I copied this from a friend's blog. The thing said to bold ones that applied.
1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper (can't imagine why I'm bolding this one...LOL)
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity (depends on your definition of "afford" - God provides...
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty (can you even do this any more after 9/11? - I'm bolding this one since I've at least been to the Statue of Liberty...)
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill (Yup...taken 'em when the kids are sick)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold shower
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking (just about every time I dance! LOL)
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment (Just about every time I look at one of my kiddos!)
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (Money doesn't buy my satisfaction...)
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing (Does the Rec count?)
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Survived a Hurricane (Ike, anyone?)
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy (I have kids, of course I do this!)
70. Found out something significant about your ancestors
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all fo
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people (I like to think I have the opportunity to do this fairly often!)
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band (Does high school count?)
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style (I'm not that trendy or influential! LOL)
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in a historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Ran a marathon (Can I italicize this for a half marathon?)
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment (Can we say learning instead of learned?)
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David (And it is MAGNIFICANT!!!)
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunch box
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
64. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
6. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics (Does attending a former location of the Olympics count - Munich, Germany?)
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books - Yeah, buddy!!
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
80. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hotel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a camp fire
189. Kept a blog (Hmmm...)
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
198. Built your own PC from parts
199. Written your own role playing game
200. Been arrested
Thursday, January 22, 2009
I forgot daddy...
I realized that in my ramblings yesterday updating everyone, I left out daddy! Oops! Daddy's working very hard in pursuit of a new direction in his life...very potentially a completely new career. It's exciting and a little scary (perhaps just for me?) all at the same time, but we're trusting that we're following what God wants for him in this, so please pray for him in this new path and that we continue to follow God!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Updates
I know I'm still woefully behind on the Christmas update, so please still bear with me on that one...
Kellen
We started his treatment back up on Tuesday afternoon. He seems to be better from whatever upper respiratory crud he had, so it's time to try this again. Day 2 of the treatment was tonight, and Day 1's was successful in its production WHILE HE WAS AT HOME this morning before school. A BIG HUGE YAY on that one. I don't even care (too much, anyway) that I was late for work this morning. Thank you, Lord, for not having him repeat the incident from the last go-round again, and for sparing us ALL from having to go through something like that again today. Please allow Day 3+ to go smoothly as well.
Tatum
She did; however, have a slight issue today. I picked her up and it looked like she had been scratched by a cat. Seriously. She has ENORMOUS scratches on her face, apparently from another kiddo who decided that verbal "Mine" arguments weren't sufficient, so she resorted to scratching Tatum and got a good swipe in before she was grabbed. And I guess her nails were jagged and did a NUMBER on Tatum. I seriously hope they don't leave scars, and I'm NOT overreacting. I doctored it again tonight with some antibiotic ointment, so I'm hopeful that it 1) won't get infected and 2) Tatum will leave it alone. Please let Tatum leave it alone as it heals...
Prior to the race, in front of the George R. Brown...
During the race...and I have no idea what mile marker this was taken at, but I believe it was fairly early in the race...
School has started back up, so I may be a little scarce for a bit...Here's a quick update on the kids.
Kellen
We started his treatment back up on Tuesday afternoon. He seems to be better from whatever upper respiratory crud he had, so it's time to try this again. Day 2 of the treatment was tonight, and Day 1's was successful in its production WHILE HE WAS AT HOME this morning before school. A BIG HUGE YAY on that one. I don't even care (too much, anyway) that I was late for work this morning. Thank you, Lord, for not having him repeat the incident from the last go-round again, and for sparing us ALL from having to go through something like that again today. Please allow Day 3+ to go smoothly as well.
He's doing well both in school and in Kids Klub, other than regular bumps, etc. He had an ice pack on his head when I picked him up today, but he's ok.
Tatum
Tatum is enjoying school, so much so that she runs AWAY from me in the afternoon when I pick her up. She doesn't ever seem ready to leave when I get there. That helps to alleviate some of the mommy guilt that I get when she cries in the morning when I leave her. :-) I know that it's developmental and completely normal for her to do that, but it sure is wearing for me to see and hear her cry for me almost every morning. However, her love of her activities and the fact that she isn't begging to leave as soon as I gets there tells me that she DOES like her school. That and the fact that she asks to GO to school are both clues.
She did; however, have a slight issue today. I picked her up and it looked like she had been scratched by a cat. Seriously. She has ENORMOUS scratches on her face, apparently from another kiddo who decided that verbal "Mine" arguments weren't sufficient, so she resorted to scratching Tatum and got a good swipe in before she was grabbed. And I guess her nails were jagged and did a NUMBER on Tatum. I seriously hope they don't leave scars, and I'm NOT overreacting. I doctored it again tonight with some antibiotic ointment, so I'm hopeful that it 1) won't get infected and 2) Tatum will leave it alone. Please let Tatum leave it alone as it heals...
Mommy
My knees felt like they were back to normal today, but they apparently are not. As I was getting ready to leave the office today, the fire alarm went off in the building. I had to close down the computer quickly, not sure if it was a false alarm or not, and of course, couldn't take the elevator. For those of you that aren't aware, my office isn't on the first floor...but on the fourth. My knees haven't completely recovered from the race.
And speaking of the race, I thought I would throw in a few pictures from this weekend, for those of you interested...
Prior to the race, in front of the George R. Brown...
During the race...and I have no idea what mile marker this was taken at, but I believe it was fairly early in the race...
After the race at the George R. Brown...
And then with some of my biggest fans...
So my question is this...what next? I set a rather lofty goal, really...didn't adequately prepare for it (I'm being altogether truthful here - running up to 6 miles doesn't prepare you for 13.1) and chanted Phil 4:13 through a good portion of this race. As a sidenote, 'I can do all things, through Christ who strenghens me,' is a GREAT pace setter, by the way...I did it, but certainly NOT on my own strength and ability.
So what's next? I personally do best with goals that I work to accomplish, and right now I'm not working towards any. Well, that's not completely true...I always have goals that I'm working towards, but this one really stretched me further than I could do on my own. At least that's how it felt. And since I've done this, I want to be working towards another physical goal...especially since I can see the spiritual significance in pushing our physical bodies to the limit of what WE think we can do.
Any ideas? Another half? Working on a better time? A biathalon? A 10K? I'm open to suggestions....
Sunday, January 18, 2009
02:45:28
2 hours, 45 minutes and 28 seconds seems to be my chip time...My pace was a 12:38 min/mile...
I made it, I'm alive, I had no acute injuries during the race, my hip flexors and toe nails hurt, and I'm tired. *grin*
I had a wonderful experience, and my next one (yes, I feel that there will be a next one) will probably go even better with more adequate training.
YAY!!
ETA:
Some stats, for those of you interested:
Of my age group of females, (F30-34), I came in 484/696.
Of all females, I came in 2591/4085.
Of all half-marathon participants, I came in 4414/6327.
Of course, these are still the unofficial results as of about a half hour ago...
I made it, I'm alive, I had no acute injuries during the race, my hip flexors and toe nails hurt, and I'm tired. *grin*
I had a wonderful experience, and my next one (yes, I feel that there will be a next one) will probably go even better with more adequate training.
YAY!!
ETA:
Some stats, for those of you interested:
Of my age group of females, (F30-34), I came in 484/696.
Of all females, I came in 2591/4085.
Of all half-marathon participants, I came in 4414/6327.
Of course, these are still the unofficial results as of about a half hour ago...
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
A kiss...
Or at least an attempt, was had by Kellen today. *sigh* Are we there already?
I walked in to Kids Klub today and was greeted by Kellen with ice on his head (fun fact #1 - slight head injury from running into the wall in the gym). Then I was asked to stay for a second while another one of the counselors came over so she could speak with me. (Fun fact #2 - Just in case you didn't know, that's almost NEVER good.)
She then proceeds to tell me that she saw a girl pushing Kellen today, separated the two of them and then reminded the girl about the 'we don't push' rule. The girl then defended herself and replied that she was pushing Kellen away because he was trying to kiss her.
Uh.
The counselor then confirmed this fact with Kellen.
Yup. He did indeed try to kiss her.
She then reminded Kellen that we don't kiss our friends at school. (I have reiterated this and went a little further...we don't kiss our friends. That's something for grown-ups.)
However, at this point in time when I was hearing the story, my first question to him was, "Where did you try and kiss her?"
His response, "Down there," while pointing to an area in the cafeteria.
Still so innocent. And I desperately want to keep it that way!
I walked in to Kids Klub today and was greeted by Kellen with ice on his head (fun fact #1 - slight head injury from running into the wall in the gym). Then I was asked to stay for a second while another one of the counselors came over so she could speak with me. (Fun fact #2 - Just in case you didn't know, that's almost NEVER good.)
She then proceeds to tell me that she saw a girl pushing Kellen today, separated the two of them and then reminded the girl about the 'we don't push' rule. The girl then defended herself and replied that she was pushing Kellen away because he was trying to kiss her.
Uh.
The counselor then confirmed this fact with Kellen.
Yup. He did indeed try to kiss her.
She then reminded Kellen that we don't kiss our friends at school. (I have reiterated this and went a little further...we don't kiss our friends. That's something for grown-ups.)
However, at this point in time when I was hearing the story, my first question to him was, "Where did you try and kiss her?"
His response, "Down there," while pointing to an area in the cafeteria.
Still so innocent. And I desperately want to keep it that way!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
What a day...
So I went for a short run this morning in my new shoes. I didn't realize how poorly cushioned my OLD shoes were until I ran in my NEW shoes.
NICE!!
It was brutally cold this morning. Brutal might be overstating it some, but it was cold. If it's going to be as cold on Sunday, I might have to add another layer for the race. And/or gloves that I don't mind parting with at some point in time during the run.
Hmmm...
Today was also the awards ceremony for the Vice Chancellor's Awards in Excellence (part of the Texas A&M AgriLife Conference). I was part of a team that was nominated and received one of these awards for our recruiting efforts as it related to diversity (it was actually the Diversity award).
I'm glad that God chose to allow our team to be blessed in this manner, and that He's allowed me to be blessed with such wonderful co-workers who will work so hard alongside me, and to take time out of their days to nominate us for such an award. I'm blessed that He's allowed me to work in an environment where I truly feel that my contributions and ideas make a difference, not only to those with whom I work, but those with whom I interact - mainly the students. I am blessed to be in this particular work environment and truly feel that this is where I'm supposed to be. God seems to continually remind me that I'm exactly where He wants me to be and that this is what He wants me to be doing. He knows that there are certainly times when I need that reminder.
Lord, thank you for reminding me today that what I'm doing IS making a difference, and that everything that I'm doing is ultimately for You.
NICE!!
It was brutally cold this morning. Brutal might be overstating it some, but it was cold. If it's going to be as cold on Sunday, I might have to add another layer for the race. And/or gloves that I don't mind parting with at some point in time during the run.
Hmmm...
Today was also the awards ceremony for the Vice Chancellor's Awards in Excellence (part of the Texas A&M AgriLife Conference). I was part of a team that was nominated and received one of these awards for our recruiting efforts as it related to diversity (it was actually the Diversity award).
I'm glad that God chose to allow our team to be blessed in this manner, and that He's allowed me to be blessed with such wonderful co-workers who will work so hard alongside me, and to take time out of their days to nominate us for such an award. I'm blessed that He's allowed me to work in an environment where I truly feel that my contributions and ideas make a difference, not only to those with whom I work, but those with whom I interact - mainly the students. I am blessed to be in this particular work environment and truly feel that this is where I'm supposed to be. God seems to continually remind me that I'm exactly where He wants me to be and that this is what He wants me to be doing. He knows that there are certainly times when I need that reminder.
Lord, thank you for reminding me today that what I'm doing IS making a difference, and that everything that I'm doing is ultimately for You.
