Random Bits Of Randomness

Skywatch Friday- Boulder Lake- Idaho

2009-10-29T23:59:00.000-07:00

Boulder Lake near McCall, Idaho. I took this while on a hike in July of 2007

View More Skywatch Friday Photos from other bloggers HERE

Skywatch Friday- The Road to Agdash

2009-10-22T23:59:00.000-07:00

This is a photo my brother took while we were in the car on our way to Agdash, Azerbaijan while on a trip in March of 2009.

We Had Beautiful Clear Gulf Water........

2009-10-18T13:38:00.001-07:00

And thank goodness for that! Can you imagine being out swimming and not being able to notice one of these critters until they were right there on ya??!!!

And how about this thing.................

We stayed clear of the water for awhile. After all, it's their home! Later though, they cleared out and , yes--we did jump on in!

I'm at the beach!

2009-10-16T19:55:00.000-07:00

My cousin and I drove the 3-1/2 hours down to Destin this afternoon to meet the family at the beach. They've been here all week. Some people had to work though.

We got here just in time to see the sun setting.

We saw this tree while walking to the beach. Which came first? The fence or the tree??

2009-10-15T21:25:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't usually write about current events, but I will have to make an exception and write about the events that unfolded today as I watched a home made helium balloon soar through the air while thinking that a small child was on board.

As soon as a co-worker told me the story, and we started watching video clips online, I prayed and then sent out an urgent prayer request e-mail that this little boy would be ok. I guess not only being a parent, but also being a grandmother to a small boy, just caused me to have major empathy pain for this boy's parents. It was a horrible feeling to think of being totally helpless and unable to reach a small child in need. And that is when I knew I needed to pray.

I prayed that this obviously mischievous boy was oblivious to what was going on. Or that he was having the time of his life on the joyride. Of course- If he had a dad like mine, it would be the last thing he'd enjoy in a very long time! ; ) But, I would rather think he was having fun and not panicking and crying.

Then, I thought--no--even better--------I pray that the boy is not even in the balloon. I hope that this little guy accidentally set this balloon adrift and then knew he was in some DEEP TROUBLE, and decided to go hide somewhere. And then, as things got even worse, he was even more afraid to come out. And, in the end, that is exactly what happened. Praise the Lord for this ending.

I guess I was able to relate to this last scenario. Maybe we all can in some way. I was telling my "hiding from trouble, when I was a kid" story to a cousin today and she thought I should share it. But, the story I like best is one about my brother.

When he was about 3 years old, I was with him and my mom in Kmart, when all of a sudden my mom realizes that he was not standing beside her. She called for him and he didn't answer. We looked around--no Jimmy (he had not yet become J.T.). So, pretty soon the whole store is looking for Jimmy. We are pretty panicked by this time. Yes, even I was getting a bit concerned for the safety of my little brother. Finally, with an ever so slight quiver in her strong-sounding voice, and not wanting the worst to be true, my mom yells something that I think went like this , "Jimmy you tell me where you are right now or you are going to be in big trouble!"

And, then as he comes popping out of a rack of clothes very close by, that we had passed many times in our search, he announces to everyone in a sweet little voice , "Here me!"

Yes--He had decided to have fun and hide in a rack of clothes. But, as he realized that everyone in the store was looking for him, and he was going to be in trouble, he decided he would just keep on hanging out in the rack of clothes to prolong any punishment coming his way.

I don't even remember if he got punished. I'm not even sure I got punished when the whole neighborhood was looking for me that time and I was hiding under the car. At least we didn't shut down flights at an international airport or have a Blackhawk helicopter in the air at a cost of $4600.00 an hour to fly. Then again--we might have got our backsides worn out.

Well, anyway-----I guess we all have our stories of trying to hide from our punishment. And I guess sometimes we have to face the music, and sometimes we are pardoned. I'm very thankful for answered prayers for a happy outcome today!

2009-10-15T18:48:00.000-07:00

I have neglected my blog lately. But I have been devoting time to some things that I needed to be doing. I had been using my lunch hour at work for "blog time", but we are no longer allowed to access blogs from work anymore.

But I have taken care of a lot of things and hopefully can manage my time to get in here and write again. I have missed it very much.

In the meantime-------today I found out that I am the featured guest host on Skywatch Friday! I didnt even know till someone left me a comment about it! I am honored!! There are truly beautiful and amazing pictures that people post as a part of Skywatch Friday, so it is truly an honor to be allowed to have my picture among them!

Skywatch Friday - Cloudy Sunset in Haleiwa

2009-09-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken in August of 2006 in Hawaii. We made a special trip to the side of the island that was supposed to be best for viewing the sunset. Dark clouds rolled in right at sunset though. Oh well--I'll take a cloudy sunset in Hawaii any time!

See more Skywatch Friday posts HERE

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday - Will I Ever Pass This Way Again?

2009-09-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

sorry for the spacing--it didnt show that way in my preview and I cant fix it!

Just a visual to see the distance between Alabama and Azerbaijan

This is a road I walked along in March of 2009. Now I am sitting on my couch 6700 miles away--a whole world away, wondering if I will ever walk down that road again.

Will I ever see the smiling faces of all the wonderful people I met while I was there?

Of all the fun I had even though I could not speak the language of my new friends and they knew very little of mine except for "thank you" and "my name is....." which they liked to practice often.

Will I ever see our wonderful hostess, who allowed us to stay with her even at great risk. A risk that made itself evident while we were there.

I may not ever see our amazing translator and friend again, in this lifetime, but she will always have a very special place in my heart and memory.
.
And of course I wont ever forget this amazing person. An excellent teacher. Full of joy and a pretty good bit of spunk too! She is one of many examples I saw on my trip of someone who lives their faith daily and will sacrafice all for that faith.

Ok--and of course-it would be fun to be around the table again with these wonderful people. Always a great meal. And a never-ending supply of chai (tea), which is a symbol of hospitality in Azerbaijan.

Why am I smiling? I guess cause I got caught doing the dishes. It was very hard to get someone to allow me to help around there! For some reason, I didnt mind doing the dishes there like I do at home. I guess that is why my sink is full!

See More Wordless/Wordful Wednesday posts here:

10 on Tuesday- 10 Things I Need To Plan For

2009-09-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

10 things I need to plan for --

1) my niece's baby shower I will be co-hosting next month

2) a day to finish taking wall paper down in my bathroom and repainting

3) to actually find someone to make some minor repairs around my house

4) to go to the Dr. early one morning, without eating or drinking and get some blood work done

5) getting off my lazy hiney and start working out so that my weight doesn't start bothering my lower back and knee.

6) a time to get together with a certain person who is supposed to help me with a slide show I am preparing of a mission trip to New Orleans

7)a time to do more sight seeing downtown and take more pictures for my photo blog.

8) a time to sit and do more writing

9)a certain time of day- each day for Bible study and prayer time.

10) healthy meals ahead of time and healthy foods on hand so I don't eat the wrong things.

See more about 10 on Tuesday here

Skywatch Friday- New Orleans

2009-09-18T01:00:00.000-07:00

This was taken July 09, while I was on a mission trip to New Orleans, LA. Off to the left, in the distance you can see the tall buildings along the river, near the French Quarter. Over where this picture is taken, you can see all the rubble and what remains of an area that had several different restaurants built over the water, near the marina. Amazing how the areas each were affected differently by Hurricane Katrina. Across the horizon you can see a very long bridge.

See more Skywatch Friday Photos Here: http://skyley.blogspot.com/

2009-09-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I was in Seagrove Beach, FL with other singles from my church for our annual Beach Retreat. We have been coming to Highpointe Resort the last several years. As much as I absolutely love sitting on the beach, digging my feet in the sand, and listening to the waves crashing in to shore, when I come to this particular place, I do something I rarely do at other resorts or hotels at the beach. I actually spend more time at the pool than the beach.

This place has the most beautiful and relaxing pool I have ever seen. It winds around through two "islands" and several waterfalls.

Check out other Worldful/Mostly Wordless Wednesday posts by clicking the buttons below:

Time to get a Peep Hole!

2009-09-14T22:33:00.000-07:00

I haven't been visiting here as much lately. I miss posting here, but mostly I miss reading all my favorite blogs. I had been in a habit of writing/posting on this blog and my photo blog during my lunch hour. But, the reins have been pulled in tighter and now I cannot access any blog spot.com sites anymore at work. I don't have much time in the evenings to post. I'm up late tonight only because of an incident that happened earlier that has caused me to not be able to sleep.

Seems someone wanted to visit my next door neighbor. This someone, who had been drinking, came to my house instead of my neighbors house. I was just about to go to bed when I heard someone knocking on my front door. Unfortunately I don't have a peephole on my door, and although I can look out the window and see most of the front porch, I cannot see someone who is standing right in front of the door.

I wasn't expecting anyone, so I went to the door and asked, "Who is it?" The person replied with some name that I didn't understand and the voice was not familiar. After asking the person to repeat his name, I told him that I did not know him. He was not happy with me saying this and let me know with a few choice words. I told him to go away.

He asked me who i was and when I said I was the owner of this house, he told me in a very descriptive and obscene way that I was lying.

So, I went and got my phone and dialed 911. I told the man what was happening. I was more startled than I thought. I guess talking about it made me feel more nervous. The 911 dispatcher asked me to please take a deep breath and stay calm.

At this time, I looked out the window and could see the backside of this man standing on my porch, leaning against my brick column. He was about 6ft tall, slim, wore a long sleeve button down style shirt, tucked into some Levis that looked pressed, and had grey hair. He was just leaning on this column, smoking a cigarette.

He saw me peeking out the window, and came back to knock on the door some more. At this point, I decided that he really was looking for the house next door. but, not everyone looking for my neighbor is going over for a nice little visit. this man sounded very mad about something. And he was getting angrier and angrier that I would not let him in .

At this time, i went to the door and told the man he was at the wrong house. This made him angry and caused the 911 dispatcher to tell me to just not talk to him. We didn't know what state of mind he was in, if he'd try to break in, or if he had a weapon.

This guy then starts to beat on my door. Its more to get my attention than to try and break in. But it was very frightening, nonetheless! The 911 dispatcher helped me to stay calm and told me the policeman was less than five minutes away. I am so glad I had called the emergency number and had accepted the dispatchers offer to stay on the line till the police arrived.

When the policeman arrived, he knocked on the door and asked me if I knew the gentleman, but I didn't. The man said he was looking for someone in particular who used to live in this house. I recognized the name as my neighbor. I told the policeman that it was my neighbor this man was looking for. The man STILL insisted that it was my house. At this time I look out and get a better look at the vehicle he must have driven. it is a big truck that I have seen parked at my neighbor's house before. Yikes--this guy must really be out of it!

