LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, LET'S ROCK AND ROLL

And-that is how it began-----MTV---Access to music videos 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That's the way it used to be. First, video killed the radio star, but, then, who killed the video star? At some point, Reality TV shows , dating game shows, tours of celebrities "cribs" , and other programming took the place of the original concept of the station.

I can complain about all of these shows being the death of the real MTV, but actually, I guess it was the only way to keep the channel alive for the younger generation of TV viewers. They wanted to see shows where a guy went out on a date with 5 women at one time all trying to outdo each other to win a one on one date with him. They wanted to see how a group of young adults( I use the word lightly) would act while living together, with no parental guidance, with all the world watching. Or better yet, a show that documents parents throwing a Sweet 16 Birthday party for their daughter and spending more money than the cost of my house, its entire contents, my car and my life savings. Besides, I had really stopped watching MTV several years before The Real World first aired in May of 1992. My real world had taken over and there was little time for MTV. "I want my MTV" gave way to my daughter wanting her bottle and my time and attention.

But, last night, as I watched MTV paying respect to Michael Jackson by playing all of his best videos back to back, I was taken back in time.

When "Video Killed The Radio Star" by the Buggles aired as the very first music video ,in August of 1981, I was just getting ready to start the 10th grade. (guess I'm dating myself here, but--that's ok!) My two favorite VJ's (video jockeys) were Mark Goodman, whom I think I may have had a crush on, and the very sweet and cute Martha Quinn.

The summer after 10th grade I moved with my family to Germany. Seeing as we only got one TV station for our viewing pleasure, and were at the mercy of what the AFRTS (Armed Forces Radio and TV Service) chose to air, we were (gasp) MTV-less! Luckily , my brother and mom were able to make a trip back to the States when my nephew was born. It was during Christmas break so we were out of school. My mom didn't think it wise to leave us alone in the house together during the day while my dad was at work and she across the ocean on another continent. So, since I was older, and probably had a babysitting job, my brother was chosen to go along with my mom. My brother used his stateside vacation very wisely and spent most of his time taping MTV on VHS tapes to bring back. We spent a lot of time watching those video's over and over and it helped us to feel connected to everything going on back across the ocean.

I'm sure if I think about it long enough, or get into some conversations, I will remember all of my favorite videos from that time. There are several that do usually come right to mind. I remember that I always really liked Owner of a Lonely Heart. I remembered bits of what was in the video, and knew it had a snake in it and some other weird parts, but when I looked at the video today(for the first time in at least 20 years-wow!), I wondered was a bit, how should I put it, grossed out!

Then there was, of course, the song that paid homage to MTV, Money for Nothing by the Dire Straits. Without a doubt, all of Michael Jackson's videos were great, with Billie Jean being the one that got me trying some of his fancy footwork. Loved the way each block on the pavement lit up as he stepped on it.

Lets see, there was Total Eclipse of the Heart, I Need A Hero, Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Time after Time, Borderline, (ditto almost all of Madonna's earlier videos) and Dancing in the Dark (oh yea!) , which featured the cute little Courtney Cox, long before she hung out with Rachel, Joey and the gang. I'm sure I could go on forever, now that I think about it. Oh yeah, cause there's Stevie Nicks in Stand Back (I practiced my dance moves with this song too) , and.......... (ok, enough)

Well, that was a nice trip down memory lane. Hope you liked some of the videos. Do you remember MTV back when there were still VJ's and 24 hour videos? If so, what are some of your favorite memories?

PS--oh nephew, thanks to the help of you and a fellow blogger (who's permission I did not get to put a link to her site) , I think I've figured out this link thing! Now you are going to remind me again, that sometimes less is more, huh? It was just a fun little learning experience. PS again-- I taught you to sing "Stand Back" and do hand motions when you were still in diapers. : )

Getting Used To The Water

Now that I've let my feet dangle in the waters of blogging and even made some little ripples, I've decided that the water is fine, and I'm ready to venture in a little more. I'm getting a little more accustomed to things-----but am definitely still in need of floaties and no where near ready for the deep end!

I've ventured out and read some other blogs. Besides the great writing out there, I've been amazed at the creativity put into the designing of many of the blogs. And there are just so many things I don't yet understand . And I haven't figured out just how people know about all this stuff. There's things like "grabbing buttons" and "Mr Linky" and the most amazing customized blog banners.

I've never worked with any kind of computer graphics or photo editing websites or programs. The most I've ever done is re-sized and cropped! I see that It will take some time to figure all of this out. Especially since I am the kind of person that prefers to have someone right with me showing me how to do something step by step.

I think that I will love my blog home much more, when I have it decorated in a way that I feel expresses my personality. So--today I have been practicing how to do different things. My blog has had several different themes and colors today as I work on the very basic of techniques.

I think having a page set up the way I want it to be will help to inspire me to write and post more too. So far there are only a couple of my posts that I have been happy with. I usually don't have much time to think about things, and when I get some time, I just come in here and start typing. Most of what I have posted is more like a rough draft of something that could be much better.

