Friday, November 28, 2008

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

Finally, our first real snow in Colorado and it's absolutely beautiful.

A little scary to drive in at one point, but still oh so gorgeous!





I'll put some better pictures up another time.
We just got home and I don't want to go back out right now.
That's the funny thing about snow, it's beautiful... when you're sitting inside by the fire. ;)



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Sunday, November 23, 2008

Dilemma...


Alrighty, I've worked hard not to put much on my blog about the "rocks".

But I've come to a point, that I just need to vent a little.



Over the last few weeks I've fought sleep... well, constantly.

The meds they have me on for the kidney stones make me uber tired. There have been a few times I would sit at the computer and contemplate tapping into the wisdom of Tom and Jerry by putting toothpicks between my eyelids to keep them open.

'member that? (If you're under 30, you probably don't.)


So this evening (or yesterday evening) we went out to dinner with some friends and I didn't think twice about having iced tea. I thought the caffeine would help fight the effects of the meds, which in turn would help me be more alert so that I could enjoy the evening. That probably would have been a fabulous idea if I only had a glass or two... not six. Hey, I'm supposed to be drinking a lot of fluids, right?

Which brings me to my dilemma.
It is now 5:37 am and I need to be up in less than an hour to get ready for church...

Do I go back to bed and watch the red numbers on the clock turn one at a time, or do I just stay up?

Tomorrow will be a long day. There is a play practice after church, which means we won't get home until 4:00ish.
I guess I can always hide in my office and sleep while Matthew and Ben are in rehearsal, but I was hoping to get a lot of stuff done in that time.

I think I may just stay up. You know what would happen if I tried to go back to sleep now, don't you? I would lay in bed, again watching the numbers change on the clock, and gently fall asleep at 6:29 am... just in time to hear the alarm go off at 6:30.

I'm praying God imparts some supernatural energy to get me through the morning.



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Friday, November 14, 2008

Bond... James, Bond

My son, the movie man, has been anxiously waiting two years for the new James Bond movie to come out. The big event finally arrived last night.

You may be thinking, "Wait, that didn't come out until today" and you would be correct... midnight to be exact.
Of course, if you're like me, you may be saying, "They made a new Bond?" But I digress...

Actually, we've had a lot of fun with midnight premieres over the years. One of my favorite evenings was the time we went to see Spiderman 3. Not because of the movie, but the whole experience. Midnight shows can be a lot of fun with your family. It's definitely not something you get to do all the time and it's a chance to do something completely out of the norm.

Last night it was just Matthew, Brandon, Alex, and Ben, as well as Luke and Jamie from church. Totally a guys night out.

I guess I should say this is also one of the benefits of homeschooling. Not many students can go see a movie on a Thursday evening and get home at 3:00 AM.
They worked hard on Thursday to get ahead on Fridays work and therefore, got to sleep in a little later.
Ben has an oral presentation at 1:00 PM today. I hope he does something about that bed-head. He's looking a bit worn for the wear.



So, what did I do with a whole night to myself?

I slept like a baby.

Great news though!
When Matthew got home, he woke me up and guess what???
It was snowing... *insert picture of a warm heart here*
:)


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Thursday, November 13, 2008

My Misconceptions about Geography...

I always thought these were in Texas, but it turns out they're in Colorado.


Tumbleweeds



I thought the next one was in Colorado, but I saw more of it in Texas.



We'll blame it on global warming...



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Wednesday, November 12, 2008

My newest vice...




Ode to Diet Coke

You were the best,
I was devoted so true.
Over the years,
my love for you grew.

In the morning,
you were always there.
Ice cold in the fridge,
ready to share.

We were so close,
your points I did keep.
I followed you around,
as if a lost sheep.

Since moving up North,
it's just not the same.
For some odd reason,
you began tasting lame.

I tried to keep going,
but something wasn't right.
Then came a new friend,
so I tried it one night.

In parts of the country,
it's quite the high-stepper.
But now in your place,
we drink Dr. Pepper.



Why do I feel as though I'm cheating on my soda...



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Sunday, November 09, 2008

Gut-wrenching...



I came on tonight to work with some of the settings and post something fun and upbeat... until I ran across this article.


Words cannot express the sadness and anger that came over me when I read it - so I won't even try.


All I ask is that you say a prayer for these precious little ones...



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Browns, Oranges, Yellows, and Purples?

I like the fall pic colors...
I like the color scheme for the blog...
I just don't like them together.


