Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Today is Christmas Eve, but it is also my dad's birthday.

I am unashamedly a Daddy's girl. Always have been.

When I was born, my dad was captain of the police force in Snyder, TX. When I was three, he gave up his job and moved us to Waxahachie so that he could go to Southwestern. He went to class during the day and worked the night shift as a policeman to make ends meet. Don't ask me when he slept. After he graduated, he went into the ministry full time.

I'm so thankful that I have parental influences in my life that have sacrificed for the high calling of Christ. I'm sure my parents would have been better off financially if Dad had stayed on the police force, but not necessarily better taken care of...or happier. This is Dad's 30th year in ministry.

I love you, Dad. You are my hero.
Love,
Treesie-girl

I just had to chuckle...

...at kj's post about Christmas Eve.

I, too, always had the privilege of wrapping Daddy's Christmas present to Mom.

And it was always on Christmas Eve (or the night before we were supposed to have our immediate family Christmas).

Tonight, even though I'm not with my side of the family and wrapping my mom's present, I still got talked into wrapping other family member's presents from someone other than myself!

I think I got out and put away the ribbons, bows, and wrapping paper three times before it was all said and done. First, I finished all that I had to wrap and started putting things in the stockings and found that one thing for my sister-in-law wouldn't fit in the stocking, so I had to go back and get all the stuff out to wrap it. Got that done, put it away, and then my sil asked me if I would wrap her gift to my mil. I didn't mind at all...it was just funny.

Then, of course, everyone was waiting on me to get finished so we could eat snacks and play games. Ha!

Merry Christmas, everyone!!! Love and miss you all!!!

i just had the weirdest phone conversation with my sister-in-law...

My phone rings, and my sister-in-law is on the other end asking me how I make my green bean bundles that I will be making for Christmas.

I start telling her how to put them together, and she says, "Wait, hang on....okay, can you hear me?....okay, now say that again."

So I say it again and continue. When I'm finished, it becomes apparent that I was put on speaker phone because I hear several people talking in the background confirming what I had said.

Robin gets back on the phone, and I asked her where she was at.

WalMart.

Evidently, my sister-in-law struck up a conversation with several women in the produce department about Christmas dinner.

I do believe I have influenced some strangers' meals.

Hope they enjoy it!

Just in case you are interested...

Green Bean Bundles

Take a handful of fresh green beans (the loose ones in the produce department)
Wrap a piece of uncooked bacon around the bundle
Place in a baking dish, repeat until dish is full
Place a pat of butter on each bundle
Salt and Pepper
Sprinkle brown sugar over bundles, covering bottom of dish

Bake at 325 for one hour; 30 minutes covered, 30 minutes uncovered.

Enjoy!

Debbie Downer at it again...

Sorry...not trying to dampen others' joyous time of the year.

It is a joyous time of the year, no doubt.

Certain situations, however, don't quite make it feel so joyous.

Today is the two year anniversary of the death of Dan's dad. He is missed year 'round, of course, but some times of the year are harder than others. The fact that he passed away this close to Christmas makes this holiday bittersweet.

I think it makes things worse when some family members are not speaking. Back in July, for reasons I won't go into, Dan's brother, his wife and son have chosen not to have any part of the rest of the family. He told Dan's mom that she should just consider him dead because he didn't want anything to do with her ever again.

It's so sad.
It's so hurtful.
It's so unnecessary.

I mean, really?! I don't like confrontation at all. But I also do not like to leave things unresolved. If you ask my mom, she'll tell you that I've always liked to have the last word...I'm not sure if I believe that or not...on the contrary, I know too well how true it is. Seriously, though, can we not figure this out? Can we not agree to disagree? Can we not find some common ground that we can put our differences aside and mourn or celebrate or both together?

Can't we all just get along?????

Sadly, the answer is no.

Not this year anyway.

Clinton, we miss you. We love you. We wish you were here so we could hear your loud, boisterous laugh...see your bold, colorful cowboys shirts you always wore...feel your continuous, unconditional love for your family...witness your unwavering, diligent commitment to the Lord Most High. We will see you again one day, but until that day comes, life is not the same without you.

I Agree with Kablot...

I very well could be the Grinch.

I look like me on the outside, but on the inside I think I'm really green.

I have done four things for Christmas outside of work:

*Elf Yourself/Put holiday background on my blog
*Made Oreo truffles one night
*Made a big huge bow for the top of my mother-in-law's tree with streamers coming down (it's very pretty, if I do say so myself!)
*Put Christmas music on my blog

That's about it. Oh, I did buy Christmas stockings, but they are for my mother-in-law's house, so it doesn't really count.

I have bought not one single present. I have addressed not one single Christmas card.

This is pathetic.

Bah-humbug!

They're BAA-AAAAACK!!!!!

It's so sad to think that I have been looking forward to the return of the more talented Dan, Teresa, and Rosie...we changed things up a bit this year...enjoy!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto!

This is my feeling today about living in the metroplex.

Most days, I don't feel a difference between living here and anywhere else. But sometimes...every now and then...something happens that gives me a kick swift in the posterior end as a reminder that things are very different here than what I'm used to.

Today a lady and her mom came in shopping. They found several items, mostly wall decor and a few other things. They checked out, and the daughter (probably in her thirties) took a couple of the wall pieces and her bag out to the car and was going to pull up closer to the store so her mom didn't have to walk. She had her purse on her shoulder, the bag in one hand, and was putting the two wall pieces in her trunk. She heard a car passing behind her. Suddenly, a woman jumped out of the car, and tried to yank her purse off of her shoulder. The customer yelled "no" and shoved the woman's face away from her, trying to get away. The woman told her not to fight her or she would shoot her. About that time, the customer looked down and saw a coke bottle in the woman's pocket. She said, "Oh, with what? That coke bottle?" The woman again tried taking the lady's purse, and the customer again resisted and was able to punch the woman in the face and try to take off. When she did, the driver got out of the car and tried taking her purse, but only got away with her Kirkland's bag. They jumped back in the car and took off. The customer was able to get a description of the car, but not the license plate number. She came back in the store and told us what happened. We called 911.

When the police came and was taking her statement, there was a call over the scanner. A man and woman of the same description, in the same kind of vehicle, was seen doing the same thing in the WalMart parking lot. This time the victim was injured. The police left for about 30 minutes so they could go assist there, but they came back and finished the report for our lady.

I'm so thankful that she was not hurt. Evidently, the police said that they had hit another place before our lady's incident, then they went over to WalMart. Not sure if they hit any other places. They had the Lake Worth, Azle, and Ft. Worth police depts all looking for them. Hopefully no one else was injured.

I don't like that kind of excitement to blog about.

Wonderful Thanksgiving

Happy belated Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone had a wonderful day with family and friends!

Mom and Dad and Katie came into town Tuesday night. My sister had to work Thanksgiving day, so she and her husband stayed home. I worked until six Wednesday night, then came back home to make my traditional "green stuff" salad to take to our extended family get together, have hot chocolate and cookies along with a hot game of double canasta (which the girls won, by the way) with the family!

Thanksgiving Day we gathered with the extended family on my mom's mom's side. One of my cousins works for Northwood University in Cedar Hill, so they were able to let us use the Student Activities Center. That campus is absolutely gorgeous. The picture of Dan and me was taken on that campus, on the porch of the 2nd oldest building in Dallas, the Sloan Cabin.

Then, of course, there was today...Black Friday. Kohl's is in our shopping center, and they opened at 4 AM. The other stores in our center weren't that completely insane, but wanted to catch some of the traffic leaving Kohl's, so we, along with Bath & Body Works and Bed, Bath, & Beyond opened at 6 AM. The rest of the stores in our center either opened at 7 or 8. We had a good amount of traffic for most of the morning. We were not overwhelmed, but it was definitely worth the effort of opening early.

