My Life Under a Bridge

2011 Resolutions Part 2

2011-01-15T01:49:00.002-06:00

I thought of another resolution:

I WILL NOT buy any more craft type stuff until I have either used what I already have or I need it for a specific project to be completed immediately...or soon thereafter.

New Year's Resolutions 2011

2011-01-01T21:23:00.002-06:00

I was looking back over my blog and noticed that my 2010 Resolutions are just a couple posts back. Apparently I'm not blogging as much as I thought I would. I hope to change that this year. Anywho, on to this year's list...

- Get down to a healthy weight
- Add to my savings
- Finish projects I start
- Find a church and attend regularly
- Blog at least once a week
- Not be lonely anymore
- Support a charity program
- Get more rest
- Do at least one (planned) nice thing for someone each month
- Visit grandma and granddad more often
- Keep my resolutions :-)

I guess we'll see.

The Difficulty of Giving

2010-08-22T07:51:00.009-05:00

I was supposed to work all weekend. It didn't happen. Well, as far as the actual work goes. The system I work on wasn't working properly so I got to babysit the computer all day on Saturday in case it came back up so I could notify the rest of my team that they could start working. Make sense? No? Sorry. Anyway, I was already frustrated that I lost my Saturday so I could do, basically, nothing. But! The Help Desk informed me that the system should be working just fine and dandy (not their words) by 4 a.m. my time on Sunday. So! I hauled myself out of bed, logged on to the computer, entered the system site and....nothing. I got to drive in to work to reboot my computer just to be sure it wasn't a company computer problem. It wasn't. I called the Help Desk, yet again, and they said that it will be another 2 hours before it's working. I headed home.

But! Before I left I grabbed a couple slices of pizza from when we worked late Friday night and put them in a Ziploc bag to take home with me. Then I grabbed a Sprite out of the fridge. Let me explain at this point that I don't usually do either of those things. I never take drinks home from work. I consume them while I'm there. And if we've ordered food I don't take it home unless we had individual orders. Such was not the case. But today I felt compelled to do so. No particular reason. Just thought I might want a snack during the day while I'm working...IF I'm working.

As I was leaving the building I noticed some pretty pink clouds and wanted to take pictures. As I'm a night owl, I rarely get to enjoy a sunrise and the one this morning was kinda nice. After I took those pictures I decided to take some neat shots of the buildings and fountains, etc. It was nice and peaceful out and I was working some of the cranky off.

When I was driving away I noticed a gentleman who appeared to be one of the homeless who seek shelter downtown. He didn't seem quite to the point of emaciation but he can definitely stand to put on a few pounds. As I was passing I considered giving him my food and drink but drove on instead. The minute I passed him my chest got tight and I felt awful. I drove back around the block but he was already going up the steps to get to the other side of the little park and I really couldn't be expected to park my car, get out and follow this man. Could I? I drove on. The feeling in my chest was NOT going to let up. I drove around the block again and saw that he had stopped in a shade of trees next to a fountain. A very tranquil setting I'm sure...if you don't have daily survival on your mind. I still couldn't get up the courage (?) to get out of the car. I drove on.

I was really going to go home this time. It wasn't that I was bound and determined that this food and drink was mine and I didn't want to share it. I was just ambivalent about the situation. Why was I arguing with myself about this? It's silly! I was headed home, for sure this time, and finally ended the argument. I did NOT need this food and he did. I turned back, parked the car and walked over to him. At no point in all of my self-argument was I feeling afraid of this man. Yes, I do tend to be shy upon meeting new people and that might have been a small part of this mess but I did not fear for my personal safety. I walked up to him, offered the food and drink. He took it and thanked me over and over and told me what a nice lady I am. If he only knew. I'm glad he didn't know about the struggle I went through to give him food.

If you have seen me lately, you know I am not hurting for food. I am VERY well fed. In fact, I've been dieting the last couple months because of just how well fed I am. What is wrong with me that I had to drive around the block three times to give food to someone who needed it so much more than I? I was going to snack on it. This was a meal for him. I should have immediately stopped the car and taken it to him. When I did finally approach him I felt so much better but when I got back in my car I had to cry. This should never have been an issue. A wonderful couple I know and several people from their church went and bought Subway sandwiches, chips and drinks and took them to the homeless yesterday. They PLANNED this. They went out of their way to buy the food and then took it to people who needed it. I was already there and had the food in hand. I am so ashamed of myself today.

I would love to be able to say someday that this was the turning point in my life. We'll see. I just don't believe that all of the steps leading up to this were a coincidence. I could have waited until after church to go in to the office. Instead, I drove in early in the morning! I didn't need to take the food home with me. I didn't need to stop and take pictures. None of this was necessary...for me. But maybe, just maybe someone was telling me that it was necessary for him.

Faith

2010-08-15T15:20:00.003-05:00

As a young girl I had absolute faith that I would grow up, get married in my early twenties and have babies right away. I had no doubts. It's just how things are done in my family. I am the only woman in at least three generations of my family to not have a baby in my early 20s (or in some cases, a little bit earlier). Did my faith fail me? No. I don't think so. I can't explain why I wasn't given what I wanted. I do believe that I took the fact for granted. I didn't pray for it because I knew I had it coming so I didn't need to worry about a silly thing like that. Ha! And double Ha!

Although I haven't gotten what I wanted, nay believed I would get, long ago, I still believe I'm not forgotten. I do have my days when I wonder, though. I never wanted to be an "old mom". I wanted to be the cute young mom. Oh well. But I still wouldn't mind even being the old mom at this point. I'm just saying...

I so got off the original intent of this post. Faith. When I was young I had absolute, unshakable faith. Now...it seems as if I have to work at it sometimes. And, to make matters worse, I have my days in which I question the why's and why not's. And then I have my days in which I marvel about how much faith we use in a day. For instance:

Stop signs/signals - Yes, you will get a ticket if you run one of these but not everyone cares. Yet when I'm driving, I have absolute faith that I will be able to progress through a green (or sometimes yellow) light without getting hit. While I am driving there is not an invisible wall that will prevent others from hitting me. That would be nice but it's just not there. I have to rely on absolute faith that I am going to get from where I was to where I am going safely and in one piece. I know that there are accidents and other drivers do scare me at times but all in all, I have faith.

Food - I get that the FDA checks stuff out but they can't be everywhere all the time. I blindly trust that any foods I purchase are going to be safe - if not healthy - for me. Bake sales are a big leap of faith that so many people take. You buy home made goods and just accept that they aren't going to hurt you. And then we get to the diet foods and pills. After the whole Fen Phen (Phen Fen?) incident I'm sure a lot of people were leery of trying other products. These things are supposed to help you not kill you. And after a few years people very easily hopped on other diet bandwagons. Faith...with maybe a little obsession thrown in.

Knowledge - How many people use the Internet for information? I know I do. But how do we always know that what we're reading wasn't typed by some 17-year-old kid who thinks they're funny? We don't. We take for granted that this was uploaded by someone who knows what they're talking about. I still prefer books for my information but a lot of the time it's just so much faster and easier to jump on the Internet. And how many of you have received those e-mails about certain people or companies in which they are touted as having done or said something so wrong that we are encouraged to have no dealings with them? And so many people have forwarded these messages without so much as doing a little research to find out if this is true or not? I am happy to say I always check stuff like this out before I forward it. But so many believe that since they see it in print...it must be true. Faith...sometimes unwarranted...but faith, nonetheless.

Workplace - We all think it's funny to comment about "going postal" but we believe that nothing like that will happen in our workplace nor will it follow us home. Well, most of us do. We believe that all of our co-workers have it together enough that they wouldn't harm others. And, most of the time, the thought never crosses our minds that this could happen. Faith.

