tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226206462024-03-13T14:17:46.531-07:00Joy In the Litter BoxThere's a lot of crap in life. So much today that it feels like we're all buried in a giant litter box. It's all about how we handle the stinky stuff around us. We can do it alone or with friends... or ultimately with God.D. Gudgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258476859577815477noreply@blogger.comBlogger237125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22620646.post-42767656230325995402013-05-30T09:42:00.002-07:002013-05-30T09:42:41.022-07:00The hunt for JoyJoy is elusive... but it's there.
You have to actively seek it.
I am discovering that in the midst of grief over losing Caleb and a never-ending deluge of hardships (like living without hot water for example).
Every day I fight. Fight against the despair - that dark-creeping sadness squeezing every last gut and gizzard.
Every day I chose to find Joy.
I love gardening. This year due to all D. Gudgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258476859577815477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22620646.post-86773476491482267572013-05-06T13:05:00.002-07:002013-05-06T13:05:24.793-07:00Waiting for him to die
A few weeks ago the vet called. The lump I found on Caleb's leg while grooming him was a very aggressive soft-tissue sarcoma. Given that he is 13 years old, she told us we had a few weeks to a few months left with our beloved fur baby.
John and I brought home the wriggly pup the day after we moved into our house. He fit into the palm of my hand.
Esau, our eldest cat, was amused by this D. Gudgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258476859577815477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22620646.post-80431143707280011442013-04-23T12:55:00.001-07:002013-04-23T12:55:43.459-07:00Disappointment with or without God.I've been sitting on this one for a few days. Ever since I read Philip Yancey's Disappointment with God.
You know. The vulnerability thing. Do I really want to put it out there that I have been disappointed with God?
Like, what will people think? Will I get kicked out of choir? Or will I get Those Stares. Where people with unblinking gazes bore laser beam holes of judgement into my D. Gudgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258476859577815477noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22620646.post-3143244557289903262013-04-18T19:44:00.001-07:002013-04-18T19:44:22.515-07:00The "V" word that makes me squeamishOkay, okay, it's not what you think.
And I wonder if it has the same effect on anyone else... or am I alone?
The "V" word that makes me tremble and choke down this morning's eggs and spinach is vulnerability.
Free Dictionary defines it as being susceptible to physical or emotional injury. Susceptible to attack. Open to Censure or criticism; assailable.
I was vulnerable once. Until all of the D. Gudgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258476859577815477noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22620646.post-3125185735129772922013-04-13T09:43:00.000-07:002013-04-13T09:43:17.473-07:00Will this beet the end of me?Part of my three year absence was due to a complex array of health related issues including the creation of Frankenknee. But I won't bore you with details.
When life is unkind, being healthy is critical for dealing with the stressors that lurk behind every bush, hide under every rock and assault you each time you answer the phone or open an email. How can you fight off the boogeyman if you are D. Gudgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258476859577815477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22620646.post-5376050664747740492013-04-09T14:43:00.000-07:002013-04-09T14:43:08.600-07:00Gettin' my blog back onI took a three year break.
Been through a lot of stuff.
Still going through even more stuff.
But...
There really is no such thing as perfect timing when all the planets, planes and pine cones all line up perfectly indicating it's now time to move forward again with the writing thing.
