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it’s kirsten, pronounced with an “ear”sten.

on October 13, 2011

my name is kirsten.  k.i.r.s.t.e.n.

you pronounce my name like this:

kEARsten

not kristen.

not kristin.

not kirsten pronounced kUrsten.

not christine.

not kristine.

not even close!

it’s kirsten.  pronounced kEARsten.

it’s not that difficult.  especially if you’ve known me for a while and you’ve heard me say my own name.  or you’ve heard other people say my name.  if we’re in a group of people, and the majority say my name kirsten (pronounced kEARsten), i’d join that majority.

if i’ve just met you, and introduce myself to you as kirsten (pronounced kEARsten), please, don’t call me kristin.  please.  it’s insulting.  if my name was kristin, do you think i’d introduce myself by mispronouncing my name?  i wouldn’t.

if you’re unsure of how to correctly say my name, or anyone else’s for that matter, just ask.  it’s better to ask and know.  would you want someone continually saying your name wrong?  probably not.

my name is kirsten, pronounced with an “ear”sten.

*thanks to digital underground and their song the humpty dance for giving me the rhyme.  “my name is humpty, pronounced with a umpty.”  please note i do not endorse this group or this song, i’m just thankful for the rhyme.*

Comments { 4 }

an early birthday present?

on June 22, 2011

the kids have VBS this week, 6:30pm~9:00pm.  josh and i have date nights.

tonight we went to sam’s club and then red robin for dinner.  we weren’t craving it, or even really terribly hungry, but we hadn’t been there in a long time.  and we hadn’t had a date night in a long time(aside from last night).  and we don’t know when we’ll have a date night again(we’re not counting tomorrow night).

we sat down.  we ordered.  i wanted to make a quick trip to the bathroom.  on my way i noticed a group of men.  i thought, “that’s nice, they must work together and are just getting dinner at the end of the work day.”  and i then i noticed one of them looked like mac powell, from third day.  without hesitation, i stopped and asked. “are…”, that was all that came out, but i was thinking, “mac powell?  third day?”  and he said, “yes!”

i asked what they were doing.  “finishing our dinner,” mac replied.  “no, what are you doing in town?”  “oh,” he said, “we’re here for the alive festival.”

and i told them how we used to go to alive, every year.  and then we adopted three children and that stopped alive for a few years at least.  and he told me he and his wife have three biological children and two adopted, domestically.  and another band member, tai, just finalized a domestic adoption.

and we exchanged “nice to meet you’s”.  and they told me they’ll be in town again this fall for a concert.  and they suggested we get a baby~sitter and come to the show.  and i told them i was going to let my husband know they were there, but that he wouldn’t make a scene.

and i went to the bathroom.  and in the bathroom i thought, “i should probably ask if i can get a picture.”

and on my way back from the bathroom, i stopped and asked.  and they said sure.  and their manager asked if i could wait a minute so they could pay.  and of course i could do that, so i went back to my seat.

and while i was sitting, and feeling a little nervous, they paid for their dinner.  and some of the guys went to the bathroom.  and the manager went out to their transportation and grabbed a band photo that he brought back in and had them sign.  i watched, from my table, and thought i saw them signing something, but i didn’t want to assume.

and then the manager motioned for me to come over.  and i went.  and josh brought his phone to take a picture.  and the manager took his phone.  and josh got in the picture too.  and we said good~bye.  and they left.

and i couldn’t believe it.

and i still kind of can’t believe it.

they were so kind.  and they love Jesus.  and they’re adoptive dads, some of them.

amazing.

tonight was like an early birthday present.

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temptation

on March 10, 2011

orville and i were out for a bit this morning.  we had some errands to run.

i took the long way home.  it’s scenic.  it’s a familiar path from my childhood.  it winds alongside a river.

right at the start of our journey home, there is a house that i love.  it’s old.  it’s big.  but not too big.  it’s white, with black shutters and shingles.  it’s on a large piece of land.  it’s right next to the river.

i have loved this house for years.  every time we pass it i think, “that would be a great house to get a hold of.  it probably needs some updating which would mean the price would be lower than most in the area.  and it would be a great place to raise our family.  and it would be a great place for our children to visit with our grandchildren.  plenty of land for family reunions and big birthday celebrations.”

and today, as we came around the bend toward this house, i saw it~a for sale sign.  right in the front yard.

temptation.

i have given up houses for the next 40 days.  this house is one i desperately want to look up.  ridiculously, my heart is feeling a bit of an ache.

