Looking back on my teenage years, there was a moment in time when I actually looked like a superhero! No, it wasn't a halloween costume-it was my quick actions when I was with my friend Amy, and her friend Cathy.
Yes, for one moment in time, you could actually say I was Superman!!!
Faster than a speeding bullet.
More powerful than a locomotive.
Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
Look! Up in the sky!
It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Superman!
Only, we all know that Superman is make-believe. On the other hand, my superhero moment was not make-believe, and Amy and Cathy were there as witnesses. This is what happened....
Amy, Cathy and I were on our way to the park to use the exercise trail that went thru the woods, instructing us to walk, run, and stop and do exercises along the way. We were walking and talking, nearing the woods.
As we began our walk down the rocky dirt hill in the woods, I was ready to start working out! So I said, "Come on, you guys, let's run!"
Somehow, immediately after I said that and took my first running steps, I managed to trip over a rock.
No, I did not fall-YET. My super powers kicked in at that very moment, and my arms shot out in front of me, holding my body like a hovercraft one foot above ground. My legs ran me at full speed down the hill, while my arms directed me. So I'm quite sure I looked like Superman(with the serious look on his face)-with the Roadrunner's legs(beep! beep!).
While I was still in full action mode, time for Amy and Cathy stood still, as they watched to see what their superhero would do.
Intently studying the path I sped down, my concerned friend Amy broke my concentration when she blurted out, "Are you okay?" And as I answered, "No.", it was that moment that I landed at the bottom of the hill "flat on my face".
Now I've mentioned that Amy is my great, concerned friend. So I'm sure you can guess what she did next.
No, she did not laugh.
She HOWLED!!! She ROARED!!! Guffaws echoed throughout the woods. I think she even doubled over at the waist, but I was too busy picking rocks out of my hands and wiping dirt off of my clothes to see her.
I don't really remember what Cathy did. I think I can guess tho.
So there you have it! My moment as a superhero.
Faster than a speeding bullet. Yeah, I was definately going faster!
More powerful than a locomotive. We were getting ready to work on that at the time of the event.
Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Uh, no, not hardly. More like, Able to trip on a 2" tall rock.
Look! Yeah, everybody! Watch this!!!
Up in the sky! Or, down near the ground!
It's a bird! Roadrunner, maybe?
It's a plane! Or at least a hovercraft of some sort.
It's Superman! It's Goober Josanne! or A stupid plan!
Now I know that when Amy reads this, tears will most likely be streaming down her face as she relives this incredible moment in history.
I'm sure you wish you had been there too.
Christian living and homemaking, along with a few tutorials.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Blasts From The Past
Hello to all of my wonderful readers!
I know it's been a while since I have posted-it seems plenty has been going on to keep me busy!
I don't have a new story to share, but thought I would go back to some of my old posts from over a year ago, and re-share them with my newer readers. I hope you will enjoy!
The Shopping Cart Story
Doesn't it feel good to do a good deed for another person?
I'm sure you are all familiar with how the sidewalks are built at most stores, with the ramp that allows shopping carts and wheelchairs easy access from the parking lot to the store's sidewalk.
A few years ago, I was heading into the grocery store, and saw an elderly man with a cart, next to the ramp to go up to the sidewalk. I thought I would offer to take his cart so that he didn't have to push it back up the ramp, saving him the extra energy he would have to put into taking the shopping cart back to the store. It's always been nice when others have done this for me-its my turn once again to return the favor to another. I said something along the lines of, "Sir, can I take that for you?" And he said, "Sure." So I took the cart, and having done my "good deed of the day", my footsteps felt a little lighter as I entered the store to grab a few groceries.
I didn't need much, so I quickly made it up the first aisle to the back of the store, and down the next aisle, heading back to the front section of the store.
The entrance of the store caught my eye. The man I helped with the shopping cart was standing in the doorway, looking around! To my great embarrassment, I then realized that I had not helped this man at all--I had taken his cart!!! Oh boy.....
I was relaying this story to a friend, and she asked if I had apologized to him. Of course not!!! I was trying to blend in with the tomatoes---why would I make myself known again??? Hadn't I done enough already?
Well, I got all the items I needed, and headed for the checkout. He was there, with his new shopping cart, checking out too. So needless to say, I thought I'd just, you know, hang out with the frozen veggies for a few minutes.
Have you ever noticed what an interesting section of the store the frozen veggie section is? :)
I know it's been a while since I have posted-it seems plenty has been going on to keep me busy!
I don't have a new story to share, but thought I would go back to some of my old posts from over a year ago, and re-share them with my newer readers. I hope you will enjoy!
The Shopping Cart Story
Doesn't it feel good to do a good deed for another person?
I'm sure you are all familiar with how the sidewalks are built at most stores, with the ramp that allows shopping carts and wheelchairs easy access from the parking lot to the store's sidewalk.
A few years ago, I was heading into the grocery store, and saw an elderly man with a cart, next to the ramp to go up to the sidewalk. I thought I would offer to take his cart so that he didn't have to push it back up the ramp, saving him the extra energy he would have to put into taking the shopping cart back to the store. It's always been nice when others have done this for me-its my turn once again to return the favor to another. I said something along the lines of, "Sir, can I take that for you?" And he said, "Sure." So I took the cart, and having done my "good deed of the day", my footsteps felt a little lighter as I entered the store to grab a few groceries.
I didn't need much, so I quickly made it up the first aisle to the back of the store, and down the next aisle, heading back to the front section of the store.
The entrance of the store caught my eye. The man I helped with the shopping cart was standing in the doorway, looking around! To my great embarrassment, I then realized that I had not helped this man at all--I had taken his cart!!! Oh boy.....
I was relaying this story to a friend, and she asked if I had apologized to him. Of course not!!! I was trying to blend in with the tomatoes---why would I make myself known again??? Hadn't I done enough already?
Well, I got all the items I needed, and headed for the checkout. He was there, with his new shopping cart, checking out too. So needless to say, I thought I'd just, you know, hang out with the frozen veggies for a few minutes.
Have you ever noticed what an interesting section of the store the frozen veggie section is? :)
Monday, May 17, 2010
Question of the Day
I think I'm grateful that today is Monday, and my son is in school. I sure love that growing boy, but let me tell you about yesterday.
Kota had a friend over for the weekend (EJ lives about 45 minutes from us, so he came over Friday evening and stayed until after church Sunday night). Saturday had its "events", one which was our spaghetti dinner fundraiser, which Dakota decided to take a dare and stick two cupcakes in it. I happened to notice while he was piling his cup, napkin, etc. on top of a full plate of spaghetti, that he was getting ready to pitch all of his food. That's when Amber told me what he had done. I, like a good mother, told him to sit back down and eat it! I wonder whose was better-Kota's spaghetti with cupcakes in it, or his friend's spaghetti with applesauce in it! (Can you hear my loud sigh, and see me rolling my eyes???)
Not too much else was eventful, other than the Nerf gun war that was going on in his room after I told the boys it was bedtime.
Sunday is my day to worship the Lord, and then give Him the opportunity to speak to me in a dream in the afternoon between services! =D
Dan and I rode separately to church, and he got home with the boys first. He let me know that the boys went on a bike ride. After they hadn't returned for 45 minutes, I had to go find them. I knew where they were, and Kota informed me that when he says he is going on a bike ride, it also means he is stopping at a friend's house. I had the boys come home-they needed to eat, among other things.
We didn't have a formal dinner, but I must say my crock pot scalloped potatoes and ham was very good! The mint chocolate chip pie was pretty good too! And after I ate, I headed upstairs for my nap.
After about an hour, and hearing many doors slam during my nap, I got up.....to find.....
....my water spray bottles in the garage and the garage wet-the boys had a water fight.
....a mound of ants on my tile by my fireplace-and we just had our house professionally sprayed 3 weeks ago!
....a wet spot I kept stepping in on the livingroom carpet.
....a bunch of soaked clothes in the bottom of Kota's hamper.
....my vase with change on the diningroom table, emptied, with a small amount of pennies left on the table.
After I sucked up the ants with the vacuum, and then dumped the vac container in the garage trash, I continued to find more ants! And then I noticed.....a very thin line.....of.....SQUIRT CHEESE in the corner of the tile??? I wiped up as much as I could reach, but some was under the metal strip at the edge of the carpet.
After I inquired, I learned that the squirt cheese was put there on purpose to lure the ants. I'm sure it was Dakota, and not his friend who did this. I calmly let him know I didn't want him to do that again, and was grateful to learn a food fight with squirt cheese hadn't taken place during my nap.
I also learned that the wet spot on the carpet was from the boys trying to drown the ants that were previously on the carpet, that were now lured to the tile by the fireplace. Dakota let me know that the kitties had batted the squirt cheese bottle or lid on the floor, and some of it got on the carpet. That's why there were ants on the rug in the first place.
Sighing with a bit of exasperation, I was again at least relieved that they didn't have a water fight in my livingroom.
I asked about my change vase, and learned that they had used all but the few pennies to buy lemonade or tea from the boy across the street. I told him to ask next time he ROBS me, of course, but oh, the drink was SOOOO good, he says!
I did let out another sigh upon finding out that there was a bee in Kota's room, but that the boys Nerf-gunned it to its death.....this was actually after my nap. Sigh.....
So! The big question of the day is.....
With what I woke up to, did I really need that nap?
If you haven't answered my poll questions to the left yet, please do so! Thanks!
Kota had a friend over for the weekend (EJ lives about 45 minutes from us, so he came over Friday evening and stayed until after church Sunday night). Saturday had its "events", one which was our spaghetti dinner fundraiser, which Dakota decided to take a dare and stick two cupcakes in it. I happened to notice while he was piling his cup, napkin, etc. on top of a full plate of spaghetti, that he was getting ready to pitch all of his food. That's when Amber told me what he had done. I, like a good mother, told him to sit back down and eat it! I wonder whose was better-Kota's spaghetti with cupcakes in it, or his friend's spaghetti with applesauce in it! (Can you hear my loud sigh, and see me rolling my eyes???)
Not too much else was eventful, other than the Nerf gun war that was going on in his room after I told the boys it was bedtime.
Sunday is my day to worship the Lord, and then give Him the opportunity to speak to me in a dream in the afternoon between services! =D
Dan and I rode separately to church, and he got home with the boys first. He let me know that the boys went on a bike ride. After they hadn't returned for 45 minutes, I had to go find them. I knew where they were, and Kota informed me that when he says he is going on a bike ride, it also means he is stopping at a friend's house. I had the boys come home-they needed to eat, among other things.
We didn't have a formal dinner, but I must say my crock pot scalloped potatoes and ham was very good! The mint chocolate chip pie was pretty good too! And after I ate, I headed upstairs for my nap.
After about an hour, and hearing many doors slam during my nap, I got up.....to find.....
....my water spray bottles in the garage and the garage wet-the boys had a water fight.
....a mound of ants on my tile by my fireplace-and we just had our house professionally sprayed 3 weeks ago!
....a wet spot I kept stepping in on the livingroom carpet.
....a bunch of soaked clothes in the bottom of Kota's hamper.
....my vase with change on the diningroom table, emptied, with a small amount of pennies left on the table.
After I sucked up the ants with the vacuum, and then dumped the vac container in the garage trash, I continued to find more ants! And then I noticed.....a very thin line.....of.....SQUIRT CHEESE in the corner of the tile??? I wiped up as much as I could reach, but some was under the metal strip at the edge of the carpet.
After I inquired, I learned that the squirt cheese was put there on purpose to lure the ants. I'm sure it was Dakota, and not his friend who did this. I calmly let him know I didn't want him to do that again, and was grateful to learn a food fight with squirt cheese hadn't taken place during my nap.
I also learned that the wet spot on the carpet was from the boys trying to drown the ants that were previously on the carpet, that were now lured to the tile by the fireplace. Dakota let me know that the kitties had batted the squirt cheese bottle or lid on the floor, and some of it got on the carpet. That's why there were ants on the rug in the first place.
Sighing with a bit of exasperation, I was again at least relieved that they didn't have a water fight in my livingroom.
I asked about my change vase, and learned that they had used all but the few pennies to buy lemonade or tea from the boy across the street. I told him to ask next time he ROBS me, of course, but oh, the drink was SOOOO good, he says!
I did let out another sigh upon finding out that there was a bee in Kota's room, but that the boys Nerf-gunned it to its death.....this was actually after my nap. Sigh.....
So! The big question of the day is.....
With what I woke up to, did I really need that nap?
If you haven't answered my poll questions to the left yet, please do so! Thanks!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Coming Up!
Hi Everyone!
Well, I'm back from another mini-vacation! I went to a wonderful bed and breakfast for two days, ALL BY MYSELF!!! Just me and Jesus!
Now I'm back to cooking, cleaning, running errands and more! It's a good thing I came home when I did! Dan was getting ready to leave the house just a little bit ago, and he marched right over and put his slippers on! The man would be LOST without me! But I do think I shall do the bed and breakfast thing again sometime!
I am going to put three polls up on the side of my blog for you all to fill out! Please do so! I'd love your input!
Just a little note while I try to get back into the swing of things-I want to let you know that I have a few new ideas for chocolate bouquets, and will be putting them up soon! With my computer breaking, and my camera not working right, it's become a bit of a hassle to do videos and pictures, but I'm going to give it a shot anyway!
Thanks for bearing with me, and check back soon! Don't forget to fill out the polls on the side bar!
Well, I'm back from another mini-vacation! I went to a wonderful bed and breakfast for two days, ALL BY MYSELF!!! Just me and Jesus!
Now I'm back to cooking, cleaning, running errands and more! It's a good thing I came home when I did! Dan was getting ready to leave the house just a little bit ago, and he marched right over and put his slippers on! The man would be LOST without me! But I do think I shall do the bed and breakfast thing again sometime!
I am going to put three polls up on the side of my blog for you all to fill out! Please do so! I'd love your input!
Just a little note while I try to get back into the swing of things-I want to let you know that I have a few new ideas for chocolate bouquets, and will be putting them up soon! With my computer breaking, and my camera not working right, it's become a bit of a hassle to do videos and pictures, but I'm going to give it a shot anyway!
Thanks for bearing with me, and check back soon! Don't forget to fill out the polls on the side bar!
Monday, May 3, 2010
A Peculiar Twitch
Hello Everyone!
First of all, weeks ago I mentioned taking a video of Diamond sliding down the steps. Of course, after I announced that to the world, she decided it was more fun to climb the rail. She's grown up since then. She prefers to hang out in the kitchen and eat as much as possible, which is typical for teens(yes, she's a teen in kitty age-I saw it at the vet's office!). But maybe someday I'll still catch her on film, if she still remembers that she liked rolling down the stairs. It was really funny!
Now on to my topic....
