A Million Miles in 1,000 Years

I am in a book club. I know... but I have to have something to fill ALL the spare time I have (said sarcastically). But, I love to read and I find it fascinating to see how multiple people process the same book. This month we read Donald Miller's A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. It's non-fiction (which I have to be in a mood for) and tells Miller's story of turning his memoir into a movie and, along the way, trying to tell a better story with his life.

I don't know if I loved it, but there were blurbs that definitely reached a deeper place. Let me share one...

"I saw a story on 60 minutes a few months ago about the happiest country in the world. It was Denmark. A study done by a British university ranked the happiest countries, and America was far down the list, but Denmark was on top. Morley Safer explored why. Ruling out financial status, physical health, and even social freedom, he landed on a single characteristic of the Danes that allowed them such contentment....they had low expectations.


I am not making that up. There is something in Denmark's culture that allows them to look at life realistically. They don't expect products to fulfill them or relationships  to end all their problems. In fact, in the final interview of the segment, Safer was sitting across from a Danish man and remarked to him that when Americans find out the happiest place on Earth is Denmark, they are going to want to move there. Without missing  a beat, the Danish man looked at Morley and said , "Well, honestly, the will probably be let down.""


I read this on Sunday evening. I had spent the previous Friday evening on the phone with my mother talking about the pace of my current job and how, with that pace, I don't feel like I am doing anything to a level of quality I am proud of. She gently reminded me that sometimes good enough is just that: good enough. And then, in that way only mothers have, she said, "Misty, perhaps nothing needs to change about the job. Perhaps your expectations need to change." Two days later, as I laid on my couch reading Miller's book, the pieces clicked into place so loudly, it was deafening. For a bright girl, I swear God sometimes has to push extra hard to make me see things. It's about my expectations..... hmmmm?

Wordless Wednesdays

Other peoples ability to capture an image leaves me speechless... Enjoy Crater Lake Oregon!

Image Credit

A Fall Playhouse Project

Let me set the stage: It was fall and I had moved to a new town and spent most every evening and weekend at home. The dissertation/PhD process had suppressed every last ounce of creative ability I thought I once had. I needed a project - something to occupy my time and allow me to be non-academic. Christmas was coming and I saw a friend's Facebook profile pictures of a felt cardtable playhouse. The idea was born to make this playhouse for my niece, Emily. I looked up the plans on Etsy. Seriously, what 2 year old wouldn't love to have one of these?

Perhaps I was being a bit ambitious. When I got the plans, the packet was 49 pages long!

So, I bought the stuff... a card table to build it around and lots and lots of felt. Oh, and clear thread, cutting mat and fusing paper for patterning. It slowly took over the living room. 

I spent the first few weekends making patterns, ironing them on and cutting them out. This, I could do in front of football. Seriously, from 9am-9pm on Saturdays it was me, football, the iron, sewing machine and tons of felt. 

The pieces were finally starting to come together....

but there were more than 100 pieces to make.

Finally, one side almost done.

Once, I had all 4 sides sown separately, I sewed them together. It was now 28 inches tall, but around 140 inches long!. This is the point where it got a little annoying to handle. 

So, lets see each side individually. This side is an owl on a fence and a fruit tree - complete with removable Velcro backed fruit that she can pick and put into the basket. The tree trunk is fuzzy and the basket is 3-D, complete with ribbon on the handle.. 

This side has some birds, a butterfly and a working window you can look out. The pattern included instructions for curtains, but with the purple felt, it's pretty dark inside so I left the curtains off.

This side also has a window and, as I would later find out, this window is big enough to get her head through. That was easily one of her favorite things... peek-a-boo out the window. The watering can detaches so you can "water" the flowers! And, there is a bee and some puppies to decorate.

The front includes a kitty, a flower pot, a porch light, and a working mailbox. The door (complete with windows) opens from the corner. I also put grandma's address above the door.

I took it home with me when I traveled home unexpectedly October 30th for my dad to have heart bypass surgery. I needed my mom to help me put the roof on. It happened to be Halloween weekend and, since no two year old will later remember the difference between Halloween or Christmas 2010, I went ahead and gave it to her. I did not use a card table, because, it turns out she is taller than 28 inches. So, my dad help me construct a PVC frame with non slip feet with legs that unscrew for easy flat storage. She is standing up inside the house in this picture... and since I didn't use a card table, she didn't bonk her head!

 

She LOVED it... and that made Aunt Misty happy!

When I grow up...

I have been thinking a lot about adulthood. When am I a grown up? I know, I know. I have hit a lot of those milestones that would indicate I am grown: I live 3,000 miles from home. I can vote. I can drive a car. I have three college degrees. I rent an apartment and pay my own bills. Heck, I am 31 years old.

But I don't feel like an adult. But maybe I just don't think I know what being an adult feels like. These thoughts are always in the back of my head, but came to the forefront a few weeks ago during a Grad and Career discussion of adulthood in the church. I think I live the life of an adult (most of the time). And, when I catch myself doing things that I don't think an adult would do, I begin to struggle with these questions all over again. For example, I was driving a state car to supervise a student teacher (adult thing) while rocking out to 'Baby Got Back' (not adult thing). These contrasts are pervasive in my world.

Let me share a few of minimally embarrassing examples:
I sleep until noon (on the weekends of course).
I call my mom when cooking a new recipe.
I watch reruns of the Office instead of the news.
I still have TLC, BoysIIMen, and Nine Inch Nails in my CD collection.
I shop for jewelry and choose silver hoop earrings over the pearls.
I don't buy clothes that require dry cleaning.

My parents will probably tell you I was born 40 so perhaps I don't feel like an adult because I was never really a kid. Hmmm.

Wordless Wednesday The Nieces and Nephew

The sun came out

The sun came out yesterday and, since it was the MLK holiday, I was able to go out and enjoy it. Seriously, prolonged sunshine and one of the best weather days I have experienced in Oregon since early November.

I went for a long walk around the neighborhood (without my rain gear)! I saw some great mossy/licheny photos that were better than the ones I posted last week. So, I snapped a few. Forgive the fact that they were snapped with the ol' camera phone. The most important part is that you can see the sun in some of these photos.

 

It's Green Even When It's Not

It is the middle of winter... and Corvallis, Oregon is still green. Don't get me wrong: as a self-professed plant geek, I love it. I expected the evergreens... fir, pine, juniper, cedar, and even the Yew. However, the rest of the green is a bit unexpected. There is moss and lichens everywhere.

I snapped a few photos as I've walked around the last couple weeks. This one is a downtown stairwell around the corner from my church.

There is also this great old tree by the library that I walk past each morning on my way to work. there are all sorts of green things growing on this one. 

Wordless Wednesday's Round 2

"What Teachers Make" 

Wordless Wednesday's - A Betsy Photo

Image Credit: Betsy Hartley

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