And All That Jazz---

On Friday night, the hubby and I are leaving for a quick weekend trip to Chicago. He has wanted to see a Cubs game at Wrigley field since he was a little kid, so for his birthday, which was last weekend, I bought him tickets to this Saturday's Cubs game. He also wants to check out the Sears Tower. And we are going to eat at Ed Debevic's. I know that it doesn't seem like a very romantic place to have dinner, but it is a sentimental place for us. We used to celebrate each little anniversary at the one in Arizona, when we were dating. The one in AZ closed down though. So, only the ones in IL remain. So, for old times sake, we will eat there and have our photos taken in the black and white photo booth. Then, my friend from college, Charity, will hopefully meet up with us, since she lives in Indiana.

I think I have all our routes planned. I found a great deal on flights to Midway...but hotels everywhere..in the downtown area of Chicago were sold out months ago due to some festivals that weekend. So, we are staying near the O'Hare airport. What's cool though, is for seriously a little bit more than a yellow cab, we will have a limo pick us up late at night at the Midway aiport to take us to our hotel near the O'Hare airport. SO, that will be nice!!!!!!!!!!!

Then the rest of the weekend, we will use the L to get around. I think I have it all mapped out to get us from our hotel to downtown to Wrigley field...then to the Sears Tower and then to Ed's.
Hopefully I read the maps correctly. LOL.
And I saw that it may be best for us to get the 2 day pass for the el..instead of paying each time. I think that will be the best bet for us. We will then take the L from the hotel to the aiport on Sunday.

Anyway, I am sooo thrilled for our trip. I even bought a cute little Cubs Tee to wear to the game.

I will post pictures when we get back from our trip.

Sunday in the Park

So, we went to the park this afternoon for Turbo's birthday. Turbo is Tiff's son and one of the miss' best friends. Here are some pictures from the day. The mister loved the cake. He ate a little bit of mine and then attacked the leftovers on everyone else's plates. It was cute.

The Miss and Turbo

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The mister on the swing

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Me, The hubby and the miss

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Cake!!! Where's the cake?? Let me at it!

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YAY!

So, the mister has started clapping and today, he said..."yay" while he clapped. It was his first word. I recorded it with my stinky digital camera, which doesn't record sound. It was really dark, so I lightened it up a bit...but I lightened it maybe too much and it isn't the best quality, because it was compressed. So, it's hard to see...I do apologize...but it serves its purpose of showing him clapping.

Enjoy!
Clapping

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A Few Pictures

The miss at Kellee's graduation party on Saturday. They had stars hanging from the trees. So she was out there playing with them.

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The miss with "Aunt" Kate and Kate's niece.

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The little man passed out during lunch time yesterday.

The Kids

Here you go, GG.

The Junk in My Purse

Okay, my wonderful friend,Tiff, tagged me to do the purse meme. In this meme, I am to show you the contents of my purse.

Cue the excitement.

Well, here goes.

I recently switched over to this dirty and out of season purse, because I can fit more mommy things in it, like diapers and such and have more compartments for organizing...or for at least trying out organization.



Okay here is inside the first front pocket.

I don't usually have cash floating around like that. It is part of a payment a mom gave me a few weeks ago. I have been meaning to deposit it. But then when I left for New Mexico, I thought I'd just keep it handy. And there is also my pretty pink ipod, which needs to be charged. Keeping it in my purse, keeps it out of the miss' hands and it is also accesible at the grocery store. Sometimes it's nice to listen to it while shopping...well..when I go without the kids.
And of course, there's my debit card. Yep, no wallet, just the few cards I need..right there in my purse pockets. I know it isn't safe..they could get lost easily..but for now, that's how it works.

Here's pocket 2

Yep, a huge stack of receipts. I have to save all of them, whenever I buy something to use for the day care too. And I am behind on organizing them for the past two months. So, that's my stash. Oh, and wow..don't look at the total. That was one expensive shopping trip. A bulk amount of diapers, formula and some clothes will add so much to a grocery total. That's why it's best to stay away from Wal-Mart. Let's see what else is there? Oh, there's the other 3 cards I use...my Military ID, license and library card. Oh, and the miss' sword from our stop at Denny's on the way home from New Mexico.

Okay, inside the purse now....

