I'm waiting for The OC to come on. 8 more minutes. I got some bills paid. Went to work. Stopped by my brother's to wish him a happy birthday.
Has anyone noticed how often Full House comes on tv throughout the day? I think there should be a show called "Not Full House". Not that I don't like the show...but you can see an entire season in two days of tv watching.
I'm so glad tomorrow is Friday. I made it to the weekend!!! Hayley is spending the weekend at my brother's. My nephew Cody is spending he weekend here with Zach. Kayla will be with their dad.
Oh yeah! I love Seth Cohen.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Some Thoughts...
...from Sherri Youngward.
How do you see God’s handwriting in your life?
What message do you want your life to say to the world around you?
What message do you want your life to say to God?
How do you see God’s handwriting in your life?
What message do you want your life to say to the world around you?
What message do you want your life to say to God?
PSA
The last couple of nights, I haven't been able to sleep, either because I just got off the phone with B. or because of some lingering stress and so I've been watching Animal Cops and other vet shows on Animal Planet...anyway, last night, on one of the shows, police found 13 hour old puppies that someone threw away. Only 2 ended up surviving. It was sad. The puppies were crying and Sierra was flipping out. She finally laid down next to me and the scene changed. It just reminded me of how lucky I am to have her, and how lucky she is to have us. She is an important part of our family and we try to include her in all of our activities.
So as a reminder, please spay or neuter your dogs, and rescue first instead of supporting BYBs and puppy mills. Shower them with lots of love, hugs and positive reinforcement. And DON'T support PETA. I know, you're heads are spinning...and you're thinking, Did she just say that??? Is she really attacking PETA?
Why yes I am! Their "leader" (President Ingrid Newkirk) at one time (I do not know if she has since recanted her remarks, but it is too late for me to like her now anyway) said that all pit bulls should be banned and/or destroyed. Nice, huh? From someone who is an animal rights activist. Google her name and pitbull ban and read to your heart's content. They will not ever be receiving another cent from me. Read for yourself Ingrid Newkirk Should Resign
This public service announcement has been brought to you by Sierra the Supergirl, paid for with kisses, licks and loyalty, who just happens to be a wonderful bullygirl that Ingrid would like to see destroyed. Give me two minutes in a room with her and I can guarantee she'll want to ban Christian pitbull loving English teachers, too!
On to other news, I bought my ticket for the Women's Holiday Christmas Dinner for the women at my church. Tickets were $20 a piece, but it is a very nice catered dinner and this year, our special guest will be musician/singer Sherri Youngward. She'll also be doing a holiday concert at church the weekend after the dinner. The dinner is the 12th. We are all supposed to get very dressed up. I'm looking forward to it. It might get me through until the Women's retreat next May. I really, really wish we had two retreats a year. One every six months would be nice.
So as a reminder, please spay or neuter your dogs, and rescue first instead of supporting BYBs and puppy mills. Shower them with lots of love, hugs and positive reinforcement. And DON'T support PETA. I know, you're heads are spinning...and you're thinking, Did she just say that??? Is she really attacking PETA?
Why yes I am! Their "leader" (President Ingrid Newkirk) at one time (I do not know if she has since recanted her remarks, but it is too late for me to like her now anyway) said that all pit bulls should be banned and/or destroyed. Nice, huh? From someone who is an animal rights activist. Google her name and pitbull ban and read to your heart's content. They will not ever be receiving another cent from me. Read for yourself Ingrid Newkirk Should Resign
This public service announcement has been brought to you by Sierra the Supergirl, paid for with kisses, licks and loyalty, who just happens to be a wonderful bullygirl that Ingrid would like to see destroyed. Give me two minutes in a room with her and I can guarantee she'll want to ban Christian pitbull loving English teachers, too!
On to other news, I bought my ticket for the Women's Holiday Christmas Dinner for the women at my church. Tickets were $20 a piece, but it is a very nice catered dinner and this year, our special guest will be musician/singer Sherri Youngward. She'll also be doing a holiday concert at church the weekend after the dinner. The dinner is the 12th. We are all supposed to get very dressed up. I'm looking forward to it. It might get me through until the Women's retreat next May. I really, really wish we had two retreats a year. One every six months would be nice.
One Word
This is a one word survey. You can only type one word. Everyone must play! Cut and paste.
Not as easy as you might think...
1. Name:
Jennifer
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend?:
It isn't official yet...........more than one word, I know. Call the police.
3. Your hair
Black
4. Your mother?
Valerie
5. Your Father?
God
6. Your Favorite Item:
blogs
7. Your dream last night?
Brian
8. Your Favorite drink:
double Irish cream latte with skim milk in a tall cup....yeah, I'm high maintenance
10. The room you are in:
Living
11. Your Ex:
Brian
12. Your Fears:
failing
13. What do you want to be in 10 years:
novelist
14. Who you hung out with last night?
Brian
15. What You're Not?
weak
16. Muffins:
croissants
17: One of Your Wish List Items:
Brian
18. Time:
flies
19. Last thing you did?
typed
20. What You Are Wearing?
contacts
21. Your Favorite Weather:
HOT
22. Your Favorite Book:
Bible
23. The last thing you ate:
sushi
24. Your Life:
exciting
25. Your Mood:
calm
26. Your friends:
greatest
27. What are you thinking about right now?
Brian
28. Your car:
necessary
29. What are you doing at the moment?:
blogging
30. Your summer:
supercalifragilisticexpialidoscious......in a good way
31. Your relationship status:
negotiating
32. What is on your tv?
Family Mattes
33. When is the last time you laughed?
wasabi
34. last time you cried?
Monday
35. school?
dissertation
Repost.
Not as easy as you might think...
1. Name:
Jennifer
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend?:
It isn't official yet...........more than one word, I know. Call the police.
3. Your hair
Black
4. Your mother?
Valerie
5. Your Father?
God
6. Your Favorite Item:
blogs
7. Your dream last night?
Brian
8. Your Favorite drink:
double Irish cream latte with skim milk in a tall cup....yeah, I'm high maintenance
10. The room you are in:
Living
11. Your Ex:
Brian
12. Your Fears:
failing
13. What do you want to be in 10 years:
novelist
14. Who you hung out with last night?
Brian
15. What You're Not?
weak
16. Muffins:
croissants
17: One of Your Wish List Items:
Brian
18. Time:
flies
19. Last thing you did?
typed
20. What You Are Wearing?
contacts
21. Your Favorite Weather:
HOT
22. Your Favorite Book:
Bible
23. The last thing you ate:
sushi
24. Your Life:
exciting
25. Your Mood:
calm
26. Your friends:
greatest
27. What are you thinking about right now?
Brian
28. Your car:
necessary
29. What are you doing at the moment?:
blogging
30. Your summer:
supercalifragilisticexpialidoscious......in a good way
31. Your relationship status:
negotiating
32. What is on your tv?
Family Mattes
33. When is the last time you laughed?
wasabi
34. last time you cried?
Monday
35. school?
dissertation
Repost.
11/30/06
It is Thursday morning. Rainy and bleak, although it is supposed to be quite warm today. I had a hard time falling asleep last night and I was up early this morning. I'm going to pick up the bathroom and give up on trying to fall back to sleep.
Today is my brother's birthday, so Happy Birthday to him. I have to go over there when I get out of work tonight.
I woke up this morning completely stressed out about Christmas. Maybe because tomorrow is the 1st and I have just 25 days to catch up. It is different when you have kids. If it were just me, I'd really let this year kind of slide. I am late getting the tree up. It isn't that I'm not in the holiday spirit, because I am, it just seems like so much extra work to do for just a day. Setting up the tree will take most of the weekend. Taking it down will be another day. I have NO patience with holiday traffic this year. Thankfully, Walmart is open all night. I am hoping it is less crazy at about 11 PM. The kids haven't asked for a lot and I know what I am getting them, so it will be an in and out kind of thing. So I'm not quite sure what I'm so stressed about. There doesn't seem to be anything significant. All I know is that I would give almost anything for it to be a hot July day in Old Orchard Beach. I would give up Christmas this year for a hot July day in Old Orchard Beach. I would give almost anything for it to be January 25. Why the 25th? No reason. I don't think the day has any significance. It is just far enough removed from the holidays and the long month is almost over, to be swiftly followed by the quick month of February, which brings us to the blessed month of MARCH! We all know what March is...the month where anything can go. We have a few warm days that remind us that spring is in the air and just around the corner.
And where I hope to be in March is with a new car. Hopefully, I'll have an idea of what and where I am to do and go for work so August doesn't arrive and I have no job. I'll be getting ready for vacation with the kids.
There are going to be some very big changes in my life in the next year and so maybe that is why I just don't have the time for Christmas this year. I am very adverse to change. I am looking forward to having a new car, but I am not looking forward to the process of getting one. I am looking forward to moving ahead with my career, yet I hate the process of interviewing and readjusting to a new position.
Ken talked about the church's needs last night during our service and for the first time, I felt a tug on my heart to maybe do more for the Calvary school than I am currently doing...which currently is nothing. They were hiring for a high school English teacher all summer long. The position has now been filled but everyone who knew I was an English teacher wanted to know why I didn't apply...I just wasn't "feeling" it and I am still under a contract until this August. He was like, "The children's ministry and school can be an exciting and adventuresome place. Trust me." I just kind of hoped the Lord would want to use me in a more exciting and adventuresome place, I guess, but maybe that place has been right under my nose the whole time. I just haven't felt like I was godly enough to work in a Christian school. A new Christian, which I still relatively kind of am, can make all kinds of assumptions of the type of person it takes to work in a Christain school. You forget that these teachers are fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord and go through the same kind of human struggles that I go through every day. This is a preschool through 12th grade Christian school. I'm pretty sure they could use me somewhere.
But then, my mind just swirls...what about Portland? What about Brian? What about finishing grad school? What about being a college English professor? What about being a writer? What about owning my preschool? And then I say, Okay Lord. What do You want from me? Where can you use me the most? Am I doing enough for you? I want what you want for me above everything else.
So see? I have lots of prayer and fasting to get to and I don't have time for this whole Christmas thing. Maybe the kids and I could compromise on a Christmas "plant" this year. Or maybe Zach and Hayley will be willing to help with the tree. Kayla dislikes it as much as I do, so she already declined when I said she could do it this year.
Today is my brother's birthday, so Happy Birthday to him. I have to go over there when I get out of work tonight.
I woke up this morning completely stressed out about Christmas. Maybe because tomorrow is the 1st and I have just 25 days to catch up. It is different when you have kids. If it were just me, I'd really let this year kind of slide. I am late getting the tree up. It isn't that I'm not in the holiday spirit, because I am, it just seems like so much extra work to do for just a day. Setting up the tree will take most of the weekend. Taking it down will be another day. I have NO patience with holiday traffic this year. Thankfully, Walmart is open all night. I am hoping it is less crazy at about 11 PM. The kids haven't asked for a lot and I know what I am getting them, so it will be an in and out kind of thing. So I'm not quite sure what I'm so stressed about. There doesn't seem to be anything significant. All I know is that I would give almost anything for it to be a hot July day in Old Orchard Beach. I would give up Christmas this year for a hot July day in Old Orchard Beach. I would give almost anything for it to be January 25. Why the 25th? No reason. I don't think the day has any significance. It is just far enough removed from the holidays and the long month is almost over, to be swiftly followed by the quick month of February, which brings us to the blessed month of MARCH! We all know what March is...the month where anything can go. We have a few warm days that remind us that spring is in the air and just around the corner.
And where I hope to be in March is with a new car. Hopefully, I'll have an idea of what and where I am to do and go for work so August doesn't arrive and I have no job. I'll be getting ready for vacation with the kids.
There are going to be some very big changes in my life in the next year and so maybe that is why I just don't have the time for Christmas this year. I am very adverse to change. I am looking forward to having a new car, but I am not looking forward to the process of getting one. I am looking forward to moving ahead with my career, yet I hate the process of interviewing and readjusting to a new position.
Ken talked about the church's needs last night during our service and for the first time, I felt a tug on my heart to maybe do more for the Calvary school than I am currently doing...which currently is nothing. They were hiring for a high school English teacher all summer long. The position has now been filled but everyone who knew I was an English teacher wanted to know why I didn't apply...I just wasn't "feeling" it and I am still under a contract until this August. He was like, "The children's ministry and school can be an exciting and adventuresome place. Trust me." I just kind of hoped the Lord would want to use me in a more exciting and adventuresome place, I guess, but maybe that place has been right under my nose the whole time. I just haven't felt like I was godly enough to work in a Christian school. A new Christian, which I still relatively kind of am, can make all kinds of assumptions of the type of person it takes to work in a Christain school. You forget that these teachers are fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord and go through the same kind of human struggles that I go through every day. This is a preschool through 12th grade Christian school. I'm pretty sure they could use me somewhere.
But then, my mind just swirls...what about Portland? What about Brian? What about finishing grad school? What about being a college English professor? What about being a writer? What about owning my preschool? And then I say, Okay Lord. What do You want from me? Where can you use me the most? Am I doing enough for you? I want what you want for me above everything else.
So see? I have lots of prayer and fasting to get to and I don't have time for this whole Christmas thing. Maybe the kids and I could compromise on a Christmas "plant" this year. Or maybe Zach and Hayley will be willing to help with the tree. Kayla dislikes it as much as I do, so she already declined when I said she could do it this year.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Oh Wasabi!
Church was great! So good seeing my friends and getting into the word. Of course, it was JUST what I needed.
Zach and I are eating sushi now. The wasabi is a bit hot, but we keep going back. Take a lick and then scream like little girls. He took a big mouthful of it and it was pretty funny watching him run around the house. Now he's sucking on a wet washcloth. What a nut.
Okay, I have a splitting headache and I have to take out my contacts and go to bed. My sinuses are a mess. Jolean has the bronchitis.
Nighty night all!
Zach and I are eating sushi now. The wasabi is a bit hot, but we keep going back. Take a lick and then scream like little girls. He took a big mouthful of it and it was pretty funny watching him run around the house. Now he's sucking on a wet washcloth. What a nut.
Okay, I have a splitting headache and I have to take out my contacts and go to bed. My sinuses are a mess. Jolean has the bronchitis.
Nighty night all!
11/29/06
I think I have a sinus infection. Not a bad one, but annoying "I'm sticking around here for awhile" kind of one. I'm only complaining because it is making my food taste funny and I like to eat and drink and be merry.
I'm sipping a nice latte right now. I blogged all my Thanksgiving pics and then some!
Tomorrow is my little brother Adam's birthday. I also have to pay my insurance and phone bills.
Today, I was really missing my preschoolers. Not the ones that are there now, but mine, who all happen to be in kindergarten, first grade or with his Mimi. I was reading over some of my blog archives of my kids and Sammi still cracks me up, even reading it a year and a half later! I miss their hugs and pictures they would draw me. A ton. EVERYDAY. My bedroom is full of pictures they drew me and I have two complete photo albums filled with pictures of them.
