i'm out like shout!

it looks like i have not been holding to my promise to be a more frequent blogger. 

i apologize, marcy.  thanks for the accountability.

though the wait has been over a month now, i am pleased to say that there are many things on which to comment this morning.

1.  4 8 15 16 23 42 

after what seems like an eternity, LOST is finally back!  i cannot express to you how excited i am about the season 5 premiere tonight.  with so many questions spinning circles in my mind (where is the island?  how will jack convince the others to go back?  how did locke get back home? what bad things happened on the island?), i am ready for some answers - which in LOST terms means "here is one answer with a side of 423 new questions."  to some this might be frustrating.  to me it is simply great television!  abc, this is your chance to redeem yourself for killing pushing daisies.  i get the feeling that i will be forgiving you around 11:00 pm tonight. 

2.  "here am i.  send me!" 

after attending gulfcoast getaway this past weekend, i have been convicted about my inability to give God control.  i am too busy making plans for my life.  often i stop and wonder why it just doesn't feel right.  i now know that this sense of discomfort stems from the reality that i was never meant to be the master of my life.  the throne doesn't belong to me.  i guess what i am trying to say is that i want to be more faithful to HIM.  i want to go wherever he leads me.  i want to be whoever he intends for me to be.

3.  change  

yesterday was a historical day.  i was able to watch most of the inauguration on my computer while at work.  it was exciting to see all of the people standing out in the cold, each of them wanting to be able to witness the ceremony in person.  among my peers, i was one of the only people looking forward to the event.  i'll be honest.  i have been very quiet about the election this time around.  knowing that my fellow workers and friends here in knoxville are pretty vocal about not supporting obama, i thought it best to simply keep my mouth shut and avoid awkward conversations.  i just want to take a moment to say that i am excited to see what the future holds for our country.  president obama is a man that, to me, is inspirational, and i pray that God will use him as a blessing to our country. 

4.  get out of jail free! 

chloe, my 1-year-old boxer puppy, is pretty much the funniest dog ever.  i love watching her as she develops certain habits.  recently she has begun a new one.

chloe had an incident with some towels back in december.  she ingested some strands of cloth and ended up having surgery.  consequently, we no longer put anything in the crate with her that can be eaten.  it is just her, the bars, and the hard plastic bottom.  just in case she gets bored, we make sure to put her ball and her kong inside with her.  well, over the past couple of weeks i have noticed her doing something different.  when i get home to let her out, she usually is banging on the gate and immediately darts out of her crate once i open the door.  recently, she has been sitting there patiently as i fumble for the latch and slowly open the door.  instead of running out, she gently bends down and picks up her toy.  carefully she trots out into freedom and heads for the back door.  she calmly lays down her toy at the door and goes outside to take care of business.

now, this can be interpreted any way.  some might say that she simply wants to play; therefore, she grabs the toy because she knows that it is an instrument of fun.  i, however, like to think of it a little differently.  in my opinion, chloe gets a little lonely when we leave for work.  she spends a few minutes staring at the door, hoping that we will walk right back in.  when we do not, she concedes to lay down.  just when she is about to close her eyes in defeat, something in the corner of the crate catches her eye.  it is bright!  it is familiar!  it is her friend, kong!  no longer is she alone.  she has company!  chloe then relocates herself adjacent to kong and snuggles up for a nap.  as she wakes to the sound of someone arriving home, her heart begins to race.  she is so excited!  her family has come back to her.  in the rush of emotions, she almost forgets about the sorrow she experienced only hours earlier. then, briefly something draws her attention away.  once again, it is kong - the faithful friend who gave comfort when she needed it most.  she looks at him and says, "don't worry. i'm taking you with me, little guy."  she bends down, grabs ahold of his little rubber body and gets ready to make her exit.  as the door opens, she trots out with pride, knowing that she was able to return the favor. 

5.  sorry 

i am fully aware that #4 was so long that it should have been its very own blog.  i do apologize.  it was so long that it made me forget everything else i was going to say.  oh well, i guess that gives me an excuse to write another blog very soon when i remember the rest.

that is all for now. i'm out like shout!