Friends

I am so grateful for the friends that I have been given in this lot in life. Friends come in all shapes and sizes, all colors and walks of life, all personalities and tempermants and I am thankful for each and everyone of them.There are those that I have so much in common with it's almost scary. We seem to be reading the same script at times and can go without even saying what we are thinking. We struggle with the same issues and get to rejoice in the same success. They hold a mirror up right in front of my face that I have to reflect upon with the help of thier tender loving care. Then there are also those who I couldn't be more different from and I constantly learn new ways to navigate through life because of the chiseling that they cause. They think different, react different, smell different :) and just march to a different drummer. I learn so much from my friends and they feed my soul. I have really good friends and I don't take that for granted. Today I am thankful for my friends. My life would be so different if they were not in my life. I am glad I am not alone in this life. My life is so much richer, deeper, better because of them. I am thankful for THE friend that sticks closer than any brother or sister. I Know He has given me true earthly treasures in these friendships and I love Him more for that. I love my friends.

Isaiah Gregory needs his own show

Today after picking up the big kids from school we were all hanging out in the girls room. Big kids doing homework and chillin, Savannah making cooing noises rolling around on the bed, and where's Isaiah? I look over to find him in the corner where he thinks no one is watching him, (I love watching kids when they don't know you are) and he is rolling his eyes around in his head, squinting his eyes, closes one and opening another, crossing his eyes, looking down at his nose and suddenly when I can't keep in my chuckling any longer I ask, "What are you doing Isaiah?" He smiles really big and says in all seriousness like I should already know the answer to that question, " I AM PRACTICING MY EYES MOM!!" I say,"Oh, I see well don't hurt yourself" To which he says quick as a whip, "Oh don't worry I won't"

I have a feeling he "practices his eyes" ALOT!!

Why ?

My dogs attacked a blue feather duster today, and on days gone by; a hot tub cover, blankets in every room, shoes, toys(which I don't mind so much cause one less thing to pick up)couches, furniture, pacifiers, bottles, baskets, rugs, cups, bowls, countless dog toys, boxes, lunch boxes, bags, garbages, trash in every area, and I know there is more I just can't think of it right now.

So why do I still have these 2 terrible beasts of burden? Why after I said no more and meant no more? Why after being knocked down and bruised up and beaten by these mangy mutts?

**I don't have an answer for that other than I AM CERTIFIABLEY CRAZY!!! I used to work at the psych and detox hospital in Carson City and I am begining to think I should give my friends a call.

Book Review- Sweet Potatoes Guide to Raising Children for Fun and Profit

This book was hilarious, from start to finish I was laughing, laughing and laughing some more. Not for the faint at heart when it comes to cursing, the woman is from the deep South Mississippi, and can curse, but man oh man are her stories ever funny. Reminds me of what kind of book Shontell might write if she was a drunk cursing sailor type, but alas she is not ,and so we will just have to wait til her book comes out. Until then here are some of my favorite quotes. The first quote is the begining of Chapter one and I feel as though I could have written it myself and I wonder who it might be about?? FYI-that is now the Giants new nickname- Cutest Boy in the World.

"The Cutest Boy in the World is a Man Who Can Fix Things. The man can fix anything- ANYTHING- even if he broke it first, he can fix it. He can build anything, unclog anything, hang anything, patch anything, retool, replumb, and /or rewire anything. (This is only one of his many gifts-but it's the one we're talking about at the moment. And the value of a man with this ability- and willingness-to fix things cannot be overstated.) " After this intro she then goes into the wonder of electricity and how we take it for granted and how that can be compared to when we find out that we are prego. You flip the switch, light comes on. You do the deed a baby is concieved. So funny!!

"In my opinion, one of the very best features of your new baby is it's built in requirement for massive amounts of sleep. You will want to see to it that that requirement is met and or exceeded at all times. Hell exacts an incredibly steep price tag when this requirement is ignored- and though you, Mom, will bear the brunt of this penalty, pretty much everybody within earshot of your baby will help pay that price. Hear me and heed my words: NAP TIME IS SACRED. It is to be honored and adhered to above all things."

"Babies don't have sinuses, which is really poor planning if you ask me, on account of they do, on occasion, produce a whole lotta snot. OH please-does anybody out there really think that the word "mucus" sounds better than "snot"? They both sound pretty pukey to me."

"My daddy's theory- to which I ascribe- was that there is No Such Thing as a Bad Word. Humans made up every single word there is, and likewise, we assigned each one a meaning, and they are all just words. Daddy had assorted parables to illustrate his various policies regarding language. For instance, name calling that cherished playground tradition. Whenever we would run,bawling, to him with the report that Brindy called me a butthead, he would look at us calmy and question the veracity of the statement. Are you a butthead? And we would sob loudly in the negative, to which he would then raise the question, Well, what if he called you a chair. You're not a chair either, are you? This would usually cause us to stop mid-wail and look confused. "

"Your kids need to see you play- they need to see you having fun for no reason other than the sheer joy of having it. If they see you giving your time to playing, they get the message that "this is of value" and they will apply that to thier own lives in the future."

The whole book is just loaded with histerycal funny stories that just make you chuckle. If you need a lift , something other than a self-help book or novel this is a good one. Apparently the author has written others on marriage, love, single-hood. Her name is Jill Conner Browne and she IS FUNNY!!

Ezekiel and other Ponderings

In reading the book of Ezekiel the last month or so, I have been enlightened and bewildered at the same time. This book in the Bible is one of the more neglected books by me(I will admit I tend to hang out more in the New Testament) but it is one of the more interesting books and it reveals so much of God's character. Maybe I was just not in a place to see these things before, but for some reason this time when going through it so much has made me stop and pause for a minute.
One thing that surprised me this time while reading it was that having too much , overubundace can be a sin and was the greatest sin of Sodom and Gomorah, see Ezekiel 16:49. This was a surprise to me because even though I have read that before I never really realized that what I think God was saying here is that thier overabundance is what led them to do all those awful sins we hear about and what we know S&G to stand for ie; sexual immorality, greed, idol worship but these were just the outcome of having too much stuff that took away thier need for God and not keeping it simple. It also says that they didn't help the poor and needy. Did you know that is a sin in God's eyes?
Also another thing that got me thinking was how many times in chapter 20 God says that He spares His people for His name's sake. NOT because they deserve it, not because He is not angry with them, not because they are obedient but because they carry His name and if He were to smite them His name wouldn't look all that good. It makes me wonder how many times He has come to my rescue and shaped up my life, helped me out of the pit I have dug myself into for His name sake. Because He knows others have heard me call myself a Christ follower and He needs them to know what that really is supposed to look like.

So then after some of these scriptures my head gets thinking about current issues like what is going on in our world right now and how many people who are Christian are targeting only the so called "big issues" or "moral issues" with this upcoming presidential race when all the while neglecting some very important things, things that God would call sin also, like taking care of poverty here in America, healthcare for those in desperate need of it, education for the children that ARE here. I am not saying that where a canidate stands on abortion or gay marriage isn't important it's just that after reading this portion of scripture it makes me wonder if maybe we haven't swung to the far extreme of what we would deem "Big sin" and all the while we are missing some other really Big sins and we don't even realize it because we have too much and have forgotten what it is like to go hungry for a while.

