KaceyBee's Blog

Third Time is the Charm

2011-10-03T18:50:00.000-04:00

Well I submitted my THIRD resignation letter of the year today. After three long months of commuting 90 miles one way and staying with friends, Coach and I have decided that it is not in the best interest of me or us. While the opportunity seemed good, we feel that God has other (better) plans.

While I wish I could say that I was going to stay at home and create everything that I've pinned on Pinterest, our bills require me to work. I am going back to a job that I never should have given up -- a job that never felt like "work". I'm sure most people will think I'm crazy for giving up two really "great jobs" this year. Unfortunately, the definition of a good job seems to be one that provides benefits. Benefits might seem great, but after working a handful of jobs, I've come to realize that it is far more worth it to work at something you love doing.

It seems that a majority of people work at jobs they hate and sacrifice their health, their family and their livelihood... all in pursuit of the American dream. Well, I'm officially ending this pursuit in my life. I've decided that life is too short to be doing anything else than what you love...

The Wheels of your Mind

2011-09-16T12:30:00.002-04:00

I've written about the power of positive before... and I've witnessed it time and time again in my life and in the lives of others.

I read this devotion today and thought it was a great illustration and very well said. So I'm sharing with the ~~world~~ two people who read my blog.

From the devotional "Encouragement for Today" - http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/encouragement/

"For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7a (KJV)
The day started off just fine, but ended with confusion and tears. As a timid middle-schooler, I climbed the steps of my school bus eager to get home after a long afternoon.
Sitting quietly in my seat, all of a sudden I got this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Although my surroundings appeared to be the same, something was not right.
The bus was the normal sunshine yellow. The seats were standard black vinyl, displaying rips and tears from years of students. The floor was littered with the usual misplaced pencils, erasers and wadded-up papers. Yet, I felt out of place.
That's when I realized I did not know any of the kids sitting around me. And I had never seen the bus driver before. Frantically, I searched for anything familiar. My cheeks grew hot and my heart raced with panic as I realized I was on the wrong bus.
Although I WAS headed somewhere, it was NOT where I wanted to go.
I'd been distracted by conversations with friends, thoughts of sleepovers, and how much homework I had. My thoughts were not focused on where I was going. The actions that followed caused me to end up somewhere I did not want to be.
Thinking back on that day, I've considered how our thoughts determine a lot about the direction of our lives. Like my school bus, our thoughts will always take us somewhere, but it may not be somewhere we want to end up.
If we spend time thinking about how our boss does not appreciate us, our thoughts will take us straight to a bad attitude at work and possibly poor performance.
If we focus on how much we do for others and how little we feel appreciated, our thoughts will take us to a place of resentment, with lack of patience and love.
If we spend an entire day fuming over something our husband or kids did, and mentally practice the harsh words we plan to say to them, those thoughts will lead us into a place of arguments, hurt feelings and damaged relationships.
If we dwell on why God has allowed certain problems in our lives, we will transport ourselves into a state of insecurity and unhappiness as we stop trusting God.
If we focus our thoughts on money, career, success and pleasure, we will find ourselves in the land of the lost—feeling frustrated and discontent.

Our thoughts are powerful and require great self control. If we allow them to run rampant, focusing on things that lead us away from God, then we will wind up at a destination we would never deliberately choose.
In today's key verse, God shows us why we should choose carefully what we think about, because our thoughts determine who we are and how we live.

My childhood memory reminds me to consistently ask God to help me keep my mind on Him and on the thoughts He has for me. That way I can live according to His plans and with His perspective, seeking to be acutely aware of where my thoughts may lead me.

Our thoughts really do have wheels. Where are your thoughts taking you today?

Whoa Baby

2011-09-12T20:04:00.001-04:00

Before my birthday even comes around this year, I have already declared myself old.

Three reasons:

1. Yesterday when I realized it was the TEN year anniversary of September 11th, I realized it was 10 years since I was a senior in high school. Where has the time gone?

2. I noticed a varicose vein that is trying to take residence on my leg. ACK.

3. I have been having many random thoughts about becoming a mother.

Yes, those things make me old. But...maybe being old won't be so bad.

And hey, by this definition, I've been old for a LONG time. Nap time has always made me happy!

Dear Grandma,

2011-08-25T21:01:00.005-04:00

I thought of you today when I looked at the calendar and realized it was your birthday. At first, I was sad that I couldn't call you and wish you Happy Birthday, but then I realized that your party with the big man and the angels singing a happy birthday chorus is much better!

It's hard to believe you've been gone 13 years. You wouldn't believe all that has changed!

First off, all the good TV shows you taught me to love have been replaced by trash.   That's right, no more Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, Walker Texas Ranger, Murder She Wrote. But, you will be excited to know that QVC is still thriving. (And Mom secretly loves watching it just like you did! She doesn't have their number in speed dial yet, but I'm sure that day will come!)

Mom is beautiful as she has always been and one day she is going to be a wonderful grandma, just like you. But for now, she stays rather busy with the OTHER Katie. Yes, she was silly enough to give her third child the same name as her brother's third child. (Hey, they are your kids!) Our Katie is a big goofball, just like the rest of your grandchildren. :) She loves to read and her favorite place to go is the library. She would've loved you :)

Khris never grew into loving reading or shopping like you tried to get him to. But, he has learned how to cook. A little. Just don't ask him to cook brownies.... or mashed potatoes. He's still working on it. He is still wild and crazy though!

Remember when you took me to work for "Take your Daughter to Work Day"? Well, I thought working in a big office was so cool that I decided to go to college and get a degree in business so I could work in a big office and eventually own my own office. My first job was with yours truly, the FDA. The Parklawn building wasn't as happy as the building you worked in. And there wasn't a Dunkin Donuts next door where I could order Cranberry Orange muffins every morning.   But you know what was the same? You can't tell anyone.... but, I use the same password you used on your computer. SHHHHH! Anyway, I think I've had my share of working in offices and I'm ready to run my own office! Just one problem... I'm not sure what TYPE of office. Maybe you could work your connections with the Big Man and ask Him to send some guidance my way. Remind Him that I'm very indecisive and I need it spelled out rather clearly.

I met an amazing man in college who I married two years ago. I really missed your shopping expertise when we were shopping for wedding dresses! Russ and I had a lot of grandparents who we missed that day, but that beautiful double rainbow right before our reception began let us know that you were all in heaven smiling down on us and blessing our marriage!

Life is crazy, but we are doing our work and when we are finished, we are going to have the biggest family reunion ever! Hey, is that lady from Cinnamon Run who ALWAYS called the cops up there? If so, you better tell her to get ready, because we are going to party hard! Do you think you could start working on a big plate of Salmon Pate? And maybe a big bowl of German Potato Salad?   For dessert, how about some Black Walnut cookies? And dig out the Scrabble board, because we are going to play a round, or ten. (Can you believe no one will play with me?! I tell them I learned from the best!)

I wish heaven wasn't so far away....Love you and miss you!

The Power of Positive Thinking

2011-07-21T21:58:00.000-04:00

"Every thought is a seed. If you plant crabapples, don't expect to harvest Golden Delicious apples"

This week I've learned that there is true power in positive thinking. I started my new job, which is 90 miles from home. Talk about a lot of time to think! I admit, I started out the week with some excitement, but about 40 miles into the drive, it quickly faded. By the end of the day, I had to find some inspiration because I felt myself falling into a pit. I've had to do some re-programming of my grumblings along the week.

Instead of groaning about the awful time that I get up, I am grateful for the opportunity I have to watch the beautiful sunrise each morning on my way to work.

Instead of thinking about all the things that I have to do in such a short time at home, I am thankful that one of my strengths is organization. I plan our menu at the beginning of the week and I fix lunch and set out dinners for my husband to cook. Planning ahead = less stress in my world. And most of all, I am thankful for an amazing husband who takes care of everything at the house before I get home so I don't have to worry about it. A helping husband = a happy wife.

At the new job, I've had some anxiety over the change. I always hate the first week of the job. I feel like the dumbest person in the place while I learn everything. But instead of being overwhelmed, I am so grateful for the small things -- the ability to use Outlook for email instead of the TERRIBLE program I had at the previous job. I can actually access Facebook during lunch breaks. Not that I need to because I now work in a city where I have multiple dining and shopping options available to take advantage of during my hour :) And I work in an office of very friendly people.

And lastly, even though the drive has been grueling, I've had lots of time to spend thinking, praying, praising and catching up with God and family and friends. I can listen to about 7 chapters of an audio book each day. My cell phone has used more minutes in one week than it has in one month! And, after asking, I received many small affirmations from God that I am in fact doing what I am supposed to be doing.

Positive thinking and perseverance... they really do pay off in the long run! The 180 mile a day long run :P

Things I learned while on vacation

2011-06-26T18:26:00.000-04:00

I am still around! Just very busy. Coach and I just came back from a vacation to see my side of the family. We had a great time... and even learned some things while we were gone...

The word vacation is not synonymous with "sleeping in"
Grandma will spoil you no matter how old she is... or how old you are.
Air mattresses CAN actually stay inflated.
Gummy bears are made with vegetables. Yup, we really heard that.
Restaurants in the South DO run out of biscuits.
One man can convince five women to walk out of a restaurant. Thank you Coach for convincing us that we wanted sushi instead of Friday's.
God can save you from anything. Even a speeding ticket.
You can still love Chipotle after eating it three times in one week.
You can still love your husband after spending FORTY FIVE hours in the car together.

While I'm glad to be back in my own bed and my own house, there are big changes on the way that are going to cause me to need another vacation.... to the spa!

Coachism's

2011-06-06T21:46:00.000-04:00

If you ever want to know how my husband feels or thinks, you usually just have to ask. He's not one to hold back his feelings or philosophies.

Earlier this week, after hearing repeated yelling during a round of Wii baseball, I went to investigate. I walk into the room to see that the game is tied and I ask why he is so frustrated. To which my dearly beloved says...

"Because we all know tying is like kissing your grandma.......... french kissing your grandma."

Well then...

Coach - 1
Kacey - 0

No ties here.

Optimism helps my world go 'round

2011-05-19T20:16:00.000-04:00

Lately, I've been having a lot of "so busy I can't think straight" days. Welcome to life with two jobs, a house and a husband to take care of.   After a particularly busy and stressful day, someone came up to me and said "Thank you for being such an optimist. I really needed it today." I was taken aback. I don't mind being accused of being an optimist, in fact, I would venture to say it is probably my tendency to be an optimist, but there are days when I don't feel like being positive. That was one of those days. You know, the days where you want to tell people how you really feel.

Even the most optimistic person in the world experiences times in life when it is just downright hard to find a glimmer of sunlight in a situation. Times when you feel as though the storm is coming... the world is ending... the sky is falling. A child dies, a loved one is given a terminal diagnosis or is facing a drug addiction.

When I find myself in a deep, dark place in life, I seek out some sort of optimism (quotes, Bible verses, etc.) to help me cope. I have to share my discovery during my most recent quest - The Optimist's Creed. I found it to very inspiring and challenging. In fact, it's my new wall art in the office so I can remember the things that really matter.

Promise Yourself ...
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

A few things that jumped out at me...
"To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind" -- NOTHING. Not the screaming kids. Not the piles of laundry. Not the unexpected repair bill. Not a diagnosis. Not a death. Nothing means nothing. You've got to have a strong peace of mind (one that can only be found through Christ) to cope with those things.

"To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet." So often we equate health to being negative news. But it doesn't have to be! God is in the healing business and we don't talk enough about it! God has been speaking to me lately about opening my mouth and using my health testimony.   I'm not big on divulging my life to strangers, so it's something that I've been working on.

"make your optimism come true."   What we think plays a large part of who we become. We've all known a "Negative Nancy" in life and they are not pleasant to be around. If we think optimistically, we are bound to help the optimistic outlook come true. As Henry Ford said, "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you are right"

"to be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own" Sure, we give people high fives, hugs and handshakes when they have accomplished something great, but deep down, are we TRULY happy for them? Or is there a nagging feeling of jealousy buried deep within?

"give every living creature you meet a smile" Ugh. I'm just not sure about smiling at a spider.... or a snake. Seriously though, this line might be the hardest, even if we eliminate animals. There are people in life who you just don't want to smile at. They are a thorn in your side. But a smile is a simple curve that can set a lot of things straight. It's true. You really can get through to people a lot easier by being nice to them rather than returning their ill moods and attitudes.

If we can follow the creed, we are bound to not only make our own lives more bearable, but we are probably going to impact those around us too.   There are a lot of people with squeaky wheels who just need a little bit of optimistic oil squeezed into their lives. A few words or a simple smile can make a profound difference!

That takes some Rizpah

2011-04-14T17:08:00.000-04:00

When Christian women think of a woman role model in the Bible, they usually go straight to the Proverbs 31 woman. While that woman has some serious qualities to be envious of, there are many other awe inspiring ladies in the Bible. I recently studied a woman who I had never studied before...

Her name is Rizpah. Her story is tragic, yet her character shines through.

Rizpah was one of King Saul's concubines. At one point during his reign, Saul attempted to wipe out the entire population of Gibeonites who were living in Israel. Because Joshua had promised protection to the Gibeonites, they were a little upset over this task and so was God. Israel began experiencing a three year famine after the attempted annihilation. When King David came to rule, he attempted to make amends with the Gibeonites in hopes of ending the famine. They called for the death Saul's sons -- two of those belonging to Rizpah. Her two sons were put to death and left for the animals to devour. Her sons were not given a proper burial, and momma was not going to settle for that.

Bless this momma's heart...instead of getting mad, bitter or depressed over the situation, she gets out her sackcloth and she stands on the mountaintop with her dead sons from approximately late April (during the barley harvest) to early October (when the rains come) to scare away the birds and the animals.

Think about that for a minute. No shelter. No companion. Just her and God and two dead, rotting bodies. FOR SIX MONTHS. She couldn't have gotten much sleep because the animals come out at night. Can you imagine being outside in the dead of night and turning around to see glimmering eyes and a set of chompers staring at you in the face, ready to devour your two sons? That takes some... "Rizpah"

This mother fiercely loved her children and faithfully stood by their side until they were given a proper burial. She fought for what was right. And she won! Not only were her sons given a proper burial, but the other five men were as well. Her faithfulness paid off.

Our faithfulness through tough situations will also be rewarded. God knows your situation and He will provide... in His time. We just have to be faithful and leave the rest up to Him. As Mother Teresa said "I am not called to be successful, I am called to be faithful."

May we find the love, courage and tenacity of Rizpah to be faithful through our toughest situations.

Happy Birthday Honey!

2011-04-04T00:00:00.003-04:00

This year marks this 8th birthday that I've known you. Wow, the time flies!

I can't blindfold you and drive you three hours to the beach this year like I did for your 19th birthday because we don't have the time. We don't even have time to drive 45 minutes to the beach! We are busy... and broke but we still make time for each other. And those moments and memories are what I love and look forward to.

Little things like this...
I love how you get excited when you know we are going to have something good for dinner... like tacos. (PS - We are having those tonight for your birthday)

I love that you sing your heart out in the car, no matter who is in the car with us.

I love that you talk football with me like I'm one of the guys. One of these days I'm going to get it!

I love that you make me laugh by being your silly self.

I love how you are spontaneous, yet easy going. You provide a balance to my planned life in a way I never thought I needed.

I love that you lead the high schoolers in FCA and men's group at church, among all your other responsibilities. You are such an amazing example of what a man should be -- loving, smart, dedicated, determined and respected.

I love that you can carry on a conversation with anyone about anything. You are incredibly gifted in connecting with people.

I love that you love and care for my family as your own, even with all their crazy tendencies.

I love that you clean the bathrooms and take out the garbage in the name of love.

I love that you say you want lots of little boys, but secretly, you want to have lots of princess girls. hehe.

I love that you sit with me at the dinner table every night and listen to me, believe in me, and value my opinion.

I love that you pray with me and for me.

I love that you wear NFL apparel of my choosing!!

And most of all, I love that you love me. You tell me I'm pretty even when I'm in my old pajamas, my makeup is off, my hair is crazy, I have morning breath and there are pimples all over my face.

You are certainly more than I ever could dream of and more than I ever thought I deserved. Today, and every day, I celebrate you :)

Spring Cleaning

2011-03-24T16:53:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I took advantage of an extra day off work to do some serious spring cleaning around the house. Just so you know how serious it was -- I cleaned the oven.

Except I didn't. Yes, I cheated. The oven cleaned itself.

Thank God for whoever invented self cleaning ovens. And bless our landlords for buying one :) The one problem of the self cleaning oven is that after the cleaning process, you have a house that is about 7,000 degrees. Great in the winter.... Not so great in the spring when the temp is 75 degrees. Oops.

After I wiped my oven down and it was all sparkly, my life seemed so much better. With the exception of the blazing hot house. While icing myself down, I had a revelation. Ready for it? Our oven is like our heart.

No, our hearts don't make our houses feel like the Sahara Desert. Nor do they bake delicious mounds of bread or cakes or anything else. Here's my thinkin' Lincoln...

I don't know about you, but I don't put "clean the oven" on my weekly to do list because the inside of the oven isn't something that a visitor could see right away. I admit, on most days, my house LOOKS clean, but if you really start looking, you are going to find some hidden crud. Specifically in my oven.... after I bake a lasagna.

We, too, can also LOOK like we are doing well. We can do our hair and nails, wear a smile and pretend to be "doing great" when we really aren't. Just like my oven, I let slime and grime build up in my heart because people can't see in there. I can appear to be okay when deep down, my heart is being hardened because I haven't made time to read the word. Or it is being littered with anger, worry and negativity because I refuse to let go. Or, it is being dirtied with unforgiven sins because I become too busy to ask for forgiveness.

Cleaning my oven just took a switch of a button and enduring some heat. Heart cleansing just takes submission and confession. Jesus already took the heat. The gunk of our hearts will be "burned off" when we confess our sins:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.1 John 1:9

Maybe it's time to do a little spiritual spring cleaning. Don't let your heart get dirty. Allow God to create in you a clean heart.

Patience is a.....pain

2011-03-06T19:50:00.000-05:00

Seriously. Let's forget the virtue thing. Patience is painful.

Let me start off this post by saying I absolutely hate being late to anything. I can remember hating it as a child. We were ALWAYS late and everyone was waiting on us. I have vowed to not be late to things. (I know, wait until I have kids, right?)

I don't have to wait. I am being trained right now. This morning as my beloved husband decided to get in the shower 20 minutes before church began, I found myself reciting "Love is patient... Love is patient... Love is patient" We walked into church 5 minutes late and my little punctual self was not a happy camper.

But then God said "Hey my Pouty Princess, listen here. When you have to wait on people, I am training you to wait on ME." Humph.

Okay, okay. The world didn't end because we were five minutes late. In fact, those five minutes might have kept us from being a part of an accident. And the world won't end because God doesn't answer His door when I want to. He'll open the door when He is ready. I have a hard time remembering that God's delays are not God's denials. I just have to WAIT.

Sigh. I'm not good at waiting. But I'll work on it....

Stores,Stores of the South

2011-02-19T20:37:00.001-05:00

Yes, it's true I am alive! After reading this post, you might think I've been buried in coupons. That's not the case :) I assure you, I spend no more than an hour on coupons each week. I clip from the paper and I print all the printables I see during the week, put them in a pile and clip them all together before I go shopping.

I point out the time I spend on coupons because I hear so many people say "I just don't have time for that". Well, let me tell you, I just don't have the time (or money) not to clip coupons.

Let me illustrate by my shopping trip this week:

It is hard to capture everything in a picture. But here is a list...

1 40pk Hefty Trash Bags
1-8 Roll Scott Toilet Paper
8 cans of Green Giant Veggies
20 cans of Hunts Tomato Sauce
8 packs of Uncle Bens Long Grain Chicken and Wild Rice
2 Boxes of Ritz Crackerfulls
1 Bag of TendaBake pancake/waffle mix
1 Box of Minute Brown Rice
4 Boxes of Green Giant Frozen Veggies
2 Cans of Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Tomatoes
2 Jars of Bertolli Pasta sauce
2 cans of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
4 boxes of chicken broth
4 cans of Progresso Beans
2 cans of Progresso Soup
3 half gallons of Silk Almond Milk
2 quarts of Good Belly Probiotic Drink
1 32 oz Pacific Almond Milk
2 cans of Lindsay Black Olives
1 jug of Log Cabin Syrup
1 package of Butterball Turkey Bacon
1 package of Butterball Turkey Sausage
2 packages of al Fresco Chicken Sausages
1 organic whole chicken
1 package of organic baby carrots
1 package of Sargento cheese
2 packages of Wholly guacamole
1 package of Activia Blueberry Cheesecake Yogurt
1 bottle of Kikkoman soy sauce
1 dish of mashed potatoes
1 bottle of Men's Vaseline lotion
10 gallons of water (not pictured)

Total spent? $56.52. Yup, fifty six bucks. Retail price (before sales and coupons) was $192.20. I saved $135.68. All for an hours worth of coupons each week. I save more money by clipping coupons than I make in an entire day at work.

Now, I will tell you one secret.... living in the South is a tremendous help. I shopped this week at three stores that they don't have in the North. Earth Fare is the equivalent of Whole Foods, except they have awesome coupons. (I got the chicken, carrots and mashed potatoes for FREE there just for buying water and a few other things I had coupons for.)

Then, Harris Teeter was having Super Doubles week where they double any coupon with a face value of up to $1.98. I love those weeks.

And Publix had an awesome deal on General Mills and Hunts products. They offer store coupons that you can use along WITH manufacturer coupons.

So, yes, the stores in the South rock. And they put Walmart's "Low Prices" to shame!

Dream On!

2011-01-19T20:14:00.000-05:00

We all have dreams in our life. We dream about getting our driver's license, going on our first date, graduating high school/college, getting married to the prettiest/richest woman/man, having lots of kids, dogs, cats, birds, etc. There are dreams planted in us. We were built for a purpose. (Jeremiah 1:5 - "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you... Before you were born, I set you apart." )

When you ask a little kid "What do you want to be when you grow up?", you always get fascinating answers. But ask some adults that same question and you'll usually be bored with their answer. Most likely they won't seem quite as excited as a five year old. Or they may not even have an answer. Somewhere between the years, the vision has been lost. But why?

