Thankful Moments

The Christmas Eve Present

2007-12-25T07:24:00.000-05:00

This Christmas Eve we decided to go to the church I grew up in which is the Lutheran Church. Years after getting married I joined Todd's Methodist Church which I love but I do miss being at the Lutheran Church sometimes. As I was sitting there last night in the pew with my side of the family I realized the last time I was in the church was for my Mom's funeral in September of 2004.

I have no idea how long it has been since we were there for Christmas Eve but it has been quite awhile. Ever since Evan has been involved in the children's program at our church we have usually been there on Christmas Eve since their program was always on that night. This year they had his program on the 23rd instead.

Anyway - as I sat and looked around I saw some familiar faces and a lot of kids that have grown up a lot since I last saw them. The funny thing about the service is that it was pretty much the exact same service that they always have but with a different sermon of course. The pastor gave a very good sermon and it wasn't too long for the kid that was sitting next to me who was anxious to get home and upwrap gifts.

This year Todd and I did not get each other gifts. We decided not to since we have spent money on other things for the house over the summer. I got a couple of neat gifts from Evan that he bought at the Little Shepherd Shop at school. He got me a Chrstimas mug full of Hershey Kisses and a beautiful cross necklace. I loved them.

I did get, though, a very special gift at church. To explain this gift I have to go back a few years in time. When I was 17 I found out that I had a tumor at the base of my brain (Pituitary) that was the size of a lemon. It was benign which I'm very thankful for. Before the diagnosis I had to go to Lima Memorial Hospital which was about 30 miles away from home and be admitted and have some very painful tests done. It was a very scary time for me and although my parents were there a lot I had to go through the tests alone. Many of the tests used iodine which they would shoot though my veins and arteries to take pictures. Not until a few years after the tests did they realize that I was allergic to it which made the testing procedures a very painful process for me. After 3 days of tests they diagnosed me with a Pituitary tumor. Surgery was the next step.

I had people send me cards and I still have the huge stack of them. I also had two ladies from our church that sent me notes and letters of encouragement several times during my hospital stay and afterwards. I will never forget these notes because they sustained me through some very difficult times. They would include Bible verses and just such uplifting words for me to read over and over again. Those notes brought me a peace that I cannot ever explain to anyone. Only God knows.

When it came time for my surgery my Mom was visibly upset that morning and I believe that the peace that came over me from reading those notes transferred to her. I think that for her to see me so calm really helped her and I told her I was not afraid and I wasn't.

Well to get back to my gift. Last night as we were leaving the church I looked up in the balcony and saw Mrs. C. Several years ago (I know I should have done this much earlier) I wrote her a letter and told her how much her words of encouragement had helped me when I was 17 and that I will never forget what she did for me. I told her that she has no idea what that means to people to have that in a time of darkness. Anyway - as I saw her in the balcony we made eye contact and waved at each other. She mouthed to me that she would meet me in the back of the church. I found her there and unfortunately by the time we met each other we were in front of the doors that everyone was trying to exit so we couldn't talk very long. We hugged each other and I felt that connection that we shared from the love that was poured out for me those years ago. It was a connection that nobody else would ever understand. I know she felt it too. So that was the wonderful Christmas Eve present that I received. To be reminded of God's love for me. He used Mrs. C and Mrs. H to show me His love and His peace.

So this Christmas and always - I wish you Peace that can only come through the gift that is there for all of us lying in the manger that night in Bethlehem years ago. The gift is free. Just accept it!

Evan's First Piano Performance

2007-12-24T08:18:00.000-05:00

Last night was the kid's Christmas musical at our church. Before the service several kids got up and either played the piano or sang. We have some wonderful talent in our church and all of the kids did a great job.

Evan has been taking piano lessons for about 15 months and this was his first time to play in public. To be honest, we had been a little concerned that he would end up getting cold feet. When his teacher told him that he would be playing that evening he came home and told us that he wasn't going to do it.

Now I can totally relate to him not wanting to do it. I used to play the piano in public quite frequently. I used to accompany the chorus in school and also play along with the orchestra. I played for the youth choir at church, the preschool Sunday School class, and along with my Dad when he sang solos at church. I also played solos once in awhile. Now when you are playing along with a big group it is not really all that bad because you don't stand out too much, but playing alone can be quite frightening. I used to get nervous and no matter how well I played at home I seemed to get so worked up about it that I wouldn't do as well in public.

Evan, however, didn't seem overly nervous and he did a great job. I know he is my son and all and I have a biased opinion, but he truly has a gift for music. He has great rhythm and picked up reading music very quickly. Even his teacher says so. I was just so proud of him for doing his best and trying something that he was afraid of. Way to go Evan!

New book

2007-12-01T09:53:00.001-05:00

My husband has written his first book called Trying To Lose My "Self" In Israel. It is about a trip he took to Israel with a group from our church. It is a very well written book that chronicles his adventure on a trip that changed his life. It is very easy to read and includes funny thoughts as well. Check it out here if you are interested.

Beverly Hillbillies At Work

2007-11-09T20:01:00.000-05:00

Okay - it's been a long time since I've posted. I've been feeling very overwhelmed trying to learn a new job in a field I've never worked in before and by the time the day is over I'm just not wanting to hang out on the computer much. But I just had to share this wonderful experience I had today.

This was a teacher in service day at school today so there were very few people there and I was really hoping to get a lot done without all of the distractions. When I entered the school I immediately saw the janitor polishing the floors and heard the loud music playing from his portable CD player. He seemed to want the volume loud enough so he could hear it from wherever he was at in the school. The CD player was right outside the office I share with another lady.

I could have probably handled the music but it was good old bluegrass music. I truly thought I wasn't going to be able to take it. I wasn't sure what to say because Cherie, the lady I work with, is originally from West Virginia and I thought maybe she liked the music so I just didn't say anything. After a few minutes she was doing some dance moves at her desk and I immediately realized that she didn't like the music at all. All of a sudden the theme from the Beverly Hillbillies came on and I thought I was going to lose it. We started laughing and she informed me that this is what we would be hearing during the summer. She said that the janitor loves bluegrass and his wife does not let him play it at home because she doesn't like it. I also found out that the janitor thinks that Cherie, the West Virginia girl, loves bluegrass too. Well she doesn't. He has made CD's for her and takes great pride in sharing the music that they have in common. She said she doesn't have the heart to tell him.

Around 10:30 am the music stopped and we both said a prayer of thanks. LOL! Then the high school principal comes out of his office and yells at the janitor and tells him that his music stopped and he would be glad to start it back up. Cherie and I gave a collective sigh and it started up again. Of course, every once in awhile the janitor would poke his head in and make a comment to Cherie about one of the songs. She just nodded her head and went along with it. She is a very sweet lady and would never hurt anyone's feelings. I guess that even though I didn't like the music it did entertain us in some way. After all - how many of you get to hear the Beverly Hillbillies theme where you work? LOL!

You Know You're Church Is A Redneck Church...

2007-10-25T09:47:00.001-04:00

IF the finance committee refuses to provide funds for the purchase of a chandelier because none of the members knows how to play one.

IF people ask, when they learn that Jesus fed the 5000, whether the two fish were bass or catfish, and what bait was used to catch 'em.

WHEN the pastor says, "I'd like to ask Bubba to help take up the offering,"
five guys and two women stand up.

IF opening day of deer season is recognized as an official church holiday.

IF a member of the church requests to be buried in his 4-wheel-drive truck because "It ain't never been in a hole it couldn't get out of."

IF the choir is known as the "OK Chorale".

WHEN in a congregation of 500 members, there are only seven last names in the church directory.

IF Baptism is referred to as "branding".

IF high notes on the organ set the dogs on the floor to howling.

IF people think "rapture" is what you get when you lift something too heavy.

IF the baptismal pool is a #2 galvanized washtub.

IF the choir robes were donated by (and embroidered with the logo from) Billy Bob's Barbecue.

IF the collection plates are really hub caps from a '56 Chevy.

IF instead of a bell, you are called to service by a duck call.

IF the minister and his wife drive matching pickup trucks.

IF the communion wine is Boone's Farm "Strawberry Hill".

IF "Thou shalt not covet" applies to hunting dogs, too.

IF the final words of the benediction are, "Y'all come back now!! Ya Hear"

My Hubby Got An Award

2007-10-20T09:29:00.000-04:00

Late yesterday afternoon we headed up to Bluffton University to attend a parade and banquet. Four awards were given at the banquet and Todd was one of the four recipients. He received the "Professional Achievement Award". The description of the award reads "The Professional Achievement Award recognizes a graduate who has continued the pursuit of intellectual growth and has explored creative avenues in his or her chosen field. As a result, this individual has achieved notable success and recognition in his or her career."

I am very proud of Todd. He really deserves so many other awards too. Like for being a wonderful husband, father, son, friend, etc. He gave a wonderful speech which can be read over on his blog.

Along with the banquet there were some other interesting things that happened last evening. We were in the homecoming parade that they had along with the other recipients. It was fun although I think the wind chill was about 45 degrees in the back of the convertible. LOL! As we worked our way downtown there was a lady watching the parade who was yelling dates out to the people in the parade. She yelled December 5th as we went by. Well wouldn't you know that was Todd's birthday. He explained to me later that she used to work at the school and was a savant. It's been 21 years since he went to school there and this lady remembered his birthday simply by seeing his name on the side of the car. He said she had everyone's student id memorized too. Simply amazing!

We also got to meet Judson Laipply, the guy that was famous on YouTube for doing the Evolution of Dance video. He received the "Outstanding Young Alumni Award". Between the parade and the banquet we had some spare time and we ran into Judson in the rec area. He asked if we wanted to play Carpet Ball with him. I played first and he beat me pretty bad and then Todd and Evan did much better. He is a very high energy individual and gave a great speech too. He is a motivational speaker along with being a great dancer. Make sure you check out the video if you haven't seen it before.

It was a very nice evening and even though Todd thinks that he didn't deserve the award he really deserves that and so much more. He is an amazing person full of compassion for others. He has been blessed and has shared that blessing with others. Congratulations sweetie!

Book Review – Beyond Tuesday Morning by Karen Kingsbury

2007-10-16T12:52:00.001-04:00

This is the second book in a two-part series. The first one was called One Tuesday Morning which I really loved. I can now officially say I’m a Karen Kingsbury fan. I’d love to read all of her books.

This book continues the story of a woman who lost her FDNY firefighter husband in the south tower on September 11th. She has a 7 yr old daughter to raise while trying to move forward from her loss. There are a lot of twists and turns that make the book very fun to read. I’d highly recommend it.

Transition

2007-10-11T14:49:00.001-04:00

I have been pretty quiet lately when it comes to posting on my blog. Most of what I’ve been living through lately has had to stay under cover until today.

Today I turned in my 2 weeks notice after working for my current employer for 10 ½ years. I have loved working at my job but in the last year things had slowed down dramatically and I hardly had anything to do. I had asked for more to do and was told not to worry about it – that sometimes things were slow. Well it was just way too slow for me. I was starting to feel worthless as far as contributing to the company and I was feeling guilty for getting paid for what little I did.

I have known for awhile that I had to do something different. About 6 weeks ago Todd had told me that the Bookkeeper at Evan’s school was going to leave because her husband got a job in Boston and they would have to move. Todd is on the school board. I mentioned that the job might be interesting and before I knew it I was in talking with the Superintendent about the job. Of course this was something totally different from what I do now. I am a Systems Analyst and this new job involved Accounting. I have felt a tug lately to do something different after programming for 22 years and Accounting has always been of interest to me. Maybe because my Dad and brother are CPAs and my sister is an Accountant with a private company. I think it must be in my blood or something. LOL!

So I sat down with Debi, who is the current Bookkeeper, and had her show me some of what she does so I could get a grasp of whether or not I could do this. I have an Accounting minor but it has been 22 years since I’ve had any classes so it probably doesn’t even count. I decided that I thought I could handle it. Debi had told me that she didn’t have any Accounting experience before taking the job so that made me feel better about it too. I talked again with the Superintendent and after much prayer decided it was a good fit.

Last Friday I started my training at the school. I am going in on the days I’m not at my current job. Now I am extremely overwhelmed with learning all this new stuff. I never liked changing jobs but this is even more difficult because I’m not just changing my place of work but also my skill set. Yikes!

I do feel better now that I’ve turned in my notice. It wasn’t something I looked forward to. As soon as I told my boss he immediately asked if I would be willing to consult with them. I said I would. The problem is that nobody has been trained in what I do there and I just can’t give my work to someone else. I think this will work out well. I can still keep my hands in programming while learning something new.

I just hope I can keep my sanity while I’m going through this transition.

Spam

2007-10-02T10:04:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Evan was off school because of a teacher in service day so he had to endure my weekly grocery shopping at Wal-Mart.

We were going down the aisle that had Spam in it and as we pass it he is behind me saying "Please Keep This Away From Your Computer!". He acted like he was reading the label on the Spam so I asked him if it really said that. I was thinking it would be a funny way of advertising and that maybe they put that on there. He said he just made it up. I thought that was pretty funny. Maybe I should let the Spam people in on it.

Fall Into Reading Challenge

2007-09-29T11:08:00.000-04:00

I've been debating whether or not to do this and I've decided to take the plunge. Katrina over at Callapidder Days is hosting a Fall Reading Challenge. I saw her Spring Reading Challenge after it was over and was so excited to join in on the Fall one. The only problem is that this is such a busy time of year for me and so I didn't know if I'd have the time to read. Right now I'm leading a Jennifer Rothschild Bible Study at church. We are into our 2nd week out of 7 weeks and this is taking a lot of my time just doing the homework and preparing for each week's lesson. By the way - this is a great study.

So I decided to go ahead and get involved in the challenge. I'm only listing a few books because I need to be realistic. I don't think I'll even pick up a book for a few more weeks because of the Bible Study and several other things going on. My list is below. I will review each book as I read it. If you'd like to join the challenge click here. Even if you are not interested in joining it is still interesting to see what books are being read and read the other reviews.

1) Walking By Faith Bible Study by Jennifer Rothschild
2) Beyond Tuesday Morning by Karen Kingsbury
3) Look Me In The Eye: My Life With Asperger's by John Elder Robinson
4) 90 Minutes In Heaven by Don Piper & Cecil Murphey
5) Breaker's Reef by Terri Blackstock
6) The Preacher's Daughter by Beverly Lewis
7) The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
8) A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Kid Nation

2007-09-27T15:58:00.001-04:00

Has anyone watched the show on CBS Wednesday evenings called Kid Nation? I remember seeing several blog posts before the show ever aired stating that they thought this show was terrible and couldn’t believe it was going to be on TV. That kind of bothered me when I read these posts because the show had not even come out yet.

Well I for one really like the show. They have taken 40 kids from ages 8 to 15 and placed them in Bonanza City, New Mexico for 40 days. They claim the kids are on their own and they have to learn how to run the ghost town. I think this is what was bothering people before the show came out. What in the world would 40 kids do if they were left without adult supervision?

Well this is what is pretty amazing. They actually are doing a good job. They are guided by a book that gives them ideas on how to build up the city and to get along. There was a Town Council made up of 4 preselected kids that work together to make decisions for the entire group. The book they are reading told them to split up into 4 territories (Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow). Each Town Council member took turns selecting the kids they wanted in their territory. By the way – this process seemed to go fairly smoothly. Every few days Jonathan, the host of the show, comes in and tells them about a Showdown they will have that determines their social classes and jobs The territory that comes in first gets to be the “Upper Class”, second place is the “Merchants”, third place is the “Cooks”, and fourth place is the “Laborers”. They get Buffalo nickels to spend in the store based on their social class. If all territories get the Showdown completed within an hour the whole town gets a reward. Last week they completed it in time and the Town Council had to choose between 7 more outhouses (they only had 1 to begin with) or a TV. They chose the outhouses and everyone seemed very pleased by that.

After each Showdown the Town Council gets to award one kid with a gold star that is worth $20,000. This money goes to their parents and hopefully will be used towards their future education. The first week the kids did not know about the gold star but now that they know their behavior is changing. At the same time the gold star is awarded they also ask if anyone wants to go home. One boy who was 8 left the show so far. He was very homesick.

I just find this show to be very interesting. I’m pretty impressed with the kids and what they have accomplished. Evan likes to watch the show too. Of course he told me he would die if he was on the show. I don’t know if he is referring to physical starvation or just missing us. I’m going for the missing us. That one makes me feel better.

Would I ever let Evan go on this show at his age? No way! But it is very cool to see what the kids do and I’m amazed that there are 8 and 9 yr olds that will be away from home for 40 days. Check it out. You may just enjoy it.

Book Review – One Tuesday Morning by Karen Kingsbury

2007-09-11T15:11:00.000-04:00

I have never read a Karen Kingsbury book before so I thought I’d try one and see if I would be interested in them. I have heard so many good things about her books so I was pretty excited to see what they were like.