Interesting thought..
Four Benefits of Putting Margin in Your Life
by Rick Warren
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
*** *** *** ***
Here are four immediate benefits you’ll receive by building margin into your life:
1. Peace of mind. When you’re not always hurrying and worrying, you have time to think, time to relax, time to enjoy life. We had a bird come into the building one evening before service. He started singing, and it was just like we’d been given an invitation: “Just relax. Everybody except those sitting directly under the bird, relax.”
2. Better health. Unrelenting stress harms our bodies. We all know that, yet we let it continue day after day after day. Many times we only build margin in our lives after the heart attack almost happens or does happen, or the blood pressure skyrockets. Why do we wait until our health plummets before we make this decision? Why not realize thatwe need to build some margin intoour lives now? The truth is your body needs downtime in order to heal. Race cars make pit stops occasionally in order to get repaired. You can’t fix anything going 200 miles an hour. Yet, we try to repair ourselves while we’re still racing through life. Margin builds in time for better health.
3. Stronger relationships. Lack of margin is one big reason for the collapse of the American family today. When we don’t make relationships a priority and make time for each other, our relationships suffer. Relationships take time; and margin provides the time to sit and talk, to listen and enjoy one another, and to provide the comfort we each need.
4. Usefulness in ministry. When you’re overloaded by activity, you can only think of yourself. You’re in survival mode, just trying to make it through another day. But being available to God for his use makes all the difference in this world.
When you have no margin in your life and God taps you on the shoulder, saying, “I’d like you to do this for me,” your first response isn’t joy. Your first response is, “Oh, no! Another thing to do! Sorry, God – I’d like to do that, but I’m just too busy.”
We end up resenting the great opportunities God brings into our lives. But when you have margin, you’re available for God to use.
You don’t have to live on overload. You don’t have to live in survival mode. Begin today to build a buffer around your schedule. Then enjoy the benefits of margin and see what God does next!
********************************
I was sent this email and it got me thinking...what do I need to say "No" to for me so that I can say "Yes" to God?
by Rick Warren
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
*** *** *** ***
Here are four immediate benefits you’ll receive by building margin into your life:
1. Peace of mind. When you’re not always hurrying and worrying, you have time to think, time to relax, time to enjoy life. We had a bird come into the building one evening before service. He started singing, and it was just like we’d been given an invitation: “Just relax. Everybody except those sitting directly under the bird, relax.”
2. Better health. Unrelenting stress harms our bodies. We all know that, yet we let it continue day after day after day. Many times we only build margin in our lives after the heart attack almost happens or does happen, or the blood pressure skyrockets. Why do we wait until our health plummets before we make this decision? Why not realize thatwe need to build some margin intoour lives now? The truth is your body needs downtime in order to heal. Race cars make pit stops occasionally in order to get repaired. You can’t fix anything going 200 miles an hour. Yet, we try to repair ourselves while we’re still racing through life. Margin builds in time for better health.
3. Stronger relationships. Lack of margin is one big reason for the collapse of the American family today. When we don’t make relationships a priority and make time for each other, our relationships suffer. Relationships take time; and margin provides the time to sit and talk, to listen and enjoy one another, and to provide the comfort we each need.
4. Usefulness in ministry. When you’re overloaded by activity, you can only think of yourself. You’re in survival mode, just trying to make it through another day. But being available to God for his use makes all the difference in this world.
When you have no margin in your life and God taps you on the shoulder, saying, “I’d like you to do this for me,” your first response isn’t joy. Your first response is, “Oh, no! Another thing to do! Sorry, God – I’d like to do that, but I’m just too busy.”
We end up resenting the great opportunities God brings into our lives. But when you have margin, you’re available for God to use.
You don’t have to live on overload. You don’t have to live in survival mode. Begin today to build a buffer around your schedule. Then enjoy the benefits of margin and see what God does next!
********************************
I was sent this email and it got me thinking...what do I need to say "No" to for me so that I can say "Yes" to God?
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Sick kiddos...it stinks!
I guess that's the way it works with more than one kid. One gets sick, gets over it, then the other gets it or some version of illness number 1 and the cycle perpetuates itself.
Ug.
We're in the cycle, so to speak, right now. And I'm hoping that we can stop it at one cycle.
Tatum went in for a nasty, persistant cough, and pulling on her ears about two weeks ago. Sure enough, double ear infection. The cough was dismissed with the suggestion to give her mucinex. Since she isn't age-appropriate for that medicine, at least per the dosage chart on the actual medicine itself, I get it and her prescription with her appropriate, doctor prescribed dosage in hand.
Fast forward to Thursday morning and we hit stage two of this cycle. Tatum is through with all of her medicine, seems to be fine other than the fact that she REALLY LIKES her medicine and taking her medicine. Hmmm...And Kellen wakes up with a slew of problems...he's having trouble walking, his back hurts, his throat hurts, his stomach hurts (ya' think?? See previous posts for additional details on that one..) and his side hurts. I checked his leg and it was actually warm to the touch, so it was obviously apparent that he had done something to himself. Initially, I was concerned that he just didn't want to go back to school after the potty incident the day before, but that wasn't the case (or at least not all of the case). So I packed Tatum up, got her to daycare, and proceeded to try and clear my calendar at work - rescheduling where I could and getting people to fill in where I couldn't reschedule.
Have I mentioned that I had been out of the office the entire week already for some intensive training? Ouch. But everyone knows that my kiddos are my priority, so there ya' go...
Fast forward through the day and Kellen and I just hung out and rested. We watched movies, took a nap, colored, and just generally took it easy. His most persistant symptom continued to be his cough. He never did run a fever. And he refused to take any medicine...wouldn't gargle with salt water, wouldn't drink apple juice, wouldn't even take the mucinex for his cough.
The next morning (Friday) he seemed to be fine, so off to school he went. Well, in the midst of the craziness that was my attempt to catch up in the office, including non-stop student appointments and, my assistant walked into my office, interrupted me with a student to let me know that the school had just called, Kellen had a fever, and they needed someone to pick him up. Thankfully Matt was able to tag team on that one, pick him up and take care of him for the remainder of the day. Again, the primary complaint was the cough, but it was joined by Kellen saying he felt sore all over.
Uh oh.
So today, Kellen has run a fever pretty much all day long. He started with 100.4, spiked to 102, then went back down to 100.4. He's lounged in our bedroom watching movies and resting, as we've tried to keep him sequestered in an attempt to avoid any additional spreading of germs to Tatum, at the very least.
It's interesting how different the kids are in some respects as well. As I got the medicine out to give it to Kellen (mucinex), Tatum begs for it and Kellen covers his mouth. I can BARELY get Kellen to choke it down without throwing it back up and Tatum would drink the entire bottle if I let her or if she managed to get into the medicine cabinet. Same flavor. Same texture. Kids out of the same genetic pool. Just interesting.
Bless the kids hearts...Kellen's just wanting to be snuggly, Tatum doesn't understand why she can't play with her Kellen and is oh so concerned with him when he goes into a coughing fit. We've been trying our hardest to keep them apart but MAN, I can totally understand how this cycle can repeat itself continually in a multiple kid household! We weren't concerned with keeping Tatum away from Kellen while she was ill because he wouldn't have been able to catch her ear infection but now.....we just aren't sure what Kellen has!
Hopefully he'll get the rest he needs over the weekend to be ready to go on Monday!
Ug.
We're in the cycle, so to speak, right now. And I'm hoping that we can stop it at one cycle.
Tatum went in for a nasty, persistant cough, and pulling on her ears about two weeks ago. Sure enough, double ear infection. The cough was dismissed with the suggestion to give her mucinex. Since she isn't age-appropriate for that medicine, at least per the dosage chart on the actual medicine itself, I get it and her prescription with her appropriate, doctor prescribed dosage in hand.
Fast forward to Thursday morning and we hit stage two of this cycle. Tatum is through with all of her medicine, seems to be fine other than the fact that she REALLY LIKES her medicine and taking her medicine. Hmmm...And Kellen wakes up with a slew of problems...he's having trouble walking, his back hurts, his throat hurts, his stomach hurts (ya' think?? See previous posts for additional details on that one..) and his side hurts. I checked his leg and it was actually warm to the touch, so it was obviously apparent that he had done something to himself. Initially, I was concerned that he just didn't want to go back to school after the potty incident the day before, but that wasn't the case (or at least not all of the case). So I packed Tatum up, got her to daycare, and proceeded to try and clear my calendar at work - rescheduling where I could and getting people to fill in where I couldn't reschedule.
Have I mentioned that I had been out of the office the entire week already for some intensive training? Ouch. But everyone knows that my kiddos are my priority, so there ya' go...
Fast forward through the day and Kellen and I just hung out and rested. We watched movies, took a nap, colored, and just generally took it easy. His most persistant symptom continued to be his cough. He never did run a fever. And he refused to take any medicine...wouldn't gargle with salt water, wouldn't drink apple juice, wouldn't even take the mucinex for his cough.
The next morning (Friday) he seemed to be fine, so off to school he went. Well, in the midst of the craziness that was my attempt to catch up in the office, including non-stop student appointments and, my assistant walked into my office, interrupted me with a student to let me know that the school had just called, Kellen had a fever, and they needed someone to pick him up. Thankfully Matt was able to tag team on that one, pick him up and take care of him for the remainder of the day. Again, the primary complaint was the cough, but it was joined by Kellen saying he felt sore all over.
Uh oh.
So today, Kellen has run a fever pretty much all day long. He started with 100.4, spiked to 102, then went back down to 100.4. He's lounged in our bedroom watching movies and resting, as we've tried to keep him sequestered in an attempt to avoid any additional spreading of germs to Tatum, at the very least.
It's interesting how different the kids are in some respects as well. As I got the medicine out to give it to Kellen (mucinex), Tatum begs for it and Kellen covers his mouth. I can BARELY get Kellen to choke it down without throwing it back up and Tatum would drink the entire bottle if I let her or if she managed to get into the medicine cabinet. Same flavor. Same texture. Kids out of the same genetic pool. Just interesting.
Bless the kids hearts...Kellen's just wanting to be snuggly, Tatum doesn't understand why she can't play with her Kellen and is oh so concerned with him when he goes into a coughing fit. We've been trying our hardest to keep them apart but MAN, I can totally understand how this cycle can repeat itself continually in a multiple kid household! We weren't concerned with keeping Tatum away from Kellen while she was ill because he wouldn't have been able to catch her ear infection but now.....we just aren't sure what Kellen has!
Hopefully he'll get the rest he needs over the weekend to be ready to go on Monday!
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Treatment, Day 1
Well, what I/we DIDN'T want to happen today happened.
The doctor anticipated that the medicine would take 4-6 hours to "kick in" and cause a bowel movement. After 2 hours Kellen had an every-so-slight movement last night, very watery and not much came out, but it was something. However, the real movement came 17-18 hours later.
Yup. Today during school.
Unfortunately, he didn't quite make it to the bathroom for it. He asked to go to the bathroom, had an accident prior to getting there, finished on the potty, but couldn't get anyone's attention for assistance afterwards to help with clean up and a change of clothes for some unknown/undetermined period of time. He told me he felt like he was going to be stuck on the potty in the bathroom forever because he was yelling and screaming for help and no one came. As he and I continued to discuss what happened and I asked him how it made him feel, his response just made me want to bawl...sad and scared were the two primary feelings that he indicated he felt during this incident today.
Incidentally, my back hurts from the mommy guilt that is now piled onto it, because I MEANT to email his teacher last night, thought about it again this morning, and didn't get a chance or make the time to do it (sidenote: I was in an intensive all day training, so it wasn't like I just didn't get around to it during the day) to be sure that she was aware that his treatment plan had been changed. I have now rectified that situation. Please understand that I'm not angry or upset with anyone at the school because of what happened today. No one is to blame - no one did anything wrong. I am upset with myself because I could have most likely prevented this with an email giving everyone at the school a heads-up. Kellen did everything correctly by asking to go to the bathroom and then yelling for all he was worth when he needed help.
