Can't think of a clever title

So for my Christmas vacation I'm hanging out at my house. John is working, family has all gone home (sniff) and presents are unwrapped & put away. Time to wind down. I don't mind not going anywhere. I really love being at my house. It's hot outside (thank you FLORIDA! not) and so I watched a movie on TV this morning. City of Angels.

It occurs to me that this may be the dumbest movie EVAH. Okay, so I'm an angel named Seth...I come from heaven, I've never known the struggles of mortal man, I feel no pain, I have no fear, I live IN THE BEAUTIFUL PRESENCE OF ALMIGHTY GOD...yet I trade all of it for a temporal life and a chance to kiss a human. Are you kidding me? How is this better? Don't get me wrong, I've shared amazing kisses with John. But I imagine that even the most earth shattering weak-in-the-knees moment between people would have to pale in comparison to living in the glory of our Lord.

So Seth, seriously... smelly morning breath is better than God? Eating a pear and taking a steamy shower...better than worry-free, pain-free eternity in heaven? Look I just cut myself and am bleeding...yay! Seth DESERVES to have his object of affection die within 12 hours of him becoming a human just for being a galactic eeeediot.

John reminds me that it is just a movie. Is it really though? I think about how available God's presence is to us right now, all the time, every day. And how we have the choice to bask in it or trade it for something lame and fleeting. My prayer is that I would always choose wisely. That I would always value intimacy with my Savior and King. And that I would remain focused on the eternal.

Best Christmas Surprise EVAH!

My sister Heather was supposed to come home from Portland OR for Christmas. But then she got a new job that wouldn't allow her to take the time off, so she called about 4 months ago and said she couldn't come after all. We were all soooooo bummed. We arranged to send her Christmas presents through the mail. Planned to send her pictures so she wouldn't completely miss out. No big deal. Life goes on. Sometimes not like you think it would, but you recover.

WELL GUESS WHO SHOWED UP AT MY DOOR LAST NIGHT?!?!?!?!

Oh yippeee...oh joy...oh gleeful jubilance!

Calling it like it is....

"Is the speed of light too slow for you?"

FYI

So yeah, now that my family knows I am with child, I don't have to write about it in secret. I've linked my Baby blog to this one. Feel free to jump on over and check it out.

Things I've Decided

- I dislike flavored coffee grounds. Much prefer the flavored creamers or syrups to add later.

- I hate people who tailgate motorcycle riders.

- I want to start watching classic movies. A coworker brought in "To Catch a Thief" and "Charade" to start me on my way.

- 9:00pm is a much better time to go to bed than 11:00pm.

- I need to start making my Christmas cards waaaaaaaaaay sooner than December.

- I'm not interested enough in learning to play the guitar to actually learn to play the guitar, so I'm crossing it off my list of stuff to do.

- Smiling at EVERYONE is totally worth it even if 1/2 don't smile back.

- I don't need to hoard stuff...clothes, scrap supplies I know I'll never use, old magazines, adaptors for electronic stuff I don't even think I have any more, receipts for stuff I bought 3 years ago that are now so faded you can't even see the print any longer, free bags & totes I get with purchase of Lancome products.

Monday AM Office Funnies

Yes, we bring on the funny pretty early around here.

Jay: What’s that smell?

Me: It’s my vanilla coffee. I know, it’s stinky…I’m sorry.

Jay: Smells like something Spoon would drink.

(‘Spoon’ is one of the technicians in our group, born with a silver spoon in his mouth. It is rumored that the only reason he works at all is because his wife says it keeps him out of trouble. He’ll even attest to that.)

Jay: One time I went in the tech office and saw some really fancy schmancy tea. I said “Whoever drinks this HAS to have a limp wrist.” It was Spoon’s tea.

Me: Normally I would think that comment is mean but I did see him moisturizing his face over in the tech room before he went out on a job.

Joe: I bet Spoon wears booties & mittens while he’s sleeping to keep his cuticles & heals from chaffing.

Tiffany: I bet he wears a shower cap.

Jay: I bet he wears a hair-net while he’s sleeping.

Me: Yeah, like Laura Ingalls.

Brian: I wonder how he rides his motorcycle.

Me: I’m betting side-saddle.

Note-if-fi-ca-shun

OMGsh I totally have this song stuck in my head now. Don't ask me how I found it.

How to share fabulous news

Since John and I are trying to have a baby I've often wondered how we'll tell our folks when we finally have 'news' to share. I'd love to think of a clever way that would just make my mom's head pop right off with glee. Some avenue where she wouldn't suspect anything. See, she's clever, that one. Mom can always guess the bad guy in a movie within the first 5 minutes. Then comes the whole "which parents do we tell first?" debate. Then I think about my sisters...one living in Portland, OR and one living here in town. I'd love to be able to tell everyone at once.

Should we invite everyone to dinner then call sis on the cell? We never do that with all parents at the same time unless there is a birthday, so they would for sure expect a reason. What if John and I had a practice run...assemble everyone, let them think something is up, then when they hear of no news they'll be like *shrug* "I guess they just wanted us all to get together." Then when the time comes it won't seem like an abnormal gathering.

Or, I could make a huge sign "We're Pregnant!" set the camera up to take a picture of us holding it, have my folks over for 'dinner & a movie', have John's folks stop by to 'pick something up' *wink wink* then put a slide show of some photos of a recent vacation on the big tv with the picture of us holding our sign being the last image.

Or, have everyone over for a game of pictionary. And when it's my turn to draw, I can draw a preggo lady and have everyone guess. Hahahaha! That mental image makes me laugh.

Or, we could go to one of those hotels on the beach that has a jazz band playing, see if we can get the MC to make the announcement for us, with a round of champagne at the ready (none for me of course.)

Hmmm. I don't know what we'll do but it will be fun. That's about all I DO know.

Adventures in Christmas shopping

Bought wonderful little manicure kit last night. Price tag said $18 but rang up $5. Sa-WEET! Plus I had a "spend over $30, get $10 off" coupon. What's funny is I told the girl I had the coupon while she was ringing my stuff up. Did she wait to see if I could find it before she finished? Of course not. Then when I dig the coupon out of my purse, I ask her if it would be a big deal for her to honor it. She said "Well, yeah kinda." Um...what? Oh really? Well you better get started. I waited as she begrudginly did a refund for all 7 things in order to re-ring them properly. It took about 3 minutes to save me $10. But for the scowl on her face I would have gladly waited 30. Hey, I don't mean to sound like a jerk. I assumed it was THEIR JOB to assist people. My bad.

Bought gift for my family grab-bag person. $20 off, so I got them 2 items instead of 1. Sa-WEET!

Bought gift for one of my BFFs and got a GREAT DEAL on the items. Love me a sale!

Got home and was able to wrap them all. Man I love the holidays.

De-Clutterifying My Life

Oh my I can't stand the clutter. This has to be step 2 in some program, with step 1 being "admitting your life is cluttered." To get there from here I started thinking about what I'm involved in and why. How do these activities fit in with my goals? Do I even have any goals? Well, I don't really have a list of goals yet. But if I did the first one would be "clear some space so you can begin thinking of goals."

Last month I decided to stop selling cards and crafts on ebay. It was a big decision for me because I was pouring a ton of time & energy into it. It started out fun but then it got hard. And I hate quitting something when it gets hard so I kept plugging away. That is, until I realized that I had no aspiration to take this any further than a simple hobby done in my spare time. I had no plan to get rich, not interested in getting my work published, and it had become more stressful than fun. I was neglecting my husband, my house, my own photo albums, my family & friends, my spiritual life, etc. It was like working a really sucky job and not getting paid for it, any benefits, or even a lousy 'thank you'. The signs were all there. So I kicked it to the curb, Adam Vinatieri style.

