I love being a nanny. I really do. Sometimes, it drives me up the wall. The hardest part, by far, is being helpless when you see your "family" steering into the crazy skid.
As faithful readers of this blog know, my 'family' is currently dealing with some issues with their girls. They have 3 of the smartest, talented and beautiful (inside and out) girls ever to walk this earth. (I might be slightly biased, but not by much.) But there are problems o'plenty. The oldest girl, M, is bulimic and has cutting issues. She's just a few months shy of her 16th birthday now, but I can remember when she was 12 and she would ask things like, "Is this healthy?" "How many calories are in this?" "Will this make me fat?"
The only 12 year old I knew who would ask those things. And I remember telling my mom that she was on the fast track to an eating disorder.
The hardest part of what I do is not being able to help sometimes. I HATE that because I don't have children, my advice is rejected out of hand. If there is one thing in this wide world that will send me so far out of this galaxy that NASA can't track me, is being disregarded. Drives me NUTS!
No, I don't know what it's like to raise a child. But I do know what its like to have to deal with that child when the parent is off doing whatever it is that they do. I do know what its like to have to teach obedience to children who run their households. I do know what its like to teach respect to impudent children. And I do know what its like to teach children about kindness and gratefulness... qualities that are sorely missing from children today.
From this side of the fence these are the most important things parents can teach their children:
Respect
Kindness
Obedience to those in authority
To be appreciative
Trust me on this... life is hell for those of us charged with taking care of your children when they don't know these things. And it shouldn't be up to us to teach them. It should be the most important task of the parents. Because, if you don't get those traits into your children, then what the hell was the point in having them? I mean, really?
And let me tell you, the best time to teach those qualities is when they are still in nappies. Because, when they get completely mobile & good with their vocabulary... game over.
I am over the top done with parents who insist on giving their kids "choices." GRRRR!!!! Little kids (most kids, truth be told) DO NOT NEED CHOICES! They need to know what is required from them & what will happen to them if they don't follow through with their tasks. They need structure and they need clear guidelines.
Kids need to know what to expect. Kids don't do well with life's little surprises. They must learn cause and effect when they are little.
Do kids need time to run and play and be kids? Yes! Of course they do. But the only way they can have that time is when they are allowed to be children, not forced to be little adults. Children need discipline, guidelines, clear expectations... they need parameters. Will they try them? Well, duh. But that's how they learn what behavior is acceptable and what's not. That's how they learn what they can and cannot get away with.
Is this any easy job? Hell, no. This is the hardest job, parenting. (Just ask my mom, I was a hellion. But she did the hard work & I thank her for that.)
If you want something low maintance and easy to take care of, get a turtle. If you are not willing to do the hard work, then you need a kitty... not a child. If you want a friend and companion, get a dog... don't have a child.
Anyway... sorry for the rant. Just needed to get that off my chest.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Thanks Mom
The Little Red Hen
Slightly different story.
Once upon a time, on a farm in Texas, there was a little red hen whoscratched about the barnyard until she uncovered quite a few grains ofwheat.She called all of her neighbors together and said, "If we plant this wheat,we shall have bread to eat. Who will help me plant it?"
"Not I," said the cow.
"Not I," said the duck.
"Not I," said the pig.
"Not I," said the goose.
"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen. And so she did. The wheat grew very tall and ripened into golden grain. "Who will help me reap my wheat?" asked the little Red hen.
"Not I," said the blue duck.
"Out of my classification," said the blue pig.
"I'd lose my seniority," said the blue cow.
"I'd lose my unemployment compensation," said the blue goose.
"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen, and so she did.At last it came time to bake the bread. "Who will help me bake the bread?" asked the little red hen.
"That would be overtime for me," said the cow.
"I'd lose my welfare benefits," said the duck.
"I'm a dropout and never learned how," said the pig.
"If I'm to be the only helper, that's discrimination," said the goose.
"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen. She baked fiveloaves and held them up for all of her neighbors to see. They wanted someand, in fact, demanded a share. But the little red hen said, "No, I shall eat all five loaves."
"Excess profits!" cried the cow.
"Capitalist leech!" screamed the duck.
"I demand equal rights!" yelled the goose.
The pig just grunted in disdain.
And they all painted "Unfair!" picket signs and marched around and around the little red hen, shouting obscenities.Then a government agent came. He said to the little red hen, "You must not be so greedy."
"But I earned the bread," said the little red hen.
"Exactly," said the agent. "That is what makes our free enterprise system so wonderful. Anyone in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. But underour modern government regulations, the productive workers must divide the fruits of their labor with those who are lazy and idle."
And they all lived happily ever after, including the little red hen, who smiled and clucked, "I am grateful, for now I truly understand."But her neighbors became quite disappointed in her. She never again baked bread because she joined the "party" and got her bread for free.
And all the Democrats smiled. 'Fairness' had been established. Individual initiative had died, but nobody noticed; perhaps no one cared..... as long as there was free bread that "the rich" were paying for.
Small example: Bill Clinton is getting $12 million for his memoirs. Hillary got $8 million for hers. That's $20 million for memories from two people, who for eight years, repeatedly testified, under oath, that they couldn't remember anything.
"IS THIS A GREAT COUNTRY, OR WHAT? " said the Little Red Hen . . .
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Friday, November 02, 2007
Three Witches from Macbeth
by William Shakespeare
Round about the cauldron go;
In the poison’d entrails throw.
Toad, that under cold stone
Days and nights hast thirty one
Swelter’d venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i’ the charmed pot.
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting,
Lizard’s leg, and howlet’s wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
by William Shakespeare
Round about the cauldron go;
In the poison’d entrails throw.
Toad, that under cold stone
Days and nights hast thirty one
Swelter’d venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i’ the charmed pot.
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting,
Lizard’s leg, and howlet’s wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Out Loud
I'm just thinking out loud here...
How many of us are actually good about getting outside ourselves? What I mean is, we all know how easy it is to get completely wrapped up in our own particular brand of crazy. So much so that we can't see anything that's in front of us. I read an article in my christian woman's mag yesterday about following through when you say you're going to pray for someone.
... and the thought hit me. A lot of the time I have a hard time just looking up from my junk to see that someone else needs my prayers... much less follow through in a meaningful way.
That kinda caught me off-guard. I mean, I've always thought of myself as a fairly compassionate person & I do make it a policy to never let someone cry in my presence without my arms around them.
I became aware, very startlingly, that every day there are chances to be someone's comfort. To say to them, "I know it hurts. I believe you. I wish I could fix it, but all I can do is hold you and love you." I think, sometimes, that may be the best thing we can do when faced with pain that we can't fix. And that's hard for me to say... I always want to fix it. I always want to make it better... to rescue if I can.
And I realized how many of those chances I have squandered because I was "too busy" to look up.
Anyway. Just wanted to say, look around. There are people who could use a hug. There are people who could use an intercessor.
People who desperately need to be carried to Jesus.
I think that's up there on that list of stuff that makes life worth it.
How many of us are actually good about getting outside ourselves? What I mean is, we all know how easy it is to get completely wrapped up in our own particular brand of crazy. So much so that we can't see anything that's in front of us. I read an article in my christian woman's mag yesterday about following through when you say you're going to pray for someone.
... and the thought hit me. A lot of the time I have a hard time just looking up from my junk to see that someone else needs my prayers... much less follow through in a meaningful way.
That kinda caught me off-guard. I mean, I've always thought of myself as a fairly compassionate person & I do make it a policy to never let someone cry in my presence without my arms around them.
I became aware, very startlingly, that every day there are chances to be someone's comfort. To say to them, "I know it hurts. I believe you. I wish I could fix it, but all I can do is hold you and love you." I think, sometimes, that may be the best thing we can do when faced with pain that we can't fix. And that's hard for me to say... I always want to fix it. I always want to make it better... to rescue if I can.
And I realized how many of those chances I have squandered because I was "too busy" to look up.
Anyway. Just wanted to say, look around. There are people who could use a hug. There are people who could use an intercessor.
People who desperately need to be carried to Jesus.
I think that's up there on that list of stuff that makes life worth it.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Insanity
Hello, people! Yall might wanna take a look at this and then scream a few choice words to your friendly Washington Representative. This is bad, bad news. We CANNOT let this happen. And, while you're at it, be sure to let your Rep. know that voting to continue the '01 and '03 tax cuts would be a really good thing!
The Mother of All Tax Increases
The Mother of All Tax Increases
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
I'm Just Saying...
Okay, I'll be the first person to admit that I'm not some sort of genius here. There are a ton of people who are way smarter than me... however, I've been doing some thinking about the state of our Union. I thought I'd share some of my musings.
1. How hard is it to get our brains around the thought of defending the borders of the U.S.? I mean, really? How frakin' hard is this? After 9/11 I would think that closing the borders to the bad guys would be like, oh, I don't know, NUMBER 1 on the 'to-do' list!!!! Let's get real here... there are bad people in the world who want to kill us... and guess what? IT'S NOT OUR FAULT! These jerks want to whack us because they are EVIL. End of story. But for some strange reason, that doesn't seem to really sink in with the stiffs up in the Beltway. Maybe because they don't live in the real world? Perhaps because they are surrounded by body guards and massive security?? Hmmm???
Here's a thought, close the stinkin' borders, deport the people who are here illegally and make them do it the right way. Why is that so hard? I am over the top tired of hearing about "immigration issues." It's not that difficult a concept to grasp... If you snuck over here without proper papers... you get to leave. You broke our law. You don't get to stay. I don't care what sob story you have. You have to do it the legal way.
The End.
And don't get pissed at me. If you want to get pissed at somebody, then get pissed at the jokers at INS.
That may sound mean, but look... the number one job of the U.S. government is to protect its' citizens. That would be the people who were born here, or who have become citizens by doing it the right way. And guess what, we live in a pretty dangerous world. We don't have the luxury of giving people the benefit of the doubt. I remember 9/11 like it way yesterday... and now, a little over 6 years later, I'm still pretty hacked off. But this time, I'm pissed at my government for not protecting me. It's shameful that so many politicians put the so-called rights of people from other countries in front of the safety and well-being of the citizens of this country!
And that brings me to another point... Why is it that when some people from other countries come over here, they start demanding stuff? I'm a little confused as to why we have to have signs in languages other than English (the language of the United States, whether anyone likes it or not). And, I find it a little (okay, a lot) galling that someone from another country would start demanding anything. They came here... They left their homeland and made the choice to move here.... So, why are they demanding to be catered to??? What am I missing here? It strikes me as more than a little ungrateful and petulant.
But, you know... as long as the citizens keep hitting the snooze button, nothing is going to change. It's going to keep getting worse. The ACLU and other so-called "special interest" groups are running this country, whether anyone wants to admit it or not. The concept of government of the people for the people has been lost somewhere along the way. And I fear that we have sold our collective souls.
I'm just saying...