I will be glad when I feel this is truly my home and and my writing flows more smoothly--and maybe I can say what I want to say using a lot less words. Hmm- not sure about that one------but maybe the more I write, some of the things I learned about writing when younger will come to mind, or other blog writers will inspire me. Regardless, I am glad I decided to take off my shoes and test the waters.

Just Wednesday - Not Wordless

You know how I've tried to do a Wordless Wednesday, but just couldn't help throwing in a word or three or four? I felt like I just couldn't follow the Wordless Wednesday rules. But, now I don't feel so bad. I know that I am not alone. I found a couple more bloggers who have the same issues. One is http://angiescircus.blogspot.com/ (this blogger hosts a Wordful Wednesday , "for those of us that like to showcase a photo(s) but that just can't seem keep our mouths shut about it(them)." Now does that describe me , or what? The other one is http://www.ordinaryandawesome.com/search/label/WW. She hosts a Mostly Wordless Wednesday. I think I can "mostly" follow those rules!


That said, I am moving on to my Wednesday pictures. And so glad to find out that it doesn't matter if I decide to be wordless, mostly wordless or just full of words. I am not alone!

This is a picture of some our "second generation" cousins at a family event.

This is my brother,introduced in previous posts as my "Brat" whom I accompanied on a mission trip to Azerbaijan. He likes to be involved in all that is going on around him so........................

......................he decided he needed to get in on a picture of the girls. He liked the way he looked in this picture so much that he...........................................

..............................decided his face belonged on everyone in the picture. Of course, this was during his earlier days learning to photoshop, so one lucky person got to keep her own face, since it was facing in a different direction, and my brother couldn't fit his face on there as well. Kinda scary looking, huh?

The Death of a Fire Truck?

One day while waiting for pictures to be developed at the pharmacy (which these days is a lot more than a pharmacy) ,the Camster and I decided to take a run down the toy aisle. I spotted a really cool looking fire engine with a fireman sitting in the driver's seat and found out that it also made a really cool siren noise when a little button on the side was pushed. I showed the Camster how to make the siren work, and he thought it was pretty cool too. I'm not sure if the other people in the store thought it was cool or not, because he pushed the button as I pushed him in the buggy up and down every aisle. Yes-I was allowing him to be obnoxious. I thought it was funny. At least he was having fun and not screaming at the top of his lungs about something. Not that My Camster would do anything like that in public!

I decided that I would buy it for him, because at the time he had mostly what I considered baby toys. Not real boy toys. Now--this isn't the time or place to decide if I was politically correct calling the fire engine a boy toy. The little guy also has a vacuum and Elmo's restaurant featuring an oven and stove top. He loves both of those just as much as the firetruck. But I do think the truck it is a boy toy.

So, Cameron has had lots lots of fun playing with his firetruck. Pushing it and letting it roll across the room and crash into things. Sometimes the firetruck had a driver; the little fireman that came with the truck. Sometimes the driver was in the bottom of the toy box playing with Happy Meal toys, so the firetruck had to drive itself. Eventually, one of the wheels broke off, but the fire truck just kept on going. And the siren wailed every time Cameron pushed the button.

Then, last night, he decided he needed that battery-operated firetruck in the bathtub with him. It did fine, till he pushed the button for the siren to start. It started alright. But, instead of sounding like, "Hey watch out, I'm coming through to help put out a fire!!, it sounded more like, "Hey I think I'm a little waterlogged and I'm just not feeling so well". As sick as it sounded though, it was still just as loud as ever. And it kept going and going. I banged on it. I shook it. This thing was persistent.

So, I hurriedly bathed Cameron and got him out of the tub as quickly as possible. Let him think I was being extra cool by allowing him to run around without his diaper on. Why do babies like that anyway? I don't know--but I just prayed that he wouldn't do anything that would require him being covered with a diaper as I ran to the laundry room to get out my box of tools. The fire truck is still protesting the bathtub, all the while. Ok--the battery box on this firetruck requires a very small phillip's head screwdriver. Hmm- I have a large one. Nope--didn't work. Ok--I have a tiny flat head. Nope--didn't work. In fact, I think I stripped out the screw trying to get get it loose.Siren is still singing its sad song. Loud as ever. Now what to do? I banged on the firetruck some more. Surely the battery was gonna die at any moment. We'd had that fire truck for awhile.

The siren kept on shrieking and wailing, "eww I don't feel good, ewww I don't feel good." This wasn't good. I couldn't listen to this the rest of the night. I didn't want to traumatize cam by taking it out on the back porch and hitting it with a hammer. Plus--I kinda liked that fire truck. It wasn't the fire truck's fault. I was the one who let Cam take it into the tub.

So, I did the next best thing. I took it back to my room, to the the back of my walk-in closet. There I buried it under an overstuffed pillow, a pile of clothes , my laptop case, and another pile of clothes. And, there I left it to wail itself to death. I came back in my room an hour later to use the bathroom, and could still hear it in there. I felt kind of bad.

