Venti nonfat no whip Toffee Nut Caramel Latte, please.

Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. We are very, very different. And there is no question about that in our home, where I am ALL girl to the nth degree, and Chris is ALL boy. After 12 years of marriage, we have finally determined that one is not right, and the other wrong (though I thought I had him convinced of it a couple of times), but that we are, to put it simply, Different. With different priorities and different ways of doing things.

I like presents. It's a girl thing. Chris is not so great at picking out presents most of the time - maybe it's a boy thing. But he's smart enough to get a list ahead of time of what I'd like, although he has to suffer through the "you should just KNOW without me having to tell you" drama.

So two years ago for my birthday, I requested a cappuccino/espresso maker. It seemed like an accessory that our kitchen needed, and I thought it would make me look fancy. So off Chris went and got me exactly what I asked for. Sweet, isn't it?

I really was happy to set it out on my counter and put out all the bottles of accompanying flavors - hazelnut, Kahlua, gingerbread.

But, to be honest, the machine scared me. I had never made anything but regular coffee and was a little overwhelmed at learning to use my new contraption, probably the same way my Grandma was when we gave her a VCR. I saw the manual that came in the box with my gift, and it was way bigger than any cappuccino maker could justify. It's like I got some kind of mental block -- that it's too hard, and I've never done it before, and I could read the manual, but it doesn't really make sense, and I'll just let it sit here instead. And keep making regular coffee.

About 3 months ago, I got a new Kuerig coffee maker, and the cappuccino/ espresso maker made its way to a shelf in the pantry. Having never been used. Nope, never. Sad, isn't it?

This morning I got to thinking about my cappuccino maker. It sounds funny to say that I was overwhelmed by it, but it's true. And what a waste o' money. I might just sell it on EBay.

Chris did a very brave thing last weekend -- he auditioned for our Worship Team at church. He has this beautiful singing voice (it was my only prerequisite for "Mr. Right"), but he has never ventured out to sing in public. I was very proud of him for auditioning and pleasantly surprised when he made it. It's like he's been given a gift, and he finally mustered up the courage to use it.

God was so clever to invent all of us with our own set of gifts and capabilities. Some of those come naturally to us, and others are really scary, and they end up sitting on a shelf having never been used, like the cappuccino maker. And I think, what a waste! Our gifts make up who we are, and it's a shame when we neglect or forget about or just plain get scared of using them. It keeps us from realizing the fullness of who we are and how we were made.

I have a dear friend who was invited to speak at a ladies' retreat this weekend. She has an amazing message to share, and I know it's going to be an incredibly blessed time for everyone who gets to hear her. Some people can stand in front of an audience and not bat an eye -- it's natural and easy. Not so for my sweet friend, or at least from her own perspective, and she really wrestled with whether she would commit to speak. It's funny how we can get overwhelmed at things that are out of our comfort zone, just because we haven't done it before and we're not sure we can do it successfully. I'm so proud that she took the leap and will experience a new part of herself and see a bigger glimpse of who she was created to be. And how great that other people will get to share in this newly exercised gift of hers, which is really how God intended it to be.

So look around at the gifts and talents you have, and don't let them go to waste by just sitting there unused. (Unfortunately we can't sell them on EBay...)

Need to run -- think I'll try out a cappuccino tonight.