1. How hard is it to get our brains around the thought of defending the borders of the U.S.? I mean, really? How frakin' hard is this? After 9/11 I would think that closing the borders to the bad guys would be like, oh, I don't know, NUMBER 1 on the 'to-do' list!!!! Let's get real here... there are bad people in the world who want to kill us... and guess what? IT'S NOT OUR FAULT! These jerks want to whack us because they are EVIL. End of story. But for some strange reason, that doesn't seem to really sink in with the stiffs up in the Beltway. Maybe because they don't live in the real world? Perhaps because they are surrounded by body guards and massive security?? Hmmm???
Here's a thought, close the stinkin' borders, deport the people who are here illegally and make them do it the right way. Why is that so hard? I am over the top tired of hearing about "immigration issues." It's not that difficult a concept to grasp... If you snuck over here without proper papers... you get to leave. You broke our law. You don't get to stay. I don't care what sob story you have. You have to do it the legal way.
The End.
And don't get pissed at me. If you want to get pissed at somebody, then get pissed at the jokers at INS.
That may sound mean, but look... the number one job of the U.S. government is to protect its' citizens. That would be the people who were born here, or who have become citizens by doing it the right way. And guess what, we live in a pretty dangerous world. We don't have the luxury of giving people the benefit of the doubt. I remember 9/11 like it way yesterday... and now, a little over 6 years later, I'm still pretty hacked off. But this time, I'm pissed at my government for not protecting me. It's shameful that so many politicians put the so-called rights of people from other countries in front of the safety and well-being of the citizens of this country!
And that brings me to another point... Why is it that when some people from other countries come over here, they start demanding stuff? I'm a little confused as to why we have to have signs in languages other than English (the language of the United States, whether anyone likes it or not). And, I find it a little (okay, a lot) galling that someone from another country would start demanding anything. They came here... They left their homeland and made the choice to move here.... So, why are they demanding to be catered to??? What am I missing here? It strikes me as more than a little ungrateful and petulant.
But, you know... as long as the citizens keep hitting the snooze button, nothing is going to change. It's going to keep getting worse. The ACLU and other so-called "special interest" groups are running this country, whether anyone wants to admit it or not. The concept of government of the people for the people has been lost somewhere along the way. And I fear that we have sold our collective souls.
I'm just saying...
Friday, October 19, 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Jumping the Shark... Kinda
Okay, does anyone else here think we've jumped the shark just a little (read: ALOT) here as of late?
For those of you who don't know, the House of Rep's defeated the override of President Bush's veto of the SCHIPS. (The Republicans who actually care about the people they represent got the 2/3 majority needed... whoo-hoo.) And brilliant man that he is, Rep. Stark makes a lame (and really offensive) remark about President Bush.
Does anyone out there think there's something kinda goofy about this?
Anyone?
At all?
First of all, let me say that I (and most Republicans) support the SCHIPS program... as it is. I am all about extending it for children of poor and working poor families. But I am NOT, repeat, NOT is support of extending it to families with an average annual income of $61,000... not when the average ( AVERAGE EVERY DAY, ACROSS THE NATION, AVERAGE) family income is $48,000.
That's just poor business. And let's face it, running a country is a business.
And I don't buy the line that the extra $31 mil will come from a $1 tax on cigarettes... Yeah... that's great. Really comforting. The future dead person's family can comfort themselves that their loved one killed himself with death sticks... but, gosh darn, he was helping middle class children.
Please don't miss the sarcasm dripping from that statement.
And one more thing... I thought that SCHIPS was for POOR kids. Not middle class kids.
Good grief... Thank you to the Congressmen and women who used their heads and kept the President's veto intact... Shame on the pinheads who tried to override it... and shame on Rep. Stark.
For those of you who don't know, the House of Rep's defeated the override of President Bush's veto of the SCHIPS. (The Republicans who actually care about the people they represent got the 2/3 majority needed... whoo-hoo.) And brilliant man that he is, Rep. Stark makes a lame (and really offensive) remark about President Bush.
Does anyone out there think there's something kinda goofy about this?
Anyone?
At all?
First of all, let me say that I (and most Republicans) support the SCHIPS program... as it is. I am all about extending it for children of poor and working poor families. But I am NOT, repeat, NOT is support of extending it to families with an average annual income of $61,000... not when the average ( AVERAGE EVERY DAY, ACROSS THE NATION, AVERAGE) family income is $48,000.
That's just poor business. And let's face it, running a country is a business.
And I don't buy the line that the extra $31 mil will come from a $1 tax on cigarettes... Yeah... that's great. Really comforting. The future dead person's family can comfort themselves that their loved one killed himself with death sticks... but, gosh darn, he was helping middle class children.
Please don't miss the sarcasm dripping from that statement.
And one more thing... I thought that SCHIPS was for POOR kids. Not middle class kids.
Good grief... Thank you to the Congressmen and women who used their heads and kept the President's veto intact... Shame on the pinheads who tried to override it... and shame on Rep. Stark.
Words Aren't Enough...
Yeah, here's one of the 'best and brightest' spouting off... I am stunned.
Stark Raving Mad: Congressman Accuses President of Deriving ‘Amusement’ from American War Dead
Stark Raving Mad: Congressman Accuses President of Deriving ‘Amusement’ from American War Dead
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Prayer Request
Hey, I have a prayer request. My Aunt Carol has been battling tongue cancer for a while now. She went to a cancer specialist place today and found out that the cancer has spread & is much worse than even her primary doctor had thought it was. She was told that her entire tongue would have to be removed... along with her voice box AND part of her jaw bone (it has spread into her jaw bone). And even then, they are not sure that this is really going to save her life. It's a bit like burning down the barn to kill the mice, in a way. She'll have to be fed through a tube for the rest of her life. This is pretty devastating news to us. My aunt is in her late 40's. She's the youngest of 7 kids.
Please pray for Aunt Carol.
Please pray for my family, especially my Grandparents. They are both in their 80's and this is going to be very hard on them. Carol has two children who are both under 20 and one granddaughter who's not 2 yet.
Thanks
Please pray for Aunt Carol.
Please pray for my family, especially my Grandparents. They are both in their 80's and this is going to be very hard on them. Carol has two children who are both under 20 and one granddaughter who's not 2 yet.
Thanks
Monday, September 24, 2007
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Friday, September 07, 2007
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
So, many long time readers know that I have started back to school here in the last month or so. Just to catch all up, I'm taking classes on-line. (a wonderful thing for me) But, geez, my first class is a research paper (5-7 pages) and a video taped presentation (5-7 minutes). Do you know how long it's been since I've written an actual research paper??????
Way too long, apparently.
I think my brain is rusty.
Okay, end of mini-rant.
On to other things...
I have, lately, been reading a copious amount of biographies and autobiographies. Don't know what caused this reading kick, but hey... its fun. At the moment, I am reading a book on Amy Carmichael written by Elisabeth Elliot. I was at Family Christian Bookstore the other day and saw a new biography on June Carter Cash. (I heart the Carter family as well as Johnny Cash) Her son, John Carter, wrote it & my fav fav fav fav actor in the world, Robert Duvall wrote the forward for it. I really want this book. (hint, hint to those who love me and support my reading addiction)
Some friends of mine got to travel to the Holy Land here recently... cool huh? I'm trying very hard not to covet that trip too much. I would LOVE to make that journey myself. I think it would be amazing.
Oh, I'm writing my research paper on homeschooling. Just FYI.
I'm listening to the sound track of Spamalot... if you haven't heard it.... I highly recommend it. It's hilarious!
Well, that's all for now, faithful bloggies.
Later.
Way too long, apparently.
I think my brain is rusty.
Okay, end of mini-rant.
On to other things...
I have, lately, been reading a copious amount of biographies and autobiographies. Don't know what caused this reading kick, but hey... its fun. At the moment, I am reading a book on Amy Carmichael written by Elisabeth Elliot. I was at Family Christian Bookstore the other day and saw a new biography on June Carter Cash. (I heart the Carter family as well as Johnny Cash) Her son, John Carter, wrote it & my fav fav fav fav actor in the world, Robert Duvall wrote the forward for it. I really want this book. (hint, hint to those who love me and support my reading addiction)
Some friends of mine got to travel to the Holy Land here recently... cool huh? I'm trying very hard not to covet that trip too much. I would LOVE to make that journey myself. I think it would be amazing.
Oh, I'm writing my research paper on homeschooling. Just FYI.
I'm listening to the sound track of Spamalot... if you haven't heard it.... I highly recommend it. It's hilarious!
Well, that's all for now, faithful bloggies.
Later.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Home from the hospital
Well... it looks like that cyst that they thought had "resolved itself" had "resolved itself" by bursting inside on me. Ick. The doc is thinking that that, combined with scar tissue and adhesions from a prior surgery caused me all that pain.
My throat is killing me- It's like the worst sore throat EVER. The only other time I have had a sore throat this bad was when I had strep & MONO at the same time. It's from them having me intubated (sp?) during the procedure. I HOPE it's better tomorrow, cause this is for the birds! It hoovers, big time.
The incision sites are kinda achy right now. That's with a couple of happy pills in my system. It's extra strength Vicodin & it just takes the edge off the pain- doesn't really take it away. I'm thinking about upping the dose to 2, instead of the 1 every 4-6 hours that I was trying to start out at. But I'll deal with that tomorrow.
**Special note, please keep the family for whom I nanny in your prayers. The oldest girl, M, who has been battling an eating disorder & severe depression took a rather large step back a week or so ago. She's tried to kill herself by shredding her wrist and arm while her mother and I were both gone from the house. I came home and handled the fall-out that went along with M calling for me and showing me what she had done. She's back in the hospital now, but the whole family (mom, dad, and 2 younger sisters) are in need of every prayer they can get.**
I'm off work tomorrow, but plan on returning on Friday. Thanks for stopping by!
My throat is killing me- It's like the worst sore throat EVER. The only other time I have had a sore throat this bad was when I had strep & MONO at the same time. It's from them having me intubated (sp?) during the procedure. I HOPE it's better tomorrow, cause this is for the birds! It hoovers, big time.
The incision sites are kinda achy right now. That's with a couple of happy pills in my system. It's extra strength Vicodin & it just takes the edge off the pain- doesn't really take it away. I'm thinking about upping the dose to 2, instead of the 1 every 4-6 hours that I was trying to start out at. But I'll deal with that tomorrow.
**Special note, please keep the family for whom I nanny in your prayers. The oldest girl, M, who has been battling an eating disorder & severe depression took a rather large step back a week or so ago. She's tried to kill herself by shredding her wrist and arm while her mother and I were both gone from the house. I came home and handled the fall-out that went along with M calling for me and showing me what she had done. She's back in the hospital now, but the whole family (mom, dad, and 2 younger sisters) are in need of every prayer they can get.**
I'm off work tomorrow, but plan on returning on Friday. Thanks for stopping by!
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Updating...
Well, I have good news & then some not so good news.