I tried using what was there and playing with the different font colors, etc.

I'm afraid I've made matters worse.

It looks like three different color schemes have merged, but not blended.


One of these days I'm going to have to break down and pay for a site.
I'm guessing that's when you get all the cool colors, templates, and more graphic controls.




Before I do that, I need to actually use my blog.


I've added a few things that I thought would remind me to come back more.
The Fall header - I never want to be one of those people who still have Christmas lights up in June. This would be a close equivalent.


The new "Books I'm Reading" list.
I've always wanted to add one, but I figured I'd probably forget to change the books out. Another equivalent of Christmas lights in June, just not as obvious.



Sunday, October 26, 2008

A Child's Interpretation...

A few weeks ago I stayed home from church.
That was the weekend that the kidney stone pain hit.

A friend of mine was looking for me at church and her son stopped and said...

"Oh, Ms. Tammy's not here... she's got rocks."

I love it! So matter of fact...

I got rocks. :D


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Saturday, October 18, 2008

Slap Happy?

I guess this is a combination of lack of sleep, tooooo much Diet Dr. Pepper, and just plain old good times.

Honestly, I love this. I can remember doing silly things with my friends.

You will want to have the sound on to your computer.
At the beginning Brandon yells something for a second and it sounds really loud because you're not expecting it. Don't turn it down though because the music totally fits this.

Caleb (their friend) did the editing. He did a great job, it's a lot of fun and... very silly.






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Friday, October 17, 2008

Sympathy Pains?




Well... we took Pebbles to the vet. It seems she has a raging UTI. Poor thing. She is a mess. He said it could be something else (other than a UTI), but that would be really bad, so we're praying it's just this. She's on some strong antibiotics and I'm supposed to call and give them an update on her Monday.


As for me, I went to the urologist today. He said the stone is probably way to big to pass. He is scheduling me for one of a few procedures on Monday the 27th - the same week as Fall Fest... of course!

I'll know Monday which procedure they will opt for. The outcome depends on the x-rays I took today.
As for any surgery, we have to make it at least a week out to adjust all the blood thinner meds I'm on.

So as the post is titled... I think Pebbles is having sympathy pains for me.



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Saturday, October 11, 2008

Can I share?

The last few weeks have been a bit uncomfortable for me.
To explain, I need to go back a few months... like 12 of them.

About a year ago I had the "little URI that could" - or better yet, wouldn't go away. After some testing we found out I have two stones hiding up in my kidneys - one on each side (hey, at least I'm symmetrical).
Anywho, the diagnosis for that moment was easy, they're there. They may stay there, they may decide to leave at some point, but for now... they're just there.

Since then I've had a some nagging "flank pain" as they call it, but have not been concerned because I knew what it was.
Over the last two - three weeks it got a little more intense, but I've been so busy, that honestly, I haven't thought much of it.

Then about three days ago, other symptoms have come on: bloating, pain as if one of the stones have moved, upset stomach, and a few others I won't go into because it's just gross.
Believe it or not the worst symptom of all... fatigue.
Anytime I get up to do something I just want to go back and lay/sit down. I'm exhausted. I've had stones before, but usually when this part hits I'm on copious amounts of morphine in the hospital and couldn't care less how tired I am.

I went looking for pictures of a kidney stone to show you and I found the one below. On the site they call it a "kidney stone crystal" - sounds so much nicer, doesn't it?




Wanna know why it hurts so much?
Here's a picture of a kidney stone "crystal" under an electron microscope...





Pretty, huh? If it were a flower and not a raging crystal scraping the tissue within you as it tries to birth itself from a teeny tiny tube in your body!

The good news is that I went to the doc yesterday and he said there's no infection... so now,it's just a waiting game - whoopie!

Wanna know the really good news?
This is just the right side, some day I'll get to do this again with the left.


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Tuesday, September 16, 2008

The Forensics of Daily Chores...

Over the years my kids have done the whole, "I took out the trash last time" or "It's not my turn to empty the dishwasher" bit.
As any mom can tell you, there's a fine line of when we say, "I really don't care who did it last, I'm telling you to do it now" and wanting to also be fair about it all.

There have been times when we would trace what was thrown out in the last bag and who walked out the door with it, because they "remember" having trouble with the door handle and the bag at the same time (or something like that) - which, of course, is total proof and they would be acquitted by any judge and jury in the land.

In the year 2008, we have come to a whole new level of "proof".