The police officer told the man they were going to go next door to look for his friend. Finally, when they got next door, the man's fuzzy memory started coming back to him, and he realized he was indeed, at the wrong house.

I was very thankful for the 911 dispatcher and the police officer.

2009-09-04T10:40:00.000-07:00

As I start this blog post, we fade into a scene from Serial Mom:

The trial for the mom accused of being a serial killer has just ended. She has been found not guilty of killing people for behavior she deemed offensive and inappropriate.

Juror #8 (who has just helped serial mom to be a free woman) is talking on a payphone, when Beverly (serial mom) comes up behind her and grabs the phone from her,

Beverly Sutphin: You can't wear white after Labor Day!

Juror #8: That's not true anymore.

Beverly Sutphin: Yes it is! Didn't your mother tell you? Now you know. [She whacks her in the face with the phone]

Juror #8: No! Please! Fashion has changed!

Beverly Sutphin: No... it hasn't. [She hits her again]

Has fashion changed? Is it ok to wear white after Labor Day? Stacy and Clinton from What Not To Wear say its ok. They also say your shoes don’t have to match your handbag. How liberating is that?

I have followed a lot of Stacy and Clinton's rules. And, since I live in an area where people are sometimes known to wear shorts in December, I may sneak in a wearing or two of the white capris after Labor Day.

But--maybe not. And definitely not to work. Why? Because that rule is just ingrained in me I guess. And because down south, we just follow this rule.

I remember when I was younger, the excitement of being able to debut my new white shoes for Easter. And those shoes were worn all summer and put away after Labor Day. They probably didn’t fit much past Labor Day anyway. And probably had so many of those black scuff marks on them that don’t like to come off, that they were ready to be chunked anyway.

I did a little research and found that the rule did seem to originate with just white shoes, and then expanded to encompass white clothing as well.

No one could say for sure where and why this rule originated. There was mention that it started because white reflects light and heat, so wearing white would make one cooler. Another version stated that in the 1950's more people were entering the middle classes and were unaware of the standards they needed to keep, so they were given specific rules in order to fit in.

Whatever the reason, I know that Southern girls used to be raised following this rule and that it is still highly regarded among most women.

Even though a lot of schools actually start school a couple of weeks before Labor Day, it just seems to be the weekend that wraps up the summer for most people, even though fall doesn’t begin for a couple more weeks.

And with Fall, we start thinking of Fall clothing and Fall activities. And white clothing and shoes are usually packed away till the following Spring.

I'm wearing my white capris and white sandals today. But, already I am feeling like it is time to say goodbye till the rules say we can meet again.

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday- Rowdy Girl

2009-09-02T09:36:00.000-07:00

I don't know this "ROWDY GIRL" , just thought it was such a cute photo and copied it off a website. She's just doing her thing, watching the parade. I like that. I hope she had a great time.

HERE'S THE STORY THAT ACCOMPANIED THE PHOTO:

A spectator watches dancers in a street parade during the annual Asakusa Samba carnival in Tokyo, Japan, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009

See more Mostly Wordless or Wordful Wednesday Posts here:

Seven Clown Circus-Wordful Wednesday

Ordinary and Awesome-Mostly Wordless Wednesday

10 Things On Tuesday--Ten Things I Hate About Traveling

2009-09-01T06:40:00.000-07:00

Today I'm gonna join in on a meme that I have been following lately. You can see more HERE
(I haven't figured out how to "grab" a button yet.)

TEN THINGS I HATE ABOUT TRAVELING

1)Deciding what to pack. I like to pack as light as possible, but you also want to be prepared for different weather situations, etc. And as some of you know--I have a habit of second guessing myself alot!! ; )

2) When flying, having to worry about the three ounce/quart size bag rule for liquids. Especially since I like to just have a carry- on bag and not check luggage if possible.

3)Not knowing how to pack and keep things wrinkle free (a trick my mom has mastered), so I hope I will have an iron available where I will be staying.

4)People making fun of me because I want to iron over my clothes while on vacation

5)Having to wait forever, it seems, to deboard the plane. I get a little claustrophobic.

6)Getting to my destination and wanting the item that I decided not to pack.

7) When traveling to a different country , having to figure out a different currency and wondering how much I'm paying for something.

8)Living out of my toiletry bag and not being able to have a place for it all in the bathroom.

9)Not having electrical outlets in convenient places for drying hair and using curling iron/hot rollers.

10)Someone making a comment about me using the curling iron and hot rollers while on vacation.

Ok--so this was a tough one because I LOVE to travel. If I had to travel for business, it might be a different matter. but since its usually to go on vacation, to visit family or to go on a mission trip (where I know I will have to be flexible) , the things I gripe about are really just trivial things that I will choose to accept any day to be able to travel!

Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones..........

2009-08-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

We all said it as kids, or at least heard someone else say it. Maybe one child yelling it across the schoolyard playground at another child. Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones, But Words Will Never Hurt Me.

But, that was just a defense, wasn't it? Really those words did hurt. We just felt it necessary to put up a front and let everyone know that we were just fine. There was probably a hint of hurt in our voices as we sang that little phrase.

Sometimes words can hurt just as much as sticks and stones. They can leave emotional scars just as sticks and stones can leave physical scars.

I know physical scars can sometimes fade. If not, my knees, shins and elbows would be nothing but scars from falls, skateboard mishaps and bicycle crashes. Emotional scars can fade sometimes too. But, the memory of what caused the emotional scars do seem to stay with us longer than the memory of what caused that skinned knee or elbow.

People use words as weapons. People use words to hurt other people. To belittle other people. They can be very effective weapons. Some people just have a talent for wielding them and hitting their target dead center.

I have always tried to not use words in that way. As weapons. To hurt someone in a fight. Because they are something, that once said, can never be taken back. You have tarnished the relationship you had with the person forever. It will never be quite the same.

I also know that if someone can feel angry enough to want to hurt me with words, that they will do it again. That they will use words as a weapon again and again. Even if they are sorry afterwards

I have tried to remember that if I use words to hurt someone, that I will later regret it. That it will make me feel bad.

I also know that using negativity with someone, intentional or not, is just as hurtful as purposely using words to hurt someone you are angry with.

Especially with kids. Kids should not have to hear negativity all the time. There should be another way to present an issue in a more constructive way. Negativity weighs a person down. And negative words cannot be taken back, just like the hurtful words spoken in anger. That is something I need to work on.

Although I try not to use words to intentionally hurt someone, I realized that I sometimes use words to punish someone or to make someone realize how serious I am about something. If they hear me use words in this way, then they will know that I mean business. And they will take heed.

But, that doesn't really work either. And it only makes me feel bad for saying words I cannot take back and wish I didn't say.

Words hurt, just like those sticks and stones. Words cant be taken back. That is true. Remember that the next time you are about to let that word roll off your tongue and go flying at someone else.

Ignorance is Bliss

2009-08-27T08:11:00.000-07:00

I know something that someone else would like to know. Well- they might not like to actually know , but would like the information. It would help them understand one little situation. It would take away one frustration and time consuming ordeal, but it doesn't solve anything in the end. Its something I'd want to know. In fact, I've been in a similar situation. So, I know I'd want to know the information whether I liked it or not.

Only problem is, I don't really know the person who would like to know the info. And this person wouldn't like to hear it from me. It might make this person uncomfortable to know how I know the information.

I'd like to be able to tell this person but the situation isn't right. And, although I have been in a similar situation, and want this person to be able to have this information to use it accordingly, I also wonder if I want to tell my information partly for other reasons. For self-serving reasons. To let another person involved know that I know.

That's not a good reason to tell someone something. I want to be better than that. Sometimes, don't you wish you just didn't know????

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday- The Doggie Repairman

2009-08-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

Pluto didn't bark or wag his tail and walk around on his leash anymore. Pluto needed new batteries. I was going to put new batteries in it, but the Camster decided he needed to fix it himself.

This was some tough work! You can tell he's serious about it. He's all stretched out laying on the ground. It helps him to work better.

HMMM.......wonder if this other doggie over here needs some fixin' ?????? Since I have the screwdriver out and all.

Bingo's looking a little worried. He's hoping the Camster doesn't decide he needs some fixin' too!

On a Quest to find Tales from The Grave

2009-08-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

Hey there. I am on a little fact finding adventure and its getting kind of interesting!

Last week I headed over to the cemetery to take pictures of Hank Williams grave/memorial . I was thinking about making Hank the "H" for my Montgomery Daily Photo ABC's of Montgomery Blog.

Anyway-so I get over there and notice to the right of Hank's Memorial, are two neat, long rows of headstones all the same size and style. They have the cutest flowers all perfectly manicured in front of them. I'm wondering if these are new grave markers, because I have never seen them before. I walk over to take a closer look and see that they are marking the graves of young men who were members of the French Air Force. And most of them died on 13th of November 1941.

Now I'm really interested. What happened to cause the death of all these French men on the same date, or shortly thereafter? And why are they buried in Montgomery, AL, so far from their homes? So far from their parents , who left messages to their brave sons, engraved on headstones.

I walk down a little further and there , the names start to look a little different, and I notice that these are graves of members of the Royal Air Force. With almost all the dates of death showing as the 13th of November, 1941.

I really need to find out the story of these people and why they are buried here!

I headed back to my computer and started doing a search, but could not come up with anything. I looked up information on the cemetery and found out that the main part is maintained by the city of Montgomery, but the annex, where these graves are located, is privately owned a department of the State of Alabama. I decided to go ahead and e-mail the contact person shown for the main part of the cemetery to see if he could point me in the right direction.

This morning I got an e-mail from him giving me the name , address, and phone number of a gentleman, whom he said could help me with this information. This man has a French sounding name. And he lives close by Montgomery.

I was feeling a little hesitant about calling someone I don't know, but certainly want to find out the information. Not long after I received my contact information, a customer walked in, who I know lives on the same road as this man with the French sounding accent. I asked the customer if he knew of this man and he did! They live across the street from each other!!

I was able to find out that this man was about 80 years old. He is from France and was a navigator on bomber planes that flew missions over Germany during WWII. He came to the U.S. to teach Navigation at Craig Air Force Base in Selma, AL.

So, now I all I have to do is get up the nerve to make the phone call!

Around The World And Back In a Weekend

2009-08-17T19:22:00.000-07:00

I've been away from this blog for a few days. I've been traveling to cities all around the world. Yep---in just one weekend. And you can too..........

