Normal?

I am always going to the Kroger by our house and I see the manager every time I go.  He works ALL the time and walks around with a feather duster sticking out of his back pocket, so you can't miss him.  One evening Stephen and I saw him at Cheddar's and recognized him from our trips to Kroger.  Stephen told me that he saw him in our neighborhood one day and thinks he lives here.  I tell you all this because last night I went to Kroger and saw him again.  When I came home I told Stephen, "This may be really strange but I feel like I need to introduce myself to Kroger manager because I see him so much.  I want to be able to say "Hi, Alan"."  I don't know if his name is Alan but he looks like an Alan.  Stephen said it wasn't weird at all because he has felt the same way.  So my question is...
A) Is it weird to have theis desire to know the Kroger manager?
B) Is not weird to have the desire but strange to talk about it?
C) Is not weird to have the desire or to talk about it but weird to blog about it?
D) No, this is all "normal".
What do you think?  Should I make a new friend?

New Understanding From An Old Verse

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,  so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
Phillipians 1:9-11

This has been one of my favorite verses since college.  I memorized it then and have referred back to it many times.  

This morning I am alone at home still recovering from the Bubonic Plague or something similar and God led me to this verse again and then I looked it up in The Message.  I love how God can take a verse you know and 14 years later make it brand new.  The Message says...

So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover’s life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.

Beautiful.  This is my life prayer.  I pray that I can learn to love in this way.  I have been able to watch my husband love a neighbor this way this week.  Stephen was discerning, bore fruit, made Jesus attractive and glorified as he loved our neighbor.  He didn't just provide what the neighbor thought he needed but took two nights to disciple him in life and the Lord.  In the end Stephen did meet the neighbor's physical needs but also his spiritual needs and practical needs as well.  It is an ongoing relationship.  God used that experience to show me what the love He is talking about looks like.  

My prayer for 2014 and on is that I will learn to have a love appropriately with a discerning heart (that is not always how we think it should look), that I will bear bountiful fruits from the SOUL, make Jesus attractive to all, and get everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.  

The Underground World of Dog Parks

I feel compelled to let all you kind people know about an underground group of crazies out there.  Dog Park People.  No one ever warned me and so today I unwittingly fell into their strange underworld and it is scary people.  This group left reality long ago.  I felt like I was stuck in Best In Show.

This is how it all came about...  Stephen bought a rocket at Hobby Lobby (no, he is my husband, Drew is my son) and we were going to today to set it off with Aunt Lauren, Wes, and Shance.  There is a big field close to our house that has a baseball field and park so we chose that as our destination.  I was about to put Eliie, our dog, in her crate and Stephen said to just bring in on a leash.  I am trying to train her to be on a leash because she fights it and just lies down.  So off we go.

When we get there Ellie is doing okay on the leash and I just want to get used to it being on her.  We decide that the best place to launch is behind a fenced in area.  We go into the fenced in area and I am watching the kids and talking to Lauren and realize that it is a dog park but there is only one dog.  I can tell the man really wants to hang out so I chat for a minute with him but try to make it obvious that we are having family time.  Our whole group is in the far corner with Ellie when a new woman comes in and walks up to me and says "

Crazy Lady #1: "Why is your dog on a leash?".  I wanted to say "noneya" but, I didn't
Me: "she is still getting used to the leash and she runs away".
Crazy Lady #1: "Not in here... snicker"  (Call me stupid but with all going on this moment is when I realized that we are completely fenced in and it still doesn't change my plan because we are there to follow the rocket not chase Ellie.
Crazy Lady #!: "My dog won't hurt her, he wants to play. She wants off her leash".
Me: "What is your dog's name?" 

I am still not getting it... I think I am here for my kids to watch the rocket and I thought this was MY dog.  I just  moved farther down and kept talking to Lauren and the kids.  By this point there are about five dogs there.  Then a new and far crazier lady appears and comes out of her way to approach me.
CL #2: "Why is your dog on a leash?"
Me: "I want her stay with me".  (For real we weren't trying to be in a dog park.  I was there for my kids, not my dumb dog.) 
CL #2:  "Well, you are creating a lot of anxiety for her.  She sees the other dogs unleashed and it creats anxiety in her."
Me: "okay, thank you"
CL #2: "I am saying, I would take her off the leash if I were you.  See, she is friendly and wants to play."
Me: "Okay, thank you"
CL #2: "I mean she is going to be anxious." (walking away)

In all fairness I realize I had a dog in a dog park But come on... Who are these people that feel so overcome for Ellie's psyche that TWO strangers had to come up to me? 

I imagine that these people stand around comparing vets, organic dog treats, and doggie daycares.  Who knew parenting real live children would come with less condemnation that parenting a dog?  More drama happened as we left but this is too long already and THAT is a whole other story for another post but ended with a man calling us "Dumb and Dumber" and then backing down and saying he wasn't talking about us.  I almost had Stephen hold my earrings so I could take 'em all out.  In a loving manner of course.

So, in conclusion, do not go to a dog park.  Even on accident.  I think they were all on bath salts or something.