I did my usual fretting about choosing a color for the drapes (or anything, for that matter). I like it, no--I dont' like it. Oh, wait a minute---am I thinking through someone else's eyes or mine?
Should I choose neutral, more the shade of the trim? No. Too bland. Short story is I picked this color swatch, brought it home and laid it on the rug, the chair, the sofa, the wall, and I picked it. I needed 17.5 yards, and there was exactly that much on the bolt. A sign? Probably not. Anyway, here is one shot of how it looks in my living room now. When I first walked in to the house and saw them yesterday, I liked them! When I was sitting on the couch last night, I thought maybe I should have gone bland....Right now, I think I like them.

This feels a little scary for me to post, but I think I want to do it anyway. I wrote a psalm at the suggestion of my counseling sessions:

Papa/Jesus/Spirit, Holy Trinity, Creator and Redeemer, Restorer of humanity, my sin of over-achievement for the purpose of self-glory has been part of me as far back as I can remember. "Striving" to be excellent in everything has not brought rest, and over-work for accolades is not in the rhythm of grace, but I have striven, and I have over-worked. I have been tyrannized by my trying to be the best in everything--in fact, obsessed with being as perfect as possible. Experiencing a failure or encountering someone who didn't like my ideas would send me to the depths of despair inwardly. I felt defensive, and relationships became strained as a result. You give strength to work hard. You give rest to the weary. You lead in pleasant, green pastures, by still waters. There is life only in You. Help me to get strength to work and serve from your Spirit, beauty from being in Your presence, and confidence in You alone. Free me from false guilt, and protect me in Your truth from the lies of the enemy. Amen.

I Beat David in P-I-G

But here's a video that shows him making a shot to cancel out my win....we agreed.

Some pics from the Hall Labor Day Eve cookout--






Chloe and her baby




That's ketchup on Ella Hall's chin.






The blue car was a hit.






as well as the Jeep






When it started raining,
it was time for a story with Uncle Ben/daddy

This was our little birthday "card" for Cat's 20th....we met her in Anderson at the Outback Restaurant for a birthday lunch---including an appetizer-- after church today.

"Welcome to Greenville" Party


Maya Sonnier, older daughter of newest member of Hall Engineering Staff, Charles, and his wife Jeannine



David made a table and a bench, that combined with little chairs, seated eight of the ten little people at the party. We didn't get a picture of Sophia Sonnier, age 1, or any of the adults. Maybe next time.


Maeve Whitesell


Chloe Whitesell, Will and Benton Leinster (cousins)



Another view....



Levi Smith


Brighton Smith

Here we are on Lake Michigan on a boat tour of Chicago. Thanks B and Courtney!
Brandon and Courtney on our tour of downtown Chicago


Chicago, Chicago----

The first time I was there I was only ten, and that was for a wedding, so I was more mesmerized by the bride than Chicago.
This time I could really enjoy the city and our family who lives there. Brandon and Courtney live in a great place, near the El, on a street with lots of cafes and little shops. Great fun!



Courtney and Barkley often rollerblade to the grocery store, just a few blocks away.

Saturday night we visited Jane, Courtney's mom, and had a fresh, delicious meal at her house. We so enjoyed our time together.

Our return trip was different than planned because our flight out of Chicago was delayed, causing us to miss our connecting flight to ATL, where our car was parked. We made it to Charlotte, rented a car, and drove to Greenville. At 4:30AM the next day, David walked to the train station, rode the train to ATL, rode the Marta to the airport to get our car, and went the the same process in reverse order to finally get us and our car back home.

The video made while waiting for our very late plane at O'Hare last weekend....

It started at our old house on Winsford Drive, this war between me and cockroaches, and the cockroaches have been set back some, but they still prevail.

I read Bug Busters, for the non-toxic-to-humans-and-pets approach to ridding ourselves of cockroaches. Not long after putting boric acid along every crack and in every hole in the house, a 2-inch cockroach jumped on my son-in-law while he took a shower. Good thing he had been in Africa prior to or he may have walked out of our family.

Then we moved. To an old house. BUT after throwing away 4 dumpsters worth of trash, re-doing floors, and coating the walls with fresh paint, I had hope.

It was false. Alas, there were new cracks, new holes, new moist areas in the basement and attic, and ivy for the little creeps to hang out in. I called Noah's Pest Control at 10:30 one night shrieking about I knew they were closed but as soon as they got in the next morning to please send someone out to kill these things. That was after seeing a huge one crawl up my bedroom wall. Would I feel it if it crawled over my face in the night? Shiver.

A brief reprieve.

I felt calmness.

Then, "We're baa-ack!" One crawled across Cat's foot while she brushed her teeth.

"Down here, on the floor, hee-hee-hee," said another in his nasty cockroach voice as I sat at a table at Moe's.

And, "We're even downtown, hahaha," said yet one more as he marched straight across my path as I walked down to Starbucks.

YOU WILL NOT WIN!! I said to all of them, between clenched teeth. There was a definite revenge in my eyes.

They showed up while I was at my daughter's house, who, up until that point, had not seen a cockroach at her house. There he was, laughing, crawling up the dining room wall.

And at 11 PM when I was in bed, cozily tucked and drifting off to sleep, Cat came in, flipped on the lamp, and then said, "Wait, what's that crawling up the wall?" Yep. You guessed it.