FIRST- the ovarian cyst that was found 2 weeks ago has resolved itself! It's gone. Whoo-hoo!!! Praise God, I am so happy about this. HOWEVER, the bad news is that I am still having some pretty intense pain in my left side. Nothing out of place was found last night at the ultra-sound, so my doc has decided that the best path to take now is a diagnostic lapriscopy (sp) surgery. Doing this, he'll be able to see what's going on inside. And let me tell you, I'll be happy to see this come to some kind of resolution. I'm getting pretty darn tired of living on Vicodin. Being a nanny and having a permanent foggy feeling is not the best thing in the world.
On to other news, I am going to (FINALLY) finish moving in this weekend. Ya, I know, what's it been... 5 months?! With the help of wonderful friends and family, we're going to move my bedroom set from my mom and dad's to our house and it will go in our bedroom & then we're going to set up the guest bedroom so it's no longer going to be a way station in the middle of our house! :-) Yea! I don't know who's more excited... me or the hubby.
Writing projects are trucking along.
School has started back up for me & I am super excited. I was bouncing in my computer chair on Sunday when I ordered my school books. Yeah, I know... dork.
That's all for now. Thanks for checking in!
FIRST- the ovarian cyst that was found 2 weeks ago has resolved itself! It's gone. Whoo-hoo!!! Praise God, I am so happy about this. HOWEVER, the bad news is that I am still having some pretty intense pain in my left side. Nothing out of place was found last night at the ultra-sound, so my doc has decided that the best path to take now is a diagnostic lapriscopy (sp) surgery. Doing this, he'll be able to see what's going on inside. And let me tell you, I'll be happy to see this come to some kind of resolution. I'm getting pretty darn tired of living on Vicodin. Being a nanny and having a permanent foggy feeling is not the best thing in the world.
On to other news, I am going to (FINALLY) finish moving in this weekend. Ya, I know, what's it been... 5 months?! With the help of wonderful friends and family, we're going to move my bedroom set from my mom and dad's to our house and it will go in our bedroom & then we're going to set up the guest bedroom so it's no longer going to be a way station in the middle of our house! :-) Yea! I don't know who's more excited... me or the hubby.
Writing projects are trucking along.
School has started back up for me & I am super excited. I was bouncing in my computer chair on Sunday when I ordered my school books. Yeah, I know... dork.
That's all for now. Thanks for checking in!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
We're Back!
And we had a wonderful time!
Pictures will be coming soon. But today, it was back to the rat race for my dear hubby and me.
One cool thing, we went to the Reagan Library in Simi Valley (I am a good little Republican, after all) and it was AMAZING. I highly recommend going. They even have the President's Airforce One that you can tour. I purchased some postcards & a cd package of some of the President's speeches. I started listening to it this morning on the way to work. GREAT stuff!
**** Side note, met Walter Koenig (Checkov) when he signed my poster... He looked at Michael and asked if I was his girlfriend. Michael said, "She's my wife." Then Mr. Koenig looked at me and then looked back at Michael and said, "She's very pretty."... That's my kinda cool story from the convention****
Pictures will be coming soon. But today, it was back to the rat race for my dear hubby and me.
One cool thing, we went to the Reagan Library in Simi Valley (I am a good little Republican, after all) and it was AMAZING. I highly recommend going. They even have the President's Airforce One that you can tour. I purchased some postcards & a cd package of some of the President's speeches. I started listening to it this morning on the way to work. GREAT stuff!
**** Side note, met Walter Koenig (Checkov) when he signed my poster... He looked at Michael and asked if I was his girlfriend. Michael said, "She's my wife." Then Mr. Koenig looked at me and then looked back at Michael and said, "She's very pretty."... That's my kinda cool story from the convention****
Friday, August 03, 2007
| You Are An Apple Tree |
 You are quiet and shy at times, but you have lots of charm and appeal. You are quite attractive: your pleasant attitude, flirtatious smile, and adventurous spirit draw people in. Sensitive and loyal in love, you want to love and be loved. You are a faithful and tender partner - who is generous in sharing your many talents. You love children, and you need an affectionate partner. |
| Your Superpower Should Be Mind Reading |
 You are brilliant, insightful, and intuitive. You understand people better than they would like to be understood. Highly sensitive, you are good at putting together seemingly irrelevant details. You figure out what's going on before anyone knows that anything is going on! Why you would be a good superhero: You don't care what people think, and you'd do whatever needed to be done Your biggest problem as a superhero: Feeling even more isolated than you do now |
| You Should Rule Jupiter |
 Huge and hot, Jupiter is a quickly turning planet with short days and intense gravity. You are perfect to rule Jupiter, because you are both dominant and kind. You have great strength and confidence, but you never abuse your power. You are always right. Even if you make mistakes, you compensate for them... before anyone knows it. Headstrong and ambitious, you always have a goal in mind. You are optimistic and believe thing things will always work out. |
August already
I can't believe that it's August already.
That's just crazy. The days and months fly by so quickly & each and every one of them become more and more precious. I look at the girls that I keep and just kinda shake my head at the way they want to hurry up life... knowing how much they'll want to slow it down in just a few short years. They have no clue of how it flies by. But then, neither did I when I was their age. I guess that's one of the milestones of growing up- knowing how fast it goes & how precious every single second is.
For those doing the Happy Vegas Countdown with me: (drumroll, please) 5 MORE DAYS!!!!!! Whoo-hooo!!!!! Yes, gentle readers, in only 5 more days yours truly will once more be in the happiest city on earth! I can't wait! I am soooo excited! (I know, you can't tell can you?) There is a little fairy inside my head doing the 'Running Man' and 'The Moonwalk' as we speak.... I can't wait to show my sweet husband the city that I love so much...... and, of course, to geek out at the Star Trek Con.!
I got most of the laundry done (it never seems to end... just multiplies like bunnies on meth) yesterday. I want to be all packed by this weekend.... or as close to all packed as I can get. I work 8am-6pm Monday and Tuesday & we leave on Wed. I do not want to be running around like a crazy person Tuesday night trying to get everything packed. No way.
So, with that in mind, I'm hard at work on my beloved lists. Those faithful readers out there will remember my great love of list making and how I owe what little organization there is to my life to my excellent list making skills. I have lists for EVERYTHING. Not kidding. I am the List Making Queen... and, interestingly enough, I married the List Making King.... we just don't make lists for each other...... yet... very often. :-)
That's just crazy. The days and months fly by so quickly & each and every one of them become more and more precious. I look at the girls that I keep and just kinda shake my head at the way they want to hurry up life... knowing how much they'll want to slow it down in just a few short years. They have no clue of how it flies by. But then, neither did I when I was their age. I guess that's one of the milestones of growing up- knowing how fast it goes & how precious every single second is.
For those doing the Happy Vegas Countdown with me: (drumroll, please) 5 MORE DAYS!!!!!! Whoo-hooo!!!!! Yes, gentle readers, in only 5 more days yours truly will once more be in the happiest city on earth! I can't wait! I am soooo excited! (I know, you can't tell can you?) There is a little fairy inside my head doing the 'Running Man' and 'The Moonwalk' as we speak.... I can't wait to show my sweet husband the city that I love so much...... and, of course, to geek out at the Star Trek Con.!
I got most of the laundry done (it never seems to end... just multiplies like bunnies on meth) yesterday. I want to be all packed by this weekend.... or as close to all packed as I can get. I work 8am-6pm Monday and Tuesday & we leave on Wed. I do not want to be running around like a crazy person Tuesday night trying to get everything packed. No way.
So, with that in mind, I'm hard at work on my beloved lists. Those faithful readers out there will remember my great love of list making and how I owe what little organization there is to my life to my excellent list making skills. I have lists for EVERYTHING. Not kidding. I am the List Making Queen... and, interestingly enough, I married the List Making King.... we just don't make lists for each other...... yet... very often. :-)
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Hello everyone out there in bloggie land.
It looks like surgery is in the Flowerchild's near future... again. I found out on Sat. that I have another ovarian cyst... oy... A 5cm complex septiated cyst. Since there is no way on this green earth that I am going to miss my long awaited Vegas trip, I'm going to wait until I get back and then go back to the doctor, most likely for another ultra-sound and we'll see what's going on with it... if it's grown, shunk, whatever.... Then, we'll make the decision.... But, my gut feeling is that I'll be checking in to the hospital at either the end of August or the beginning of September. ::sigh:: Oh, well, I've been down this road before and I'm making a list (I do love my lists) of all the things I need to remember for this surgery.... and I'm looking on the bright side. Bright side? Yes, there's a bright side. I get to play with the morphine clicky thingy! :-)
It looks like surgery is in the Flowerchild's near future... again. I found out on Sat. that I have another ovarian cyst... oy... A 5cm complex septiated cyst. Since there is no way on this green earth that I am going to miss my long awaited Vegas trip, I'm going to wait until I get back and then go back to the doctor, most likely for another ultra-sound and we'll see what's going on with it... if it's grown, shunk, whatever.... Then, we'll make the decision.... But, my gut feeling is that I'll be checking in to the hospital at either the end of August or the beginning of September. ::sigh:: Oh, well, I've been down this road before and I'm making a list (I do love my lists) of all the things I need to remember for this surgery.... and I'm looking on the bright side. Bright side? Yes, there's a bright side. I get to play with the morphine clicky thingy! :-)
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Bubble, Bubble, Toil & Trouble...
Sometimes I REALLY hate writing!
GRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Okay, breath.... I'll explain. There is something gut-wrenching about the entire process. It's painful. You carve out this little world with little people whom you grow so attached to. You love them. Completly. They really do become people to you. You know them inside and out. They are like old friends... and sometimes you paint yourself into the make-believe world & that only adds to the.... craziness of it.
I am writing a little world of my own at the moment &, let me tell you, I love these people. They are wonderfully flawed, nutty people. And I want so badly to tell everyone their story. I want others to know them like I know them.
And I have spent the past 6 hours or so (give or take) staring at the blank, white screen of death that is WORD. Driving me crazy. That's what it is doing. I find that I have fallen into the trap of over thinking EVERYTHING that I am writing. And over thinking leads to second guessing & that is death for my poor Muse.
Speaking of my Muse, she seems to have run away. I keep trying to bribe her back with promises of Dr. Pepper and Skittles... but, alas, to no avail.
::sigh::
Okay, back to work. Just wanted to blow off some steam.
Thanks for listening.
GRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Okay, breath.... I'll explain. There is something gut-wrenching about the entire process. It's painful. You carve out this little world with little people whom you grow so attached to. You love them. Completly. They really do become people to you. You know them inside and out. They are like old friends... and sometimes you paint yourself into the make-believe world & that only adds to the.... craziness of it.
I am writing a little world of my own at the moment &, let me tell you, I love these people. They are wonderfully flawed, nutty people. And I want so badly to tell everyone their story. I want others to know them like I know them.
And I have spent the past 6 hours or so (give or take) staring at the blank, white screen of death that is WORD. Driving me crazy. That's what it is doing. I find that I have fallen into the trap of over thinking EVERYTHING that I am writing. And over thinking leads to second guessing & that is death for my poor Muse.
