Certain uncertainty...

"Destroying human life, in the hopes of saving human life, is not ethical" Guess who?

Four days until a hug from Mandy, a Caleb laugh, that chicken smell. A morning with Dad (since he and I will be up way before anyone else), an afternoon jaunt, a late night cribbage game with Mom. Family vacation is upon us, and that means some surf fishing with Uncle Jim, pool time with Tara and the boys, and hanging with my baby brother . I have a few predictions for the week: 1) My nephews will be completely taken with my Uncle Jim, as he is simply the coolest uncle ever. (Sorry Jon, but it is true. You are second coolest, if that helps) 2) I will forget sunscreen on my feet and ears at least once and end up looking like some strange Vulcan-Hobbit cross. 3) It will take four hours before Mandy and I are rolling our eyes at one another. (Sisters are fun for that, right?) 4) After 24 hours, Jon and Matt will be itching to get away from so many women folk. Uncle Jim will already be on the beach with his fishing poles. 5) At least one Wolske (legal or biological) will end up with a...

A little over twenty years ago, I wrote an essay for a Father's Day contest. Our task was to finish the sentence "My dad is the greatest because..." My parents still have that essay -my careful fourth grade cursive on its Cabbage Patch Kids stationery. My guess is that it is in the stack of framed photos that need to be hung somewhere sometime (Does every home have a stack like that or is this a problem unique to Hutsons?) I do not remember all the particulars, but I know that some mention was made of pancakes for breakfast. I recall that, when the essay was read to the congregation, there were a few chuckles-- I imagine that I would chuckle myself to read it now. A lot has changed in those twenty years. Dad is no longer the "man in my life;" I cannot remember the last time I ate his pancakes for breakfast; it's been months since I even had breakfast with him! One thing has not changed- my dad is the greatest. He is the greatest provider I could have h...

Appetizer What do you consider to be the ultimate snack food? I cannot narrow it down to one, so I have to go with one sweet and one savory. Sweet- grapes; I love how they start out ho-hum and then literally burst in my mouth. Savory- I am a hummus junkie; garlicky, lemony, garbanzo bean-y hummus. Soup On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 as highest), about how popular is your last name? I would go pretty low for both my maiden name and my married name. Perhaps 1.5 for my married name and 2 for my maiden name? Salad Who is your all-time favorite sitcom character, and why? Gosh, I am drawing blanks this week. Right now I will go with Karen from Will and Grace . That annoying voice and the constant stream of alcohol and prescription narcotics always proved an interesting mix. A somewhat less vulgar Patsy Stone , if you will. Main Course Do you shop online? If so, name some sites you like to browse for goodies. Does a wild bear live in the woods? Yes, I shop online. Amazon , Lands...

Pretty nerdy. I just picked out a couple books for vacation; Genome: An Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters (a gripping page-turner, no doubt), and it's thrilling sequel The Agile Gene: How Nature Turns on Nurture . Jon and I caught a rerun of Nova Monday night which has had me reading all I can find about epigenetics . I have exhausted free resources which are not completely over my head and had to break down an find a book. I suppose I could have gone to the library, but I can shop Amazon in comfort... I am especially interested in what Matt Ridley has to say about Richard Dawkins and his "Selfish Gene" assertions. Maybe I should go back a read that first, but I really don't want to. Instead, I shall find myself a good summary. That's the ticket. I may be a nerd, but I am a lazy nerd. If anyone is interested in purchasing some Science Homework Offsets to fund my book habit, please let me know.

Appetizer Name something you think is “the best.” Fisher's Popcorn is the best snack food. Ever. Soup On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 highest), how stressed are you today? Today was a 9.8 all the way. Fortunately, I have a super-understanding husband who lets me vent and gives me time to get over myself. Yay Jon! Salad What kind of cleanser do you use to wash your face? Until one week ago, when my eyelids swelled up, it was ProActiv . Now I am using Neutrogena . Anyone want some Proactiv? I have two unopened cleansers, and one each of the toner and repairing lotion. Ugh... Main Course Tonight is a blue moon ! What is something that you believe only happens “once in a blue moon.” Once in a blue moon I can get one over on my husband. Maybe. He's pretty quick-witted. Dessert When was the last time it rained where you live? I don't remember, but it has been a couple months. This is the Mojave, after all. We are actually coming up on our "monsoon season" in ...