I was flipping through my camera and came across a few pictures of the house. First, I was totally confused why someone would take purposeful snapshots of our home in disarray, so I asked around.

Child A wanted to prove to child C he took out the trash...



Child A wanted to prove to child C he cleaned the counters...



Last, but not least, child A would now like to prove to child C he emptied the dishwasher...



To a mother's eye this just proves that the chores need to be done as there is no "after" picture, but whatever.

To some this is just ridiculous, to others (clearly young siblings) it may be ingenious. The reality is that even though child A wants to go into Engineering, I'm really wondering if he should be thinking about a career as an attorney.



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Monday, September 08, 2008

Updates Galore...

Alrighty then, this weekend was the official Elementary launch and it was awesome!

Soooooo, with that out of the way, I've got some time to update tonight.
Hmmmmm... where do I start... how about two months ago at the end of June, with our first official visitors in Colorado - The McLellans.




While they were here we all decided to take a trip up to Rocky Mountain National Park.
On the way up (literally up), I let the boys use the camera to take some "pictures".
There are brief shots of the mountains - totally breathtaking - either that or you can't breath because you want to puke from the scenery flying by.
This is what I found on my camera...



No kidding, I have at least three of these videos on here with things just randomly speeding past. I need to take dramamine just to watch.

Since we had two kiddos with us, we chose Bear Lake because it's an easy hike.



Though that didn't stop them from venturing up a bit further.





Look! It's like "Where's Waldo?" Can anyone find Ben?


I did feel bad for some of the tourists as we reached the beginning of the trail.
To understand why, you need to remember that many people go up to the mountains for peace and quiet. Keep in mind that they are all being extra hush-hush so that they might see a few animals... and then a few families from Austin show up who clearly haven't seen snow in years!





Even with all the chaos, we didn't drive all the animals away.
There was one chipmunk that was what Brandon called Bear Lake's "Paris Hilton".




I'm actually as close as it looks like I am as I'm taking this picture. This little cutie clearly lives for paparazzi. She would turn her head from side to side and pose... that's hot.


We did get to see some other animals, but I wasn't fast enough with the camera.
Brandon and Raine won the prize for the best animal pic of the day. Here they are with the ever elusive pocket moose.



Sorry, a little bit of an inside joke there. Thanks for sticking with me.


At the end of the day/week we had an awesome visit and miss them tons.
Here are just two of the reasons why.







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Saturday, August 23, 2008

The Verdict's in...

It's carpal tunnel and enough of the sensation is gone in my hand for surgery.
They said I could also try a steroid shot, but there's only a 50% chance it will work.

I honestly don't know what to do.

The shot is cheaper - but if it doesn't work, I'll have to pay for the surgery anyway.
Pain? They said they're both about the same.
The shot has a quicker recovery time, but if it doesn't work, I'd rather just get it over with.

So here's where I'm at:
If you or someone you know had the shot, I would love to hear from you. I'm going to do a little research online too, but I'd like to hear from someone I know.

Until next time, just call me Lefty...



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Friday, July 25, 2008

Much tougher than I thought...





Well, to prepare my kids to get their licenses Matthew found an online practice test.

I found this out as we were driving to church one evening and he announced there was going to be in impromptu "pop quiz". Years of high school (no matter how long ago that was) have conditioned me to dread whatever comes next.
No worries though, this one was about driving. In the words of George Lopez, "I got this!"

Here we go...

If you're sitting in the middle lane (we were at a light) getting ready to make a left hand turn - which way should your tires be facing?
A. Straight ahead
B. The direction you are turning
C. Slightly in the opposite direction of your turn


The answer is clear to me... but maybe it's a trick question. Despite my wavering, I opted to go with B. Which, would be wrong. It's A - and if you got that right, here's a raspberry for ya - thbthbthbthb.

Of course, I am a hard sell and sure that the answer is B. So here I am ready to have a little "come to Jesus" moment with my husband. It has to be B, so that you can be ready for your turn, right?
I mean, clearly I would know. I've never had a traffic ticket of any kind and he, well he has.

While Matthew shared with the guys the reason for the answer, I was trying to figure out how I would tell him he was wrong and why!
This was when he shared with everyone that he found the online test and then he leaned closer to me and whispered that he failed it the first time he took it. Tooooo funny!

Alright, I took the defeat (for the moment) and decided I would go take this test myself. I may not have been a Chemistry genius in school, but "I got this!"