Sunscreen....if only I can remember to use it all of the time. Oh, and a ton of new stamps that I bought from the ATM the last time I was at the bank. And a Blockbuster movie that I plan on returning at the nearby Blockbuster to rent a new one. That's been in there for 2 weeks now. I should get on that....or stick it in the mail.

And I have one more comparment inside my purse.

My Bible and book I write notes in, isn't always in my purse, but last night I went to Bible Study and stuffed them in my purse, because my hands were full. I also keep a diaper and some wipes with me at all times. There's another pen and my checkbook..oh and look, a penny, it's my lucky day. Actually the Safeway by my house, has a horse for the kids to ride on and it only costs a penny. I love it when there is one stashed in my purse....so that the miss can ride on the horse. And lastly, the magic fish is still hiding out in my purse. I bought him at the aquarium we visited in New Mexico. It is one that you put in water and then it grows. I should do that with the day care kids today.

So, there you go.....my purse. Boy has it changed. Before kids, my purse had makeup, a brush, maybe even a trial size of deoderant, hey I lived in AZ, mints, gum, contacts case, snacks....

Now, it's mainly stuff for kids.

Dear Mister Man

Dear Mister twenty-something year old man who just came to my door...rang the doorbell three times in a row and then knocked five times rather loudly...just as I was putting the day care kids down for a nap. One child WAS already asleep.

I don't want to buy any magazines from you. I don't care that you are trying to go to Europe. When I tell you that I have 5 kids I am trying to put down for a nap and that I am busy, please just say, "have a good day." and walk away. I don't want to be rude and slam the door in your face. I didn't find your comment/joke about how you'll come inside and put them down while I browse your magazines, funny. And then you tried to use the kid thing against me into luring me into a kid magazine. I already get Parents, and that's enough.
Do I look like I have time to read a million magazines?
When I tell you the second time that I am not interested, again..take the hint. Don't try another dumb marketing technique on me. I don't care what they taught you during your training for said magazine sales. You are annoying me and the one year old I am watching is going to start climbing up the stairs.
The only reason I opened the door, is because I am expecting a package and sometimes the UPS man rings the doorbell and then knocks. Although, your approach was much louder and more annoying, I should have been able to disassociate between the two.

Thank you though, for teaching me that it is time to put a No Solicitation sign up on my door.

Good Riddance!

Seriously

Seriously!

So, I say the word, seriously, a lot. Do I blame Grey's? I know that that is one of the key phrases from the show. Had I said it much before I started watching Grey's?
I am curious. But, wow, do I say it an awful lot. I wrote awhile back about how I say, really and truly a lot. I didn't even notice that until my hubby pointed it out to me. I have since stopped. Well, I say really and then shut my mouth so that "and truly" can't escape.

So, Melinda was voted off of American Idol. I was shocked, I was. I thought that maybe it was because everyone expected her to make it and spent their time trying to vote in the second person. I knew it would be close between Jordin and Blake. But everyone forgot about Miss Melinda. She knows darn well that she will get a record deal. I mean if Elliot Yamin can get one after being on the show, then goodness, Melinda will have one. So Blake or Jordin, eh? I think Blake should win because he just brings something so different to the table.

Did the Suns win last night? I fell asleep early. I didn't have a drop of Pepsi yesterday and because of that, I was able to sleep at a normal time.

When I saw the score last, they were only up by three points...it was in the third quarter I think.

I am lazy aren't I? I could just look it up online. But then I wouldn't get fun comments from ya'll.

So, someone tell me, did they win last night?

I started my second web design class last week. And this chick likes to bombard us with reading. She has a year's worth of lecture notes for each week and then on top of that, she adds on like 7 chapters of reading. My problem is, I am a nut who takes extensive notes over each page of text, so one chapter takes me an eternity. And these are small chapters, guys. But, I like to write my own novel as I read, apparently. A new week starts each Thursday, but she usually expects the reading to be done by the second day of the week, because our assignments throughout the week are based on the reading. So, basically, we have one day to read 7 chapters and a thousand pages of lecture notes. Right, let me get right on that!

Well, my mindless story telling is complete for the moment. Have a great morning everyone!

Thankful Thursday

The hubby is officially going to be out of the Air Force in September, and he recently found out that 11 people in his work area will most likely be deployed to Iraq. For once there is a scary deployment that I don't have to spend an ounce of time worrying about. And it's nice. I am keeping everyone's families in my prayers, however, as they prepare for the upcoming deployments.

