Shawna R. B. Atteberry

Mother Laura says: We are right in the middle of a move–only twenty minutes away, but we’re still a mix of busy, excited, nervous and surprisingly full of grief about what we’re leaving, for me at least. So this week’s Friday Five asks about your experience of the marvels and madness of moving…

1. How many times have you moved? When was the last time?

I don’t now how many times we move when I was a kid, so I’m going to go with the adult years. I’ve moved six times since 1994. The last time I moved was in ‘06 when I married The Hubby. We decided living in the same stat would be a good thing. I moved from Kansas City to Chicago.

2. What do you love and hate about moving?

I love the decluttering, and I hate everything else.

3. Do you do it yourself or hire movers?

I wish I had money to hire movers. I’ve always done it myself with help from wonderful, gracious, and did I say wonderful, friends.

4. Advice for surviving and thriving during a move?

A back brace and lots of Bayer Back and Body. Or yeah, and a good set of tennis shoes.

5. Are you in the middle of any inner moves, if not outer ones?

I am moving away from being so negative about myself and seeing myself more as God sees me and in a much more positive light.

Bonus: Share a piece of music/poetry/film/book that expresses something about what moving means to you.

Under the Tuscan Sun. I would so totally buy a villa in Italy on a whim! Or Spain for that matter. And yes, I would still hate moving.

Photo by CBIdesign.

Singing Owl wrote: Lingering effects of a cold have me watching more television than usual. There appears to be a resurgence of the old daytime staple–the quiz show. Except they are on during prime time, and a great many of them offer the chance of winning one million dollars.

I think it started with Regis Philbin and “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” but now we have a half dozen or so.

My husband and I started musing (after watching “Deal or No Deal”) about what we could do with a million dollars. I thought I’d just bring that discussion into the Friday Five this week. It’s simple. What are five things you would want to do with a million dollar deposit in your bank account?

1. Pay off parents’ homes.

2. Invest.

3. Buy larger place where we can take one room, put in floor to ceiling bookcases with the ladders that slide along the bookcases.

4. Buy books! We’ll have room for them.

5. Travel, travel, and travel.

Mother Laura rightly said: Can you believe Daylight Savings Time is here already? It’s hard to get used to the new, earlier onset. My family has been getting up and out a little late and a little sleepy in the mornings.

And can you believe that in two days it will be Palm Sunday for Western Christians? Our Lent is almost over, while our Orthodox sisters and brothers, whose liturgical year follows the older Julian calendar, are just starting theirs. Nicholas did a recent book report on George Washington, and we were surprised to find out that our first President’s birthday was originally Feb. 11, since he was born just before the change to the Gregorian calendar. Apparently the change almost caused rioting, as some indignant people were sure that they were being cheated out of eleven days of their lives!

To help you adjust–and enjoy the process–here’s a Friday Five about time and transitions….

1. If you could travel to any historical time period, which would it be, and why?

I’d like to hop, skip, and jump through time to meet some of my heros: Brigid of Kildare, Elizabeth I, Hildegard Von Bingen, Teresa of Avila, Florence Nightingale, and Emily Dickinson.

2. What futuristic/science fiction development would you most like to see?

Teleportation. I’m getting ready to fly to D.C. I’d much rather have my molecules scrambed here and reassembled there. Not to mention I wouldn’t have to put up with TSA.

3. Which do you enjoy more: remembering the past, or dreaming for the future?

Dreaming for the future. But I have to watch it or all I do is dream. Action must be taken to make those dreams come true.

4. What do you find most memorable about this year’s Lent?

This is the first year I’ve been a senior pastor and having to get used to preaching every week. The really bumming part is due to family illness, I will bein D.C. the next two weeks, so I won’t preach for Palm Sunday or Easter! I’ve preached on Palm Sunday before, but this would have been my first Easter. I’ll have to wait until next year. (If you would like details to the family illness to pray for us, please email me at shawna (at) shawnaatteberry (dot) com.)

5. How will you spend your time during this upcoming Holy Week? What part do you look forward to most?

I will be in D.C. The two things I want see while I’m there are the Smithsonian and the National Cathedral. I will see if there is a church close to where I’m staying to observe Holy Week.

Singing Owl says: I am so sorry for the lateness of the Friday Five. I’ve had two emergencies this a.m. and now my computer keeps crashing. I hope I can get this posted!

The picture is out a window at my place, complete with screen.

Brrrr! Baby, it’s COLD outside! At least that is the case where I am this morning. We are in a January deep freeze. Have a cup of hot tea and tackle five easy seasonal questions.

1. What is the thermometer reading at your house this morning?

I think it was around -2.