Do we forget about them in our quest to earn a paycheck? In our money driven culture, I'm afraid too many people have let the pursuit of money ruin their pursuit of happyness.

Or do we just allow our dreams to fade away and write them off as being "impossible"? Do we believe that we aren't capable of accomplishing our dream? Part of that is truth -- we cannot accomplish things on our own. We need God to help us in accomplishing the dream. But we have to ask for it.

There is a story about a man who died and went to heaven. St. Peter met him at the gate and told him that he would take him to the place God had prepared for him. They passed street after street of big, beautiful mansions. The man got really excited, but they just kept walking. Finally, they stopped in front of a small, but livable house and St. Peter told him that this was his home. It wasn't a mansion, but the man was happy to just be in heaven.

However, as the man opened the door, he saw stacks and stacks of unopened boxes in his house. The man asked "What are these boxes for?". St. Peter replied "These are the gifts that God had for you while you were on Earth, but you never asked for them, so He never sent them"

Ouch. What gifts are waiting for you that you just haven't asked for? God has boxes filled with powers to conquer what you thought was impossible. So the task being impossible is no excuse.

Really, do you have an excuse? You can either spend your time making excuses or spend your time making a WAY. There is a quote that I love "The only thing that's keeping you from getting what you want is the story you keep telling yourself about why you can't have it"

So get out there and "Dream On" because you are never to old (or too young) to have big dreams.

Glimmers of Heaven

2011-01-16T20:47:00.000-05:00

Usually around the holidays people get all reminiscent and think about those who aren't here on Earth anymore. But me? I have these random days throughout the year for no rhyme or reason.

I was blessed to be able to meet three of my four grandparents. And I am blessed that I still have one here to enjoy and cherish!

My dad's mom died 3 years before I was born. I often wonder what he would've been like, but since I never got to meet him, so I guess I don't really "miss" him. But I wish I could....

I got to spend 12 years with my mom's mom before she left this world. But 14 years later, I still think about her an incredible amount and wonder what it would be like to have her around. She taught me to be a book worm. We took countless trips on the weekends to the library. She taught me how to enjoy German food. She taught me how to cook endless things. She taught me how to work. I never went to take your daughter to work day with my parents. Grandma took me to work and it was so much better. (Isn't everything better with grandparents?!) She shared her love of hot air balloons, dolphins and lighthouses with me.

Then there was my dad's dad - Grandad. He taught me how to do word searches and to watch Braves baseball. He also proved that you can eat a mammoth bowl of chocolate ice cream and still live to be 87. He was a man of great faith and I strive to know the Bible and live like he did. He was a man of few words, but I sure do miss him just being around! When I go visit Meme, I miss the house being 81,594 degrees because Grandad didn't want the fire to go out. I miss him sitting at the end of the table at his place. In fact, everyone hesitates to sit there still because it's Grandad's seat. I miss watching him walk to and from the barn two or three times a day in his worn path.

So yes, I miss them. But you know what? God gives me reassurance that they are happy. And it looks like this:

A rainbow cloud. I don't know the technical name, but to me, it is my glimmer of heaven. These little clouds, they are openings in heaven where Grandma and Grandad can pour out their love on me and let me know they are happy :) And that makes me happy.

Cherish your moments with your loved ones. No one can confidently say that they will be here tomorrow. The only thing we can be confident of is that there is a heaven...... and there is a way to get there! I hope you know the way!

John 14:1-6
My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴ You know the way to the place where I am going.” ⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Run, Run Rudolph...

2010-12-29T12:06:00.000-05:00

WHEW! These past few weeks have been CRAZZZZZZZY. Needless to say, I've been slack on my photo challenge. Plus, I think my ADD has kicked in. So I'm just going to knock this thing out right now.

Day 15 - A Picture of something You want to do before You Die

Oh this could take ages. In college we had to create a list of 50 things we wanted to do before we turned 50. A sort of "bucket list". I wish I knew what had happened to it. I should sit down and write a new one because I've got a lot I want to accomplish!

I've always loved dolphins and would love to swim with dolphins! Technically, I guess I have swam *with* dolphins before. I've seen them just a couple of hundred of feet from the ocean. But.... I want to TOUCH one.

I would also love to go for a ride in one of these:

Other things: Visit the Grand Canyon. See the Northern Lights. Go to NY at Christmas time. Okay, how about I just say "Visit all 50 states"?

On a less adventurous note, I'd also love to have a bundle of happy and healthy children and grandchildren before I die. Although, a bundle of children will probably bring about MANY adventures.

Day 16 - A Picture of someone who Inspires You

Children. They just have a way about them. Children inspire me to make the world a better place for them, to let go of the things that really don't matter and cling to those that do, to be honest and sincere in my thoughts and actions, to have fun and not care what other people think of me and they inspire me to love one another and not hold grudges.

Day 17 - A Picture of something that has made a huge Impact on Your Life recently
Since there is no definition of "recently" here, I'm going with this...

Marriage is a huge adjustment in life... even a year and a half later.

Day 18 - A Picture of Your biggest Insecurity

This one is hard to capture in a picture. My biggest insecurity is that I won't be "good enough" for certain circumstances and life events. But God conquers that mental block everyday for me :)

Day 19 - A Picture and a Letter
I really don't get this. Am I supposed to write a letter? I'm going Sesame Street with this....

The letter of the day is...........

Day 20 - A Picture of somewhere You'd Love to Travel

Ahhhh... Tahiti. But unless we win the lottery, I just have to dream.

Day 21 - A Picture of something You Wish You could Forget

Student loans. Ugh. If only forgetting them would make them go away.

Day 22 - A Picture of something You Wish You were better at

Memorizing Scripture

Day 23 - A Picture of Your favorite Book

I can't choose a recent one, but this was hands down my favorite book as a child.

Day 24 - A Picture of something You Wish You could Change

Yep, I wish I could change the "change"

Day 25 - A Picture of Your day

Eek. Not sure which day this was REALLY supposed to be. I took lots of pictures yesterday, so I'm going with yesterday.

We got the truck stuck in the snow.

Dad came to the rescue with hot ashes and we got out.

We left snowy Maryland and traveled ALL day long through snowy Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Day 26 - A Picture of Something that means a lot to You

My salvation!

Day 27 - A Picture of Yourself and a Family Member

Day 28 - A Picture of Something You're Afraid of

I feel like the previous needle post was similar to this challenge...... but let me think.....

Death/Dying of myself and loved ones. I know my destination, which gives me comfort, but the dying process itself..... well, scares me.

Day 29 - A Picture that can always make You :)

My husband as a cute little Newsie . HAHA.

Day 30 - A Picture of someone You Miss

'Nuff said.

Sisterly Love

2010-12-12T16:20:00.000-05:00

Today's photo challenge is a picture of someone you could never imagine your life without. As you can guess from the title, I chose my sister, Katie.

Approximately 12 years ago, my brother and I were informed that we would be having a little sister in 3 months. At that point in time, I was a selfish teenager. The way I saw it, my life was just fine without her. I didn't want to imagine a life with a little sister. But you know, she kind of grew on me :) And I really couldn't imagine life without her now! She has provided me with great entertainment and countless stories to tell and to listen to. She makes me laugh by doing the silliest things. She continues to keep me young by informing me of the newest trends. She reminds me that my actions are always being watched by "little" eyes. She is another person in the world who loves me unconditionally. We could all use a few more of those loving people in our lives! Love ya girlie!

Music to My ears

2010-12-11T09:38:00.000-05:00

Today's challenge asks for a favorite band or artist. Again, I don't have favorites, but I will limit myself to two today. I listen to Christian music and Country music, so my favorite groups for each of those genre's are:

Christian:

Anyone want to cast a vote on which group this is?

Country:

A group of rascals :)

All you need is love

2010-12-10T20:33:00.000-05:00

Glad they followed up the "hate" picture day with the positive opposite - A picture of something you love.

I am having a hard time picking just one something. SO here we go.... Warning: this will be about the most random list of loved things you will ever see.

1. My car. Love it. It gets 36mpg. Love it. Love it. Love it.

2. My warm, fuzzy robe and slippers. Due to ridiculously high electricity costs here in the South, our heat stays on really low in the winter. We keep it at 68 and turn it down to 63 at night (unless we have company). So, in the morning, when I have to get out of my warm bed and trek around the 63 degree house, I LOVE my robe and slippers! Now if I can just figure out how to wear them to work :)

3. In the warmer seasons, my love is....

Rita's Ice. YUM.

4. Chips and Guacamole. Especially Chipotle's.

5. Flip Flops. I seriously have a closet full of them.

6. Blogs. I like that blogs provide a free way for people to share their stories and experiences. I follow a variety of blogs -- from everyday life randomness, to disability related, to frugal living to cooking. I have a lot of favorites, but I LOVE Cake Wrecks. It's pretty much a guaranteed laugh.

These are the things I think of when I have to face those dreaded needles and hospitals :P

What are some of your favorite things?

Hate is such a strong word...

2010-12-09T18:41:00.000-05:00

Except to display my affection for this...

Day 11's photo challenge is a picture of something you hate. Yes, I HATE HATE HATE needles. Especially when they are taking blood. In fact, looking at this picture has me ready to pass out right now. Okay, so maybe it's more of a fear. But my fear causes me to hate them.

Another thing I hate? These places...

Hospitals. Why you ask? Well...........First, there are a lot of needles in these buildings. Second, you rarely ever go for a good reason. Third, the over sanitized smell makes me gag. Fourth, there is a lot of waiting around. Fifth, there are a lot of emotional, nervous, sick people.

While I am grateful for doctors and nurses and the medical developments our country has, I have spent my share of time in hospitals and I have come to dislike them very much.

Needless to say, between my hatred of needles and hospitals, I am very thankful God didn't call me to be a medical professional.

The Odd Couple

2010-12-08T18:31:00.003-05:00

Day 10 - A Picture of the Person You do the oddest things with - Well, I don't get to see her much anymore, but she wins this award for sure. One time, we were known to get into a cardboard box and bobsled down a set of steps. :) And here, we got into a friendly food fight. Love you roomie!

BFF's

2010-12-07T20:54:00.000-05:00

Like OMG(osh)! Sorry, I couldn't help the teenage expressions.

So, let me start of by saying that last night, I decided that Facebook was taking up too much of my time and I banned myself from it for awhile. I'm still not sure what I'm thinking because I'm having serious withdrawal right now. This afternoon I realized that my list of photo challenges was on Facebook Oops. But I held true to my word... I just found a 30 day challenge on Google. It looks similar. So this is the one I'm using.

According to the list, Day 9's challenge is a picture of the person who has gotten you through the most

Easy peasy. Cliche. But easy. Hands down Jesus has gotten me through the most. I have some amazing friends here on Earth who have been there through the ups and downs, but Jesus has walked beside me for much longer. He is the bestest friend. He has listened to me and guided me. He has stood behind me and pushed me out of my comfort zone. He has pulled me out of places I should have never been. He has picked me up off the ground carried me through things I didn't think I'd make it through.

I don't really have a picture of Jesus, but here is an artist's depiction.

Cast your cares on Him, He cares for you. Put your trust in Him, He's faithful and true. Bring your burdens to the Lord, He will carry you

A laugh a day

2010-12-06T16:43:00.000-05:00

FINALLY an easy photo challenge.

Day 8 - A photo that makes you laugh

I have a gazillion of this. (Hey, did you know gazillion is really a word/number?! I was ready for the little red line to pop up under it, but it didn't!)

Anyway, back to funny pictures. Most of my funny pictures are of my family. Like these...

My favorite picture

Two gooftballs

This is a little game we play on car rides. We pretend to run past the cars we are passing. Or if a car goes past us, we run in slow motion. Much more fun than the license plate game!

Giving mom a "silly shot" My brothers face and shaved head cracks me up.

Hmmm, now that I look at all these, the common denominator is my goofy brother. He certainly has a way to make people smile. I have a good one of my mom, but the problem is, she is the keeper of all embarrassing photos of me. So you'll just have to believe me that she is funny too :)

Puppy Love

2010-12-05T14:34:00.000-05:00

These photo challenges really have me thinking hard....

Day 07 - A Picture of Your Childhood Crush

Well, since I didn't grow up in such a digital/technological era as kids these days, I didn't have my camera phone in 3rd grade to take a picture of the first kid I can remember having a crush on. I think I have the class picture somewhere, but I don't have a scanner. So... here is what I remember. His first name was Nick and he sat right behind me in class. He was a cute kid -- spiky blonde hair, blue eyes and he was funny. And he picked on me. Which, in third grade, was a sure sign that he liked me too. But I moved to a new house and school at the end of the year, so that is where that story ended. :P

Trading Places

2010-12-04T16:58:00.000-05:00

Day 6 - A Picture of a Person You'd Love to Trade places with for a day

This assignment is interesting for sure. Let's think of the options....

Nah. Not into the tech-y stuff. I'd like to trade bank accounts though ;) NEXT!

UMMM, I'd need more than a day in his shoes to fix things. Although, I could make for a REALLY fun press conference :) NEXT!!!!!!

Now THIS is the man I'd love to trade places with. My beloved husband. He isn't rich or famous. But he can be complicated to me. So I'd like to experience a day in his world to know what he thinks and feels so I could understand and serve him better!!!!!!!!!!

Memories

2010-12-03T17:55:00.000-05:00

Another hard photo challenge... Day 5 - A picture of your favorite memory

I've been so blessed and loved that it is hard to pick one memory. I could easily say our fabulous wedding day. Or all the holidays with the entire family. Graduating high school and being the first in the family to graduate college would also be right up there. Fun family vacations (yes, there really is such a thing!). Or spending summers canning vegetables and making hay with the grandparents. The list goes on and on. I just can't pick ONE favorite memory.

So I picked the memory I wish I could go back to...a time when life was so simple. We were young and had no cares. We had a ton of friends that all lived on the same street. We rode bikes, played in sandboxes, swung on the mailboxes, played hide and seek, shared toys and ate at whichever house we happened to be at during lunch or dinner time. The ice cream truck came every night. On the weekends, our parents cooked out and spent time together like neighbors should. And we lived just around the corner from our cousin's and not far from our grandmother. Life was grand!

Tonight's Fun

2010-12-02T19:48:00.000-05:00

Today's photo challenge is a little unclear to me, but I'm going to do what I can.

Day 3 - A photo of your night

Yeah... crickets chirped after I read that challenge. My night? Surely there is a word missing. My prom night? My favorite night? My least favorite night? Just my night? Eek, I have to find something exciting to do so I can get a picture!

So... here is a picture of my night:

Yup, I baked gingerbread men. (No, I really didn't just make this up to be exciting, I actually HAD to do it for a children's program on Saturday.) and now my house smells delish!!!

Run Run as fast as you can... you can't catch me... I'm the gingerbread man.

Back in Time

2010-12-01T20:02:00.000-05:00

Today's picture assignment takes us back quite a few years. Back to the time when television was GOOD. Day 03 calls for "A Picture of the Cast from Your Favorite Show".

Anyone out there remember TGIF on ABC?

TGIF had a line-up of shows that I loved (and still love to watch re-runs). I don't think I can pick a single show as my favorite, so here are my favorites.

(Gotta love the outfits! Kimmi's sweater is dashing!)

The modern day Brady Bunch here. (Another secret to add to the stash I gave on Monday....I had a big crush on J.T. And I wanted to be just like Al.)

Who couldn't love this crew?

All this reminiscing about when TV was good made me think of one other favorite....

Then there are all the good cartoons we used to have... Smurfs, Care Bears, The Flintstones, Popeye, Rocky and Bullwinkle, The Jetson's (which reminds me, shouldn't we be flying around in our "cars" by now?!).... I could go on for days.

Oh to go back to when television programs were good....

Day 2 of Picture Madness

2010-11-30T13:19:00.000-05:00

Day Two's assignment is: A Picture of You and the Person You have been Closest with the Longest.

This one was hard. I had awesome friends through middle and high school, then we went to college and while we still stay in touch, we don't see each other as often or know every detail of each other's lives as we used to.

So, since it says the closest for the longest, I decided my dad was the best fit. I'm daddy's girl. Always have been, always will be.

Even when he shaves his head.

You can read all the mushy gushy stuff and see what he looks like WITH hair at my previous post about this wonderful man. :)

30 Days of Fun :)

2010-11-29T17:29:00.000-05:00

A friend posted this on Facebook and I decided since I have been very uninspired in my blog writing, I'd use this for the next month... or so :) The idea is to just post a picture, but I think I can do better than that!

Day 01 - A Picture of Yourself and Ten Facts.

Look to your left for said picture of me :)   I assume the facts are to be about me... so here it goes.

10 "Little Known" Facts:

1. I started college with a major in Youth Ministry. And to this day, I regret dropping it due to the opinions of a few.

2. I wish I could be a vegetarian. I have almost convinced myself that I could do it if I tried, but my other half keeps me from trying! :P

3. I had a slight case of the measles when I was a kid.   I got the MMR shot and it caused me to break out in awful itchy bumps. In middle school. I thought my life was going to end. Luckily my mom let me stay home. She's pretty cool. OHHHHHH, hold that thought......

4. My mom is pretty much awesome. The older I get, the awesome-er she gets :)

5. I can sign. Sort of. I get nervous when I have to use sign language though, so it doesn't LOOK like I know it!

6. At one point in my life, I knew how to play the piano, recorder, guitar and drums. Nothing advanced. We're talking Hot Cross Buns and Mary Had a Little Lamb.

7. I moved 5 times before I graduated elementary school. All that early moving experience paid off when it was time to pack up and go to and from college every year.

8. I don't make my bed everyday. In fact, I might make it once a month. I consider it my rebellious side. HAHA.

9. I am a pickle snob. While I will eat a pickle that is given to me, if I am buying for me, I get Claussen. I hope I don't crave pickles while I am pregnant though because Claussen isn't the cheapest brand and they NEVER have coupons!

10. I hate the Swiffer and I think I'm the only person in America who does. Seriously, I'd rather get down on my hands and knees than attempt to "clean" the floors using that stick and napkin.

Well, that's all folks. Now you know everything there is to know about me ;)

Out of line

2010-11-02T15:25:00.000-04:00

Forget Murphy's laws, I have started creating my own set of life laws that seem to only apply to me.

For example:

Kacey's law #927: Every time the car needs an oil change, it "needs" something ELSE too. "Something else" is always much more expensive than an oil change.

Yep, it just proved itself true once again. And I even added a Rule 927B:"See Rule #927. Nine times out of ten, this will occur directly before or during a vacation." Sigh. Why couldn't I just get a small amount of the luck of the Irish from my mom's side of the family?

So, this time the "something else" was an alignment. The mechanic was trying to explain to me why I needed an alignment THAT day (at THAT shop). He said "Ma'am (ya gotta love Southerners!) your car is really out of line. It is wearing the tires out really fast and you are going to need new tires if you don't do this." Ugh.

As I was waiting for them to align my car, I asked myself, if a car being out of alignment causes tires to wear out faster, "What happens when my LIFE isn't in line?

I can tell my car needs an alignment when it starts pulling to the side of the road and it takes more effort to control it and keep in on the straight path. My life tends to be the same way. I can tell that I'm off balance, or off track, when I get side-tracked from my vision and purpose. I'm going full speed ahead, but I have put things on my path that cause me to veering off to the side of the road, trying to cover more ground, rather than just staying on MY path.

Every once in awhile, we as humans should be due for an "alignment check", a tune up, to make sure that the life we are living lines up with the life we wish and strive to live. Do our words line up with our actions? Do our actions line up with our values? Does the way we spend our time line up with our priorities?

If those things aren't lining up, we are veering off our path and wearing ourselves out!

My Way Or The Highway

2010-10-17T21:31:00.000-04:00

"What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?" James 4:1

In 16 months of being married, I have to say that Coach and I have done fairly well in not having many spats. But we have known each other for seven years and of course there are some issues that come up every once in awhile that makes one of us very... passionate... to put it nicely :)

I have to laugh when I think about some of our past go-rounds; the issues really are quite petty in the grand scheme of things. But at the time of the brawl, you'd think they were earth stopping issues. It seems that no matter what "it" is that we are fighting about, it all boils down to selfishness. A desire that either he or I are fighting within ourselves. Yes, I admit... I have selfish desires and *sometimes* believe that my way is the only way.

Selfishness. The opposite of love. In a marriage, selfishness will pull you in the opposite direction of achieving oneness with each other. I believe that a lot of society's problems can be summed up in that one little 11 letter word. Murder? Usually a result of selfishness. Adultery? Lust? Absolute selfishness. Stealing? You guessed it. Selfishness. Lying? Looking out for yourself. (In other words... selfishness)

Are you getting MY point yet? (grin)

In striving to be unselfish, we must focus on love. We all know the "Love" chapter of the Bible -- 1 Corinthians 13.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Here is the challenge: Can you put your name in the spot where it says love in each verse? Kacey is patient..... sigh... I'm already in trouble.

Couponing through College

2010-10-09T21:21:00.002-04:00

Coach and I both have our bachelor's degrees and somehow we seem to have LESS money to go and do fun things now that we have graduated than we did while we were at college. Sigh.

But, I've found my niche in saving money. I have always used coupons, but this year, I've really gotten the system down and I think it is safe to say I'm addicted. How could you not be with savings like this?!

That's ONE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED dollars folks. Enough to pay for a Master's course for the big guy. Tell me couponing just "isn't worth the time"

Turning Messes into Messages

2010-10-06T18:47:00.001-04:00

FULL DISCLAIMER -- This post may reveal to you that I am a little off my rocker. That's okay. I write this with a full understanding that I am :)

A few weeks ago I did something ridiculous. In fact, it was so ridiculous, my mom would have hung her head in shame. I can hear her lecture right now. (Don't you know I JUST cleaned that up?...)

