Some Things About Me...

My friend Kylee sent this to me. I thought it would be fun to fill out...

4 Things About Me: Patti

Things you may not have known about me.....

A) Four jobs I have had in my life..

1. Chick-Fil-A cashier
2. Temp agency employee
3. Librarian
4. Pastor

B) Four movies I would watch over and over:

1. "Anne of Green Gables"
2. "Anne of Avonlea"
3. "Harry Potter and ____" (you name which one)
4. "Lord of the Rings" trilogy

C) Four places I have lived:

1. Villa Park, Ill
2. Memphis, TN
3. Haleiwa, HI
4. Boca Raton, FL

D) Four TV shows I love to watch:

1. "Family Guy"
2. "Desperate Housewives" (sad, I know. My dad got me hooked)
3. "Judging Amy"
4. "Everybody Loves Raymond"

E) Four places I have been on vacation:

1. Kaui, Hawaii
2. France
3. Chincoteague, Virginia
4. Heidelberg, Germany

F) Websites I visit daily/ or frequently:

1. http://www.registerbee.com/
2. http://www.gmail.com/
3. http://www.textweek.com/
4. http://www.myspace.com/

G) Four of my favorite foods:

1. Pizza (either homemade or from a good pizza place)
2. Thai
3. Indian
4. Cajun

H) 4 places I'd rather be right now:

1. Bed (what can I say? I like to sleep...)
2. Taize, France (most peaceful place I've ever been)
3. Hawaii
4. Snuggled on a sofa, reading a novel

I) Four things I¹d like to do before I die:

1. Have children
2. Go on a cruise
3. Live in one house, in one town, for at least five years (has not happened in my adult life)
4. Celebrate my 50th wedding anniversary with James

Woody Update 3

Good news! Woody is back to his cheerful, energetic, and healthy self again. The vet sent us home on Monday afternoon with two medications, some anti-parasite powder to mix in his food, and six cans of prescription dog food. After three days of this regimen, I think it's safe to say that Woody is "cured." He'll be on the medications for another four days or so, and we'll slowly wean him back onto his dry Purina One food. Right now we're excited that he's eating normally (for Woody, that is) again.*

*For those of you who don't know, Woody has interesting eating patterns. We joke that he alternates between being anorexic or binge eating. Several days will pass, and Woody may eat 2 cups of food...total. Then, all of a sudden, he'll start eating anything you put in front of him. I guess it all evens out in the end. He's at a healthy weight, so we don't worry too much.

Woody Update 2

Woody is home from the vet's office. His bloodwork came back OK and they gave us some medication and a special prescription dog food. They also gave us some de-worming stuff for any parasites in his system. Now the challenge will be to make him eat!

We've had a "pet insurance" policy for him since we adopted him in 2004, but haven't had to file a claim on it. Part of the reason is that the deductible in $75/per illness. Now we're glad that we have it, and PetCare will be receiving our first claim!

Woody Update

Poor Woody is still sick. I took him to the vet, and they said he probably has colitis (they found blood in his stool), but they don't know why yet. He's there right now; they're running some tests on him. He's also somewhat dehydrated, so they may have to give him some fluids. I'm supposed to call at 3:30 p.m. to find out what's what. Hopefully I'll be able to pick him up and take him home!

The poor thing was so lethargic on Saturday night and all day yesterday. He seems to be feeling slightly better now, but he refuses to eat anything. I have confidence in this vet, though. She and the other vet in the practice have both been highly recommended by several people in my church.

Happy Birthday, Dad Sufficool!

My father, Bob Sufficool, turns the big 7-0 today! Happy Birthday, Dad!