Karen . Really, Karen and her family have been such a blessing to (Jon and) me. Teaching is one thing, music is a nice bonus, but what turns a church into a church home is community. Karen "does community" in everything. She calls out of the blue to see how my week is going. She brings smoothies and coffee at just the right moment (when I am liketwosecondsaway from pulling out my hair). She also knows pretty much what I am going to say before I say it (a little scary for those of you who know me IRL). And you know what else? Karen knows when to not even ask. She just knows. My plate is full this week and hers is even more full, believe me. Yet she knows that the healthy thing for me is to not add something else. Knowing full well I would say, "sure, I'll do it", she just doesn't ask. I love that she has my back where I am lacking good sense.

1) For the first time in my memory, our gas prices are actually BELOW the national average. I filled up for $3.159, which while far from ideal, is much better than much of the country. I still cannot understand the perpetual desire to see conspiracies in all of this. ExxonMobil posted record profits because- say it with me now- they are THE LARGEST COMPANY IN THE WORLD . If they didn't have larger profits, I would be worried. Wouldn't you? 2) We have twenty-six days until vacation in OBX. I am really looking forward to spending good beach time with my mum, BIL, SIL, sis, and whomever else makes their way down to Corolla. Mum has let a house for a week and I am cooking for the crew. Some sun, some cards, some beer- good times. 3) Jon and I took in a movie this afternoon- Hot Fuzz , a cute British spoof of American action flix. Laughed. A lot. I love Bill Nighy any way I can find him. He was hilarious in Love, Actually and freaking brilliant in Notes on a Scandal . 4)...

Our sneaky-sneaky Congress and equally sneaky-sneaky president have slipped a minimum wage increase in with the rest of the pork-laden War Funding Bill. Jimmy Dean, anyone??

Appetizer Name a sound you like to hear. My Jonathan playing his guitar and singing from the front room. I love to go to sleep to that sound. Soup What is your favorite kind of cheese? Hard to choose. These days I am all about lovely tangy goat cheese. Salad Do you sleep late on Saturday mornings? Why or why not? Nope. I try to lead a well-ordered life. I can get so much done in the morning. I am usually up at 5:30 or 6:00 at the latest. I like to have all the grocery shopping done by 9:30. Main Course When was the last time you forgot something? What was it, and how long did it take to remember it? I totally forgot my wallet this morning and didn't discover it until I wanted to get a sandwich for Jon's lunch. Oops! Dessert Fill in the blank: I notice ____________ when _____________. I notice scents when I have a headache. I think my sense of smell must be just this side of mutant, I tell you! You too can dine here .

Overheard this evening: Person A: Well if being a Christian means that I can't play poker for money, I am not sure I want into that. Person B: My being a Christian has nothing to do with it, my being the keeper of the money in my household does. Dude. money doesn't come easily, so why would I waste it that way? Person A: That's retarded. Person B: Why would I take advice on how to live my life from an unemployed eighteen year-old who lives with his mother? Everyone else: Good point! Ouch!

Tonight you will dine off the Red Plate . Dad is making your favorite birthday dinner (and I am trying to remember a time when you didn't ask for spinach fettuccine for your day). Twenty-seven, kiddo. Wow. Sometimes I think that it is a complete testimony to God's Grace that we made it this far without killing each other. Not only that, but we have managed to be friends. Chalk and cheese, that's us. You were all about She-Ra , where I was more into playing house. Remember how Rick used to drive us crazy when we went camping? He would follow us around singing whatever popped into his head? Sheesh! Pop him one for me tonight, will you? This evening, as you celebrate another year on this rock, know that I am thinking about you. Know that, no matter what, you are stuck with me as your older sister. Know that I love you tons and bunches. And know that, while Mom might love you best, I will always be the princess. ;) Much much love, little sis. Kelly Anne

"Until you settle the issue of your own worth, it's impossible to bring holiness into anyone else's life. Until you understand that your worth is already determined by the fact of your birth, everything else is an exercise in propping up a dying tree." ~ Carol Brazo ~ "No Ordinary Home" Worth is something other than value. I am valued by my husband as a wife, by my church as a servant, by my boss as an employee. My value is determined by those around me. I would venture to say that I am more valuable to my husband as a wife than I am to API as an employee. Value is determined by those around me. But what am I worth ? MY worth exists independently of what I do. Worth is about who I am. More importantly, worth is about who I am becoming through Christ. Because, truly? I am worthless; I am the product of a fallen creation, a dirty sinner who is helpless; I am the opposite of worthy. The issue of my own worth is this: I am un worthy. ...