I've been in an "I don't care" mood lately, especially about housework. The house was in shambles and instead of cleaning, I had found much better things to do. On this particular day, I mustered up the "umph" to sweep and mop our kitchen floor and then I went grocery shopping. While I was putting the groceries away, I noticed that the potatoes that I just bought the week before had developed a nice puddle of stinky juice beneath them. B-E-A-utiful. I sat two bags of onions on the counter while I cleaned up the potato mess. Both bags proceeded to fall to the floor and the onion skins went flying everywhere. On my clean floor. So I decided since there was already a mess, I was just going to peel all the onion skins off and throw the skins right onto the floor since there was already a mess on the floor. The whole time I was doing it, I laughed. Hysterically. Almost an evil hysterical laugh. I felt like a little kid in a big pile of leaves... inside the house. Slightly stinky leaves. It was fun to break the rules..... until I realized that my kitchen floor looked like something off the TV show "Hoarders". I quickly got the broom and mop... I had to clean them up before my small mess turned into an unmanageable mess.

EEK!!!! A small mess can be easily cleaned up. But when the dirt keeps getting added to the pile, it gets harder and harder to clean up. It got me thinking.....

How many times in life do we see a mess and make it messier? We hear gossip and instead of stopping it, we pass it along the line (only as "information" of course). We see a person who doesn't fit our mold of normal and instead of loving them, we avoid and reject them. We are hurt by someone and instead of talking about it, we let the resentment build until it explodes. Someone says something to us in anger and we return the hurtful words instead of taming our tongues. OR... we see someone living in sin and we reject, avoid and condemn them instead of embracing them and loving them.

So often we don't think about the lasting consequences of our actions, especially when we don't see them immediately or experience them ourselves. I heard a story this week about a student at Rutgers University who committed suicide after his roommate streamed a video of his romantic encounter with another male. Instead of trying to accept and understand the young man, he made fun of him. This young man who had just started his college years now has to deal with legal issues coming out of the woodwork. This young man made a mess MUCH messier.

Instead of tossing more "dirt" towards people, we need to get out the brooms of love, the rags of kindness, the polish of patience and start helping to clean up, rather than tear down.

Some cleaning tips...
Stop gossip in it's tracks... before it hurts someone. When a sentence begins with "I shouldn't tell you this..." or "Don't tell anyone this..", it's usually bad news. Just simply stop the person before the rest of the sentence comes out of their mouth. No need to be rude, just make it known that you refuse to be a part of it.

Love on those who don't quite fit in or those who are in sin. Every human on this planet has a need for love, regardless of their life choices. A simple hug or smile can mean so much to people. We are to love the sinner and hate the sin. Jesus said the second greatest commandment was to love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31). It doesn't say love your neighbor as yourself if your neighbor looks like you, talks like you, acts like you and/or believes like you.

Practice forgiveness... daily. Don't let resentment or anger build up. They make a big mess when they explode.

Romans 14 sums my thoughts up pretty well. I like the way the Message spells it out for us.

¹ Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don't see things the way you do. And don't jump all over them every time they do or say something you don't agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.

^2-4For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background, might assume he should only be a vegetarian and eat accordingly. But since both are guests at Christ's table, wouldn't it be terribly rude if they fell to criticizing what the other ate or didn't eat? God, after all, invited them both to the table. Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or interfering with God's welcome? If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help.

⁵Or, say, one person thinks that some days should be set aside as holy and another thinks that each day is pretty much like any other. There are good reasons either way. So, each person is free to follow the convictions of conscience.

^6-9What's important in all this is that if you keep a holy day, keep it for God's sake; if you eat meat, eat it to the glory of God and thank God for prime rib; if you're a vegetarian, eat vegetables to the glory of God and thank God for broccoli. None of us are permitted to insist on our own way in these matters. It's God we are answerable to—all the way from life to death and everything in between—not each other. That's why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other.

^10-12So where does that leave you when you criticize a brother? And where does that leave you when you condescend to a sister? I'd say it leaves you looking pretty silly—or worse. Eventually, we're all going to end up kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God. Your critical and condescending ways aren't going to improve your position there one bit. Read it for yourself in Scripture:

   "As I live and breathe," God says,
      "every knee will bow before me;
   Every tongue will tell the honest truth
      that I and only I am God."
So tend to your knitting. You've got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God.

^13-14Forget about deciding what's right for each other. Here's what you need to be concerned about: that you don't get in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is. I'm convinced—Jesus convinced me!—that everything as it is in itself is holy. We, of course, by the way we treat it or talk about it, can contaminate it.

^15-16If you confuse others by making a big issue over what they eat or don't eat, you're no longer a companion with them in love, are you? These, remember, are persons for whom Christ died. Would you risk sending them to hell over an item in their diet? Don't you dare let a piece of God-blessed food become an occasion of soul-poisoning!

^17-18God's kingdom isn't a matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness' sake. It's what God does with your life as he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy. Your task is to single-mindedly serve Christ. Do that and you'll kill two birds with one stone: pleasing the God above you and proving your worth to the people around you.

^19-21So let's agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with encouraging words; don't drag them down by finding fault. You're certainly not going to permit an argument over what is served or not served at supper to wreck God's work among you, are you? I said it before and I'll say it again: All food is good, but it can turn bad if you use it badly, if you use it to trip others up and send them sprawling. When you sit down to a meal, your primary concern should not be to feed your own face but to share the life of Jesus. So be sensitive and courteous to the others who are eating. Don't eat or say or do things that might interfere with the free exchange of love.

^22-23Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don't impose it on others. You're fortunate if your behavior and your belief are coherent. But if you're not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe—some days trying to impose your opinions on others, other days just trying to please them—then you know that you're out of line. If the way you live isn't consistent with what you believe, then it's wrong.

Snakes and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

2010-09-20T07:20:00.001-04:00

Twenty-four years ago today, my life was forever changed. I was no longer the lone princess. Erm, well OKAY, I was still that. I was no longer the lone "star". My parents introduced me to my little, yet chubby, brother. Our Khris....not Christopher, just plain old Khris.

Seeing that we are only 18 months apart, it is hard to believe that I can remember him coming home, but I do. I remember it quite vividly. I had my own, LIVE baby doll and it was the coolest thing ever. Everyone wanted pictures of him, so I turned on the cute factor and got in there with my brother and cheesed it up. It was captured that I liked him. Or at least I pretended to.

Over the years we fought about who had more space on the couch, who got the bigger piece of cake, who got to sit in the front seat. Or best of all, who ~~had to~~ got to sit in the middle of Dad's little pickup truck. HAHA. I still can't believe how many times I made my much bigger "little" brother squeeze in the middle.

Together, we figured out how to beat Nintendo games and how to REALLY irritate Mom. We figured out that we could get our way if we BOTH asked. There is power in numbers you know.

We figured out that Mom and Dad were smarter than we thought and figured out our schemes. I figured out how to blame everything on my brother. Even cutting my Barbie's hair. I'm pretty sure he did it. But he has denied it for 20 years now and he really has me wondering if I did just blame him. hahahaha.

We played in sandboxes together and built sandcastles. We made tents out of blankets and igloos out of snow. We imagined and laughed and giggled until we couldn't anymore.

We fought over who got control of the remote on Saturday mornings when cartoons were worth watching. We fought over who did what chores because we didn't want to do any. Actually, at one point we used to get mad if the other one got to clean the kitchen sink or mop at Grandma's because that was a privilege.

We ran each other over with bikes and slammed our faces into walls. And some of us have dropped axes on our toes :P Yes, these are true stories and there are scars to prove them.

We've lived together. We've loved together. We've cried together. We've laughed together. We've cheered each other on. We've blessed each other out.

Twenty four years ago, I might not have been too sure about him. But, he sure has grown on me. I wouldn't trade him for a hundred and a thousand dollars ;) I LOVE YOU KHRIS ANDREW! I'm so proud of the man you are becoming! HAPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPY BIRFDAY!

Dealing with Discouragement

2010-09-12T18:43:00.001-04:00

Have you ever been ready to "harvest" and the rain clouds come in and you don't get to do what you thought you could?

We know the cliche statements of life:
Life is not fair.
Life is always full of surprises.
Life does not always go as planned.

But how do you deal with life when you come face to face with one of these realities? Discouragement WILL come to all of us. So how can we deal with it?

1. Get the frustration out. After a particularly stressful and discouraging few days, I was done with everyone and everything. So I came home and screamed into a pillow. Yes, for real. I had a mini temper tantrum. I knew that the stress, tension and aggravation couldn't build up in me any longer. So I "got it out". And... I got honest. I asked God one hundred questions and spilled my guts. God wasn't left wondering how I REALLY felt. I'm pretty sure I spelled it out from A to Z.

2. Turn to your support system. Your family and your friends accept you as you are and they usually want to help. But you have to let them. They can't read your mind and know what you are thinking or feeling. (Although, I have to say, my mom has an uncanny ability to know when something isn't right with me. She just doesn't know WHAT it is. So she nags me until I tell her. She's good at that too.) When Coach got home, I grumbled to him and I pretty much let him know how I felt too. He switched into "Coach" mode and told me that it's not about the wins, it is about how hard we play on the field. God has not called us to be successful, but to be FAITHFUL. (I love when God sends me reassurance and love through my tall, handsome, blonde-haired, blue-eyed man!)

3. Get an attitude adjustment. (This usually happens during #3 by a member of the support system.) My mom used to have a device called an "attitude adjuster" that looked a lot like a wooden spoon. Thankfully, I've outgrown those and it just takes a verbal lashing to get me back on the right page now. After our pep talk, Coach reminded me of who I am and that my attitude was not reflecting that, So, I had to do a little re-adjustment. "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." (Phil. 4:8)

4. Take a hot bath. Find some chocolate. (Hey, it never hurts right?) Seriously though, you have to take care of yourself and take some time to rest, reflect, relax and rejuvenate, so you are ready for the next step.

5. Get back up. I was ready to throw the towel in on about 5 of my jobs in life. But after I calmed down and was "set straight" and remembered the promise of Romans 8:28 that "ALL things work together for the good of those who love Him." Even the discouraging things. There is a purpose and a reason for everything I may never know how it all works together for the good, but if I don't keep working, the good may never even happen. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. (Galatians 6:9)

Reasons I'm not a teacher....

2010-09-11T13:48:00.000-04:00

Today, I took care of 15 kids who ranged from 3 to 13 and a few with special needs. After two hours, I realized why God changed my heart about teaching.

15 kids in one room is about 12 too many. I decided today that elementary teachers don't make nearly enough money.

Runny noses make ME run.

Kids are so off the wall. This kid told me he shreds his homework, gives a fake copy to his robot and then his robot does him homework. Thing was, he was dead serious. All the other kids were laughing and he was completely serious about his robots. He proceeded to tell me he has billions of robots and he'd sell me one for $159. I almost wrote the kid a check. Oh, and then he told me that aliens wake him up. ?????

My patience lasts for about 15 minutes, or until they start crying. Whichever comes first.

Kids are disorganized. I am not. My world was in shambles when they were putting crayons in the marker box.

Whining gives me a migraine.

Did I mention my patience?

I have to restrain myself when a four year old looks me square in the eye and repeatedly tells me no when I tell them to do something simple such as sit down.

After 2 hours of madness, I would have loved to have done this:

I love kids and I will love my own. But I'll just stick to being a mom. To all those teachers out there, you have my love, respect..... and prayers!!!

You Snooze... You Lose

2010-09-05T16:57:00.000-04:00

I've always heard it said "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are" but I've come to really put it in action and believe it in the past few months.

I admit that in the past I was a perfectionist. Something inside of me wanted my life to play out like a dream. I wanted everything done the ~~right~~ correct way. Okay, so I might still have some of it in me. But I've come to realize that things work even when conditions aren't perfect.

In the past, I would've passed up the opportunity to serve someone because I didn't have the means that I felt were necessary. My theory was more like "If you can't do it all the way, don't do anything at all." I was afraid my gift wouldn't mean anything if it wasn't everything.

After starting my "kindness-a-day" project back at Easter, I've come to realize that even the small things can mean the world to people. A bottle of water or a meal to a homeless person. A smile to the lady in the grocery store who is exasperated with trying to control her kids and shop for groceries. A note to a struggling friend or family member.

Our opportunity to serve this week arrived late one evening in the shape of a hungry football player. I was in my pajamas and my hair wasn't fixed. Eek. As the student came in, I realized he was deaf. Double eek. God must have forgotten that it's been four years since my last ASL class. JUUUUUUST kidding. I know God forgets nothing and I knew it was no coincidence that this kid showed up on my door step. I said a quick prayer and struggled through some sign language with him. His eyes just lit up just to see someone who knew how to communicate with him (even ever so slightly).

I quickly heated up some leftovers... which we "coincidentally" happened to have. Normally we don't have leftovers. I cook two pieces of meat, enough veggies and whatever else for me and Coach. But on this night, we happened to have a TON of leftovers.

In the past, I would've worried about the way I looked, the quality of food I had and I probably would have not even tried to communicate with this young man in sign language because my ASL is far from perfect. I would've been too worried about me and the things that truly don't matter and I would've missed the opportunity to serve.

Our gifts don't have to be perfect for God to use them, we just have to be willing to serve. We can't only serve when it is convenient to us. To be a true servant, we have to be available to God any hour of the day or night. My mom used to tell me "You snooze, you lose". I used to hate that saying because it usually meant I missed the last piece of cake or something else I really wanted. But the statement sure rings true. What are we missing out on if we wait for action until things are how WE want them to be? Here's the answer... Ecclesiastes 11:4 - If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done. (NLT). Ouch.
I am SO thankful that God has allowed me to move past those expectations of being perfect and that He was able to use me...with what He has given me, where He has put me.

Out of the mouths of babes

2010-08-29T19:21:00.001-04:00

Kids have this amazing ability to be truthful... and cute at the same time. Like this...

Today in church, the pastor who was giving a children's message asked for a volunteer. This little kid,about four years old, was eager to stand up on stage and help. The pastor gave him directions to cling as tight as he could to the pastor who was playing God. But first, he'd have to hold a few things.

First up... a clock. The pastor explained that we want to cling to God, but a lot of times, we just don't have the time. We are always racing to beat the clock. So the kid took the clock. And emphatically announced to the church "It's 10:00 guys!!!" When he turned the clock around though, it looked like this:

So he needs a little work on his time telling skills.

The pastor then handed him a baseball and explained that a lot of times, we get tangled up in sports and other activities and make our schedules so busy that we don't have time for God.

Next up was a cell phone. The pastor explained that sometimes we intend to spend time with God, but technology takes up our time. We end up spending our times texting and catching up on Facebook instead.

Then the pastor pulled out a gun. Yes, a gun. In church. The little kid's eyes got real big and he said 'ARE WE GOING TO FIGHT?"   The pastor explained, no they weren't going to fight but a lot of times these toys get in our way. (He sure could've picked a better toy). In all his boy glory, the little fellow took a few good shots with the gun towards the congregation.

As you can imagine, the little guys hands and arms were full. He was even was using his neck to hold the gun. The pastor asked him to go cling to God. The little boy scooted over to the edge of the stage and tried to jump onto the pastor playing God, but he dropped some things. The pastor urged him to pick them up and cling to God. The little boy looked at him with a very angry face and screamed "I CAN'T!!! YOU PUT TOO MUCH STUFF IN MY HANDS AND I DON'T WANT IT." And he proceeded to run away from the stuff and JUMP full force into the arms of the pastor playing God.

While the little kid was as cute as could be, he was right on. To my young readers out there, I want to encourage you to stand boldly in your witness and love for God as this little boy did. 1 Timothy 4:12 says "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." Maybe the adults around you aren't setting a good example. Well, set an example for them!   The words you say and the things you do may speak volumes more than the words of a pastor.

This little boys words got me thinking. How many times do we fill our hands with things that we truly DON'T want? We may think we want them, but after awhile those things get old and we are still left with a hole. The only thing we desire (and NEED) is a relationship with God. That relationship is the only thing that can transform us, renew us, restore us. Giving ourselves to our jobs won't satisfy us. Being plugged into too many activities won't satisfy you (or your kids). Buying new vehicles, new televisions and new gadgets won't satisfy us either.   Getting to know our God and clinging to Him... now THAT will fill your cup.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. - Romans 12:1-2

What is it that you need to sacrifice? What is taking you away from God? Jesus, God's only Son, made the ultimate sacrifice for us to have a relationship with God. If Jesus wasn't exempt from making sacrifices, we sure aren't!

Put on a Happy Face

2010-08-20T20:47:00.001-04:00

Back around Easter time, I decided to start a "Good Deed of the Day" quest in an attempt to make the world a little happier... one person and one day at a time.

After arriving back in the South, I quickly came to the realization that I don't come in contact with enough people everyday to do something nice everyday. But I still make an attempt.

For instance, when I go to the grocery store, I try to always ask the cashier how he/she is doing... and genuinely mean and listen to their answer. Tonight I had to run to the IGA, which we actually call the GGS (Ghetto Grocery Store). It's right around the corner, so it is very convenient, but it's one of those stores where you have to check the dates on the stuff you buy because it could be from 2002. I always seem to end up in this one young man's line.

This man reminds me of one of my favorite childhood stories:

Seriously... every time I ask this kid how he is, I get one of the following answers:
Not Good
Terrible
Could be better
I'm having the worst day of my life

AND, he always explains why life is "terrible" (i.e., he hurt his thumb, it's raining, it's hot, etc)

I try to encourage him and remind him things could be a lot worse, but he just doesn't get my good vibe. Sigh. Next time I'm taking him a roll of these stickers. Maybe that will remind him to smile and enjoy life a little more.

Clean up, Clean up, Everybody, Everywhere

2010-08-17T17:59:00.000-04:00

Except it wasn't everybody. It was just me. And I didn't intend to clean everywhere. Our sheets needed changed... bad. Coaches can really stink sometimes. (I LOVE YOU HONEY!) So I went to the "spare room" to get the extra set of sheets and found a mess. Which I cleaned up. Walked out and forgot the sheets. But I remembered the clean laundry in the dryer. Took the clean laundry to the bed to fold and realized I never put sheets on the bed. Got the bed sheets, made the bed and dumped the clothes out on the bed. Went to put the laundry basket at the end of the bed and decided I was really sick of the clothes baskets at the end of the bed.

I decided if I moved the *ahem* firearms to another location, I could move the dresser down and sit the laundry baskets beside of it. In the process of moving the dresser, I realized JUST how dusty it was. After cleaning it off, I realized I could move one thing that was on the dresser into another room to make more room on our dresser. So, I went into the guest bedroom. The desk with our printers on it was extremely cluttered and needed to be reorganized.... and dusted. Then I spotted a lamp that I forgot I had and remembered how I wanted a desk lamp at work. So I pulled the plug only to find that it was stuck underneath our filing cabinets. Ugh. So I broke out my muscles again, got that free and realized that some "junk" had fallen in between the desk and cabinet. So I cleaned that out and had a trash pile and a file pile. Upon taking the trash pile to the kitchen, I realized the trash needed to be emptied. And so did the dishwasher.

And to think all I wanted to do was change the sheets on the bed....

I heart free stuff

2010-08-14T19:41:00.000-04:00

This post is just for J.S. since you mentioned you like to see all the freebies :)

Yes, ALL THAT. In fact, I'll probably end up making a profit from this loot.

How? Okay, here is a quick run down.

At CVS I purchased the following:

Air Wick I-motion Starter Kit - $9.99 on sale for 4.99

Ducolax - $9.99
Colgate Toothpaste - Closeout price of $1.09
3 packs of Halls - Closeout price of $0.72
Robitussin - Closeout price of $1.99
Chest Rub - Closeout price of $0.99
Scope Mouthwash -- Closeout price of $1.69
Listerine Agent Mouthwash -- Closeout price of $1.49
Total Before Coupons - $24.39 plus tax
Coupons - $4 off $20 CVS Coupon
$4 off I-motion starter kit
$3 off Ducolax
$1.50 off Colgate
$2 off 3 packs of Halls
$.75 Scope Mouthwash
$1.00 Listerine Mouthwash
Total paid - 9.98

THEN, I got a $9.99 Extra Care Bucks (ECB's) to use on my next trip. So, in essence, they handed me $9.98 to buy more stuff next week. Which, by the way, will be items that generate more "play money"

Then I went to Rite Aid where I fared even better.
2 packages of Ziploc Twist Containers - $3.39 each, on sale B1G1
Crest Toothpaste - $2.69
Almay Lip Gloss - $1.99
2 packages of Pilot Eraseable Gel pens - $3.99 each, on sale B1G1
Schick Razor - $5.99
Visine - $6.99
Total Before Coupons - $25.04 plus tax
Coupons - Rite Aid coupon $5 off $25
$1.50 off 2 Ziploc containers
$.75 off Crest
$1.00 off Almay
2- $1 off Pilot Pens
Rite Aid coupon $1 off Visine
$3.00 off Visine Manufacturer coupon
Total Paid - $9.55

Rite Aid has a program similar to ECB, called UP Rewards. I got a $3 reward at the bottom of this receipt. I will also get I will get a $5.99 mail in rebate from Schick for the razor. The Pilot pens have a $2.75 mail in rebate. AND, I will get a $2.69 Single Check Rebate for the Crest toothpaste from Rite Aid. So I will basically end up with a profit of almost $5 from this order. AND IT IS LEGAL!!!!!!!

I can't believe I ever paid for this stuff :P

Breathing fire

2010-08-13T10:18:00.000-04:00

I love my husband. I really do. But sometimes, it is fun to ~~torture~~ pester him. I've had a few lessons thanks to two uncles and my dad, so I can be pretty good at it. But this time, I didn't really mean it.

The other night my poor hubby couldn't breath. His nostrils were so swollen, they had closed. We had tried every medicine in the house. Except one. I remembered that I picked up a bottle of this stuff for my allergy ridden man.

It's called "Allergy Buster" It looks promising, right?