This pic was taken at our wedding (duh). You should be able to figure out which one is my dad. :)

Sick Puppy

Poor Woody has a sick tummy. Last night we took him to Sonic, because it's his favorite restaurant (I think he just likes getting a car ride and eating with us). He always gets a corn dog and James often gives him a couple fries and a bite of hamburger. Anyway, this morning around 5am he woke me up, whimpering. I let him out for a few minutes, and then we went back to bed. Same drill again at 7am. He seemed OK after we woke up this morning, so I thought he was better. Wrong. James and I went to town to do some errands. When we came home two hours later, Woody streaked out the door before we had it halfway open. Turns out, poor boy had an accident on the kitchen floor. Guess the corn dog didn't agree with him...

Now, Woody is so well-trained that we know he must have been really miserable for an accident to have happened. I can count on one hand the number of times that's happened since we've had him. We appreciate his thoughtfulness, though. Instead of going on the beautiful hardwood floors, the lovely rugs in the living and dining rooms, or even our bargain rug in the T.V. room, he chose the vinyl floor in the kitchen. That's by far the easiest spot in clean up. Good job, boy! Thank for making Mommy's job easier.

Woody should be on the mend now. I gave him some doggie medicine and will fix him a gourmet meal of rice and cottage cheese tonight. I'll follow the same drill tomorrow. Just to be on the safe side, I'm giving him a few days off from his job as my "bodyguard." Normally he comes to the church office with me, but that's not happening until he's 100% better. No way, Jose. It's not like the Stony Mill area is high-crime, anyway. It's a very safe area; I just like having Woody with me when I'm at church alone.

25 "Accomplishments" in 12 months

I "stole" this from my friend Tamara. Thought I'd give it a shot...

1. Got job a Chick-Fil-A after realizing that no one would hire me for only ten months (and with a liberal arts education to boot!)

2. Served as a foster parent for three months to a very needy purebred Labrador Retriever named Terra.

3. Underwent a "Level 2" psychological evaluation for the UM ordination process.

4. Received approval from my District Committee on Ordained Ministry to proceed as a candidate for probationary elder.

5. Survived a Christmas season at Chick-Fil-A.

6. Submitted all my papers, videos, forms, etc for probationary membership.

7. Won an award for highest sales among full-time employees at Chick-Fil-A.

8. Lost 5 lbs in February (due to the stomach flu, but I still lost the weight...)

9. Traveled to Blackstone, Virginia for probationary interviews. Approved by two committees (Call and Personal Growth/Development) and "continued" by two others (Theology and Practice)

10. Got the flu for the first time since childhood. Spent three days in bed, went back to work, and got bronchitis. Spent month of April feeling like a 90 year-old chainsmoker.

11. Appointed to serve St. John's UMC in Danville, Virginia as a Licensed Local Pastor.

12. Listed first-ever house with realtor; had contract within three weeks.

13. Moved from Lexington, Kentucky to Morrisville, North Carolina with a scared dog and a husband recovering from food poisoning.

14. Successfully completed 10-day Licensing School, passing everything with flying colors.

15. Sold first-ever house and broke even on the sale.

16. Attended Annual Conference for the first time ever. Licensed as a Local Pastor.

17. Moved 90% of stuff from Morrisville, North Carolina to Danville, Virginia.

18. Began first full-time ministry job as the pastor of St. John's UMC.

19. Signed up for exciting benefits like Life Insurance, Retirement, Disability, and Accidental Death & Dismemberment. Our financial future is fairly secure.

20. Discovered that God was right all along; I love being a pastor, and am good at it.

21. Celebrated fifth wedding anniversary

22. Went to Chincoteague on first vacation in four years; Woody went on vacation to Lucky's Pet Resort.

23. Learned to operate a riding lawn mower

24. Made it to the age of 30 without breaking a bone, having surgery, or contracting a major illness (knock on wood)

25. Completed three full months as a pastor (as of September 28) and still love my job and my congregation!

Scratch, scratch...

What's teeny-tiny, gets under your skin and makes you miserable? C-H-I-G-G-E-R-S! That's right, folks, I have chiggers. Apparently I need to wear heavy-duty insect repellent whenever I am in the yard for any length of time, and not just at night.

