Harry Potter # 7...the title is finally revealed!!

I've been a huge Harry Potter fan for about five years now, ever since I went to see the movie to decide for myself whether or not the books are "bad." I own all four DVDs and all six books, which tells you what my decision was on that matter. So I've been anxiously waiting for JK Rowling to announce the title of book #7, which will be the final book in the series. The "magical" event happened today. The title for the seventh book is:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Sounds ominous, doesn't it? Now that we know the title, we have to wait for the announcement of the release date. A lot of people have suggested July 2007 as a possible release date, but the likelihood of that happening is getting slimmer and slimmer. Come on, Jo. We've been waiting for two years! The suspense is killing us.

Once I know the release date, the second thing I'm doing (after I pre-order the book from Amazon) is scheduling a couple days of vacation in order to read it...about three times!

Santa picture

Last Wednesday, our local mall had a "Paws and Claus" event. We were able to bring our dogs into the mall to meet Santa. So, of course James and I took Woody and Simon! Here's a picture.

Yes, I know Woody's eyes make him look posessed. Oh, well. But aren't they cute?

Happy Birthday, Woody!

Today is Woody's birthday! He's seven (7) years old, which (because of his size) means that he is now a "senior dog." However, he's in such great health that we're expecting him to be around for another seven years!

Happy Birthday to our "big boy." Tonight we'll have some cake (hey, any excuse) and he'll be professionally groomed either today or this weekend.

On Wednesday, the local mall had a "Claus and Paws" event, where they allowed dogs to come and see Santa. We took Woody and Simon, and it was lots of fun. I'll post a picture as soon as I get them downloaded!

Did AARP lower its age requirement???

For the record, I am 30 years old. Three decades. I was born in 1976. I have 20 years before I hit 50. Last time I checked, that was the benchmark age for AARP. So you'll understand why I was a bit disturbed with this letter I received today from AARP:
"Our records show that you haven't yet registered for the benefits of AARP membership, even though you are fully eligible..."

This included an application for membership.
What crack are they smoking?? Are they doing early recruitment or something? And why the heck didn't James get one of these...he's ten months older than me!!!

Careless teller story...

I went to the bank today to deposit two checks. I had an experience that slightly alarmed me. Let me preface this by mentioning that we haven't been too thrilled with our bank's Danville branch. Today's episode just put the icing on the cake...

I hand my two checks and deposit slip to the teller. I used one of their deposit slips because we're out of our pre-printed ones, so I had to write my account number from memory. After a minute, the teller speaks. Here's how our conversation went:

Teller: We're going to hold these checks until the 14th because of excessive overdrafts and a low daily balance.
Patti: What? They won't clear for a week?
Teller: Correct. There have been excessive overdrafts on this account and the balance has been too low.
Patti: No, that's wrong. We've never bounced a check and our balance hasn't dipped below $200 since we opened this account.
Teller: Let me double-check this. I'm going by the account number you wrote down. This is the account I have: (provides a name completely unfamiliar to me).
Patti: That's not us.
Teller: That's the account that came up when I typed in this number. Give me your SS# and I'll look it up that way.

So I give her my SS# and she brings up the RIGHT account and deposits the money into our account. I get my deposit slip and leave. Obviously, I had written down the wrong account number. That's my fault. However, I was a *tad* upset that:
-The teller did not notice that the name on the check didn't match the name on the account.
-That if I had not said anything, she would have deposited OUR money into SOMEONE ELSE'S account.
-That she didn't even bother to give me our correct account number, so I wouldn't make this mistake in the future.

Grr...I have a feeling we'll be switching banks soon.

In other news, Simon went for his second set of shots on Tuesday. He now weighs 13.5 lbs. He's growing fast, but he's still small. We found out on Wednesday that he can slip underneath the barbed wire fence separating our property from our neighbor's. That nearly gave me a heart attack...

Sniff, sniff...