I ended up sleeping on the couch, and when I went into my room this morning. Silence. No more fire engine siren.

I'm thinking that maybe now that it is not making noise, I may try to see if I can help the poor thing out. Maybe since I am not now in panic mode over thinking I'm going to have to either listen to the siren all night or put it in the car, drive it far away, and dump it somewhere, I can figure out how to get the battery compartment open. Maybe its dried out and some new batteries will give it a new life. I hope so. Cause even though it is missing a wheel, I think I've grown kind of fond of that fire truck.

That's not a little rubber ball being bounced off the walls, that's the sound of thoughts in my head bouncing around.

This is what a woman's brain looks like: A Woman's Brain - Goofball.com Busy Busy Busy. Stuff going on all the time. All day--sometimes all night. And it is amazing how many thoughts can be processed in such a short period of time. I was just thinking about that this morning as I was taking Cameron to daycare.

We are riding down the road and he's in the back seat pointing at things. Of course--I cant see what he's pointing at. I am in the front seat, looking forward and driving. So, to get my attention, he is back there going, "MAW! MAW! MAW!" (his version of grandmama) This will go on till I say, "Yes, Cameron?" Then he starts babbling about something that I totally do not understand. So, I'm not quite sure what he is pointing at.

Well, I've got to say something to keep him from doing the whole "Maw!" thing again, so as we are driving by the AUM (Auburn University Montgomery) Dorms, I just happen to say, "Yes. That is a college."

Ok--so here is where the many thoughts processed in a short period of time comes in. In just a manner of seconds here's how it goes:

Out loud: "Yes. That is a college" Then in my mind: I wonder where Cam will go to college? I wonder if he will be an Auburn fan or an Alabama fan? I wonder if he will be a Bama fan like the family or be an Auburn fan for whatever reason? Then out loud again: "Yes Cameron, that is a back hoe" Then in my mind: Matt (my nephew) could say back hoe before he was even two. He knew the difference between and could point out back hoes and bulldozers and tractors. Amy decided she was gonna be an Auburn fan when she was like in 3rd grade. For some reason. So, I just said ok. It was when she got her tonsils taken out. Yes--because Mary Jane gave her an Auburn sweat shirt and the others in the office gave her a Teddy Bear. But now Amy is an Alabama fan again. That was just a phase. Boy, I sure do miss Mary Jane. I cant believe shes been gone for 9 years now. Wow, it just seems like yesterday that we were sitting in the office together talking and laughing. She was such a hoot! But also a good friend. Its funny that when I think of her, like when I think of my dad, Out loud: "Yes, that is a flag. That is the American flag" To myself: I think that bear Amy got from everyone in the office was wearing a sweater with the American Flag on it. The sky is so pretty today. I am so glad I can feel at peace when I think of my dad and Mary Jane. That even though I miss them, they are still kind of close by. Because we are only separated for a short time, and then I will see them in heaven. How awesome to know that I will be with them again. How sad for people that don't have this assurance. I am going to be late. Irg! I am so mad at myself. OH--there's that cop who gave me a ticket yesterday. What's he doing--hanging out over here now, trying to catch me speeding on this side of the interstate? Hmmpf!

And this all happened in a matter of seconds. Honest! And this is just what I remember. I could have had a few other thoughts thrown in there too.

Do you ever find yourself thinking about one thing, then all of a sudden be in a totally different place, thought-wise, and then trace your thoughts back to see how you got there? Or am I the only person that does that, and I probably shouldn't have confessed to it? In the amount of time it takes me to brush my teeth, I can start out thinking I need to buy more toothpaste, on to how we had to take fluoride treatments in school and then chew those pink tablets to check for plaque, venture over to my short-lived softball career in 3rd grade and end up thinking about the girl I used to run with in Bad Toelz and how we were gonna get shirts that said, " I work out so I can pig out". And then wonder what I'm going to take for lunch.

And those are my random thoughts for the day!

Copy Cattin!

I am "borrowing" from a friend's blog today. Yesterday, she posted a survey on her blog that she had "borrowed" from another source. Today I am following suit..............

ALL ABOUT ME (a survey!)

I Am

feeling uncomfortable in these tight fitting

clothes that didnt use to be too tight not so long ago.

I Want

to be inspired (i'm stealing this answer from my friend)

and to add to it: ..........to start exercising and eating healthy

I Have

a little change in my pocket going jing a ling aling.
no i dont----but I may have a few coins in the bottom of my purse.

I Wish

I dont know--sometimes I wish for things, but then I
realize that it is really a waste to wish. Unless you are wishing someone else well.

I Hate

nothing that I can think of. Maybe some strong dislike here and there.

I Fear

heights. I also dont like spiders and snakes. There are other things that cause me a bit of anxiety, until I remember that I shouldnt fear anything or worry about tomorrow.

I Hear

voices in my head. I'm stealing this answer too!

It is quite appropriate!

I Search

for things to motivate and inspire myself.

I Wonder

about all kinds of things. All the time.