I don't know what the cause, but over a year ago, I developed a bit of a twitch that became especially noticable when I would be laying in bed to sleep for the night. I told my doctor about it, because I was a bit concerned, but he felt that it was just a common occurrence that happens when people are falling asleep.
I haven't noticed it as much lately, and it has definitely lessened. But a few months ago.....
Dan and I had gone to bed, and I had my one arm extended up by our heads. Believe it or not, my hand twitched, and I smacked Dan in the head. HONESTLY, I had no control over this-it just happened! I chuckle about it because, you know, it looks like such a likely excuse!
So I got to thinking....
Does anyone realize how far I could go with this? The Bible says to not go to bed angry, but what if Dan and I were arguing, and we DID go to bed mad?
I can tell when Dan begins to drift off to sleep because his breathing changes. Wouldn't that be the PERFECT time to have an out of control twitch???
WHACK!!!
Dan: (sitting up in bed, shaking his head) What was THAT???
Me: (sitting up next to him, sounding groggy and confused) What was what?
Dan: Did you just HIT me???
Me: NO I didn't just HIT you! Oh wait....my hand is KILLING me....I bet I had one of those twitches!
Dan: (grabbing a single blanket, heading for the couch) Ugh...I'll see you in the morning.
Me: Are you sure honey? I'm sure it won't happen again!
Dan: (Silence, walking to the couch)
Me: (Smug in my victory, drifting off to sleep, with a whole king size bed to myself)
For a while, there was an involuntary jerk in my leg and hip as well(I am not making fun of people with Tourette Syndrome-I do believe my son has it, and actually, that is why I brought it up to my doctor, because I wondered if I had developed Tourette's myself).
Remember our fight over the covers, just a few posts ago? (You can read about it here.) Well, wouldn't that have been convenient to hold a grudge until the following night, and then have an episode with my leg? Okay, maybe not....if I booted Dan hard enough, and he fell out of bed, we'd have a concussion on our hands, since the wall is close to the bed(Honey? Honey, wake up!!! Are you okay??? Oh my! I feel terrible! That stupid leg twitch of mine!!! Maybe you should go sleep on the couch!). Not to mention, that would be a rotten thing to do to someone who just went thru two major back and neck surgeries!
Thankfully, the jerking has become less in the last few months, and I've barely noticed it lately. But if it ever comes back, or if you ever develop a twitch yourself, I hope you'll remember to look at the bright side, and use the twitching for your benefit! I'm pretty sure I could get it to work for me!
First of all, weeks ago I mentioned taking a video of Diamond sliding down the steps. Of course, after I announced that to the world, she decided it was more fun to climb the rail. She's grown up since then. She prefers to hang out in the kitchen and eat as much as possible, which is typical for teens(yes, she's a teen in kitty age-I saw it at the vet's office!). But maybe someday I'll still catch her on film, if she still remembers that she liked rolling down the stairs. It was really funny!
Now on to my topic....
I don't know what the cause, but over a year ago, I developed a bit of a twitch that became especially noticable when I would be laying in bed to sleep for the night. I told my doctor about it, because I was a bit concerned, but he felt that it was just a common occurrence that happens when people are falling asleep.
I haven't noticed it as much lately, and it has definitely lessened. But a few months ago.....
Dan and I had gone to bed, and I had my one arm extended up by our heads. Believe it or not, my hand twitched, and I smacked Dan in the head. HONESTLY, I had no control over this-it just happened! I chuckle about it because, you know, it looks like such a likely excuse!
So I got to thinking....
Does anyone realize how far I could go with this? The Bible says to not go to bed angry, but what if Dan and I were arguing, and we DID go to bed mad?
I can tell when Dan begins to drift off to sleep because his breathing changes. Wouldn't that be the PERFECT time to have an out of control twitch???
WHACK!!!
Dan: (sitting up in bed, shaking his head) What was THAT???
Me: (sitting up next to him, sounding groggy and confused) What was what?
Dan: Did you just HIT me???
Me: NO I didn't just HIT you! Oh wait....my hand is KILLING me....I bet I had one of those twitches!
Dan: (grabbing a single blanket, heading for the couch) Ugh...I'll see you in the morning.
Me: Are you sure honey? I'm sure it won't happen again!
Dan: (Silence, walking to the couch)
Me: (Smug in my victory, drifting off to sleep, with a whole king size bed to myself)
For a while, there was an involuntary jerk in my leg and hip as well(I am not making fun of people with Tourette Syndrome-I do believe my son has it, and actually, that is why I brought it up to my doctor, because I wondered if I had developed Tourette's myself).
Remember our fight over the covers, just a few posts ago? (You can read about it here.) Well, wouldn't that have been convenient to hold a grudge until the following night, and then have an episode with my leg? Okay, maybe not....if I booted Dan hard enough, and he fell out of bed, we'd have a concussion on our hands, since the wall is close to the bed(Honey? Honey, wake up!!! Are you okay??? Oh my! I feel terrible! That stupid leg twitch of mine!!! Maybe you should go sleep on the couch!). Not to mention, that would be a rotten thing to do to someone who just went thru two major back and neck surgeries!
Thankfully, the jerking has become less in the last few months, and I've barely noticed it lately. But if it ever comes back, or if you ever develop a twitch yourself, I hope you'll remember to look at the bright side, and use the twitching for your benefit! I'm pretty sure I could get it to work for me!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
Fa la la la la, la de da! fa la la!
It's the most, wonderful time of the year! It's the hap-happiest season of all!
Sing along with me!
Pardon?
No, I'm not confused! Do you know what season this is?
It's YARD SALE SEASON!!!!!
Yep, the time when neighbors get out and about, meet each other around several tables, give a compliment or two(ooh, that's a pretty blouse!), and honor Dave Ramsey as a hero! People are actually happy to exercise(walking 4 miles a day is no big deal when there are yard sales!), willing to give $$ with a cheerful heart, and remember the great science of math, all the way down to the very last penny in the bottom of their purse, and sometimes under the doormat in the car, on the passenger's side.
I LOVE a great sale!
Remember last year when my house burned down? I was fortunate enough to be at the laundromat with many of our everyday clothes, but we lost almost all of our church clothes, along with all of our shoes, except the ones on our feet. Elissa had two pair-she had left one pair at church!
You'll soon learn a new fact about me--I'm a tightwad. Okay, not as far as helping a friend in need if I can, or donating to a good cause, but as far as paying full price for clothing. Anyway, this was a time that was for real, even tho women all over claim this is for real for them regularly--I had nothing to wear(for church, and also not enough casual clothes). So what was I to do? My entire family needed clothing, so I shopped!!! WE shopped!
Even tho I had a true reason to shop, I STILL could barely pay full price for my stuff! The cashier practically had to RIP the dollars out of my hand when I owed $14.99 for a new sweater! Okay, that's a little exaggerated, but it DID hurt and was a battle in my mind!
I'm a thrift store girl, thru and thru! And the only thing better than the thrift store is a yard sale!
I got to hit my first one on Thursday, and it was fun! I got 5 or 6 new tops, a Tupperware stencil tracing set in it's own box, a couple of books and a few folders, all for under $15!!!
I slept dreamily that night. :)
In case you didn't know, this is a great time of year to get beautiful baby clothes(so many are in great shape, since babies grow so fast), boy's suits(worn once for a wedding), books for CHEAP compared to buying new, vintage pieces that are unique and will look lovely in your home, and much, much more!
So! Join with me and sing!
(Only sing the two lines I shared! If you throw in the rest of the song, it makes no sense, talking about caroling in the snow, and mistletoe-ing now thru September!)
Fa la la la la, la de da! fa la la!
It's the most, wonderful time of the year! It's the hap-happiest season of all!
Sing along with me!
Pardon?
No, I'm not confused! Do you know what season this is?
It's YARD SALE SEASON!!!!!
Yep, the time when neighbors get out and about, meet each other around several tables, give a compliment or two(ooh, that's a pretty blouse!), and honor Dave Ramsey as a hero! People are actually happy to exercise(walking 4 miles a day is no big deal when there are yard sales!), willing to give $$ with a cheerful heart, and remember the great science of math, all the way down to the very last penny in the bottom of their purse, and sometimes under the doormat in the car, on the passenger's side.
I LOVE a great sale!
Remember last year when my house burned down? I was fortunate enough to be at the laundromat with many of our everyday clothes, but we lost almost all of our church clothes, along with all of our shoes, except the ones on our feet. Elissa had two pair-she had left one pair at church!
You'll soon learn a new fact about me--I'm a tightwad. Okay, not as far as helping a friend in need if I can, or donating to a good cause, but as far as paying full price for clothing. Anyway, this was a time that was for real, even tho women all over claim this is for real for them regularly--I had nothing to wear(for church, and also not enough casual clothes). So what was I to do? My entire family needed clothing, so I shopped!!! WE shopped!
Even tho I had a true reason to shop, I STILL could barely pay full price for my stuff! The cashier practically had to RIP the dollars out of my hand when I owed $14.99 for a new sweater! Okay, that's a little exaggerated, but it DID hurt and was a battle in my mind!
I'm a thrift store girl, thru and thru! And the only thing better than the thrift store is a yard sale!
I got to hit my first one on Thursday, and it was fun! I got 5 or 6 new tops, a Tupperware stencil tracing set in it's own box, a couple of books and a few folders, all for under $15!!!
I slept dreamily that night. :)
In case you didn't know, this is a great time of year to get beautiful baby clothes(so many are in great shape, since babies grow so fast), boy's suits(worn once for a wedding), books for CHEAP compared to buying new, vintage pieces that are unique and will look lovely in your home, and much, much more!
So! Join with me and sing!
(Only sing the two lines I shared! If you throw in the rest of the song, it makes no sense, talking about caroling in the snow, and mistletoe-ing now thru September!)
Fa la la la la, la de da! fa la la!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Finally Home!
Almost home!
When this is posted, I will be home! Twelve days of travelling, and we're ready to see our own familiar roads, and sleep in our own wonderful beds!
A few things are in order when we get home:
1. Hours and hours of love for the kitties! I'm sure they'll sleep with us tonight-Chloe will most likely sleep with Dakota, and if Diamond will be a good girl and go to sleep without jumping up on my dresser to attack my flower arrangement first, she can sleep with us.
2. Taxes! I know, I know! They should be done by now, but to be honest, they nearly slipped our minds! But there is a reason! Remember-last year, neither of us worked much, due to our house fire and Dan getting seriously injured. Fortunately, there won't be that much to do, so it won't take long.
3. Grocery shopping! I'm not sure what is on the list yet, but I can tell you what is NOT on the list! Pop! Candy! Fattening junk foods! Time to work on the eating habits! Eating out for two weeks was a nice break, but it's not always the healthiest choices, and not quite as I as in your own home.
Here are a few travelling tips from me:
Here are a few tips that can make travelling easier and more enjoyable:
1. Get a GPS. It helps you avoid many wrong turns, and gives you an estimated time that you wil arrive to your destination. It eliminates quite a bit of stress-espeically for nervous road travellers like myself.
2. Try to do most of your laundry before you get back home. I did laundry three times, and only have one or two loads to do when we get home. Everything just needs put away.
3. Buy storage saver bags. Put your clothes in them, use a vaccuum or pump/deflater to suck out the extra air, and fill your suitcases. You fit more in your bags using these savers, needing less luggage.
4. Be spontaneous at least a little bit of your trip. The play Joseph, and our church meeting was the only part of our vacation that way planned, which left us 9 days to do whatever else we wanted. We had the general idea of where we wanted to go, and what we wanted to do, but rarely needed to be anywhere at a certain time. This is another stress-buster, not to mention that some places people choose to vacation actually have a lot of attractions, shops and entertainments that are not on brochures that you may have.
5. Don't stress when you are on vacation-try to enjoy! Have fun with your kiddos and hubby, don't stress over spilled drinks at McDonald's, or running 5 minutes late for a show. Having a good time is what you are out to do, and the little mistakes aren't really that big of a deal. So enjoy!
And I hope these tips help, if you venture out this summer, into the big, wide world!
When this is posted, I will be home! Twelve days of travelling, and we're ready to see our own familiar roads, and sleep in our own wonderful beds!
A few things are in order when we get home:
1. Hours and hours of love for the kitties! I'm sure they'll sleep with us tonight-Chloe will most likely sleep with Dakota, and if Diamond will be a good girl and go to sleep without jumping up on my dresser to attack my flower arrangement first, she can sleep with us.
2. Taxes! I know, I know! They should be done by now, but to be honest, they nearly slipped our minds! But there is a reason! Remember-last year, neither of us worked much, due to our house fire and Dan getting seriously injured. Fortunately, there won't be that much to do, so it won't take long.
3. Grocery shopping! I'm not sure what is on the list yet, but I can tell you what is NOT on the list! Pop! Candy! Fattening junk foods! Time to work on the eating habits! Eating out for two weeks was a nice break, but it's not always the healthiest choices, and not quite as I as in your own home.
Here are a few travelling tips from me:
Here are a few tips that can make travelling easier and more enjoyable:
1. Get a GPS. It helps you avoid many wrong turns, and gives you an estimated time that you wil arrive to your destination. It eliminates quite a bit of stress-espeically for nervous road travellers like myself.
2. Try to do most of your laundry before you get back home. I did laundry three times, and only have one or two loads to do when we get home. Everything just needs put away.
3. Buy storage saver bags. Put your clothes in them, use a vaccuum or pump/deflater to suck out the extra air, and fill your suitcases. You fit more in your bags using these savers, needing less luggage.
4. Be spontaneous at least a little bit of your trip. The play Joseph, and our church meeting was the only part of our vacation that way planned, which left us 9 days to do whatever else we wanted. We had the general idea of where we wanted to go, and what we wanted to do, but rarely needed to be anywhere at a certain time. This is another stress-buster, not to mention that some places people choose to vacation actually have a lot of attractions, shops and entertainments that are not on brochures that you may have.
5. Don't stress when you are on vacation-try to enjoy! Have fun with your kiddos and hubby, don't stress over spilled drinks at McDonald's, or running 5 minutes late for a show. Having a good time is what you are out to do, and the little mistakes aren't really that big of a deal. So enjoy!
And I hope these tips help, if you venture out this summer, into the big, wide world!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Day 11
Well Folks, we're almost on our way home-tomorrow night we'll be trying to get back into a routine-kiddos back in school, me learning to cook again, Elissa soon back to work, and Dan hopefully starting to work again! A person can get spoiled, going on a 12 day vacation!
Since we haven't been on a family vacation for about 6 years, I figure this is the equivalent of several two day vacations!
Anyway, let me tell you about where we went, and some more of my thoughts!
Nashville
After DC, we headed for Nashville, TN! We had a delicious meal at IHOP(have you tried their strawberry cheesecake pancakes??? Ooooohhhhhh.....yummmmmyyyyyyy!!!! And a hint from me-don't ruin them by putting maple syrup on them too!), and then we spent the night in Bristol, Virginia.