Well today is September 11th and “One Tuesday Morning” is a story about what happened on September 11th, 2001. This is not a true story but a story about what could have happened. Karen interviewed a lot of people before writing this book and I felt like it was a true story as I was reading it.

It was an outstanding book but also a very hard book to read. It brought back memories of that horrible day. I think it would be a tough book to read for someone who lost a loved one in the tragedy.

This is a story of a NYC firefighter and a businessman that was on the 64th floor of the south tower. You will be led inside each of these men’s lives and get to know them very well. Then you will see how their paths cross and how one of them survives and his life is totally changed by the other man. It is a great book. It was one I couldn’t put down.

If you read this book make sure you read every morsel. There is a lot to be gained by doing so. Make sure you read the Dedication, Note To The Reader, and the Author’s Notes at the end.

I read a story about Karen Kingsbury awhile back. I believe it was in Guideposts magazine a couple of months ago. She and her husband have 3 children of their own . Karen went to Haiti by herself to adopt a boy there and ended up bringing home 3 boys because they were so close to each other and she didn’t feel right splitting them up. She seems like a pretty special person and is a great writer. This book is part of a two book series. The next and final book is “Beyond Tuesday Morning”. I’ll be reading this next.

Funny things kids say

2007-09-08T22:10:00.000-04:00

We had some friends over today helping us put up a fence. Or maybe we were helping them. Anyway - their 3 yr old daughter was here and her dad is pretty tall compared to Todd. At one point she looked at me and said "My Dad is bigger than your Dad!". This was so funny! She was referring that Todd was my Dad. I still think it is really funny. She is such a sweet little girl and has a wonderful personality. Todd is still trying to find the humor in it. LOL!

A Trip To The ER

2007-09-06T23:28:00.001-04:00

Evan has been wanting to get in the pool lately. It's been kind of a busy week with Todd being out on a business trip to Seattle. I had a Women's Ministry meeting Tuesday night and Evan had Cool Kids at church on Wednesday night. So we thought that tonight would be a great time to get in the pool. We had no plans and were looking forward to it. Well the fun part only lasted about 10 minutes.

Evan all of a sudden said he had to use the bathroom. I told him to dry off before going in but he insisted that he really had to go so he ran in and was still really wet. I just stayed in the pool waiting for him to return when all of a sudden he screams that he fell in the house and his foot is bleeding really bad. I got out of the pool and met him at the door and blood was dripping steadily from his foot. He said he started to slip because he was running and did the splits and his foot hit the doorframe to the bathroom. It cause a big split in between his 2nd and 3rd toes. It was pretty bad. I had the phone right outside the door because I keep it there when we are swimming so I called my mother-in-law who lives 2 houses down to come and help me. Both Evan and myself were dripping wet in our bathing suits and blood was everywhere. Abby got really upset. I'm sure she knew that something bad had happened.

We took him to the ER and spent over 2 hrs there and ended up getting Xrays and stitches in between his toes. He had never had stitches and was pretty scared about getting them. He did great though and handled it very well.

We had to stop at the drug store to get bandages, pain reliever, and antibiotic ointment on the way home. He got to bed around 11:15.

He will be off school tomorrow but should be fine. He was so relieved to have it over and is now anticipating having the stitches out in a week.

I'm just glad that everything went well and that my mother-in-law was there to help me get him to the hospital.

Of course when I told Todd what happened he felt bad he was away. I tried to reassure him that Evan was fine and that he handled it very well. This is a kid that totally freaks out going to the dentist. I thought he did great and I told him how proud I was of him.

The Bug Collection

2007-09-06T11:40:00.001-04:00

A couple of weeks before school started we received a letter from Evan’s teacher saying that we should start collecting bugs for a project they would be doing.

My husband created a “kill jar” and we have been plopping all kinds of bugs in there.

I have to admit that I’m not overly fond of horseflies, bees, and wasps. One day we were in the pool and a horsefly was tormenting me. He was just asking to be placed in the kill jar. I kept going underwater hoping he couldn’t find me and would move on to some other victim. Somehow my husband, without his glasses on, managed to cup him into his hands and tried to drown him. He had him under the water for almost 10 minutes and the thing would not die. I know, we are really cruel people. Hey – we were told to get bugs and that’s what we were doing. LOL!

After I got out of the pool that day a bee was buzzing around me and being the bee lover that I am I swatted my towel at it and it ended up being dazed on the ground. Todd got it and that was just one more for the collection.

Yesterday’s adventure with bug collecting was interesting. I decided to take Abby for a quick walk around the block and came upon a caterpillar. It was a bald green one about an inch long and pretty thick. I thought I’d just pick it up and take it home. As soon as I picked it up it peed in my hand. There was actually a little puddle there. At that point I had to keep Abby’s leash in the other hand while I kept transferring the crawling caterpillar between hands, arms, and fingers. I was very careful about getting him home and not dropping him. Of course I found him early in the walk so I’m sure all of our neighbors were wondering what I was doing with my hands while walking my dog.

I managed to get the little guy home and while waiting for Abby to do her business in the yard I looked up to see what she was up to and then looked back and the caterpillar was no longer in my hand. I looked down and there it was on the ground in a little puddle. That guy sure had some major bladder control problem. He could have used a very teeny tiny Depends at that point. I took him inside and placed him in the kill jar. I did feel kind of bad because they are cute except for the peeing part.

When Evan got home from school I told him there was a Daddy Long Leg spider in the bathroom that I kept an eye on until he got home. I figured he could pick it up and put it in the jar. He wasn’t really wanting to do that. So here I am trying to grab one of his 8 legs and finally got him into the jar while Evan is telling me that they are harmless. Oh yeah – then why didn’t you pick it up?

So we are coming up with a great collection. I’d really prefer to just find a dead bug so that we don’t have to kill it. I’m really not into that at all. But sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Psychiatric Hotline Voice Mail

2007-08-30T08:08:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd share a little humor today. I got this in an email this morning and it made me laugh so let's see what it does for you.

Welcome to the Psychiatric Hotline.

If you are obsessive-compulsive, please press 1 repeatedly.

If you are codependent, please ask someone to press 2.

If you have multiple personalities, please press 3, 4, 5 and 6.

If you are paranoid-delusional, we know who you are and what you want. Just stay on the line so we can trace the call.

If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully and a little voice will tell you which number to press.

If you are manic-depressive, it doesn't matter which number you press. No one will answer.

If you are delusional and occasionally hallucinate, please be aware that the thing you are holding on the side of your head is alive and about to bite off your ear.

Book Review – Marley & Me by John Grogan

2007-08-28T15:01:00.000-04:00

Marley & Me is a book we got my mother-in-law a couple of years ago. After reading it she gave it to me to borrow and it ended up on the shelf ever since. I am working on catching up on all of the books I have sitting around and thought I’d pick this one up.

Being the dog lover that I am, I knew this book would be a good one. Marley is a yellow lab that the author claims is the worst dog ever. Marley isn’t a mean dog, he is just rambunctious and anxious, and big. Whenever you have that combination in a dog you kind of know what might happen.

This was a great book. They even have a children’s version of it that my mother-in-law read with Evan.

I have to admit that I didn’t want to read the end of the book because I knew it would mean saying goodbye to Marley. Our dog Abby is almost 11 and I find myself thinking about how much time she has left with us. You just never know. Our other dog, Chelsea died at the age of 11. Abby, however, has been much healthier and still has lots of spunk (when she’s not sleeping). She will bravely take on any sized dog even though she is a mere 4 lbs.

Anyway – back to Marley. This was a book that was very easy to read and had lots of laughs in it. I kept thinking to myself – why did they keep this dog after all it did? But after reading Marley’s story I can see so much good in him. Dogs have a way of getting inside our hearts you know.

Yes - I'm still around.

2007-08-23T16:08:00.000-04:00

I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything out here and thought I’d better write something or you would think I’ve fallen off the face of the earth.

Last week we spent a week at the lake. We spent a day at the Ft. Wayne Zoo which was wonderful. It was only a little over an hour from the lake house and it was the 2nd time we had gone there. If you ever get a chance to go I highly recommend it. I’ve been to bigger zoos but this one has so much to offer. It is fairly reasonable to get in. Only $8 for adults and $5 for kids. They do have some things inside the zoo such as a train ride and a water ride that cost extra if you want to do them. I like the idea of only paying for what I’m participating in. Anyway – I saw my special monkey there and was pretty excited about that. Please don’t ask me what type of monkey it was because we saw tons of them there and let me just say it was cute. It was born on June 26, 2006 which happens to be my birthday. Well, I’m a few years older but let’s just leave it at that. We had been there last year right after it was born and it was clinging to it’s mother while she maneuvered around the monkey area and it was so cool to watch. This year my little monkey friend was out on its own with its mother nearby. I remember last year Evan and Todd had to peel (no pun intended) me away from the monkey area because I just loved watching the baby monkey with its mother. We had a great time there and then stopped at a pet store afterwards to see some cute puppies and pick up some supplies for our little furry girl at home.

One of the other days we went school shopping. That is always a blast ----- NOT. I say this because Evan is extremely picky about what he wears and he is also very hard to fit. Because he is big for his age we usually have to get very large sized pants and then cut off about 8 inches off of the length. And guess what? I don’t sew. Since he goes to a Christian school he has to dress up and wear dress slacks, and a shirt and tie on Wednesdays for chapel. There are no clip on ties that fit him anymore unless we want them to just go down to the middle of his chest. Hopefully I can learn how to tie a necktie before next Wednesday, and hopefully it will stay on all day.

We also had Evan’s birthday party last Saturday which was 4 days after his birthday. We had family and friends there and had a good time. We have a party every year. Evan loves having the kids of our friends there. He was counting down to his party the whole week we were there. I did miss having my sister there this year. She is in Mexico on business and couldn’t make it.

Now we are back to reality. I have to admit in some ways I’m not looking forward to things starting up again. Once school starts it seems like life gets so hectic because all of the other church activities, meetings, Cub Scouts, etc start up.

I know that Evan is not really looking forward to going back to school but I think he is ready in a lot of ways. He is so bored that I’ve become his best friend – playing with him a lot. Our house really needs some serious organization done on it. Hopefully when my friend goes back to school next Wednesday I’ll be able to be an adult and get some work done around the house.

Book Review - Quaker Summer by Lisa Samson

2007-08-15T23:13:00.001-04:00

A couple of weeks ago as I was trying to face my addiction to books my husband calls me to the computer where he has Amazon pulled up and shows me this book. He thought it looked like something I would enjoy. It is the “Women of Faith Novel of the Year”. Well you know I love the WOF conferences and how could I resist getting their novel of the year. So yes, I click the button and in 2 days it is at my doorstep. We pay one price annually and get free 2 day shipping so that really isn’t helping my book addiction at all.

Anyway – I get the book and even though I still have 50 or so other books to read I decide to read this one first. When I read about it on Amazon it sounded like a book about a lady who had it all but still wasn’t happy. I thought she somehow went and lived with the Amish or something to discover her purpose in life. Silly me – I guess I didn’t know what a Quaker was.

Quakers don’t refer to themselves as Quakers. The are called “The Religious Society of Friends”. They are not Amish and do use modern technology.

Here are their basic beliefs:
“Friends believe that there exists element of God's spirit in every human soul. Thus all persons have inherent worth, independent of their gender, race, age, nationality, religion, and sexual orientation. Their opposition to sexism, racism, religious intolerance, warfare and the death penalty comes from this belief.”

“Simplicity, pacifism, and inner revelation are long standing Quaker beliefs. Their religion does not consist of accepting specific beliefs or of engaging in certain practices; it involves each person's direct experience of God.”

This is a really good book. Heather, the main character in the book is starting to deal with the fact that she has a nice home, wonderful husband and son, and really everything that this world thinks is good, but is still not happy. This book really isn’t totally about her Quaker experience although it does play a part in the book. This book is broken into 3 sections. The first section is her discovery of her situation. The second is where she tries to figure out what to do about it, and the third is where she is stretched to live out what she knows is right.

I found myself jotting down notes while reading this book. I don’t normally do that but there was quite a bit I could relate to and a lot of good things to really think about. Here are some quotes from the book that I made note of.

Section 1

"I’m scared that God will ask more of me than I feel like giving. Not so much time – I’m used to not having time. But my life, my comfort."

"I’m used to taking care of things here, worrying about Will and you. I don’t even know what those dreams are anymore."

"We’ve got to figure something else out, Heather. I can’t keep working these hours; you can’t keep up this Jonesin’ stuff, because at the end of the day, we’re both still miserable even though we quote, have it all."

"We tend to fit the gospel into our lives and not our lives into the gospel, Jace."

"We’ve sold our souls by selling our time to the highest bidder."

"It seems like people in my parents’ generation knew how to keep from overloading themselves. Or maybe they just didn’t complain about it like we do. Haven’t figured out which."

Section 2

"I’m seeing firsthand what it means to be in the world but not of it."

"I’d rather use more grace for having tried and gotten it wrong than for not having tried at all."

"God is found in locales you’ve never imagined; you’ll meet Him in all sorts of faces and places you never thought possible."

Section 3

"Mr. Purpose has offered his hand, I’ve placed mine in his, and we’re riding along to someplace I’ve probably never dreamed of."

"I could have been in my house at this moment, sitting on my plush couch with a cup of warm tea, a Bible in my lap, and a study book beside me begging God to make me whole while doing none of His dirty work. But no. I cut rot off tomatoes in a roach infested kitchen off of North Avenue. It didn’t get any better than this. I can’t believe I get to be here."

"God wants us to care for the poor and the lonely and the sick, not just for their sake, but for ours. Because in this, we become like Him, growing a bigger heart than we ever thought possible."

"Don’t die in the desert of your Christian radio, Pottery Barn lives."

"We can only change the world by changing ourselves."

"Sometimes we fail to notice a shadow darting through trees and jumping over the river just out of our gaze, until one day, we realize how precious these years are, how more precious the next ones will be, and how we’d better confront the shadow if we want to live in peace."

Happy Birthday Evan!

2007-08-14T07:50:00.001-04:00

Today is Evan's 9th birthday. I cannot believe he is 9 already. We love you Evan and hope you have a wonderful day!

You've Got To Read This

2007-08-10T08:59:00.000-04:00

One of the blogs I always enjoy reading is Antique Mommy. She normally writes stories about her experiences with her 3 yr old son Sean. Over the past 2 weeks, however, she has been writing about her grandmother. It is in 6 separate posts. Antique Mommy is a very gifted writer. I strongly suggest reading this true story. It will touch you. I promise.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Conclusion

People Food

2007-08-10T06:58:00.000-04:00

Our dog Abby is pretty much into people food. She is good about eating her dog food but when we sit down to eat she is right there begging for whatever we can spare off of our plates. Sometimes we eat on TV trays and if Evan gets up and forgets to push back his tray she will try her luck at getting at his leftovers. She's sneaky like that.

For some reason she loves cooked pasta. She will go crazy for plain old pasta. Of course I don't give it to her with any type of sauce on it because she thinks it's great just the way it is. Cheese is also one of her favorites. As a matter of fact I hide any pills she ever has to take inside a piece of cheese and she gobbles it up. Never mind that weird taste it gets with a pill wrapped inside.

She even likes ice cream and yogurt. She likes to lick the lids off of my yogurt cups. I guess she is just as interested as I am in keeping her digestive track healthy when licking my Activia lids.

The only thing I've found that she doesn't like is bananas. And don't think you can trick her with strawberry-banana yogurt either. One sniff of that and she is turned off.

We used to have a maltese-pomeranian that loved chicken. Even if I got raw chicken out of the fridge she would go nuts.

Oh - did I mention that Abby loves bologna too? For some reason our mailman started giving her bologna. Any time she sees a mail truck she practically strangles herself to get to it. Sometimes she even trips over her own feet getting there. I try to tell her that only our wonderful mailman gives her bologna. It can get kind of disgusting in the summer on the days I work and the mail sits in the mailbox for awhile and the bologna is slowing cooking. Even on Sundays she drags me down to the mailbox to see if there is something there. By the way - our mailman is pretty cool. He asked me once if Abby would want to ride with him around the block. I told him she is not the best traveler. He then started naming off some of the dogs in the neighborhood that he has taken for a ride. I thought that was pretty humorous.

So - if you have a pet - what kind of people food do they like?

A Mother's Prayer

2007-08-09T13:30:00.000-04:00

I found this really cool prayer in my KLOVE devotional a few weeks ago. Thought I'd share it. It's something I need to pray everyday.