I am thankful for the beautiful weather lately, but I need to remember that even when it isn't THAT hot out, the kids still need sunscreen. Oh and I do too. I have been so good about it, but yesterday, I forgot, and the poor mister got a little burn on the back of his neck. It's actually pretty red, but aloe is helping it. I won't forget anymore.

I am thankful for my stove, seriously! I was watching a video that Bobby with Invisible Children did for his Displaced Camp Journal. He is living in one of Gulu's displaced camps and documenting it. It took them 4 hours to cook a dinner of potatoes.
And here I am in my cozy home, with my fridge, microwave and stove. Really, that in itself is a blessing. And how I take it for granted.
Bobby's Journal 3

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I am thankful for my kiddos and for being able to have had this time in their lives to be at home with them, as much as it wears me out and drains me.

I am thankful for my hubby. He is a great man. I am proud to be his wife.

Well..

Well..we are pretty certain that we will be moving in September back to Arizona. The hubby has been looking into jobs there and is going to start applying soon, even though..he isn't available for work for a few months. We have some contacts too, so it looks good that he may be able to find something. He's excited about the pay rate for the jobs he is looking at as well. It will definitely put us in a much better financial situation than we have currently been in over the past two years. I am glad that we have made less though, because I think it has really helped to change our spending habits and what not, well a little bit.

We are still trying to determine the best time table for everything. He wants to have confirmation of a job in Arizona before we put the house up for sale. I just hope the timing works out that we can sell the house and move in time....without him leaving for Arizona first.

He has many leave days left, which is nice, because even though his last day in the Air Force is Sept. 29th, he can actually take the whole month of Spetember off. So, he could even be starting his new job while still in the Air Force, I think.

So, I am excited.

It's Been Awhile

Well, I haven't blogged since Thursday. I am sorry that it has been so long. I apologize also for not having a Psalms Sunday post up. I went away for the weekend. I had meant to do my Psalms Sunday before heading out of town, but I was just too busy, and my blog was near the bottom of my importance list.

On Friday evening, I headed out with the two kids to New Mexico, to visit some old friends from my childhood, Andrea and Nicole. Nicole was my neighbor and daughter of one of my mom's good friends. She was older than me, and since I acted much younger than my age, we didn't hang out all of the time, but we still played and hung out quite a bit. Andrea was and still is Nicole's best friend. And we hung out quite often too. I moved away from Connecticut when I was nine years old. I saw them again a few years later when I visited. But hadn't seen them since. Thanks to Myspace, the three of us got back in touch and began chit chatting quite a bit and decided it would be neat to visit with each other. So, since the hubby was away, I thought...why not? So 7 hours later, I was at Andrea's house.

The drive there went pretty well. The kids slept most of the way. The mister did wake up screaming at one point, during a part of highway that didn't have an exit in sight, so I had to make a bottle for him while driving. And I realized that my eyes really stink at night. It was really dark and a few times I slowed down the car quite abruptly thinking I was coming toward an animal or something, when really there was nothing there.

I got to their house at around 1:00 A.M. and my kiddos decided to wake up. They kept me up until 3:00 A.M. and then both woke up around 6:30 A.M. So, I was sleepy all weekend. On Saturday, we went to the nearby botanical gardens. The miss had a blast. We ate lunch there as well. There was also an aquarium, but the miss was needing a nap and the mister was sleepy as well, so we thought it best to head back to the house. My kids forgot what sleep was that weekend. They didn't do a whole lot of it, so neither did I. On Saturday evening though, Andrea, Nicole and I did get in some visit time, and that was nice.



Here's a pic of us at, I believe, a birthday party for Nicole. She is in the black and white outfit with the suspenders. Andrea is next to her in the pink pants. I am in the overalls next to the girl in her brownies uniform. And this picture is from 1985.

They pulled out their high school yearbooks and since I would have been a year behind them, I was able to look at pictures of those in my graduating class. I saw most everyone that I went to elementary school with. There would have been 83 people in my graduating class had I stayed in Connecticut. And they were all small town kids. They weren't all dressed trendy, with perfect hair and accessories, they were just themselves. I wonder what that was like. When I moved to Arizona, I was immersed in a completely different lifestyle. You had to wear name brand clothes and have perfect hair at the age of 10. It was ridiculous. There were 315 students in my high school graduating class. So, life in Connecticut would have been sooo much different.