It is going to be almost 60 degrees tomorrow and we might have snow flurries on Saturday. Weird weather. My sinuses aren't going to know what's hit them, but I'll take the warmth when I can get it.
I can't believe it is December on Friday. This has been one long year. It started out okay. I was still with Brian. Then I spent the rest of the year getting over him and getting closer to God. It's been a real year of growing for me and I like that. Not that I want to go thru all of that again, but I am glad to be the person I am now and the person I am becoming. Now I am finishing up the year much closer with the Lord and working on things with Brian. I've pretty much come full circle. I'm just stronger and smarter and thinner. I know the Lord isn't even close to being done with me and I am still sitting back and watching Him do the wonderful things He's been doing with me and for me and through me. Pretty neat-o.
I'm excited to be back at church. When I miss a service, I feel like I haven't been there for months.
Current Mood: very reflective today
Current Music: Take Me Home Tonight............Eddie Money
I'm sipping a nice latte right now. I blogged all my Thanksgiving pics and then some!
Tomorrow is my little brother Adam's birthday. I also have to pay my insurance and phone bills.
Today, I was really missing my preschoolers. Not the ones that are there now, but mine, who all happen to be in kindergarten, first grade or with his Mimi. I was reading over some of my blog archives of my kids and Sammi still cracks me up, even reading it a year and a half later! I miss their hugs and pictures they would draw me. A ton. EVERYDAY. My bedroom is full of pictures they drew me and I have two complete photo albums filled with pictures of them.
It is going to be almost 60 degrees tomorrow and we might have snow flurries on Saturday. Weird weather. My sinuses aren't going to know what's hit them, but I'll take the warmth when I can get it.
I can't believe it is December on Friday. This has been one long year. It started out okay. I was still with Brian. Then I spent the rest of the year getting over him and getting closer to God. It's been a real year of growing for me and I like that. Not that I want to go thru all of that again, but I am glad to be the person I am now and the person I am becoming. Now I am finishing up the year much closer with the Lord and working on things with Brian. I've pretty much come full circle. I'm just stronger and smarter and thinner. I know the Lord isn't even close to being done with me and I am still sitting back and watching Him do the wonderful things He's been doing with me and for me and through me. Pretty neat-o.
I'm excited to be back at church. When I miss a service, I feel like I haven't been there for months.
Current Mood: very reflective today
Current Music: Take Me Home Tonight............Eddie Money
11/29/06
It is Wednesday! Two more days left of the work week.
I am looking forward to church tonight. I haven't been since last Wednesday.
I was looking at some old pictures last night. Not old, old. Ones from about 6 or 7 years ago, when the kids weren't babies, but were still little. Summers at camp with them, back when they lived in a two-parent home. I mean, we're doing okay. We're all happy and the kids have adjusted very well, but there was an innocence to all of us in those pictures.
They were so little. I miss these ages.
by jenn_1972_
by jenn_1972_
by jenn_1972_
by jenn_1972_
by jenn_1972_
by jenn_1972_
by jenn_1972_
I've owned a digital camera since 1998. I am now on camera number 3! Hard to believe! Hope you enjoy the old school digital photos. We've come a LONG way with megapixels! These ones were taken with a camera that I believe, had less than one megapixel capabilities!!!
I am looking forward to church tonight. I haven't been since last Wednesday.
I was looking at some old pictures last night. Not old, old. Ones from about 6 or 7 years ago, when the kids weren't babies, but were still little. Summers at camp with them, back when they lived in a two-parent home. I mean, we're doing okay. We're all happy and the kids have adjusted very well, but there was an innocence to all of us in those pictures.
They were so little. I miss these ages.
by jenn_1972_
by jenn_1972_
by jenn_1972_
by jenn_1972_
by jenn_1972_
by jenn_1972_
by jenn_1972_
I've owned a digital camera since 1998. I am now on camera number 3! Hard to believe! Hope you enjoy the old school digital photos. We've come a LONG way with megapixels! These ones were taken with a camera that I believe, had less than one megapixel capabilities!!!
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Tuesday Night
I have a few minutes to blog. I'm chatting with my motorcycle man before I go to bed and he's trying to hook up his DSL. This could be longer than a few minutes!
I'm watching "Scrooged" right now, too. My friend Julie and I saw this movie at the movie theater when it came out! Like 20 years ago! That's crazy talk!!!
I just got off the phone with Allison, too. Crazy as usual. She wants to go to church with me tomorrow night.
I'm doing a load of laundry. I'm drying a load, too. There is something about my washer and dryer that is very comforting when they are both going. It makes my house sound very lived in. Music to my ears.
Okay, I think I have to go now. Nighty night blogworld!
I'm watching "Scrooged" right now, too. My friend Julie and I saw this movie at the movie theater when it came out! Like 20 years ago! That's crazy talk!!!
I just got off the phone with Allison, too. Crazy as usual. She wants to go to church with me tomorrow night.
I'm doing a load of laundry. I'm drying a load, too. There is something about my washer and dryer that is very comforting when they are both going. It makes my house sound very lived in. Music to my ears.
Okay, I think I have to go now. Nighty night blogworld!
11/28/06
Brian and I talked on the phone until after midnight. Hard to believe we used to do that EVERY night that we weren't together. It always amazes me that we still have so much to talk about! How can two people know so much about each other and STILL have things to talk about for hours? How can two people know exactly what each other is going to say before they say it, how can they know what each is thinking, yet still want to have the conversation anyway?
I am feeling much better about everything. The world doesn't seem quite so bleak anymore. My period was like 5 days early, so I'm sure that has had something to do with how I've been feeling.
I have to work in a few hours after I get the kids from school. Next week, I have a conference in Augusta so I'll be gone for a few days. It'll be good to catch up with my friends at work that I don't get to see very often.
I still have Thanksgiving pics to post! Maybe I'll do that later. We had such a great time with Debi and her two daughters. I have a good pic of Debi weilding a knife, trying to cut the turnip.
So that is about as exciting as this post is going to get. No drama is good drama.
I am feeling much better about everything. The world doesn't seem quite so bleak anymore. My period was like 5 days early, so I'm sure that has had something to do with how I've been feeling.
I have to work in a few hours after I get the kids from school. Next week, I have a conference in Augusta so I'll be gone for a few days. It'll be good to catch up with my friends at work that I don't get to see very often.
I still have Thanksgiving pics to post! Maybe I'll do that later. We had such a great time with Debi and her two daughters. I have a good pic of Debi weilding a knife, trying to cut the turnip.
So that is about as exciting as this post is going to get. No drama is good drama.
Monday, November 27, 2006
11/27/06
Things are going okay with the situation. I'm really trying to not think about it all right now, anymore than I have to. I am still not quite right emotionally, but I have some pretty great friends and a wonderful Father in heaven and beautiful, wonderful children.
Brian has been fantastic through all of this. For once, it seems like he is supporting every choice I've made in this, he has been calling to make sure I'm okay. He's been emailing me little jokes to keep my mind off of things.
Anyway, there is so much I want to blog about regarding this, but I really need some time to sort it all out. This has been a scary and overwhelming experience. It isn't over yet, but hopefully soon. Right now, I am just going to try and get things back to normal around here.
I didn't go to church last night. I feel bad about that because I know it would have helped, but I just didn't want to be around a lot of people last night. I stayed home with the kids and made a good supper and played some Disney Monopoly.
Brian has been fantastic through all of this. For once, it seems like he is supporting every choice I've made in this, he has been calling to make sure I'm okay. He's been emailing me little jokes to keep my mind off of things.
Anyway, there is so much I want to blog about regarding this, but I really need some time to sort it all out. This has been a scary and overwhelming experience. It isn't over yet, but hopefully soon. Right now, I am just going to try and get things back to normal around here.
I didn't go to church last night. I feel bad about that because I know it would have helped, but I just didn't want to be around a lot of people last night. I stayed home with the kids and made a good supper and played some Disney Monopoly.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
11/25/06
I just spent the last 12 hours in the emergency room with Hayley's friend. I have experienced just about every emotion possible today. Disgust, anger, sadness, and even some laughter during all of the waiting.
There is nothing wrong with my car. I had it checked and the alternator is fine. The Lord wanted me at the hospital this weekend. Had my car been running fine, I'd have been in Portland. Hayley's friend is staying with her pastor and his wife until the authorities complete the investigation. No arrests will be made until sometime (maybe) next week.
I have lots to say about today's events but it is late and my head is splitting. I am physically and emotionally drained.
Hug your kids and keep them safe.
There is nothing wrong with my car. I had it checked and the alternator is fine. The Lord wanted me at the hospital this weekend. Had my car been running fine, I'd have been in Portland. Hayley's friend is staying with her pastor and his wife until the authorities complete the investigation. No arrests will be made until sometime (maybe) next week.
I have lots to say about today's events but it is late and my head is splitting. I am physically and emotionally drained.
Hug your kids and keep them safe.
Friday, November 24, 2006
11/24/06
I took a nap this afternoon and I woke up with the worst sinus headache. UGH! I feel feverish and a bit congested. I fell asleep feeling just fine!
I'll take some medicine and hopefully I'll start feeling better soon. I talked with Debi on the phone for like 2 hours today!
I had a disturbing phone call earlier today from Hayley's friend. She is 14. She thinks she is pregnant. By her step-father. I warned her before she said anymore that I am a mandated reporter and explained how things are going to go down. She said she understood and just wants to be away from him. Her mother doesn't believe her. She is also worried because she has a little brother and doesn't want him to have to go into fostercare or something. I assured her that chances are, her step-father would be arrested but unless her mother is found grossly negligent, she and her brother probably wouldn't be removed from their mother's care permanently. She has a lot to think about and I told her I'd give her 24 hours to try and figure out the best course of action. Either I take her to the hospital, and they take it from there, or she comes here and a policeman comes here to talk to her, or I take her to the police department to make a report. Worst case, I make a phone call and the authorities go to her house. I really want to avoid that because, one, she is terrified of her step-father and she doesn't need to be present when they arrest him, and two, she does have a little brother and that is his father. Best case scenerio, they arrest him at work. What has me upset is that this little girl has been confiding this to my daughter and Hayley has been carrying this burden for a few months. She finally convinced her friend to talk to me. I told Hayley that in the future, if a friend of hers has something this big going on, she needs to tell me immediately. I know she promised her friend, but this is dangerous and serious. We tried to get her over here to get the ball rolling, but her mother wasn't letting her leave the house and aside from trying to get her out of the house, there is little I can do to help, unless I call the authorities. If I pick her up and take her against her mother's will, I could potentionally face kidnapping charges, I guess. I am sick to my stomach over this, but I told her I'd give her 24 hours. The only reason I am doing that is because when I was Hayley's age, my best friend told authorities about her own father and while she was at school, he was arrested, but she went into fostercare and we didn't see her again for over a year. She had to change school, change friends, get a whole different life. The sheriff literally put her in a police car during school and drove her away.
I wasn't going to blog about any of that tonight. I'm glad it is off my chest. The ball is rolling tomorrow, one way or another. There was a big reason why the Lord didn't want me to leave this weekend. Pray for this little girl please, and pray that my helping her will really be helping her.
I'll take some medicine and hopefully I'll start feeling better soon. I talked with Debi on the phone for like 2 hours today!
I had a disturbing phone call earlier today from Hayley's friend. She is 14. She thinks she is pregnant. By her step-father. I warned her before she said anymore that I am a mandated reporter and explained how things are going to go down. She said she understood and just wants to be away from him. Her mother doesn't believe her. She is also worried because she has a little brother and doesn't want him to have to go into fostercare or something. I assured her that chances are, her step-father would be arrested but unless her mother is found grossly negligent, she and her brother probably wouldn't be removed from their mother's care permanently. She has a lot to think about and I told her I'd give her 24 hours to try and figure out the best course of action. Either I take her to the hospital, and they take it from there, or she comes here and a policeman comes here to talk to her, or I take her to the police department to make a report. Worst case, I make a phone call and the authorities go to her house. I really want to avoid that because, one, she is terrified of her step-father and she doesn't need to be present when they arrest him, and two, she does have a little brother and that is his father. Best case scenerio, they arrest him at work. What has me upset is that this little girl has been confiding this to my daughter and Hayley has been carrying this burden for a few months. She finally convinced her friend to talk to me. I told Hayley that in the future, if a friend of hers has something this big going on, she needs to tell me immediately. I know she promised her friend, but this is dangerous and serious. We tried to get her over here to get the ball rolling, but her mother wasn't letting her leave the house and aside from trying to get her out of the house, there is little I can do to help, unless I call the authorities. If I pick her up and take her against her mother's will, I could potentionally face kidnapping charges, I guess. I am sick to my stomach over this, but I told her I'd give her 24 hours. The only reason I am doing that is because when I was Hayley's age, my best friend told authorities about her own father and while she was at school, he was arrested, but she went into fostercare and we didn't see her again for over a year. She had to change school, change friends, get a whole different life. The sheriff literally put her in a police car during school and drove her away.
I wasn't going to blog about any of that tonight. I'm glad it is off my chest. The ball is rolling tomorrow, one way or another. There was a big reason why the Lord didn't want me to leave this weekend. Pray for this little girl please, and pray that my helping her will really be helping her.
Black Friday
I had a fantastic Thanksgiving. The kids and I went to Debi's daughter Rachel's house. There were about 13 of us there. It was so nice! I didn't have the stress of dealing with annoying relatives. I was able to spend the holiday with all three of my kids, which I haven't done in years! We stayed there until 8 PM, ate ourselves silly, and I came home to a phone call from Brian! I was starting to worry he wouldn't call! The Lord told me to just relax and He'd take care of Brian and to just go and have a great time. I did and the call was waiting when I got home.
The kids and I were going to the movies at about 9:30 PM last night, but we went back out to the car, the battery was dead. The battery admittedly was about 3-4 years old and needed to be replaced anyway, which I did this morning, but I'm pretty sure all signs are pointing to a going alternator. It could still be the belt because this trouble started happening after getting the serpentine (alternator belt) replaced. It might be too tight or slipping, because the car is running fine (meaning the battery isn't discharging quickly, like it would if the alternator is gone). Of course, I am not taking it far until my step-dad gets home from CT on Sunday. The Lord was so wonderful AGAIN about having the car "break" down in our driveway! This could have happened after the kids and I got out of the movies at about midnight last night!!! The last time I had trouble was when the belt broke in my driveway. Could have happened at any point on any highway, instead it happened in my yard! One more month, and hopefully, I am driving something new!
All I know is, SOMEONE upstairs didn't want me shopping this weekend! :)
We shared communion at our Thanksgiving dinner and it was very beautiful. I am so happy to have shared this holiday with my kids and a very close friend and sister in the Lord. I will post pics soon.
