Marine Corp Prayer...

The United States Marine Corps Prayer.

Eternal God, we humbly beseech You that your hand of mercy extend to all United States Marines from sea to shining sea, from ports near and far, amphibious bases and airfields, to embassies around the world. Whenever our Marines stand watch this day may they be persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things pre...sent, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate them from the love of God.
Lord, stand beside these Marines whom you have called to serve. Help them to serve honorable. Give them courage, strength, and skill, and if they are called to sacrifice may it be worthy of their Lord.
For the tasks that lay before the Commandant and the Sergent Major of the Marine Corps, we ask an extra measure of strength. When they pass through the waters, make known that you will be with them, and when they walk through fires they shall not be burned.
God, we pray that you would sustain our Marines, and just as they are always faithful to the Corps, we ask that you would call them by name, and they would hear your voice and they would be faithful to you. (Semper Fidelis) Amen





I received my first "form" letter from My Marine last night! I was so excited I started dancing and singing! You would have thought someone handed me $1000! Now I have an address so I can start communicating with my son! It's been a long (nearly) 2 weeks but I have survived and I'm sure he has too! lol Occasionally on Fridays I will be posting things that pertain to the marines. I hope you don't mind! It is a part of my life now and that is what this blog is all about ME and MY LIFE!!

As we end September and start October I hope you will prayerfully consider donating to help find a cure for Breast Cancer. I am participating in the Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure Walk on November 4,5,6th and I have pledged to raise $2300. You can donate here to help me raise this money! This weekend I will be doing training walks...of 10 miles on Saturday and 6 miles on Sunday (it's a short weekend of training before next weekend we walk 18 miles on Saturday and 15 miles on Sunday!)

Have a great weekend everyone and Semper Fi (Always Faithful)~~

Just When I Think I Can't Go Another Day...

God shows up and makes me realize that HE will take care of me/us.

This weekend I checked online and found that the automatic debit that comes out of our bank account for our Toll Tag had debited $40. That took our account into overdraft status with the purchases that were made this weekend (gas and groceries).

DH has still has not found work. I have applied for work for nearly every place I can think of that I would be qualified to work at (which isn't much since there isn't a big demand for stay at home moms in the job market). That leaves us in a bad place again.

Fast forward to this morning....a friend emailed me and said she wanted to bring a book over to me that I had loaned her, but wouldn't be able to stay long. I told her it could wait till later in the week since she couldn't stay long. She said that was ok, she wanted to bring me something else, too. Ok...I would welcome her coming over even if it was a short visit.

She came over this afternoon, with my book and a check that her husband said to bring us. I started crying, even before seeing the amount. After she left I looked at the amount and really started crying! It is enough to pay our past due auto insurance payment, our cell phone bill and money for gas and groceries!!

Dh said "Thank God for friends!!" I say, AMEN!!

God is sooooooooooooooooo good to us!! All we have to do is believe!! I believe!!

Now Is the Time To "Toot God's Horn!"

For the most part my blog focuses on my weight loss journey and the boys and their activities. Yesterday's assignment at the Sisterhood was to "Toot My Horn", tell people why "I Rock"! It was challenging but a great exercise for me, but today I am going to post a bit of praise for GOD and Toot HIS Horn!! Before I do, I will be giving a little background info...If I don't you'll be confused and I don't want that. I want this post to be "clear as a bell" so to speak. I want this to be a visual reminder of the good and bad!

Here goes...My dh is an architect, who has been working as a contract designer for the past 5 years. Before 2009 he rarely had to "look for work". It always came to him, or he would make a few phone calls and "boom" he had work, so his marketing plan was to pick up the phone and talk to a few people. Throughout the first half of 2009 business slowed down to basically non-existent. He lost client after client until August when there was "no more work". The beginning of September he started seriously looking for work and "just happened to drop in" (co-incidence, I think not) a former client's office. He talked to the owner and a few days later he started working there. He was promised work for 2 months' time, but the longer he worked there the longer the owner wanted to keep him working. About 1 1/2 months after working there they asked him to continue working till the end of the year. We were excited! We now knew we would have income through the end of the year and the way it looked it would be extended even further. He was so busy working in this office he didn't really think much about marketing or looking for more work. It didn't really look as if he would need to worry about it.