This is just what I didn't want to happen. This is the reason that I gave him the medicine as soon as I possibly could once I had it in my possession.
But I have to wonder...what is so horribly wrong with my child's intestines that a medicine that should work in 4-6 hours takes 17-18 instead? Perhaps we won't ever find out the answer to that question.....
So...he got the medicine today at 5 PM. We also added some "sit" time to our regime today, both in the morning and tonight after dinner (approx. 5 minutes this morning and about 30 minutes tonight after dinner). Neither time was productive, but I didn't expect them to be so soon in the process. I did; however, write this all down in my spiral journal, much to Kellen's enjoyment. He thinks it is incredibly 'awesome' that I'm journaling all about his poo poo.
My heart broke for him as he told me how scared and sad he felt today. I wanted to turn back the time and make all of that go away for him...to protect him from that situation happening to him in the first place. I kept apologizing to him, hugging him, stroking his hair, snuggling with him. He let me, but kept saying things like, 'Mommy, you didn't do anything to be sorry for.' and 'But Mommy, you didn't do it.'
Lord, PLEASE don't let the same thing happen to him tomorrow at school. If he has to go, at least allow him to make it all the way to the potty. And guide us as to the correct time to administer his new medicine so that he can go while he's at the house, NOT while he's at school so this becomes a non-issue altogether!
The doctor anticipated that the medicine would take 4-6 hours to "kick in" and cause a bowel movement. After 2 hours Kellen had an every-so-slight movement last night, very watery and not much came out, but it was something. However, the real movement came 17-18 hours later.
Yup. Today during school.
Unfortunately, he didn't quite make it to the bathroom for it. He asked to go to the bathroom, had an accident prior to getting there, finished on the potty, but couldn't get anyone's attention for assistance afterwards to help with clean up and a change of clothes for some unknown/undetermined period of time. He told me he felt like he was going to be stuck on the potty in the bathroom forever because he was yelling and screaming for help and no one came. As he and I continued to discuss what happened and I asked him how it made him feel, his response just made me want to bawl...sad and scared were the two primary feelings that he indicated he felt during this incident today.
Incidentally, my back hurts from the mommy guilt that is now piled onto it, because I MEANT to email his teacher last night, thought about it again this morning, and didn't get a chance or make the time to do it (sidenote: I was in an intensive all day training, so it wasn't like I just didn't get around to it during the day) to be sure that she was aware that his treatment plan had been changed. I have now rectified that situation. Please understand that I'm not angry or upset with anyone at the school because of what happened today. No one is to blame - no one did anything wrong. I am upset with myself because I could have most likely prevented this with an email giving everyone at the school a heads-up. Kellen did everything correctly by asking to go to the bathroom and then yelling for all he was worth when he needed help.
This is just what I didn't want to happen. This is the reason that I gave him the medicine as soon as I possibly could once I had it in my possession.
But I have to wonder...what is so horribly wrong with my child's intestines that a medicine that should work in 4-6 hours takes 17-18 instead? Perhaps we won't ever find out the answer to that question.....
So...he got the medicine today at 5 PM. We also added some "sit" time to our regime today, both in the morning and tonight after dinner (approx. 5 minutes this morning and about 30 minutes tonight after dinner). Neither time was productive, but I didn't expect them to be so soon in the process. I did; however, write this all down in my spiral journal, much to Kellen's enjoyment. He thinks it is incredibly 'awesome' that I'm journaling all about his poo poo.
My heart broke for him as he told me how scared and sad he felt today. I wanted to turn back the time and make all of that go away for him...to protect him from that situation happening to him in the first place. I kept apologizing to him, hugging him, stroking his hair, snuggling with him. He let me, but kept saying things like, 'Mommy, you didn't do anything to be sorry for.' and 'But Mommy, you didn't do it.'
Lord, PLEASE don't let the same thing happen to him tomorrow at school. If he has to go, at least allow him to make it all the way to the potty. And guide us as to the correct time to administer his new medicine so that he can go while he's at the house, NOT while he's at school so this becomes a non-issue altogether!
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Diagnosis and treatment
**WARNING**
This is a post about poo. If you don't want to read details about poo, or Kellen and his poo, then click the "X" at the top of the screen and come back tomorrow. I'll still love you, promise.
We had our consultation with our pedi about Kellen and his digestive issues today, and all-in-all, I think it went well. I went into the appointment armed with my notes, internet print-outs of what I thought the diagnosis was, pictures - albeit not great ones since our ink is going out in our printer - of his 'achievements' as he likes to sometimes call them, and our 2008 calendar adorned with stickers marking the poo occasions. Unfortunately, the stickers are few and far between in many of the months, hence one of the reasons for the visit. To give an example, November had three stickers. And I don't think I just missed or overlooked any poo poos that month. I can't say that with 100% certainty for all months, but we captured the vast majority with stickers, since the occasions are so rare that they're pretty hard to miss around here. October had six stickers, September had four, August three.
Poor guy.
Anyway...stats:
40 lbs
40.5 inches tall
bp 90/54
Yet another reminder that I MUST get out the car seat booklet and convert his car seat into a booster seat. Ug.
So the doctor, Kellen and I discussed the current status of poo in Kellen's life. We detailed the L-O-N-G history of this, prior dosage of Miralax, dosage since my being off work in December, that outcome, my concerns, a short term (next two weeks) treatment plan, then scenarios for if the treatment plan goes as we hope and then what our options are if it doesn't. We discussed dietary concerns - while acknowledging that virtually every diet has room for improvement, our diet seems fine by all accounts. The doctor discounted/discarded the notion that this was a predominantly diet-related issue, which had been a concern for Matt.
Conclusions:
More about the barium enema, in case you're wondering why we're considering that at all. The barium enema is a diagnostic tool for Hirschsprungs disease , but this would be our next treatment/diagnostic step in the process. The doctor also indicated frequently once a child having severe constipation problems underwent this procedure, the process of cleaning them out so well, which is what the procedure will do, served as a treatment itself due to its nature (paraphrasing how he said it, but that's the gist) by ensuring all hardened stools within the colon were expelled.
General dietary comments discussed included:
Again, I feel pleased about our direction, and no longer feel like we're aimlessly wandering with no end point in sight. Let me clearly state that I don't want Kellen to have to undergo the barium enema. I WANT the new treatment to work, but at least now if it doesn't, I feel like we have some other option that is more than simply, 'give MORE of the XXX medicine that you were giving.'
Despite the continued reassurances that all is well and that Kellen taking this medicine for so long is ok, after over 4 years on medicine for what should be a normal bodily function, I am just wary...at some point in time bulimics get hooked on laxatives and their bodies can't function without them...what is this prolonged exposure doing to my 5 year old?
I just want him to be able to go to the bathroom without pharmaceutical assistance and not scream in pain and agony. Is that too much to ask?
This is a post about poo. If you don't want to read details about poo, or Kellen and his poo, then click the "X" at the top of the screen and come back tomorrow. I'll still love you, promise.
We had our consultation with our pedi about Kellen and his digestive issues today, and all-in-all, I think it went well. I went into the appointment armed with my notes, internet print-outs of what I thought the diagnosis was, pictures - albeit not great ones since our ink is going out in our printer - of his 'achievements' as he likes to sometimes call them, and our 2008 calendar adorned with stickers marking the poo occasions. Unfortunately, the stickers are few and far between in many of the months, hence one of the reasons for the visit. To give an example, November had three stickers. And I don't think I just missed or overlooked any poo poos that month. I can't say that with 100% certainty for all months, but we captured the vast majority with stickers, since the occasions are so rare that they're pretty hard to miss around here. October had six stickers, September had four, August three.
Poor guy.
Anyway...stats:
40 lbs
40.5 inches tall
bp 90/54
Yet another reminder that I MUST get out the car seat booklet and convert his car seat into a booster seat. Ug.
So the doctor, Kellen and I discussed the current status of poo in Kellen's life. We detailed the L-O-N-G history of this, prior dosage of Miralax, dosage since my being off work in December, that outcome, my concerns, a short term (next two weeks) treatment plan, then scenarios for if the treatment plan goes as we hope and then what our options are if it doesn't. We discussed dietary concerns - while acknowledging that virtually every diet has room for improvement, our diet seems fine by all accounts. The doctor discounted/discarded the notion that this was a predominantly diet-related issue, which had been a concern for Matt.
Conclusions:
- The doctor agreed to my diagnosis of encopresis.
- Daily medicinal regime will change for the next two weeks from Miralax to 1 oz Milk of Magnesia (I went after the appointment and got the Wild Cherry flavor and he LOVED it!) The doctor indicated that it generally took 4-6 hours for the medicine to work, so we'll try giving it to him as soon as we get home from school to see how that works. I think that would be better than him trying to go at school. If we realize it takes longer for the medicine to impact his body, then we might switch to the morning so he can have an after-school sit. We'll see.
- By the end of the two weeks, he should be going at least every other day with taking the Milk of Magnesia.
- If not, we'll need to go the barium enema route at the hospital (not what we really want to do, but might be a necessary route at this point in time if we've exhausted other possibilities)
- If milk of magnesia is working, then we'll go to phase two and use mineral oil (2-4 Tablespoons) daily for 4-6 weeks, gradually weaning him off of even that toward the end of that time frame to see if his body will self regulate.
More about the barium enema, in case you're wondering why we're considering that at all. The barium enema is a diagnostic tool for Hirschsprungs disease , but this would be our next treatment/diagnostic step in the process. The doctor also indicated frequently once a child having severe constipation problems underwent this procedure, the process of cleaning them out so well, which is what the procedure will do, served as a treatment itself due to its nature (paraphrasing how he said it, but that's the gist) by ensuring all hardened stools within the colon were expelled.
General dietary comments discussed included:
- Milk limited to under 20 oz daily (includes cheese/yogurt as well)
- Fruits/veggies - 3 servings daily [could stand to work on this area, particularly with the variety that we have in the house; more (servings/day) isn't necessarily better]
- Probiotics (already included in yogurt, adding additional packets is fine!)
- Drink lots of water (check!)
- Some juice for Kellen is ok (apple, prune) [nice try...but I've done my milk & water only job too well...the doctor just laughed at me on that one]
- Try actual prunes/dried prunes as a snack
Again, I feel pleased about our direction, and no longer feel like we're aimlessly wandering with no end point in sight. Let me clearly state that I don't want Kellen to have to undergo the barium enema. I WANT the new treatment to work, but at least now if it doesn't, I feel like we have some other option that is more than simply, 'give MORE of the XXX medicine that you were giving.'
Despite the continued reassurances that all is well and that Kellen taking this medicine for so long is ok, after over 4 years on medicine for what should be a normal bodily function, I am just wary...at some point in time bulimics get hooked on laxatives and their bodies can't function without them...what is this prolonged exposure doing to my 5 year old?
I just want him to be able to go to the bathroom without pharmaceutical assistance and not scream in pain and agony. Is that too much to ask?
Monday, January 05, 2009
My not-so-bright moment with my girly girl
I should have posted this days ago, but hey...if you're following my blog you're probably still wanting to know how Christmas and New Years went, right?
Newsflash: I'm still behind! LOL And I'm not feeling guilty about it! (Well, that's not entirely true...I'm desperately trying to not feel guilty about it...I'm working on accepting that I can only do so much, and that my ideal isn't always practical...I'm a work-in-progress on that one)
Anyway...I made the decision to paint my daughters toenails a few days ago.
Yup. My 22 month old daughter.
Considering that I attempted this after bath and shortly before her actual bedtime, it wasn't one of my more shining mom-moments, if you know what I mean. Add to that the fact that I was wearing BRAND new jeans, a BRAND new shirt, and that I hadn't put down a towel to protect the carpet and you HAVE to wonder what I was thinking.