Current Mood: Great
Current Music: It's Beginning To Look A lot Like Christmas
The kids and I were going to the movies at about 9:30 PM last night, but we went back out to the car, the battery was dead. The battery admittedly was about 3-4 years old and needed to be replaced anyway, which I did this morning, but I'm pretty sure all signs are pointing to a going alternator. It could still be the belt because this trouble started happening after getting the serpentine (alternator belt) replaced. It might be too tight or slipping, because the car is running fine (meaning the battery isn't discharging quickly, like it would if the alternator is gone). Of course, I am not taking it far until my step-dad gets home from CT on Sunday. The Lord was so wonderful AGAIN about having the car "break" down in our driveway! This could have happened after the kids and I got out of the movies at about midnight last night!!! The last time I had trouble was when the belt broke in my driveway. Could have happened at any point on any highway, instead it happened in my yard! One more month, and hopefully, I am driving something new!
All I know is, SOMEONE upstairs didn't want me shopping this weekend! :)
We shared communion at our Thanksgiving dinner and it was very beautiful. I am so happy to have shared this holiday with my kids and a very close friend and sister in the Lord. I will post pics soon.
Current Mood: Great
Current Music: It's Beginning To Look A lot Like Christmas
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving Eve!!!
What a day! The girls and I went grocery shopping. Busy, but not as bad as I bet it is right now! We got there about 1 PM. I made more TexxMexxChexxMixx, since it is my kids new favorite thing. I am baking one of two pumpkin pies right now. Next is a strawberry/apple pie. I have 4 sweet potatos that I am going to bake, like baked potatos, so we each have our own individual one, and that way we can make it the way we want. Some like them with marshmallows, some just like butter, salt and pepper. I like 'em loaded, with all of the above, like they make at the Texas Roadhouse. Stuffing and the rest of the fixings. I have to make deviled eggs tonight and stuff the celery.
Tonight, I have church and we're having homemade scalloped potatos. I haven't decided what else we're having to go with it. Probably some corn and shake and bake chicken.
The pie has 10 more minutes and I have to get ready for church tonight. I can't imagine it will be terribly busy tonight there, but who knows.
Laundry is caught up. Dishes are done. Kitchen floor mopped. Bathroom floor swept. Trash out. I STILL have to work on the living room! The day just flew by!
Tonight, I have church and we're having homemade scalloped potatos. I haven't decided what else we're having to go with it. Probably some corn and shake and bake chicken.
The pie has 10 more minutes and I have to get ready for church tonight. I can't imagine it will be terribly busy tonight there, but who knows.
Laundry is caught up. Dishes are done. Kitchen floor mopped. Bathroom floor swept. Trash out. I STILL have to work on the living room! The day just flew by!
11/22/06
I've been up since 7:30 AM. I am full of energy. I got up, got the coffee brewing, took the dog out, threw in another load of laundry! Put a load in the dryer. I'm going to tackle the living room now. I want it to be spotless before I put the tree up. Bathroom and living room are my rooms today that I'll be working on. Kitchen was last night. The girls are on baking duty. Pumpkin pies, apple pie, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and some more chex mix because they finished off the last batch already!!!
Soooo, I need to make a quick trip to the grocery store...or I should say, I need to make a trip to the grocery store...whether or not it will be quick remains to be seen. It is the day before a holiday in which all major stores are closed for a whole day! The folk around here come out in hordes and buy bottled water, batteries, you name it...it is ONE day people! ONE day! Plus, the convenience stores stay open. Speaking of that, I should probably stock up on some toilet paper! I can hear it now at Irving, "One roll of toilet paper...that'll be $42.50!"
Soooo, I need to make a quick trip to the grocery store...or I should say, I need to make a trip to the grocery store...whether or not it will be quick remains to be seen. It is the day before a holiday in which all major stores are closed for a whole day! The folk around here come out in hordes and buy bottled water, batteries, you name it...it is ONE day people! ONE day! Plus, the convenience stores stay open. Speaking of that, I should probably stock up on some toilet paper! I can hear it now at Irving, "One roll of toilet paper...that'll be $42.50!"
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
TexxMexxChexxMixx
A stick of butter or margarine
2 Tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
Melt in a bowl in the microwave. When melted, add 1 package of Hot taco seasoning. Mild if you must! :)
Dry Ingredients:
8 cups of a combo of your choice of rice, corn, and wheat chex (equaling 8 cups)
1 cup of pretzels
1 cup of peanuts
1 cup of cheese crackers
Mix wet and dry ingredients well in a large bowl with a giant rubber spatula until well coated.
Place in the microwave for 2 minutes. Take out and stir. Taste. Cereal will be a bit soggy. It is supposed to!!!
Put in microwave for 2 more minutes. Take out and stir. Taste. Still a bit soggy, but getting there.
Put in microwave for final 2 minutes. Take out and stir. Taste. PERFECTION. Crisp and crunchy, hot and spicy! YUMMY!!!
2 Tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
Melt in a bowl in the microwave. When melted, add 1 package of Hot taco seasoning. Mild if you must! :)
Dry Ingredients:
8 cups of a combo of your choice of rice, corn, and wheat chex (equaling 8 cups)
1 cup of pretzels
1 cup of peanuts
1 cup of cheese crackers
Mix wet and dry ingredients well in a large bowl with a giant rubber spatula until well coated.
Place in the microwave for 2 minutes. Take out and stir. Taste. Cereal will be a bit soggy. It is supposed to!!!
Put in microwave for 2 more minutes. Take out and stir. Taste. Still a bit soggy, but getting there.
Put in microwave for final 2 minutes. Take out and stir. Taste. PERFECTION. Crisp and crunchy, hot and spicy! YUMMY!!!
Welcome to the 2006 Holiday Edition of Getting to Know Your Friends! You know the drill. Highlight, copy and paste (not forward or reply) and change my answers to your answers, AND RE-Post! Enjoy!! Don't be a Scrooge!!!
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Egg Nog
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? Wrapped especially for you by Mommy
4. Do you hang mistletoe? Actually, I do in the doorway into the living room. Not that this good for anything.
5. When do you put your decorations up? The weekend after Thanksgiving.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? squash and sweet potatoes
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Rotten kids at school teased me because I still believed in Santa.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes, everyone gets to pick one gift to open.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Clear lights, ornaments, velvet burgandy bows on each bough.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love It...some day, the kids and I will have a skiing Christmas on the mountain.
12. Can you ice skate? But of course! I lived across from a river, had grandparents who live on a lake and a frog pond in the back yard. I think it was expected!
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? An original Gone With the WInd canvas painting done in the early 40s.
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? My kids opening their gifts and Christmas Eve especially. I'm usually up late still wrapping. The kids are in bed and I used to go to midnight mass when I was still Catholic. It has always been a very spiritual night for me, when I feel very close to the Lord and I reflect on His life and His gracious gift.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? I can't pick one. Chocolate fudge, peanut butter fudge, pies, pies, pies, chex mix.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? I always go to the movies Christmas night.
17. What tops your tree? An angel
18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? I like to get my kids extra things that weren't on their lists, but I am still a big kid! I love Christmas presents. Especially little surprises from people you never expected one from. The one time when it really is true that it is the thought that counts!
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Silver Bells...I too want city sidewalks dressed in holiday style. And especially Song for a Winter's Night...either Sarah McLaughlin or Gordon Lightfoot's version.
20. Candy Canes? I'm good for about one a year. Although, those giant ones were fun when I was a kid. Hey, I don't ever remember finishing one! Where'd they all go???
Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Egg Nog
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? Wrapped especially for you by Mommy
4. Do you hang mistletoe? Actually, I do in the doorway into the living room. Not that this good for anything.
5. When do you put your decorations up? The weekend after Thanksgiving.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? squash and sweet potatoes
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Rotten kids at school teased me because I still believed in Santa.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes, everyone gets to pick one gift to open.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Clear lights, ornaments, velvet burgandy bows on each bough.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love It...some day, the kids and I will have a skiing Christmas on the mountain.
12. Can you ice skate? But of course! I lived across from a river, had grandparents who live on a lake and a frog pond in the back yard. I think it was expected!
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? An original Gone With the WInd canvas painting done in the early 40s.
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? My kids opening their gifts and Christmas Eve especially. I'm usually up late still wrapping. The kids are in bed and I used to go to midnight mass when I was still Catholic. It has always been a very spiritual night for me, when I feel very close to the Lord and I reflect on His life and His gracious gift.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? I can't pick one. Chocolate fudge, peanut butter fudge, pies, pies, pies, chex mix.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? I always go to the movies Christmas night.
17. What tops your tree? An angel
18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? I like to get my kids extra things that weren't on their lists, but I am still a big kid! I love Christmas presents. Especially little surprises from people you never expected one from. The one time when it really is true that it is the thought that counts!
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Silver Bells...I too want city sidewalks dressed in holiday style. And especially Song for a Winter's Night...either Sarah McLaughlin or Gordon Lightfoot's version.
20. Candy Canes? I'm good for about one a year. Although, those giant ones were fun when I was a kid. Hey, I don't ever remember finishing one! Where'd they all go???
Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!
Tuesday Morning
It feels like a Tuesday. Tuesdays have become my new Mondays. I'm up, though, so that is an improvement. I usually go back to sleep after the kids wake me up when they leave for school and then I end up sleeping until 11ish and dragging butt all day after that. I didn't go back to bed. My hope is that I get a little more motivated than this.
I don't have much more to say about the whole Michael Richards thing that hasn't already been said. But, WOW! Where did that come from? I'm not sure how I feel about the apology, other than it seems about as sincere as Mel Gibson's. There are so many hateful acts going on in the world, especially in the Middle East, must we do things like this to each other in America? And you know what? If you don't want to be a part of this giant melting pot of a nation and live in a peacable and gracious manner regarding race, ethnicity, religion or even sexual orientation, get the F*** out! Okay...I've said more than I wanted on that.
I made a yummy hot & spicy chex mix last night. Delish! I call it TexxMexxChexx Mixx...say that 5 times! I used worcestershire sauce, and HOT taco seasoning (a dry packet), plus the regular ingredients. Came out great and the kids loved it.
I am going to get my tree up this weekend. Tomorrow, we'll work on cleaning the living room thoroughly, because once it is up, it is hard to clean in that area with any kind of precision, without knocking ornaments off and messing up the train and my holiday houses.
Things are a little chilly here today. The temp is going back up toomorrow and into next weekend. I'll take it! Less money that I'll have to put in my furnace!
For supper tonight, we are having AMERICAN chop suey, because I am in an AMERICAN kind of mood. It isn't often we can be proud of ourselves and I'm still riding on the high that the American people en masse showed Hollywood and the media that we DO have a line that we refuse to cross, that we don't have to just shut up and eat the s**t they try to shovel down our throats in the name of free press. And we did it, not by refuting their right to publish what they want, but by refusing to BUY anything regarding this. Power of the PURSE!
Ugh! It is only 9:30. I supposed I can get some sweeping done and put the dishes away.
I don't have much more to say about the whole Michael Richards thing that hasn't already been said. But, WOW! Where did that come from? I'm not sure how I feel about the apology, other than it seems about as sincere as Mel Gibson's. There are so many hateful acts going on in the world, especially in the Middle East, must we do things like this to each other in America? And you know what? If you don't want to be a part of this giant melting pot of a nation and live in a peacable and gracious manner regarding race, ethnicity, religion or even sexual orientation, get the F*** out! Okay...I've said more than I wanted on that.
I made a yummy hot & spicy chex mix last night. Delish! I call it TexxMexxChexx Mixx...say that 5 times! I used worcestershire sauce, and HOT taco seasoning (a dry packet), plus the regular ingredients. Came out great and the kids loved it.
I am going to get my tree up this weekend. Tomorrow, we'll work on cleaning the living room thoroughly, because once it is up, it is hard to clean in that area with any kind of precision, without knocking ornaments off and messing up the train and my holiday houses.
Things are a little chilly here today. The temp is going back up toomorrow and into next weekend. I'll take it! Less money that I'll have to put in my furnace!
For supper tonight, we are having AMERICAN chop suey, because I am in an AMERICAN kind of mood. It isn't often we can be proud of ourselves and I'm still riding on the high that the American people en masse showed Hollywood and the media that we DO have a line that we refuse to cross, that we don't have to just shut up and eat the s**t they try to shovel down our throats in the name of free press. And we did it, not by refuting their right to publish what they want, but by refusing to BUY anything regarding this. Power of the PURSE!
Ugh! It is only 9:30. I supposed I can get some sweeping done and put the dishes away.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Told You...
...I'd be on again!
Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving is on!!!!!!!! :) I remember always watching this at my Mimi & Papa's house!
Oh, and Erin, Amy Sedaris has a (new) book out...might not be new to you, but I just saw it. Let me know if you've read it yet! Looks funny. I can't believe she stole my idea! "She really wanted some Vicodin one Christmas Eve. Upon walking out of her apartment on a search for it, she ran into a woman on crutches--who took her up to her apartment and gave her Vicodin. Amy calls it the "Miracle on Christopher Street."
I was SOOOO gonna blog about that!!! Mine was Miracle on 3rd & Union, involving a midget and salad tongs, but whatever...the moment has been ruined!
Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving is on!!!!!!!! :) I remember always watching this at my Mimi & Papa's house!
Oh, and Erin, Amy Sedaris has a (new) book out...might not be new to you, but I just saw it. Let me know if you've read it yet! Looks funny. I can't believe she stole my idea! "She really wanted some Vicodin one Christmas Eve. Upon walking out of her apartment on a search for it, she ran into a woman on crutches--who took her up to her apartment and gave her Vicodin. Amy calls it the "Miracle on Christopher Street."
I was SOOOO gonna blog about that!!! Mine was Miracle on 3rd & Union, involving a midget and salad tongs, but whatever...the moment has been ruined!
My Faith in Americans Has Been Renewed........
.....sort of. Because of the very public outrage, a certain book of an alleged killer (Puleeeease, he sooooo did it) has been halted, as is his television interview! GO AMERICA! This is one book I am happy to see banned. This coming from a book loving English teacher! The only downside is that Border's WAS going to donate book sales to charity...all $12 of it! I would have paid Border's the price of a book to not sell it!!! Apparently most of America is with me! Even if he didn't do it, what kind of monster would do this to his children? Why would he ever want them to see "How" he'd have killed their mother? And if you don't agree with me on this, go to another blog. You are not welcome at this site!
Okay, that is all of the oxygen and brain energy that I want to waste on this man.
Work was great today!!! Started out kind of slow, but I had a good impromptu meeting with Carl and Claire about some issues regarding tenants and it was so helpful for me because I am working on an incentive dollar program blah, blah, blah...this will be the basis for my dissertation someday, so it will all pay off in the end. All I'll have left to do is decide if I want it published in the leather-bound edition or the cheaper spiral bound edition for myself. Of course, my school will need a leather-bound copy for itself and one for its library and it is up to me if I want to splurge on each member of the advisory committee or not. We're looking at almost a $100 for each copy. It isn't cheap becoming a doctor!!!