Neighbors - I live in a somewhat rough neighborhood. I have heard gunshots on several occasions and have been woken up in the middle of the night by my neighbors screaming at each other on their front lawn. Let me state that I know that my neighborhood is by no means one of the roughest in the country. Not even close. There are nights, though, in which I worry that a stray bullet could hit my house or even me. Am I going to move out of this neighborhood anytime soon? Nope. One, I love my little house and two, I have faith. I do pray about it every night but it feels closer to the blind faith of my youth. I just know He's protecting me.

I'm sure there are a lot of other things we take for granted that when we stop to think about we realize that we are acting on complete and utter faith. Am I sad that God didn't give me what I knew He would nearly two decades ago? On occasion. Do I think He's forgotten me and left me to make it through this world alone? Again, when I'm at my lowest I do entertain those thoughts. And then, there are days like today where I realize that if I truly, deeply felt that way, then what would be the point of carrying on? Why shouldn't I just give up and let the world carry on without me? Oh yeah...Faith.

P.S. It really makes me laugh that atheists can make it through each day. They have no higher power in which to put their faith and yet they are just as certain as I am that they are going to get where they're going, be able to eat what they eat and that they won't get shot at work. I wonder if they would throw the fit of the century if they realized that multiple times throughout each day they rely solely on faith. Isn't that just a kick in the pants?

New Year's Resolutions - 2010 edition

2010-01-03T23:55:00.002-06:00

Okay, so I didn't do well on last year's resolutions. Is this really surprising? I've decided to go with a really short list this year. Are you ready?

- Lose 80 pounds
- Keep house clean for more than the length of my parents' visit
- Find and join a church
- Get married and start a family

So the last one is more of a wish than a resolution. But I am resolved to try. The good thing is if I keep the first three it will get me well on the way to achieving that wish. At least in my mind it will.

BTW, I have not had a Coke or any type of brown soda (pop? I'm from OK where a lot of us call every type of brown cola Coke) since New Year's Eve 2008. See? I kept at least one resolution. Woo-hoo!

State Fair of Oklahoma

2009-10-04T17:19:00.030-05:00

I LOVE THE STATE FAIR!!! Just a little bit. Ask me why and I couldn't narrow it down to just a couple of things. I've gone almost every year since I moved back to OK and I nag Spike (the name has been changed because he doesn't want me to blog about him) months ahead of time to take me. To the fair. Let's get that straight. It doesn't really float his boat and he is usually hesitant about going but he goes for me anyway and ends up having a good time. So there. To show you a little about why I love the fair I've included some pictures for your viewing pleasure. Let's peruse, shall we?

First in our guided tour is a pic I took of the arch through the window of the tent containing the guy who turns wooden bowls. Why would you put a window in the top of a tent? I don't know. Go ask him and keep your questions to yourselves. Just kidding. But really.

Next we see a couple examples of Okie fashion.

Okay, so we don't all dress like this. I would, but I'd look like the guys in the first pic...but like a girl...not a guy. Are we clear on that? Moving on.

This is my friend Carol. Carol is holding a blue ribbon. Why? Did she win something? Does she just like carrying around blue ribbons? These questions will be answered later. And please raise your hand before speaking. Let's keep this civilized. I think a few of you might like to explain to Carol why it is sooooo not cool to wear a T-shirt representing a state whose fair your are not attending. I'm just saying is all. Lurve ya, Carol.

This is Josie. Josie is Carol's daughter. Josie likes sea lions and they seem to like her. Wait a minute! Did Josie steal Carol's blue ribbon? Again, all questions will be answered in due course. But, I would like to take a minute to tell Josie that I'm a tad jealous that the sea lions hugged her and not me. That may have something to do with the fact that I didn't try to get them to. Whatever.

Next we move to three gentlemen sitting on a bench.

Why are we looking at three men sitting on a bench? Why do we care that they're sitting on this particular bench? Okay, so I'll answer these questions. It's not that we care that they ARE sitting on this particular bench, it's WHY they're sitting on this particular bench that is causing all the hubbub. Let's have a little quiz. Which of the following is the reason these men are sitting here...on this particular bench:

a) They're watching a hog calling competition
b) They're watching a food eating competition
c) They're at a cattle auction
d) None of the above

If you answered d) then you are correct. These men are sitting on this particular bench watching Irish dancing.
Doy!

Next we come to a trailer selling...wait a minute! Gross! It can't be! Ewwwww!!! If you don't know what these are, I'm not going to tell you. Go talk to The Pioneer Woman. She loves talking about these. Blech!

As we keep walking we come to the Footsie Wootsie machines. Put a quarter in and it's supposed to massage your feet...through your shoes. I say that because I've never seen anybody put their bare feet on one of these machines. Actually I think the only thing this machine really does is make 12-year-old boys scream like girls. Hey! I don't make the news. I just report it.

And speaking of odd machines I would like to state for the record that I find this one particularly disturbing. It's just not right! Downright shameful is what it is. Okay, imagine all that with an Okie twang and it's much funnier. Maybe not.

Next is something the OK State Fair wouldn't be the same without. Yup, you guessed it. Tractors!!! Woo-hoo! I know nothing about tractors except that they're shiny and kinda pretty. Don't tell me I'm weird. You think I don't know?

Now I think my friend Spike told me that this thing is called a Thresher. I could be completely wrong. It happens on occasion. It pulls up corn stalks and ties them together somehow so you can buy them to put on your front porch. I don't really know about that last part. It just sounded good at the time.

Here we have a picture of me taking a picture of Carol taking a picture of me. Got it? Good. Why is Josie walking away so quickly? I'm not stalking her. Really!

Here we are at the dog show. This gentleman, whose name Carol told me but I forgot, is balancing a dog on his hand. Why? Why not. And moving on....hold it right there! He has Carol's ribbon. What is with you people today?!!! And it's in his mouth! Now that's just not sanitary. I don't care who you are.

This tour is getting to be a lot longer than I anticipated so I'm just going to show you a few more pictures. Next we see a couple of geniuses who put a lot of thought in to what they would wear to the Fair.

You know, when I'm going to be walking around the State Fair all day the first thing I think to put on my feet is either flip-flops or cowboy boots. I mean, why not? Nothing says comfort like those two choices. I can see the podiatrists rubbing their hands together and grinning now. Mwahahahahahaha!!!

Warning! If you are anything like me the next couple of pics are going to be dangerous for you. You could get kicked out of the State Fair of Oklahoma for doing what I was wanting to. I really, really, REALLY needed...excuse me, wanted...to take one of these home with me.

I'll take this one. I'll call him Bacon. What?

And here are a couple of the Oklahoma State Fair Life Guards.

I feel safer already. Take a look at their feet. The gentleman on the right is going to break his ankle if he stands up too quickly and the other is going to trip. BTW, I have a very strong respect for police officers in general. Please don't find ways to give me tickets because I made fun of you. Please?

Finally we come to the reason for the blue ribbon that's been sneaking up in a few of these pics. That blue ribbon brought about the ultimate procurement of this:

Isn't it pretty? This ribbon was won by the person who took the pics of Josie and the dog balancing guy (dang, what on earth is his name?). See? They didn't steal that ribbon. The competitors of this particular (I seem to like this word today) contest were given a few hours at the Fair to take pictures BUT the blue ribbon had to be in each pic to make sure that you didn't take the pics ahead of time. The two pics that I have shown you were the ones that were chosen between for the final entry in the contest. We have a question!!! Thank you so much for raising your hand. You ask, who took the pics and which one won? I'll think we'll check out the final pic to get your answer.

Congratulations Carol! You are so cool. And way to go dog balancing guy!

I love the State Fair! Other State Fair blogs to follow.