I Regret

a little of this a little of that. But have
realized that sitting around regretting things doesnt change
anything one bit.

I Love

my friends and family

I Ache

not so much right now.

I Always

do better for awhile then go right back to
my old ways.

I Usually

have plenty to say, but cant think of
answers to this survey

I Am Not
a joker, a smoker, a midnight toker.

I Dance
like Patrick Dempsey in "Cant Buy Me Love"

doing the African Ant Eater Ritual

I Sing
to Cameron all the time, and then wonder
if I am teaching him to be totally tone deaf.

I Never

stand on my head and stack greasy B.B's.
I dont know. What is something I never do?

I Rarely

am on time.

I Cry

when I'm happy and when I'm sad.

I Am Not Always

the person I would like to be.

I Lose

my cool (me too!)

I'm Confused

a lot!

I Need

not a whole lot.

I Should

not procrastinate

I Dream

all the time.

And--that about wraps it up!

Thank You Facebook

I just really enjoy Facebook. When I first set up my FB account, my daughter thought it was funny. She sent me one of those "pieces of flair" as I think they are called. If you are on FB, then you know what I'm talking about. If you are not on FB, then--what are you waiting for? Everyone's doing it! Well, except for one particular friend who is purposely holding out, so as not to just be part of the crowd, or a follower. Anyway--my piece of flair said, "Grandma's on Facebook." Too funny! But, although FB was set up as a college network type thing (so I've heard) it really has caught on with (ahem) older people.



What I really like about it, is that I can communicate with several different people all at one time. I can pop in and see what work friends, church friends, Beachbody message board friends, friends from school days, and family members are doing, all at one time. In fact, some of these different people, that don't even know each other, can all comment on something I have said, and in a way, also converse with each other about this topic of "conversation".



For someone like myself who moved 9 times between kindergarten and 12th grade, and went to 8 different schools during that time frame, it is really kind of nice to be able to reconnect with and communicate with everyone this way. Its fun seeing friends from all the different aspects and times in my life, as well as my family all in one spot. And its kind of fun seeing each of these different groups of friends all being able to comment on something I have said, even though they don't know each other. At one time, in one conversation, I might have comments from a friend from when I was in Hawaii in 5th grade and from a friend I went to school Jr High school with in Oklahoma. A friend from High School in Germany may have an opinion on the subject, as well as a college friend , a friend I have met on the BB message boards, a church friend or a relative. I can "talk" to all of these people at one time and it is just really nice.



FB has been a nice way to kind of gather all my friends from over the years together. I have always felt a little fragmented. A piece of me here. A piece of myself there. A little out of touch and left out. Left out of the lives of the people i have left behind with each move. Left out of seeing how their lives changed and how they continued to develop friendships with each other, and created more memories to share. I will never get to experience all of that. But, I feel very fortunate enough to be able to, in some little way, be a part of their lives now. So, my daughter may think its funny that "Grandma is on Facebook". But, that's OK. Cause Grandma is enjoying reconnecting with and catching up on the lives of all the wonderful people she has had the privilege of knowing. Thank you Facebook!

8:00pm on Sunday evening. Right now I am almost in the exact same position doing the exact same thing I was doing about 12 hours ago. Sitting on the couch watching America's Next Top Model. OK--what I'm picking up here, is that every Sunday, they will show an entire season of America's Next Top Model, from a season past. It takes all day to do this.

I could tell you a lot about the girls on this particular season of A.T. M. Some of their weaknesses . Some of their best moments. How they interact with each other. There is one girl who is just so sneaky and manipulative. But, somehow she has made it to the final four. And I don't even think she has done the best shoots. I don't want her to win.

Well, it would appear that Colleen has wasted a whole day laying on the couch watching TV. But, really I haven't. Actually, I knew there was a potential for this to happen. And I didn't want the day to come to an end and feel like I had wasted the whole day. So, I called a friend who has some of my same qualities. We access our "to do" lists. We see that we have a lot to do. We get frustrated because we cant do it all. We don't know which thing to do first. So, we end up not doing anything. Then, when a whole day is wasted, we feel even worse that nothing got done. Vicious cycle. We know that we will feel better if we get out and do something. Anything. But, it just seems hard to do sometimes.

So, I called my friend. She and her husband have been working on gutting out and completely remodeling an old two story house for several years. Her husband actually started working on it before they even met. Up until recently, he has done almost all of the work himself. No contractors. He has worked as he had time and money to work. He work has been delayed by two trips to Iraq and he will be heading back to Iraq again soon.

When I first saw this house a few years ago, it was a complete mess on the inside. At one time, the big beautiful house had been divided into apartments. Then, it set empty and neglected for quite sometime. So, my friend's husband had to gut it all out to make it a single family home again. There were holes in the floor so that you could look down and see the ground below. But, someone had a vision and determination. Now, there is a beautiful functioning living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. But, there is still one bedroom downstairs and the whole upstairs that needs to be gutted and remodeled.