Well, that is about it for now. Love to all of my dear friends this holiday season. I am thankful for each and every one of you.

a variety pack of thoughts and pics from the retreat

*There is one picture that I didn't post. One of you knows which one it is.
Maybe one day...

*I was off work today. I did my share of nothing, but the day did not go by as a total waste. I did the dishes and sorted laundry this morning, then we went and washed clothes this afternoon. It's a good thing we did, or I would have had to go to work tomorrow nekkid, nekkid, nekkid! (Not really, I just had to work that into my blog somehow!) Then we topped off the evening with Chicken Express for dinner...yummy!

*I joked with marme at the retreat that the color of our shirts was a conspiracy for me to wear something burnt orange, which was hard to do. The only comfort I had was that my Red Raiders had already beat the Longhorns, so with that thought in mind, I wore the shirt. However, as we were doing laundry today, and I hung my JOY shirt to dry, Dan informed me that although he wasn't happy about the color, he didn't mind me wearing the shirt as long as I waited until after football season was over. =)

*The weather was so great today! It was a bit windy, but I loved hearing the sound of the leaves swirling about outside the house. I had the windows open so that I could feel the cool air...so nice.

*I can't believe it is almost Thanksgiving!!! This year has flown by. Mom and Dad are coming up here, and we will spend Thanksgiving Day with our extended family on my Mom's side. It's our version of a family reunion.

*Dan unofficially has a "conventional" job for the holiday season. When it's official, I'll let you know.

Well, I guess that is about it for now. Have a great weekend everyone!

yes, I know...

I know I need to update.

I just can't keep my eyes open.

Literally, Monday night I went to bed at 8:00. Tuesday night it was 9:00.

Do you know me? I am a night owl. Even when I have to get up early, an early bedtime is 10:30 or 11:00.

I promise I will give a better update tomorrow...some pictures or something, but for now...my eyes are closing against my will...

Vacation was awesome....

...but I will never take vacation this close to the holidays again.

This close to the holidays? It was still October!!!

Yes, I know. But this week...the week I came back...we got double freight, which I thought was supposed to start next week. Surprise! We also have to set our floor with all of our Christmas signs and everything Sunday (tomorrow...sorry, I've lost track of the days..) so we've been trying to get as many moves done on the floor beforehand. This is difficult, though, when you are also trying to put out 275 cartons of unexpected freight.

Oh, and did I mention that one of my part-timers gave her notice while I was on vacation because her husband told her he didn't want her working the holidays? Then on the day I came back one of my other strong part-timers called and said she wouldn't be in for three weeks because she had to have a corrective surgery.

Don't get me wrong...I completely understand both of their situations and really like them...it's just made for a CA-RAZY week! Needless to say, I've also been doing interviews and checking references all week.

My district manager basically told me that she knew I needed to go on vacation last week, but it probably wasn't the smartest thing to do. Great. Now next week when she goes to all the stores to make sure set up is complete, she's probably going to come to my store first. No pressure.

Since Sunday when we left San Angelo until the day the retreat starts, I will have no days off. This week I've been going in at 6 and staying until 5 (except for today...I go in at 1 and close).

I'm glad marme said we could wear our pj's all weekend at the retreat...

Sorry....just realized how whiney this sounds.

Ooops!!!

I posted that last blog prematurely.

Then I went back and added quite a bit to it, but my computer flaked out and crashed when I went to publish.

A good thirty minutes down the drain. I will try to remember everything I wrote...

Last Thursday was my last day of work before my vacation started. And, of course, it was the most stressful. My district manager was visiting along with one of the Vice Presidents of Operations. It went pretty well. I always stress out before those visits, though. I want everything to be just "so".

After it was all said and done, I left work more relieved than when I got there (at six o'clock in the morning). Dan and I had some things to take care of in the Plano area and while we were there, met up with some pretty special folks!

Friday we dropped Rosie off at Dan's mom's house and headed toward West Texas to my parent's.

Saturday we went to watch Katie (my niece) march in district band contest. It was fun to watch all the bands...took me back to days gone by.

Sunday all of the family was together for church, with the exception of my brother-in-law. He was on call and couldn't leave Lubbock. My dad had asked if we would have the Sunday evening service. I sang and Dan spoke. He did a really good job...I was so proud of him. He still gets nervous about speaking, but when he relaxes and speaks what the Lord gives him, it makes a huge difference.

Monday I went to Kirkland's. Can't stay away even when I'm on vacation! :) My former district manager offices out of the new Lubbock store, and the Lubbock manager is a business friend, so I went by to say hello. That store is huge! They are doing amazing business there, too.

We met our friends Rich and Allison for lunch. Rich was the best man in our wedding, and he and Allison have been dear friends to us throughout our marriage. They have seen us in all the stages of our relationship and still call us friends...that's pretty amazing! We had a great visit with them, then went to run a few errands.

For dinner, we met my best friend Kristi, her husband Heethe, and their two kids Camden and Kenzee. Kristi and I have been friends since we were about 12, and our husbands say we are just alike. I take that as a compliment. She is an incredible lady.

Tuesday we got to sleep in. Dad suggested we take their camper up to Lubbock and go see the movie Fireproof. So Mom and I headed up to Lubbock so she could get her hair done, and Dad and Dan came up later with the trailer. Then it was off for dinner and a movie. If you have not seen Fireproof, you need to. It's from the makers of Facing the Giants. Just be sure you bring plenty of Kleenex. I would hate for you to have to use your greasy popcorn napkin to wipe your eyes...

Which brings us to today. It's mama's birthday! Dad got someone to fill in for him at church, so that we could have the family all together to take Mom to dinner. We had a really good time. We came back to the trailer for cake and topped the evening off with a good ol' game of Skip-Bo.

The girls won.

Twice.

This is significant because the guys beat us twice in Double Canasta earlier in the week. :)

Tomorrow we will head up to Plainview to take flowers where Dan's dad is buried, then go back to mom and dad's to spend one last night.

We will then head home by way of San Angelo...I hear someone there is having a birthday...I'm so excited to see familiar faces and get to see these babies that have been growing so much in the time we've been gone!


Here's a slide show of the week so far.

i know, i know...i'm way overdue for a real post....

I have a good excuse though....

I'M ON VACATION!!!

John McCain...Funny Side Up

in the still of the night

Last night I had gone to bed before Dan because Monday morning always comes too early. When he came to bed, I woke up a little, and we talked for a couple of minutes.

Before I drifted back to sleep, I quietly said, "I want to be a mommy."

He said, "Honey, I know."

Two short simple statements that didn't need any elaboration.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This morning as we were unpacking frames and art, I found this frame.



The script is what got my attention.

"In dreams and in love there are no impossibilities."

I think I'm gonna have to buy it. :)

before and after haircut...and just plain being silly!

Today.

Something you don't want to hear a mom say to her child while they are shopping in your store....

"Pick up your panties!"

despite having to be at work at 6am...

It was a pretty good day!

Well, now that I've gotten off work at 2, came home and took a lovely nap, it has been. Earlier, it was debatable.

We had a promotion change today (every Tuesday), but today was more difficult for some reason. You know how it feels when there are eleventy-million things that have to be done but you don't know where to start? That's how it was today. The actual promotion changes were not difficult, but the transition for other things got WAY confusing.

Oh, well. I'll pick up tomorrow where they left off tonight.

We are about to go have coffee and dessert with a friend that we knew from camp back in West TX that we haven't seen in about 17 years! We got reaquainted through Facebook and found out that we both live in the Dallas area! It should be fun!

We have been cooking healthy meals at home for about two weeks now. It's been really good! I walked twice last week, but Dan walked four times and did a full body workout separately three times! I'm so proud of him!