Lord, help me to give my children the best – not of things, but of myself, cherishing them on good days and bad, theirs and mine. Teach me to accept them for who they are, not just for what they do; to listen to what they say, if only so they’ll listen to me; to encourage their goals, not mine. Let me give them a home where respect and integrity are the cornerstones, and there’s enough happiness to raise the roof. May I give them the courage to be true to themselves; the independence to take care of themselves, and the faith to believe in You. May I discipline them without demeaning them, demand good manners without forgetting my own, and let them know they have limitless love no matter what they do. Let me feed them properly, clothe them adequately, and have enough to give them small allowances – not for the work they do, but the pleasure they bring. Let me be moderate in all these things, so that the joy of getting will help them discover the joy of giving. See that their responsibilities are real but not burdensome, that my expectations are high but not overwhelming, and that my praise is thoughtful and given when it’s due. Help me to teach them that excellence is work’s real reward. And when it comes – let me revel in each honor, however small, without once pretending that it’s mine – my children are glories enough. Above all, let me ground them so well in Your truth that I can let them go. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Book Review – Whistling In The Dark by Lesley Kagen

2007-08-07T09:34:00.000-04:00

I tend to like most of the books I read. I guess because I usually check out their reviews first before buying them or they are given to me from a friend to borrow. I loved this book. What I loved most was the way it was written from the perspective of a 10 yr old girl. It’s a story taking place back in the late 50’s. Sally O’Malley takes us on a childhood journey which includes her older sister Nell and younger sister Troo. Before Sally’s dad passes away from injuries he received in a car accident she promises him she will take care of Troo.

Sally has a mother who ends up sick in the hospital for weeks and she is left with a step-father who loves the bottle and is rarely home. Her sister Nell is wrapped up in her boyfriend and doesn’t do a very good job of taking care of the two younger girls. While Sally is dealing with taking care of Troo she is also faced with 2 girls around her age that had been murdered in her neighborhood. She is fearful that she will be next. Sally has a wild imagination and as she tells the story of her childhood there is lots of humor that goes right along with it. I just loved how she phrased things. I highly recommend this book. It was one of those books that I didn’t want to end. I just wanted to keep on living with Sally O’Malley and finding out where the rest of her life took her.

If You Love Puppies...

2007-08-02T16:55:00.000-04:00

You've got to check out this site. They are soooooo cute.

Proverbs - 31 Chapters, 31 Days

2007-08-02T15:34:00.000-04:00

I am signing up to take the Proverbs Challenge that Karolee at My Montana Moments is hosting. I have not been spending time reading the Bible like I should so this is exactly what I need to get me going. If you are interested in joining the challenge just click on the button above.

What would your character look like?

2007-07-31T09:51:00.000-04:00

Last night Evan was playing Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 on the PS2. I walked by the TV and he was setting up his character. He told me you could set up your character to look just like you and he was creating his. I stopped and stared at the blonde man on the screen and said “uh – you have brown hair”. He told me he wasn’t done yet and continued to work on it.

He then came out and asked if I wanted to play and I told him I had fun things to do like cleaning up the kitchen, ironing, etc. Todd eventually sat down with him and started working on his character. I walked through again and had to laugh at the image on the screen. There was a semi bald man (Hair only on the bottom part of his head). Evan told him he had to put 100% on the midsection. This guy turned from a muscular guy into a middle aged man with a big gut. It was kind of funny to watch and I chuckled as I saw his character come to life. Of course Evan had lots of advice as to how his character should look.

After I finished the fun things I was doing I sat down with Evan because I knew Todd had tons of stuff to do to get ready for a business trip he was going on. Of course I had to create my character. Things that I thought were funny earlier started to not be so funny. I started getting the advice of my 8 yr old son as to what to do about my nose, mouth, hair, etc. As a matter of fact there was no hair style that matched mine because mine is so outdated. That was a sad thing to see and be reminded of. But hey – if you had my straight thick hair you would not know what to do with it either. Then he told me to make sure I increased my midsection too. My perception of myself was way different than what Evan’s was of me. I don’t think I have a big midsection. I’m not skinny but I don’t have a huge stomach either. Anyway – I increased it some and finally finished my character which I didn’t think looked like me at all.

We started to play some serious golf. Evan’s character appeared and I just had to stare at the muscular, tall, good looking man on the screen. Wow – I don’t recall him working out like that. Every time my character appeared Evan kept saying how big my backside was. That’s the last time I let my son help me create something that supposedly looks like me. He kept telling me how cool his guy looked and how big my backside was. Yeah – that’s what happens when you increase your midsection. Your backside gets bigger too!

And the winner is...

2007-07-27T18:49:00.000-04:00

Rachel is the winner of the book "Same Kind of Different as Me" from the Dog Days of Summer giveaway. Congratulations Rachel!

Oscar the Cat

2007-07-26T11:09:00.001-04:00

A coworker of mine told me about this news story on abcnews.com.

There is a cat named Oscar that knows when nursing home patients are going to die. He will curl up next to them during their final hours. Excuse the pun but he has been “dead on” with predicting when these patients will die. So far he has done this with 25 patients. Since he has this ability it has led the nursing home staff to contact the patient’s families so that they have a little time with them before they pass on.

I am amazed at what animals can do. They are truly amazing. I’m afraid though that dear old Oscar probably doesn’t have too many friends at the nursing home. That’s one cat that I would not want snuggling up to me.

Book Review – Kaleidoscope Eyes by Karen Ball

2007-07-26T10:47:00.000-04:00

I wrote in an earlier post that I won this book in a book giveaway and that the author, Karen Ball, was kind enough to not only send me this book but 2 of her other books. I was anxious to read this book since I’ve never read any of her books before. I sent Karen a thank-you note to let her know how much I appreciated her kindness and told her I would be reviewing her books on my blog. When I went to start this book I was a little concerned about telling the author that I would review it. What if I didn’t like it? What would I do then? I’m a very honest person so there was no way I was going to say I liked it just because Karen might read my review. So I started the book and my concerns melted away.

I really enjoyed “Kaleidoscope Eyes”. It is a story about Annie who has synesthesia. This is an actual condition where a person perceives colors in numbers and letters. The author has a good friend who has this. Anyway – Annie is an artist and also part of a search and rescue team with her dog, a German shepherd named Kodi. Because of Annie’s synesthesia she always feels like she never fits in. This is a story of suspense, faith, and romance. I highly recommend reading it.

One of the neat things that Karen incorporated into her book was a quote from a famous person and a Bible verse at the beginning of each chapter. Below is one of my favorite quotes I found in the book.

“People are like stained-glass windows.
They sparkle and shine when the sun is out,
But when the darkness sets in,
Their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within.”

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Dog Days Of Summer Bloggy Giveaway

2007-07-23T09:06:00.000-04:00

Shannon over at Rocks In My Dryer is hosting a Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Giveaway. I tried to think of something neat to give away and the one thing that just kept coming up was the book “Same Kind of Different As Me”.
I just loved this book and know that it would bless someone else so that is what I’m giving away. This is a new book. I'm keeping my copy to share with others. To see my review of the book click here.

Please visit Shannon’s site to see all of the blog giveaways. She has a pretty nice blog so even stop by and read some of her posts if you have time.

To be entered in the drawing for the book, leave one comment below. Only one entry per person will be accepted. If you do not have a blog you are still welcome to enter. Just make sure you leave an email address so I can contact you if you win. This giveaway is for US and Canada only. I will accept comments up to 5:00 pm EST on Friday, July 27th. The winner will be announced on Friday after that time.

Facing The Giants

2007-07-23T08:52:00.000-04:00

Saturday night we did something we haven’t done in a long time. We watched a movie. I don’t know why but we rarely go to the movies or watch them at home. We have heard from a few friends that “Facing The Giants” was a good movie so we thought we would rent it. We were not disappointed. Yes – the actors in the movie probably weren’t the best Hollywood could buy but they made the movie on a $100,000 budget and many of the actors didn’t even get paid.

The movie is about a Christian high-school football coach that has had a losing season for 6 years. It is about what he finds he needs in order to have a successful football team. He decides to turn things over to God and the story unfolds from there. This is a good movie for all ages. We really enjoyed the movie and sharing time together watching it.

Fasten your bike helmet – It’s storming!

2007-07-19T11:10:00.000-04:00

Last night we got some much needed rain. Around 2:30 am we had a pretty heavy storm with lots of lightning and thunder. It always amazes me that there are people out there that love the sound of a storm. Not me. It brings back crazy childhood memories of my Mom yelling at us to get in the basement. She would always, no matter how bad a storm was, make us get in the basement. I remember as a child being extremely afraid of storms. I’m pretty sure I can blame my Mom for that. LOL!

We don’t have a basement at our house. I do remember several years ago having my sister and niece with us and having a bad storm with a tornado warning in the middle of the night. I remember Todd going out to the garage and getting bike helmets for the kids and waking the kids up and making them go in the bathroom. Evan could have cared less about the storm then and once we placed the helmet on him his head was bobbing around because he was so tired. I thought at the time that the bike helmets were kind of a crazy idea. The kids looked kind of goofy with bike helmets and pajamas. But now that I think about it that was really a good idea. Much better than placing your hands over your head.

Anyway – back to last night. Evan woke up around 2:30 am complaining about the thunder like I could turn it off or something. He used to not care at all about storms. Over the past year Evan has been more afraid of them. I think because he learned more about them last summer at Camp Invention and he knows about the damage they can do. Thanks Camp Invention teachers! I appreciate that. LOL! I told him that I could turn a music CD on and maybe that would help him so I put on some soft music and thought that would do the trick. Well the storm finally settled down and he called again and said that he was too wide awake to go back to sleep. Now it is 3:30 am. I told him it was the middle of the night and he had to try to sleep. Once again I put on some soft music and finally he went to sleep. What was I doing? Yep – waiting for him to call me again. So – would someone please tell me what is so wonderful about listening to a storm? I can understand listening to rain. I do find that soothing. I will never feel soothed by thunder and lightning and my nightmares of running to the basement.

Why Do You Love Jesus?

2007-07-19T10:07:00.000-04:00

Jules tagged me to answer the meme, “Why do you love Jesus?”. She has an awesome story so make sure you check out her response.

It has been a few days since I’ve been tagged and I’ve been trying to think about how to put the answer to that in words. I don’t think I truly can. It’s just too big for words.

However, I will state a few simple things that come to mind:

• I love Him because he loves me no matter what.
• I love Him because he lived on earth and has experienced anything I will ever go through. He can always relate to me.
• He knows everything about me – good and bad – and still accepts me.
• No matter how far I go away from Him he is patiently waiting for my return.
• He died for me and paid the price for my sins.

I have to admit this is my first meme. I would like to tag Todd, Julie, and Lori. However, if you are reading this and want to share your thoughts please do so.

I planted a bad seed.

2007-07-17T11:18:00.000-04:00

I read this devotional this morning that I got from Proverbs 31 Ministries. It really hit home because I had this type of opportunity last night to be selfless but I chose selfishness. Yesterday was a very busy day. I saw Todd in the morning before he left for work and various meetings he had outside of work. I think it was around 6:30 am when he left for the day and I knew that I would not see him much.

He had a school board meeting at 4:00 pm that lasted awhile and I had taken Evan to piano lessons at 6:00 pm and didn’t get home until 7:00 pm. I fixed dinner and left some out for Todd so he could eat in between his school board meeting and a church meeting he had at 7:00 pm. Even though we didn’t see each other he left a wonderful message on the answering machine while driving to his church meeting. He thanked me for the nice dinner and told both of us he missed us and loved us.

After his 7:00 meeting he called and said he was going to meet with some other people from church for awhile. He got home around 10:00 pm. I can say that I was bothered that these other people were taking him away from his family. That is the way I was looking at it. That was the selfish way I was looking at it. When he got home I wasn’t very welcoming. I wasn’t mean but just quiet. I realize now after reading this devotional that I was not really supporting Todd in the things he was doing yesterday. I was thinking more of myself and the fact that he wasn’t at home when I wanted him to be. It is frustrating sometimes because he is involved in a lot of things that take him away from being home. However, he deserves a wife who supports him and someone who is going to sew positive seeds in a marriage. I know I need to work on this. I do love my husband very much and am very glad that this devotional came my way today. Funny how that happens.

“”… for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” Galatians 6:7(NAS)

Devotion:
My friend Amy really made an impression on me by one simple little thing she did recently for her husband. She had scheduled a hair appointment on the day Mike was off work. She didn’t tell him about the appointment; she just knew that he loves to be with his little girls and that he’d agree to be home while she went to her appointment.

The day before, however, Mike said he was planning to go golfing with a friend on his day off. Now here’s where she impressed me! She simply said, “Sounds great! Have fun!” She didn’t even mention the hair appointment!

She could have responded in so many different ways. She could have begrudgingly responded, “I have a hair appointment, but I’ll reschedule.” She could have dug in her heels and said, “No way. I already have plans, and I need you to watch the girls.” She could have complained about her lack of freedom, as she’s the mother to two little girls and her husband travels frequently.

But she didn’t. Instead she responded selflessly. With her gracious response to her husband, she lived out Philippians 2:3: “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves” (NAS).

As Amy sows into her marriage godly principles such as selflessness instead of selfishness, she’s reaping the blessings of a unified, intimate, and joyful marriage.

Let’s ask ourselves today: What attitudes and actions are we sowing into our own marriages? Here’s a few to consider: Respect or contempt? Thankfulness or complaining? Submission or rebellion? Gentleness or harshness? Patience or irritability? Forgiveness or unforgivness?

If we’re experiencing strife or distance in our marriages, we need to ask God to show us if we might be reaping what we’re sowing. God will reveal to us any attitudes or actions which grieve Him. Then we can confess them and replace them with obedience to God’s principles for us as wives.

Prayer Requests

2007-07-17T08:39:00.000-04:00

• A coworker who has been off work for over a year waiting on a liver transplant. We were told she is not doing well and will not leave the hospital unless she receives a transplant soon.

• A friend who had a 14 yr old nephew drown on Sunday.

• Another friend who’s cancer has returned after being in remission.

• The mother of our sponsored child from Ethiopia. We received a letter from Berkeit yesterday stating that she is ill and needs prayers.

• Our 10 yr old puppy Abby who has not been feeling like herself over the last several weeks.

Book Review – River’s Edge by Terri Blackstock

2007-07-16T11:23:00.000-04:00

My friend Liz from work introduced me to Terri Blackstock last year. Come to think of it you could think of Liz as an enabler. Yes – she is feeding my book addiction problem. I just discovered that fact. Someone really needs to come in and do an intervention. LOL!

Anyway – Liz was reading the “Restoration Series”. Terri writes her series with 4 books in it. Liz and I read the first two in the “Restoration Series” called “Last Light” and “Night Light”. They were very good. Terri just came out with the 3rd book in that series that is called “True Light”. I’m anxious to get that one but I think I’ll wait until I catch up on my 50 some books first. Or you never know – Liz might just get it and pass it along.

The book that I just read, “River’s Edge”, is the 3rd book in her “Cape Refuge Series”. I have already read the first two, “Cape Refuge” and “Southern Storm”. Terri is a Christian author that I’ve really enjoyed. Her books are easy to read and all of them have been full of suspense. By the way – you can read a book in the series without reading the preceding ones but I recommend reading them in order.

River’s Edge deals with the murder of the wife of one of the candidates in a mayoral race. There is a psychic involved who somehow knows where the body is. There are scripture verses that the author includes which deal with the topic of psychics and what is said about them in the Bible. Even though this is a fictional story I found this part very interesting. Basically the book is about solving the murder mystery. It deals with all kinds of human relationships. I highly recommend anything that Terri writes. I have never been disappointed with her books.

More Books!

2007-07-12T14:02:00.000-04:00

Okay – I swear I didn’t spend a penny on another book. Really – you believe me don’t you? I won the book “Kaleidoscope Eyes” by Karen Ball from Katrina over at Callapidder Days. Well yesterday when I got the package it was pretty big for just one book. Low and behold there were 3 in there along with a nice note from the author Karen Ball. She stated that she was including 2 of her other books as a gift. I thought that was such a nice thing to do. She gave me “A Test Of Faith” and “Shattered Justice”. I’ve never read any of her books but am excited to get started. Right now I’m finishing up a book by Terri Blackstock and will review it when I get done. It’s a good one.

Thanks To The Academy!

2007-07-10T12:40:00.000-04:00

Last Friday Lori, from Lori’s Comfort Zone, nominated me for this award. I have never received a blog award before so I was very surprised to get it. I don’t remember how I came across Lori’s blog but I have been visiting it on a daily basis and enjoy reading about her family. She has a son that is around Evan’s age and he is an only child too. Lori and I appear to be around the same age so I just felt at home reading her blog and enjoying her stories. Thanks Lori! You definitely rock!

When you get these awards you are supposed to pass them along to some well deserving people. I do read several blogs on an almost daily basis and have found that some of them have already received this award. I will pick a few of them and share them with you.

First off there is Jules at Maced With Grace. I met Jules by seeing her post comments on my husband’s blog. Jules is a fantastic photographer and always has cool nature pictures to share. She is also very open with her life and the ups and downs of it. I have learned a great deal from Jules and I look forward to seeing what she posts each day.

Another great blog is Katrina at Callapidder Days. She has all kinds of interesting things to read about. She reviews board games and other games for kids. She has Books Galore giveaways, and a Fall Into Reading and Spring Reading Thing challenges. I have not participated in these reading challenges because I just started reading her blog recently but I am looking forward to joining in the fall. I liked seeing what books her participants read and their reviews of them. I find her blog really fun.