My friend has been a little down because her husband is away in another state preparing to leave for Iraq. He will be coming home one more time before he heads to Iraq. She wants to show him that she has made some progress on the house while he was gone. And that she will be able to make more progress while he is gone. She is going to be gutting the rooms out, but contractors will come in and help with other things. She has not made a lot of headway the last couple of weeks since he has been gone. I have never been in her exact situation. But, with our personalities so similar , I knew she was gonna need someone to get her moving and get her motivated.

So, even though I wanted to just lay on my couch the whole day, I called her and committed myself to coming over to help her. Then, I watched another hour of America's Top Model before I made myself get up and head over to her house. When I got to her house, guess what she was doing? Watching America's Next Top Model! We watched a few minutes of the show, then headed upstairs to do some work.

And work, we did. We spent a couple of hours in the hot, non-air conditioned second floor. We sorted through a whole room full of boards that had already been pulled from the walls and floors, as well as lots of broken up pieces of old drywall. We had to decide which boards could be salvaged and used again, and which ones needed to be trashed. We had to pull out old nails from all the boards that will be used again. And I did some cleaning up, just so it would help to look like progress had been made. I did have to make a couple of trips down the stairs to the first floor to get some buckets to put debris in. And to get the broom and dust pan. On my trips down, I did take little peeks at the TV to get updates on the models' fates.

When we were covered in dirt and dust from head to foot, my friend announced that she needed to go to Home Depot. OK--fine. It is so unlike me to go out in public all dirty. But--it was Home Depot. OK--I'll go for it. We went by to pick up a friend who also needed to get some things from Home Depot. So, here we go. Girl's trip to Home Depot. Ground in dust on the knees of my pants and dirt under my fingernails.

We decided we were hungry, and after our shopping, we headed out to pick up some Chinese take out. Then we settled in at our friends house to eat and, of course, see who was still in the running to be America's Next Top Model. After we ate, I was taken back to my car, and then I headed on home. Full from too much Chinese food. Tired from working in a hot house tossing wood. In need of a shower. But, first I had to turn on the TV and see my girls again.

I was going to just watch till the first commercial and then go hop in the shower. But, then I started writing here. Now its just too close to the time for the winner to be chosen. I'll just have to wait on that shower for just a bit longer. So, here I am. Right back where I was when I started my day. Thankfully though, I have not been sitting on the couch all day. Thankfully I actually did something productive and spent time with friends instead of being a hermit on the couch all day. Thankfully I don't have to say that i did NOTHING but watch some show all day about a bunch of girls trying to be models. Whew. OK--so now I need to go. I don't want to miss the next few minutes here. They are close to announcing the winner! I need to get relaxed on the couch and enjoy the rest of this! PS--The girl I didn't like finally got voted off. Down to two girls now. Can't bite my nails in nervous anticipation though. They are still dirty.

Well- I promised myself I'd write here every day. So--here I am! Just logged on without even thinking. Not even an idea of what to write about, so certainly no organized thinking going on! No goal to accomplish!

It's me and the Camster today. His mom left early this morning to get a haircut and highlights. I think she planned to get some sun today by a friend's pool, but the weather had different plans. But, I'm sure she is still having fun. No mommy responsibilities, but mostly--no mother getting on her butt for stuff (to which I've gone above and beyond the call of duty lately).

First, Cam and I went to a nice little park with a stream running through it. We threw rocks in the stream and listened to them go "plunk" in the water. We threw leaves and sticks in the water and watched them float carelessly down the stream out of sight. "Bye Bye!", Cam told each leaf and stick. We climbed around on the playground equipment. Went through tunnels and down a slide. Just once on the slide. It had a little bit of muddy water pooled up at the bottom. Well, it did have more water pooled up, but the backside of my pants helped out with that situation a bit.

I didn't care that my backside was wet. Nope--and in fact, I was already planning our next trip to this particular park. On a day with a bit more sun and us wearing something that was OK to get a little bit wet. Because Cam and I are gonna actually wade in that stream! Yep! But not too far down stream. Don't want to run into any snakes or anything! And-well--its still a park--in a kind of public area. Don't want to do too much serious stream exploration and be seen by too many people thinking I escaped from my padded cell. But, I do think I will get brave and take Cam on a trip to a state park not too far away, and do some real hiking and "exploring" with him.

He's taking a nap right now. He seems to do well with a good nap in the afternoon. He takes one at daycare, so we try to keep him on schedule at home too. I think he actually doesn't get to sleep as long as he'd like at daycare. Cause he comes home kinda tired and ILL, some days. And, we do let him sleep longer on the weekends than he gets to sleep at school, if he wants to.

But, I'm already plotting and scheming how we can take him to Six Flags and White Water and work around nap time. And take him to the lake to hang out and enjoy the water. I'm not quite ready for an "all the way to the beach" trip. Or a Disney World trip. But, I do want to get out more with the little guy. He's pretty fun to hang out with!

I WONDER WHERE YOU ARE. I WONDER WHAT YOU DO.

