We have a tie!

Thin Mints & Samoas tied for the best Girl Scout cookies!

Both are good. Mmmmmmm.....

My neighbor sells girl scout cookies, I think I need to give her a call tomorrow. :)

Thank you Suzanne!

This may seem silly but one thing that I've missed since moving to Middle Tennessee is CAFFEINE-FREE Dr. Pepper - not diet either! I have only ever seen it in Oklahoma and believe me, I've looked every place I've gone. Caffeine irritates a medical condition I have so I try to stay away from it but I have a weakness where Dr. Pepper is concerned.

Guess what my friend, Suzanne, found today at Publix?????

Isn't that a beautiful sight??

Another Snow Day - Pics!

Today has been a weird day. It will snow like a blizzard is coming and then five minutes later the sun is shining and any of the snow that has fallen is now melted.

My friend Shea came over with her son, Dillon, and the kids got to play. On one of the downfalls we took the kids outside. It was fun. Here are some pictures (I did put a hat on Owen, the pics of him were taken just prior to that):

Please pray for this situation (click title for link)

This was shared at something at church a while back. I was reminded to keep praying for this situation when I saw this article today on Foxnews.com


Aid Group: Kidnapped U.S. Aid Worker Feared Dead

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — An American aid worker and her Afghan driver kidnapped in southern Afghanistan a month ago are feared dead, a statement from their aid group said. Afghan and U.S. officials said Wednesday they could not confirm the report.

Cyd Mizell, 50, and driver Abdul Hadi were kidnapped in a residential neighborhood of Kandahar on Jan. 26. Mizell worked on aid projects for the Asian Rural Life Development Foundation, or ARLDF.

"Although we have no confirmation of their deaths, we have received information over the past few days indicating that our two aid workers have been killed," said a statement posted on ARLDF's Web site Tuesday.

Kandahar's Gov. Assadullah Khalid said he did not have any information about the case, and a U.S. Embassy official in Kabul said he could not confirm the report.

No group has claimed responsibility for the abductions.

Although the kidnappings happened in an area known for insurgent activity, the Taliban denied that its fighters had taken the two. Kidnappings for ransom by criminal gangs in Afghanistan have been on the rise the last year.

An official with ALRDF in Kandahar said the group had received reports in recent days from two Afghan sources that Mizell and Hadi are dead. He said officials were working with the Red Cross to try to recover the bodies. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media.

Mizell, of Eureka, California, was wearing a burqa -- the traditional all-encompassing dress worn by many Afghan women -- when she was taken.

Mizell taught English at Kandahar University and gave embroidery lessons at a girls' school. She spoke the local language of Pashtu well, colleagues said. She had worked for the foundation in Kandahar for the last three years.

Several foreigners -- including 23 South Koreans, two German construction workers and two Italian journalists -- have been kidnapped in Afghanistan in the last year, but kidnappings of Americans have been rare.

An American civilian was briefly abducted in Kabul in April 2005 but escaped by throwing himself from a moving car. Two of the 23 South Koreans kidnapped in July were killed, as was one of the Germans. The other foreign abductees were freed.

Another "Snow" Day

Yep, one snowflake fell in Middle Tennessee and all the schools are closed - again. Okay, I'll concede that more than one snowflake fell but you can still see the grass and most of our windshield so it wasn't that much snow. The roads are FINE and yet school is out.

Crazy.

Americal Idol

Any other Idol fans out there??

What did you think of the guys tonight.

Here are my thoughts (I know, you were waiting for those, right? ;) )

1. David Archuleta - WHAT? That kid can sing - wow.

2. David Cook - he's got a nice voice but I can't handle the facial expressions he makes. He reminds me of Phil Stacey from last year but with hair.

3. Robbie Carrico - this is Morgan's favorite, she's funny about it too. He's got a nice voice I think.

Well, why not?

Everyone else has gotten it, why not me.

Yep, I'm talking about the FLU!!!!!!

Hopefully the tamiflu will take care of this quick, I've got three kiddos to take care of!!!

