Introducing the clutz

Well, I went to the nearby community college today to do my proctored final exam, since the school I attend is based out of Virginia. Anyway, it started raining pretty hard as I was walking around the campus in my flip flops at my New York pace, so as you can imagine, all those factors equals a fall. I tripped over a part of the concrete that was raised up a bit and went sliding for a little bit on my knee. Thankfully, I didn't fall on my belly. I think I was around 35 weeks with Audrey when I fell flat on my belly and I remember that was scary I had to be monitored and have ultrasounds done to make sure she was okay and what not. Anyway, this morning, when I fell, I was totally focused on getting to my test on time. I couldn't miss it. I felt okay. I had ripped my pants and my knee was stinging, but nothing too bad. So, I got to the testing center and there was a line, so I took a seat. I then looked at my knee and noticed that it was bleeding pretty badly. So, when it was my turn to be helped, I asked if they had a band-aid, not that it would have helped much since my entire knee was scraped and bleeding, and explained what had happened. The gal immediately asked how far along I was in my pregnancy and had me follow her to the campus security office. When I got there, the gal at the office wanted to make a report of it since I am pregnant and had a fall on their campus. She then had to call the paramedics for the same reason. So, the paramedics from a local fire department came and put a huge bandage on my knee and that was that. It's funny, they didn't even clean it first. Oh well. So then I went and took my final. I felt good about it, going into it and was hoping for an A, but once again, I got a B. I know it's still good, but I really wanted to ace it. Oh well. I'll probably end up with a B in the class, I am not sure. But, for going to school with everything else on my plate, a B is pretty darn good. Yep! So, anyway, I am fine by the way, the knee hurts just a bit though. the baby seems to be fine and no part of my belly hit the ground.

Pictures, as promised

A Soul Satisfying Survey

Okay, I stole this from another blog a couple of weeks ago with plans of getting to it. I saved it, but didn't save the link to who posted it. So, I can't credit them, but the gal I got it from, did say in her rambling that it originated from
Heather So thank you to Heather.

1) What is your life verse:

I honestly think that this is going to change soon. I mean all the time I am finding new verses that speak to me and where I am in my life right now. When I went away to a Christian College, I was asked by many what my life verse was. At that time, I didn't have one, nor did I really understand how to know which verse could classify as my life verse. I started going through verses that I had underlined in my Bible and I came to Psalm 139:9-10. It says that "If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." I loved it. I still do. I think it is so poetic and beautiful. At that time in my life, I had just gotten over some rough patches in my life. And I felt God's hand in my life so strongly that spring and summer before heading off to school. I knew that no matter what I was facing and no matter where I found myself, God would always be there. I will always love this verse so much, but sometimes I see other verses and think, wow...that's such an awesome piece of Bible right there. I just think that as we experience new things in our lives, different verses speak to us that may not have before. But for now, Psalm 139:9-10 is my verse.

2) Give a bit of your testimony:

Well, let's see. I grew up in a not so religious family. My dad wasn't really into church, but when we lived in Connecticut, he loved the community of the small town church and knew my mom loved it, so he tried to get involved with it as best he could. My mom came from a very strict Catholic background. I think she had some bad experiences in her Catholic school, because she had such a weird perception of God. I know that at her age, they were disciplined with the ruler on their wrist for many things. With my mom, I grew up hearing things like, "Oh, you stubbed your toe, that's because God is punishing you." Anyway, when we moved to Arizona, my family tried out a bunch of churches, but never really found a church home. So, we stopped attending church. On Christmas and Easter, we would attend the nearby Catholic church. But that was the only time we really went. In Junior High, I became friends with an awesome Christian gal, Gina Lamb. I don't remember going to church with her, but she would invite me every now and then to attend Christian concerts with her. So, at 13, I attended a White Cross concert with her and her mom. I had never heard of the group before, but I liked them. They did an altar call near the end of the concert and I felt it, that stirring, that desire and I accepted Christ in my life as my Savior right then and there. I remember being so nervous about having to go to some room after the concert to talk to a bunch of people. But of course, everyone was nice and rejoicing for me and I was given a Bible.

In High School, I became involved in a church through a high school friend. They had a pretty active youth group that would hang out on Wednesday nights and do church camps and things. I remember my dad telling me that he thought that I was in a cult. It was hard trying to grow in my faith at that age without my parents really being Christian. I remember being so confused by things I'd read in the Bible. But I never questioned my salvation during those years, because I remember after the day I asked Christ into my life, I had a peace within me that I hadn't felt before. And that peace helped me through a lot of difficult times growing up. Anyway, like all sheep, I began going astray after high school. When I went away to a Christian College when I was 21, I remember beginning to cry during one of the chapel services I was attending. Right then and there, I had a quiet conversation with God. I apologized for the turns I had taken in my life, for the things that I had done that were against His word. It was then that I re-dedicated my life to Him.

3) Do you have a favorite preacher?
Hmmm....not really a favorite, no. I really really like my Pastor at my church, I think that he is awesome!


4) What's the best Bible Study you've ever done?
Right now, I am doing a Beth Moore Bible study called Living Beyond Yourself and I love it. It is my first time doing a Beth Moore Bible study and I have grown quite fond of her. I love watching her videos. They make you think, they tug at your heart, they teach you, they make you cry and they make you laugh. I love it.

5) What do you feel God's calling is on your life?
Wow, I wish I knew that answer. Right now, I think He is working on me for a bit and changing my heart in places. I can just tell that He has something exciting for me, but He is preparing me right now for it. I have two things that I am passionate about. One is working with and helping hurting kids and another is singing. I would be so happy to be used by God in one of those areas. However, I also would love to go on missions trips, to help out orphans, to work in other countries with their unsaved children. I also think it would be fun to work with youth in a church as well...like the jr. high or high schoolers. So, we'll see. Whatever God's calling is, I sure do hope I take the time to listen and follow His path. It can be so easy at times to go in our own direction, isn't it?

My Life Monday #2

For today's My Life Monday, we are supposed to write a memory about someone close to us who has since moved on to heaven. Thankfully, I've only lost one person ever in my life, my grandfather. Unfortunately, I was a child and I really didn't know him well at all. So, I wouldn't really have much to say about him. I know it's sad, and I wish I did.

So, then I was going to write about a little baby girl, Allie Scott. She had a huge impact on my life, although I never met her. I read her mom's blog that she'd update all the time about her daughter's battle with cancer. Sadly, she lost the battle at nine months of age. So, I was all prepared to write today about little Allie and how her life and death affected me so much at that time, but instead I decided to honor our soldiers today.

Since it is Memorial Day, I think I should stick with that topic. I will write about Allie another time.

Since becoming an Air Force wife, military stories and videos have so much more significance to me now. I know how easy it can be to not be reminded of the sacrifice of our soldiers when it doesn't really affect you first hand. I was looking for Memorial Day tribute videos on you tube, and so many people had videos from their Memorial Day weekend trips. And many of these appeared to be college students out partying. And I thought, gosh..so many have died for your freedom to take trips, for your freedom to post videos on the internet. But to so many, it's just a fun three day weekend. Anyway, I posted a video below that was done as a tribute to our troops. I believe that it mainly focuses on the current war, but I am so appreciative for all of our fallen soldiers from many many years past. It is such a sacrifice that these men and women make and have made for us. They leave behind so much in hopes that they will return to it soon and sometimes, they never make it back home. They give up soooo very much to keep all of us safe and free. Today, take time to reflect on all that these men and women have done for you and for how blessed you are to live in the United States of America.