Yesterday afternoon, while in traffic , I glanced over at the person in the truck next to me. I knew that I didn't know him, but he reminded me of someone. Out of the blue, just by looking at this guy I don't know, I am transported back to oh, maybe 1985. This guy in the truck next to me looks like someone who went on a trip to Israel with me.

I didn't know him before the trip. He was a young soldier on the military base in Germany , which was my home, while my dad was stationed there. Dang--I cant think of his name. His mother was visiting him from the States and she went on the trip with us. What did we call her? Mama Cortez? No--No--it was Cordona or maybe Cardona? Cordova? His name was Eddie, I think.

So, now, just because I glanced over at the guy in the truck, I am thinking the people who are part of my past, that I dont even remember well. Its not like we were best friends or anything, but you'd think I'd remember his name. I think about many other people I have known through the years. I have been steady moving around since I was born. There is a girl that I went to kindergarten with , who I think may have also lived right down the street from me. I moved away,though and finished kindergarten in another state. For a couple of months, in third grade, I went back to that school where I started kindergarten. We were awaiting housing to be able to move with my dad who had gone ahead to his next military assignment. As I walked down the hall of the school my first day, that girl from kindergarten recognized me! When she recognized me, I remembered her. I remember this story, but I don't remember the girl, again!

I now live back in that same town. She may still live here. I could be next to her in the grocery store, I could sit near her in church, I could be next to her in traffic, but I don't think I'd remember her. How many other people have I forgotten? There are faces I remember, but I don't know a name to put with them. There are names that come to mind, but I don't remember where I knew those people. Which school? Which town? Which state? Or country, even. Why do I remember their names? Were we good friends or just classmates?

I remember some events, and can picture the people, but don't remember names. And, with some people, I remember names and faces and have memories to attach to them. There are many people I think about and would love to get in touch with. And, with the help of the Internet, I have searched for them. I have been able to reconnect with some friends through wonderful Internet tools such as Classmates.com or Facebook.

Years ago I didn't realize the importance of documenting things through photographs. I wish I thought to take a lot more pictures of people and events through the years. A couple of friends from back in my school days, whom I have recently reconnected with, have actually e-mailed me pictures of myself, that I didn't even know existed! Isn't that funny to think about? Are there other pictures out there of me that I don't know about? Who has them? Do they remember me or are they trying to figure out who in the world is in those pictures!

Do you search Facebook, Myspace, Classmates or do a google search to find friends from years gone by? Do you live in the same town you have always lived in and see people you have known your whole life?

I have been in many airports through the years, and I often wonder if I am walking by someone that I used to know. Someone I played on the playground with, or shared secrets with. Someone I had a crush on. The boy I pushed into the row of stacked chairs in 3rd grade while at the pencil sharpener? Why? I don't know. Or, if I am in a tourist spot filled with people, I wonder the same thing. Is there someone I know, but don't recognize anymore? An I walking right by an old friend?

I'm not the kind of person to just speak to a stranger. I don't make a habit out of speaking to people next to me in line somewhere, or sitting next to me in a waiting room, or on an airplane, or any other situation. Some of my family members can tell fun stories of connecting with someone they know by just starting a conversation with a stranger. Or realize that they are talking to someone who has family or friends in common. And I wonder how many times I may have reconnected with someone, if I had taken the opportunity to talk to someone.

Some people I want to reconnect with,because we were friends who shared some fun times. Some were close friends, but others, maybe we just shared a small moment in time together. Like Eddie and his mother and our trip to the Holy Land. Or like Philipe Koskas, the young Jewish man serving in the Israeli army that Eddie and I met one evening on Ben Yehuda street. Or Ehab Sabbara who was a Palestinian Catholic working at Casa Nova where we stayed while in Israel. Funny that I would remember their names and not so many others. Even more intriguing a thought is, do they even have the slightest memory of me. I doubt it. But, I wonder, as many people as I wonder about and try from time to time to contact, is there anyone who remembers me? Remembers my face, but not my name. Remembers my name, but cant put a face with the name. Wonders who that girl was and what she's doing now.

I don't know-----but, I think, just for fun, I'm gonna go google Eddie. Or look for him on Facebook.

No where near a Bible scholar-- Was I even close ?

I am a member of a group of four women who became friends through the common interest of losing weight doing a particular workout program. To make it easy to stay aquainted, without being a part of a message board, one of the women put together a Yahoo group for us to participate in. We are four very different women, but have managed to stay in touch with each other for the past 5 years, and some of us have even had the opportunity to meet the others and spend time together. Those stories are a good idea for a blog entry! But, today my post is going to be taken straight from a correspondence from this morning. I spent a lot of time writing and I dont know if I will have time to write anymore today, so here goes....................

This is what we recieved from one of the women today: I have this question.. I was reading my Bible this morning... what does Luke (uh oh), I think it's either 12:37 or 15:37, mean. The preceding passages talk about "two men can be walking side by side and one is taken away, two maids might be sleeping and one will be taken away..." etc. But then the disciples ask, "Where" and Jesus answers, "Where the eagles are together", or something like that (I thought I'd remember this better, should have brought my bible with me). Any explanation would be helpful, no rush, run it by your Bible scholars

Those who know me, know I love the chance to "google" and find out info (and i'm always up for making a short story long....) . So--within the time frame of my hour lunch, this is what I came up with for a reply: (I did pray for Godly wisdom before I replied--I hope I paid attention!!)

