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Thursday, August 30, 2007

What I've learned from working at the bank...

(Disclaimer: Note that these comments are all in fun, and a large part are inside jokes, so don't take them too seriously...)

When in doubt, "Lizzie did it"

When blamed, always claim, "It's not my fault"

No deviating!!

Don't pick out a wedgie in front of the security cameras

When Jacki (my co-worker) asks you to look at her -- DON'T. It inevitably involves broccoli in the teeth or a chap stick tube stuck up her nose. :)

Dark chocolate is the answer to all of life's problems.

When drinking that afternoon soda, always smack your lips and sigh "Ahhh!" loudly

Large amounts of money can always be split in half ;)

Don't yell at someone when they're in the soundproof room...THEY CAN'T HEAR YOU...

Never answer the phone by stating your address. ;)

Never plan on a pen being available when you need it.

The best way to avoid "grazing" at the "grazing table", is to get rid of the evidence by eating it. :)

Putting on lotion is a sure-fire way to cause customers to come in.

Never go to the bathroom in the guest bathroom if someone is in the employee bathroom. You're likely to get the feeling of a bidet.

Bank Teller's eat healthy: Diet Coke with vitamins & minerals, and dark chocolate with antioxidants. :)

"Initials" is pronounced: "Hinitials"

It's not right until it's "Zack-a-lack-ally" right.

We're "Jest Kitting" :)

...we just want a chance!

You can't see the customer's when you're craning your neck to see what's out the window...

When at the drive-thru, always plan on being shushed

"Wanna count?" "Sure....1...2...3..."

When feeling stressed, throw your head back and laugh deeply with no abandon -- similar to how the Cowardly Lion on the Wizard of Oz laughed.

Chanting "Baby Jesus lost & found" will always seem to help you find what is lost....if you look hard enough! ;)

When you leave the money in your trunk, you cannot be relied upon...

There's always a tip for the teller!

...and last but not least....you don't have to be crazy to work at the bank, but it sure does help! ;)

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Dancing with Jesus

Sweep me off my feet, Jesus,
I just want to dance with You.
To be held in Your embrace -
I never want this night to end

Spin me through the crowds, Beloved,
Our dance steps quick but true.
You lead, I'll follow, 'tis our way,
I love to dance with You.

And when I trip
Or miss a step
And make a fool before all,
You offer grace
And give me faith
To dance all my life long

I try to hide amidst the crowds
Blushing and ashamed.
Two left feet, I miss a beat
I'm scared to dance again

But your offered invitation
Surpasses limitation,
Grace glides my feet across the dance floor.
And shining admiration,
Eyes filled with adoration
Fix upon my Beloved and my Savior

Sweep me off my feet, Jesus,
I long to dance with You again...

Monday, August 13, 2007

The Man who knew He was going to die...

There's this amazing quote in a recent movie called "Stranger Than Fiction". Will Ferrell stars in it, and though I generally hate all of Will Ferrell's movies, this one has a wonderful story that I would highly recommend seeing.

At the end of the movie, one of the main characters is discussing the grappling decision she faces, as the fate of another character lies in her hands:

"...this is a book about a man who doesn't know he's going to die. But if a man does know he's going to die, and dies anyway...and dies willingly, knowing he could stop it...then...isn't that the type of man you want to keep alive?"

The whole idea of this quote floors me. I think of Jesus, and how He knew He was going to die...and He knew how He was going to die -- as the character in this particular movie did -- and yet Christ chose to follow God's ultimate plan of salvation by giving up His own life so that we might have life abundantly in Him. :) Isn't that great?!! And though we don't "keep" Jesus alive in the literal sense, we do "keep" Him alive daily by relying on Him and proclaiming the good news of His Gospel to those around us. Our chief aim and deepest desire ought to be to make this Man known to the world, that they might see that He is alive and yearning for a relationship with each one of us.

Jesus is the Son of Man and Son of God who is alive and worthy of all our thoughts, dreams and actions. Praise be to the God Most High!!

Saturday, August 11, 2007

a ghetto laundromat visit...

Because my husband was going to be out of town for most of the day, I decided I was going to be super productive at home. :) Laundry was included in this productivity. Recently our washer decided to spring a leak - but only when it's filling with water -- which means that doing a load of laundry is somewhat possible if you're prepared with towels and willing to clean up after yourself. :) Today I was not willing to do that -- plus I had to wash various comforters and blankets that would have been too large for our washer anyway. So I headed for the local laundromat.

Originally, I had planned on going into another town to use their facilities, but on my way out of town, I saw that there was a laundromat just down the street from where we live. "Aha!" I thought to myself, "It would be much easier to do the laundry here, a block from home, then 3 miles away. Then if it takes longer than expected, I can go home and be productive while I wait." And so I pulled into the parking lot and hauled my baskets of laundry in.

Now, I know that laundromats are not usually meant to be comfortable or particularly clean and enjoyable, but this one had to be the worst I'd ever seen. The front door and windows were coated - literally - with gnats, mosquitoes and spiders. This was encouraging. So I gulped down my concerns and flung the door open - trying to avoid touching any of the bugs as much as I could. The place was completely deserted - aside from the bee which occasionally visited my piles of laundry, and the multiple spiders, gnats, and ants that hid in various crevices and corners. "Joy..." I thought grimly, but I knew what I had to do, and these economy sized washers and dryers were my only hope! So I dove in - at least I had the place to myself. I used 4 washers and 3 dryers to finish all my laundry, and boy was it hot in there!! No AC -- which I think should be a must for laundromats, especially when you end up sitting on the counter, watching the dryer spin (so much for my goal of productivity... :) )

All in all, it ended up not being quite as awful as I thought - except that 2 different dryers ate about $2.25 worth of my quarters. At least most of the machines worked - though the setting left MUCH to be desired.