Want to know more about My Life Monday?

Durin's Birthday Party

Well, we got back a bit ago from Durin's birthday party. As promised, I took some pictures. I put the thumbnails on here. Just click on the picture to see it in a larger size.










Getting all wet


Having fun in the sand

Jekyll and Hyde

I admit it, this morning I have been Jekyll and Hyde. Can I blame my fits and mood swings on pregnancy? I call it lack of sleep. When I went to go to bed last night, the miss was in her room moaning, groaning and sometimes crying in her sleep. She slept in her port-a-crib in her room last night. Anyway, I was worried that she may be getting sick, so I slept in her toddler bed so that I could keep an ear on her. Now it's a tiny bed, so I couldn't stretch my legs or anything and I soon ended up with awful cramping in my legs. I couldn't move onto the floor because her room looks like a tornado went through it and there wasn't any room. She never got sick thank goodness, but she did toss and turn a lot and it kept me up. At 5:00 A.M. I decided to move to the couch downstairs so that I could stretch out and hopefully get at least a couple of hours of good sleep. But DH was on the couch. So, now I had nowhere to go. DH's germs were all over our bed that he rested on all afternoon. And then I felt horrible because the poor guy is sick and feeling like crap and all I could think about at that second was how furious I was that he had slept in every place in the house that I could possibly sleep besides the miss' toddler bed. Being pregnant, I am really trying to avoid getting sick again. Anyway, back to her room I went. But this time my presence woke her up. She went back to sleep for a tiny bit, but by
6:00 A.M., she was awake and there was no chance in her laying back down. So, I am exhausted. This month has been hard, it really has. I just hope that everyone is healthy and doing well next weekend for our retreat, because I really do need a couple of days where I can sleep in and just relax, ya know. Anyway, this morning, I was a big grouch, because I was still half asleep and I was a very grumpy mommy. I know I wasn't nice to be around and I am sure that my stomping up and down the stairs didn't help in DH getting rest. I have no clue if he got any sleep last night either. After my half hour or so of Erica grumpiness and fits, I decided that I need to be loving and stop being selfish and keep it down so my sick hubby can rest. Hopefully, the miss can stay out of mischief for a few minutes so that I can shower and then I think I'll take her somewhere....maybe Mcdonald's or something so she can play and make noise and DH can rest. Maybe it will do me some good to get out of the house too.
Anyway, I feel bad for acting like such a brat this morning. I tell ya, lack of sleep can turn me into a scary person. Watch out! Well, from here on out, I am going to control my moods and be a loving, gentle and quiet person....well at least for the rest of the day. :o) (Teasing)

Grab the Scavenger Hunt code. Photo Theme. Join the blogroll. Visit participants.

This week's theme is red, white and blue.
I chose a picture of my now 2 1/2 year old daughter that was taken in a studio when she was around six months old. Yes, I know that the flag in the background is the wrong way. I didn't realize it at the time because I was more focused on my baby girl smiling. But, anyway, it's still one of my favorite pictures of her.

Oh, WOW!

The miss was so excited to see all the decorations and balloons. When she was walking down the stairs this morning, she noticed the letter A in the big Happy Birthday banner. She screamed out, A. She also kept saying, "WOW." It was cute.


One of the balloons downstairs had already deflated and she was calling it a baby. I think since it wasn't like the others. She kept holding it and saying, "Awwwwww."


I just wish DH was able to enjoy his day. :o(

Happy Birthday Hubby

27 years ago, a GREAT event occurred, My hubby was born. As he grew in age, God worked in his heart and helped him to grow into the man he is today. He also brought our hearts together. I am so thankful for my hubby, he is a gift from God.
Happy birthday DH!


I wanted to do something special since DH was in Korea last year for his birthday, so the house has been decorated with tons of balloons and birthday streamers. It is all very festive. The only bad thing is, the poor guy is sick. He is sick on his special day. He has the bug again. He had a touch of it last weekend, but today he has the full blown thing. Mine was broken up into two days. He has both parts of the bug full blown today. I feel awful for him. I woke up to him at around 5:30 moaning and groaning. We will have to take a rain check on XMEN and see it Sunday, perhaps. We will have to have his cake then also.

I sure do hope that he is feeling better soon. At 5:30, after I realized he was sick. I went disinfectant happy. Apparently the little bugger is still in the house. I grabbed my disinfectant spray and went to town. I sprayed anything and everything that had ever been touched by our hands. So, pretty much the whole house. I sprayed like crazy in both bathrooms and then I just sprayed it in the air in each room. I then opened all of the windows. I want this bug out of here, darn it. It has worn out its welcome.

This morning, at 9:00, the miss has an appointment at Peterson AFB. They called me yesterday and said that for Tricare to work properly for her hospital stay and appointment she had with the neurosurgeon, her doctor has to see her also. It was funny, because the gal who called me kept telling me over and over again how this appointment is just a follow up, they just want to see her. Yada Yada. It almost made me suspicious. I almost wanted to ask, do you need to check to make sure she isn't abused? And who knows, that may be the reason behind the appointment, or I may have read into the lady completely wrong. I think it's a good thing, because I am sure they can help find kids who are. But, my baby girl is very loved. So, anyway, that's about it for our morning.

I'll write more later.

A, B, C

ABC's of Me blog
I found this on another's blog and decided to do it too.

Accent: I've actually been told by people that they can tell I am originally from back East. They say that I speak properly. LOL, I don't agree at all. But, Okay. I mean I am originally from Connecticut, so they are right. I just don't think I speak that well. Shrugs.

Bible Book that I like:Gosh a lot.
I love Paul's writing. I have underlined the most verses in Books like Phillipians, Ephesians, Galatians and Colossians.

Chore that I don't care for: Mopping the kitchen floor. I think it is because our floor in there is so old, that even when I mop it, you can't really tell. So, I am left to feel like I didn't accomplish anything even though I did.

Dog or Cat: Used to be dog. But our lovely Luna has not been so lovely and I am beginning to not like either. I'll stick with kids.

Essential Electronics: My computer of course. The dishwasher, definitely. All of our ceiling fans and stand up fans all over our house to make up for not having air conditioning.

Favorite Cologne: My hubby wears Axe, not that it is cologne...but I actually really, really like it. He used to wear Polo Sport and that smelled good too.

Gold or Silver: Silver, all the way. I am not a big fan of gold jewelry. My ring is white gold, so that it looks silver.

Handbag I Carry most often:My purse, for now. I can fit an extra diaper and wipes in there. But soon it will be replaced with a diaper bag.

Insomnia: I have a lot of that lately. The baby moves around like crazy and between that, back pain and leg cramps, I don't get deep sleep, that's for sure.