We thought he would be working for an extended period of time and we had figured out how to lower our expenses so that we could afford for him to work there and not worry about "extra work". Then on December 18th, dh was told he would not be needed to work over the weekend. Come back in on Monday, the 21st. Most people would be excited to be told "not to work over the weekend" but we are not most people. This seriously cut into our income (paid hourly) and we really needed that income to meet our budget. We started freaking out a little but he welcomed a break to hang out at our new apartment, since he hadn't really gotten to spend much time there yet. We took it in stride.

He went back in on Monday, the 21st and was told he would only be working Monday and Tuesday and then there would not be a need for him! HELLO....Can you say FREAK OUT??
Where was our income going to come from? How were we going to pay bills? How would we live? You can imagine how my life turned upside down, can't you? Keep in mind that most people when they get laid off from a job can go file for unemployment and collect a bit of a check for 6 months as long as they are looking for work. As a self-employed contractor, dh couldn't do that!! UGH!! Not to mention, guess what? It's the end of the year and the Christmas holiday break! No one hires at this time of the year! UGH!! Again!!!

Time for me to really stress...Strange thing is, dh wasn't really stressing out too much. I guess I was doing enough for both of us! We spent a lot of time praying for God to provide for our needs. We also spent a lot of time trying to find ways to "not spend money". The first part of January dh started making phone calls and started looking for work. He didn't really have a game plan, just start making phone calls to all the people he knows and telling them he was looking for work and sending out resumes. He has an amazing number of contacts. He has an impressive resume. He also has done some impressive work during his 20 years doing independent contract architecture.

This past week, dh finally got into contact with some offices that actually are hiring. He got 3 interviews this week. He feels like he will be offered at least one of these positions soon. Problem with this scenario...we "were" down to about $20 in the bank. No credit cards. Little food in the house. And no idea how we would pay rent on the 1st of the month. We borrowed money from That Kid (who has a great job) so that the cell phone (the one that dh uses for making business contacts) bill could be paid without disconnection.

I spent Wednesday and Thursday in probably one of my worst funks ever. I spent a lot of time crying. I spent a lot of time telling God, "I just can't do this anymore". I spent a lot of time complaining to God that we had endured enough of this "no money stuff". I told God that "we can't live on nothing". I broke down and cried while talking to a couple of friends. I just basically had a "melt down". Strangely enough, I am following a Bible Reading Plan and I started reading Job on Wednesday. Then another friend emailed me a quote from Job. Hum....maybe God was trying to make a point, huh?

I woke up feeling better on Friday. I decided I would just hold my head up and make the most of the day. A friend of ours from That Other Kid's hockey team was coming over and taking us to the new movie The Tooth Fairy. It was right up our alley. We were excited and looking forward to spending some time with friends doing something fun. That Kid also got some tickets to a hockey game that he couldn't use so he asked me to sell for him. He told me to keep half the money from the sale of the tickets since he couldn't use them and the money had already been spent. I started sending emails to people I thought might want them. I didn't hear back from anyone right away, but just decided that I would hang on and believe that they would be sold!

Early in the afternoon dh got a phone call from a "new" client. She asked if he could do "xxx" and would it be possible to "meet with her this afternoon?" Ugh...YES!! He wasn't doing anything else...and the possibility of a contract job that needed to be started SOON!! Can you say, "YEAH GOD??!!!" So dh started getting ready for meeting with the client. That Other Kid and I started getting ready for the movie with friends.

About this time, one of my contacts I had emailed about the hockey tickets said he was interested if they were still available!! Thank you, God! Tickets were sold!! I could meet them Saturday morning and they would pay for the tickets then and we had some cash to get through the end of the month...some grocery money, gas money, and able to pay the water bill. Now to just pay the rent...where would the money come from for that? (Hang on, my story is not finished yet!)

My friend called and said she would be here in a few minutes. We went out to meet her and she handed me an envelope from her sister. Inside this envelope -- $500 CASH!! (Not enough to pay rent, but I believe my story isn't told!) As I opened the envelope FULL of cash from a lady that I had only met a couple of times I just stood there and cried. My friend also gave me money for gas so that That Other Kid could go play hockey tomorrow with the team. After taking us to the movie and dinner at Chickfila (TOK's favorite place to eat) my friend stopped off at the grocery store and bought us almost $50 of groceries. God is soooooo good! He used my friend and her family to BLESS MY SOCKS right off!