I have to write an essay about why the community I work in deserves a playground. That will be fun. It would be so great if that worked out for the kids. There are also two grant possibilities that I have to work on. $5000 and $10,000 each, for future programming, with one involving the kids making a short video about how the money would help their program. Only one problem and that is we don't currently have 501 (c) (3) status. Claire assured me that should prove an easy fix; however, we have a January 17, 2007 deadline!!! I am also slightly bothered by the fact I know what 501 (c) (3) non-profit status means. Next, I'll become proficient in Java U (1)!
I'll be busy busy busy the next month and a half!!! Exciting, though. I wish I always had stuff like this to work on! Turkeys and all of the fixings are supposed to be coming tomorrow. They have to be delivered to all of the tenants. I helped with that last year. It was pouring rain!!! Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny!
Okay...I will probably be on later blogging some more. Kayla has a paper that is due the day after today. What's that you say? When? It is also referred to as TOMORROW!!! She is my child! I used to wait until the last minute to write semester-end papers. The difference? I could pull it off. I write best under pressure. My child does not work well under these conditions and this will be a lesson to her. She's completely stressed, but I told her I'd stay up with her and proof-read for her. We'll knock it out of the park and she'll owe me one...or two...or twenty!!! I have to make a super-sized batch of cheesy taco Chex mix, so I'll be up anyway!
Current Mood: happy
Current Music: I'm in Love with a Stripper............Don't ask...it was on the radio and it has queer lyrics that get trapped in my brain!!!
Okay, that is all of the oxygen and brain energy that I want to waste on this man.
Work was great today!!! Started out kind of slow, but I had a good impromptu meeting with Carl and Claire about some issues regarding tenants and it was so helpful for me because I am working on an incentive dollar program blah, blah, blah...this will be the basis for my dissertation someday, so it will all pay off in the end. All I'll have left to do is decide if I want it published in the leather-bound edition or the cheaper spiral bound edition for myself. Of course, my school will need a leather-bound copy for itself and one for its library and it is up to me if I want to splurge on each member of the advisory committee or not. We're looking at almost a $100 for each copy. It isn't cheap becoming a doctor!!!
I have to write an essay about why the community I work in deserves a playground. That will be fun. It would be so great if that worked out for the kids. There are also two grant possibilities that I have to work on. $5000 and $10,000 each, for future programming, with one involving the kids making a short video about how the money would help their program. Only one problem and that is we don't currently have 501 (c) (3) status. Claire assured me that should prove an easy fix; however, we have a January 17, 2007 deadline!!! I am also slightly bothered by the fact I know what 501 (c) (3) non-profit status means. Next, I'll become proficient in Java U (1)!
I'll be busy busy busy the next month and a half!!! Exciting, though. I wish I always had stuff like this to work on! Turkeys and all of the fixings are supposed to be coming tomorrow. They have to be delivered to all of the tenants. I helped with that last year. It was pouring rain!!! Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny!
Okay...I will probably be on later blogging some more. Kayla has a paper that is due the day after today. What's that you say? When? It is also referred to as TOMORROW!!! She is my child! I used to wait until the last minute to write semester-end papers. The difference? I could pull it off. I write best under pressure. My child does not work well under these conditions and this will be a lesson to her. She's completely stressed, but I told her I'd stay up with her and proof-read for her. We'll knock it out of the park and she'll owe me one...or two...or twenty!!! I have to make a super-sized batch of cheesy taco Chex mix, so I'll be up anyway!
Current Mood: happy
Current Music: I'm in Love with a Stripper............Don't ask...it was on the radio and it has queer lyrics that get trapped in my brain!!!
Sunday, November 19, 2006
November 19, 2006
By this afternoon, I was feeling like I didn't want to do anything but sleep on the couch all day. I'm glad I made myself get up and take a shower. I feel so much better now that all that stuff is done. Hair washed, dryed and curled. Make-up in place. Clothes other than jammies on. I still feel tired and I know I'll sleep good tonight, but I do feel energized now.
At church, I think we're supposed to watch a slide show from one of the recent mission trips tonight. Ken is already in California to spend Thanksgiving with his daughter and his wife's family. It should be fun. I'll have to dig into the word a bit extra tonight on my own, because I doubt we'll get into it too much at church.
Okay...I need to run a few errands and then head to church.
At church, I think we're supposed to watch a slide show from one of the recent mission trips tonight. Ken is already in California to spend Thanksgiving with his daughter and his wife's family. It should be fun. I'll have to dig into the word a bit extra tonight on my own, because I doubt we'll get into it too much at church.
Okay...I need to run a few errands and then head to church.
Sunday
A very lazy weekend. It went by very fast. My kids only have to go to school this week Monday and Tuesday. They have the rest of the week off. I'll put up the Christmas decorations next weekend and probably the tree. I was thinking I might start some of it this weekend, but I am so sleepy today. I could take a nap.
It is almost noon and I have done little. The girls made cookies last night. Sugar cookies with Christmas frosting and No-bake cookies. We also had yummy home-made egg rolls, with cream cheese, scallions and chopped up chicken breast.
My niece and nephew are still here. They were supposed to be gone by this morning. Morning is now over! I don't mind having them here because they are good, but it is the point that my brother and sister-in-law like to take advantage of my girls. They are supposed to get $20 this time for babysitting. If this was a once and awhile thing, fine. My mother had the kids Friday night. I had them last night and today.
Sierra had to sleep in her kennel last night. She whined the WHOLE night. She is finally sleeping. I don't expect to hear from her the rest of the day. The reason I put her in the kennel was because Lexi and Cody were spending the night and Sierra kept going from bed to bed, sleeping with everyone, but she kept waking up Lexi. Finally, I just put her in the kennel so she wouldn't be tempted to leave my bed and wake up the kids again. My kids are used to the company and like having Sierra sleep with them, but when you aren't used to a dog crawling under the covers and putting her head on your pillow, it can disturb your sleep. Sierra is the type of dog that will pick the most vulnerable of the group and make it her duty to protect them and guard them. In the case of last night, that was Lex. It is a sweet gesture of course, but annoying when a 6 year old gets woken up and doesn't remember where she is. Yes, I could shut doors but Lexi is SIX. She likes a door open and a light on in the hall.
Yeah, Sierra is pretty much dead to the world right now. I am tugging on her ear a little and she isn't even hinting at moving an eyelid. She is also snoring. She'll go in the kennel on her own and she actually prefers being in the kennel when we leave the house on the rare occasion she can't come with us, but sleepy time at night? No way! She is impossible if we're in the house and she can't be with us. She was like that this summer when I'd lay in the sun. She'd stand by the open window and whine non-stop. She wanted to be outside with me, but it really would be too hot. I was so worried about her overheating. She'd lay next to me and just pant, preferring to be miserable if it meant she was right by my side. And no, her shaded dog house didn't do it for her either. Right by my side, I tell you.
I am going to get her a big fluffy dog bed from LL Bean for Christmas since she really likes to sleep by the furnace vent. I'm hoping that might alleviate some of the bed hopping at night. At least in the winter.
It is almost noon and I have done little. The girls made cookies last night. Sugar cookies with Christmas frosting and No-bake cookies. We also had yummy home-made egg rolls, with cream cheese, scallions and chopped up chicken breast.
My niece and nephew are still here. They were supposed to be gone by this morning. Morning is now over! I don't mind having them here because they are good, but it is the point that my brother and sister-in-law like to take advantage of my girls. They are supposed to get $20 this time for babysitting. If this was a once and awhile thing, fine. My mother had the kids Friday night. I had them last night and today.
Sierra had to sleep in her kennel last night. She whined the WHOLE night. She is finally sleeping. I don't expect to hear from her the rest of the day. The reason I put her in the kennel was because Lexi and Cody were spending the night and Sierra kept going from bed to bed, sleeping with everyone, but she kept waking up Lexi. Finally, I just put her in the kennel so she wouldn't be tempted to leave my bed and wake up the kids again. My kids are used to the company and like having Sierra sleep with them, but when you aren't used to a dog crawling under the covers and putting her head on your pillow, it can disturb your sleep. Sierra is the type of dog that will pick the most vulnerable of the group and make it her duty to protect them and guard them. In the case of last night, that was Lex. It is a sweet gesture of course, but annoying when a 6 year old gets woken up and doesn't remember where she is. Yes, I could shut doors but Lexi is SIX. She likes a door open and a light on in the hall.
Yeah, Sierra is pretty much dead to the world right now. I am tugging on her ear a little and she isn't even hinting at moving an eyelid. She is also snoring. She'll go in the kennel on her own and she actually prefers being in the kennel when we leave the house on the rare occasion she can't come with us, but sleepy time at night? No way! She is impossible if we're in the house and she can't be with us. She was like that this summer when I'd lay in the sun. She'd stand by the open window and whine non-stop. She wanted to be outside with me, but it really would be too hot. I was so worried about her overheating. She'd lay next to me and just pant, preferring to be miserable if it meant she was right by my side. And no, her shaded dog house didn't do it for her either. Right by my side, I tell you.
I am going to get her a big fluffy dog bed from LL Bean for Christmas since she really likes to sleep by the furnace vent. I'm hoping that might alleviate some of the bed hopping at night. At least in the winter.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
My 1201st Post
Yay! I have no life! :)
Somehow I got flamboozled into watching Alexis and Cody for the night! Rarely do I have both at the same time. Cody is the same age as Zach, so he's fine. Lexi needs to be entertained! I can't believe she will be 6 in May. Seems like she was just born!
The girls are making supper tonight. That is nice of them. I took them to Happy China last night, so it is nice to not have to cook or pay for dinner! Well, I did pay for it, but it's cheaper than going out!
My new favorite show....Rob & Big....Love it!
Church tomorrow. Can't wait. My dose of sanity until Wednesday night.
I am so excited for the holidays this year! I'm not sure why! The last 6 years, I have dreaded them with a passion. Last year wasn't so so bad because I spent them with Brian. But I was really worried about getting through this year and the Lord has been so wonderful about bringing new friends into my life. I am excited about decorating the house and about shopping for the kids. Zach told me in the car last night that this year, he and his sisters are about quality and not quanity. They'd like a few things that they really want instead of a lot of stuff they don't need! It'll cost the same, but means less shopping, wrapping and running around for me!
Somehow I got flamboozled into watching Alexis and Cody for the night! Rarely do I have both at the same time. Cody is the same age as Zach, so he's fine. Lexi needs to be entertained! I can't believe she will be 6 in May. Seems like she was just born!
The girls are making supper tonight. That is nice of them. I took them to Happy China last night, so it is nice to not have to cook or pay for dinner! Well, I did pay for it, but it's cheaper than going out!
My new favorite show....Rob & Big....Love it!
Church tomorrow. Can't wait. My dose of sanity until Wednesday night.
I am so excited for the holidays this year! I'm not sure why! The last 6 years, I have dreaded them with a passion. Last year wasn't so so bad because I spent them with Brian. But I was really worried about getting through this year and the Lord has been so wonderful about bringing new friends into my life. I am excited about decorating the house and about shopping for the kids. Zach told me in the car last night that this year, he and his sisters are about quality and not quanity. They'd like a few things that they really want instead of a lot of stuff they don't need! It'll cost the same, but means less shopping, wrapping and running around for me!
Late Night Phone Calls
I talked on the phone last night with Brian until 1:30 this morning. I am so tired now and so glad I don't have to work.
It was a nice talk. We talked about our kids, AJ, our infamous motorcycle summer, the movies we'd seen together and the ones coming out. He's helping Matt and the boys (his nephews Grant and Will) with the wood today.
Kayla got roped into going to my brother's house for the night. She is babysitting Lexi and Cody. She's not happy! Adam and Julie aren't the kind of people that accept or understand the concept of "NO." Hayley has such a hard time saying no, she doesn't answer the phone when they call. So they make Lexi call and she's usually crying on the answering machine, "I want my Hayley to spend the night!" This time, Kayla answered and within 5 minutes, they had flamboozled her into babysitting.
It is 11 AM already! I am just getting up because I didn't get to bed until late. I need to get this house picked up. Comic Relief 2006 is on tonight. That should be funny. I want to get my cleaning, grocery shopping, errands and reading done before it comes on.
My brat of a dog stuck her tongue in my mouth to wake me up this morning! Uck! I love her with all of my heart. I am not crazy about her kisses first thing in the morning.
It was a nice talk. We talked about our kids, AJ, our infamous motorcycle summer, the movies we'd seen together and the ones coming out. He's helping Matt and the boys (his nephews Grant and Will) with the wood today.
Kayla got roped into going to my brother's house for the night. She is babysitting Lexi and Cody. She's not happy! Adam and Julie aren't the kind of people that accept or understand the concept of "NO." Hayley has such a hard time saying no, she doesn't answer the phone when they call. So they make Lexi call and she's usually crying on the answering machine, "I want my Hayley to spend the night!" This time, Kayla answered and within 5 minutes, they had flamboozled her into babysitting.
It is 11 AM already! I am just getting up because I didn't get to bed until late. I need to get this house picked up. Comic Relief 2006 is on tonight. That should be funny. I want to get my cleaning, grocery shopping, errands and reading done before it comes on.
My brat of a dog stuck her tongue in my mouth to wake me up this morning! Uck! I love her with all of my heart. I am not crazy about her kisses first thing in the morning.
Friday, November 17, 2006
11/17/06
Guitar Hero II rocks!!! Zach and I had a blast playing it tonight!
I took the kids out to eat at Happy China Buffet tonight. I'm feeling slightly ill now. Zach ate a baby octocpus for our version of a mini-Fear factor at the table. What he failed to realize was that it was hot and spicy baby octopi! So after he eats the head, he was like, "It burns!" Freaking hilarious!
Right now, I am chatting with Brian. Not sure how this conversation will go tonight, but we'll just have to see. My friend Mitch is in New York for the weekend and didn't know if he'd be able to get online. :( No midnight chats with him tonight! He makes me laugh and shares little stories about his kids that are so funny! Like last night, he had Karate with his 8 year old son. They are both beginners. Beginners have to stand in the front. He is the only adult. He is the only 6'3 beginner there. The 8 year olds are like 4 feet tall! They were making fun of him because he couldn't get all the moves, so he starts thinking to himself, "Yeah, you just wait until we spar tonight! I know I can take you!" I just laughed and laughed because he reminds me of Adam Sandler anyway, but him in karate class reminds me of Billy Madison.
I also exchanged emails with Nettie today. I miss her so much. We were together almost everyday for 4 years. Her little boy is sooooo cute! I also got pictures of my cousin Sarah's little girl Taylor. She is so cute, too! I'll post some pics of her on blogger soon.
Well, I have to finish talking with Brian. I'll blog tomorrow.
I took the kids out to eat at Happy China Buffet tonight. I'm feeling slightly ill now. Zach ate a baby octocpus for our version of a mini-Fear factor at the table. What he failed to realize was that it was hot and spicy baby octopi! So after he eats the head, he was like, "It burns!" Freaking hilarious!
