"California, here I come, go, leave....whatever!"

This last week found me doing Verizon business in the glorious southern California weather! I was in Ontario and Los Alamitos, both located within about 60 miles of each other in the glorious desert and coastal areas of California. I traveled with my boss, Teresa Keenan, and we arrived decked with Powerpoint presentations and Excel spreadsheets, ready and eager to present two identical meetings to different audiences in the West. They went well; we only got chewed up and spit out a couple of times...but we had our rebound defenses prepared, and I believe we came out the winners in the long run!

Traveling with my boss is a joy, yet it's hard not to be envious/jealous of her position within Verizon, her adorable figure and amazing wardrobe, and her affinity for limelight and praise! She's an amazing businesswoman, with extremely good fashion taste, travel taste, food taste, wine taste, and vacation taste! After four days of hotel indulgence, food indulgence, and corporate talk points, I was feeling desirous to further climb the corporate ladder while at the same time, feeling very tired at just the thought of it! Is it the limelight I crave? Is it the monetary reward I crave? Is it the recognition I crave? Is it the political involvement of the corporate world I crave? Or, is it better that I look to Him to satisfy these cravings for position, for stature and for lucrative reward? I believe we all know the correct answer to this...

After returning home to the normal hum-drum of life following a fun-filled, recognition-worthy business trip, I find myself longing for true purpose in daily existence! When one stops to think about it, this job I have is simply about yellow page advertising and customer satisfaction....truly, it's just a phone book! It's just a blasted phone book!!!! And yet these telphone directories (which I monitor for customer service satsifaction levels, and manage the Call Center for customer complaints) bring this mega corporation, Verizon, an amazing amount of revenue that has put three of my children through higher education (and in many respects continues to do so), has put food on my table, a roof over our heads, very cute clothes on our bodies, and opportunities to travel and play heartily! Oh my!

Sunday...today is the 16th. John and I attended Fort Worth Presbyterian Church on Hulen Avenue. A PCA church; truly a beautiful facility...one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen. Darwin Jones is the senior pastor. The sermon was on Genesis 16. It was well-delivered, but I still find myself yearning for the weekly preaching of Skip Ryan at PCPC. Please keep us in your prayers as we determine where we should settle down and become committed...

Haven't finished the first volume of three books I purchased...Leslie Vernick titles. But, I'm working through the last 1/4 of her book, "How to Respond Right When Your Spouse Behaves Wrong"...

More later...I'm preparing for a busy week ahead...to my family and close friends, I love you all most dearly!