So today I took the test... I failed too! I think... I got a 76%. I'm guessing they don't want anyone with less than at least an 80% driving, though I could be wrong.
Part of the problem is that I over thought some of the questions. Sadly though, reality tells me that if I knew it, I wouldn't have had to think much at all.

Just in case you'd like to try here's the link -> Online Practice Test
Before you out of state bloggers give the excuse that this is a Colorado test, I want you to know that I learned to drive in Ohio and it can't be that much different than the one I took years ago. They're all the same laws that we've had to follow when we lived in several other states besides CO. No weird blizzard laws or mountain terrain. So if you were hoping to use that excuse, just know I already thought about it and it won't work. C'mon, it shouldn't be that hard. I gave you one of the answers.

Good luck!


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Saturday, July 19, 2008

You know you are loved...

when people will pay to have this done to you.





Just in case you couldn't tell, that was Matthew... Very fun!


This is our senior pastor. His video came out the best.









There were a few other people who were dunked, but I didn't think to use video in time - so I just took pictures. Those pics didn't come out well at all. I'll have to wait for next year...











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Sunday, July 13, 2008

Do not be deceived...



That's right! Do not be deceived by the deep sea lookin' jellyfish thingy.
It may also look like something out of the Matrix, or possibly something not of this world... unfortunately, it is.

This my dear friends is salmonella at it's best. Don't be distracted by the pretty colors. Run, I say, RUN! Do not come within a 100 foot radius and/or above all... whatever you do... don't... eat... the peppers!

As I shared in the last post Matthew had picked up a nasty bug (or so we thought).
It turns out that this little bug was, yes, salmonella.
Last week they added peppers to the list with tomatoes - which he ate on Sunday.
The man lost 11 pounds in that short amount of time and as tempting as it is to consider the possibility of the weight loss, I think I'll pass on his program.

I want to be able to share, literally, the miracle it is that he is better, but I would have to put some personal information up about him. Nothing weird, just bodily functions. Things moms talk about all the time, but guys just don't appreciate it being discussed. So, I'll try to give the summary without the details.

Matthew was put in observation on Friday, it seems his intestines were shutting down.
I called one of the guys at church to let them know what was going on, and he started the prayers. It just happened that beginning at noon that day they had just started 24 hours of prayer at the church (done quarterly I think). They started praying for Matthew and even called me to pray on the speaker phone. Right after that, Matthew was better... literally. Neither the doctor or I can explain to you why he was better for any reason other than God.
It was very cool and an excellent reminder for us that He is with us always and really does have things under control.


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Wednesday, July 09, 2008

I heart Azo...



Azo is my favorite product in the world... at least for this moment in time.

For some reason my body didn't think that carpal tunnel was enough, so it added a bit of UTI/Kidney Infection - aren't I a lucky girl?

Over the last few days, Matthew has lost five pounds! No, it's not the latest grapefruit diet, he's picked up a little somethin' special that won't let him get more than ten feet from a bathroom.

I really do plan to put updates on here, it's just been really difficult lately. Along with the new health issues we have we're still fighting with our internet company (every time our phone rings, the internet goes out). Matthew tried to get them to fix some router thing (sorry for you techno people out there, you'll have to get the real verbiage from him). They said they won't fix it and when we threatened we would switch to the cable company, they were so concerned, they said... "Ok".

Needless to say, we're keeping our satellite, but dumping the internet for cable.



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Wednesday, July 02, 2008

New Fashion Statement?




To me, it looks like my hands have been laced up to do some boxing. Well, at least that thought makes me feel tougher...

Some of you may remember that I had a short fight with carpal tunnel a few years back. I just had to wear the braces and rest my wrists for a few weeks. Well... it's back.

About two weeks or so before the move my hands started getting that tingly/numb feeling (at night it was especially painful). Fortunately, I found these lovely accessories and it has helped with the nights.
I probably need to wear them nonstop for about two weeks again, but I really don't want to do that right now (can you hear the violins in the background - waah, waah, waah).

Anywho, that's one of the main reasons I have not been posting. I have some great pictures from our trip to Estes Park that I hope to post soon, but right now - even as I type - my right hand is almost completely numb (and yes, I'm wearing my braces).

So for now, things will be a little slow moving and I haven't been good at answering emails so much right now. Please forgive the turtle like responses and posts. It just feels... weird - like my hands are either asleep, or really, really cold - and it helps when I'm not on the computer as much.