I dont remember how. But, somehow, about a month ago, I ran across a blog, who's blogger posted a picture almost everyday of his home city in Turkey. He would give a brief description of what was going on or what the scenery was in the picture. I just thought it was very interesting. I decided to follow this blog.

Last week, I noticed that he followed someone from Sheki, Azerbaijan, which certainly interested me, because of my mission trip to that country recently, as well as getting to have a tour of Sheki on one day of our trip.

Ok--sometimes I am a little bit slow. Or maybe I've just been so busy lately, but at first I didnt see that there was a theme going on with these two blogs, as well as other blogs that they followed.

But, finally I did realize that these blogs are a part of City Daily Photo. A whole network of bloggers from cities all across the world who post one picture a day of their home city.

What an awesome idea! I LOVE to travel. To experience the people, architecture, landscape and customs of a different country and culture.

And, although I have no training and very little skill, I love to take pictures.

So, since I posted here last, I have been busy traveling the world through these different blogs. And I also took the time to set up my City Daily Photo Blog to share pictures of my city.

You are invited to come by my Daily Photo Blog and find out more about my hometown. And, please take the time to look at the blogs of any cities around the world that you may be interested in.

Eating Ice Cream for a Good Cause

2009-08-14T11:34:00.000-07:00

On the way home from work yesterday, I decided to stop by the grocery store.

I flipped open my phone, and turned it on to call my daughter. It had been turned off because my battery was really low. I've heard that there are actually people out there who put their phone on a charger every night.

I've found when your battery gets to the point of making that little warning noise (quite irritating while trying to talk!) , you can just turn off the phone for awhile and the battery magically gets a little bit of charge back in it. I can make a low battery last for a few extra days like this without putting it on the charger.

Guess I kinda push my cell phone battery to the limits like I do the last little fumes of gas in my car. But, that's another story. And,well, yes I do happen to miss a call or two when my phone is off.

Yesterday, I had missed not only a call, with voicemail (from my daughter) but also a follow up text message telling me, "check your voice mail".

So, of course I didnt check my voice mail. I called my daughter immediately, thinking there was an emergency.

"Oh, hey mom. Did you check my voice mail?"

No

My daughter: ..... "Oh, well, um.... ", said kinda sheepishly. "I was just reading on Facebook that Dairy Queen will give a donation to Children's Hospital if you buy any size Blizzard today." (this last part said like she was doing a radio advertisement for the event)

Me: Oh really? (oh- so -nonchalantly)

"Yes!"

We are both "Fans" of Children's Hospital on Facebook, as her son (my grandson I call "The Camster" in a lot of my posts) was at Children's Hospital the first two months of his life. I am so grateful that Children's Hospital was available for us during that time.

So, I say, "That is very nice. What a nice thing for them to do."

silence

Me: "Ok--I am gonna go in the store now. I'll see you in a little bit. Bye."

Well, YES!! ----OF COURSE I drove through DQ and got Blizzards to bring home. One Oreo Blizzard and one M & M blizzard. And two balloons too! YAH! & YUM!

Where's my maid? Where's my yard boy? Y'all are FIRED!

2009-08-08T08:35:00.001-07:00

About 4 months ago, I wrote a little post about Saturdays. And how I should make the most of my Saturdays. So-----what have I done so far today?

Well, first off, I did not keep up with housework during the week. So, I have a room to clean, and some laundry to do. I have a car that is desperate need of cleaning out so that I don't have to be reminded of all the junk food and frozen coffee drinks I've had the last week. OK-OK--the last two weeks ("or so" said in a mumble)

I need to get my grass cut. But my lawnmower is not working. That is a whole different story, involving my neighbor. ahem! Wow--if I'd started this blog when I first moved in this house two years ago, you'd know my neighbor quite well by now. IRGH!!

Anyway--I digress--just as I have been doing all morning, knowing I need to get my housework done!!

So--in about an hour, my friend is gonna call. Wanting to know if I've decided to buy a new lawn mower or if I am gonna borrow my mom's lawnmower and just see if mine can be repaired. She's gonna help me haul whatever I decide on getting!

As much as I've paid others to cut my grass for me, while mine has been in and out of commission, I could have ALREADY bought a new lawnmower. sigh!

OK--so here I go-----I'm gonna get some laundry started. I'm gonna get dressed. Then my friend and I will meet for lunch and I will decide my lawnmower business.

Then I just hope to goodness that I will have the ambition to get the yard work done. Oh--and clean my room too. OK---Off to salvage this Saturday!

Hope you are having a great one!!!!!!!!

2009-08-07T14:03:00.001-07:00

I'm a dork . I know it. I admit it.

I am sitting here with tears in my eyes.

Tears of happiness.

Over an e-mail.

Well, yes, I am a dork, but maybe in this situation, I'm
just an extra sensitive person.

Remember my other post where I talked about how fun and
exciting it is to find a real piece of personal mail in my
mailbox?

Well--something else that is really exciting is to receive
an e-mail from my friend in Azerbaijan.

We have not exchanged actual addresses to send mail to each
other. It might not be such a great idea. No sense doing anything
to cause the family any potential problems.

Problems? Yeah- I get the feeling that the police in their
village would look for just anything to cause problems for this family.

Why? Well- you can read about it here or here. and fyi-- he's out of prison
and back home now.

And--well, my brother and I kinda got caught up in our own little bit of trouble while over there. (ps--I'm Wolton Kalie )

So--naturally ---I count it a blessing whenever I get to hear from
one of my friends in Azerbaijan!

And--blessings bring tears of joy to my eyes!!!

I am a very blessed dork! Amen!

This is what I've been stewing on---Glad I let it out!

2009-08-06T08:47:00.001-07:00

Boy, is God giving me the perfect opportunity this morning to work on not being bitter or holding a grudge! To trust in him & that He will provide for me.

For about 17 years I have worked in a sales position for the same company. This company has branches in 6 different cities across three states. There has always been an average of about 4 people in my office, though at times there have been three and other times five sales people. Even though this is a sales position, our salaries or bonuses have never been based on individual sales. It has always been a combination of our office as whole and the other branches also.

Yes, we have always had a daily print out to show our individual sales figures, and that has been something I have always used to gauge my progress. But there has never been a lot of stigma attached to any one individuals figures, because we have worked together as a team.

Because we have worked together as a team, we have always had unwritten rules of courtesy. If a co-worker was at lunch, and his customer called and gave me an order, I would give it to my co-worker to write up. And vice- versa. If I quoted material to another salesperson's customer, I would give it to the other salesperson, in case we got the order. Sometimes, if a salesperson went through extra steps and measures to take care of another person's customer, we would just let that salesperson write up the order. No big deal.

This worked out well, because we could feel OK about being out sick or on vacation and know our customers would be in good care. They wouldn't be slighted by a salesperson saying, "I don't have time for this customer, I don't get commission off this sale."

I have wonderful customers, who through out the years, have asked me, "Now don't I need to make sure I get you when I call back so that you get the commission for this?" Or some variation of that question. My reply has always been something like this: "Of course I would like you to call me back, but if I am not in the office or not available, you can talk to another salesperson. We do not get individual credit for orders." I understand that my customers are busy. And sometimes they want to take care of their business of ordering from me, and then move on to something else. I don't want to delay their work, just because I am at lunch, at an appointment, or with another customer.

Well, now a lot of things have changed and it is causing me to have some hard feelings. First, off, the company has decided that part of the basis for deciding our year end bonus, will be our individual sales figures. Well, that really shouldn't matter too much, because, like I said earlier, we have always had an unwritten rule of courtesy and also have a good idea about who a customer usually tries to call first. And we honor that.

So--what is the problem? A new sales person who has come in the last few years. He's doesn't play by our courtesy rules. If I am at lunch and one of my customers calls, he will write up the order in a heartbeat. Especially if it is a large order. If it is small,he might give it to me to write up. He checks the fax machine and will take large orders off of the printer, and disregard the small orders for someone else to write up.

And ever since we have been told that our individual sales will count toward our year end bonus, this person has acted even more in a way that is not consistent with the courtesy we have always shown each other in this office. There have been several occasions where I quoted a customer, and even had the quote put officially into our computer quote system. Then, when the purchase order has been generated and faxed to us, he has taken the order and written it up himself. He did not bother to ask if anyone quoted the material. Knowing that if the purchase order had prices on it, then the customer got pricing somehow!! This has happened on a couple of very nice size orders of mine.

Unfortunately, I also think that there are other underhanded things he is doing, but do not know for certain. And I do not like feeling that way. And I do not like the feeling I get knowing that am working with someone who does things like that.

I know times are tough and I understand people have to provide for their families. I am all for someone wanting to be ambitious and successful. But not if he or she has to do it by stepping on someone else's toes , not displaying a good character and sometimes being out and out sneaky. It disappoints me to think this person would act this way, because we have to work so closely together. And outside of this issue, we actually talk and will do things for each other.

I did confront this person when I found out he had written up some orders I quoted. And I have made comments that I know make him understand that I have not appreciated the fact that he wrote up certain orders instead of giving them to me. Another salesperson has had to do the same.

But, it doesn't really do any good. In fact, it has become the office joke that he is an order hog. Some days it just bothers me more than others. I guess it was just bothering me this morning. In fact, my feelings were a little hurt by the customer that called him and gave him the order, when I was not available. But, it is not my customer's fault. This customer is one of the main ones that was very concerned about making sure I got any individual commission on orders.

I am just not the kind of person that feels comfortable now, going back and telling all my customers, "Hey--remember when I said it was OK for you to talk to other sales people? Well- could you stop doing that?" I'm sure they would understand. I just cant do that. I'm just not like that. So-- I better learn to deal with it, right?

I tell myself not to worry about "getting my fair share". That no matter what, God is going to take care of me. I tell myself to not worry about what this person is doing or how he is doing it, because in the end, he has to live with himself. I tell myself to just do a good job and God will bless me with good things. And to not stress and worry too much about this new inter-office "less than honorable" competition that seems to be going on. And most importantly, to not get wrapped up in it , and do things that will make me unhappy with myself.

OK----now that I've rambled on and let it all out, maybe this will help me to deal with things better. I'm not as upset as I was earlier, so that is a good thing.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice
Ephesians 4:31 (New International Version)

But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of ChristRomans 14:10 (New King James Version)

Wordful Wednesday- A Letter in the Mailbox

2009-08-05T10:00:00.001-07:00

Isn't it fun to get something in the mail that is not a bill or a sales -flyer? Maybe a colored envelope with your name and address actually handwritten. Or a postcard with a fun picture and a personal message that you get to see right away. And a stamp that someone took the time to personally add to the envelope. It is even more fun when you recognize the handwriting on the envelope and you cant wait to open it and see what is written inside.

