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.