7 Quick Takes, Vol. 28

Thanks so much to Hallie for hosting! As some of you may have heard, Jen was hospitalized with blood clots in both lungs yesterday. Please pray for her recovery and the safety of her baby!

--- 1 ---

There were times while I was pregnant that I felt as though nothing else could go wrong. Jen's case is a sobering reminder that I was really very lucky. I can't imagine how scary it would be to face a pulmonary embolism, let alone while pregnant, let alone two of them. Please, please lift Jen and her baby in prayer. Storm heaven for them! St. Gianna and St. Michael, pray for them!

--- 2 ---

Last week, I listed my New Year's resolutions. Over the weekend, I got to thinking about why resolutions so often fail. I decided that it's worth looking into the reasons that I wasn't doing something in the first place, and trying to focus on overcoming those obstacles instead of just trying to change my habits outright.

--- 3 ---

Emily and Erin are really starting to crawl! This has taken me somewhat by surprise - I have seen them trying to scoot around the floor for a while now, but when Emily first moved five feet in a minute, I was really shocked. She apparently really likes my shoes, because every time she crawls, it's to a pair of my shoes! I guess I might need to put them in the closet where they belong...

--- 4 ---

Erin, on the other hand, went after something completely different. I had to wash their playmat last night, after wiping up several spitups, and so for once all of their toys were in the toy basket. Erin was on her tummy, swiping at the basket like she wanted one of the toys. I started pulling toys out in front of her, and she kept swiping at the basket. Finally, I just poured out the rest of the toys, and Erin went after a board book. She laid happily on her back and gummed the book, waving it around for effect. I definitely want to encourage a love of books - but that wasn't quite what I had in mind1

--- 5 ---

I'm a bit late to the party this time, but I just decided to try Spotify. I liked Pandora just fine, but I find Spotify's interface easier to use. I wish I had tried it before Christmas - I had a really hard time feeling in the mood with Christmas music this year, and I think this would have helped! I love that you can run the app on your computer, and when the song changes, it flashes on the screen for just long enough that you see what's playing.

--- 6 ---

Yet another party to which I'm arriving late - podcasts. When I started raving about bloggers publishing podcasts, Dan rolled his eyes. "Don't you remember talking about those in j-school?" (j-school=journalism school, for the unindoctrinated) The truth is, I have been a podcast person for years. I love NPR podcasts, particularly for feature-type shows that take some concentration. I play them in the car on the way to and from work. The podcasts I'd never actually downloaded were the ones put out by bloggers like Simple Mom. When I'm in the mood for something a little less serious, or I'm feeling a little blah, it's great to just tune into someone else's conversation. I am very much an extrovert, so I get energized by this type of thing. It's fabulous for when I'm cooking dinner and can't really talk to Dan or watch TV. I love cooking, but I'm too social to just do it by myself for very long! So yes, Dr. Stavitsky - you were right. Podcasts did take off. They did go hand in hand with streaming media on smartphones, which I don't think had really become mainstream until the end of our time in college, but podcasts are free of data limits and lack of wireless service.

--- 7 ---

I have to dedicate this last take to my DUCKS! Way to show Kansas State who's boss. It would have been awesome to be in the national title game, but in 2010-11 (the year the Ducks lost to Auburn for the national championship), their record was 12-1. This season, the Ducks finished the season with the same 12-1 record, but ended the season with a win. I don't know about all Duck fans, but I'd rather have the win at the end! And while we're talking Ducks - Chip Kelly, please stay! Please!

Thanks again to Hallie for hosting, and please keep Jen and her baby in your prayers!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!