Ok-so here's the deal. First off we are discussing the Bible verse: Luke 17:37. You mentioned the verses before this one--which is good--because we always need to take scripture in context. There are many people who will pull a verse out of the Bible, out of context, to support or justify themselves in a decision, and it is not appropriate. Even Satan quoted scripture to Jesus when he was in the desert. But it was taken out of context and twisted to suit his evil purpose. That is why it is important for us to read God's Word for ourselves. To study it. It is not good to just take the word of a teacher or even a preacher and never take the time to read your Bible for yourself. There has been and will be many false prophets who will tell people the Bible (or God or Jesus) says one thing, when that is not the case.

Ok--so------getting back to the scripture. I went back to read all of Luke 17 to get an idea of what is going on in these scriptures. Jesus is talking to and teaching his disciples. He is talking about being prepared for His second coming and about how times will be before this time. At some point, the disciples as where this will take place.

Jesus answers that, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will gather together". There is another verse similar to this one, in Matthew 24: 27-28. Again, Jesus is talking to the disciples about his second coming. The verse says, "For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. Hmm- this verse says vultures instead of eagles.

I have learned, for study purposes, to read more than one translation of a verse. So-I went back to Luke 17:37 (our verse in question) and found some different translations. One translation uses buzzards and another vultures instead of eagles. One other uses both eagle and vulture.

When I think of an eagle and a buzzard, I get two completely different pictures in my mind. An Eagle is a strong majestic bird-- A symbol of our country. A buzzard is a dirty ole bird taking advantage of the misfortune of another animal. How could both words be used in this verse and mean the same thing? Ok- so this needs some further investigation.

I have also learned, that if you know the Greek or Hebrew meaning of a word, or the customs during the time of the writing of the scriptures, it can bring a whole new meaning to the scripture. A more accurate meaning. So--I decide to investigate further. I found a website that says that the Hebrew or Greek word used in this verse can either mean eagle or vulture. And when this word is used in an Old Testament verse, it is being used to mean a bird of prey in general. Although eagles can eat carrion (dead animal carcass), it is more characteristic for vultures to do this, so most modern authors choose to use vulture in the translation of this verse.

So--we have this: Where there carcass is, there the vultures will gather. And it is in the context of the time of the Second Coming. If we take what Jesus says as literally, then He will return at a place of great carnage. This seems to support several different Bible verses that talk about how bad things will be before the Second Coming. In particular, look at Revelation 19: 17-18 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in mid heaven, Come and be gathered together unto the great supper of God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of them that sit thereon, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, and small and great

Some people even take into consideration how vultures can be seen from a great distance when circling over the dead body and take it to mean that the Second Coming will be clearly visible. This would seem to support Revelation 1:7 that says that when Jesus comes again, with the clouds, every eye will see Him.

So--to me, this verse is like the other verses in this chapter of Luke, in that it is giving us an idea of what things will be like. God has not given us all the details to further events. No one knows the day or time except God. Not even the angels in heaven know. (Matthew 24:36) But, it doesn't sound like a very pretty picture! But, God has instructed us to be prepared. He has told us to keep watch (Matthew 25:13). And I think that is what God was trying to relay in his teachings to the disciples in Luke 17.

That is my take on the verse in the short time I had to do some research. I hope it made sense and I was not all over the place. I prayed for God to lead me to the right verses for a good answer. I'm so glad you asked the question. Not only did I get to do one of my favorite things, (googling), it led me to some great scriptures to reflect upon!

That was really kind of fun. I hope it was accurate!!

Way Too Many Words To Be A Wordless Wednesday!

I received an e-mail the other day from my nephew, who is a member of the National Council of Teachers of English (NTCE). Sounds pretty impressive, huh? He's smart. I wish I had a list handy of the various and numerous achievements he's earned over the years, including several degrees. I have yet to make it to one of his graduations, but I think he is in the process of pursuing another degree right now, just so I can finally attend one.

This particular e-mail from him the other day was also sent to other family members and came with an intriguing proposition. A proposition to come together and do some writings to be submitted to the National Gallery of Writing as part of the NTCE's National Day of Writing event. http://www.ncte.org:80/action/dayonwriting Seems they want "every day folk" to submit writings to show the many ways we use writing in our daily life and the many different types and styles of writing being used in the 21st century. This is a fun and exciting idea to me, as I am just starting to really think more about writing these days.

When I was younger (much younger--lets go back to elementary school through high school), I did a lot of letter writing. My family moved a lot and letter writing was a fun and important way for me to stay in touch with the friends I had to leave behind. I used to save all my letters. Through the years I did get rid of a lot of letters, while trying to keep a few important ones to represent each friend. As an adult, I actually received a fun little letter from my above mentioned nephew, which he wrote when he was younger. It told all about his adventures moving with his family to a new state.

