Depends not necessary...

Friday night we got hit with some MAJOR storms! I woke up to the first storm around 2:00 AM. The rain was torrential and the lightening constant! It seemed like the night sky was constantly illuminated. In fact, there was so much lightening so close that I got a little freaked out and escaped my bed for a while because I feared the lightening would come right through the window and fry me in my bed! Then the hail came. It was little hail, but hail nonetheless. After about 20 minutes of downpour the storm subsided. Only to return a couple hours later with equal fury!

However, by morning all the rain was gone and all that was left to remind us of the storm were some downed branches and wet cement. Oh yeah, and one more thing...

As I walked out to my car that morning (going to visit my good friend Lindsay downtown) I realized with chagrin that my drivers side car window had been left down all night. Not just cracked, but ALL THE WAY down! So I patted the seat to determine how soaked it really was. It didn't feel too wet, and I had a towel in the backseat, so I figured if I used that as a cushion I'd be fine. So I drove the 35 minutes into downtown, parked my car on a street bordering the hood (the only place to find parking! no one wants to steal my car anyway!), and got out. As soon as I stood up I knew I was sorely mistaken about the soaked factor of my car seat. The backside of my pants I could nearly wring out! I felt frozen. What to do? Clearly it looked like I had wet my pants--and wet them through! Plus--they were light colored pants...what if they had suddenly become see-thru? I shuffled my way to the nearest public building and went in to find a restroom with a heat dryer (and a mirror to check if my pants had become see-thru). I found the bathroom but no dryer.(thankfully the mirror eased my fears of baring more than I wanted to the world!). I used paper towels to absorb any excess water, but it was evident that I was going to have wet pants for a while. At that point I decided to walk down the very busy streets of downtown Chicago holding my head up high, acting like there was nothing unusual about the butt of my pants being soaking wet. I walked fast and didn't look back. I'm sure they've seen stranger things in Chicago before! Thankfully the 'Windy City' lived up to its name and had my pants dry in less than a half hour!

Now--go check your car windows-even if it doesn't look like rain!

Contentment is...

...not knowing what the hell is going to happen, but being okay with not knowing until clarity comes.

Today I find myself feeling content. Actually all weekend I have been content. When I know that the one in charge of my future is not me, but God--and I lean my full weight on that, I am content. However, all too often, I take the reigns back. Then all of a sudden it is ME in control--and me in control is a very scary non-contented thing indeed!

So when I start to feel the all too familiar feelings of anxiety and uncertainty and fear about 'what the future holds', may I stumble back upon this post, or may a friend or family member remind me who should be in control and what it really means to be content.

Now on to the funny stories!

Heavy Metal and the Pink Shirt...

This past weekend my older sister Jenni and her boyfriend Troy came to visit. I was super excited to have them out to visit--and I'm sure they both were excited to have a weekend away from work and kids! I even learned how to make (from scratch no less--including the crust!) Pecan Pie--which I made for them as a 'Welcome to my Humble Abode' present. (Hey--if you come visit me you may get a pie too--what kind do you like?)

We had a lot of fun--spending the ENTIRE day on Saturday downtown Chicago (after a local breakfast at the hoppin' Seven Dwarves restaurant!). As soon as we parked downtown, the skies opened up and the rain fell. We walked (fast!) to a nearby Walgreens to buy an umbrella from their quickly dwindling supply! Of course, within minutes of leaving Walgreens with our new (but cheap) umbrellas, the rain stopped.

We went on to walk for quite a ways along the lakefront before getting in a taxi to take us the rest of the way to Belmont and Broadway to the location of Troy's FAVORITE music store of all time...Metal Haven. It's basically a hole in the wall CD shop devoted entirely to hard core heavy metal music--a favorite of my sister and her boyfriend (they were in town, after all, to see a Megadeth concert!). Anyway, the Metal Haven experience was an interesting one, to say the least! Music I had never heard of, with CD covers I wouldn't describe to my own grandma, and a lot of black. In fact, as I stood idly and obviously against an empty wall, I realized I stood out like a sore thumb. It wasn't because I wasn't perusing the CD's with interest, or talking about the latest cool metalhead concert. It was because I was the only one--the ONLY one in the store NOT wearing black. And not only was I not wearing black--I was wearing PINK! It is like the complete opposite of black in a heavy metal store! I was sure all the metalheads in there saw me as a Legally Blonde type of girl (except I'm brunette) with her little pink shirt and her pink painted toenails. I'm sure they were wondering where I was stowing my pink clad chihuahua!

Well, it was an entertaining stop for me AND for everyone else in the store, I'm sure!

After crazy Metal Haven we took the El train back to our car and then drove to Navy Pier where we went broke paying for parking. We walked the length of the Pier--nearly getting blown away at the end of it! We considered going on the Ferris Wheel, but that option was ixnayed by the guy of the group. He said he wasn't interested. Jenni and I know he was scared! We walked past all the silly 'Funhouse' mirrors--nearly peeing our pants with laughter at the one that made it look like our heads were about three feet long. Good thing we don't really look like that. It's not pretty. We then briefly considered hitting up Bubba Gump's restaurant for dinner, but quickly re-thought that idea when we learned the wait was over 2 hours!