I saw this today, and I got choked up while reading it. Woody could have had this ending, because the same thing happened to him. Thankfully, the shelter we got him from was virtually no-kill AND we came along, looking for a calm, well-mannered dog. And what a gem Woody is! Those of you who have met him know what I'm talking about...

How Could You?
By Jim Wallis

When I was a puppy, I entertained you with my antics and made you laugh. You called me your child, and despite a number of chewed shoes and a couple of murdered throw pillows, I became your best friend. ...Whenever I was "bad," you'd shake your finger at me and ask "How could you?" -- but then you'd relent and roll me over for a belly rub.My housebreaking took a little longer than expected, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nights of nuzzling you in bed and listening to your confidences and secret dreams, and I believed that life could not be any more perfect.We went for long walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (I only got the cone because "ice cream is bad for dogs" you said), and I took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day.Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and more time searching for a human mate. I waited for you patiently, comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never chided you about bad decisions, and romped with glee at your homecomings, and when you fell in love.She, now your wife, is not a "dog person" -- still I welcomed her into our home, tried to show her affection, and obeyed her. I was happy because you were happy. Then the human babies came along and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I wanted to mother them, too. Only she and you worried that I might hurt them, and I spent most of my time banished to another room, or to a dog crate. Oh, how I wanted to love them, but I became a prisoner of love."As they began to grow, I became their friend. They clung to my fur and pulled themselves up on wobbly legs, poked fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears, and gave me kisses on my nose. I loved everything about them and their touch -- because your touch was now so infrequent -- and I would have defended them with my life if need be. I would sneak into their beds and listen to their worries and secret dreams, and together we waited for thesound of your car in the driveway.There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me. These past few years, you just answered "yes" and changed the subject. I had gone from being "your dog" to "just a dog," and you resented every expenditure on my behalf.Now, you have a new career opportunity in another city, and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You've made the right decision for your "family," but there was a time when I was your only family. I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter. It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness. You filled out thepaperwork and said "I know you will find a good home for her." They shrugged and gave you a pained look. They understand the realities facing a middle-aged dog, even one with "papers."You had to pry your son's fingers loose from my collar as he screamed, "No, Daddy! Please don't let them take my dog!" And I worried for him, and what lessons you had just taught him about friendship and loyalty, about love and responsibility, and about respect for all life.You gave me a good-bye pat on the head, avoided my eyes, and politely refused to take my collar and leash with you. You had a deadline to meet and now I have one, too. After you left, the two nice ladies said you probably knew about your upcoming move months ago and made no attempt to find me another good home. They shook their heads and asked "How could you?"They are as attentive to us here in the shelter as their busy schedules allow. They feed us, of course, but I lost my appetite days ago. At first, whenever anyone passed my pen, I rushed to the front, hoping it was you that you had changed your mind -- that this was all a bad dream...or I hoped it would at least be someone who cared, anyone who might save me.When I realized I could not compete with the frolicking for attention of happy puppies, oblivious to their own fate, I retreated to a far corner and waited. I heard her footsteps as she came for me at the end of the day, and I padded along the aisle after her to a separate room. A blissfully quiet room.She placed me on the table and rubbed my ears, and told me not to worry. My heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come, but there was also a sense of relief. The prisoner of love had run out of days. As is my nature, I was more concerned about her. The burden which she bears weighs heavily on her, and I know that, the same way I knew your every mood.She gently placed a tourniquet around my foreleg as a tear ran down her cheek. I licked her hand in the same way I used to comfort you so many years ago. She expertly slid the hypodermic needle into my vein. As I felt the sting and the cool liquid coursing through my body, I lay down sleepily, looked into her kind eyes and murmured "How could you?"Perhaps because she understood my dog speak, she said "I'm so sorry." She hugged me, and hurriedly explained it was her job to make sure I went to a better place, where I wouldn't be ignored or abused or abandoned, or have to fend for myself --a place of love and light so very different from this earthly place. And with my last bit of energy, I tried to convey to her with a thump of my tail that my "How could you?" was not directed at her. It was directed at you, My Beloved Master, I was thinking of you. I will think of you and wait for you forever. May everyone in your life continue to show you so much loyalty.
(Copyright) Jim Willis

Mission Accomplished!