Job Title: Wife, Mommy, Day Care Teacher, Cook, Housecleaner :o) But, I don't mind. :o)

Kids: A two and a half year old and a little baby on the way. He will be here soon.

Living Arrangements: Live with my hubby and little girl in a tri-level house somewhere in the U.S.

Most Admirable Trait: In me? empathy.

Naughtiest childhood behavior: Gosh, I dunno. I was just miss attitude. I talked back to my mom all of the time. I spoke my mind with my parents always!

Overnight hospital stay: I stayed overnight when I had my appendix removed before my senior year of high school. I also stayed overnight a couple of weeks ago when my baby girl fractured her skull.

Phobias: I don't like bees or wasps. I had a traumatic experience involving tons of wasps when I was around 6 years old and since then, I am terrified of them. Wasps, more than bees because they don't die after they sting you, they just keep on stinging.

Quote: I have so many quotes that I love.
The one I use the most is that it takes both rain and sunshine to make a rainbow.

Religion: I am a Christian

Siblings: I have a brother who is six years younger than me.

Time I wake up: Usually between 6:30 and 7:45 depending on when the miss wakes up.

Unusual Talent or skill: I can do the Red Rum line from The Shining, perfectly. My eyes bug out and everything. My hubby thinks it is freaky when I do it and makes me stop.

Vegetable I refuse to eat:Squash

Worst habit: I can let emotions get the best of me. I can easily get into a funk...more easily than I'd like to. But, I am working on it.

X-rays: lots of my teeth, that's for sure. I had a chest x-ray once. I think that is it though, that I can remember.

Yummy stuff I cook:I'm more of a fan of the things I bake. I loooove sweets....cookies, cakes, brownies....so I find it fun to bake those kinds of things. Not only do they smell sooooo good baking, but they are heavenly to eat.

Zoo animal I like most: This used to always be the white tiger. But, since going to the zoo a few times with the miss, I have to say that the monkeys, gorillas and orangutans are the most fun to really watch. They sure do love to put on a show.

Thirteen Things that I am currently happy about. 1. The miss is doing so well and is looking so good. Her black eyes are pretty much gone and she doesn't have any other swelling on her head. She looks GREAT! 2. On Friday night, the hubby and I are having a date night and we are going to see the new XMEN movie. I am so excited. Oh, and it's his birthday on Friday too. 3. I should have my research paper for my Psych class done before this week is over, then I will do my final exam and power point presentation next week and then the class is over. YAY! 4. The miss is going to a birthday party on Saturday for her friend, Durin. They are so cute when they play together and so it should be fun. Oh, and hopefully I will get lots of great pictures too. 5. Next weekend, June 2-4, DH and I are going to be going here for a couple's retreat that our church is doing. It should be a great weekend and some time to ourselves without the miss, which will be nice. It will be great to spend some time in the Word together as well. The miss will stay with Kate's family and they will spoil her rotten, so I know she will have a great weekend too. 6. My best friend, Kate, will be out here in the middle of June. She will be here until September and I can't wait to see her. Plus, since she is the most awesome photographer ever, I know that I will get some amazing pictures taken by her while she is here. 7. I found out today that one of my newest favorite worship songs, sweetly broken, was actually released on a cd by Vineyard back in March. So hopefully soon, I can purchase that album, because that song is beautiful. You can listen to a snippet of it Here. Also here are the Lyrics. 8. The weather has been so gorgeous lately. Just the right amount of sunshine and the right amount of wind. The birds chirp so beautifully in the morning and there are always birds or squirrels running around our yard. I just love it. 9. Some beautiful bushes with purple flowers have started growing in our front yard and they are so very pretty. What is the best about it, is I didn't have to plant them or anything. They were already here for us. So, I get to enjoy them and didn't have to do any work to put them there. 10. I know I keep talking about it, but I am really enjoying my Beth Moore Bible Study, Living Beyond Yourself. I look forward each day to getting to do it and I look forward to watching the video portions, because she is just incredible and it just speaks to me so much. 11. It's been so much fun working lately on the miss'scrapbook and I am excited to continue finishing pages of it and to soon be done with it. I think I will go up to her first year or year and a half in this particular album. It's been so fun to be all creative and work on it. Plus a lot of the time I get to work on it at Tiffany's house and Tiffany rocks. So, it's fun! 12. I can't wait to take the miss to see the movie, cars. It comes out June 9th, I believe. She loves cars and gets excited when Disney shows a preview of it in the morning. It's so much fun to take her to the movies and to watch her get all excited and react to it. I love watching life through my daughter's eyes. 13. Last, but most importantly, I am happy about the fact that God is so good. He really is. How blessed we all are. :o) Links to other Thursday Thirteens! (leave your link in comments, I'll add you here!) 1. Tess 2. Barbara 3. Undercover Angel 4. TN Chick 5. Janice 6. D 7. Mandy 8. Angie 9. Wystful1 10. Carmen 11. Melli 12. Amy 13. Powerstwinb 14. Shalee 15. Amanda 16. Whispers Of The Morning

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Thank You

Thank You G.G. for the pretty shirt and princess fruit snacks that you sent in my princess package.




I must drive her crazy with the digital camera. That whole time she was trying to watch The Backyardigans and I was pretty much sitting in front of the tv to get pictures of her. She kept trying to look around me. You should see some of the looks I got from her, while snapping pictures. Like this one for instance

Anyway, I was feeling so great yesterday, the bug was gone. I think I overdid it, because I was so hungry and I ate lots and lots and normal stuff, not easy on the tummy stuff. And I am paying for it today. In fact, I paid for it all night. I had such awful cramping, that I only slept about an hour last night. Thankfully, DH has off today for his birthday, even though his birthday is Friday. So, later this afternoon, he may be able to entertain the miss so that I can rest. I am up with her right now, and strangely I feel quite awake. Maybe this is my body's way of preparing me for the numerous upcoming sleepless nights I will experience soon, once the baby is here. I called my day care kid's mommy and told her I'd be closed today. I definitely don't want to give this bug to her child, ya know. It's yucky. I thought that I did a good job disinfecting. I even boiled my toothbrush, LOL. But apparently the little stinker bug is hiding here somewhere. The miss hasn't been sick, so that's good.

I would

I would be true for there are those who trust me;
I would be pure for there are those who care;
I would be strong for there is much to suffer;
I would be brave for there is much to dare.
I would be friend of all, the foe, the friendless;
I would be giving and forget the gift;
I would be humble for I know my weakness;
I would look up, and laugh, and love, and lift.