As a young teenager, I was very excited when I got my own desk for my room. A place to keep my collection of nicely decorated , crisp stationary sheets and envelopes. I didn't always sit at the desk to actually write the letters. Sometimes I wrote while sitting on my bed, with my knees propped up, and using a school book as my desk. I did however, use my desk for writing school papers. I loved writing papers for school. Sometimes I did wait till the last minute to actually write, but that is a character flaw. But I did always follow all the techniques I learned in class on how to write a success full essay or report.

Its been many years since I had to think about using those techniques. And I don't even think I could write anything worthy of turning in for a grade. It's been many years since my college literature classes where I studied many different writing styles and techniques. I wish I could recall all the things I learned and put them to use now!

I don't send out as many handwritten letters these days. Well, they would be non-existant if it weren't for the letters I write to the child that I sponsor through Compassion International. But, I do find myself using e-mail to keep in touch with family and friends both near and far. Some people have occasionally commented on the interesting or funny stories I send in my e-mails. I realized that I was using e-mails as an outlet for my need to write. The need that I had been neglecting for a long time.

That is when I started entertaining the idea of creating my own blog. I thoroughly enjoy reading others blogs. In fact, my first experience with reading a blog was the one that my nephew started to let us know of his adventures while studying in Europe. Lately I have been able to catch up with a friend(http://beverlyhappymoments.blogspot.com/) from my younger days and be a part of her life through her most interesting blog. And to learn more about some people that I don't get to visit with very often. After I actually took the step to start my own blog, I decided it might be nice to have some feedback. I shared my blog with some friends and family and to my surprise, I actually got some very positive comments. Besides being told I was funny and had a good way with words, my favorite compliment was when someone told other people that they really needed to check out my blog.

Ah--but then--there I was. In this new and unusual situation. All of a sudden I felt pressure to produce great works for people to read. I felt pressured to be entertaining and keep people coming back for more. I panicked. And then, I stopped writing.

But, now I am making a new commitment to my blog. I cannot get better at writing if I don't write at all! So-- I will write. Good or bad. Followers or no followers. Even when I don't know what to write about. When I went to the website for the National Day on Writing Event, I found some links to useful information about writing.

I liked this particular tip: we all have trouble getting started once in awhile. Sometimes just spending 15 minutes writing anything and everything (including "I don't know what to write"), loosens up the very ideas needed for the piece.

LET THE RANDOMNESS BEGIN!!!!!!!!!

I SURE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE TIME TO CONTRIBUTE TO MY OWN BLOG!

When I started this blog, it was because I had so many thoughts and stories swirling around in my head all the time, that I wanted to put down in writing. I have already mentioned that I do most of my thinking when it is really not a good time to take a moment and jot ideas down. You, know, like when I'm driving, standing in line at a check out. Places like that.

It seems that ever since I started this blog I have been too busy to use it as I would like. As much as I enjoy a good ole "Wordless Wednesday" on other blogs, I had actually started to use it as a crutch to get a blog in quickly, when there was no time to write what I wanted to really write.

When last Wednesday rolled around, and it had been a week since my last post, I almost decided to do a Wordless Wednesday. But--I felt like I shouldn't do that, since I knew the rest of the week would pretty much be wordless and picture-less! I had been very busy for well over a week and knew there was going to be even less writing time in the near future.

My activities began when I helped sort through more clothes than are in the entire mall, for a yard sale held at my church the Saturday before Memorial Day. It was to raise money for mission trips. I worked about 3 hours after work on a couple of nights sorting through the good, the bad, and the downright ugly! I mean it--some of that stuff needed to be put out of circulation! I would have LOVED for Stacey & Clinton (What not to Wear) to be there and give their thoughts on some of the items I sorted through. Some items were really nice though---- with price tags still on them. Nice name brand items----but never anything in my size. Sigh.

Then, family started rolling in that weekend to prepare for my niece's wedding the following weekend. It was an outdoor wedding, and the family of both the bride and groom pitched in their time and efforts to make the chosen outdoor location "wedding ready" within a week's time.

The Friday evening wedding turned out wonderfully, and then Saturday I had to tend to my own neglected yard and take care of some errands. Yesterday, after the privilege of having my brother visit my Sunday school class to share about his missions work, the family got together at my mom's house for a big shrimp boil to celebrate my aunt's birthday. Later in the evening, to round out the eventful, family filled week, some of my family headed out with me to watch our minor league baseball team, The Montgomery Biscuits, play some ball.

I stayed up late visiting with my brother last night, then had to get up at 4:00am to have him at the airport by 5:30am. Whew, I am exhausted! Like a friend of mine told me this morning, It will probably take me till Wednesday to rest up and realize how much fun I've been having!

Hey.......Wednesday....... Hmm-----Maybe by then I will have some pictures ready to post of all my recent activities. Sounds like a good idea for Wordless Wednesday!