Oh, I haven't stopped writing. I've been working on my novel. I just felt the need to withdraw from any kind D. Gudgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258476859577815477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22620646.post-22698151157086245802010-08-26T09:07:00.002-07:002010-08-26T09:13:12.058-07:00Not sureFebruary? I haven't posted since February? Obviously posting hasn't been on the top of my priority list and right now I'm trying to decide how worth it frequent posting is.What is my motivation for blogging? Pretending I'm important, thinking people care about my tiny little world? I know the people directly in my life care, but out there in cyber world where there are millions of blogs? Not sureD. Gudgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258476859577815477noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22620646.post-2119767421468542862010-02-05T09:59:00.002-07:002010-02-05T10:15:05.044-07:00Big Honkin' Learning CurveYou think things should get easier as life goes on b/c you've "been there done that".Yeah. Right.I'm finding the curve in my learning curve has deepened and steepened to pitches unheard of. Around every corner I'm finding life is surprising me in some horrifying and interesting ways.Right now I'm learning how to be strong. My friend and colleague, Todd Carrasco (Columbine HS drumline and Malachi D. Gudgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258476859577815477noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22620646.post-18240358405592007962009-11-24T10:41:00.004-07:002009-11-24T11:20:06.353-07:00For all the teachers, band directors and coaches out thereBeing a teacher/coach/mentor is hard these days. I don't know about you, but sometimes when things are not going as I hoped, I wonder why the heck I do what I do. I'm getting too old to mash my hands with a saber blade!But then things like this happen. Today I received a message on Facebook from a former student when I taught special education full time at Sheridan High School. I remember this D. Gudgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258476859577815477noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22620646.post-35713624672629523232009-11-17T10:00:00.003-07:002009-11-17T10:21:06.267-07:00It appears I'm dead, but I'm not.September? Seriously?I think I broke my own record for blog silence.Can't count high enough to tell you how many times I've been asked, "Are you dead?"No, I'm not dead. Felt like it at times, maybe wished I was, but I'm alive, kicking and coughing - thanks to the flu-y type things floating around.Over the past few months I've been taking a break. Kinda reevaluating my life. What's important. D. Gudgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258476859577815477noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22620646.post-58932166110032126222009-09-16T13:43:00.005-07:002009-09-16T14:00:22.806-07:00Does your group need to raise money?Fundraising is hard. Most of the time it's not much fun.When I was in school, my mom made me wear my color guard uniform and go door to door in the neighborhood selling wrapping paper or cartons of citrus fruit. In the snow.Going door to door is kinda scary these days, limiting those school fundraisers to nearby friends and family. And most programs only offer customers over-priced products D. Gudgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258476859577815477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22620646.post-53504303046910878382009-09-10T14:26:00.006-07:002009-09-10T15:24:59.467-07:00Hey, I read a non-fiction book... and loved itIt says a lot about a non-fiction book if by the middle of the first chapter it's still in my hands. Even more so if I only put it down ONCE between peeling back the front cover and turning over the back with a satisfied sigh.Only a mere handful of fiction books have earned can't-put-it-down-even-in-the-bathroom status from my finicky reader self.Darcie's know the author disclosure: Kim WoodhouseD. Gudgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258476859577815477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22620646.post-26829960578271986532009-09-01T07:53:00.006-07:002009-09-01T08:46:50.209-07:00Is a dog just a dog?Many of you may know via Twitter or Facebook, that my dog is very ill. He's suffering from a horrible affliction called fly strike. Never heard of it before and never want to see it again. There's a lot of it happening right now in long haired dogs b/c flies are laying eggs.Adult flies are attracted to things that stink, including dogs. Caleb had a short bout of the squirts. Despite me washing D. Gudgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258476859577815477noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22620646.post-68876206668091402992009-07-06T08:05:00.003-07:002009-07-06T08:08:45.767-07:00I'm featured in a magazine!Check out this month's edition of Christian Fiction Online Magazine - a magazine that stands out from all the rest of the e-mags. The format is similar to a print magazine and is professional in appearance and quality.Check it out! Read about your fave authors and their books and, well, check out the spotlight on little ol' me.D. Gudgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258476859577815477noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22620646.post-51533431395706353292009-06-10T13:31:00.004-07:002009-06-10T13:52:34.662-07:00Mommy has a headache so...I feel like someone's played "Whack a Mole" with my head, leaving my brain quivering in agony, and my neck feeling like a collapsed accordion.Thunder and lightening commandeer the sky chasing me and The Booger inside.I gotta lie down.Next thing I know, tiny fingers grab my eyelids, pinching and pulling. "Mommy. Wake up. Mommy, why are you sleeping? You heads hurts? Are you sleeping?"Someone's D. Gudgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258476859577815477noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22620646.post-20192875566015177292009-06-01T10:45:00.004-07:002009-06-01T10:53:52.022-07:00Murder