Walking

I can't believe that I am going to get up tomorrow, my only day to sleep in, and WALK. I am not just getting up , but getting up early to be at the Marina at 7a.m. in the freezing cold, before the sun is really shining, and before I can formulate nice things to say, to join a bunch of wonderful women in this craziness. What was I thinking? "It will be fun" I keep hearing Trista say. Then I hear Lolita saying," You people are on crack" and frankly I just don't know which voice to listen to right now.

The picture is of Sol a year ago but it is prolly how I will be feeling tomorrow morning.

Walk On

Inspired by Louie's recent blog I thought I would be brave and share the words to a recent song I wrote. Here goes nothing.

Give me the strength to walk on, walk on.
Give me the faith to believe in myself again.
To live this life you paid the price for .
Give me the strength to walk on, walk on.

Putting one foot in front of the other
A chance to make things right
I get out of bed and pray for another
Time to press on

So Give me the strength to walk on, walk on.
Give me the faith to believe in myself again
To live this life you paid a price for.
Give me the strength to walk on, walk on.

Sun is shining and the night is over
Clouds are clearing and I am hearing
A voice so soft but louder than my own
A sound so crystal what have I to fear.

Strength that is not my own
Peace that I now know
Shame begins to lift and you give
me this gift to.....

Have the strength to walk on , walk on
I have the faith to believe in myself again
To live this life you paid the price for
Given the strength to walk on, walk on.

Small Groups

Well, I have successfully done it again folks. What's that you ask? What have I done again? Signed up for way too many small groups and my schedule suddenly got very, very full. As if it wasn't full already. Why do I do this to myself? They all just looked so fun I suppose, but then I start writing things down on the palms of my hands just so that I can remember where I am supposed to be tomorrow. Not to mention that this makes me wonder if I have already failed miserably at the whole People Pleasing resolution thingy. I have done great on the other 2 resolutions but, man alive, I don't even think I realize sometimes if I am pleasing the peeps or pleasing me, myself, and I. I feel pretty pleased :)
No, in all seriousness I love these groups that gather on a weekly basis and I am excited to be in each and everyone of the FOUR that I signed up for . I wanted to add one more to that but ya gotta know when to draw the line.

It's Not Surprising to Me

It's not surprising to me that Caroline Kennedy has come out and is not only supporting Obama but also is comparing him to her father. When I went to hear Barak speak a few weeks ago I sat next to a man who made the same comparison to Robert Kennedy but he also said Obama had the hopeful feel that the Kennedy brothers were so endeared for. My mom has always been a HUGE Kennedy fan because of coming from Massachusetts and all, but also because she said he really cared about issues that hit home for the average American. This quote from Caroline in the New York Paper is really something I totally agree with.
"There is a generation coming of age that is hopeful, hard-working, innovative and imaginative. But too many of them are also hopeless, defeated and disengaged. As parents, we have a responsibility to help our children to believe in themselves and in their power to shape their future. Senator Obama is inspiring my children, my parents’ grandchildren, with that sense of possibility.
Senator Obama is running a dignified and honest campaign. He has spoken eloquently about the role of faith in his life, and opened a window into his character in two compelling books."
I am looking into getting his books and learning more about him. I have enjoyed following this campagin so early and I know it's a long road ahead til November but, I am thinking he might actually get the Clintons out of the race and I am sorry but that is a good thing because, I don't want the US history books to show, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton- it's time for a change from that routine.

Baseball Season

I am getting excited that the season for baseball is returning. This year will be a bit different for us in that we actually have a kid who wanted to play baseball. I think my enthusiasm might have worn off a bit on him. Anyway, we signed Solomon up today and I am so excited to see how he does, if he likes playing it rather than just watching, and what it is like to be the mom of a b-ball player. He going to look so stinking cute in uniform I can hardly wait. Is it too early to be thinking of Fenway in his future?? Hee hee hee.

Happy Birthday to the man I love, I am so Happy you are Here

I love you for so many reasons but here are just a few for you on this your birthday; You have THE greatest sense of humor ever, You are so artistic and this is so beautiful to me, You create all the time amazing treasures for the whole world to enjoy but I think I enjoy them the most, You have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen and I am so thankful that your beautiful eye gene got passed on so I could see different versions of it in our four children, Your heart is just and fair always, You are a REAL dad- not always just full of fun and games but filled with wisdom and discipline as well. I love to see you driving in your bus because you are so tall and fit so well and I know the REAL reason why you drive a VW. You cook, You fix and You love to do these things which makes me love you more. Your capacity to retain knowledge is something that I not only love but also appreciate because I feel like I am walking around with a half a brain sometimes so I am your compass your are my brain :)

So much more that I hope you know already but on this day that you came into the world it became a much better place and all that other mushy Hallmark crap that you hate but I love.

I love YOU more!!!

Book Review , The Secret Message of Jesus

I finished The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian D. McLaren and I have to say that it wasn't nearly as good as A Genorous Orthdoxy but it still was very thought provoking. The theme of this book is pretty much in the title , are there secrets to the message Jesus brought that we have yet to discover and if so what are we doing about it and why hasn't anyone discovered them as of yet.
The book starts off by asking a bunch of interesting questions, "What if the religion generally associated with Jesus neither expects nor trains it's adherents to actually live in the way of Jesus? What if the core message of Jesus has been unintentionally misunderstood or intentionally distorted? What if many have sincerely valued some aspects of Jesus message while missing or even suppressing other , more important dimensions?What if many have carried on a religion that faithfully celebrates Jesus in ritual and art, teaches about Jesus in sermons and books,sings about Jesus in songs and hymns, and theorizes about Jesus in seminaries and classrooms.... but somewhere along the way missed rich and radical treasures hidden in the essential message of Jesus?"
Sheesh- that right there is just a snippet of the questions that come at you right off the start of chapter 1. Needless to say, this book made me think about the really hardcore , somewhat unpleasant topics that Jesus touched on while he walked the earth. It was a good reminder to me how important it is to study the scriptures because to just quickly read through them is just about as pointless as not reading them at all. The deeper meanings hidden behind so many of the things that Jesus taught can only come when we practice that word we read over and over in the old testament (Selah) which means stop and really think about that for a minute or two or three.......
Here are some of my favorite quotes;
"In one of my previous books, I said that clarity is sometimes overrated and that intrigue is correspondingly undervalued."
"Much about his message is frustratingly unclear and impossible to categorize, but this much is clear: this carpenter's son from Galilee challenges every existing political movement to a radical rethinking and dares everyone to imagine and consider his revolutionary alternative."
"It is not just another one of the kingdoms of this world. NO, this kingdom advances slowly, quietly, under the surface-like yeast in dough, like seed in soil. It advances with faith: when people believe it is true, it becomes true. And it advances with reconciling, forgiving love: when people love strangers and enemies, the kingdom gains ground."
It was most definitely worth the read and there was a study guide provided in the back that I am still working through and thinking about going through with others. Any takers??

My Handy Dandy Dishwasher

Recently I have noticed that my dishes are coming out quite clean these days. What is different you ask? New Detergent, New High tech machine, Better Scrubbers??? None of the above. The reason that my dishes have been coming out so clean lately is because I have a new friend who helps me with these dishes. Her name is Bella and she loves to lick even what lil bit of food might be left on the dishes as I place them in the dishwasher. Time and time again I have told her no to this nasty habit but tonight I realized , ya know I don't really mind the company as I accomplish this 3times a day chore(sometimes more). I have now become a wierdo pet person who allows her dog to lick her dishes. Now, I still think they are coming out sanitary after going through the dishwasher cycle, but just to be sure if this bothers you, next time you come over for dinner you might want to bring paper plates because this bad habit isn't going anywhere. And neither is this sweet pup.