And the last one I’ll mention, although there are many more great ones, is Antique Mommy. A day without Antique Mommy is like a day without sunshine. Her blog is wonderful and full of great stories of her son Sean and the adventures they have together.

So, I should probably make some wonderful speech about how I dedicate this award to my husband and son who have supported me in my attempts at blogging. LOL! I wish I had something fun to blog about each day like so many others but for me I just write something when I get inspired which isn’t all that often.

Rock on!

Book Review – “Kill Me” by Stephen White

2007-07-10T10:03:00.001-04:00

I was at work one day and saw my friend Liz reading this book during her break. The cover is very bright and it caught my eye. I asked her if it was good and she said it was and that I could read it when she was done.

I have to admit that it wasn’t a book I would normally pick out on my own. I have been reading mostly Christian fiction lately so this was different for me. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.

This is a story about a man who likes to live life on the edge by doing a lot of high risk activities such as being dropped off out of a helicopter and skiing down treacherous mountains. He happens to mention to a friend on one of his trips that if he ever got to the point where he wasn’t really living he would rather be dead. His friend informs him of the “Death Angels” who are people that you hire in advance to end your life if it gets to a point where you are no longer really living. The person who hires them gives them a set of criteria to go by to know when it is appropriate to end their life. Once you sign the contract and pay your money to the “Death Angels” there is no way out. You cannot change your mind.

This book is full of suspense and will keep you entertained. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Oh – and by the way. I’ve been doing fairly well with reading my 50 some books that I have. However, we stopped at a garage sale last Saturday and I got 2 more books. Hey – they were only 25 cents a piece. I couldn’t pass up that bargain. And just think – once I read them I’ll review them so you can read them too if you like.

A Week At The Lake

2007-07-05T10:17:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday we left for a week at Grand Lake. I have really enjoyed being there. We have spent some time away from the lake house and that has been fun too.

Sunday we went to Bear Creek Farms. We looked on the internet for things to do in the area and found out it was only 35 minutes away. If I had to sum up our experience there in one word it would be “smelly”. LOL! They were having some major sewage problems there and I had to hold my breath when going inside the building. Using the restroom was a really smelly experience but hey – when you got to go you got to go. We aren’t sure if it was just because it was a Sunday but it seemed like a ghost town there. Outside we had the smell of farm animals. Now I can handle that much better than the sewer smell for some reason. We did have fun there despite the odors. We walked around and had this really strange cat (we named him Tom) that followed us around for awhile. When he first came toward us I thought he was singing. There were some people singing and it sounded like it was coming from him. I really thought he was possessed. He acted like a dog by walking right beside us. It was pretty funny. We ended up eating there and playing miniature golf. (One of Evan’s favorite things to do.) After we left there we saw about 8 Amish carriages traveling home from church. It was really neat to see them. Some of them waived at us. It really made me think about how different our lives are from theirs.

Monday we went to see one of my college roommates and her kids in Indiana. Her son Dustin, who is 10, and Evan, who is 8 really have a blast together. They speak a special Pokemon language the whole time we are there. It is really interesting to hear them talk about all of the various Pokemon and the powers that they have. They are always in their own little world. Then there is her daughter Olivia who is 7 and always wants to be my best friend. Well this time she has a friend of hers over so I didn’t spend as much time with her but she is always drawing me pictures or making me some special bracelet or necklace out of beads. We went out for lunch and then headed over to the miniature golf course for 36 holes of fun. We went back to their house so the kids could play and we could visit. All in all a fun day.

Tuesday I drove 45 minutes (instead of my usual 20) to work while Todd and Evan had some father and son time. That evening we took a walk along the lake after much whining from Evan and also took a golf cart ride. We heard no whining on the golf cart ride by the way.

Wednesday we got up and had a major crisis. Our internet and cable TV were not working. I knew this would be a major thing for both Evan and Todd. Evan loves to play on the computer. He spends way too much time on it. His friend Dustin had showed him a website to create Pokemon on and he was wanting to get online and work on that. Todd is also on the computer a lot between blogging and doing stuff for work. We actually took 2 laptops up there with us and I took a picture of them with my new digital camera on Tuesday where they are both facing off on their laptops. Once I figure out how to get the pictures off of the camera I will share those. Abby and I took a long walk around the lake and ran into a man that lives in the area and ended up walking and talking with him for awhile. Well Abby didn’t talk but she did the walking part. It was so nice and peaceful to walk around the water and take in the beauty of it all. Anyway – we left after lunch and went to my dad and step-mom’s house back in our hometown. Fran’s son’s and their families were there. We had only met her sons before so it was nice to meet the rest of them. We played some games outside and had a nice time visiting with them. We came home, played ping pong, air hockey, and went for another golf cart ride. Then we had a wonderful time outside playing with sparklers and pop-its. Almost everywhere around the lake people were setting off fireworks. The people right next door were setting some off that were fun to watch. It was such a great time. Evan really enjoyed it and we did too.

It is Thursday now and I’m back at work. I miss Todd and Evan. It seems strange to be here and have them at the lake. I’m hoping they are sharing some special time together today. I’m sure the top thing on the list is getting a new cable modem. LOL! The TV is now working but we think the cable modem needs replaced. I’m looking forward to going back after work, eating pizza, and hanging out with my 2 special guys. I’m also looking forward to the rest of our days at the lake. It’s our home away from home where we can relax and enjoy being with one another.

I got a ticket yesterday.

2007-06-28T14:50:00.001-04:00

Yes – I got a parking ticket yesterday. This was my first ticket ever. I’ve never had a speeding ticket or anything before. Mainly because I’ve just never gotten caught. I do speed on the interstate pretty much all the time. Mainly because I’m always running late to work and because I’m just as in a hurry to get back from work.

Anyway – I got my ticket at church. Yes I said church. I was there to help with Vacation Bible School and made the mistake of parking in front of the church. My “follow the rules” son informed me when I parked the car that there was a sign in front of the car next to me that said “2 Hr Parking”. I told him that it wasn’t in front of my car and that they never watch those things anyway.

Well, my “follow the rules” son also informed me when we got back in the car 3 hours later that there was a ticket on our car. Boy did I look stupid. The only consolation was that some of the other cars around us had them too.

I’m heading back to the church on Friday for 3 hours again. Not sure where I’m going to park. I may have to excuse myself and move the car in between helping the groups of kids with their crafts. I certainly don’t want to end up in jail for spending too much time at church. LOL!

Getting Away

2007-06-28T14:28:00.001-04:00

We have plans to leave this Saturday to go to the lake house for a week. I’ve really been looking forward to it. I love to relax up there and enjoy watching the lake. There is so much activity between the ducks, blue herons, people jet skiing, boating, fishing, and water skiing. I could just sit for hours and take it all in. I love to take walks up there. It just seems so peaceful.

Todd’s Mom, our babysitter when I work, is off on a trip to Ireland so we decided that Todd would take the week off of work and we would head up to the lake. This way we wouldn’t have to find someone to watch Evan and we could spend some time together as a family. I will still go to work on Tuesday and Thursday with a much longer drive than usual. This will give Todd and Evan some father and son time on those days.

As we get closer to our time away we are finding that we might be spending less time at the lake than we thought. Monday we have plans to visit some friends in Indiana. One of my college roommates has a couple of kids and Evan loves playing with them. We will spend the day with them. My Dad called several days ago and asked us to come to spend time on Wednesday with him and Fran and Fran’s family. They are all coming up to their house and we have only met her two boys so we will be meeting everyone else. So we are now driving back home to spend the day with them on Wednesday. Todd recently found out that he has a meeting on Friday morning back home at Evan’s school.

Oh – and did I mention that they have a neighborhood garage sale up there on Saturday that we might get involved in. LOL!

I’m sure we will have a great time. Any time spent with my two best guys is always a great time.

Down (Syndrome) But Not Out – By Joyce Sampson

2007-06-25T16:27:00.000-04:00

My mother-in-law gave me a book to read that was written by Joyce who was one of her classmates growing up. It is a story mainly about Craig, her son, who has Down Syndrome. They also have another son, Kerry, who they adopted a few years after they had Craig.

This is a straightforward book written about their experiences with Craig. I found it interesting to see how they worked through their challenges with their son. They had him segregated for a few years and then decided that it was important to mainstream him with other students not like him. They wanted Craig not to be closed up in his own world but to experience the world as it is. It was also important to them to have others be around someone with Down Syndrome so that they might understand them better and realize they are just like them in a lot of ways.

Joyce and her husband Bill moved frequently because of his job transfers and in each town had to start all over with getting the school systems to setup programs that would include kids with Down Syndrome. They were amazed at how quickly Craig blossomed when placed in a mainstreamed school system.

I could relate to this book in some ways because our son Evan, is kind of at the opposite end of the spectrum. He is highly gifted and sometimes, like Craig, doesn’t always fit the mold. He is in a lot of ways a special needs student. Gifted kids tend to be way ahead of their classmates intellectually but maybe behind their classmates socially and/or emotionally. This imbalance is sometimes hard to deal with. We realize that we, like Joyce and Bill, will have to push for his needs to be met. In our case we are helping to develop an enrichment program at Evan’s school. There are other kids there that are gifted as well and just like those kids that are slow learners, they have needs that need met too.

“Down (Syndrome) But Not Out” is not a world class novel. However, it is insightful and interesting. I enjoyed learning more about what it means to have Down Syndrome and what the parents have to go through to be advocates for their Down Syndrome child.

I’ve won a book!

2007-06-21T12:37:00.000-04:00

I know I just talked about my book addiction in a recent post but does it count when I’ve won a book and didn’t go out and buy it? LOL!

Katrina from Callapidder Days has had several book giveaways. I just found her blog a few weeks ago and decided to enter her latest giveaway. She gave away 12 books and I won “Kaleidoscope Eyes” by Karen Ball. I’m excited to get my new book and add it to my collection. Thanks Katrina!

Forgiveness

2007-06-19T13:27:00.000-04:00

I have a serious topic today that I’m hoping I’ll get a good response on… forgiveness. What does forgiveness mean to you? I have been harboring unforgiveness towards a family member for years now and I so want to forgive her but sometimes don’t know how or exactly what forgiving her means.

She has hurt me and several others over the years and very deeply hurt my Mom. I think the emotional pain she inflicted on my Mom is the hardest thing for me to move past. Even when my Mom was dying she made no effort to resolve any issues with her. At my Mom’s funeral she stood outside the church while it sprinkled rain until the service started, not wanting to be with the rest of my family. Several of us have been ignored in her presence for years. Now that my Mom is gone she has started to be more friendly to my Dad but refuses to join in any family get togethers. I can honestly say that I don’t know what she has against us. To this day I don’t know what any of us did to hurt her and so that makes it even harder to move forward. Back when all of this started my parents went to talk to her and tried to figure out what the issues were and get them resolved but she wasn’t willing to work towards that. My parents were more confused when they got back from that meeting than before they went.

I know that forgiving someone doesn’t mean that what they did was okay. But how do you forgive someone who continues to bring you emotional pain? I know that she will continue to haunt me.

I have been praying about his a lot lately. I have been asking God to help me forgive her even though I’m not sure what that looks like. I have been “listening” to things around me for insight as to what I’m supposed to do. I requested an audio CD from Family Life that talks about forgiveness. Many of their examples deal with things that have an end or a one time incident. One of the things they mention about forgiveness is to take the person you are wanting to forgive out of your court of judgment and handing them over to God’s court of judgment. Another thing that touched me was from a couple’s devotional that Todd and I share. It mentioned that while Jesus was dying on the cross he asked his Father to forgive his persecutors because they didn’t know what they were doing.

I know that the Bible says that we cannot be forgiven if we don’t forgive others first. I really want to move past this and to forgive. I know I cannot forget. How do I get where I need to be with this? I can tell you this – if I ever heard the words “Please forgive me” come out of her mouth I wouldn’t need anything more. I do know, however, that will never happen. Is this my pride getting in the way? What does forgiveness mean to you?

Book Review - Same Kind Of Different As Me

2007-06-18T13:07:00.000-04:00

I mentioned last week that I have about 50 books that I've bought over the years and never read. I'm starting to work on that pile of books and the first one I read was "Same Kind Of Different As Me" by Ron Hall & Denver Moore. I have to say this is one of the best books I've ever read. I looked out on Amazon and every single one of the 62 reviews gave it a 5 star rating. I am not normally a really emotional person but this book chocked me up so much that my dog thought something was seriously wrong with me. I mainly was sniffling a lot and she kept getting in my face wondering what the problem was. Some of the reason it got to me so much was the fact that there was a part in the book that touched on an experience I've had myself. I don't want to elaborate on that because for those of you that know me it might tell too much about the book. All it seems that I can tell you without disclosing too much is what it says on the cover: "A modern-day slave, an international art dealer, and the unlikely woman who bound them together." This is a true story of faith and love and of lots of God moments. It is funny at times and one of those books you cannot put down. It is life changing! I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone no matter what type of books you like to read.

Happy Father’s Day!

2007-06-17T20:05:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to wish a Happy Father’s Day to all of the fathers out there. I know I am very blessed to have a wonderful father. My Dad has always been a very quiet, patient, live by example person that has had a huge positive influence on my life. His main passion is golf although he likes to do a lot of things. He loves to sing and has sang in the church choirs both in Florida and Ohio, at our wedding and other people’s also, and likes to sing in the variety shows that are put on in his retirement community. He keeps busy socially and seems much younger than his 75 years. After my Mom’s death in 2004, he got remarried in March of this year to a wonderful lady named Fran who I’ve really enjoyed getting to know. She has really been a blessing to our family – Dad has been so happy since he met her and they have so much in common. I’ve very thankful that they have each other.

Another father I’m proud of is my husband, Todd. Evan is one lucky little boy to have him as his father. He is a great role model for Evan. He is an honest, loving, Christ-filled person who is so giving of himself. He not only models what a great father is but he models what a great husband is as well. I’m glad that Evan sees a healthy relationship between his Mom and Dad so that when it comes time for him to get married he will know what role he needs to play and it will be a natural thing for him.

I know there are a lot of great fathers in this world. And so to all of you “Happy Father’s Day!”.

Still walking...

2007-06-15T09:48:00.000-04:00

Today I made it to 200 miles so far this year in the Fitness Challenge. I know it doesn't sound like much but I've been working hard to walk when I can. If you want to join the Fitness Challenge click here.

Books, Books, and more Books

2007-06-14T15:39:00.000-04:00

I have this addiction to books. I tend to buy them and collect them but don’t often get them read. I love to go to bookstores or look on Amazon and see what is rated good. I’ve also noticed people recommending books on their blogs so that gets me interested too. We have free 2-day shipping on Amazon since we paid upfront for the year. It just makes it too easy to click the button and then the cute guys with the brown shirt, shorts, and socks bring them right to my door.

I’ve decided to take action on this addiction. I am now just keeping a list of books when I see ones that interest me.

I also have the problem of having magazines to read. I get People (weekly), Guideposts, Positive Thinking, and Today’s Christian Woman. I can never just skim through a magazine. I have to read every page. So as you can see this can cause me to get behind on my book reading. I was, about a month ago, 6 weeks behind on my People magazines.

So – here’s the plan. I’m trying to get caught up with my magazines before starting a new book and I’ve done pretty well over the last few weeks. I also took some time yesterday to “inventory” the books I have at home. I have around 50 books that I have never read. Yes – all of the librarians are weeping at this point. I think I’m also going to quit getting People magazine when my subscription is up in February. I can always pick up one every once in awhile from the grocery or even read them while getting my hair done, and also save some money for … books.

I’m going to start by reading “The Same Kind of Different As Me”. This was highly recommended on a blog that I read. I think I’ll start reviewing the books I read so other people with book addictions like me will go crazy when I give a book a 5 star rating.

Cub Scout Day Camp

2007-06-07T15:08:00.000-04:00

This is the 4th year that Todd and I have helped with Cub Scout day camp. Every year, I hate to say, we really don’t look forward to this adventure. This year was no exception. It’s hot, dirty, and kids seem to get on each other’s nerves. Didn’t I mention before that I’m not a kid person? I guess when you have a kid you end up being a kid person whether you like it or not. I can handle a few kids at a time but when you get a group of them I just want to run and hide.

Yesterday was our pack’s first day. Day camp was all week but since our kids were in school through Tuesday we didn’t start camp until Wednesday. Todd and I never help on the same days. Since I’m “part-time” I help on the days I don’t work and Todd takes off work to help on the other days.