of musicI know my title is pretty extreme, but depriving kids of music is downright criminal.Recently I lost my job as a color guard instructor. Not because I rotted at my job, but because school administrators didn't think music programs were important. I'd been at that school for eight years and feel like I'm grieving a death.Below is a letter written to administration by a middle school parent. D. Gudgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258476859577815477noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22620646.post-90278403023851928722009-05-08T16:47:00.003-07:002009-05-08T16:58:27.140-07:00Inconspicuous to mugglers?Part of the whole geocaching thing is being inconspicuous. Don't want muggles to see where the caches are hidden so they can go steal or destroy it.Pretty easy if you're in the woods, surrounded by rocks and trees. You can hide, or people think you're taking a breather or basking in the view.In the city it's a different story.There's this pesky cache titled "Duck Tape" that's located in strip D. Gudgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258476859577815477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22620646.post-34281967714833176682009-05-07T12:24:00.003-07:002009-05-07T12:31:16.590-07:00Tired, tired oh so tiredYou know you're tired when your nose gets stuck between the "g" and "h" keys on the keyboard.You know you're tired when your son stands in front of you with yellow socks and yells, "Come on Mommy, to the dishwasher! I peed!" and you don't care.You know you're tired when it's a gorgeous 78 degrees outside - you have two free hours - and you wish you could just crawl into bed.You know you're tired D. Gudgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258476859577815477noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22620646.post-18366672161712799932009-04-21T13:38:00.003-07:002009-04-21T13:56:50.372-07:00Thick skinWho knew a simple summary of a news story about the geocache at Fairview High School could rouse an individual to the point of calling me a "junk journalist". I was accused to getting the story all wrong and making up my own facts. The comment writer even tried to stop people from reading my article by begging people to stay away from junk like mine.There's a reason why I include links and D. Gudgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258476859577815477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22620646.post-14941504059367539742009-04-03T08:38:00.002-07:002009-04-03T09:13:36.810-07:00Confessions from an ADHD business ownerYa never realize how much ADHD affects your life until you try to work for yourself.I'm self-employed as a freelance writer/author and AVON independent sales rep. Both careers are in the growing toward a profit stage - emphasis on the growing part - requiring hours of attention.So.Two weeks ago I was taking orders from staff at an assisted living community for AVON products. Everyone was eager toD. Gudgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258476859577815477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22620646.post-40741975088323588472009-03-31T09:50:00.003-07:002009-03-31T10:03:32.058-07:00God is goodThis past week was scary. Finances were already too tight, then John's salary is cut on top of it all.But.God is good.After a morning of consoling a crying three-year old over the lack of Cheerios or breakfast food, I received a note from a friend telling me God placed it on her heart to wire money. I was able to go out and buy cereal and food for the week!Last week the cats circled my ankles D. Gudgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258476859577815477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22620646.post-49227543202091799802009-03-19T12:14:00.003-07:002009-03-19T12:35:43.876-07:00Busy, busy, busyI've been a bad girl. My poor blogs are being ignored and shoved to the bottom of the priority list.What have I been doing all this time besides chasing after the now 3 year old Booger, trying to get him to use the potty not his pants?For the past two months I've been writing for a cool website called examiner.com . Examiner is an info/news site specific to a particular city. They are servicing D. Gudgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258476859577815477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22620646.post-10574786709419738172009-03-11T14:02:00.004-07:002009-03-11T14:52:56.611-07:00Don't pay your morgage!Leave it to the O-trauma administration to come up with this great idea: punch the people hurting the most. A lot of homeowners were conned into buying beyond their means by the Democrat Party's belief that owning a home is a right, not an earned privlidge. Banks were forced to finance people who couldn't pay back loans. Fannie and Freddie are the poster children of that disaster. Will our "hope D. Gudgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258476859577815477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22620646.post-65516724930297062082009-02-18T20:25:00.001-07:002009-02-18T20:25:23.011-07:00Denver Outdoor Recreation Examiner: Geocaching and corpses: a true storyDenver Outdoor Recreation Examiner: Geocaching and corpses: a true storyPosted using ShareThisD. Gudgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258476859577815477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22620646.post-14408858755464249442009-02-06T09:31:00.006-07:002009-02-06T10:20:32.605-07:00M. L. Tyndall's THE RED SIRENWorlds collide when a pirate lady meets a godly naval captain.Faith Westcott abandoned her shallow faith when a series of tragedies struck her family. To save herself and her sisters from forced marriages, this fiery, born-to-the-manor redhead is a lady by day and a pirate by night. How long can she maintain this dual identity before she’s caught red-handed?The God-fearing Dajon Waite, who scoursD. Gudgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258476859577815477noreply@blogger.com1