Update

I feel compelled to make an update b/c I just posted on my cousin's sister-in-law's blog (who is also going to go NO TV for a month) and said we hadn't missed watching television (and I quote) "ONE BIT."

And then I just read my blog post below that says, "So far I miss it most when..." Oops. I guess I did miss it at first.

But we've now completed day five with no TV and it has been great. It's a very liberating feeling to feel as if I can have a fulfilling and entertaining day without the television. Sometimes I play some music on my laptop, but a lot of the time there is no "artificial noise" blaring in our home. And it's nice. However, I know five days is nothing to brag about. And I'll bet it's a lot easier to avoid TV when it's nice out than in the dead of winter. That thought just occurred to me today. Or when you have a newborn and you're feeding them at 3 a.m. Just thought of that too. (Though that WILL NOT be happening anytime again in the near future!).

In other news, poor Hudson is a sick baby. We had a play date scheduled today with several other girls and their babies from church this morning, but Hudson was acting very fussy as I rushed around. He felt warm, so I took his temperature and it was nearly 101 degrees! He's never had a temp., not even when he had ear infections, so it was a little alarming. We had to cancel the play date and schedule a doctor's appointment this afternoon.

Turns out he just has a virus, which is good because he doesn't have an ear infection but bad because he could be contagious. So, Chris and I are both working half days tomorrow to keep the little guy at home. He definitely isn't himself. He never lays his head on my chest, and today he let me rock him to sleep twice! That's definitely a small bright side to his little sick side. Hopefully he'll feel better soon.

No Television for One Month?

Friday night I proposed to Chris that we go without television (in our home) for one month. After all, I don't really watch much of it anyway. And Chris usually just watches re-runs of movies we've seen numerous times (lately its been Clear and Present Danger and Braveheart) and UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) episodes (groan). I don't usually watch movies more than once. Chris is content to watch them over and over. I always tease him about it, asking, "Hey, maybe this time Braveheart will escape from the gallows and kill the enemy. Do you think?" He grits his teeth.

Anyhow, the point is I have it on for background noise and Chris just watches stuff I don't want to watch, so we decided to make a go of it. So far, so good. Not to say we haven't been tempted already. I guess Chris tried to turn it on yesterday, but I had unplugged it so that we would have to make a conscious decision to go against our resolution, so he didn't end up watching it after all.

So far I miss it most when I'm sitting down to give Hudson a bottle or like now, when Chris is outside and Hudson is asleep, and watching a re-run of House or some other show in peace sounds kinda nice.

I don't know if we'll make a month. I hope so. If we do make it a month, we'll probably seriously think about cancelling our Dish, which for some reason I hate to do even if we aren't watching TV. Strange, huh? When you go without TV and then consider really going without TV, you realize what a staple television is in your life. It's comforting knowing that I can turn on The Wiggles or watch Dateline even if I don't want to. That bugs me even more. Why is television so important in our lives?

I hope by the end of the month (if we make it) we'll stay in the habit of very little to hardly any television..more reading and quiet time. We'll have to see.

Easter 2009

Cousin Riley Eating Jelly Beans

Hunting Eggs

Sunday morning before church (a.k.a. nap time)

Suffering through more photos

What a cutie!

Can I have that problem back, please?

If you've read my previous post, you know work is a bit challenging now. You can also see that I'm trying to rest on God's promises and look to him for guidance and wisdom.

What's not so obvious (unless you work with me) is that the other half of the time I'm worrying, stressing, complaining, and frustrating about these situations.

I was discussing this with a co-worker today, and it turns out I'm not alone. She said, "I give it to God, and then I take it back, and then I give it to Him, and then 10 minutes later I take it back."

Yep, that's totally me.

Resting on God's Promises

When I learned that our beloved and amazing department vice president was leaving to accept a C-suite position at an premier leadership development organization, the verse from Romans 8:28 came to mind:

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

It illustrated God's path for our leader and why so many doors had closed - so that the door at this new opportunity would open and she could take it without hesitation. It also illustrated, in my mind, what our own team must continue to remember as we worked to continue carrying on the great legacy and high standards established - without her. And, in the back of my mind, I knew it would also be a source of strength and comfort as we would quite likely face many other challenges; her leaving left us far more vulnerable to others with less than pure motivations regarding their own ambitions and our team.

Those challenges came far more quickly than I could have imagined, as Friday one of our two leaders who our VP mentored, trained, and taught was abruptly let go. One month ago we were a proven, confident, and dynamic team who knew our jobs and were darn good at them. Today, we're confused, afraid, and unsure about, well, everything. As I face tomorrow, another set of scriptures from Isaiah 40 sits on my heart:

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

We have an awesome team of good, hard-working people. We like each other. We love our jobs. Many of us are friends. All of us are Christians. We have no idea what the future holds, and it's a lot easier to believe in God's promises when things are going good. But the bottom line is just like our former leader, he has a purpose for us all. If he knows how many hairs we have on our heads, or concerns himself with when we stand up and when we sit down, then I can only believe that he has already laid out a wonderful plan for each of us, a future far greater than we could ever dream. All we have to do is rest on God's promises, and confidently follow the path and accept the plan he is laying out before us.