Southern Hospitality
Well, our waitress at IHOP was such a friendly gal-she gave Amber a run for her money when it came to talking! :)
The room we were given at La Quinta had a burned out light bulb in the bathroom, and since the maintenence man was gone for the day, we had to change rooms because the bathroom was pitch black. So anyway, I headed down to the motel office to get my new room keys. Let me tell ya, that young man behind the desk made me feel more loved that Dan, my kids, and every human being I've ever met all put together! I was called Darlin, Sweetheart, Sugar, Shnookums, Baby, Honey, and about 15 other endearing names, all in the space of 5 minutes! I was waiting for the marriage proposal, since he seemed to love me so much, but instead of a box with a ring, he just gave me an envelope with my keys in it.
rydid call me about 4 different endearing names. Amber had gone down to the office too, and when she came up, she commented on all the endearing names she had been called by this young man too. lol
But hey, if the whole world had southern hospitality, there wouldn't be any wars ever again! How can you attack someone who calls you Sweetheart and Darlin every other word? :)
On to Nashville, Tennessee, the Gaylord Opryland Hotel Resort
We stayed at the Opryland hotel for three nights, and went to a church meeting while we were there. Seeing friends from all over the states was a nice reunion. The services and preaching were inspiring and a time to hear from the Lord, to help with our needs of the day. It really is amazing how the Bible is the LIVING Word, and we can find help for our souls anytime-the Word is timeless and never becomes outdated!
While there, we enjoyed the beautiful atriums of the resort, but I personally did not enjoy getting lost regularly, being able to find my room one day, but not the next. CAN I GET AN AMEN, ANYONE???
Next Stop: Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
This was a nice place to visit, and we will possibly come here again. But let me tell ya-the traffic on the main road is UNBELIEVABLE!!! It's bumper to bumper, for MILES!!!!!
We went to Hoot n Holler, which is a dinner show, and it was great! Family friendly entertainment, and lots of laughs! The star of the show reminded me of Dan-seriously! If you have ever been to Hoot n Holler, you will now realize why I need much prayer for my emotional well being! Comedians are fun, but living with one is a lot different from watching one on a stage for an hour! lol You need to be up for comedy everyday, ANY hour of the day! Think-the sleeping bag incident!!!
After that, we went to Magic Beyond Belief, a magic show that was fantastic! The small theater makes you feel like it may be more of an amateur show, but I assure you, it was not! Well worth our time!
On our way to the hotel, we stopped and rode go-carts. This is no exaggeration-Dan passed me THREE times on the track! Actually, I think EVERYONE passed me three times on the track! Yep, I just looked like a little elderly granny on the track, putzing along!
Dollywood
We spent a day at Dollywood, and that was a unique experience for an amusement park-a different setting with its rustic theme and mountainous surroundings. The atmosphere felt more family friendly than some places we've been. Once again, it's hard to feel a hostile atmosphere with a Tennessee accent and southern hospitality all around you!
I rode about three rides. :)
You see, as I've aged, my stomach has gotten weaker and weaker. My common sense has grown by leaps and bounds too-NO roller coasters for me!!!
I rode the kiddy water battle ride-which actually was a lot of fun! You go around a low riding water track, and you have a water gun, with which you shoot everyone you can reach with it, including innocent victims who are just walking by! There are also water guns for the bystanders to use as well(to shoot you). What was funny about this ride is that a little boy was shooting us as a bystander, and Dan had to be his clowning self--he started yelling, "Hey kid! Stop shooting water!" Well....the little boy got scared and ran to his mother! Dan tried to yell to him that he was just kidding, but that deep voice he had used to get the boy's attention had scared him off for good. Poor little boy-he'll probably need therapy for his unexplainable terror of amusement parks-even family friendly ones!
My second ride was an indoor roller coaster-which was for cowards like me. Not too high, and a big enough thrill to keep me content for years, maybe even the rest of my life. :)
The last ride I went on was a HUGE mistake! The yellow spinny teacups. I rode with Elissa-watching Dakota spin on his own was enough to make a person sick for days! Have you ever heard the expression, I couldn't see straight? Well, I can honestly say that when the ride stopped, I could not see straight! I was seeing multiples of my surroundings! It took several seconds to get my focus back.
And then I was nice and sick. :)
A nice dinner and off to bed after we left Dollywood.
Where We're Headed
We are on the top of the Smokey Mountains as I type. About two hours from Lexington, Kentucky, we are heading for Indiana to visit Dan's wonderful sister and beautiful family. Jen is such a dear friend to me-she is such an outstanding person-it's always a treat to see her.
We'll be heading home tomorrow. I think I will need a two day nap once we get there. :) Not really...I've been doing laundry along the way so I'm not overwhelmed when we get home. I probably won't have free hands anyway, since our kitties Diamond and Chloe will be craving our attention constantly for the next week. I've had a good kitty sitter while we've been gone tho-thanks Laura, and your helper, Mary-Kay!!!
Two Highlights, and My Thoughts
Sometimes it is the little things in life that make big differences for people. I am thankful that Amber uses her outgoing personality to help others. She has such a tender heart.
We stopped at a rest stop in TN, and a man was walking his mother to the restroom. We heard her mention she was having a hard time walking, and she was holding her arms out, as if to have the walls help her stay upright. Amber asked her if she needed help, and she said, "I sure do!" Amber helped her while in the ladies' room, and then walked her back out to her son. I went out before Amber and let the man know my daughter was helping his mother. He was appreciative since it was very awkward for him, not really being able to enter the ladies' room. As this 93 year old lady walked out, holding onto Amber's arm, she told her son that Amber was an angel that helped her.
If a child become a doctor, or a pilot, or a scientist, I do believe these are great accomplishments that make it only natural for a parent to be proud of them. But I do believe that the greatest accomplishment of a person is to care for other human beings. It makes me proud to see my 15 year old showing love to others. She's not too busy, her plans are not more important than a person in need, and it is fulfilling to her as well. The Lord loves a generous spirit, and I know that it doesn't just mean with money.
When we were at the magic show later that night, there was a little boy who had been crying thru quite a bit of the first half of the show. He was 8 years old. I was in the restroom when his mother caused him to cry, and Dan heard him being yelled at in the mens' room as well.
I know that you cannot automatically judge accurately what a person's life is like, but more than one of my family members were under the impression this boy was not favored too well in his family.
The little boy went out to the restroom, and Amber asked us if she could go out and talk to him. She went out and told him that God loves him very much, and that she would be praying for him. When he started to walk away, he turned and looked back at Amber. She asked him if he wanted a hug, and he nodded his head, so she gave him a hug.
When the show was over, and his family was leaving, the young boy quickly raised a hand to wave goodbye to Amber.
I don't know if God will show us what our small actions and gestures accomplished, but it is our hope that this small action on Amber's part will have a far reaching effect. He is now on her prayer list. Even if we don't know his name, God knows who he is, and just where he is, and what his needs are.
When We Get Home
Along with what I already mentioned about the things we will be doing when we get home, Dan and I want to do our part to reach out to others. There are so many hurting people in the world, and their future may be changed by someone reaching out to them. I need not be lifted up and thought highly of because I did this or that for so-and-so, but what a personal thrill it is to see others touched by my own actions.
There are many people who claim they don't believe in God, and don't care to regard His Word as anything but a piece of literature. But if you read the Bible, so many of the ways that it tells us to live are a benefit to US. God knew the ultimate way to live a fulfilled life is to give-of your time, you money, and your self. He always has been out for our own good, and He shows us that it is a huge blessing to bless others. We learn and change things about our own nature, and also how giving to others seems odd to many minds, until you try it yourself.
Well, I am going to close here-after Dan stops for a coffee drink, I'm going to take nap!
Since we haven't been on a family vacation for about 6 years, I figure this is the equivalent of several two day vacations!
Anyway, let me tell you about where we went, and some more of my thoughts!
Nashville
After DC, we headed for Nashville, TN! We had a delicious meal at IHOP(have you tried their strawberry cheesecake pancakes??? Ooooohhhhhh.....yummmmmyyyyyyy!!!! And a hint from me-don't ruin them by putting maple syrup on them too!), and then we spent the night in Bristol, Virginia.
Southern Hospitality
Well, our waitress at IHOP was such a friendly gal-she gave Amber a run for her money when it came to talking! :)
The room we were given at La Quinta had a burned out light bulb in the bathroom, and since the maintenence man was gone for the day, we had to change rooms because the bathroom was pitch black. So anyway, I headed down to the motel office to get my new room keys. Let me tell ya, that young man behind the desk made me feel more loved that Dan, my kids, and every human being I've ever met all put together! I was called Darlin, Sweetheart, Sugar, Shnookums, Baby, Honey, and about 15 other endearing names, all in the space of 5 minutes! I was waiting for the marriage proposal, since he seemed to love me so much, but instead of a box with a ring, he just gave me an envelope with my keys in it.
rydid call me about 4 different endearing names. Amber had gone down to the office too, and when she came up, she commented on all the endearing names she had been called by this young man too. lol
But hey, if the whole world had southern hospitality, there wouldn't be any wars ever again! How can you attack someone who calls you Sweetheart and Darlin every other word? :)
On to Nashville, Tennessee, the Gaylord Opryland Hotel Resort
We stayed at the Opryland hotel for three nights, and went to a church meeting while we were there. Seeing friends from all over the states was a nice reunion. The services and preaching were inspiring and a time to hear from the Lord, to help with our needs of the day. It really is amazing how the Bible is the LIVING Word, and we can find help for our souls anytime-the Word is timeless and never becomes outdated!
While there, we enjoyed the beautiful atriums of the resort, but I personally did not enjoy getting lost regularly, being able to find my room one day, but not the next. CAN I GET AN AMEN, ANYONE???
Next Stop: Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
This was a nice place to visit, and we will possibly come here again. But let me tell ya-the traffic on the main road is UNBELIEVABLE!!! It's bumper to bumper, for MILES!!!!!
We went to Hoot n Holler, which is a dinner show, and it was great! Family friendly entertainment, and lots of laughs! The star of the show reminded me of Dan-seriously! If you have ever been to Hoot n Holler, you will now realize why I need much prayer for my emotional well being! Comedians are fun, but living with one is a lot different from watching one on a stage for an hour! lol You need to be up for comedy everyday, ANY hour of the day! Think-the sleeping bag incident!!!
After that, we went to Magic Beyond Belief, a magic show that was fantastic! The small theater makes you feel like it may be more of an amateur show, but I assure you, it was not! Well worth our time!
On our way to the hotel, we stopped and rode go-carts. This is no exaggeration-Dan passed me THREE times on the track! Actually, I think EVERYONE passed me three times on the track! Yep, I just looked like a little elderly granny on the track, putzing along!
Dollywood
We spent a day at Dollywood, and that was a unique experience for an amusement park-a different setting with its rustic theme and mountainous surroundings. The atmosphere felt more family friendly than some places we've been. Once again, it's hard to feel a hostile atmosphere with a Tennessee accent and southern hospitality all around you!
I rode about three rides. :)
You see, as I've aged, my stomach has gotten weaker and weaker. My common sense has grown by leaps and bounds too-NO roller coasters for me!!!
I rode the kiddy water battle ride-which actually was a lot of fun! You go around a low riding water track, and you have a water gun, with which you shoot everyone you can reach with it, including innocent victims who are just walking by! There are also water guns for the bystanders to use as well(to shoot you). What was funny about this ride is that a little boy was shooting us as a bystander, and Dan had to be his clowning self--he started yelling, "Hey kid! Stop shooting water!" Well....the little boy got scared and ran to his mother! Dan tried to yell to him that he was just kidding, but that deep voice he had used to get the boy's attention had scared him off for good. Poor little boy-he'll probably need therapy for his unexplainable terror of amusement parks-even family friendly ones!
My second ride was an indoor roller coaster-which was for cowards like me. Not too high, and a big enough thrill to keep me content for years, maybe even the rest of my life. :)
The last ride I went on was a HUGE mistake! The yellow spinny teacups. I rode with Elissa-watching Dakota spin on his own was enough to make a person sick for days! Have you ever heard the expression, I couldn't see straight? Well, I can honestly say that when the ride stopped, I could not see straight! I was seeing multiples of my surroundings! It took several seconds to get my focus back.
And then I was nice and sick. :)
A nice dinner and off to bed after we left Dollywood.
Where We're Headed
We are on the top of the Smokey Mountains as I type. About two hours from Lexington, Kentucky, we are heading for Indiana to visit Dan's wonderful sister and beautiful family. Jen is such a dear friend to me-she is such an outstanding person-it's always a treat to see her.
We'll be heading home tomorrow. I think I will need a two day nap once we get there. :) Not really...I've been doing laundry along the way so I'm not overwhelmed when we get home. I probably won't have free hands anyway, since our kitties Diamond and Chloe will be craving our attention constantly for the next week. I've had a good kitty sitter while we've been gone tho-thanks Laura, and your helper, Mary-Kay!!!
Two Highlights, and My Thoughts
Sometimes it is the little things in life that make big differences for people. I am thankful that Amber uses her outgoing personality to help others. She has such a tender heart.
We stopped at a rest stop in TN, and a man was walking his mother to the restroom. We heard her mention she was having a hard time walking, and she was holding her arms out, as if to have the walls help her stay upright. Amber asked her if she needed help, and she said, "I sure do!" Amber helped her while in the ladies' room, and then walked her back out to her son. I went out before Amber and let the man know my daughter was helping his mother. He was appreciative since it was very awkward for him, not really being able to enter the ladies' room. As this 93 year old lady walked out, holding onto Amber's arm, she told her son that Amber was an angel that helped her.
If a child become a doctor, or a pilot, or a scientist, I do believe these are great accomplishments that make it only natural for a parent to be proud of them. But I do believe that the greatest accomplishment of a person is to care for other human beings. It makes me proud to see my 15 year old showing love to others. She's not too busy, her plans are not more important than a person in need, and it is fulfilling to her as well. The Lord loves a generous spirit, and I know that it doesn't just mean with money.
When we were at the magic show later that night, there was a little boy who had been crying thru quite a bit of the first half of the show. He was 8 years old. I was in the restroom when his mother caused him to cry, and Dan heard him being yelled at in the mens' room as well.
I know that you cannot automatically judge accurately what a person's life is like, but more than one of my family members were under the impression this boy was not favored too well in his family.
The little boy went out to the restroom, and Amber asked us if she could go out and talk to him. She went out and told him that God loves him very much, and that she would be praying for him. When he started to walk away, he turned and looked back at Amber. She asked him if he wanted a hug, and he nodded his head, so she gave him a hug.
When the show was over, and his family was leaving, the young boy quickly raised a hand to wave goodbye to Amber.