I finally got my hair cut and colored last week...it was desparately needed! I'll try to post pics of before and after later.

Okay, that's about all I could come up with. I just had to get rid of that stupid update post.

Later, alligators!

update

Since my last blog, Dan and I have been praying that as we take steps forward, the Lord would open doors for us to walk through or close them.

At this time, it looks like the doors are being firmly closed.

Please continue to pray for this little girl (she's actually 19 months old, instead of 15 months, as I had previously posted). There's a very slight possibility that it could still happen, but I don't expect it to.

We were supposed to meet with the foster family tomorrow night, but that will not happen. I could go on about the reasons why and how I feel about them, but it would all be for naught.

Thank you for your prayers. I'll let you know if anything changes.

are you ready for this?

There's a pastor that we know that had talked to us around April about a pregnancy center in Louisiana that he and his wife had adopted two beautiful little girls from. We've thought about it but didn't really persue it at that time because of the craziness that summertime is for us with Dan being at camp and all that. Plus, I had run into some obstacles at work about how much time I could take off if we did adopt, which is a whole other blog in itself.

Well, that pastor called us yesterday and said that there is a lady, evidently, who is in Life Challenge and wants to give up her two children. I think they've placed the older child already, but they were looking to place the 15 month old little girl. The pastor said they know of several families who could take her, but the Lord laid us on there hearts.

We are so torn!

Of course our first thought is to unreservedly say, "YES!!! Of course we'll take this little girl!"

Oh, wait.

We live in an RV...can you adopt if you live in an RV? We've been thinking about buying a small house, but we're not there yet.

This would be a private adoption, which is far less expensive (anywhere from $2000-$5000 for private, depending on the circumstances), but that's still more money than we have access to. And from what we understand, this mom is ready to do this NOW. In fact the kids are already staying with another family.

These are the main points of hesitation. Dan explained this to the pastor, and his response was that when you want a child, someone calling you out of the blue asking you to take a child does not happen very often, so weigh everything carefully.

I mean, at this moment, I can't change where I live or how much money I have, so the only thing I know to do is pray and ask those around me to pray.

Pray for the will of the Father on behalf of this little girl and the family's situation.

Thank you!

a word of advice...

Don't go see Burn After Reading.

Trust me.

it really is a special day!

I can't forget a shout out to my friends that have a claim on this day, too!

Happy Birthday, Kablot and KJ!!!!!

Love you!!!!

Dan the Man

Happy anniversary, baby!

I can't believe it's been 14 years!!!

We've definitely had our share of ups and downs, but it's all been worth it. You take care of me and make me feel safe. You show me through your actions as well as your words how much you love me.

I love you, too!!!

any thoughts?

Read this.

I was shocked, myself.

In case you are not familiar, these are some songs written and made popular by Ray Boltz:
Watch the Lamb
Shepherd Boy (When others see a shepherd boy, God may see a King)
The Anchor Holds
I Will Praise the Lord

Any thoughts?

God is SO Good!

He is constantly showing me signs of His care at the perfect moments.

I love Him so...

No one ever cared for me like Jesus.
No one else has been so kind and true.
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me.
Oh, how much he cares for me!

I feel a change...

By the way, the tunes that are playing are from my walking playlist from my iPod. Just random stuff.

I haven't really said much about this, so consider this my first official post about training for the 10k.

Training.

That's a pretty funny word to me right now. Only because I don't consider myself "training", even though I am, technically. The reason why Dan and I are going to do this is for us. For our family that will be. So even as we are preparing, training if you will, for the 10k, we are establishing a change of life.

Personally, I have always been a big girl. I occasionally make the joke that I was born in a size 16...oh, to be that size again! I'd consider that skinny at this point in life. I've always been picked on and given a hard time about my size in school (the 16 that I would be proud to be now), which has made me very self conscious. But rather than cry about it, I've thought that, well, if people are going to crack jokes, I might as well laugh about it too, and I'd rather go ahead and crack the joke myself and break the ice rather than hear hurtful things that others say. It's okay if I say it...that makes a lot of sense, huh?

Athletics in school scared me to death. I remember one year in jr. high my nerves were so bad I threw up every day before athletics. Every day. I wasn't very coordinated and the biggest girl in my class, so being the last to finish everything, if I was able to finish it at all, or the last one chosen, or whatever was a huge embarassment. I hated it. So in high school, I chose not to put myself in that situation. I fulfilled whatever requirement there was for graduation purposes and that was it.

Now I look back and regret that I didn't push myself harder.

I want to finish this race.

It doesn't matter to me if I finish it running or walking. I just want to finish. I want to prove to myself that I can do it..that I'm not the butt of the joke anymore.

It also helps that there's this certain group of people I know and love who will be there running/walking for their own reasons and that we will all support each other until the end. How great is that?

As far as "training" goes, I've been walking in our complex. The trail I've been taking is right at a mile. That's all I'm doing right now. I'll add more as I go, and I do want to eventually incorporate some running, but that's later on. Right now I'm on a running restriction from when I hurt my foot from falling at work.

Right now, it's just a mile.

1 mile down.

5.2 to go.

Celebrating the small victories...

...like the fact that I didn't post the draft I wrote last night complaining about my job. I'm thankful that I have a job, and without it we would be in a world of hurt, which is the reason why I could not post it.

...I was home from work by 5:30.

...when I got home, I actually changed into comfortable real clothes instead of just going straight for the pajamas.

...I didn't have to suck in when I put on my pants.

...I did not get take out for supper.

Okay, that's about all I can think of right now.

But, dad-gum-it, we're gonna have a football game!

LUBBOCK, Texas - Despite nearly 10 inches of rain that fell in the Lubbock area over the last 36 hours and a State of Emergency being declared by city officials, Texas Tech's football game against SMU on Saturday evening at Jones AT&T Stadium will be played as scheduled. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be televised regionally on FSN.

The record rainfall caused massive flooding in the Lubbock area that forced the cancellation of classes at Texas Tech on Friday and public schools across the area were also closed. The heavy rains ultimately caused the Texas Tech pump system inside Jones AT&T Stadium to fail and that resulted in nearly a half of a foot of water on the playing field late Thursday night and into Friday.

Texas Tech Athletics is grateful for the support of the Lubbock Fire Department and other campus groups who came to the rescue in order to get the field prepared for Saturday's game. The Lubbock Fire Department had four trucks on the scene on Friday to help drain the field and other campus groups were able to help get the campus pumps back up and running.

Texas Tech urges fans to use caution and avoid flooded areas while traveling to Saturday's game and to not park on any grassy area once they reach campus. Fans are also reminded that umbrellas are not allowed in the gates at Jones AT&T Stadium.

my new friend

This is my new friend Grace.

Her mommy and daddy are the youth pastors at the church we go to when we are not out and about. She has an older brother Jordan and a twin brother Gavin.

Last night she was sitting in the lap of the music pastor's wife until her daughter could not understand why her mommy had this other little girl sitting in her lap and began pushing her off. So she got down and walked over to me with her arms up. I picked her up and that's where she stayed until shortly after this picture was taken.

Someone had left an empty Whataburger bag somewhere in the foyer. Being the good youth pastor's son that he is, Jordan found it and brought it over to his mom (instead, of course, putting it in the trash can). She sat it beside her for a moment. A split second later, Grace looks at me and has that almost-cry-look on her face that says she wants down. I put her down and watched her make a bee-line for that Whataburger bag.

I got trumped by a Whataburger bag.

A girl after my own heart.