- Howard W. Arnold

Give me your pearls

Well, my tummy hasn't been hurting for 2 hours. I threw up last at around 3:30 and I have felt okay since then. So, hopefully this means that the bug has left the building. I am hungry and actually wanting food. I am going to hold off though and try some crackers maybe later in the evening.
I was reading some of the blogs listed on my sidebar as regular reads. I came across one with the sweetest story. You really DO DO DO DO have to read it. Click Here

Sick

Well, I woke up this morning not feeling well at all. I just felt nauseated and not right. It would come and go though. At some points I felt pretty bad and then at other moments I felt just fine. This afternoon, as I started to make lunch for the kiddos, while waiting for my day care kiddo to arrive, the smell of their food gave me a sudden urge to vomit...and so I did. I honestly wasn't sure if this was a pregnancy thing or if I was sick, so I didn't tell my day care kid's mom. I didn't want her to have to call in 5 minutes before she was due at work. I put the kids down for a nap and then called the hubby. His boss let him come home, so he's been with the kiddos since then. I am so thankful that he was able to come home and help out. I have thrown up twice since then and I really am not feeling well at all. My stomach has been in a lot of pain. Plus, when I try to lay down, the baby decides to kick me and move all around, which doesn't help the situation. I did call the nurse and she told me not to get concerned unless I haven't gone to the bathroom in 12 hours, then they will consider me dehydrated and have me come in to get fluids. She told me not to eat anything and to get caffeine free coke, pour it in a glass and have it sit for an hour. Then, take a sip every five minutes. The coke syrup should help my nausea symptoms. I called my dck mom to let her know and she was fine with her son staying here while DH watched him. But tomorrow, she wants me to call her in the morning if I am still sick. She said she won't mind calling in and having a day off. So, at least I don't feel so guilty. I hate telling parents that I can't watch their kid. I just know what it's like working and having day care and I don't want to create a burden for them.I sure do wish I could take something for my tummy, cuz it really has been hurting. Anyway, please pray that I get better soon. Thanks! :o)

Every Monday, I will be doing a new meme called My Life Monday. the gal who started it posts a question for us to answer about our lives. I missed doing this last week and it was about meeting your spouse, that would have been fun to write about. :o)
Anyway this week's question is, My parents named me __________ because . . . Tell us about your name. Do you like it or dislike it? Would you name yourself something else? Does your name fit you? Share all your thoughts and feelings on your name.

My parents named me Erica. My mom picked it out. I was named after Susan Lucci's character on All My Children, Erica Kane. Yep, named after a soap star. It's funny, I have talked to other people named Erica who are close to my age, and many of them were also named after Erica Kane. It's definitely better in my opinion than some other soap names out there like Bianca. No offense to any Bianca's who may read this. I am pretty sure I would have picked out a different name for myself, because I know I have never really felt like an Erica. But then I think it's silly to think we should feel like our name. But, I remember when I was a teenager, I contemplated going by my middle name, Kristin.

If you look up my name meaning on the Kabalarian Site
Supposedly it gives the characteristics of my personality based on my name meaning. So, let's see how accurate it is, shall we.

Although the name Erica creates the urge to be reliable and responsible, we emphasize that it causes an emotional intensity that is hard to control. Your name of Erica makes you very idealistic and generous, with the strong desire to uplift humanity leading you into situations where you can express your desire to serve others. You want to assume responsibilities and to look after people; however, you can become too involved in other people's problems and tend to worry. Your name gives you a natural desire to express along artistic and musical lines. You desire a settled home and family life, and are expressive and attentive to your loved ones.

Well, I would say that that really describes me pretty well. Interesting.

I do have one tiny pet peeve about my name and that is that I am always asked, "is that with a c or a k?" So, a lot of times I have to tell people that I am Erica with a C. And then they usually say something like, oh, my niece spells her's with a K. And then they leave it at that. Sometimes I want to say, so are you telling me her way is better? Anyway, that's all the fun I have for you today regarding my name. :o)

I think there are two terrible twoer's in the house.

Tonight while having some devotion time, I was brought about to Psalm 119. It is a Psalm I haven't yet read all the way through, and I can tell you that many verses jumped out at me. Over the past few weeks, God has really been pushing me to want to stop watching certain television programs and listening to certain music. I can tell you that lately my radio station doesn't ever seem to leave the Christian station. And can I tell you, it's so much more fun to listen to upbeat songs about an all loving God rather than songs about heart break and all the other junk that is in today's top 40.
Anyway, I haven't been giving in to God as much as I should be as far as obeying Him in things that have been getting some of my attention. I have been kind of ignoring Him. I have become my two year old daughter. She'll ask me for something and when I say no, she either continues asking over and over again and then finally gives up and moves on to something else, or she deliberately disobeys me. I know how upset it makes me. So of course, I am sure God feels the same way when I do it to Him.

As I read Psalm 119, verse 10 really jumped out at me. "With my whole heart I have sought you; Oh, let me not wander from your commandments."

Have I been seeking God, desiring God with my WHOLE heart? I certainly have not. I touched a little bit on this sort of topic a few posts ago when talking about my week's study in Living Beyond Yourself. But I know without a doubt that I do not give God my whole heart or seek Him with my whole heart. I still give in to things that my flesh yearns for.
Verse 2 of Psalm 119 says that those who seek Him with the whole heart are blessed. I do consider myself to be blessed. But I also know how much more blessed I would be if I really did, seek with all of my heart. I have experienced that blessing before and I must say it is more satisfying than sitting on my couch watching a worldly hour long sitcom or spending five minutes listening to a song that approaches love from a worldly view.
So, if I know how much better it is to be in His word and obeying His word. Why don't I just do it already? Again, I compare myself to my toddler. Sad, huh?

Psalm 119:34-40 "give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Make me walk in the path of your commandments, For I delight in it. Incline me heart to Your testimonies, And not to covetousness. Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things. (YEP, that one condemned me) And revive me in Your way. Establish Your word to Your servant, who is devoted to fearing You. Turn away my reproach which I dread, For your judgments are good. Behold, I long for your precepts; Revive me in Your righteousness."

Psalm 119:133 "Direct my steps by Your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me."

Anyway, I can tell you I definitely felt a stirring in my heart while reading these words and I know the things that God wants me to refrain from for now on. And, I am going to grow in years and rid myself of the inner toddler and listen and obey.

Golfing on Sunday

So, I got the miss this golf bag at Wal-Mart. It came with clubs and balls. Of course the first thing she did, was take everything out of it. Here she is playing with it.

Two for Togetherness

Oh, if you are looking for the PHOTO HUNT, it is one post down. :o)

I visit lots of blogs during my zone time at the computer. I belong to various blog rings..they are on my sidebar in links. Anyway, I came across a blog post by Everyday Mommy and I really wanted to do it too. So, I stole it from her.

It's called "Two for Togetherness".

It's all about my wonderful and perfect hubby. :o)

2 things you compliment your husband on while in his presence.

1. How handsome I think he is.

2. What a wonderful daddy that I think he is.

2 compliments you make about your spouse to your friends.

1. How he motivates me in my walk with God

2. What a great daddy he is.

2 traits you married him/her for.

1. His love and commitment for the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. His patience and laidbackness, It is a good contrast for me.

2 days you cherished the most with your husband being together.

1. Even though we weren't married yet, obviously, our first date was really really nice. :o) It was perfect and I remember just being in awe as to how great of a guy he was.

2. The day we had our little miss was just such a moment for us. Just all three of us together and knowing that we created this little girl. such a joy that moment was.

2 material things you could give your husband if you just inherited a fortune.

1. A camaro. He's always wanted one. :o)

2. A really long Alaskan cruise followed by a trip to Germany. Those are two vacations he really wants to take.

2 things you would miss the most if she/he left for two weeks.

