This post is also known as “Too tired to write a real post so I pulled out the ol’ Facebook tagging/forward thing.”

Three names I go by:

1. Leslie {pronounced “Lez-lee”, my mom insists she meant for my name to be pronounced with a z.}

2. Leslie Ruth

3. Lulu. That’s what all my friends’ kids call me.

Three jobs I’ve had in my life:

1. Frozen yogurt girl at Zack’s Yogurt on Robinhood Road in Winston-Salem, NC

2. Peanut brittle maker at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri

3. Teacher, aka BEST JOB EVER

Three places I’ve lived:

1. Long Island, New York

2. Abilene, Texas

3. The wonderful, the beautiful, the one and only southeast {I couldn’t pick between TN & NC}

Three favorite drinks:

1. Shirley Temples

2. Caffeine free Diet Coke.

3. My husband’s version of sweet tea. It is suh-weet.

Three television shows I watch:

1. Grey’s Anatomy

2. Army Wives

3. Will & Grace. Over and over and over again.

Three of my favorite foods:

1. We’ve discussed the power of macaroni & cheese already.

2. Bananas

3. Krispy Kreme donuts {not that I’ve had one in almost three months}

Three of my favorite restaurants:

1. Macaroni Gril

2. Wendy’s

3. Panera

Three things I couldn’t live without:

1. My husband

2. My sister

3. My Marmee

Three things I can’t stand:

1. People who smack their lips while eating. SERIOUSLY.

2. Teachers who refuse to delight in their students

3. When Carolina loses to Duke in basketball

Three things I’m decent at:

1. Making my dog happy

2. Writing: notes, blog posts…maybe one day a novel?

3. Conveying passion and excitement to my students

Three things I’m looking forward to this weekend:

1. Beth Moore’s simulcast. A church in Amy Beth’s town is showing it!

2. A long workout on the Riverwalk

3. Writing a weekly letter to someone I love very much

Three things I’m addicted to:

1. Reading blogs

2. Collecting cute/sassy/chic stationery

3. Bags of any and all kind. Purses, tote bags, laptop bags…you name it, I’ll want it.

Life Happens

It’s my new catchphrase. Puts things in perspective, reminds me that I have life to begin with, calms me down. Two comfy words that can sum up so much in so little.

When my new classroom is empty save my desk, the kids’ desks and one bookshelf a mere three days before new parents pass through the door- it works.

When I get pulled over for having still not switched over my license and tags from Texas to Tennessee- it works.

When my incredibly kind and generous neighbor {who brought dinner over after my first day of work!} apologizes that I had to climb over the baby gate on her porch- it works.

When I am two minutes away from being late on the first day of teacher in-service because I was stuck at the DMV for over an hour getting my new driver’s license- it works. {Well, I think. My boss might disagree. Grin.}

Life happens, my friends, and it feels like life to the full is finally happening again for me.

Can I make a suggestion? The next time those crazy-inconvenient-fixable-everyday things happen in your world or someone unnecessarily apologizes for them happening in theirs, try out my little catchphrase. You might just find it fits you too.

I ramble as I power walk…

“Ugh, I really should have gotten out earlier, it’s so hot. And I probably should’ve eaten something. I wonder what else I can start eating for breakfast? Oatmeal, cereal, egg white omelets, turkey bacon, what else is there? I should’ve eaten a banana at least…Ugh, this sucks.

This is what happens. I’ve discovered the trigger. It’s macaroni & cheese. Doesn’t matter if it’s whole wheat and organic, it triggers my crazy eating habits. Stupid leftover Key Lime Pie. Although I did make it with fat-free condensed milk, so that’s gotta count for something. Why does the trigger have to be macaroni & cheese?!? It’s so unfair!!!

I didn’t drink enough water yesterday. I can tell, mouth’s dry. Good lord, the macaroni & cheese spoiled everything! Why am I out here again? I should just go home. No, gotta keep going. Start fresh, that’s all.