Down in the lower left hand corner, you might notice the little red pepper. Yep, it has capsaicin in it to help reduce the inflammation. Who in their right mind would try that? Not me, but, I figured my tough man could handle it.

He didn't even look at it, just squirted it right up there. He was desperate. And he trusted me. Aw. Poor guy. Approximately .002765 seconds later, I wished I had my video camera ready to capture his eyes popping out of his head. He let out quite the manly scream. It was actually more like a lion's roar. Then he looked at the bottle and said "DID YOU KNOW THIS HAS RED PEPPER IN IT?!" I said "I might have seen that" and then I fell on the floor laughing for the next 20 minutes. And then he gave me the "I'm going to get you back for this one look" But he won't... he loves me too much :D

** Don't report me for abuse, he WILLINGLY tried it again for the next three days, providing me plenty more laughing opportunities.

PS

2010-08-08T20:34:00.000-04:00

The real adventure on the road with me was this:

After two long days of school supply shopping, I was less than one block from home (and the police station that I live next to) and anxious to get home. I came to one of these.

My Corolla has good brakes, so I stopped. Good so far. But then, I proceeded to turn LEFT on red. Thankfully, there wasn't a single police officer around to witness that. Or another car coming through the intersection.

Can I blame that on a faulty accelerator pedal???

Adventures on the Road with Kacey

2010-08-08T16:40:00.000-04:00

I spend most of my days in a small little office with a little window. This week however, my car has turned into my office and I feel as though I have traveled the world. I love time in the car because it gives me a lot of time without the computer and televison to distract me. I call friends and relatives and catch up and have time to do some reflection on my own thoughts. And see a lot of things I would never see in my little office.

Like the Oscar Mayer Weiner Mobile. Be jealous. Be very jealous. I saw the famous dog driving up Interstate 95 on Wednesday morning and almost wrecked my car.

Or.... an armadillo. Yep, saw one of those too. Right here in South Carolina. Not in Texas. Unfortunately this little critter had met it's fate on the side of the road. But again, I almost wrecked the car checking it out. (You know your town has nothing going on when a DEAD armadillo gets you excited.) As I rounded the next corner, I saw another poor critter who had met it's fate. This one had ordered the Waffle House special... scattered and splattered... so I couldn't really identify it. But the vultures could. It was food! There were about four of them standing in the middle of the road feasting away.

They didn't seem to care that Karissa the Corolla was heading towards them doing about 50mph. I blew the horn and they didn't even look up. Just kept feasting away. At the last second, they hopped to the side of the road. On my way back through, they were back in the road again and another car was coming the other way. They didn't get out of the way for that one and the car had to stop until I passed and then pass on the other side of the road.

Where am I going with all this? Well...no where regarding the Oscar Mayer Wiener Mobile or the armadillo. But now you know I am easily entertained. But I do have a point with the vultures. Their diet of dead animals repulses me. As I drove down the road, I begin to think of another thing that I find repulsive... sin.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

Romans 6:1-2 says "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?"

Hmmmmmm, but how many times do we hang on to the old? How many of us continue to live in sin? We hop off the path of sin and onto the right path, but then we think "Well, it won't hurt to go take a little nibble of the old". But we forget the dangers of the old path. And soon we find ourselves in the middle of a road feasting on the sin unaware that a car is heading straight for us. Or maybe we find the sin so good that we take it back and share it with our friends and soon enough, we find that we are all in danger. We have made others stumble and slow down on their path.

Just like the vultures. They would stand in the middle of the road feasting on death until they were forced to move. They'd hop to the side of the road, wait for the danger to pass, grab a friend and go right back. They caused cars to swerve or stop. But they were unaware because they were so consumed with well, consuming.

It's easy to say you aren't feasting on death. But seriously, think about the long list of humanly ways. Are you feasting on gossip, a bad attitude, jealousy, animosity, an unforgiving spirit and putting yourself or others in danger? Leave that stuff on the road!

Hebrews 12:1 "...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us"

Won't you be my neighbor?

2010-08-04T19:02:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago I was talking to some fellow Christians. I left the conversation feeling very flustered that it seemed they expected a perfect world. You know, a great spouse, two Christian kids who do no wrong, a cute dog, lots of money, and no worries. Okay, I'll admit, those things would be great (except the dog part), but even with all those things, life isn't perfect.. Since Adam and Eve, the world has been FAR from perfect. We live in and around sin, so our lives aren't going to be perfect.

One of our duties as a Christian is to be a light to the (imperfect and sinful) world. ("You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" Matthew 5:14-16) We can't be a light to the world by shutting ourselves into our little "perfect life box" and never coming out.

Remember the song This Little Light of Mine? There is a verse that says "Hide it under a bushel? NO! I'm going to let it shine!" How many of us are hiding our lights under a bushel? Maybe not intentionally, but I see it everyday. We stay away from the "bad" neighborhoods. We walk on the other side of the street when we see a homeless person. We enroll our kids in Christian school to keep them away from the "bad kids". I'm not bashing Christian schools here... my point is just that in order to dispel darkness, we have to take our light into it. We need to associate with the non-believers around us. We have to be careful so that we don't get entangled in sin, but that doesn't mean that we have to avoid people who live a life of sin like they have the plague. Ephesians 5:11 says "Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them" We can't live in our little bubble... we have to go out into the field and shine our light for the whole world to see.   It seems that Christians are too afraid of getting their hands dirty. We forget we are supposed to be Christ-like. Christ got his hands dirty during his ministry, so why should we be exempt from that?

This past weekend I was in Savannah. As we were walking down River Street, I spotted a man digging into a trash can and pulling food out of a McDonald's bag. I think I threw up in my mouth a little. But then I promptly pulled it together, marched my little self over to him and touched him on the shoulder. He was so shocked that someone actually touched him, he didn't know what to do. I said "Sir, I thought you could use this water and my snacks" He gladly accepted him and went on his way. As he walked away, I looked around and watched as an entire street of people just scattered to get away from him.   GRRRR. The streets of Savannah almost heard a mini sermon from this little fire cracker.

It would've went a little like this...

Luke 10:25-37
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself."
"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.
^"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

The priest and the Levite passed on the other side and left the man to die. The people on the streets of Savannah had no mercy or concern for that poor man.

Another story..... About a year ago, there was a story about a homeless man in New York City who had tried to break up a fight between a man and a woman. The man had a knife and stabbed the homeless man. The homeless man laid in the streets of New York for over an hour before someone finally called for help. Watch what happens:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmknOKkaPEI

That is absurd to me. The man was trying to help someone out and ended up dying because people wouldn't help him. You have to wonder what would've happened if the man would've been wearing a suit and tie. Have we really become so busy that we are not concerned about our fellow humans? Regardless if this man was dirty or homeless, he was a HUMAN BEING.

We are called to love our neighbors. Take a look around today at your neighbors. Your next door neighbor. The person in the next cubicle. The person who cut you off. The cashier. The waitress. The homeless. The disabled.   Are you treating them as you would treat yourself?

Silly Boys... Shaving Cream isn't for spiders

2010-07-07T16:08:00.000-04:00

My husband is soooo silly. As I was taking a shower, I noticed a spot of blue foam in the corner of our shower. My mind tried to figure out how that would happen to get wayyyyy up there. There was no way that our shower cleaner would spray way up there. Besides, I don't think the cleaner is blue. The only thing I knew that was blue was my shaving gel...

Later, I asked my husband if he noticed the spot. He said "Oh yeah, there was a spider in the corner, so I sprayed him with your shaving gel to trap him."

I can only imagine the fun a little "Mini Coach" will bring....

The Un-Happy Anniversary

2010-07-06T18:46:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago we celebrated our one-year marriage anniversary -- a happy anniversary indeed. As I looked back on that day, I remembered how much my face hurt from smiling. I was so happy to finally be marrying the man I'd known and loved for 6 years and I couldn't wait to start our new life together. I dreamed of all the things that the next 6 years and 6 decades would bring. But, I didn't know what the next six days would bring.

Two short days later, my body started attacking me. I tried to convince myself that it was something small that the chiropractor could fix. But the hours turned to days and deep down, I knew something was wrong. Everyone (doctors included) thought I was crazy and brushed it off as something that would fix itself. But I kept pushing and demanding that something be done. And finally it was. One year ago today, on the way to the airport to leave for our honeymoon, I was given a diagnosis that rocked my happy little world. Very quickly, I decided that I was not going to let the diagnosis ruin my world, but looking back, it sure changed the way I looked at it.

I'm not going to say that I magically had a world of rainbows at my feet and jumped through the clouds. I felt worthless for awhile.  I felt as though an earthquake hit my world, but after I got over the shock, I knew I had to collect the pieces and get through it. I knew that God had bigger plans and if I wallowed in my pity, He wasn't going to be able to use me. So, I flashed back to my high school psychology classes of the seven stages of grief and went through them as quickly as possible.

I absolutely had shock and denial. I didn't want to believe it. I wanted to believe that the doctors were right when they said it was nothing. But deep down, I knew it was something. Once the diagnosis was made, I cried until I couldn't cry anymore.  And let me tell you, I cried over some REALLY silly things. Like a hair barrette. Seriously. Then I felt guilty. Guilty that my husband of two weeks was plagued with a wife that was sick with more than a flu.

Then I got really mad. I was mad that I was no longer a normal, healthy 24 year old woman. I admit, I did a little bargaining with God.... If He would take it away, I would do great things for Him. HA. Looking back, I'm sure God chuckled. I didn't realize that it was possible that this diagnosis WAS the way for me to do great things through Him.

Without a job or any friends close by at our new location, I quickly felt myself going into slight depression. That is when I decided it was time to snap out of it. I might have been given a diagnosis, but I couldn't allow this diagnosis to have me. I went out and got a job. A minimum wage job... but it got me out of the house. It made me feel somewhat worthwhile. It humbled me and made me realize how many blessings and people I had taken for granted in the past. I also learned that no matter how small my paycheck is, God will take care of me and will use me!

I started a treatment that I had been researching and gave ALL of me and my issues to God. And He started working through them for me. My symptoms slowly disappeared. I got a few more job interviews for better jobs and I finally got a job that is perfect for me.   Now, life isn't perfect by any means. I still have bad days.  I still have symptoms, but I've learned so much and my perspective has completely changed in so many ways.

One year ago, if you asked me how we'd celebrate our wedding anniversary, I probably would've come up with some romantic trip or setting -- a nice Italian dinner with lots of breads, pastas and carbs followed by a load of chocolate everything.   But today, I'm faced with the reality that unless I go to the organic store and buy the special products and make it myself, Italian and chocolate, along with many other things are mostly out of the question. But, it doesn't even matter. I have a wonderful man standing beside me no matter what comes our way. He reads labels with me. He makes sure I'm taken care of when we go out to eat with a group. He attempts to understand and help me in every way he can.   And THAT my friends, is romantic to me. So today, the way I see it, as long as I spend my anniversary with him, the food and the place do not matter!

Work has become less important to me than it used to be.   My current job isn't full time and I'm okay with that. I've realized that I don't need to conquer the world at once, but rather just one person at a time. Spending my time serving the needs of others and truly listening to people has become more important than answering an email about something that truly doesn't matter. I've realized that making a living with a large paycheck isn't as important as making (or keeping) a quality LIFE.

My life over the past year has certainly had trials and pains (physical and emotional) and I'm sure there will be more to follow. But I've learned that just because I have pain, doesn't mean that I have to be one! I've realized that we all have pain... but the suffering part of that is optional.   It's all in our attitude and I refuse to be a sufferer.

I've learned how to admit that I can't do it all (that was a big one!) and ask for help from others (another biggie) and from God. I have also learned how to truly be thankful for the small things in life. Waking up. Going to work. Driving. Walking. Being able to write, type, and read. I do believe I am a walking miracle. The doctors would say that I shouldn't be able to do what I'm doing. They'd say that the disease should have progressed severely. But it hasn't. Praise the Lord.

While some would reflect on the past year as a sad story, I will not. I have truly been given so many blessings to count over the past year and I am looking to the future with excitement, not sadness or worry!

This is a song I just heard this week that is very fitting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9lRpyZIuH0

I am positive that life will throw me more curve balls, but I've learned how to take what life throws at me and to throw a few things back. With God's help, I've learned to turn the lemons into lemonade and I am trying hard to turn every test into a testimony. I can only hope the next year will bring as much growth as this year has!

Seven Pounds

2010-06-25T14:44:00.000-04:00

Last night, Coach and I were invited by a lovely family to eat some yummy food and watch a movie. Since the guys outnumbered the girls, we couldn't watch a happy "Chick Flick". Bummer. I love feel good movies. It's a little bit of non-reality. Between paying bills, unending oil spills, dying animals, losing jobs, flooding, and sickness... life can get a little, well... depressing. Those movies that portray the perfect love story make the world seem just a little happier!

Anyway, back to the movie we chose -- Seven Pounds. It turned out to be an interesting concept... and maybe slightly feel good, but I wish they would have written it a little more straightforward... you know, so a blonde can understand it! Sheesh! Once I finally picked up on what was going on, I got to thinking..... (Warning: Spoilers in the next paragraph...)

Tim/Ben Thomas (Will Smith) was a aeronautical engineer whose life seemed to be going grand. Until he was driving home one night with his fiancee and caused an accident while messing with his cell phone. Seven people were killed. He basically decides after the accident to redeem himself by saving seven people. He gives a lung to his brother, a kidney to a hockey coach, a piece of his liver to a social worker, bone marrow to a child, a house to a lady who was living in an abusive relationship... and finally, he commits suicide to give corneas to a blind man and a heart to a lady dying of congenital heart disease. Wow. Talk about giving. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't believe in suicide. But,

Sort of like Christ gave for us. But, He gave so much more. He died to save the whole world... not just seven people. In the movie, Will Smith had to deem these people worthy of his organs. But Christ doesn't do that. We are all worthy of redemption. No matter what.

What if the "receivers" in the movie hadn't accepted Tim/Ben's gift? The blind man would've never been able to see the color of the ocean. The lady with congenital heart disease probably would have died. The child probably would have died. But Tim's gift helped them to live life more abundantly. So it is with Christ....

John 10:10 - "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."

Are you using His gift of redemption and living life more abundantly? Or are you rejecting the gift and missing out on so much?

Thermometer or Thermostat?

2010-06-08T19:02:00.000-04:00

This week I watched Julie and Julia and the movie inspired me to cook some off the wall recipes. I've been sticking with just bland salmon, chicken, potatoes, rice and veggies, but this week I gave our food a makeover. Because I'm incredibly paranoid about raw chicken, I had to break out the thermometer for the chicken one night. That thermometer did a great job of telling me the temperature, but I couldn't tell the thermometer to hurry up and get make the chicken warmer because I was hungry. It wouldn't have cared. All it knew how to do was to tell me what the temperature currently was.

While the little thermometer sat in the chicken waiting for it to reach the correct temperature, there was a war going on in the other room. A war of the thermostat. DAH DAH DUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.

It has been hotter than a wool sweater in July down here and we've had to turn the air conditioning on. Now, coach likes for it to be Artic in the house at all times. I however, prefer to have feeling in my toes.... and to use my paycheck on something a lot more fun than an electric bill. So we've been having quite a battle. He turns down.......... I get cold and turn it up...........he gets hot and turns it down. And the poor A/C unit is begging us to please just decide on one temperature. I admit, the war is getting old. But, I'm glad that we are willing to get up and do something about it... even if it is just because we are both stubborn!

Why am I talking about these two things? Both of these devices have something to do with temperature. As I said, the thermometer just tells us what temperature it is. A thermostat though, helps to change the temperature in the room. Alright, here comes the deep stuff. Think about it.

We've all known some thermostats in our lives. There is that person that always seems to bring a brightness or calmness to the room when they enter. And then there are those ones who have had bad days or are in a bad mood and when they walks into the room, everyone knows JUST how bad their day really is/has been.

Do you set the climate for the world you live in, or do you simply adjust to the climate of the world? Are you influencing others or being influenced by others? Are you complaining about the state of the world or campaigning to make changes? Are you a thermostat or a thermometer????

It's a God thing...you wouldn't understand

2010-06-06T10:10:00.000-04:00

I am still alive. Just ridiculously busy. I don't have much time now. I just had to share this cool story. I never cease to be amazed by the way God works...when we let Him!

A few weeks ago we had missed church for like four weeks in a row because of guests in town or us being out of town. When we went back to church, the tithe check had built up to quite a substantial sum. Coach has granted me duties over the money, so I wrote out the tithe check and handed it to him. He looked at it and said "Whoa, can we afford that?" I said, "Yeah, it seems like a lot because we haven't been in so many weeks, but the way I see it, we can't afford NOT to." He agreed.

Living on a teacher's salary and a part time position is not easy, but we know that we have to tithe and God will take care of it. Every month when I look at our income and our outflow, it doesn't match up. At all. But our bank account has somehow never gone into the negative.... somehow... someway. *Looks for wood to knock on*

I actually know the way. It's a God thing. We don't understand it.  Here's the second part of that story.

That tithe check DID hurt coming out of the bank. We were strapped last week and not sure if we were going to be able to make a trip that we had to make for Coach's school. I had finally resolved that it was a thing we had to do so I cringed and started digging out the credit card (yes, it is hidden. I even contemplated freezing it in a coffee can like the girl in Confessions of a Shopaholic!). BUT... the day before we were supposed to leave, I get an email from Amazon.com Marketplace from a textbook listing that I put up five months ago when I was cleaning out our back room and completely forgot about.  The book sold. It was the most expensive book we had listed and coincedentially covered the money we needed. Seriously.... isn't God cool? He knows how to make this girl smile and breathe a sigh of relief....and give him praise.... and ask forgiveness for not fully trusting Him...

Since then, our cell phone bill also decreased by $20, our electric bill by $50 and I've been able to work some extra time to bring in some extra money.   God is good... ALL THE TIME!

Fire in the... foot

2010-05-17T19:54:00.000-04:00

Last fall, our landlord came over and kindly spread some grass seed on our dirt lot. Oh how I wish I could have stopped him. I enjoyed not having to purchase a lawnmower, store a lawnmower and of course, RUN a lawnmower.

BUT, spring has come and the grass is.... well, knee high.   Needless to say, Coach and I are now the proud new owners of a little green lawnmower.

As we embarked upon our very first lawn-mowing experience as a married couple (how exciting does THAT sound?), I quickly decided I would use the rake and Coach could handle the mean green lawn machine. So I started raking. And raking. And raking. (Got to love that southern Magnolia tree that sheds 2,485 leaves in one day.) Oh yes, and I was in flip flops. Silly me, I know. My dad taught me better. Anyway, I got so excited about raking that I even decided to be a nice resident and rake off the sidewalk so the walking community did not have to climb a mountain of leaves on their path. But, I had to watch the road more than the rake to make sure no cars were coming down the street. And I became unaware of these small little critters called....

FIRE ANTS. Oh. My. Stars. I've never seen these lovely inhabitants of the underground until moving to the South. But they sure are taking a liking to me -- they've taken over our whole yard. The rain today washed the mounds away or I'd take a picture of how ginormous these ant "hills" are. It actually amazes me that a little tiny itsy bitsy being can create such a structure. But it's not just one little ant that does all that work, it's tens of thousands of them. Ants remind us that if we all stick together, we can accomplish great things. (A lesson from ants we could all stand to be reminded of...)

Anyway, I know to stay away from these fire ants. They are very territorial. They don't like for you to come near their homes or even their paths. But since I was paying attention to the cars and leaves, I didn't realize that I disturbed a pile. Oh boy. I felt the sting in my foot immediately. I dropped the rake, kicked off my flip flop and did the fire ant dance. I found the little stinker and brushed him off, only to already see his little red mark.

This ended my raking fun and I came in and put some Neosporin on it like I know Dr. Mom would've instructed me to do. So far, so good. Well, in just a few short hours there were two little pimple-y looking things on my REALLY itchy foot. I thought, "Hey, I'll pop them and it'll stop itching"   BAD PLAN. Dr. Mom would not have advised this. My foot turned purple and HURT and those little "pimple things" did NOT pop. SCCCHHHUGAR BOOGER!

So guess what? Today, my foot started itching REAL bad at work. I took my shoe and sock off and saw two BIG pimple looking things. I scratched, but that didn't help. So, with every bit of human being that I could've been at that moment, I attempted to pop it again. Yup, that's right. I'm really smart. Guess what? It still didn't pop and it looked REALLY purple, hurt a lot and got REALLY hard.

Phooey.

I got to thinking about this whole thing though... How often do we humans do this sillyness? We don't watch where we are going or what we are doing and find ourselves being "attacked".   We do a silly dance, get the problem off and then try to fix ourselves. We think we know what will work best.... and we don't. And when it doesn't work, we try to fix it again. Usually we only make the problem worse. It's like trying to get really sticky gum off your finger. It just keeps getting worse and worse until well, you have to cut your finger off. Just kidding :P

We have to realize that our way is not THE way. That there is a better way -- through Jesus Christ! Let Him clean up the mess -- He is better than the quilted quicker picker upper, Mr. Clean, the first aid cream, the band aid or anything else you could find in your cabinets!

2 Corinthians 7:1 - Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

Random Thoughts of the week

2010-05-14T16:54:00.000-04:00

It's Friday! It has been such a crazy week that I thought I might give you a "Glimpse into my mind" to show you just how crazy I am!

On a trip to take back a REALLY overdue library book found hiding in the truck......Why is it called the LIbrary? They should really call it the truthbrary. But that sounds too much like tooth fairy. Maybe simply bookbrary would work?

While tidying up the bedroom......Why does Coach pile up his unfolded socks in a mountain beside the bed?

The very next morning while watching husband get out of bed right onto said sock mountain as if it were a set of stairs.......I love my husband. :)

While responding to a friend's facebook question regarding scaring gnats off your computer screen with your mouse............ I still don't understand why we spell gnats this way. Makes me want to say GAH-NATS. And do gnats even have eyes?