Perspective

My sister called me at work day before yesterday. She's so funny because I can tell when she calls specifically to tell me something. It's always at a random time (while I'm at work), and even though she really wants to tell me what she's called about, she goes through the calling ritual first:

Stacy: Are you busy?
Me: No, I can talk for a few minutes.
Stacy: So, how are you?
Me: Fine...Are things good there?
Stacy: Yeah, things are good here. Do you know anything?
Me: No, not anything interesting. What about you?
Stacy: Yes, let me tell you what happened.

I love you, Stacy, but you know it's true. :)

Anyway, she starts telling me about a situation she encountered this week. I'm sorry, this may sound a little vague, but I can't give specifics. You'll get the idea, though.

A call was placed to a church (an AG church, by the way), and when the receiver picked up and said, "First Assembly," the caller began the reason for the call.

Interrupting the caller, the recipient said, "I'm sorry, but this is a business, I don't have time for this call." And hung up.

The caller called back. After getting the same "First Assembly" answer, the caller said, "Please do not hang up, this is not a marketing call. This is a church, right?" (Referring to the "this is a business" remark.)

"Well, yes."

"Okay, well I am calling on behalf of...."

"I'm sorry, but I am busy and do not have time for this call." Hung up again.

Three times this happened with the same outcome.

Here's the thing:
The caller has special needs and had to have assistance in making the call. Granted, the call, in reality, was a benevolence call to the church, and I don't know how many calls they may have received from this caller, which could account for the "busy-ness" of the recipient.

But for the one who assisted in the call...this one who grew up in a pastor's home and answered the door as well as the phone to many benevolence calls, handed them over to her dad and watched as he repectfully took care of the situation, whether it be by taking them to get gas or buy them groceries or even watching them walk away because they couldn't get cash...this one who knows God but doesn't really attend a church outside of her parents' because of the "Christians" who have the "right" to say things "in love" that are not lovely at all, but hurtful, and only serve to make themselves look better...this one who hears these three phone calls and wonders whatever happened to serving "the least of these"?...this one who wonders when the church became a business...this one was probably the one most affected by this call.

This one needed to hear compassion on the end of the line, even if they were unable to help. This one needed to witness someone taking the time to pray for an answer even if it meant a pause for one minute in going about the Father's business.

The Father's business.

This one needs us to have our priorities straight.

i like her

I like her A LOT!!!!

If you saw Sarah Palin's speech tonight, you know what I mean!

She made many valid points while keeping things real, but my favorite moment was when the camera went to the box seats where her family sat with Mrs. McCain.

Her youngest daughter was holding her baby brother, and, oblivious to the camera, stuck her tongue out and licked her whole hand from heel to fingertips to smooth down that baby's hair.

I laughed so hard I cried.

Huh-larious.

just call me Grace part 2

Yeah.
The very next day.
I'm getting this glass top table for a guest, which comes boxed in two's. Of course, she just wanted one. I take out the smaller box which has the glass tops. It slips out of my hand and lands directly on my right big toe. My left foot is the one I'm still limping on from the day before.

Black and blue are the colors of choice for my big toe today. I'm glad I still have nail polish on from my too long ago to show you a picture of my black and blue toe pedicure. I'd be scared to see what the actual toe nail looks like, since that is where it hit. Relax, I wouldn't show you a picture of my toe anyway.

Oh, don't worry, the glass tops are fine....because my toe broke the freakin' fall.

just call me Grace

Today I was moving the ladder to get some furniture down, and I got interrupted. I leaned the ladder against the shelves to go answer the phone. I hadn't totally cleared the ladder as I hurriedly started to walk away. My foot caught the bottom of one side of the ladder, and I went flying through the air. I literally landed flat on my face.

My foot is a sore from where it hit the ladder, and the heel of my left hand is a little swollen and sore. My hands were out in front of me, so my left hand took the majority of the hit. Other than that, I'm fine.

Emotions

Disclaimer:
Expressions in this post will most likely be politically incorrect. You won't find any apologies here, so it might be best to move on to another blog if you should find afore mentioned post bothersome.


I try really hard not to get bogged down with the "why's" and the "how come's" and "what have I done wrong's" and all of those things that you go through when things haven't worked out the way you think they should've, but this morning I was upset.

Upset because I do not understand why two women who each have children from previous relationships can decide that they want to live an alternate lifestyle and then go a step further and--God knows I don't wanna know how--have a baby together.

WHY???

How is that fair???

I don't pretend to have it all together, and in no way do I feel like I'm better than they are, but this is so not fair. All my life I have wanted nothing more than to be a wife and a mom. For years growing up I was called Mother Goose because I always had a baby in each arm and a trail of toddlers following behind me. I was always afraid that the rapture would take place before I had the chance to be a mom. Now after almost fourteen years of marriage, I'm still afraid that might happen! :}

I just don't get it. And just about the time I feel like I'm becoming okay with the fact that--let's face it with tears coming down my face--I may never be a mom. This may be the life God wants for me. The lives that we touch through Ready Now may be the only kids I ever get to have, and if that's the case, fine, just let me be happy with that and take these other feelings away. Just when I start to let it sink in, this comes to my attention, and the roller coaster of emotion begins.

It's a girl I used to be friends with...I came across the information several days ago. I hadn't said anything to Dan about it, and I hadn't really even thought much about it until this morning. It just bothered me. It just really made me mad.

I was already at work, and I knew that if I didn't get it out of my system I would be upset all day. I called Dan and told him about everything and the way I was feeling. I cried; he prayed peace over me and asked God to keep things busy at work so I would be going all day with things and not have time to dwell on the situation. And He did. I was busy all day in one way or another. I'm so very thankful for my husband and his comforting words to me, and to my Father who overshadows me in this weary world we live in.

Overshadow me

I am overwhelmed.

In the shelter of Your wings

I still don't understand.

Holy Spirit, cover me

I don't know if I can let it go.

Overshadow me

Only by Your grace, Lord.

Overshadow me

Oh, did I forget to mention?...

Click the very tiny Play button at the base of the Capitol building to begin video.

Slothful

...that is the word to describe me yesterday.

I had not had a day off since I got back from vacation. Nine days...and some of those were 10-14 hour days. There was some confusion over when the new DM was coming to our store...blah, blah, blah...so there you have it.

I got to sleep in until 11-ish AND take a nap! It was heavenly.

kj, I will have you know that the only time I got out of my pj's yesterday was to put on a clean pair!

Today I only slept in until nine. After leisurely having some coffee and a bowl of cereal, I plan on getting out of the house for a bit of retail therapy and possibly a pedicure.

Off the subject, but did you see the women's beach volleyball team win gold last night??? They did so great! The men play for gold tonight, and the women's indoor volleyball play for gold as well.

I love the Olympics!!!

Just stuff

*I'm obsessed with the Olympics. I'm currently watching volleyball.

*I have a new district manager at work. From what I've seen, I like her a lot, but it seems she's going to be more of a stickler on the details than Mike was. I don't think, necessarily, she'll be a micro-manager. However, I'm not sure she will be as macro as Mike. Oh, well...if all else fails, just do my job, right? :)

*Have you seen the Jack in the Box commercial advertising the jogger coming in to order the fruit smoothies? That is just so wrong. So, so....wrong.

*And the U.S. women's volleyball team gets to play for the gold! YEA!

*Somehow Rosie got a hold of some chocolate the other night. That is not a good thing for small dogs. Let's just say I had to change the sheets on our bed twice that night. Did I mention we only have two sets of sheets? Mm-hmmm. She was a lot better the next day, just wiped out. (So was Dan, after having to do all that laundry!)

*It rained, literally, all day today. It was so nice. The only thing that would have made it better is if we didn't have to unload the truck in the middle of it. I've never been so glad to have worn a black t-shirt instead of a white one in all my life! LOL

I guess that's about all the "stuff" I can think of right now.

Attention All S.A. People!!!