Signal Mountain really needs to put in a sidewalk on the rest of James. This is insane. Hey, big ol’ truck! How ‘bout you try to get a little closer to me next time?! Jeez. Share the road, why dontcha…

What else do I need to pack for the beach? I think I’ve gotten everything, Jason doesn’t need anything. Did I get enough sunscreen? SPF 50 for me, 30 if I’m feelin’ bold, 15 for J. Yeah, we’re good. Should I bring all my hats or just narrow it down to one? I’ll just take the tan one and the black one. That should do it.

Oh good lord, this hill! San Francisco marathon. Feels like that. Allie literally pushing me up the hills after Golden Gate Bridge. I didn’t train enough for that race. Oh, those hills! This hill may kill me…

The library should really put their sign by the “Hidden Entrance” warning sign. Never knew it was there myself when I first tried to find it. Ooh, they put up a new flag! Watermelon, cute. I don’t like watermelon.

{I hear a bang! bang! bang! as I pass the water tower} Yikes! I guess they’re working up there? What would happen if it burst? Would I hear it? Should I turn down my iPod? Where would I run? Would I be able to outrun the tremendous water flow? Oh lord, I’m so glad today’s not a running day. I can’t even get my pace below 14:20/mile. Seriously, how fast would that water travel if the tower broke?

Ah, flatness. Praise Jesus.  Maybe I can get my pace up now. I’m glad Debbie gave me this thing. Wonder if I’ll hit 3 miles today…

Turn around time. Yes!!…

Water tower’s still there. I think I’m good. I should probably stop watching so many disaster movies…

Where’s the shade? I feel like I’m back on the Mt. Tabor XC team, lagging behind while Coach Esposito looks at me disappointingly. Hey, I was only doing it to letter and for college applications. Good thing Allie far exceeded his expectations of an Unger.

Why do I have all these slow songs on my “Get It Movin’” mix? Skip. Skip. Skip. High School Musical 3. Perfect. Zac Efron is cute. I need to rent that movie again. Wonder if the kids will want to watch it at the beach? I need to get started on their beach treats. Got the paint pens, need to start writing names on water bottles. Did I pull my cute script workbook out of storage. Think so…

{“I Want It All” from HSM3 comes on} Love this song! I really want to do one big Broadway type number before I die. I should get on that.

Ooh, here comes Jason, guess he’s going back to the James house to paint. Should I wave? Blow a kiss? Nah, I’ll just make a silly face. Love him…

Almost home! Need my power song. What is with all these slower songs in this mix?! Need to fix that when I get home…Thank you, Katy Perry, I’d love to hear about waking up in Vegas.

Push…push…almost done….done! Now I don’t have to think about this again until morning.

Annnnd my fingers look like sausage links. Awesome.”

Heartbreak

I remember where I was when my sister told me that our mom and dad were officially separating. It was the summer of 2000, I had just graduated from college. I was lying across the navy blue and white plaid loveseat that had been in our family since before I was born. It was tucked into the corner of Anna and Debbie’s living room in their apartment where I was crashing for the summer. I remember the sun on my face. I remember the feel of the upholstery under my legs. And even though it wasn’t a surprise {Allie and I had known for months that this was coming}, I sobbed harder than I ever had before.

It would not be the last time.

That afternoon, I didn’t have to grieve alone. My friends came alongside of me as quickly as I called them. They, along with a pastor at my church, prayed over me and I vividly remember the words, “Lord, please be a soothing balm to Leslie’s aching heart, soul and mind.”

As I watched “Jon & Kate Plus 8” tonight {yes, I watched} and listened to them utter the words that will change all their lives forever, I was right back on that navy blue and white plaid loveseat. I remember thinking that summer day, “I’m part of this club now. I’m part of the number, the statistic whose parents are divorced.” It makes me nauseous that those precious, clueless, innocent kids are now co-members with me.