Speaking of my Muse, she seems to have run away. I keep trying to bribe her back with promises of Dr. Pepper and Skittles... but, alas, to no avail.
::sigh::
Okay, back to work. Just wanted to blow off some steam.
Thanks for listening.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Southern Living
Well, the Southern Living is up and running. For those who are just tuning in, I am an independent consultant for Southern Living at Home. I really, really love this company. I grew up in the "south" and, as every good southern lady does, I always have a Southern Living magazine on my coffee table. :-) I love, love, love the products.
For those who are not familiar, we sell home decorating products. I think just about everyone in my family has Southern Living decorative items in their home.... I know I do.
For anyone who is interested, please follow the link to the right on this page. It will take you to my personal Southern Living website.
Moving on to other news, 13 days till Vegas! Whooo-hooooo! I am so excited.
For those who are not familiar, we sell home decorating products. I think just about everyone in my family has Southern Living decorative items in their home.... I know I do.
For anyone who is interested, please follow the link to the right on this page. It will take you to my personal Southern Living website.
Moving on to other news, 13 days till Vegas! Whooo-hooooo! I am so excited.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Some Family Photos....
Katie
Uncle Butch & Michael in our back yard.
My Dad
Grandmother & Uncle Phillip
Uncle Butch & Michael in our back yard.
Me, Aunt Charlotte & my Grandmother
My Dad
Grandmother & Uncle Phillip
The only time any of us are quiet..... FOOD!
And it's still not all that quiet! :-)
Jenn, Kennedy, Me & Katie
Thursday, July 12, 2007
| You Are a Visionary Soul |
 You are a curious person, always in a state of awareness. Connected to all things spiritual, you are very connected to your soul. You are wise and bright: able to reason and be reasonable. Occasionally, you get quite depressed and have dark feelings. You have great vision and can be very insightful. In fact, you are often profound in a way that surprises yourself. Visionary souls like you can be the best type of friend. You are intuitive, understanding, sympathetic, and a good healer. Souls you are most compatible with: Old Soul and Peacemaker Soul |
| You Are Big Bird |
 Talented, smart, and friendly... you're also one of the sanest people around. You are usually feeling: Happy. From riding a unicycle to writing poetry, you have plenty of hobbies to keep you busy. You are famous for: Being a friend to everyone. Even the grumpiest person gets along with you. How you life your life: Joyfully. "Super. Duper. Flooper." |
| You Are a Cappuccino |
 You're fun, outgoing, and you love to try anything new. However, you tend to have strong opinions on what you like. You are a total girly girly at heart - and prefer your coffee with good conversation. You're the type that seems complex to outsiders, but in reality, you are easy to please |
| What Your Latte Says About You |
 You don't treat yourself very often. You find that indulging doesn't jibe with your very disciplined life. You can be quite silly at times, but you know when to buckle down and be serious. Intense and energetic, you aren't completely happy unless you are bouncing off the walls. You're addicted to caffeine. There's no denying it. You are a child at heart, and you don't ever miss the opportunity to do something playful. You are expressive and friendly, but you are never pushy. |
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Your Score: Katharine Hepburn
You scored 21% grit, 33% wit, 38% flair, and 14% class!
You are the fabulously quirky and independent woman of character. You go your own way, follow your own drummer, take your own lead. You stand head and shoulders next to your partner, but you are perfectly willing and able to stand alone. Others might be more classically beautiful or conventionally woman-like, but you possess a more fundamental common sense and off-kilter charm, making interesting men fall at your feet. You can pick them up or leave them there as you see fit. You share the screen with the likes of Spencer Tracy and Cary Grant, thinking men who like strong women.
Find out what kind of classic leading man you'd make by taking the Classic Leading Man Test.
| Link: The Classic Dames Test written by gidgetgoes on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test |
Monday, June 11, 2007
Viva Las Vegas!
Yes, Loyal Readers! I'm going to Vegas!
Whooo-hoooo!!!!!
My dear sweet & (at times) long suffering mother and my wonderful husband are coming with me. It will be the first (of many) trips to the fab-o Sin City for my Darcy. We're thrilled!
I love Las Vegas. It is my all time fav place to vacation. And I don't even gamble!
The reason for the journey, you ask....
The Official Star Trek Convention!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yippee!
And I am so excited. I only have one autograph left of my Next Generation photo.... yes, that's right 1.
Viva Las Vegas!
Viva Las Vegas!
Whooo-hoooo!!!!!
My dear sweet & (at times) long suffering mother and my wonderful husband are coming with me. It will be the first (of many) trips to the fab-o Sin City for my Darcy. We're thrilled!
I love Las Vegas. It is my all time fav place to vacation. And I don't even gamble!
The reason for the journey, you ask....
The Official Star Trek Convention!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yippee!
And I am so excited. I only have one autograph left of my Next Generation photo.... yes, that's right 1.
Viva Las Vegas!
Viva Las Vegas!
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Greatest Quote Ever...
"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Lola Belle
Introducing the newest member of our household........
'Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl...'
Lola Belle
'Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl...'Yes, we got a cat over the weekend. And yes, I named her after a Barry Manilow song!
I'm thrilled! She's a doll. She LOVES to play and to love on/be loved on... and she didn't seem to mind Braden and Bailey too much today either! :-)
Friday, May 18, 2007
My little corner of the world...
So, long time, so post.... lot's going on in my little corner of the world.
First- exciting news. I'm going back to school! Yea!!! I (should) start June 1st if all goes according to plan. Which, let's pray it does. I have to get my community college transcript (frightening thing that it is) to my brand new university & finish filling out financial aide info & talk to my dad about tuition. ::sigh:: lot's to do within the next week or so. Yikes! But I am so excited!
Next up- I'm stepping in as a Bride's Maid (though kinda not a main anymore.... mere technicality) for my dear Beth & the Cap'n. Unfortunatly her original Matron of Honor had to bow out because her little boy had a rather serious injury. Now, Beth's friend Connie is stepping in as Matron and I'm stepping in as Bride's Maid. The wedding is June 2nd, by the way. I'm thrilled, not only to stand up with Beth (whom I love dearly) but also for my Cap'n too. So that makes 3 Browncoats in this wedding shindig... :-)
My job situation is nuts right now. ::BIG SIGH:: I don't know if I'm going to still have a job when the girls get out of school. There's just so much going on. The oldest is battling an eating disorder... I think she needs to be hospitalized & one of her parents needs to quit working and stay home with these girls... I know that puts me out of a job with them, but, you know, these girls emotional well-being is more important to me. I was talking with the girls' mom and I still don't think she gets it. She doesn't see how and why the eldest has an eating disorder. It's horiibly apparent to me & to others who know of the details... but it's just not yet to this family. I worry about the girls... especially the youngest of the 3... she's only 11 and she's watching her oldest sister with an eating disorder & the middle one... well, let's put it this way... the mom said to me that they were putting her (the middle one) on a diet and exercise program b/c she didn't want 'a fat, smart daughter.' I couldn't even form a response to that.
Oy, kinda went on there. I'm just very frustrated.
Anyway- I think my dad may have me come work for him at his company. I'm actually kinda excited about that. I really love my dad, but I don't really get to see and interact with him a whole lot. So, I hope this would be good for us... I just need to make a certain amount of money! The coffers get bare.... and I don't make squat at my current job... and I'd really love to pay off my credit cards & get a new (to me) car. And I'm kinda tired of raising other people's children right now.
Oh, sad news.... as many of you know, Gilmore girls is no more.... There was much sadness around my world when that news came down. But, we had a send off for our favorite girls that, I think, was worthy of the Gilmore girls title. We ate junk food and watched the pilot & then the series finale with several Stars Hollow wannabees!:-) It was fun.
Okay, gotta run!
Till later!
Taylor
First- exciting news. I'm going back to school! Yea!!! I (should) start June 1st if all goes according to plan. Which, let's pray it does. I have to get my community college transcript (frightening thing that it is) to my brand new university & finish filling out financial aide info & talk to my dad about tuition. ::sigh:: lot's to do within the next week or so. Yikes! But I am so excited!
Next up- I'm stepping in as a Bride's Maid (though kinda not a main anymore.... mere technicality) for my dear Beth & the Cap'n. Unfortunatly her original Matron of Honor had to bow out because her little boy had a rather serious injury. Now, Beth's friend Connie is stepping in as Matron and I'm stepping in as Bride's Maid. The wedding is June 2nd, by the way. I'm thrilled, not only to stand up with Beth (whom I love dearly) but also for my Cap'n too. So that makes 3 Browncoats in this wedding shindig... :-)
My job situation is nuts right now. ::BIG SIGH:: I don't know if I'm going to still have a job when the girls get out of school. There's just so much going on. The oldest is battling an eating disorder... I think she needs to be hospitalized & one of her parents needs to quit working and stay home with these girls... I know that puts me out of a job with them, but, you know, these girls emotional well-being is more important to me. I was talking with the girls' mom and I still don't think she gets it. She doesn't see how and why the eldest has an eating disorder. It's horiibly apparent to me & to others who know of the details... but it's just not yet to this family. I worry about the girls... especially the youngest of the 3... she's only 11 and she's watching her oldest sister with an eating disorder & the middle one... well, let's put it this way... the mom said to me that they were putting her (the middle one) on a diet and exercise program b/c she didn't want 'a fat, smart daughter.' I couldn't even form a response to that.
Oy, kinda went on there. I'm just very frustrated.
Anyway- I think my dad may have me come work for him at his company. I'm actually kinda excited about that. I really love my dad, but I don't really get to see and interact with him a whole lot. So, I hope this would be good for us... I just need to make a certain amount of money! The coffers get bare.... and I don't make squat at my current job... and I'd really love to pay off my credit cards & get a new (to me) car. And I'm kinda tired of raising other people's children right now.
Oh, sad news.... as many of you know, Gilmore girls is no more.... There was much sadness around my world when that news came down. But, we had a send off for our favorite girls that, I think, was worthy of the Gilmore girls title. We ate junk food and watched the pilot & then the series finale with several Stars Hollow wannabees!:-) It was fun.
Okay, gotta run!
Till later!
Taylor
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
So, my shadow, Bailey just came running into the computer room to tell me that her chicken nuggets were in her tummy. That may not sound like a big deal, but my neice and nephew are VERY picky eaters & meal time can become nightmare time for the grown-ups around them. (And, for the record, Braden and Bailey are both under 5.)
I'm watching them a couple of days a week for their mom and dad right now. So, my days consist of running around with them, feeding them, 'potty' breaks (and, btw, I hate the word "potty"), unpacking the boxes that NEVER seem to go away, and other household chores.
Right now, they are watching Blues Clues... so I get a break to eat my lunch and get on the computer. Whoo-hooo...
And this morning, we had the fun of a very dirty pull-up on Miss Bailey... She hasn't quite got the whole bathroom thing down yet. Oh, she will come up to you and say, "I gotta go potty." The problem is that she tells you... AFTER she's gone 'potty.' Yeah... that's right after. So, she came running up to me and told me she needed to go to the bathroom... and I knew. So, I checked & yep, sure enough. So, we had to call in the hazmat team, but after that- all is well.