So, that was definitely a trip.

On the morning of Mother's Day, the miss surprised me with a card that Andrea had helped her to make. "Happy Mother's Day for you," the miss told me as she handed it to me. She also helped Andrea to make me a waffle breakfast, which was mighty yummy. Originally, I was going to stay until around noon, but since the kids were a tad fussy, I left at nine A.M.

The mister conked right out and slept right up until we stopped for lunch. The miss slept for a tiny bit, but then spent a couple of hours just sitting quietly in a zoned state. At around noon, we stopped at a Denny's that was close to the border of New Mexico and our home state. Both kids were perfect angels at Denny's, which was wonderful. The servers kept wishing all the mothers a Happy Mother's Day. And when the miss overheard them, she looked at me and told me Happy Mother's Day. She's so cute.

We made several stops along the way home. I was getting awfully tired, so I kept stopping for sugary snacks and beverages. I was sooo happy to get home, and wanted nothing more than to sleep, but my kids never let me. We went later that evening to the airport to pick up the hubby. It was so nice to have him back home again.

He got me a Foundations Angel for mother's day. It's very pretty. It has gorgeous detail on it. He also got me the Martina Mcbride cd. And on Monday morning, he let me sleep in a few hours, while he gave the day care kiddos breakfast and watched them. SO that was wonderful!

Well, that's it for my update for now. Was this a long post, or what?

For my Psalms Sundays regulars, I will visit your sites to see if you wrote a post, and I'll comment. And I'll write a post next week for the next Psalm. Thanks for understanding.

Oh and here are two of the only few pictures I took from the weekend. This is Andrea holding the finally sleeping mister at the gardens. And the miss playing around on a giant ant.

Outside Fun

Hey, Grandpa Ken, check out the miss' jersey....

Procrastination Station

I do these a lot on my Myspace blog...and thought...why not post one here...
Here goes:

1] describe your last kiss?
I kissed the mister all over his face...and he laughed.

2] whose car were you in last
My own.

3] what was the highlight of your weekend?
My hubby let me sleep in on Saturday and I didn't get up until 11:30...it was WONDERFUL.

4] what color shirt are you wearing?
Pink

5] how long is your hair?
Shoulder length

6] how long have you been friends with your best friends?
14 years

7] who's on your mind right now?
Nobody at the moment

8] last show you watched?
Idol and the Suns game at the same time

9] last thing you ate?
A Pria Chocolate peanut butter bar

10] last thing you drank?
Lemonade Vitamin water

11] where did you sleep last night?
In my bed. And it took me forever to fall asleep...because my hubby is gone for the week..and whenever he is gone, it usually takes me a few days before I can sleep.

13] when was the last time you smiled?
Just a little bit ago

14] what did you say last?
"Miss, you need to be a nice friend."

15] where is your phone?
I am not sure

17] what color are your eyes?
Brown

18] what shoes are you wearing?
bare foot

19] What time did you wake up this morning?
6:00 A.M.

20] name the last three things you have bought in the past 24 hours?
Wooden trays, scrapbook paper and mod-podge..the day care kiddos are decorating breakfast trays for their mom's for mother's day.

21] who/what do you hate currently?
nobody

22] what are you listening to?
Kids screaming..it's such a delightful sound.

25] who makes you the happiest right now?
Right now..at this very moment? Whichever child is the quietest.

26] does someone have a crush on you?
I hope not.

26] do you have a crush on someone?
Am I in Jr. High?

27] are you addicted to myspace?
I like to keep in touch with friends

28] what was the first thing you said when you woke up?
Out of the kitchen please. Mommy needs to clean up and mop.

29] are you left-handed?
No.

30] what are you avoiding by filling out this survey?
Reading chapter one in my html, xhtml, css book.

31] how is your life rated on a scale of 1-10?
10

32] what does the 3rd text in your inbox say?
No cell

33] what did you do last night?
Went to Hobby Lobby, made a practice tray for the day care kid's craft, watched Idol and the Suns, Did some homework, cleaned up a tad...put the kids to bed, tried to fall asleep.

34] are you critical or gullible?
Both

35] describe in 2 words
best friend: Missed Dearly
one: Singular Sensation
two: By Two
parents: Need Sleep.

36] what time is it right now:
12:24 P.M.

37] what are your plans for tomorrow?
Day Care and then take blazer to Wal-Mart to make sure all looks good before I head out to NM on Fri. Then while they are checking that out, I will buy stuff for the drive and what not.