After trying on about six different robes and albs (and re-trying on about three), I finally made a decision. I ordered a robe from Women Spirit, which specializes in clergy apparel. I'm getting it in black, because I'm so clutzy that I'm bound to spill some juice while serving Communion at some point.

It will take about 8-10 weeks to arrive, so I won't receive it until late January, at the earliest. It was ridiculously expensive (almost as much as my wedding dress!) but I figure I'll be wearing it for 15-20 years, so it's a good investment. I'm very excited. It felt really comfy and I liked how it looked.

Here's a picture of it. Just imagine it in black instead of white. :)

The quest begins...

For my own clergy robe! For the past five months, I've been wearing a robe that was given to me by a retired pastor/family friend. It's nice, but I'm ready to get my own robe now. So I'm headed down to Greensboro (where the closest Cokesbury store is) and will hopefully return having ordered a custom robe. It will most likely take a few months to arrive, but that's OK. I'm so short that most ready-made robes will be too long for me. This way I can be picky. I figure this will last me a long time...or I hope so, anyway!

I'll let you know how the robe quest turns out!

Thanksgiving Report and pics

Simon gets to know his Grandpa Bill

Woody crawled underneath Bill and Nina's deck. Don't ask us how he did it!

We survived the trip to Indiana and back. Simon was fine in the car; he slept most of the drive. He had some issues in the crate that James' parents got for him (I think he was hyper after the trip) so they got up with him about three times on Wednesday night. The other two nights, Simon slept in between them and did just fine.

Simon reminds me more and more of my parents' dog, Rocky. They got Rocky when he was six weeks old, and I can see a definite resemblance. Simon is a sweet puppy and fairly good, but he's still a baby. He gets separation anxiety, occasionally has accidents in the house (thank God for pet stain remover!), and has boundless amounts of energy. He will be starting "school" soon; we're going to take him to a trainer for some initial training. Then he'll start "puppy kindergarten" after the New Year.

Oh! And Simon is growing with leaps and bounds. He weighed 7.9 lbs at his first vet visit on the 14th. We've taken him to get weighed twice since then. On the 21st, he weighed 10 lbs. Yesterday, he weighed 11.3 lbs. If he keeps this up, I won't be able to lift him by New Year's!

Over some rivers and through some woods...

...To Grandma's house we go! The four of us leave tomorrow to spend Thanksgiving in Indiana. I've never spent 10 hours in a car with an 8 week-old puppy, but there's a first time for everything. James' parents are very excited about meeting their new granddog. The "kids" will be staying with Grandma and Grandpa and James and I will be staying in a hotel. It should be a fun trip. We're especially looking forward to stopping for lunch in Lexington on the way back on Saturday. We've been craving our favorite Cajun restaurant-Joe's OK Bayou-for six months now!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

New Puppy Pics

Above picture: Simon and Woody together in our living room. Notice the size difference.

Below picture: Simon in his crate. See how little space he takes?

We took Simon to the vet on Tuesday. Everyone oohed and ahhed over how cute he was, and they told him that he was lucky to get such a great family. :) He got his first set of shots, a flea treatment, a pill to prevent heartworm, and some de-worming medicine. The vet said that he's a healthy puppy. Yay! He currently weighs 7.9 lbs, and she (our vet) expects him to be around Woody's size when he's full-grown.

Simon is sleeping better at night, and will even sleep/play in his crate during the day. This is good, because while he is adorable, I have sermons to prepare, services to plan, people to call, etc. There's only so much work you can do with a puppy in your arms/lap. Thank God for the crate!

Simon Update

Simon is still adorable and sweet. We're also noticing that he's very intelligent. He's already figured out which one of us is female (obviously he was recently weaned), where the dog/puppy food is kept, and what his name is. He grabs and holds things with his paws, which I've been told is a sign of intelligence.