This is all the pilot for a new show called "What other useless things can I eliminate."

Clothing manufacturers...why do you hate me?

So I'm looking for a ski coat for my trip in January. I hate to buy one. I ski about once every five years. I'd rather borrow one but I know zero women my size. And even if I did, the chances of a fellow Floridian having a SNOW SKI JACKET is slim to none.

While shopping I notice a trend...quilted puffer jackets for plus sized gals. Yeah, that's just want we need. To look puffier. As John says about himself "I don't want to cover my rolls with a jacket that has more rolls."

I'm also finding tons of sweaters and tops with horizontal stripes. Good grief people! Everyone knows horizontal stripes make even a skinny girl look like a double wide.

Why don't they just make a shirt that says "I Heart Butter!" That would be more subtle.

Eh...I'm going to the gym. For real.

Aaaaaaaaahh, what a great weekend.

Saturday afternoon...Florida vs Alabama? Alabama got OWNED. Well, not really. It was a nail biter the entire time but UF came out victorious. Woohoo! Gator Nation, baby.

Saturday night was my in-law's Computers For Education Christmas party. Lots of good food to eat & fun people to talk to. The volunteers who donate their time & talent to this organization just really warm my heart. They could do anything in the world with their free time but they choose to work on computers that are given to people, mostly kids still in school, who have no other means to afford the technology. The volunteers range in age from kids in their 20's to retirees in their 60's & 70's. It's just amazing to see how dedicated they are.

At the party we heard 'thank you' emails written by recipients to share how the new computer has changed their lives. We heard from single mothers, from an 11-year old boy (who now wants to volunteer in some way!), from a woman who works with autistic children, another who works with kids born from drug addicted mothers. The list of lives that are touched by this organization goes on and on. As my MIL read the emails, I looked over to see a surly looking military retiree dabbing the tears from his eyes. You can imagine there wasn't a dry eye in the place. It was awesome to be a part of this gang.

Sunday was our 5th anniversary. The time just flies. When you do it right 5 years is a blink. If you do it wrong, one day is an eternity! So John is normally THE WORST at waiting to give a gift. In fact, he's already started asking me if I want my Christmas present now. If I said yes he'd totally let me open it. But this time he at least waited until the day of our anniversary to give me my present...12:01am. He's so cute!

John I spent a great day together Sunday...lunch after church & some shopping. Then we went to Texas de Brazil for dinner that evening. Great food. Nice weather. The drive was easy. We did realize that we don't take advantage of the 1 hour proximity to Orlando. I see some trips to the outlets in our future.

So yeah, I had a great weekend.

Please help - looking for music

I'm in the mood for some folksy, coffee-shop acoustic indie type christian music. Not the Peter Paul & Mary kind *cough*...something cool and Ingrid Michaelson-esque. I search google. What comes up? Sarah Groves & Sixpence None the Richer. Oh wait, there is that one site I found that considers the band Aaron Jeffrey a folk music group. Um, seriously...Are you kidding me?

I can't imagine there are only 2 artists in this genre in all the English speaking world. Please, if you have input point me in the right direction.

Little tiny pleasures in life

I bought some scrap stuff online the other day. I just adore online shopping. And magazine subscriptions. I love knowing fun stuff is coming in the mail at some point. As adults the mail rarely qualifies as fun. Well, unless your standards for fun are super low.

Remember when you were a kid and the only mail you got was birthday cards from grandma or a letter from the friend you met at camp? I remember seeing mom get 4 or 6 envelopes each day and thinking how great it would be when I was older and got as much mail as she got. I wondered why she wasn't always happy to see all the 'letters'. Hah! Oh to be a kid again.

How was my Thanksgiving?

Fabulous. Best one ever. Seriously, I mean that. Best EVAH!

I long for the day I have a house big enough to have my family and John's family together for the holidays. Why should we have to take turns each year being with the ones we love most? Rubbish.

Well, this year my dream came true. My family went to John's folks and we had so much fun together. I was asked to say the dinner blessing - which I was totally pumped about and had been hoping all morning for a chance to pray over my loved ones in the presence of my loved ones. Then we played games, chatted, and just really enjoyed spending hours together digesting mass quantities of turkey & pie. *sigh*

Good times.

The only thing missing was Heather. =(

What the telemarketer taught me

We are being bombarded by phone solicitors. Yes, we are on the do not call list but it isn't working. Every day a 1-800 number rings the house. Sometimes we pick up then hang up. Sometimes we wait to see if they'll leave a message. They don't. So yesterday I answer it and the lady asks for my husband. I say "Please do not call here ever again." *click* It is super frustrating. And I try to be nice but jeeze, give up already. If we want to buy something, we'll seek it out. If we want to refinance something, we'll do it. If we want to donate to something, you'll get your $$ when you get it. If we want to insure something, chances are it's already insured. Yet the calls continue.

What makes them so persistent? Telemarketers would have to be a hardy bunch...enduring the verbal assault they no doubt experience on a daily basis. It reminds me of how persistent Jesus is to get to our hearts. He calls all the time...during dinner, at night while we are sleeping, on the way to work, through a message on Sunday, through a friend, through His Word, through a circumstance in life, through the choices we make, through a telemarketer...

*ring ring* "Hey Rebecca, Jesus here. Just calling to touch bases with you. I've been waiting for you to return my call. How many messages do I have to leave already? I'm desperate to talk to you. What's up? Holla back."

I used to hate hearing the phone ring. I think now whenever someone calls, I'll always be reminded of spending time with The One who is truly in pursuit of me.

Science.....hah!

So last night I was cleaning old clothing out of my closet....stuff I hadn't worn since 3 sizes ago. I held up some sized 12 shirts, shirts that now seemed teensy to me, and remembered feeling like a fat cow 5 years ago while wearing them. Whatever!?! I jammed them into the bag heading for GoodWill. It's hard to not feel a bit depressed about how you've let yourself go. Ugh.

So this morning on the news I hear that scientific research proves depression is linked to the size of your waist line. Well no duh, Einstein. What chuckle head figured THAT out? Better yet, who gave that chuckle head a grant to discover what women all over the planet have known since the dawn of the calorie? Is science like the movie industry...when you run out of stuff to study you just go back and re-discover crap? Coming up on News at 11:00....gravity keeps stuff from flying off into space!

Can I have a grant? I want to study the link between depression and having no money. Or the link between depression and having no job. Or the link between depression and democrats in office. Someone want to pony up that dough?

I love Crazy Bob

"Russia II....China the Sequel...." soooooo funny.

Funny Dinner Conversation (possibly TMI)

John and I eat at our living room coffee table. And we watch whatever show we DVR'd the previous night while we eat. I've been DVRing Jon & Kate Plus 8. John watches it but usually while playing a game on his laptop. So I didn't think he really liked it...I figured it was one of those she likes it so I'll watch it with her type deals. But last night when he started one of the episodes, I had to comment.

Me: Honey, thanks for putting this show on. I didn't know you liked it too.

Him: Are you kidding me? You watch this then want to have a baby which = me getting sex. It's my new favorite.

Me: (LOLing for real!)

I wish I knew more people who used blogger

I have received 3 requests to check out people's facebook space. I refuse because I have to create an account and I can't handle more stuff to log into. But I want to see what's going on. Myspace, twitter (very funny stuff BTW Justin!), facebook, LinkedIn...I just can't take it.