38] anything you're looking forward to?
Seeing some old Connecticut friends this weekend that I've been in touch with here on myspace...that I haven't seen since I was 11 when Ivisited them in CT.
They live in NM. I am going to their place with the kiddo's

39] are you tired?
Yes, I couldn't fall asleep last night. I was up until almost 2 and up at 6 this morning. I should sleep well tonight.

40] what do you wish you could have right now?
A steak and garlic mashed potatoes and a freaking huge fountain Pepsi. Oh and some of Outback's bread smothered in butter and a huge, hot brownie covered in vanilla ice cream.

WOO HOO

Looks like I finished my class with a 95%. I got a 100% on my huge project. I have already started reading my lecture notes for my class that starts tomorrow, and parts are confusing. I have had to re-read some portions. But it's all scripting and it's so much fun!

Mother's Day Gifts

So last year, the day care kiddos made their mommy's painted pots with flowers in them. Their painted handprint flowers and fingerprint bees adorned each side of the pot. They were cute. So, I needed something cute and usable this year as well. So, the kids are making their mom's decorated wooden serving trays. Unfortunately, the only sizes that had at the craft store last night were smaller than a typical serving tray. So, they can't do a whole breakfast on the tray. Oh well.
I bought some pretty scrapbook paper and I will use Mod-podge to stick it to the tray. They will then apply a poem and handprint onto the tray. I will then cover that with several coats of mod-podge to seal it. We will do that tomorrow. Then on Friday, we will make jumbo cinnamon rolls together...and I will wrap one for each mom and they will place that onto their trays. Then on Sunday morning, the dad's can help the kids to heat up the cinnamon rolls and serve them to their mommy's on their trays. I think it'll be cute!

Here's an example of a deocupaged tray using mod-podge I couldn't find one specifically for a mother's day craft.

Note to self

When looking around the bathroom in every drawer for tweezers and other items, don't forget to check the soap. The little Miss' hands may have stuck them in there when you weren't looking.

Hello

Well, Tiff came over last night and I almost finished my quilt..well almost got it to a point where all that was left was tying it so that it stays together. But I ran out of thread. But, I plan on finshing it tonight or tomorrow. I can't wait for you all to see it. It is so cute.

My next class starts on Thursday and I have already printed out this week's lectures and assignments so I can start cracking on it. I have an assignment due on Friday and on Saturday. I plan on going to New Mexico this weekend with the kids, to visit some old Connecticut friends, Andrea and Nicole, and I want to have my assignments done beforehand. So, I have begun.

I took my exam for my current class and didn't do nearly as well as I had wanted to. I have had a 97% in the class...and I may drop down to a high B now, because of my exam...but I am not positive, because the big project that I am turning in tomorrow, is actually worth 90 something points. The test I took today was only worth 42. So, maybe I'll still be okay.

Anyway, enough of the boring school talk.

G.G. has asked for pics of the mister. I really haven't taken any lately, but I did take a few just goofing around, the other day. So, here you go, GG, here's the mister crawling and doing push ups.



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Psalms Sunday #17

Psalm 17
A prayer of David.
1 Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea;
listen to my cry.
Give ear to my prayer—
it does not rise from deceitful lips.
2 May my vindication come from you;
may your eyes see what is right.

3 Though you probe my heart and examine me at night,
though you test me, you will find nothing;
I have resolved that my mouth will not sin.

4 As for the deeds of men—
by the word of your lips
I have kept myself
from the ways of the violent.

5 My steps have held to your paths;
my feet have not slipped.

6 I call on you, O God, for you will answer me;
give ear to me and hear my prayer.

7 Show the wonder of your great love,
you who save by your right hand
those who take refuge in you from their foes.

8 Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings

9 from the wicked who assail me,
from my mortal enemies who surround me.

10 They close up their callous hearts,
and their mouths speak with arrogance.

11 They have tracked me down, they now surround me,
with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.

12 They are like a lion hungry for prey,
like a great lion crouching in cover.

13 Rise up, O LORD, confront them, bring them down;
rescue me from the wicked by your sword.

14 O LORD, by your hand save me from such men,
from men of this world whose reward is in this life.
You still the hunger of those you cherish;
their sons have plenty,
and they store up wealth for their children.