I don't know if God will show us what our small actions and gestures accomplished, but it is our hope that this small action on Amber's part will have a far reaching effect. He is now on her prayer list. Even if we don't know his name, God knows who he is, and just where he is, and what his needs are.
When We Get Home
Along with what I already mentioned about the things we will be doing when we get home, Dan and I want to do our part to reach out to others. There are so many hurting people in the world, and their future may be changed by someone reaching out to them. I need not be lifted up and thought highly of because I did this or that for so-and-so, but what a personal thrill it is to see others touched by my own actions.
There are many people who claim they don't believe in God, and don't care to regard His Word as anything but a piece of literature. But if you read the Bible, so many of the ways that it tells us to live are a benefit to US. God knew the ultimate way to live a fulfilled life is to give-of your time, you money, and your self. He always has been out for our own good, and He shows us that it is a huge blessing to bless others. We learn and change things about our own nature, and also how giving to others seems odd to many minds, until you try it yourself.
Well, I am going to close here-after Dan stops for a coffee drink, I'm going to take nap!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Travelling-Day Six
Hi Everyone!
Well, we're on day 6 of our trip-I'm in the van on my way to Nashville-aren't laptops great?!
It seems I've had a few serious posts the last few times I've posted, and this one is actually going to be the same. If I didn't put any serious posts on my blog, you all might think I'm I'm 100% ditz! So I have to show you otherwise! :)
This has been a good trip so far, but we've had some serious happenings, along with visiting some serious places in Washington DC. I won't bore you with all the details, just stuff that I think you might find interesting, and thoughts I want to share. :)
Our Hotel
First of all, we stayed in Alexandria, VA at the Residence Inn-let me tell ya, if you ever go to DC, the Residence Inn is the place to stay! Top notch place to stay, and with Priceline.com, the price was great too! We were shuttled to the subway, and picked up as well, compliments of the hotel!
The Subway
We rode the subway to DC. They don't allow food or drinks, which equals NO RATS!!! THANK YOU, LORD!!! They actually have posters up with a picture of a rat, that compares thier subway to another subway that apparently has rats the size of cats! The subway will take you to just about anywhere you want to go in DC, as far as the attractions. Our visit to the Arlington Cemetary was postponed until yesterday, due to a bomb threat at the Pentegon, which shut down the subway Saturday. We could only go so far, and everyone had to exit at that stop. It opened back up later.
The Spy Museum in Washington DC
The International Spy Museum was probably what our kiddos felt was the funnest part of our trip so far. It's definately worth a visit! We went on a one hour adventure of our own, trying to solve a mystery. The rooms are simulated to be outdoors, in the back of a delivery truck, in a room to interrogate someone, and other rooms. They also offer mysteries around DC, where you walk around and look for clues. Our poor little tootsies were too tired to consider the outdoor adventure. We also watched a short film on the life of spies, and you could literally spend several more hours reading all of the information on what spies have done over the years, weapons they've used, ways they've been disguised, and more. Very, very interesting!
The Art Museum
The Smithsonian Art Museum was huge and interesting, although I wish they didn't consider nakedness an art! Embarrassing enough for me, but goodness! I had to hide Dakota's eyes to some of the stuff!
Sad Life News
While on vacation, I learned that my expecting sis-in-law lost her baby(I hope she doesn't mind me mentioning it here). I was shocked and sad to hear this news.
And to protect the family that is suffering, I will not mention names here, but an old friend lost her son, who was only 22, on Saturday. This same friend lost her oldest son in February at the age of 29. Her middle son survives. We're in shock and there is great sadness to those who know this family. None of us can even imagine what it is like to lose 2 children in less than 2 months time, unless we've been there.
Remember!!!
This is one thing I want to share my thoughts on. I guess I just want to repeat what I've said to my family many, many, many times. Life is fragile! Tell your kids you love them! Make amends with those around you. Treat everyone with respect and kindness. There are no regrets in these actions.
My dear friend, Brenda, lost her son 3 years ago in an accident. I am a bit of a backwards person, and I remember walking past Nicholas after church one night. My regret is that I didn't walk over and shake his hand and tell him that I thought he was a good young man. I can't change the past, but I've changed me. I try harder to reach out to others and let them know they are noticed, appreciated, cared for.
Dan and I work with our church youth group, and I want them to know that I am so proud to be a part of the same congregation as they. I want them to know we love them and care for them! This goes beyond just young people. And more than ever, people just need to know that they someone cares for them. I am trying to make sure I do my part to reach out to others.
The Changing of The Guard in Washington DC
The other thing I want to mention in this post is the greatest event we experienced in DC-the changing of the guard at Arlington Cemetary. There was an extra ceremony while we were there, I believe honoring other soldiers that had recently(?) passed away. Amber stood there and cried while we all watched the ceremony.
Shortly after the ceremony, the guard continued to march, and then came the changing of the guard. It is quite a ceremony. I would imagine that it can be seen on youtube or somewhere else online, if you'd like to see it-I may be able to post my daughter's video if it turned out good, but I'll have to see, and then post it later.
Anyway, what I noticed about this ceremony, and what has stayed with me the most, is the first guard that was on duty when we arrived. The young man was African American.
Why Did I Notice?
Obviously, this is nothing out of the normal in America, as it shouldn't be. But I thought back to the way this race of people was treated years ago in America, and believe it is one of the most shameful acts of American history. Can you imagine what President Lincoln was facing, to stop this monster practice? What an honorable man!
Back to the young man-he is a guard, protecting the tomb, and today, he can do it with pride and dignity in his country. His race is recognized as human beings, as they should have been all along. This young man now has a reason to honor and protect his country.
When President Obama was elected to office, did anyone notice the tears of many when he won? Whether you agree with his policies or you don't, this was a major moment in history for a race of people who were treated worse than animals many years ago, and now are able to look at a President with darker skin, along with his lovely wife and adorable little girls, living in the White House.
Racism
Racism is still alive today, but thankfully there isn't too many people I'm acquainted with that judge a man by his color. I looked at some of the footage of the Haiti earthquake on youtube, and some made comments about not caring about the victims because of their skin color. How sad that people are so callous. When did ANY of us choose which country to be born in? Or what color our skin was going to be? Or if we were born male or female? Or if we were born with a disability?
History Lessons
Travelling to history museums and learning history is very sobering. The Arlington Cemetary shows thousands of tombstones of men and women that dedicated their lives to this country-and we are so blessed to be free. The museums show us who the true heroes are-the hardships and chances that brave men and women took to help those who couldn't help themselves, and who deserves to be honored.
Well, these are my thoughts for the day! We've only got a few more hours to go before we are in Nashville! I will be in touch again! My posts aren't usually this long, so if you've read this entire post, thanks for reading!
Well, we're on day 6 of our trip-I'm in the van on my way to Nashville-aren't laptops great?!
It seems I've had a few serious posts the last few times I've posted, and this one is actually going to be the same. If I didn't put any serious posts on my blog, you all might think I'm I'm 100% ditz! So I have to show you otherwise! :)
This has been a good trip so far, but we've had some serious happenings, along with visiting some serious places in Washington DC. I won't bore you with all the details, just stuff that I think you might find interesting, and thoughts I want to share. :)
Our Hotel
First of all, we stayed in Alexandria, VA at the Residence Inn-let me tell ya, if you ever go to DC, the Residence Inn is the place to stay! Top notch place to stay, and with Priceline.com, the price was great too! We were shuttled to the subway, and picked up as well, compliments of the hotel!
The Subway
We rode the subway to DC. They don't allow food or drinks, which equals NO RATS!!! THANK YOU, LORD!!! They actually have posters up with a picture of a rat, that compares thier subway to another subway that apparently has rats the size of cats! The subway will take you to just about anywhere you want to go in DC, as far as the attractions. Our visit to the Arlington Cemetary was postponed until yesterday, due to a bomb threat at the Pentegon, which shut down the subway Saturday. We could only go so far, and everyone had to exit at that stop. It opened back up later.
The Spy Museum in Washington DC
The International Spy Museum was probably what our kiddos felt was the funnest part of our trip so far. It's definately worth a visit! We went on a one hour adventure of our own, trying to solve a mystery. The rooms are simulated to be outdoors, in the back of a delivery truck, in a room to interrogate someone, and other rooms. They also offer mysteries around DC, where you walk around and look for clues. Our poor little tootsies were too tired to consider the outdoor adventure. We also watched a short film on the life of spies, and you could literally spend several more hours reading all of the information on what spies have done over the years, weapons they've used, ways they've been disguised, and more. Very, very interesting!
The Art Museum
The Smithsonian Art Museum was huge and interesting, although I wish they didn't consider nakedness an art! Embarrassing enough for me, but goodness! I had to hide Dakota's eyes to some of the stuff!
Sad Life News
While on vacation, I learned that my expecting sis-in-law lost her baby(I hope she doesn't mind me mentioning it here). I was shocked and sad to hear this news.
And to protect the family that is suffering, I will not mention names here, but an old friend lost her son, who was only 22, on Saturday. This same friend lost her oldest son in February at the age of 29. Her middle son survives. We're in shock and there is great sadness to those who know this family. None of us can even imagine what it is like to lose 2 children in less than 2 months time, unless we've been there.
Remember!!!
This is one thing I want to share my thoughts on. I guess I just want to repeat what I've said to my family many, many, many times. Life is fragile! Tell your kids you love them! Make amends with those around you. Treat everyone with respect and kindness. There are no regrets in these actions.
My dear friend, Brenda, lost her son 3 years ago in an accident. I am a bit of a backwards person, and I remember walking past Nicholas after church one night. My regret is that I didn't walk over and shake his hand and tell him that I thought he was a good young man. I can't change the past, but I've changed me. I try harder to reach out to others and let them know they are noticed, appreciated, cared for.
Dan and I work with our church youth group, and I want them to know that I am so proud to be a part of the same congregation as they. I want them to know we love them and care for them! This goes beyond just young people. And more than ever, people just need to know that they someone cares for them. I am trying to make sure I do my part to reach out to others.
The Changing of The Guard in Washington DC
The other thing I want to mention in this post is the greatest event we experienced in DC-the changing of the guard at Arlington Cemetary. There was an extra ceremony while we were there, I believe honoring other soldiers that had recently(?) passed away. Amber stood there and cried while we all watched the ceremony.
Shortly after the ceremony, the guard continued to march, and then came the changing of the guard. It is quite a ceremony. I would imagine that it can be seen on youtube or somewhere else online, if you'd like to see it-I may be able to post my daughter's video if it turned out good, but I'll have to see, and then post it later.
Anyway, what I noticed about this ceremony, and what has stayed with me the most, is the first guard that was on duty when we arrived. The young man was African American.
Why Did I Notice?
Obviously, this is nothing out of the normal in America, as it shouldn't be. But I thought back to the way this race of people was treated years ago in America, and believe it is one of the most shameful acts of American history. Can you imagine what President Lincoln was facing, to stop this monster practice? What an honorable man!
Back to the young man-he is a guard, protecting the tomb, and today, he can do it with pride and dignity in his country. His race is recognized as human beings, as they should have been all along. This young man now has a reason to honor and protect his country.
When President Obama was elected to office, did anyone notice the tears of many when he won? Whether you agree with his policies or you don't, this was a major moment in history for a race of people who were treated worse than animals many years ago, and now are able to look at a President with darker skin, along with his lovely wife and adorable little girls, living in the White House.
Racism
Racism is still alive today, but thankfully there isn't too many people I'm acquainted with that judge a man by his color. I looked at some of the footage of the Haiti earthquake on youtube, and some made comments about not caring about the victims because of their skin color. How sad that people are so callous. When did ANY of us choose which country to be born in? Or what color our skin was going to be? Or if we were born male or female? Or if we were born with a disability?
History Lessons
Travelling to history museums and learning history is very sobering. The Arlington Cemetary shows thousands of tombstones of men and women that dedicated their lives to this country-and we are so blessed to be free. The museums show us who the true heroes are-the hardships and chances that brave men and women took to help those who couldn't help themselves, and who deserves to be honored.
Well, these are my thoughts for the day! We've only got a few more hours to go before we are in Nashville! I will be in touch again! My posts aren't usually this long, so if you've read this entire post, thanks for reading!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Day Two
First of all, let me tell you about the play, Joseph, in Lancaster, PA at the Millineum Theater. It was phenomenal! If you watched my link short video, you would have seen Joseph flying--yes, this was done in the play as well! Very much worth the visit! We'd like to do it again sometime!
The only mis-hap, or course, was my own. I tried to put my pop between my knees, and ended up dumping the whole thing all over the floor! We had to get an attendant to clean it up, and she called over another to help her. Oooppssss!!!
So anyway, today was a busy day! We drove to Washington DC, and our hotel is very nice! We rode the subway-this is a first for me! I think......unless I rode one with my aunt when I was much younger.
Due to a police situation, we didn't get to our destination when planned-they shut quite a bit of the subway trains down, which resumed later, but it was getting late by then. We walked to the Women's Memorial, and hope to go to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier tomorrow, among other things.
I learned something new about myself today. I am a City girl, with a capital C, but I am not a BIG City girl! I don't think I could do the subway daily, and traffic that even made Dan feel tense! Just give me a small town with a Walmart, and a mall within an hour, and I'll be fine.
Oh, by the way! Our hotel room in Washington is very nice-like a small apartment! We got two rooms, so there is no crowding! We'll be here for 3 nights, and then on toward Tennessee!
If anything exciting happens, I'll let you know! :)
The only mis-hap, or course, was my own. I tried to put my pop between my knees, and ended up dumping the whole thing all over the floor! We had to get an attendant to clean it up, and she called over another to help her. Oooppssss!!!
So anyway, today was a busy day! We drove to Washington DC, and our hotel is very nice! We rode the subway-this is a first for me! I think......unless I rode one with my aunt when I was much younger.
Due to a police situation, we didn't get to our destination when planned-they shut quite a bit of the subway trains down, which resumed later, but it was getting late by then. We walked to the Women's Memorial, and hope to go to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier tomorrow, among other things.
I learned something new about myself today. I am a City girl, with a capital C, but I am not a BIG City girl! I don't think I could do the subway daily, and traffic that even made Dan feel tense! Just give me a small town with a Walmart, and a mall within an hour, and I'll be fine.
Oh, by the way! Our hotel room in Washington is very nice-like a small apartment! We got two rooms, so there is no crowding! We'll be here for 3 nights, and then on toward Tennessee!
If anything exciting happens, I'll let you know! :)
Friday, April 2, 2010
Day One, So Far
Ahh....here we are in York, PA-thank you Lord, for a safe trip!
We're on our way out to see the live production of Joseph and his coat of many colors in about half an hour-that way we will have time to eat too.