“would it be okay to look up just this one house?  just one?”  no.  it wouldn’t be okay.

40 days is 40 days.  and i hardly ever stick to anything i say i am going to do.  this thing, i will do.

39 days to go.

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january 2010

on March 9, 2010

my last post was kind of heavy.  a lot of people in my life have been dealing with very heavy things lately.  infant death, a father on the verge of death, a grandmother in the hospital after an accidental fall, a mother who has been suffering from the effects of a stroke almost three years ago, job loss-the list could go on and on.  a lot of my thoughts are pretty heavy.  although, they are also very hopeful.  hmmm.

so, to avoid more heaviness, i thought i’d sort of do a month in review via pictures.  just random ‘life with our family’ stuff.  i’ve been having big thoughts, big awakenings.  posts for another day i guess.

so, here we are from january.  the kids watching a tow truck pull the neighbor’s car out of the snow, playing with amelia’s microphone(notice her adjusting it for wilbur as if he couldn’t figure it out on his own),  the gingerbread house the kids made with grammy and gramps(orville did not want to be in the picture),  the gingerbread house after our dog got to it, me (with a bottle of coke!!!) at fondue night, finally remembering to get a Christmas tree bag(after forgetting for the past three years) and joking it was for the kids(which they thought was hilarious!), legos, legos everywhere!, having mother/daughter night & breakfast with amelia, playing with fruit by the foot at grammy’s, josh rummaging through the island drawer at grammy’s(something he’s known to do at least once a year), our trip(eating subway for lunch)to a somewhat local mall so i could go to a bareescentuals boutique, josh and the boys pretending to fall asleep while amelia and i were in the bathroom(men!). 

i’ve been closely following my friend kate’s adoption journey.  she shares an amazing story.  she is a very gifted writer.  she just adopted an adorable little boy.  you should take a look.  her heart is beautiful.

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twitter

on October 20, 2009

so…i have been contemplating twitter for some time now.  do i jump on the bandwagon?  or stay off?  i decided to jump on and i hope i don’t regret it.  if you’re interested in following, you can head here.

you’ll notice a bird there just as you may have noticed a bird here.  a few months ago josh and a co-worker of his pointed out that similarity and wondered if i’d want to change the look of my blog.  i searched and searched for other options, but kept coming back to the bird.  something about it spoke to me and now i have this strange connection to it.  it’s my little bird.

recently while spending some time with the Christ-centered, wisdom filled lady i have mentioned, she told me i am too hard on myself.  i am too critical of myself.  i don’t take compliments very well.  and i don’t let the positive things that happen in my life be positive things.  i guess i tend to make them ho-hum instead of allowing them to be great.

she told me she likes to imagine a little bird sitting on her shoulder.  the little bird sings her praises, gives her compliments, points out the good.  and all of this is sent directly from the Lord.  since He isn’t down here walking around with her, audibly cheering her on, He sends His cheers through people who are here, through situations she finds herself in, and through the little bird on her shoulder.  should she shoo the bird away?  or should she let it sing?  then she said to me,

“you need to learn to let your little bird sing.”

hence the change in my tagline some time ago, from life, faith, & adoption to learning to let my little bird sing.  i am trying to let my bird sing and praying it doesn’t fly away due to the years of neglect it’s seen while living on my shoulder.  and i am trying to remember that the Lord does still speak.  and i am trying to remember that i need to listen.

“and He said, “go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord.
and, behold, the Lord passed by,
and a great and strong wind rent the mountains,
and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord;
but the Lord was not in the wind:
and after the wind an earthquake;
but the Lord was not in the earthquake:
and after the earthquake a fire;
but the Lord was not in the fire:
and after the fire
a still small voice.”
1 kings 19:11-12
kjv

…or a little bird singing on your shoulder.

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