News roundup.

What's new in the world? Well, 5 minutes watching CNN will give you the latest on Sonia Sotomayor and health care legislation. Lesser known news:

After-school budgets are taking a huge hit as almost every state in the nation racks up huge deficits. States make their 2010 budgets right now, and after-school care is getting decreased. This seems counter-productive and short-sighted to me: for every dollar cut from after-school programs (like the one I visited on Sunday), I can guarantee the state will pay higher costs later in health care, welfare, prisons, courts, etc because of the bad decisions teens and kids make when unsupervised and with nothing productive to do. (Want to give to support private after-school care since the government is slashing budgets? http://www.buckner.org/, please.)

A new US immigration policy will grant legal asylum to women from other countries who were suffering serious domestic violence and aren't protected by their own governments. Many countries on this planet do not protect their women from rape, violent beatings, property theft, and other abuse- now, the US is stepping up to become a safe haven for these ladies. Bravo, Immigration Dept! This is the kind of America I want to see.

Michelle Obama's great-great-grandfather was a slave, and geneaologists have now found records as well as the still-standing slave quarters in which he lived on a rice plantation.

Lastly: could this home office be any sassier? What a corporate femme fatale I would feel like in there! That's a West Elm Parsons desk, painted pink, and I love those windows, the peacock lamp, and the monogram. Another West Elm Parsons desk, under my dream dining room painting:

Happy Friday, friends. I'll be off to a getaway in Georgetown if you need me.

Hope Now

My favorite song this week.

When I was in high school this band, Addison Road, led worship at my church for a few years. I am so proud of them. I love the lead singer Jenny's fantastic blog about new mommyhood, faith, and all other manner of daily life.

Everything rides on hope now.

American Idols

From the Journey email today:

Some people invest all their energy in pursuit of money, success, possessions, or a career. If these idols are taken away, only an empty shell is left.

The only way to protect yourself against such loss is to invest your life in the living God, whom you can never lose. I have found that it is very easy for idols to slip into my life, and I often find myself obsessing on things with no lasting value. Daily time with Jesus is the only solution.

Prayers for Hunter.

Psalm 34:18- "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

My sorority sister Hunter lost her big brother day before yesterday. Driving a motorcycle, going the speed limit, wearing a helmet, but hit a curb and flew into a tree. Died instantly. Family devastated.

Lamentations 3:28-33 "When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions: wait for hope to appear. The "worst" is never the worst. Why? Because the Master won't ever walk out and fail to return. If he works severely, he also works tenderly. His stockpiles of loyal love are immense. He takes no pleasure in making life hard, in throwing roadblocks in the way."

Everitt camp photos.

Monday night was Howdy night. Here's me with Sydney and Chloe. 5th grade girls are the Ladybugs- please note the headbands:) Below are the 5th and 6th grade girl counselors at the Zip Tower. What a team:) Love them very much.

Here we are after gathering at the church Monday morning. First order of business on Mondays: Learn the chant, and learn their names! Headband-wearing is essential.

Susan, Emily and I at the Zip Tower, wearing our requisite camp uniforms: past years' Children's Ministry tshirts, snap bracelets, headgear, and nametags.

Tuesday night was Fiesta Night. One of these children was diagnosed with Swine Flu this past weekend, let's hope for the best. You'll note the "R card" on the girl in the sombrero- sixth graders' privelege is participating in the raid, and the greatest 6th grade discipline tactic is threatening to "pull your R card", making you unable to do the raid.

5th grade Ladybugs learning their dance for the Big Show to Michael Jackson's "ABC".

All the 5th grade Ladybugs before the Big Show. The hairstyle is a 5th grade tradition. Hoo-ah!

Me, dominating my children on the rec field.

I loooove camp.

This weekend, and songs on my heart.

What a week it has been!

5 days of camp (check out the photos)
1 day it took me to completely lose my voice
16 5th grade girls
1,200 kids at Mt. Lebanon
Dozens of eternal decisions made
7 letters in B-O-N-K-E-R-S
6 years I've been waiting to climb the Alpine Tower (and finally did!)
1 major run-in with camp staff
1 game of Ruckus dominated
3 Theme Nights, 1 Big Show
1 pillow fight
2 raids
Nonstop asthma attacks, scrapes, trips to Lost & Found, requests to ride the golf cart, and overheating
Approx 12,398,572 Freeze Pops consumed

I was home from camp just a few hours when B and I jumped in the car again and headed to Mineola for a leadership retreat with Fellowship Metro. I was exhausted, sunburned and voice-less. We had two great sessions of vision casting the future of Fellowship Metro, the Sunday at 6 pm service for young people at Fellowship.

We spent several hours in the sun playing volleyball and then several more playing a midnight, pitch-black game of Capture the Flag in the woods. I am so sore!

The next morning B jumped up for early-morning fishing on the lake, then we raced back to Dallas to meet the Voice Council at Wynnewood, a Buckner South Dallas ministry at an apartment complex where the average annual income per family is $2,950. We played water balloon games, worshipped, and served pizza and watermelon before having a tour of the ministries there.