Card list (for my own sanity)

1/3 - Lisa
1/13 - David & Sally's Anniversary
1/21 - Erin (IOPG)
1/23 - Melissa (IOPG)
1/29 - Amy
2/1 - Heather
2/8 - Joe
2/14 - Valentine's Day
2/14 - Valerie's Bday (IOPG)
2/24 - Traci
2/26 - Rene
3/27 - Joe & Krissy's Anniversary
4/19 - Tammy (IOPG)
4/21 - Mom & Art's Anniversary
4/23 - John
5/11 - Dad
5/13 - Kelly
5/21 - Art
5/23 - Aunt Chris
6/1 - Sarah
6/3 - Free & Linda's Anniversary
7/12 - Freebie
7/14 - Papa
8/12 - Kailah (IOPG)
8/18 - Linda
8/29 - Greg
9/2 - Patti (IOPG)
9/24 - Mom
9/28 - Catherine (IOPG)
10/1 - Krissy
10/11 - Susan (IOPG)
10/12 - Stephane
10/15 - Carey
10/18 - Dave
11/2 - Cheryl (IOPG)
11/22 - Robbie
11/25 - Nana
12/7 - Our Anniversary
12/16 - Robbie & Traci's Anniversary

Anyone know when Penny's bday is? Love to add her to the list.

37 cards....totally doable. Suck on that, Hallmark!

My monday happy list

Why am I happy on a crusty bleery-eyed Monday morning?

I only have to work 3 days this week.

It's cold outside. Always a bonus.

I'm not sick any more. HALLELUJAH to the 100th power.

I had a great talk on the phone with mom while driving into work.

I have great plans for this week. Tonight I'm working on Christmas cards. This year I'm putting my all into them. I've learned a lot of new techniques since I started making my own cards and can't wait to use all of what I have/know on cards to my precious friends & family. Tomorrow night I have dinner with my accountability gal pal. It's been a while so I'm looking forward to getting with her. Wednesday mom and I are going Christmas shopping. Thursday, Turkey Day...bring on the tryptophan coma! I think mom & Sarah and I will try and catch a movie together that evening. I don't know when we've done that without any boys tagging along.

I'm more excited than ever to start a family. John and I have really been only 1/2 committed to this new adventure, both of us struggling with our own fears: the economy, can I be a good parent, will we have jobs in 2 years, our house is too small, blah blah blah *gag!*. Well, we just decided that worrying isn't going to add one minute to our lives and handed the steering wheel over to God on ALL of that. John is not worried about being able to afford kids - he knows that with or without the space center God will provide for us. I am not worried about being a good parent because of a tidbit of advice that keeps ringing in my ear that dear sweet Lisa gave me a long time ago - I many not know how but God does. Hopefully by January I'll have some bun-in-the-oven news to post. This was part of the convy mom & I had this morning. She's in on 'the plan'. =)

We'll be taking our tree & deco stuff out of the attic this week so that things will be in place this weekend. Yipppeeeeeeeeeeeeeee I love fall & winter holidays!!!

I've decided not to sell crafts on ebay any more. IOPG girls, if you are reading this don't worry...I'm not leaving the group. I love you all too much to "quit you". But I just don't want to be a slave to crafting for strangers and putting up with the ridiculous fees and rules & the random eeeediot buyer, etc. And you know...I already feel like a burden has been lifted! I can spend my free time making pages for my own scrap albums & making cards for people who really matter. Holy cow what a relief. John and I had a wonderful weekend of shopping & having lunch out on Saturday because I wasn't chained to my craft room. You mean there is a whole beautiful world happening outisde beyond the glitter & ribbons? Get out!

Major happies in my heart

Oh goodness I'm just so relieved.

Friday's ski crisis weighed heavily on my heart. I said a little prayer asking "God please let them change the date of the Gay-la" because when I wrote last we still didn't have a firm date. We all had a pretty good guess based on previous years events. One of the guys in my group decided to call the Gay-la organizers. Turns out they didn't have a huge demand for the event this year so they are having it in March at a different location. Crisis deverted. Vacation has been Lazarus'd back from the dead. Game on.

My vacation has been shot, killed & field dressed.

Okay, so John and I are going on a ski trip in January with a group of friends. When? The last week in January. In anticipation, I was cruising the resort website and stumbled onto some disturbing news. For the last 2 years this resort has hosted a gay & lesbian ski week. Great. I did some digging to find that the dates have been either the 3rd or 4th week in January. The resort does not have their 01/09 events calendar posted yet. Honestly, I'm no bigot. I don't care what people do behind closed doors and I don't hate them for their lifestyle CHOICE. But it isn't something I support or want to celebrate.

Before I panic, my priority is finding out when the event it taking place. So I called the resort. The utter chimp who answered the phone had no idea what I was talking about. They transfer me to the marketing answering machine. No one has called me back. I did more digging through google to see if the gay community is advertising this event yet. Yes, I went to gay event websites and I'm not ashamed. All of them...ALL OF THEM...post the event as happening "late January 2009 - dates TBD". Hmmmm, late January sounds like the last week in January to me.

The other 4 can still go if they want but John and I are out. And you know what? I'm not sorry that this is a deal breaker. At first I wondered if I was making a big deal out of nothing. But this is how I feel. Anyone thinking of preaching how I need to love the sinner hate the sin, save it. I'm not paying a ton of money and spending my vacation while everyone else at the resort is playing Queen of the Mountain.

Today...

I brought sweet potato casserole in a crock pot to work for the pre-Thanksgiving potluck. I am the idiot who always signs up to bring something that has to be served warm. And every night before while I'm making the dish and agonizing about how I'm going to transfer it to the outdoor location and still keep it warm, I shout out to John, who is resting comfortably on the couch without a care in the world, "Why do I DO this every time? I HATE cooking! Never again. Next time I'm bringing cups & plates!" Yet here I am...with the crockpot on the table behind me, checking it every 20 minutes praying that it cooks in time. Ugh.

This reminds me of something I saw on the drive home from work the other day. The land around my building is a wildlife refuge and edges up to a river. So it is common to see wild pigs, alligators, eagles, armadillos, snakes, vultures, scrub jays, dolphins, manatee and raccoons. I'm used to seeing nearly all of these animals alive accept for the armadillos & raccoons who typically end up as road pizza. So when I see an armadillo along the road alive I'm like "Woohoo! You made it!"

Well, kinda. This little fella was in the median, rooting around for grubs or whatever it is they eat, with his back to home bound traffic. He turns around and slowly walks out into the stream of cars going about 50mph. The driver 2 cars ahead of me slows, swerves, but eventually grazes little Dillo sending him spinning on his hard candy shell. Dillo rights himself and hauls booty back for the grass. I'm thinking "Wow, no way he lived. You go little fella!"

At this point all traffic has slowed. Another car passes and blind, dumb little Dillo turns again and starts walking right back out into the traffic that grazed him the first time as I go by. Really? Dillo...you were just spun out by a huge rubber tire, hit the lottery of life by not getting squished, were able to escape back to safety, take a breather and head right BACK into the arms of death? I slowed & puckered, knowing he was somewhere under my Honda. I didn't feel a thump-thump. *phew!* He made it under me only to take the eternal dirt nap under the wheel of the car beside me.

I can think of many times (besides the potluck sitch) in life where I've turned around and run right back out into traffic. Thank God for His mercy that kept me from being crushed.

Well looky there. My sweet potatoes are done!

My sis's Etsy shop - TigerTribe

I added Heather's etsy store to my list of links I hang out at. She makes jewelry out of vintage pieces.