At this point, Saturday late afternoon, dh is sitting in his office working on a proposal to present to his new client and we still have 10 days to come up with the money to pay rent. My faith and trust that "God will provide all I can ask or think" has been restored. So I am sitting here at my computer waiting for God to bless our socks off again! HE CAN AND I KNOW THAT HE WILL! I will be reporting back as God blesses us more....

How has God blessed you recently??? I would love to hear your story!!

New Challenge - Weigh In

The new challenge started yesterday...in case you didn't catch it. It's only 21 Days this time and we are trying to establish some new HEALTHY habits, and break some bad ones. As always weigh in days are Wednesday so I hopped in my truck and went to the gym to weigh myself. I was, let's say, happy to see the numbers back down a little, but bummed that they weren't down as much as I had wanted.

Last week's weigh in: 204.10
Today's weigh in: 204.3

So I'm starting this 21 Day Challenge with the weight of 204.3. Let's see if I can be at or below 200 by the time this challenge is over, k??

I did start the day off with a banana and some pineapple juice so that is 2 of my fruit/veggie servings. I also started with my Bible and some prayer time. I'm going to get outside this evening after dinner, by enticing That Other Kid to go for a bike ride or roller skating. He loves to do both of these activities so it shouldn't be too difficult for him, me on the other hand...why is it so stinkin' hot out??? Me don't like this heat and humidity, ya know? Oh well only a few more months before it is bearable!

Brooke asked me what Bible reading plan I was using....so I'll tell everyone...It's from QuickVerse '08 "Read the Bible through in a Year". It is a software on the computer and it is very doable, but I feel like I'm going to need an actual Bible Study and I love Beth Moore's study's. I have one (Breaking Free) already that I "started" but never got more than a few days into, so I'm thinking about doing that. I also have several different devotional books that I think I'm going to get out and look at. I think I need something besides just a reading time, ya know??


So how are you doing today with your goals??

Graduation Ceremony #1

This is my niece..."A"! Isn't she beautiful?? Doesn't she look incredibly nervous in this last picture? It was taken just a couple of hours before her high school graduation. A huge number of her family was there (including me and both my boys). These pictures are just a sampling of how special and original she is. Let me start at the beginning...at least the beginning for me.

In the summer of 1995 my dh and I along with That Kid moved from Fresno, California to the Dallas area. All of my family lives in Kansas and it had been 4 years since we had been there to see any of them. I had seen my oldest brother because he was a Marine stationed in California a few times when he got long weekends. But other than him I had not seen anyone in 4 years, so the first chance I got to go up to Kansas for a visit I jumped at it.

That was August, 1995. That Kid had just turned 5...and didn't remember any of my family. We drove the 5 1/2 hours to Kansas and visited with family. It was kind of a strange time....but it was good. We stopped at my parents house then went over to my oldest brother's house, where he lived with his new wife and new daughter. I say "new" daughter because she was new to our family. My (now)sister-in-law had a daughter who was about 2 1/2 years old when my brother met and married her momma. At the time we met them she was just past 4 years old so she was a perfect age for That Kid to play with! And OMG, did they PLAY!! They met each other and played perfectly for HOURS!! We introduced them and didn't see them again the rest of the evening! They became best friends/cousins instantly! I was thrilled to have a playmate for him...I wondered how the trip would go for him...and because of this wonderful little girl it was special!

Since that time every time we went to Kansas That Kid had someone to play with or hang out with...and they got along great most every time. There was a time when they were 12 or 13 when it got a little awkward, but other than that we never had any problems with the two of them getting along. The two of them grew up and matured into special individuals with their own gifts and talents, but a tremendous love for each other.

I watched this little girl grow into a beautiful young lady. She has always held a special place in my heart and over the past fews years she and I have developed a special relationship. She has come to me seeking advice and has asked my opinion on what she should do a number of times. She is always looking to do the right thing and so I want to pay tribute to her for a minute.

She graduated in the top 10% of her class of 402 students. She applied to 4 different colleges and received some kind of scholarship from each of them. She has finally decided to attend a community college 45 minutes from their home and live in the dorms. She received a full scholarship for this college and based on the information she received it will be a great fit for her. This decision was difficult for her....she wanted to attend another community college, the one her boyfriend of 2 years will be attending, that both her mom and my brother (her step-dad) attended, and the one that most of her friends will be attending BUT she made the decision based on "what is best" for her, not anyone else!! I couldn't be more proud of her!