It all started last night, when I took my knee-highs off and saw that my left foot was covered in red bumps. I thought that was odd, but figured I must have brushed against some poison ivy or something. I applied some calamine lotion to the area, put on cotton socks, and went to bed.

This morning, I woke up to find these bumps had spread...to the other foot, up one leg, on my back, and on my butt. I called my unofficial parish nurse, who assured me that I most likely did not have chicken pox (my fear, since I've never had it). She did, however, encourage me to get my bumps looked at by a doctor.

So I drove into downtown Danville, waited at the walk-in clinic for an hour, and emerged with a diagnosis of chiggers and a prescription for a topical cream. I have now applied this cream from head to toe, changed clothes, stripped the bed, and am preparing to wash everything in hot water.

Guess this means I'll have to postpone my plans for a pedicure...

Guess who's 30?

Well, it's finally payback day for my wife. She turned 30 today! So, be sure to congratulate/poke fun of/harrass her about this ancient age. After all, she did the same for me! Maybe at 40, we can arrange for the hearse to pick her up at home?

5 Years And Counting!!!

Five years ago today, James and I got married! I can't believe it's been that long...seems like yesterday! We're looking forward to spending the rest of our lives together...and hopefully producing a few children in the next few years. :) I'm very thankful that I have the BEST HUSBAND EVER!

To celebrate, we're going to Chincoteague (where we went for our honeymoon) for a week. It will be lots of fun to be at the beach and have some time off. Woody will be spending a week in the lap of luxury (doggie-style) at Lucky's Pet Resort in Greensboro, NC. We're hoping that he has a lot of fun, since we'll be paying out the nose for it.

See you in a week! Hopefully by then I will have found the little cord we use to download pics to the computer and can post some pics of our vacation!

Welcome to the world, Trey!!!

Our friends Stephanie and Daniel had a baby this past Thursday (July 27). He's their third child and first boy. His full name is Daniel Wilson McSpadden III, but they're calling him "Trey" because it means "three." Isn't he cute?? Congrats to Stephanie and Daniel and big sisters, Megan and Lily!!!

The McSpaddens are friends of ours from Lexington. They were in our small group at Christ Church.

Happy Adoption Day, Woody!!!

Two years ago today, Woody became an official member of the Money family. He has brought so much joy and love into our lives; we know he was a gift from God.

The story: Our friend Mike was visiting from Virginia, and on Sunday July 18 we drove him out to Versailles to a railroad museum. On the way back to Lexington, we saw a sign for the Woodford Humane Society. Someone (either James or Mike) said, "wanna go look at dogs?" We decided to stop at WHS. James and I knew we wanted a dog, but were planning on waiting until fall to adopt one. However, we felt it couldn't hurt to "just look around." We went around the kennel, looking at dogs. There was a male lab mix in a corner cage. We took a second look at him, and while we were doing so, a staff member started talking to us. We told her what kind of dog we wanted: medium-large sized, over 1 year old, intelligent, and quiet. She pointed to the Lab mix we were looking at and said, "Woody is the perfect dog for you! He's 4 years old, well-trained, and hasn't barked in the month that he's been here!" We agreed to take him on a walk, since he did seem kinda cute. At one point, he looked up at me, and I fell in love. James liked him, too. However, we didn't want to make a spur of the moment decision and weren't sure that we were ready for a dog yet. So we left, planning to think it over.

James and I talked, and decided that we should probably wait until fall to adopt a dog. We had just moved a month ago, and had some bills to pay. It would cost a lot to buy dog food, toys, a bed, and other supplies. Still, I couldn't help but think of poor Woody alone in that kennel...On Monday July 19, James turned to me in bed and said, "you really like Woody, don't you." I said yes, but that I understood we had to wait before getting a dog.

On Tuesday afternoon, James called me on my cell phone as I was running errands and told me to come home. When I opened the door, a furry black thing rushed at me. It was Woody! James had gone out to Versailles that morning and adopted Woody as a surprise for me. It was my anniversary and birthday present rolled into one. Don't I have a great husband??