27 Dresses

27 Dresses is a great, clean(as clean as they come these days) chic flick. I took my girlies to go see it on Friday and I was so pleasantly surprised by how cute it was. It also got me thinking of all the weddings I have been in over the years. I made a list and out of the 9 weddings I was in only 4 are still married. 2 were widowed and 3 divorced. The dresses in these weddings ranged from butt-ugly to something I have worn again truly because I really could. That was one of the funnier parts of the movie was how many times the brides would tell their bridesmaids that "the great part about this dress is that you could just shorten it and wear it again" . Then I started to think of my wedding day almost 13 years ago and my poor bridesmaids and what I made them wear. Sorry girls, I am truly really sorry for the hats especially.

The Caucus

On Saturday, the girls and I walked over to Dillworth Jr. High to be a part of the very over-hyped presidential Caucus. I was greeted at the door with an Obama person who of course wanted to sticker us all up with advertisements and we then proceeded in doors. I had to register at this event because I was changing my party affiliation from Republican to Democrat so that took a minute and then we waited in our precinct line for about 20 minutes, until exactly 11am when they began to let us in the gym and they passed out the ballots that we held in our hands and waited some more(this time at least sitting down with coffee and cookies near by). It was at this point that I realized that this was not going to be a quick event. I had no idea what to expect and I certainly didn't realize that there would be a part when you could try to convince others to vote for you candidate. That was pretty cool I thought. The group was pretty much divided right down the middle between Clinton and Obama with a few for Edwards and a few for some other Presidential hopefuls that I had never heard of. So, when it was time to vote we marked the box and then before I could turn to check on those small groups there were people swarming around them like flies. This part was so interesting. Apparently, in order for your vote to count for your candidate you had to have at least 11 people to be a viable group so these stragglers were left to the masses to be coaxed over. The whole process was very interesting to me and I think I would go again but next time I would make sure that I brought more snacks and maybe minus the kiddos. The girls did great but I felt bad making them sit through this event, especially because people wanted to keep making them be their little walking advertisements.

My First Attendance to a Political Event

My friend Christene and I got there early and stood outside in the FREEZING cold weather for almost an hour. We were having a good time and joking that after this long of a wait his speech better be life altering. In line to listen to Obama were alot of people that reminded me of what I might see at a Volkswagen event. These were my kind of people. He brought out a pretty big crowd and we heard several volunteers say that they weren't expecting this many people. Could it be a sign of things to come ? I was kinda bummed to report David that there were no protesters. NOT a One!! As I stood there I began to wonder why any of us get excited about these political events at all. It is hard not to be a skeptic when it comes to all things political but then I guess if we all bowed out because of the negativity surrounding politics we would be in a world of hurt today? So we go, we listen, we vote, we hope for this person to be different than the last or we wish the last person could stay forever.
When we finally got in there were no seats in the bleachers left and so Christene and I had to see in the isle, on the steps, where people were trying to get in and out of their seats the whole time!!! This provided for very close quarters to a gentleman sitting at the end of a row and very close to my left. I know my sister Jen is going to say once again that I most like my mother in this way but I am going to have to say that one of the highlights of the whole event for me was talking, mostly listening to this man tell me about pretty much his whole life story. He is a Native American man about my parents age and the whole conversation started by him telling me that he was a political volunteer for Bobby Kennedy's campaign and was there the night he was shot. That night he threw in the towel on politics never to be involved again until NOW. What an amazing story and what a conversation. We talked about minorities, Jesus, politics, media, and I saw him begin to have a flicker of hope again as Obama was speaking.
The most impressive thing to me was that Obama did NOT make a bunch of promises that he couldn't keep. He did NOT bash on other politicians or even different political parties. He did NOT talk about things as though once he was in office the world's problems would be solved, he would bring about world peace and everything would be rosy. He did however, say that if we as the American people wanted something to change then we have the most power to do that. He put the responsibility of the future in our laps and said that he knew that it is within us and through us that true change will really come IF we want it WE have to do it. I liked that. I liked that he said he knew that there is something to the urgency of NOW. I think he quoted Martin Luther King Jr. on that one. I have to say I went as an incognito, registered republican, and a bit of a skeptic. I left feeling encouraged and like I had been to a church service. My hands were stinging and tingling from clapping so much in agreement to what he was saying. I am going to do some more research of course but from what I heard yesterday I am at least hopeful for a much needed change.

Barack Obama

I am going to go listen to him speak on Monday. I have NEVER seen any political person speak before. Should be interesting. I am going with a friend and at least that I know will be fun. I will let you know what I think when I come back.

New Year's Resolutions

"Tomorrow is a new day, fresh with no mistakes in it" This is one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite movies of all times, Anne of Green Gables. If you are a female and have not watched this or the other two movies in this series you are missing out, (I need to buy this movie set on DVD so I can OD on it) and not just missing out, but I would go so far as to say that you are doing a diservice to yourself. But I didn't come to blog about that , I came to blog about why I love that quote so much. It reminds me of why so many take to the age old tradition of setting New Year's Resolutions. Everyone loves a fresh start. I am not one who usually makes resolutions at the start of the new year because I believe any day can be a new day. Wiping the slate clean from past mistakes, failures, pain, or other negatives is a very helpful way of life because we all screw up from time to time(some more than others, me ,which is why i don't wait til the new year) and it is nice to know that tomorrow is a new day.
So this new year I find myself making some resolutions that really, in all reality ,have been a long time coming I am just choosing this time in my life to start fresh. Here are just a few of the new habits I hope to begin making in 2008;

-Eat Breakfast- I have heard my whole life how important this meal is and frankly, I have just had a hard time convincing my stomach that this is true. I usually gag down anything else ,(besides coffee OF COURSE) that comes before 11 a.m. but, I heard on some show(yes, prolly Oprah) that if you don't eat breakfast it is one sure fire way to tip the scales in the wrong direction. Don't need any of that going on , so I am eating breakfast.

-Drink more water- Again this is something that I know is just better for you but I really don't like water in general as a drink. It has never been my drink of choice, but alas I am trying to change this because I know it is better for me. I saw a movie where they had the drinking fountains in the future spitting out gatorade instead of water and I was thinking , yea for the future but I know that really that would be bad as it was in this movie, which was really funny btw. Wish I could remember the name of it.

-Stop being a People Pleaser- I don't know if I come by this genetically or what but Man ALIVE is this ever a hard habit to break! Baby Jesus has been working on this one for a while now and this new year I am really gonna pay attention to how often I am saying yes when I really don't want to. Now, I don't think that the pleasing of all people is bad but the pleasing that comes from guilt or manipulation , not so good.

These are just a few and of course we all know it takes 28 days straight to start a new habit :) so I have to say the first 10 have gone pretty well, yeah me.
Anyone else like to make new year's resolutions? When I asked the youth that question last night I was surprised to find a very non-resolution making group.