I communicate so much by e-mail and Facebook these days, that I dont send or receive many personal items through the Postal Service and my little white mailbox . I even receive e-mail invitations. These have become socially acceptable, and I have made up a colorful and clip art- adorned "invite" to send out myself a time or two.

So, to go to the mailbox, open it and find an envelope, hand-addressed to me by a friend, hidden among all the sales papers, is like finding a little treasure or prize.

One envelope I always look forward to seeing, actually has my name and address typed out and is from an organization. But, when I see that envelope I know I have a letter inside from Riashi, the wonderful little girl that I sponsor through Compassion International.

Yesterday I got one of those envelopes. It didn't have a letter inside, but it did have an updated picture of this beautiful little girl who lives in Bangladesh. I was so excited and surprised to see how much she has grown since I first started sponsoring her.

I have saved every letter that has been sent to me from Riashi. She does not write the letters herself, they are written by a social worker at her Project home. She does however, add a drawing that she has made on her own and then colored. I love those drawings.

Last night I took all the letters I've received from Riashi, and each one in a protective cover and then into a folder. I want to share the letters with my Sunday school class, as I have asked them to prayerfully consider helping me to sponsor another child. I want them to see , through this child's letters, what she gets to experience by being a part of a Compassion Project. And how blessed they can be to be a part of a child's life in this way.

I realized last night, that as much as I enjoy getting letters and pictures from Riashi, that she may enjoy getting letters from me as well. Last night, while writing a letter to her, I remembered how much fun it is to sit down and write a letter, instead of just typing an e-mail. The last few months have been filled with many things going on in my life, and I forgot to slow down long enough to write a letter.

But. today a hand-written letter will be on its way to Riashi. I hope she will be half as excited to receive it, as I am going to be when I see my next letter from her in the mailbox and have to open before I ever step in the house . Until then, I pray for this beautiful little girl who's life I feel very fortunate to be a part of in some way.

Have you ever considered sponsoring a child through Compassion International? Please go to their website and find out more about how you can do this. You will be greatly blessed!

See other Wordful Wednesday Posts Here

my brother--a legend in his own mind

2009-08-04T08:45:00.000-07:00

Tribute Tuesday-----just in time to honor a request from my brother. While discussing my blog in an e-mail, that I received this morning , he had a few suggestions. "write more about me. like, have a j.t. tuesday thing where you always write about your famous brother on tuesday. starting today."

So--here goes. A tribute to my brother JT. My "little" brother, who came along and took away my spot as the baby of the family. I think I tortured him relentlessly because of this. Well, at least till the day that he actually got bigger than me and could hit back.

My brother, who one minute I could pin down on the floor and not feel bad about torturing, but at the same time wouldn't let anyone else mess with. Did I mention my brother could be quite the pest and he was a skinny little fellow back in his younger days? He'd pester someone till they came after him, then big sister would have to step in when he took off running.

But, our relationship wasn't always about fighting, even though our mother has many stories of having to discipline us for arguing over one of us touching the other, getting in the others space, or heaven forbid, just looking at the other.

I remember many a rainy day making tents in the living room with blankets and chairs, with my brother. We even spent entire afternoons setting up those little red, green and blue plastic cowboys and indians. Strategically placing all the little green army men was fun too.

When I really got into playing Barbies, he always wanted his GI Joe to play along too. (Is this the kind of stuff you wanted me to write about, dear brother??) Sadly, I rarely let GI Joe get in on the action.

During Jr High and HS, if I ever had a question about a band or a song that I liked, my brother was the one I turned to for information. He had (and still has) a great love and knowledge of music and a record collection that was amazing!! He even went down the road of "rock star" and played in several bands through the years.

This year my brother turns 40! The BIG 4-0! Wow! In some ways he is still that little aggravating pest. He just has a knack for it. No one is spared. My heart goes out to his wife and children for what they must endure. (wink)

But let me tell you. I am very proud of the man (husband, father) my brother has become. He traded in that long hair for a much shorter style. (not that there is anything wrong with long hair--but thank goodness he got over his mullet stage!) He traded in playing in rock bands in bars for playing praise music at his church. And several of the songs are his own special lyrics and music. Last year he was ordained into the ministry and is working on become a full time missionary with International Commission.

I hate to break it to him, but I will not be writing a "JT Tuesday" every week here. But, he will be featured in upcoming posts about our trip to Azerbaijan. Lets just say that I was very much impressed with my baby brother's knowledge and faith, as well as his ability to share this faith with others.

And, maybe, from time to time, like when he does things like he did with this crazy photo, I will have another JT Tuesday. Just for my favorite brother.

My brother-----he knows people!

Can you believe he used to be a skinny lil ole runt?

t This was taken after he officiated my niece's wedding ceremony. Thankfully he didnt wear these during the wedding, but she sure was brave in asking him to perform the ceremony!

See More Tuesday Tributes Here

I Gave Her My Heart, She Gave Me A Pen

2009-07-17T09:36:00.000-07:00

"Miss Jean Louise, Mr. Arthur Radley. I believe he already knows you." --Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck), To Kill a Mockingbird.

"What I really want to do with my life - what I want to do for a living is, I want to be with your daughter. I'm good at it"
"She's gone. She gave me a pen. I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen." -- Lloyd Dobler (John Cusak), Say Anything

"I'm a full-time dad. I'm a working parent. I'm a mother and a father. I'm a guy who reads parenting books and cookbooks before I go to sleep. I spend my weekends buying tutus. I'm learning to sew. I'm Mr. Napkin Head" --Graham Simpkins(Jude Law), The Holiday

"Well, like I told Max... I was trying to cut my way through your wire because I want to get out".-- Capt Hilts (Steve McQueen), The Great Escape

"I am nothing special; just a common man with common thoughts, and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten. But in one respect I have succeeded as gloriously as anyone who's ever lived: I've loved another with all my heart and soul; and to me, this has always been enough." --Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling), The Notebook

Ok--so what is up with all those quotes? Oh, I'm just sitting here thinking of some of my favorite on- screen characters. On the way to work this morning, I was just thinking about Atticus Finch, and what a wonderful man he was. A "True Southern Gentleman" trying to raise his children to have manners, compassion, and respect for others. I just love when he so formally and respectfully introduces Scout to Boo (Arthur) Radley. Of course, there are many other scenes in that movie that I just love. I also enjoy his conversations with Scout,as they snuggle together sitting on the porch in the evenings.

Lloyd Dobler. I could dedicate an entire blog post to the "favorite" Lloyd Dobler sayings.

"I draw the line at 7 unreturned phone calls."

" How many of them really know what they want, though? I mean, a lot of them think they have to know, right? But inside they don't really know, so... I don't know ,but I know that I don't know"

"I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that. "

What is not to love about Lloyd Dobler?

And, even as a little girl, catching glimpses of The Great Escape, while my dad was watching it, I knew that Capt Hilts, with his baseball glove and ball was the coolest guy around.

And, I cant forget to mention Mark Ruffalo, while talking about my favorite on-screen men. His characters in Rumor Has It, Just Like Heaven, and 13 going on 30 are just irresistible.

So, what does all of this have to do with anything? Oh , nothing really. Just sharing, once again, those random thoughts bouncing around in my head. Happy Friday!

St. Bernard Project Tribute

2009-07-14T10:11:00.000-07:00

Well, I am back from my trip to New Orleans. It was an awesome experience and I would love to go back again. It has been such a busy week, that I didn't really feel organized enough to be posting yet. BUT--as I was just trying to catch up on some other blogs, I saw that it was Tribute Tuesday on The Seven Clown Circus Blog.

OK--so again--not really organized since I've been back--but want to take this time to do a quick tribute of my own, and to spend a few minutes on my own blog, so it doesn't feel so neglected. So here goes..........

St. Bernard Parish is a community adjacent to New Orleans. Before Hurricane Katrina hit the area in August of 2005, the population for this Parish was 67,000. There were 27,000 homes and 14,000businesses. All 27,000 homes were inhabitable after the storm. Now, almost 4 years later, there are still countless numbers of houses that are still in need of repair so that they can once again become homes for families to move back into this community.

So much has been done in this area, but there is still so much more to be done. FEMA has already started removing the trailers that families have been living in. Some of these trailers have been parked right in front of the homes that the families once lived in. But, when the trailers have to be removed, some people will again be homeless. There are still 1000 families displaced in St. Bernard Parish. 75% of homeowners did not receive sufficient funds to rebuild their homes.

That is where the St. Bernard Project comes into the picture.

This is a non-profit, community based program that is helping to get people back in their homes. The Project has helped to rebuild 221 homes, and are currently working on 30 more homes. I had the privilege of working with the St. Bernard Project last week on a home. And like I said, it was an awesome experience.

So-----My tribute today is to the St. Bernard Project for putting together this awesome organization and helping to get people back into their homes.

Not So Easy Work In The Big Easy

2009-07-07T17:06:00.000-07:00

This is the home we are working on. It is already stripped down to the studs. Our job is mold remediation. In other words--every last piece of wood (beams, studs, rafters) must be scraped down with a steel brush. Then it every bit of it gets wiped down with a cloth, and a special chemical that will help kill mold. And then, we will paint on a substance to also kill any mold and to seal the wood. The picture above shows how the home was marked by people who went in to search homes after the flooding. Notice the date they were able to get to the house. 9-18 (Sept 18th). That is 19 days after the Katrina and the flooding took place. Thankfully, there were no casualties in this home. That is what the zero means. The initials indicate the name of the organization who searched the home.

My blogging time is gonna be very limited this week. I left on Sunday morning heading for New Orleans with some members from my church. We will be here this week working on some homes with the St Bernard Project. It has already been such a great experience. I look forward to writing more about the home we are working on and some of the stories I have heard from people who have lived through Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-04T05:35:00.000-07:00

HOME OF THE FREE BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE

Happy 4th of July! Today we celebrate our Country's Independance. We celebrate our freedom.

And I want to thank the men and women of our Armed Forces who have given their time and sometimes their lives to help us to have that freedom.

And, here's just a little something in honor and memory of my dad, who I think was one of the greatest Army soldiers of all time. There may be a smidge of favortism in that statement, but probably not much.

As a matter of fact, lets just honor all the branches of the military.

This Gives Me The High-Rise Heebie Jeebies!

2009-07-01T20:31:00.000-07:00

The tallest building in the U.S., the Sears Tower in Chicago, has added some new features. 1,353 feet in the air, on the 103rd floor, are some balconies. Not just any balconies. No--these balconies have transparent walls, floors and ceilings. I don't know about you, but just typing those words gave me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. If you dare step out onto the balcony, it gives the appearance, of walking out on air over the city. I don't know about you, but I just felt my legs go weak just thinking about it.