My assistant at Kirkland's in San Angelo that took my place when we moved has given her notice. Well, she gave her notice over a month ago, and they hired someone to take her place. Evidently, it did not work out, so they are on the hunt again for a store team leader.

Does anyone know anyone with retail experience who would be interested in this position? Like, ASAP???

It's retail, you know, so Thanksgiving and Christmas are pretty crazy.

Comment if you have any suggestions. I was asked to find out any info I could and get back with the district team leader tomorrow.

Thanks!

We're Home!

We got home from North Carolina at midnight!

We left Charlotte around 4:30 yesterday afternoon and flew to Chicago for our connecting flight to Dallas, which was delayed over an hour. We were supposed to get in around 10:30, but finally got in around midnight.

We had such a good time, even though this year was a little different than some of the past years. Not really in a bad way, just...different. North Texas district represented well, coming away with eight Awards of Merit. I think we ended up having over 30 entries in the top ten amongst all of the categories! Our students are extremely talented!!!

I wasn't able to get a whole lot of pictures because we were working 90 percent of the time, but here are a few!



Dan, Kat, and Jimmy at Christian Band callbacks


Lots of people at the Celebration service!!!


The merit winning worship band from Reading, PA.
They cleaned up the music category this year!


Dan and I leaving the Celebration service

We're in Charlotte!

This is our first night here in the "Queen City" of North Carolina.

We ate breakfast at the airport about 8:30 this morning. Our flight finally left at noon, and we were at the hotel by 4:00. We were so hungry! We knew if we stayed at the hotel for any length of time we would fall asleep, so off we went in search of some dinner.

We walked around down town for a while getting a feel for where things were at, and when we started walking down where the restaurants were, we ran into a bike race. Of course, all the eateries were on the other side of the street and everything was blocked off. We finally made our way to the other side and found a place called Zinc. We sat out on the patio, and it was so pleasant. The bike race was going on behind us, so there were a lot of people out on the patio and walking on the sidewalk. The atmosphere was really friendly.

And the food!!! It was so good. Dan got an Angus burger with mushrooms and swiss with a side of truffle infused cheesy tater tots...wow! I got a turkey burger with bacon and avacado with a side of hand cut fries seasoned with pepper, sea salt, and a sprinkling of cheese.

Here are a few photos...

Ummm...I better explain the first one. This was when we first came upon the race and were a little taken aback by the theme (yes, that says booty), but I couldn't help the photo op!!! hehehe

the heat is on

The heat is o-on. The heat is on. It's on the streets. The heat is....ON.

Love me some Huey Lewis and the News! Just for you, straight from the eighties.

It has been HOT outside! You would think it was just about August in Texas or something!

Well, I gave it a good try, but my tomato, zucchini, and squash plants (Read:I'm Gonna Try Something New!) are officially dead. Maybe I should have used the pink fertilizer...

Camp was great! I had a blast. Squirt and Missy hung out with me some on the golf cart. They gave me some sweet treats and left me a cute note on the steering wheel, which I left on there for the duration of the week, so anyone who got on cart 600 for any reason knew that c and m from 2B loves Teresa. I love y'all too!

Two more days of work left and we fly out to NC for fine arts! YEA!!!

That's about it for now. This is ree, signing off.

The Rainbow

It was nice to have rain last night. Other parts of the city had gotten some rain in the last week, but somehow it always eluded me.

It was still overcast quite a bit when I pulled onto the highway at 6:40 this morning. As the car rounded a bend, I was met with the beautiful sight of a portion of a rainbow. I looked for the rest of it, but all I could see was this fraction of what would be a huge arc.

But it was enough.

Enough to remind me that God keeps His promises.
Enough to make me take a breath and say, "Thank you, Lord."
Enough to make a good day even brighter.

It makes me sad when I see a man-made replica of a rainbow in whatever capacity, be it a picture, bracelet, keychain, etc., because I question the meaning behind it. Do they just like rainbows, or does it represent something the world has taken and attached it's own meaning to?

This morning that little flash of melded color was in its purest, unadulterated form from the hand of God. It was not jaded, twisted, or questionable. It was simply beautiful.

Thank you, Lord.

VACATION!!!

It's almost here...FINALLY!!!

I work today and tomorrow, then I'm off for ten glorious days! I am so excited.

This weekend is Dan's birthday, so we will be spending some quality time together. Then Monday I will be one of the girls' deans at camp!!! I'm excited about that, too. I love camp. Isn't next week the one SAF is going to? I think I remember hearing that.

After this vacation, I will go back to work for a week, then take another week to go to Charlotte, NC, for Fine Arts. Way excited about that, too.

I'll have one more week after that to use sometime before the end of October. This is the first year I get three weeks for vacation. I intended to use one week earlier in the year, but too much was going on. Oh well. I guess I'll just be rested up before the holidays kick in!

Side note: IF certain girls feel led by the Spirit to bring some Reese's peanut butter cups or sugar free gum or you know something like that, I'm SURE the girls' deans would LOVE it!!!!

here it is...

Well, judging from the last two comments, we're pretty predictable! =)

Here is the latest in the Elliott Escapades...



The inspiration?

Ecclesiastes 4:12
"A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

what have i done?

There is something that Dan has been really wanting that I have been really refusing the last several years.

No, not that.

Until now.

I don't know what convinced me or broke me or melted me or what, but I'm giving in.

Today is the day he's been looking forward to all week since I relented. Unfortunately, I have to work, so I won't be there when it happens, but he'll have peeps there with him.


If he sends me a picture, I'll post it in the next day or so.

Does anyone have a guess?

just keepin' it real, people

With all of this health and fitness talk going on, I thought I would take it down a notch.

Tonight I went to Chick-fil-a for the specific purpose of getting the caramel coffee milkshake. I got the number one with sweet tea and the milkshake.

I went home and was getting out of the car when the milkshake slipped and fell straight to the ground. I honestly looked to see if any of it was salvagable. Is that how you spell that word?

Anyway, I picked up the cup hoping I could salvage just enough for a little taste when I realized the whole bottom of the cup was detached.

Nothing.
Zip.
Zilch.
Nada.

Yes, I'm bitter.

Don't tell Dan....

...but I went ahead and read the last 35 pages of our book.

Up until the last 35 pages we have been successful in reading the book together. I'm a bad, bad girl.

And the really bad part is that I hated the ending.

Stupid book.

whew!

What a weekend this has been...in a totally great way!

Friday Dan packed up his car and I followed him out to the camp. We dropped his car off and headed to Livingston, TX. We met with the youth pastor, Jason, and his wife Lindsey. We went to eat a great Mexican food restauant and ended up staying there for, like, three hours. We shut the place down. Well, there were still people eating when we left, but we didn't realize that it was past their closing time. Oops!

Saturday the youth group had an outreach planned, so we went with them to that. They did a great job. One little boy gave his life to Jesus. Totally worth it. We had lunch, went back to the hotel for a little while, then met back up with Jason, Lindsey, and the jr. high pastor. We got to talking and realized that we knew a lot of the same people. In fact, we actually worked at one of the same churches a couple of years apart from each other.

Today was really cool. We knew the service was going to be pretty tight because there was a lot going on, but it turned out good. The youth did a drama, and as soon as it was done, they brought the lights down for our promotional video. When the lights came back up, Dan spoke for a few minutes, hitting the highlights of Ready Now and encouraging the adults and youth from scripture. He did a really good job saying what needed to be said in a timely manner because of the time crunch we were on. Nancy Harmon (Southern Gospel) was in the service as well a guest speaker, so there was no time for dilly-dallying.

We headed back after lunch and got to the camp around 6:45. It starts tomorrow, so we got Dan's stuff unloaded into his room, and I came back home. I'm so glad that he is only 30-45 minutes away now, as opposed to 5 hours. I'll at least get to see him on the weekends, and probably on my days off as well.