My emotions volleyed back and forth as I watched Jon and Kate explain, defend, rationalize it all in front of a national audience. Anger, sadness. Anger, sadness. Anger. Over and over again they said things like, “I just want to do what’s best for my children….Hopefully, this will bring us some peace…This will let my kids know that they are loved…I only want the best for my children…It is all about my children.”

Really? Really?!?! This separation, this divorce will NOT bring peace. It is the exact opposite of that. This will not let them know that they are loved. This will set up an environment for the rest of their lives in which they will never again be certain of stability in their family. You only want the best for your children? Then how about making an effort to heal your marriage, to be humble enough to look each other in the eye and deal with the crap, to take an honest attempt at counseling. Separate schedules with mom and dad coming and going, that’s best for your children? That’s peace?!

I understand that when a separation/divorce occurs in a marriage the circumstances are unique for each. My parent’s divorce came after twenty-five years of marriage. It wasn’t surprising, there were issues there throughout. I have always admired my mom for being appropriately honest with me about those issues, about how she could have handled things differently, about how she wanted me to learn from her mistakes so that I didn’t have to suffer the same outcome. But the time came when one person can only fight so hard for the marriage without the other one’s engagement in it as well. In that first year, I wrestled daily with understanding the divorce and even giving my blessing to it {as my mom’s friend I wanted her to have more than what was being offered} but grieving it terribly {as her daughter}.

We don’t know all the circumstances that have led to this decision by Jon and Kate. We have our hunches based on what we’ve seen play out before us for the last 3-4 years. I can’t really place blame on either one of them. It’s not about blame, really. But I am angry. Angry that they continue to let this play out on a national stage {and yes, I know I contribute by watching} with seemingly little concern as to how that might affect their children in the future. Angry that this is what seems to satisfy them as a solution. Angry that they have deluded themselves into thinking this is “the best thing for our children.”

I will not watch the show anymore, not for any reason, not for any future “announcements”. Divorce is not a form of entertainment. Watching a husband and wife choose to ignore the vows they made {and renewed just a year ago!!!!} is not good television. It is life this side of the fall. It is not life nor marriage as God intended it. It will be a death for those kids, one that they will grieve over the next days, months, years. And no one should have access to that grief, I don’t care how much money Jon and Kate make off of it even if “it is all for our children”.

My grief in that first year was palpable every single day. I was blessed beyond reason to live with three sisters of my heart who wept with me, prayed for me, laughed with me, cursed with me, and listened to me as I grieved. It’s been nine years. A lot has changed since then. I’m older {oh lord, am I older}, I’m a little wiser, I’m married. Jason and I both come from divorced families which makes me all the more determined that divorce is not an option. I know firsthand of it’s devastating effects. And yet, I also know that I serve and love a God who can redeem all things. God has and is redeeming things in my broken family, even if I can’t see the final results right now.

And I trust and pray He’ll do the same for the Gosselins.

The Glee Of It All

Back in high school, I was a band geek.

Correction: I was a cool band geek.

Now, perhaps that stunted my potential rise to the top of the high school social ladder. I'll never know because I gladly traded that top rung for the joy of playing a piece of orchestral music so beautiful that the world around me disappeared and all I knew was the glorious sound that surrounded my heart.

As much as I loved playing the flute/piccolo in the concert band, orchestra and marching band {for three painful football seasons until I ditched the polyester marching uniform- even a cool band geek can only take so much}, I loved singing even more. In the years leading up to high school, I had been bitten by the musical bug. I'm sure watching Wizard of Oz, Annie, Singing In The Rain and The Music Man through my childhood years only added to the rapid toxicity with which the love of all things musical spread through my veins.

In third grade I auditioned and won the role of workhouse boy/pickpocket/schoolgirl in a local production of Oliver!. The elementary years were scattered with church musicals (my first taste of a lead role and solo speaking parts) and a movie audition for the lead role in The Man in the Moon which ended up going to Reese Witherspoon and kicked off her Oscar winning acting career.

Yeah, it could've been me. Sigh.