Though we had an amusing moment, Braden came running in to see what we were doing. He took one look and smell & said, "Eww. I don't want to see that." To which his Auntie Taylor replied, "Then go back and watch the rest of Cinderella." He promptly turned and ran the other way.
Ahh, kids.
And it looks like we have another "poo-poo" problem. So, I'm off.
I'm watching them a couple of days a week for their mom and dad right now. So, my days consist of running around with them, feeding them, 'potty' breaks (and, btw, I hate the word "potty"), unpacking the boxes that NEVER seem to go away, and other household chores.
Right now, they are watching Blues Clues... so I get a break to eat my lunch and get on the computer. Whoo-hooo...
And this morning, we had the fun of a very dirty pull-up on Miss Bailey... She hasn't quite got the whole bathroom thing down yet. Oh, she will come up to you and say, "I gotta go potty." The problem is that she tells you... AFTER she's gone 'potty.' Yeah... that's right after. So, she came running up to me and told me she needed to go to the bathroom... and I knew. So, I checked & yep, sure enough. So, we had to call in the hazmat team, but after that- all is well.
Though we had an amusing moment, Braden came running in to see what we were doing. He took one look and smell & said, "Eww. I don't want to see that." To which his Auntie Taylor replied, "Then go back and watch the rest of Cinderella." He promptly turned and ran the other way.
Ahh, kids.
And it looks like we have another "poo-poo" problem. So, I'm off.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Watch this....
This is Eliot's video... you should watch it. The voice you hear is Eliot's father.
http://www.ignitermedia.com/products/iv/singles/570/99-Balloons
http://www.ignitermedia.com/products/iv/singles/570/99-Balloons
I'm Back...
Well, I'm back!
As anyone who's gotten married can atest, it's been a crazy couple of weeks. I never realized how hard melding two lives and two houses can be... yikes! I had a little bit of an idea, but I've been pretty unprepared. The good news; it's getting better & my sweet Darcy and I are getting it together.
By the way- anyone interested in the Orlando trip should skip on over to his blog. My Darcy is doing a wonderful job of giving a little playback.
Considering starting an eBay business with my Mummy... we'll see.
We moved PoD into the home that he and Babs will share after their wedding. They are just about 5 streets away from us & all four of us are thrilled by this! There is a bike trail that starts by PoD's estate & brand new bikes are next on the shopping list.
Played a card game for the first time this past Friday night with the Elfin Princess and the Lord of War... it's called Apples to Apples. Great game! I highly recommend it. Tons of fun for hours!
I'm currently reading 'Lord, Change Me.' by Evelyn Christenson. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to grow more and more, little by little into the person that our GOD wants us to be. I'm looking forward to starting 'What Happens When Women Pray' when I finish with this one.
Oh, really exciting news! We found our Sunday School class!!!!! And, let me tell you, it's like a homecoming! Many of the couples that we knew several years ago (and have since married and moved on) are in that class. I knew all but, like, 4 people. It was wonderful. The only down side, is that we had to switch worship services.... that means we no longer get to see the Princess and LoW in church. That stinks, but I suppose it's all part of moving on. And it just means that we must work harder to keep our friendships stronger. I think PoD and Babs might be joining us when they get back from their honeymoon.
Well, the dryer just kicked off... I better get busy!
Thanks for reading!
Taylor
As anyone who's gotten married can atest, it's been a crazy couple of weeks. I never realized how hard melding two lives and two houses can be... yikes! I had a little bit of an idea, but I've been pretty unprepared. The good news; it's getting better & my sweet Darcy and I are getting it together.
By the way- anyone interested in the Orlando trip should skip on over to his blog. My Darcy is doing a wonderful job of giving a little playback.
Considering starting an eBay business with my Mummy... we'll see.
We moved PoD into the home that he and Babs will share after their wedding. They are just about 5 streets away from us & all four of us are thrilled by this! There is a bike trail that starts by PoD's estate & brand new bikes are next on the shopping list.
Played a card game for the first time this past Friday night with the Elfin Princess and the Lord of War... it's called Apples to Apples. Great game! I highly recommend it. Tons of fun for hours!
I'm currently reading 'Lord, Change Me.' by Evelyn Christenson. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to grow more and more, little by little into the person that our GOD wants us to be. I'm looking forward to starting 'What Happens When Women Pray' when I finish with this one.
Oh, really exciting news! We found our Sunday School class!!!!! And, let me tell you, it's like a homecoming! Many of the couples that we knew several years ago (and have since married and moved on) are in that class. I knew all but, like, 4 people. It was wonderful. The only down side, is that we had to switch worship services.... that means we no longer get to see the Princess and LoW in church. That stinks, but I suppose it's all part of moving on. And it just means that we must work harder to keep our friendships stronger. I think PoD and Babs might be joining us when they get back from their honeymoon.
Well, the dryer just kicked off... I better get busy!
Thanks for reading!
Taylor
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Some Holiday Pictures
Me and my Grandpa. My Grandpa is 86 years old and still drives! He walks down every morning to get a cup of coffee and read the newspaper at a place a couple of blocks from his house.
I am proud to present Mr. and Mrs. Norman Pentino at their 65th anniversary party. Yes folks, that's right, my grandparents have been married 65 years. They have 7 children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.For more pictures, head on over to my Flickr site. It's been updated. Just follow the link to your right!
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Request
Hello Bloggies!
Long time, no post...
Today's post will be a short one. Actually, it's more of a prayer request than an actual post. I am currently on a quest, of sorts in my relationship with GOD. I feel that my Father is leading me in new and challenging ideas and deepening my walk with HIM. I'd like to ask those who read this blog to keep me in their prayers. With a wedding, a move, an unwell Grandmother and being as much of a help to my mom as I can right now (along with my job, my friends, my fiance!... and a writing partnership with POD that is still in it's infancy)... I am under the gun.
But I am very excited to see what the LORD has in store for me. I can't quite explain the sense of wonder and urgency I feel. Please pray that I can and will make the time to spend with GOD and for the wisdom that only HE can provide.
Thanks!
Taylor
Long time, no post...
Today's post will be a short one. Actually, it's more of a prayer request than an actual post. I am currently on a quest, of sorts in my relationship with GOD. I feel that my Father is leading me in new and challenging ideas and deepening my walk with HIM. I'd like to ask those who read this blog to keep me in their prayers. With a wedding, a move, an unwell Grandmother and being as much of a help to my mom as I can right now (along with my job, my friends, my fiance!... and a writing partnership with POD that is still in it's infancy)... I am under the gun.
But I am very excited to see what the LORD has in store for me. I can't quite explain the sense of wonder and urgency I feel. Please pray that I can and will make the time to spend with GOD and for the wisdom that only HE can provide.
Thanks!
Taylor
Friday, December 15, 2006
Question
Okay, I just read a news report on one of the internet news sites and the reporter referred to a person as being "half Jewish" and "half Christian."
I have a question?
How is that possible? How can someone be 2 different religions? To my understanding, you are either one, or the other... How can someone be half?
Anyway.... just something to file under the "Huh?" File.
I have a question?
How is that possible? How can someone be 2 different religions? To my understanding, you are either one, or the other... How can someone be half?
Anyway.... just something to file under the "Huh?" File.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Book Recommendations
Hello, Faithful Readers!
Your friendly, neighborhood bookworm has a couple of book recommendations for you!
First- The Jesus I Never Knew, by Phillip Yancy.
Love, love, loved reading this book. It reminded me, once again, that we worship and follow a Jesus who is nothing short of breathtakingly offensive and amazingly controversial. This book will drive home the point that Jesus was a REAL man. He got angry; he wept. He loved! But, most of all, Jesus set forth black and white laws that have not changed through the centuries. And they are just as hard now and they were then. If you want to get to know Jesus a little bit better, then I would strongly recommend that you pick up a copy of this book!
Second- Know Why You Believe, by Paul E. Little
Ah, a classic apologetic manual. First published in the late 1960's, this is a wonderful book for anyone to read. Correction, I think EVERYONE should read this book. Every Christian needs to be equipped with information to defend their faith. This book is an absolute must. To quote Billy Graham, "Scholarly, Articulate, Simple." I recently picked up the newest edition, published about 6 years ago by Little's widow, Marie.
Yeah, I know I should put some of these reviews on another site and link it to this one... ::sigh:: Maybe soon I'll get around to that. But, not in the next couple of weeks. Christmas (my birthday!) is just a week and a half away... the day after Christmas, Darcy and I are flying (way to early in the morning, if you ask me) to south Texas to spend a several days with his vacationing parents... We fly home on Sat. the 30th, only to turn right around the next day and fly out with my parents to see my dad's family in West Virginia. It's my grandparent's 65th (how awesome is that) wedding aniversary on Jan. the 3rd. We're spending about a week there!
But, on the upside... this semester is finished!!!!!!!!!!!
No more class for a month!!! WHOO-HOO!!
Interesting sidenote: Hoping to meet Rachael Ray tonight! Those of you who know me well, know I love to cook... you also know my collection of RR's cookbooks and the monthly mag I get!She is signing copies of her newest cookbook tonight and I'm gonna try and get me one! Though it's taken a game plan with military precision to pull this off!!!!
I'll let you know how it goes!
Until next time, see you around the garden!
Your friendly, neighborhood bookworm has a couple of book recommendations for you!
First- The Jesus I Never Knew, by Phillip Yancy.
Love, love, loved reading this book. It reminded me, once again, that we worship and follow a Jesus who is nothing short of breathtakingly offensive and amazingly controversial. This book will drive home the point that Jesus was a REAL man. He got angry; he wept. He loved! But, most of all, Jesus set forth black and white laws that have not changed through the centuries. And they are just as hard now and they were then. If you want to get to know Jesus a little bit better, then I would strongly recommend that you pick up a copy of this book!
Second- Know Why You Believe, by Paul E. Little
Ah, a classic apologetic manual. First published in the late 1960's, this is a wonderful book for anyone to read. Correction, I think EVERYONE should read this book. Every Christian needs to be equipped with information to defend their faith. This book is an absolute must. To quote Billy Graham, "Scholarly, Articulate, Simple." I recently picked up the newest edition, published about 6 years ago by Little's widow, Marie.
Yeah, I know I should put some of these reviews on another site and link it to this one... ::sigh:: Maybe soon I'll get around to that. But, not in the next couple of weeks. Christmas (my birthday!) is just a week and a half away... the day after Christmas, Darcy and I are flying (way to early in the morning, if you ask me) to south Texas to spend a several days with his vacationing parents... We fly home on Sat. the 30th, only to turn right around the next day and fly out with my parents to see my dad's family in West Virginia. It's my grandparent's 65th (how awesome is that) wedding aniversary on Jan. the 3rd. We're spending about a week there!
But, on the upside... this semester is finished!!!!!!!!!!!
