Dear Caro,

Can you believe it? We got internet again! It’s been a real testing period. I know there’s others out there who live without internet but I have to wonder at their main-streamedness. I mean, honestly, at times I felt all alone. It’s not a feeling I like all that much, though at the same time I felt a little prideful and set-apart. There, I admit it. I was rather proud of us. A friend told us about a little USB stick thingy that does internet wherever you take it for just $30 a month, a dollar a day. I don’t know how it works, I just know it makes me happy. I can now pin away on Pinterest, my new favorite, email work (with documents attached, can i get a woot woot?) without pecking away at the iphone ridiculously, and do other business that we’ve neglected for a while except when absolutely necessary. Do you know how long it takes to make a payment online via 3G on the iphone? Longer than our modern cultural urgency allows for, that’s for sure.

I’m sure there’s a deep lesson here, a God sighting for sure, but for now, I’m just saying hello from my trusty PowerBook G4 (whatever all that means) and listening to the hum and the fingers flying along the keys!

Write back soon,

Kristy in cyberspace at home

Kristy,

So, last year for our anniversary Jeff and I got an iPad for ‘our’ anniversary. It was a gift to each other. I was suckered. That is all there is to it! I hardly ever use that iPad! I prefer my iPhone. It’s more convenient. Jeff has the iPad with him 24/7. He loves it. He has already sold his old iPad and bought the new fancy iPad2. Well, that got me to thinking. Wait a minute! It is my turn for an iPad! But I don’t want just an Apple iPad. This is the ipad I want:

Can you guess what it is? Don’t you think the digital pad on the front of a new refrigerator is as good as an ipad? Just think about it. I would use it as much or more as the Apple iPad. Believe it or not, it doesn’t cost anymore than an Apple iPad. The bottom line, it’s just more practical.

So, today I bit the bullet. Thanks to God and Uncle Sam I purchased a new two door, side by side, Samsung refrigerator. It actually is a neat story. Although, it is much more fun giving Jeff a hard time. I have been wanting a new fridge for a while now. The one we have now was here when we bought the house. It is the smallest size possible but makes for great storage on top. The only person who lived in this house before we bought it was a grad student. His parents built the house. Another story for another time, but it still baffles me that there are homes in my neighborhood that are just for VT football game weekends. I digress, that’s neither here nor there. So, for some reason the kitchen had great appliances except the fridge. I have to admit for the past month or so I have been coveting.

Well, low and behold, when our ladies’ Bible study started back up this semester we started the book Lord, Change My Attitude Before It’s Too Late by James McDonald.

And can you guess what the first chapter was about? COVETING!! I had to confess to my Bible study ladies. We had great discussions about where the line is on needing vs. wanting, enjoying vs. being a martyr. It’s amazing how many fine lines there are in this walk with Christ. There are so many clear truths that can be easy to follow, although sometimes we choose not. Then there are hazy ones where our daily time with the Lord makes a difference. We want the decisions in our life to be easy-schmeezy, but then we’d all be robots. I think my summation of it all is to live for Christ daily and don’t get caught up in all the crazy details of your life. That will keep you in a cycle of living all about yourself and instead enjoy the blessing He gives us each day.

So, here I am with a new refrigerator. We didn’t have money to get a new refrigerator. I really didn’t feel good about going in debt to get it. But lo and behold, Jeff finally finished our taxes. For the first time in forever, we got money back! When he finished, he told me “Go get your refrigerator!” God always provides. It is still amazing to me even though he continues to provide time after time.

Now I have to get busy cleaning out a spot in the garage for our old mini fridge. It will be perfect for the kids’ sports drinks and such! Talk to you later!

Who needs an iPad, I have an iCemaker!,

Carolyn

dear caro,

I ventured out tonight for various reasons to the local bookstore and coffee joint, pandemonium. this is sort of a long and domino effect story so let me see where to begin.  there’s lots of things i need to do on our cute little silver Powerbook G4 but it’s  been a little messed up. I think the problem is that I am as organized and clean electronically as I am at home. You know what I mean, right? I just keep stuffing photos on iPhoto and files here and there and everywhere until the computer is just plain fed up. It lets me know by a sweet little box with the message, “YOUR STARTUP DISK IS FULL!” and just generally being grouchy. So, I’ve tried to no avail to fix this a couple of times, but I just don’t have the fight and stamina in me to really figure it out and so I give up. Only, right now, there are lots of things I really need this thing for. Not to mention I’ve quit using my really nice camera because I don’t want to deal with the computer issue, no more room for photos and no internet at home to send them in emails and wait for grandparents’ sweet responses anyway.