And look at these kids. Just laying there as if its no big deal. 103 stories high, now! I think I'd just freak out watching anyone walk out on a see-through floor like that. Just ask anyone who has been on a ferris wheel with me. No talking--No laughing---don't move--not one muscle.

I couldn't do it. Nope. I would feel like the bottom was going to fall out. What if there was a crack in the floor? What if it wasn't attached onto the side of the building very well?

Pardon my English, but I just have to say, "AIN'T NO WAY! UH- UH. NO WAY!"

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, LET'S ROCK AND ROLL

2009-06-25T22:30:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-25T21:49:00.001-07:00

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

2009-06-24T09:13:00.001-07:00

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?

2009-06-21T17:24:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-06-17T20:43:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-06-16T15:07:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-15T21:20:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-06-14T18:07:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-06-13T12:41:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-06-12T09:27:00.000-07:00

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 ?

2009-06-11T12:44:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-06-10T11:50:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-06-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

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!

STILL TOGETHER AFTER ALL THESE YEARS

2009-05-20T09:02:00.000-07:00

While looking for a picture to post for (ahem) "Wordless Wednesday" (I obviously havent grasped the concept of letting the pictures do the talking), I found this old picture of me, my two sisters, and some of my cousins at Cheaha. Can you guess which one is me? I'm the little runt who was too little to get to hang out with the big girls. But, I got in this picture and struck a pose like a big girl, so there! Nowadays I am allowed and actually invited at times to spend time with them. I thought I'd try to find a few recent pictures of us still hanging out together.

This one happens to be at Cheaha just two summers ago, (uh--about 37 years after the first picture!) with two of the cousins in the picture.

Here's some of the group, two years ago, at a Sweet Potato Queen Parade in Jackson, MS. I wasnt going to say anything, but .........doesnt one of them have a LOT of beads???

My sisters and I in New Orleans last summer.

Ok-so my brother wasnt in the original picture--I'm not sure he was even born yet. But, here are my sisters and one of the cousins.

Not only do I get to hang out with them, I even get to do a little dancing too. Not like when I was too little and could only watch while they all got to have fun doing the famous Soul Train Line. But--that's another story.

THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HATH MADE

2009-05-15T14:35:00.000-07:00

Today while running an errand on my lunch hour, I was cruising down the interstate and turned on the radio to enjoy some tunes. Soon I found myself just a singing along with Jimmy Buffet. "Come Monday, it'll be alright. Come Monday, I'll be holdin' ya tiiiiight....."

Here I am singing about it being alright on Monday, and its Friday afternoon. It made me think of some phone comments by customers earlier in the day. "Thank Goodness its Friday!" "Whew, I'm glad its the weekend!" "yep, I'm doing fine now. Its ........almost Friday........Its almost the weekend......"

They weren't the least bit interested in Monday coming along. Yet, the guy in Jimmy Buffet's song could care less about the weekend. He wanted Monday to come along so he could be holding his Honey tight.

So--then of course, I got to thinking about different songs and their perspectives on the days of the week.

The Mama's and the Papa's thought Monday was so good to them. But--then they decided they just couldn't trust that day. In fact, every other day of the week is perfectly fine to them-----but that Monday--nope---cant trust it.

The Bangles consider Monday a manic day. Their day of preference is Sunday. That's their fun day!

Lionel Ritchie seems to like Sunday. He's kinda easy, like Sunday morning. He obviously doesn't get up on Sunday mornings and try to feed and dress a family and get them out of the house, into a car and to church on time. That's not too easy!

I guess my customers have been listening to the philosopher slash (/) musician, Loverboy, who wore tight red leather pants on his album cover and proclaimed, "Everybody's working for the weekend". With his fast paced beat and the electric guitars and drums, he was making everybody wanna be in the show. Come on baby, lets go!

Another person ready to go is the woman with the Friday Night Blues, in John Conlee's song. He's been working all week while she's stuck in the house. He's wanting to just sit on the couch and relax, but she's been getting all "prettied up". As he's kickin his shoes off, she's putting hers on. She's got the Friday night blues. Well--maybe they can go out on Saturday night.

Saturday night must be a good night. The Bay City Rollers are especially excited about S-a-t-u-r-d-a-y night. They are gonna keep on dancing to the rock n roll. On Saturday night, Saturday night.

I sure wish these people would make friends with Sam Cooke & Cat Stevens.. They have a dilemma. Seems they've found themselves coming up on another Saturday night and they aint got nobody. They have money--cause they just got paid. They just really wish they had someone to talk to. They are in an awful mess.

Maybe they are looking forward to Monday too! Or Sunday, Or any other day of the week.

Seems everyone is always looking forward to a different day. Or a different time. It's gonna be better when Fri night comes. It's going to be better when the weekend comes. Or Sunday. Or come Monday.

Hey--I have an idea. Lets find a reason to be happy with this day. And enjoy this day. No matter what day it is.

"This is the day which the Lord hath made;we will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

And -here's a song we can sing along to, and express our happiness for this day:

This is the day (this is the day),
That the Lord hath made (that the Lord hath made),
I will rejoice (I will rejoice),And be glad in it (and be glad in it)
This is the day that the Lord hath made,I will rejoice and be glad in it!
This is the day (this is the day),That the Lord hath made.

SOMEONE WHO SPEAKS GEORGIAN IS ON MY MIND

2009-05-14T09:54:00.000-07:00

This is my name in Georgian. - (The country--not the state in the US. If that were the case, my name would be Cawleen--3 syllables). The language is very beautiful to see in writing. If I had been smart, I would have had the person who wrote this for me, write even more for me in Georgian. My brother had a great idea. He has Bible verses written in Georgian, in the back of his Bible. How is that for a souvenir?

This is the person who wrote my name for me. She lives in Azerbaijan, but the town she lives in is mostly a Georgian-speaking town. It is very close to the Georgia border. See how her walls are decorated in post cards? It’s really cool.

Here she is with her mom. Isnt this a sweet picture?

And here she is with her dad, mom, our interpreter, and two of her friends.

My brother and I, along with our interpreter (and friend), were fortunate enough to be guests in their home, for a couple of days.

It was such an awesome opportunity to meet these people, whom I will never forget. I wonder if I will ever get to actually see them again. We have an invitation to return during the summer months and hike (through the Caucus mountains) to a beautiful waterfall. My brother says that he would actually like to bring his whole family on a visit to this area. Who knows? We just never know where God might lead us or whom He will give us the pleasure of meeting.

My new friend has said she will teach me Georgian. The first phrase she has taught me is:"Kriste agsdga", meaning Christ is raised from the dead.

I think that’s a great phrase to start with! Knowing that Christ has indeed risen, and having a relationship with the Risen Christ is part of what led me on my journey to meet my new friend and know what my name looks like in Georgian. And to learn how to say, “Kriste agsdga!”

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY AGAIN!

2009-05-13T10:09:00.001-07:00

Even when I'm "wordless" I have a lot to say! I actually had more to say. I lost some of my favorite pictures while trying to fix the spacing between the pictures. : ( In case you dont know what these pictures are saying, here's a hint: Azerbaijan (or Azerbaycan) is Awesome!

WELL ACCORDING TO MY CALENDAR, CHRISTMAS IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER

2009-05-12T13:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I came into the office, looked at my nice big calendar, and thought, "Wow! Monday the 18th. This month is flying by way too fast!! Next week is payday (I get paid the last day of every month) and it seems like we just got paid! I studied the calendar, thinking about how time just slips by so quickly.

Wow, again--- I sure am behind in tearing off the dates on my little appointment calendar! So--I sat there and tore off the pages till I found the one that said, "MONDAY , MAY 18". Ok-all set to start the day. The day of Monday the 18th.

Oh--don't worry about correcting me--I have since found out that yesterday was not the 18th of May. But, I did go for quite a bit of time yesterday thinking that way, until a customer told me that he had a birthday coming up. On the 18th.
I asked him, "The 18th of what?"
"May", he says.
"Well--that is today!" Poor guy, doesn't even know it's his birthday!!
"No its not--today is the 11th. Wake up Colleen"

So I say, " I sure am glad you said something! I was already planning on going to my Dr's appt tomorrow" (which is written real big, in red, on my calendar on the 19th).

Usually at the end of each day, I use a marker and put a slash through that day on my calendar. But, I had not done that at all this month. So, I make sure, right then,that I put a mark through all the dates up to Sunday March 10th. And, yesterday before I left, I put my handy little slash through Monday the 11th of May.

So--when I walked into the office on Tuesday the 12th, I would clearly see that it was indeed Tuesday the 12th. There is NO Dr. appt note written as a reminder on the block of my calendar marked Tuesday the 12th. Of course not. Because my appt is for Tuesday the 19th.

What to know what happened next? I get up this morning, thinking about going to my Dr. appt this morning. I walk in the door and a co-worker says, " I thought you had a Dr. appt this morning. Why are you here?" I guess I must have mentioned yesterday that I had an appt, before I realized my error. So--what did I say, "Yes, I do have an appt. I don't have to leave until 9:30am though".

I sit down and start doing my work. Trying to get as much done as I can before I leave for my 10:00am appt. I am seeing a new Dr. and I was asked to be there early to fill out paperwork.

So, this morning at 9:40am, I head out for my appt, just a smidge later than I wanted to, but I couldn't help it. I had been in the middle of a sales call.

I get to the Dr.'s office and am a little irritated that some man is hogging the sign in sheet while digging around in his wallet for his picture ID and insurance card. I have to put the time that I sign in, and he is keeping me from signing in! I want it documented that I did show up early!

Finally when I think I am going to get to sign in, the nurse calls a man up to the window. Seems he was there for an appointment and his appt wasn't even till this afternoon. Poor guy. Came all the way over here this morning for nothing. Has to leave and come back later.

I finally get to sign in, and I hand the nurse my driver's license and insurance information, and then stand there waiting for the clipboard full of papers with every kind of question about me and my family. The nurse starts keying in information and then looks up at me and says, "Do you have an appointment with Dr. Jones?" That is when I realize that YES I DO have an appointment. It's just not THIS week. Oh my gosh!

So, I very sweetly & innocently said, "Yes. I have an appointment. Is this not the correct time?" She does a little more checking to find out what I really already know. My appointment is not till next week. "Well" I tell her, "you did ask me to be here early to fill out paperwork."

UGH! I am wondering how I still had it in my head that I had a Dr appointment today, even after I figured out that I was not looking at the calendar correctly. I had it in my mind, and I just stayed on course. No matter what BOTH of my calendars were TRYING to show me.