15 And I—in righteousness I will see your face;
when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.




The verse that stood out to me the most while reading this Psalm, was Verse 5 "My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not slipped."

I wish I could say, that in my life, this was true. I know that God has such an amazing plan for my life. But how many times do I delay what He has for me, by taking my own scenic route? How many times do I decide what is best for myself without even thinking twice about consulting God on the matter?

His path isn't always peaceful or easy to walk upon. Sometimes it is hilly or steep. Some areas are treacherous. But throughout the journey, my loving father is my guide. I know that the end of the path will be glorious and perfect because it will take me to the point where I have fulfilled His will for my life.

If I could only learn how to stay on His path and not wander off. I mean, come on God, the flowers over that way are so beautiful. Or that path nearby looks like it leads to that gorgeous waterfall. Are you sure I am supposed to keep going on the path you have me on? You do know that it appears to be leading toward some jagged boulders, don't you? I think I prefer the waterfall, God.

Oh if only I could always stay on course and keep my feet from slipping!!!!

Ahhhhhh!

So, I feel so very very rested. My hubby let me sleep in today, because he leaves on Tuesday for Arizona for 5 days to see his family and friends and to be with his mom on mother's day. And it will be crazy next week without him here. So, today, he let me sleep. I went to bed around 11:30 P.M. and I slept today until 11:30 A.M. I did get up once around 9:30, because the mister was screaming his head off. So, I got some much needed rest and I feel soooo great!!! I had so much energy today, but I was so very lazy. I should have done something productive with my energy, oh well.

I was in the mood to go out tonight. I really wanted to dance. Maybe go to a club or something and dance. I also had an urge to see a movie. We almost had a sitter for tonight, but I didn't follow through with it. Oh well. We are about to make some popcorn though and watch one of our Blockbuster Online flicks.

I'll be back tomorrow for Psalms Sunday. Talk to you then.

Bare!

Over at Adventures in Babywearing, there is a little contest going on inspired by People Magazine's Stars without makeup gallery. She is having us bloggers post pictures of ourselves without makeup on. And, well in my picture, not only do I not have makeup on, but I just quickly threw up my hair and I am wearing the shirt I wore to bed. It is my hubby's. I was cold last night.


So, post your bare self and you could win a fun prize.

Oh and here is one more pic, I just found on my hubby's computer...it is from my wedding day. I had the hair done, but no makeup on yet. I actually don't like this pic, but he looovves it!



Side note: I don't usually wear much makeup. When I do, it's a little foundation, blush, mascara and lipstick.

I Need Rest, Doctor's Orders!!!

So, I went to an appointment at the Women's Health Clinic on base today and decided to ask a little about thyroid problems. I don't really think I have a thyroid problem, but I wanted to find out if there could be a medical reason why I have been so very VERY fatigued and moody lately.

As I talked to the doctor about it, I realized how silly I was to think such a thing, especially when it is quite obvious what I am really suffering from...


This is about midway through the conversation, after she ran down the list of symptoms I would have with a thyroid problem.

Doctor: So, you've been really tired?

Me: Yes

D: and how old are your kids?

M: 3 and 10 months

D: And what do you do for a living?

M: I run a day care out of my house and watch 6 kids all day long.

D: Wow, okay! How much sleep do you get.

M: Oh, maybe 5 - 6 hours or so each night.

D: Do you drink a lot of water?

M: No, mainly Pepsi.

D: And how many Pepsi's?

M: Oh, 3-4 per day.

D: How about vitamins, are you taking any?

M: No, but I really should.

D: And are you exercising?

M: Other than housework and chasing after kids, No. But I've been wanting to and meaning to.

D: Well, we can still take your blood and test your thyroid, but I think you need to sleep, eat healthy, drink water and work out a bit.

Yeah, I realized all of that as I was talking with her. Obviously, I need to take better care of myself.

Praying for Heather

Many of you in the blog world know about Heather. But some of my readers aren't in the blog world. Heather is a 32 year old, amazing woman, who was recently diagnosed as having a brain tumor. A tumor that she will possibly die from. Today she had surgery to remove the tumor. Please keep her and her family in your prayers. She is currently in recovery.

I also want to urge all of you to read this post written by her. I will link to it, but also post it verbatim here...because it is so amazing. May you be touched by her faith, by her trust, by her love. And if this is your first time meeting miss Heather, please spend some time on her site to get to know her daughter, Emma Grace, and her amazing story.