My hubby is in the military. He was gone for a whole year last year and then so far this year he has been gone for three weeks and then leaves again in July for a month, so I can tell you what I miss.

1.I just miss him. Him being here. Us talking while sitting at our computers at night. Him praying before we eat dinner. Just having his presence in the house. Good night kisses.

2. I also miss watching him play with the miss. They are just so cute and playful together and we just laugh and laugh.

2 thoughts that crossed your mind when you first met/saw your spouse.

1. Well, DH and I talked before actually meeting. So, my first impressions were all based on his personality and we just had so much in common and I was just so attracted to the person he was.

2. When I first met him in person, I remember feeling completely comfortable around him. Oh, and I thought that he was really cute too.

2 favorite dates

1. Our very first date

2. The night of our engagement

2 funny odd things you love.

1. When he puts his head a certain way, he gets these big chunky wrinkles on the back of his neck. I love it. I squeeze them and call him my shar pei puppy.

2. My hubby is a Star Wars fanatic and it's cute watching him watch the Star Wars movies with the miss and have light saber fights with her.

2 places you have lived with your spouse.

1. Surprise, AZ

2.Glendale, AZ

2 favorite vacations

1. Our honeymoon in Los Cabos even though it was oh sooo very hot.

2. All of our trips to Disneyland.

Grab the Scavenger Hunt code. Photo Theme. Join the blogroll. Visit participants.

This week's theme is flowers. I almost, almost went to a house that I passed the other day when I took the day care kiddos for a walk. They had the most beautiful tulips in their yard. I do love tulips. They were gorgeous. I couldn't bring myself to take a picture of their yard though. I just had this feeling that they'd see me and think I was a nutso or something. Could you imagine me telling some person that I am not meaning them any harm, I just want their tulips to be posted on the internet? LOL. Anyway, I have a few pictures of flowers, but nothing too exciting...I am not a fancy photographer like some of you hunters. So, I chose a picture from my wedding day. It is our hands on top of my bouquet. My poor bouquet that had already started dying. This picture was taken near the end of the reception, so they had been without water for quite awhile. I loved my bouquet though. It had lots of purple roses, my favorite.

Pour Out, Pour In, Pour Forth

What an amazing blessing the Beth Moore Bible Study is. I especially, especially love the video segments. I am ahead in my study workbook, but a little behind on the video portions. So I watched the second video session today, and WOW!
I would like to share my notes with you from what I learned and focused on this afternoon. Most of what I will write, is what Beth Moore said, verbatim. So, instead of quoting it and giving credit back to her every sentence or so, please just know that these are the words that she said.

As you know, the study is about being filled with the Holy Spirit. But did you know that in order to be completely filled with the Spirit, we need to do a lot of extra work on our part. Yes, the Spirit comes into us when we become Christians, but He can't fully overpower us and use us, unless we let Him. So, this is how we do it, ready? You should be, because boy, is this stuff so true and exciting.

First, you need to begin with Pouring Out, with confession. Yes, we know we are to confess our sins. But, this is more than just a two second, Lord, forgive me of my sins. That isn't going to cut it. Beth Moore explained how we need to Pour everything out of us. EVERYTHING.

Look at Psalm 62:8, "...Pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge."
This means you are to bear your soul. If it is something that concerns you, then it concerns Him. Pour out your most intimate details. Where have you blown it with your mouth, mind, actions? What makes you anxious, worrisome, fearful? What concerns you? What frustrates you? Has someone hurt you? Get it all out. It is key to get it ALL out!!! If you are struggling with a craving for anything, anything at all...a craving that isn't for Him, a craving that is in such an overabundance, then that is something unsatisfied within you. Then, you need to let God know, so that He can fill it up. This can be a number of things. It could be something that the flesh has been desiring that you know is bad, but it has such a hold on you. Maybe you feel like you aren't getting the love from your spouse you need. Whatever it is, God has to know, so that He can fill it for you. Tell Him where you feel empty.

Once you have poured forth your heart to Him, then you need to be sure to really realize that He has forgiven you. **1 John 1:9**
In fact, you need to actively accept that as truth. Speak it to Him. Acknowledge to Him that you know that He has forgiven you. If you don't do this, you may pour everything out, but still go on living the day like you are unforgiven. Living like that can lead you to feel guilt, constant guilt and it can become an idol, taking you away from being completely filled with the Spirit. "Rise up and walk." Don't live like an unforgiven person. Once you have poured out and accepted forgiveness, you are now seen as completely pure before Him.

Now, you need to allow God to pour in.
We want God to change the desires of our heart. We want God to be our delight. This is a process, but pray every morning, for God to be your delight, your satisfaction. Allowing God to change your desires will have a huge impact on your day to day living.
You could say to Him, "God, give me that desire, greatest love of my life, to want to know you, be with you, love you beyond anything else. I want to delight to do your will. Become my longing, God."

Ask Him to also invade your subconscious as well, to invade your dream life. Ask Him to fill every crevice of you. You want to be so filled that even if you have spontaneous decisions, even if you lose control, it is a Godly passion in which with you do it.
**Matthew 14:22-31** Look at how Peter just didn't even think, he just stepped out of the boat and began walking to Jesus. Those are the spur of the moment type decisions we want to be able to make. If we are going to be a fool, we may as well be a fool for Jesus instead of a fool for ourselves.

We have been created to be full, to be satisfied. That desire for that feeling of fullness is why so many of us possess so much. We put hope into the next relationship, the next purchase, the next meal. But it will all leave us unsatisfied. It will leave our hearts sick. Proverbs 13:12 "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."
God is what fulfills us. His Spirit is what fulfills us. When we leave ourselves unsatisfied, when we go in search of the next thing we hope to have satisfy us, we put ourselves at a great risk. Ephesians 5:18 tells us that Few conditions place us at greater risk, than emptiness. We will start trying to feed our flesh with things we shouldn't. Whatever we feed will be what fills us. You can only eat up what you choose to feed on. Nothing that sin can give us is worth what it can take from us.
In Ephesians it says not to fill up on wine, but to be filled by the Spirit. Most people filling themselves with alcohol do it to feel differently. And what's ironic is what they are looking for is usually love, joy, PEACE....are you starting to see that what they are looking for is the fruit of the Spirit? That is why we should be filled with that instead.

Now that the Spirit has been poured in, you can now pour forth.
Look at 2 Corinthians 3:5-6 ..."He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant." When you are filled with the Spirit, you can minister to the body of Christ and to the lost world. You don't have to be a student of theology, God will make you competent to do the ministering.

One of my favorite worship songs has lyrics that say, "Here I am once again, I pour out my heart for I know that you hear. Every cry you are listening, no matter what state my heart is in. You are faithful to answer....... I'm longing to pour out my heart...."
What's funny, well not funny, but anyway...I have sung this song to Him many times. I close my eyes in worship with my hands stretched up to Him and I sing these words. But honestly, I can only think of three times in my life where I have completely poured my heart out to Him. I am a talker and I love to tell everyone else in the world what is going on in the depths of my heart. But out of my 13 years of being a Christian, I have only poured it all out to Him three times. That's very sad!!! But I can say that the three times I did pour it out to Him, He listened, He filled and He fixed. But my goal now, is to pour it out every day, so that I can feel and know what it is to have the COMPLETE fullness of the Spirit. Let me encourage you to do the same. Oh, and try if you can to do it first thing in the morning, because it won't just change your life, it will change your day!