Thank goodness I will be seeing my Doctor next week. If I remember to go and if I remember where his office is located! I may need to discuss dementia with him!

Happy Hump Day! And don't forget to start working on your Christmas list!!

CHILD LABOR

2009-05-06T14:27:00.000-07:00

Recently, after a little touch up on my toenails, I left my bottle of red polish sitting on the coffee table and rushed out the door. I was expecting to be home alone that weekend, and thought it would be OK to leave it there till later. Well-----I ended up not being alone later, and while I was putting groceries away in the kitchen, guess who discovered the bottle, after being home for less than 5 minutes???

Here he is, pointing out his handi-work.
He didn't have a clue he had it on his face and hands, and couldn't figure out why I kept wanting him to be still for this picture. "Hey, grandmama--cant a guy eat his apple in peace??" What you cant see is the red polish on the dog, the rug in the hall, the TV remote, a few specks on his shirt, and a nice glob on his shorts.

For punishment, I woke him up bright and early the next day and , while still in his jammies, made him wash windows......................

....................................and cut the grass.

JUST KIDDING------ He actually saw me wiping the window sill, thought it was fun, and wanted his own paper towel. The lawn mower was a birthday present and it blows bubbles. Too bad it doesn't really work, he was doing a great job!!!

Unfortunately, by the time he gets good at wiping down the windows & cabinets, wiping up his messes, throwing trash away , putting away toys, or operating a real lawn mower, he will realize its work and not just some fun thing to do. Yesterday I had to sweep off the porch, and he ran to get his toy broom and help. Did I mention he has a toy vacuum that he loves? Wonder how much he'll love it when its time to use a real vacuum? Oh well. At least I can enjoy watching him now. Oh--and it sure is nice to lay on the couch and say, "hey, can you go over there and get grandmama the remote?". That's not violating child labor laws is it? Isn't that what kids are for??? : )

YOU CAN HAVE YOUR CAR AND EAT IT TOO

2009-05-06T13:48:00.000-07:00

I saw the following article yesterday and thought it was pretty interesting. If you ever got stranded somewhere, and got hungry enough, seems you could almost get away with eating the steering wheel or chugging some of the fuel. Ok--maybe not-------but still, an interesting article:

Chocolate-Fueled Race Car Unveiled

Researchers unveiled a race car that runs on waste from chocolate factories this week.
They hope the car will reach 145 mph and be one of the world’s fastest biofuel vehicles.
In addition to running on biofuel created from chocolate waste and vegetable oils, the car is also made out of plant-based fibers. The steering wheel is made from carrots, while the seat is made from flax fiber and soybean oil foam.The vehicle’s body is also made from plant fibers.

Scientists at the University of Warwick believe their vehicle, which has been built to Formula 3 specifications, will be the fastest to run on biofuels and to be made from biodegradable materials, although their claims cannot be verified.

The makers hope the vehicle will reach speeds over 145 mph when it is tested. Currently the vehicle has only been driven at 60 mph.

OK--I'LL TRY A WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2009-05-06T12:23:00.000-07:00

Does this count as words???

HOME SWEET HOME

2009-05-05T10:50:00.001-07:00

The Camster masters 3 oz of bottle in one feeding and is rewarded with a trip home! ************************************************************************************
It is said that one just cant sleep well while in the hospital. So--there was some catch up time! He discovered he likes the couch. He must have got that from his Grandmama!

************************************************************************************
He also loves his new bed!!

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And he loves being able to sprawl out on the floor and check out his toys!

***********************************************************************************

But--he discovers he is just not that into his first real bath!!

A Decent Night's Sleep---No More Tubes!!

2009-05-05T10:06:00.000-07:00

It had to feel good to not have so many things sticking in his little body! He's sleeping so good he's drooling!

Hey-- I Like This Thing Called a Bottle!

2009-05-05T10:03:00.000-07:00

Finally getting to drink from a bottle. A few tablespoons at a time!

Leaving NICU Behind--

2009-05-05T09:57:00.001-07:00

With each improvement, comes a change to a new floor of the hospital.

Now Mommy gets to actually hold the Camster!!

Surgery Time

2009-05-05T09:55:00.000-07:00

Waiting to go back to Surgery.

One week old.

Wrapped & Ready to Roll

2009-05-05T09:50:00.000-07:00

) Heading out to Children's Hospital

The Camster seeing his mom for the first time

2009-05-05T09:48:00.001-07:00

Hello Mommy!

May 5th, 2007

Cinco de Mayo--The Camster's 2nd Birthday!

2009-05-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

Two years ago today, I was in the middle of preparing some
killer enchiladas to take to a Cinco de Mayo party with my
Sunday school class.

But, the Camster decided it was his day to enter this world a little
ahead of schedule. Not too big a deal—but the plan was that his
mother be induced on a certain day, to ensure she’d be in B’ham,
1-1/2 hours (100 miles) north of us, when she gave birth.

See, Cam was born with gastroschisis, meaning that, while
developing, there was a hole in his abdomen, and his intestines
were growing outside of his body. He would need immediate,
specialized attention in order to survive. So, being born in B’ham would
allow him to be whisked immediately over to Children’s Hospital for
care.

The local ER doctor felt safe in saying that we could make it to
B’ham before Cam’s mom was ready to deliver. We would
just have to head immediately to B’ham with no stops along the way.

Well—we fudged on that just a bit. We went home, threw some stuff in bags,
I gathered up my half finished enchiladas, dropped them off at my mom’s house (can’t
waste food!), and then headed on up the interstate.

We had some dramatic moments along the way, like when my
daughter was yelling that the baby was coming. “Ok---Is the
baby in fact literally coming out of you at this particular moment?!! Or are
you being a bit dramatic? We still have about 35 miles to go. I need to
know if I need to pull over and call 911 and prepare to deliver a baby!”

Turns out she was just kind of panicky. Yeah! The driver was too! But, thank the Lord that the traffic was light, there was no construction, and no accidents. We made it
to the hospital and were greeted by a whole team of doctors, who were
needed to assist in the delivery. Cam didn’t make things too difficult on his mom, and it wasn't too long, before he made his debut.

He was able to see his mommy for just a moment, and then, with tubes
and wires attached all over him, wrapped in a special bag up to
his chin, to protect
his intestines, he was wheeled out to a waiting ambulance and whisked
off to children’s hospital.

There were no major problems with the intestines, which is always
a concern with gastroschisis. That was a great blessing!
And, about a week after he was born, he was able to have surgery to
have the intestines put back in his abdomen.

While his intestines were healing and starting to function properly, he had to be
tube fed . At almost two months, he
was finally having little sips from a bottle, but still being tube
fed until he could work up to having 3 ounces at one time, and
keep it all down. Once he got a taste of the bottle, he didn’t like
It when he couldn’t have more. He literally started out with a couple of
teaspoons at a time! That was just enough to make him mad!

All this time, his mommy stayed at the Ronald McDonald
House, nearby, so that she could see him every day. I know it was a very tiring and
emotional time for her. She was very much anticipating the day she
would be able to take him home!

He got to come in time to celebrate the 4th of July. Despite having
to be hospitalized two more times after coming home, he has done
quite well. Looking at him now, you would never know he had any
complications when he was born. It is amazing to think that for almost the first two
months of his life, he didn’t even know what a bottle was. That all his nutrition was from
from a tube. Because if you saw him eating now-------with his seemingly bottomless
pit of a stomach, you would never know he ever had any kind of intestinal problems!

Thank you God for all your blessings! Thank you Children’s Hospital,
and Ronald McDonald House! And thank you to Cam’s mom.

Of course, I never made it to the Cinco de Mayo party. And I think
it would have been the first time I ever celebrated that holiday. But,
now every year, Cinco de Mayo will be special to me!

Happy Birthday Camster! (aka stink bug) Grandmama loves you!

A Tip About Potatoes And a Lesson in Tips

2009-05-01T15:34:00.000-07:00

And now for my next installments of our adventures in Aruba

A tip about Potatoes and a lesson in tips.

When we last heard from the Thursday people, (aka me and my crew) they were just finding out
That they were, in fact, Thursday people. Fresh off the plane and not yet in the midst
of any island adventures.

So—we set off to remedy that and have our first adventure----to find something to eat for supper. J, who had been to Aruba once before, led us to a restaurant, La Petit cafe that had been calling Her name ever since she last visited the Island. Unfortunately, it was closed, so we
Headed down the road that ran parallel to the beach, letting the thought that we were actually in Aruba sink in, as we looked for an eye-catching restaurant with some local personality.

We found a place called Tulips, with outdoor seating, which promised a mixture of Dutch, Caribbean and International cuisine. Sounded perfect! Dutch cuisine & outdoor seating right across from Eagle beach. AHH! We might have still been in our jeans, while everyone else was in shorts or beachy vacation attire, but we were settling into our vacation.

With our entrees, we were offered a choice of French fries, fried potatoes or sautéed potatoes.
I ordered French fries, D ordered sautéed potatoes, and J decided she’d try the fried potatoes.
She asked if they were fried with onions to see if they were made like we make at home in the south, with chopped up onions. “Oh, yes” said the waiter with a confident nod, and off he went to turn our orders in to the chef.

Ok—--quick lesson in potatoes, as we expected to see them:

French fries------well—everyone pretty much knows what French fries look like, and they are usually made with the potatoes being cut lengthwise into strips and deep-fried in oil.

Fried potatoes -- usually cut in a circular shape, then, while still completely raw, put in a fry pan with onions and cooked in oil. They are soft on the inside and will have touches of brown on the outside from the fry pan.

Sautéed potatoes- potatoes are cut into cubes, boiled, and then put into a pan with a little oil or butter and sautéed.

Well—when we got our food, and received our potatoes, they all looked the same. Like French fries! Only, J’s was served with what looked like a pile of shredded raw onion shoestrings. She made a comment about the raw onions heaped on her fried potatoes (disguised as FRENCH FRIES), thinking that the waiter, who was from the Netherlands, might not have understood what she wanted. He was very eager to help her out and took the plate, only to return a few minutes later with the same fried potatoes (again looking very much like my French fries, which also looked like D’s sautéed potatoes). Only, this time, the pile of shredded raw onions where no longer on top of the french fries (I mean fried potatoes), they had their own special plate.

We laughed about this, which made the waiter realize it still wasn’t what we were expecting.
He asked us about this, but we told him everything was fine. Well- except that we’d like some water. All of our glasses were empty and had been that way for a while. He said he’d go get us water, but still, later, we were waiting for our water.