Watching two good family friends fight that C word - :( Is it possible that one day we will look back on chemotherapy treatments and wonder just WHAT WERE WE THINKING?

Reading that Southwest is coming to TWO cities in our state - HOORAY! Cheap vacations!

Completely out of no where... Why is there no "extra medium" size? There is extra small and extra large... but someone missed extra medium.

During a small meltdown...Life stinks. Giving up chocolate and cars stinks. You stink. I stink. (I'm happy to report that a couple of showers and time in the Word cured this stinking business!)

On answering the THIRD telemarketing call in one day.... Caller ID was such a great invention. Why don't we have it? And do house phones have an "Ignore" function like cell phones?

Another great invention? The internet! Just how in the world did I ever figure out things when I was a kid without the internet?

After taking two amazing naps and missing it on the third day....WHY did we do away with nap time after Kindergarten?

On the SECOND trip to Walmart where the cash register breaks..... Alright God, I get it. Patience. I'll work on it......... later.... please? :)

While getting the mail...Why does the mailman always take forever to bring me something I'm waiting on, but brings the bills right on time?

Well folks... I think that about covers the "thought clouds" of this week along with the highs and lows this week has brought. Next week's forecast? Partly cloudy with a chance of meatballs. :D

-GoofyBee

Reckless

2010-05-10T16:28:00.000-04:00

I recently read a very sad story about this girl who was killed by a crocodile while vacationing on a beach off the coast of India. Just four years ago, the same family lost their other daughter due to a tragic rock climbing accident. One of the family members was interviewed for the article and was upset that there weren't any warnings of the crocodiles in the water. The family member said that the girl would not have been out there if there were warnings because she was particularly careful and didn't take many risks after her sisters death.

I can relate.... there is very little in life that I have ever been reckless over. I usually think about the pros, cons and everything in between of every single decision. I usually make the "common sense" decision after weighing pros and cons, looking at it from every angle and dreaming up every what if scenario possible. Sometimes, this is a good quality -- like when it comes to money or marriage. You don't want to be reckless with either. Another thing we don't want to be reckless with? Words.

"Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing" (Proverbs 12:18 NIV)

The tongue has the power to heal or to hurt. Too often, people use their power to hurt rather than to heal. I like to think I have pretty tough skin after being taught to toughen up from my dad, two uncles and brother. It takes a lot to hurt my feelings... but people have done it. And I'm sure I've done it. I tend to be sarcastic a lot. Some people get it and some people don't. The ones that don't, I usually hurt their feelings unintentionally. I've eased off the sarcasm a bit and try to keep my sarcasm at bay when I sense that people may get their feelings hurt. Is it easy? NO. But I've got to do it. I don't want to use my tongue as a sword... but rather a salve.

Okay, so obviously it's not always good to be reckless. But sometimes I think it is beneficial to be reckless. How about when Peter stepped right out of the boat on the lake and trusted that he was going to be able to walk to Jesus on the water. I've tried to put myself in that situation many times. I'm pretty sure I would have just sat there in amazement. But you wouldn't have seen me getting out of that boat. I might have thought about it. But then I would've weighed the what ifs and kept myself right in that HAPPY, WARM, FLOATING boat! Peter didn't even think about it. He just did it.

I think Peter was reckless in his faith. That sounds like it could be bad... but I think it is something that more of us should probably be. Instead of thinking "What if this person doesn't want to hear about Jesus?", we should just let that up to God to handle. Instead of thinking "That person is mean and nasty and unreachable", we should reach out... and leave the rest to God. Why? Well because.... "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:9.

So go forth... and be reckless :)

Rough Drafts

2010-05-10T16:09:00.000-04:00

So after my last post, I decided to start some drafts of things that were on my mind to blog about... with the intention of coming back to them. Well I started a post dedicated to the moms and women in my life who have impacted me. But then, I ended up posting it it on Facebook instead because some people who have impacted me greatly don't even know I have a blog....and some... are a little technology-challenged and can't get to it :D

But now, it is just sitting in my drafts pile waiting to be published... so here it is. Now... let's see if I can't finish some of these other lingering thoughts :)

In honor of my mom, this Mother's Day note is going out a little.... well, late :) (See the clock reference in the previous post!)

First of all, I'd like to recognize all of my lady friends and family members.... you ALL amaze me. I think you are all beautiful, strong, remarkable women. You might not take care of children, but you take care of pets, other people's children, husbands, boyfriends, neighbors.... and on and on. It is the nature of a woman to nurture, nourish, love and protect. The world is a better place because of YOU!

To my Church Momma's - There are too many of you to even name. You may not realize it, but I do consider you all to be second mom's to me. Over the past 15 years, many of you have provided me with a listening ear or guidance in some difficult and stressful times. I've watched as you all have guided your marriages and/or your families and I admire each of you for your godliness. Thank you for being strong role models... for taking the time and always listening, and always guiding me back to the One who can help me through it all!

To my work Momma's - Due to my frequent change of jobs, there are a lot of you all too :) You all too have listened and supported me through some tough times... or tough job assignments. Thank you for listening and supporting me and helping me grow. I MISS YOU ALL!!!

My other New Market mom, Sue - You are definitely another second mom in my life. And a taxi service... I can't count how many times you took me to or picked me up from school! You took me under your wing as your own. You endured many sleepovers that are some of my best memories from high school. You provided me with a second home full of love and laughter... and a best friend :) THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

Aunt MJ - The best aunt a girl could ask for (and not just because you introduced me to Coach!) I feel like you've always treated Khris and I like you would your own! Your silliness, love and spontaneity are always appreciated. Every time I see a Dr. Doolittle movie, I think of you. HAHAHA. Thank you for always listening, loving and always smiling! And for helping to keep all those Brenneman boys straight :)

Meme - You raised three strong men, one of whom I am proud to call my dad and the other two who I'm (usually... hahaha) proud to call my uncles. I don't know where I'd be without any of them or without you. You taught me how to sew, to bake amazing chocolate chip cookies, to cross stitch, to garden and to can. Not many girls can say that! And you made the most amazing chocolate milkshakes ever! And you still make the best potato salad, macaroni salad, bread, gravy......... I could go on and on. Thank you for all the nourishment and love. You may be short, but you are one strong woman and I LOVE YOU!

To my mom by marriage - Thank you for raising such a loving, strong and godly son. Not only that, but thank you for accepting me into the family as if I were one of your own. I admire you for everything you've done and continue to do for the family. I am blessed to have such a sweet, caring Mother-in-Law and was thankful to be able to share this weekend with you :)

And last but not least, to my wonderful mom and friend - I am so blessed to have such a strong, beautiful, amazing mom. I've watched as you've struggled and made sacrifices for me, Khris and Katie and I am amazed at how much you continue to give and give. Even when we don't give back! You are one strong woman who wears so many hats. Not only are you a mom, but a friend, a housekeeper (sometimes an OCD housekeeper...), a chef, a taxi driver, a doctor, a psychologist, a preacher/teacher/lecturer,

a hair stylist, a private investigator, a cheerleader (the nonpeppy kind),a plumber ( thanks to Katie, HAHA!), and of course... an automobile expert (well, right behind dad!) Thank you for everything you've done and everything you've given me. I know there are a few gray hairs with my name on them somewhere... I wish I could be there to give you a back rub or fix you dinner to compensate for them, but know that I love you all the way from South Carolina. XOXO! LOVE YOU!!!!!!

So much to blog about...

2010-05-07T16:26:00.000-04:00

So little time! I feel like I need this clock these days... but then I realize that is my MOTHER'S clock. And I can't possibly be turning into her :P

I keep thinking of all these fun things to blog about, but I don't ever get the time to do it. And then I forget. Now I'm remembering why I never kept a very good journal............

Debit or Credit?

2010-05-03T16:42:00.000-04:00

I'm about to vow to never ever ever get another credit card in my entire life. I don't have many credit cards and the ones I have are only because I got some sort of discount or rewards by using them. I pay them off every month. So it's not like I'm in some sort of bad situation here. BUT it seems that credit card companies are out to get people like me who just use their rewards and don't pay interest.

I had a payment from a new card due later this week. I pay everything online, so I typed in the website I got with the bill only to get an invalid message. Sweet. So I used my "phone a friend lifeline" and called upon my trusty friend Mr. Google and found the site I was supposed to be at. Great. Oh wait, it seems that the information I entered doesn't match their records. On the first, second, third, fourth or FIFTH time.

So, first thing this morning, I embark on a "Press every button on the phone 5 times before you can talk to someone" journey. Ten minutes later, I explain to the lady that I cannot log-in pay the bill online. She proceeds to discover that they have my social security number in wrong. Easy fix, right? Sure. She asks, "Would you like to make a payment over the phone?" Knowing the schemes of these people I reply "Sure, but is that going to cost me?" She said "Yes ma'am, but it is going to cost you if you log online too because you didn't make your payment at least 3 business days in advance of the due date." Oh no. Angry, frugal Kacey is out of her cage now.

If the due date is really 3 business days in advance, shouldn't THAT be the date on the bill? And how can I pay 3 days in advance when your incorrect records kept me from logging in?

Use a check you say? Come to think of it, that is a great idea. Next time I will and even open your silly little card with 10,567 rules that come along with it.

Afraid of the Dark

2010-05-03T07:42:00.000-04:00

A few days ago a friend asked "Just when do kids outgrow being afraid of the dark?" I laughed and said "Don't worry, it won't be too much longer." But then I got to thinking....

I am STILL afraid of the dark. No, I don't leave a nightlight on when I go to bed. But I do have an overactive imagination when walking outside in the dark. Either that or I've watched too many episodes of 48 Hour Mystery, Law and Order and Forensic Files. I imagine people hiding behind bushes, trees, cars and houses and me having to use my mad ninja skills to scare them away. I don't find a corner and cry in it when I'm in the dark, but I do come up with some pretty fascinating scenarios in my mind that bring out the goosebumps!

Truth is, I've always been afraid of some sort of darkness. As it is with most small children, I didn't like to wake up in the middle of the night in pitch black dark. Especially after a bad dream. We had to have a light in the hallway so I could find my way to safety. As a teenager, I was afraid of this darkness called" the future". Trying to decide which college to go to, what to major in. The way I saw it those were big, life-changing decisions. What if I chose the wrong school or the wrong major and messed God's whole plan up? I didn't know what I wanted to do and the rest of the world seemed to be able to see their way through the dark forest of the future. To be honest, the future STILL scares me. It's still dark in front of me. I don't know what it holds. It is unknown, unable to be seen and/or prepared for, and therefore, a little scary. I know that God has a plan and it's all under His control, which helps me get sleep at night. And He lights up enough of the path for me not to stumble. I know it is best this way, but some days I just wish I could see the whole path.

Psalm 18:28-2

You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.With your help I can advance against a troop;with my God I can scale a wall.

Isaiah 42:16 - I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.

John 8:12- When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

Having faith is taking steps even when you cannot see the whole staircase....I will continue to move so I do not become "paralyzed" by not going anywhere. These verses remind me that I don't walk in complete darkness -- even though some days it seems like I am stumbling around, feeling my way through and walking around in circles. But I'm not -- I've got Jesus' light! Thank you Jesus for being my "flashlight" in a world that continues to become darker everyday with sin!

Walk A Mile in THEIR shoes

2010-04-20T16:08:00.000-04:00

In my last post, I said that unannounced visits were something of the past that needs to be brought back. I believe the same of the handwritten letter. And not just because the post office is struggling! Long before cell phones became affordable and there were nationwide plans, we had to be careful of how long we talked on long distance calls. So growing up, we wrote a lot of letters to people. I LOVED getting letters and writing them too. And I'm sure if I could find some of those letters I wrote, they'd be quite entertaining to read! Don't get me wrong, I think technology is great. Information travels faster and you can stay in touch more often and it is more affordable. But sometimes, it is nice to get something in the mail other than just a boring bill or piece of junk mail. So last week's acts of kindness were what I'd call... letters of love. I clipped magazine articles, wrote cards and even made a little craft for some people in my life that I thought could use a little dose of love :)

On Saturday I was at a grocery store when this cute little boy was carrying his mom's groceries asked his mom for a bouncy ball. His mom said no (of course). So I quickly grabbed a quarter (which is actually strange for me to have... I hoard them for car washes!) and leaned down to give it to him and his face just lit up. I walked out to the car and loaded my groceries and was on the way out when he came out of the store bouncing like that bouncy ball would have with the biggest smile on his face... which made my day! I like these acts of kindness..................

Unless the act of kindness also irritates me..... like today.

Today, I was at the grocery store again... yes, I do go there a lot!!!! Anyway, I saw one of my biggest pet peeves... a lady leaving her cart in the parking space next to her car when the cart alley was just a few steps away. Maybe I'm just OCD, but I see this all the time around here and it bothers the everliving stuffing out of me. WALK IT TO THE DESIGNATED SPOT. Think about those poor cart collectors who are making minimum wage to search the parking lot to find where you've hidden a cart. Not to mention the future customers trying to find a parking space only to find that the first ten they think they've found are taken up by carts. That's a lot of the problem with this world -- people don't want to walk a mile in anyone's shoes but their own. And then, if they can get by with half a mile, they will.

I wish I had taken my confidence pill today because I would've walked right up behind her, grabbed the cart and walked it to it's designated destination. But I waited until she left. Coach is teaching me to be more outspoken when I see something that bothers me... I'm learning.... little by little. Or maybe cart by cart.....

Slow Transformation

2010-04-14T20:08:00.000-04:00

So, the vegetarian idea was nixed. Very lovingly, but very firmly nixed. Coach did remind me of how far we have come in 10 months though. He used to eat at least two burgers a week. Big juicy burgers. And tacos with lots of cheese and sour cream. And pizza with lots of cheese, meat and very few veggies. We (okay, I) have now eliminated all red meat from our diet. So no more burgers... unless they are made of turkey. If we go to Ruby Tuesdays, he'll get the bison burger, but it isn't as terrible. I don't think. But a treat once and awhile doesn't hurt. There isn't cheese in the house anymore. Very rarely do we have sour cream... and no pizza either. We are down to fish, turkey and poultry for our meats. And after last night, we are going to start trying to go to organic chicken. We'll see how well this town is equipped for that. So for 10 months, I think that is pretty good. Baby steps.... but progress none the less :)

Twenty minutes after this discussion, we've "settled in for the night". I am in my pajamas... with no makeup, hair pulled up in a "it'll have to do" ponytail playing Farmville. Coach has rearranged the living room furniture to make his PS3 playing comfortable. So we were obviously VERY busy. Our house is a mess in between coming home, moving in new furniture and trying to get rid of old and having a yard sale next week.

I hear a car door slam (not uncommon) and leaves crunching on our porch. Knock Knock. Coach swings the door open before even trying to tell me who it is. HELLO unannounced visitor. My bad thoughts got out before I could catch them.... "HEY, COULDN'T YOU HAVE CALLED?! GEESH." But after gritting my teeth a few minutes, I realized, WAIT A MINUTE. This is the whole purpose of what you are doing with your 30 day challenge! Catching someone unexpectedly.

As the guilt set in, I began to think... maybe the unexpected visits are something that need to come back in this society. I wasn't around in the 1900's... or even the 1950's, but I suspect long before there were telephones and long before there were cell phones, people dropped in unannounced. Neighbors came over and you just socialized. There wasn't so much rushing off to get one kid to piano and one kid to soccer. You just stopped what you were doing and had a conversation with a real live person, rather than just a screen in front of you. You might have even put on a cup of coffee or tea and baked a cake. And if the visitor caught you on a bad day, you probably talked about it. There was no mask. They knew you weren't perfect and they could relate. There wasn't so much keeping up with the Jones'.

Nowadays, we want to expect people so that we can have our house looking perfect, have a talk with the kids to be on their best behavior and put on your best outfit and makeup to impress. But we need to drop that mask. There is no reason to look perfect. We all have our faults. And we are all in this together.

So come on by unannounced visitors. I can't promise I'll stay in my pajamas, but I won't think bad thoughts :) After all, changing my thinking is a lot like changing my diet... a slow transformation!

All things new...

2010-04-13T18:26:00.000-04:00

This could be my head.... I LOVE vegetables. After reading a magazine today and in my question to try new, different and wonderful things......... I am wondering if I can convince the hubby to eat vegetarian for one week? Actually it would be more like vegan since I can't have dairy or eggs.   Think I'll approach this at dinner tonight. It's just one week.

Something tells me he isn't going to be a big fan of this. On second thought, maybe I'll just do it :)   With a backup stash of burgers in the freezer of course :P

And for the kindness of the day... it's a secret for this week. :)   Secret kindnesses (is this a word???) are more fun!!!

The thoughts inside my head...

2010-04-12T16:08:00.000-04:00

I know, it's a pretty scary thought, but surprisingly I do have some in there!!! Actually, I am really good at KEEPING them in there. Sometimes too good. My parents always taught me that if I don't have anything good to say to not say anything at all. But, no one ever really teaches that when you have something good to say, to SAY IT!

I find myself frequently admiring other peoples dresses, shoes, jewelry, nail color, etc. But I usually just think to myself "How cute is that!" and never say anything. Well today, the front office lady had such a cute little dress on. So I thought to myself about the few times someone has complimented me for something I was wearing and it made me stand a little taller and feel a little more confident in myself. A gift far too many women need these days. So I walked right back to her desk and told her how cute she looked.... and she smiled and thanked me. And I smiled... and my day seemed a little brighter.

Giving Day 4

2010-04-11T13:56:00.000-04:00

It's a beautiful day here in sunny South Carolina. I woke up to find myself thinking about what my gift for today will be. I can already see how this is changing my thinking from "What do I need to do today?" to "What CAN I do today (to help someone else)?"

So this morning as I wrote out our tithe check, I did it with a little more joy and gratitude. Sure, tithing is something that we are supposed to give, but so is love and forgiveness. And looking at the world today, I don't believe we are giving love and forgiveness as we are supposed to.

Anyway, today, I got the feeling that the check was a gift to God. I've been tithing so long, it has become more of a habit than a gift that I'm glad to give. Hopefully this little exercise is going to help me to remember that tithing is a gift. Something to joyfully give to God. After all, He is letting us keep 90% of HIS money! (Deuteronomy 8:18a - But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth...)

Have a blessed Sunday!

NEW! EXCITING! REWARDING!

2010-04-10T21:04:00.000-04:00

Okay, so for three days now, I've been itching to blog. Why you ask? After spending the past week off work for Spring Break, I have had some time to reflect and I started something... NEW! EXCITING! and.... REWARDING!

So what is this new and exciting thing? I have decided that for one month, I am going to give back something to someone around me. Why? To quote Former First Lady Barbara Bush "giving frees us from the familiar territory of our own needs by opening our mind to the unexplained worlds occupied by the needs of others."

So often, we as humans get caught up in ourselves and forget that there is a whole world around us. This isn't healthy. We get so consumed in ourselves that our problems actually tend to appear worse to us because they are all that we think about. And as Christians, this world is our mission field, so it is even more important for us to open our eyes to see the needs of others rather than just our needs.

I remember my chorus teacher giving us a lecture one time about giving back. She said that we were all so self-absorbed and just took and took and took from her never thinking that she might need something in return. She actually likened it to having 60 straws in her head sucking out the life from her and not having anything giving back. She was a little upset, but it has stuck with me.

So anyway, today marks my third day and I can already see that it is going to get harder as I get back into the daily grind. But I'm determined regardless!

Day 1 started on Thursday morning and it was SO easy. As we were leaving Sheetz (wow, do I miss that place!), there was a man holding a very wordy sign that basically said he was homeless and in need of compassion. So, I dug out two waters and a snack bar and had Russ run it to him at the stop light. Easy-peesy! Day one - DONE! And the world felt like a happier place.

Day 2 was a little harder. Friday morning we started out on our way home. At our stop at Sheetz (yes, again!) I was determined to pay for someone's coffee. But, as I got in line to pay for Russ', no one was behind me :( As soon as I turned around to walk out the door, up walks a man with his coffee and donut. But I didn't want to run and tackle him while he was paying. I like to be unnoticed when doing these acts of kindness. So, I went along determined to find something else.

A few hundred miles later, we come to a toll booth. Sweet! One of my favorite things to do is pay for the car behind me. BUT, once again, it wasn't meant to be. The toll booth wasn't manned by an actual human. You had to throw your change into this bucket. So I didn't think we could do it :( I knew there was another toll coming up, so I didn't worry. Guess what? No car behind us in this one. Alright, so apparently I wasn't meant to do any of those..... So I gave thanks to God for a beautiful day and a beautiful drive through the mountains of West Virginia and North Carolina.

BEAUTIFUL huh? I think God deserved some thanks for some of those views!

So, Day 3. I got up this morning and settled back into my routine of Saturday chores and grocery shopping, I wasn't sure how I was going to give back today. But, it was easier than I thought. I have been known to be a coupon fanatic. As strolling through the grocery store, I gave a coupon to someone. Only 60 cents, but hey, it was something!

Even though it has only been three days, I am excited about what is next. I know that I can't give a lot, but I can give a little to a lot of people in the next month. I think it was Mother Teresa that said "If you can't feed one hundred, then just feed one". I am really excited about the opportunities God is going to give me to give to others!

The land of spices

2010-03-23T15:04:00.000-04:00

And while I'm at it, here is the spice cabinet. It makes my heart do a little dance every time I open up the doors :)
A friend came over this week and that was the first thing she said when she came in the house "Let me see your spice cabinet!" YAY for organized friends :)

(And while I have the camera card out... YAY for a husband who loves and takes care of his truck! OH, and his wife too!)

Coupon Craziness

2010-03-23T14:58:00.000-04:00

As a follow up to yesterday, I recently found this website called Southern Savers that I am addicted to. The lady is A-MAZING! I have been saving over 50% on every grocery bill which is great -- more money for the "fun" shopping!

I love that coupons save money, but I don't love fumbling over coupons in the aisles while 10 people push their way around me. So I took this lady's advice and put a system into place that works great for me. It requires a binder, some baseball card collector sheets (like this), a little bit of patience and maybe some orgami skills. :) Just kidding, it wasn't that bad.