Goodbye Jack

2009-07-15T11:46:00.007-05:00

You were loving and loved. You never met a person you didn't like. You licked my tears when I was sad. You cuddled with me on cold winter nights and even sometimes when it was hot outside. You waggled your tail and ran to greet me with your ears flapping in the wind when I came home. You made me laugh by howling at noon every Saturday when the sirens sounded. You flopped over on your back when I was near so I could rub your belly for you. You fell asleep in my arms while we were watching movies. You loved to sit in my lap when we went for rides in the car. You bounced impatiently for me to put new straw in your house and jumped in to get it settled before I was finished. You slept beneath the rosebushes with the sun shining on you. You didn't complain when you got sick. You still wagged your tail and tried to show you loved me when I got home to take care of you. You let me say "Goodbye". I love you for that even though it hurt. I will miss you, my sweet Jackie.

Just Filling Space

2009-06-04T10:47:00.002-05:00

I've started a new blog and seem to be neglecting this one. Not that anyone reads it but there you go. My new blog contains my reviews of movies and will also have recipes. It's www.dinnernamovie.blogspot.com. So there.

Resolutions

2009-01-05T23:45:00.005-06:00

I have decided that I'm going to actually try to stick to my New Year's resolutions this year. "What?" you say. "You haven't stuck to them in the past?" Shocking...I know. My will-power is usually so much stronger than that. Yeah, right.

So, following is my list of resolutions in no specific order:

- I will become a member of a church and attend regularly.
- I will get back down to the weight it says I am on my driver's license. (I haven't seen that weight in a long, loooooooooong time.
- I will get enough money in savings so that I won't have to freak every time I need to buy a new tire. This does actually happen a lot more than one would think it should.
- I will stop drinking Coke type drinks. I would say I'm going to cut out caffeine altogether but I really like the occasional sweet, iced tea.
- I will ask a man out on a date. No, I don't have anyone particular in mind yet. I've whined for years about how lonely I am and it's high time I did something about it. Granted, this will actually require me doing something outside my comfort zone. Look out world!
- I will stop being such a cynic. I used to be a nice, shy, quiet person. I miss her. I want her back...to some extent.
- I will stop allowing men to make my cry. What is that saying about the man who is worth crying over won't make you cry? I need/want that guy.
- I will get my house clean and keep it that way. I just never go to the trouble for myself. I would really like to come home every day to a clean house. That would be lovely.
- I will start cooking for myself. Something other than sandwiches and frozen pizza.
- I will keep a daily journal even if it's about nothing. I need to set aside time each evening to write and get rid of any stress or be happy for any triumphs.
- I will try to become content with myself and stop letting others dictate my emotions. This one is actually going to be the hardest for me.

Yes, I do realize that this is quite a list but it's things I should already be doing. Well, minus the asking guys out. I still think guys should do the asking. I guess I'm old-fashioned that way.

Christmas

2008-12-02T11:38:00.006-06:00

This is one of my favorite times of the year. I love to decorate and bake cookies, candy, etc. and snuggle down to watch Christmas shows. Something is different this year, though. My best friend has said for years that he doesn't like going to the different Christmas events because it's too commercialized. Of course, I disagreed because I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!! This year I have started to agree with him somewhat.

When I first moved back to OK I was broke. But Christmas must go on. You must find a way to get gifts for everyone. Now that I have a better job (which I still love, by the way) I can afford to get gifts and not have to skip spending money on petty things like bills and food. I thought this would make things easier at Christmas but instead it has become it's own difficulty. Did I get enough for one person. Did I get too much for another?

The last few years I have bought my Christmas presents throughout the year so that everything is ready to go by the time I go to visit the family or they come down here for Thanksgiving. It makes the holiday time a lot less stressful. This year, however, things that shouted "This would be perfect for...(fill in relative's name here)" did not pop in to my line of vision. So, when I received my Christmas bonus I went in to full panic mode. I had no idea what to get anyone. Because I don't live in the same house/city/state as my family and haven't for years I don't know what their new hobbies are nor much else about them that may have changed. How do you shop for someone you don't really know anymore? These are still the same people I know and love but it's suddenly become incredibly difficult to find that perfect gift.

My niece is easy to shop for. She likes...stuff. My mom is relatively easy to shop for. My dad and sister are next to impossible. My sister is picky (not a bad thing) and my dad buys whatever he wants/needs. He has been banned from doing any shopping for himself the month before Christmas or his birthday. He is a pro at buying whatever someone else in the family has just bought him for a gift. I am like my niece. The best thing about shopping for me, though, is that I truly believe that it's the thought that counts. If I know that you went to at least a minimum of trouble and thought for me I will be happy.

I have so digressed from the point of this blog. In the midst of my panic to get the perfect gift and spend as much of my bonus as possible I realized that I was freaking out about...stuff. Yes, I realize that my family would be disappointed if they didn't receive anything but do I really need to freak about it? I am a worrier so it's very important to me to get things that I know they'll love. Or at least dislike as little as possible. I have been in the spend, spend, spend mentality. I receive flyers in the mail advertising this or that gadget/movie/game/toy. Thank goodness I don't watch television or I'd probably be overinundated there also. Instead of relaxing and taking my time I went in to attack mode. I am finished with my shopping. I'm thrilled about that. But, did I put as much thought in to my gifts as I have the past years? I have no idea.

I discovered something else about myself during my shopping breakdown. I completely let go of the real reason for the season. I haven't found the church at which I'm meant to be and haven't been looking as hard lately as I should be. So I have, in a sense, taken myself out of the most important part of the season. I miss the fellowship of having Christian friends around me. I do understand this is my fault and that I can do something about it. I like to use the excuse that I'm very shy. I do have difficulty meeting new people. Once I know you, though, you can't get me to shut up. If you have known me for years and are surprised by the previous statements try to remember back to when we first met.

I am determined to bring the season for me back to what it should be. It is a time for family and giving but it's for so much more. It's a time to remember that first Christmas present. A gift that was given not through riches, parades and pageantry but through humbleness (It is a word. I looked it up). I want to be happy because of the reason for the season not because of the number of gifts underneath my tree. Actually, I just want to be happy in general. I don't think that's too much to ask. I'll work on it.

Boys are Stupid

2008-10-20T16:55:00.002-05:00

Enough said.

Picture Pages

2008-09-25T20:24:00.006-05:00

Mom, Dad, Tam and Kyra went to Yellowstone in July and had a blast. These are some of the pics Tam took with mom and dad's digital camera. I've decided I want this camera. Not that the camera did all the work by itself. Tam is a darn good picture taker person. The buffalo in the pics tried very hard to keep my family from crossing the bridge on which he was standing. Maybe he was expecting a toll. Or maybe he was protesting the invasion of humans on his stomping grounds. Who knows? But, when it's a buffalo vs. your vehicle you should probably let the buffalo win. They can leave a pretty big spot on your paint job.

This bird is a Western Tanager. At least I think that's what Tam told me. All I know is that it's pretty. The following pic is a moose that Tam spotted. They were all playing the "Spot the Animal" game. Kyra saw a grizzly bear but because (for some reason) they decided to keep their distance the pic came out kind of fuzzy. Or maybe that was just the bear. Anyway, Tam got credit for spotting the moose but dad took the pic.

The final pic is just a pretty spot that Tam liked. She thinks it should have scripture with it. If you have any ideas please forward. She would love feedback.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pictures. I hope to go back to Yellowstone some day. I went when I was young (I think I was 9 or 10) and all I remember is Old Faithful. Sad, but true.

I hate Fall!!!

2008-09-17T13:25:00.006-05:00

Okay, not really. I'm just frustrated that with the change in weather I am having allergy problems. Normally this would just be a nuisance but I'm going to a SCW retreat this weekend in which we sing for hours and I'll be glad if I can muster up a soft croak. Grrr!!! However, I have found that when I get sick my voice gets deeper therefore taking me from a tenor (okay, contralto) to a low baritone. Yes, I do feel feminine and dainty, thank you for asking.