Maybe one day I'll get my shop going and list some of my paper crafts.

I'm back from the dead.....sort of

So it all started with a sore throat Thursday night (11/13/08) and proceeded with me feeling like a walking corpse. My abs are KEEEEEEELING me from coughing for 4 days. Took Monday off to go to the doc but I'm now out of sick time, so bronchitis be danged...to work I go. I say all that to explain why I haven't written in a while.

Last night I had a dream that I had a baby girl. Here are some vivid details I remember for those that want to try and 'figure' it out. The labor (though I didn't experience that part) took only 3 hours - I imagine in reality this would be AWESOME! She weighed 12 lbs, which shocked my mother but to me that seemed like no big deal. She was so tiny and precious with blonde hair all over her little peach fuzzed head. I named her Collin, which is weird because that's a boys name. I kept thinking "Why didn't I pick one of the several girls names I love?. Can we go back to the hospital and have a do-over on the birth certificate?" I think this comes from spending all Saturday and Sunday watching Jon & Kate Plus 8. One of their 8 kids is named Collin. Oh, I also remember taking the baby home but not using a car seat, I kept her in my arms. And I didn't wear a seat belt either. I remembered thinking "Man, my first day at this and I'm already a sucky parent." Then when we got home the baby turned into a little blond furry puppy. So WHAT IS UP WITH THAT???

In real life, I try and compare having kids to owning a dog. Since I don't have kids it's the only parallel I can draw. And I know it's a silly and unrealistic comparison, but I compare it only in the sense of how your life changes and you have to care for something that cannot care for itself. I truly hope parenting is way better than dog ownership because frankly I HATE HATE HATE being a dog owner. I have the most ungrateful and bi-polar dog that ever was. How long do Jack Russell's live anyway? Kidding. Not really.

On to other things, as I was cruising through the thousands of card making blogs I visit so my morning starts out happy, I found this picture that makes me just giggle. Please enjoy.

TTFN

Where's My Bailout?

I never promised not to post about politics.

Self Discovery & Changing the Way I Think - My Victory

So last night was praise team practice. I love singing in a group but singing alone terrifies me like you wouldn't believe. It makes me all self-concious, sweaty, and kind of makes me want to run out of the building in tears and go puke in a corner. And I don't know why because I've been involved in some form of music ministry for about 10 years.

Actually, now that I think about it I do know why. First, my voice isn't 'soloist' quality and I know this and I'm okay with this. I feel like a fraud, like I'm trying to be something I'm not. Second, I don't like being that much in the spotlight. Surprised? No, it's true. I'll let you in on a little secret: I couldn't fully appreciate the magnitude of my own wedding ceremony with those 225 pairs of eyes on me the whole time.

So back to practice...my leader feels compelled to start giving me the lead on some parts of this new song we are working on. She'd like to eventually give me a whole song. Cripes! I get all panicky just thinking about it. Anyway, we practiced it last night and yep, still had all those familiar anxieties. But when practice was over I got in my car and where I would normally think "Can't do this crap anymore. I'm quitting." instead I thought "I did it. I didn't die. I didn't pass out. No one ran out of the building bleeding from their ears." Yeah maybe it wasn't as spectacular a performance as I would have liked. But I think God was somehow honored by my attempts. This realization is UTTERLY HUMBLING. I actually can't stop crying as I write this.

I trust that God will take this teensy 2 mite offering and multiply it for the good of His Kingdom.

Funniest work conversation ever

Someone in my office sneezes. It sounded like an 8 year old girl's sneeze. It ended up coming from John, the mighty hunter of the group.

Jay: John sure has a nancy sounding sneeze. Hey Jennifer, can I get you a tissue?

Rebecca: Jay, you know he could kill you, right?

Jay: Good thing he can’t bring firearms to work.

John: I don’t need a gun. I have my knives.

Rebecca: Jay, he could probably field dress you with a thumb tack and a spork.

John: I kill deer. Field dressing Jay would be child’s play.

Jay: Hey, I killed a snake the other day.

John:
Way to go Daniel Boone. Shall I give you your raccoon scout badge now?

Rebecca: (dying from laughter)

The real me

Okay, this blog has mainly been used to express my outrage at things going on in the world. It was never meant to be all about that. So here's a little list I felt compelled to post so any readers won't think I'm perpetually bent.

Puts Happies in My Heart:

• Colors. All colors. And how they work together to create emotion.
• Photography. I wish I knew more about my digi camera. Mom & I talk about taking a class at the college. Def on my To Do list.
• Music...all kinds. Yes, I can even appreciate some country songs.
• I'm starting to love the idea of being a mommy some day. John and I talk a lot about our hopes in the role of parenthood. I think it will be fun.
• Prayer. I'm learning more about what "pray without ceasing" looks like.
• Thinking about my ski trip in January to Lake Tahoe NV.
• Seeing the sun peeking through clouds on my way to work. I almost drove off the road this morning because it was soooooo breathtaking.

I struggle with:

• Understanding Holiness. I don't know where CSI and Survivor and scrapbooking and going to the movies and sometimes despising answering the phone on weekends and listening to secular music and joking around with my friends fits into a life of holiness.
• Being compassionate towards those I feel are stupid and made their own mess.

I want to:

• Keep a cleaner house. John deserves to live in a home that he doesn't always have to clean himself.
• Learn to play the guitar but I don't know if I have the time or enough interest to dedicate myself to the learning part.
• Make more cards to let people know I love them and that I'm thinking about them.
• Be a better friend to Sarah, Lisa, Krissy, Traci & Rene.

Need to:

• Raise a higher standard for how I live. I believe this starts with studying God's word.
• Stop being so lazy and just GET ON THE TREADMILL already.
• Start thinking about a set of measurable goals and a time-frame for completion.
• Not sweat the small things.

Can a person be TOO green? Find the answer below.

Just cannot wait until next Monday.

This article may be old news to some, but I just read it this morning.

Apparently some members of the Greenie Weenie army in Texas believe earth could use a big ol' scrubbing, clearing out 90% of the nasty humans in order to make life easier for butterflies & waterfalls.

"We're no better than bacteria!" University of Texas biologist Eric Pianka recently announced. "Things are gonna get better after the collapse [of the world's human population due to a theorized airborne virus plague] because we won't be able to decimate the Earth so much," he added. "And, I actually think the world will be much better when there's only 10 or 20 percent of us left." ***Rebecca adds: I love how he assumes HE'D be of the remaining 10%.***

Pianka dreamed disease "will control the scourge of humanity." He celebrated the potential of Ebola Reston, an airborne strain of the killer virus, to make Earth nearly human-free. "We've got airborne 90 percent mortality in humans. Killing humans. Think about that."

How is this guy not being treated as a terrorist? Can someone please get this Pianka fool a big glass of kool-aid?

Reflections on Birthday-ness

So my bday was Friday, Nov 7th. The work day part of it was fine. My coworkers tried teasing me about my age. I'm now 34...what is so tease-worthy about that? I'm not one of those girls who gets all diva-y about growing older. I own it. Yeah, I'm not 23 anymore, but denying my age or keeping it a secret doesn't make me any less 34. I don't get the whole "a lady doesn't tell her age" crap.

I got to talk to Heather for a bit. She sent me a Happy Birthday text and I thought that alone was really sweet. She's my middle sister and lives in Portland. And she doesn't always remember people's birthdays but so far she always gets mine right. =) But then she called that evening and since the fam was over for cake we all passed the phone around.

