1. That job I wrote about last time? I don’t have that job anymore. It became obvious VERY quickly that they should not have hired me; I am NOT meant for working in the health arena. They had a couple of kids who were really sick (unmanaged diabetes) and the anxiety was extreme. I asked if they would please hire someone else and gave two  weeks notice.

2. Jamberry has expanded to Australia and it has been something else. Several of the girls I used to meet with have joined the company and we are working together. It’s a different kind of laboring but it is so great to talk with them each day and hear snippets about their lives. It has made me miss them and the country I fell so in love with like crazy.

I continue to love this aspect of my life and laugh that the Lord would choose to use fingernails to minister to me and allow me to minister to others. He never ceases to amaze.

3. Several people dear to me have died in the past few weeks. A man from my home church who invested in me and my family for YEARS. He was a supporter while I was in college ministry, an usher in our wedding, and a dear family friend. A friend in St. Louis’s husband died suddenly; I lost my breath when I read about it. My mother-in-law’s mother died last week. A guy i knew from singles group died this week. I can’t bring myself to write a sympathy note to anyone. I continue to grapple with my heart on all this – death, I mean.

4.

My baby turned eight this weekend – I can hardly believe it. We went to a local corn maze to celebrate and I was told it was “the best birthday ever” at bedtime.

Best line of the day was when the kids all started swinging and Honey walked over looking shocked. He said, “No one needs our help. They are all swinging by themselves.”  Milestone.

Everyone rode the pedal cars and the men did corn chucking.

Then there was pizza, there were presents and there was cake. It was a good day.

I am such a softy – I never thought I would be so emotional about things like my kids’ birthdays, and yet here I am all teary. She is growing up so fast. . .

Duck – 1 week

Duck – 8 yrs.

Ice packs made from sponges in sandwich bags. SERIOUSLY SMART!!

The kids went to Respite Care today and honey took me to see The Intern. Let me warn you, the previews are killers; so many tears shed it was ridiculous. That said, let me tell you that the movie was phenomenal; tears were shed once again but not nearly as many.

For my brothers benefit I will tell you that it was a good four part story! There was conflict, sacrifice, redemption – a good story. For my mother’s benefit I will tell you that there was one use of the “F-word”. For everyone’s benefit I will quote my husband at the end of the film, “That is the best movie I have seen in years . . . and that’s including The Dark Knight Rises.” (If you know my husband, you are probably reaching for your phone and the Fandango app, already purchasing tickets of your own.)

Nancy Meyers tends to write/direct films that depicts the seniors of the world in an honoring way. Her writing is honest and gives dignity to those that many in our culture patronize; The Intern is a prime example.

Deniro [Ben] did a great job being a “good man” – a gentleman with integrity, wisdom, and grace.  The patience his character demonstrates is respectable, his work ethic worth emulating, and his word choice is on point. The character values people and pushes them toward excellence – it is beautiful to watch.

Anne Hathaway [Jules] is adorable and wonderful and her character is loveable, brilliant, and strong. Her standards are high, her needs are real, her struggles believable and her choices respectable. The character is written so honestly – it is refreshing and gripping. Really, when was the last time you saw characters facing issues that weren’t dealt with quickly and with snippy jokes? This movie shows true growth in the characters and there is a great balance between spelling it out for you and asking you to think.

Honey summed up his thoughts with this comment, “If you are a woman in Jules’ position you should watch this movie and LEARN FROM HER. If you are a man in Ben’s place in like you should watch this movie and LEARN FROM HIM.” I think everyone can walk away from this with something learned and that is saying something when the film is main stream and not produced by a Kendrick or Pure Flix.

Viewers will laugh and cry might just want to see it a second time. People who liked Pitch Perfect will enjoy seeing Adam Devine in a completely different role and folks who know Anders Holm’s quirky characters on The Mindy Project and Workaholics will enjoy seeing him playing off type as well.

I don’t know if you can tell, but I liked the movie and think you will too. Ebert would have given it two thumbs up. I can’t wait to hear The One-Minute Review about it. Let me know what you think after you see it.