The only thing that stinks, though, is that we've gotten into the habit of reading a book on long trips. We started a John Grisham book and were looking forward to finishing it on the way back. When we got to the camp, we had 35 pages left and no more time to read. Grrrr.

One thing is for sure...I will sleep good tonight!

what to say...what to say.....

Wow!
I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted!

*We had our yearly inventory the 8th. It went really well. I don't want to say I was surprised at how well it went, but coming into a situation that hadn't been good, I didn't know what to expect. It was a relief!

*Last Friday we attended a funeral near Waco. One of my dear friend's mom passed away. Just about everyone in the family had a part of the service, in one way or another, whether it was through music or spoken word. It was really beautiful and honored her mom perfectly. Love you, Teesie!

*We spent Friday night in Temple and were able to have dinner with Neil, Janene, and their four kids. Some of you might remember that they came to San Angelo and went to church with us last year. Another couple that had come to visit us in San Angelo was Joel and Jessica. The first time they visited and came to church with us, they had no children. Well, Saturday we went to their son's second birthday party and got to see their baby girl for the first time! My, how time flies! It was really nice to be able to spend time with all of them...not enough time, though!

*On the way back home Saturday, we stopped at Camping World to pick up some supplies and look around. You would not believe some of those campers! They are nice, and have some pretty nice price tags to go along with it!

*Seph, I feel your pain in trying to cool down a house that has had the air off. It was the middle of the afternoon when we got home, so we knew it wasn't going to get cooled off anytime soon, so we worked outside for a couple of hours. We were so hot. I talked Dan into going to the pool. He's not a big fan of swimming, but I didn't really give him a choice, truth be told. So we went to Sonic for a drink, then off to the pool we went! It was just nice laying in the chairs by the pool, but I did get in for a little while. It felt so good. I don't think I've been in a pool since those water aerobic days, rhondiemarie! I tried pulling out some of those moves...Dan wasn't impressed. Oh well. It was nice, anyway! By the time we got home, it was nice and cool.

*One week from today Dan goes to camp for rec crew orientation. Then next weekend, we will be going to Livingston for an outreach project, then that next Monday CAMP STARTS!!!! I can't believe it's already time again!!!

Well, I guess that's all for now. I didn't realize I had so much to say!

Full Circle

Dan and I were honored to attend a wedding last night. The bride is the daughter of the last pastor we were on staff with in the Houston area about eight years ago.

And it truly was an honor to be invited. That young lady has had and will continue to have a special place in my heart.

However, there was a time when I could not even look at her parents because of all the hurt and ill feelings. Things were said to us that should never come from anyone, much less your pastor...things like, "I have a house and a church to build. I don't have time to work on a relationship with you." or "You will be divorced in less than a year."

Word curses.

Hurtful things that caused us to say we would never go into ministry again.

Fast forward eight years.

Over the years since that time, we've seen them at different events and fine arts. We've made small talk and exchanged pleasantries, but avoided the big bulky thing in the path that needed to be moved in order to successfully move forward. A couple of years ago, the Lord began to show us things from that situation that we should have done or could've done better. The next time Dan saw them, he apologized for our part of the ordeal. It was accepted, and the wife was very sweet, but he never really reciprocated. That was tough. After all the things that was said to us and about us to other people, we thought that if we put forth the effort, we'd be met halfway and then be able to take steps to fully mend the relationship. That didn't happen.

Until last night.

We had just finished dinner and were sitting with some of the people from that church we were on staff at. The parents of the bride and groom were walking around, talking with the guests. Randy came up to our conjoined table and was having general conversation. We were sitting at the end of the table, and as he made his way down to our end, he gave Dan a hug, and said, "Man, I love you. I have always loved y'all. I'm sorry for the way I treated y'all. I did not treat you the way a senior pastor should treat his staff. I should have lead you, and I didn't. I'm sorry."

While he's talking, Dan starts shaking his head and telling him that it wasn't all his fault.

He said, "I know there were things on both sides, but at that time I was going through some things that manifested itself later, and I didn't need to be in the ministry at that time, and I took it out on you, and I want you to know I'm sorry and I love you, and we are so glad you are here."

I know that it took a lot for him to say that, and I thanked him for it because it meant more to us than he'll ever know. It was pretty emotional.

It was a milestone...a full circle moment.

one year ago...

I can't believe it's been one year since I started blogging!

I began this blog with the intent of using it as a pregnancy journal.

Click here for a reminder.

What a year this has been! I would never have believed you if you told me last year where I would be today.

Nothing is the same except for the love that I have for my heavenly Father, my husband, extended family and friends, and, of course, my dog. Most everything else has changed in one way or another.

No, we don't have a baby...yet.

But, we do have Ready Now. God has taken something that was a dream of ours and turned it into a reality. We are truly living our dream. God has provided for us in so many ways, it is amazing to us. He has opened doors and put people in our path that we may have otherwise never met.

What a mighty God I serve.
He is my provider.
I am in awe that he cares so much for me.

And the thing is...there is more in store!
It's not over yet!
How crazy is that?

I began this blog a year ago with an expectancy of new things to come.

At first, it made me a little sad. But when I began thinking and writing about the things God has done, it made me get out of that funk! Of course, I want to be a mom, and it's okay to be sad that I'm not. But it will not override the good that has taken place overall.

And I still have that expectancy.

the wheels go 'round and 'round...

I was driving to work this morning, and I came upon a vehicle that, evidently, was a car for a Bud Light representative, as it had the logo at the rear and on the driver's side door.

So, my friends, I ask you...

What kind of vehicle would you associate with Bud Light?

Some might say a truck. A "manly" vehicle for a "manly" beverage.

Some might say a sports car...to be associated with the "young" and "cool".

Well, you might be surprised to know that the "official" car of the Bud Light representative is none other than....


a station wagon!!!


HA!

Neither "manly" nor "cool".

As it should be.

sorely disappointed...

Love Harrison Ford.

Love Indiana Jones.

Do not love the I.J. Crystal Skull movie.


Two words:

Predictable.

Duplicated.


It reminded me a lot of National Treasure 2.

Sorry, y'all...hope I didn't crush anyone's Indiana hopes and dreams. I really wanted it to be good, though.

Feel free to let me know if you felt differently about it.

can i get a woot! woot!

YEA! for stimulus checks!

Thank you, Jesus!

And George!

Mainly Jesus!

That is all. =)

Something New!

I'm going to try something new!

We had taken my mother-in-law to a nursery for Mother's Day to pick out a grandkid, I mean a plant, and while we were there, I decided to get some tomato, squash, and zucchini plants!

While I was getting the area ready for planting, I was thinking about my grandparents who always had gardens. I remembered one year when my dad and I planted a garden in our backyard. It was a pretty good sized garden. We planted corn, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, and who knows what else.

We began putting this pink stuff on the ground (I think it was fertilizer), and Dad told me not to rub my eyes, nose, or put my hands in my mouth or anything like that after handling this pink stuff. We got it all finished, and as we are walking up to the back door, I realized I just rubbed my eyes with my hands.

Oh, my goodness, I'm going to die.

Did I go to my dad or mom and tell them that I thought I was going to die?

No.

I went to the bathroom and feverishly flushed my eyes with water, then proceeded to go to my bedroom and make sure that I knew that I knew that I knew I was right with Jesus.

And then...I wrote my will.

Because that's what you're supposed to do when you're about to die, right? In a twelve year old's mind that's what you're supposed to do, and it was hard trying to decide who was going to get my rock collection dusted with fool's gold from Colorado or the Trixie Belden mystery book collection. Really hard. And I think I was giving the book collection away out of turn because I think it was my sister's. It's hard to say. With two girls in the family, we shared a lot of things.