Woody and Daddy

Woody and "Dr. Daddy" at James' graduation party this spring.

Woody and Mommy

Woody and Patti on her last day of seminary in May 2005!

Woody swimming

Woody swimming at the "Pool Party for Pooches" last year! He's a great swimmer!

I'm famous!!

On Tuesday, I went to a lunch gathering of area clergywomen. We had lots of fun. There was a report there from the Danville Register Bee, which is the local daily newspaper. Guess who was on the front page today (Sunday)? Yours truly, along with seven other female pastors! Click on the title of this post (it's a link) to see the article.

Third Sunday went very well. Now I just need to spend enough time on sermon prep early in the week so I'm not finishing my sermon on Saturday evening.

We now have the bedroom, living room, dining room, and kitchen unpacked and looking lovely. Now we can tackle the office and "TV room" (which we hope will become a nursery/kid's bedroom at some point).

We're Virginians Again!!!

Since today was my day off, James and I decided to go to the DMV and get our licenses, title, and registration changed over from KY. We arrived at 10:11 am. Two and a half hours later (12:45 pm) we left the DMV as legal residents of Virginia. We had some snafus when we FINALLY got to a customer service window. We were both still in the system, and at first the computer wanted us to take the written test again...because our licenses had "expired." That got straightened out quickly (since we surrendered our valid KY licenses). Then they wanted to see our marriage license...since I was in the system under my maiden name. Never mind that I had a passport, Social Security card, and license in my married name. (: That got fixed as well. We are now "legal", with VA license plates to boot!

This afternoon/evening we began unpacking boxes. We got the bedroom finished, and are amazed at how big it is. Tomorrow we're tackling the living and dining rooms. Hopefully this week I'll be able to finish the office. Then the fun task of decorating comes. Good thing I have my very own Personal Decorating Consultant on retainer (a.k.a Mom the retired interior decorator)!

When I am weakest, then I am strongest...

By the grace of God, I survived my second Sunday and my second week as "Pastor Patti". Actually, most people call me "Patti", which is fine. A few people call me "Pastor Patti", which is about as formal as I want to get.

I continue to feel that this congregation and I are a very good match. Actually, any pastor should feel blessed to serve St. John's. The people have a real, genuine faith that is lived out and evident in their daily lives. They have a strong desire to reach out to the community. For example, we're holding VBS (Vacation Bible School) this week, even though we don't have any young children in the congregation. The youth group (which is tiny) and various other members have been knocking on doors and inviting kids to VBS! We had five kids tonight, and more may come tomorrow.

They're still saying nice stuff about me, and providing concrete examples of how the service or a part of a sermon touched them. That tells me that they're not just saying stuff to be nice. And my most honest critic (James) is giving me positive feedback, also. If you know James, you KNOW that he doesn't sugarcoat stuff. He doesn't have that ability, and I love him for it.

We are slowly...very slowly...getting settled into the parsonage. We're both working full-time now, and James is only here on the weekends. So I try and get done what I can in the evenings. I finally found the bag of little things to hold the shelves up, so now I can start loading the bookcases with my books. That should take care of 20 boxes or so!

Happy Birthday, Alade Tokuta!

He's not as famous or as old as "W"...but he still has a birthday today, July 7. Birthday wishes go out to Dr. Alade Tokuta, chair of the Math & Computer Science Department at NCCU. Yes, he is James' boss. :)

I'm off to Durham this morning to get some more stuff from the apartment and then meet James at NCCU for err...SOMETHING at 1:00 p.m. Then we head back to Danville, because tonight we have the orientation for new clergy on the district.

Tomorrow I have to finish up my sermon...producing something wonderful every week is TOUGH!

Guess who's 60 today???

That's right! Today, July 6, is President Bush's 60th birthday.

Happy Birthday, "W"!


It's funny...15 years or so ago, 60 seemed really old. However, now that both my parents have passed the 6-0 mark (and my dad will hit 70 in September!), 60 doesn't seem old anymore. In fact, it actually seems somewhat young.