Snow Day

Sometime last week (or the week before, I can't remember) it "snowed" here in Middle Tennessee and the kids were out of school (don't get me started on that one, I'm still bitter over having to go to school in 7th grade after it snowed 2 feet overnight a la a superintendent from ALASKA! We only got a DUSTING of snow here and they were out!). Morgan's friend, Bailey, came over and hung out with us. Here are some pics:



They both have webkinz and I hooked up both computers so they could play each other. Their game of choice - Webkinz Supermodels. Oops - I think this was taken at a sleepover - can't remember that either.

My little lefty

Owen and I were coloring a picture of one of his favorite characters the other day - Pooh Bear, of course. Here' s my little lefty. He doesn't use his right hand except to pass things over to his left.




And, Owen has a fondness for his binkie (yes, I know, we need to get rid of it, no lectures). He was in heaven when he was given a "Candy Binkie" (Ring Pop)for Valentine's Day from Morgan's friend Bailey! The kid did not take that thing out of his mouth until it was gone.

He can write his name!

At the beginning of this school year Drew could barely color in the lines, make anything purposeful with crayons other than scribbles and certainly couldn't draw his name. He's come leaps and bounds since then and can now write his name!

See:

"FOUR" Tag

My cousin, Jamiee, tagged me with this so I thought I'd do it. (I'd post her link but it's private - she has a GREAT blog!)


Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Swenson's Ice Cream, fast food (I don't think this store is around anymore but if you have ever watched the Goonies, it's the ice cream that Chunk is eating in the freezer w/the dead guy).
2. Chick-Fil-A
3. Resident Director, Oklahoma Wesleyan Unversity
4. Print Buyer/Purchaser, The Voice of the Martyrs


Four movies I could watch over and over:
1. The Goonies (obviously)
2. The Devil Wears Prada
3. Girls' Just Wanna Have Fun
4. National Treasure

Four places I have lived:
1. Germany
2. Houston, TX
3. Colorado Springs, CO
4. San Antonio, TX


Four shows that I watch:
1. American Idol
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. Private Practice
4. General Hospital (okay, I hate to even admit that - smut, I know)

Four places I have been:
1. Grand Cayman (LOVED it!)
2. Germany (I was really young, I don't remember it too well)
3. Guatemala (LOVED it!)
4. New York City

Four people who email me regularly:
1. Dina
2. Ashley
3. Nance
4. Suzanne

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Beef Chimichanga
2. Weight Watchers Fudge Bar
3. Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich
4. hard candy of many diff't kinds

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Asleep, in dream-land
2. Disney World w/my family
3. Visiting family - wherever they are
4. Alaskan cruise

Four things I'm looking forward to in the next 12 months:
1. Disney World w/family
2. Visiting with friends & family around the US
3. Losing weight!
4. Getting caught up on scrapbooking (yeah right)

Four goals for the New Year:
1. Read the Bible every day
2. Lose weight
3. Lose weight
4. Have I mentioned that I want to lose weight?

Four gifts I got for Christmas:
1. Bible
2. Scrapbooking stuff
3. Athletic shoes
4. Purse

Four places I want to visit:
1. Alaska
2. Australia
3. New Zealand
4. Grand Cayman

Four things I wish I could be better at:
1. Time management
2. Organization
3. Photography
4. Balancing everything I am doing in life!


Four Things You Don't Know About Me:
1. I have a fondness for reality tv (I won't list the shows I like to watch)
2. I have a favorite pillow and hate sleeping w/o it - I won't even let Eric sleep on it.
3. I think Judge Judy is awesome.
4. I bite my finger nails - yuck!

Four Things I Can Cook Without a Recipe:
1. Pizza (from scratch)
2. Saltado (Peruvian dish my friend Dina taught me to make)
3. Macaronni & Cheese (from scratch)
4. Chicken Enchiladas

Four Musicians/Groups I Really Like:
1. Chris Tomlin
2. Kari Jobe
3. Phillips, Craig & Dean
4. Casting Crowns

The FOUR people I tag are Becca, Ashley G., Kelly W., and Ashley Z.

Girl Scout Cookies - which ones?