Because I know you love to see her

More on the Mt. Soledad Cross

So, I have been encouraged to read up more on the ACLU's desire to remove the Mt. Soledad Cross in California. I wrote a tiny bit about it a few posts ago. Anyway, I found this question and answer regarding the cross on the ACLJ website.

Isn't the Mt. Soledad cross not just a religious symbol, but a symbol of sacrifice?
Don from California asks: You keep referring to the Mt. Soledad cross as a religious symbol. I'm a volunteer chaplain, but I'm also a veteran, and the Mt. Soledad cross is more than a religious symbol to me, it's a symbol of sacrifice. As a soldier, one freely lays down his life for others. And we need to stand up as Christians and as veterans all across this country and get bold and start fighting for truth.

Jay answers: I couldn't agree with you more. I had several media appearances last week, and I made the statement repeatedly that the cross is the ultimate symbol of sacrifice. Everyone in the world understands this symbol. If you go to Normandy, you'll see that the beach has thousands and thousands of white crosses. Everybody knows what those crosses represent. We know that France is not trying to establish a national religion. This is acknowledging the sacrifice given of men and women, and the cross is a universal symbol in that regard. The idea that one group -- or one guy --can get the Mt. Soledad cross taken down for the rest of the country should have everybody really concerned.

The way to fight back on this is to beat them in the courtroom, in the legislatures, and in the court of public opinion, and that's why we're doing all three here at the American Center for Law & Justice. But we need your support on this. It's critically important. Add your name to the more than 20,000 who have signed our petition so far.

SIGN THE PETITION HERE TO SAVE THE CROSS

I would like to add that of course the cross is a symbol of sacrifice. Jesus sacrificed his life for us as he died on a cross for our sins.

Faith Of A Child

I just read a great article. It is long, but it's great! God is good. You can read it by clicking Here

Boo to the ACLU

So, I want to start out by saying that I am really not all that educated about the ACLU and all that they believe and try to accomplish. Quite frankly, I have better things to do with my time than research their organization. What I do know about them, is they seem to fight a lot to have religious symbols removed from public places and it really irks me. I heard today on the radio about their fight to remove a cross from a war memorial in San Diego, California. From what I heard about it on the radio, it seems they have been fighting for the removal of this cross for many years.
From what I can gather, this group of over 500,000 or so people, spends all of their free time and energy fighting silly stuff like this that should just be left alone. If you think about it, if you took those 500,000 people and figured out how many hours they spent toward trying to get laws changed or trying to fight for things they believe in. That would total an astronomical number of hours. Think of all the good that would come, if they instead used that number of hours to help out at soup kitchens, children's hospitals or impoverished countries around the world. It's sad, yep, sad.

The Miss' Appointment

Well, we just got back from the miss' appointment with the neurosurgeon. Her fracture is on the left side right around the eyebrow area. He said that her skull fracture should be completely healed in six weeks. He said that it is common with skull fractures for there to be delayed swelling, so her head and eye may get worse before it gets better type of a thing. She is likely to have swelling over the next 6 weeks. No other appointments with him will be necessary unless she has swelling beyond the six weeks.
He also told us that there was in fact no damage to her brain, so she won't have any effects from the fracture. That was a relief to hear. The miss had fun at the doctor's office. There were so many toys for her to play with and we couldn't get her to leave.
So, she will be just fine. What great news, huh? Thank you all for your prayers. I know God's hand was on her this weekend.
I took about 40 pictures of her this morning in her cute dress blowing bubbles. I couldn't get a single one with her smiling or with her eyes mostly open. She was smiling lots, just not when the flash would go off. But I wanted to attach a picture so that you could see her eye. I also want you to know that she is her happy, playful self and doesn't seem to be hurting or bothered by her head or eye. I am still giving her tylenol though, and I am sure it's been helping.

Picture of The Miss

Well, I tried to get a really cute picture of the misstonight. I know you all want to see her. She was laughing and sticking her tongue out at her daddy tonight for a bit. It was just after her bath, so she is in her robe. I think I took like 30 pictures, and in most of them, her head would be turned or she would be mid sentence or something. So, anyway, here is a picture of her. You can't see her bruised head at all much anymore. The goose egg is gone and the bruise is way up high by her hairline, so her bangs hide it. She does have a black eye. It is on the upper lid, so you can only see it when her eyes are half open or closed. You can kinda see it in this picture, but barely.

My Mother's Day Gift

Many of you already know about this, but I wanted to share bits and pieces from my weekend, because it has to do with my Mother's Day gift.
Anyway, this weekend was definitely a scary one that was very emotionally draining. On Saturday evening, the miss took quite a fall. She fell about 4 feet and landed face down, on her head on the sidewalk. Her forehead took the entire force of the fall. We went to the emergency room and she began vomiting, so they took her back to be checked out right away. I won't go into details about the ordeal, because honestly, I don't want to talk about it anymore. But they had to do tests and she had to be given certain drugs to help in the testing and it was so hard to see her like that and it was heart wrenching. Anyway, they did a cat scan to check for any internal bleeding. If there was any, they'd have to do surgery. Our doctor thought the scans came back okay. He was pretty certain that we'd be gong home, but they had to be checked out by a specialist in Maine. While looking over them, he determined that the miss' skull had been fractured. We were admitted so that she could be monitored overnight. Then today, they had a neurosurgeon and some specialists who work in the ICU, look over her scans and her chart. They all came to the conclusion that she was okay and could go home. Of course, there can be effects from her head/brain trauma that we won't see yet, like her memory or other cognitive abilities. Either Monday or Tuesday, we will have an appointment with the neurosurgeon. He will go over the scans with us, show us the skull fracture, explain everything to us and also check the miss out and see her and make sure she is okay.
Anyway, about my mother's day present...... After her fall, she was not herself, obviously. She was very lethargic, very out of it. When she was drugged for her cat scan, she was comatose. Even after the medicine was wearing off, my little miss was not herself. At around 12:30 in the morning, she got a burst of energy. She started tickling her daddy, one of her favorite things to do, and she started saying to him, "I got you." I looked over at her, fought back tears and told her that seeing my little punkin' be her cute little self was the most wonderful Mother's Day present ever.
She seems to be fine. I think she will be okay. The fracture will over time heal on its own. Thankfully children recover much better and faster from head/brain trauma than adults do. She is a tough cookie. But just keep her in your prayers please.

Thanks!

Afternoon at the Park

Saturday Photo Hunt

Grab the Photo Hunt code.
Join the blogroll. Visit participants.





Today's theme is celebration. Since I chose a picture of my hubby as a little guy for last week's hunt, I decided to pick a toddler picture of myself for this week's. I don't have many here at my house to choose from, since my mom has all of my childhood albums. But, I did find one from my cousin, Melissa's birthday party. She had pony rides at her party and I remember being so excited to ride on the pony. I loved horses. Well, I still do. Anyway, I am the little blonde in the red dress. I am sitting behind my cousin. I think that it was my cousin's 4th birthday.