Sarah stayed after everyone left and watched Get Smart with us. (Funny movie!) It was really nice to get some time with her without Brian around to be all smug and antisocial. Sarah is my youngest sister. Oh...and this was the best birthday gift EVAR....Sarah told us all that Brian's status has been downgraded from Fiance to Boyfriend. teeheehee. I'm hoping that by Christmas he'll be downgraded from Boyfriend to Common Passerby. Evil, I know. But whatevs. She said she's ready to reestablish her relationship with God. THAT my friend makes me want to do cartwheels.

My in-laws, my dad, my mom & stepdad all played nice together. Not that they don't, but we are seldom all together like that. I just love family mingling. We had a great time taking pictures & laughing. I see some crazy scrapbook pages in my future.

Monday's Mental Midget List

I'm starting a new series. Every Monday I will post something that I hear from NPR that displays bo-tarded qualities. And I'm not even going to esplain which part of the story earns it a spot on my list. I'm sure you'll figure it out.

Today I hear of some mayor who is pushing for a type of foreclosure prevention program. He hopes that it will impeded the process so that people can stay in their homes. Noble? Not so fast. He is pushing for this program because he is beginning foreclosure proceedings on his own home. During the interview he explains, "being mayor doesn't pay that well. I only make about $48,000 a year. In 2 years I've burned through all my savings." Then he goes on to explain that he quit his lucrative real estate job in order to focus on being mayor.

Ahem.

Mood - Disappointed

I am utterly ashamed of the people in this country. I hope you all enjoy getting exactly what you deserve for the next 4 years.

Goals

verbage to come later. I have to sort it out in my head first.

You go Zo! (Alfonzo is my new YouTube fave.)

I Dreamt of Snakes...(major ewe)...but it's aaaaaall good!

Now I hate snakes. HATE THEM. I especially am grossed out by snakes or pictures of snakes in places they don't belong, like inside computers (you've prolly seen that picture floating around email....blech!) or finding one on my courtyard gate up by the handle or one stuck & partially chopped up in the neighbor's A/C unit. Huge *gag* with a side helping of *shudder*.

So when I have a dream about a snake anywhere near me I certainly remember it! In this dream it was night time and I was getting ready for bed. Someone had left a light on outside my condo and it was shining through the bedroom window making me unable to sleep. So I went out to turn it off. There were lots of bushes and shrubs that I had to manuever through to get to the switch. The real me would have been all "Nuh uh....the light can just stay on then!" but the dream me wasn't afraid at all. I turn off the light and head back towards the front door. I see this huge...I mean huge as in anaconda sized...snake lingering around in the bushes. I went to get a baseball bat and work him over "Louis Slugger" style.

I remember thinking a bat is a weird thing to battle a snake with...don't people usually use shovels or something else that would provide lots of distance between you and the foe? Like a gun or hand-grenade? Nevertheless, I got a bat from the utility room. Then I noticed a whole crap load of snakes are now all over the front porch...different sizes and colors. I was like "Oh no you di'int!" and starting swinging. I felt really brave. And then it ended. I don't know if I succeeded in killing them all or chasing them away.

I believe dreams are symbolic...a way for God to communicate with us at a time when we can't mentally fight Him. I see tons of symbolism in this dream. Not all of it makes sense to me but the snakes are def symbolic for something that I should be cautious about. But in what way?

I also feel the light is important...like why did I need to turn it off? Light usually means something good, not something bothersome. Maybe I'm being lazy about something (preferring to sleep) and should be giving it more attention? Just guessing here. The weapon seems important. One should have the proper tool for the job, right? And the fact that this was happening around my home, my real current home, is significant.

I feel strongly that the snakes represented my fears. There are other things happening in my life that are helping me understand this. It's time to stop letting my fears limit how far out in the water I walk with God. It is not up to fear, it is up to me. And I am willing to battle them with whatever weapon I can find: Bat, shovel, broom, singing lead on Sunday's, whatever.

You dream analyzers, feel free to post your thoughts.

We were made to live for so much more

I can't help but think of Switchfoot's song when I look at this picture of Rocky...gazing longingly out the window. I try and imagine what he must be thinking. Do dogs think? I don't know but I imagine he's wishing he were out hunting things, lizards, squirrels...or chasing an endless supply of frisbees through a grassy field. He might lament that he's here, confined by these walls of sheet rock, scratching out a life sentence of condo living. Oh the wonderful things he'd do if only he was free of this plaster prison. He's not the only one who knows he's meant for something more.

So Mom and Art came over last night and we all watched Facing the Giants. I love this movie. I've seen it once before and still cried like a baby at all the same places. In this movie the football coach is truly eeking by in life. He's got nothing going for him...his house is falling apart, his car is a heap of crap, his job is on the line. All he has left is the support of his loving wife and a God he has yet to rely on. Then a lightbulb goes off. He realizes he and his team of high school football players ARE meant for a bigger purpose than just trying to win games. Amazing things happen when he redefines his purpose in life.

What big things has God created me for and why the heck am I not doing them? What prison have I constructed to keep from moving forward? I feel like one of those wind up toys that, when met with an obstacle, rather than plowing through just stops or turns back around.

Garden Girls!

This is a shout out to all my Garden Girl ebay pals, just in case you decided to come over and check me out. Welcome Catherine, Cheryl, Erin, Kailah, Melissa, Patti, Tammy, Susan & Valerie!

Homegroup Prayer

Gracious perfect and loving Lord,

I lift up the Boutwell family to you as they experience faith stretching circumstances. Father, ignite a new hunger for your word so that in it they will find joyful reassurance that you are the glory and the lifter of their head. As the shadow of uncertainty might tempt them to fear, remind their hearts that their futures have already been preserved in you. You are good and everything you do is good. Strengthen them to submit to you so they can steadfastly resist the enemy who wishes to debilitate your people. Keep them, Father, as you have already promised, in the shadow of your wings, unmoved by the economy. And as they do all they can to stand, empower them with your Holy Spirit to continue to stand. Father, I ask for blessings on their lives. Open supernatural doors of prosperity. For these things I praise and bless your name. And I commit these prayers to you, knowing that you care for us, and believing that you will be more glorified in the lives of this family. In Jesus' precious name.

Beautiful explanation of Amendment 2....

This video was created for California's Proposition 8 but applies to Amendment 2 that is on the ballot in Florida this November.



I do have 1 question...why are Californians having to vote this down AGAIN???? They already said no to gay marriage once. How many times does it take to get the point across? Also on the ballot in San Francisco....Decriminalizing Prostitution. Yep...you heard me right. The purpose of this is to save the $11 million it takes to arrest whores. Okay, so if it starts costing too much to arrest pedophiles, will we vote to decriminalize that eventually? How about murderers? Well, we kind of have already shown we approve of murder = abortion. (Back to my previous post of not being accountable for your actions.)

I personally don't want laws shaped by an opinion that legalizing immorality is more convenient that preventing it. I am voting YES on Amendment 2!!!!!!!!!!!! Marriage = 1 man + 1 woman. And you can quote me!

It really is ok to be responsible. I promise.

I just heard on CNN (boo hiss!) that home owners are crying because they aren't getting a bail out. Are you kidding me? No, I'm not kidding you. And we had to know this was coming.

If you have defaulted on your mortgage and now want the government to come in and fix your mess, my next words are directed at you.

Who exactly made you take out a mortgage where the monthly payment would absorb 80% of your monthly income? Just because you CAN get approved for that huge loan doesn't mean you SHOULD.