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Wednesday, June 25, 2008

The Adventure Begins...

Woo Hoo! Everything is now hooked up and ready to go... at least for the blog.

On Monday night, Matthew, Brandon and a good friend of ours, Raine, spent the night at our home in Austin with the dogs. Ben, Alex and I stayed at another awesome friends' home - the Forans. We had hopes and dreams of leaving at 5:30 am, but Matthew underestimated a bit how much time it would take to do some of the final packing. This was a good thing though for us, I didn't wake up until 5:15 am - AHHHHHHHH!

Several amazing things happened that morning.
When the guys began filling up the car on Tuesday morning (at 4:30 am), they found one of the sweetest ladies I've come to know at Gateway waiting outside, Heidi.
She came to our home at 3:30 am and slept in her car, because she wanted to be able to say goodbye before we left. OK, before you think she was a stalker, it was actually a very loving act. I mean, the woman slept in her car!?! If that's not a loving thoughtful send off then what is?
I felt very badly that I wasn't there to give her one last hug. So Heidi, grab ahold of that monitor right now, no really c'mon, you can do it.
Thank you for being such a sweet sister in Christ. I don't know what I'd have done without you. You have made it OK for me to cry at work and you were totally the "go to" person on moving day. Ms. Heidi, you rock!

Fast forward to the Foran's home - when I came downstairs there were three families and one of the boys sweetest friends (that I love dearly) there and God love them, they were all half asleep and totally exhausted, but they were there to send us off with love and prayers.



Erica brought two big scrapbooks with pictures and notes from all the families at Gateway. Every time I see those books my heart leaps. Thank you for such a special memory book... It's perfect!

It was such a crazy morning and I didn't have much time to think about the fact that we were really leaving until little Lily looked at me with those beautiful eyes and that tiny little voice and said, "Can I ride in your car?"
That did it and the waterworks began.
The wonderful thing about all of this is that I know (without a doubt) that we are eternally connected with all of them. We'll still stay in touch, visit, and until that time - we now have skype! :) (That's another post for another day.)

Alright then, so now we're on the road...

It didn't take long before this was the typical traveling position.




I think the best story of the whole trip has now become known as "The Wallet".
Yes, the big boo boo was mine. The most careful of the bunch.
At one point we stopped to get something (I don't remember what now) and stretch our legs a bit. We loaded back up in the car and began another long trek. About 45 minutes into it, Brandon said he had a strange feeling we should stop - like something was wrong. You would think I know by now to realize that the Holy Spirit also talks to me through my kids, but did I want to listen? No way... We had just gotten back on the road and wanted to put some miles in.
About three and a half hours later (could have been more), we finally stopped. Matthew walked behind the car and came to my window carrying something. It seems I had left my wallet sitting on the bumper the whole time... 3+ hours people! Let me show you what a miracle it is that it did not fall off.

Check it out.



How about that? Clearly, God was with us. I had everything in that wallet. Social Security Cards, Cash, everything.

I have to laugh and wonder how many people may have been following us hoping we'd hit one good bump. :D God is so cool!

Here are a couple of pics from a few rest stops we went to.






Oh, and one last thing! We passed the weinermobile. No free hotdogs, but they did wave. :)






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Saturday, June 21, 2008

A Beautiful Oxymoron...




I love this picture. "Colorful" Colorado, but the only color you can find in the picture would be in the road signs. Tooooo funny!

On the other hand, look at those beautiful mountains on the left! I can see those from our bedroom windows - or at least some that look like those.

Well... we have made it. It was an awesome trip! No really, it was. I know all of you Texans wonder how we can say that considering we drove without air conditioning in our car, add to that three teens and two dogs - but it's true.

The only casualty we have had so far is Matthew. He woke up this morning with altitude sickness. So he's aptly loaded with Tylenol and fluids (and sleeping like a baby).

I hope to be able to put some pictures up later today or at least by Monday. My network card is messed up and my pc is running at 56k modem strength - remember when we all thought that was fast? (I guess I should use the term "all" loosely, remembering that I'm almost 40 and many of you are... well not.)

I also need to find either my plug for the camera or my printer to get the images on here. Woo Hoo! A Treasure Hunt!
There were some fun/crazy/wonderful things that happened on our trip that I want to be able to share.



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Thursday, June 12, 2008

Home Sweet Home...