Breakfast: 1 serving Organic High Fiber cereal ($0.25) 1 banana ($0.19) 1 cup ff milk ($0.17) Total for breakfast: $0.61 Lunch: 2 slices protein bread ($0.21) 1 scrambled egg (.09) 2 apples (0.40) Total for lunch: $0.70 Snack: 1 peach (.18) 1 cup milk (0.17) 1 apple (.20) Total snacks: $0.55 Dinner: Baked potato (.30) Broccoli (.22) 1 slice 2% cheese (.16) 1 cup salad greens (.17) 1 T salad dressing (.05) Total for dinner: $.9o Day one total: $2.76 Some first day thoughts: I usually have this hot cereal with blueberries, but the banana was much more economical. I must say, too, that I liked it better. It tasted like warm banana bread. It filled me up well, too. (I had budgeted for a peach with breakfast, but decided to save it for later) I know now that I could have added some nuts for protein. Maybe tomorrow. I am doing this on my own and not expecting Jon to keep to this budget. In some ways this is easier, as I eat hot cereal for breakfast anyway. In other ways it is more di...

The number twenty-one evokes a certain images. For many teenagers, 21 shines as that magic number- legal beer! In Las Vegas, it may conjure up Blackjack. For 26 million Americans, twenty-one dollars is their weekly food stamp allotment. Could I do it? Could I eat for and average of $1 per meal? I am sure going to try it out. Read about the Congressional Food Stamp Challenge here Incidentally, I have lots and lots to say about this, but I am going to exercise some restraint until I complete the task.

Last week, our pastor spoke about marginalizing Christ in our salvation. Specifically, he warned us against relegating Christ to the role of helper (the Cross plus works equals salvation). We cannot DO anything to warrant salvation or righteousness. All our righteousness comes from Him; He is Lord of our lives. On the heels of that sermon, comes this article about St Philips church in Tucson. It is difficult to surrender control (for me, it is an almost daily struggle) and take the backseat- I completely understand this fact. But you know what? If we are to follow Him, we have to (Dad, skip this part) suck it up and set our egos aside. Guess what? God is in charge! Guess what else? He will not conform to our little ideas! Guess what else? He is big enough to overcome whatever barriers we may put up! There are no excuses, folks. We may not like what He says, and we sure are not going to see perfection in this world, but He hasn't given up on me and I am not going to g...

It is that time again. I am very thankful that this work week is drawing to a close-- next week will hopefully have a slightly less frenetic pace. Appetizer How fast can you type? Not very fast, I am afraid. The last time I was tested, it was 55 wpm. I confess that I am a self-taught typist, as the typing classes in school always conflicted with art or music classes. Soup What is your favorite online game? Zuma! I am a recovering Chicken Invaders addict as well. Salad On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 as highest), how intelligent do you think you are? I am not comfortable with this question, and I shall refrain from answering. Main Course Name three of your best teachers from your school years. 1) Dr Singh was my high school Latin and Greek teacher. She the all-time best teacher I have ever had, and probably ever wil have. No nonsense, no excuses, no class too small. Doc gave up her morning planning to teach us Greek, and she gave up her lunch hour to teach four of us AP Latin; ...

We in the US who are Christians have a tendency to moan and cry about not being allowed to do x,y, or z. In case any of us needs a reminder of just how good we have it, take a little jaunt over here. Story upon story here. Lastly, here is something to do about it .

I have sunk to the level of planning my week around Dancing With the Stars. Tonight, however, is a new low. I voted.

Appetizer What is your favorite kind of bread? Um, I am a bread fanatic. Lately, I have been trying to perfect a beautiful milk bread recipe. My next loaves will be semolina bread, though. Growing up, my favorite was Mom's onion bread. Soup When was the last time you bought a new pillow? About six or eight months ago. Before that, I am too embarrassed to admit. Salad Approximately how many hours per week do you spend surfing the ‘net? Twenty hours? Could be more, but that would depend on what I am doing at work. I think I need to channel some of that surfing time into sewing time. Main Course What’s the highest you remember your temperature being? I really cannot say for sure, but I do remember 102.5 once. A very sick girl, was I. Dessert Fill in the blanks: When I ____________, I _____________. When I laugh, I sometimes snort. Come dine with us here .