So far, the events of the day:
1. Dan started off on the wrong foot when he asked me if I changed my clothes because my skirt was too tight. HOW INSULTING!!!!! I mean, really, didn't he JUST tell me he thought this event was somewhat dressy, and my denim skirt wasn't dressy enough? He couldn't have seen that I couldn't get it hooked and zipped-my shirt was pulled down over it!
Okay, okay-so I admit.....SOMEONE MOVED THE HOOK CLOSURE!!! I think there is a conspiracy against me! And Dan must be in on it! He's probably the one who moved the closure, so he could imply I've gained weight!
2. And THEN he had the nerve to mention that our rental van wasn't as zippy as it had been last night when he and the girls went to pick it up. Casually, he claims, he then changes the subject and asks about my skirt again!
3. Next, we had a delicious lunch at Sheetz---seriously! I had a flatbread mozz and tomato sandwich with pesto sauce. The eventful part of it all is that Sheetz has become high tech! You order your meal on a screen-step by step, and then they call your number! Amber ordered a sub with about 10 different choices on it, Dakota's order for hot dogs was punched in, Elissa had her order punched in, and then I went to punch in my order....I accidentally cancelled our entire order! Needless to say, everyone had to re-punch in their orders, and Elissa punched in mine because she didn't trust me next to the screen anymore.
It probably doesn't help that I stayed up til about 5 a.m. on purpose, and that I was a bit slap happy.
4. The only other eventful thing that has happened to me is that while I had my eyes closed, resting, I suddenly had coffee on my hand, and Dan had it all over his pants, shirt, steering wheel, and anything else in the near vicinity. Somehow he choked on his canned coffee, and sprayed the entire driver's section of the van.
After all of his implications that I was gaining weight this morning, he still had the nerve to ask me to help him clean the mess up. OBVIOUSLY he is able to multi-task. I mean, he was driving over 55 mph and drinking coffee at the same time. I'm sure he could drive and clean his mess up at the same time too!
As long as he behaves at the play, I think I'll forgive him. And actually, the Bible does teach us to forgive each other, as God has forgiven us--and since my family forgave me for erasing their entire order today, I think I'll forgive Dan for the coffee outburst. I'm ONLY forgiving him for the weight comments because Jesus is commanding me to! =P
Truthfully, we're having a great day! We're excited to go see this play, as it is a major production! I'll do my best to update with all the great happenings throughout the next several days.
Laura, hug my kitties for me!
We're on our way out to see the live production of Joseph and his coat of many colors in about half an hour-that way we will have time to eat too.
So far, the events of the day:
1. Dan started off on the wrong foot when he asked me if I changed my clothes because my skirt was too tight. HOW INSULTING!!!!! I mean, really, didn't he JUST tell me he thought this event was somewhat dressy, and my denim skirt wasn't dressy enough? He couldn't have seen that I couldn't get it hooked and zipped-my shirt was pulled down over it!
Okay, okay-so I admit.....SOMEONE MOVED THE HOOK CLOSURE!!! I think there is a conspiracy against me! And Dan must be in on it! He's probably the one who moved the closure, so he could imply I've gained weight!
2. And THEN he had the nerve to mention that our rental van wasn't as zippy as it had been last night when he and the girls went to pick it up. Casually, he claims, he then changes the subject and asks about my skirt again!
3. Next, we had a delicious lunch at Sheetz---seriously! I had a flatbread mozz and tomato sandwich with pesto sauce. The eventful part of it all is that Sheetz has become high tech! You order your meal on a screen-step by step, and then they call your number! Amber ordered a sub with about 10 different choices on it, Dakota's order for hot dogs was punched in, Elissa had her order punched in, and then I went to punch in my order....I accidentally cancelled our entire order! Needless to say, everyone had to re-punch in their orders, and Elissa punched in mine because she didn't trust me next to the screen anymore.
It probably doesn't help that I stayed up til about 5 a.m. on purpose, and that I was a bit slap happy.
4. The only other eventful thing that has happened to me is that while I had my eyes closed, resting, I suddenly had coffee on my hand, and Dan had it all over his pants, shirt, steering wheel, and anything else in the near vicinity. Somehow he choked on his canned coffee, and sprayed the entire driver's section of the van.
After all of his implications that I was gaining weight this morning, he still had the nerve to ask me to help him clean the mess up. OBVIOUSLY he is able to multi-task. I mean, he was driving over 55 mph and drinking coffee at the same time. I'm sure he could drive and clean his mess up at the same time too!
As long as he behaves at the play, I think I'll forgive him. And actually, the Bible does teach us to forgive each other, as God has forgiven us--and since my family forgave me for erasing their entire order today, I think I'll forgive Dan for the coffee outburst. I'm ONLY forgiving him for the weight comments because Jesus is commanding me to! =P
Truthfully, we're having a great day! We're excited to go see this play, as it is a major production! I'll do my best to update with all the great happenings throughout the next several days.
Laura, hug my kitties for me!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Guess Where I'm Going???
Well, faithful readers, I am going on vacation! I think we'll be gone for about 10 days, and I have a kitty/house sitter. :)
So we're off to have loads of fun, hours of travelling, and oodles of memories! Lancaster and Sight and Sound, here we come!!! Smithsonian, we're on our way! Opryland, not too much longer! Indiana, warm up for when we get there! We haven't been on a family vacation with all of us in probably 5 years or so, so this is going to be nice!
There is no problem, BUT....I'm a little concerned! Dan has procrastinated a bit with renting a vehicle(we need a van for the 5 of us), AND he hasn't reserved any rooms for us yet for Lancaster and Washington DC--I hope a two days notice is enough! (Yikes!)
I'm not overly picky, so as long as we have clean hotel/motel rooms and a dependable rental that has a little room for stretching, I'll be fine. But if it turns out to be a vacation like our overnight stay at Cook Forest in a genuine log cabin built many moons ago, well, let's just say Dan will never need another reminder to not procrastinate again-he'll even be on the ball 6 months in advance!
The one thing everyone knows about me is...I am a City Girl---CITY, with a capital C. I am not a country girl-never have been, never will be! It doesn't have to be a big city, just a city! No chickens in the yard and mudholes with pigs in them next to the barn, next to the shed, next to the house for me!!! Give me SIDEWALKS! Give me PAVED ROADS! I will NOT put on camoflauge and sit in a tree stand with my beloved all day while waiting for a big buck to walk by-no matter HOW much I love the man! Four wheelers and muddin' aren't for me either! And camping is ABSOLUTELY out of the question-FOREVER!!!!!
So anyway, a few years back, when Dan was working with his father's tree service, one of the customers owned a camping place out in Cook Forest(a pretty popular place in our area). He gave us a free two night stay on his camping grounds, and part of the deal was that our family would stay in a genuine log cabin from like, the late 1800's! Everything we need was included in the cabin, we were told-everything but the garlic press, the owner said!
We packed our stuff, and on a Wednesday night after church, we headed out on our hour long drive to Cook Forest! Through the windy roads with tall trees everywhere, we arrived at our destination as planned.
What wasn't planned is that the owner forgot to leave the key at the camp, like he said he would. And at 11 or 12 at night, the office obviously wasn't opened.
We headed further into the campgrounds, looking for the cabin that was described to Dan by the owner. We found it, and instead of driving back home since we had no key, Dan hoisted Amber thru a window after he removed the screen. Yep, we just broke in!
The first thing to greet us in the livingroom, once all of us were inside, was a bat. Can you FEEL how this City Girl was feeling???
Once the bat was out, my heart began to calm down. But I learned something new that night. Everything included except the garlic press does NOT translate as it sounds. Since true City girls don't go camping, and even my hubby who grew up camping didn't know, towels and soap are not included in "everything".
The girls got their own room to share, and Kota was smaller, and he claimed a sleeping spot next to his daddy. I got the other bed across the room.
When we finally fell asleep in this VERY different environment than what I considered comfortable, I was awakened in the wee hours of the morning with LOUD scratching noises. I spoke loudly to Dan...."Dan....something is in here!" I do believe he got out of bed and turned on the light(I, of course, don't totally remember because this is one memory I would like to forget!), but what we actually heard was scratching coming from the ceiling, and not actually from inside the room.
I wanted to go sleep in the car, but I was too afraid to get out of my bed. I had the heebie jeebies really bad. I do believe Dakota slept through it all. After all, he got to sleep sheltered by his protective father! I, on the other hand, got to sleep by myself, hoping that nothing would climb in bed with me!
The next day, a woman knocked on our door, and asked if there was a hat left in the cabin. You see, she and her family had spent the night in the cabin the night before, and they changed cabins because of the raccoon in the roof.
Ohhhh.....okay! It wasn't an elephant in the ceiling after all!
To finish this long story, we decided against staying the second night.
You can take the girl out of the city, but you can't take the city out of the girl!
Hopefully I can post while I'm gone, but if not, think of me, and please PRAY for my husband, that he is able to find decent rooms for us! Otherwise, I may have some shocking news for you real soon-like, I'm home 8 days early with the kiddos, and Dan is still walking around Washington DC somewhere, learning his lesson about procrastination.
Adios for now! :)
So we're off to have loads of fun, hours of travelling, and oodles of memories! Lancaster and Sight and Sound, here we come!!! Smithsonian, we're on our way! Opryland, not too much longer! Indiana, warm up for when we get there! We haven't been on a family vacation with all of us in probably 5 years or so, so this is going to be nice!
There is no problem, BUT....I'm a little concerned! Dan has procrastinated a bit with renting a vehicle(we need a van for the 5 of us), AND he hasn't reserved any rooms for us yet for Lancaster and Washington DC--I hope a two days notice is enough! (Yikes!)
I'm not overly picky, so as long as we have clean hotel/motel rooms and a dependable rental that has a little room for stretching, I'll be fine. But if it turns out to be a vacation like our overnight stay at Cook Forest in a genuine log cabin built many moons ago, well, let's just say Dan will never need another reminder to not procrastinate again-he'll even be on the ball 6 months in advance!
The one thing everyone knows about me is...I am a City Girl---CITY, with a capital C. I am not a country girl-never have been, never will be! It doesn't have to be a big city, just a city! No chickens in the yard and mudholes with pigs in them next to the barn, next to the shed, next to the house for me!!! Give me SIDEWALKS! Give me PAVED ROADS! I will NOT put on camoflauge and sit in a tree stand with my beloved all day while waiting for a big buck to walk by-no matter HOW much I love the man! Four wheelers and muddin' aren't for me either! And camping is ABSOLUTELY out of the question-FOREVER!!!!!
So anyway, a few years back, when Dan was working with his father's tree service, one of the customers owned a camping place out in Cook Forest(a pretty popular place in our area). He gave us a free two night stay on his camping grounds, and part of the deal was that our family would stay in a genuine log cabin from like, the late 1800's! Everything we need was included in the cabin, we were told-everything but the garlic press, the owner said!
We packed our stuff, and on a Wednesday night after church, we headed out on our hour long drive to Cook Forest! Through the windy roads with tall trees everywhere, we arrived at our destination as planned.
What wasn't planned is that the owner forgot to leave the key at the camp, like he said he would. And at 11 or 12 at night, the office obviously wasn't opened.
We headed further into the campgrounds, looking for the cabin that was described to Dan by the owner. We found it, and instead of driving back home since we had no key, Dan hoisted Amber thru a window after he removed the screen. Yep, we just broke in!
The first thing to greet us in the livingroom, once all of us were inside, was a bat. Can you FEEL how this City Girl was feeling???
Once the bat was out, my heart began to calm down. But I learned something new that night. Everything included except the garlic press does NOT translate as it sounds. Since true City girls don't go camping, and even my hubby who grew up camping didn't know, towels and soap are not included in "everything".
The girls got their own room to share, and Kota was smaller, and he claimed a sleeping spot next to his daddy. I got the other bed across the room.
When we finally fell asleep in this VERY different environment than what I considered comfortable, I was awakened in the wee hours of the morning with LOUD scratching noises. I spoke loudly to Dan...."Dan....something is in here!" I do believe he got out of bed and turned on the light(I, of course, don't totally remember because this is one memory I would like to forget!), but what we actually heard was scratching coming from the ceiling, and not actually from inside the room.
I wanted to go sleep in the car, but I was too afraid to get out of my bed. I had the heebie jeebies really bad. I do believe Dakota slept through it all. After all, he got to sleep sheltered by his protective father! I, on the other hand, got to sleep by myself, hoping that nothing would climb in bed with me!
The next day, a woman knocked on our door, and asked if there was a hat left in the cabin. You see, she and her family had spent the night in the cabin the night before, and they changed cabins because of the raccoon in the roof.
Ohhhh.....okay! It wasn't an elephant in the ceiling after all!
To finish this long story, we decided against staying the second night.
You can take the girl out of the city, but you can't take the city out of the girl!
Hopefully I can post while I'm gone, but if not, think of me, and please PRAY for my husband, that he is able to find decent rooms for us! Otherwise, I may have some shocking news for you real soon-like, I'm home 8 days early with the kiddos, and Dan is still walking around Washington DC somewhere, learning his lesson about procrastination.
Adios for now! :)
Monday, March 22, 2010
Reflecting
You know, reflecting is a good thing to do once in a while. This will not be a humorous post, but a post about God's goodness, which is something we should all think about.
If you are a new reader, you may have already figured out a few things about my life-the happenings from the past year. I do not dwell on the negative of it all-the positive has outweighed the negative many times over.
This is a post about answered prayer.
It was March 3, 2009. My children had just gotten on the bus, and I got down to pray in the living room. I can't tell you all that I prayed, but one thing I do remember-I asked God to keep my children safe.
Sometimes you don't realize the weight of your words. God knew when I was praying, that I was thinking more about keeping them safe from harm in the world around us. But my prayer was still answered, as God also kept them safe from a tragedy that hit home.
March 4th, 2009, our home burned to the ground. It was in the afternoon, while Elissa was at work, Amber and Kota were at school, and I was in town. Dan was the only one home, with our cat, and both got out alive with no injuries.
On April 5th, Dan and Kota were overcome with carbon monoxide in our new rental home, but the Almighty hand of God helped them to get out of the house, and they both recovered after several hours of oxygen were administered to them, and over time.
Dan's fall from a tree 4 days after the poisoning could have been so much worse. I could have been a widow, or I could be pushing him around in a wheelchair, having to feed him and do everything for him. According to the doctor, it was a miracle that he wasn't already paralyzed, due to a very serious problem in his neck-one we didn't know was as serious as it was.
You know, God went beyond keeping my children safe. My husband and I are safe as well, along with all of us looking back at the past 12 months, and seeing all that God has done for us.
I've said it many, many times-stuff is just stuff. We may miss our pictures, our wedding album, and a few keepsakes, but we have each other.