Speaking of singing...if you're one of the 2 people who read this you need to check out this blog: www.thesearemychurchclothes.blogspot.com. This is an OLD (tee-hee) friend of mine and I just logged in to see what's new in his world. Apparently, it's a song. He recorded it in his garage and I think it's pretty darn good. Despite his disclaimer. Actually, it just dawned on me that one of the two people who read this blog is the person I just mentioned so Robin, go check out Tim's blog. :-)

I just realized when I published this post that the link mentioned above isn't set so that you can just click on it. As my head is in a fog right now I can't be induced to figure out what I did wrong. Let me tell you, though, that it is worth the two seconds it will take to hi-lite, copy and paste the link into the browser.

Okay, me again...I added a link to Tim's blog in my Links section. I already knew how to do that so I didn't hurt any brain cells with the effort. I'm okay...really. Well, sorta anyway.

Fall

2008-09-11T13:10:00.003-05:00

I am so ready for Fall to get here. The weather has been cool in Oklahoma the last few days and has really made me anxious to start bundling up in warmer clothes, making cold weather food and kicking back with a good book or movie. Not to mention the fact that it's nearly hockey season. I overheard someone the other day saying that some of the hockey games have been cancelled due to the fact that the games conflict with the OKC Thunder. I haven't checked yet to see if this is right but if it is I guess I'll have to find it in my heart to forgive them.

I am going to the Pumpkin Patch with my family again this year. If we can talk dad in to going it will be the first time we've all gone together. I'm sure that most people would think this is not too incredibly exciting , but I have looked forward to it the last few years. You get to walk out in the patch and pick out however many punkins you want to take home. The kids get in free if they wear their Halloween costumes so it's a lot of fun to see them all dressed up. My niece went through the corn maze last year and had a blast. She got through in no time. I would have been hopelessly lost. Somehow, last year I got wrangled into scooping out all of the punkin guts before we carved them. Oh well.

Not a whole lot else is going on in my world right now but I seem to be constantly busy. How does that happen? I know that once I'm back from the trip to the Pumpkin Patch I'll go full in to Christmas mode. I wish I knew now whether or not I am going to be able to go home for Christmas. Here's hoping.

Mamma Mia!

2008-07-23T17:35:00.002-05:00

I saw Mamma Mia! last weekend and in my opinion anyone who is interested in it should see the play AFTER they see the movie or see only the play. I was really psyched about the movie and was highly disappointed. The girl who played Sophie had a good voice and I have always liked Christine Baranski. Pierce Brosnan is a good actor. I'll leave it at that.

I also saw Hellboy II and The Dark Knight. I loved the first Hellboy movie and thought the second one was even better. The Dark Knight was really good. I wish that hadn't been Heath Ledger's last movie. I've always thought he was a good actor(well, at least since I started watching his movies) but he was REALLY good in The Dark Knight. I forgot it was him after a while. He was an excellent villain. Heath, you will be missed.

I will never blog as much as Robin or Tim

2008-07-11T23:17:00.002-05:00

This is the pot giving a great big shout out to the kettle! Yo! What up? You know who you are. Once again I don't have much to talk about but thought I should say something so here I am. The only really exciting things that have happened recently are a couple of vacations. In June my dad and I went to Las Vegas. We had a blast! And for 4th of July a friend and I went to visit my folks in Colorado. A good time was had by all.

Let's start with the Vegas trip. I think I gambled maybe $40. I lost it, of course. But I did play for a really long time on that $40. I played video poker. I would probably do a lot better if I actually knew how to play poker. You think? Other than that we went to 3 different shows: Mamma Mia!, Cirque du Soleil's Ka (pronounced "Ka" (tee-hee)) and Blue Man Group. Mamma Mia was wonderful. I can't wait for the movie to come out. I still can't believe they cast Meryl Streep in one of the lead roles, though. What on earth were they thinking? Anyway, if you are an Abba fan you need to see this play/movie.

Now, as far as Cirque goes, I loved it but dad...not so much. Of course it helps that I've seen the DVD's of most of their shows and this was the second show I'd seen live. It was more of a story than a circus which is what some of their shows are. I'm not even going to try to describe it because I just can't. Some of the things they did were SO cool! I realize that the "death defying" tricks aren't really because they have things to land on but still...I wouldn't do most of that stuff even if you put five safety lines on me and 200 feet of padding below me. Nuh-uh...not going to do it.

Last...Blue Man Group. Everyone knows who they are and what they do so they don't need much description. It was just really, really fun.

Next was the trip to Colorado. The family got back from a trip the same evening we got to Colorado. Mom cooked for us which is always a good thing. We spent most of Friday walking around downtown Denver. I really like that city. Just thought you'd like to know. Anyway, that evening we went to the Rockies game and if you want to know how fun that game was you should look it up on the net. It was the best baseball game I've ever been to. They came from way behind to win 18-17! It was so cool!

The next day we went to a winery...because we could and then we drove up in to the mountains. Well, not literally in to the mountains because that would hurt. We drove part way in to Rocky Mountain National Park and went to Bear Lake. It is a beautiful lake and I would have loved to spend more time there but someone had the great idea of hiking up to the waterfall. Let me just say that if I were in any kind of shape this hike would have been nothing. Apparently my lungs were not too happy with me. Go figger. However, the minute we got to the top of the waterfall it felt as if it were all worth it. It was gorgeous! I tried to take pictures but they don't do it justice. We had a really good time and were completely exhausted when we got back. I'll spend this weekend making up for lack of sleep and constantly going.

That's about all my excitement for now. I'm making curtains this week but I don't think I'll be blogging about my curtain making expertise in any future blogs. I hope everyone has a great weekend. Oh...and kettle, you and the Mrs. have a good time on your vacation.

Music

2008-03-31T14:06:00.003-05:00

I went to Wilmont for the first time in a long time yesterday and I'm sort of glad I did. They had a guest pastor and guest music minister and they were wonderful. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with the current pastor and music minister (I can't say anything about the music minister as I don't know anything about him) but I was particularly touched by both the sermon and the music. Mostly the music though. The MM sang a song while a picture presentation was shown on the screens. Sadly, I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the song. What I do remember is that for the length of that song I left the building, the city, the planet. It drew me in and kept hold. It's been a long time since anything like that has happened. I loved it. If it were up to me there would be a lot more music in the worship service. But it's not.

Takyra sang at her church last night. She sang, "He's Still Working On Me." Her mama, papa and mema were very proud of her. I wish I could have been there. They took video of it so I'll get the next best thing.

We Made It!

2007-09-10T13:35:00.000-05:00

It was exhausting! I couldn't breathe. My knees hurt. The hills were not as small as I thought they would be and I had to carry a bike across a river that came up to my waist. It was a blast!

On August 19, my sister and I participated in the Muddy Buddy Competition. Note I did not say that we "competed". Let's get real. We didn't have a chance in the world of placing. We were there to do...and we did. For those of you who do not know what the Muddy Buddy is, it's a race involving teams of two people each. One person starts the race riding a bike and the other starts the race running. There are obstacles along the course and after you have completed said obstacle you switch to the opposite of whatever you started out doing. Tam and I had discussed this multiple times and decided (well, I said) that I was going to start off running. We changed my mind at the last minute and I'm so glad we did. Tam ended up doing most of the running.

After the first obstacle I was running along and kept looking for Tam. It took awhile for her to pass me (please understand that she had to carry the bike up a REALLY steep hill!) and when she did I asked how she was doing. She said she was ready for this to be over. She did wonderfully. Technically the person who finished the race on the bike should beat the person who is running. This did not happen. Tam finished the race running and ended up waiting on me. Sad, but true. The person to "finish" first has to stay in a waiting area and when their teammate gets there you have to run (or in our case walk) to the final obstacle...a 50 foot mud pit. This you have to low crawl through. Lovely! As tiring as it was, we can now say that we did it. Why? Because we could.

Takyra participated in the Mini Muddy Buddy and came in third place in her age group. She's a quick little bugger!

Yes. I am still alive.