So here is the end product. Each coupon has it's own little "cubby hole" And I sorted the pages out by condiments, canned foods, snacks, breakfast foods, baking goods, beverages, meats, frozen food and dairy. Pretty much the aisles of the grocery store that I shop at. Some of the monster coupons have to be folded in half to fit, but you can make it work. Its a hundred times better than the big stack of craziness I had going on in my purse. And my purse is sure happy for the extra space :)

Life is like a box of.....

2010-03-22T21:53:00.000-04:00

Okay, so here's a tidbit about me. A confession of sorts. I love organization. Sometimes, I like to change my system of organization just so I can organize again. My spice cabinet? All in the the same little bottles that I bought from World Market (one of my favorite stores lately!) and alphabetized. I just found a system to organize coupons with baseball card sheets so I'm not dropping them all over the grocery store and I was overjoyed. I love organization. (However, my clothes are doing good to get put on a hanger and my shoes are good to make it to the floor of my closet. So you don't need to refer me to a nut house yet)

But you know what I can't really organize? LIFE. It happens. And it is messy. And everything doesn't fit neatly on a shelf or in a box.

Life is not simply like a box of chocolates.A box of chocolates usually has a key on it and you can figure it out. Life is more like a box of melted chocolates. You might get cherry and caramel together. Or toffee and coconut. Blegh. You can't always separate out the good from the bad. Sometimes it's a little of both. Sometimes its just a surprise. Sometimes it's grand and sometimes it isn't. But none-the-less, it is chocolate. It's messy. But it's good.

Is it Groundhog Day?

2010-03-17T14:39:00.001-04:00

I know, I know, it is St. Patrick's Day. But I woke up this morning and read through one of my online devotions and felt like I was in the movie "Groundhog Day".

Isn't it funny how sometimes life just keeps repeating certain topics? Or does this just happen to me? I admit, I'm a slow learner! And I admit, I lose things, including my mind, quite frequently. So I decided I better post this so I don't lose it :)

One of my daily online devotions follows up with my post on focus just a few days ago -- I couldn't have said it better myself!

Taken from - http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/girlfriends/

Today's Truth Proverbs 4:24 (NCV) "Keep your eyes focused on what is right, and look straight ahead to what is good."

A study was done of concentration camp survivors to determine the common characteristics of those who did not die from disease or starvation. Victor Frankl was a living answer to that question. Before the Nazis threw him into a concentration camp, he was a successful psychiatrist. After his rescue, Victor Frankl traveled the world, sharing his story: "There is only one reason why I am here today. You kept me alive. Others gave up hope. I dreamed that someday I would be here telling you how I, Victor Frankl, had survived the Nazi concentration camps. I've never been here before, I've never seen any of you before, and I've never given this speech before. But in my dreams, I have stood before you and said these words a thousand times."

Outlook determines outcome. Victor Frankl survived because he chose a right focus, keeping his eyes fixed on what was ahead. Proverbs 4:25 explains, "We need to keep our eyes focused on what is right and look straight ahead to what is good." The picture painted here is one of an "upright" life, a life of "moral purity." We serve a holy God who is very serious about sin - serious enough to send His son, Jesus Christ, as payment for that sin. We claim the miracle of blood-bought forgiveness while flirting with sin. We give lip-service to God's sacrifice while allowing impurity to negate its power in our lives. We point others to the cross when we are the ones in desperate need of its deliverance.

When it comes to having a right focus, not only do we need to turn away from what is worthless but to turn to what is worthy. In yesterday's devotion, we discovered that Satan knows if he can control the mind, then he has won the battle. Who wins that battle is up to us and hinges on the choices that we make. The battle of the mind is won by controlling and filtering what we set before our eyes. In Psalm 101:3, we find an important key to guarding our mind, "I will set before my eyes no vile thing" (NIV). "Vile" means "evil one or troublemaker." Anything that is not feeding and nourishing the soul is depleting the soul, originates with Satan himself and will bring nothing but trouble. If it is not of God, it will numb you to what is of God. Be very careful what you place before your eyes - books, movies, television, magazines. We foolishly believe the lie that we "can handle it." If we could handle our sin, there would have been no reason for Jesus Christ to give up His life in order to pay for that sin. We are lost without Him!

I once lived in a small, rural community where cows were familiar neighbors and lost cows a common occurrence. How does a cow get lost? It starts nibbling on a patch of green grass. When it finishes, the cow looks ahead to the next patch of green grass. That patch digested, the cow looks ahead to the next patch of green grass and starts nibbling on that one. Then it nibbles on a patch of grass right next to a hole in the fence. The cow then sees the green grass on the other side of the fence so it nibbles on that one and then goes on to the next one and the next one. The cow finally looks up to discover it has nibbled itself into being lost.

We do the same thing. We bury our heads in the patches of everyday living. We make a single wrong choice and instead of looking up for forgiveness, instead of looking straight ahead for new direction, we look around for another wrong choice. Soon, we find ourselves at the bottom of a pit wondering how we got there. We must learn to keep our glance on the circumstances and our gaze on Him.

Dear Dad,

2010-03-15T07:45:00.001-04:00

I recently read that there are over 24 million youth in America that grow up without a father and I wanted to take a chance to tell you "Thank You" for stepping up and being the man that God called you to be. I could have written a letter, but who does that anymore? Plus, seeing how bad I am about taking letters to the post office, I probably would've made it to Maryland before the letter!

You have truly inspired me and influenced me to be who I am. Growing up as Daddy's Little Girl, I always knew you were my man to run to if I had questions or problems. You modeled the open arms that God our Father has towards us, which in turn made it easier for me to turn to Him when I have questions that can't be answered by anyone here on Earth.

You have always shown the women in your life love and respect and in turn, I knew how a man was supposed to treat a woman. And I expected nothing less from the men I dated and from the man I married.

You always let me know that you expected the best out of me and because of that, I in turn expect the best out of myself. And even when things didn't turn out for the best, you always kept smiling.... helping us all to keep going.

And on top of all of that, you were have never been afraid to be goofy and have fun. And because of that, I too can just relax, be silly and enjoy life.

You may not have a lot to show for in this life, but believe me, the things you have showed me in life are more than any car, house or bank account in this world. I love you!

Happy Birthday!

Still your Little Girl,
Kacey

Focusing on the positive

2010-03-14T14:14:00.000-04:00

Throughout my life, people have occasionally asked me "How do you stay so positive?" Well, I'm going to let you in on the secret.....are you ready?

I haven't figured out how to have a perfect life. I don't think I ever will. I have bad things happen to me every day and I've had some really "messy" things happen to me or around me. Once you come to terms with the fact that life will never be perfect and things will not always go as you plan, the secret is to focus on the positive.

Here's an example.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100313/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_education

There are plenty of issues from the administration that I could choose to go bananas over. But instead, I would like to commend our President for taking the issue of education seriously and vowing to make changes to the No Child Left Behind Act. While I know our former President had great intentions on putting this Act into place, it isn't working. Living and working in a county where 80% of our schools haven't met adequate yearly progress, I've noticed that educators are spending far too much time worrying about how well the kids are going to test and not enough time worrying if the kids are actually learning. So, props to you Mr. Obama.

Another example?
Someone gave me a statistic the other day that by the age of 17, 50% of American teenagers have had sexual relations. My response? Well, that's great! No, I don't believe it is great that by 17, half of our teenagers have given away a part of them that they can't get back. BUT, look at the other side of the glass. It shows that 50% of teenagers HAVEN'T had sex by the age of 17. So now teenagers are going to have to have a better excuse than everybody is doing it. Because they aren't!!!!!!!!

If I chose to focus on all the negative in my life and in this world, I would be miserable. In every bad situation, there is always something good. You just have to figure out where your focus is going to be.

When you get a donut, do you focus on the hole in the donut or the donut itself? Most people focus on the warm doughy goodness. If you focused on the big hole in the center, you probably wouldn't enjoy the donut. Instead of focusing on the "holes" we should focus on the "whole" picture -- life isn't ALL bad!

Can I have an adult menu please?

2010-03-13T19:21:00.000-05:00

Do you remember being too old for the kids menu and proudly asking for an adult menu? My little sister is so ready for the day that she doesn't have to even consider the children's menu anymore. Me? I'd much rather order off the kids menu at a restaurant... the portion sizes are a little more appropriate. ANYWAY...

If you are old enough to order off the adult menu... what else are you old enough for? Should you be ready for everything on the adult menu of life? Work? Responsibilities? Oh the pain these words cause teenagers. But only because they've been trained to think that these things are against them.

When child labor laws were put into effect is when "teenagers" were really "invented". Before, you were either a child or an adult. Don't believe me? Go get your concordance and look up the word teenager or teen in the Bible.... I'll wait.

::crickets chirping::

Couldn't find it? Neither could I... but look what I did find.

1 Corinthians 13:11 - When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.

Hmm. Interesting. There was no middle stage mentioned. Either child or adult. No option to be in the middle. So teens, I ask you... which do you consider yourself to be? And adults, how do you treat teenagers? If we are treating them like children, they will act like children. If however, we raise the bar and expect them to act like adults... maybe just maybe they'll surprise you!

Next up.. it's about to get good....

1 Corinthians 4:11 - Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil, be infants, but in your thinking be adults

Again, no in between stage here. This verse is right on... but unfortunately our culture screams the exact opposite to our children....doesn't it? Be MATURE in your EVIL but be IMMATURE and infant like in your THINKING. Ugh.

So, before I get way up on this soapbox.... let me end with a challenge. Teenagers... think of something that you would love to do and would be completely out of the ordinary for someone your age.... and set out to do it. These are the best years of your life. You aren't tied down with bills. You don't have obligations yet. Put these years to good use.

To adults... I challenge you to raise the bar a little bit. I think the bar of expectation that we as a society have of teenagers is on the floor.... it needs to be raised to the ceiling so that teenagers can rise to the challenge. It's not hard for them to sit on the floor. Help them expand their world and fly higher and farther than you ever thought possible!

The best investment out there

2010-01-31T15:00:00.000-05:00

YES, there really is such a thing as a good investment these days! It's a risk... you can't play it safe, but the value of the investment will never decrease. Read on...

As I was filing taxes this year, I got to the part about IRA contributions during last year. I dug through the massively large stack of tax related papers and finally found the one IRA paper. Surely they have this wrong I thought. I know I invested more than that. Oh wait........ yeah..... I forgot to start investing again when I got another job. Oops. I was slightly disappointed in that I didn't put in as much as I expected.... but this got me thinking. Would I be disappointed in my 2008 statement from God? Have I invested as much as I should have spiritually? And are my investments bringing dividends? Should I be investing my time and talent in other "funds" that have better returns than the ones they are invested in now?

Reminds me of the Parable of the Talents:
It's also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master's investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master's money.
After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: 'Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.'
The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master's investment. His master commended him: 'Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.'
The servant given one thousand said, 'Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.' The master was furious. 'That's a terrible way to live! It's criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.

So, the best investment is to open an account with God. If you've already got your account, be sure to use the account He has given you filled with goodness, grace and mercy. By using the "spiritual currency" in this account, you will invest back into it too. Just think about the dividends of helping one person (who helps one person) every day for the next 31 days... over ONE BILLION PEOPLE would be effected by the end of the month... 1,073,741,824 to be exact. That's a pretty amazing number to reap the dividends of!

I don't normally make New Year's Resolutions, but I do make budgets. This year I will budget my TIME so that I am not disappointed in my year-end statement with the First and The Last Bank & Trust of God!

Silence is Golden... or is it?

2010-01-20T20:22:00.000-05:00

Growing up, I always understood that silence was a good thing. My mom always wanted a little piece of it for some reason! And I always enjoyed it myself. It helped me to get in tune with myself. And I still enjoy it. It helps me get in tune with God.

But lately, I've realized that silence isn't always good. Sometimes you need to speak up loud and clear. There was yet another gang-related shooting in our neighborhood and the neighbors refuse to speak up and say who did it. They are afraid they are being snitches. Afraid that they'll be the next target. To the first excuse, I say... COPOUT. Who cares what other people thingk. The second excuse has some validation since there is a history of the "snitches" being targeted. But if everyone is silent and just lets this slide by without the offenders getting consequences, guess what? They are going to do it again. And who is to say that your family won't be involved out of chance.

And with Martin Luther King Day just passing, I couldn't help but think of just how many people were silent when it came to the poor treatment of African Americans. What if people had spoke up sooner?

And just today I was on Facebook and saw a group that made me sick to my stomach. A group making fun of a high school boy. The wall was filled with hate messages. So you know what? I spoke up. I don't know what difference it makes, but I refuse to have knowledge of a group like that and not do something about it!

Silence isn't always golden... sometimes you have to speak up.

And in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. and his willingness to speak up, one of my favorite quotes from him...

We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.

WRASSLIN... with the Biggun

2010-01-14T20:46:00.002-05:00

Okay, I have a confession to make. If it wasn't obvious from my title, Southern-isms have started rubbing off on me. Every once in awhile, my dear husband will smile and look at me with this sparkle in his eye and say "Say that again" and I know I've done it. I've countrified a word.

Anyway, tonight I was so happy to make a trip longer than my normal 1/4mile commute to work so I could listen to some new praise and worship music and just spend time with God. As I made my drive out into the country and just started listening, this is what I heard...

God (the Biggun): "Kacey... dear Kacey... you like to wrestle don't you?"

Me: "What? God, you know I don't have an ounce of athleticism. And I sure don't like WWE. But if you want me to go into wrestling... I guess I could figure it out"

God: "No, no dear child... I mean, you like to figuratively wrestle. With ME"

Me: "WHAT? No, no, you've got the wrong girl. I'm so easy going. Whatever you say, I'm your go to girl Remember? Right? Come on.... REALLY?"
............
.........

"Ummm, God? Did you hear me? DID YOU HEAR WHAT I'M SAYING?!"

Needless to say, I've come to realize that I sure am wrestling with God. And I'm not talking thumb wrestling... or arm wrestling. I'm talking full blown "rolling-around-on-the-floor-getting-cauliflower-ear" WRESTLING with God. I've been like a two year old who wants a piece of candy when she is being offered the whole candy factory. I don't always see the big picture. I like to see what I want to see. Don't we all?

I guess I've always been a proponent of letting God know how I feel... I think sometimes He is the only one who can handle my feelings. But recently, I think I've been telling Him how HE should feel. I've let MY dreams take precedence when I really know that HIS dreams are so much more amazing that anything I could ever imagine.

I don't want to be like Jacob and walk around with a limp the rest of my life for wrestling with God and getting my way. God makes a much better partner than an opponent. So I'm going to get up off the mat and walk hand in hand with God in the direction He wants me to go in.

Memories

2010-01-08T15:46:00.000-05:00

Whew, what a crazy month it has been!

So we just got down with one of our longest and yet busiest holiday seasons. Oh, and did I mention, the first as a ~~merried~~ er, married couple? I must have written Merry Christmas on too many Christmas cards! :)

My birthday in December adds one more crazy celebration to the December Dash. And this year, I had a two day celebration! On Friday Russ took me out to eat Japanese (MY FAVORITE!) and to Target and Kohls (two more favorites!) Then on Saturday, he took me to see A Christmas Carol in Charleston for my birthday and we had a LOVELY time. It was a good way to get into the Christmas spirit too since it had been so warm down here. It is hard to get into the Christmas decorating mood when it is 65 degrees. Although, I'm ready for that weather to come back!

We started out our Christmas Break with a trip to the Biltmore with some friends. Mother Nature decided that we should see the Biltmore in the snow. When we finally got there (thanks to Jon's cautious driving skills), it was beautiful.

But it was also VERY cold. We were a little disappointed to find out that some parts of the estate were closed because of the snow, but we were happy we got to see it all decorated for Christmas. At least the girls were! The guys were just happy to be guys and rough house in the snow.

(I love you too honey)

After our trip to Asheville, we headed to Russ' parents where we spent a few days just relaxing and a few nights (okay, quite a few nights) playing Monopoly and other silly games. I so love board games. And spending time with family. So it was pretty much amazing :)

Then we headed North to the mountains of Merlin. Where it was very cold. Very snowy. But pretty. Then it snowed some more. And kept us in the house for an extra day. Which I believe caused certain crazy people to do crazy things....

What a goof. Anyway, spending a few days on the farm always puts me in a reflective state of mind.

This is a picture of the barn where we spent many a summer play in the hay pile, watching the dirty pigs root around in... well, dirt, and tried to coax the cows to come into the barn so we could see them up close. Those were the days... really. We worked our tails off in the hay field, but it was fun to us. Probably because we didn't have to fix the baler when it broke every other bale, we didn't have other things to do, we didn't have to stack the hay in the specific hay stacking pattern, and we didn't have to clean up when the load fell off the wagon. We could just run home where Meme would greet us with a smile, a kiss and a glass of water, or coke... or any other thing we had talked her into buying at the grocery store. The we'd usually run back up to the field with a big jug of water for the hard working men and wait until they turned that big escalator on that would carry the hay WAY up, then drop it down. I could watch it for hours. But then the men would get hungry and we'd go home and clean up and eat a big warm slice of homemade bread and tomatoes fresh from the garden..... mmm, my mouth is watering now. Anyway, the barn didn't always look this disheveled. It started going downhill when Grandad did. But it is still standing as a reminder of all the hardwork he put into the farm and all the hardwork we did for him. Even beneath the snow, I can still see the path that he used to take and him carrying his pail of water for the animals or slop for the pigs. I sure do miss that man... and the barn misses him too!

Anyway, when the skies cleared up, we headed down out of the mountains where.... we were greeted by MORE snow believe it or not. We spent a few days with some more crazy members of my family and friends, watched some football and just relaxed. And then we made the grueling drive back to the South. We were hoping for some warmer weather, but it has been nice and chilly here. I got a promise from the weather man to be back in the 50's next week so he better not let me down. My toes and fingers are ready for warmth and feeling again!

We had a great first Christmas together as husband and wife... probably one of the best I've had. It is amazing that the best Christmas' that I can remember weren't about the gifts. Russ and I didn't have much money this year for each other, especially with all the traveling that we did, but we simply enjoyed each other and being able to give to our friends and families. That's what it's all about.

Anyway, Happy 2010! I hope this year brings many more exciting things our way... and your way too!

1..._...4...8..._...32...____

2009-12-20T21:48:00.001-05:00

Can you fill in the blanks? Haha. To tell you how silly I am, let me tell you a little story.

When I was younger, I usually never had a problem falling asleep. In fact, I was usually begging my parents to go to sleep. But there were occasions where I had something on my mind and couldn't go to sleep. So I had always heard the theory of counting sheep. But that bored me quickly. (Although, I think that is the point!) Anyway, I also had this fear of forgetting how to add or subtract or multiply... or anything having to do with math. So, I would do math games in my head until I went to sleep. And one of my favorites was starting with a number and doubling it and then doubling that one. Yes, I know, I am a capital N-E-R-D. I take pride in it :)

Anyway, tonight I was thinking metaphorically about that math game. What if we just do ONE thing to encourage someone, to make someone smile, to brighten their day? Then you've made one life better. But then if that person passes it on... it's turned to two people... and so on and so forth. So, one little act will not only impact one little life. It will impact a lot!

So today, I have decided to try to do or say something everyday to help brighten someones day... to dust off their glasses so that they can see the world a little better. And in those little things, I can impact the world!

There is a candle in every soul
Some brightly burning, some dark and cold
There is a Spirit who brings fire
Ignites a candle and makes His home

Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the hopeless, confused and torn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
Take your candle, and go light your world

Perfection

2009-12-08T20:03:00.000-05:00

Ah, the Christmas season. The season for herds of people at the mall fighting to get the best deal. The season for overstretched credit. The season of over-eating. And my personal favorite... the season of returns and exchanges.

I start my gift shopping rather early so I don't have to fight the crowds or rush to find the "perfect gift". I started this year with Present #1 for the husband. I decided it was "perfect" Until I saw present #2. That was more perfect. But I couldn't afford both presents with our budget. So I take present #1 back at Store #1. Well, they refund my store credit card (which was already paid in full) and tell me I have to spend money at Store #1. Perfect gift is at Store #2. So I peruse the aisles of Store #1 looking to find another gift and find present #3. I'm keeping this one. It's perfect :)

But then... it probably won't be. At some point, it is going to disappoint somewhere along the line... it'll age, fade, scratch, wear, break.... The only perfect gift is the real reason for the season. That is Jesus Christ. HE is the eternal gift that never goes away. It never ages, never fades, never scratches, never breaks! And the only thing you ever have to exchange is your sin for His grace!

Got to have faith-a-faith-a-faith

2009-11-30T15:13:00.000-05:00

Driving down I-95 this weekend, I saw a bright yellow billboard that said "Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen" I guess because it was bright yellow it stuck out and made me realize how much I take my faith for granted.

Then, on the radio came this song by Kutless:

Everybody falls sometimes
Gotta find the strength to rise
From the ashes and make a new beginning
Anyone can feel the ache
You think it’s more than you can take
But you are stronger, stronger than you know
Don’t you give up now
The sun will soon be shining
You gotta face the clouds
To find the silver lining

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn't ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do

It doesn't matter what you’ve heard
Impossible is not a word
It’s just a reason for someone not to try
Everybody’s scared to death
When they decide to take that step
Out on the water
It’ll be alright
Life is so much more
Than what your eyes are seeing
You will find your way
If you keep believing

Overcome the odds
You don't have a chance
That’s what faith can do
When the world says you can’t
It’ll tell you that you can!

I have seen people that have dreams that move mountains.... people who continue to have hope even when the sun hasn't been shining for years, I've even witnessed a few miracles. I've certainly seen the effects of faith and I know 100% who is behind those moving mountains, endless hope and miracles happening.

But, am I being faithful enough for others to see God in my life? There are times that I've questioned if something is possible... but deep down, I know that with faith in my God, it is possible! So I've vowed to stop using the word impossible... and just be faithful and believe because my faith will speak volumes to the world.