While attending high school she also played in the orchestra, and was a major player on the swim team. She had a knee injury and surgery last year and was unable to swim, so instead she was the manager for the team. I know that had to be a difficult thing for her to do...since swimming is one of her true loves. This year she came back strong and swam for the team, and improved at each of the meets according to her parents. After taking an entire year off, you know it had to be difficult to get her groove back, but she is dedicated and determined to be the best that she can be!

I think I've gushed enough now....but I just wanted everyone to know that "A" is a special young lady who will go places. Her goals for college are to be a Marine Biologist....Wow!! That means in a few years I could be related to a Marine Biologist!!! Whatever she becomes I know it will be something great because she has the determination and willingness to work hard and whatever she sets out to accomplish she can do it!

LOVE YA, "A"!!!

God Lives Under The Bed

I received this email the other day and just looked over it until tonight when I sat down and really read it. I'm been doing a lot of reflecting on my life the past few weeks and this really made me think a little harder. I think it will affect you the same way.


GOD LIVES UNDER THE BED

I envy Kevin. My brother, Kevin, thinks God lives under his bed. At least that's what I heard him say one night.

He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped to listen, 'Are you there, God?' he said. 'Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed...'

I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin's unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something else lingered long after the humor. I realized for the first time the very different world Kevin lives in.

He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he's 6-foot-2), there are few ways in which he is an adult.

He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them.

I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life?

Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favorite macaroni-and- cheese for dinner, and later to bed.

The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child.

He does not seem dissatisfied.

He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05, eager for a day of simple work.

He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry chores.

And Saturdays - oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside. 'That one's goin' to Chi-car-go! ' Kevin shouts as he claps his hands.

His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights.

And so goes his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips.

He doesn't know what it means to be discontent.

His life is simple.

He will never know the entanglements of wealth of power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be.

His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he is working. When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it.

He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax.

He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others. His heart is pure.

He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue.

Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always sincere. And he trusts God.

Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child.. Kevin seems to know God - to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an 'educated' person to grasp. God seems like his closest companion.

In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity, I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith.

It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions.

It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap. I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances - they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to God's care.

Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of God.

And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed.

Kevin won't be surprised at all!

When you receive this, say a prayer. That's all you have to do. There is nothing attached. This is powerful.

FRIENDS ARE ANGELS WHO LIFT US TO OUR FEET WHEN OUR WINGS HAVE TROUBLE REMEMBERING HOW TO FLY

Greatest Video Ever!!

Someone on my homeschool list sent this video out this morning. I immediately clicked on it and FELL IN LOVE with it....It is definitely worth the few minutes it took to watch. Make sure you have the sound up....God is GOOD!!

Time to Boast

That Kid has been playing ice hockey now for about 10 years. About 4 years ago he decided he probably wasn't going anywhere with playing hockey so he thought he would try officiating. He started out in the program the fall that he was 14 (4 years ago). He went through a hockey season being "trained". During this training session he officiated with high level officials who had been working all levels of hockey. Once he was finished working this training season, he was free to work as many games as he wanted as long as they were youth leagues, with players younger than he was. Over the past 3 years he has worked hard to improve himself and become a better referee. This weekend his hard work paid off.

He was asked to attend a program, along with 2 other young men, where he met NHL Officials. Not only did they meet them, but they got to have a Q & A with these men. How do they advance? What programs should they seek out to advance?? etc., It was definitely a chance of a lifetime!

He not only got to have this Q & A, but he went out on the ICE with them, during the warm-up between the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers. He talked with the goalie for the Edmonton Oilers and skated with the NHL Officials. After skating the warm-up, they did the National Anthem with the 2 teams and the Officials. After this they left the ice, watched the game, then went down to the locker room with the officials and questioned them about the calls for the game.

What a wonderful opportunity!! And of course, I documented it!!






Entering the ice with NHL Officials



Talking with the Goalie from the Edmonton Oilers.

Are You Still Here?

I am....I've just been busy enjoying the beginning of our summer! Let me start off saying -- we had A GREAT TIME this Sunday at my (step)mother-in-law's house! (Sounds weird, huh?) Oh well, I'm weird and you guys have probably already figured that out....