Apparently I wasn't. I didn't think or plan ahead for this momentous occasion.
Did I mention that my little girl is lightning fast? And that she likes to grab at virtually all things pink, which is, of course, the color that I chose to paint her toenails because when given the choice, she'll choose pink or purple and pink generally looks better on toes, now doesn't it?
Luckily for me, when she grabbed the open jar of nail polish from my hands and knocked it onto the carpet, I was quick enough to grab it before any spilled onto the actual carpet. Or my jeans. Or my new shirt. Or any other fabric that shouldn't have come into contact with fingernail polish. The only casualty of the lightning quick 22 month old and the subsequent stray fingernail polish was my hands, and they came clean.
WHEW!
After quickly correcting my horrid errors, I made quick work of her tiny toes (and in case you're wondering, she didn't get a base or top coat, and only got one coat of color), then tried desperately to keep her still while they dried.
As a sidenote, I don't think I've EVER said, 'don't touch those!' in such quick succession before in my LIFE!
Luckily for us all, her cute little piggies dried quickly, and she made the rounds of the room, showing everyone here her freshly painted toes. "Pretty piggies" was the phrase of the night until our princess went to bed.
This got me to thinking. Tatum seems to be the daughter that my mom always wanted. Now that statement might sound weird, coming from my mom's daughter. But let me explain. My mom always wanted a 'girly' daughter...one that liked dolls, thought her Barbies - the ORIGINAL Barbies that she kept from when she was little - were cool, and that was, you know, a girly girl.
I was not that child.
I didn't like to play with dolls. I thought her Barbies were cool because I could pop their heads off - a fact which did NOT amuse my mom. I played with BB guns. I climbed trees to prove they were safe for my older brother. I rode go-carts in the pasture. My hair was cut short because I got upset if it was tangled (well, let's get real here...I threw fits when my mom tried to fix it when I was REALLY young - so she kept it short). Bottom line - I was not a girly girl.
But it appears my daughter is.
She remarked, "Pretty!" when her daddy hung up the pink fan in her room. She LOVES to play with her dolls, and constantly pushes them around the house in their stroller or shopping cart. She wraps them in blankets and puts them to bed in their cradle (incidentally, she's playing with the cradle that my great grandfather made for me when I was little...I love that it's actually getting some use in its intended way). She loves her pretty pink painted piggies. She grabbed my hand the other day just to look at my wedding ring. Yes, my wedding ring...remarking, 'pretty!' as she looked at it. Then told me that she wanted it on her. Uhhh...she's 22 months old and already wanting diamonds.
Folks...I'm in serious trouble here with this little girly girl! But I'll get the hang of it...I've already become familiar with Sam Moon and hey, they have these super deals on GREAT bows.....
Newsflash: I'm still behind! LOL And I'm not feeling guilty about it! (Well, that's not entirely true...I'm desperately trying to not feel guilty about it...I'm working on accepting that I can only do so much, and that my ideal isn't always practical...I'm a work-in-progress on that one)
Anyway...I made the decision to paint my daughters toenails a few days ago.
Yup. My 22 month old daughter.
Considering that I attempted this after bath and shortly before her actual bedtime, it wasn't one of my more shining mom-moments, if you know what I mean. Add to that the fact that I was wearing BRAND new jeans, a BRAND new shirt, and that I hadn't put down a towel to protect the carpet and you HAVE to wonder what I was thinking.
Apparently I wasn't. I didn't think or plan ahead for this momentous occasion.
Did I mention that my little girl is lightning fast? And that she likes to grab at virtually all things pink, which is, of course, the color that I chose to paint her toenails because when given the choice, she'll choose pink or purple and pink generally looks better on toes, now doesn't it?
Luckily for me, when she grabbed the open jar of nail polish from my hands and knocked it onto the carpet, I was quick enough to grab it before any spilled onto the actual carpet. Or my jeans. Or my new shirt. Or any other fabric that shouldn't have come into contact with fingernail polish. The only casualty of the lightning quick 22 month old and the subsequent stray fingernail polish was my hands, and they came clean.
WHEW!
After quickly correcting my horrid errors, I made quick work of her tiny toes (and in case you're wondering, she didn't get a base or top coat, and only got one coat of color), then tried desperately to keep her still while they dried.
As a sidenote, I don't think I've EVER said, 'don't touch those!' in such quick succession before in my LIFE!
Luckily for us all, her cute little piggies dried quickly, and she made the rounds of the room, showing everyone here her freshly painted toes. "Pretty piggies" was the phrase of the night until our princess went to bed.
This got me to thinking. Tatum seems to be the daughter that my mom always wanted. Now that statement might sound weird, coming from my mom's daughter. But let me explain. My mom always wanted a 'girly' daughter...one that liked dolls, thought her Barbies - the ORIGINAL Barbies that she kept from when she was little - were cool, and that was, you know, a girly girl.
I was not that child.
I didn't like to play with dolls. I thought her Barbies were cool because I could pop their heads off - a fact which did NOT amuse my mom. I played with BB guns. I climbed trees to prove they were safe for my older brother. I rode go-carts in the pasture. My hair was cut short because I got upset if it was tangled (well, let's get real here...I threw fits when my mom tried to fix it when I was REALLY young - so she kept it short). Bottom line - I was not a girly girl.
But it appears my daughter is.
She remarked, "Pretty!" when her daddy hung up the pink fan in her room. She LOVES to play with her dolls, and constantly pushes them around the house in their stroller or shopping cart. She wraps them in blankets and puts them to bed in their cradle (incidentally, she's playing with the cradle that my great grandfather made for me when I was little...I love that it's actually getting some use in its intended way). She loves her pretty pink painted piggies. She grabbed my hand the other day just to look at my wedding ring. Yes, my wedding ring...remarking, 'pretty!' as she looked at it. Then told me that she wanted it on her. Uhhh...she's 22 months old and already wanting diamonds.
Folks...I'm in serious trouble here with this little girly girl! But I'll get the hang of it...I've already become familiar with Sam Moon and hey, they have these super deals on GREAT bows.....
Sunday, January 04, 2009
God doesn't get tired
After Awana's tonight, when I realized that Kellen was/is woefully behind in his workbook, (sidenote: how I got that we should go through one lesson a week is beyond me...we are a quarter behind - YIKES!!), we came home and went through two lessons, both in Genesis. We read from my Bible and then went through his lessons.
After reading about the six days of Creation and learning that God rested on the 7th day, Kellen remarked, "But God doesn't need to rest, He doesn't get tired."
He went on to ask, "Why did God need to rest? All he did was talk."
(You know, He SPOKE the world into creation...)
After reading about the six days of Creation and learning that God rested on the 7th day, Kellen remarked, "But God doesn't need to rest, He doesn't get tired."
He went on to ask, "Why did God need to rest? All he did was talk."
(You know, He SPOKE the world into creation...)
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
LSD...and no, NOT the drug
Long, slow distance...
Ok...so my training is going just AWFUL, and I haven't been consistent (it's difficult with Matt's schedule to hit the pavement since I can only run when he's home to watch the kids)...but...Maw Maw and Paw Paw are here to celebrate new years and watched the kids while I went for a run...
Wait for it....
6 miles
1 hr, 13 min, 49 seconds.
YAY!!!
This is the longest I have E-V-E-R run...and I ran it continuously, stopping only at red lights, to tie my shoes, and to take off my long sleeve shirt when I got hot.
I just HAD to share my news!! (Yes, I know I'm behind in blog-world and will post on the Christmas activities soon...bear with me...for the moment, just celebrate with me, ok?)
This gives me hope that I'll at least be able to finish the half in 3 weeks (YIKES!!!)
Things to work on:
1. Lip balm for my lips
2. Something for my hands because my knuckles got chapped by the weather/wind
3. A quicker method for taking off my long sleeve shirt and attaching it to me while I'm running
4. A methods for assuring my shoes don't come untied
Any suggestions on the above (or things I'm not thinking of) from the more experienced runners?
Ok...so my training is going just AWFUL, and I haven't been consistent (it's difficult with Matt's schedule to hit the pavement since I can only run when he's home to watch the kids)...but...Maw Maw and Paw Paw are here to celebrate new years and watched the kids while I went for a run...
Wait for it....
6 miles
1 hr, 13 min, 49 seconds.
YAY!!!
This is the longest I have E-V-E-R run...and I ran it continuously, stopping only at red lights, to tie my shoes, and to take off my long sleeve shirt when I got hot.
I just HAD to share my news!! (Yes, I know I'm behind in blog-world and will post on the Christmas activities soon...bear with me...for the moment, just celebrate with me, ok?)
This gives me hope that I'll at least be able to finish the half in 3 weeks (YIKES!!!)
Things to work on:
1. Lip balm for my lips
2. Something for my hands because my knuckles got chapped by the weather/wind
3. A quicker method for taking off my long sleeve shirt and attaching it to me while I'm running
4. A methods for assuring my shoes don't come untied
Any suggestions on the above (or things I'm not thinking of) from the more experienced runners?
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Night in Bethlehem
Last night we took the kids to A Night in Bethlehem, an event that the preschool ministry of our church put on for the kiddos. There were TONS of crafts and activities for the kids, a few animals outside for petting, and the inside of the church was transformed into Bethlehem. There were various booths with activities that corresponded (loosely) to some of the activities that might have taken place in the olden days...kneading dough, pottery, etc. Then some of the crafts were just for fun...painting nativity scene ornaments and stickery nativity scenes.
Both the kids really got into it...we let Tatum do all of the activities that she wanted except for painting the clay pot...we figured that might be a bit much...They BOTH thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and Matt and I actually ran into quite a few folks we hadn't seen in ages!
One of Kellen's comments that really cracked me up took place shortly after this picture was taken. He understood the concept of Mary and Joseph and waiting on Baby Jesus to be born in the stables...So a little while later, after he finished one of his craft projects, he asked if we could go back and see Mary and Joseph and check to see if Baby Jesus had been born yet.
He thoroughly cracks me up...and I have NO idea where he gets this stuff from (w-e-l-l...I guess that's not entirely true...I have a slight idea of where he gets it from...)
I guess I should have gotten some pictures of the many people dressed in the garb of the time...they did a wonderful job! Kellen was working the well pretty hard here. He had a great time with this, and they guys tricked him into thinking that he was fishing...so he kept putting the bucket back down and rolling it back up, telling me that he was trying to get some fish.
Silly boy.
I finally had to tell him that they were teasing him and that there weren't any fish in the well...Then I think the guys felt bad that he took them so seriously!
I'm so glad that the church put this on, and I really think they had a GREAT turnout. I don't know how many they were expecting, but it was packed the entire time that we were there...and considering that it ran from 6-8 and we were there from about 6:30 - 7:30, I would call that a success!
I'm so thankful that we go to a church that puts on events such as these for the kids! I'm really working this Christmas on instilling the true meaning of Christmas to Kellen, and these types of events and programs help tremendously in doing just that...
Both the kids really got into it...we let Tatum do all of the activities that she wanted except for painting the clay pot...we figured that might be a bit much...They BOTH thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and Matt and I actually ran into quite a few folks we hadn't seen in ages!
One of Kellen's comments that really cracked me up took place shortly after this picture was taken. He understood the concept of Mary and Joseph and waiting on Baby Jesus to be born in the stables...So a little while later, after he finished one of his craft projects, he asked if we could go back and see Mary and Joseph and check to see if Baby Jesus had been born yet.We walked back to the manger area, he looked in and observed the empty manger, and simply stated, 'Nope, not yet. I guess it still isn't Christmas.'
He thoroughly cracks me up...and I have NO idea where he gets this stuff from (w-e-l-l...I guess that's not entirely true...I have a slight idea of where he gets it from...)