Sometimes the painful things you go thru in life are to help you grow-sometimes they are to help you to remember that you need the Comforter. I know there are other reasons as well, but one other reason might just be to remind you of what is really important in this life, and to remind you to be thankful for all that you have, even when you lose every material possession you own.
I can truly say that God has been so amazing to me, and I have no complaints to share. It's been a year that cannot totally be explained or described. Among other things, Dan learned what the feeling of complete helplessness is, I learned that life can change in a moment, and those you love can be taken from this life quicker than you think(even tho I didn't lose anyone, I could have widowed or lost my children, which became very real realizations to me), and my children learned that God can take something that seems so horrible and turn it into something more beautiful than they ever dreamed. We were humbled by so many people coming out of the woodwork to show their care and offer their help. And we now live in a new neighborhood and have made some wonderful new friends.
Thank you Jesus-you've been so very good to me!
If you are a new reader, you may have already figured out a few things about my life-the happenings from the past year. I do not dwell on the negative of it all-the positive has outweighed the negative many times over.
This is a post about answered prayer.
It was March 3, 2009. My children had just gotten on the bus, and I got down to pray in the living room. I can't tell you all that I prayed, but one thing I do remember-I asked God to keep my children safe.
Sometimes you don't realize the weight of your words. God knew when I was praying, that I was thinking more about keeping them safe from harm in the world around us. But my prayer was still answered, as God also kept them safe from a tragedy that hit home.
March 4th, 2009, our home burned to the ground. It was in the afternoon, while Elissa was at work, Amber and Kota were at school, and I was in town. Dan was the only one home, with our cat, and both got out alive with no injuries.
On April 5th, Dan and Kota were overcome with carbon monoxide in our new rental home, but the Almighty hand of God helped them to get out of the house, and they both recovered after several hours of oxygen were administered to them, and over time.
Dan's fall from a tree 4 days after the poisoning could have been so much worse. I could have been a widow, or I could be pushing him around in a wheelchair, having to feed him and do everything for him. According to the doctor, it was a miracle that he wasn't already paralyzed, due to a very serious problem in his neck-one we didn't know was as serious as it was.
You know, God went beyond keeping my children safe. My husband and I are safe as well, along with all of us looking back at the past 12 months, and seeing all that God has done for us.
I've said it many, many times-stuff is just stuff. We may miss our pictures, our wedding album, and a few keepsakes, but we have each other.
Sometimes the painful things you go thru in life are to help you grow-sometimes they are to help you to remember that you need the Comforter. I know there are other reasons as well, but one other reason might just be to remind you of what is really important in this life, and to remind you to be thankful for all that you have, even when you lose every material possession you own.
I can truly say that God has been so amazing to me, and I have no complaints to share. It's been a year that cannot totally be explained or described. Among other things, Dan learned what the feeling of complete helplessness is, I learned that life can change in a moment, and those you love can be taken from this life quicker than you think(even tho I didn't lose anyone, I could have widowed or lost my children, which became very real realizations to me), and my children learned that God can take something that seems so horrible and turn it into something more beautiful than they ever dreamed. We were humbled by so many people coming out of the woodwork to show their care and offer their help. And we now live in a new neighborhood and have made some wonderful new friends.
Thank you Jesus-you've been so very good to me!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Simon's Cat-Fly Guy
All of you cat lovers will sit here and crack up watching this....because.....it is SOOOoooo realistic! Enjoy!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Need A Kitty Sitter!
Well, the family is going to Nashville soon, and even tho the kitties are family, they probably aren't very welcome at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. And since Diamond LOVES to interrupt my prayer time by climbing beneath my bowed head, and purring loud enough to drown me out so the Lord can't hear me, I do think it would be counter-productive to take her and Chloe to the church meeting we will be attending. Not to mention that she doesn't like me reading my Bible either-she tries to climb on it when I'm reading. Funny how my baby Jazz used to interrupt my prayer time too....
Anyway, all that being said, we are in need of a kitty sitter! Are there any volunteers?
I can give you a rundown on what I require-just put your applications in the comments section.
Requirements:
1. Must have owned a kitten of your own-otherwise, the rest of this will make no sense to you!
2. Must speak baby-kitty talk. Example: "Aww....is her a widdle sweetie pie???"
3. Must have two free hours a day to visit with the little princesses, and allow them to claim your body as their own. This included climbing your back, sitting in your lap, pulling hair clips out of your hair, sleeping around your neck like a fur collar, and expecting your hand to be fully functional for petting at all times.
4. You must understand the difference between a "Hello? Anyone home? Hello? Hello?" meow, and a "Oh Mommy, I LOVE you! I want canned salmon and cheese, canned salmon and cheese! Can you hurry? Hurry please? Surely it isn't taking that long to get the tops of the canned salmon and cheese!!!" meow.
5. Optional-you should know the difference between the little princesses trying to trip you because they love you and want your returned affection, and trying to not trip you while they run between your legs, trying to see who can reach the canned salmon and cheese cupboard first.
6. You must carry the motto that no outfit is complete without the cat hair, if you decide to sit on the furniture--and now you know why they named it fur-niture!
7. Must pay for your own airfare, transportation and hotel. :)
Don't forget to leave your applications in the comments section-payment is lots of love from two beautiful furry princesses!
Anyway, all that being said, we are in need of a kitty sitter! Are there any volunteers?
I can give you a rundown on what I require-just put your applications in the comments section.
Requirements:
1. Must have owned a kitten of your own-otherwise, the rest of this will make no sense to you!
2. Must speak baby-kitty talk. Example: "Aww....is her a widdle sweetie pie???"
3. Must have two free hours a day to visit with the little princesses, and allow them to claim your body as their own. This included climbing your back, sitting in your lap, pulling hair clips out of your hair, sleeping around your neck like a fur collar, and expecting your hand to be fully functional for petting at all times.
4. You must understand the difference between a "Hello? Anyone home? Hello? Hello?" meow, and a "Oh Mommy, I LOVE you! I want canned salmon and cheese, canned salmon and cheese! Can you hurry? Hurry please? Surely it isn't taking that long to get the tops of the canned salmon and cheese!!!" meow.
5. Optional-you should know the difference between the little princesses trying to trip you because they love you and want your returned affection, and trying to not trip you while they run between your legs, trying to see who can reach the canned salmon and cheese cupboard first.
6. You must carry the motto that no outfit is complete without the cat hair, if you decide to sit on the furniture--and now you know why they named it fur-niture!
7. Must pay for your own airfare, transportation and hotel. :)
Don't forget to leave your applications in the comments section-payment is lots of love from two beautiful furry princesses!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Socks
This is almost an announcement-for some odd reason, I almost feel proud to share this with the world!
Do you all remember the fascinating facts I shared about myself? One being that I have a sock collection--under my pillow?
Well, before I go any further, I just want to say for the record that my house is usually only slightly messy. I live with 4 other people, three of those being my children-of which 2 are sometimes like mini-tornados. So with that many of us, and coming out of heavy coats and boots season, you'll see a little bit of messiness that can be cleaned up within a matter of minutes. Our home is lived in.
I needed to say all of that so that you won't think I'm just a slob when I make my great announcement! I run the dishwasher daily, have tons of clean clothes, and run the vaccuum and dust every week. So anyway, again, that is so you don't get the wrong impression when I tell you what I found!
Look! Here's even a picture in my diningroom to prove it to ya! Like my quilt? My realtor gave this lovely, homemade quilt from California to us for our "new" home!
Can you see my kitty next to the green plant on the floor? She and her sister are the reason the green plant looks the way it does. Fortunately, it is a fake plant-I reshape it occasionally.
And in case anyone wants to know, my walls are Dried Fava by Kilz. :)
So anyway! Finally! The announcement!!!
I was cleaning my room yesterday, and knew that some of my sock collection had fallen between the headboard and mattress, onto the floor below. I got Dan's handy grabbing stick(earned from his back or neck surgery to reach things), and used it to pull out all the socks I could reach. Some tried to crawl away because I had to reach way over on Dan's side of the bed floor to get them. The obviously weren't quick enough.
So I decided to count them. Guess how many I found?
Did you guess 6?
Or 9?
Maybe even 14?
NOPE!!!
I found 23-that's TWENTY THREE- socks on the floor under the bed!!!
There was another pair-one at the foot of my mattress, and one of the floor down by the foot of the mattress-but I didn't count those.
Can you all believe it? It did seem I was running out of socks! And actually, I'm no respector of socks-I wear Dan's and Elissa's too, when I can't find mine.
So anyway! If you weren't fascinated by my sock collection the first time I blogged about it, you ought to be now! = P
Want to read a semi-true story written by me? Check out the new page I added! A Story By Josanne
It's actually a serious story I wrote for my website for the month of February-I would love for you to read it, and hope you enjoy it!
Do you all remember the fascinating facts I shared about myself? One being that I have a sock collection--under my pillow?
Well, before I go any further, I just want to say for the record that my house is usually only slightly messy. I live with 4 other people, three of those being my children-of which 2 are sometimes like mini-tornados. So with that many of us, and coming out of heavy coats and boots season, you'll see a little bit of messiness that can be cleaned up within a matter of minutes. Our home is lived in.
I needed to say all of that so that you won't think I'm just a slob when I make my great announcement! I run the dishwasher daily, have tons of clean clothes, and run the vaccuum and dust every week. So anyway, again, that is so you don't get the wrong impression when I tell you what I found!
Can you see my kitty next to the green plant on the floor? She and her sister are the reason the green plant looks the way it does. Fortunately, it is a fake plant-I reshape it occasionally.
And in case anyone wants to know, my walls are Dried Fava by Kilz. :)
So anyway! Finally! The announcement!!!
I was cleaning my room yesterday, and knew that some of my sock collection had fallen between the headboard and mattress, onto the floor below. I got Dan's handy grabbing stick(earned from his back or neck surgery to reach things), and used it to pull out all the socks I could reach. Some tried to crawl away because I had to reach way over on Dan's side of the bed floor to get them. The obviously weren't quick enough.
So I decided to count them. Guess how many I found?
Did you guess 6?
Or 9?
Maybe even 14?
NOPE!!!
I found 23-that's TWENTY THREE- socks on the floor under the bed!!!
There was another pair-one at the foot of my mattress, and one of the floor down by the foot of the mattress-but I didn't count those.
Can you all believe it? It did seem I was running out of socks! And actually, I'm no respector of socks-I wear Dan's and Elissa's too, when I can't find mine.
So anyway! If you weren't fascinated by my sock collection the first time I blogged about it, you ought to be now! = P
Want to read a semi-true story written by me? Check out the new page I added! A Story By Josanne
It's actually a serious story I wrote for my website for the month of February-I would love for you to read it, and hope you enjoy it!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Last Night's Post-Update
Okay, I think my husband and son want a divorce from me.
The computer thing was a practical joke on sweet, little ol' me.
Long story short, they LIED!!! Amber tried to tell me it was a joke, but Kota never admitted to it, and I ended up, as usual these days, CONFUSED!
How did it work? There is a way to turn the computer on in safe mode. It runs, but not quite right.
Two practical jokes in one week-the computer surgery, and the re-set clocks, are TOO much!
I went to bed half cranky, and Dan had a good laugh(Kota already fell asleep). I equally had a bit of a chuckle when I told Dan I had already blogged about the incident-which made Dan look like an irresponsible father!
I'll get over it.....The roses and tulips Dan had sitting on the dining room table for me when I came home last night ease the pain.....I think...... :)
The computer thing was a practical joke on sweet, little ol' me.
Long story short, they LIED!!! Amber tried to tell me it was a joke, but Kota never admitted to it, and I ended up, as usual these days, CONFUSED!
How did it work? There is a way to turn the computer on in safe mode. It runs, but not quite right.
Two practical jokes in one week-the computer surgery, and the re-set clocks, are TOO much!
I went to bed half cranky, and Dan had a good laugh(Kota already fell asleep). I equally had a bit of a chuckle when I told Dan I had already blogged about the incident-which made Dan look like an irresponsible father!
I'll get over it.....The roses and tulips Dan had sitting on the dining room table for me when I came home last night ease the pain.....I think...... :)
My Computer-Should I Be Happy, Or Angry?
Amber and I had a great day-we went shopping!
Unfortunately, my day is not ending as well as the several hours of shopping had felt.
I am sitting here at my computer....that was broken.....and is now running......
I just typed an entire post, and accidentally deleted it.
But the frustration actually began when Amber and I got home from shopping. Elissa was working, and Dan and Dakota were together all day and evening after school.
I learned shortly after we got home that my computer was running. Dakota, my 11 year old, fixed it! The screen shows much larger, and there is no longer sound, but it does pull the internet up.
How did he fix it, you may wonder? By taking it down to the basement, and exchanging parts with our old computer that Dan had saved from our house fire. He even did some saudering of wires.
Now the question is, HOW should I feel?
Dakota stood over me, waiting for me to thank him, and I wasn't sure WHAT to say! He said, "If you don't want to thank me, that's fine...."
Oh sure! Go ahead and laugh! Some of you are just HOWLING aren't you??? Well, to YOU I say, May you be blessed by sons, grandsons and little brothers who love to "fix" things!
But there are others out there that surely realize what I am facing next---the computer technician! I can already see what our conversation would be like:
Tech: What's wrong with your computer?
Me: Well, the screen shows everything very large, and there is no sound.
Tech: Do you know when this all started? Did you do anything differently than you normally do?
Me: Well, the original problem was that the computer was completely freezing before the desktop would load.
Tech: Does it still freeze?
Me: Uh...no.
Tech: So it went from freezing, to no sound and everything being enlarged? Sounds like some kind of virus....
Me: Well.......(A loud, exasperated sigh fits in right about here, as the moment of truth arrives), while I was gone all day,(another long sigh, as I look to the ceiling because I am too EMBARRASSED to look the tech in the face) my 11 year old son took my computer downstairs and traded inside parts with our old computer. He saudered some wired as well.
Tech: (Wordless, with eyes as big as silver dollars)
Me: (Loud, very long sigh) Yeah, I know.
Tech: (Loud, very long sigh, longer than mine) Well, we'll see what we can do.
Me: Thank you. (I am low enough to slither under the bottom of the un-opened door)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fortunately for me, it is very late, and I can go to bed. Then I don't have to think anymore, until morning.
And I think it is only fair that since Dan WATCHED Dakota carry the computer downstairs to the basement, and allowed him to work on it(yes, he asked Kota what he was doing, and Kota answered that he was fixing the computer), that HE will be the one to take it to repair.
Please send well computer wishes my way......
Unfortunately, my day is not ending as well as the several hours of shopping had felt.
I am sitting here at my computer....that was broken.....and is now running......
I just typed an entire post, and accidentally deleted it.
But the frustration actually began when Amber and I got home from shopping. Elissa was working, and Dan and Dakota were together all day and evening after school.