In fact, that waiter never returned to our table to wait on us. Another waiter Feddy (pronounced Freddy, without the "r") came to check on us and bring us our tickets.

When we looked at our tickets we found out that the restaurant had added a 10 to 15% “service charge” to each ticket. This was not the gratuity---it was a service charge.

When Feddy came back to collect our payments, he asked about our service and we mentioned that we never got our water and our waiter disappeared. We asked if we had offended him, by sending the potatoes back. We also asked him to explain the service charge on the tickets. Feddy said that the service charge is added to the tickets and helps pay the wages of all the restaurant employees. The server does not personally get this money. The server will only get what is left separately as a gratuity, if you feel he or she deserves one. And—about the water—He said that in Aruba, drink glasses are not automatically refilled. If you want more to drink, you must ask for it. HUH? Really? Well when he walked off, I said, “Well, in America we tip appx 15% above the ticket amount. If you want more, you have to ask for it.

But, of course I DID leave a tip—in addition to the service charge. But, what is up with that? We have to pay for the food, pay their salaries and leave a tip? Is that done in other countries too?

What makes this story even more fun, was that I looked up Tulips restaurant today to see if they had the potatoes listed on their menu. I found a website where people gave recommendations and comments on this restaurant. The comments were as varied, I guess as people are. Some loved the food, some hated it. Some said it was a good value, money wise, some people thought it was expensive. Some had excellent service, some had horrible service. But my favorite comment was this:

The food is tasty and nicely presented. (If you like potatoes ask for the many ways they prepare them).

Yes--please do this---ask away----just be prepared. No matter what way you choose your potatoes to be prepared, they are going to come out looking like french fries!

Stay tuned for our next island adventure, where we learn a lesson about gas………..

Saturday

2009-04-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

Saturday--the first day of the weekend. The day I don't have to get up at a certain time, go sit at a desk all day and make sales calls, figure quotes, and write up orders. The day that holds so much promise and potential. I want to get all my housework done, errands taken care of, have time to myself, and also spend time with family and friends.

But, most of the time I end up getting discouraged because I have a lot to do, don't know what to do first, then don't get much of anything done at all! Just last Friday I was adamantly saying how I just could not go to the beach the next day with a friend. Too many things to do, and no one to take care of my dog. She called me on that--she asked if I was really going to accomplish anything. THEN, she found someone to watch my dog for me.

So, this past Saturday I found myself on the beach in Gulf Shores Alabama. I was lazily lying back in my beach chair, my bare feet enjoying the feel of the sand as I buried them, then raised them up, watching the sand slide off of them. My red painted toenails peeking out of the sand. I used my feet to make piles of sand and dig holes. I love the feeling of my feet in the sand.

All the while, I was feeling the wonderful breeze that kept the sunny rays from making me feel too much heat and be uncomfortable. I watched and listened as the water came rolling in towards the shore, building up into a wave. I tried to guess when it would crest and crash and then be gone. Then it was just water flowing in to meet the sand and then rush back out to once again become part of another wave. I don't think I could ever get tired of watching and listening to this pattern being repeated.

When I am sitting on the beach, the rest of the world seems far away. And the things I usually tend to worry about just don't seem so important. I don't think I ever look at the ocean without thinking about the awesomeness and power of God. I think about how amazing it is that He spoke all of this into existence. About how He designed the sun and moon and tides to all work together.

At some point, the thought entered my mind that some people have never had the opportunity to witness this miracle. I thought about how blessed I was. I thought about how I would love to be able to share this experience with some of the children and adults that I met while I was in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan----wow! It wasn't many Saturdays ago, from this very Saturday (April 18th) that I was in Azerbaijan on a mission trip with 10 other people, including my brother. Not too long ago I was a world away!

Saturday March 21st. I woke up at the Ambiance hotel in Baku, Azerbaijan after arriving there the previous evening from Montgomery, AL via stops in Atlanta, New York, and Istanbul. After breakfast we toured this city that overlooks the Caspian Sea. A city with a tower called the Maiden tower, that comes complete with a legend about a young girl being, of course, locked in the tower. A tower that was most likely built during the 12th century, or before. After that we visited a 17th century Zoroastrian worship place, that once had natural fires burning, due to underground natural gas in the area.

Later that day, everyone in our group was to meet with their local team members and interpreter to head out to their assigned villages. Since, the group my brother and I had been assigned to would not be ready for us till the following day, we headed home with some other team members to spend a night with them at their interpreters house.

It was a small apt in an old broken down looking, gloomy building. Though it was decorated with the colors of the laundry was hung out to dry on many balconies. A cinderblock building that had big, heavy cement stairways and walls. The water in these apts was only turned on for about an hour each morning, and then later in the evening for a short period of time. To make sure water was available during the "off times", there was a room, containing a sink and toilet, that also had a washbasin and other various containers filled with water.

Our host, after dropping us off at his apt and making sure we were settled, had to head out to work for the afternoon. He asked us please keep quiet and not to go outside the apartment. Maybe it was not such a good idea for people to know he had Americans staying in his home? Or to draw attention to himself, as speaking about religion is pretty well frowned upon in their country. That was my first Saturday in Azerbaijan

The next Saturday, March 28th, found me in Aliabad, Azerbaijan, close the Russian and Georgian borders and very close to the beautiful Caucus mountains. I was staying in the home of a man named Zaur Baleav. A man who I had read about before I ever went to Azerbaijan. A man who spent 9 months in deplorable living conditions in a jail cell for holding religious meetings on his own property.

This Saturday morning, we were able to attend a Baptist worship service in a small chapel on the property of another pastor, Hamid Shabanov, who also spent time in prison for preaching. Most people in this area speak Georgian, and so the preaching and singing were in Georgian. I sat in the wooden pew of this modest, chapel and listened to women singing hymns of praise to God. Knowing that they were risking their very freedom for doing this.

After worship service, we were fortunate enough to be the guests at a send-off party for a young man going off to serve his time in the Army, as is required in this country. It was a large affair with about 100 people, who were friends and family of the guest of honor. The Azerbaijani people have a reputation of being very hospitable and they lived up to their reputation this day. We were welcomed and did not feel like outsiders or intruders during this special occasion. We were treated to authentic Azeri foods, entertained with Azerbaijani music and dance, and even joined in on some of the dancing.

Later that evening, I said good-bye to my new friends from Aliabad, Pastor Zaur, his wife Nunuko, and their daughter Natia and boarded a bus that would travel through the night and bring me back to Baku early Sunday morning. That was a Saturday I will always remember.

Not all Saturdays will be memorable for places visited or things done. Some Saturdays I will just need a break. Some down time. I will hang out on my old, comfy couch, snuggled up in my favorite throw, with remote in hand. Some Saturdays I will be dusting and scrubbing bathrooms or doing some type of yard work.

But, I realized, while lying on that beach and thinking of the opportunities I've had in recent Saturdays, that I do need to make more Saturdays memorable. I don't need to sleep away an entire Saturday, when I'm not even sick. I don't need to spend the entire day doing housework either.

I need to make Saturdays more of a priority. I need to get more things done during the week so I can enjoy my Saturdays. They need to be spent with family and friends. They need to be spent seeing more of God's creation and enriching my life.

So what am I doing this Saturday?

Well, I will start off my day being one of the hostesses at our company’s annual customer appreciation golf tournament. It will be fun to meet with customers I have never met in person before, or only get to see once a year at the tournament. Afterwards I will be joining in the fun and excitement of my grandson's second birthday.

It is a Saturday that was planned for me by others, but it will be a fun Saturday. What will you be doing this Saturday?

THE JOYS OF BEING A GRANDMAMMA

2009-04-24T14:50:00.001-07:00

When I was a young mom, I was particular about how I dressed my daughter. She wasn’t a real prissy girl, so I didn’t get carried away with lots of frills and bows & lace, except maybe at Easter and Christmas. But, I always liked her to look cute and coordinated. And of course, she had to look presentable when we went out in public.

Maybe its just because Cam is a boy-----or maybe because I'm a grandmamma now. Or maybe both. But, I just got the biggest kick out of how I let him go out of the house the other day.

It started like this. I had come home from work and we shared an ice cream sandwich snack.

Then, with ice cream on his face, and a wet diaper, we headed to his bedroom to remedy these things. In the middle of his diaper change, he decided he needed his Elmo slippers on, since they just happened to be at the end of his changing table.

Ok--why not? So, I put the big ole fuzzy red slippers on his feet with Elmo smiling up at me. But then I couldn’t get his shorts on over the slippers. That's ok--we weren’t going anywhere. He didn’t need his shorts on.

So--I put him down on the floor and he decides we need to take his diaper outside to the garbage can, instead of in his diaper pail. He really just likes any excuse to go outside. But, of course I'm thinking he just loves being a helper. So--off we go to the garbage can in the back yard, Elmo feet shuffling along, being grandmamma's big helper

Well, once we got in the back yard, he could hear our neighbors, across the street, playing basketball. He immediately grabs up his Thomas the Tank Engine ball and heads to the gate. Pointing across the street and looking at me with those eyes just begging me to take him across the street to play with the big boys.

Ok--here he is -----at the gate. Chocolate face, no pants, big red house slippers that have eyes and a nose on them. I am not wearing shoes. But he's reaaallly wanting to go across the street and play ball. He is not going to understand having to go inside, wash his face, ditch the Elmo slippers, and then put on pants and shoes. He doesn’t even have a clue what he looks like. He just wants to play ball!

Well- we do live in a little cul-de-sac. Not much traffic. These are our neighbors.What was it going to hurt? Really? So-----off we went across the street to play ball. But, not before I dashed inside to grab my camera off the counter!

It's A Little Quiet At The Office Today

2009-04-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

I just got done clipping my toenails. At work. At my desk. With my feet up on my desk. In front of my co-workers. I sure wish I'd brought my toe nail polish today. I could use a touch up.

....oh--but I dont have time for that, cause I need to make some sales calls!

Something I Just Feel I Should Share

2009-04-20T15:03:00.000-07:00

Last night I was flipping channels and saw that the new movie about Natalee Holloway was just ending. I thought it was kind of unusual that the movie came out right when I decided to write about my trip that took place 5 months ago. I don't want to seem callous in writing about our adventures because of the timing of my writings.

Also, it is a collection of memories and comments by several people--and there were references that could seem callous. But, I am going to write everything as it was said & written at the time of our trip. So--in case anyone is unclear or wonders what my feelings are on the subject of Natalee Holloway's unsolved disappearance, here goes..........

