Wednesday (not Really)...Hodgepodge

1. Do you like your name? Were you named after someone? If you have children how did you settle on their names? Yes, I like my name. It's unique, and I especially like my double-Z initials. My mom named me after her best friend in college, Zoanna Becker. It's a name that people often ask about, and I like to tell them that ""zoe is Greek for life in the context of abundant life that Jesus gives us, and that anna is Hebrew for grace. Because of God, I am blessed with abundant life and grace.

As for my chidren, it was hard to settle on boys' names because I'd known (and dated) many jerks whose names I'd just as soon forget. Paul wanted names that could be shortened and not overly common and easy to say with a Z last name. (Had to rule out Seth and Chris because they're hard to say with Zubrowski. Neither of us minded family names, but not a "Paul, Jr" or a "little Paul." (Good thing, because our first son is 6'7" tall!) One of my favorite pastors of all time was Ben Price; thus our firstborn is Benjamin Paul.

For our daughter,Paul had always wanted to name his first girl Sarah Grace. He chose it long before the name was popular and long before he met me. I loved that he was so fatherly-minded that he had picked out a name he loved for a future child). I like that Sarah means "princess" and more specifically has the connotation of "mother of nations" since Abraham was the father of nations. Our Sarah is very motherly, and I have no doubt that her loving influence will reach hundreds of children in the world.

I thought our third-born was for sure a girl (though we'd never gotten a sonogram to tell us either way). He was going to be Hope Kathryn (Kathryn for my grandma and Hope because I like "virtue' names. But when he emerged into the world with a weeney, we scrambled for a boy's name--for two whole days. I felt his name should have something to do with his head, because it seemed more than just beautiful, but anointed. I also felt his personality would have a healing effect, that he would be godly, so the prefix "Jo-" was important. When Stephen (of the Bible) died, Jesus stood at the right hand of the Father to welcome him Home. Every other mention of Jesus, He is seated. Thus reading that Jesus gave a standing ovation for Stephen's life and death gives me chills every time! Stephen ("crowned one") Josiah (Jehoval saves) is his name.

Our 4th child's name is Joel Lyle. After two miscarriages, secondary infertility, and literally a signature away from starting our adoption dossier, I found out I was pregnant with him. Paul said, "I just don't understand God." I replied, "That's because God is God. So Joel's name was sealed: The Lord is God. Lyle is my dad's name, and since Valentine's Day has always been special because of Daddy, and because he never would get a namesake with four daughters and no sons, I gave Daddy a living Valentine with his name on the birth certificate. Joel Lyle was born on February 14th!


2. How do you define success? Obeying God regardless of the consequences or the feelings that accompany obedience.

3. Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy? Wheel of Fortune because I don't care for Alex Trebeck. He's kind of a snotty know-it-all. And I like words. So Wheel is my deal.

4. If you could own any single object that you don't have now, what would that object be?

An Audi A6.

5. What is something that inspires you? Birds. The way they do the same thing day after day (search for food, eat, sing, fly) without complaining, with joy. They point me to God.

6. Meatloaf-yea or nay? If it's a yay how do you make yours? Yea. I make it when my hubby asks, and I smother it in a ketchup/mustard/brown sugar glaze. Sometimes, if I remember, I put a layer of glaze between two layers of meat. I think I wouldn't like it much w/o glaze!

7. Which is more admirable-the ability to organize and be methodical or the ability to adapt and make do? I go through fits and spurts of organization. For the most part I'm organized, but if I had to choose the more admirable quality, I'd say it's the ability to make do and adapt. To me that speaks of doing the best with what you have, and being creative under less-than-ideal circumstances.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

You will never know how much you use the muscles around your belly button until you have them cut through by a robot.

Thanks Joyce for another week of great questions. It's such a great way to get to know each other a little better. If you want more good Hodgepodge reading, click on the button above and enjoy yourself.


Remember.......all things that are worth doing usually have be done again and again and again.