I learned shortly after we got home that my computer was running. Dakota, my 11 year old, fixed it! The screen shows much larger, and there is no longer sound, but it does pull the internet up.
How did he fix it, you may wonder? By taking it down to the basement, and exchanging parts with our old computer that Dan had saved from our house fire. He even did some saudering of wires.
Now the question is, HOW should I feel?
Dakota stood over me, waiting for me to thank him, and I wasn't sure WHAT to say! He said, "If you don't want to thank me, that's fine...."
Oh sure! Go ahead and laugh! Some of you are just HOWLING aren't you??? Well, to YOU I say, May you be blessed by sons, grandsons and little brothers who love to "fix" things!
But there are others out there that surely realize what I am facing next---the computer technician! I can already see what our conversation would be like:
Tech: What's wrong with your computer?
Me: Well, the screen shows everything very large, and there is no sound.
Tech: Do you know when this all started? Did you do anything differently than you normally do?
Me: Well, the original problem was that the computer was completely freezing before the desktop would load.
Tech: Does it still freeze?
Me: Uh...no.
Tech: So it went from freezing, to no sound and everything being enlarged? Sounds like some kind of virus....
Me: Well.......(A loud, exasperated sigh fits in right about here, as the moment of truth arrives), while I was gone all day,(another long sigh, as I look to the ceiling because I am too EMBARRASSED to look the tech in the face) my 11 year old son took my computer downstairs and traded inside parts with our old computer. He saudered some wired as well.
Tech: (Wordless, with eyes as big as silver dollars)
Me: (Loud, very long sigh) Yeah, I know.
Tech: (Loud, very long sigh, longer than mine) Well, we'll see what we can do.
Me: Thank you. (I am low enough to slither under the bottom of the un-opened door)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fortunately for me, it is very late, and I can go to bed. Then I don't have to think anymore, until morning.
And I think it is only fair that since Dan WATCHED Dakota carry the computer downstairs to the basement, and allowed him to work on it(yes, he asked Kota what he was doing, and Kota answered that he was fixing the computer), that HE will be the one to take it to repair.
Please send well computer wishes my way......
Thursday, March 11, 2010
My Controlling Husband
Sigh....I have it so rough...
Dan is a wonderful person, but he has one flaw....he's controlling.
Tuesday, he came home in the afternoon to announce that he wanted us to go out to dinner. Sigh....I just wanted to stay home, but he had the nerve to bring up the coupon I gave him for Valentine's Day, which was for a night out with me....so I gave in.
We took our kiddos, and went out to eat at Ponderosa.
Dan wanted to get a pair of boots, so we had to go shoe shopping. Sigh(rolling eyes)....I found a pair of black shoes for my trip to Nashville next month, and they were really cute. I also got to go to Staples and look at laptops, along with looking at the clearance items at Fashion Bug.
Dan wanted to go to Tractor Supply, so he and Dakota went, and he actually let me make my own choice here-the girls and I walked to Walmart "next door", since it was such a nice night. He met us there a little later.
Dan is a wonderful person, but he has one flaw....he's controlling.
Tuesday, he came home in the afternoon to announce that he wanted us to go out to dinner. Sigh....I just wanted to stay home, but he had the nerve to bring up the coupon I gave him for Valentine's Day, which was for a night out with me....so I gave in.
We took our kiddos, and went out to eat at Ponderosa.
Dan wanted to get a pair of boots, so we had to go shoe shopping. Sigh(rolling eyes)....I found a pair of black shoes for my trip to Nashville next month, and they were really cute. I also got to go to Staples and look at laptops, along with looking at the clearance items at Fashion Bug.
Dan wanted to go to Tractor Supply, so he and Dakota went, and he actually let me make my own choice here-the girls and I walked to Walmart "next door", since it was such a nice night. He met us there a little later.
I only wanted to look at laptops that night, but when Dan and Kota met us at Walmart, Dan called me over to the computer section and wanted me to pick one right then. Sigh...at least I got my way by default---they were out of both computers we were looking at.
So there you have it-the things I put up with....eating out at a steakhouse, getting cute new shoes, and having to pick the laptop I wanted, all against my will.
Is there any hope for women who are married to control freaks? Well, if not, I think I can live with mine. Thanks, Honey! :)
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Who Needs Santa Claus?
This might get some rotten tomatoes thrown at me, but according to blogging experts, you are supposed to write something controversial on occasion.
That being said, I've never taught my children that there is a Santa Claus. Nope.
No big scary looking man in a bright red suit is getting the credit for the gifts I shopped long and hard for! If his gift selections are as tacky as his fashion taste, our kids are doomed anyway! And truthfully, we all know it isn't true that he comes down our chimneys, and I don't believe in lying to my children. Not to mention the kids that are forced to sit on his lap in the mall for a picture, when they are truly terrified.
So anyway! I've heard parents try to threaten their children when they are being bad, "I'm going to tell Santa..." And you know what I started thinking?
Who needs Santa when you have a BLOG???
If you are going to threaten your children about someone watching, what could put terror in their eyes quicker than saying, "I'm going to tell my blog how you've been acting all morning!"
Kids have messy rooms? Take a picture and stick in on your blog!
Throwing a temper tantrum with screaming, kicking and punching, while lying on the floor? Video them and stick in on your blog! Your 16 year old will never do that again!!!
Can't get junior to take out the trash? Little Susie won't do the dishes? Important note: add a sign to the trash heap or mound of dishes that tell your child's name and that this is his chore, so that when the entire world sees it on your blog, they will know that it is your child's fault things are so heaped up!
Did you know this can even work for training your husband? It works for me! Since I've begun blogging, he hasn't thrown ice on me in the shower a second time, and he will probably never call me a "bag" again either!
Need to "convince" your in-laws to be nicer to you? No problem! Blog, blog, blog! I am blessed in this area, for I've only recently had to blog about my in-laws! (It's amazing how good they've actually been to us, considering I'm married to their son, which I'm pretty sure is the reason they both have silver hair!)
Any other folks you're having trouble with? Neighbors? Teachers? BUS DRIVERS???(Don't ask!) Well, I've just given you a cure-all that works better than Santa Claus! Look out, Marty, here I come!(the locals will understand that comment!)
Blogging is not only therapeutic for you and I, but it is like a wonder-worker in the home and family! Someone should have thought of this ages ago! Either that, or I shouldn't have shared the idea with my blog friends, and wrote a book first, sold a million copies, and THEN blogged about it, for those who missed my sold-out book!
One last tip: You and I probably ought to straighten up a bit ourselves, before our kids and hubby get their own blogs. But I'll do pretty good, as long as no one takes a picture and blogs about my ironing pile! =P
That being said, I've never taught my children that there is a Santa Claus. Nope.
No big scary looking man in a bright red suit is getting the credit for the gifts I shopped long and hard for! If his gift selections are as tacky as his fashion taste, our kids are doomed anyway! And truthfully, we all know it isn't true that he comes down our chimneys, and I don't believe in lying to my children. Not to mention the kids that are forced to sit on his lap in the mall for a picture, when they are truly terrified.
So anyway! I've heard parents try to threaten their children when they are being bad, "I'm going to tell Santa..." And you know what I started thinking?
Who needs Santa when you have a BLOG???
If you are going to threaten your children about someone watching, what could put terror in their eyes quicker than saying, "I'm going to tell my blog how you've been acting all morning!"
Kids have messy rooms? Take a picture and stick in on your blog!
Throwing a temper tantrum with screaming, kicking and punching, while lying on the floor? Video them and stick in on your blog! Your 16 year old will never do that again!!!
Can't get junior to take out the trash? Little Susie won't do the dishes? Important note: add a sign to the trash heap or mound of dishes that tell your child's name and that this is his chore, so that when the entire world sees it on your blog, they will know that it is your child's fault things are so heaped up!
Did you know this can even work for training your husband? It works for me! Since I've begun blogging, he hasn't thrown ice on me in the shower a second time, and he will probably never call me a "bag" again either!
Need to "convince" your in-laws to be nicer to you? No problem! Blog, blog, blog! I am blessed in this area, for I've only recently had to blog about my in-laws! (It's amazing how good they've actually been to us, considering I'm married to their son, which I'm pretty sure is the reason they both have silver hair!)
Any other folks you're having trouble with? Neighbors? Teachers? BUS DRIVERS???(Don't ask!) Well, I've just given you a cure-all that works better than Santa Claus! Look out, Marty, here I come!(the locals will understand that comment!)
Blogging is not only therapeutic for you and I, but it is like a wonder-worker in the home and family! Someone should have thought of this ages ago! Either that, or I shouldn't have shared the idea with my blog friends, and wrote a book first, sold a million copies, and THEN blogged about it, for those who missed my sold-out book!
One last tip: You and I probably ought to straighten up a bit ourselves, before our kids and hubby get their own blogs. But I'll do pretty good, as long as no one takes a picture and blogs about my ironing pile! =P
Monday, March 8, 2010
How MY Day Started
Well, Good Morning Everybody!
Did you all wake up nice and chipper today? :)
I thought my blog post title was fitting, but another fitting title would be, "Never Let Little Boys Spend The Night".
This morning, I woke up before the alarm, and since Dan was going to the school to help today, he needed to get up too-leaving time is 7:45. The clock read 7-ish, and since I have it set almost 20 minutes fast, we were doing great for time. Dan and I even got to bed earlier than usual, so we both felt pretty well rested!
On days Dan helps out at school, the kiddos ride with him. Our friends' children spent the night last night, so they would ride in with him too.
I headed down to the kitchen to get the coffee started, and while getting the water, I glanced at the stove clock. 7:33!!! Oh NOOoooooooo!!!!!
I didn't even finish the coffee-I ran upstairs to tell Dan something happened to our alarm clock-I don't know what-and that it was much later than originally thought! He rushed out of bed to get ready, while I started waking children up. I told him to just get ready, and that I would bring all the kids to school as soon as they were ready. He wasn't going to be able to wait for them-he had to unlock the school for the other students who would be there on time.
I do my best to make mornings pleasant for everyone, so I woke everyone up nicely, but hurriedly. I let them know we'd overslept, and that I'd take them in, but they still needed to hustle.
Well, our 11 year old friend Bud and I crossed paths in the hallway upstairs. As I'm trying to hurry, hurry, hurry, he begins to tell me that in the middle of the night, he woke up thirsty, and woke Dakota up to ask for a drink. While they were in the kitchen.....
they got the bright idea to set the clocks ahead.
I picked up our digital phone, and it said 7:38 or something like that, and so then I was thoroughly confused. I woke Elissa up, and she grabbed her cell phone-it was 6:58. Amber met me in the hall confused, and I ran down to check Dan's cell phone. Yes, it was before 7 a.m.
Ya know, for those of us that are simple minded with Blon'd roots, that is just NOT funny! I let Dan know that he didn't have to run right out the door after all.
Needless to say, we all were wide awake when we DID wake up(since panic mode set in immediately upon looking at the kitchen clocks), but I couldn't help thoughts of wringing the necks of two little boys. You know it's bad when the 40 year old mother is thinking, "Oh, PAYBACKS! PAYBACKS ARE COMING!!!!!"
Ah, the life of having pre-teen boys! Just wait until Friday-when I wake Dakota up on my way to bed, and tell him it's Monday morning, and time to get up! I better let Bud's mom in on it too, so she can do likewise! (wink, wink!)
Did you all wake up nice and chipper today? :)
I thought my blog post title was fitting, but another fitting title would be, "Never Let Little Boys Spend The Night".
This morning, I woke up before the alarm, and since Dan was going to the school to help today, he needed to get up too-leaving time is 7:45. The clock read 7-ish, and since I have it set almost 20 minutes fast, we were doing great for time. Dan and I even got to bed earlier than usual, so we both felt pretty well rested!
On days Dan helps out at school, the kiddos ride with him. Our friends' children spent the night last night, so they would ride in with him too.
I headed down to the kitchen to get the coffee started, and while getting the water, I glanced at the stove clock. 7:33!!! Oh NOOoooooooo!!!!!
I didn't even finish the coffee-I ran upstairs to tell Dan something happened to our alarm clock-I don't know what-and that it was much later than originally thought! He rushed out of bed to get ready, while I started waking children up. I told him to just get ready, and that I would bring all the kids to school as soon as they were ready. He wasn't going to be able to wait for them-he had to unlock the school for the other students who would be there on time.
I do my best to make mornings pleasant for everyone, so I woke everyone up nicely, but hurriedly. I let them know we'd overslept, and that I'd take them in, but they still needed to hustle.
Well, our 11 year old friend Bud and I crossed paths in the hallway upstairs. As I'm trying to hurry, hurry, hurry, he begins to tell me that in the middle of the night, he woke up thirsty, and woke Dakota up to ask for a drink. While they were in the kitchen.....
they got the bright idea to set the clocks ahead.
I picked up our digital phone, and it said 7:38 or something like that, and so then I was thoroughly confused. I woke Elissa up, and she grabbed her cell phone-it was 6:58. Amber met me in the hall confused, and I ran down to check Dan's cell phone. Yes, it was before 7 a.m.
Ya know, for those of us that are simple minded with Blon'd roots, that is just NOT funny! I let Dan know that he didn't have to run right out the door after all.
Needless to say, we all were wide awake when we DID wake up(since panic mode set in immediately upon looking at the kitchen clocks), but I couldn't help thoughts of wringing the necks of two little boys. You know it's bad when the 40 year old mother is thinking, "Oh, PAYBACKS! PAYBACKS ARE COMING!!!!!"
Ah, the life of having pre-teen boys! Just wait until Friday-when I wake Dakota up on my way to bed, and tell him it's Monday morning, and time to get up! I better let Bud's mom in on it too, so she can do likewise! (wink, wink!)
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Do Kids EVER Grow Up?
I was looking thru my google reader the other day, and I came across this post on another blog. As I looked at the thumbnail picture, I wondered about the people I could see-then I realized it was my VERY OWN DAUGHTER!
Now, we're not talking about my 15 year old-we are talking about my 20 YEAR OLD and her 22 year old friend!!!
Oh the embarrassment! Oh the humiliation!
Actually, I thought these pictures were hilarious, and I hope you will look also-this is my young friend's blog.
http://lauramasiker.blogspot.com/2010/02/meet-sally-gertruda-ethel-brunhilda-and.html
Oh, by the way-my daughter is the one in the red shirt with the princess tiara on her head. =D
As if this humiliation wasn't bad enough(lol), I went to church last night to find another source of great humble-ness.
Another friend, Anita, (http://www.capturedreflectionz.blogspot.com/) came over before church, and I was telling her to make sure she looked at the bulletin board at the church when we got there. We had received a dear email from a missionary, and I wanted to make sure she read it because it was an email that had to do with our youth group.