2007-06-27T21:19:00.000-05:00

Just in case you were wondering. Life is still ho-hum. I have decided, though, that if you could make any money being a car singer, I would be rich by now. Yes, that was very random, but there you go. I am a car singer. I am that idiot you see in your rear view mirror just wailing away. In fact, I've noticed people staring at me from their rear view mirror. And the girl who hates attention just does not care. I noticed someone else singing in car the other day and thought, "You go girl!" She didn't make eye contact or I would have smiled or waved or something. I've noticed that most car singers don't make eye contact with those around them. Yes, we know we look like goobers. No, we don't want to know that you think so. My latest choice of music is church performance tracks. They're just fun. Except when it gets to the high notes. I know I probably scare people when I try to hit those. Anyway, that's the excitement in my life right now. Thrilling, I know. Hope you're having a good week.

Life Since October

2007-03-17T13:28:00.000-05:00

Well, it's that time again. Time to write a new entry when I have nothing to say. Not much has happened since October. I've been to Dallas to see Cirque du Soleil's Corteo. That was pretty neat. Went to the top of Reunion Tower to the lounge to sit and view the Dallas skyline. Also very neat. Have discovered that I am worth the effort to very few people including my family and friends. Other than that, it's life as usual. Have a great day.

Tra la la

2006-10-06T22:38:00.000-05:00

Once again, I don't have much to say, but felt I should probably write something. Okay, I'm done for now. I'm going to Tulsa tomorrow to visit the aquarium and just kick around. That should be fun. Okay, NOW I'm done.

Nothin' much

2006-09-04T15:27:00.000-05:00

I don't have much to say this time, but figured it's been a while since I blogged. So, here I am. I got a new job. Yea me! I love it. I stay busy a good portion of the time so the days fly by. I also get to work OT and get paid for it. That's great too! The OT also helps since I have no social life. I've been too tired to worry about it.

Well, that's about all the excitement in my life right now. Will blog more later.

"Christians"

2006-07-08T00:53:00.000-05:00

I know I probably shouldn't rant about this considering who might read it, but it's my blog. I can write what I want. Some things that have been really irritating me lately are the things I and the people around me do/say while covering ourselves with the title of "Christian". Let me preface my rant by saying that I am one of the most judgemental people I know. Having said that, I feel no guilt whatsoever in making comments about others who are like me.

This Sunday will be the last Sunday at our church for our music minister. He and his wife and daughter are great. When he came in view of a call to our church, he did not hide the fact that he would be incorporating praise music into the repertoire along with the tried and true hymns. The search committee knew this. This was NOT news. But, any idea what the first thing complained about was? Yup. You guessed it. Other people had other complaints and made sure that he heard them. Apparently, when he signed on, he didn't get the memo that he was the official complaint department. Who knew?

Did I agree with everything he did while at our church? NOOO! But, did I stop and think whether or not my opinion would hurt him and possibly others? I sure did. Did I consider the fact that my complaint would do more harm than good? Yup. Did everyone else do the same? That would be a big, resounding NOPE!!!! Several people who made their complaints have the subtlety of a bear with a pine cone up it's behind. And now we've lost a very good man. A man who has made several people (including myself) understand that God truly did mean "Make a joyful noise". He will be missed.

I said all of this to say that many of the Christians I know, including myself, are horrible to the very people to whom we should be gracious. I'm not sure if that's the right word or not, but there you go. A couple came forward in church this past Sunday to dedicate their granddaughter. They were dressed in jeans and T-shirts and didn't seem very clean and I judged them on sight. The second I did, I took a step back (no, not literally) and realized what I'd done. What right do I have to decide that what they look like is not good enough for the hallowed halls of MY church? How horribly conceited was I in that moment? I hate that I'm like that, but I also hate that many people in the church are the same. I'm glad that God caught me at that particular moment and stopped my horrible thoughts. What courage it had to have taken for that couple to have stepped up in front of our congregation to offer their grandchild in to the hands of the Lord. It's not as easy as one might think.

And the arrogance is incredible! It's stopped being about God and started being about "me". That "me" was figurative. I've never thought much of myself so I don't think arrogance fits in my case. If you're going to get up in front of a church and preach or sing you'd better be doing it for God's glory and not your own because people can tell the difference. If you go to my church and are reading this, watch Robin the next time she gets up to sing. Watch Lori, Cari, Lynn, Barbara. Yes, these women are all confident in themselves, but at the same time, you can tell that they mean what they're singing. I know that Lynn is my aunt and I may be a tad biased, but I can't help being blessed when she sings. There's no way around it. She lives what she preaches/sings. It's evident in her love for and generosity toward others. Arrogance would never be a word used to describe her. My point being....it is possible to be a Christian without judging others or putting ourselves above them. Sure, you can see the differences, but see them only as that. Not as shortcomings. I'll work on it if you will. No, I won't. I'll work on it anyway.

M-I-C-K-E-Y

2006-04-18T09:13:00.000-05:00

Yes, the family went to Disney World last week. Me, my parents, my sister and my niece. We left early on a Saturday morning and came back in the evening on the next Saturday. We had to stand in several long LOOOOOOOONG lines, but it was well worth it. If you are a resort guest at Disney World you get to enjoy extra time in the parks. We didn't take advantage of that until our last night. My niece, my sister and I played in the Magic Kingdom until after 2:15 a.m. It was a blast! The only line we really had to wait for any amount of time in was Space Mountain, but my niece really wanted to ride it again so we were cool with that.

We went to Animal Kingdom, EPCOT ("Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow" for those of you who were wondering), Typhoon Lagoon, MGM Studios, Downtown Disney and the Magic Kingdom. Dad made the mistake of assuming that we would be through EPCOT early in the afternoon and then we'd be able to go on to another park. WRONG! We loved it! Mission: Space was awesome. I only got to ride it once, but three of our party got to go twice.

The light shows were amazing!!! Especially "Fantasmic" at MGM Studios. Just a warning, if you do go to see this show, get there early (1 1/2 - 2 hours ahead of time) and don't sit in the first few rows. You'll get wet and if it's a chilly evening....cold. But, once again, well worth the wait. We also saw the EPCOT light show "IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth". Many fireworks and a hugantic globe with different pictures popping up throughout the show. This show is great if you're not an 8-year-old who doesn't like loud noises. She kept her ears plugged and enjoyed the show anyway. And finally, we saw the Magic Kingdom light show "Wishes Nighttime Spectacular". Another warning. If you want to enjoy this show, do NOT sit close to the castle. We missed most of the fireworks because we thought we had good seats. Oh well. We went back the next night and got to enjoy the entire show.

As far as shopping goes, there was Downtown Disney. It had the biggest Disney Store I've ever seen. I think there are 12 different rooms in it. My niece was in Disney heaven. Downtown Disney also had a Ghirardelli "store". We got ice cream. It was yummilicious! DD has a Christmas store, a Pooh store, a toy store (of course), a Lego store, restaurants (including McDonald's) and a giant Lego monster in the pond. How cool is that?

I could go on and on about all the cool things there are to do at Disney World, but I won't. This blog would go on forever and ever. We had a good time, we ate like little piglets and we walked our feet off. Who could ask for more?

Faith In Times of Trial

2006-03-30T12:11:00.000-06:00

I have often wondered how I would handle tragedy in my life. No...I'm not asking for anything to happen so that I'll find out.

A couple very close to myself and a lot of people at church and around them lost a loved one this week. But, not just a loved one....a son. In my heart, knowing these people, I knew how they would be when I went to see them with my cousin. Yes, they are sad, but their hearts still hold God. He wasn't pushed out or set aside. They spoke of God's getting them through and you could see that even though they are hurting, they know they have someone on which they can lean. His mom was telling us about her trip to the hospital and about how it seemed that God was slowly preparing her for the news she was about to receive. She said that she prayed OUT LOUD!!! I know this seems simple, but how many Christians hide their prayers in public so that others won't hear? I know I do on occasion. But why? There are so many things she could have done differently, but she (and her husband) stayed on the path through all of the pain. She is one of a few people I use as an example of a true Christian. I could explain that more, but this will go on forever.