I guess I should have gotten some pictures of the many people dressed in the garb of the time...they did a wonderful job! Kellen was working the well pretty hard here. He had a great time with this, and they guys tricked him into thinking that he was fishing...so he kept putting the bucket back down and rolling it back up, telling me that he was trying to get some fish.
Silly boy.
I finally had to tell him that they were teasing him and that there weren't any fish in the well...Then I think the guys felt bad that he took them so seriously!
I'm so glad that the church put this on, and I really think they had a GREAT turnout. I don't know how many they were expecting, but it was packed the entire time that we were there...and considering that it ran from 6-8 and we were there from about 6:30 - 7:30, I would call that a success!
I'm so thankful that we go to a church that puts on events such as these for the kids! I'm really working this Christmas on instilling the true meaning of Christmas to Kellen, and these types of events and programs help tremendously in doing just that...
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Finished product
Well, imagine my amazement when I realized that I DID actually stay up last night to finish the painting of the darker color clothespins. It's great how you get better with something the further along you get into a project. LOL I found a method for painting the clothespins that worked really well, in my opinion, that took much less time than how I had done the light green ones. So, I did actually finish all of the painting last night, despite my reservations about accomplishing that particular task.
After naps, Kellen and I strung the clothespins and beads together to create the final product. Here it is without the bow.
And here it is with the bow, hanging up. It actually looks better with a few Christmas cards on it, but I wanted to take a picture of the finished product all by itself, just because.
After naps, Kellen and I strung the clothespins and beads together to create the final product. Here it is without the bow.
And here it is with the bow, hanging up. It actually looks better with a few Christmas cards on it, but I wanted to take a picture of the finished product all by itself, just because.We then rushed out of the house (we all had nice naps at the house this afternoon...what a blessing!) and headed to the church. My Sunday school class went caroling to the individuals within the church that are shut-in while Awana's was taking place.
Let me just say, my family went caroling to the elderly families in our church growing up, and I have very fond memories of those times. We would sing songs, then sometimes go inside and visit for a while and spend time with them. We may not have enjoyed it then, but I do cherish those memories now (see Mom and Dad, it really DID stick!).
At any rate, the looks on those ladies faces were priceless...you would have thought we were the Publishers Clearinghouse coming to tell them they had won some money with how excited they were. One stop had cookies and pumpkin bread of some kind waiting for us, another had some other friends there to share in the moment, and the last was probably the best one of all. Despite the efforts of the group organizer, she didn't know we were coming, so when we arrived, she was as thrilled as could be. I think she actually cried during some of the songs and then shared how much she had been through this past year.
I'm so glad that we were able to bring some joy to these ladies during this time! I think next year if we do this again, I might pull the kids, at least Kellen, and have him come with me to begin experiencing that.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Full, fun day
I actually made it back out for a run this morning...it was a horrible run by my standards, but a run none the less. It's been a w-h-i-l-e since my last run, so taking that and my sore foot into consideration, I shouldn't be too hard on myself. I just have to start getting out there a LOT more. Mid-January is going to be here before I know it and is going to kick me in the tail.
Less than positive run or not, it felt REALLY good afterwards (I mean, not immediately afterwards), but a little while later.
Then Kellen had his belt test today for Taekwondo. (Which we found out about on Wednesday, but I'll leave that alone).
I wasn't sure what all he was actually getting tested on, but considering everything they were having the white belts do, I was concerned about him actually earning his orange belt.
They ran them all through the routines (I'm sure there is a different word for that...), and then had them do the board break. The students were lined up in height order, so Kellen was the last one to go. There were actually several in front of him that had to hit the board a few times to get it to break, but I'll let you take a look at the video to see how well Kellen did.
I think the other observers were concerned about him because he was the smallest, but he sure showed them! He did so great!
Like I mentioned, they ran them through a variety of things, but it was mentioned that not everyone was actually getting tested on everything they were doing, so I just wasn't sure...But he did it!
He got his orange belt! We're so proud of him and he's just thrilled!
I made a run to Hobby Lobby for the supplies for a craft project that I've worked on off and on all day. In case you're wondering, it takes a L-O-N-G time to paint clothespins. 48 clothespins, to be exact. I do have a better system now, though, so it's going quicker, thank goodness! I'm painting half each two different shades of green to make a wreath suitable for holding Christmas cards, and I'm hopeful that I'll at least finish the painting portion of that project today. I'm about 3/4 of the way done, so we'll see. But it's 10:30, so it doesn't look promising.
I also have another wreath that I'm wanting to make from the cut portions of our Christmas tree. I fear if I don't finish with that project before Matt gets back from his next shift, that those cut portions will end up in the trash. *grin*
Then tonight we did some other decorating and finally got the rest of the Christmas tree decorated. We've done this in stages this year because of Matt's schedule and Tatum's bedtime...I really wanted us all to enjoy the decoration aspect.
So last Friday night we got the tree, earlier in the week we put the lights on it, then tonight we finished with the ornaments and the angel topper. Tatum understood the concept somewhat...she enjoyed trying to put the ornaments on the tree, she just also thoroughly enjoyed taking them OFF of the tree as well. Repeatedly.
And of course, we watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas while we were decorating...I'm so glad that Kellen loves that one just as much as I do! It makes it much easier to justify watching it while we're getting in the holiday spirit!
And here is our finished product. Matt and I realized that we could have easily gone another two feet with the height of our tree this year, but oh well. We all like it, and for this year, it suits us just fine!
Less than positive run or not, it felt REALLY good afterwards (I mean, not immediately afterwards), but a little while later.
Then Kellen had his belt test today for Taekwondo. (Which we found out about on Wednesday, but I'll leave that alone).
I wasn't sure what all he was actually getting tested on, but considering everything they were having the white belts do, I was concerned about him actually earning his orange belt.
They ran them all through the routines (I'm sure there is a different word for that...), and then had them do the board break. The students were lined up in height order, so Kellen was the last one to go. There were actually several in front of him that had to hit the board a few times to get it to break, but I'll let you take a look at the video to see how well Kellen did.
I think the other observers were concerned about him because he was the smallest, but he sure showed them! He did so great!
Like I mentioned, they ran them through a variety of things, but it was mentioned that not everyone was actually getting tested on everything they were doing, so I just wasn't sure...But he did it!
He got his orange belt! We're so proud of him and he's just thrilled!
I made a run to Hobby Lobby for the supplies for a craft project that I've worked on off and on all day. In case you're wondering, it takes a L-O-N-G time to paint clothespins. 48 clothespins, to be exact. I do have a better system now, though, so it's going quicker, thank goodness! I'm painting half each two different shades of green to make a wreath suitable for holding Christmas cards, and I'm hopeful that I'll at least finish the painting portion of that project today. I'm about 3/4 of the way done, so we'll see. But it's 10:30, so it doesn't look promising.
I also have another wreath that I'm wanting to make from the cut portions of our Christmas tree. I fear if I don't finish with that project before Matt gets back from his next shift, that those cut portions will end up in the trash. *grin*
Then tonight we did some other decorating and finally got the rest of the Christmas tree decorated. We've done this in stages this year because of Matt's schedule and Tatum's bedtime...I really wanted us all to enjoy the decoration aspect.
So last Friday night we got the tree, earlier in the week we put the lights on it, then tonight we finished with the ornaments and the angel topper. Tatum understood the concept somewhat...she enjoyed trying to put the ornaments on the tree, she just also thoroughly enjoyed taking them OFF of the tree as well. Repeatedly.
And of course, we watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas while we were decorating...I'm so glad that Kellen loves that one just as much as I do! It makes it much easier to justify watching it while we're getting in the holiday spirit!
And here is our finished product. Matt and I realized that we could have easily gone another two feet with the height of our tree this year, but oh well. We all like it, and for this year, it suits us just fine!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Snow!
Well, it snowed yesterday here. Yup. You read that correctly. It snowed. And not just the little flurries that make you "think" snow...SNOW.
Snow that stuck.
Snow that meant after 2 hours, I had to use my windshield wipers to be able to see out of my windows.
Snow that allowed us to make snowballs.
Snow that was deep enough for snow angels.
Snow that stuck enough to make a snowman.
Snow.
Really.
In Texas....and since my kids will probably be able to count the number of times on one hand that this happens in their life, I allowed them to P-L-A-Y in it after we got home. At least as much as they wanted.
Can you tell from the pictures who wanted to play and who didn't?
First we'll start out with some general, untouched, snow pictures...this is what we found when we opened the back door yesterday after work.
And like I said, it was deep enough for a snow angel, even right there on the deck. And how is it that someone...a little someone who has never really experienced snow can automatically know how to make a snow angel?
Interesting.
And Tatum....w--e--l--l, she didn't really know what to make of all of this. She walked around with an odd look on her face, then when the snowflakes hit her face and eyes, she was NOT liking life. I just couldn't get her into playing with it, even to have the snowflakes land on her hands. I had a pretty funny video of her asking to go back inside.
And then Kellen took great pleasure in knocking the snow off of the branches of the various bushes in our yard. He loved seeing the snow fall off of the branches and had quite a bit of fun with this...
All in all, the second time around I think we played outside for about 45 minutes. My hands could feel it, too...I think my gloves ended up frozen since I did the lions share of the snowman, but Kellen never uttered a word of complaint.
Snow that stuck.
Snow that meant after 2 hours, I had to use my windshield wipers to be able to see out of my windows.
Snow that allowed us to make snowballs.
Snow that was deep enough for snow angels.
Snow that stuck enough to make a snowman.
Snow.
Really.
In Texas....and since my kids will probably be able to count the number of times on one hand that this happens in their life, I allowed them to P-L-A-Y in it after we got home. At least as much as they wanted.
Can you tell from the pictures who wanted to play and who didn't?
First we'll start out with some general, untouched, snow pictures...this is what we found when we opened the back door yesterday after work.
And like I said, it was deep enough for a snow angel, even right there on the deck. And how is it that someone...a little someone who has never really experienced snow can automatically know how to make a snow angel?
Interesting.
And Tatum....w--e--l--l, she didn't really know what to make of all of this. She walked around with an odd look on her face, then when the snowflakes hit her face and eyes, she was NOT liking life. I just couldn't get her into playing with it, even to have the snowflakes land on her hands. I had a pretty funny video of her asking to go back inside.
Kellen, on the other hand, immediately got into making snowballs. And then proceeded to throw them at me. How fun! He didn't throw any at Tatum, if you're wondering, so that wasn't a reason for her displeasure with the adventure.
And then I just had to get a random shot of part of the back yard and all of the snow. Amazing! Look at the snowflakes in the picture...it was so beautiful (and I'm not even a good photographer!)
And then try as I might, I couldn't get a "good" shot of the two kids next to a snow covered something. Let me once again reiterate how DONE Tatum was with the snow and being outside in the snow. Of all of the ones that I took, this is probably the best, so don't be surprised if this ends up on a Christmas card or some other photo-related gift. *grin*
So then Kellen was not-so-patient while I put Tatum to bed, and then he and I went back outside to finish playing in the snow. He started out by helping with the snowman, but ended up tricking me by making more snowballs to throw at me.
And then I just had to get a random shot of part of the back yard and all of the snow. Amazing! Look at the snowflakes in the picture...it was so beautiful (and I'm not even a good photographer!)
And then try as I might, I couldn't get a "good" shot of the two kids next to a snow covered something. Let me once again reiterate how DONE Tatum was with the snow and being outside in the snow. Of all of the ones that I took, this is probably the best, so don't be surprised if this ends up on a Christmas card or some other photo-related gift. *grin*So then Kellen was not-so-patient while I put Tatum to bed, and then he and I went back outside to finish playing in the snow. He started out by helping with the snowman, but ended up tricking me by making more snowballs to throw at me.Mischevious stinker.