But I was prepared this time. I had a can of Hot Shot! I dashed downstairs, came back with the can, and sprayed like crazy. The cockroach fell, I screamed, almost caught my foot in the folding chair as it collapsed when I got down, and what ensued was like a scene from the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote. Me spraying, the cockroach NOT dying, and then ME slipping in the Hot Shot that now coated the floor.

I killed the little nasty with a shoe. But the cockroach still won. My bedroom smelled like Hot Shot for hours.

On Mother's Day I settled down to read The Shack for the first time. By Tuesday I was beginning it for the second time. I found the story gripping and full of redemption. It was an answer to a prayer I frequently pray, "Father, reveal Who you are. Set the world right," from The Lord's Prayer, The Message version. I loved the parts of the story where the persons of the Trinity related to each other perfectly, as we will perfectly relate to God and each other one day. The story was a picture of the hope we have for Shalom when God does set everything right on this earth.

As a result of reading this book, I often think I can almost hear Papa say to me, "Sharon Rhodes Hall, I am especially fond of you." I recommend it as a thought-provoking read that will, if you are like me, shake up your misconceptions about God.


To look at the web site, click here.

MY SPRING VACATION

For my vacation I went to a construction site in Kentucky. We stayed in the luxury apartment that doubles as Hall Engineering, KY. Here are pictures that will say more than I could write....I did lots of web surfing right there in that metal folding chair you see....

Easter Egg Hunt

Phylicia

She's seventeen, goes to school, works at McDonald's. Her dream? Either to be a doctor or a supermodel (if she could get all those clothes and makeup)...."I wouldn't even go to college if I could be a supermodel", she announced over her iced latte. She took another sip and said, "A Christian college wants to talk to me about going there, but I'm not interested in a Christian college."

"Really? Why not?" I wondered why anyone who couldn't pay for college would turn down any institution that would give her a scholarship.

"CHRISTIAN college? They're Bible-thumping and walking around singing Kum-Ba-Yah. I would flip them out the way I talk...."

I ventured out. "I'm a Christian."

"REALLY?!!" She looked so incredulous I have to admit I wondered how it could be that shocking.

In her short life, she has run with her mom from an abusive boyfriend, lived in more places than I can count, and somehow she is surviving, making good enough grades to get into college one day and keeping her job at McDonald's for more than a year.

I met Phylicia as a 6th grader at a middle school where I worked for four years. All three years there she ran with the Running Club and me, and once she won first place in her age group.

She's in 10th grade now and since I've known her, she's lived in five different places. She's not running anymore because she doesn't have a ride home from practice; she rides the city bus to school.

Hopefully they will get a Habitat House before Phylicia leaves for college.....or is on a runway somewhere. The medical field or supermodel? They don't seem related to me, but to a seventeen-year-old girl like Phylicia, the both spell a way out.....

Things I have experienced in the last two weeks:

A GPS can get somebody like me who gets lost coming out of my alley, to a destination even if it does have to recalculate because of the wrong turns.

The Filbert fellowship hall was a fun place for little people to play at the York Christmas celebration.

The Apple store in Charlotte is a fun place.

Maggianos' helpings are huge.

Crying makes me feel cleansed.

Fires in a fire pit or wood stove are cozy.

Children grow up to be helpful and fun-to-be-around adults.

There're more, but I have to go eat now.

Today is the day Brandon and Courtney get married. The weather is unseasonably cool and less humid than normal here in Bluffton, SC, where we are enjoying the Palmetto Bluffs Resort-- site of the big event. The little people in our family had a blast climbing the five-story tree house multiple times, while the bigger people enjoyed it too but were a lot more tired after the climb to the top. Even Grandpa and Grandma Rhodes seemed quite agile in their ascent!

Low Country Boil, fried okra, cornbread, watermelon, an oyster roast, a blue grass band---together with family and friends---made the rehearsal dinner at an outdoor pavilion on the water FUN. As we were getting on the trolley to head back to the resort, we could see fireworks over the water. We could hear Chloe squeal as she got her second wind. The smells of the ocean reminded us of past weeks at the beach, and we dodged tree limbs that pushed their way into open trolley.

Beauty, warmth, love, fun--- remind me of Jesus because He came to restore a broken world.

Buying a Car

Intimidated, non-confrontational, and downright scared. That's how I feel on a car hunt. I want someone to tell me what to do and how to do it. The last car I bought I did a little (one hour) of research, 15 minutes of test-driving, and I bought the car. I liked the salesman because we had a mutual friend---and he seemed honest. It's been a good car, but it has an oil gel problem in the engine and somehow it feels like I should have known that. Like if I had done a little more research, been a little more bold, none of this would have happened.

Then that takes me back to what Toby, our pastor, preached about several weeks ago. The "If only" syndrome. If only I had done blank, or if only I had blank, I would be satisfied. I make agreements with these type statements on a regular basis and then find myself either beaten up, full of anxiety, or just bummed.

I am looking out my front window right now and see a beautiful bird happily singing on a tree branch. Every morning they sing!
Is it really true that my Creator can make me that free of heart? That indeed He likes me even when I'm in this state of anxiety? Amazing thought.

I woke up in the night, worried but not sure exactly why. An old song came to mind, and the words comforted me:
"All your anxieties, all your cares. Bring to the Mercy Seat, leave them there. Never a sorrow He will not share, never a friend like Jesus."