We left our house around 10:30 (which is later than I had planned, but that is nothing new for me). Once on the road things were going well, That Other Kid was watching a movie, till we got about half way there, when he proceeded to lose his breakfast ALL OVER HIMSELF, including his clothes. I forgot -- my kids get car sick, just like I used to do! He did this several more times, with several close calls. After several delays to clean up vomit and change clothes, which for some strange reason we had a pair of shorts and a couple of sweatshirts in the car. We stopped at Walmart in the town where grandma lives and got a couple of acceptable "summer clothes". He vomited one more time -- in her yard! Then he was fine the rest of the day...go figure! He even ate a bagel right before we left and had no problems keeping it down!

We met lots of relatives and had a nice visit with everyone. That Other Kid got to go FISHING!!! for the first time and he caught his first FISH....he was sooooo HAPPY you could hear him screaming all the way up at the house! I didn't think to bring the camera down to the lake, of course....but I did get a picture with my phone. I just have to figure out how to put it on the computer!!!

The rest of the day was uneventful....and we came home with NO more vomiting, yeah!! And an hour nap!!! but of course that meant he wouldn't go to sleep till 11:30 p.m.!!

Monday, we just laid around and watched tv, did laundry, and all those fun things!! I did fix burgers and hot dogs on the grill...so that was nice. I need to do that more....they tasted really good.

Yesterday was a BIG day for me....it was Allergy Testing Day and CT Scan Day! After that I got my hair done....before my hairdresser leaves for a month to take care of her momma...say a prayer for her.
Her momma had a stroke a few years ago and is not doing well. It will be a LONG month for her and she's gonna need all the prayers she can get to stay strong enough to care for her 24/7 for a month.

Anywhoooo, allergy testing confirmed I have A LOT OF ENVIRONMENTAL ALLERGIES....Burmuda grass (in my front yard), OAK (in my back yard), Ragweed, Marshelder, Pigweed, Lambs Quarter -- all weeds, which I'm sure all reside in my yard! Dustmites -- no wonder I hate to dust, huh?, and the saddest DOGS. Fortunately, they are going to concoct a medicine for me to take every day so that I don't feel like I'm going to die in my own house/yard! This should help with my allergy problems so I'll feel better...

I will find out the results of the CT Scan next Tuesday when I see the ENT again. I am hoping for some definitive answers then. I have a feeling those answers will mean surgery, but I am prepared to go through surgery to finally feel well enough to function like a normal person again. Right now I struggle with breathing through my nose so bad I snore at night and can hardly breathe well enough to do the most basic of outdoor activities, like walking a mile -- from Sonic to my house! I did it this afternoon and was so exhausted and winded when I got home all I could do is SIT!!

I want to get moving again, so I can shed this excess weight. But I know that is a process...and I'm moving in the right direction!

I heard from my dad last night and he is doing well with his radiation and chemo treatments. He has the rest of this week and next, then he will see the doctor, who will determine when his surgery will be. Please pray for his continued strength. He is doing so well, he is walking 2 miles a day and feels good!! I'm soooo thankful that God the Father is taking care of my father!

Well that's it for now....hope all is well with you!

Doctor's Appointments

I talked to mom this evening after settling down with That Other Kid, to check on dad's doctor's appointment. PRAISE GOD....the tumor has NOTTTTT, I repeat has Not spread!! It is still contained within his colon. They couldn't really tell if is smaller or not without going in and doing another internal search, which they didn't want to do because of the sensitivity of it after 8 weeks of chemo, but the fact that it has not spread is a BIG PLUS!!

He has to meet with the radiation specialist ASAP, which they are waiting for a call from his office. They will probably hear from him tomorrow and meet with him to start radiation treatments. Apparently they want this started ASAP, so hopefully by Monday. They will be doing the radiation treatments in the best hospital in their town, instead of the VA hospital, which makes me feel so much better! Thank you Jesus, for taking care of my dad!!! and thank you for praying....

Another doctor appointment had positive results today! That Other Kid had a food challenge for Soy products.....and he PASSED with flying colors!! We now get to add WHEAT, PEANUTS, and SOY into his previously limited diet....He can have soooooo many new foods, I'm just giddy!!! He is still highly allergic to milk/dairy, and eggs, but OMG he can have soooooo many foods now, that he couldn't just 6 weeks ago!!! I'm sooooo happy for him! Now I just need to get him to accept the fact that he can have more than 6 food items!!

