More Adventures in Faith & Budgeting

God is in charge...and He does not want me to be a tightwad.

Earlier in the week, we had company...a great band called the Hollands comprised of a family of four wonderful people--husband & wife, son & daughter--who live in a converted school bus and tour the country bringing love and joy everywhere they go. They played at Swallow Hill and we got to go see them, and celebrate two birthdays with them, and it was just super fun.

If you have been to our house and you are doing your math correctly, you know that means 6 people, 2 beds, and one bathroom. Somehow it all worked out, and we didn't even run out of hot water...which is probably a little miracle or a testament to the easygoing nature of the Hollands or both.

While shopping for some extra stuff at the grocery store, I began to stress out. Those of you who know me know that I have a strict budget. It's important to me. I love the spreadsheet. I love the grocery money jar. There is only so much cash in it and it has to last the whole month...feeding six is not the same as feeding two, and I really wanted to show them a good time but I was torn because I also really wanted to be responsible. As I strolled through the Safeway aisle, I heard a little voice whisper...

"Take care of them, and I will take care of you"

God, is that you?

Ok...I'm putting cookies in the cart.

Chips & salsa

"Take care of them, and I will take care of you"

I'm gonna buy some wine...

Are you sure I'm not just being nuts? 

We do have to eat in week 4 of November? 

Thanksgiving is coming...

"Take care of them, and I will take care of you"

I let go. I rolled with it. We had cookies. We had wine. We had birthday cheesecake. We made a big Indian dinner. It was so fun. My jar wasn't where it needed to be. I was just not going to think about that. 

Today, I went to a friend's house for coffee. As I left, she pointed to several boxes on the floor...

"We are started a whole new way of eating. I'm getting rid of most of the stuff in my pantry. If you can use this stuff, please take it!" Soups, pasta, rice, granola, real maple syrup. Seriously?

"Take care of them, and I will take care of you"

When Randy and I were on the road and touring for a living, we were constantly living on the edge. Sometimes, I was saying to the Hollands, I miss that, because it forces me to rely on God to take care of even the smallest of things, and He reveals Himself in the craziest ways and it reminds me that He cares and He uses other people. Self-reliance is not all it's cracked up to be. Faith is an amazing adventure. This week, I have been reminded...

Furnace Turkey
(in which a squeaky furnace becomes turkey for the mission
and I learn a lesson about the grocery jar)

You know what I don't write enough about? The little miracles. The fun stuff that God does in the every day that makes life a bit more adventurous.

We had our furnace inspected.
Yeah...I know that is pretty boring, and to start off on an even boring-er note, we sat down with our budget spreadsheet to figure out how to make that expense work. It's not really a regular expense. We found some money for it, asked for referrals on Facebook, and got several nice recommendations from friends. By the time we got around to scheduling it, I could only find one name and number, so we scheduled that guy.

Well, as it turned out, he was a really nice guy...and a Christian, and he had a lot to say about that. It wound up a being a great conversation. At the end of the inspection, he said to us, "You know what? I have had a great time being able to talk to you guys about this stuff. I'm going to knock $26 off your bill. Just give it to your church or something." 

Hmmm. That was nice.

Later that day, my friend emailed that she and her family heard the Denver Rescue Mission was short on Thanksgiving turkeys and they were going to shop and deliver several turkeys the next day...would anyone like to donate and have them pick up and deliver the turkeys? Earlier in the day, I can assure you that the very boring budget spreadsheet didn't have much room for turkeys. Now it did. 

Turkeys were delivered yesterday.
The check is in the mail.

And that, my friends is how God let Randy & me broker a deal to have our new furnace guy give 25% of Cell #H42 on our budget spreadsheet to send our friends to the mission with 30 pounds of turkey.

A little video

Finnieston vocal...oops!

Bring it on, ComiCon!

Today, I landed in San Diego around lunchtime for my first ever ComiCon. I am not here for the party. I am here for the shuttle system that will run 24 hours a day for ComiCon attendees--specifically, I will be helping those with special needs like wheel chairs, scooters, etc.

It's my first time working in this town, my first time working for this company, and my first time in San Diego--oh yeah, and my first ComiCon. I'm a bit nervous!

Having checked in and settled in at my downtown boutique-y hotel with no commitments until tomorrow at 10:00am, I find myself in a Tevye-like tailspin! I need to study the shuttle system--ON THE OTHER HAND, I have this whole town at my disposal! On the other hand, I have several work projects coming up that need some attention. On the other hand, I'm tired and alone.

The Solution in Three Parts:

Step 1: I am going to Frommer's right now and I'm going to commit to doing THREE recommended things while here in San Diego.

Step 2: I'm going to RELAX for tonight and open the bottle of wine I bought earlier.

Step 3: LATER, I will take a good look at the shuttle system and outline a work schedule around my work schedule to prepare for upcoming projects with flexibility built in for socializing with new work friends, which I am optimistic I will meet tomorrow. Hopefully, they can help me figure out my three things because after the first one, I got stumped.

Thing #1 - Tour the USS Midway.
Thing #2 - ?
Thing #3 - ?

Sweet Potato Salad

Can't remember where I found this recipe, so I'll post here:

SWEET POTATO SALAD
(File under : Easy, Vegan)


2-3 white sweet potatoes, chopped into small pieces
3 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp red vinegar
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary chopped (Use the Magic Bullet!)
1/4 cup red onion, chopped or sliced thin


Steam the sweet potato
Whisk the rest of the ingredients to make a dressing.
Toss.
Eat.
Yay.

Will you still love me tomorrow?

Today, I had a wide gap between departures, so there was time to come home and take a nap on the clock. Bonus!

Beki: Honey, do you realize I'm making money right now?

Randy: Good

Beki: I'm getting paid to sleep with you.

Randy: Uh huh

Beki: Do you still respect me?

Randy: I'd respect you a lot more if you'd stop talking.

2012 Live Shows

01.27-28
THE GATHERING - Prestatyn, Wales
The Alarm
The Men They Couldn't Hang
The Last Republic

Another great time in Wales; however, the addition of Steve Norman (Spandau Ballet) on sax, tambourine, percussion, and guitar made one weird addition to the Alarm. I liken it to putting whipped cream and a cherry on top of a perfectly good steak. No thank you.


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02.27
Glen Matlock 
Hugh Cornwell
@ Three Kings - Denver, CO


At the Gathering in 2011, Glen Matlock doing his solo thing, and I became a big fan of that. Last night, he played a great gig a small bar in Denver with Clem Burke (Blondie) who is easily one of the greatest drummers ever. I volunteered for Love Hope Strength and really enjoyed the show. Missing was guitarist James Stevenson (also of the Alarm) whose wife is having surgery. Wishing her a speedy recovery!

I think I was in a unique position as a fan of only Glen's solo career with no knowledge of the musical catalog of his former bands the Sex Pistols or the Rich Kids. 


Headlining was Hugh Cornwell (the Stranglers) who Randy enjoyed more than I did, but I did get his comparisons to early Pretenders and there were definitely some cool musical moments there. I am a bigger fan of Glen's. 


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