Summer before eighth grade, it was Annie Oakley's little sister in Annie Get Your Gun and a glorious moment in the spotlight in the school district's summer production of Hello Dolly!.

I was completely and irrevocably hooked on the musical.

Anxiously anticipating my four years of high school, I knew I would join the band but I also knew I had to be in Chorus. The teacher was incredible and had built an impressive reputation for himself complete with competition awards and year-end school musicals in which roles were deeply coveted. This was my chance. This was to be the start of my Broadway career.

And then he quit. A new teacher came on and he was awful. Just awful. I lasted two weeks in Chorus before I knew that my Broadway career would never flourish under this hack and my social standing would take an even worse hit than simply being a cool band geek.

Perhaps this helps explain why I have been waiting with bated breath for a show like "Glee". It's the story of a hapless group of high schoolers who love nothing more than to sing and the teacher that will guide them. In the face of an evil cheerleading coach, an unsupportive {and dreadfully selfish} wife and a doubting principal they come together to revive the woefully downtrodden Glee Club.

{At 3:05 is where the goosebumps kick in for me. I'm just sayin'...}


"Glee" premiered last night after American Idol and was the most delightful hour of television I have experienced in a long, long time. I laughed, I clapped, I gasped, and I cried tears of joy at the last scene. I've also watched that scene at least five times this morning {the full episode can be found over on hulu.com, right here} and bought the show's version of "Don't Stop Believin'" off of iTunes and listened to that at least 15 times already.

I've spent a lot of time this morning trying to figure out why a soaring musical number in a TV show makes me cry. Or that scene in Mamma Mia! {the movie version} when all the women on that little Greek island follow Meryl Streep in a rousing chorus of "Dancing Queen". Or when all of Central Park joins Amy Adams in a charming musical number in Enchanted. The only conclusion I can reach is that in those moments, those scenes, those songs, the people in them are doing what they are truly passionate about. Maybe what makes me cry is the incredible contagiousness of that passion. Or maybe it's that I know it's my passion too and the tears are my heart's cry to start pursuing that passion, that joy again.

I should really get on that.

{Edit: Oh my gosh, this was too funny not to share. This afternoon, I stopped at a convenience store up on the mountain to get Jason something cold since he'd been tiling a floor all day. This little store sells gas too (in those very old fashioned pumps) and they specialize in frozen coffee drinks. This might account for the delightfully effeminate man running the counter. As I handed him my 20 oz. Orange Crush he asks me, "Are you a TV watcher?"

"Um, yes," I replied, wondering where this conversation was going.

"Did you see that show last night about the high school kids and their glee club?"

And just like that, I had a new friend. We spent the next few minutes rehashing our favorite lines and he even did his own dance version of the rival glee club's rendition of "Rehab". And it was good.

"Glee". Bringing people of all ages and all walks of life together. Never underestimate the power of showchoir.}

The look on Jason's face told me I made the right choice...

So, Lent is upon us. I hadn't really given it a thought until MG reminded me with her Lenten passion. And then Gayle over at The Westie Crew posted this brave choice.

And it rang true in my heart, y'all.

You see, if you've been reading this here bloggy for the last, oh, two days, you have probably noticed my slight preoccupation with all things pop culture. And in light of things being fairly challenging in my day to day personal life, the pop culture bits and pieces are an easy topic behind which to hide. Things like Facebook, Twitter, people.com (and any other online pop culture obsessed mag) are easy places for me to run and seek solace. However, the solace they offer is empty and has left me feeling terribly unsatisfied as of late. Restless, even.

So, Lent is upon me. I am not one who, in the past, has committed to fasting from a particular habit during this season. This time around...it just feels right.

From Wednesday, February 25th to Sunday, April 12th I will be fasting from those very things I listed above. To be specific (and for accountability purposes), they are:
- Facebook
- Twitter
- People.com, UsMagazine.com, etc...