I wonder where he gets that from?
Then we went to work on the snowman. It had been AGES since I had made one, and I had forgotten how long it took for the initial "ball" to stick and form. After I got that started, it snowballed from there (sorry...I just couldn't help it).
It wasn't quite as big as I thought we would end up with, but my fingers got too frozen to continue trying to make one any larger than this. If you're wondering what he's made of, his eyes and "buttons" are raisins, and Kellen found wonderful sticks for his arms and nose. We didn't have a carrot one in the house.
And then Kellen took great pleasure in knocking the snow off of the branches of the various bushes in our yard. He loved seeing the snow fall off of the branches and had quite a bit of fun with this...
All in all, the second time around I think we played outside for about 45 minutes. My hands could feel it, too...I think my gloves ended up frozen since I did the lions share of the snowman, but Kellen never uttered a word of complaint.It was a wonderful night, and I truly hope that they remember this! Days like this don't come often in Texas!
Monday, December 01, 2008
Phone call....and other milestones
Normally phone calls from daycare in the middle of the day to me at work are a bad thing.
However, I received one today on my cell while I was in a meeting and had a message waiting for me when I got finished...Tatum was fine, they were calling to tell me that as of then (between 2:45 - 3 PM), she was DRY and had gone on the potty probably at least 4 times. Really!
I was then told that her cheeks and mouth area were red, but we've already pretty much figured out that's from her intense sucking on her pacifier. *sigh*
I got to daycare to pick her up after work, was about to walk out of the classroom, and she tells me that she has to go potty. I listened. And she did.
Fast forward to home...before bathtime, she tells me again. Success. After bath before getting ready for bed. Success again.
I guess I really should pull out the existing cloth training pants we might have and get to shopping for some new ones for her, huh? 'Cause we're talking about success on both numbers here, if you get my drift.
I'm not really ready for all of these milestones....(Although I love each and every one of them.)
'Cause did I mention that Kellen is now 39.4 pounds, according to MawMaw and PawPaw's scale, anyway? That may not mean anything to anyone, so let me explain the relevance of that statement. Our carseat is only good as a forward facing, 5-pt harness carseat up to 40 pounds. Once they hit the 40 pound mark, it's supposed to be converted into a booster. I have barely a half a pound left before that oh-so-huge milestone.
However, I received one today on my cell while I was in a meeting and had a message waiting for me when I got finished...Tatum was fine, they were calling to tell me that as of then (between 2:45 - 3 PM), she was DRY and had gone on the potty probably at least 4 times. Really!
I was then told that her cheeks and mouth area were red, but we've already pretty much figured out that's from her intense sucking on her pacifier. *sigh*
I got to daycare to pick her up after work, was about to walk out of the classroom, and she tells me that she has to go potty. I listened. And she did.
Fast forward to home...before bathtime, she tells me again. Success. After bath before getting ready for bed. Success again.
I guess I really should pull out the existing cloth training pants we might have and get to shopping for some new ones for her, huh? 'Cause we're talking about success on both numbers here, if you get my drift.
I'm not really ready for all of these milestones....(Although I love each and every one of them.)
'Cause did I mention that Kellen is now 39.4 pounds, according to MawMaw and PawPaw's scale, anyway? That may not mean anything to anyone, so let me explain the relevance of that statement. Our carseat is only good as a forward facing, 5-pt harness carseat up to 40 pounds. Once they hit the 40 pound mark, it's supposed to be converted into a booster. I have barely a half a pound left before that oh-so-huge milestone.
Goodbye
My Pap passed away on Friday, after suffering a lengthy illness. My parents called me at 3 PM Friday afternoon, I returned their phone call an hour later (not realizing that they had called - I was awaiting this phone call, and thought I was checking my phone more frequently than that for this particular call...). They made flight arrangements and left early Saturday morning, and the family viewing and calling hours were held yesterday, and the funeral is today.
I'm glad that he's no longer in pain, but wish so desperately that his final hours, even his final years, could have been like he wanted. He NEVER wanted to live his life like he did in these last few years...in and out of the hospital, repeatedly cut on (he had both legs amputated in different places), reduced to a portion of what, and who, he once was. But that's what happened. He didn't even get to die pain-free...his last hours were misery and suffering.
I don't understand that.
I don't understand why he couldn't have had a heart attack while out fishing and died in his boat, doing one of the things that brought him so much joy. Or even in his workshop with his tools. Why? Why wasn't that the end chosen for him? Why was he allowed to go through so much pain?
I just don't understand. And probably never will, until one day when it won't matter anymore.
Please pray for our family, as this situation is oh-so-much-more complicated than just my grandfather passing away. They are going to have to make some very important decisions in the next few days. Pray for the Lord's guidance and peace as they discuss and decide.
I'll post some other time about all of the things that I've inherited, learned and have come to appreciate from my Pap...
I'm glad that he's no longer in pain, but wish so desperately that his final hours, even his final years, could have been like he wanted. He NEVER wanted to live his life like he did in these last few years...in and out of the hospital, repeatedly cut on (he had both legs amputated in different places), reduced to a portion of what, and who, he once was. But that's what happened. He didn't even get to die pain-free...his last hours were misery and suffering.
I don't understand that.
I don't understand why he couldn't have had a heart attack while out fishing and died in his boat, doing one of the things that brought him so much joy. Or even in his workshop with his tools. Why? Why wasn't that the end chosen for him? Why was he allowed to go through so much pain?
I just don't understand. And probably never will, until one day when it won't matter anymore.
Please pray for our family, as this situation is oh-so-much-more complicated than just my grandfather passing away. They are going to have to make some very important decisions in the next few days. Pray for the Lord's guidance and peace as they discuss and decide.
I'll post some other time about all of the things that I've inherited, learned and have come to appreciate from my Pap...
Monday, November 24, 2008
Weekend Fun
It was another great weekend in our household, but it was an eventful one...a REALLY eventful one.
On Saturday we had Turkey Fest, a potluck Thanksgiving party with our Sunday School class...picture over 100 total people invading one blessed family's house...farm, really, and you can begin to imagine Turkey Fest. It was WONDERFUL! Here are some pics...
Sunday morning I decided to try to dress up my princess for church, and got her really dolled up...Take a look for yourself...Isn't she just precious? She actually WANTED to take pictures for me! And look at the many moods of my Tatum-princess....And just in case you're wondering, the bows came out before we got in the car, went back in when we got to church and actually lasted through Sunday School, but not all the way home :)
Then on the Sunday afternoon...Matt was working on a project outside, slightly before naptime, when he hollered for me to bring him some paper towels. I did, then noticed him hunkered down holding his finger. His bleeding finger. Oozing, bloody, bleeding-all-over-the-back-deck finger. Apparently as he was working on changing the light fixture (switching from the lantern-style to a two light floodlight), the saw he was using slipped, cut through his glove and into his finger. He bandaged it up, FINISHED THE PROJECT, ate a bowl of left-over spaghetti, looked at the finger closely again to see if the pressure had stopped the bleeding and to see if it needed stitches, then decided that it did. So off to the ER he went, about 2 1/2 hours AFTER the initial incident.
Yup. That's my hubby. Is it a man thing to want to finish a project you're in the middle of AFTER you get injured? Or is that just my man? Bless him, though...that light is FABULOUS...and does a wonderful job of lighting up the backyard!
WARNING!! Picture of the finger with stitches below...
WARNING!! Picture of the finger with stitches below...
Friday, November 21, 2008
Randomness...
1. We went to the Math and Science "Game" night last night at Kellen's school. When we walked in, a girl ran up to him saying, 'Hi!' When she walked away, he told me that she had tried to kiss him on the playground. So today at dinner, I mentioned that little factoid to Daddy-o, and then asked Kellen where she had kissed him.
His answer?
"On the playground..."
There was more to the answer...a very detailed description of WHERE on the playground, exactly, but I was trying to stifle my laughter that I lost the rest of it....
Such innocence! Such BLESSED innocence!
2. Two weekends ago, we scalped and then planted grass in the backyard. By 'we', of course, I really mean Matt. Kellen; however, helped. Take a look.
He was VERY proud of himself. And even prouder now that we have GREEN grass in the backyard. Let me reiterate that. With emphasis on the correct part. Green GRASS in the backyard. YAY...BIG YAY!!
And here are some more pictures of him being a "farmer" - his words...He really enjoyed his time working with Daddy outside!
3. And isn't this just the cutest fall picture? The look on Kellen's face really captures his personality...I Love this "fall" picture! (And am trying to make myself feel better since we didn't actually make it to a pumpkin patch with BOTH of the kids this year for the regular fall pictures...)
4. Last but certainly not least...our first fire in our house.
Isn't it wonderful? Daddy and Kellen surprised Tatum and I by sending us to my room and then setting this up for us, then bringing us into the living room to show us our surprise. LOVELY! I just LOVE fires and LOVE this surprise!!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Choosing a Simpler Life
Hmmm....What does it say that many of the things speaking to me are about paring down, slowing down, looking closely at the things on my "man-made" to-do list versus what God wants me to have on my "His will" to-do list? Anyone?
Here's yet another great email that I received covering this topic...Am I the only one that needs to hear...er...read this?
Choosing a Simpler Life
by Rick Warren
. . . a time to embrace and a time to refrain. Ecclesiastes 3:5 (NIV)
*** *** *** ***
You’d think that living in Southern California means I’m surrounded by people who live a laid-back lifestyle. The truth is just the opposite: Most of the people I know are trying to cram more and more into each day.
For instance, a couple of years ago, I was with a group of friends driving down the interstate. At one point, I looked around and realized most of us were engaged in some activity other than talking to each other. Two people were on their cell phones; another was working on his BlackBerry; and a fourth was focused on his laptop computer.
As a joke, I declared I felt left out. I called the driver, who was sitting right next to me, and we chatted together on our cell phones for a few minutes! The point of our traveling together in the van was so we could grab time to talk face-to-face! Yet we felt pressed to get it all done.
That’s when I realized the truth – we couldn’t get it all done, and God never intended for us to make completing a to-do list the purpose of our lives.
The fact is, there are many things we think we must do that really are not worth doing. My point is this: You won’t simplify your life by getting an electronic organizer. You won’t even find it by convincing your neighbor, who makes Martha Stewart look like a sloth, to give you tips about coordinating your activities while still wearing a perfect dress and pearls like Beaver Cleaver’s mom.
Simplifying is really about choices – prioritizing what is important – and then sticking to those choices no matter how tempting it is to add more to your to-do list. In fact, take those tempting activities and put them on a list of things not to do.
You are the only one who can assume responsibility for your time and clarify what’s really important to you.
Now maybe you’re thinking, “But I have to take care of the kids,” or “I have to get this report done by Friday.” I’m not naïve about the pressures many people feel today, but it may be that those things – your children, your work – are the priorities you keep on your to-do list, and you move other things to the not-to-do list.
Here's yet another great email that I received covering this topic...Am I the only one that needs to hear...er...read this?
Choosing a Simpler Life
by Rick Warren
. . . a time to embrace and a time to refrain. Ecclesiastes 3:5 (NIV)
*** *** *** ***
You’d think that living in Southern California means I’m surrounded by people who live a laid-back lifestyle. The truth is just the opposite: Most of the people I know are trying to cram more and more into each day.
For instance, a couple of years ago, I was with a group of friends driving down the interstate. At one point, I looked around and realized most of us were engaged in some activity other than talking to each other. Two people were on their cell phones; another was working on his BlackBerry; and a fourth was focused on his laptop computer.
As a joke, I declared I felt left out. I called the driver, who was sitting right next to me, and we chatted together on our cell phones for a few minutes! The point of our traveling together in the van was so we could grab time to talk face-to-face! Yet we felt pressed to get it all done.
That’s when I realized the truth – we couldn’t get it all done, and God never intended for us to make completing a to-do list the purpose of our lives.