I went yesterday and I have to admit that I really wasn’t looking forward to it. However, it really turned out to be a nice day. They did things differently this year. Usually our pack stays together as a group. This year they divided the kids up by rank. This meant that we had one Wolf and the rest were Webelos. I knew that Ben, the Wolf, would probably not feel comfortable going with a group of kids he didn’t know and I knew his parents probably wouldn’t want that either. I called his Mom and told her the situation. We decided it was best that I stay with Ben and the other 7 yr olds while the other adult volunteer stay with the older boys. I didn’t hover over Ben but was there so he would know that if he needed anything I would be there for him. I helped keep track of all of the kids along with another lady volunteer who was very nice. We ended up eating lunch with the rest of the pack at my request. This way Ben could be with his older brother for awhile and I could eat lunch with Evan.

I have to admit that I was exhausted when I got home. It’s not like I was that busy all day but I guess being out in the sun and keeping track of kids just wore me out. I did get a sunburn on the back of my legs because I wasn’t smart enough to put on sunscreen when I would be outside for 8 hrs. I did make sure the boys had it on though. I guess that is a mother thing. Take care of them and forgot yourself. LOL!

Today was Todd’s day and he was dreading it this morning. Of course, he got the 90 degree day while I got the 75 degree day. Can’t blame him a bit for not looking forward to that. I did get an email from him though that things were going well.

Tomorrow I will be back out there but for a shorter day. I think I will be with Evan’s group this time.

Did I mention that yesterday while I was with Ben’s group doing archery that Evan’s group was right beside us shooting BB guns? This was the only time during the day that I saw him and guess what he was doing? Yep – getting yelled at for pointing his gun the wrong direction when putting the BB’s in it. Yikes! Maybe it was best that I wasn't subjected to that all day. LOL!

God's Hand

2007-06-05T10:48:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine from work told me about an amazing God moment she had yesterday. I told her it would be neat to share with others so here is her story in her words...

Have you ever felt God’s hand upon you? Have you ever felt God suddenly communicating with you and immediately answering your prayer? I had the privilege of having that experience this morning! Now, at the time of this writing, it has been almost twelve hours since my profound spiritual and emotional experience, and I’m still in awe. Our God is so wonderful and so creative in the ways that He talks to us! God talked to me this morning over the telephone, using a complete stranger to be His voice!

Before I tell you my story, I’ll give you a little background on myself. I’m a switchboard operator/receptionist for an insurance company. I have two grown sons in the Army National Guard who have already been to Iraq once, and I recently found out that they both have to go back to Iraq again this year. I didn’t take their deployment very well the first time around, and I’m taking it even harder this time. Besides deployments to Iraq, my family has recently lost a close family member, we’ve been dealing with unemployment, and various illnesses. So, not unlike every other human being that God has put on this earth, we’ve had our trials and tribulations.

This morning, amidst a stack of paperwork that needed to be entered into the computer and the endlessly ringing switchboard, I felt the need to take a minute to pray. I asked God to guide me, to show me the way. I asked Him to help me to hear him better when he speaks to me and to have the courage to do what he tells me to do.

As I recently taught my K-3rd grade Sunday school class, God answers our prayers in three ways: 1) sometimes he says “yes” 2) sometimes he says “no”, and 3) sometimes he makes us wait. I’ve experienced God answering my prayers with a “yes” many times during my life, but I’ve never received an answer from him as quickly as I did today!

I no sooner finished my prayer to Him, when my switchboard rang with a very unusual call and caller! At first the gentleman started off with a cute joke, which made me wonder if he was one of our ornery agents. He didn’t identify himself, but I assumed from the ease with which he spoke that he was a professional. Suddenly after the opening joke, he took on a very serious tone and bluntly asked me, “Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?” I was shocked and very taken aback! While I was expecting to hear some type of insurance question, instead I was asked a deeply personal question about my salvation. Although I didn’t know this man, and I didn’t understand his motives, I felt in my heart that I had to tell the truth and that I should never, ever deny my Lord out of embarrassment. I boldly told him “yes!” He then asked me if my name was written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. I spoke my next “yes!” even more courageously! He then started witnessing to me and encouraging me, telling me that God is always present with us, even though we cannot see him physically. (When he mentioned that last part, I got shivers up and down my arms, because that was part of the lesson that I was teaching my Sunday school children just yesterday! We had been learning the story of God showing himself as a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire during the night to guide the Israelites out of Egypt. I had just asked the children yesterday if they believed that God is still in our presence, even though we don’t see him physically like the Israelites did so long ago.) When this stranger mentioned this to me over the phone, I felt like it was God talking directly to me!

Next, my friend from God told me that when we seem to suffer the most, that is when God gives us the greatest blessings. I told this man that I understood suffering and loss, relating to him the situation with my boys in Iraq. My caller then asked me if both of my boys were believers. I told him that one was a believer, but sadly, the other wasn’t. He then asked the name of my son that doesn’t believe, and right then and there he prayed with me for my son’s salvation! How did he know that I needed that? I’ll tell you how…because my Heavenly Father knew that I needed that! My precious Lord answered my call for help immediately, and my whereabouts (the workplace) didn’t stop him in the least!

My new friend (who I never learned the identity of), it turns out called the wrong number. But did he call the wrong number? I don’t believe that he did. After we discussed his original business in making the call to me, it turned out that he needed to call another agency, not mine.

I then let him in on my little secret…that I had JUST finished talking to God and asking Him for guidance when God sent this stranger to talk to me at work! After telling him this, my new friend got choked up and, although he spoke with such sureness and confidence throughout our conversation earlier, suddenly, he admitted to me that he was overwhelmed by what I related to him. He said that he felt very blessed and privileged to find out that God had used him as an instrument for me.

He then wished me well and told me that he would see me in Heaven and that we’ll know each other, because as he said, “All of God’s kids are going to see each other and know each other.”

CSI

2007-06-04T08:38:00.001-04:00

Last Friday morning at 6:18 am I heard 2 very loud gunshots, a 20 second span of quiet, and then a couple more gunshots. I was in the bedroom getting around and was ready to go get Abby and take her outside. Todd had left that morning on a business trip around 3:45 am. I couldn’t believe how loud the gunshots were and I thought to myself that I hope someone in our neighborhood didn’t loose their mind and shoot their spouse or family member. That is an awful thing to think but it was the first thing that went through my mind in the world we live in today.

I glanced outside and looked through the windows all around the house and did not see anything so I proceeded to take Abby out about 10 minutes after I heard the gunshots.

Fast forward to Sunday afternoon. While I’m outside with Abby again, Todd gets a phone call from our neighbor across the street. He proceeds to tell Todd that someone shot a bullet through their mailbox posts and he wanted to tell us because he knows that “Kevin” (Evan) plays outside. He noticed the bullet holes on Saturday. When Todd tells me about the phone conversation I proceed to tell him that I know exactly when the bullet was shot through the mailbox.

Todd went outside to look at his mailbox and then came in and told me I had to go see it. The freaky thing was that whoever shot the mailbox had to be standing on our property. The bullet went through the first mailbox post and into the second post and then dropped to the ground inside the 2nd post. No doubt from the angle of the shot that the shooter was on our property. This kind of freaks me out because I’m wondering who would do this and what if I would have been out with Abby a few minutes earlier? Was this someone shooting at an animal for some reason or just out for casual target practice? We live in a pretty quiet neighborhood with not a lot of activity.

Our neighbor wanted to call the police when he found the holes but his wife wasn’t too keen on it because they are trying to sell their house and didn’t want it in the paper. Yes – our small town paper puts everything in it. No news is too insignificant to report. Todd thinks we should report it. I’m thinking to myself that there isn’t a whole lot they can do. He thinks they will analyze the bullet and be able to figure out what kind of a gun it was,etc.

By the way – if they would have shot a bit higher it would have gone right into our neighbors house. Hopefully it won’t happen again and it was just some freaky thing.

100 Things About Me

2007-06-01T10:19:00.000-04:00

1) I have an amazing husband.
2) My son Evan means more to me than he will ever know.
3) My dog Abby is one of my best friends.
4) I miss my Mom and would give anything for one more day with her.
5) I could eat chocolate any time of the day.
6) I work part-time as a Systems Analyst.
7) I have OCD when it comes to checking my curling brush to make sure I’ve unplugged it.
8) I love to read.
9) I play the piano although I never practice anymore.
10) I don’t like messy things.
11) I love to go out to eat.
12) I had a pituitary tumor removed from the base of my brain when I was 17.
13) It took us 10 years to have Evan.
14) I was shocked when I found out we were pregnant.
15) I like to take walks.
16) Time with my family is very important to me.
17) I’m a very detailed person.
18) My favorite restaurants are Olive Garden, Panera, and Bravo.
19) I help with kids a lot even though I don’t consider myself a kid person.
20) I like to play video games.
21) I used to be a tomboy growing up and loved all kinds of sports.
22) I am easily entertained.
23) I am quiet until you get to know me.
24) I have a great sense of humor except when the joke is about me. LOL!
25) I worked at Burger King once for 2 weeks.
26) I have a BA in Computer Science from Ohio Northern University.
27) I love to sing.
28) I ate a plastic grape once when I was a kid. Never saw it again.
29) I like to watch reality TV shows such as Survivor, The Amazing Race and American Idol.
30) I’m also a Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, and Lost fan.
31) I love going to the beach.
32) I loved going on vacations with my family when I was a kid.
33) I help teach reading and math enrichment classes at Evan’s school.
34) I love to read blogs.
35) I love to play board games although when Evan was going through his 24 hr a day Monopoly phase I wouldn’t have said that.
36) I love to hang out with friends.
37) I have 3 friends that I worked with at my last job (over 10 yrs ago) and we still hang out together.
38) We like to play practical jokes on each other.
39) We have a great time together no matter what we are doing.
40) Any time spent with Todd is wonderful!
41) I hate pineapple and that is why my in-laws got us pineapple lamps after we got married. LOL!
42) I cannot see myself ever being without a dog. They are just too much fun to be around.
43) I’ve always wanted to have a job where I worked with dogs.
44) My dog Abby (4 lb Poodle) turns into a Pit Bull when she sees other animals.
45) I cannot remember a whole lot of details from my childhood even though I had a great one.
46) My Mom and Dad were an inspiration to me.
47) I cannot think of a time when I was embarrassed by my parents. (There goes the memory thing.)
48) I admire people who can draw. I’m not one of them.
49) I believe that your attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.
50) I don’t like spiders and snakes.
51) I can remember song lyrics fairly well but nothing else.
52) I played the clarinet for a year or so but had to stop when I got braces. (YES!)
53) I rock at Guitar Hero. LOL!
54) I used to do lots of needlepoint and cross stitch but haven’t had the time to do it in years.
55) I cannot sew. I made a shirt once when I was a kid and cut a hole in it when trimming a thread.
56) I loved Math in school. I even took 4 quarters of Calculus in college.
57) I am addicted to email and have to check it several times a day.
58) I even get my email on my cell phone.
59) I’m not in a 12 step program for this addiction.
60) I love hand dipped ice cream. Chocolate peanut butter is my favorite.
61) I witnessed a childhood friend get hit by a car. I can still see the image today. They were okay.
62) I was in a 7 car pileup near Cincinnati on the interstate when I was a kid. The car was totaled but nobody was hurt.
63) I am a good driver. (I’m sure I’ll go out and have an accident now.)
64) Bad drivers are my pet peeve.
65) I like to read People, Guideposts, Positive Thinking, and Today’s Christian Women magazines.
66) I love to go to Women of Faith conferences.
67) I love going to church.
68) I hate public speaking.
69) I don’t have a lot of patience.
70) Growing up we had 3 exchange students from South America.
71) Our family went to South America when I was a freshman in High School to visit one of our exchange students.
72) I used to be able to speak Spanish muy bueno.
73) I’ve had to let a few friends go in my life. I found out they weren’t good for me. That was hard.
74) I don’t like to travel alone.
75) I don’t like to eat alone.
76) I like the familiar.
77) Todd makes me feel safe.
78) I believe in God with all my heart.
79) I am not perfect.
80) Life challenges me every day.
81) I like to meet God in those challenges.
82) I cannot do a somersault anymore without breaking my neck.
83) I love having Evan’s friends over.
84) I love seeing Evan happy.
85) When I was at my prior job I quit, worked for another company for a week, and came back.
86) I like to swim but not the part where I have to wear a bathing suit.
87) I like to play tennis but don’t know of anyone else who does.
88) I’m afraid of dying from cancer in my 60’s like my Mom and Grandma.
89) I have a brother and sister who are twins. They are 5 years older than me.
90) They were always old enough to know better. LOL!
91) I’m a perfectionist although I’m not perfect. This can be frustrating.
92) I don’t like coffee.
93) I am starting to get into hot or iced cappuccino though.
94) We host a small group from church in our house twice a month.
95) I work with computers but I don’t know how to fix your PC. I just program them.
96) I’m starting to get into Sudoku. I dream about the numbers 1-9 now.
97) I love to watch people.
98) I hate to shop.
99) I am always in a better mood when the sun is shining.
100) I love life!

My husband’s new best friend.

2007-05-29T10:34:00.000-04:00

I keep checking Todd’s blog to see if he has written about his new best friend but haven’t seen anything yet so I thought I’d go ahead and tell you about him. Well – we aren’t sure if it is a him or her or many hims or hers.

Todd has never seen his new best friend but has seen what he can do. Last year about this time we went up to the lake and took the pontoon boat out for a very nice ride. The next time we went up there is when Todd discovered his new best friend(s). He went to take the cover off of the boat and found lots of stuffing all over the place. Yes – Ricky the raccoon had gotten under the cover and shredded all of the seats on the boat and did his business all over the carpet and everywhere else you can imagine. All new seats and carpet had to be ordered and we ended up not having a boat all summer.

Well guess who we ran into again? Yes – Ricky. This year, however, we never even took one ride on the boat. He got in there again and thankfully didn’t shred the seats but scratched some of them with his claws and did tear up the captain’s chair a bit. This year’s prank was pooping all over everything. Yes – he is very regular and can pretty much go like a large dog does if you get my drift here.

We had family up on Sunday so even though Todd discovered the mess on Sunday he pretty much stayed away from it until yesterday. It took him most of the day to get the boat cleaned up. I did very hesitantly offer to help but I think he knew it would be very hard for me to do. For some reason the older I get the more things like that bother me.

The next thing to do was to find a way to cover up the hole where the boat cover doesn’t cover the boat. Back where the ladder is there is a space where the raccoon was getting in. We tried to think of all kind of things to put there from a Velcro cover to wire, etc. We even talked about trapping Ricky and putting him in the raccoon relocation program. We finally decided to put boat bumpers in there. We decided we needed new ones anyway because Ricky had did his business on them too and the ropes attached to them were a mess also. So – we picked up some new ones thinking that if they didn’t work to block off the hole we could still use them on the boat for docking. We also put a sign next to the boat saying “We have moved next door – please visit our boat there. Thanks!”

My e-Buddy

2007-05-24T16:43:00.000-04:00

In the April issue of Guideposts there was an article written by Nancy O’Dell who is a reporter for Access Hollywood. She wrote about how she grew up playing with her aunt Ellen who was about 20 years older than her and had Down Syndrome. She loved playing with her and had lots of cherished memories spending time with her.

When Nancy got older she was a reporter in Miami and did a story on Best Buddies which is an organization that promotes relationships between people with intellectual disabilities and those without.

After reading Nancy’s article I was curious as to what Best Buddies was all about so I checked out their website www.bestbuddies.org. Once on the website I found that not only do they link people together in person but they also have something called e-Buddies. I thought this might be something I would be interested in so I went to www.ebuddies.org and started reading about what it was all about.

You basically agree to correspond with an intellectually disabled person through email at least once a week. This gives them a chance to develop computer skills and to have a relationship with a new friend. Well I send lots of emails and would love to meet a new friend so I decided to sign up. You have to be 11 and older, which I surprisingly enough qualified for, and have to have your application processed and approved. References were requested and I had to fill out a questionnaire asking me about my interests so they could match me with someone with similar interests. If you are over 18 they charge you a one time fee of $50. All emails going both directions go through the organization before getting to the recipient. One of my references said she was going to tell them that I pick my nose so apparently that was okay because they approved me. LOL!

I got my logon information and was told my application was approved but I did not have an e-Buddy yet. After logging on I saw a message board so I decided to see what people were saying about their experiences with e-Buddies. I read several posts that said they had been approved for almost a year and had still not been assigned an e-Buddy. I also saw comments that after people received their assigned person they never got a response back from them. I have to admit I started to feel a bit upset that this may not turn out to be what I was hoping for.

Well I must be lucky or something because I got an email from the organization a couple of days ago saying that I had an e-Buddy named Anne. Since I had things going on that evening I decided to email her the next day. Before I even got anything typed up she emailed me. She had a friend help her type but she told me that she is short with brown hair and wears glasses. She asked what I looked like. She said she has a job packaging golf balls. I was so excited to hear from her so I emailed her back and told her a little bit about myself and asked her some questions. We are not allowed to disclose our full names or addresses unless approved by the organization. She probably lives several states away.

Anyway – I am excited to see where this goes. Hopefully it will be a good experience and when Evan turns 11 maybe he will want to get an e-Buddy too.