A Book Review

The Book , A Generous Orthodoxy, by Brian D. McLaren was a very interesting, easy to read book. In this book, Brian talks about all the different denominations in Christianity in such a way that really makes you think about each of these ways to follow Christ,in a whole new light. He has a positive approach with each one and really gives a bit of a history lesson about them all. I didn't know this at the time but he has written quite a few other books and I have already started to read another one of his publishing's, The Secret Message of Jesus(for sure to be in a future book review blog) but for now I will share some favorite quotes from Generous Orthodoxy;
"Nobody is on a journey anymore, everybody is stuck in their high or low status quo." In this quote he talks about how in all these different denominations no one asks why we do what we do they just remain stuck in the status quo. This really rung home for me because I am at a point of asking ALOT of questions. Not about Jesus, but for sure about this thing we call church.
"When Jesus refers to himself as "the son of Man" it would be like saying, the essential human, the ultimate embodiment of humanity. In this way "son of God" would mean embodying God, or carrying the essence of God." The way he phrased these sayings that Jesus said often really made me think about how complex the God we serve is. Fully human and fully God is a pretty big thing to wrap my brain around.
"Has He become(I shudder to ask this) less our Lord and more our Mascot?"
This quote , whew- really hurts but is Oh so true in the way we throw Jesus name around with so much that we do in His name when in all reality it's not really what He's about at all.
There were several more interesting things that I kept my notebook around for the whole time while reading this book because I wanted to come back to much of what he said.
I also needed to take notes on how many other book references he made. Some on his list that I was able to recently purchase, (thanks to some amazing friends who know me OH SO WELL and got me book gift cards for my b-day, Thank you again)are; Messy Spirituality by Mike Yaconelli, What's so Amazing about Grace , The Jesus I never knew both by Philip Yancey, and Sex, Economy,Freedom, and Community by Wendell Berg.

A Holiday Special and My Inner Dialogue

Tonight provided for an unusual occurrence in my home. I actually got to watch the Christmas Special put on for the President and First Lady. This special aired on ABC around 10p and there is a reason it was on so late, (I will get to that later).
You might or might not be asking why is this an unusual occurrence in your home Noel? Well, I am glad you asked. It is unusual in our home to watch these kinds of events because the Giant is not much for these type of shows. He's not really fond of Holiday special anything or award shows, or anything celebrity or politically or Holiday-ish related. He tends to be a bit sarcastic sometimes, I know surprising isn't it, But it's true!! Anyhew, as you can imagine these kind of shows really provide a varietal plethora(sp?) of opportunities to be sarcastic, and then I usually start defending people that I don't even know and probably don't deserve defense, and it just really isn't all that enjoyable to me anymore so.....all that to say, I was excited to get to watch this special tonight because the hubby was out at a movie.
Now, I have to say that I know my writing skills are not going to bring this blog justice as to what was going on in my psyche while watching this special, but I am going to try. Hopefully I don't bore you all to death and if you are already unamused please, by all means, stop reading.
I sat down with some chocolates, a glass of wine, fully prepared to enjoy this Christmas Special and Wynonna Rider starts off the show. Now I am not a HUGE fan but I can appreciate the country music so no biggie but when she addressed the President, weird is all I can say. She timidly tried to jest with him to which he just smiled and nodded and it was just so strange. This is just a good indication of what the rest of the lame event entailed. They proceeded to have dancers half dressed(I sound like my dad there but truly they were), John Sicata(token Hispanic person for this white bred event) Yolanda Adams a woman who well.... just was interesting as well , but I am thinking is a fav of the Presidents because MAN ALIVE SHE SANG ALOT (and well she mentioned she is from Texas), a Comic who was sweating like a pig trying not to step on anybodies toes, and the Creme Del Creme OLIVIA NEWTON JOHN (or as my dad would say Olivia Neutron Bomb). The whole time I couldn't enjoy the show because Moses sarcastic voice was so loud and I just couldn't shut it up and well by the end I didn't want to shut it up because it became truly the only thing entertaining about the show. I kept hearing him say things like, "Look at them all smiling as if they are enjoying this woman who is so old she can't even keep on key anymore." or "We sing this Feliz Navidad song every holiday and still need the translation that comes with it" There was other commentary that was funnier at the time and I can't think of it now but all I have to say is God Bless Moses and his wonderful, cheery outlook on life that has forever wrecked/ruined me.

A dream come true

This weekend a dream came true for me. I was able to go see my most favorite female vocalist of all time in a show that I never thought I would be able to get into. I cried 3 times throughout the show because I felt so grateful for the life that I live. What an amazingly good life. Gratitude and contentment have been overwhelming my emotions lately. Literally, I have had moments of so much thankfulness in my heart to God that I start to cry. Not just for big events like this one but also for small ones like watching my niece fall asleep on my dad's chest, or seeing my dogs give each other kisses, or staring at my beautiful husband and children.
Life is amazing. God IS really good ALL the time.

Getting Lost, and Finding THE tree

This year we made the trip out to the woods for the infamous tree. We have done this before and in theory this idea of cutting down the tree is really great but in reality with crying babies, cold children, or children who are hungry, or children who are wet cause they fell down in the mud or ice or whatever....not so great. This year was different.
We went very spur of the moment and with some pretty great friends. It was a beautiful drive out to Frenchman's and I forgot how much fun 4bying(sp?) with the man can be , mostly because of the smile it puts on his face(he really does need an off road toy, shh...don't tell him I said so). The kids were really great as well with lots of laughs and no mishaps it made me believe that we might actually start this tradition back up again.
Anyway, back to what I wanted to blog about.While we were out there though there was a patch of trees that I got tangled up in all alone (don't know how that happened as I am always telling the kids not to wander off) and at one point it got pretty hairy and scary(not really but I am adding that for dramatic effects). The trees were all dead and so close together and I had got way off the trail from everyone else and I had no idea where I was(not afraid because of my photographic memory, I have never been truly lost in my life, probably why I really wasn't afraid) and I began to think what would it be like to really be lost out there. Strange thoughts to have on this day but there I was having them and the conclusion I came to is that I would wait awhile and listen. I would listen for the voices of other people who I knew weren't far off. This got me thinking of how often when we feel lost, alone, or afraid we can listen to voices, (now for those of you sarcastic folk don't go thinking , "Great , Noel's really gone and lost it now, telling us to listen to voices) the voices of those who know their way and are not lost and maybe have been down this road before. After all this thought of being lost, I was tired of pretending like I was lost and also I could hear the voices pretty strong and close by so I decided to go find them.
I think in the end that is all we have to guide us in this journey we call life, the voices that have gone before us that have left their wisdom to try and help us avoid the mistakes they have made. They call out to us in all different ways and in all different settings but when we are lost sometimes I don't think we take the time to stop, and listen.