I also heard a story on Tuesday about an accident in Wyoming that took the lives of a man and his baby girl and injured the wife (mom). A few years earlier they had had a little boy and due to health issues he was taken from them within weeks. My mom read me the eulogy that this man had written for his son's funeral. It was absolutely beautiful. I wish I could put it on here, but I don't have it. He basically said that even though his baby boy was taken from him, he knew there was a reason. People often question why God would allow a woman to go through 9 months of carrying a little one inside them and then take them away so soon. This couple knew the answer to that question. If their loss could lead even one more person to know the love of God, their son's death would not have been in vain. I pray that the wife/mom will hold that faith in her heart through her loss and her healing.

So, my question is...when God sees fit to take away someone I love will I question him? Will I push Him out of my life so I can grieve and not allow myself to see that my loss is Heaven's gain? Will I pretend that I understand but secretly harbor resentment? OR Will I react in the same way these two couples have? I am not asking for this to be put to the test any time soon. I just hope that when this does happen that God and those close to me will help me attain the latter. It's so easy to say you love God when things are working out the way you'd like them to (or when they're pretty close). How much easier would it be to get through the hard times if you have someone to whom you can hand your sorrow? It doesn't sound like a difficult question. We're the ones who won't accept an easy answer.

Family Wrecks

2006-03-20T16:26:00.000-06:00

Well, I had a slight scare last week. I say slight because I know my cousin did a whole lot more freaking out than I did. I called my cousin before church on Wednesday to see if she was going to meet for dinner as we usually do before choir. When she answered, she was not her usual jovial self. Quite the opposite. The first words out of her mouth were, "I've been in a wreck! The car is really bad!" Now, if you know my cousin, you know she's a laid back sort of individual. It takes a bit to rattle her. So, of course, I was immediately worried. Turns out she's fine. Bumps, bruises, broken finger and slight burns (from airbag). Hey! I'm starting to not like the letter "B". It starts several not so fun words. Anyway, I digress. She has a tiny splint for her finger (which would work much better if she'd wear it) and her bruises are that really "pretty" yellow color now. Yuck! But, she sang at church last night (and did very well, if you ask me...but you didn't) so at least we know her vocal chords weren't damaged. :-D

My sissypoo was in a wreck several weeks ago, but it didn't scare me quite as badly because I had a good portion of the information up front and I wasn't talking to someone in "I've JUST been in an accident" mode. She did get banged up a tad though. See her blog under my "Tamra" link. There's a great pic from after her surgery. She seems to be recovering though. I talked to her on Saturday (her b-day) and the family was thrilled because she could raise her arm half-way. Nope, it doesn't take much to amuse us!

Hopefully both of them will be healed and back to their normal (well, as normal as they can get) selves in no time. We'll see.

Cari is NOT the boss of me!!!!

2006-02-06T16:51:00.000-06:00

Despite what she thinks, Cari is NOT the boss of me. I am writing this blog because I want to, not because she made me. Granted, I have nothing to write about, but there you go. I was sick this past week. So was half of Oklahoma.

This is sad. This is about the extent of my brain capacity at the moment. I need more memory. I do only have three more minutes before I get to go home for the day so I'm going to keep this short. If you want more to read go see Cari or Tamra's blogs. Lots more to read and tons more interesting.

Insert Witty Title Here....

2006-01-19T15:44:00.000-06:00

I'm not really sure what I should type for this blog, but it's been so long since last I typed and I'm feeling the pressure. Not much has been going on lately. I got my Christmas presents finished in time and everyone liked them. I crocheted a scarf for my sister, but she didn't get to wear it for a couple of weeks because it was so warm in Colorado. Oh wait, I'm not supposed to tell anyone how nice it is in Colorado. Y'all just go on believing that it's miserable up there in the winter.

I ran the marathon. Not all of it. Just 21 miles. But hey! The most I'd ever run before I started training was 2 miles and that was usually in 1/4 mile track increments. Not very exciting. This was the Disney Marathon. It was sooooooo fun! I'm ready to go back and run it again...but the entire thing this time. It was so cold at the beginning of the race...in Florida!! Who knew?

Freaking Out

2005-12-20T12:29:00.000-06:00

It's just a few days before Christmas and I'm not ready. I know that's a real shock to those lovely people who know me, but it's true. In previous blogs I mentioned how much I love this time of year, but I neglected to mention how stressed I usually am also. I will admit it. I am vice-president of the Procrastinator's Club. Cari gets top honors. Only because she manages to wait until the last minute and in her stress and freaking out, something wonderful emerges. That's just how she is. She does her best thinking when it gets down to the wire. See Cari? One more spiritual gift. :-D But, I digress.

I'm almost finished with my Christmas gifts. I'm making them, not buying. I always cringe when people open my home made gifts. Will they think it's hokey? Will they think I'm cheap? Will they understand that home made - to me - means so much more than store bought some times? Don't get me wrong. I'm all for "store bought". I just enjoy the pleasure that goes in to hoping that whatever I make will be well thought of (Cari, sorry for the preposition, but I couldn't be bothered to rethink the sentence).

This year I've added an extra stress to my list of reasons to freak out. I signed up to run a marathon and raise money for it and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Well, I've raised 1/3 of what is needed. Great! What began as something good for someone I go to church with has also become my greatest stressor. I still see it as something good and worthwhile. I just don't want to fail. I hate to fail. That, and I'm still a little pudge. Even with the training (which I've had to do by myself), 26.2 miles still seems like a long distance to run, walk, whatever.

I am so glad that Christmas is on a Sunday this year. While we do read the Christmas story - no, not "The Night Before Christmas - THE Christmas Story every Christmas, we go straight from there to opening presents and the entire meaning gets lost, or at least set aside. I like that when Christmas is on a Sunday, we stop, go to church, and truly concentrate on what the day means. We should do that whether we are in church or not, but despite our best intentions, it just doesn't happen that way most of the time.

I'm still incredibly excited about Christmas time. I was thinking about it this morning and realizing that Christmas is almost here and I don't want it to be. I know that sounded funny, but what I mean is that I've enjoyed the days leading up to it. I want to add a few more or find a way to prolong it afterwards. The day after Christmas is such a huge let-down and it shouldn't be. It's just 364 shopping days until the next Christmas. Start early! Beat the rush! I think that's when I'll start planning. Go ahead and send your wish lists. I might get to them before Dec. 24, 2006. Here's hoping.

Thank You, ABC!!!

2005-12-07T09:42:00.000-06:00

With all of the arguments going on now about the commercialism of Christmas and whether or not Christians should just stand back and let whatever happens happen, it was very refreshing to tune in to ABC last night. I don't watch much TV (maybe an hour or two a week) and I just happened to be flipping through the channels last night and came across one of the Charlie Brown Christmas specials. At one point Charlie Brown asks, "Doesn't anyone know the real meaning of Christmas?" Linus does. He goes to center stage (they're in the school auditorium) and tells the story of Christmas straight from the Bible. Not only was this on a major TV station, but it was shown during prime time viewing! See? Not everyone is worried about offending those who don't agree with Christianity. It helps, too, that Peanuts is such a beloved cartoon.

I still believe that we should continue our effort to keep Christ in Christmas. Otherwise, why would we celebrate the holiday at all? I realize that there are a bunch of holidays tucked together this time of year, but what does it hurt to separate them? I only celebrate one holiday on the 25th of December. So, I'm going to wish people a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year instead of saying "Happy Holidays." I have friends who celebrate Kwanzaa and I will wish them a Happy Kwanzaa. I don't know anyone who is Jewish, so that leaves out Hanukkah. I'm sure there are other holidays around this time of year that I'm leaving out, but if you celebrate one of them, just know that you're included. If you're offended by my "Merry Christmas" then I'm sorry you feel that way. I'm not sorry I said it, though.