I am not fasting from my blog. This is a healthy outlet for me and I am interested to see what posts will arise from this particular fast. The point of a Lenten fast, after all, is to bring my attention to God instead of those things (dare I say idols?) that draw my attention and heart away from Him.

This will not be easy. Oh no, this will be gutwrenchingly hard. In fact, on the way home from my horrendous day (more about that later) my brain tried every rationalization as to why I shouldn't give up Facebook and Twitter. These are things that connect me with people I know, after all. Shouldn't I keep those connections? Well, yes. But I can do that just as easily through email, phone or (gasp!) a handwritten note. So, out they go...

This should be interesting. This should be challenging. This should make me read more, pray more, write more, dream more. And more than just those things, I am eagerly anticipating that this journey will refresh and invigorate my heart, mind and soul.

I still miss her strawberry jam...

I bought a hat last week just like one my Grandmother used to wear. In fact, I've posted a picture of her in it before. This type of hat has come back in fashion and you've probably seen it on some celebrities or maybe around town.

I'm not one to usually try the latest trends (after thirty, I think we all owe it to ourselves to admit what works for the girls in high school/college might not work for us) but the hat has served several purposes for me. It's certainly practical up here on the mountain. The days are getting colder and colder with a high of twenty-something becoming the norm very soon.

I'll admit, it's nice to feel like I'm still "with it", that I can pull off a trend and still feel like me. I like the jaunty way it sits back on my head. It makes me feel pretty and there's certainly nothing wrong with that.

But best of all, I feel a certain kinship with Grandmother when I wear it. Strange how a woolen cap can conjure up memories of a hardworking no-nonsense woman who loved us in her cooking, gardening, quilting, and decorating. Who shared her faith in pages covered by her beautiful handwriting. Who softened as she aged. Who was willing to admit her mistakes and ask for forgiveness.

All that from a simple grey woolen beret.

Not Sure When I've Been More Excited

Seriously.

I mean, Christmas morning (I'm talking about the present/stocking part, not the Jesus part) is fine and all, but talk to me about a fresh start and I'll start getting a little giddy. A brand new year. A chance to establish some new habits, carry through with those best intentions, leave all that was 2008 behind (and oh my word, am I ever ready to leave it!) and plunge headlong into 2009.

So I started the New Year in the best, most ambitious way I can imagine...I stayed in my pajamas all day watching this season's "Biggest Loser" marathon.

Oh come on, you didn't think I was magically going to morph into a completely different person overnight, did you? Yeah, me neither.

So before I share what some of my goals are for this next year, let's take a look back at 2008 in this little piece of the internet. I've picked a noteworthy post (or two) from each month...

January - No, Seriously

February - Sunday Night Bath

March - In case you doubted our Southerness

April - State of the Game and TMAOE

May - Vast Amounts

June - And then I cried. Shocking, I know.

July - A Fitting Tribute

August - Two years and counting... and Like Ants Marching

September - Didn't Have His Address

October - Hopelessly Devoted To You

November - The Petree Moving Excursion Recap

December - From Famine to Feast and Couldn't Be Prouder

This year was without a doubt full. We packed all our worldly belongings and moved them. TWICE. I changed jobs three times and had opportunities I never would have otherwise. Jason worked all sorts of contractor/construction/renovation projects and was an amazing provider for our little family. We added six new animals to our tribe (one dog, two cats, three kittens) and then bid them goodbye again as we prepared to move to Tennessee.

Change. Lots and lots of change. This year, I'm looking forward to delightful constancy.

And I'd like to read more. Signal Mountain has the most pleasant of libraries and I'd love if the librarians knew me by my first name by March. I want to renew my love of running and enjoy the strength and health that comes along with that. I've joined up with a bunch of other women to memorize two Scriptures a month. I want to make my relationship with Christ a priority in a way that makes a difference in my everyday life and, especially, my marriage.

That's it. Those are my goals for the year, recorded for blog posterity. Thanks for sticking around to see if they come to pass...