How hard did you try to keep making those payments before you just threw your hands up and, like a child, thought "hey, this sucks and I'm not doing it any more because I don't wanna and you can't make me." Did you reduce or eliminate the luxuries in your household in order to free up more $$ for necessities? Do you actually know the difference between a luxury and a necessity? If not, here is a tutorial.

Newsflash...a razer cell phone in the hottest new color is NOT a necessity...it is a luxury. Newsflash...a Wii or xBox 360 is not a necessity. It is a luxury. Newsflash, your DSL internet connection, flat panel TV, DVR, netflix membership, BlueRay DVD player, iPod, semi-annual vacations, bi-monthly pedi/mani, Ruumba, surround sound & eating out 5 of 7 days a week are not necessities. Yep, you guessed it...they are LUXURIES. Say it with me....L-U-X-U-R-Y.

These things are not a necessity no matter what your neighbors kids tell your kids. No matter what celebrities tell you. No matter what the democrats or MTV tell you. It IS possible to live without them. And it doesn't make you less of an American. It may be a little uncomfortable but it IS possible to go without some frivolous things in order to pay the bills that are necessities. Or did your mommy not teach you to pay important bills first then, AND ONLY THEN, if you have any left over you can get that big shiny SUV?

Back to my questions. Who exactly made you think that you deserve a big pretty house on a hill with a picket fence in a deed restricted neighborhood when you make $8 an hour? I'm sorry, but you just CAN'T have it all. I know the magazines, cable TV & the democrats make you think you can but you just cannot.

As for getting a bail out...you don't deserve one. You need to be responsible for your choices. (What? Did I just violate someone's American civil liberties? Oh no!) Don't make ME responsible for your choices. I didn't overextend my finances. I live in a dinky little 2 bedroom condo. Did I want a big house with a back yard 3 years ago? Yes. Could I have been approved for a loan? Certainly. Why didn't I get a bigger house then? Everyone else was doing it. Hmmm, let me think. My husband and I used our brains and realized that with a bigger house come bigger taxes and bigger house payments. We knew we had other bills to pay and DIDN'T want to get in over our head. It's called being responsible. There's that ugly word again. You need to experience the consequences of your mistakes.

Nuff Said

"A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have." - Gerald R. Ford August 12th 1974

Boys and Robots

So John comes home from the grocery store with new toothbrushes. I greatly appreciate that he does grocery shopping without being asked and always gets things I wouldn't have thought of getting. I love his grocery adventurousness. But back to the toothbrushes. He didn't get the same brand I would have bought. I tend to be a product loyalist...stick to the same thing I've used for years. If there something out there that is better, I'd never know.

John is so proud of his choice with all the bells & whistles, explaining that it will do all kinds of hygenically correct stuff to our teeth & gums. To me, my new toothbrush looks overly high tech & robot-y. It has all these weird fangled features & colors going on. Three different types & depths of regular bristles, a layer of rubbery bristles on the outside, flat rubbery section on the back, thick ergonomic handle with no-slip grip, and I'm sure it was even approved by the eco-weanie tree huggers for somehow reducing my carbon footprint. It looks very much like something a boy would pick out. And I admit it...I have my reservations.

Will this new brush work as well as the others? Am I going to be stuck using the mammoth thing that sits so awkwardly in our holder because all but the bottom 1/2 inch is too fat? I am already plotting my escape: How can I "accidentally" drop this in the toilet. Maybe it could "fall" to the floor *wink wink* and I could coerce Rocky into licking it or something. I've kind of made up my mind that I hate it.

Well, I used it. It may look like a bulky obnoxious godzilla brush but it feels like heaven. My gums applaud. Bravo honey!

Moral of the story? (Why do I feel like there has to always be a moral?????)

...stuff can look weird and different yet still be awesome.

Gentle correction and a blog that warms my heart.

So today I'm really struggling with the election. I came to work and the gang immediately starts reading articles that showcase the continued ridiculousness of liberals. I couldn't take it any more. Hopelessness begins to set in. I was already having a hard time coping with the possibility of Obama as my next Commander in Chief. So I determined in my mind that if Obama wins I'm taking November 5th off from work so I can stay in bed, cry a little, pray a lot, and come to work on the 6th ready to fight the good fight.

Then I started remembering how God's word says He ordains the leaders who are set in power. I pray "God, please make me okay with whatever you decide in 2 weeks." I DO trust God. I know He will use the people to choose a leader who will then be used to carry out God's work on this earth. Knowing this still didn't calm the nausea that rises in my stomach when I hear Obama supporters spouting off their uninformed reasons for choosing that horse's ass. I have to ask myself, DO I really trust God? Is it okay to know one thing and still not be happy about it? I don't know. So I continue to pray that GOD'S plan for this earth and this country would always take precedence in my heart over my own plan.

Then I stumble onto this blog. I found it through Copious Dissent. It looked like an advertisement for a movie or something. When I clicked on it, I just knew that God lead me here to help me refocus on what in this world is truly important: LIFE. Then I read more of the blog to learn this girl Wendy is a Christ follower. I think I will be frequenting this blog.

Lord, you are so loving and merciful. Thank you for not responding to my fears and anxiety with anger. Thank you for gently placing my feet back on the Rock. Thank you thank you thank you thank you.

Only one October....and this one ain't ours.

Yes, I'm in mourning today...Wearing sack cloth & ashes because the BoSox did not advance to the World Series *sigh*

On to happier news

yeah, I guess I'm just not yet ready to move on to happier news. It's freakin Monday and I haven't had coffee yet so whatdya want???

I swear to the heavens above that if one more coworker comes by here and yells "Tampa Bay!" I will come up out of this chair and kick the air right out of their lungs. And you can quote me!

There's Only One October!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow. Wow! I just couldn't believe my eyes this morning to snap on the TV and see the Red Sox pulled out one glorious victory last night. The action started in the 7th inning....(we went to sleep in the 6th inning. DANGIT!) Anyway, this was the 5th game of the ALS and in order to continue Sox NEEDED this win. Game 6....Saturday @ 8:00pm in Tampa. Long Live Red Sox Nation!

Read the magical story here.

Hmmmm, do you know why you are a Democrat?

These are some fun party questions I plan to bring to the next gathering of Lib-tard Obots we call friends. Should be a blast. I'll be sure to post the answers. I don't expect many good answers....just a bunch of verbal diarrhea. BTW, I nabbed these questions from Copious Dissent author, Devil's Advocate:

When in history has an increase in governmental power over any aspect of life led to more prosperity?


What incentive do colleges have to lower their tuitions if the government keeps promising to foot the bill no matter the price?


Why are you against parents and students choosing what school the student attends?


When armed governments or mobs against unarmed people have committed the greatest atrocities of mankind, why are you for disarming the citizens?


If the Constitution can change over time (“living and breathing”), why do you trust the Supreme Court rather than the American people through the amendment process to move it in the right direction?


If we get off oil, how many people are you willing to see die because there will be no synthetic materials, plastics (made from oil), or the ability to ship food to needy markets?


Why do you support ending a secret ballot to unionize?


How successful do I need to get before you want to publically attack me for being rich and punish me?


Why do you want to take money out of the hands of people who create jobs, give it to politicians, and then have the politicians give it back to the people who were just fired because their bosses no longer had the money to pay them?


When we spend more taxpayer money on education than any country in the world other than Switzerland, at what point will you realize that “more funding for education” is not the solution to solve failing schools?


If economic sanctions cause harm, why support protectionism, which is essentially placing economic sanctions on your own country?


Why are you against drilling and converting coal to oil, when speculators will drive the price of gas down the very day we announce that we are going to drill?