Atheism is a Religion????!!!!

2005-11-30T23:35:00.000-06:00

Are you kidding me? I got my copy of the Oklahoma Gazette (the free, weekly newspaper) and on the front page was the title, "Is Atheism a Religion?" The answer? Uh....NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! How stupid can you be? The dictionary defines religion as (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance. Since Atheism is a non-belief system, I'm pretty sure you can't use it according to the definitions above.

But!!! Apparently the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals disagrees. Now, let me get this straight. The courts say that we can't allow religion within their walls, but then they want to turn around and define religion. Nope. Sorry. You don't get it both ways. My cousin Cari thinks they just don't get it at all. I'd have to agree with her. Has no one else noticed that our country really started falling apart when we took God out of it?

I am tired, as a Christian, of being told that my faith offends people. So what? Your cussing, piercings, clothing, grammar, vulgar tattoos, indifference, etc. offends me. Will anything be done about it? Of course not! Too many Christians (and I'm ashamed to say that I'm included) just sit back and don't stand up for what we believe. The reason America is changing for the worse is because the only people shouting for the changes to be made are the individuals who can't remember how or why this country was founded. Men died so these people can have the freedom of speech they so recklessly spew. They're more than happy to exercise the freedoms our forefathers bled and died for, yet with the same breath, cry "foul" when a Christian attempts to use the same freedom. Get your own country! We were kinda happy with the original plan.

To those of you who do practice a different religion, more power to you. Just don't shove it in my face. I like being a Christian. If I have to die for my belief, so be it. As to you atheists out there....I don't try to force my beliefs on you. Don't force your lack of belief on me. How is it going to change your life if I don't think the same way you do? If we all thought the way you do, it would be a pretty depressing world. Enjoy your big bang theory. I'm happy with Creationism. Intelligent design doesn't even begin to cover it.

All of the atheists out there should just sit back and not exchange gifts or anything like that on the 25th of December because for you, it's just another day of the year. No matter how you twist it around, the entire reason for celebration and gift giving is Jesus. Your arguments just don't hold water. To the retailers of the world....Merry Christmas...I'm making my gifts this year. To the Christians of the world...Merry Christmas and God bless you. God bless the rest of you too. Whether you want Him to or not, Jesus loves you anyway.

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

2005-11-15T11:52:00.000-06:00

This is what it looks like around Denver today. This is what I want it to look like in Oklahoma right now. I would put a picture of what it does look like here, but that would just be too depressing. It is actually kind of nice with the leaves changing colors and all, but I WANT SNOW!!!! I talked to my sister this morning and she said that my niece was thrilled because she got to play in all that snow before she went to school. Oh well. I guess I'll just enjoy the pics as they're sent to me from Colorado. If my niece really loved me, she'd smack her mom with a snowball for me.

Nag Nag Nag

2005-11-11T10:21:00.000-06:00

I have been ordered by my cousin to post a new blog. What a nag!

I was going to post pics of me in the half marathon that I finished last Sunday in 3:47:31, but the site that posted the pics decided that they'd rather make money off the pics instead of just letting you copy them. What will they think of next? Anyway, you're probably better off not seeing them.

The weather was perfect for the race. It was around White Rock Lake in Dallas. It was warm out, but the breeze coming off the lake made it really nice. The fall foliage was a good backdrop for the lake also. I found out that one of the guys I grew up with was in the race also. He ran it in 1 hr and 38 minutes. 13.1 miles! That's insane! Oh well.

I have to get up in the morning and run 13 miles again with my training group. I'm not really looking forward to it for some reason. Maybe because my muscles are still angry with me for overdoing it on Sunday. Or maybe it's because I'm a big baby who doesn't want to get out of bed that early in the morning. I think it's the first one.

Well, that's all I can think of right now. Cari, I promise when I think of anything else news-worthy (well, to me anyway) I'll put it on here. And, by the way, where are all your pics? Huh? Huh?

It's Cold in Oklahoma!!!

2005-10-24T13:23:00.000-05:00

I am so excited! I am sitting here at work (don't worry...I'm at lunch) freezing and sipping on a hot cup of chai and it is awesome! The cold..not the chai. Well, the chai is good too.

I love this weather. You get to dress in layers, eat comfort food, not shave your legs. Well, you don't have to. I'll do it at least once a week. You know. Just because. The only drawback to the cold weather is that there is less to do outside. But, give me a warm fireplace and I won't mind.

I have tossed sanity to the wind and signed up to run a half marathon in a couple of weeks. Am I ready for this? Uh...NO! Am I going to do it anyway? Uh...yeah. I'm getting a lot of encouragement from friends and loved ones. You know, stuff like, "Are you crazy?" and "You're running HOW many miles?". Makes you just warm all over doesn't it?

I'm still working on fundraising for the marathon I'm going to attempt in January. Who knew $4000 was going to be so hard to raise? Any ideas out there? Let's keep it clean. I hope everyone is having a Happy Monday. Well, try to anyway.

Running and Singing (not necessarily in that order)

2005-10-11T21:35:00.000-05:00

My fundraising efforts for my marathon did not go quite as well as I thought they would this past week. I have been very blessed by the people God has put into my life at my church. We had a good turn-out for the pancake breakfast and everyone gave generously. I am still less than 1/3 of the way to my goal. It's a tad disheartening. As for the running itself, it's going a little better. 26.2 miles still seems like a long way away.

I will be performing in my first concert with the Singing Church Women on Thursday. I'm so excited. I love to sing and the music that has been chosen is beautiful. I wish "Battle of Jericho" had been left in, but that's just my opinion. I went to three of their concerts last year (as part of the audience) and the sound was amazing. I'm glad I get to be a part of it this year.

My sister started her own blog today. It already looks like it's going to be very fun and interesting. I've included her in my links (Taminee). You should really check it out. That's all that's interesting in my busy, little life right now. Have fun. Good night. And God bless.

Deck the Halls!

2005-09-27T23:09:00.000-05:00

I realize that it's only the end of September, but I have to say something. I am so ready for Christmas. It is my favorite holiday of the entire year. I love it! And I'm not even talking about all the cool gifts I get each year. I'm talking about just the holiday itself. One of many things that is so cool about Christmas is that it starts about a month ahead of time. This is how the holiday typically happens in my family. On Thanksgiving Day, we celebrate Thanksgiving (you know, pig out, watch football, etc.) and then either that evening or the next day we put up the Christmas tree and watch White Christmas. It's a tradition. Mom and Dad have gotten real trees the past few years so I don't think they do the Thanksgiving Day tree decorating anymore. Oh well.

When I was in the youth group at church, we had the "Hanging of the Green". A boy and a girl from the youth group would carry out a wreath (actually, I think he carried it and I held on to his arm) and hang it on the wall. Then we'd each have to tell some story about the greenery or something like that. It was really neat. I got to do it two years in a row. How cool am I? Our church doesn't do that anymore. I wonder why. Now we do candle lighting services. Just as cool but more dangerous. I'll admit it. I'm a klutz. You probably don't want me holding a candle for long periods of time.

Anyway, after that, it's just an entire month of baking, caroling, getting ready for the church Christmas musical, hanging greenery on everything, driving around looking at Christmas lights, convincing children that if they're not good, Santa won't bring them any presents for Christmas. I cannot believe how much parents lie to their children! Okay, so aunts and uncles get brought in on it too, but that's just because it's fun to mess with the little darlings. I love being around my niece at Christmas. If ever a child would make me want to have children more than I already do, it's my niece at Christmas time (not that she doesn't do a pretty good job the rest of the year). She loves singing and looking at Christmas lights and decorating the house and playing out in the snow...you know, all the cool stuff. And she's just a happy kid in general. She and my little cousin Ashton are both so much fun to be around when they're happy. When they laugh, you just can't help but join in...but I digress.