Check out the poll to the right and vote for your favorite Girl Scout cookie!

I have to say, the timing of the cookies was not great this year! My neighbor brought over our boxes the day the Sacred Gathering fast started!!!!! I had to look at those cookies for 3 days before being able to eat them - NOT FUN.

Click the title above for a link to the Girls Scout Cookie page.

Vote & then reply here with any comments.

Momma Bear

As a mom I can be a bit like a momma bear protecting her cubs when it comes to my children, I don't like people messing with my kids. I'm particularly sensitive to Morgan being in Kindergarten and people treating her unkind because she is such a sweet spirited girl and very sensitive. While I am a biased mom, I know that Morgan isn't a person who is mean to anyone intentionally and she doesn't understand when others are unkind to her.

Well, there is one girl in Morgan's class who just isn't nice, I could see that from the first time I saw her. I've never seen her be mean to Morgan specifically, but I could just tell from how she acted that she was a bit of a spoiled kid (yes, I typed the "other" word but deleted it).

Tonight Morgan was talking about how this little girl was mean to her all the time and mentioned some of the things she says and it just ticked me off. My first response wasn't very kind and thankfully Morgan didn't hear that. I help in Morgan's class on Thursdays and honestly, I want to dish it back to this girl. Immature, I know as I'm 33, she's 6. I can't help feeling that way though, she's hurting my baby.

I absolutely HATED elementary school. I was teased mercilessly and it really affected how I viewed myself for a long time afterwards, I'd argue that it still does at times. My self-esteem was shot to pieces and I thought of myself as less than I was, putting myself down all the time. This is such a crucial age for the continued development of self-esteem and I don't want Morgan to struggle in that area like I have. That's why this bothers me so much.

So, how do we equip her to handle this?

Tonight we talked about how God made EVERYONE special, even this little girl and that maybe this person didn't know that. We talked about how no matter what someone may say about you, you do not respond in kind, you turn the other cheek. We told Morgan that she is a special little girl, created by God and dearly loved by her family and friends. Finally, we prayed for this little girl, that she would come to learn that every person is special to God and created for His purpose and that she shouldn't treat people as anything less. We also prayed that God would help Morgan know how to respond to those that aren't kind to her.

In the meantime, I'll try to keep the mama bear instinct in check LOL!

Yes, I know, it's different again.

I told you, if I could change my furniture around all the time I would. I can't so I'll settle for my blog look.

I found this on Pyzam and just couldn't help myself. If you've heard my cell phone ring you'd know that I like this movie as the Cyndi Lauper song from this movie is my ringtone.

Go Goonies!

Everything Matters - Collision 2008

This past weekend was the high school weekend retreat called Collision. I am not sure the exact number that went but it was around 80-100 kids, I think. As a leader I was excited to be there with almost my entire small group (one had to cancel last minute) and very excited to see what God did in their lives through the weekend.

I have to thank my awesome Sunday school class because without their support we could not have gotten all these girls to Collision. THANK YOU GUYS so much for believing in these girls and investing in their lives. You guys are amazing.

Oops - didn't mean for that to publish yet! Here's more.

It's funny, I consider myself a night owl but I have nothing on these girls! WOW. I don't think we went to bed until 2:00 am on Friday night. It was fun though. I had 10 girls in my small group, only 4 of whom I knew, so it was great to get to know some new people. I was excited at how quickly we all seemed to gel as a group.

As I mentioned in a previous post, our church had just finished the Sacred Gathering 2.5 day fast earlier in that week. One of my girls from Wed. night participated and I was excited to have 2 other girls in my Collision group that had also participated. Honestly, I think that says a lot about their maturity in Christ - they are 14/15 year old girls who fasted and sought after the face of Christ - that's awesome. They were still on a high from what God had taught them earlier in the week and were excited to see what He was going to do through Collision.

There is so much that I could share about what God did in their lives, for one God really confirmed a calling on her life, another was motivated to share Christ more in her school, another mentioned how she had never felt this close to Jesus. It was exciting.