Anyway, we'll see how this garden-thing works out.

But I don't think I'll be using any pink fertilizer.

Excuse Me?

Don't ask me why Dan and I were pointlessly driving around town when gas is $150 million a gallon. But we were, and I see this restaurant with a sign that reads this:

NERAH'S
Mediterranean Grill and Hookah Lounge



And what lounge???

Wait, I don't wanna know!

my 2 cents

This is my take on Syesha Mercado:

She knows she can't win.

So, she's doing songs and performances that aren't going to get her anywhere for Idol, but might get her picked up by a television network or a musical.

It's getting on my nerves.

Second time around...

So, I was in the grocery store yesterday waiting for a food tray I had ordered to be ready, and I noticed these shoes this lady was wearing.



Do you remember the jelly shoes? They're back, evidently. I've been seeing shoes lately that reflect back to the early to mid eighties era...the yo-yo shoes, the wedge, now the jellies.

Interesting.

(By the way, it did feel a bit private eye-ish discreetly trying to take a picture of a total stranger's shoes. Am I that desperate for a blog post?)

Why am I Here???

This has been the question that has gone through my mind more than once since I have been at this new store. And more than once have I questioned whether or not we made the right decision moving here or not.

I have had obstacle after obstacle with certain team members...assistants...in this store, and no matter how I tried to make things right (assuming the responsibility of the problem was mine), they just seemed to get worse. It began affecting me physically, as well, with the anxiety attacks.

I've finally come to the understanding that the battle is not mine, it is the Lord's. There are workings going on in the spiritual realm that are beyond my grasp...my control. Slowly, one by one, I am building rapore with each team member, and in doing so, I'm finding out that most of them have no clue about God. They know about Him, but do not know who He is. When I tell them about what we do with Fine Arts and all that, they are intrigued and want to know more, but are surprised that something that cool could be associated with church.

Wow.

The assistant that has given me the most trouble is one of them that my heart is the most broken for. I just don't understand some of the things that they think are okay. For example, and don't get me wrong and think that I'm all against tatoos. I think they are cool looking (within reason) on other people, but I choose not to have one. Back to the point...For example, my assistant's mom brought in her three year old neice to shop, and as they are walking away, I see something under the little girl's ponytail. She has a pretty big tatoo at the base of her neck...a three year old!! I just don't understand that at all. I haven't said anything, and I won't, but those are the things that open my eyes to the fact that this is different than my sheltered world. The forces at work here are on a grander, more powerful scale than my mere words or actions are capable of.

I see glimpses of it every day...the reason why I am here. I am not saying I'm the answer to the problems in Lake Worth. I'm not even the answer to the problems at Kirkland's in Lake Worth. But I understand a little better.

Please keep me in your prayers.

Finally!

Sunday night when we got home (after midnight, so I guess it would be early Monday morning), there was a note taped to our door. Apparently, as our neighbor was digging post holes for a fence, he cut the cord to our cable, leaving us with no cable or internet.

I know it doesn't sound like a big deal, but with Fine Arts being a week from Friday, Dan literally spends all day on the computer. He was able to go in to the district office to work during the day, but it was frustrating not to be able to do anything from home in the evenings as well. The cable guy came out Wednesday to fix the line.

Can I just say...it's amazing how much sleep one can get when there are no shows to watch, no emails to check, no blogs to read...it was so boring!!! ;)

Kids

I know none of you would ever let your kids do this....

It was pretty busy at work one Saturday afternoon a couple of weeks ago. I was checking out a lady when I heard something get knocked over, which happens all the time from all ages, I look up from the register to check it out. This kid, maybe four years old, is standing on top of one of our smaller fixtures, reaching over the chair displayed on top so that he could get to the telephone behind the chair. The telephone, by the way, is what fell. His grandmother went over, dragged him down, and sternly gave him the what-for. He started crying, and the next thing I heard was a loud, low, growly, "Don't talk to me like that!"

Grandma: "Sweetie, you can't do that."
Boy (still using demon voice): "You hurt my feelings!"
Grandma: "Honey, I'm sorry I hurt your feelings, but I was just so afraid you were going to get hurt."

Give me a freakin' break.


Today, a grandma, mom, and two kids came in to shop. When they came in, the kids each had those long, skinny brand new packages of sweet tarts. About the time they checked out, the packs were about 3/4 gone, and the sugar had definitely kicked in. The mom and grandma were talking, and, clearly, the little girl was trying to get her mom's attention.

Little girl: "Mommy. Mommy. Mommy. Mommy. Mommy. Mooomeeee. Mommy. Mommymommymommymommymommy. MMOOOMMMMEEEEEEE. Mommy. Mommy. Mommy. MOM. Mom. Moooom. Mommy. Mom. MOM. Mommy. Mommy.............MOMMY!"

Mom: "What, sweetie?"


Are you people trying to kill me???

to the tune of the o.m. wiener song...

Oh, I wish I were an everyday cleaner
That is what I'd really like to be
For if I were an everyday cleaner
My free time would be spent less disgustedly


Okay, rhythmically not exactly to the tune of the O.M. Wiener song, but you get the point.

And not that you wanted to know all that, I'm just sayin'.....

Whirlwind

What a whirlwind these last two days have been!

Friday morning we left the house at 6:15 am to meet a friend of ours and go to the airport. We all flew to Amarillo to help evaluate at the West TX district fine arts. Friday afternoon we hung out for a little while at First A/G with our friend Bill and several old friends that we haven't seen in forever. We had lunch at a great BBQ place that looked like a big red barn...oh my goodness, it was good! Then we got checked into the hotel and took a glorious nap, which was needed because I have a tendency to either stay up waaayyyy late or not go to bed at all the night before a trip. That night we went to a pre-Fine arts service where we had worship and some presentations by H-Town Master's Commission. It was really great. We were introduced and given the opportunity to push Ready Now. We wrapped up the night by going to the Cracker Barrel with about 20 other people. Most of them were either people we had grown up going to camp with or people from Masters. It was a lot of fun.

This morning we got up and ready for the day. We had to check out of the hotel when we left for the church. (Silly side note~I had put all my items in my rolling bag and finished getting dressed to leave. I went back to my suitcase, set it upright on the floor, and watched all my belongings fall out all over the floor...silly me, I forgot to zip up my suitcase!) Anyway, we got to the church and did our evaluating-thing. As usual, I got to evaluate female vocal solo. Not only that, but I got to evaluate with two other girls that I used to compete with years ago. It was cool to see where they are now and how they reacted to the participants.

My niece actually participated in fine arts this year for the first time ever. She did a human video solo...which shocked me because I never knew she was interested in that. She received a superior rating, which does not allow her to go to nationals, but she was so excited to even get a superior. I'm so proud of her for stepping up on her own and having the guts to do what she has never done before with no training from anyone. I asked my friend Bill, who judges human video at district and national level, to honestly tell me how she did. (I had asked for a replacement to be able to watch her perform, but wasn't able to get one.) He said that it was obvious that it was her first experience and the video was a little weak, but he gave her a passing score. (Another side note~Knowing Bill was judging human video, and being my friend, I did not tell him who my neice was, so him giving her a passing score had nothing to do with her being my neice.)

It amazes me how many talented students we have not only in the North TX district, but also West TX, and all over the nation who are not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ! I have come away from this weekend tired but refreshed and excited for the upcoming North TX fine arts and nationals. By the way, we finally got our business cards in. We were able to pass them out this weekend for the first time ever! Below is what the front looks like. I started to put the back on here, too, but I didn't want it to show my address and phone number. This picture isn't very good quality because I took it on my cell phone, but you get the idea. The small print is our vision statement: "Developing students' talents through Fine Arts for the purpose of ministry and outreach".