My favorite part of Christmas, though is being able to sing about and talk about Jesus without so many people turning their noses up at you. Granted, we should do this throughout the year and carry on no matter what others do or say, but it just doesn't happen and that's sad. I realize that to some people it is just a commercial holiday and a time to give gifts, but it's so much more than that to me and a good portion of the people I know and love. One of my most favorite parts of Christmas is when most of the family (if not all) gets together at G-ma and G-dad's house to eat, fellowship and open presents. G-ma gets us all sat down in the living room (which is quite a feat considering the number of us and the size of the living room) and reads the story of Jesus' birth. The story in and of itself is precious to me, but what makes it that much more special is when G-ma starts to cry. I know that sounds callous, but an explanation is soon to follow. Stick with me. G-ma and G-dad love to have their family around them. G-ma is the heart of our family and loves each one of us in her own special way. Long story, short....G-ma rocks. Anyway, she gets so worked up to have so many of her family around her that her heart just overflows and she starts to cry. We tease her, of course, because that's our job as her grandchildren, but we all know how important we are to her and we love her all the more for it. So, rarely does a Christmas go by that we don't nudge each other when G-ma starts to tear up.

I know this is getting long, but I can't help it. My whole point of this story is that I want to start Christmas right now. Who says we can't celebrate for almost three months? We don't have to have presents until Christmas day, but it should be okay to sing Christmas carols now. Just don't play them on the radio because even I think they overdo that. I want to put up my Christmas tree without being made fun of. Well, that and I feel that's pushing it just a touch. I want to Fa La La La La the day away and make people smile while doing so (no, not that oh-yeah-she's-lost-it smile). Oh, and one more thing.....I want a white Christmas in Oklahoma. Is that too much to ask? I think not.

Me Me Me Me Me

2005-09-26T16:08:00.000-05:00

I went to my first ever Singing Churchwomen retreat this past weekend. It was so much fun. We sang our little hearts out. Cari (my identical cousin) talked me in to joining and I'm glad she did. The music is amazing. I'm so excited. Our first concert is in October. The only drawback to the whole thing is that I don't get along with very many women. SOOOOOO!!!! I guess it's time for an attitude adjustment. I auditioned for a solo (which terrifies me). I know I won't get chosen, but I pretty much knew that when I auditioned. I was happy with just getting up the courage to do it.

After we got back from the retreat on Saturday, I was able to take a nap for about an hour and then it was out to Bricktown for Light the Night. For those of you who don't know about Light the Night, it's a walk done at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center that raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Everyone who participates gets a lighted balloon to carry while they walk. A bunch of people from church got together to support a couple of church members who have Leukemia. There was quite a crowd. I love doing stuff like that.

I'm still working towards my marathon to raise money for Leukemia and Lymphoma. It's just so hard to get out and run. People keep telling me that one day I'll get to the point where I like it. I can't wait for that day to get here.

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

2005-09-02T00:45:00.000-05:00

Okay, have you ever really, REALLY disliked someone? To the point that just hearing them speak drives you up a wall? When you can't even hear their name without spewing some hate filled commentary on why they shouldn't even be inhabiting the planet? I have been going through this for the past couple of years about someone at church. AT MY CHURCH!!! Yes, I've prayed and asked God to help me not hate this person anymore, but you can all guess how much heart I put in to that section of my prayer. You know, those prayers where you think you should say something like that, knowing that God knows your heart, but saying it anyway without meaning it? Why do we do that? Prayer should be the most honest aspect of your life. It's not like you can lie to God or just fudge a little. He knows it all.

So, I've said these prayers and then felt guilty because I just LIED TO GOD!!! Why on earth did I just ask for help that I didn't really want? I was wallowing in my hatred toward this person who, at the most, deserved my pity, not anger. Not that the anger wasn't justified. But, it was completely unnecessary.

What finally stopped this almost two year long hatred was the very hard slap in the face that said that while I profess to be a Christian, I was showing those outside the church that they don't need to become Christians because I was acting worse than a lot of non-believers. Why should anyone go to church if they feel like that is the atmosphere into which they're going to walk? And, even though this person pretty much figured out that I couldn't stand to be in their presence, they didn't know why. Other people were seeing my attitude also since I do not now, nor will I ever, have a poker face. But, at the same time, I was pitying non-believers because they don't know my God. How arrogant am I?

So, I am working on my feelings toward this person and, lo and behold, I'm starting to feel better about myself. I'm not constantly griping and when I do start feeling ill towards this person, I remind myself that I most assuredly would NOT want someone to feel that way about me. Just let it go! If I walk out of the room with a heavy heart, I'm going to affect those around me. I don't want anyone's one and only thought of me to be, "Boy, is that woman cranky!"

I would love to someday be spoken of the way in which most people mention Miss Beth (if you go to my church, you know who she is). To be in Beth's presence is to be the most important person on the planet. You can be talking to her in the middle of a crowd and she doesn't seem to notice that there is anyone in the room, but you. Whatever you are saying to her is of great importance no matter how light or heavy the subject. She never NEVER makes anyone feel less than anyone else. We are all her grandkids and she has room in her heart for all of us. She is my model Christian. If I acted more like her, the people around me would never have to question whether or not it is a good thing to be a Christian. They'd want to "join the club".

Yes, I went off on a tangent, but that's what happens this late at night. My point is, I need to get off my high horse and realize that I am no better and no worse than any other person on this planet. I also need to get off my tuckus and stop expecting people to believe something that I'm not daily proving. It's late and I must stop before this becomes an all night rant. God bless. Oh! And be nice to people. You never know when you may need them as a character witness.

Still Running

2005-08-31T11:51:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm still running. I'm up to five miles now. Only 21.2 to go! I added a couple of links to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team in Training web site and to my personal donation page for the marathon. The Team in Training link gives you facts and a history about the LLS TNT just in case you're interested. If you're not interested, well it still gives all that stuff. You just don't have to look at it. I'm just now sending out my donation request letters so my donation page is looking kind of sad.

Aside from that, not much is going on, but I always seem to be busy. Explain that one. Brett and I are doing a puppet show at church in a couple of weeks. We always seem to wait until the last minute, but it seems to go smoothly anyway. Brett is quite the puppeteer! And he's not a bad cook either. He's going to be a good wife to some lucky woman. Sorry Brett. Didn't mean to step on your mojo.

Cousin Cari's birthday was yesterday. Happy 29th, Cari! Love ya. Mean it. She got to work for her birthday, unlike me who went to Colorado and didn't climb a mountain for mine(that's a whole 'nother story). I went to her class during the Women's Conference last weekend and it was so good. If you ever get the chance to hear her speak (well, in a public venue anyway) you should take it.

Volunteering

2005-08-22T13:12:00.000-05:00

Have you ever noticed that there are times in your life when, after years of doing generally nothing, all of the sudden you start volunteering for everything under the sun? I'm at that point. It's overwhelming right now, but starting to become fun. I know that in a few months I'll be so used to it that going back to being lazy is going to be boring. Granted, the occasional "me day" will be required, I'm sure, but for now it's just nice having something to do.

For the next few months I'm going to be doing a lot of running around. Literally. I signed up to run a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America. I'm really kind of excited about it even though it means that I'll actually have to...well, run. I'm a softball and volleyball kind of girl. You know, the sports where any running is done in short spurts. Was I content with that? Nooooooooooo!!! I decided that it would be more fun to run 26.2 miles. 26.2 miles!!!!! I didn't realize that that distance was reachable by anything other than car. Okay, I did realize that, but refused to dwell on it. Anyway, it's for a good cause. If you would like to donate money towards my fundraising efforts, I will have a link to the site up after a while.

Other than that, I'm mostly involved in church activities. I used to be that girl at the back of the church who was more than happy to just blend in and not be noticed. Now, it seems that I volunteer (or get volunteered) for just about everything. I'm not complaining. I enjoy it. I just hope it never gets to the point where I hate any of it. I think I would know to back out before it gets to that point. We shall see.