McSpecial Times

2007-05-23T16:36:00.000-04:00

I have this habit of going to McDonalds about one morning every other week to get a bacon egg and cheese bagel and an English Toffee Cappuccino. I stop there after dropping Evan off at school. You see my poodle, Abby, gets really excited when I bring home McBagels. She loves every part of it and I always share little bits and pieces of it with her. That way I don’t get all 2100 calories myself.

On the days I take Evan to school she is always sniffing all over the minute I open the door. I feel so bad when I have to tell her that particular day was not a McBagel day. LOL! She forgives me anyway. That’s the way pets are you know. They are just so excited to see you that they soon forget that you didn’t bring them a McBagel.

Anyway – now that school is almost out I find myself going to get McBagels about twice a week. I never go there during the summer months so I figure I’d better get my McBagel and McCappuccino fix in before school is out.

Oh – and after eating that we just have to take a walk. Otherwise my McLovehandles will get out of control.

What have I gotten myself into?

2007-05-22T14:02:00.001-04:00

Tonight is the banquet for the EAGLES (Enrichment Aimed at Gifted Learners Embracing Success) program at school. The gifted coordinator, who is a very good friend of mine, asked me if Todd and I would like to speak at the banquet. She asked me this a few weeks ago and I said “sure” without any hesitation. Now that it is tonight I’m thinking to myself “What have I gotten myself into?”.

I asked her how long she wanted us to talk. She said around 5 minutes. I’m thinking 5 whole minutes? Todd thought – wow – how am I going to only talk for 5 minutes? LOL! You see he is great at standing up in front of people and talking. He loves it and is very good at it. I, on the other hand, would prefer to be in the audience. So tonight will be interesting. I’m hoping he talks for 4 minutes and 45 seconds so I can just utter a few words and be done.

I actually sat down yesterday and typed up what I wanted to say. I know what I want to say but saying it is another matter. I could kind of read it but that probably wouldn’t look too good. So – hopefully once I get up there I will remember everything I wanted to say and not have to look down at my notes too much. I am very proud of the EAGLES program at school. It has only been in place for 2 years but it is growing and is a great program. Last year we just had Reading and this year we added Math. The kids that qualify for the program are taken out of the classroom for 45 minutes twice a week. I have helped with it since the beginning and have enjoyed spending time with the kids. I have worked with 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders.

One of the things I wanted to mention tonight is the fact that it is so interesting to see how the kids process things. I have found that even in Math they come up with different ways to solve a problem. I always thought Math was pretty concrete in that there are rules and methods for solving problems. Well I have learned otherwise. Sometimes the way they come up with answers is so far out there but it works. It just amazes me how their minds work. Even though they are all gifted they are still very different from one another when it comes to personalities and the way they learn.

Evan goes to a fairly small Christian school so starting a program like this was a big deal for the school. The superintendent was so supportive of this program and the teachers have been great too. The gifted coordinator is a volunteer who has a son in Evan’s class. She has spent a great deal of time talking to other gifted coordinators from several schools that have an enrichment program in place. She has done a great job getting this program going and is really the one person that got it all started.

Anyway – tonight I hope to do my best with something I’m not gifted in. Todd, however, we expect great things from you. LOL!

Our Ethiopian Friend

2007-05-18T16:55:00.000-04:00

In March, 2004, we decided to sponsor a child through Compassion International. We had heard good things about Compassion so we went to their website and were able to select a child online. You could search for a child by all kinds of criteria such as location, male/female, age, and birthday. We decided to put Evan’s birthday in and see if there was a match. We thought it would be neat to sponsor a child that was born on the exact same day as Evan and that Evan could possibly learn a lot about a child the same age as him.

The only one that came up was a boy from Ethiopia named Berkeit. He was meant to be our sponsored child. We signed up and printed off the picture of him from the internet and began paying our monthly sponsorship fee. We got another picture of him and some information about him. It stated that he lives with his mother. He is responsible for running errands and cleaning. His mother is sometimes employed. There are 4 children in the family. Soccer and playing group games are Berkeit’s favorite activities. In primary school his performance is average and he also regularly attends church activities. As we wrote to him and received letters from him we began to know him a bit better.

It is really hard to write to him though. There are so many things he cannot even comprehend because he has never seen or heard of some of the things we deal with on a daily basis. Here we are in a nice house with lots of comforts, food, clothing, and many extras we don’t really need. I think of him living in a shack with dirt floors with little food and the guilt just overwhelms me sometimes. If he could see how we live in comparison to him he would be overwhelmed too

I have learned one very important thing from corresponding with Berkeit. He is extremely happy. He doesn’t really know what he doesn’t have and he is happy with the little he does have. Are many of us Americans happy with what we have? We have so much but are always wanting more. I know I take things for granted all the time. When I think of Berkeit, however, it reminds me that God has blessed us far beyond our gratitude.

Every year for Berkeit’s birthday and at Christmas we send some extra money so that he can have something special. He always sends us a picture of himself with his birthday cake (hand made braided bread) each year. He tells us everything he got with the money and how much each item cost. I’ll never forget that the first thing he ever got after we sponsored him was a blanket. He told us he would not be cold at night now. He was so very happy about that and it meant the world to him. All of the items he buys are practical things such as bed sheets, shoes, etc. He also has to pay for the picture he sends us. It is important to him to share that with us.

I just finished writing Berkeit this afternoon. I have to admit that I have not given him the time he deserves lately. There is no excuse. Yes, I have been “busy” but I can certainly make time for him instead of reading or watching TV or even blogging. God has placed him in our lives and we need to do what we can to encourage him and show him that he is loved.

This summer I think Evan and I will spend some time learning more about Ethiopia and what life is like for Berkeit and his family. Wouldn’t it be cool to go visit him someday?

Time Well Spent

2007-05-15T11:09:00.000-04:00

Last Friday was a very nice day. Todd decided to take the day off so he and I could spend some time together while we had free babysitting from school. We decided to go to The Greene which is a shopping village. It's like a little town of its own with shops, restaurants, and a theater. A lot of the stores have expensive items in them but it is fun to just look and walk around.

We ended up eating lunch at BD’s Mongolian Grill. I had heard about these restaurants before but had never been to one. Let me say – I want to go back now! It was so good. It is a very unique place where you basically create your own stir-fry. You get a bowl and then fill it up with what meat you want (chicken, steak, lamb, sausage, shrimp, calamari, etc) and then add vegetables to it (mushrooms, tomatoes, broccoli, been sprouts, snap peas, carrots, corn, etc). They also have some pasta you can add. You are supposed to fill your bowl up as high as you can. My bowl was a little on the wimpy side so next time I will definitely add more. You then pick out the sauce you want them to stir-fry it with and add any spices you want. They have lots of sauces and spices to choose from. You take your bowl and sauce up to the area around the grill and the cooks then cook your stir-fry on a 7 foot round grill along with everyone else’s. I have to admit I was a bit embarrassed to see my wimpy amount of stir-fry up there compared with everyone else’s. Size does matter you know. I felt very inadequate. LOL! They then serve rice and tortillas at your table. It was very good and I ate it all. I just wish there was one a bit closer. It seemed like healthy food and the price wasn’t all that bad.

After lunch we continued to walk around, spent time in the bookstore, and then had to pass The Cheesecake Factory on the way out. Todd had never been in The Cheesecake Factory before and so I just wanted to show him the unique building but once inside we just had to get some. I had been there once before. I recommended the “Craig’s Crazy Carrot Cake Cheesecake”. If you like carrot cake you would love this one. I’m even a big chocolate fan and would pick this out first over chocolate. We sat down and enjoyed our cheesecake, which cost almost as much as lunch by the way. It was nice just to sit and visit. We decided to get Evan a piece of Oreo cheesecake to go.

When we got home we took Abby for a quick walk before having to pick Evan up from school. I always enjoy any time spent with Todd. It was such a nice day and it meant a lot to me that he took the day off even though he had tons to do at work.

Maybe we could do this every Friday. (When we are retired)

Purse-onality

2007-05-08T13:32:00.000-04:00

At the Women of Faith conference Anita Renfroe, who is a Christian comedian, talked about your Purse-onality. Basically she was saying that you can tell a lot about a woman by what she carries on her shoulder. Just like the saying “You are what you eat” she stated that “You are what you carry”.

There were basically 5 different Purse-onalities that she talked about.

The first is the “Tiny Toter”.
This purse is approximately the size of a large cell phone. A person that carries this has a very controlled life. They have 1 credit card, 1 lipstick sample (because a full size lipstick would never fit), and 1 neatly folded antibacterial wipe. If you ever find yourself in jail they are the friend you want to call to bail you out.

The second is the “Mo is Mo Better”.
This purse is very large. They could survive 2 ½ weeks in the artic tundra with this purse. It holds over 1000 markers, ½ of the snack aisle at 7/11, a working pharmacy, and juice boxes for the kids. If you ever find yourself in jail they are the one that has the 7-in-1 McIver tool to get you out.

Thirdly there is the “Serial Monogamist”.
They have a very plain purse that they have had for 12 years. It is no longer functional. They are very loyal. If you ever find yourself in jail they would be the friend that would hold a candlelight vigil outside the jail.

The fourth one is the “I Love Bling”.
The people that carry these are fun people that are never on time. They change purses like people change underwear and can never find anything. This is the friend that would be responsible for you ending up in jail. They will sit in your cell with you and say “Honey – wasn’t that the best fun we ever had?”.

Lastly there are the ones that don’t carry a purse. Most likely their car is their purse. They tell their children to run to the car to get whatever it is they are asking for. They are so unorganized that they would probably forget that you were in jail to begin with.

The funny thing about Anita talking about your Purse-onality is the fact that we happened to go to a mall before the conference and guess what I got? Yep – a purse. And guess what type of Purse-onality I have? Well my friends would jump on this right away and tell you. I’m a Serial Monogamist. Yep – I admit it. The purse I was carrying was plain and probably over 12 years old. I believe Todd bought it for me. Yeah – how many women would like the purse their husband picked out? Well I did. He knows what I like so I hung on to that purse as long as I could. You see – JC Penney had a buy one get one for $.88 sale. So my friend H who loves purses, although I truly cannot pinpoint her Purse-onality, was so excited to see this sale and the excitement was contagious. I found a purse I really liked. It had huge outside pockets to hold my Tiny Toter sized Blackberry and everything else a girl could wish for. LOL! H and I got purses together which was fun.

I have to admit that when I switched over to my new purse it was kind of hard for me. I decided to keep it in the closet just in case I needed it. I love my new purse. Now I wish I had bought 2 so that 12 years from now I’d already have a new one.

Women of Faith

2007-05-01T10:13:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was a time of friendship and renewal and lots of estrogen floating around. LOL! I went to the Women of Faith conference in Columbus, OH. Our church gets a group of women together each year and we take a bus to the conference. This is my second year and I hope to go each year if it works out. Last year I drove over on my own and went with my friend from Columbus and stayed at her place. This year I took the bus over and stayed in the hotel with the other women.

Right before last year’s conference I was asked to be in charge of it for this year. The decision to say yes has led to a lot of positive things. I am now a member of the Women’s Ministry at church. Each month we meet at someone’s house and we talk about the different teams we are leading and what they are doing. Of course I never have a whole lot to say about my team because the conference is only once a year. There are, however, a few preparations that start in late summer just getting ready for the conference in April. I have really enjoyed getting to know the women at the meetings each month. Each one is unique and has something really special to give to their area of ministry.

One really sweet person I got to know is Pat, the lady who was in charge of the conference for the past 2 years. She agreed to stay on the Women of Faith team and help me along. I don’t know how many emails she has had to answer. She has been so helpful in guiding me along the whole process of getting everything taken care of. I am so glad I had her by my side and have gotten to know her better. She is one of those people that you meet and feel like you have known them for years.

I had asked some friends to go along to the conference with me. Because they are all in the witness protection program I will just refer to them by their first initials. LOL! Originally V and H were going to go but V ended up having to go to a footwear conference for work. H and I talked on the bus over to the conference just wondering what you do at a footwear conference. H thought it would be pretty cool to look at shoes like that. LOL! Anyway, I was pretty disappointed that V couldn’t go. She is my friend that now lives in Columbus and I enjoyed being with her at the conference last year. I also knew that the conference would have been really good for her since she has been going though some tough times lately. But since she couldn’t go I asked A to go along. H and I have know each other for around 13 yrs or so. We worked together at a prior job and now we are working together again. I have been working with A for about 8 yrs. I have talked to her a lot at work but have never done anything outside of work with her. She is a very upbeat person who is fun to be around. I knew we would all have a good time together. I knew that A could really use some time away too.

After we boarded the bus, Dan, our pastor came out and prayed with us before we left. He is not in the witness protection program so I can say his name. Anyway – in his prayer he mentioned that we might find God in times other than when we are at the conference such as when we are sharing a meal with friends, etc. As soon as we took off H and I noticed that A was just chatting away with the lady sitting next to her. A doesn’t know a stranger. After we got to the mall (Yes – we had to go shopping first) A told us that she had already been so blessed by talking to the lady sitting next to her. I remembered Dan’s prayer and thought that she found a little gift from God sitting next to her on the bus.

We spent the day shopping and then went to the hotel, out for dinner, and then to the conference for the evening. If you ever get a chance to go to the Women of Faith conference please go. They have them all over the USA. I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying them. I found myself laughing one minute and then holding back tears the next. The speakers and music are great. Sharing the experience with friends too is so special.

I know that God was there with me during the organization of the conference. Everything just seemed to fall into place. People were there to help me along the way. I was so surprised and blessed to receive a gift bag from the women in our group. I’ve got lots of reading to do now and lots of laughing while watching Anita Renfroe’s DVD set. I have to admit in some ways I’m relieved it is over but I’m ready to go again next year. I know that by then I will need that time of renewal in my life.

Picture This!

2007-04-24T10:08:00.000-04:00

My fellow blogger Jules shared the flickr website where you can create posters, etc with your digital photos. I created a magazine cover with Todd on it that I'll keep to myself. LOL! However, here is a photo of Evan when he was 5 or so. Thought it was so cute!

Who's Knocking At Your Door?

2007-04-19T15:27:00.000-04:00

Have you ever felt a connection to someone and then it just kind of faded away? Being in the working world (part-time now) I have had a lot of people come and go from the places I’ve worked. Some of them I seem to hit it off with and some I don’t.

Once there was a girl (and I call her a girl simply because she is about 5 yrs younger than me) that came into the Information Systems department at my current job. Even though she only worked here about 2 months we just seemed to hit it off right away. She was always an upbeat person and would even sing or whistle while she worked. Yeah – it wasn’t too distracting. She was a great singer. The only time it was a problem was when she had her headphones on and was singing something entirely different than the elevator music that was being played over the speakers. That could be a bit annoying when you are trying to concentrate. LOL!

The reason she only worked with me for 2 months was because she was way overqualified for the job she was doing. She had some great experience with web design and most of her work was going to be maintaining what an outside company created. She was under the impression that she was going to be the one doing all the work. She definitely had the capabilities but the job position did not fit her and she was bored.

We always joked around a lot and made each other laugh. Once she changed jobs we still communicated through emails. She sometimes sang with a blues band on the weekends and Todd and I even went to hear her one time. I also would meet her for dinner and had her up to the lake to spend a day with us. We had a great time.

Well, I ended up taking over her responsibilities at work and she offered to help me with anything I had questions on. I really didn’t bother her too much with this but after awhile I found myself sending her emails and never getting a response. One day I emailed her and asked her if there was something wrong or if I had offended her in some way. I got an email back saying that she really thought I was a great friend and that she in no way meant to take so long to respond. She said she had just been so busy.

At first I just took it as that. At one point I offered to take her out to dinner to thank her for helping me with some technical issues at work. I never did get her to go out. She was always busy. She was a single person who had a great job and also did a lot of consulting work on the side designing websites. She also had her music interests to keep her busy.

I truly to this day don’t understand what happened with our friendship. After a couple of years I finally let it go. I was the only one making an effort to communicate. She was always nice and sincere when I talked to her but I was getting so frustrated with her. I decided to wait for her to contact me. I’m still waiting…

I still care very much for my friend and yes I still consider her my friend. I know that in life people come and go and that is part of life. It’s all about how much you invest in the relationship. And – a relationship cannot be one sided.

I know my friend did not mean to hurt my feelings. I wonder, however, if I got a taste of what Jesus feels when we reject him? He is constantly nudging us to be in a relationship with him. He will never give up on the relationship he wants with us. Unlike me – he won’t walk away from it. He will still be knocking.

"Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends." (Rev 3:20 NLT)

Five (5) lessons to make you think about the way we treat people.

2007-04-17T14:37:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine sent me this in an email. I thought I'd share it with you.

Lesson 1 - Cleaning Lady.

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:

"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello."

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

Lesson 2 - Pickup in the Rain

One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 60s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.

She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached.

It read:
"Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away... God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."