Other Photo hunt participants:
tnchick
Never That Easy
Loni
Mandy
Tricia
mar
wystful1
chi
Stacie
Melli
Denise

Be led today by the Spirit

Notes and Thoughts from my Bible Study this morning.

This morning I focused on what it means to be crucified with Christ.

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20

So, what does the term, "crucified with Christ" mean?
"It means that you identify with Him in His death in such a way, that you allow Him to live through you. You don't walk your own path. You walk the path of the cross and allow the Spirit of christ to live through you." -Beth Moore

Things to keep in mind about living a life that is crucified with Christ:

**Few will understand your desire to live a life where you put to death your own fleshly desires and wills.**

**You yourself will have to abandon your own will and agenda.**

**Jesus had negative feelings toward his upcoming crucifixion. But He knew the peace and the joy that would come from it.**

Hebrews 12:2 "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

**We too know that God has our best interest at hand. He has amazing things planned for us. So, why not go His route instead of our own?
"The Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Matthew 26:41
"...'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." 1 corinthians 2:9**

**Your intimate spiritual companions will be few.**
"Those with whom you can pray deeply and agonize spiritually are unique, indeed! Be thankful for them!" -Beth Moore

**Intense times of aloneness with God are required.**
"In the midst of your deepest difficulties, have you ever looked around and thought, "Where is everybody?" Sometimes God reserves the right to withhold others and the pull you aside with Him." -Beth Moore
In 1 Samuel 30:6, "David found strength in the Lord his God."

**You must leave your comfort zone.**
Look at what Jesus did, even before being up on the cross. He endured mockeries and beatings. He stood there and took it. Although He is full of sincere and genuine love and undeserving of such treatment. Even though He is the highest of high, he was treated like He was the lowest of lows. And he took it. He took it all for us.

**You must forego your rights!!!**
"You have many rights of your own. You may have the right to be angry, the right to be bitter, the right to leave your husband or give up on your wayward teenager. But to be crucified with Christ means that you volunteer to forego all your personal rights except one: your right as a believer to be filled and led by the Spirit of Christ who dwells within you." -Beth Moore

When your rights are difficult to set aside, surrender them to Christ. "Ask him to replace them with a supernatural work of the Spirit: with healing, with power, with wisdom!" -
Beth Moore

"At times, to choose the will of God over our own is excruciating. We love our flesh and it hurts to have its desires crucified!"
-Beth Moore

There will always be temporary and worldly fixes to our pain, to the hard things we are dealing with. But if they don't lead us toward God and His will for us, than they really are just temporary fixes. They help us when we are living in the now. But in the long run, they will only hurt us more. That's why we need to lay it all down at God's feet and watch for Him to work through our pain with us and bring us to joy.

When we live our life for Christ, we can identify in a way with Him. But one major difference, is that Christ actually felt a separation from God during His crucifixion. That is one thing we as believers will never experience. We will never feel that separation from our Father. We will NEVER BE FORSAKEN.

"...."My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" Matthew 27:46

"For I am persuaded that neither death/nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

"...For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

Today, focus completely on God. Surrender completely to Him. Don't focus on "me, me, me." Whether you can justify being impatient, while you may feel you deserve to be angry today, put those feelings and rights aside. And let the Spirit work in you.
Know that God's plan and His will is all you need. Be led today by the spirit.

Being Silly

BOO!


Mommy, quit taking pictures!!!

Daddy's Home

Mother's Day Pots

Here is a picture of the m iss before she painted her pot and a picture of two of the pots. Now, this was the first time I ever planted/potted anything, and as you can see, I used too much water. :o( It soaked through the pot.....so ignore that! :o)


Hopefully the moms, repot their own flowers, because I am sure these guys will die. Anyway, there is also a poem in each pot that talks about watching their child grow. I took the entire idea from another gal I know who does day care. So, I can't take credit for the cute thumbprint ladybugs or bees or hand print flowers.

Success

Okay, I love it when I attempt to do something and try hard to do it and then it ends up working out. Okay, so it's about the songs on my site. Silly, I know. But I really wanted Christian songs that I really, really like on my site. Songs that have lyrics that speak to me, ya know. Anyway, after a couple of hours of searching, I found a way, legally mind you, to turn my songs from my own purchased cds into an mp3 format and then to upload them onto a hosting site that turned them into urls, so that I could add them on my site for you all to listen to. (Wow that was a long sentence). So, now there are 10 songs I LOVE on my site for your listening pleasure. So check them out on the player below under the baby ticker. It is 11:45 P.M. and I must use the rest of my energy to mop and clean some of the house up a bit. I have a kiddo coming at 7:30 tomorrow morning, so I have to be READY!

Oh, I am having the kiddos make the cutest thing for Mother's Day tomorrow for their mommies. I got the idea from a gal in a day care provider email group that I belong to. Anyway, tomorrow when they are done, I'll post a picture of them for you to see. I am excited. It will be cute! YEP!

Steve comes home tomorrow night, I can't wait to see him, I tell ya. CAN'T WAIT! YAY!

Okay, I need to be a good doobie and get off this here blog.

Good night.

Testimony

A song by Sara Groves

So proud and excited that I by myself
Have reached such a lofty place
I took the last step toward my ultimate goal
But clumsily fell on my face
I opened my eyes only to find
I was back at the place I'd begun
Helpless and broken, I strained and cried out
Surely the enemy has won

I felt his peace that passes understanding
Grace that is never ending
Love that overflows my soul
I felt his peace that passes understanding
Grace that is never ending
Love overflows my soul

As I wallowed in self pity, He came to sit with me there
His presence alone was so rich and so deep
It chased away all my despair
I said, "Lord please forgive me for my prideful heart,
It sneaks in before I know.'
He said, "What prideful heart?' He forgave and forgot
He said, 'How I want you to know....

My peace that passes understanding
Grace that is never ending
Love that overflows my soul.'
His peace that passes understanding
Grace that is never ending
Love that overflows my soul

Now how daily I humble myself at His feet
I make His desire my will
For He's taken me higher than I have ever been
And He's taking me higher still

With his peace that passes understanding
Grace that is never ending
Love that overflows my soul
Oh peace, grace, love that overflows my soul
My soul

SOOOO BIG!

Okay familia-
I took the miss to the park on Sunday. While I was pushing her on the swings, it hit me just how big she was. She has long legs and she just looks soooo big to me. She's definitely changing from toddler to little girl. I told her that she isn't allowed to grow anymore, lol. It's crazy. Everyday she looks bigger to me. Today, while she was playing, I snapped some pictures of her that I think she just looks older/bigger in.

Guess what we bought????

Yep, a digital camera....

Pictures

Kate sent me two pictures this evening that she took back in March when the miss and I visited Arizona. I thought I'd share them with you.

The Fruit Of The Spirit

I have started the Beth Moore's Living Beyond Yourself Bible study. It is all about the filling and fruit of the Spirit. Beth Moore teaches the fruit of the Spirit in sign language. I wanted to share it with you, because it's fun to know. But also, it's cute how she jokes about the signs for the words patience and self-control. Enjoy.