Some deep thoughts before bed

As I was dozzing off to dream land my eyes wandered over to the top of my dresser upon which many pictures in frames sit. One inpaticular caught my eye though and my mind went racing. It was the picture of me as a baby being held by my Pepere( which means Grandpa in French). He looks to be about the age that my dad is now, mid to late 6o's and he looks happy. As I lay there thinking about that moment of time captured forever now by a photograph I thought of all many unanswered questions I still have about this man I called "Pepere". I wondered, where did he work to support his family of 3 boys and his wife, where did he get his genes for being oh so clean all the time, did he have OCD because many of his house cleaning habits lead me to believe he might have been a bit on the OCD side, did he leave knowing he was loved, did he have a favorite color or favorite hobby, how come he was so good with money? I know so little of this man who is now only remembered by a photo in my mind. This got me thinking about life in general and how we all often think so much more of ourselves than we ought. Will anyone even remember anything about me when I pass on? If so, what will it be that they remember most? What I remember most about Pepere is that he loved to make kites, he was very resourceful and clean, he was very skinny, quiet, and wore sweaters all the time. Strange things to remember but there you have it.
All these thoughts led me to this prayer, God teach me to number my days that I might get a heart full of wisdom, that I don't forget that I am but dust, and so that I don't take one single breath for granted.

Photo Shoot with Natalie Rose

These are just some of the products of one of the funnest photo shoots ever!! Usually taking pictures with 6 people(4 of those people being lil and not used to looking the right way) is not my idea of good times , but I have to say this was short and very sweet and the end result is some really fun moments in time. Love it. We really were smiling on the inside as well as the outside.

My Adult Christmas list(and a lame attempt to sound like a credit card commercial)

Wanted: One Bright Green Kitchen Aid
Cost: 250 to 300 dollars
Knowing that I really only want this because it will look so great on my counter and not really for all the stuff I would make with it - Priceless-
Wanted: One brown and black Pug
Cost: 600 to upwards of 1000 dollars
Knowing that I partly want this dog so that I could make an unrealistic dream of a 9 year old girl come true and partly because it would look so stinking cute with my other 2 adorable dogs- Priceless-
Wanted: Bright beautiful Hollywood Style Porcelain Veneers
Cost: 4000+
Knowing that I really just want these so I won't have to go to the dentist anymore, nor will I have to floss ever again and so then I could finally be counted among all the plastic people out there(a goal in life I believe we all should aspire to attain )- Priceless-


I guess knowing that just because I want something doesn't really mean I need it is what makes this an adult Christmas list versus a Juvenile one and that really is priceless :)

A letter of Appeal

I am putting my letter of appeal in the mail today to Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance company. Upon completion of this letter I felt a deep sense of sadness and anger for even having to take the time to do this.
As some of you know our precious Chloe had an appendicitis back in July. It took many months for the final bills to come rolling in and when they did the amount was staggering and our insurance company had failed us miserably because apparently the hospital we went to in a state of panic and shock at 1am in the morning was an out of network hospital. Sorry, it was the light at the end of the tunnel to get my 7 year old daughter some relief, sorry I thought any and all hospitals in a health related emergency is the right hospital. Errghhhh!! So as you can see the anger comes in right there. But the deep sense of sadness that I feel is that I know I am not the only one who has had to deal with similar type situations and some people dealing with these issues are still also dealing with those painful health situations.
Something has got to change in this country regarding our health insurances and medical industries that are raking in the big bucks on account of our misfortunes. Something has got to change and thank God next fall things will. Oh wait, I mean things will be promised , talked about , and then forgotten.
I guess that's where the sadness comes in.

My(long overdue) book review blog

I have recently finished quite a few books that have been on my to-do list for quite a while now.
One that I started many months ago( i think before summer) is , Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by a guy from New York with the last name Scharezo(sp?) This book was so good that I started recommending it to people before I had even finished reading it. It is basically about how often times we forget that our emotions are a very key component to the way that God has formed and fashioned us and although it's not good to live by emotions, it is also not good to ignore them either. We cannot just pass every difficult conversation off by saying, "Just pray about it" sometimes we need to allow for those emotions to be validated and be honest when they haven't gone away. It's about marrying our faith as well as our emotions together in healthy balanced relationship. I give it a ***** 5 star rating out of 5 stars.
The other book I recently finished is one that I heard about on the Oprah show and so for many of you that's all you need to know that you don't want to read this book. It is called, Eat, Pray, Love by a woman whose name I can't remember and it's probably just as well because I wouldn't recommend this book anyways. It is basically about a spiritually starved, very confused woman in her 30's who divorces her husband after 10 years of marriage and decides to travel to Italy, India, and Indonesia in an attempt to find herself and her Maker.
She is a very good writer, very good but the contents were filtered with so much confusion and to me sadness that it might leave you depressed afterward if not careful. What I took away was how incredibly grateful I am to my Savoir , for finding me so young so that I didn't have to search the world over for answers only to not really find them at all. It also surprised me of the great lengths that people will go in search of Truth and the enormous lies that are out there in regards to all things spiritual.
I give a ** out of a possible 5 stars only because the book was mostly bones with not meat.
I am now embarking on a new book that I can hardly put down. I only just borrowed it from a friend yesterday and I am almost halfway through it. It is called A Generous Orthodoxy by Brian McLaren. It is so good already but I will post on it when I am done.
Other irons in the fire right now, I Promise and also Love is a Choice . These two both deal with relationships and have very good as well. I will post on these later when I am done with them.

Loving-kindness

defintion-loving kindness (love without attachment, non-exclusive love) towards all human beings.
If I were to choose something out of the Bible that I have read over and over again but have completely overlooked it would be these two words, Loving-kindness.
How often have I read in the scriptures about God and His loving kindness, or that I should praise Him for His loving kindness? It is a word group that gets overlooked because I think when I would read it I would not slow down to think , What does that really mean? Why is it that those two words grouped together are used more often to describe the God I serve than any other and still I have never slowed down enough to notice.This morning was different. I slowed down and read those words as if I was reading them for the first time and I thought, That is my God's way, His M.O. if you will. If I were to describe God given any 2 words in dictionary would I choose those 2 words? Would you?
After looking those 2 words up on every internet access dictionary that I could find I believe I would choose those words to describe the God that I serve. He is so loving and so kind in His approach of loving me. He doesn't stop showing me love when I walk away and choose to focus my attention elsewhere. He waits. Patiently and expectantly for me to return and then He doesn't hold over my head the mistakes I have made along the way.
His way is loving and kind- loving kindness is what I would say I worship most about Him because this way about Him is the most beautiful way I have ever known.
"The Lord takes pleasure in those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him, in those who Hope in His mercy and loving-kindness" Psalm 147:11
I am glad that His loving-kindness is something I can put my hopes in because I know that He never changes so neither will His M.O.(Mode of Operation)
Now what I am left with wondering is what is my M.O.??

Old Friends and Sweet Moments

This weekend I had the privilege of being invited to one of the most intimate settings , a wedding of an old friend. This friend actually used to be a very young girl that I would babysit along with her two sisters. I remember these girls being little and running around their house in dress ups and make up or sitting down watching Anne of Green Gables and dreaming as all little girls do of the day when they would be grown up like Anne and have suitors coming their way. That day has come in one of their lives and for me it was a very surreal experience to be a part of. The whole time I just kept thinking how did the time go so fast and I didn't even notice. How did she become so grown up and beautiful and distinguished. She is a wife now. No longer a blond haired blue eyed lil girl, she is a woman now. My mind continued to try and think of the day when I will be seeing my own daughters walk down that aisle. I hardly have a slot in my brain for that but this event did help make a slight space for it. It was a beautiful ceremony that was intimate and sweet. Her husband is priceless and hand picked by her maker for sure. It was truly a beautiful day and restored hope I believe for many including myself. There is nothing like young love to restore hope.