Heather's Post

Here's what she wrote two days ago....

Thursday is getting closer, and even though I sometimes find myself enveloped in fear, I also find that the closer the day gets- the more peace I find. I have fears about this procedure, I fear losing function on my right side, I fear not being able to speak or sing, I fear losing who I am personality wise, I fear alot of things.

But I do not fear death.

The song "I can only imagine came on the radio yesterday and I can honestly tell you that this song means so much more to me today than it did 2 weeks ago. Surrounded by His glory, what will my heart feel… will I dance before you Jesus or in awe of you stand still… will I stand in your presence or to my knee’s will I fall…. Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all, I can only imagine…

There are things that you talk about with your spouse that you would never talk about with anyone else in times like this. Not because they are so personal and private, but because they are so amazingly honest. Mark and I were talking about the risks of the procedure- death being one of them; He looked me square in the eyes and said "If you die, I will be so angry", he paused and then said “because you will get to see Christ before me". Having a husband who truly gets it- truly understands what this is about is so wonderful. This isn't about me- never was.

Last night while we were coming up the elevator, he asked how I was feeling- and I told him that I was nervous. And I am. But at this point I have no control over what Thursday holds for me. I can cry and flip out and waste these next 48 hours on what ifs and fear, or I can enjoy them knowing that whatever the outcome on Thursday- I lived my life to fullest. I laughed, I loved so very deeply, and more than anything I tried to share Christs love at every opportunity these last 3 weeks. Come Thursday, all I can do is lay my antibacterial washed head down on that table and find peace in the knowledge whatever happens at the end of the day-

He's already there.

My parents are flying in this afternoon, along with Emma Grace. I miss my kids so terribly. We debated having Elijah and Easton come, but it just didn’t seem fair to disrupt their lives again. They needed the normalcy, and hospitals and waiting rooms would only stress them out more. Seeing me after surgery would only stress them out more. Easton especially needed to be removed from this, short of phone calls and post cards. I know that alot of people disagreed with that decision, but it is one that I and Mark strongly felt was appropriate. My older kids have already been through too much, they have seen too much, and lived through too much. They don't need to see their mom the way that I will be after this surgery. They need to see me well and moving. That is my motivation. I want to be able to walk into my house and wrap my arms around my children and not skip a beat.

It will, however mean so much to me to be able to wrap my arms around Emma Grace before I go in. Not because she is more important, but because she is less aware. My arms long for my children, and having at least one of them here for me to physically hold will do my heart such good.

I am blessed, as hard as it is for us (and some of you) to see that sometimes- Mark and I are so very blessed.

My prayer for every single person reading this is that you find the peace that floods over me. That you realize that there is a God who loves you so very much, and wants so badly to have a personal relationship with you. I pray that my story touches you and draws you closer to him in ways that you never thought possible. I pray that you hold your children a little tighter, and love your husband a little deeper. I pray that you hold your parents closer and realize that in the end- everything else is meaningless. Christs love for you is so immense and so encompassing. I have been asked so many times how I can believe in a God who brought this into my life- who threatens to take my children’s mother away and my husbands wife away.

I stand before you today and tell you that my tumor is not God's punishment. My daughters terminal illness and autism and failing heart are not Gods punishment. My life is a living testimony of his grace and love. The 5 years that I have spent with this amazing child, who every doctor told me would be dead by now, is a testimony of His grace and love. Finding this tumor from an inner ear infection is a testimony of His grace and love. Being so young, and without any symptoms from such a large tumor is a testimony of His grace and love. Having 32 years of life is a testimony of His grace and love.

Its all in how you face it, I cant stress that enough. Every trial and every hardship that has walked into Mark and I's life has been faced with hope and peace. There have been moments we have asked "Why Us" but honestly, there are more times that we have asked “Why not us”.

Bad things are going to happen. Its inevitable. Facing them with hope and power makes the journey so much more possible. Facing the pain knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that my future is secure, and my eternity is claimed- that is an indescribable feeling.

I pray that you seek diligently after that feeling. If you do not have a personal relationship with Christ, it is my prayer that you are so touched by our story that you find yourself wanting to know more about this amazing relationship I have with my God.

Seek Him. He is so much closer than you think.

YAY!