Then we raced back north to split up for the evening: I headed to Richardson for the Camp Reflection Service and counselor dinner (and Camp Video unveiling), while Ben went to Fellowship to speak about our trip to Honduras with Buckner last month.

Then we raced home to prepare for work tomorrow after ten days away. Ben's promotion officially goes into effect today, and I am playing intense catch-up as we prepare to plan for the end of the year (here already?!).

My mom doesn't have cancer (bone scan and blood test negative!), my grandmother decided to sell her house, and I miss Sweet a lot. Life never stops.

I've had songs on my mind.

Ingrid Michaelson's "You and I" was the theme song of Katie and Ross' wedding last weekend. Make sure to listen all the way to the end- that's the best part.

One of Ben's best friends made him a hip hop CD, and this song is haunting me. Warning: contains highly objectionable words, including derogatory language toward women. However, if you can get over it, it's the most honest rap song I've ever heard.

It's the cry of our 20's:
I. just. wanna. be. successful.

Sigh. Smile. A good week.

Off to camp

Off to camp I go! A beautiful, amazing wedding weekend for Mr and Mrs Pinson is behind us, and summer continues, hot and humid. I'll be with 17 5th grade girls this week.
Let's live a little.

A lotta life going on.

As my mother said, this week I've got a whole lotta life going on.

One best friend has a heartbreaking breakup to a guy she thought she might marry. Another friend's parents force her to call off her wedding 3 weeks before the big day.

Black mold in my parents' house. A scary result from a medical scan. Another friend at the Mayo Clinic while her mom has brain surgery. Major police incident as my neighbor beat up his wife.

Friend spends the night in jail. Camp, once again, souls are changed for eternity. Iran in shambles, Honduran coup (involving people at whose houses I was eating two weeks ago!).

Husband gets a promotion. We look at houses. Not sure what we want to be when we grow up.

A sorority sister dies in a car accident. Parent up for promotion. More medical tests, looking for cancer. My 5 year anniversary with the man I'll love forever. Two dear friends announce pregnancies. Three other friends buy houses, move in, talk renovations.

A friend's baby diagnosed with heart defect that will take his tiny life. Good results on mom's scan. Grieving loss, celebrating new marriages and new life.It's the time, it's the season. Big life going on, every day, all around.

How much house can you afford?

It's the season of life. Weddings, budgets, babies, and buying houses.
How much mortgage can you afford? I ripped this tip out of Money magazine:

Multiply 25% of your monthly income by 186.28

Then, to find out how much down payment is needed to qualify for that mortgage, multiply the result above by 0.25
Now we're talking.
A recent home-buying friend recommended two sites for house shoppers:
http://www.zillow.com/
http://www.ebby.com/

I'm particularly fond of Ebby's polygon mapping system.

Stats are sexy.

One hour of life, crowded to the full with glorious action, and filled with noble risks, is worth whole years of those mean observances of paltry decorum. – Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832)

Glorious action and noble risks. I want to be about that.

Many of you know I'm really into stats. I like trivia. I've found some interesting facts this week.

Last week the Economist, which I have just this month started reading after a subscription was generously gifted my way, reported on known oil reserves. If the world continues to produce oil at the rate of last year (and no new reserves are found), global supplies will last only 42 more years.

The US ranks 11th on the list of most reserves, with enough supply for 12.4 more years. Interestingly, China, who ranks 13th, only has enough reserves for 11.1 most years.

Looks like we'll all be importing a lot from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, and Venezuela (numbers 1, 2, 3, and 5). Does it seem like this data should light a fire under us to get energy independent- fast?

Hmm.

Next, unemployment rates:
US 9.4% in May
China 9% in May
Spain 18.1% in April
Turkey at 16%
Columbia 12%

Highest on this list (did not include all nations) was South Africa 23.5%
Lowest was Thailand under 2%

Interesting.

Next, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reported on Top Ten 2008 military spending:

10. India $30 billion
9. Saudi Arabia $38.2 billion
8. Italy $40 billion
7. Japan $46.3 billion
6. Germany $46.8 billion
5. Russia $58.6 billion
4. United Kingdom $65.3 billion
3. France $65.7 billion
2. China $84.9 billion

and in first place, the United States spent $607 BILLION on the military in 2008.

Wow. The report goes on to note that the US spent seven times as much as #2 China, and that the United States has spent $903 billion on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan since the conflicts began.

At www.buckner.org, I've learned that
$25/month provides a water purification system for 10 families in Mexico.
$25/month provides food for 10 children in Kenya each year.
$25/month provides medical care for 8 teens in Guatemala/year.
$25/month provides school uniforms for 15 children in Kenya/year.
$25/month provides education for 13 children in Ethiopia/year (textbooks, school fees, tutor, supplies).

I'll refrain from further commentary.

The numbers speak for themselves.