What a whirlwind

Lately life just seems to be going way too fast. I don't know if it's that I am getting older and so then I have something to compare to when life was slow or if my days are so full with fun but I wish I could just stop the clock sometimes. My children are all at such a fun age and it is truly hard for me to phathom that my oldest will be 10 this spring. I am not ready for them to start hitting the double digits, well... maybe I am . All I know is that it just seems like yesterday that I was living in a house in Carson City on Minnesota street and all my days were consumed with is whether Emma had enough to eat, when her next poop was coming and if I got a good night sleep the night before. Now, here I am almost 10 years later and my days are filled with, "Mom did you wash that shirt last night, what are you making for dinner, do we get hot lunch today mom, did you sign my paper, don't forget I have honor choir today, and so on...."
My life is so rich. Sometimes I feel I am the richest woman in the world. There are not enough material treasures to compare to the richness of children. This weekend I actually thought before leaving to go out of town for a few days by myself(well, with a bunch of girlfriends actually) that I was going to miss out on all the fun that the family was going to have. Didn't stop me from going but it was so nice to come home.

And then there were 2

My dogs, Baxter and Bella are so funny, truly they make me smile. They sit upon the chair in front of our living room window and I firmly believe they think they rule the world from this chair. It gives them special doggie powers. They look down the end of our the road and bark at everything,(something that we are trying to change with a squirt bottle, not alot of success so far) and I do mean everything. A leaf falling from the tree, a cat strolling by, kids, adults, cars, birds, butterflies, etc...... There is one bark, accompanied with growling and whole lot of jumping straight up and down, that is a sure sign to us all that the true bully of the neighborhood is on our front lawn. The bully- is a lil itty bitty Chihuahua(think taco bell dog all the way) which I do believe is truly a dog bully. He runs around the neighborhood, roaming freely, with no collar and when stopped by other dogs on leashes he kicks up his back legs like a bull ready to charge at you and then runs away. Normally, he comes and pees on my lawn and then does his little bull dance, gets my doggies in a fully hysterical state and then prances away. ONE of these days I might just let them loose and then we shall see what happens to the bully. In the meantime I love to see my dogs , sitting upon their chair ruling the world.

Today

I am thankful for my beautiful tree outside that has EXPLODED with colors that are so beautiful I don't even think a professional artist could pinpoint this color exactly. I am thankful for my gentle giant who not only let me sleep in but made me a scrumpous sandwich. He IS the whole package :) I am thankful for my dogs who have the cutest lil butts with spots , one with brown, one with black. I know its sounds crazy but they make me happy. I am thankful for a new book, "Eat, Pray, Love" looking forward to diving into it. I am thankful for good music. I am thankful for crazy kids home from school making all kinds of noise that I love to hear. I am thankful for LIFE. My life.

New Tattoo

These flowers plus a sunflower on my back. Can't decide if I want them across my shoulder blades or up and down?? They represent the women in my life who have changed me forever. I might do the sunflower on my pointer finger on my left hand for my birthday and then I would exclude that one from my back. Dunno yet. Anyone know of really good tattoo artists here in Reno or Sparks? I don't think I will be going back to Slick Rick in Sparks.

This is our moment

I heard it said recently, in regards to our lives that we are given, "This is our moment". We have all heard similar things like, "You only get one life to live, live it well" or "There are no dress rehearsals in life" and I am sure there are many, many other ways to say this but for some reason when I heard , "This is our moment" it struck a chord in me that is still resonating. This is my time to go up to bat for life here on this earth and I can either swing well and keep on swinging or not swing at all. Recently I have been asking God to teach me to number my days. This is something that I believe to be a divine gift and not something that is easy for us humans to do well because we all feel like we are going to live forever, because we ARE eternal but our lives here, on this earth, and in this way are very much not eternal and yet somehow we think there will always be tomorrow. I don't want to think like that anymore. I want to do the things in my heart that I am passionate about, I want to love deeper and more sincerely, and invest more in those who will still be here when my time is up. I am so thankful this morning for the gift of gratefulness. I think it is truly a gift to be grateful for every single thing in this life. The good and the bad. I am grateful that I have all that I have and that I no longer look anywhere else for peace and contentment but to my Creator who knows me better than I know myself. I am grateful, SO grateful for my relationships. All of them are a blessing not to be taken for granted and the most precious of them all is the one I think I most often take for granted. The fact that I am a beloved child of God, adopted into a family that was never my own until someone chose me to be is something I am sad to say that at times I take for granted. I chose to blog about this because today when I read in Psalm 90, this is what it said " Our iniquities, our secret heart and its sins,(which we would so like to conceal even from ourselves), You have set in the revealing light of Your countenance. For all the days (out here in this wilderness or on this earth) pass away; we spend our years as a tale that is told(for we adults know we are doomed to die soon) The days of our years are three score years and ten(70) or even, if by reason of strength, fourscore years(80) yet is their pride (in additional years) only labor and sorrow, for it is soon gone, and we fly away. Who knows the power of your anger?(Who worthily connects this brevity of life with Your recognition of sin?) And your wrath, who connects it with the reverent and worshipful fear that is due You? SO TEACH US TO NUMBER OUR DAYS, THAT WE MAY GET US A HEART OF WISDOM.
Make us glad in proportion to the days in which You have given us and the years in which we suffered for evil(or the years we chose wrong instead of right). Let your works(signs of your power) be revealed to Your servants, and Your (glorious) majesty to thier children. And let the beauty and delightfulness and favor of the Lord our God be upon us; confirm and establish the work of our hands-yes, the work of our hands, confirm and establish it. "Psalm 90:8-17
What are the works of my hands? What am I pouring my life into? Will whatever it is really matter at the end?
To me it was by no mistake that I read these words today. I know that God is teaching me something here. I know that I still have pride in my heart that needs to be removed and replaced with the humbleness that comes when you realize that we are but a breath.
God help me.

I apologize in advance for this.....

REDSOX PRAYER

Our Father, who art at Fenway...Baseball be thy game.TheyKingdom come,Playoffs need to be won,On Earth, then on to the Cask 'n' Flagon.Give us this day, a perfect Papi,And forgive us our losses,As we forgive those,Like Bill Buckner.And lead us not, into desperation,But deliver us from any losses.For thine is the Power,And the Glory,To beat the Indians,Forever and ever....the Yankees suck

A-men

I found these to be quite humorous and thought I would share. Wow, SOME fans are so radical.

Just a question?

This morning while burping my niece Savanah, I had this thought...Why do we burp babies the way that we do? Why do we pat them on the back until they burp? What does patting them on the back actually do? I have done this motion for countless years without even a thought as to why I am doing it ,until now. Why do we burps babies the way that we do?
Makes me wonder how many other things I do in my life without asking why?

Happy 6th Birthday Solomon

Happy Birthday Solo- Man, Solid Man, Shal om, So lo min. In the 6 years that you have walked this earth you have proven to be such a beautiful person. I love you.

I am SO excited, AND I just can't hide it!!!

Ah Yeah Baby, it's game time in my home of origin. Mom's a Bo sox's fan, Dad's a serious Angels fan and has won over some of my weaker siblings to the dark side. Dad, Gina, and Israel will be sporting the Angels hats meanwhile I will remain true to the Bo Sox's. This is going to be serious fun.