We left Navy Pier not too much later and drove to North Avenue, where we located Exit--the heavy metal bar that we would visit later that evening--another of Troy's 'must see's' in Chicago (again--I'm still wearing my pink shirt!). But Exit wasn't open yet, so we wandered until we found Iggy's--a funky cool outdoor martini and expensive food bar. In fact the food ended up being so expensive that we just had a martini and ate the free bread. Such silly cheapskates we are! After Iggy's we went to Exit--and were basically the first to arrive. It actually wasn't that scary of a bar, considering it was a heavy metal bar. I felt much less out of place than I had in Metal Haven--in fact, some of the people in Exit had on green and even blue shirts! But I was still the only one in pink. But Exit was fun--and pretty low key. Us oldies were out of there by midnight and besides a pit stop for midnight milkshakes at Mickey D's, were were crashing in our beds by 1:00 AM.

All in all it was a fun weekend--come again Jenni and Troy!

PS--FOR SALE: barely used like new umbrella. Walgreens brand. $5.99 OBO

Summertime! And The Livin' is Easy...

Okay, well it may not ALWAYS be easy, but Summertime has something about it that helps ease all fears and worries! Especially when warm summer days and a cool refreshing lake encourage me to just relax and enjoy!

Blind Faith

I've been thinking about this the last few days. What does it mean to have 'blind faith'? Faith is, as they say, 'being sure of what you hope for, and certain of what you do not see'. When it comes to my faith in Jesus Christ, I can, without hesitation, state that I have faith in Jesus Christ. Is it 'blind faith'? Yes and no. The Bible, history and archaeology provide hard-core factual truths that support the life and death and even deity of Jesus Christ. Those truths support my faith. However, there are elements of faith in Jesus Christ that rest upon being 'sure of what I hope for and certain of what I do not see.'

But what about in other life situations and circumstances? Can I have 'blind faith' in getting a raise at my job? Can I have 'blind faith' for a relationship to be restored? If I am sure of what I hope for, and certain of what I cannot see--does that mean it will happen? I wish I could say yes, but I can't say for sure. I think it really depends upon who I am trusting in for those situations or circumstances. If I am trusting in myself alone, or in the actions of another person, that 'blind faith' is really shaky at best. But if I am trusting in the One who holds my future, then I can have blind faith. Blind faith to know that even if whatever situation I may be faced with doesn't turn out the way I would hope--or even if it does--I know it is not because of me, but because of He who leads me steps--and His plan is good.

Life is interesting and confusing and a whirlwind all in one! Not that it's bad, but it keeps me from getting bored! :o)

If you think of it, pray for me--for wisdom and guidance as I seek HIS face with blind faith in the midst of life circumstances that are not so clear to me right now.

Love you all!

Holly Lou :o)

Camping in Mille Lacs

...Chris captures the attention of Becky and Jess






ALL THE LADIES...WOO HOO!
THE GUYS PLAYING SOME WATER FRISBEE / Jess finds something interesting...

The weekend of July 29-31 I went camping with several other friends to Mille Lacs, MN. It was a beautiful weekend--perfect for camping. Cool enough at night, but not too cold, and warm and sunny during the day. There was delicious food (we have some hard core camp chefs out there) and crazy games (anyone up for a round of SNORT?) and lots of relaxing at the beach (and on our floaties in the water girls!) Here are a few pics to give you a taste of my time with the crew!

Freaking Out!

Hey Friends...

Have ya'll ever had a 'freak out' day? A day when you are just a bundle of nerves--with a knot in your stomach and your brain running a mile a minute? Yeah--so today has been a 'freak out' day for me. And for good reason, though I won't go into that now.

Alternately throughout the day I have felt moments of intense freaking out and nervousness--uncertainty, fear, and excitement all rolled into one! Then I have to talk to myself--yes, 'freak out' days cause a bit of insanity--which includes talking to oneself! As I talk to myself I remind myself that freaking out is going to NOTHING to aid in my situation at all. In fact it only makes it more difficult to get a grasp on.

so today I have tried to soothe myself with a different song--also by Ginny Owens. It has worked at moments--and at other moments the 'freaking out' has taken over. But the song (from memory--so it may not be perfect) goes like this:

Be Still, My Soul

The Lord Is On Your Side

Bear Patiently The Cross of Grief or Pain

Leave To Your God

To Order and Provide

In Every Way

He Faithful Will Remain

Be Still My Soul

Your Best, Your Heavenly Friend

Through Thorny Ways

Leads To A Joyful End

Whew...okay--my soul is feeling pretty still at the moment. I'm going to go for a run to keep it distracted and keep singing my song as the evening progresses. The 'freak out' day will be over soon!