2. Snow—love it or hate it?

Love it–I just hate the extreme cold. I’m 37 years old and still walk down the street trying to catch snowflakes on my tongue. I ignore the looks. People need to learn to have a little fun.

3. What is winter like where you are?

I’m in Chicago, so very cold and very windy, and we do have snow. Although we’re supposed to be in the 30s by tomorrrow. Woot!
4. Do you like winter sports? Any good stories?

Nope, I stay in as much as possible in the winter. Although the two or three times I’ve ice skated, I’ve really enjoyed it.

5. What is your favorite season, and why?

Fall because of the wildness in the change of the season. And Halloween–my second favorite holiday.

Bonus: Share a favorite winter pick-me-up. A recipe, an activity, or whatever.

Good old fashion hot cocoa and cuddling with The Hubby.

And I really liked Singing Owl’s picture, so I swiped it.

Singing Owl tells us: Ah, the day after Thanksgiving–groan! Fortunately, I love Thanksgiving leftovers.

Thanksgiving is the American holiday when the greatest number of people travel somewhere else to celebrate. I am posting this from my son’s home in Minnesota where we are recovering from the food shopping and the preparations and the meal and the clean up. It is difficult to think of anything requiring much energy today, and I am enjoying my sweet baby granddaughter, so I will keep it simple. For those of you not in the USA, I apologize for the nationalistic tone of this Friday Five!

1. Did you go elsewhere for the day, or did you have visitors at your place instead? How was it?

We stayed home and had a nice quiet dinner. We thought about inviting a few friends, but my husband is suffering some side effects from the medication he’s on for the liver infection, so it was just the two of us.

2. Main course: If it was the turkey, the whole turkey, and nothing but the turkey, was it prepared in an unusual way? Or did you throw tradition to the winds and do something different?

Turkey sheperhd’s pie with a mashed sweet potato topping, dark wheat bread, and pumpkin chocolate cake.

3. Other than the meal, do you have any Thanksgiving customs that you observe every year?

Not really. If we had spent Thanksgiving with my family, we would have watched some football amidst the chaos.

4. The day after Thanksgiving is considered a major Christmas shopping day by most US retailers. Do you go out bargain hunting and shop ‘till you drop, or do you stay indoors with the blinds closed? Or something in between?

I stay home. The curtains are opened, but I am not going anywhere!

5. Let the HOLIDAY SEASON commence! When will your Christmas decorations go up?

Since we’re staying home for Christmas, I have decided to do the traditional decorating I’ve always wanted to do. I will put up the Advent wreath, calendar, and a few decorations on December 2. The Christmas tree and the rest of the decorations will go up December 24, and then I will take it down on Epiphany, January 6. I’ve always wanted to do this, but normally we are not in town for Christmas, so I put everything up the first Sunday of Advent and take it down on Epiphany.

Songbird writes: “Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8, NRSV)

Friends, it’s nearly Thanksgiving in the U.S. and it’s the time of year when we are pressed to name things for which we are thankful. I want to offer a twist on the usual lists and use Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi as a model. Name five things that are true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing, commendable, excellent or worthy of praise. These could be people, organizations, acts, ideas, works of art, pieces of music–whatever comes to mind for you.

Michealangelo’s Pieta at St. Peter’s
J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
A good meal with family and friends
A good massage
Chocolate

Bonus: Cuddling with my Hubby.

The picture is from our honeymoon in Rome.

Sally tagged me to do this meme last week, although I hope she doesn’t feel old when she sees how old I was in 1977.

1997: I was a volunteer missionary for the Church of the Nazarene in Barcelona. I loved it. I fell in love with the city and have never quite recovered. It was hard work, but I had a lot of fun and made some good friends. It opened my eyes to see that God could do whatever he wanted to do in my life.

1987: I was starting my senior year of high school and was looking forward to being “free.” I was so excited about turning 18 the next year and finally being all grown up. Of course I didn’t realize that being all grown up included things like having to pay your own bills. And yes, you have added correctly: next year is my 20 year reunion. Our class is gearing up for the reunion. I probably won’t be able to go since they will be meeting over Spring Break, which is Easter weekend. I plan on having to preach an Easter sermon in my new church plant that morning.

1977: I was in second grade. We lived in Prescott, Arizona (we didn’t move to Oklahoma until I was 13), and I attended Miller Valley grade school. I think this was the year I got chicken pox. I promptly shared the pox with my then 4 year old sister. But the good thing about that is she does not remember having them, and I barely remember having them. I have two aunts who didn’t get the chicken pox until they were in their twenties when their kids brought it home from school. I think it’s much better to have them young and not quite remember them than to have them all grown up.