"It's game time, it's October," pronounced right-hander Curt Schilling. "This is when great players play great, and hopefully, we have a couple of those guys in this clubhouse."
"We have more things to do, but there's no getting around how excited we are," said manager Terry Francona, seated with a cigar in hand just a few feet outside his office. "This was a very big accomplishment for the organization, for the city, we need it to just be the beginning. But it's a big accomplishment."

Why I am a faithful fan........

I must take a moment to say why I could never ever turn my back on the team that will win the MLB playoffs THIS YEAR!!! That's right, I said it.

My family on my moms side is as true blooded Red Sox's nation as they come. Her mom, my gram was actually cousins with Rocky Marchiano who lived in Brockton Mass, while my gram, mom and family lived nearby in Braintree Mass.The east coast and all things Massachusetts will always be near and dear to my heart because my beloved of all grandparents was born and raised there, the woman who gave me life was born there,and many of my cousins, aunts and uncles, great aunts and uncles still live there and well.....it is the home of my heart. I identify with the culture, people, traditions, and basically have just been really blessed to say that I have a proud heritage there. Not something many can claim.

Although I jest all in good fun, I will never be a turncoat and go Yankee even if close friends happened to choose the wrong team to play on. Even if my own husband doesn't share my enthusiasm, this is a team that I will remain true to til the day I die.

So put up your dukes, I am ready to fight....it runs in my blood after all!!!!

DISCLAIMER- THIS BLOG IS MEANT TO CAUSE A REACTION, IF YOU FIND YOUR HEART RACING WITH COMPETITIVE BEATS YOU MAY NEED TO TURN OFF THE COMPUTER AND GO PICK A BETTER BASEBALL TEAM :)

My Neighbors

I came home this morning from dropping all my kids off at school and my dog, Baxter was waiting ever so patiently for me on the front lawn. At first I thought thats wierd how did he get out and then I looked over to our side gate and realized that someone(a taller someone) had unlatched it. Now normally I don't think up conspiracy theories like this but my neighbors are quite the unfriendly people type who have literally avoided any social contact with all of us except for yelling at my son Sol when we first moved in to get off thier lawn. I have also literally seen them with my own eyes pick up leaves that are from our tree and by hand remove them from thier bushes and place them back over on our side of the property. These neighbors are older and never have visitors. THE only time I see them are when they are out trimming thier rose bushes and they don't speak to anyone so it's not like I have my feelings hurt or anything. I waffle back and forth all the time whether I should "kill em with kindness" as my grandmother used to always say or just go on ignoring them as they ignore me. It is hard to ignore though when they do such nasty things. I know what Jesus says so please don't go preachy on me anyone. I just needed a place to vent my frustrations about these old farts!!! Okay, I know that wasn't nice but seriously who does this kinda stuff other than farts or turkeys, maybe turkeys is a better word.

Newest Member of our Family, 64 VW Bug

We purchased a 64 VW Bug about 2 months back and this weekend I finally got to take it for several spins. I have to say that of all the VW models the bug is my all time favorite. The very first car I ever owned was a 69 VW Bug and so of course they are near and dear to my heart. I just fit so well in a Bug and it feels as though you are driving in the road rather than on it, kinda like a canoe in water. I haven't named him yet but when I do you will be the first to know. I am pretty sure that he is going to be root beer brown though my all time favorite color for bugs is red. I have saved that color for my dream car which would be a convertible VW Bug at least about 65 or older. Anyway when I post some picks you all can put in your 2cents worth for names the guy until then you will hear us coming.

These are a few of my favorite things.....

When the bugs RED, When the love flows, When the friends are great..... I simply remember my favorite things , and then I don't feel so bad.

Hebrews 3:13-14

Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today.... We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.

What a PEST , BUDA is

My sister Jenny left today for Budapest, Hungary. I am sad. I know that she is doing what she needs to be doing and that it is only for a while(a long while) but I am still sad. I will miss her so much. For some reason this year was harder to say goodbye than last year.

I am thankful however, that we have the summers memories to get us through this next year. I am also very much aware of the sacrifice it takes to have missionaries for family members. Not so much to be a missionary but I could imagine somewhat. Anyway, I pray for all those who are living the life they feel God had called them to live AND for thier families.

Dog People and Dog days

Ever since we got Baxter we have met so many interesting Dog people. One lady asked me once, "Can your dog sniff my dog's butt?" HUH? I didn't quite know what to think of that, but she went on to explain her craziness which still didn't really explain alot, but I digress. Anyway, there has been an older lady who walks the Marina quite frequently as I do and she always comments on how beautiful Baxter is. Often times on days that I am frustrated with him for chewing up yet another item around the house, or ON the house I feel like saying, "Ya want him?" but I wouldn't do that to this poor woman :). Anyways, today the wierdest thing happened as I was walking with a friend Baxter's tags fell off. I didn't even know that they had fallen off before I ran into this lady again for the ba-zillionth time and this time she asked me what my dogs name was. When I left she found his tags a bit further down the way and then called me to let me know she had them. We got to talking and she decided that she would be over my way and would just go ahead and drop them off to me. She arrived an hour later and then we talked for about an hour. She told me all about her life. She is from Santa Barbara and recently decided to retire here and lives by the Marina. She is all alone and just has her dog to keep her company. At one point in life she had up to 7 dogs. She has 6 of her deceased dogs ashes in vases at her home and by the end of the conversation was willing to adopt Baxter at least financially so that he could eat only the best dog food.
Needless to say, it was one of the more interesting conversations that I have had with a "dog person" and I was extremely happy after she left(NOT because she left) because she was just too cute.
I went to the pet store after she left and invested in a more expensive collar for Baxter even though she was willing to buy this for him I just didn't know what to think about all that.
Then after leaving the pet store I went to my kids school to pick them up and there was a teenage girl who had the cutest Shiht-Zuh puppy and I so wanted to take it home after having dogs on the brain. When I told her how cute it was she said, "Do you want it , I will sell him to you for $50 bucks?"
Thank God for my husband who does not live in this crazy dog eat dog world that I do. He said no, we don't have Shiht-Zuh. I think I wanted it partly just cause it's fun to say that name.

You can face an ocean......

You can face an ocean......



with the hand of a sister.

New Year at New School

Today I had to register my kids at a different elementary school than the one that they have been attending for the past few years since we have lived here. When we moved here 2 and half years ago we didn't know anything about the many elementary schools in our neighborhood but we did know some friends and so we took our kids where we knew they would have guaranteed friends. This year there was a re-zoning that brought in so many new kids to this school that they could longer grant variances to any children but they were hoping that our family could stay so we waited until all the new registrations came through,kinda like waiting for stand-by on a plane ride. Today we got the news that they couldn't keep all our kids and with the Scofield's it's an all or nothing deal!! So we headed over to the new school. This is where the story begins because much to my surprise everyone there was wonderful and even the building itself was better than I thought it would be. When we first moved here we had heard some negative things about the school, the principal and that many of their good teachers were leaving. Come to find out none of these things were true. So the moral of the story , Don't believe everything that you hear!!