A few weeks back, I shared a house on the blog that we will be living in.
Well... to make a long story short, that house fell through and so three weeks before the moving truck was set to arrive - we were on a house scramble. We tried not to panic and just know that God would find a place for us to call home.
Once again He has taken care of us and has blessed us with the opportunity to stay and lease this home for a year or two. That will be more than enough time to learn about the neighborhoods and areas that we will want to make more permanent. Besides that, it's absolutely awesome!


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Friday, May 30, 2008

Cardboard Testimonies...

A friend of mine posted this on another site.
Each of these are all amazing in themselves, but by the end... tears.
Each person says so much with only a few words. It's amazing how God can flip things around in ways we never could have imagined.
When you watch, take the time to really read and think of the pain in each of their lives. It makes the victory that much sweeter.
Then remember that this victory is yours as well...








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Saturday, May 24, 2008

Cool new Bible study tool...

Check this out, I found it browsing around one day.
It has (like many of them out there) a great Bible in a Year listing,
but add to that the feature of journaling any notes you may have right along with whatever verse, tagging them for later, sharing your thoughts with others or just reading what others are saying that makes this very different.
You can choose the Bible version you'd like and your notes are saved forever... or I guess as long as the site exists. So if you're wondering what God was telling you the last time you read a verse, now you'll know (provided you write it in).

Really there are quite a few things that make this different, you'll need to check it out for yourself. This is just the beta version, more is on the way.
You can find it here.

If you sign up soon it's early enough you may be able to get your own name, or whatever name you would like without a million numbers attached to it.
Oh, sign up is free and no, I don't get anything amazing for refering others... hmmm... that I know of. ;)




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Friday, May 16, 2008

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned...

In an attempt to save some money, I decided to trim my sweet little fluffy dog myself. Every time I do this, I promise myself it will be the last time - but for some reason, I never seem to learn my lesson.

While trimming I decided I could leave a little bit of hair on the top of her head for a bow! Sounds like a fabulous idea, doesn't it?

Ugh... I have turned my little fluffy dog into a gremlin. Just look!




Here's a picture of a gremlin (from the movie) just in case you forgot.




This is just wrong in so many ways.

Matthew said she looks sad because she can't go out and play with her friends anymore... she's embarrassed. :(
Well, the jokes on him - she doesn't have any friends. K, not as good of a comeback as I thought it would be.


Regardless, if she would keep her bow in, she looks kinda... cute... well kinda...
Look! She's even smiling for the camera.





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Thursday, May 15, 2008

Home Sweet Home...




After weeks of scouring the internet and watching Craig's List (who knew?), we narrowed down a few houses in Colorado and Matthew sent them to one of the guys on the staff at the church. He and his wife spent some time checking them out (how sweet is that?) and we've been able to settle on the one pictured above.

Woo Hoo! That's a huge stress taken off.

Wanna see somethin' really cool?



Did you see it????

Look out the sliding glass door... *** SNOW ***

How fun is that?




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Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Sunday, May 11, 2008

A Mother's Day to Remember...

Yesterday was my last event to lead at church before the big move and I have to say that of everything I've been blessed to be a part of, this was the most personal.
It was a day for Motherless Daughters to come together, share, heal, grow and remember their mothers. Whether they have lost their mothers physically or emotionally, it was a time to remember them.
I have to tell you that I met so many amazing women and as I said that day, the common thread of a missing mother brings about a bond I can't explain. It really is true. It's not something you usually talk about in your every day conversation, but just knowing there are ladies out there who are experiencing the same thing is very comforting and, in many ways, solidifies a sisterhood of sorts.


When I started working on this, I had no idea of the impact that it would have on me. My mother died from lung cancer on August 19, 2004. We had a rocky road type relationship, but the last six months of her life (especially the last three) were amazing. I stayed in Cincinnati with her and my sister as she wanted to die at home.
The whole experience brought all three of us closer than I ever thought we could be.

For "A Mother's Day to Remember..." we began by sharing our stories with each other and then ended the day by planting a flower for our moms. We also filled out a card and placed it above the flower. (NOTE: We did this on Saturday. I can't even begin to tell you how many prayers my son and I prayed asking God to protect this little memorial overnight - and He did.)
I was so impacted by what these ladies wrote, that I asked if I could share some of them on here.
There are actually a few more I would really like to share, but have not had a chance to get permission from the women who made them. If I do, I'll add them later.


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These are the flowers made for my mom (from my sister and myself).







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The next few pictures were taken on Sunday between services...