So anyway! I get to church, remind her to read the board, and she already had. When I made my way to the bulletin board, I realized that more than the email from the missionary was up there. Pictures of my very mature husband were up there too-one of the ones I shared here.
Okay, it's ONE THING if I share these pictures with the worldwide web for millions of people to see. But to go and put these defamatory pictures up on our CHURCH BULLETIN BOARD-that's ANOTHER THING ALTOGETHER!!!
Did I mention that the person that put the pics up was our pastor's wife? And that the pastor told her to do it?
Did I mention the pastor's wife is my mother-in-law? (Mama, how could you DO this to me???)
And have I mentioned my husband is a preacher? And that last night was probably a bad night to expose the truth of this man, since it was he who was preaching?
Okay, so everyone already knows that my husband is, and most likely, will always be young at heart, so I guess it was no big surprise. :) But still-where is the MERCY for the preacher's wife???
Okay, one more thing-I'd like to share an article written my my budding blogging daughter-my middle girl. This is her take on having kitties. :)
http://teenapproach.blogspot.com/2010/01/oh-joy-of-having-kittens.html
Well, I'll see you all next time, like when I have OTHER humiliating info to share with you about my ditziness, or this poor genetic disorder that was passed on to my poor children, or if Dan comes up with some brilliant photographs of himself doing the un-imaginable in one way or another!
Have a lovely day!
Now, we're not talking about my 15 year old-we are talking about my 20 YEAR OLD and her 22 year old friend!!!
Oh the embarrassment! Oh the humiliation!
Actually, I thought these pictures were hilarious, and I hope you will look also-this is my young friend's blog.
http://lauramasiker.blogspot.com/2010/02/meet-sally-gertruda-ethel-brunhilda-and.html
Oh, by the way-my daughter is the one in the red shirt with the princess tiara on her head. =D
As if this humiliation wasn't bad enough(lol), I went to church last night to find another source of great humble-ness.
Another friend, Anita, (http://www.capturedreflectionz.blogspot.com/) came over before church, and I was telling her to make sure she looked at the bulletin board at the church when we got there. We had received a dear email from a missionary, and I wanted to make sure she read it because it was an email that had to do with our youth group.
So anyway! I get to church, remind her to read the board, and she already had. When I made my way to the bulletin board, I realized that more than the email from the missionary was up there. Pictures of my very mature husband were up there too-one of the ones I shared here.
Okay, it's ONE THING if I share these pictures with the worldwide web for millions of people to see. But to go and put these defamatory pictures up on our CHURCH BULLETIN BOARD-that's ANOTHER THING ALTOGETHER!!!
Did I mention that the person that put the pics up was our pastor's wife? And that the pastor told her to do it?
Did I mention the pastor's wife is my mother-in-law? (Mama, how could you DO this to me???)
And have I mentioned my husband is a preacher? And that last night was probably a bad night to expose the truth of this man, since it was he who was preaching?
Okay, so everyone already knows that my husband is, and most likely, will always be young at heart, so I guess it was no big surprise. :) But still-where is the MERCY for the preacher's wife???
Okay, one more thing-I'd like to share an article written my my budding blogging daughter-my middle girl. This is her take on having kitties. :)
http://teenapproach.blogspot.com/2010/01/oh-joy-of-having-kittens.html
Well, I'll see you all next time, like when I have OTHER humiliating info to share with you about my ditziness, or this poor genetic disorder that was passed on to my poor children, or if Dan comes up with some brilliant photographs of himself doing the un-imaginable in one way or another!
Have a lovely day!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Lunch Really Weighs Him Down
I'm like my mother-if you ask me a question that requires a two sentence answer, three paragraphs later, you will have your answer! :) That being said, I'll try to keep my cute little story about Dakota short!
You need to know that my children go to a school where they can use a microwave at lunch, so when they tire of sandwiches, they can take hot pockets or another warm lunch.
This morning, he and Amber were getting ready for school, and he asked me if Amber could put the lunch box in her book bag, instead of the usual of him putting it in his book bag. He said that his book bag was too heavy. As we were discussing the lunch box, he told me to feel how heavy his book bag was. I lifted it, and sure enough, it was heavy. I asked what he had in there!
Food! Several cans of food! I sat down, dug deep and pulled out one can of soup, one can of beef n mac, one can of mandarin oranges, two small cans of peaches, a pack of ramen nooodles, a single serving bag of rice cakes or something, a partial bag of doritos, and a spoon!
The three of us laughed, and Kota blamed it on his dad for the days Dan helps at the school.
All I had to say was, if Kota got stuck in a snow bank somewhere, he'd be able to survive for quite a while! All I would have needed to do was add a can opener to the bag! :)
You need to know that my children go to a school where they can use a microwave at lunch, so when they tire of sandwiches, they can take hot pockets or another warm lunch.
This morning, he and Amber were getting ready for school, and he asked me if Amber could put the lunch box in her book bag, instead of the usual of him putting it in his book bag. He said that his book bag was too heavy. As we were discussing the lunch box, he told me to feel how heavy his book bag was. I lifted it, and sure enough, it was heavy. I asked what he had in there!
Food! Several cans of food! I sat down, dug deep and pulled out one can of soup, one can of beef n mac, one can of mandarin oranges, two small cans of peaches, a pack of ramen nooodles, a single serving bag of rice cakes or something, a partial bag of doritos, and a spoon!
The three of us laughed, and Kota blamed it on his dad for the days Dan helps at the school.
All I had to say was, if Kota got stuck in a snow bank somewhere, he'd be able to survive for quite a while! All I would have needed to do was add a can opener to the bag! :)
Friday, February 26, 2010
Can My Marriage Be Saved?
Well, I know you all thought my marriage was perfect, but now for the truth.
Dan went from pure flattery.....to nearly having a fat lip!
When you are half asleep, you don't always remember the entire sequence of events. but I can tell you with pretty good accuracy the most important parts of our half-asleep dialogue from last night.
A little background:
We have a king size bed, but our quilt isn't quite big enough for the bed. Dan and I both sleep with a pillow under our knee, and also, I have long hair, so when I turn over, I lift my head rather high to adjust my hair.
So! Last night, or more like, 4 o'clock this morning, I woke up, and got up for a few minutes, and then came back to bed. Originally, I was facing Dan, but flipped over to get more comfy.
Okay-along with not being allowed to turn up the wall heater in the family room(why YES, I DO live with the heat patrol!), I also live with constant harping when I turn over in bed, letting cold air in between the sheets, since I haven't mastered staying completely FLAT when I take my knee pillow from one side of the bed to the other. This has been an issue for months.
Now back to my marital woes.....
In the wee hours of the morning, Dan and I had a brief conversation, or should I say, an exchange of words. I turned over and took my knee pillow with me, and I actually heard Dan gasp from what he perceived as a gust of cold air between the sheets. I don't remember if he muttered anything, but I think he did.
The usual UN-mouthy me said loudly and clearly, DEAL WITH IT!!!
So, UN-compassionate Dan grabbed all of the covers and YANKED them to his side of the bed. He would have yanked them clean off of me, but I grabbed and held on, so I was still covered up a little bit.
I then muttered something about our stinking king size bed not being big enough, and Dan just corrected my statement by reminding me the quilt is what isn't big enough.
I said, "You need to sleep with a sleeping bag."
He said, "I already sleep with a bag!"
So of course I tried to KICK him, but the bed was too big and he was too far over for me to reach. So I turned over and tickled him, which he claims I did with my sharp nails.
Help, folks! My marriage is in trouble! I think I'm married to a compulsive liar-now I'm confused and I don't know if I look like I'm 20 or 75!!!
Is there still hope for us??? Because if there isn't, I'm going to start being who I want to be, and start rebelling right now, and am going to turn the wall heater up to 5!!! And then when he says something to me about turning over in bed again, I'm going to take my 40 pound memory foam pillow and knock him out! How's THAT for COLD??? ;P
Dan went from pure flattery.....to nearly having a fat lip!
When you are half asleep, you don't always remember the entire sequence of events. but I can tell you with pretty good accuracy the most important parts of our half-asleep dialogue from last night.
A little background:
We have a king size bed, but our quilt isn't quite big enough for the bed. Dan and I both sleep with a pillow under our knee, and also, I have long hair, so when I turn over, I lift my head rather high to adjust my hair.
So! Last night, or more like, 4 o'clock this morning, I woke up, and got up for a few minutes, and then came back to bed. Originally, I was facing Dan, but flipped over to get more comfy.
Okay-along with not being allowed to turn up the wall heater in the family room(why YES, I DO live with the heat patrol!), I also live with constant harping when I turn over in bed, letting cold air in between the sheets, since I haven't mastered staying completely FLAT when I take my knee pillow from one side of the bed to the other. This has been an issue for months.
Now back to my marital woes.....
In the wee hours of the morning, Dan and I had a brief conversation, or should I say, an exchange of words. I turned over and took my knee pillow with me, and I actually heard Dan gasp from what he perceived as a gust of cold air between the sheets. I don't remember if he muttered anything, but I think he did.
The usual UN-mouthy me said loudly and clearly, DEAL WITH IT!!!
So, UN-compassionate Dan grabbed all of the covers and YANKED them to his side of the bed. He would have yanked them clean off of me, but I grabbed and held on, so I was still covered up a little bit.
I then muttered something about our stinking king size bed not being big enough, and Dan just corrected my statement by reminding me the quilt is what isn't big enough.
I said, "You need to sleep with a sleeping bag."
He said, "I already sleep with a bag!"
So of course I tried to KICK him, but the bed was too big and he was too far over for me to reach. So I turned over and tickled him, which he claims I did with my sharp nails.
Help, folks! My marriage is in trouble! I think I'm married to a compulsive liar-now I'm confused and I don't know if I look like I'm 20 or 75!!!
Is there still hope for us??? Because if there isn't, I'm going to start being who I want to be, and start rebelling right now, and am going to turn the wall heater up to 5!!! And then when he says something to me about turning over in bed again, I'm going to take my 40 pound memory foam pillow and knock him out! How's THAT for COLD??? ;P
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Scaring The Kitty
My friend Melinda came over earlier, and her 5 year old son Ben was with her. Ben said something about not scaring our kitty, Chloe. Dan said that she needed scared. Of course, I let Ben know how sharp her claws are and that she sometimes hurts, since I didn't want him to get himself all scratched up.
While I was talking to Ben, telling him all of the details of Chloe's self defenses, he came into the dining room where his mother and I were sitting, and he stood there digging in his coat. I wondered what he was doing, while he quietly muttered something about scaring the kitty, still!
So guess how he scared her......I'll give you a hint.....it was with something in his coat pocket....
He put his Dracula teeth in, made his meanest face, and set off to find the kitty to scare her!
LOL!!!! Loved it!!!
While I was talking to Ben, telling him all of the details of Chloe's self defenses, he came into the dining room where his mother and I were sitting, and he stood there digging in his coat. I wondered what he was doing, while he quietly muttered something about scaring the kitty, still!
So guess how he scared her......I'll give you a hint.....it was with something in his coat pocket....
LOL!!!! Loved it!!!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Dan, My Sweetheart!
Well, I've shown you all my new 'do, and think I'm going to start wearing my hair this way.
Guess what Dan told me?
He said that my new hairdo makes me look 10 years younger, like I'm 20!!!!!
He probably knew in all of my glorious ditziness that it would take me a minute to figure that one out, but by golly, I did!
I just turned 40, and he just wanted brownie points for telling me I look 30! And then with the new 'do, I look like I'm married to a man who robbed the cradle!
HA! How's THAT for FLATTERY???
Maybe I'll one up him, showing him how young HE looks by buying him a new bicycle, seeing as how he is using Kota's in this picture! ;P Puppets and stuff make you look younger too, don't they?!?!
If you look at my link to my last picture, you'll see my explanation of Dan and the puppet-we actually have two, one beige, and one red. :) Thanks to Alicia, I found these adorable little guys on ebay, in case you ever want one!
bicycle, brownies, hair, hairdo, updo, long hair, chocolate, bike
Guess what Dan told me?
He said that my new hairdo makes me look 10 years younger, like I'm 20!!!!!
He probably knew in all of my glorious ditziness that it would take me a minute to figure that one out, but by golly, I did!
I just turned 40, and he just wanted brownie points for telling me I look 30! And then with the new 'do, I look like I'm married to a man who robbed the cradle!
HA! How's THAT for FLATTERY???
Maybe I'll one up him, showing him how young HE looks by buying him a new bicycle, seeing as how he is using Kota's in this picture! ;P Puppets and stuff make you look younger too, don't they?!?!
If you look at my link to my last picture, you'll see my explanation of Dan and the puppet-we actually have two, one beige, and one red. :) Thanks to Alicia, I found these adorable little guys on ebay, in case you ever want one!
bicycle, brownies, hair, hairdo, updo, long hair, chocolate, bike
Monday, February 22, 2010
Our Beauties Chloe and Diamond
So anyway! This is a picture of Chloe-our beautiful kitten. She just takes beautiful pictures, don't you think? Her sister doesn't take near as good of a picture as her, but I'll include one just so she don't feel left out! She's a little bigger(Chloe must have been the runt), and has filled out more-she's beautiful as well.
I LOVE this picture!
Peek-a-boo!
Diamond-she and Chloe look quite a bit alike!
New Pics Of Me, and Blah, Blah, Blah--Explained!
Well, here they are-updated pictures of me!
My blog and website have pics of me from our old house, which we haven't lived there in almost a year.
I fixed my hair a little different today, and Dan liked it. You know what he liked best about it? Well, I have my front section separated from the back section, which I poofed. What Dan likes best in the gray streak on the back poof, that is visible in this photo. Go figure, eh? Well, that must mean he's A-O-K with being married to an older woman! That's a good thing! :)
Along with my new background for my blog, I discovered how to add extra pages to the blog, which I added a chocolate bouquet page, with links to my different bouquets. I'm not sure yet what other new pages to add to this, or if I'll just categorize what I put up. Hmm.....
And did anyone else see my blah, blah, blah post?
Let me just say...
Ooooppsssss!!!!!
I was trying to figure out how to post on my new page, and that was a test post! My sis-in-law wrote in my comments and asked me where the post went, which brought it to my attention, since I had no idea! And I responded to her comment that it was a good thing I didn't write something like, Dan is a dunderhead! Or, I can't wait to rob Walmart tomorrow! lol
Let that be a lesson to all...
Whatever you put on the internet.....
Doesn't go away!.....
Even if you hit the edit button, after you've posted it!
Someone is sure to find you out!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
A New Look!
Well, did you think you all reached the wrong page???
Nope, ya didn't!
After a year, I decided to go with something lighter, a little more "airy".
What do you think? :)
Nope, ya didn't!
After a year, I decided to go with something lighter, a little more "airy".
What do you think? :)
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