The fact is, there are many things we think we must do that really are not worth doing. My point is this: You won’t simplify your life by getting an electronic organizer. You won’t even find it by convincing your neighbor, who makes Martha Stewart look like a sloth, to give you tips about coordinating your activities while still wearing a perfect dress and pearls like Beaver Cleaver’s mom.
Simplifying is really about choices – prioritizing what is important – and then sticking to those choices no matter how tempting it is to add more to your to-do list. In fact, take those tempting activities and put them on a list of things not to do.
You are the only one who can assume responsibility for your time and clarify what’s really important to you.
Now maybe you’re thinking, “But I have to take care of the kids,” or “I have to get this report done by Friday.” I’m not naïve about the pressures many people feel today, but it may be that those things – your children, your work – are the priorities you keep on your to-do list, and you move other things to the not-to-do list.
Is your hut on fire?
More good stuff I got in an email a few days ago...It makes you think about striving to look at your current difficult circumstances through "eternal" eyes...Which is, I'll readily admit, very difficult to do. However, just remember...
Romans 8:28 - And we know that all things work together for good for those that love God and are called according to His purpose.
**********************
When your hut's on fire
The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smokerolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, 'God! How could you do this to me?' Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! 'How did you know I was here?' asked the weary man of his rescuers. 'We saw your smoke signal,' they replied.
The Moral of This Story:
It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.
Romans 8:28 - And we know that all things work together for good for those that love God and are called according to His purpose.
**********************
When your hut's on fire
The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smokerolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, 'God! How could you do this to me?' Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! 'How did you know I was here?' asked the weary man of his rescuers. 'We saw your smoke signal,' they replied.
The Moral of This Story:
It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Good stuff...
I received this in an email today, and thought it was so good I had to post...for everyone to read and for me to have to reference in the future...Enjoy!
Choices Control Your Calendar
by Rick Warren
We are each responsible for our own conduct. Galatians 6:5 (NLT)
*** *** *** ***
Your choices control your calendar and, as a result, your lifestyle. Your choices are far more powerful than your circumstances. You may not like how complicated your life has become yet, with very few exceptions, no one is forcing you to keep your life complicated.
You have the power to simplify your life.
The Bible teaches, “We are each responsible for our own conduct” (Galatians 6:5 NLT). To me, that means God expects us to assume responsibility for our lives and to carefully choose how we spend our time.
That’s why I’ve spent years teaching people to discover why God placed them on this planet: What is your purpose for being here?
Ultimately, it will be the donation of your life that will count far more than the duration.
In other words, it’s not how long you live – or even how much you cram into how long you live – it’s really about how you live.
Here are three essential steps to simplify your life:
· First, figure out your purpose, and then let your purpose guide the goals of your life.
· Second, organize your activities based upon your purpose.
· Finally, harmonize your schedule with your purpose; that is, bring your activities into agreement with your goals.
You have just enough time to do God's will while you’re here on earth. You’ve been given just enough time to fulfill your purpose. When you try to do more than God planned for you, it’s only natural that you’ll find yourself constantly out of time or stressed over your schedule.
If it doesn’t fit the purpose of your life, God doesn’t want you doing it. In fact, he may be overjoyed that you finally got the message and stopped doing meaningless activities. He may even want you to add “rest” or “have fun” to your to-do list.
My prayer for you is that you will find relief from stress and a new sense of satisfaction as you do only the things God created you to do.
Choices Control Your Calendar
by Rick Warren
We are each responsible for our own conduct. Galatians 6:5 (NLT)
*** *** *** ***
Your choices control your calendar and, as a result, your lifestyle. Your choices are far more powerful than your circumstances. You may not like how complicated your life has become yet, with very few exceptions, no one is forcing you to keep your life complicated.
You have the power to simplify your life.
The Bible teaches, “We are each responsible for our own conduct” (Galatians 6:5 NLT). To me, that means God expects us to assume responsibility for our lives and to carefully choose how we spend our time.
That’s why I’ve spent years teaching people to discover why God placed them on this planet: What is your purpose for being here?
Ultimately, it will be the donation of your life that will count far more than the duration.
In other words, it’s not how long you live – or even how much you cram into how long you live – it’s really about how you live.
Here are three essential steps to simplify your life:
· First, figure out your purpose, and then let your purpose guide the goals of your life.
· Second, organize your activities based upon your purpose.
· Finally, harmonize your schedule with your purpose; that is, bring your activities into agreement with your goals.
You have just enough time to do God's will while you’re here on earth. You’ve been given just enough time to fulfill your purpose. When you try to do more than God planned for you, it’s only natural that you’ll find yourself constantly out of time or stressed over your schedule.
If it doesn’t fit the purpose of your life, God doesn’t want you doing it. In fact, he may be overjoyed that you finally got the message and stopped doing meaningless activities. He may even want you to add “rest” or “have fun” to your to-do list.
My prayer for you is that you will find relief from stress and a new sense of satisfaction as you do only the things God created you to do.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Remembering the fallen
Today is the anniversary of the fall of Bonfire. I can hardly believe that it's been 9 years since that horrific day.
For those of you that knew Aggieland when Bonfire was around, take a moment to think back on those times...for those of you that didn't, I'm sorry. I feel like Aggieland is missing a little piece of itself now that Bonfire is gone...and it goes deeper than just Bonfire itself. The campus now truly isn't the same, and I don't think I'm feeling that just because I'm "staff" or because I'm "old ag" - I really just think it's different. There's a shared bonding that's missing, a..."something"...that I just can't quite put my finger on...
But anyway...
Take a few moments and say a prayer for the families of the 12 individuals that gave their lives on this day nine years ago, while they were participating in an activity that they were passionate about. Granted, these 12, nor any of those injured probably EVER thought that this would happen - goodness, did anyone? But it did, and their families have now had to live without them for all these years. Pray for their peace, their comfort...pray that the Lord allows them to feel His peace and to truly heal from this horrific incident.
Miranda Adams
Christopher Breen
Michael Ebanks
Jeremy Frampton
Jamie Hand
Christopher Heard
Timothy Kerlee
Lucas Kimmel
Bryan McClain
Chad Powell
Jerry Self
Nathan West
Aggieland truly hasn't been the same since that day...
For those of you that knew Aggieland when Bonfire was around, take a moment to think back on those times...for those of you that didn't, I'm sorry. I feel like Aggieland is missing a little piece of itself now that Bonfire is gone...and it goes deeper than just Bonfire itself. The campus now truly isn't the same, and I don't think I'm feeling that just because I'm "staff" or because I'm "old ag" - I really just think it's different. There's a shared bonding that's missing, a..."something"...that I just can't quite put my finger on...
But anyway...
Take a few moments and say a prayer for the families of the 12 individuals that gave their lives on this day nine years ago, while they were participating in an activity that they were passionate about. Granted, these 12, nor any of those injured probably EVER thought that this would happen - goodness, did anyone? But it did, and their families have now had to live without them for all these years. Pray for their peace, their comfort...pray that the Lord allows them to feel His peace and to truly heal from this horrific incident.
Miranda Adams
Christopher Breen
Michael Ebanks
Jeremy Frampton
Jamie Hand
Christopher Heard
Timothy Kerlee
Lucas Kimmel
Bryan McClain
Chad Powell
Jerry Self
Nathan West
Aggieland truly hasn't been the same since that day...
Monday, November 17, 2008
Oh, deer...
No, I didn't spell it incorrectly. I almost hit a deer on a beautiful back stretch of highway coming home from church last night and apparently Matt wasn't so lucky tonight. He left after cooking the kids and I supper to run some errands, and I just talked with him - he hit a deer on that same stretch of road. It shattered one of his headlights and banged up the front of his Tahoe pretty badly, but he's fine (the deer; however, is not). He has a grill guard on his Tahoe, but is frustrated that it doesn't seem like its done much good to protect the vehicle in skirmishes. When he takes it in to get it fixed he's going to ask if it would have been worse without it...
I'm just thankful that he's ok! (And I wish he would have got the deer in a more traditional way! If it was the one that had suicidal tendencies yesterday, it was a BEAUTIFUL rack and, by the looks of it, would have filled our freezer!!)
I'm just thankful that he's ok! (And I wish he would have got the deer in a more traditional way! If it was the one that had suicidal tendencies yesterday, it was a BEAUTIFUL rack and, by the looks of it, would have filled our freezer!!)
Family Fun Day
Saturday was just that...Family Fun Day. Matt mentioned to me how odd it seemed that it was just "us" at the house. We weren't expecting company. People weren't coming over in preparation for the game. We weren't going to the game. Nothing. It was just us.
And boy, was it NICE!
We started the day lounging in bed. Well, that's not quite true. MY day started with a Tater-tot to the head, courtesy of my dear, sweet husband, but since he had already changed her poopy diaper, I didn't mind all that much. *grin* Then we lounged in bed for a while, until we could no longer stave off the "eat" signs and sounds from our ever-hungry Tatum. It was on to breakfast for us and some additional lounging.
Then we decided to head to the movies to see Madagascar II: Escape to Africa. Note to self: when asking the ticket person how many people are in the movie theatre, get a more specific answer than, "It's not too full." We ended up sitting on the second row. Boy, that screen is REALLY large from that close! It was quite the milestone...Tatum's first ever movie that she actually could try to watch (not the first one she's been to, as I took her to quite a few while I was on maternity leave, but I don't really count those toward her "movie attendance"). She did...umm....ok. I watched quite a bit of the movie from the entrance aisle. But, in her defense, it was an 11:20 AM showing (can we say close to nap??) and she was tired. And after about 15 minutes or so of me holding her and watching, er...pacing, in the aisle, she was SOUND asleep, and we went back in and finished the movie. Kellen, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and didn't stop eating the HUGE bag of popcorn that his Daddy bought him the entire time. I'm not sure how he didn't make it through that whole bag, OR how he didn't have a tummy ache, OR how he was actually STILL HUNGRY for lunch when we got out of the movie. Seriously?!?
In case you're wondering, we liked the movie, but think the first one is better.
Back to the house we went, got the kids down for naps, then Matt went to run some errands. I tried to take a nap, but Tatum decided that her short-lived movie nap was enough for her. Fun stuff. So instead of listening to her whail, I decided to go in her room to rock her. MISTAKE. The sight of me set off her lungs, I didn't know that they had another level....wow. Try as I might, a "second" nap, continuation of her movie-nap, whatever, just wasn't happening, so we just snuggled and "rested" while Kellen was napping.
When Kellen woke up, we decided to take a walk to the park to see the ducks. (I'm telling you, we had an AWESOME Family Fun day!!!) So we bundled up, you know, it had gotten a little chilly and windy, and off we went to the park. Kellen and Tatum fed the ducks, and Kellen searched for a while for Meaniac, his favorite duck there (which, I think is odd, since this is the one that bit him this summer, but hey...), and Kellen and Daddy took periodic jaunts into the woods on their "adventures" while on our way back to the playground. We all played for a while on the playground, and then headed back home for dinner.
Daddy and I had already decided to have an inside picnic, and apparently great minds think alike, because as we got home, Kellen came up with the idea as well. So we had our picnic blanket spread in the living room and had our dinner picnic while watching Kung Fu Panda, a recent addition to our movie collection.
Shortly after the movie started, the effects of Tatum's short-lived nap were apparent, and she made her desires for night-night evident to all. After she went to bed, we all gathered to watch the movie and finish dinner, and enjoyed a nice, warm batch of chocolate chip cookies that I decided to throw in the oven to bake (it's GREAT to have cookie dough on hand - YAY!).
All-in-all, it was a glorious day! I told Matt after Kellen went to bed that THIS is the life that I want to lead with our family. And then I thought more about it...Is THIS what it's like to rest...truly rest and relax? Our Bible study had this verse as one of the verses during our daily lesson this past week:
Exodus 34:21: Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.