Right now, I am chatting with Brian. Not sure how this conversation will go tonight, but we'll just have to see. My friend Mitch is in New York for the weekend and didn't know if he'd be able to get online. :( No midnight chats with him tonight! He makes me laugh and shares little stories about his kids that are so funny! Like last night, he had Karate with his 8 year old son. They are both beginners. Beginners have to stand in the front. He is the only adult. He is the only 6'3 beginner there. The 8 year olds are like 4 feet tall! They were making fun of him because he couldn't get all the moves, so he starts thinking to himself, "Yeah, you just wait until we spar tonight! I know I can take you!" I just laughed and laughed because he reminds me of Adam Sandler anyway, but him in karate class reminds me of Billy Madison.
I also exchanged emails with Nettie today. I miss her so much. We were together almost everyday for 4 years. Her little boy is sooooo cute! I also got pictures of my cousin Sarah's little girl Taylor. She is so cute, too! I'll post some pics of her on blogger soon.
Well, I have to finish talking with Brian. I'll blog tomorrow.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Thursday Night
Long night at work. Long day today. Kayla called me this morning crying, wanting me to pick her up. What is worse than getting your heart broken? Watching it happen to your child.
She got to school this morning and her boyfriend was acting like a jerk and tonight, he is refusing to answer the phone, so she doesn't know what is going on. The least he can do is break up with her! She's had other boyfriends, but this one was the first time she "loved" someone. Anyway, we're all trying to cheer her up. I told her my thoughts about it. Such as, the least he can do is break up with her in person or at the very least, over the phone. I also told her that it is better she founds out now how he is, instead of doing something with him and finding out later. Still, it is hard to watch. If I had my way, I'd have God give me all of the heartache so my kids would never have any. I can handle it. I am strong. Life doesn't work that way, though.
She'll be in CT next week, so she'll have stuff to keep her mind off of it. She doesn't even know if they've broken up or not, but it isn't looking good.
The OC is on in a half hour. I need my hour of nonsense tonight.
She got to school this morning and her boyfriend was acting like a jerk and tonight, he is refusing to answer the phone, so she doesn't know what is going on. The least he can do is break up with her! She's had other boyfriends, but this one was the first time she "loved" someone. Anyway, we're all trying to cheer her up. I told her my thoughts about it. Such as, the least he can do is break up with her in person or at the very least, over the phone. I also told her that it is better she founds out now how he is, instead of doing something with him and finding out later. Still, it is hard to watch. If I had my way, I'd have God give me all of the heartache so my kids would never have any. I can handle it. I am strong. Life doesn't work that way, though.
She'll be in CT next week, so she'll have stuff to keep her mind off of it. She doesn't even know if they've broken up or not, but it isn't looking good.
The OC is on in a half hour. I need my hour of nonsense tonight.
11/16/06
My life is getting a little back to normal! :) I'm going to continue to ignore AJ. I tried being his friend and we were doing really well with that, but one of my ground rules was that I would not discuss Brian with him or anyone else I was dating. He is just one of those people that runs his mouth and would tell people who knew the person I was talking about, even if it was all innocent. PLUS, I am still kind of ticked that he talked to Hayley about any of this. Leave my kids alone.
So I tried talking to Brian about it because I don't keep secrets from him. If AJ calls, Brian knows about it. If AJ comes down, Brian knows about it. Brian doesn't deserve to know, and if I wasn't talking to him, I obviously wouldn't tell him, but we are talking again, and I don't trust AJ not to tell one of his friends. So I would rather Brian hear the truth instead of some rumor going around. AJ is the only subject that I feel I need to be completely upfront with him about, only because I know it still bothers him that I dated him after we broke up. I know this because just MONDAY night, Brian asked all kinds of questions. They don't know each other, but run in the same circles and are basically obsessed with each other. Whenever AJ talks to me, he always tries to get the conversation back to Brian. "I bet Brian used to do this for you." "Did Brian ever take you here." Brian is the same way. "SO speaking of ex-boyfriends," he'll say, "I suppose AJ bought you that or took you here already." It is annoying because he'll bring his name up randomly, even though we hadn't been speaking of ex-boyfriends.
Quite frankly, I am tired of both of them. I will give them each others' numbers and they can become friends and compare notes. Or they can just start dating each other!!! This is all in God's hands. This is all in God's hands. This is all in God's hands. I want Brian, not AJ. Better yet, I want who God wants for me, and I hope that is not AJ! :)
Speaking of God's plan...we all remember Eric from church...well yesterday, I asked God what it is about him. Why do I feel a connection to him? God has brought all kinds of new friends into my life and I am trying to figure out what we're all here to do, not that I need to have it figured out, but they've all appeared so suddenly in my life and they all have had such a profound effect on my walk with the Lord...Lisa, Will, Debi, Eric...With Eric, I had a crush on him all summer. So last night, I was like, "God, I am not sure what is going on, give me some kind of sign or some kind of direction." Before the service, I was talking with Debi and he was looking at me, like he wanted to say something to me. During worship, I happened to glance in his direction because at this point, he is usually watching me, and we make eye contact. This time, he was deep in prayer. After the service, I was fellowshipping with Lisa and Debi and he walked right over to us as I was telling Lisa about my job and I looked up at him, but I am so passionate at times talking about the kids I work with, I didn't stop the conversation and he walked away! Now, I am dying to know what he wanted! It was probably just to ask us to move to the bleachers. But he's leaving soon for 2 years, so we aren't going to have much more opportunity to talk.
So pretty much last night was an example of me getting in the way of God. With Brian. With Eric. AJ is from the devil. He's meant as a distraction, which is why I am not responding to him! :)
Okay, I think I've beat this dead horse enough. Whatever happens, happens and I want God's will in my life above anything else! I just had to clear my head of all these thoughts so I can be open to God's will at all times, so bear with me in all of my blog ramblings. Or don't. I really don't care. This is MY blog! :)
So I tried talking to Brian about it because I don't keep secrets from him. If AJ calls, Brian knows about it. If AJ comes down, Brian knows about it. Brian doesn't deserve to know, and if I wasn't talking to him, I obviously wouldn't tell him, but we are talking again, and I don't trust AJ not to tell one of his friends. So I would rather Brian hear the truth instead of some rumor going around. AJ is the only subject that I feel I need to be completely upfront with him about, only because I know it still bothers him that I dated him after we broke up. I know this because just MONDAY night, Brian asked all kinds of questions. They don't know each other, but run in the same circles and are basically obsessed with each other. Whenever AJ talks to me, he always tries to get the conversation back to Brian. "I bet Brian used to do this for you." "Did Brian ever take you here." Brian is the same way. "SO speaking of ex-boyfriends," he'll say, "I suppose AJ bought you that or took you here already." It is annoying because he'll bring his name up randomly, even though we hadn't been speaking of ex-boyfriends.
Quite frankly, I am tired of both of them. I will give them each others' numbers and they can become friends and compare notes. Or they can just start dating each other!!! This is all in God's hands. This is all in God's hands. This is all in God's hands. I want Brian, not AJ. Better yet, I want who God wants for me, and I hope that is not AJ! :)
Speaking of God's plan...we all remember Eric from church...well yesterday, I asked God what it is about him. Why do I feel a connection to him? God has brought all kinds of new friends into my life and I am trying to figure out what we're all here to do, not that I need to have it figured out, but they've all appeared so suddenly in my life and they all have had such a profound effect on my walk with the Lord...Lisa, Will, Debi, Eric...With Eric, I had a crush on him all summer. So last night, I was like, "God, I am not sure what is going on, give me some kind of sign or some kind of direction." Before the service, I was talking with Debi and he was looking at me, like he wanted to say something to me. During worship, I happened to glance in his direction because at this point, he is usually watching me, and we make eye contact. This time, he was deep in prayer. After the service, I was fellowshipping with Lisa and Debi and he walked right over to us as I was telling Lisa about my job and I looked up at him, but I am so passionate at times talking about the kids I work with, I didn't stop the conversation and he walked away! Now, I am dying to know what he wanted! It was probably just to ask us to move to the bleachers. But he's leaving soon for 2 years, so we aren't going to have much more opportunity to talk.
So pretty much last night was an example of me getting in the way of God. With Brian. With Eric. AJ is from the devil. He's meant as a distraction, which is why I am not responding to him! :)
Okay, I think I've beat this dead horse enough. Whatever happens, happens and I want God's will in my life above anything else! I just had to clear my head of all these thoughts so I can be open to God's will at all times, so bear with me in all of my blog ramblings. Or don't. I really don't care. This is MY blog! :)
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
More Weirdness
So I get home from church. Hayley told me AJ called tonight. He askd her if I got his email and she was like, How am I supposed to know?
Then he asked her if I was married or getting married, or if I was dating anyone...He then told her that he feels like he needs to keep tabs on me and that he's worried because I never emailed him back. I'm like WHAT THE F***?
First of all, don't call my kids. Second of all, it has been two years since we broke up, and why the sudden concern? Strange, though, because I was thinking about him on my drive to church tonight. Even stranger, because Brian asked about him Monday night. He wanted to know what he looked like and when the last time I talked to him was, so I sent a picture of AJ to Brian Tuesday morning.
For new readers, AJ is the millionaire I dated for 3 months when Brian and I broke up the first time. My one and only millionaire. Everyone should have one! :)
This is all so laughable and just plain weird and a little too coincidental. Welcome to my life!
Then he asked her if I was married or getting married, or if I was dating anyone...He then told her that he feels like he needs to keep tabs on me and that he's worried because I never emailed him back. I'm like WHAT THE F***?
First of all, don't call my kids. Second of all, it has been two years since we broke up, and why the sudden concern? Strange, though, because I was thinking about him on my drive to church tonight. Even stranger, because Brian asked about him Monday night. He wanted to know what he looked like and when the last time I talked to him was, so I sent a picture of AJ to Brian Tuesday morning.
For new readers, AJ is the millionaire I dated for 3 months when Brian and I broke up the first time. My one and only millionaire. Everyone should have one! :)
This is all so laughable and just plain weird and a little too coincidental. Welcome to my life!
Ancient Chinese Secret
I've discovered the secret to weightloss! Date a Brian. Love a Brian. Want a Brian. Carl asked yesterday if I've lost weight and because I hadn't weighed in lately, I didn't have an answer. So I did, and I have and now I do. It is just ironic that we break up, I lose A LOT. I get my mind on other things, I gain some weight back. We start talking again and it's falling off quick! This isn't a complaint. Just an observation. To anyone who now wants to run me over now because I lose weight during stressful times, instead of gaining it, I have a few words for you...I also get zits when I am stressed and hand rashes, and lackluster hair.
I have been doing my abdominals the last few weeks, but I don't think that has anything to do with the weightloss. I started doing the exercises that my friend Katie and I used to do obsessively a few years ago. We would do so many reps that we'd literally get "charlie" horses in our upper abdomen! Talk about HURT! It would be funny, though. We'd be sitting at a hockey game or a football game, or anywhere, and be like, "Ow! I-Can't-Breathe!" and we'd just laugh at each other. I used to be in such great shape, even though I was heavier than I am now. Muscle weighs more than fat and I was running 3 miles every other day. Cardio-kickboxing and Pilates. One would think exercising then would have been hard for me, given my very busy schedule with kids, work and school, but I worked at the gym for 5 years. I find it is harder now to cram in gym time given my work and church schedule. I do get in an occasional run with the dog or my Cardio-strip tease dvd with my friend Carmen Electra, and Yoga with Amol at the center!
I have church in a few hours. I am looking forward to it. Catch you on the flipside!
I have been doing my abdominals the last few weeks, but I don't think that has anything to do with the weightloss. I started doing the exercises that my friend Katie and I used to do obsessively a few years ago. We would do so many reps that we'd literally get "charlie" horses in our upper abdomen! Talk about HURT! It would be funny, though. We'd be sitting at a hockey game or a football game, or anywhere, and be like, "Ow! I-Can't-Breathe!" and we'd just laugh at each other. I used to be in such great shape, even though I was heavier than I am now. Muscle weighs more than fat and I was running 3 miles every other day. Cardio-kickboxing and Pilates. One would think exercising then would have been hard for me, given my very busy schedule with kids, work and school, but I worked at the gym for 5 years. I find it is harder now to cram in gym time given my work and church schedule. I do get in an occasional run with the dog or my Cardio-strip tease dvd with my friend Carmen Electra, and Yoga with Amol at the center!
I have church in a few hours. I am looking forward to it. Catch you on the flipside!
God is Wonderful
How surreal. I opened my daily online Bible verse for the day and the verse was Hebrews 11:35. But the really interesting part was today's prayer at the bottom of the email..."Lord God of resurrection, I cry out to You for the reviving of the dead or dying areas of my own life or circumstances. I also look to You for the sustaining strength I need in times of suffering. Teach me to live daily by the power of Your resurrection, Amen."
This is blowing me away. What have I been posting about the last two weeks? Since meeting Lisa. Since letting the last thing die in my life. God is speaking to me loud today.
This is blowing me away. What have I been posting about the last two weeks? Since meeting Lisa. Since letting the last thing die in my life. God is speaking to me loud today.
So Sweet!
I recently have been talking with an old friend. He went to our rival high school and was an excellent hockey player, who played against some of my friends! So we've been catching up and exchanging jabs about each others' schools. He went on to play college and professional soccer. Anyway, he has 3 kids, too and this morning, he sent me daisies because he said he knew they were my favorite flower! AWWWWWW! Brian used to send me flowers just because, too!
So, if God wasn't in my life right now, I'd be terribly conflicted! :)
I talked with Brian last night. He was in a stressed out mood. I guess there was quite a heated zoning board meeting last night. And being on the zoning board, he had to partake. Then Cassie (his daughter) called and said that her dog bit a kid outside of the Petsmart in N.C. where she lives. Animal control had to investigate and she was pretty upset. She is a preschool teacher and has a love for children, but really loves her dog, too! Poor kid! She's only 20. I'm not sure what is going to happen, but I think she'll be able to keep her dog.
Anyway, then he got annoyed because he sent me pictures of him and Cassie at the Atlanta Conference Race track at a Nascar race. He was ticked because I said the picture was cute. The picture was cute but apparently I was supposed to get all happy about Nascar (which he knows I don't like, and he only likes it because Cassie's boyfriend Travis works for one of the racing teams and so they get free tickets) and know that this was one of the oldest tracks in history. It was hard to be happy about him taking trips without me. The picture is cute. We agreed we were both tired, stressed and snippy and that it was best to go to bed.
I hope he has a better day today. I know I am going to have a great day! I have church tonight. I have a house to clean. And a latte to go get! And a really cute friend that just sent me flowers!
So, if God wasn't in my life right now, I'd be terribly conflicted! :)
I talked with Brian last night. He was in a stressed out mood. I guess there was quite a heated zoning board meeting last night. And being on the zoning board, he had to partake. Then Cassie (his daughter) called and said that her dog bit a kid outside of the Petsmart in N.C. where she lives. Animal control had to investigate and she was pretty upset. She is a preschool teacher and has a love for children, but really loves her dog, too! Poor kid! She's only 20. I'm not sure what is going to happen, but I think she'll be able to keep her dog.