Love ya'll!

Holly Lou :o)

If You Want Me To (Ginny Owens)

This song was running through my head all day today. Some of you who know me well know that this song is a song that has always spoken to me (since Becky D. introduced me to Ginny Owens a couple years ago!)--but especially so in recent months.

Here's the song...

If You Want Me To

The pathway is broken

And the signs are unclear

And I don’t know the reason why you brought me here

But just because you love me the way that you do

I’m gonna walk through the valleyIf you want me to

Chorus:CauseI’m not who I was

When I took my first step

And I’m clinging to the promise you’re not through with me yet

So if all of these trials bring me closer to you

Then I will go through the fire

If you want me to

It may not be the way I would have chosen

When you lead me through a world that’s not my home

But you never said it would be easy

You only said I’d never go alone

So when the whole world turns against me

And I’m all by myself

And I can’t hear you answer my cries for help

I’ll remember the suffering your love put you through

And I will go through the valley

If you want me to

Goals...

It always seems like I'm either making, breaking, achieving or attempting to achieve goals. What are some of my goals these days?

Getting out of debt...that has been an on-going goal for quite some time now. And even though I have had my times of struggle with this goal, it is finally starting to pay off! If all goes according to plan, I should be out of debt before next summer! Less than a year, yeah! I have learned my lesson well dear children...very well!

Losing Weight/Getting in Shape...Hmm...funny, this one has been a goal for about 14 years! There are times when I am totally going strong on this goal and other times when I fall off the wagon BIG TIME! But as for now I am going strong. I've lost over 20 pounds since mid-May and almost 20 inches (that seems like a lot, but I have a lot of inches to lose!), and most days I work out and eat healthy (though don't get me wrong, ice cream still calls my name quite loudly some days!).

Writing a Book--I've always wanted to write, but often been afraid to try. Afraid of what? I don't know, maybe embarrasment, failure, who knows? But I can't fail if I don't try, right? So I have been working on a book for quite a while now, and plan to spend more devoted time to it in the weeks and months to come. Can't wait to see what happens with it!

Learning to Kayak--I've done it 5 times now--kayaked that is. And I love it! Being a part of the Chicago Kayak club will definitely help me in pursuing this goal! I will have to get pictures next time I'm out and post them to the blog!

Well, that's all the BHAG's for now (that is the acronym my former workplace used to use...for 'Big Hairy Audacious Goal's'). They may be BHAG's, but I'll achieve them someday!

Love ya'll!

Holly Lou :o)

Mi Familia

This is Auntie Holly and little Sarah--my 8 year old niece. She came to visit me for the Fourth of July weekend--this picture was taken as we waited for the fireworks to go off!

I have a tradition I started about four years ago. Each summer a different niece or nephew (I have 6) come to spend a weekend with Auntie Holly. This year was Sarah's turn--next year it will be Max's--he's the youngest. Then we'll start over again with Ashley--my oldest niece. By then she'll be 18--too cool to hang with Auntie Holly? I hope not!

But this picture is just a glimpse into a much bigger, grander and more beautiful picture, and that is the picture of FAMILY!

I have SUCH appreciation and LOVE for my family. In the years I spent working with at-risk teenagers, and families that are at best dysfunctional and at worst completely falling apart, I gained a new and unwavering respect, love and thankfulness for my family! As all families go, mine has it's quirks, but that is what makes my family my family--and I love them all. I don't have pics of all of them at the moment--but they'll all make it on to the blog eventually. In the meantime, let me introduce to you the FAMILIA MEADOWS...

There is the patriarch--my gentle, sports-loving outgoing entrepreneurial father--Howard Meadows
The Mamacita (as I like to call her)--my creative, efficient and beautiful mother--Debby Meadows
The Oldest--my big sister Debbie ('little Debbie') is 5 1/2 years older, and she is the 'mamacita' of Ashley (age 16), Ryan (15) and Joel (9)
The Crazy One (well, we are all crazy...) my other older sister (3 years older) Jenni is the mamacita of Heather (10), Sarah (8) and Max (6)
Then there is ME--the middle child! You know what they say about middle children. :o)
My L'il Sis...the one I tortured in her sleep and sat on and tickled (gotta love being a big sis) is Michelle--'MnM'. She is 5 1/2 years younger, lives in Colorado with her husband Chris and is the mamacita of 2 cats, Kenny and Kelly!
Then there is the BOY. Finally a BOY! My little (but much taller) brother is almost 21 (his b-day is Thursday!), and is a junior in college. He can do an awesome Jim Carrey impersonation and is a talented musician! He is not the mamacita or papacita of anyone or thing (thank goodness).
Finally there is Kelsey the Sheltie dog--if she's still alive. She is at least 13 years old and on her last legs (literally) but she still is loving and happy (it always looks like she is smiling!)

That's my familia! If you are reading familia, I love ya!