So, I just got my book delivered to me for my next class that starts in 7 days, and I am sooo excited. The entire book is all about html, xhtml and css. I spent 10 minutes just browsing through it. I am thrilled. Soon I will know what I am doing....and I won't be guessing anymore. WOO HOO!
Oh and then my book for the class after that one, that starts in June, is all about photoshop. So I am excited!

Daylight comes and me wanna go home

So, I love it here...where we currently live, I do. When we moved out here, I vowed we would stay here. It's pretty and it's a great place to raise kids, I think. But, I miss my family and Steve's family and my best friend.

And now that Audrey is getting older, she constantly asks to see her grandma or her papa or her Tara, and it breaks me up inside. And it makes me sad that the little mister is growing up and our family can't see it.

I also think it would be better for me and the hubby too. We'd have our friends nearby and our family and we could have more date nights, because we'd have plenty of babysitters. And we NEED date nights!!!!!!

Hubby gets out of the Air Force in September...the 29th to be exact. Originally, we were going to stay out here for maybe a year or two, because we think the market is better out here. He does Net. Admin stuff..some firewall stuff and has top secret clearance.

But, I think, if he flooded Arizona with resumes, he'd get something, right? And I am totally fine with going back to work for a little while at my old Title Company, with the kids in day care...while I work on finishing my web design certifcation.

But my biggest concern is selling our home. I just emailed the realtor I used when we bought it...just to get some ideas...suggestions. I know we could always rent it, but that scares me..because if some time goes by without renters, we have to pay the mortgage on it, ya know.

I just want to go home. As much as I was never a fan of Arizona, I do miss it! And we can always come back here someday...maybe.

So....

One thing that I really wish I could change about myself, is how easily run by emotions I am...how easily I can be affected by things around me.....how easily I can get down and stay there all day and all night. And when I do get down, it affects everything. I end up not wanting to do anything....I end up sulking inside.....I end up wanting someone around me to fix it...which they could if they knew that's what I wanted. I had one of those days yesterday. It started the night before. It was triggered by thoughts and then it just kept spiraling from there. And it affected me all day. I couldn't focus on much of anything else. I had things I wanted to do, but just wasn't in the mood to do anything, but be gloomy.
I don't get down a lot, but when I do, I do it with all I have. So I was mopey, I was sad.
But this morning, everything is fine again. I am happy. The birds are chirping, the kid's smiles are making me melt. I may be a little tired, but other than that, life is grand.
I'm a nut..I tell ya!

Hello All

It's been a few days, so I thought I'd write. Really, not much has been going on. I am nearing the end of my current class. My big project and exam are next week and then immediately after the class is over, my next class begins. I am excited for my next one, because we will jump a tad into scripting. YAY!

I've been trying to get to the gym each night, but something always comes up, or I wait too long and then am too tired and lazy to go. But I do plan on going tonight. My pretty pink IPOD is all charged and ready. So, it's time to go work out. I do enjoy it once I am there...it's just the getting out the door part that is hard. Especially because, once I am done with dinner, cleaning and getting kids ready for bed, it's 8:00 and I just want to sit down and relax. But, I know I'd feel so much better if I went to the gym instead.

Our cable/DVR box went kapoot over the weekend. So, I had to actually watch Idol last night, instead of taping it and fast forwarding through half of it. It was a really good show. It stinks that two have to go home. I hope Chris is one of them. And I really hope that Jordin's fans remember how good she is and vote for her even though her performance was pretty shaky. Blake was AWESOME!! I would pay to see him in concert, because it would be entertaining, that's for sure!

The kiddos are doing well. The weather the past few days has been simply beautiful....79 and very very hot! It's rainy today though, so I don't think we'll get outside to play today. But they have enjoyed being outside this past week or so.

Well, it's nap time and I am a bit bored. I have tons of reading for school to do, but I am not in the mood. I feel restless today. I always struggle with feeling restless though. It's almost like, although everything is GREAT, I can't ever just be. I always need to be doing more. GO to school or do a new job or try a new thing. I've always been that way. I was always involved in so much growing up. I don't know how to just be still...LOL.

Like right now I started thinking about Idol again. I seem to get an idol itch every year around this time...where I think about auditioning. But, I know I have a family and they come first. But I have that itch..I do. It will subside though.
I dunno...I always have to be doing something..or planning something. I'm a nut!

Well, I am going to try to sit still and just be. I'll write more tonight or tomorrow. Talk to you then. I hope you all have a great day!