We got back home this evening, and I can't believe I'm still up...not for long though...it's beddy-bye time....

Dang It!!!

Why does Kristy Lee Cook seemingly get better each week and Brooke keeps losing confidence??? AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!! I'm not going to be happy if KLC sneaks up from behind towards the end here.

Ummm...the last two weeks have proven why I like Jason Castro. I could totally listen to him on my ipod.

David Archuleta is consistent, ya gotta give him that!

Poor Carly...I really like her, but the judges have been giving her a hard time lately.

David Cook is growing on me...dang it!

**big sigh**

A Quick Note...

...to let you know that the testing that I went through has come out fine.

It's anxiety.

Don't get me started on the causes.


Dan's been going through similar testing, and he's fine too! He has to work on his cholesterol, though. That and his potassium were too high. Other than that, we're good! Yea!

(Side note: We've had to go through cardiac testing to get cleared for the lapband surgery I've mentioned in previous posts. We aren't sure if the insurance will clear us or not, but our cardiologist said he was willing to send whatever letter or call whoever he needed to for them to clear us. We'll see...)

I needed this...maybe you could use it, too!

Yesterday morning was definitely a Monday morning. It seemed that no matter what I did, it was wrong or what I said, it came out wrong.

During my lunch, I was going through my work bag that has been sitting on the office floor under my desk since the first day I arrived here. I found a book that I had purchased at an airport bookstore on my way home from a business meeting. I went back few pages from where my bookmark was, and this is what I read:


"Why'd You Give Me This Rickety Ole Frame in the First Place?"

The Attitude of God's Grace

For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. Psalm 103:14 NKJV


"Pardon the interruption, Lord, but I have a question. Being omnipotent and all powerful as You are, able to make impenetrable mountains and raging seas, can You please explain why you made me so weak and faulty? I try so hard to be good, and yet I make so many mistakes and fail for all the world to see. And the inside is even a bigger mess than the outside. I am as weak as dust scattered in the wind, as needy as a newborn. Any chance for a recall?"

"You want to question My design?"

"Uh, that's not what I meant..."

"You are exactly the way I made you to be. The earth and the sea have no need for Me. I breathed them strong and self-sufficient. Yes, you are fragile in comparison, but you have something they don't. You have a need for My soul. It's a need that you fight now and then; yet it is one that you cannot avoid. Yes, you are as weak as dust, but I made you that way so that you would need Me. My soul lives because of your need."

"But look at this dust all around me. I can't clean it up..."

"I know. Do I look worried? I have the only broom you'll ever need."

"Are You sure? I'm a big mess."

"I have a big broom."

Sure, God could have made us independent and stoic, but instead He made us imperfect and needy. With the entire universe at His disposal, He made us with a frame of dust. Yet this feeble frame can house His very soul and Spirit. That makes us better than perfect. That makes us loved.

Grab a Broom, Lord...There's Dust Everywhere!
The Imperfect Woman's Guide to God's Grace
Karen Phillips Goodman

DO YOU BELIEVE???

Thanks, April, for sharing this with me!

I'd like to hear any thoughts you all might have on this.

wired for sound

...or something like that.

I went to have my testing done today. It was okay. I got a little freaked out during the stress test. I started hyperventilating. Then I got upset in the waiting room while waiting for my other test. It was weird...I'm not usually like that.

Now, I have these wires taped to me attached to a box that is on a strap around my neck. I have to wear this until 3 pm tomorrow. A little over 17 more hours.

Woo....hoooo.

Just for Fun!

If you're bored and have nothing better to do, try this:
1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME (first pet, current car): Butch XG350
2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME (fave ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe): Mint Chocolate Chip Slides
3. YOUR NATIVE AMERICAN NAME (favorite color, favorite animal): Purple Dog
4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name, city where you were born): Dawn Snyder
5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 of your first name): Ellte
6. SUPERHERO NAME (2nd favorite color, favorite drink): Red Water
7. NASCAR NAME (the first names of your grandfathers): Earl Ernest
8. STRIPPER NAME ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent,favorite candy): Happy Heart Peanut Butter Cups...that's just not right!
9. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME (your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter): Graham Grapevine
10. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower): Autumn Lily
11. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing rightnow): Pear Jeans
12. HIPPIE NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree): Granola Pecan

and so goes the world of ree...

Just some random things to blog about.

*My assistant has been out on worker's comp since 3/16. I thought she was going to be back this week, but her doctor is on vacation, so she has to wait until he's back so he can release her.

*I can't believe how expensive groceries are! Seriously, I can pinch pennies. There are very few things that I buy name brand, and still I did not leave the grocery store without spending over $100!!! I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but looking at what was in my basket, I didn't think it was a lot!

*I had an episode last week that landed me in the cardiologist office. Thankfully, it's not a big deal, but I have to go through some testing later this week to get cleared. I wasn't having chest pain or anything, but I kept feeling a flip-flop sensation in my chest. There are some times where I have an irregular heartbeat, so I'll have a stress test and then wear a halter monitor for a day just to be sure it's random and not something more serious. Thank you, Jesus, for insurance.

*Fine Arts is in full swing. Dan has already sent out letters to evaluators and getting the ball rolling there. We have a few dates scheduled for workshops with youth groups, and we are going to West TX to help evaluate their district Fine Arts in April. We were invited to evaluate at the Illinois district the weekend after West TX, but I won't be able to go to that one. I think Dan's planning on going, though. It's always stressful, but I love Fine Arts!

*Last week was a great time with family. We spent Easter with some of my family, then throughout the week, we've spent time with Dan's family who live in the area. One of his aunts was visiting from Oklahoma, so we took this opportunity to have a little get together. It's been great!

*Tomorrow is my Pa's 97th birthday! I'm so thankful I still have him. I love to hear him talk, even though what he says may not make sense to me. I love the gentle raspiness of his voice...always kind, considerate, and appreciative.
I love you, Pa! Happy birthday!!

I guess that's about it for now...it's time for bed!

Concert at Six Flags

Here is a condensed version of the pictures from the concert at Six Flags Saturday. We really had a lot of fun. We got to go backstage and get pictures made with Flyleaf. Katie was beside herself, she was so excited. Hopefully, this was the icing on the cake for her birthday! Now, I just have to figure out how I'm gonna top this one next year! :)

The Weekend Off!!!

*I slept in until 10 this morning...it was ssoooooo nice!

*After some biscuits and gravy, Dan and I worked outside for a little while. Then I cleaned house and Dan cleaned out the storage bin.

*My mom and neice came into town. It's Katie's spring break, so we're taking her to Six Flags tomorrow, then a Flyleaf concert tomorrow night. She knew she was going Six Flags, but the Flyleaf concert was a surprise for her birthday. (Don't feel bad if you don't know who Flyleaf is...they are wonderful people, but they are probably not on any of your playlists!) :)

*We went shopping for Katie an Easter dress. Her cousin Shauni, who is also 15, went with us. I was put in the same category as my mom and aunt...old. One dress I showed Katie got a snarl and shake of the head. The other outfit I picked out was semi-approved...she liked the skirt, but the top was "nerdy". So she started trying on outfits that she and Shauni picked out. At one point I went back to the fitting room to see how things were going. Katie was admiring herself in the mirror wearing the very dress I held up and got snarled at! It was pretty funny. We really did have a great time today with the girls. In the end, she got the skirt I had picked out with a tee and a tank underneath.

*The day was rounded out by lasagne and a movie at my aunt's house with ice cream for dessert.

*I don't know why I am still up. Tomorrow...um, today...will be a long day. But, oh, so worth it. The only good thing about not having kids right now is that I get to do cool things for Katie. She has had a lot of hard times in her 15 years, so she is deserving of something fun!

*Okay, it's off to bed I go!