One decision was made by a girl that wasn't in my group but that I had met when we were signing people in for the trip. I was so excited to hear that she had accepted Jesus into her heart. It was exciting to watch her worshipping God the next morning after she became a Christian - I was reminded a lot of when I asked Jesus into my heart and how awesome that felt.

So - the weekend was an awesome success. God moved in amazing ways and my prayer now is that these teens are never the same because of it.

I have to give a big THANK YOU to our camp nurse, and new friend, Kelly. I really enjoyed talking to her and getting to know her better. I also appreciated the medicine she brought that helped me get through the weekend. We have had the flu and stomach bug in our house in the past couple of weeks and I thought I was in the clear. WRONG - guess who got sick on Friday night??? Yep - me! Fever, body aches, stomach killing me, nausea, the whole nine yards. Thankfully God held off the worst until Sunday as I walked in my front door.

I have more I could share but I've been trying to post this for 2 days and I'm just now getting it done so I'll leave it here.

Thanks again for your prayers & support.

Prayer request

I can't go into details on a public blog but I really would like those that believe in the power of prayer to say a few prayers today. You don't have to know the details, God already does, just please pray. Pray that mountains are moved, lives are changed, and God is glorified.

(Don't worry, it's nothing life threatening or crazy in my personal family).

Facebook - Old friends found

First myspace and now facebook.

I've been avoiding getting into these two things because I already have this blog and am busy enough with my three kiddos, however, I decided to check them out.

Well, I went onto facebook and was SO excited to be able to reconnect with some very special people from my college days. One person in particular was a very special friend and I was so sad to lose touch with her - and she was there - on facebook!!!

WOOHOO!

Wow - God is so good (and this is long)

Today was the final night of corporate praise, worship & prayer with all those who joined in on the Sacred Gathering and wow, it was amazing.

This 2.5 day fast has been an adventure with God, I have to tell you. I feel like I've gone through every emotion out there. I have been excited by what God was teaching me, frustrated with what God was teaching me, etc. I had such high expectations for this experience and God really delivered. I was wondering yesterday. For most of the day I felt like I was in a wrestling match with God, very frustrating, but the end results were good.

That brings us to today, and tonight specifically.

During my time in the Word, I have been using the 1 year chronological bible and have been reading through Moses bringing the Israelites out of Egypt. I've read this many times before but this time God really used it to minister to me. A verse that stuck out to me was this:

"And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worship." - Exodus 4:31.

Now this was talking about when Moses & Aaron went to the elders of the Israelites with what God had told them but the wording struck me. WHEN THEY HEARD THAT THE LORD WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THEM the result was to BOW DOWN AND WORSHIP.

Isn't that what most people want really? I know I do - we all want to know that there is someone out there who is concerned for us, that cares about us, that is listening to us, etc. It makes a HUGE difference.

It's what we are doing in the small groups that are starting around the church for the 3:16 project? We are showing our care & concern for those around us and reaching out to them in these groups. Perhaps if they know that we are concerned about them then they will believe and know that God is even more concerned for them.

I have to make a confession, I didn't want to do a 3:16 group - not even a little bit. I agreed to host one because I knew that God wanted me to but I wasn't really "there" yet. I did it begrudgingly because I knew I should but I just didn't want to. In my thinking I already had a sunday school/small group that I loved, I didn't want another one. I was already involved at the church, I didn't need to get more involved. I didn't want to over-extend myself at all. Surely God couldn't be calling me to facilitate a group - NO WAY.

Um - YES WAY. God really convicted me to this about this a week or so ago and He solidified for me that this was what we were supposed to do over the past 3 days. I can honestly say that I am excited about it and ready to see what He does through it. I want God to use me & Eric to show care & concern for others and thereby lead them to bow down and worship Jesus.

The other major thing that God did for me, tonight specifically, is confirm to me where He wanted me to work. This may seem silly since I'm already working in certain areas in the church but it's what happened. Ever since becoming a mom I've always thought that I was supposed to be working with either young kids or moms. I quickly realized that I was not gifted to be working with young children as honestly I just needed a break from that age group, so, I assumed I should be working with moms. That said, I could just never get a real passion to do it and God certainly didn't open many doors in that area. I just wasn't motivated.

