last night after settling in at the hotel. Today I went to the Art Institute. Amazing! I walked over to the Taate of Chicago event after that. I dragged my butt back to the hotel after picking up a Giordanos pizza. Mmmmmmmmm. I had a relaxing evening in the hot tub and then the bathtub.

I found a church to attend tomorrow morning then I will head off to Wrigley Field for the baseball game. Cool! I have leftover pizza for supper Sunday night!

Hang in there my friends! I will be upbeat and steady. That is what do...