No more class for a month!!! WHOO-HOO!!
Interesting sidenote: Hoping to meet Rachael Ray tonight! Those of you who know me well, know I love to cook... you also know my collection of RR's cookbooks and the monthly mag I get!She is signing copies of her newest cookbook tonight and I'm gonna try and get me one! Though it's taken a game plan with military precision to pull this off!!!!
I'll let you know how it goes!
Until next time, see you around the garden!
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
As with my Captain... no big shock here.....
Your results:
You are Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command)
Click here to take the "Which Serenity character am I?" quiz...
You are Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command)
| Dependable and trustworthy. You love your significant other and you are a tough cookie when in a conflict.  | And I really don't think anyone was surprised.... How about you, Cap? Kinda a fun little test.
Click here to take the "Which Serenity character am I?" quiz...
Monday, November 20, 2006
A Quiet Moment....
My cat Chester & my parents' dog, Gizmo.This is Gizmo's (the doggie) bed in his cage. Chester (my kitty) likes to remind him every once in a while that he (Chester) is the ruler over this castle....
Usually, they are running around like wild ones. But my mother caught them in a quiet moment and snapped these pictures.
Spoiled rotten... that's what both of them are. But they are loved....... and they both have a special place inour family that's just for them.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Lila Gail
Well, my niece Lila Gail made her long awaited debut this past Monday, November 6th! Michael and I trekked out to Balch Springs to see her last night! She's such a little doll!
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
A Boy Named Eliot
Hey everyone,
In recent months I have been humbled and amazed by our wonderful Lord. You see, I have been following the life of a very special little boy named Eliot. He was a very sick little baby, but he fought an amazing fight... and in doing so, I think his life has some incredible lessons for us all.
I learned Monday that sweet Eliot went on to be with our Lord and Savior this past Friday. I ask everyone who sees this blog to say a prayer of thanks for Eliot's short (just over 3 month) life & for his parents, Matt and Ginny. Please pray for them as they grieve for their little boy... but also as they celebrate his presence in their lives.
I would encourage you to go and read about Eliot's life for yourself.
Taylor
In recent months I have been humbled and amazed by our wonderful Lord. You see, I have been following the life of a very special little boy named Eliot. He was a very sick little baby, but he fought an amazing fight... and in doing so, I think his life has some incredible lessons for us all.
I learned Monday that sweet Eliot went on to be with our Lord and Savior this past Friday. I ask everyone who sees this blog to say a prayer of thanks for Eliot's short (just over 3 month) life & for his parents, Matt and Ginny. Please pray for them as they grieve for their little boy... but also as they celebrate his presence in their lives.
I would encourage you to go and read about Eliot's life for yourself.
Taylor
Costume Contest
Well, the Browncoats participated in a costume contest over the weekend. It was the end (or maybe the beginning) of a lot of work & lots of fun. We (and, by we, I mean our fearless Captain, mainly, with his crews help) worked right up until it was time to go. We didn't get Vera finished... well, she's finished but not put together. I expect that in the next couple of week she will be.
Anyway, here are some pictures from the event. And, by the way, we won in our category!
Yes, it's me as the mighty Zoe!
Can I just say how much I love this picture?! :-) My poor 'Wash' puts up with a lot with me.
L-R= Jayne, Mal, and Zoe
Friday, October 13, 2006
Hello Bloggies
Hola folks!
I'm back after a small break. By the by, sorry for that rather long last post... Like I said before, I had had just about enough of that mess and had to sound off for my own sanity. :-)
Anyway- on to more happier things.
I have been to the Great State Fair of Texas!!!!! Whoohooo! I love the Fair. I start looking forward to it in April.... We went with our Sunday School class and had a wonderful time. And Darcy and I are going again this coming Sunday with our parents. Double Whooohooo!!!!
Fall has officially come at last to the great state of Texas. Well... kinda. The skin on my face is getting dry and my nose is running.... a sure sign that Old Man Winter is just around the corner. I never thought I would hear myself saying this, but I am looking forward to winter. (And that's not just because it's getting closer to March!) We had such a hot summer this past year and I, for one, am ready for a break from that for a while... And rain... I would like lots of rain. I'm a rainy day kinda girl, so this no rain thing has been bumming me.
As far as wedding info goes, I signed my life away on the reception site contract this afternoon. So, that is all taken care of now. Yea! The invitations have been picked out and I'm so crazy about them. They are just what I was looking for. Simple, but elegant and romantic. So Perfect. The parents of my WeeOnes have the info for the dresses I want them to wear. (Yes, the WeeOnes are in the wedding too.... I thought I'd see how many kids I could cram into this ceremony.) Now, I have to get my MOH and Attendents to David's Bridal to get their dresses. Fun little side note- they need to be ordered no later than like the first of November.... and it's the middle of October now.... I think I'm in trouble...
It's been super busy around the garden lately. I've barely had time to breath, it seems like. And there's a ton more of stuff coming up here soon.... Horror Movie Marathon... Sunday School class retreat...Costume Contest (drat, I still need a couple more things for that. Doh!).... birthdays... planning a trip to the happiest city on earth with my mummy.... Thanksgiving.... going camping the following day.... getting Darcy's parent's settled into their new estate in Sherman.... Christmas (which means I should start shopping now, Double Doh!).... my birthday.... leaving for South Texas the following day after Christmas.....
But, far from dreading the coming activities, I am looking forward to them with great anticipation! This really is my favorite time of the year. And, at the very end of it, I get married in March! Is that a cool away to top it all off or what?
Till Later!
See you around the garden!
Taylor
I'm back after a small break. By the by, sorry for that rather long last post... Like I said before, I had had just about enough of that mess and had to sound off for my own sanity. :-)
Anyway- on to more happier things.
I have been to the Great State Fair of Texas!!!!! Whoohooo! I love the Fair. I start looking forward to it in April.... We went with our Sunday School class and had a wonderful time. And Darcy and I are going again this coming Sunday with our parents. Double Whooohooo!!!!
Fall has officially come at last to the great state of Texas. Well... kinda. The skin on my face is getting dry and my nose is running.... a sure sign that Old Man Winter is just around the corner. I never thought I would hear myself saying this, but I am looking forward to winter. (And that's not just because it's getting closer to March!) We had such a hot summer this past year and I, for one, am ready for a break from that for a while... And rain... I would like lots of rain. I'm a rainy day kinda girl, so this no rain thing has been bumming me.
As far as wedding info goes, I signed my life away on the reception site contract this afternoon. So, that is all taken care of now. Yea! The invitations have been picked out and I'm so crazy about them. They are just what I was looking for. Simple, but elegant and romantic. So Perfect. The parents of my WeeOnes have the info for the dresses I want them to wear. (Yes, the WeeOnes are in the wedding too.... I thought I'd see how many kids I could cram into this ceremony.) Now, I have to get my MOH and Attendents to David's Bridal to get their dresses. Fun little side note- they need to be ordered no later than like the first of November.... and it's the middle of October now.... I think I'm in trouble...
It's been super busy around the garden lately. I've barely had time to breath, it seems like. And there's a ton more of stuff coming up here soon.... Horror Movie Marathon... Sunday School class retreat...Costume Contest (drat, I still need a couple more things for that. Doh!).... birthdays... planning a trip to the happiest city on earth with my mummy.... Thanksgiving.... going camping the following day.... getting Darcy's parent's settled into their new estate in Sherman.... Christmas (which means I should start shopping now, Double Doh!).... my birthday.... leaving for South Texas the following day after Christmas.....
But, far from dreading the coming activities, I am looking forward to them with great anticipation! This really is my favorite time of the year. And, at the very end of it, I get married in March! Is that a cool away to top it all off or what?
Till Later!
See you around the garden!
Taylor
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
I have had enough...
Disclaimer: to those who are going to send me all kinds of nasty emails about the following post, save your time and your fingers. I don't care. I've had enough. To those who wish for honest and constructive debate, feel free to contact.
I have had enough.
First: I am sick to death of actors and musicians who think its fun and hip and cool to pop off every time a reporter and a camera is in front of them. Case in point, Sean Penn. I have yet to hear ANYTHING constructive come out of his mouth. All he can seem to offer is MEAN-SPIRITED rancor about President Bush. His newest tidbit of wisdom is that the President is a dumb Satan. (He was being his usual charming self at a press junket for his new movie, All The Kings Men) Enough, already! We know that you don't like Republicans, Sean. We get the point. Move on and try to make better movies!
Natalie Maines.... this gal is so completely full of herself. Actually, I think the whole trio is. I have been, time and again, offended by these three. They seem to think that they can say anything they want and not have to face any kind of repercussions. And that's insane. I heard Ms. Maines say in an interview that she didn't get why people made such a big deal about where she made her pre-war comments. And you know, I believe her. I don't think she does get it. I don't think she understands how dangerous her words were. I really don't think she gets the point that it's backstabbing to go out of this country and talk dirty about the President on the eve of war. (And it was a cheap pop in a country where she knew she could get one.) Those girls have refused to take responsibilty for their words and I have about had enough of them opening their mouths and just demanding that I deal with whatever comes out. Sorry girls, but I'm with President Bush on this one. Freedom of speech is a two-way street. Suck it up. (And watch your language! Be a lady!)
The idea of tolerance at all costs. You know what? Bite me. I am a pretty tolerant person. I will put up with a lot. But when you start plotting my death and destruction.... you know, my tolerance pretty much dries up at this point. Yes, folks, you heard it here first. I am EXTREMLY intolerant of people who wish to see me dead.
To those who put political correctness and the feelings of those who are OUTSIDE of this country before the safety and well-being of the citizens of America.... there is no insult that I could ever come up with that would truly convey the disgust you fill me with. I am sick to death of watching you jockey for positions of power while you try and build your own twisted legacy. You are on notice, ladies and gentlemen.
(For the record, I am NOT speaking of President Bush. While I have not always agreed with everything that he has said and done, I think he is a good man who cares about this country. He is busting his ass to keep us safe. And there are people who are willfully trying to block his every move every chance they get. They knowingly put us in danger just to line their own pockets and stroke their own egos.)
I have had enough of those people who cater and pander to the worst that humanity has to offer.... just to get their names in lights. I have had enough of those scumbags who push down good people and put the USA in danger.... while they offer aid and comfort to our enemies.
I love this country. I am so proud to say that I am an American. I feel that I was blessed by God (and when I say God, I mean the God of the Bible) to have been born here. And I am ready to do what I can to protect and defend my country. America (with all her warts and all her issues) is still the greatest country on earth.
Look, we have got to get our heads in the game here people. It's time to hold those in power responsible and accountable. It's time to make the hard choices. It's time to fix that which is broken and throw away that which cannot be fixed. It's time to get real.
I have had enough.
How about you?
I have had enough.