Tomorrow I go to the ENT to see what is wrong with me and my sinus cavities....so I don't spend the next 9 months sick....please pray it is a successful visit! and last but not least That Kid will go to the orthopeadic surgeon tomorrow afternoon to find out what is wrong with his elbow....it has been hurting and swollen for about 6 weeks, so it is time to get it checked....I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks for all your prayers....I appreciate each and every one of you.

The Bible Says....

in Psalm 127:3 Don't you see that children are God's best gift? the fruit of the womb his generous legacy? Basically that means our children are blessings from God, right? Well then, why do I continually feel like my children are a curse?
I know I'm not the only one out there that feels this way, either....I read blogs....I'm somwhat educated. (I have 2 years of college education)....why can't I get through a day dealing with my 2 boys that I don't want to bury my head in the sand and just say....."Do whatever you want! I'm on vacation!"
I know many of you out there have A LOT more than 2 children and they are much closer in age than mine (13 years apart). How DO YOU manage to get through the day without some major breakdowns?
This month has been an exceptionally trying month in our household. I've been sick forever, money has been tight, the teenager has tested us beyond normal bounds and the little guy has needed extra attention. The house needs a major cleaning and school work needs to be graded and all I wanna do is "blow a gasket" and say "you people are on your own".
There are a couple of blessings in this turmoil -- my mother-in-law is back safe and sound from her 3 week vacation so I can VENT to her as well as all my blogging pals and regardless of how I FEEL GOD is in control!!! In addition to these blessings my dh has realized that he has to step up to the plate and be a dad sometimes -- instead of working 24/7. He spent Friday night with That Kid, as well as all day Saturday and Tuesday night. Wow-- now that was a BLESSING.

All my whining to God this past week has taught me at least 1 thing -- regardless of how I feel Children really are a blessing from God and to be treasured. I know this deep down, but sometimes I have to remind myself of it. Do you?????

Peace and Quiet

Do you ever just sit in your house and listen to the sounds of the air conditioner, computer keyboards clicking from typing and the noises the animals make? You should it is the most wonderful thing in the world after a noisy and busy day.
I'm getting one of the rare nights of peace and quiet. You see, That Other Kid is in bed sleeping, That Kid is working on a test for his job, dh is working in his office/master bedroom and I am just enjoying the peace. We usually have the tv on in the evenings; whether we are actually watching something or we have it on just for the noise, it is a rare night that is not on.
But, this week has been so busy and LOUD I decided I needed a night of peace. So the tv has been off since 8p.m. and I can't say I miss it. I will probably turn it on in a bit to catch the local evening news, but afterwards I'm going to turn it right off.
This is something God has been dealing with me on -- just sitting and enjoying the little moments of peace. They are from HIM and I WILL benefit from them.

I got an email from my friend today about supporting the National Breast Cancer Society by "clicking for mammograms". It's something I already do, but I'm going to try to put a link on my blog so you can do it if you don't already. This is to help pay for Mammograms for women who can't afford them. I am a BIG proponent of the Breast Cancer Society -- my grandma died of Breast Cancer, so it hits close to home. It is 1 of 2 annual tests I get done every year....see my other grandmother died of cervical/ovarian cancer. If you don't already get these 2 LOVELY tests done annually PLEASE start today! They could save your life.

God Is Good!!!!!!

Yes indeedy, He is. You know just this weekend I was complaining about how I have 'stinkin' thinkin' about many different aspects of my life. It's time for a change. I made some minor changes immediately, the most significant was to stop fighting/arguing with That Kid about the "crazy girlfriend" and just PRAY!!!! You know that thing God says to do when we want some change or something to happen in our life.



Well go figure, just last night That Kid came into our room at midnight and said, "I have something to tell you". Whenever, he does that it's serious! Well he sits down and says "Crazy Girlfriend and I broke up tonight. We realized it's not going to work out any more". My first reaction was to jump up and down and shout, but I contained myself, externally anyway! We talked more (for about 45 minutes) and I think the beginnings of getting my non-rebellious teenager back is here. Sooooo, THANK YOU GOD!!! and thanks to Sarah for telling me about the series at church.