Last night we got Simon a crate, collar, puppy food, and a few toys. He goes into the crate willingly, but doesn't like being alone, even if we stay in the room. When we went to bed last night, we put him in his crate (with a blanket and a few toys) in the kitchen and then went to bed. Now, the master bedroom is on the other side of the house from the kitchen. And since the bedrooms are in their own sort of "wing", we had several doors closed between us and Simon. Including the bedroom door. WE COULD STILL HEAR HIM CRYING. He cried for a while (probably 45 mins or so), then went to sleep. He woke both of us up at 3:30, so we took him out, fed him, let him drink, took him out again, and put him back to bed. Thankfully, this time we went to sleep fairly quickly. This puppy has major separation anxiety. I hope it will improve over time. Maybe it's just because he's in a new place without his doggie mother.

I am SO exhausted, since we didn't get much sleep Saturday night, either. Someone told me that placing a ticking clock in with a puppy will lull it to sleep. Apparently it mimics the mother's heartbeat. So I think I'll head to Wal-Mart and see if they still sell clocks that tick.

Ha! I knew it!

About three years ago, I took a Spiritual Formation class in seminary. As part of the class, we had to read the book Your Personality and the Spiritual Life by Reg Johnson. I soon figured out that I was an INFP. So today I took a personality test and guess what I came up with...

You Are An INFP

The Idealist You are creative with a great imagination, living in your own inner world.Open minded and accepting, you strive for harmony in your important relationships.It takes a long time for people to get to know you. You are hesitant to let people get close.But once you care for someone, you do everything you can to help them grow and develop. You would make an excellent writer, psychologist, or artist.

What's" Your Personality Type?

Meet Simon!

There's a new member of the Money family. His name is Simon, he is six weeks old, and he is a black Lab mix. We have been looking for a playmate for Woody, but didn't expect to get a puppy. This happened kind of suddenly...

The St. John's Fishermen's Club held a stew today at church. Around 11:30, this woman walks in with an adorable black puppy. I gush over him and ask what his name is. She says that he doesn't have a name yet, and is free to a good home. I held him, looked into his eyes, and fell in love. She said that I could take him home to meet James and Woody and see how they liked him. So I did...and about three hours later I called her and told her we were keeping the puppy. By then we had decided to name him Simon.

Woody seems to really like Simon, and I think they'll become good friends in the next few months. Simon is very sweet, and fairly calm, given his age. He likes to be held and cuddled. The next few weeks will be spent housebreaking him and beginning his training. On Tuesday I'll take him to the vet to make sure he's healthy and get his shots.

Stay tuned to see how Simon grows. And maybe I'll get a picture of Woody and Simon together...

Simon eating

Simon eating dinner. Isn't he tiny?

Bad Mommy!

OK, I am a bad pet parent. Thanks to me, Woody has two sores on his neck where the skin has rubbed off and become raw. He has some ointment and wound sealant (some kind of spray), and he'll be just fine. I'm feeling guilty, though. Here's the story...

About six weeks ago, we installed an electric "radio fence" for Woody. There's a wire buried around the edge of our yard that's connected to a power supply in the house. Woody has a special collar that gives him (small, humane) shocks if he goes too close to the fence border. On the collar are two small prongs that deliver the shocks.

So, a few weeks ago I glanced out the front window and nearly had a heart attack. There was Woody saying "hi" to some yellow dog (Lab or Golden Retriever, maybe). That's not what made my heart stop. It was the fact that they were IN THE ROAD. Now, we live on a fairly busy road. Both the local high school and middle school are a 1/2 mile down the road from the parsonage. The traffic on the road is the main reason we installed the fence in the first place. We don't want our dog to be hit by a car and killed!

I called Woody in, and he came. I checked, and the power to the fence was on. The collar still had plenty of battery juice. So I figured that the collar wasn't tight enough against Woody's neck; he hadn't felt the shock, and was able to go through the fence. I simply tightened the collar a little, and sent Woody on his merry way.