So here I am at Pandemonium mostly because my dear friend Sarah asked me to speak at MOPS (next Wednesday). Well, sort of. She admitted she was thinking of asking me or this other lady and I acted a little interested. And I got really convicted and I decided to tell her yes before I changed my mind. And since then I’ve wavered a lot but that’s neither here nor there. It’s too late to back out now and I’m not sure I would if given the chance even though talking to this group of 50 peers and mentor moms for 20 minutes scares the mess out of me. It also excites me to be given this great opportunity to share my heart for the Lord with these ladies. A real chance to present the gospel. My topic starter is “cause and effect” because this year’s MOPS theme has been “The art and science of mothering!” I have some good ideas but need to put them together. That’s my goal tonight, to have a great basic message to pick at over the next week.

So far, I’ve browsed the books, drank a latte, and am watching thousands of pictures make their way to the external hard drive. I hope this works! I’m gonna go get down to my real reason for being here –  to figure out details for my message! Pray that I speak the truth in love and that God is glorified in this, it will definitely be all Him because I don’t have it in me!

Later,

Kristy

PS- I hope you’re making progress on the book – I LOVE that it’s comprised of letters and the time period in history!

Dear Kristy,

OK. I am back from the land of the recovery. I tell people that I turned 40 and got a boob job, tummy tuck and 2 tattoos. What is this world coming to? I feel great, I have to admit. And I am so relieved it is all behind me now. I still am amazed by the tummy tuck. The plastic surgeon needed skin for the last part of the breast reconstruction and asked if I wanted a tummy tuck. Shoot yea! Who wouldn’t? Granted, I still could use some weight loss and exercise but you should see how tight my stomach is. Makes me want to watch what I eat and exercise so I can keep my girlish figure. And I mean girlish. But I won’t go in to how the upper part of my torso looks. Let’s just say I can wear Justice for Girls bras now. No need for Victoria Secret. I need no lift. That’s neither here nor there!

I recently downloaded The Guernsey Literary and Potatoe Peel Pie Society book that you recommended. I am reading it on my iPhone. I just started but I am already hooked. It reminded me of our blog and spurred me to write you. I want us to commit to writing each other more and calling each other less. Even if it is just a small entry, once a week. Are you in?  Then maybe one day we can write our own book and make millions. The title could be The Monticello Literary and Tomato with Cilantro Salsa Society by Kristy Hales and Carolyn Noble. How’s that sound?

Now hungry for chips and dip,

Carolyn

Dear Carolyn,

It might appear that I’ve been strangely absent for a while…because I have. We have gone internetless at home, can you imagine? No, I know you can’t as you guys are the most techy folks I know. We have no home internet, phone or cable. Just call us “21st century retro pioneers”. If any of our hundreds tens of  readers are left out there, give us a shout out to keep this thing a going.

At first, I was excited about it. It saves money (which is the most appealing to us) and it truly has made me less idle with my time. I really am shocked at how often I still would love to just get online and surf around craft sites, look for more knitting patterns, and let my kids play PBS games. It would be handy for things like banking and taxes too. I’m really starting to feel grumbly now that the new has worn off the idea.  It makes us really intentional when we do go somewhere to use wifi, though. And I do have to give the disclaimer that we use my iphone for some of the stuff mentioned above, but it’s not great. I can check work emails and have it as the one and only phone, and that’s the main thing. It’s not great for reading craft blogs and getting knitting patterns, though.

Not having internet (along with the nudging of a dear friend) has made me read LOTS this winter. In fact, I’ve replaced all that “wasted” time online with spending hours with my nose in a book. I’ve read lots of things. I will start with the most fun and trivial, the Twilight series. You heard correctly, I, along with a few friends, am into teenage vampire romance. It is crazy, it kept me up late for several nights during the month of January, and it got me through the darkest time (literally). The best part of it, though, was attending an adult woman’s Twilight birthday party to watch the first movie with a group of crazy women, only one of whom I know. Talk about a third wheel, but I so wanted to see that movie.  So fun and entertaining was that commentary. I do hope you will read these, becase trust me, it would give us conversation for hours upon hours. I am a loner for Team Jacob, but that is neither here nor there.

The best book of this winter was The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It was recommended to me and then I realized that one of the authors is Annie Barrows, author of Abby’s favorite series, Ivy and Bean. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book. It is written as a series of letters from a writer (and a host of other characters amongst themselves) post world war two on an English Channel Island. I felt like I belonged on that island that had been occupied by the Germans by the time I was a little ways into the book. Although it’s covering a horrendous time in world history, it gives hope and it’s not sad, really. It’s just different and great!

OK, I must go. Our entire family is stricken with the flu and I’m the last one. Just when I need to be taking care of my recovering family. Where is Super Nanny when you need her?

Love always,

Kristy