James 2:14-What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?

Breaking the Cycle

2009-11-22T18:12:00.000-05:00

I happened to pick up a book the other day that was talking about how over 600,000 NEW juveniles are processed through the detention system every YEAR. Most of those will make a return visit through either juvenile or adult detention. My question is WHY? Sure, I get that human nature is sinful... we aren't perfect and we are going to mess up. But why don't we learn from our mistakes the first time?

600,000 new juveniles... only a small percentage of them go on to get help and get out of their situation. Do the rest not think they deserve a second chance? Do they not know there is anything better out there?

These are our futures leaders... we've got to help them understand that they can do better. They are valuable. They could turn their life around and be the next President, the next NFL superstar, the next business executive... or just the next proud involved father or mother. But instead, they continue in the same cycle of illegal activity.

Maybe it is because the illegal activity is easy...profitable... makes them feel better about themselves. But there has to be an easier way... a way that makes your life of more value... a way that makes you feel better about yourself that is beneficial to society.

We've got to break the cycle... or we are going to get nowhere.

Make my life easier

2009-11-17T14:15:00.000-05:00

Have you ever had a load of laundry that you started and forgot about and when you remembered, they had mildewed??

Why has no one ever created an upright washing machine/dryer combo where the washing machine is on top... and has the option of automatically dropping the clothes down into the dryer when they are done washing?

Seriously......

And yes, I am that lazy.

What is eating Gilbert Grape?

2009-11-10T09:42:00.000-05:00

The past few weeks for me have been really hard emotionally for me to get through. Not because of anything personal, but because of the things that my job and my community have exposed me to. I never realized just how lucky I was until these past few weeks.

Working with parents and families in the community, I have a new definition of poverty. There is not having money and then there is flat out being poor in every sense of the word. No money, no food, no transportation, no spiritual beliefs, no support system, no education. There have been times that we’ve been down to pennies in our checking account with just enough gas to make it through the next paycheck… but we have always had some type of food in our cupboards, two cars to get us to work, a God who loves us no matter what and watches out for us and two amazing families who love us dearly and would help as soon as we ask. We have far more than a majority of the families in our communities do. And that is a hard pill for me to swallow. I’m trying to make a difference, but we have so many factors to go up against. There are those parents who work two jobs who don’t have time to be involved. There are the parents who don’t have the transportation to be involved. There are the parents who don’t care enough to be involved. And there are the parents who aren’t educated enough to feel that they are capable of being involved. And because the parents aren’t involved, the students get the message that school really isn’t all that important. ARGH. Our ninth grade class starts out 400 deep and by the time they get to their senior year, they are lucky to graduate with 200. WE LOSE THAT MANY KIDS! There has got to be something that we can do… if we don’t start working on a solution in the community, it is just going to keep going in a downward spiral.

Last night, the mister and I went to bed. Of course as soon as my head hits the pillow, I am dead to the world. But the loving and protective hubby heard sirens and made me aware of them. For about twenty minutes, we heard police and fire trucks going by our house. I knew something was up, but there really isn’t a way to find out since we don’t have a daily newspaper. Well this morning at work, a fellow tells me what happens and it ripped my heart into 100 pieces. Three blocks from our house, there was a drive by shooting that killed three people and injured five others. A family just sitting in their yard playing cards and visiting with each other was shot because someone felt the need to “represent”. A 20 month old girl died. A 21 year old boy… dead. A 45 year old man… dead. Absolutely senseless. It is being reported as gang activity, but I really hope that is not the case. I at least hope there was a motive in this... but I doubt it.

Its not that I am not familiar with gangs – they were in my old community and they are surely in this one. I just don't undersatnd them. People demand respect… and they think they can get it from carrying a gun around and taking other’s lives. They THINK people respect them, but in reality, people are fearful of them because of the gun. Well maybe I’m just way off the rocker, but I’m pretty sure that is where I lose respect for someone. If they have no respect for another person’s life, why would someone respect their life? Ralph Waldo Emerson said that "Men are only respectable as they respect"

Gangs don't appear very often in thriving communities. They usually take root in disadvantaged neighborhoods... communities that are failing. The whole community. Not just the parents who aren't supervising their kids. The community that offers no center for students to spend their free time in. The community that has no appealing jobs for those old enough to work. The churches who look the other way. The school that isn't effectively getting through to these kids. Gang members are usually not students who excel. They aren't successful in school, so they are looking for another outlet that they can fit into. We've got to figure out a better way... help them "fit in".

Okay, so obviously this all bothers me. I am saddened, fearful, and really at a loss. I want to make an impact, but I really don’t even know where to start… It is time to address it. We can't sweep it under the rug. This community is made out to be a sweet little southern community. Let's face our problems... admit that there is a gang problem and do something about it before another tragedy occurs!

Guess I just have to take one day at a time and ask God for the strength and wisdom to make a difference!

Dee Oh for the Bee Oh

2009-11-01T15:33:00.001-05:00

Last night at 9:00, the husband informs me that he is completely out of deodorant and won't have any to use... on the day of a football game. Not good. Although, those boys don't smell like they use it if you get a good whiff of them after the game. Anyway, today I decided I better take a trip to Wally World and drop off some deodorant at his school before practice. So off I go.

I walk into the aisle with deodorant and go to his brand... only to realize that I don't know his particular scent. I never really took notice.... he always takes care of grabbing it when we are in the store and we use different bathrooms, so I never see it. So, I started grabbing, uncapping and sniffing. Hmmm, Fresh...that one smells like him, I think that is it. No wait, maybe it is Pure Sport.. I mean, he is a sporty guy..... well, that one smells like him too. Why do two different scents smell so much alike?? Then I realized there are the deodorants and the clear deodorants. Pretty sure I've never seen deodorant stains on his shirts, so it had to be the clear.. Suddenly, I realize that this is probably close to the feeling men get buying feminine products... or shampoo...or probably just about anything for women. Poor fellows. I finally picked Fresh... I liked it better........ which of course meant... it was the wrong one. Oh well, at least he won't smell of body odor tonight :)

Apple Schmapple

2009-10-30T19:47:00.000-04:00

So the husband recently mentioned how bad he NEEDS a new phone... and how bad he WANTS an MP3 player. So being the loving and devoted to his NEEDS (and WANTS), and because I'm such a resourceful, money saving person, I decided to look at iPhones since they are both. :)

Being the bargain shopper, I found one for a great price... but then I find out it is an extra $30 PER MONTH to have a data plan for this little hot gadget. SERIOUSLY?! That is an extra car payment every year! I have never been a fan of Apple products, and this sure doesn't make me one.

On to check out these Zune players I hear so much about.

Apple - 0
Microsoft - 1

Thankful!

2009-10-12T14:17:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I know I've been slacking on the blogging lately and I have some catching up to do. I've made a few dinners that I wanted to post, but they need some revisions. So you'll have to wait on seeing more tasty creations.

But in the meantime, I've got a "life" post. I like to log on to Facebook, particularly in the mornings before I leave for work to check in on my world of friends. If someone is having a bad morning already, I take some time to pray that their day gets better/ less stressful. This morning I woke up and logged on to find that an old friend from when I was in high school had lost his mother. I sat in shock for a few minutes hoping it was a sick joke... but it wasn't. Here is a young man... a few years younger than me who lost the one woman he has known and who has had the most influence in his life. She won't be able to see his wedding or his children. I cannot even imagine what he is going through. Tragedy is good about quickly reminding us to be thankful... to get your priorities straight. t usually takes a tragedy to make us realize what we are thankful for. So today, I've been in a reflective mood... trying not to take things or life for granted because it is so easy to do that when life is going smoothly. So here is my list of what and who I'm thankful for!

1. Many people didn't have a chance at another day today. So today, I am thankful that I woke up to another day in this world... a day I can make a difference
2. Many people don't know the loving, patient, gracious, merciful God that I know. I am thankful for having the opportunity to know Him and share Him. And I am grateful that He has a plan for my life
3. Many people woke up this morning and didn't have a job to go to (and not just because it is a holiday!)... but I am thankful for having a job... and a job that I enjoy doing at that!
4. There are plenty of children, men and women who live in a house where they fear their safety... or they don't even have a house to live in. I am thankful for my house... that is right next to a police station :)
5. Many people will wonder what they will eat today... I am thankful for cupboards with food in them.
6. I am thankful for my loving, caring and supportive husband who reminds me everyday that he loves me. I have so many reasons to be thankful for him... he has helped me in so many ways. He puts up with so much from me... I can be pretty crazy sometimes. :) Even the little things that irritate me... I'm thankful for. Like when he hogs the covers... I'm thankful that he is in the bed with me hogging my covers, not someone else's! And when he doesn't fold the bathroom towel the right way, I'm thankful that he at least uses the towel to try to clean up... or thankful that he washed his hands! ;)
7. Freedom of speech and religion
8. The expensive electric bill because it means that our house is kept cool and I have electricity in my home!
9. My sight, hearing and the ability to walk and function properly
10. Technology that helps me keep in touch with family and friends
11. My car that allows me to get around to places I need or want to go
12. A father who was and is actively involved in my life
13. A brother who is still alive
14. My DVR that allows me to skip all commercials :)
15. The rain that we are currently getting here in SC... we need it!
16. All of my extended family.. grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws, nieces, etc who have taught me various life lessons in the past 24 years. I would have never known how to cross stitch, bake, sew, grow a garden, snap green beans, can vegetables or make hay if it weren't for my grandparents. If it weren't for my aunts and uncles I wouldn't have learned how to make quadruple stuffed oreos (which by the way is the only way to eat them!), to drive a stick shift, a go-kart, a boat, a snow mobile or a 4 wheeler, or known how to ski. I wouldn't have had the privilege of hand-me downs such as the Nintendo or Play Station or had fond memories of playing capture the flag or TV tag at family gatherings if it weren't for my cousins. I wouldn't have a wonderful, loving, God-fearing husband if it weren't for my in laws. And I wouldn't have ever enjoyed the peanut butter and jelly time dance or "Walk it Out" if it weren't for my nieces.
17. My mom who has sacrificed a lot the past few years for my sister, brother and me.
18. All the soldiers who risk their lives daily for our freedoms

The list could go on and on... It is amazing how fast you can think of things to be thankful of... you just have to change your perspective. So the next time that you are angry at your teenager for playing video games instead of listening to you... stop and take a moment to be thankful that they are with you at that moment. When your mom starts telling you the same story ten times because she doesn't remember telling you, just smile and be thankful that she still wants to talk to you and that you have the opportunity to listen. When your boss irritate you, be thankful you still have a job.

Let the cooking begin!

2009-09-21T16:16:00.000-04:00

So, since I've started my new lifestyle of a diet, people think that there is NOTHING that I can eat. Well, some days it does seem like it is easier to say what I can have rather than what I can't, but luckily God blessed me with a love of the kitchen and a creative mind.

My restrictions are: gluten, dairy, eggs, yeast, soy and legumes (beans and peanuts). And, no red meat or pork because of the high fat. So, it does seem like that eliminates a whole lot. But, luckily there are products out there such as gluten free flour that make life a little easier. Anyway I figured since I have a blog, I might occassionally post a recipe or two up here so people can see that I really do eat rather normally.

My first one isn't a meal, but a snack that I cam up with all on my own. I bought this amazing granola at Sam's club about a month ago that had pumpkin seeds in it and I loved the pumpkin seeds. So the other day when we took our monthly trip to town (in our covered wagon...haha), I visited the Whole Foods Bulk section and found...pumpkin seeds! They looked just like the ones in the granola, so they had to be just as good right? Wrong... they were terrible. I figured then that they probably had to be roasted.... so I figured I'd just make my own granola.

Seeing that it is almost fall (although in the South, you'd never know with the 80-90 degree days), I thought I'd do something a little fall-ish.

So here it is:

Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice Granola

1 1/2 cup rolled oats (gluten free of course)
1/4 cup of raisins
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/8 cup sunflower seeds
1 tbsp flax seed
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl, mix these ingredients together.

1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup pumpkin pie filling
In a small bowl combine these ingredients and whisk until mixed.

Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix well.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, stirring often to prevent from burning. Take out and let dry. Enjoy!

I had every intention of making another pumpkin delight with the rest of the can of pumpkin pie filling, but I pretty much ate the rest right out of the can with a spoon :) (Hey, its got lots of fiber and Vitamin A!)

Ladies and Gentlemen, please fasten your seatbelts

2009-09-15T15:13:00.000-04:00

How many of you have flown in an airplane recently? Anyone realized that when the attendants get up and review the safety features, no one really pays attention? I admit, this includes me. I paid REAL close attention the first time I flew.. a little bit the second, but after that, I paid more attention to the guys on the runway putting up luggage... (Hey, someone has to watch them!)

But I was thinking the other day... I wonder if these attendants get angry that people aren't listening to them? I think I would. What if something happens on the plane... then I'm sure everyone is scrambling to find that attendant to ask them what to do. If I were the attendant, I think I'd have to kindly remind everyone that we went over this before takeoff. .. you should've paid attention. Haha, no, of course I would help them.

But what about when there isn't a second chance to help someone? As Christians, it is our job to warn everyone about what to do to prepare themselves for the "crash landing". But there are LOTS of people that just aren't listening. They have better things to do. But I'm willing to bet when those trumpets sound, they'll be scrambling to find a Christian and ask them what to do again. But it will be too late. Time will be up.

Actually, maybe this is our second chance. Genesis tells the story of Noah... who followed God's instruction to build a boat for a flood that was coming. For 120 years Noah kept at it. I'm sure he listened to lots of people tell him he was crazy. He watched plenty of people go about their business as if nothing was going to happen. After all, it wasn't even raining, so what was the big deal? The big deal was that the rain DID come... and those people Noah tried to help? They were no more. The Bible warns us....

"In the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving their children to be married, until the day Noah entered the boat. They knew nothing about what was happening until the flood came and destroyed them. It will be same when the Son of Man comes" - Matthew 24:38-39

This is our second chance. Have you listened to the flight attendants? Are you equipped with the knowledge to exit the plane safely?

A picture is worth...

2009-09-13T12:09:00.000-04:00

A thousand words? Really? Okay, well maybe some of them...

(Courtesy of Awkwardfamilyphotos.com)

I love photography... from taking pictures to looking through old pictures. But does a picture really tell the TRUE story? I was looking through the rehearsal dinner and wedding pictures the other day and got to thinking about what they "say". They speak to the beauty of the day, the happiness and the love that the husband and I have for each other. But.... do they tell the story of what was to come? Not at all. In less than 48 hours, I would begin to have a series of symptoms that turned out to be MS. You would never know from looking at the wedding pictures that this creature of a disease was lurking beneath the surface.

Okay, so maybe pictures aren't supposed to tell the story of what is going to happen in the future, but do pictures really even tell the story of what was REALLY going on at the time? I have a picture of Russ during the first night of our honeymoon where it looks like he is relaxing on the bed and talking on the phone. But what he is really doing is telling his parents the news of my disease. Looking at some family photos from long ago, it appears everyone is really happy... but I now know that they really weren't. There was a storm brewing beneath the surface that would later come to surface and cause an entirely different picture to be painted.

Think of Jon and Kate Gosselin..... Just a year ago, millions of people watched them renew their vows in Hawaii. They both seemed happy... it was a Kodak moment. But oh how that picture has changed now that their marriage is dissolving. There was obviously something else going on that those photos did not portray.

Everyone wants to have the perfect family photo.. you know, a spouse, 2.5 kids and a dog. But there is no such thing as a perfect family. You can use PhotoShop as much as you want, your family is NOT going to be perfect. Natalie Grant has a song called "Perfect People" that is stuck in my head today and it goes right along with these thoughts:

There is no such thing as perfect people, there is no such thing as a perfect life. So come as you are, broken and scarred and be amazed, be changed by a perfect God.

How true.. what we really need to do rather than worrying about matching outfits and perfect smiles is worry about Photoshopping Jesus into the picture to fix the imperfections... and trust God to create the perfect picture!!!

Welcome to the club

2009-08-30T16:08:00.000-04:00

Friday night marked the official beginning of high school football with our first football game. Since there is only one school in the county, the games are quite a drive. The wife of the head coach called me last week and invited me to ride with her and some other ladies to the game...which was quite nice since it was a "few country miles away" as one of the ladies said. Note - I love South-isms and I'm actually starting to pick them up which is scary. Today I caught myself saying "I was fixing to tell ya something". I caught myself before it slipped out though and referred back to the Yank Speak (READ: I was going to tell you something very important but it slipped my mind. I will have to tell you later. )

Anyway, on Friday I realized that I am now a part of a new "club" - The Football Wives Club. I never saw this coming and I don't know why I didn't.. I think it crept up on me and I never thought about it. I wasn't with Russ during his first season as coach, so it didn't hit me and I just never thought about it. Until Friday. When I was younger I remember watching NFL games or races (yes, I watched NASCAR races) and seeing those cameras pan over to the wives when their husbands did something.... and I remember thinking I would never EVER want to be that woman on display. Well, we are on our way folks. In a smaller degree...but well on our way.

Some women probably think I'm crazy because those women get attention... money (which I assure you, we are FAR from that stage!).... and perks. What could be better than those three right? Haha.

Well, first, I was never one to enjoy attention. It seems like if the players do something they shouldn't have, everyone watches the coaches to make sure they do their job of scolding them. But when the coaches make a bad call, everyone looks to the wives to make sure they saw their husband's bad move. Here's the truth... I really don't care what he does out on that field... we all make mistakes and I'm sure you make plenty at work too, you just don't have hundreds or thousands of people watching you. Truth is.. I'll proudly stand beside him and support him whether we win every game or lose every game. I believe in him and his calling to attempt to instill integrity and sportsmanship in the next generation of athletes. So please don't think your look will change my mind about him. Hmmm, wonder if I can get a shirt that says all that? :)

Secondly, sure, being the wife has it's perks, but I'm not the type of person to enjoy perks... Should I get to park closer just because I married a man who spends months of his life coaching? Well, its nice, but it sure doesn't make up for the time that I don't have him at home. (There are days that Russ leaves so early in the morning and comes home so late, that the next day, I wonder if I even spoke to him the day before...or was he just a figment of my imagination? And I used too laugh when this guy at work talked about the good months to have a baby. I'm thinking we'll be planning too.... for a bye week delivery...or a spring baby. haha.) I know the perks are just to show appreciation, but the families and fans of the teams sacrifice their time and money to support the team too.

And lastly, you probably won't ever hear me complain about having extra money, because there is always someplace for it to go to. It's a shame that Sallie Mae isn't a charity because we sure give them a lot of money...and will continue to do so until 2025. There are always needs and when we don't have any, others do and we try to give back to them too. But I don't see money being one of the perks of coaching anytime soon!!!!

The upside of this club though is that I get to be a part of my husbands job. Its not like when he worked at the bank and I was a customer... I can now cheer him on from the sidelines. And I get to be a part of the community. And when he is gone from home, I get to do things that interest me... such as blogging :)

Father Abraham

2009-08-26T11:12:00.000-04:00

had many sons..had many sons had Father Abraham....Come on.. I know you know the song.... so let's just praise the Lord. I remember singing this song for the longest time and I had no idea why I was considered a child of Abraham. But I thought it was pretty cool that my dad was on the face of a penny. Haha. Later in life, I realized that the Abraham I learned about in school and the Abraham we sang about at that VBS were very different!

Recently I was reading about Bible Abraham and realized how applicable the beginning of his story is to my story right now.

'The Lord said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your fathers household and go to the land I show you." - Genesis 12:1

Similarly, I was called to leave my state, my "people" and my family and go to this small town that is completely not what I'm used to. Is it what I would've chosen? No. But, we are creatures of habit and we like to be comfortable. However, we don't grow when we are comfortable! The promise that follows God's command to Abraham makes all of that worth it though...

"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you" -Genesis 12:2-3

Wow.. that gets me excited. I mean, who doesn't want to leave a legacy of greatness behind? And how cool is it that God promises to "have our backs"? There isn't anyone better to protect us!

God's message to us since the beginning has been to trust Him. Are you trusting in Him to bless your life? To protect you? To love you? To make your name known? Or are you trusting your husband, wife, your boss or yourself to do those things?

Once you trust Him to do these things, your life isn't going to be easy... you are ogoing to have trials and tribulations. Abraham picked up, carried his family to a far away land, and the first thing he experienced was a famine. Why? Not because God forgot about His promise to Abraham, but because He wanted Abraham to TRUST him. God asks us to go places and do things without too many details because He wants us to trust Him. The great thing is... that if we follow Him, He will take care of us...if we obey!

Church Shopping

2009-08-23T16:47:00.000-04:00

The past few weeks Russ and I have been searching for a church home in our new town...... and needless to say, its been quite interesting for us. The church we choose to attend can profoundly affect our faith and our relationships here in this new town, so we have been putting a lot of thought into this.

Living in the South, there is this traditional view of a big brick church with a steeple... stained glass windows...a pulpit, a choir, a baptismal and pews. we've seen a lot of those.. nad have visited a few, but you know, none of that makes it a church. Sure, it makes it pretty, but the building sure doesn't welcome the new visitors as well as a person. Seeing that I grew up in a church that met in schools, a movie theatre and an arts center, I do not feel that a church even needs to have a church building to be a church... the body of Christ can meet ANYWHERE. The strength of a church does not lie in the brick of their building, but rather the people of the church!

The first church we went to was a very much so traditional church with all the "churchy" things... but not one soul introduced themselves to us. It was pretty to walk into, but it was relationally cold inside unfortunately. Most regular church goers don't remember the concept of greeting. They quickly meet people and forget what it was like to be a first time visitor. They walk into church, go to their comfortable place and don't get outside their bubble. I admit, I'm guilty. But after visiting a few churches, I will change because it makes a difference, the more people that say hello, the better. Churches shouldn't have to have greeters or a welcome ministry... the whole church should take on that responsibility.