Even though I am the mother of a 20 year old daughter, I just cannot even fathom what Natalee's mother has gone through. I cannot imagine the range of emotions or the physical and mental pain this has caused her. My heart goes out to her. She deserves to know exactly what happened to her daughter and she deserves to know that justice has been served. I pray that she will know both of these things.

As a resident of the state of Alabama, it made the story more personal. I have driven through the area where she lived in and went to school. It is very sad that her life is not now being lived to the fullest as it should be.

Do I think some people dropped the ball in the investigation of the case? Yes. Do I think there were some strings pulled and some things overlooked, maybe on purpose? Yes-that's my opinion. Did I agree with our governor's call to boycott Aruba? No. If we boycotted every place that had corrupt legal systems or politicians, or people in power that purposely overlooked things they shouldn't, then there would have to be a mass exodus from many cities in the United States, I fear!

For some reason, I just felt the need to explain my feelings, since I am going to be writing about what a good time we had in Aruba, even though a movie about Natalee Holloway has just been aired.

2009-04-20T14:27:00.000-07:00

I had no time to add to my" Aruba Adventures" over the weekend. And--I left my notes at home, so I cant work on it today. But--here's a little peek into the upcoming adventures. Isnt this a lovely picture of the California Lighthouse?

I was gonna write about Azerbaijan, but I dont have my pictures together yet.

2009-04-17T06:54:00.000-07:00

I have been sick lately, and although I've had plenty of random thoughts, I haven't had much time to write them down. Back in November of 08, I was fortunate enough to visit Aruba with some family members and a dear friend. We kept a journal of each day's adventures. I promised that I would officially document our trip, so I am going to dedicate some blog space to this. We laughed ourselves silly on this trip, and it might end up being a "you had to be there" kind of thing, but the story must be told..............

AT THE AIRPORT

For most of the travelers on this trip, the story begins at the Montgomery airport. I was very proud of myself that I made it on time. This was important to me, since I was traveling with my mom and I owed it to her to be very much on time. Especially after I almost made us miss our flight to Hawaii and my sister had actually caused her trip to Europe to be delayed by an entire day! So--I was on time---all was well. We were going to ARUBA!!! J. set the tone for the day by telling the Delta agent that she had packed her best panties for the trip. Funny--- he felt the need to do a security check on her luggage, while everyone else's luggage was just tossed on the conveyor and sent on their way without much concern.

On the plane, we were called out by the Flight Attendant as being loud and having too much fun. She said she was jealous that we were going to Aruba. I think J. invited her to come with us. Come to think of it, I think J. invited the ticket agent to come with us too. Wait a minute---I think when we called American Express to see how many points it would take to fly to Aruba, she invited that person to come with us too! At some point, J. asked for the flight attendant's microphone. I'm wondering if she was going to invite the other passengers to go with us also! But, the flight attendant said she didnt need a microphone, and at one point asked other passengers for duct tape. For our mouths.......??? The Flight Attendant was filling out some paperwork and one of the passengers said she was writing us up and we were going to get sent to the Principal's office when we got to Atlanta.

Our other traveling partner, D., left from the Lawton airport. She had her own little adventure just trying to get to Atlanta to meet up with us. D. arrived early and got in line to go through security. It just so happens, that in this small airport, without a lot of traffic, that about 75 members of the military, with their backpacks, were going through security to get on their flight to Atl. on the first leg of their deployment to Iraq. They were ahead of D. and the line was moving slowly. D. heard the boarding call for her flight, but didnt think much of it. The flight couldnt leave without all these soldiers. Pretty soon, D. is actually being paged to board her flight. But, what could she do? She had to wait her turn to get through security, just like everyone else. Finally, she realized that these men were on a later flight than hers. She was told by a ticket agent that she was supposed to go ahead of the other people in line, since she had been paged. At this point, a female TSA agent gets in the middle of everything and says, "Oh No! She's not getting bumped up in the line." She says that D. should have arrived earlier. D. mentioned that she did arrive early, but could not help it that the soldiers were even earlier for their flight and got in line ahead of her. The TSA agent was adament about D. not cutting in line. D. said, "Look. I just want to get to Aruba". Thankfully a nice soldier let D. go to the head of the line. (Poo on that Agent!)

When we arrived in Atlanta, we went to find D., who was telling her story to another passenger and had her pointy finger in the air as she was saying , "RUDE!!" in her best BonQuiQui impersonation, which was very good by the way. D. was not happy and said that when she got back to Lawton and "fount her" (agent) she would "cut her, oh yes she would!!" "RUDE!" I'm not sure J. asked Bonquiqui to come on the trip with us too, but in her honor, we quoted her the rest of the trip. "Oh, is that what you had sed?"

THE THURSDAY PEOPLE

We arrived in Aruba on a bright and sunny Thursday afternoon. We were staying at a Time Share condo, and most of the weeks go from Thursday to Thursday. We got our luggage up to the room, and then decided to go check out the resort area and look for a place to eat. Now, remember, this was in November. And, even though sometimes the weather is quite pleasant at home in November, we were still traveling in jeans and had them on while doing our exploring.

As we passed through the pool area, we saw people just finishing up a day of soaking up the sun and relaxing by the beautiful and inviting pool. I dont think I saw anyone who was wearing much more than a bathing suit and a cover up. They were all settled into their tropical vacation. I guess we looked a bit out of place in our jeans. I guess it was evident that we has just arrived. This became apparent to us as we passed by someone and heard him say, "There go the Thursday people!"

Stay tuned for more as the Thursday people become enlighted about the ways of the island.

(And maybe I'll finally figure out how to put the pictures in where I want them!! )

Playing with fonts & colors too.

2009-04-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

He was playing a really cool game of "hit the helium-filled balloon all around the house with a hair brush". He was amusing himself with this game as his mom and I got ready for church. I decided to take a picture of him playing with the balloon, but as soon as he saw the camera, he quit playing and came up close----to help me get a picture of him. Thanks Cam!

Playing with posting pictures.

2009-04-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

Cameron got a cute helium-filled balloon from the Easter Bunny. There are pictures that show off the balloon a little bit better, but they also show off the washer & dryer with dirty towels sitting on top.

I wont be sharing those pictures.

I Want A Telepathic Typewriter

2009-04-10T12:43:00.000-07:00

Did you ever watch the movie "The Tommyknockers" based on the Stephen King novel? I remember devoting an afternoon to watching this mini-series. Probably curled up on my couch in some comfy clothes I wouldn't wear out of the house (well--except to quickly go check the mail or take the garbage out). And of course I was covered up in an afghan. Even if it was summer--I had an afghan. Its my security blanket. So--I turn the fan on , if necessary, and cover up with my afghan.

So--there I was all settled in for an afternoon of mindless entertainment. Only, at the end of the movie I felt very jipped----I wasted my time on THAT mess???? I was not happy with the ending. I was not happy about how the first part of the movie slowly introduced the characters and the plot, only to seemingly run out of time and have to hurriedly explain everything, and be over in the allotted time. I did not like the explanation. I just did not like that movie.

But, this isn't about that movie. This is about something I thought I remembered about the movie. A part where the female main character is a writer who develops a supernatural power. She is able to lie in bed and think about what she wants to write, and her typewriter types it all out for her at that same time she is thinking it.

Would that not be cool? Cause, for some reason I do my best "writing" at night. During the day my thoughts are random and scattered. Anyone can tell you that if you ask me what time it is, I'm gonna tell you how to build that clock! And so.....to make a short story long........ That's me! (I think you are seeing that already!)

Anyway--at night, lying in bed, I seem to have my thoughts all collected and I compose eloquent letters and other writings. I can prove my point very clearly. Or--maybe, since it's at night, and I'm in bed, I'm just DREAMING that I am doing so well!

So--I'm trying to decide what to write about for my second day as a blogger. My mind is everywhere and I think of that part of The Tommyknockers movie. I decide to do a google search and see if my memory is correct on that part of the movie.

Instead I got sidetracked ---No big surprise. And I just wanted to share with you what I found out about Tommy Knockers. Never heard of this before in my life!

First off --the definition of a Tommy Knocker: Tommy Knockers are the spirits of departed miners that help miners find ore. It also states that the Tommy Knockers can be very spiteful creatures if they don't like you, so some miners would leave a bit of their lunch for the spirits.

But- here is what I really thought was interesting--the origins of the Tommy Knockers Folklore--- the Tommy Knockers were first heard of when the Cornish people (from Cornwall, England --Celtic people) came to America to work in the mines. Seems the Tommyknockers are the equivalents of Irish Leprechauns. But--here is the really interesting part----
The Cornish believed these wee little men were the souls of the Jews who crucified Christ and were sent by the Romans to work as slaves in the tin mines. This belief was so strong that the Tommyknockers were allegedly never heard on Saturdays, nor at times of Jewish festivals.

You just never know what you will find when you start googling! I had contemplated writing about Easter and memories of my dad. Who would have thought that the Tommy Knockers would take me around to mentioning the Crucifixion of Christ!

I still never found out if that telepathic typewriter deal was a part of the movie!

What's A Blog To Do?

2009-04-09T14:43:00.000-07:00

I find the idea of blogging quite fascinating. People sharing fun and amusing stories about their lives, their struggles, their dreams, their achievements. Or maybe a new recipe, or how to cope being a mom. Or dad. A blog about great travel adventures. A blog about a great business opportunity.

The idea of blogging has my attention. Kind of like a swimming pool in early summer. The air is warm. The sun is shining. The pool looks so clear and inviting. But, do I really want to get wet? Even though it is warm outside, will the water be cold? I think I will feel just fine after I decide to just go for it and jump in.

I ask myself—what do I have to add to this great world of blogging? What has been some of my greatest obstacles for starting a blog? Deciding on what the title should be!! And then what to write about! And do I want everyone to see what I’m writing about??

Well- everything I have written so far, has been written with me still not knowing what I will name my blog, or if it will even have a theme! But, during this time, I have decided that I WILL go and put myself out there. I will make a commitment to just jump in and see if I will decide to swim around for a while.

I’ve had several friends encourage me to start a blog. Don’t they know I love to write & talk! If they send me e-mail with one small question or comment, it takes a novel for me to reply! Maybe they have been encouraging me to blog to save space in their e-mail inbox! And, if they don’t decide to join me for my swim---that’s ok. I would certainly enjoy the company. But, if not, I’ll just take this time for myself.

Well- this is my first blog entry, in a blog that is STILL unnamed. And still doesn’t define a theme. Maybe that is the theme. Maybe it will just be random thoughts that pop into my mind. Maybe others will be interested. Maybe not. But that’s ok.

Ok..... I've decided on a title. And I'm jumping in! If I splash you when I jump in, you will get a taste of my corny ?humor? Hope you dont mind!