If I Could Save Time in a Bottle...

the first thing that I'd like to do is to save everyday till eternity passes away just to spend them with you...

So much going on right now...and all I wish I could do is find the pause button. It doesn't exist this side of eternity. More thoughts, more hopes, more new dreams. More new realizations...more challenges...too much for tonight. Tomorrow morning I am taking the CBEST. I've been told its a piece of cake. I have, historically, done well at these sorts of standardized tests...so lets just pray that the status quo is maintained. So...instead of trying to express everything (since I have to get to sleep, and I'm not even sure you'd like to hear it all...) I'm going to cover just a few thoughts...mostly in blurb form, and I'll leave you with a few questions.

My parents left today. The life of a missionary family is a puzzling one. We have many wonderful blessings. I know what it means to see the world. I have a realistic idea of what is out there--and what home actually means. And though I'd never ask them to stay, I cannot help but miss them all more each time they go. Its true of my wife's family as well (also missionaries)...the miles feel very long, the world very wide, when they are leaving. Everytime it makes me yearn deep down for the day when I CAN ask them to stay and just be. Just be. Hmm.

One thought...a common cliche in movies is the statement, roughly, "26 years later and I still ended up being my father!" I was watching one tonight that had this line in it...and I had to wonder...when did that become such a bad thing? Or do no parents exist that are worth modeling ourselves after? Have the hippies never died and we still falsely imagine that all parents are these idiotic, power-hungry, hypocritical, conniving creeps? This seems truly destructive to society.

Another thought...have you noticed that those little rubber braclets which originally started with Lance Armstrong's "Live Strong" campaign have now spread to almost every facet of life? I admit--I finally bought one--the check-out lady asked me if I want to let them charge me a dollar for Prostate Cancer, and as my Grandpa died of Prostate I quickly said yes and now I have a light blue braclet on my wrist. Not sure if it works for me...but I'll wear it for a little while anyways.

I watched Madagascar the other day with the family. A lot of fun...though like most dreamworks animation productions, pretty mature in comparison to Pixar. I love Pixar. My favorites have to be between the Incredibles and Nemo. Such great messages--generally not watered down sop stories of equality and what-not. Real morals--very refreshing, especially (and frighteningly) for the younger audiences--kids stuff today is getting worse and worse when it comes to values. I know. I watch Saturday morning cartoons. :) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles all the way baby!

Well, that's all for tonight. Mostly, I needed to have SOME outlet for everything...I am thinking about too many things to go straight to sleep. But I DO have to wake up at 7-ish tomorrow morning, so I should get to sleep. There's simply not enough time..."there never seems to be enough time to do the things that you want to do once you find them." But...if I could save time in a bottle...