Sabbath

"We always know when Jesus is at work because He produces in the commonplace something that is inspiring." Oswald Chambers
This quote really sums up for me what the time of Sabbath has produced in my heart. This break from routine has really once again reinterated the importance of the process and everyday living. I have realized about myself that events (places to go , people to see) have become somewhat of an idol for me. Not having that to rely upon to define my life has been interesting to say the least. I am thankful for my faithful Lord, Savoir, and Friend because He has taught me that in the commonplace is where it is at. In the humble moments of life where we realize the preciousness of people and each persons unique giftings and talents as well as thier weaknesses and failures and then take it a step further to realize we are just like them, no better and no worse, we begin to see a very big picture. An event begins to take place in our hearts that changes us and those around us. I am thankful that God knows ME even though there are so many others just like ME there is only one ME and He knows this girl inside and out and STILL He never leaves ME.

What A Treat

A mountain that can not be touched, A tree that cannot be uprooted

"You have not come to a mountain that can be touched...But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men... to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant." Hebrews 12:18,22-24

Reading this today made me think of how I love the fact that it refers to God as a mountain that cannot be touched. It's not even like this scripture says He is a mountain that can not be climbed, He can't even be touched. I love this aspect of God. He is so big for our human words. There are so many things that I don't understand about Him. His ways don't makes sense to me most of the time and when they do finally makes sense it seems such a simple lesson. Can you imagine a city that was owned by God. What ,would God be like the mayor? This reminds me of that song ,"Would if God were one of us, just a stranger on a bus" that's a bit of a sidenote. Anyway, this part "you have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly,to the church of the firstborn" makes me think of the legacy of people who have gone before me believing in this God. It makes me remember I am a part of the firstborn church ever? The first church ever, what did that look like? My ancestors in this family are many and thier lives speak of this God still today. Will my life speak of something even after I am gone, and what will it say?

The picture I have attached is of a tree that was on my mom-in-laws property in Mississippi. It was blown over by the storm named Katrina. It lays on the ground, roots exposed, yet it still grows. In fact right now it is in full bloom. This tree spoke to me of so many things, but I think the most prevalent message it conveyed was that when our roots are deep we cannot help but grow even when we have fallen down. We still live on and this speaks of God's goodness, faithfulness, and grace. Remembering this helps to think of how deep and strong those roots are that have grown in my life. I know there have been many storms in my life and that there will be many more but I pray like this tree I would continue to grow and therefore reveal my roots even when knocked down.

Approaching the Sabbath

Today was a bittersweet day for me in that it was great to be with everyone but as I looked around I began to feel sad in a way knowing that I won't be seeing everyone for the next few weeks. In sharing communion at second service I began to get a bit teared up which is silly I suppose but then maybe not. This past few weeks have been emotional for our family and as I looked around the room this morning I was very grateful for all the relationships that I have come to enjoy through Hillside. I was feeling the" vitamin love." :)
I am very excited in many ways to have this time because I believe that God is going to do some really big and also very small things to continue to grow me. I am proud to call Hillside my church family/community and I am proud of all of us for answering this call to step it up a notch. At the same time I am very mindful of how much this thing we call church has become a very normal part of my routine, a connection point if you will, and again not being one who is big on change it takes me a minute to get fully on board with any change.
I am on board fully with this change. Mostly because I know it a direct call to obedience but also because I know it is a necessary part of our growth as a church family.
Today some very close friends came to visit Hillside for the first time and thier newbie commentary was so, so positive. It made me really appreciate some things that maybe I have come to take for granted for the last 3 years that I have been a part of Hillside.
All that to say, I will miss you family. Looking forward to our bon-voyage on Saturday and the party that will launch this and also to what lies ahead.

Some things you never , ever forget

Tomorrow I was invited to go on a bike ride with a my sister friends. I haven't been on a bike for a while but I think that I will be alright. They reassured me that this ride wouldn't be too vigorous. I think it will be good to get out since I have pretty much been in house since last Friday when Chloe was in the hospital. They say you never forget how to ride a bike. Once you have learned it just comes back to you no matter how long it has been . I believe that to be true. At least I know it is for me.

Something I will also not soon forget when they rolled Chloe away for surgery. It has made me reflect, pause, clean house and re prioritize my life. Nothing else matters but the people God has given us as gifts. I really want to make sure that all the relationships I have been blessed with in this life I appreciate on a daily basis. Sometimes I forget things like how great it is to hear my children laugh, or go running through the house. I forgot how many people are around me on a regular basis that have made my life richer. I forgot that all that really matters and all that I can take with me when this journey here on earth is over are those relationships. I am thankful for new days, new beginings, and for some things you never, ever should forget.

Love Hate Relationship

The ice cream truck or trucks that frequent my neighborhood several times a day slow down or completely stop in front of my house about 3 times a day. I have a love hate relationship with them.Now this is a relationship I feel I must explain. On the one hand I love this truck that symbolizes something so familiar to me and my childhood and the songs that they play can bring me right back to living in a small house on Siskiyou St. in Carson City. You could hear the truck from a mile away, it was much quieter back then :) and me and my siblings would pester my mother for probably back then 25 to 50 cents and off we would run to catch the ice cream truck. Also it reminds me of a HILARIOUS little bit that Eddie Murphy used to do about the ice cream truck man and if you haven't heard this act you have not truly lived.
The HATE comes in and enters stage left here- I am not made of money. Contrary to what my 4 children believe , it's really true. It doesn't grow on trees either some of the very same phrases I remember my mom saying to us when we were kids(sorry again mom) so that poses hate number one. Hate number two-enter stage right is that every time the kids get an ice cream I feel I need to get one also , in fact even when they don't get one I have my own secret stash of cold things in the freezer to get me through the summer months, and so the weight saga continues :)
I am not complaining , just explaining the saga of the ice cream trucks that come out and stay out until the sun goes down and the weather gets cold. Thought I would share , hope you enjoy.
Do you have any love hate relationships that you would care to share with me?

Leaness of Soul and one Fat Soul

" Why should not every year be richer than the past, in love, and usefulness,and joy?-I am nearer the celestial hills, I have had more experience ofmy Lord, and should be more like Him. O Lord, keep far from me thecurse of leanness of soul; let me not have to cry, "My leanness, myleanness, woe unto me!" but may I be well-fed and nourished in thyhouse, that I may praise thy name."
This excerpt is from Charles Spurgeon's daily devotional and the language toward the end is bit difficult to understand so I thought why not put it out there on a blog and see what others think the last part might mean. What does it mean to have "leaness of soul"?
I think that the "curse of leaness of soul" would mean keep me from living a shallow life. A life consumed with things that don't really mean all that much but seem to busy up my day more than the people who I should be investing in or the time I should be getting closer to God. I believe I get closer to God everytime I hear my children laugh because of something funny that was said or done, or when I read them a book, or when I spend time tickling them to the point of being tickled back. I believe I get closer to God by talking to my friends who are struggling in this life's journey and we discuss questions and answers of some things that have worked and some things that haven't worked. I believe I get closer to God when I am taking care of business with my husband :), greiving with a friend, rejoicing with another, and so many other ways that many people take for granted as just part of living. I don't believe anymore that the only way I can get closer to God is by reading the bible or going up on a mountain top to be alone with Him. I used to believe this to be true and I still believe these are ways that I can get closer to Him but they are not the only ways to avoid this "leaness of soul".
Our lives are made rich by the people and experiences that come our way, by hard work, and by easy living. My soul is filled to overflowing with substance, meaning, purpose, and it is all because of love. I believe I am well-fed and nourished by every house I enter because of Who enters into that house within me and for that I am truly thankful.