Then there is the music...some people think of hyms, some of more contemporary music. Should there be organs, pianos, dums, guitars, a choir? We actually visited a church that sang without instruments or a worship leader... it was actually very lively! I don't think there is a right or wrong way to worship, we just need to find the church that allows us to express our love and appreciation to God through their worship service.

One of our must haves is ministries...we feel that a church should be growing deeper within and should also be active in the community through their ministries. Unfortunately, this is one thing that a lot of churches have given up.... there are a few select families that do EVERYTHING and they get burned out and the ministries fizzle away. But, sometimes churches can get too internal with their ministries and thats all they talk about. One church talked about who was going to bring what to the church dinner that week...for 20 minutes. I was ready to hear a message from the Word of God! But instead, got a message from my stomach that it was hungry after hearing about food for so long!

We've also realized how important it is to read the statement of beliefs to make sure it lines up with our beliefs and more importantly, the Bible! There are churches who bend the Word of God to be something different...something they are more comfortable with. The message has to be good and cause us to grow in our faith..otherwise what is the point of going to church?

Needless to say, finding a church that "fits" has been harder than finding a pair of jeans that fits!!!

More thoughts...

2009-08-14T10:54:00.000-04:00

It's been a few weeks since my last update, so I thought I would check in in case anyone reads this other than my husband :)

Yesterday marked two months of marriage... time is flying by and before we know it, we'll be at the five year mark... and then twenty...fifty.. I can't wait to see what life has in store for us!

God definitely has some big plans for us... I can feel it.... I just don't know what exactly it is and I've been praying really hard to find out exactly what it is that I'm supposed to be doing. While I enjoy serving the guests at the hotel, the pay just isn't going to work for the long term. The problem is that when I work for four hours, I'm dead tired... and I mean TIRED! Right now there is laundry to be done, dishes to be put away and I am glued to the couch...don't have any motivation to move. While my energy has definitely increased with taking supplements, it is still hard to get through the day without a nap. When someone with MS says they are tired, its a whole new definition of tired...its exhausted times 10. I've always been easily "tired" but since June 15th when this attack hit, I've learned a new definition of the word. I'm just thankful that I don't have kids to take care of and have depend on me right now because it is hard. But I'm confident that things are going to continue to get better. And if they don't, well, its in God's hands and He can take care of it.

It's been such a different and peaceful ride learning to let go and let God. sure, there are days when I look at what bills are due for the week and wonder how its going to happen....but I've learned to not really stress about it terribly like I used to. The numbers might not make sense to me, but they do to God...He has it all under control and it seems that when we've needed it the most, there has been unexpected money show up. And a check engine light in Russ' car turned into absolutely nothing.... God takes care of us, that's for sure!
I'm a firm believer that when we tap into our limited resources and help other people out, that God sees that and then reaches into his UNLIMITED resources and gives back to us more than we could imagine. We just have to remember to help others out when they need it and God will help us out when we need it. How encouraging to know that I don't have to take on all the stress of life!

Russ has started football camp and he seems to really like it here. The guys are already seeing him as a leader and looking up to him, which is great. Unfortunately so many young men don't have good male role models in their lives. They need a sense of what a "real" man is.....that a man doesn't have to drink, yell, cuss or be disrespectful to be a man. And its unfortunate that fathers don't care or don't take the time to teach their kids these things........as their kids are the only legacy they will leave behind. But a lot of parents just think that it is someone else's responsibility.... but I once heard a poem that said that there was a job that was given to everybody and everybody thought somebody would do it, but nobody did it. Then somebody got angry because everybody didn't do it but everybody blamed somebody for not doing it. So I guess if the parents aren't going to step up and we see a need, we should step in and do it because at least we are doing something and can't be blamed for doing nothing!

Well, that's all of my provoking thoughts for the day! Until next time....

Life Adjustments

2009-07-31T17:11:00.000-04:00

Have you ever realized just how capable we really are? We really don't give ourselves credit for what we can actually do... in fact, most of the time, we talk ourselves out of doing things because we are chickens. We are too scared... too worried.... too much in control to take a risk. But the past month or so I've realized a lot about me... what I really can do.

If you would've asked me a month ago if I could...
survive a month without internet...
eliminate meat and gluten from my diet
move to a town that doesn't have a mall, a ritas,or even a blockbuster within an hour
survive on a minimum wage part time job
be able to cope without use my right hand

I would've laughed at you and told you that I was not made for those circumstances... but apparently, I was... and I am surviving! And actually, I'm doing pretty good :) I've adapted to the use of a phone and phone book to stay in touch....I've started finding fish, rice and potatoes to taste simply amazing, I've become a large financial supporter of the local chapter of SuperWalmart, I've cut back on unneccesaries and my left hand is becoming dominant. We may be resistant to change, but once we are forced into it, if we keep a positive outlook, we actually do much better than we could have ever anticipated.

While I would've never chosen this particular path, I've accepted it and I am actually enjoying the new pace. I am determined to keep going because I can't wait to see the beautiful scenery ahead!!!

MRS AND MS

2009-07-17T14:28:00.000-04:00

The past few weeks have been a rollercoaster of feelings, emotions and a massive amount of travel.

Married life so far has been incredibly hectic. I am finally down South and we are just about settled into our cute little house. I am learning new things about Russ everyday and for the most part, love each one of those things. Still trying to learn to accept the toilet seat left open thing... but at least I'm learning patience :) I drpped my brush in the open toilet seat the other day, but laughed it off. And soaked it in some disinfectant. haha.

Another thing I'm dealing with is sharing the bed. haha. I'm such a bed hog and so is Russ, so we spend all night rolling into each other and stealing back the covers from each other. I see the purchase of a king bed in the near future!

But we'll get used to it and the pros (like having someone to share chores with.. hehe) outweigh the cons.

The other battle I'm fighting is rather ironic to me.....The day after our wedding, I began getting a numb sensation in the back of my head, but brushed it off as my hair being "sore" after being pinned up all day the day before. However, it turned into numbness in my jaw, and right arm. I again brushed it off as a pinched nerve and couldn't wait to get back to my chiropractor in Maryland. After two visits to him and little relief, I wasn't so sure it was something simple, so I went to the doctor. She said it was probably a pinched nerve but she wasn't sure. WHAT? You are a doctor, can't you do better than that? It seriously irks me when doctors are so complacent. I don't go to the doctor at the drop of a hat, so it just bothers me when they brush off everything I say. Anyway, then I started getting chest pains and numbness in my rib cage, at which point I went to the emergency room. After pricking me, brusing me and scanning me, they said maybe a pinched nerve but they also referred me to a neurologist. At this point I was four days away from moving, but fit in an appointment anyway and some MRI's. Three days later I got a call from the neurologist that after looking at the scans, there were several spots on my brain and spine that were consistent with multiple sclerosis (MS). I still say I haven't had time to process this, but I find it very ironic that I finally got my MRS. and God gave me back the MS..... in a different form. haha. (I'm trying to find the humor and positive in all of this!)

Seriously though, I am thankful for the cause of numbness being found so quickly and for it not being more serious than it is. I am thankful for my wonderful husband as well... he has been very supportive and understanding of my frustrations. I have very limited use of my right hand, I tire very easily and the past few days I've found myself stumbling over my words and my feet. haha. But I've always done that, I just have an excuse for it now!!!

Well my left hand is dying from typing all of this, so, I'm off to read some more about MS. I am not going down without a fight and doing everything in my power to help myself and others!!

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"

Married Life

2009-06-25T07:39:00.001-04:00

Well, it's official, I am a married woman!

The first week of married life proved to be rather hectic! We left Sunday for Charleston (in two different cars!) and didn't get there until the evening. We unpacked, ate dinner and Russ started on his school work. That continued all week. He was gone from 7:30am until about 3:30 everyday. I slept until at least 10 everyday which was fantastic! Then I hit the job and apartment hunting trails. What fun that proved to be. Apparently the new trend in apartments is to not have a washer and dryer in the unit. Not cool. I lived through dragging my clothes across the world in college and I really don't care to do so again. And the new trend in hiring people... is to not do so. haha. So unfortunately, I didn't prove successful in either one of those. I did take a day to go to Boone Hall plantation which was gorgeous. It's the place that has the "Avenue of Oaks" in the Notebook:

I loved it! I can't wait to get a house and start framing pictures. My goal is to be able to decorate our house with pictures that we've taken from various places.

Anyway... we got to spend the day together on Saturday and went downtown Charleston. We ate breakfast at a little place called Toast which is apparently a hangout for college kids who went out and had a little too much fun the night before. It proved for some interesting entertainment. The best two quotes of my entire trip were heard there...
"Corned Beef Hash?! Wow, does that have corn in it?"
"Kentucky......... isn't that where the Kentucky Derby is?"

haha. I love it. Glad that God blessed me with some common sense!

We left there and went to the downtown market... pretty cool place where all these artists and vendors come out and sell their stuff. We decided to try to start collecting Christmas tree ornaments for anywhere that we travel to... so we bought a Charleston ornament... and a Palmetto tree pitcher for all that sweet tea Russ drinks :)

On the way to the bathroom, we spotted what appears to be a Charleston fad... gum posts. This post had so much gum on it... it was disgusting up close, but it looked pretty cool from afar :) There were a bunch of others like it, but this one had the most gum on it.

We then got suckered into attending a timeshare presentation... for all these free attraction tickets. The place looked great... cool idea..... but they presented it to the wrong couple because we certainly didn't have the money they were looking for. haha. So we got some free tickets... and vowed to never attend one of those things again.

We headed back towards the car where we spotted a Moonpie General Store.....

Moonpies and RC Cola...Its a Southern thing :)

Which... we then spotted the Gamecock paraphenalia... and since I did vow to be a Carolina Gamecock, I had to get the "Fear the Spur" picture. haha. I promise, I'll show some more excitement about this as the years go on :)

And then we headed to dinner... where we watched a wedding in the Courtyard and reminisced about a week beforehand when we were doing the same thing. It was quite the week... and then I had to leave :( The drive home was long and boring and I sure do miss him being around! However, I don't miss having to check to make sure the toilet seat is down! That was definitely the first lesson of marriage... make sure to check before you sit. haha. Even if he does leave the toilet seat up all the time, I love him :)

Well, it's dinner time... until next time...

Another life lesson

2009-06-06T09:30:00.000-04:00

Do you know how God works? I do... after 16 years, I've figured Him out. Just kidding :) He's always keeping me on my toes with new lessons.

Russ was offered a new job in the South and has been waiting on the contract for over a week now. Meanwhile, I'm still at my job in the North waiting to give notice. My boss wanted notice so he can replace me.... understandable. I didn't want to give notice in case something fell through with Russ' offer... okay, so I worry a little too much.. Anyway, yesterday, I decided it was time to let them know that I was going to be leaving in July. Even though it wasn't 100% certain. My stomach turned handing him the letter and I thought for a moment that I might throw up... but I swallowed hard and made it through. It's hard to just step out, give up my amazing job and have nothing. I haven't not had a job or some kind of income guarantee since I turned 16. So I spent yesterday worrying about how we are going to make it through.

I walk out of work and my phone beeps telling me that there is a message... I listen to it and anyone want to guess what it was???????????

A message from an agency that I applied to last week........ I just grinned and apologized to God for worrying so much. I know he has this under control... it's just hard to step out there.

Coincidentally, this is the devotion I read yesterday... it was pretty convicting of how we act sometimes....

Have you ever heard of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism? I’m guessing most of us have not. Yet, according to research most American adults and teenagers live by this new cultural religion. It is a religion that piggybacks upon existing Christian beliefs and then tweaks them just enough to rob the power from a thriving Christian life. So, what exactly does MTD look like?

Moralistic refers to the concept that most Americans believe in right and wrong. In MTD, people decide for themselves what those things are. As long as people live consistently according to their own list of rights and wrongs, they can call themselves moral people.

Therapeutic refers to the concept that most Americans believe God exists for our happiness, satisfaction and fulfillment. God’s job, according to MTD, is to solve people’s problems and to help them get what they want out of life.

Deism refers to the idea that most Americans believe in a God who cannot really be known. In MTD, God watches people play the game of life and doesn’t get involved much, unless of course, when people need Him to fix a problem or help them get what they want.

There’s probably a bit of the MTD “infection” at work in all of our lives. Sometimes, we play fast and loose with moral definitions, creating wiggle room to hold to “morals” even when we know the Scriptures draw a different line in the sand. Sometimes, we expect God to be the “genie” in our hip pocket; when we want or need something, we rub the lamp (pray) and expect God to give us our three wishes. And sometimes, we too tend to view God as distant, unknowable, detached and unreachable.

So here is to trusting God more, sticking to the morals that Scriptures teach, drawing close to God and letting Him be involved in ALL parts of my life... good or bad!!!

Etiquette Class

2009-05-27T16:28:00.000-04:00

Okay, so if this wedding has taught me one thing... people can be really clueless. I've decided that it should absolutely be mandatory to learn things like... how to respond to a wedding invitation at some point in their life. I think high school would be an excellent place for such a class.

Seriously... the first unit would be on "How to use your cell phone appropriately" Nothing bothers me more.

Lesson One - Texting - Sure, it's quieter than a phone call, but it should still only be done at certain times. The police say, don't text while driving. Well, I say.....
Do not text while having a conversation with someone... they can see you aren't paying attention to them
Do not text while eating a meal, even if it is at your own house. Have a real conversation with a person.
Do not text in school or church... or any other social atmosphere where someone is trying to talk to you... have some respect.
If absolutely necessary, go ahead, text ONE TIME... don't keep popping open your phone.

Lesson Two - Taking phone calls
Unless there is some emergency... Don't answer your phone in a meeting. It is rude to everyone else in that meeting. None of them are answering their phones are they? Oh, and did you turn that ringer off? Something about hearing a 40 year old co-workers cell phone ring with "Soulja Boy" is a huge loss of respect. haha.

When in a public place, do not talk about closed doors subjects or use the speakerphone feature... everyone doesn't want to hear your conversation. Plus, the other person probably doesn't appreciate you allowing their conversation to be announced to everyone around.

Lesson Two - The art of Eating at home... or at a restaurant
It seems like people these days have spent too much time at McDonalds or other drive thrus and haven't had to learn any manners about eating because they are stuffing their face between one place and another. No, you don't have to be all prim and proper like people from centuries ago were, but you also don't have to chew with your mouth open or tell everyone how disgusting the food is. And oh my goodness, please do not blow your nose at the table. Sick. A few days ago, this guy blew his nose and I'm not talking a mere blow of the nose, it was a severe snot fest. I almost threw up. Anyway, when the bill comes, please for the sake of humanity, tip your server. Even if you thought the meal was terrible... that is the cook's fault. The cook is making big money whether the food is good or not. The server merely brings the food. They don't make good money unless you tip on the food they brought you. (Note: I also think it should be mandatory for everyone to be a server at some point in their lives. They'd become much better customers and tip a lot more freely)

Lesson Three - The art of driving like a civilized person
USE YOUR BLINKER. PEOPLE CAN'T READ YOUR MIND. USE YOUR HEADLIGHTS... PEOPLE CAN'T SEE YOU IN THE DARK. DO NOT TAKE UP THREE PARKING SPOTS WHEN PARKING YOUR EXPEDITION. It is big, but it isn't a bus. Learn how to fit it in the parking spot please. End of lesson :)

Lesson Four - Weddings
When you receive an invitation in the mail... look closely at the names that were on the invitation. Was your name there? If not, sorry, you weren't invited... If so, proceed. Open the envelope... read the fancy words. On the small response card, write the names of the attendees or the people who were invited. Do not add a name. Review the options on the card... check yes/no chicken/fish/beef/etc. and put it in the little envelope provided that should also have a stamp on it. Tomorrow when you go to your mailbox, put it back in there and raise the little flag on the side of the box.
If you are sending out the invitations go over your guest list 10 times to make sure you included everyone. I know that I (believe it or not!) actually missed some people completely by mistake. When you are inviting over 200 people, it is easy to do. People usually don't come and ask why they weren't invited to the wedding, so you won't be able to realize that you completely left them off. So be sure to go over it a few times with your future spouse to make sure everyone is on there.
If you are not planning the wedding, please keep your opinion to yourself. The bride and groom are grown ups... they can make decisions for themselves. If they really want your opinion, they will ask for it. Let them know you are there to help, but please don't tell them how things HAVE to be done. Especially if you haven't planned a wedding in twenty years.

Alright... I'm done venting on some of my biggest pet peeves :) I'm really not Emily Post or anything... I just get really irritated when people are brazen and rude. But then again, maybe I'm just getting old. These things don't seem to bother younger people. In ten years, instead of holding a staff meeting, everyone will just text message with their boss while driving and eating their food with their mouths open.....

Less than one month away!

2009-05-14T16:56:00.000-04:00

Yesterday morning I was greeted with an email from The Knot telling me I had exactly one month to finish planning one of the biggest, most expensive days of my life. Thanks for the reminder people, but I don't do well with countdowns.

Little by little... my "To Do List" for the wedding is getting shorter.
I'm one week away from my third and hopefully final dress fitting. Got an appointment for my trial hairdo on Saturday. I have all but 5 of our centerpieces done. And all but three of our aisle decorations done. And we go for our final meeting with the venue next week... and get to taste cake... YUM! I've just got small minor things from here on out. Except for maybe the whole name change thing... that's a little daunting to me. Have you ever stopped to look how many things your name is on??? (Car, loans, bank accounts, utilities, business cards, name plates, checks, address labels, drivers license, bank cards, credit cards... whew)

But with one month left, it's starting to really sink in that I'm getting married.... I'm moving three states away from the family I've spent my entire life with...I'm not going to get to watch Katie play softball, baseball, soccer, or any other thing she chooses to participate in...I won't get to listen to Khris be his goofy self... I won't get to eat Mom's good cooking as often... or find something different every day to give dad a hard time about. I'm going to be starting a new job.... I'm going to be living in my own place, maybe even buying my own house. I'm going to be a wife. (Hmm, note to self... come up with a new word for wife... it makes me feel old.) That is A LOT of change. It's going to take a lot of adjusting...and it'll be a lot of ups and downs but in the end, it'll all be worth it. I'm ready for the next chapter of my life with Russ. I'm excited to start a new family (as old as that makes me feel) and... I'm ready to be close to Russ again!!!!!!!

It's Picture Season!

2009-04-29T16:56:00.000-04:00

So I finally broke out my camera again. Man, I miss taking pictures!

So here are some pictures of us coloring Easter Eggs while Russ was in town...

We always have competitions on the best eggs at our house and as Russ says "Kacey always wins, hers always look awesome and mine look crappy" Hey, he said it, not me :)

So, here is my batch of eggs... with my wedding egg in the middle :)

Then, gotta love her... Katie made a Junior... or should I say 'Junoir' Bridesmaid Egg for herself :)

She also decided to win the ugliest egg contest:

And we had a tie in the Sports category :) We gave one award for NCAA and one for NFL :)

In other picture related news... Katie started softball season. I love watching kids play sports. They are so into it one minute and then they are staring at the birds in the sky... Like here... I don't know what she was doing... her glove was off... Runner is on second... you are on third Katie... put that glove on girl!

She did well though... she was serious when she got up to bat. Of course I was behind the plate when she hit a beautiful shot past second base... but I made it around to the opening (gotta love fences when you are trying to get a good shot) in time to get her on second base

And finally, when I was leaving the park that night, the sunset was beautiful over the farm that is right next to the park. Not the greatest picture because of the cars traveling on the gravel road created dust... plus I took it from inside my car... while driving (smile)... but these nature pictures are my favorite... its a simple reminder of God's beauty and awesome-ness :)

My momma always said...

2009-04-22T16:14:00.000-04:00

to watch what I post on the internet. And I've really never put anything incriminating on there... at least I don't think so. But after this week... I think that I've gotten a better understanding of what Mom meant.

There was an unfortunate tragedy in a nearby community where a man killed his wife, kids and himself. In a press release yesterday, they revealed that the family was in debt (what family isn't these day?) and that could've been a reason for the husband's stress. The Washington Post went into the wife's blog and found a blog where she said she likes to spend money (again, what woman doesn't) and that she likes to buy specific shampoo and they speculated that her high tastes might be the source of their debt. OKAY... sure, they could've been. But who are the newspaper reporters who know NOTHING of this lady or her family to speculate on that? Like I said, I like to spend money too... but Russ will be the first to tell you that I will do everything in my power to keep us out of debt. And from what I read of this lady's blog... she was willing to make sacrifices so that she could be home with her kids. I guess the community wants answers to why... but should we really care why? There were lives lost for no apparent reason. There are two families mourning their losses. Let's focus less on the past and what has happened and more on the future. The lesson I think we should all take from that is that we don't always know what other people are going through... we should try to be more compassionate and helpful to those who need it.

And maybe to not put that I like to spend money on my blog. I might suddenly become an out of control spender in the eyes of the media. :)

Praying for those families and friends who lost dear ones this week!

Love and Marriage... Love and Marriage...

2009-04-16T19:58:00.001-04:00

Goes together like a horse and carriage. Haha. That song always made me laugh for some reason....it just seemed so silly and reminded me of "Sally and Johnny sitting in a tree.... K-I-S-S-I-N-G"

ANYWAY, that song has been stuck in my head... so it was my random post title. I haven't posted in awhile... oops.... sorry, Russ was in town, so I had someone to talk to when random thoughts poured across my mind.

One of the things we talked about while we were together was the large amount of negative feedback we've been getting from friends and co-workers about marriage. We've heard just about every negative comment in the book. I mean, really people, we are getting married in two months, can't you pull out the nice comments that you write in the guestbook????

We know that marriage isn't all fun... it's not always neat and organized. It's life. It gets hectic, stressful, painful, hard.... but we also know that "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." and in the end, thats what we want. And that's what we are striving to show the world... the different kind of love... the different kind of marriage. The marriage rooted in God.

With that, we've decided to either play, or possibly even sing this wonderful song at our wedding ceremony. I absolutely love it and play it anytime I'm feeling a case of the wedding blues setting in. haha.