First: I am sick to death of actors and musicians who think its fun and hip and cool to pop off every time a reporter and a camera is in front of them. Case in point, Sean Penn. I have yet to hear ANYTHING constructive come out of his mouth. All he can seem to offer is MEAN-SPIRITED rancor about President Bush. His newest tidbit of wisdom is that the President is a dumb Satan. (He was being his usual charming self at a press junket for his new movie, All The Kings Men) Enough, already! We know that you don't like Republicans, Sean. We get the point. Move on and try to make better movies!
Natalie Maines.... this gal is so completely full of herself. Actually, I think the whole trio is. I have been, time and again, offended by these three. They seem to think that they can say anything they want and not have to face any kind of repercussions. And that's insane. I heard Ms. Maines say in an interview that she didn't get why people made such a big deal about where she made her pre-war comments. And you know, I believe her. I don't think she does get it. I don't think she understands how dangerous her words were. I really don't think she gets the point that it's backstabbing to go out of this country and talk dirty about the President on the eve of war. (And it was a cheap pop in a country where she knew she could get one.) Those girls have refused to take responsibilty for their words and I have about had enough of them opening their mouths and just demanding that I deal with whatever comes out. Sorry girls, but I'm with President Bush on this one. Freedom of speech is a two-way street. Suck it up. (And watch your language! Be a lady!)
The idea of tolerance at all costs. You know what? Bite me. I am a pretty tolerant person. I will put up with a lot. But when you start plotting my death and destruction.... you know, my tolerance pretty much dries up at this point. Yes, folks, you heard it here first. I am EXTREMLY intolerant of people who wish to see me dead.
To those who put political correctness and the feelings of those who are OUTSIDE of this country before the safety and well-being of the citizens of America.... there is no insult that I could ever come up with that would truly convey the disgust you fill me with. I am sick to death of watching you jockey for positions of power while you try and build your own twisted legacy. You are on notice, ladies and gentlemen.
(For the record, I am NOT speaking of President Bush. While I have not always agreed with everything that he has said and done, I think he is a good man who cares about this country. He is busting his ass to keep us safe. And there are people who are willfully trying to block his every move every chance they get. They knowingly put us in danger just to line their own pockets and stroke their own egos.)
I have had enough of those people who cater and pander to the worst that humanity has to offer.... just to get their names in lights. I have had enough of those scumbags who push down good people and put the USA in danger.... while they offer aid and comfort to our enemies.
I love this country. I am so proud to say that I am an American. I feel that I was blessed by God (and when I say God, I mean the God of the Bible) to have been born here. And I am ready to do what I can to protect and defend my country. America (with all her warts and all her issues) is still the greatest country on earth.
Look, we have got to get our heads in the game here people. It's time to hold those in power responsible and accountable. It's time to make the hard choices. It's time to fix that which is broken and throw away that which cannot be fixed. It's time to get real.
I have had enough.
How about you?
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Round a Bouts
Well, it's been a week since I first went to the chiropractor.
And let me tell you, I feel about 90% better. How cool is that?! Doctor Keith said that I was like 90% better. He was very happy with where I am and so am I. I'm sleeping better- that's huge to me. The last couple of nights, I've been falling asleep at a normal time and have slept THE ENTIRE NIGHT! That hasn't happened in years. I usually wake up several times in the night and have to shift around because something hurts. That hasn't happened for a couple nights. I am (as with anything) cautiously optimistic.
In other news, the new Superman movie comes out tomorrow. Anyone else excited? YIPPPEE! PoD went to a sneak peak last night I believe. Still waiting on his opinion!
I did see XMen 3 a couple of weeks ago. I liked it. I was quite surprised how much I liked it. It's a good movie, not a great movie, but a good one. It was just too short to tell the 2 stories that it was trying to tell. It really needed another 30 minutes or so. There's one particular moment that would have benifited from the additional time- The XMEN have to make a terrible choice... it's something that must be done, but it goes against everything they have stood for. I wish there had been more build-up to that moment... My one complaint was that my all-time fav character (even before the actor was cast... that just made that character more whoohoo to me) seemingly takes a dirt nap. In that regard... the Elfin Princess is right. You must stay throught the end credits!
Also, saw Cars with my little WeeOnes. I highly recomend this Pixar movie. It's hilarious! Loved it! There's enough "big people humor" for adults, but that stuff flies right over the heads of your WeeOnes, to keep the adults laughing right along with the kids. Particularly great is the legendary Paul Newman. He's just the height of cool.
Not too long ago, I saw MI 3.... Now... those of you who know me well, know what a fan I am of the tv series. I HATED the first Mission Impossible movie with a firey passion in my heart. The reason... they turned the all-time good guy into the bad guy. A gross miscaraige of movie justice if I have ever seen one! AWFUL! AWFUL! AWFUL! Also, I'm not Tom Cruise's biggest fan, never have been and never will be. I didn't (and won't see) MI2. But, I broke down and went to see MI3 with the Browncoats. And... I kinda liked it. It wasn't the Tom Cruise show, which I liked. All the players got excellent pops & it was more of a team show... which is what it should be. As with anything with the Mission Impossible moniker on it, one must be willing to suspend their disbelief to watch... and the movie had me.... UNTIL.... Oy vey.... until the very end. Let's just say it had to do with Tommy Boy and reanimation.... it was one of the most startling moments of unintentional funny that I have ever seen. Half of the audience joined me in laughing out loud.
Movies that are on my To Be Seen list:
The DaVinci Code (waiting on Darcy to finish the book)
Over the Hedge
A Praire Home Companion
Superman Returns
The Devil Wears Prada
Until next time!
Taylor
And let me tell you, I feel about 90% better. How cool is that?! Doctor Keith said that I was like 90% better. He was very happy with where I am and so am I. I'm sleeping better- that's huge to me. The last couple of nights, I've been falling asleep at a normal time and have slept THE ENTIRE NIGHT! That hasn't happened in years. I usually wake up several times in the night and have to shift around because something hurts. That hasn't happened for a couple nights. I am (as with anything) cautiously optimistic.
In other news, the new Superman movie comes out tomorrow. Anyone else excited? YIPPPEE! PoD went to a sneak peak last night I believe. Still waiting on his opinion!
I did see XMen 3 a couple of weeks ago. I liked it. I was quite surprised how much I liked it. It's a good movie, not a great movie, but a good one. It was just too short to tell the 2 stories that it was trying to tell. It really needed another 30 minutes or so. There's one particular moment that would have benifited from the additional time- The XMEN have to make a terrible choice... it's something that must be done, but it goes against everything they have stood for. I wish there had been more build-up to that moment... My one complaint was that my all-time fav character (even before the actor was cast... that just made that character more whoohoo to me) seemingly takes a dirt nap. In that regard... the Elfin Princess is right. You must stay throught the end credits!
Also, saw Cars with my little WeeOnes. I highly recomend this Pixar movie. It's hilarious! Loved it! There's enough "big people humor" for adults, but that stuff flies right over the heads of your WeeOnes, to keep the adults laughing right along with the kids. Particularly great is the legendary Paul Newman. He's just the height of cool.
Not too long ago, I saw MI 3.... Now... those of you who know me well, know what a fan I am of the tv series. I HATED the first Mission Impossible movie with a firey passion in my heart. The reason... they turned the all-time good guy into the bad guy. A gross miscaraige of movie justice if I have ever seen one! AWFUL! AWFUL! AWFUL! Also, I'm not Tom Cruise's biggest fan, never have been and never will be. I didn't (and won't see) MI2. But, I broke down and went to see MI3 with the Browncoats. And... I kinda liked it. It wasn't the Tom Cruise show, which I liked. All the players got excellent pops & it was more of a team show... which is what it should be. As with anything with the Mission Impossible moniker on it, one must be willing to suspend their disbelief to watch... and the movie had me.... UNTIL.... Oy vey.... until the very end. Let's just say it had to do with Tommy Boy and reanimation.... it was one of the most startling moments of unintentional funny that I have ever seen. Half of the audience joined me in laughing out loud.
Movies that are on my To Be Seen list:
The DaVinci Code (waiting on Darcy to finish the book)
Over the Hedge
A Praire Home Companion
Superman Returns
The Devil Wears Prada
Until next time!
Taylor
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
I Am Not A Klutz!
Okay.... well, maybe not the hopeless klutz that everyone (myself included) thought me to be.
Let me start at the very beginning (a very good place to start... :-)
I have had chronic pain in my back, shoulders, neck... knees, feet, etc for years.... YEARS.... as in at least 10.
My knees pop in and out of their sockets causing intense pain. Bad. Bad. Bad. I'm also very prone to twist and sprain my ankle for no apparent reason, ie: not doing anything excessive that might cause the injury, just walking. (Anyone remember what I did during a performance of Horseshoe?!) I tend to trip a lot, my feet just kinda roll out from under me.
Last week I was having some back pain and, for the 2nd time in a few months, I couldn't even breath without intense pain... the kind of pain that would give an aspirin a heachache. I was in tears- and as most know, I've lived with chronic pain for so many years that I have developed a fairly high pain tolerance in that regard... had to or spend my life doped up on pain killers every day of my life. And that's not an acceptable way of life for me.
Anywhoo- Mom and Auntie Charlotte decided that I needed to go see Auntie's chiropractor. I originally went in for my back, but he took on look at my feet and the way I was walking and standing and asked me if I had had foot problems as a child... Why, yes... yes I did. My mother has often told the story about how I couldn't even make it across the parking lot at 6 Flags to the gate without crying that my feet were hurting. (I should mention that I am extremely flat-footed... as in no arch) He asked if I was prone to foot related accidents... ie: twists and sprains on my ankles.... again, my answer was yes.
At this point I was wondering if he'd met me before....
Dr. Keith diagnosed me with feet pronation. He said it was fairly common. But he said that I have an extreme case of- excessive feet pronation. This has caused tibeal torsion in both of my legs.... which has led to condro-malicia patela in both of my knees.... Yes, kids, that's right I have a bad case of runner's knee in both my knees (and I'm not even a runner)!
Eesh.
What this boils down to is that he's having me wear a certain knee brace on my right knee for 2 weeks... then the left for 2 weeks... and then the right for 2 weeks... and then the left for 2 weeks. This is to help with the pain by giving the knee support and to help retrain the patela to go over the joint properly.
Then, of course, there's the issue of my feet. He wants me to be fitted with orthopedic shoes to retrain my feet to walk and stand properly. Fun, huh? But, as he said, I can take care of it now... or I can continue to damage my knees and pay for it later. And to help my knees with any long term care, the foot problem has to be addressed and corrected. ::sigh::
Also- he said that a couple of ribs had become dislocated and displaced... yes, that should hurt just reading it... And it hurts living with it. I believe he called it rib segment disfunction... or something like that. I'm really bad with terms. Anyway, he's working on fixing that.
The good news (after reading through this laundry list) is that all of this is fixable! I can't tell you how excited I am at the prospect of not having chronic pain as my daily companion. I have lived with this mess for years and its come close to disrupting my life many times. But I am so thankful that the Lord has answered my prayers and provided a way for this to be corrected. I have learned how to "gut through" many things because of the crucibles that my Heavenly Father has allowed.