Why are you against Nuclear Power when more people have died of vending machines falling on them in America than Nuclear Power in America?


Why are you against “urban sprawl” when 95% of America is undeveloped, meaning if everyone doubled their land use, 90% of America would be untouched?


Why do you support “Universal Healthcare” when Canadians who really get sick come to Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit and Seattle to get care?


Why do you believe in Anthropogenic global warming when CO2 lags behind temperature in the ice core record by 100s of years, the climate models have not been accurate for the last ten years, the 2007 temperatures were so low that the Earth is now cooling, polar bear populations have been on the rise for the last 50 years, we have had over five ice ages, and it will cost multiple trillions of dollars in initiatives that will not change the temperature of the Planet .05% of a degree. UPDATE: August was the first month in a century with no Sun Spots!


If African American’s life expectancy is around 65 years old, why should they not be allowed to opt out of social security, which taxes people at 6% + 6% (from employer) = 12% of their income for their entire lives.


If we scrapped our military, and kept the Bill Clinton Tax levels, we would still have a deficit, so are you willing to cut Medicare or Medicaid?


When millions of people have their pensions invested in the stock market, and work for corporations, why are you against profit?


Why do you think that working for a living is exploitation?

McCain, you are killing me.

It's not time to be polite. It's not time to gloss over important issues. It's not time to ignore the opponent's link to anti-American values. The future of our country is at stake and the person who is supposed to be championing our fight is falling asleep at the wheel.

I'm so tired of McCain's mamsy-pamsy campaign...his girly-man performance in the debates...his candy-pants response to supporters who express their need for a warrior. I saw a clip where a supporter begged McCain to "give it to Obama." You know what McCain did? Senator John McCain, war hero, walked over and hugged this supporter. Are you kidding me? A HUG???? Where is the war cry from our Republican candidate? I've heard more enthusiasm at a high-school pep rally come from the mouthes of prepubescent cheerleaders.

When a snake threatens to slither into the crib, do you sing it a lullaby? Do you hug it? NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You beat it over the head with a frickin shovel or a bat. You drag it's side-winding ass out into the yard and work it over with your Smith & Wesson. You MAKE it present it's original birth certificate to prove it's a natural born citizen and elligible to even run for presidency. You EXPOSE the lies it's been hiding about being linked to terrorists and the anti-American. You DEFEAT every lie it spews about you with the truth! You SHOUT FROM THE ROOFTOPS that it received the largest amount of money from Fanny Mae & Freddie Mac. You ENGAGE the snake with the hard questions and you hold his squirmy little smooth-talking head down until he answers. At the VERY LEAST you SOUND THE FREAKING ALARM.

McCain, where is your alarm? We are waiting. We are all waiting, holding our breath, for you to make a move and prove you really want this. And you have to go out and fight for it. We can't bring it to you. We want to. Boy do we want to. And we are trying to help...with our videos and our blogs and our emails to the media. I feel like our big horse rode in (Palin) without the rider.

Please God, let him have an ace up his sleeve. If there's no ace then he's just been wasting our time.

Fireproof....

So I finally saw this movie last night. My God why did I wait so long?! What a fantastic movie. I just can't say enough about all the different things that spoke to me.

People who know me know I'm a cry baby so let me run down the places in the movie that made me cry and why:

1. When Catherine is talking to her mom in the very beginning and says something like "I wish I could talk to you...I miss you." Her mother suffered a stroke and is present and alert but cannot speak. This broke my heart because I can't imagine the pain of having someone in your life, the ability to touch them, see them, and not be able to communicate with them. I also think about how present God is and how he communicates to us daily yet we either don't notice it or don't respond. I never want to take any relationship for granted.

2. The car accident scene where the onlookers jumped in to help the 4 firefighters get the car off the train tracks. Unity really stirs my heart. People working together, giving their all, for a common purpose. Wow. Shivers all up my arm.

3. Caleb reading the divorce paperwork. Holy cow this needs no explanation. What a great actor.

4. Where Catherine discovers who really paid for the medical equipment her mother needed. The brokenness that comes with realizing how much you have to be thankful for, how very wrong you are, how much they really have changed and how much you do forgive them can be so overwelming.

5. The song "While I'm Waiting" by John Waller that plays in the background as Caleb continues fighting to win back the heart of his wife.

While I’m waiting
I will serve You
While I’m waiting
I will worship
While I’m waiting
I will not faint
I’ll be running the race
Even while I wait

6. When Catherine wants to accept Jesus as a result of the changes in Caleb. When you live your life as a thank you to God it should impact others in an eternal way.

Listening to....

Brooke Fraser's "Shadowfeet" right now. I can't get enough of this song. When I have a fave, I can listen to it over and over for weeks and not get tired of it. It might make John crazy but he never says anything. *swoon*

How about these as the best lyrics evah:

When the world is falling out from under me
I’ll be found in you, still standing
When the sky rolls up and mountains fall on their knees
When time & space are through
I’ll be found in you

When the world is falling out from under me
I’ll be found in you, still standing
Every fear and accusation under my feet
When time & space are through
I’ll be found in you

I think this means so much to me right now because I am starting to see how much of a sucker I am for guilt. I battle it all the time. Well...I think "battle" gives me too much credit. I don't really put up much of a fight. I'm always thinking "I shouldn't be feeling this way" or "I shouldn't be angry about this" or "I should be more loving" or "I should be further from where I started by now." What does God say about guilt? What does he say about how to handle this? I'll have to get back to you on it.

Giving Away Free Stuff!

Mustang Sarah is giving away a chance to win free stuff! All you have to do is link to her blog from yours and leave a comment. Drawing is 10/15.

Also, Donalda is giving away stuff. Click here for details! Drawing is 10/18.

Constant

Thank you Lord for the precious prayer time this morning. When so many things are changing around me, you ALWAYS stay the same.

I'm a Honda S2000!

You live on the edge, and you live for the adrenaline rush. You don't need luxuries, snob appeal, or superfluous gadgets. You put your top down, get your motor revving, and take all the curves that life throws at you at full speed. So what if you spin out occasionally?

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Are You KIDDING ME????!!!!

September 23, 2008

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, Cofounders
Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc.

Dear Mr. Cohen and Mr. Greenfield,

On behalf of PETA and our more than 2 million members and supporters, I'd like to bring your attention to an innovative new idea from Switzerland that would bring a unique twist to Ben and Jerry's. Storchen restaurant is set to unveil a menu that includes soups, stews, and sauces made with at least 75 percent breast milk procured from human donors who are paid in exchange for their milk. If Ben and Jerry's replaced the cow's milk in its ice cream with breast milk, your customers--and cows--would reap the benefits.

Using cow's milk for your ice cream is a hazard to your customer's health. Dairy products have been linked to juvenile diabetes, allergies, constipation, obesity, and prostate and ovarian cancer. The late Dr. Benjamin Spock, America's leading authority on child care, spoke out against feeding cow's milk to children, saying it may play a role in anemia, allergies, and juvenile diabetes and in the long term, will set kids up for obesity and heart disease--America's number one cause of death.

Animals will also benefit from the switch to breast milk. Like all mammals, cows only produce milk during and after pregnancy, so to be able to constantly milk them, cows are forcefully impregnated every nine months. After several years of living in filthy conditions and being forced to produce 10 times more milk than they would naturally, their exhausted bodies are turned into hamburgers or ground up for soup.

And of course, the veal industry could not survive without the dairy industry. Because male calves can't produce milk, dairy farmers take them from their mothers immediately after birth and sell them to veal farms, where they endure 14 to17 weeks of torment chained inside a crate so small that they can't even turn around.

