10 in 10

I challenged my girls to a 10 in 10--a blog post where you take one picture per hour for ten hours--so that we can all see what we're up to during the course of a typical day. 

I gave them strict instructions: No cheating. You know, no taking four pictures of four cool things in one hour. Nope. 10 pictures. 1 day. One per hour. 

So, naturally, the first thing I did upon taking pictures was . . . to cheat. 

Since I work from home, all 10 of my pictures would have been the same: This is Adriane editing The Lutheran Witness. This is Adriane editing a paper. This is Adriane editing a report. This is Adriane talking to someone about something being edited. This is Adriane asking someone if they can edit something. (Oooooh! Let's shake it up.) This is Adriane writing something. This is Adriane rewriting something. This is Adriane asking if someone else would write something. 

I think you can see how this would go. 

Instead, I did two half days. I cheated. But since I challenged the girls, I get to break the rules. 

That's how that works, right?  Let's get rolling. 

Day One: Wednesday 

The following takes place between 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. 

Once a week, our department gets together for an all-staff meeting. We Skype in from Georgia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, Asia . . . a pasture in Missouri. We talk about big projects, what's coming up, what our roadblocks are, and things we're working on that we're excited about.

And because I have a knack for catching people with their eyes closed, I caught my friend Jeni mid-blink right before turning my own camera on. Sorry, Jeni. You'll still write that press release for me though, right? 

The following takes place between 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. 

{Why doesn't it sound as cool as when Jack Bauer says it?}

This is my office/library. It's filled with red, turquoise, yellow and bright green . . . and lots of books. This is where the editorial magic happens. Right now, I'm working on getting the next issue of The Lutheran Witness out, editing another of the Synod's publications, and helping with a variety of catechetical projects. Between FTP sites, Skype, texting and email, I can do almost as much from home as I did in the International Center. 

11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 

Time to stretch, take a call from a coworker, refill the water glass and feed the kittens. 

While you can only find so many split infinitives and which/that occurrences before you have to clear your head for a minute or two, cell phone coverage is also better in the kitchen. Hey, that's what moveable laptops are for. 

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Chris stopped by for lunch. He loves tomatoes straight from the garden so, well, I just give him tomatoes straight from the garden. 

That's gourmet cooking right there. 

Day Two: Saturday 

8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Chris, the vet and some of the guys were working cows in a nearby pasture. To get to the pasture, you drive through a cornfield filled with dirt paths. I went out to help . . . and almost got lost. 

Finally, I made the call of shame: "I'm in the pasture. I see the excavator. Where are you from that?" 

Chris: "We're at the excavator."

Me: "Oh. Right. Be there in . . . 3 seconds."

I showed up just in time for them to be done about 10 minutes later. 

'Cause that's how I roll. 

 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. 

I headed into town to get a library card. Good news: The library was open, and I'm officially enrolled in the system. Bad news: You're only allowed to check out four books at a time. When I showed up  at the desk with 12, the librarian took pity on me. Oops. To be fair, I told her I'm a three-time librarian, so I get the rules and am happy to abide by them. Crisis averted!

 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 

Due to the graciousness of our family, we got a new couch and chair. I spent a good hour rearranging the living room .  . . only to put it back exactly the way that it was. 

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Sandwiches. We love sandwiches. So.many.sandwiches. 

1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Cleaning and laundry: evidence of the Fall. You clean something only to have to clean it again. This is how the Lord keeps us humble. 

2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Good friends from Fort Wayne are coming to visit, and the guest room is all ready! Fresh sheets, wifi, bottled water, towels, library books for the kiddo . . . you name it, we got it. Someday my sisters and I will start a hospitality blog. That day is not today . . . but some day. 

 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. 

I love handwritten cards. I wish people wrote them more often. Like, you know, me, for instance. But with a few thank-yous on the list and a couple of friends clinging to Christ's promises in the midst of some pretty substantial suffering, there was no more waiting around!

4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

A group of Lutheran singles is getting together in Normal, Ill., in a few weeks, and they kindly asked if I could come speak about my new book to their group. But because I'll have 50 people at my house that day, they said they'd be happy with a video message instead. So I took some time to leaf through the book, think about my Lutheran brothers and sisters who are single but don't want to be, and started to make a few notes of things that they may find helpful to hear. 

5:00 - 6:00 p.m. 

My friend Sarah gave me some sourdough starter so, while I have little to no luck with bread, I tried my hand at pizza. We ate all but two pieces for supper. I'd consider that a success. #winning

6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. 

Reading. And embroidering. And some more reading. And a little more embroidering. I don't know what I'm doing yet when it comes to embroidery, but thanks to Pinterest, I've got a whopping four stitches down. Stand back, world. These tea towels aren't perfect, but it does give me a lot of joy to be able to give these to my friends and family and whoever else needs a little fun in the mail. 

8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. 

Speaking of not knowing what I'm doing, I'm working on figuring out my camera, on using more than just the "no flash" and "automatic" settings. I'm not there yet, but hey! A photo of the moon that isn't just a white blur! Success.

So there you have it: a morning of a work day and an afternoon/evening of a weekend. Want to show us what you do during the day? Leave your link below so that we can see what a day in the life of YOU looks like.