VIDEO HERE

Let me know if you have problems viewing the video

Some Military Stuff

May is National Military Appreciation Month. I wanted to be sure to have a few military posts this month.

First, I have a video trailer to share with you for a movie, War Tapes, expected to be released this summer. It was already viewed at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York in April.
Here is what it is about:
From the official website
"THE WAR TAPES follows three men: Sergeant Steve Pink, Sergeant Zack Bazzi, and Specialist Mike Moriarty. Steve is a young carpenter with a dark, irreverent sense of humor who joined the Guard for college money. Zack is an inquisitive, ironic traveler and university student. Mike is a husband and father of two, driven to fight by honor and redemption. You will see Operation Iraqi Freedom through their eyes.
All three men leave women at home - a mother, a girlfriend, and a wife. THE WAR TAPES - like any true story about war - engages the hard, tense, passionate, always difficult and sometimes beautiful way these relationships develop and change. The soldiers' unfailing candor and honesty defines the heart of this film. THE WAR TAPES is not afraid to show soldiers as fully complicated human beings -this is not reality TV, and it's certainly not mainstream media coverage of the war. This is real war. These soldiers got the story the 2,700 embedded reporters never could."

Don't forget, you can pause/stop the music on my site down below under the photo slideshow. This way, you can hear the video.
If the video is choppy you can also try to view it on the official site HERE


Please note: there is some language in this video trailer.




Military blog of the week: Click Here for I love My Soldier Blog
Written by a Christian mother and wife of an Army National Guardsman who was deployed in Operation Enduring Freedom. He is actually on his way back home.

Video Tribute of the week: Click here for God Bless My Soldier Too

Military Support Site of the week: America Supports You

Grab the Photo Hunt code.
Join the blogroll. Visit participants.



Today's theme is OPEN. I chose this picture of my hubby when he was a little, little guy opening up a present.



Other Participators

Tiny Fragile Hearts

This morning, I ventured onto a blog site with a link that took me to another site where I read about a little girl, Kelsey. She was a victim of child abuse and was beaten to death. I had to fight back tears that wanted to pour out for this little girl. I then got to thinking about all those other babies out there being abused every second of every day.

This in turn got me thinking even more about my heart's passion. Seriously, I have always, always had a passion for working with hurting children. Whether that hurt is from an illness, like cancer, or from being lost in their own world, like autism, or from actual physical abuse, I feel as if it is my heart's calling to work in some way with these kinds of kids now or in the future. It's just such a strong, intense tug in my heart I feel when I read things about these children. I almost hear my heart saying, "Help them, love them."

I want to do more than just read the story and have it make my heart sad. But, I also know that right now, I am not called to be signing petitions or protesting for their rights. My heart is for these kids and for working with these kids, for loving these kids...for bringing a smile to these children.

I am going to begin to intensly pray about all of this starting today. I think when our hearts tug for things like this, it's for a reason. And maybe my thoughts on feeling so strongly like this are wrong..and maybe the purpose God has for me, is completely different. But, if He does in fact have a plan for me that He would like for me to be doing that involves working with these kinds of children in some way, then I want to be open to seeing His path.

So, I am going to pray a lot about this. And if you could pray as well for me, I would appreciate it. I want to be used by God in the way that He would like for me to be and I want to bring smiles to the kids who are hurting. I may not be able to stop their pain. I may not be able to change their outcome. But I can, at least for a moment, make their world brighter. That's what I want. I want to be a source of sunshine in their lives, because they need it!

Movin' Out

Okay, the Broadway musical, Movin' Out, is coming to Denver in the middle of June. I want to see it soooo badly. But I don't know if I want to go by myself. Any takers?????

Make A Child Smile

Make A Child Smile, is an organization that picks a few kids each month who are suffering from chronic or life-threatening illnesses. They encourage people to come to their site, read a little about each featured child, and then if the visitors have the time and extra kindness in their hearts, they can send a card or well wish to the child to the address provided.
I wanted to encourage you to take a moment out of your day or week to visit their site and get to know the featured kids for the month of May. And maybe the next time you go to the grocery store, or when you go to browse Mother's Day cards, you could pick up another card to let the child know that you are thinking of them.
Also, the month of May is mom month. You can also send a card out to the mother of a past featured kid, to let her know that you are thinking of her and her family and praying for her.


Click here to Make A Child Smile

When you do not understand

Yesterday's sermon was about Revelation 10 & 11.
In Revelation 10:4, the seven thunders utter things to John, and he was about to write them, but then God spoke to John and told him to "seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them." Whatever was uttered to John, God did not want us knowing. There are many times in our lives when God doesn't want us to know the outcome. He doesn't want us to understand. And it is during those times where we don't know what lies ahead, that He wants us to rely on what we do understand, and that is His love, the love of God.

I was looking at the Proverbs 31 website this morning and I came across an article on this subject, so I thought that I would post it for all of you.

"Whoever said that life is a bed of roses probably did not warn you about the thorns. Just as we look past the thorns to see the beauty of the voluptuous rose, so must we do in life.

There are a thousand examples of looking past the pain in order to behold something beautiful, too many to mention! How many times do we endure to reap the rewards? How many times have we given up, only to miss the blessings?

I think of the woman with the issue of blood. The pain she must have felt, the discouragement and heartache she knew so well. When all odds were against her, she kept pressing on. She knew that Jesus was passing by and she longed to touch the hem of His garment. Her determination to push through the crowd was enough. Her faith was everything. She pressed on until she touched His garment and right then, it happened, her miracle was fulfilled.

Today we need to pray for that same zeal and determination to press on. It seems as though life throws us so many challenges. Every single day you will hear of someone, somewhere going through something. Or what about in your own life? Are you faced with circumstances that get you down? It may not be a physical challenge, it may be challenges in the home, on the job, within family and friends or a struggle for inner motivation. Whatever it may be, know that you can find your inner strength to press through the crowds that slow you down.

There are too many biblical examples of children of God pressing through to use all at once. They all have their own story, each one unique. Still, the end results are all the same; They endured until they knew the taste of victory. Healing, triumphs, countless miracles; all came about through faith and perseverance. If they had given up, there would have been no rewards.

It seems that anything out of the ordinary taps into the doubting Thomas within us, causing us to ask, "Why?" Face it, most of us are analytical people. We want to understand everything. If the answer cannot come through reasoning then it is not acceptable in the sight of many. Rather than trusting through faith many of us would rather ignore these things we cannot comprehend. It is easier to pass something by than to look beyond what is clearly on the surface.

Being in ministry, I am faced with the thoughts of, "Why?" quite often. There are many times I want the cold hard facts that can explain why. I want the now yesterday and the tomorrows now! Through the grace of God, I am learning to lean not on my own understanding. I am gaining wisdom and learning to see the beauty of His plan. I can see that His ways are better than my ways.

When I am bound by the challenges of life, I look through the crowds. If I can just touch the hem of His garment I will know that times of enduring were worth not understanding."

by Krystal Hamblin