This Saturday, I had to go to Richmond (about a 3 1/2 hour drive), so I was gone all day (left at 5:45 am and came back at 7:00 p.m.). When I got home, James showed me Woody's neck. It was gross. The fur was matted in places, and we could see at least one prong-sized sore that was oozing. I guess I put Woody's collar on a little too tight, and it rubbed his neck raw.

I'm sorry, Woody! The moral to this story: if you get an underground fence for your pet, check their neck and collar every night!

Charge Conference: I Survived It!!

I survived my first-ever Charge Conference. That's a huge praise. It's not the actual event that's so stressful; it's all the paperwork that needs to be completed. We're talking about 25 forms, most of which need to be signed by one or more people, and I needed to have three copies of each form. Not to mention committee meetings for salary, budget, and nominations. Administration is not my strongest gift (most definitely), so I was little stressed about doing everything right. Next year, I'm starting three months in advance. And I'm going to have people help me, instead of doing most of it myself. Definitely.

Quote from Ellsworth Kalas

I'm the midst of preparing Sunday's sermon, which is on Revelation 21, with a focus on All Saints' Day. While hunting through resources, I came across this quote from Ellsworth Kalas, who is currenty the interim president of Asbury Theological Seminary. I took a preaching course from Dr. Kalas, and he is a wonderful man of God, a fantastic preacher and teacher, and he has a great sense of humor. He's old enough to be my grandfather, but he has the vigor of someone half his age. I wanted to share this quote with you. It's from a chapter on Revelation:

"...It’s especially exciting if you’ve been traveling with me all of this year as we’ve gone through the whole grand sweep of the biblical story. You’ve seen, as we’ve gone along, that we human beings have a remarkable penchant for getting into trouble. Give us an Eden, and we’ll find a way to be evicted; wash the world clean with a flood, and we’ll soon dirty it up again; find us a chosen people, and they will soon enough make us wonder why they were chosen; send us the Son of God, and we will crucify him. We have such ability for messing things up that it’s clear we need an absolutely new beginning."

And here's another good one, from the same chapter:
"Whatever the score today, whatever the state of our world or of our lives, Revelation tells us that in the end God will win, and all will be well. The conclusion of the story is certain. And it is good."

-Dr. Ellsworth Kalas, The Grand Sweep: Sermon Ideas for 52 Weeks

I feel appreciated

In case you didn't know, October is Clergy Appreciation Month. I knew that, but I wasn't "expecting" anything from my congregation because a) I didn't know if they usually observed it, b) I've only been there for four months, so we're still in the "getting to know you" stage, and c) I didn't enter this vocation expecting to receive any earthly rewards-only heavenly ones!

Anyway, on Sunday morning my PPR (Pastor-Parish Relations) chair stood up at the end of announcements and asked to come to the front. I was curious, but I naturally agreed. She then presented me with this GIGANTIC gift basket and card (which contained a gift certificate) on behalf of the congregation. I was very touched and wonderfully surprised.

The timing of this was perfect, because I've been slightly stressed over the past fews weeks due to the two words that strike panic in every Methodist pastor's heart: CHARGE CONFERENCE. It's this Sunday, and there is A LOT to do in preparation. Add to the fact that this is my first Charge Conference as a pastor and you can see why I've been hyperventilating a lot.

So whenever I get discouraged this week, I can go to the gift basket that sits in the living room (and is filled with all of my favorite delicacies-like Toblerone and Lindt truffles) and be reminded of how blessed I am to serve such a great congregation--especially since they've guessed the kind of foods I eat when I'm stressed!

Happy Birthday, James!

Today is my handsome, sweet, and brilliant husband's birthday. He was born 31 years ago today! I'm going to make his birthday cake this morning before heading to church. (Today is technically my day off, but I didn't have time to copy the bulletin yesterday, so I have to spend some time doing that today)

Happy Birthday to the best husband ever!