And what really spoke to me in this verse was the importance of actually RESTING, regardless of the overwhelming "to-do" lists that always seem to be there, waiting on me. So I'm working on it...And Saturday was just so wonderful that it confirmed how much I need that rest period in my week.
So bring on the Family Fun Days!!
And boy, was it NICE!
We started the day lounging in bed. Well, that's not quite true. MY day started with a Tater-tot to the head, courtesy of my dear, sweet husband, but since he had already changed her poopy diaper, I didn't mind all that much. *grin* Then we lounged in bed for a while, until we could no longer stave off the "eat" signs and sounds from our ever-hungry Tatum. It was on to breakfast for us and some additional lounging.
Then we decided to head to the movies to see Madagascar II: Escape to Africa. Note to self: when asking the ticket person how many people are in the movie theatre, get a more specific answer than, "It's not too full." We ended up sitting on the second row. Boy, that screen is REALLY large from that close! It was quite the milestone...Tatum's first ever movie that she actually could try to watch (not the first one she's been to, as I took her to quite a few while I was on maternity leave, but I don't really count those toward her "movie attendance"). She did...umm....ok. I watched quite a bit of the movie from the entrance aisle. But, in her defense, it was an 11:20 AM showing (can we say close to nap??) and she was tired. And after about 15 minutes or so of me holding her and watching, er...pacing, in the aisle, she was SOUND asleep, and we went back in and finished the movie. Kellen, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and didn't stop eating the HUGE bag of popcorn that his Daddy bought him the entire time. I'm not sure how he didn't make it through that whole bag, OR how he didn't have a tummy ache, OR how he was actually STILL HUNGRY for lunch when we got out of the movie. Seriously?!?
In case you're wondering, we liked the movie, but think the first one is better.
Back to the house we went, got the kids down for naps, then Matt went to run some errands. I tried to take a nap, but Tatum decided that her short-lived movie nap was enough for her. Fun stuff. So instead of listening to her whail, I decided to go in her room to rock her. MISTAKE. The sight of me set off her lungs, I didn't know that they had another level....wow. Try as I might, a "second" nap, continuation of her movie-nap, whatever, just wasn't happening, so we just snuggled and "rested" while Kellen was napping.
When Kellen woke up, we decided to take a walk to the park to see the ducks. (I'm telling you, we had an AWESOME Family Fun day!!!) So we bundled up, you know, it had gotten a little chilly and windy, and off we went to the park. Kellen and Tatum fed the ducks, and Kellen searched for a while for Meaniac, his favorite duck there (which, I think is odd, since this is the one that bit him this summer, but hey...), and Kellen and Daddy took periodic jaunts into the woods on their "adventures" while on our way back to the playground. We all played for a while on the playground, and then headed back home for dinner.
Daddy and I had already decided to have an inside picnic, and apparently great minds think alike, because as we got home, Kellen came up with the idea as well. So we had our picnic blanket spread in the living room and had our dinner picnic while watching Kung Fu Panda, a recent addition to our movie collection.
Shortly after the movie started, the effects of Tatum's short-lived nap were apparent, and she made her desires for night-night evident to all. After she went to bed, we all gathered to watch the movie and finish dinner, and enjoyed a nice, warm batch of chocolate chip cookies that I decided to throw in the oven to bake (it's GREAT to have cookie dough on hand - YAY!).
All-in-all, it was a glorious day! I told Matt after Kellen went to bed that THIS is the life that I want to lead with our family. And then I thought more about it...Is THIS what it's like to rest...truly rest and relax? Our Bible study had this verse as one of the verses during our daily lesson this past week:
Exodus 34:21: Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.
And what really spoke to me in this verse was the importance of actually RESTING, regardless of the overwhelming "to-do" lists that always seem to be there, waiting on me. So I'm working on it...And Saturday was just so wonderful that it confirmed how much I need that rest period in my week.
So bring on the Family Fun Days!!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Love and Logic
Anyone have any comments on this parenting philosophy? Have you read the book and care to share your thoughts? This was being discussed on one of my moms boards and it sounds pretty good to me...just wanted to get some other opinions...feel free to share!
It does go bad...
Stink...I thought I had read somewhere that chocolate stayed good for a year, so when I realized that we still had an Easter bunny in the pantry (yes, an Easter bunny...don't ASK me how it managed to survive that long in THIS house with ME, but hey...) I thought I would be able to have a nice chocolate snack tonight.
Nope.
If chocolate DOES stay good for that long, then this was old bunny when I bought it.
Stink.
I'm totally craving chocolate today and have already finished off the Oreos my sweetie bought me a few days ago (and no, I wasn't the only one eating them, either).
Guess I really need to hit the road. Literally. And get back on my half marathon training if I'm going to continue to have these kind of cravings!
Nope.
If chocolate DOES stay good for that long, then this was old bunny when I bought it.
Stink.
I'm totally craving chocolate today and have already finished off the Oreos my sweetie bought me a few days ago (and no, I wasn't the only one eating them, either).
Guess I really need to hit the road. Literally. And get back on my half marathon training if I'm going to continue to have these kind of cravings!
I help you, Mommy
We're now entering the world of Tatum's verbal explosion, (and several other "worlds" including sassiness, stubborness and tantrums, but lets focus on the fun one today, shall we?) and this is one of her first full sentences. I think her ACTUAL first full sentence was, "Paw Paw sit DOWN!" which was accompanied by her pointing in an incredibly animated fashion to the appropriate chair for her dearly beloved paw paw.
At any rate, I was working on getting her diaper bag ready yesterday morning, and she walked over to me and said, "I help you, Mommy," and proceeded to try and actually help me stuff inserts into her diapers. It was endearing and quite hilarious to watch, actually.
At any rate, I was working on getting her diaper bag ready yesterday morning, and she walked over to me and said, "I help you, Mommy," and proceeded to try and actually help me stuff inserts into her diapers. It was endearing and quite hilarious to watch, actually.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Teeth, teeth and MORE teeth!
Three in all, to be exact! That's how many teeth Tatum's gotten in within the past week...all incisors, too...both on the top and the bottom right one popped through yesterday. Which helps to explain her increased demand for her paci, and her recent ability to suck so hard on that thing that she sucked sores on her mouth around the edge of the paci.
I'll leave that one for you to close your eyes and imagine...paci around the mouth...imagine the top area of the paci, with sucking sores underneath the right and left "corners" - so to speak - and smaller sore areas on the top of her lip area.
I had been wondering why she had gotten those sores, and how. Then the new teeth popped through and everything just kinda' fell into place on that one.
Poor girl!
As for an update on Kellen, he's doing MUCH better in school and in Kids Klub behavior-wise. So much so, in fact, that he was able to get a toy out of the "treasure chest" on Monday in school. And apparently only kids who are well behaved are chosen to get a toy out of the treasure chest, and it's not an 'every day when they are well-behaved' occurance, so way to go Kellen! He promptly got the toy taken away from him when his Daddy caught him sneaking it into bed with him (since we don't sleep with toys here in this house), but perhaps he'll be able to get it back tomorrow - it was only taken away for a day.
He's been cracking me up lately with some of his comments, but unfortunately, I can't remember them verbatim, and I don't want to ruin them by trying to paraphrase...I'll try to jot some of them down in the midst of holding my stomach the next time he has me laughing hysterically so that you can share in the laughter via a post...
I'll leave that one for you to close your eyes and imagine...paci around the mouth...imagine the top area of the paci, with sucking sores underneath the right and left "corners" - so to speak - and smaller sore areas on the top of her lip area.
I had been wondering why she had gotten those sores, and how. Then the new teeth popped through and everything just kinda' fell into place on that one.
Poor girl!
As for an update on Kellen, he's doing MUCH better in school and in Kids Klub behavior-wise. So much so, in fact, that he was able to get a toy out of the "treasure chest" on Monday in school. And apparently only kids who are well behaved are chosen to get a toy out of the treasure chest, and it's not an 'every day when they are well-behaved' occurance, so way to go Kellen! He promptly got the toy taken away from him when his Daddy caught him sneaking it into bed with him (since we don't sleep with toys here in this house), but perhaps he'll be able to get it back tomorrow - it was only taken away for a day.
He's been cracking me up lately with some of his comments, but unfortunately, I can't remember them verbatim, and I don't want to ruin them by trying to paraphrase...I'll try to jot some of them down in the midst of holding my stomach the next time he has me laughing hysterically so that you can share in the laughter via a post...
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Admitting defeat??
Considering the football game I'm watching, I guess this is an appropriate title...(darn those Aggies this season...but I'll get there in a second...)
Do you think I made my point clear? And doesn't she look adorable?
Seriously though, I PRAY that it isn't as bad as I envision, but a co-worker of mine went in a local gun store to pick up a gun he had purchased, and he remarked to me that the store was busier than he had ever seen it...that there were probably 50 people in there. And this was on Wednesday. What does that tell you? Purely coincidence, or were these people trying to get guns while they still felt like they could? 'Cause Obama's made his stance on guns pretty clear as well, now hasn't he?
2. Back to my darling Aggies. *sigh* We're getting SPANKED by OU. And I really mean spanked. We're in the 4th quarter, and the score right now is 66 to 28. Yes, that's the score. It wasn't a typo. OUCH!
Do you think I made my point clear? And doesn't she look adorable?
Seriously though, I PRAY that it isn't as bad as I envision, but a co-worker of mine went in a local gun store to pick up a gun he had purchased, and he remarked to me that the store was busier than he had ever seen it...that there were probably 50 people in there. And this was on Wednesday. What does that tell you? Purely coincidence, or were these people trying to get guns while they still felt like they could? 'Cause Obama's made his stance on guns pretty clear as well, now hasn't he?
2. Back to my darling Aggies. *sigh* We're getting SPANKED by OU. And I really mean spanked. We're in the 4th quarter, and the score right now is 66 to 28. Yes, that's the score. It wasn't a typo. OUCH!
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Ready
Aren't you?
Just ready to know who our next President is - once and for all?
I'm watching the news...seeing the states flashing in their different colors, with some of them "too close to call" and am really just ready for the decision.
Lord, please help this country, regardless of the outcome of this election.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called together according to His purpose.
Which means that I have to trust that God can, and will, work and bring good out of the this election, even if the guy I didn't vote for and do not want elected is elected.
Just ready to know who our next President is - once and for all?
I'm watching the news...seeing the states flashing in their different colors, with some of them "too close to call" and am really just ready for the decision.
Lord, please help this country, regardless of the outcome of this election.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called together according to His purpose.
Which means that I have to trust that God can, and will, work and bring good out of the this election, even if the guy I didn't vote for and do not want elected is elected.
Monday, November 03, 2008
Unbelievable
When Matt got the phone call last night, then told me that Jill Jarvis - well, Attebery now, had passed away, my reaction was just that...disbelief.
She was too young, they had just had a baby, poor Scott. And poor Scott and Bryce is pretty much were I've stayed. I asked Matt this morning if he thought it was possible to be sad in heaven...As a mother, I was and am mourning the loss of Jill being able raise her son. But I just don't think it works like that.
Another former ABS'er had this link on her website, so I'll share it for those of you who knew Jill. Take some time and read it from beginning to end, and cry, as I did, for what Scott and those around him went and will continue to go through. And pray for him as he raises Bryce without her.
She was too young, they had just had a baby, poor Scott. And poor Scott and Bryce is pretty much were I've stayed. I asked Matt this morning if he thought it was possible to be sad in heaven...As a mother, I was and am mourning the loss of Jill being able raise her son. But I just don't think it works like that.
Another former ABS'er had this link on her website, so I'll share it for those of you who knew Jill. Take some time and read it from beginning to end, and cry, as I did, for what Scott and those around him went and will continue to go through. And pray for him as he raises Bryce without her.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)