Fast forward (or rewind now, I guess) to nearly a year ago. I was feeling very convicted about needing to volunteer in the church and decided to give the high school ministry a shot. What David McCaman shared in "big" church really resonated with me and I wanted to try it out. Truthfully, I was overwhelmed with the idea before even starting as I kind of think of myself as "uncool" and not very in-touch with that age group. Aside from occasionally watching an MTV reality show (shame, shame, I know), I don't have much in common with kids that age. Talk to me about Dora and Diego and I can identify with you, anything else, well, you get the picture.

Volunteered in the high school ministry because I wanted to be challenged and step out side my comfort zone - sometimes that's where God can really use you the most because it's not something you can do on your own. I started to co-lead a group with a friend from Sunday School, Megan, and away we went.

It has been a wild ride, at least for me. I am constantly challenged and so many times have questioned God on what He was thinking when He put me in that ministry. More times than not I have felt completely inadequate to do the job. Don't get me wrong - I love it - and I love my girls. They are amazing and I am so excited to see what God is doing in their lives, yet I still questioned if this was the place for me.

Reading the story of Moses also showed me this. Moses asked God "Why me?" and didn't feel adequate to do the job that God had called Him to as well and look what God did through Him. It isn't about being adequate on our own but about trusting and obeying God to be faithful and providing you with what you need to serve Him where He calls you. I was reading the long list of instructions that God gave Moses about building the tabernacle and I was overwhelmed just reading it when the following verse caught my eye:

"I have given skill too all the craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you." Exodus 31:6b.

That stuck out to me because it says that while God had very specific and elaborate instructions for the tabernacle, He also provided people with the skills necessary to complete the task.

He'll do that for us to.

I had a moment of clarity tonight when I realized I am exactly where God wants me to be in the high school ministry. I am NOT called to work with moms (at this time), I am not called to work with preschoolers (at this time) but I am called to work with high schoolers, specifically the FANTASTIC group of girls that I have, and I am EXCITED about it. It was such a surprise to have that confirmed to me in such clarity tonight.

Dear Jesus. Wow, thank you for being such an amazing God. That you for filling my hunger for food with an even bigger hunger for You. Thank you for speaking to me and confirming to me where you want me to be. Thank you for giving me a passion to share You and to make you FAMOUS. Thank you for equipping to me serve You in the high school ministry. Please, please bless my girls and help them to see You in me. Help them to come to know You, love You and serve you with passion and purpose. You are an amazing God and I am in awe that You know me, love me unconditionally, and died for me on the cross. I love you.

Sacred Gathering

Our church called a Sacred Gathering to start off this week. It is a time of fasting (2.5 days) along with corporate praise, worship and prayer each night. It has been fantastic. There is so much that I could share with you about what God has taught me but I'll leave you with some thoughts on fasting.

Truthfully, in the 16 years that I've been a Christian this is the first time that I've truly fasted. I've fasted a meal here and there but never really a whole day let alone 2.5! I was really, really nervous about it and wondered if I could really do it. It hasn't been easy, I like the party in my mouth that food provides (you're shocked, I know), but I've survived.

Yesterday was a really hard day for many reasons and I caught myself thinking of fasting as some form of punishment half way through it. I wanted to eat so badly but thought that if I did that I would be punished for breaking the fast or that others would look down upon me if they knew that I broke the fast so I didn't. God really convicted me of that thinking later though.

Fasting isn't a punishment, it's a way to get closer to God. It's CHOOSING to deny ourselves something we need to spend time with Someone we need more.

When I started looking at it that way yesterday, it made things a bit better.

So much more to say but I need to go. Like my friend Ashley said, just because I'm fasting doesn't mean I should forget to feed the kids. Oops!

It's almost 3 am

And I am STILL awake!!!

Just hung up laundry, looked at the clock, and realized I am going to be hating life in about 3 hours when I have to get up!

Note to self - GO TO BED AT A DECENT HOUR!