Anyway, then he got annoyed because he sent me pictures of him and Cassie at the Atlanta Conference Race track at a Nascar race. He was ticked because I said the picture was cute. The picture was cute but apparently I was supposed to get all happy about Nascar (which he knows I don't like, and he only likes it because Cassie's boyfriend Travis works for one of the racing teams and so they get free tickets) and know that this was one of the oldest tracks in history. It was hard to be happy about him taking trips without me. The picture is cute. We agreed we were both tired, stressed and snippy and that it was best to go to bed.
I hope he has a better day today. I know I am going to have a great day! I have church tonight. I have a house to clean. And a latte to go get! And a really cute friend that just sent me flowers!
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
I am the TP Nazi
One the way home tonight, I had to stop to buy more toilet paper. It seems like I have to do this a lot! I know you are all thinking, Ah, Jenn, you can buy it in bulk, therefore iliminating the need for frequent trips to the store. I simply refuse to buy more than 4 rolls at a time because GOOD GADS people!!! The end of the world could come at any minute!!! I don't know about you, but I do not want to be sitting on a t.p. fortune when my time is up!
However, I seem to have given birth to 3 bottoms that require large amounts of the stuff. I can't believe that in our car ride home, toilet paper conservation was the conversation! Who have I become? "4 hands, kids. That's all you get! FOUR hands. Wrap it around no more than 4 hands! Though, I'd prefer 3. But I'll give you 4. Got it? If your butt requires more than that, then ask Santa to put an extra roll in your stocking! Better yet, along with the orange in your stocking, expect to find a roll. This will include birthdays."
Zach just came out of the bathroom, sarcastically demonstrating the 4-hand roll. "Mom, you could scare Hitler."
However, I seem to have given birth to 3 bottoms that require large amounts of the stuff. I can't believe that in our car ride home, toilet paper conservation was the conversation! Who have I become? "4 hands, kids. That's all you get! FOUR hands. Wrap it around no more than 4 hands! Though, I'd prefer 3. But I'll give you 4. Got it? If your butt requires more than that, then ask Santa to put an extra roll in your stocking! Better yet, along with the orange in your stocking, expect to find a roll. This will include birthdays."
Zach just came out of the bathroom, sarcastically demonstrating the 4-hand roll. "Mom, you could scare Hitler."
11/14/06
So last night was pretty interesting! I am having a great day...why? Because I'm having Thanksgiving with my friend Debi and the Lord is so wonderful and He is the best provider there is. I'm still kind of waiting for that one person in my life. Not quite sure who that is. God knows, of course! It'll be great when it happens. It might be Brian or it might be someone entirely different. Brian ended the conversation by saying that I sound the happiest I've ever sounded since he's known me and that he hopes I stay this way. All thanks for that go to the Lord!
SOOOOOO now, I just wait and see what the Lord has planned for me!!!
SOOOOOO now, I just wait and see what the Lord has planned for me!!!
Midnight
i just got off the phone with Brian. I called Debi right before he called me, so she would pray with me. I wanted the Lord to give me His strength to continue to do His will in my life. I wanted to put God first and lay that all out there for Brian. That this is where I am with the Lord. This is where I want him to be. He's getting it...ever so slowly.
God was so good tonight. He was my strength. He got me through an otherwise tense situation. It has been 4 weeks since I've talked to Brian. He of course, acted like it was just yesterday. Like he said, he is consistently inconsistent. I love him so much. It is so hard to just let the Lord have it, but I gave it to Him a few weeks ago. Brian was the last thing I was hanging on to. I couldn't fight for it anymore. I couldn't carry the burden any longer. I finally cried and let it all die and the next day, Lisa confirmed to me that the Lord had seen that small act of faith on my part. He told Lisa to tell me that He is here, and listening and just to wait. He told her to tell me that He has the power to resurrect dreams I'd let die. She had no way of knowing what I had done the night before. Absolutely no way. I hadn't even had a chance to talk to Debi about it.
Tonight, I was reading Hebrews 11:1 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about what we cannot see.
I'm convinced of only a few things regarding this...one, God is quite clear about me waiting. Two, God has told me He has the power to resurrect dreams that I let die...of course, this will be on His terms. I am still to wait. To witness to Brian when I have an opportunity. Loving him and forever forgiving him, becuase that is what I am called to do as a Christian. And three, The Lord is my shepard. I hear His voice. I want to always run to His call.
Brian was worried about what I was going to be doing for Thanksgiving. Despite all of the things he's done, or not done lately...he still loves me. I know it now. He didn't say it. He didn't have to. Sometimes it is just enough to know.
SOOOOO, I am singing praise to the Lord tonight. I am going to sleep with a smile on my face and a heart that feels healthy and unburdened. I have a wonderful Father in Heaven who loves me and has a great life planned for me. He is mine and I am His. Not even the one thing, or person in this case, that I wanted more in this world could take me out of His loving embrace. What a blessed place to be!!!
God was so good tonight. He was my strength. He got me through an otherwise tense situation. It has been 4 weeks since I've talked to Brian. He of course, acted like it was just yesterday. Like he said, he is consistently inconsistent. I love him so much. It is so hard to just let the Lord have it, but I gave it to Him a few weeks ago. Brian was the last thing I was hanging on to. I couldn't fight for it anymore. I couldn't carry the burden any longer. I finally cried and let it all die and the next day, Lisa confirmed to me that the Lord had seen that small act of faith on my part. He told Lisa to tell me that He is here, and listening and just to wait. He told her to tell me that He has the power to resurrect dreams I'd let die. She had no way of knowing what I had done the night before. Absolutely no way. I hadn't even had a chance to talk to Debi about it.
Tonight, I was reading Hebrews 11:1 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about what we cannot see.
I'm convinced of only a few things regarding this...one, God is quite clear about me waiting. Two, God has told me He has the power to resurrect dreams that I let die...of course, this will be on His terms. I am still to wait. To witness to Brian when I have an opportunity. Loving him and forever forgiving him, becuase that is what I am called to do as a Christian. And three, The Lord is my shepard. I hear His voice. I want to always run to His call.
Brian was worried about what I was going to be doing for Thanksgiving. Despite all of the things he's done, or not done lately...he still loves me. I know it now. He didn't say it. He didn't have to. Sometimes it is just enough to know.
SOOOOO, I am singing praise to the Lord tonight. I am going to sleep with a smile on my face and a heart that feels healthy and unburdened. I have a wonderful Father in Heaven who loves me and has a great life planned for me. He is mine and I am His. Not even the one thing, or person in this case, that I wanted more in this world could take me out of His loving embrace. What a blessed place to be!!!
Monday, November 13, 2006
Monday Night
I just heard from Debi. She had a pretty great experience with the Lord today, too! She was facing some pretty hefty electrical work to be done on her car. Even the mechanic wasn't quite sure what was wrong. We were all praying for her last night. She walked to work this morning, praising God because it has been so unseasonably warm these last few days. Got a ride home with a Christian brother and he looked at it for her. Turns out it looks like it was just a loose battery cable!
I worked today, had meetings, ran errands, washed the bathroom floor and now I am exhausted. i'm laying on the couch, trying to nap, but it just isn't happening. Now it is too late. I might as well try to hang on for a few more hours and just go down for the night. It was good to get up and go to work this morning, even though I was dragging butt. I had to get back to the land of the living!
I'm feeling like a Beckett character in How It Is, lately with all of my blogging! A little fact most people don't know about me is that I took a complete course on Beckett and another seminar on just Gertrude Stein. My (late) professor/mentor/friend/advisor Welch Everman was a Beckett scholar.
I miss Welch. Charlie and I talk about him every time we talk. We went to his funeral together. We both remember almost every detail of that funeral. His passing has left such a huge void in my life. I got used to him reading everything I wrote. There isn't much that I write, without him in mind; what his thoughts would be. His great dislike for trite and my love for it! I remember being upset when I was graduating, telling him, "I'll never be in another Welch class." I ran into him and his wife at Border's the next morning and he was like, "And you were so worried we'd never see each other again! They'll be grad classes. You haven't heard my lecture on Circus of the Souls." Sadly, he was dead that next September from lung cancer. He actually started going to church in the last year of his life. He classes would always "sell out" he was so popular. That is what I used to call it when I'd try to get in a class and it would be full. I'd email him and be like, "You're sold out. I need to get into such and such..." and I'd get added to the list. Of course, it helped that he was my advisor! I know there is a group of us that are just writing blindly now , blowing in the wind...me, Jenny, Derek, Charlie, Jason...to name a few. We're all lacking direction with our craft.
I get my direction from God now, so I guess it really isn't lacking. It's lacking something, but certainly not direction. Skill, maybe. The passion I used to have for it. Writing for me, is like breathing. I sometimes think that there are so many words we are supposed to speak before we die. What if you hit that number early? Or what if we fail to say nothing?
"It's in the nothing that great stories take place, the truth hides in the nothing, behind the words, in the depth of words, in the white space between the words, in the vanishing point where trivial details become irrelevant, in the silences inside the story." ~ Samuel Beckett
I worked today, had meetings, ran errands, washed the bathroom floor and now I am exhausted. i'm laying on the couch, trying to nap, but it just isn't happening. Now it is too late. I might as well try to hang on for a few more hours and just go down for the night. It was good to get up and go to work this morning, even though I was dragging butt. I had to get back to the land of the living!
I'm feeling like a Beckett character in How It Is, lately with all of my blogging! A little fact most people don't know about me is that I took a complete course on Beckett and another seminar on just Gertrude Stein. My (late) professor/mentor/friend/advisor Welch Everman was a Beckett scholar.
I miss Welch. Charlie and I talk about him every time we talk. We went to his funeral together. We both remember almost every detail of that funeral. His passing has left such a huge void in my life. I got used to him reading everything I wrote. There isn't much that I write, without him in mind; what his thoughts would be. His great dislike for trite and my love for it! I remember being upset when I was graduating, telling him, "I'll never be in another Welch class." I ran into him and his wife at Border's the next morning and he was like, "And you were so worried we'd never see each other again! They'll be grad classes. You haven't heard my lecture on Circus of the Souls." Sadly, he was dead that next September from lung cancer. He actually started going to church in the last year of his life. He classes would always "sell out" he was so popular. That is what I used to call it when I'd try to get in a class and it would be full. I'd email him and be like, "You're sold out. I need to get into such and such..." and I'd get added to the list. Of course, it helped that he was my advisor! I know there is a group of us that are just writing blindly now , blowing in the wind...me, Jenny, Derek, Charlie, Jason...to name a few. We're all lacking direction with our craft.
I get my direction from God now, so I guess it really isn't lacking. It's lacking something, but certainly not direction. Skill, maybe. The passion I used to have for it. Writing for me, is like breathing. I sometimes think that there are so many words we are supposed to speak before we die. What if you hit that number early? Or what if we fail to say nothing?
"It's in the nothing that great stories take place, the truth hides in the nothing, behind the words, in the depth of words, in the white space between the words, in the vanishing point where trivial details become irrelevant, in the silences inside the story." ~ Samuel Beckett
Need Advice...
At the risk of having Rascal Flatts songs on my Google adsense FOREVER, I need some advice. My 12 year old son wants a BB gun for Christmas. His friends all have them. My initial response was NO WAY PAL! You and a weapon...nope!
But...it is the one thing he's asked for. I told him I'd think about it and ask God. Which I am doing, but I'd still appreciate any comments one way or another.
But...it is the one thing he's asked for. I told him I'd think about it and ask God. Which I am doing, but I'd still appreciate any comments one way or another.
November 13, 2006
I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week! I thought I had an extra week in there! Parent-teacher conferences today. 2 down, 1 to go.
I went to bed last night reading my Bible and that is how I woke up this morning. I do read it every day, but I've been trying to be more consistent with my devotions and spending some time really meditating on His word. This is a challenge for me. When I have time to read, I am usually catching up on other reading. I want this to be first and foremost in my life.
I drove to work this morning and a song I hadn't heard yet came on the radio. It was Casting Crowns "Does Anybody Hear Her". I have never been so moved by a song in my entire life. I immediately started crying and pulled over and just praised the Lord. Weird for me to do this, I know, but I just couldn't help myself.
"Does Anybody Hear Her"
She is running
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
She is trying
But the canyon's ever widening
In the depths of her cold heart
So she sets out on another misadventure just to find
She's another two years older
And she's three more steps behind
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even knows she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
She is yearning
For shelter and affection
That she never found at home
She is searching
For a hero to ride in
To ride in and save the day
And in walks her prince charming
And he knows just what to say
Momentary lapse of reason
And she gives herself away
If judgement looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can't see past her scarlet letter
And we never even met her
He is running
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
Even reading over the lyrics again, I am getting all teary-eyed. How amazing that God not only speaks to you through His word, but He can find you in a song. In a friend. Through a stranger.
I went to bed last night reading my Bible and that is how I woke up this morning. I do read it every day, but I've been trying to be more consistent with my devotions and spending some time really meditating on His word. This is a challenge for me. When I have time to read, I am usually catching up on other reading. I want this to be first and foremost in my life.
I drove to work this morning and a song I hadn't heard yet came on the radio. It was Casting Crowns "Does Anybody Hear Her". I have never been so moved by a song in my entire life. I immediately started crying and pulled over and just praised the Lord. Weird for me to do this, I know, but I just couldn't help myself.
"Does Anybody Hear Her"
She is running
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
She is trying
But the canyon's ever widening
In the depths of her cold heart
So she sets out on another misadventure just to find
She's another two years older
And she's three more steps behind
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even knows she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
She is yearning
For shelter and affection
That she never found at home
She is searching
For a hero to ride in
To ride in and save the day
And in walks her prince charming
And he knows just what to say
Momentary lapse of reason
And she gives herself away
If judgement looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can't see past her scarlet letter
And we never even met her
He is running
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
Even reading over the lyrics again, I am getting all teary-eyed. How amazing that God not only speaks to you through His word, but He can find you in a song. In a friend. Through a stranger.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Long Day
It has been a long day even though it seems like I haven't done much! Church was good. I think I have Thanksgiving settled. Kayla is going to CT to my sister's house with my parents. I'm going to Debi's daughter Rachel's house. This will be her first year as she's only been married less than a year and she wants to have it at her house! She doesn't know how to cook a turkey, though! I think that is cute! It'll be fun. Deb is like family now. I'll probably have something small for my grandmother, too.
Other than that, I don't think there is much else to tell. Eric and Erin are finally getting married! Yay! Congratulations!
Other than that, I don't think there is much else to tell. Eric and Erin are finally getting married! Yay! Congratulations!
Happy Sunday
It has been such a quiet weekend. I am loving it. I didn't do anything yesterday other than go to the bank and then go and pick up pizzas. That was maybe 20 minutes! Today, church. I have to run a few errands that I should have done yesterday. Church tonight.