There was a comment box on one end of the room, but I thought it might not have enough room for all of the comments I might have suggested. So 3 1/2 hours later (due to delays in some of the errands I was running) I finished. Though it was nice to get all the laundry done at once -- I don't think I want to visit a laundromat again for a very long time... :)

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

A "Smart Card"...and a blind heart...

Today I ventured out in a new area of sharing my faith: the "smart card", used by Way of the Master Ministries. I knew that my mom and Sarah had used them before, so I thought I'd give it a shot with my co-workers at work. This is how it went three separate times...

Take 1:

Contact: E - my very Catholic, but tenderhearted older co-worker. She understands so much of the truth of the Gospel, she just hasn't internalized it yet.

Situation: As E was getting ready to leave for her lunch break I snatched my smart card from my purse and asked if I could show it to her. She read it and held her thumbs on the center as it instructed her to do. When nothing happened, she laughed, asking if it was another one of my jokes. I encouraged her to flip it over and she did so, read the back, and then commented that she wanted to show it to her son (who has been demonstrating some wayward tendencies as of late). So far so good. No harm done -- no real gain in spiritual conversations, but that's alright. A seed was planted.


Take 2:

Contact: My Boss (also a strong Catholic)

Situation: My Boss and I were talking about various and sundry things, and I thought to myself: "Now's my chance to try out the smart card with him!" And so I did. I handed him the card and asked him if he would try it out for me, he said sure and proceeded to follow the instructions on the front of the card. When the square did not turn green, he smiled at me and I told him to flip it over and read the back. As he's reading, he's smiling, and then suddenly he comments:

"That's not true."

Me: "What's not true?"

Boss: "It's not true that if you hate someone, it's like committing murder in your heart."

Me: *flabbergasted silence*

Boss: "And it's not true that if you look at someone with lust that it's the same thing as committing adultery."

Me: *pause* "What? *pause* "How do you know that?"

Boss: "It's just not true."

Me: "But Jesus said that himself -- it's in the Bible. I can show you right where it is..." (for any curious to know it can be found in Matthew 5:21-29)

Boss: *gets up, not commenting on my last statement and procedes to change the subject to something about how Jesus' name has been proven to work powerfully even among natives in foreign lands who know nothing about God*

Me: *talks a little bit about the power in Jesus' name and then* "Hey, now, seriously, why do you believe that it's not true that if you hate someone it's the same as murdering and that lusting equals committing adultery in your heart?"

Boss: "It just can't be true."

Me: "Why?"

Boss: "You can't tell me that if I see some babydoll dressed up in a bikini on the beach and I react, that that's the same thing as committing adultery."

Me: "But that's what Jesus said Himself..."

Boss: "It just doesn't make sense."

Me: "So are you saying that you don't believe that you are doing wrong until you actually take action and DO something?"

Boss: "Well...yea."

Me: "So are you saying that you believe you're inherently good on the inside? That you aren't considered a 'bad person' until you've actually done something bad?"

Boss: "Yea...well....no."

Me: "So are you saying that you don't think your thoughts matter?"

Boss: ".....no....." *gets up and walks away, ignoring the subject*

This was a little more discouraging, but I suppose the fact that he was uncomfortable meant that God's Truth was convicting him a little bit...


Take 3:

Contact: S - my other co-worker who is generally closed to spiritual conversations

Situation:
After overhearing my conversation with my boss, she asks to see what I had given him. I hand her the Smart Card and she proceeds to try it out, holding her thumbs in the center. After 15 seconds she holds it up and says:
"There's green in there! Flecks of green!"
Me: "No there's NOT! It has to be ALL green. It is NOT green!" *laughs*

End of conversation.


Overall, I'd say the experience wasn't too bad, though I was shaking in my boots at various times. I just pray that the Lord continues to use me in my work place as a testimony of Jesus Christ and the Life He alone can give.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

My husband (J) has started a new adventure lately on a website called: www.ancestry.com Through its resources, he has succeeded in tracing back his family history on his mom's side all the way back to the 1500's! It's amazing! He is determined to get back just as far on his dad's side, and has been spending his every moment on the computer searching.

I have attempted to trace back my family history, but I keep getting stuck. I suppose it's because I don't know when everyone's birthdate is/was, or where they were born. Oh well. I guess I'll just have to make do with what J has researched for me. Maybe I should give him the task of searching out all of the details on my family! ;)

Sunday, August 5, 2007

An awkward beginning...

My hubby and I FINALLY had internet installed in our home about 2 weeks ago (Hallelujah!), and since then I've been desperately trying to catch up with everyone's lives in cyberspace. Amazing how things can change in two years...most of my friends or relatives (even my parents!!) have a blog now, and I've found it to be quite entertaining and a great way to keep in touch with family and friends without exerting much effort - haha :)

Anywho, I've decided to embark on this adventure of "blogging" that everyone seems to be so savvy in lately. Please excuse my naivety on how to upload pictures and video and anything else that requires much more computer knowledge than, well, how to turn it on. :) I'll just do what I can do.

But as for now...I'm off to bed -- it's too late to think of anything terrribly interesting to write...