Sincerely , Mrs. Nat King Cole.

Lesson 3 - Always remember those who serve.

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.

"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. "Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.

By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.

"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins.
"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to
cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies.

You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

Lesson 4 - The obstacle in Our Path.

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.

The peasant learned what many of us never understand! Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

Lesson 5 - Giving When it Counts...

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.

I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save her."

As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.

He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away."

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

I’ve got a step-mom!

2007-04-05T10:07:00.000-04:00

I never thought I’d have a step-mom. It just never entered my mind to think of either of my parents being with someone else. In some ways it seems surreal.

We left for Florida the day before the wedding and finally were able to meet Fran. I have to admit I was a bit nervous to meet my future step-mom the day before the wedding. I was so pleasantly surprised. She is a very nice lady and seems so happy being around Dad. We had dinner that night with her and her two sons. They were also very nice and that was an added bonus. One is kind of quiet while the other one loved to talk and joke around. Both were easy to get along with and I’m looking forward to meeting their families and getting to know them better.

Our trip down there was very busy. After the wedding we went to Sanibel Island for lunch and had a great view of the beach and water. Dad and Fran were going to spend a couple of days there. I love Sanibel Island. We have probably been down there 10 times or so and it is just a very relaxing place. In some ways I had wished that we could just stay there for a week and walk the beach, swim, look for shells, read, and relax.

Our plans were not quite like that though. We hopped in the car after lunch and drove to Orlando. Here is where that bad part of Sanibel Island comes in. Traffic can be horrendous. It took us over an hour to get off of the island and get back to Ft. Myers. We then had a 3 hr drive to Orlando. We had my sister and 13 yr old niece with us.

In Orlando we ended up staying at a really nice 3 bedroom condo that was very large. Lucky for us they had some really good prices on it because there were still building other buildings around the complex. We spent one day at Universal Studios and the other at Universal Islands of Adventure. Then we drove to Tampa and went to Busch Gardens for a day. It was fun but exhausting. You know how that is when you go to 3 theme parks and have 5 people who don’t necessarily want to all do the same thing. All in all it went well though.

We are back home now. At the end of the month my Dad and step-mom will be coming back up north to live for the summer. I’m looking forward to getting to know her better. I just wish them the very best and thank God for bringing them together.

Weekend To Remember – Part 2

2007-03-08T10:57:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to share a bit about the “Weekend To Remember” that Todd and I went to last weekend. It was a great time for both of us. It was Friday evening, and all day Saturday and Sunday. The only thing that kind of got to us was sitting so much and the seats we were in. The hotel had such small chairs and they were right on top of each other. That made it kind of uncomfortable. That, however, is the only negative thing I can think of about the whole weekend.

There were all ages there. There were even engaged couples there. How neat that they were being so proactive about their future together. There were a few couples who had been married over 40 years. That just goes to show that marriage is something you have to work on and invest in all the time no matter how long you have been together.

There was so much material covered that each couple was bound to have an area that they needed to work on. I thought before we went that there would not be a whole lot for us to work on but as we started to go through the material we discovered areas that we definitely could improve upon. As the years have gone by it seems like we have each gotten so busy getting involved in things outside of the home. All of it is good stuff but we need to make sure that our marriage is a priority and not the leftovers at the end of the day. That is probably the main thing that hit us. By saying Yes to so many other activities in essence we are saying No to each other. By the time we get home from being involved in other things we are too tired to be there for each other the way we should be.

Another thing is to make sure we are modeling a good marriage to Evan. We want him to see us and to know what a good Christian marriage looks like. We have also planned to have a date night once a month. We very rarely go out together alone. Evan may not like this at first but hopefully he will see that our relationship together is a priority and understand this as he gets older. I think the more time we have as a couple the better parents we will be to him.

Lastly we decided to continue to work more on centering our marriage on God. We are going to use a couple’s devotional book that we bought a few years back and carve out the time to commune with God as a couple.

Besides the conference it was so nice to have that whole weekend just to ourselves.
We went to three of our favorite restaurants: Panera, Bravo, and Olive Garden. We talked and shared thoughts with each other that supported, uplifted, and encouraged one another. It made me realize how very blessed I am to have Todd as my husband. It was so nice spending that time with him. I will remember it forever because it was, of course, A Weekend To Remember.

Weekend To Remember

2007-02-22T14:44:00.000-05:00

On March 2nd, Todd and I are going to attend a weekend marriage conference put on by Family Life. It is called a “Weekend To Remember”.

I first heard about the “Weekend To Remember” when reading a blog one day. I’ve been reading Jule's wonderful blog for quite some time and back in December she wrote about the many marriages that were falling apart around her. Someone who left a comment on her blog mentioned Family Life’s Weekend To Remember. I remember going to the website and checking it out. It looked like a really nice conference.

About a month ago the conference came up again. We were having a meeting in our home for all of the small group leaders from church. One of the guys mentioned that he and his wife were going to start up a small group just for couples. He said they were trying to get a group of couples to go to the Weekend To Remember.

After that meeting I mentioned to Todd that it might be neat to go to. He agreed so we contacted the couple who were organizing the group and we got signed up.

My only concern about signing up for the conference was Evan. This is sad but we have never left him with anyone else except for a few times when he was really young. When I talked to the lady who was organizing the trip she was making comments about some other people she knows of that never leave their kids and go out and do things. I was too embarrassed to tell her that we are very much that way.

Todd and I aren’t going to the conference because our marriage is falling apart. We have a pretty strong marriage. We do, however, have trouble finding time for one another. It seems like we are sometimes two ships that pass in the night. (Thank you Barry Manilow for that song.) My hope for this conference is first of all to just be with Todd and enjoy each other. I don’t care where we are. As long as we are together it is all good. I’m also hoping to refresh our marriage. Marriage isn’t over when you say “I Do!”. It is something you have to work on daily like any relationship you care about. And as Jules says – it has to be God centered. I’m looking forward to next weekend. Our friends that have been there before told me that it had taken their marriage to a whole new level. I’m anxious to see where God is taking us.

Am I Who I Say I Am?

2007-02-10T10:43:00.000-05:00

I have to admit that I can get very frustrated with people when driving. This has always been an issue with me although I have been a lot better about it the last several years. I’ve always admired how Todd handles what is going on around him when driving. He seems to just drive without ever being bothered by the rude people that cut him off or tailgate him. How does he do that? I’ve always wondered. I think I’ll always be bothered by those people. It is just in my DNA. LOL!

Years ago I would respond by doing similar things back to them in order to “teach them a lesson”. That was not a very smart thing to do let alone a very Christian thing to do. I realized I had a problem with this and have made a very conscious effort to think first before reacting. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn’t. I often have a conversation with myself in which I tell myself that I know what the right thing to do is and to do that instead of what I really want to do. I ask God to help me to calm down and not react. I guess I take it personally when someone is driving erratic around me. I realize though that they do this to everyone not just me. Somehow that makes me feel better. I’m sure the other people don’t though. LOL! I am doing so much better with this. Yes – it still bothers me when people are rude on the road but I try to do the right thing which is just to let them around me and not let it bother me.

A friend of mine sent me this story that really hit home with me. It makes me think – if I say I’m a Christian – am I truly what I say I am?

A man is being tailgated by a stressed-out woman on a busy Boulevard. Suddenly, the light turns yellow, just in front of him. He does the honest thing, and stops at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.

The tailgating woman hits the roof, and the horn, screaming in frustration as she misses her chance to get through the intersection with him. As she is still in mid-rant, she hears a tap on her window and looks up into the face of a very serious police officer.

The officer orders her to exit her car with her hands up. He takes her to the police station where she is searched, fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a cell.
After a couple of hours, a policeman approaches the cell and opens the door. She is escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer is waiting with her personal effects.

He says, "I'm very sorry for this mistake."

"You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping the guy off in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him."

"I noticed the "Choose Life" license plate holder, the "What Would Jesus Do" bumper sticker, the "Follow Me to Sunday School" bumper sticker, and the chrome plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk."

"Naturally I assumed you had stolen the car."

My treadmill no longer treads!

2007-02-07T16:07:00.000-05:00

Since the beginning of the year I have been walking on my treadmill and a few times outside. I was inspired by a new blog friend who had posted about walking across America. That intrigued me so I read on and realized that anyone could sign up and at the end of each week she would add up all of the miles that people had walked and that is how far we walked as a group together. I liked the idea of walking with other bloggers. One blogger even said that while she walked she would be praying for all of the other walkers that signed up. I thought that was pretty neat. Each week there is a posting with a picture of how far we had gone on the map along with a picture of that area and what kind of places are around there. If you want to check it out click here.

I have only missed 3 days of walking since then. My goal has been to walk 7 miles a week. However, last week I made it 10 miles and I’m shooting for that again this week. I’m sure to a lot of you that doesn’t sound like a lot. But to me it has been about 80% more than I was doing before so that is good. It takes me 20 minutes to do a mile on the treadmill.

Today I was all prepared to get on and get my 2 miles in. However, about 4 minutes into my walk my treadmill starting to make this terrible noise and started to slow down. I looked down and the belt was way over to the left and starting to get cut by the sides. This happened last week and my wonderful husband somehow fixed it for me. He had to adjust the belt and then all was well.

We’ve had our treadmill for about 12 yrs and I think we maybe used it 10 times before I started using it this January. Before I could have cared less if it was working but now it is a matter of life and death. LOL!

Since Todd is out of town until tomorrow I decided to walk around my house instead. With the extremely cold temperatures and the 4” of snow we got yesterday evening walking outside was not an option. Evan just kind of stared at me when I told him I was going to walk around the house since the treadmill wasn’t working. My poor dog, Abby, started to follow me around like she always does and finally just stopped and looked at me like I was crazy. Well, she is a poodle and yes they are smart. LOL!

I decided it was best to do this during the day when the neighbors couldn’t see into the house real well. I’m sure I looked like a crazed person hurrying around and going in circles. I did walk for 20 minutes 2 different times so I got it done. I’m not sure what Todd will think when he comes home and sees the paths in the carpet from where I walked. Maybe I’ll have to get the vacuum out!

He’s getting married!

2007-02-03T08:42:00.000-05:00

I posted before about my Dad “Moving Forward” after my Mom’s death in September 2004. Well yesterday I got a call from him and he and Fran are engaged and getting married on March 30th in Florida.

I am not surprised by this but I guess the whole enormity of it is starting to sink in. I am very happy for him and anxious to meet Fran. However, there are a lot of painful feelings going through me as well. I know that Fran will never replace my Mom and I’m sure she isn’t wanting to do that anyway. But the fact that my Dad is moving on makes me miss my Mom even more.

They are still planning on living in Ohio in the summer and in Florida in the winter. He said they would stay in his Ohio home which will be nice. When he started to talk about moving into her house in Florida and eventually selling his Florida home it made me sad. There are so many memories there for me. We have probably been down there 10 out of the last 12 years. Todd, Evan and I would go down in the winter for a week and have the best time. Mom would always have things planned out for us to do and even schedule a dinner and a play for Todd and I to go see while they watched Evan. We took him since he was a baby and I’m sure he has memories there as well. We have only been down there once since Mom passed away. It was very hard being there without her. I had to take Mom’s place in the kitchen and we were on our own to make plans. I’m sure it was hard for Dad as well.

I know this is just another step in dealing with Mom being gone. I think there will always be steps. Hopefully they will be less steep as time goes on.

An Ethical Dilemma - What Would You Do?

2007-01-25T08:14:00.000-05:00

I received the following in an email this morning. Thought it was something to think about. Enjoy!

You are driving along in your car on a wild, stormy night. You pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for the bus:

1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.
2. An old friend who once saved your life.
3. The perfect man (or) woman you have been dreaming about.

Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing that there could only be one passenger in your car?

Think before you continue reading.

This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once actually used as part of a job application.

You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first; or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back.

However, you may never be able to find your perfect dream lover again.

The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with his answer. I love this, I may actually use it sometime for an interview situation.

WHAT DID HE SAY?

He simply answered: ""I would give the car keys to my old friend, and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the woman of my dreams.""

Never forget to ""Think Outside of the Box."

Uranus Stinks!

2007-01-23T10:16:00.000-05:00

I was getting something out of Evan’s drawer the other day and happened to knock off one of the planets on his solar system model. Of course I had no idea which one it was. He was standing there watching me. I apologized to him for knocking it off and quickly put it back together. He told me it was okay and then said “Uranus stinks!” followed by some giggles. I’m thinking to myself - why is this funny? He continues to laugh so I immediately think he is thinking of “Your anus stinks!”. I’m not sure at this point what to say because of course I should believe he is all innocent and just leave it at that.

But no – I couldn’t let it go. I asked him what he meant by that and he just repeated it and laughed again. I asked him if he was talking about the planet Uranus and he said yes – why? Well I just had to explain to him that I thought he was being silly by saying “Your anus stinks!” instead of “Uranus Stinks!”. Well come to find out he didn’t even know what an anus was. So after I explained it to him he came up to me and said “Mom – your anus stinks but don’t worry – everyone’s does”. He followed this by laughing of course.

At this point Todd comes in and gives me a look like “What in the world are you doing woman?”. He then hears Evan use his new word over and over again. Yep – we had to tell him not to use that word. Especially at school. What was I thinking?

Never a dull moment at our house.

Mayonnaise Jar and Coffee

2007-01-20T15:18:00.000-05:00

I had a copy of this on my PC because I thought it was neat. I do play well with others so I thought I'd share it with you...

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large, empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the professor picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked again if the jar was full. The students agreed that it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous YES.

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

‘Now,’ said the professor, as the laughter subsided, ‘I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things – God, family, your health, friends, your favorite passions – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter, your job, your house, your car, your activities.

The sand is everything else – the small stuff.

‘If you put the sand into the jar first,’ he continued, ‘there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your kids, take time to get a medical check-up, take your spouse out for dinner. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled. ‘I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple cups of coffee with a friend.’

When we put God first, He blesses us in wonderful ways. With God first in our life, we are not as overwhelmed by the sand that blows around us. When God is first in our life, we are better equipped to keep challenges in perspective and truly count and enjoy the blessings of life.

~Author Unknown

American Idol

2007-01-18T11:19:00.000-05:00

I’m a reality TV fan but have never watched American Idol. I’ve had friends and family mention that they love to watch American Idol so I thought I’d check it out. So I pulled up the programming guide and set the DVR to record the entire series of Season 6.

Todd and I have so far watched 2 days of auditions. I guess I should say that I’ve watched it while Todd has glanced at it while working on his laptop.

Of course I knew a little bit about the show. I had known that Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell, and Randy Jackson were the judges and that Ryan Seacrest was the host.

Over 100,000 people audition in 7 cities. I’m wondering why there are so many really bad people that they show on TV. Seriously – I have an average voice but could do so much better than the people they say no to. Anybody that can carry a tune could. It doesn’t take long to realize that the people that are really bad are just there for the show’s entertainment purposes. Simon is terribly mean with his comments, Randy spends most of his time laughing at them, and Paula either covers her face or turns around completely in her chair when they are bad. Obviously if they audition that many people and only show 25 or so per show then they just want to make fun of the people who are bad. Even the ones that I consider good get negative comments made to them by Simon. Very few escape his wrath.

I feel bad for these people that get on national TV and are made fun of. I also wonder why they are there? Who told them they could sing? Who encouraged them to go on the show? I would hope and pray that if I decided to go on American Idol and couldn’t sing that someone that loved me would tell me before I went on national TV and made a fool of myself. Maybe people just want to go on to be “famous”?

Well after watching it for 2 nights now I’m still not sure what I think of the show. Yes – at times I did laugh at the people that were bad. It was entertaining to a point. But I also felt like it was so cruel and mean spirited. I felt bad about laughing at times. I just hope the people that got rejected will not be scarred for life. LOL! Who knows – maybe they will become “famous”.

Only Jesus Saves

2007-01-16T15:35:00.000-05:00

I’m sure you’ve heard of the Book “The Purpose Driven Life”. Well I signed up to get the Purpose Driven Life devotional by email each day. If you are interested in subscribing to it you can go to their website www.purposedrivenlife.com to sign up. Sometimes the devotional really speaks to me and sometimes it doesn’t. Well last week I got the one shown below and I really felt like I should share it.

Some of my friends are active Christ followers and some aren’t. I am always beating myself up for times when I don’t reach out to my friends and take an active role in leading them to Christ. After reading this devotional I felt a sense of relief. When I read the words “We don’t save anyone. Only Jesus saves.” I realized that in order to reach my friends maybe I just need to have them see me live my life for Christ and to show them the love that Christ shows to me. Can it honestly be that simple? I think I know the answer to that question now. Yes – because only Jesus saves.

"Jesus Saves" by John Fischer

Having a mission in life is what being purpose driven is all about. Being someone’s mission in life is something else entirely. It’s an important distinction.