I don't want to work tomorrow. The kids have tomorrow off, too. They also had Friday off. It has been nice hanging around the house with them and not feeling pressured to run here and there. Next weekend, we won't be so lucky. I seriously HAVE to start Christmas shopping. Next weekend. Maybe I'll hit up Freeport.
So weird that I was thinking about my friend Alex and I he appeared out of nowhere on myspace! My little cute boy has a baby and is married! I am so happy for him! Of all my college friends, he was the last one that I thought would marry kind of young. He looks soooo happy in the pictures of him holding his baby son, while they are both taking a nap! In our student teaching seminar, we had to 'grade' each others journals and we'd always write in them with IM slang...like WTF, lol...etc. We'd joke because we IM'd so much that we figured we'd probably end up doing that on our students' papers! Who else have I found...my friend Robert and my friend Clinton.
Robert is a crack-up. He, Lynette and I got really close one semester and were hanging out in all these weird places. That was one weird semester! We were getting high in a mutual friend's house and one of his roomates came home. She was like, "Hi guys, nice to meet you." She seemed normal and sweet. Like a week later, she blew her head off with a gun and both of her roomates were the ones to come home and find her. She was just a few weeks away from graduating. I will never forget the time that we were all having lunch at the Olive Garden and he was like, "So, do you think I can embarass you?" Of course, we were like, NOPE! So he dips his chin and goatee in the alfredo sauce and proceeds to leave his face like that the whole meal! I will never forget the waitress asking if we needed anything and Robert just talking to her like there was nothing wrong. She never said anything about it! Too funny! After that meal, we headed out to look for my license plate. I had hit a deer the night before and it didn't do anything to my car, but ripped off my plate. So we drove up and down the road looking for it in the snow. We finally found it.
Clinton was one of my best friends. As is Charlie. The two of them know just about everything there is to know about me. And like me anyway! :) I think Charlie knows absolutely EVERYTHING! I love that I don't have to sensor anything I say with him. I can just say it. Politically correct or not. It just comes flying out of my mouth with him and he just laughs.
I had such great times with my friends! Definitely a time of my life that will never be forgotten. Now I just need to find Susan, Kim, Tim and Tonya. And Amy and Jessica.
My friend Tim is hilarious. He has severe trouble sleeping and has bouts of severe anxiety. It was during one of these bouts and he'd finally reached the point where is body was going to sleep, with or without him. So he crashed hard! He and his girlfriend had this cat and it had gotten outside and was scratching and meowing at the door, loud enough to wake him up. But he wasn't really awake. It was like 4 AM and his girlfriend was at work and so not thinking, he grabbed the first shirt on the floor he could find. It was this superman shirt of his girlfriends that came above his belly button. Of course, he was naked other than that. So he goes to the door and is standing on the steps, half-naked, yelling, "Here kitty, kitty, kitty!" Well, his papergirl and her mother were delivering papers at that moment and actually called the cops and were pressing indecent exposure charges! SOOOOOO funny. He was so stressed about his court appearance when he was telling me the story. And here I am laughing my ass off! It was the funniest thing I ever heard! So whenever I see him, I am always like, "Here kitty, kitty, kitty!" Of course, he couldn't stop laughing when I had to go to court for not having my car registered! A felony charge! Worse than indecent exposure! And I sat next to the horse molester! Long story.
Current Mood: Really missing my "group" right now.
Current Music: Feels Like the First Time..........Foreigner
I don't want to work tomorrow. The kids have tomorrow off, too. They also had Friday off. It has been nice hanging around the house with them and not feeling pressured to run here and there. Next weekend, we won't be so lucky. I seriously HAVE to start Christmas shopping. Next weekend. Maybe I'll hit up Freeport.
So weird that I was thinking about my friend Alex and I he appeared out of nowhere on myspace! My little cute boy has a baby and is married! I am so happy for him! Of all my college friends, he was the last one that I thought would marry kind of young. He looks soooo happy in the pictures of him holding his baby son, while they are both taking a nap! In our student teaching seminar, we had to 'grade' each others journals and we'd always write in them with IM slang...like WTF, lol...etc. We'd joke because we IM'd so much that we figured we'd probably end up doing that on our students' papers! Who else have I found...my friend Robert and my friend Clinton.
Robert is a crack-up. He, Lynette and I got really close one semester and were hanging out in all these weird places. That was one weird semester! We were getting high in a mutual friend's house and one of his roomates came home. She was like, "Hi guys, nice to meet you." She seemed normal and sweet. Like a week later, she blew her head off with a gun and both of her roomates were the ones to come home and find her. She was just a few weeks away from graduating. I will never forget the time that we were all having lunch at the Olive Garden and he was like, "So, do you think I can embarass you?" Of course, we were like, NOPE! So he dips his chin and goatee in the alfredo sauce and proceeds to leave his face like that the whole meal! I will never forget the waitress asking if we needed anything and Robert just talking to her like there was nothing wrong. She never said anything about it! Too funny! After that meal, we headed out to look for my license plate. I had hit a deer the night before and it didn't do anything to my car, but ripped off my plate. So we drove up and down the road looking for it in the snow. We finally found it.
Clinton was one of my best friends. As is Charlie. The two of them know just about everything there is to know about me. And like me anyway! :) I think Charlie knows absolutely EVERYTHING! I love that I don't have to sensor anything I say with him. I can just say it. Politically correct or not. It just comes flying out of my mouth with him and he just laughs.
I had such great times with my friends! Definitely a time of my life that will never be forgotten. Now I just need to find Susan, Kim, Tim and Tonya. And Amy and Jessica.
My friend Tim is hilarious. He has severe trouble sleeping and has bouts of severe anxiety. It was during one of these bouts and he'd finally reached the point where is body was going to sleep, with or without him. So he crashed hard! He and his girlfriend had this cat and it had gotten outside and was scratching and meowing at the door, loud enough to wake him up. But he wasn't really awake. It was like 4 AM and his girlfriend was at work and so not thinking, he grabbed the first shirt on the floor he could find. It was this superman shirt of his girlfriends that came above his belly button. Of course, he was naked other than that. So he goes to the door and is standing on the steps, half-naked, yelling, "Here kitty, kitty, kitty!" Well, his papergirl and her mother were delivering papers at that moment and actually called the cops and were pressing indecent exposure charges! SOOOOOO funny. He was so stressed about his court appearance when he was telling me the story. And here I am laughing my ass off! It was the funniest thing I ever heard! So whenever I see him, I am always like, "Here kitty, kitty, kitty!" Of course, he couldn't stop laughing when I had to go to court for not having my car registered! A felony charge! Worse than indecent exposure! And I sat next to the horse molester! Long story.
Current Mood: Really missing my "group" right now.
Current Music: Feels Like the First Time..........Foreigner
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Awwww...
| You Are Smokin' Hot |
 You're a terrible flirt, a sharp dresser, and a party animal. Of course, you're totally sizzling too. And for you, being hot just comes naturally. |
I Must Be Stopped
| You Are 44% Addicted to Myspace |
Your Myspace addiction factor is: Moderate You're slowly building a very strong addiction to Myspace. Get out while you still can! |
Meditative Thought for Today
"Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works." Hebrews 10:23-24
Current Mood: great
Current Music: It's the Best Day Ever..........Spongebob
Current Mood: great
Current Music: It's the Best Day Ever..........Spongebob
Yay!!!
I AM a Christmas Sweater! I completely agree!
And while I don't know what my future husband's name is yet, I DO know he's a vision in a tacky Christmas sweater, with the retarded Santa's hat he wears all day on Christmas!
And while I don't know what my future husband's name is yet, I DO know he's a vision in a tacky Christmas sweater, with the retarded Santa's hat he wears all day on Christmas!
STOP You Ascalray Attsflay ooglegay adway
| You Are a Christmas Sweater! |
 Over the top, colorful, and totally flashy. You're not afraid to be a little tacky. |
Friday, November 10, 2006
Thoughts
I love days like this. Laid back. Dinner definitely hit the spot! This is one of those meals that Brian would have LOVED. And we'd be cuddling on the couch right now after stuffing ourselves silly. I really don't feel so sad, though. It is reallly amazing how much healing and resting the Lord can provide if you let Him. There are times when I get really frustrated with waiting, as I am so used to moving forward a hundred miles an hour, but when I look back at how far I've come since May, I can see why I am waiting. It is so I can catch my breath.
I've been meditating a lot on God's plan for me. I love those moments when I ask a question and it immediately gets answered the second I open the Bible. My questions always get answered, but sometimes it is later in the day or a few days later. I love it when you ask and then you open up to the answer. There are times when I want to help the Lord and it all falls apart and then there are times when I am usually not even trying, and He uses me to help someone. I immediately opened to Matthew 6:1. "Watch out! Don't do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in Heaven."
There is so much work to be done in this world and it is frustrating at times to feel held back, chomping at the bit. Lisa has been meditating a lot on Abraham lately and something she said kind of sparked something in me, which was, look how long Abraham had to wait, how many trials he had to endure because of his lack of faith. He failed to wait on the Lord's promise about Isaac and rushed into taking things into his own hands with Hagar. It seemed like every time Abraham took a step forward, he messed things up and had to take a step back. He lied more than once about Sarah being his wife, saying she was his sister because he didn't trust the Lord that he would be kept safe. But even though Abraham screwed things up time and time again, the Lord kept after him. Finally, when Abraham started getting things right, he was able to offer his beloved son as a sacrifce because he finally completely trusted the Lord's promise about multiplying his descendents through Isaac. He knew that wouldn't happen if Isaac were dead, so either the Lord was going to stop the sacrifice before he went through with it or resurrect his son.
Few of us are called to demonstrate faith to that extreme, but how many of us don't even have faith in His little promises? Promises that bills will be paid, or waiting for the right job, the right house or even the right relationship. Relationships especially. How many people are so scared of dying alone or not having kids that they run out and start looking on their own, without letting the Lord do the work, and end up settling or getting themselves in a relationship that should never have happened. I was so guilty of that. There is a lot of pressure, though, if you keep your eyes on the world and not on the Lord. Pressure to have it all. NOW! Pressure to have the kids, doing it yourself if you have to, to have a house by age 35, to have your 401K in order, a college degree, loans paid, IRAs in place...I can't stress enough how nice it is not to have to worry about that stuff now. I am not knocking myself out anymore.
Look at the people that do stress about that stuff and then die of a heart attack even before they retire. What was all of the worry about if they weren't even going to be able to enjoy it? I'm not saying to not plan for the future. I've just found it easier to let God do the planning. I pray with my list, "Okay, Lord, this would be nice, I like this, and that's cool too. Can we do it?" He says, "Umm, hon, do you remember how you thought tucking your socks into your pants was really cool in like the 8th grade? Or how about Bobby? Remember him? Yeah, I bet you're glad I didn't answer THAT prayer!!! Yeah, well, this idea is kind of like that. We'll just wait a little until your tastes improve and mature a bit."
I've been meditating a lot on God's plan for me. I love those moments when I ask a question and it immediately gets answered the second I open the Bible. My questions always get answered, but sometimes it is later in the day or a few days later. I love it when you ask and then you open up to the answer. There are times when I want to help the Lord and it all falls apart and then there are times when I am usually not even trying, and He uses me to help someone. I immediately opened to Matthew 6:1. "Watch out! Don't do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in Heaven."
There is so much work to be done in this world and it is frustrating at times to feel held back, chomping at the bit. Lisa has been meditating a lot on Abraham lately and something she said kind of sparked something in me, which was, look how long Abraham had to wait, how many trials he had to endure because of his lack of faith. He failed to wait on the Lord's promise about Isaac and rushed into taking things into his own hands with Hagar. It seemed like every time Abraham took a step forward, he messed things up and had to take a step back. He lied more than once about Sarah being his wife, saying she was his sister because he didn't trust the Lord that he would be kept safe. But even though Abraham screwed things up time and time again, the Lord kept after him. Finally, when Abraham started getting things right, he was able to offer his beloved son as a sacrifce because he finally completely trusted the Lord's promise about multiplying his descendents through Isaac. He knew that wouldn't happen if Isaac were dead, so either the Lord was going to stop the sacrifice before he went through with it or resurrect his son.
Few of us are called to demonstrate faith to that extreme, but how many of us don't even have faith in His little promises? Promises that bills will be paid, or waiting for the right job, the right house or even the right relationship. Relationships especially. How many people are so scared of dying alone or not having kids that they run out and start looking on their own, without letting the Lord do the work, and end up settling or getting themselves in a relationship that should never have happened. I was so guilty of that. There is a lot of pressure, though, if you keep your eyes on the world and not on the Lord. Pressure to have it all. NOW! Pressure to have the kids, doing it yourself if you have to, to have a house by age 35, to have your 401K in order, a college degree, loans paid, IRAs in place...I can't stress enough how nice it is not to have to worry about that stuff now. I am not knocking myself out anymore.
Look at the people that do stress about that stuff and then die of a heart attack even before they retire. What was all of the worry about if they weren't even going to be able to enjoy it? I'm not saying to not plan for the future. I've just found it easier to let God do the planning. I pray with my list, "Okay, Lord, this would be nice, I like this, and that's cool too. Can we do it?" He says, "Umm, hon, do you remember how you thought tucking your socks into your pants was really cool in like the 8th grade? Or how about Bobby? Remember him? Yeah, I bet you're glad I didn't answer THAT prayer!!! Yeah, well, this idea is kind of like that. We'll just wait a little until your tastes improve and mature a bit."
Afternoon Update
If only you could smell the chicken and dumplings cooking right now!
Today is a nice quiet day. It is even quiet online! Just a few new messages on myspace. One from an 18 year old. Very Christian, too. Too bad he is so young! :) He thinks I am cute! Awwwww! Maybe by the time I am 40, I'll stop being cute! Maybe not. Whenever I see Sally Fields on tv, I can't help but think she is just as cute now as she was on Gidget.
I am watching Step by Step right now. One of my favorite shows.
And what is up with people over the age of 18 using UR, or cuz, or a combination of letters and numbers when IMing? It drives me crazy. Would it be so difficult to type You are? If you have enough time to pimp your myspace, then you have enough time to complete your words. ESPECIALLY if you are over the age of ummm say 18!!! Kind of forgivable if you are under the age of 22. It also drives me crazy when adults call their parents "rents." Maybe if I didn't work with middle schoolers, I wouldn't mind so much.
Today is a nice quiet day. It is even quiet online! Just a few new messages on myspace. One from an 18 year old. Very Christian, too. Too bad he is so young! :) He thinks I am cute! Awwwww! Maybe by the time I am 40, I'll stop being cute! Maybe not. Whenever I see Sally Fields on tv, I can't help but think she is just as cute now as she was on Gidget.
I am watching Step by Step right now. One of my favorite shows.
And what is up with people over the age of 18 using UR, or cuz, or a combination of letters and numbers when IMing? It drives me crazy. Would it be so difficult to type You are? If you have enough time to pimp your myspace, then you have enough time to complete your words. ESPECIALLY if you are over the age of ummm say 18!!! Kind of forgivable if you are under the age of 22. It also drives me crazy when adults call their parents "rents." Maybe if I didn't work with middle schoolers, I wouldn't mind so much.