The breast is best! Won't you give cows and their babies a break and our health a boost by switching from cow's milk to breast milk in Ben and Jerry's ice cream? Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Tracy Reiman
Executive Vice President

At first I was outraged that PETA values a cow's life above a human life. I mean... animals are at the bottom of the food chain. Actually, they ARE the food chain. Then a discussion broke out in my office. As a result, I'd like to thank PETA for the most hilarious 20 minutes of my life as my coworkers and I hashed out the vast SNL potential of the most bo-tarded idea ever formulated from a human brain. We contemplated Ben & Jerry's new employment screening process, the new factory tours, marketing & packaging ideas, potential names for the new flavors, and a new reality TV show sponsored by Hugh Hefner titled "The Ladies of Ben & Jerry".

Seriously though...what was the official Ben & Jerry response to PETA's letter? "We believe a mother's milk is best used for her baby." Um, I thought that went without saying.

(I think I have a new entry for my "Dead To Me" List.)

Stuff coming up

My mom's birthday is Sept 24th. My sister and I typically spear head any celebration planning, with little input from mom's husband. I'm not sure why he doesn't participate but what I do know is that if Sarah and I didn't organize something then it wouldn't get organized. Then mom would be crushed. I can't have that.

So Sarah found a restaurant in Melbourne that would be perfect for mom's bday dinner. It features international food and my mom loves to try new things. However, mom's husband and Sarah's own boyfriend will likely be disappointed when they don't find "cheeseburger" on the menu. Should we forego this restaurant for the sake of the uber-finicky? Ha! I think not. Mom sacrifices her own preferences all year long in honor of my step-dad's unadventurous palate. The very least he can do is suck it up for 1 day.

Hmmm, let's see...what else is coming up? Fall. I L-O-V-E Fall. For one thing, it is the opening band for the headliner of all holidays - Christmas. I love the warm & cozy colors, the sound of crisp leaves crunching under foot, the scent of cinnamon & other spices, the festivals, the delicious meals & desserts that accompany this season. I wish I had the $$ to wrap the interior of my house in golds, browns & oranges to mimmick what northerners get to enjoy from nature. *sigh* I guess I can settle for making a fall wreath for the door and burning a Pumpkin Spice Yankee Candle.

What else? Oh, I have to start thinking about designs for my Christmas cards this year. I didn't send them last year because I was busy crafting for ebay. Shame on me! I got some really great Christmas paper this weekend that I can't wait to use.

Well, that's it for now.

Cyber Friendships

For the past 20 months I have been a part of a group of 20 women who make and sell crafts on the internet. These women range in ages from 30 to 60 and live in all parts of the country. Over time some girls have left the group and new members have been added. I’ve read about their vacations, new jobs, marital problems, loss of parents, illnesses, anniversaries, record sales, weight loss, weight gain, moving to new houses and a host of other things you experience as you do life together. Through pictures I’ve watched their kids grow up, some graduate from college, some get engaged, etc. We fight, we cry, we laugh. We share product tips, techniques & always let each others know when a store is having a great sale on supplies. Just like a real life group of friends.

Kathy Potter is one of the girls in my group. She lives in Maryland and has a husband and 10 year old daughter. She is one of the sweetest girls in the group…always positive, encouraging and a wonderful artist. She loves gardening and making crafts with her daughter Marina. We found out in June that Kathy was just diagnosed with cancer. She decided to put selling on hold in order to go through treatments and spend time with her family. Every couple of weeks one of us would call to let her know we missed her and were thinking of her. We knew her participation in the group would be less frequent if at all, but she was still very much a part of us. One day another girl, Jeri, came up with this great idea to help Kathy with getting caught up on her own personal scrapbook pages. We all made some layouts and sent them to Jeri. Jeri packaged them up and sent them to Kathy’s house.

Kathy never got that package. We found out last night that she passed away a few weeks ago at the tender age of 40. Her husband got the box the other day in the mail and went through each and every layout with Marina. Then he decided to send an email to the group to let us know the bad news. Though I was really shocked that cancer consumed Kathy’s life so quickly, I was surprisingly composed while reading the email from her husband. Well...until I got to the bottom of the message where precious Marina added a PS to the letter. In her sweet messy 10 year old typing, she told us she loved the pages and that she was doing better in school and how she was going to continue on in crafting just like her Mommy. And that is all I can write at this moment. Kathy Potter, you are deeply missed. Derek and Marina, you are always in my prayers.

Vacation baby...vacation!

See...my new blog has only been around for 2 weeks now and I went 1 solid week without posting jack crap. I so suck at this blogging thing.

Anyway, I contemplated something the other day: Sting is the greatest musician ever and why do I not even have 1 of his albums?????? Must work on remedying this.

So John and I are leaving for Boston later today. Here is my vacation prayer: Lord, I humbly ask that you see fit to keep it from raining in Boston MA this weekend. Grant us safe travels, let the security screening be surprisingly gentle, the children and babies on the plane be blissfully quiet, the other passengers be free of hatred toward America, and grant that we would enjoy a baseball game complete with many a stadium hotdog and snackage and much victory over the visiting team...in your mercy. Amen.

Reflections on the RNC

So last night we watched the Republican National Convention. Am I the only one who shed tears when McCain told his story of captivity? I have to be honest...I was starting to get really bored with the "I'm a POW hero" claims. Yes, we know. We've all heard it 1,000 times...can we please move on to something new already?? But this time he shared how his fellow soldier/prisoner, by way of tapping on a wall, communicated encouragement to him after he suffered brutal and spirit-breaking torture. My heart broke along side him as he recounted the shame he felt for not being strong enough. I rejoiced as his buddy built him back up at such a critically low time.

Does the country share my support for the republican ticket? We shall see. All I do know is that I've never been THIS excited about an election. I'm so proud to be a part of such a monumental decision making time for our country.

BTW, demonstrators who disrupt McCain's speech are dead to me!!!!!!!!!!

My Fave Layout (right now)

How Cute Are These???

I'd like to say I'll try to make these some day but I most likely won't. Looking at them makes me happy though. Photo courtesy of Bakerella.

Welcome to Wussville - Population ME!

I ordered flowers on Tuesday. They are being sent from my work group to Tiffany, my only female coworker, who has been in the hospital since Saturday. The flowers I found online were fabulous...a huge pile of pink, which is great because Tiffany is a spaz for pink. I completed the order and paid. When Tiffany got the flowers Wednesday, she loved them so much that she snapped a picture with her camera phone and emailed them to us here at work. Problem? What I ordered is not what I got. If I had seen the finished product in advance, I wouldn't have paid $85 for this arrangement. I call the owner of the flower shop. She insists that the flowers she made are BETTER than the ones I ordered. What?! I'm speechless. I'm not good at handling conflict so I stutter and stammer, trying to defend my opinion. Why do I feel like "I" did something wrong? She insists that the flowers are fine and I say okay and we hang up. I guess I shouldn't let it bother me because the recipient is happy, right? Whatever. God I'm such a wuss.

Oh, here are the pictures of what I ordered vs what I got. You be the judge.





Update: Upon emailing these pictures to the florist, I get the following email response.

Rebecca since there still seems to be dissatisfaction with the arrangement that was sent yesterday I am going to refund your money for the flowers. As you can well see from the photo you got your money's worth and more. I shall retain the price of the balloons and delivery. Thanks Nxxxx

Lesson learned: Some business owners (who I won't name but who have shops in Celebration FL near the hospital) are incapable of admitting they got busted doing the bait & switch.