Have you ever been someone’s mission in life? Maybe it was to get you to do something or go somewhere, or make some change in your life. The only way you can accept something like this is if you know, deep down, the person on a mission really loves you and wants the best for you even though you think he or she might be wrong about what that is. If you are uncertain about how the person on a mission feels about you, you will undoubtedly be devalued by this experience. You will feel that it isn’t you the person cares about as much as his or her mission for you that is paramount. You will feel like an agenda on the person’s “to-do” list or a target of the person’s hunt.

I know of good relationships between believers and unbelievers, and I know of bad. The good ones are the result of a genuine loving and accepting of each other that goes both ways. These relationships can last a long time (a lifetime, for that matter) without any change in either one’s position. For that to happen, does the believer have to keep his or her beliefs secret or in the background? Not at all. The deciding factor will be not that these two are working toward agreement, but that they love and respect each other regardless. If the love and respect is strong, the believer can relate anything about personal faith to the other.

This is the model Christians need to follow for relationships with those who are not Christians – even those who are strongly anti-Christian. This is especially true for long-term relationships with neighbors, co-workers, and family members who share differing beliefs. Sometimes I wonder if our primary motive for evangelism is to get people on our side, or to love them into the Kingdom of eternal life.

This is when a sense of mission for Christians sometimes has a tendency to go somewhat awry. When it becomes our mission to save people, people can easily become targets, projects, assignments, or serve a host of other utilitarian purposes. The problem with this is that people become a means to an end. The end is to save everyone, to preach to everyone, to warn everyone, or in some way fulfill an obligation.

Let’s make one thing perfectly clear: We don’t save anyone. Only Jesus saves. Our calling is to love God and our neighbors. In the process of loving our neighbors, we will inevitably introduce them to Jesus. (There’s no way you can love someone and not tell them about the most important thing in your life.) What happens then is God’s business, but we will be a witness to what we know of God to those who are compelled to ask. In the meantime, our mission is to keep on loving our neighbors, regardless.

Love is truly our highest calling. It relates to all people saved or unsaved, regardless of religion, race, or gender. Love as God loves and you will not go wrong. When love is the goal, everything else gets done in the process.

Overachievers

2007-01-11T14:23:00.000-05:00

I have really liked to use the word overachiever lately. An overachiever is someone who performs better or achieves more than expected. I think I have primarily used the word in a comical way to make myself feel better about being an underachiever.

Here are some recent uses of the word for me:

The people that you run into that have their Christmas shopping done in October.
People that have their Christmas decorations out the day after Thanksgiving.
People that we receive a Christmas card from the day after Thanksgiving.
People that have their discarded Christmas trees out at the curb the day after Christmas.
Mothers that have 7 kids and their house is completely organized and have well balanced meals prepared for their family every day.
People that write a well written, entertaining, thought provoking blog entry every day.
People that I'm doing a virtual walk across the country with that log twice as many miles as I do each week.

You see – we were lucky to get our Christmas tree up before Christmas and get the gifts purchased and wrapped. We were rushed to get our cards out on time and yes – our tree is still up. I do need to report, however, that there are no longer any lights or ornaments on it. The outdoor luminaries that our neighbors had put away over a week ago – well ours finally were taken down yesterday.

We have one child and yet I feel so disorganized all the time. I have to-do lists scattered about and sometimes getting good meals prepared daily is an issue.

I also am wondering how people get so many inspirational ideas for their blogs? I struggle to think of something even half way interesting to blog about once a week.

I think that all of the busyness of life is just overwhelming sometimes. I guess being an overachiever should not be all that important to me. God just wants me to be myself and to have a strong relationship with Him. He doesn’t really care when we get our Christmas tree up or how organized I am. He just wants my best for Him.

Will you walk across the country with me?

2007-01-03T11:58:00.000-05:00

Yes - I know it sounds like a long way to walk but I'm going to do it. I'm going to walk from Yorkstown, VA all the way to Florence, OR.

However, I'm not walking alone and I can walk on my treadmill or outside. I'm walking with several fellow bloggers and I can go at whatever pace I want.

Click here if you'd like to join in on some exercise and some fun.

Moving Forward

2006-12-26T16:45:00.000-05:00

Last Wednesday my Dad flew in to Dayton from his winter home in Florida. He came home for 2 weeks to spend Christmas with his family. He lives in Sidney for 6 months during the summer and then migrates down to Florida for the winter. I can't say I blame him. This is something he has been doing for years. This is the 2nd year he has had to do it alone. In September 2004 my Mom passed away from cancer at the age of 68.

Todd picked him up from the airport and when he got home he told me that Dad just talked non-stop about his new lady friend Fran. I knew that he really liked her from some conversations I had with him on the phone. About 6 months after Mom passed away he was making a list of women he thought he might ask out. He was so lonely and really missed the companionship of a woman. Those were his words at the time. At first I thought this was strange to be making a list of potential girlfriends but he explained to me that when you are in your 70's you don't have a lot of time and that he didn't want to live alone.

Well in the spring of 2005 he came home for the summer and asked out one of the women on his list. That one didn't work out. Then he went on to the next person. LOL! A very nice lady from Sidney. They did all kinds of things together. Dad is not one to sit home and likes to keep busy with social events, church related activities, and of course golf. He spent time doing things with her during the past 2 summers and although they got along and socialized a lot Dad felt like it wasn't a good match for him. So, he told me that he was going to ask out a lady in Florida that he sat next to in the church choir when he went back this fall. That was Fran.

When Todd got home from the airport he proceeded to tell me that Dad was pretty much making plans to marry her. That was a shock to me because he has only been dating her for 2 1/2 months. I then talked to Dad and the first thing out of his mouth was "Did Todd tell you about my lady friend? What do you think?" My response was "Well it seems kind of sudden." After we talked awhile things started to seem better about the situation. Yes I still think it is sudden but when you are older you have a different perspective on things. I'm learning this a lot from my Dad. Him making a list of possible dates after 6 months of being alone seemed kind of sudden and now this. He proceeded to tell me that he has known Fran for 10 years from being in the church choir together. He said he knows her personality and reputation. I realize that this relationship is not going to be like the one he had with Mom where you date when you are young, have kids, and grow old together. This is more like a companionship between two people who have lost their spouses and don't want to be alone. They have many things in common such as blue eyes, being left handed, both being 75, being Lutheran, singing, playing golf, and going out with friends. The blue eyes and left handed traits were ones my Dad mentioned and I thought those were funny.

I truly just want my Dad to be happy. It seems kind of strange to have a picture of him and Fran together and to not have met her. It sounds like she might be his wife before he gets home in the spring. I guess they are working out the details.

Nobody will ever replace my Mom which Dad has stated numerous times. I do see that my Dad needs to move forward and I want to be behind him 100%. I know he wants the blessing of his 3 children and their families. You have my blessing Dad!

The Real Meaning of Christmas

2006-12-18T21:27:00.000-05:00

After Evan gets home from school I usually look in his book bag to see what homework he has and what papers he has completed and brought home. Today there was a treasure inside. There was a 4 page story he wrote called "The Real Meaning of Christmas". There was no grade on it and I'm not sure if this is something he did on his own or something that was assigned to him. Sometimes he and some of his friends write silly stories just for fun but I think this was supposed to be a serious story with a silly twist. I just had to share it. Watch out for the Mini Quizzes. LOL!

The Real Meaning of Christmas - by Evan

Chapter 1
A long, long time ago a baby named Jesus was born. Wait, let me start over. (Mini Quiz #1 - What do you think I'm gonna talk about at the end? A) Jesus B) Bob The Builder C) meatloaf D) nothing -- Answer is A) Joseph went to (Mini Quiz #2 - Where is Joseph gonna go? A) La La Land B) King's Island C) Bethlehem D) the forest -- Answer is C) Bethlehem to take a census. He went with (Mini Quiz #3 - Who did he go with? A) Dora The Explorer B) Barney C) The Teletubbys D) his fiance, Mary -- Answer is D) his fiance, Mary. (Mini Quiz #4 - Joseph and Mary were married. True or False? -- Answer False) They went to an Inn and ... (Mini Quiz #5 - What did the Innkeeper say? A) No room. B) Hi! C) Welcome to Holiday Inn! D) Are you Bob and Sara from California? -- Answer A)

Chapter 2
The Innkeeper had no room but he had a ... (Mini Quiz #6 - What did the Innkeeper have? A) apple pie B) a stable C) a doll D) a pet spider -- Answer B) stable. Angels woke up some shepherds in a nearby... (Mini Quiz #7 - Where did the shepherds wake up? A) Bob's house B) Tom's house C) Larry's house D) a nearby field -- Answer D) field. They told the shepherds to look for a baby wrapped in cloth. The wisemen followed a... (Mini Quiz #8 - What did the wisemen follow? A) a star B) a turtle C) the yellow brick road D) a car -- Answer A) star and brought gifts to Jesus. The real meaning of Christmas is Jesus b-day not presents! Jesus was born to... (Mini Quiz #9 - What was Jesus born to do? A) eat pie B) play ball C) die on the cross for our sins D) nothing -- Answer C) die for our sins.

The End

My Favorite Christmas Song

2006-12-12T09:41:00.000-05:00

Do you know the song "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"? Well if you use that tune to the following words you get my favorite Christmas song:

1. The restroom door said Gentlemen
So I just walked inside
I took two steps and realized
I'd been taken for a ride
I heard high voices turned and found
The place was occupied

By two nuns, three old ladies, and a nurse
What could be worse?
Than two nuns, three old ladies and a nurse.

2. The restroom door said Gentlemen
It must have been a gag
As soon as I walked in there I ran into some old hag
She sprayed me with a can of mace
And snapped me with her bag.

I could tell this just wouldn't be my day
What can I say?
It just wasn't turning out to be my day.

3. The restroom door said Gentlemen
And I would like to find
The crummy little creep who had the nerve to switch the sign
Cause I've got two black eyes
And one high heel up my behind

Now I can't sit with comfort and joy
Boy, oh, boy
No, I'll never sit with comfort and joy.

Okay - maybe that isn't my favorite song. But it sure is a bit funny you have to admit. My favorite Christmas song is Silent Night. When I sing Silent Night I think of the birth of Jesus and the fact that it wasn't in a fancy place with really important people around. It was in a barn with animals and I'm sure with some funky smells. The place it happened wasn't what was important but what was happening was of utmost importance. Our Savior was being born.

We always have sung this song at the end of the Christmas Eve service at church every year since I was a kid. We light candles and it is very touching. It seems like after all of the stress of preparing for Christmas there is finally a chance to really take in what Christmas is all about.

Thank you God for sending us your Son and thank you for this song that brings back the reality of the season. Jesus is the reason for the season. All is calm..... all is bright.

Silent night, Holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in Heavenly peace
Sleep in Heavenly peace

Silent night, Holy night
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from Heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Hallelujah
Christ, the Savior is born
Christ, the Savior is born

Silent night, Holy night
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from thy Holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth

Happy Birthday Todd!

2006-12-05T09:39:00.000-05:00

Today is the birthday of my husband and best friend. He means the world to me. He is a wonderful husband, a great father, and a friend to many. I have always been very proud of him but as each year goes by my pride just grows even more. He gives so much of himself to everyone and everything. Sometimes too much but as he says - "It's all good." He is a wonderful Christian. He has always been such a wonderful encourager. Best of all - he keeps me and others laughing. Happy Birthday dude! (as Evan would say). We love you!

Mother Teresa

2006-11-29T18:47:00.000-05:00

I was browsing through a Christian catalog today and came across a quote from Mother Teresa. I have been struggling over the last couple of days with trying to keep a good attitude and not let others and the world get me down. Normally I am in a pretty upbeat mood and don't get discouraged easily so it really has frustrated me to feel the way I have. These words of Mother Teresa helped me to realize how the most important relationship I have is the one I have with God and to focus on that. I cannot please everyone else nor can they please me. We live in an imperfect world. I need to focus on what I'm giving out rather than what I'm taking in. I hope you are blessed by her message:

People are often unreasonable and self-centered.
FORGIVE THEM ANYWAY.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives.
BE KIND ANYWAY.

If you are honest, people may cheat you.
BE HONEST ANYWAY.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous.
BE HAPPY ANYWAY.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.
DO GOOD ANYWAY.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.
GIVE YOUR BEST ANYWAY.

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God.
IT NEVER WAS BETWEEN YOU AND THEM ANYWAY.

~ Mother Teresa

Compliments

2006-11-22T16:09:00.000-05:00

I had an experience at work today that brought back memories of a high school teacher that really left a mark on me. Her name was Mrs. Wildermuth and I had her for a Media class. What she taught me actually had nothing to do with the subject matter she was teaching. For some reason she always felt led to add things to the class that would make us better people. For that I will always be truly grateful.

When I think of Mrs. Wildermuth I think of the word compliment (an expression of praise, commendation, or admiration). She stressed how important it was to compliment those we come in contact with. She challenged us to find several people each day to pay sincere compliments to. She told us not to make anything up but to find something we appeciated about that person and to compliment them on it. I think at first it was a challenge but after awhile it became second nature. It was amazing how one single compliment could change that person's expression and possibly effect their attitude for the rest of the day. Mrs. Wildermuth always found something good to say to all of her students and it always made us feel good when she took the time to communicate that to us.

This morning I had to post our company newsletter to our agent's website. The newsletter comes out quarterly and Pam, the lady who spends hours working on it, typically sends it to me and I put it out for the agents to see. Every quarter I just slap that newsletter out there and it's done... until today. I got to thinking about how hard she must work on that newsletter to get the articles collected and all of the graphics and typewritten material just right. After I sent her my typical email stating that the newsletter had been posted I decided to send her another one telling her just how nice of a job she did on it. I told her it looked great and how she always does such a good job on it. It took me 20 seconds to type her that email and click the Send button. I wonder how long that compliment stayed with her? I hope it made her feel good like it was intended.

I'm glad I had this small experience today. It reminded me of a wonderful teacher and of the great lessons she taught us all. I hope to remember the word compliment on a daily basis and make an effort to see the good in the people around me. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving - what a good time to have this wonderful reminder to show our thankfulness towards each other and most of all to the God who loves us all.

Proud Parents

2006-11-20T16:03:00.000-05:00

Last week was just a wonderful week for us as parents. Our son Evan, who is 8, had a great week at school. You have to know Evan to appreciate the significance of what happened to him last week.

Evan has always needed motivation to do things. He is a perfectionist and doesn't want to do anything that he cannot do well on the first try. He can get anxious about things (probably gets that from me) and tends to mull things over in his mind going over every little detail of what might or might not happen.

Well now that he is in 3rd grade he had the opportunity to try out for the spelling bee which is for grades 3 through 8. When we excitedly talked to him about the spelling bee he was adamant that he wasn't going to be in it. We assured him that he would be fine. Well they started out with a spelling bee withing his grade and the top 3 kids got to be in the school bee. He got 1st in his class. He seemed okay with that but said that he did not want to get up in front of people and insisted that he would get stage fright. Todd and I tried to tell him helpful hints like picturing everyone in their underwear, etc. LOL! He fought us tooth and nail over going but we pretty much told him he had to do it. We knew we would have to push him. I thought that this experience would help him to realize that we all have to face things that we are not comfortable with and that we will grow from those experiences.

Well the day of the bee came and since I only work part-time and it was on one of my work days I didn't attend the bee. Todd nervously went not sure what to expect. He called me on the way to the bee and I could tell by the tone of his voice that he was very concerned at how Evan would handle being up in front of the school.

In the meantime I sat at work praying for Evan. I truly didn't care how well he did in the bee. I just wanted him to have a positive experience. About an hour and a half later Todd called me and said I was the proud mother of the spelling bee runner up. I couldn't believe that he did so well. My prayers had been answered - that he would get through it and have a good time. The bonus was how well he did. I was just so thankful. I am still so proud of him for facing that giant. It sounds like a little thing but I know it was a big thing to him.

The funny thing was that Evan told us beforehand that he didn't want to win. He didn't want to have to go to the city bee. I told him that he probably wouldn't win because there were 8th graders in the bee that had much more exposure to the harder words. Well now that he is the runner up he has to go to the district bee sometime in February. He has already told us that he does not want to go. We know, however, that with God's help he will be able to face another giant in his life.

That was the highlight of my week and yet there is more. Evan got the "Random Act Of Kindness" award for helping a fellow student. He also got on the A Honor Roll, and took 3rd place in his Cub Scout Space Derby.

I told him several times how proud I was of him. I have no idea if he truly knows how I feel. I know this is just a little thing in his life but those are the things that shape us and make us who we are.

Here I Go!

2006-11-20T15:55:00.000-05:00

I have to admit that I've been going back and forth trying to decide whether or not to create a blog. I'm definitely not a great writer or storyteller. Just an ordinary technical geek who has very little language skills. I am an avid blog reader though and have spent a lot of time reading wonderful blogs like my husband's and those of other people we know. They all seem so inspiring and are able to choose just the right words to express themselves. I decided it was time for me to share my thoughts once in awhile on those things that matter to me. So here I go!