11/10/2006
I can't believe it is almost 1 PM! I woke up. Relaxed a little. Talked with Debi on the phone. Went to the grocery store and now I am back home. We're cleaning up a little, watching Kindergarten Cop, and I am going to start the chicken and dumplings.
The Wizard of Oz is on tonight. Yay!! I know, I have no life. This is where God wants me right now! :)
Have any of you noticed the cool new toys there are in the world now? Man, I wish I was a kid again! There is an awesome battery operated green Vespa that I would have soooooo wanted. Now, I guess I'll have to settle for the grown up version. I also want Moon Sand and an Aquadoodle.
The Wizard of Oz is on tonight. Yay!! I know, I have no life. This is where God wants me right now! :)
Have any of you noticed the cool new toys there are in the world now? Man, I wish I was a kid again! There is an awesome battery operated green Vespa that I would have soooooo wanted. Now, I guess I'll have to settle for the grown up version. I also want Moon Sand and an Aquadoodle.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Thursday Is My Friday This Week
It was a crazy night at the center tonight! Super busy!!! I am so glad I have tomorrow off. I have to buy dog food and cat food tomorrow. Crazy to run out of both in the same night. What the hey? Eragon is already a MOVIE? The book didn't come out that long ago. Great book, btw.
My prayers tonight are for all of my friends and family of course, but also for Teresa's new job and for Debi to find peace with her existing job or to provide her with some idea of what God has next for her. And Tanya...you've been quiet. I hope you're just busy. Will, I hope you're working on our coffee shop! :) Eric, I know what you're doing...I may have to adopt your rotating closet theory, if you don't mind.
Right now I am waiting for The OC. I can't believe how addicted I am to this show. I just love Seth Cohen. I love goofy guys like that. Guys that are cute, but in a geeky kind of video game/computer/comic book kind of way, with good senses of humor. Maybe because some of my favorite weekends ever are ones spent playing video games with the kids, although they've banned me for life from playing Grand Theft Auto. I totally kick butt at that old Atari game Breakout. Zach is always like, I can't believe I was just beat by my MOM!
My prayers tonight are for all of my friends and family of course, but also for Teresa's new job and for Debi to find peace with her existing job or to provide her with some idea of what God has next for her. And Tanya...you've been quiet. I hope you're just busy. Will, I hope you're working on our coffee shop! :) Eric, I know what you're doing...I may have to adopt your rotating closet theory, if you don't mind.
Right now I am waiting for The OC. I can't believe how addicted I am to this show. I just love Seth Cohen. I love goofy guys like that. Guys that are cute, but in a geeky kind of video game/computer/comic book kind of way, with good senses of humor. Maybe because some of my favorite weekends ever are ones spent playing video games with the kids, although they've banned me for life from playing Grand Theft Auto. I totally kick butt at that old Atari game Breakout. Zach is always like, I can't believe I was just beat by my MOM!
Pastor Bryon
There is a blog I read from time to time. Pastor Bryon at a Calvary Chapel (Jupiter, I think) in Flordia.
At first, I didn't like him because I may have falsely interpretted what may or may not have been a disparaging remark about my pastor, Ken Graves. But, he kind of grew on me and I do enjoy his thought process on his blog. Anyway, I just want to say how nice it is to witness a pastor who is open about his own struggles with faith and what it means to be called to Christ.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Acts 1:8
At first, I didn't like him because I may have falsely interpretted what may or may not have been a disparaging remark about my pastor, Ken Graves. But, he kind of grew on me and I do enjoy his thought process on his blog. Anyway, I just want to say how nice it is to witness a pastor who is open about his own struggles with faith and what it means to be called to Christ.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Acts 1:8
November 9, 2006
Church was much needed last night. That girl I met last week was there again. We are slowly learning a little more about each other's lives, but the reason why we aren't rushing to tell each other details is because we are being blown away by how God is speaking to each of us, giving us messages for each other. If we knew the details, this experience would lose its credibility. So last night, she relayed to me a message from God. She said that all day Monday, she could not get me off of her mind and felt, after meeting me, that there was still this feeling, this blackness, that I felt like I wasn't good enough. God wanted her to relay to me that that is completely untrue. He sees. He said all of those thoughts are garbage. He does not want me to settle. In fact, He told Lisa to tell me that He is jealous for me in this area in my life. He wants me to wait because what He has planned for me is very amazing. This is the second time (and almost verbatim) that I've heard this. Once was from Pastor Jim and now I was hearing it from Lisa. I love hearing about "my husband". The man who God has created for me. They are very specific about him being a true disciple of God and how my past is going to be used to help other women that are in the situation that I was. God knows my strength and my heart and wants more than anything that I let Him carry the load from now on. He knows I can carry a heavy load, but it is breaking His heart that I feel I have to.
So right now, I am a happy kind of sad. I'm so happy that I feel this close with my Father, but at the same time, sad that I've wasted so much time with those thoughts swirling around my head.
So right now, I am a happy kind of sad. I'm so happy that I feel this close with my Father, but at the same time, sad that I've wasted so much time with those thoughts swirling around my head.
Crazy Eights
Teaching is just my cover...really we run a huge gambling racket. My friends call me "Jenny Blue Eyes."
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Gracie
My niece Gracie. This was taken when I was sick and pale and tired looking. BUT Gracie looks sweet!
Steven Tyler
I'm just sitting here missing summer and I was going through my 4th of July pictures. Remember when I met Steven Tyler and he asked me to marry him?
Okay, so I didn't meet him but I did get close enough to get great pictures! I can't wait until Boston 2007!
Okay, so I didn't meet him but I did get close enough to get great pictures! I can't wait until Boston 2007!
WTF????
How did the google ad "Rascal Flatts" show up on my blog? I go from Jesus camp to Rascal Flatts? Must have been the post about the table saw.
Why You Should Never...
teach your kids to talk.
So at the doctor's yesterday, the doctor was asking Zach questions that were on a checklist for his sports physical. Have you ever had one of the following: Fever, yes. Sore throat, yes. Heart palpitations, no. Dizziness, no. Fainting, no. Seizures, no. So I'm just sort of listening to Zach answer the questions. It is obvious my 12 year old has the situation under control. Next question. Near death experience. (This is where I wait for the no.) He says, Twice. This is where I snap to.
Me: WHAT? NONE!
Zach: YES! Mom, I nearly died twice!
Me: Okay, Zach, when did you nearly die and how could I have missed that?
Zach: You remember that time I was carrying the table saw blade out to Dad and I tripped on the step. It almost cut my face off!
Me: (To Zach) It never touched you! (To the doctor) It never touched him. There was no blood. Honestly, I don't know where he gets this stuff.
Doctor: You said 2 times.
Zach: Well, I did drive the car into a sign once.
Head injurys, the doctor asks? Several, I answer. Memory loss? I like to call it presidential eligibility.
Yeah, it was a LOOOOONG day! Today, I am going to get my latte. Do laundry. I was up until 2 AM last night. And I was rudely awakened by obnoxious children fighting whilst getting ready for school at 6:30 AM. I was contemplating going back to bed, but I'll be dragging butt all day if I do that. I'll just go to bed early tonight. The OC is on tonight AND tomorrow night. I have church tonight, too.
So at the doctor's yesterday, the doctor was asking Zach questions that were on a checklist for his sports physical. Have you ever had one of the following: Fever, yes. Sore throat, yes. Heart palpitations, no. Dizziness, no. Fainting, no. Seizures, no. So I'm just sort of listening to Zach answer the questions. It is obvious my 12 year old has the situation under control. Next question. Near death experience. (This is where I wait for the no.) He says, Twice. This is where I snap to.
Me: WHAT? NONE!
Zach: YES! Mom, I nearly died twice!
Me: Okay, Zach, when did you nearly die and how could I have missed that?
Zach: You remember that time I was carrying the table saw blade out to Dad and I tripped on the step. It almost cut my face off!
Me: (To Zach) It never touched you! (To the doctor) It never touched him. There was no blood. Honestly, I don't know where he gets this stuff.
Doctor: You said 2 times.
Zach: Well, I did drive the car into a sign once.
Head injurys, the doctor asks? Several, I answer. Memory loss? I like to call it presidential eligibility.
Yeah, it was a LOOOOONG day! Today, I am going to get my latte. Do laundry. I was up until 2 AM last night. And I was rudely awakened by obnoxious children fighting whilst getting ready for school at 6:30 AM. I was contemplating going back to bed, but I'll be dragging butt all day if I do that. I'll just go to bed early tonight. The OC is on tonight AND tomorrow night. I have church tonight, too.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
November 7, 2006
I knew I could do it! Post three times on a crazy busy day, that is!
Zach and I were at the doctors for 3 hours. He just made it to practice. I was about a 1/2 hour late to work.
The whole day was kind of draining and went by very quickly.
I can't sleep!!! It is 11:30. Good thing I can sleep in tomorrow. Would Britney's real hair PLEASE stand up? In the last 3 days, I've seen it black and short, blond and short, and blond and long.......more Britney news...she has filed for divorce. Man, I am shocked! Didn't see that coming!
I hope we all rocked the vote today.
I should probably call it a night and at least get some reading done. I've been emailing tonight with my cousin Jeremiah and catching up with some other friends.
I'm stressing a little tonight about work...more importantly about what I am going to do in August when my contract runs out. The Lord has been kind of quiet. I know I shouldn't be stressing, but where do I go? When you can go anywhere in the world, where do you go? Somehow I just don't see myself giving child to Sambo in Ghana, but hey, now that Britney's free, maybe things will get interesting for poor Sambo.
Maybe I'll just become a recluse blogger and spend my days watching infomercials. This just in...the new Incredible Hulk movie will be released in 2008. Maybe NOW I can sleep! Who really cares about 2008? I'll be old. My cat will have multiplied to about 300 by then. So will have Britney. Tomkat? Brangelina? Why does the press do that to names? I broke up with Todd when our names started sounding like a drink! I'll have a Jenn and Todd please...on the rocks.
New things I've learned about myspace...there are a lot of sick school teacher fanastys out there! My friends DID have the song "Hot for Teacher" dedicated to me during my graduation party, so there is a bitter irony to it all. A recent compliment I received was, "It's nice to meet someone who isn't a walking STD."
Zach and I were at the doctors for 3 hours. He just made it to practice. I was about a 1/2 hour late to work.
The whole day was kind of draining and went by very quickly.
I can't sleep!!! It is 11:30. Good thing I can sleep in tomorrow. Would Britney's real hair PLEASE stand up? In the last 3 days, I've seen it black and short, blond and short, and blond and long.......more Britney news...she has filed for divorce. Man, I am shocked! Didn't see that coming!
I hope we all rocked the vote today.
I should probably call it a night and at least get some reading done. I've been emailing tonight with my cousin Jeremiah and catching up with some other friends.
I'm stressing a little tonight about work...more importantly about what I am going to do in August when my contract runs out. The Lord has been kind of quiet. I know I shouldn't be stressing, but where do I go? When you can go anywhere in the world, where do you go? Somehow I just don't see myself giving child to Sambo in Ghana, but hey, now that Britney's free, maybe things will get interesting for poor Sambo.
Maybe I'll just become a recluse blogger and spend my days watching infomercials. This just in...the new Incredible Hulk movie will be released in 2008. Maybe NOW I can sleep! Who really cares about 2008? I'll be old. My cat will have multiplied to about 300 by then. So will have Britney. Tomkat? Brangelina? Why does the press do that to names? I broke up with Todd when our names started sounding like a drink! I'll have a Jenn and Todd please...on the rocks.
New things I've learned about myspace...there are a lot of sick school teacher fanastys out there! My friends DID have the song "Hot for Teacher" dedicated to me during my graduation party, so there is a bitter irony to it all. A recent compliment I received was, "It's nice to meet someone who isn't a walking STD."
Maybe...
...just maybe...I might be able to squeeze three in today after all!
"Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you."
Jeremiah 32:17
This keeps being brought to my attention lately. Nothing is too hard for the Lord. Look at the amazing changes that have happened with my life in just a short time. It is okay to let go. To let go of your hopes and dreams you may still be clinging to. Even though you may want God's will in your life, you may be clinging to some of the past because you're worried if you take your attention away from that, it will be a sign to God that you really weren't that sincere about it. However, it is okay to let those dreams die because they will either be replaced with newer and even better dreams that you've never thought possible, or God will resurrect your old hopes and dreams because He has the power of resurrection. First, you need to give them all over to Him and then just trust Him. Wait on Him. For me, life is much easier when I am waiting on Him than when He is waiting on me. He's had to do that an awful lot.
When an almost complete stranger (we just knew names) comes up to me and says, "Jenn, the Lord is hearing your prayers. You might not feel like He is listening right now, but He wants you to know He hasn't left. Just wait. He knows you let it go and He wants me to remind you that He has the power to resurrect it again. Just watch." it is pretty thrilling. It is unfortunate that all of my friends whom are into the paranormal and the supernatural are missing out on the greatest experiences ever. They're hanging out in haunted spaces, watching for ghosts and evidence of the paranormal, searching to fill a void in their lives or for proof that there is something bigger than them, when this is right in front of them. This can be theirs. All they have to do is accept it. Try it. It amazes me the things they'll drink, eat or smoke for an experience like I am having right now, completely drug-free, but I'm the crazy one...Riiiiiight. This can't kill me. In fact, it is just the opposite.
"Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you."
Jeremiah 32:17
This keeps being brought to my attention lately. Nothing is too hard for the Lord. Look at the amazing changes that have happened with my life in just a short time. It is okay to let go. To let go of your hopes and dreams you may still be clinging to. Even though you may want God's will in your life, you may be clinging to some of the past because you're worried if you take your attention away from that, it will be a sign to God that you really weren't that sincere about it. However, it is okay to let those dreams die because they will either be replaced with newer and even better dreams that you've never thought possible, or God will resurrect your old hopes and dreams because He has the power of resurrection. First, you need to give them all over to Him and then just trust Him. Wait on Him. For me, life is much easier when I am waiting on Him than when He is waiting on me. He's had to do that an awful lot.
When an almost complete stranger (we just knew names) comes up to me and says, "Jenn, the Lord is hearing your prayers. You might not feel like He is listening right now, but He wants you to know He hasn't left. Just wait. He knows you let it go and He wants me to remind you that He has the power to resurrect it again. Just watch." it is pretty thrilling. It is unfortunate that all of my friends whom are into the paranormal and the supernatural are missing out on the greatest experiences ever. They're hanging out in haunted spaces, watching for ghosts and evidence of the paranormal, searching to fill a void in their lives or for proof that there is something bigger than them, when this is right in front of them. This can be theirs. All they have to do is accept it. Try it. It amazes me the things they'll drink, eat or smoke for an experience like I am having right now, completely drug-free, but I'm the crazy one...Riiiiiight. This can't kill me. In fact, it is just the opposite.
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