And I think that probably sounded really bad... It's not meant to. I think that God lets us go through suffering to grow us... because it's the only way we will learn to go to Him with our struggles...
It's a daily struggle that I have to renew my commitment every single day to rely on Him. He holds time in His hands... There is nothing that surprises Him and everything fits into His plan in some shape, form or fashion.
But I must confess that sometimes.... waiting for relief is soooo hard. Heartbreaking, really. It makes you take a second look at things in your life. It makes you take a second look at your character... the aspects about you that, once held up in a mirror, make you cringe.
I guess you could say that I am going through a season of introspection right now... and stretching.... oh the stretching... its' making me sore! :-) But there's something to being brought to what you think it the absolute limit of yourself... and then finding that you've past that limit without your notice... and that you're still here... you're still relying on God because He has given you the strength and patience to... not just survive or weather the storm... but blossom in the aftermath.
Our Father requires our obedience... and that obedience is sometimes hard to give. But He is so faithful to us. And He loves us SO MUCH!
He proved that 2,000 years or so ago by sending his son to be a sacrifice on a cross... to reconcile us to Him.
And speaking of Jesus... He loved us so much that He couldn't stand the thought of spending eternity without us... so He died for us.
Amazing Love, huh?
Let me start at the very beginning (a very good place to start... :-)
I have had chronic pain in my back, shoulders, neck... knees, feet, etc for years.... YEARS.... as in at least 10.
My knees pop in and out of their sockets causing intense pain. Bad. Bad. Bad. I'm also very prone to twist and sprain my ankle for no apparent reason, ie: not doing anything excessive that might cause the injury, just walking. (Anyone remember what I did during a performance of Horseshoe?!) I tend to trip a lot, my feet just kinda roll out from under me.
Last week I was having some back pain and, for the 2nd time in a few months, I couldn't even breath without intense pain... the kind of pain that would give an aspirin a heachache. I was in tears- and as most know, I've lived with chronic pain for so many years that I have developed a fairly high pain tolerance in that regard... had to or spend my life doped up on pain killers every day of my life. And that's not an acceptable way of life for me.
Anywhoo- Mom and Auntie Charlotte decided that I needed to go see Auntie's chiropractor. I originally went in for my back, but he took on look at my feet and the way I was walking and standing and asked me if I had had foot problems as a child... Why, yes... yes I did. My mother has often told the story about how I couldn't even make it across the parking lot at 6 Flags to the gate without crying that my feet were hurting. (I should mention that I am extremely flat-footed... as in no arch) He asked if I was prone to foot related accidents... ie: twists and sprains on my ankles.... again, my answer was yes.
At this point I was wondering if he'd met me before....
Dr. Keith diagnosed me with feet pronation. He said it was fairly common. But he said that I have an extreme case of- excessive feet pronation. This has caused tibeal torsion in both of my legs.... which has led to condro-malicia patela in both of my knees.... Yes, kids, that's right I have a bad case of runner's knee in both my knees (and I'm not even a runner)!
Eesh.
What this boils down to is that he's having me wear a certain knee brace on my right knee for 2 weeks... then the left for 2 weeks... and then the right for 2 weeks... and then the left for 2 weeks. This is to help with the pain by giving the knee support and to help retrain the patela to go over the joint properly.
Then, of course, there's the issue of my feet. He wants me to be fitted with orthopedic shoes to retrain my feet to walk and stand properly. Fun, huh? But, as he said, I can take care of it now... or I can continue to damage my knees and pay for it later. And to help my knees with any long term care, the foot problem has to be addressed and corrected. ::sigh::
Also- he said that a couple of ribs had become dislocated and displaced... yes, that should hurt just reading it... And it hurts living with it. I believe he called it rib segment disfunction... or something like that. I'm really bad with terms. Anyway, he's working on fixing that.
The good news (after reading through this laundry list) is that all of this is fixable! I can't tell you how excited I am at the prospect of not having chronic pain as my daily companion. I have lived with this mess for years and its come close to disrupting my life many times. But I am so thankful that the Lord has answered my prayers and provided a way for this to be corrected. I have learned how to "gut through" many things because of the crucibles that my Heavenly Father has allowed.
And I think that probably sounded really bad... It's not meant to. I think that God lets us go through suffering to grow us... because it's the only way we will learn to go to Him with our struggles...
It's a daily struggle that I have to renew my commitment every single day to rely on Him. He holds time in His hands... There is nothing that surprises Him and everything fits into His plan in some shape, form or fashion.
But I must confess that sometimes.... waiting for relief is soooo hard. Heartbreaking, really. It makes you take a second look at things in your life. It makes you take a second look at your character... the aspects about you that, once held up in a mirror, make you cringe.
I guess you could say that I am going through a season of introspection right now... and stretching.... oh the stretching... its' making me sore! :-) But there's something to being brought to what you think it the absolute limit of yourself... and then finding that you've past that limit without your notice... and that you're still here... you're still relying on God because He has given you the strength and patience to... not just survive or weather the storm... but blossom in the aftermath.
Our Father requires our obedience... and that obedience is sometimes hard to give. But He is so faithful to us. And He loves us SO MUCH!
He proved that 2,000 years or so ago by sending his son to be a sacrifice on a cross... to reconcile us to Him.
And speaking of Jesus... He loved us so much that He couldn't stand the thought of spending eternity without us... so He died for us.
Amazing Love, huh?
Friday, June 09, 2006
This and That...
Hello to all out in the great big 'verse!
I have a ton of pictures from the recent Galveston Trip to post! And I'll post them very soon. For those who are wondering, we had a wonderful time... though I did get car sick in the mule on the way... ::sigh:: fortunately, I remembered to buy the happy Dramamine before we left. NOTE: Just because something says on the label that it won't cause you to get as drowsy doesn't really mean that you won't get sleepy in the vehicle & sleep almost the entire drive!
I'm hoping to get the book review site up and running before the weekend ends... we shall see. The categories thus far:
Christian fiction
Women's studies
General Christian writings
Christian biographies
Christian classics
Not all these categories will have immediate listings, but I'll work up to it! :-) We shall see how much I can get done before my summer school session starts back in July. Oh, for those who didn't know- I decided that my mother and Mr. Darcy are right... I was born to be involved in the live theater. I am going to get my B.A. in theater from Texas Women's University- there is a catch, though. I can't start there until Jan 2007. ::BIG sigh:: Oh, well. I'm excited!
Anyway- that's all for now. Hope everyone had a wonderful week! It's Friday! Party!!!!!!!
Until next time!
I have a ton of pictures from the recent Galveston Trip to post! And I'll post them very soon. For those who are wondering, we had a wonderful time... though I did get car sick in the mule on the way... ::sigh:: fortunately, I remembered to buy the happy Dramamine before we left. NOTE: Just because something says on the label that it won't cause you to get as drowsy doesn't really mean that you won't get sleepy in the vehicle & sleep almost the entire drive!
I'm hoping to get the book review site up and running before the weekend ends... we shall see. The categories thus far:
Christian fiction
Women's studies
General Christian writings
Christian biographies
Christian classics
Not all these categories will have immediate listings, but I'll work up to it! :-) We shall see how much I can get done before my summer school session starts back in July. Oh, for those who didn't know- I decided that my mother and Mr. Darcy are right... I was born to be involved in the live theater. I am going to get my B.A. in theater from Texas Women's University- there is a catch, though. I can't start there until Jan 2007. ::BIG sigh:: Oh, well. I'm excited!
Anyway- that's all for now. Hope everyone had a wonderful week! It's Friday! Party!!!!!!!
Until next time!
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
The Rough Riders Game
So, Darcy and I went to the Rough Riders game with a couple of our friends. Thought I would post a picture. Hope all had a great Memorial Day Weekend!
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Catching Up
Well, the show has come to an end... and I must admit that I'm conflicted! I LOVED being a part of a show once more, but I'm happy to be done! Horseshoe (as it has come to be known by the participants) was wonderfully fun & I admit that it has rekindled the love I have for live theater.
But trust me when I say that I'm happy to have a life again... and I'm quite sure my nearest and dearest are too! I must say that I was very pleased to be performing along side some amazingly talented thespians. Some of us have been acting for a long time. However, there were some newbies to the stage and it was a privilege to share the stage with them all. By the by, my friend, Ross Hughes (Sheriff Slidell) will next be appearing at the Richardson Theater Center in an show. If you get a chance, go see him. He is such a brilliant actor & a great guy... He introduced me to the wonders of Indian cuisine and Bollywood Video!
Now that school is over for a month or so, I have the time to catch up on some reading that has been on the backburner for a while.
I'm reading:
'Job; A Man of Heroic Endurance' by Charles Swindoll. This is from his series of book, Profiles in Character. I strongly encourage reading this whole series. They are truly incredible! I have been so blessed by them over the past year. My favorite, hands down, was Esther. But, that's my favorite book of the Bible!
'Tortured For Christ' by the late Pastor Richard Wurmbrand. Because of his passion for sharing the Gospel with lost Russians, he spent 14 years in Communist prisons. I recently got the 30th Anniversary Edition from VOM. I'm just 20 pages or so into it, but I strongly recommend this book and the VOM website for those whose hearts are bent to those who suffer for the Cross.
'Angels and Demons' by Dan Brown... Oy, okay, so I read the DaVinci Code about a month ago. Eesh, and while I enjoyed it.... it's one of the biggest works of fiction I ever read... You know, I just might blog about it soon. Anyway, I'm reading the prequel to the DaVinci Code. It's a lot harder to get through because of two reasons... 1) It's very science oriented. It leans heavily on scientific thought and jargon & 2) Mr. Brown's blazing hatred for the Catholic Church leaps from every single page. I mean, this book is dripping with it.
I think trying to read 3 books at a time is more than enough! Ahh... how I love to read! I'm thinking of creating a sister site to this one and have it strictly be books that I recommend... I have read so many books and would love to see more people read them too. Hmmm....
Anyway, hope all are doing well! The next 2 weeks are going to be busy.... again. Anyone sensing a theme here?!
Until next time!
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
A long time in posting.....
Oy vey!
That's all I have to say about the past 2 weeks or so!
I guess I had forgotten how much work goes into being in a play! I am exhausted! Last week was Tech Week.... or Hell Week as it is more commonly known in the theater world. That was in the midst of finals (which I think I did pretty well on those, btw)... and all of that was followed by 4 performances.
On a side note- I seem to be incapable of being in a WOM show without hurting myself in some shape form or fashion. At the 2:30 show on Saturday, I was waiting for my cue when I turned to one of my fellow performers and made the comment that something was wrong with my shoes. Then I (for some reason) made my entrance at roughly MACH 10. I bounced right off one of my poor fellow actors as my ankle turned right from under me. Fortunately, David caught me or I would have been on the floor. When I got off stage, I untied my shoes and started to take them off, but quickly put them back on when my ankle started to swell. By the the time the show was over, I was hurting.... badly. I didn't even make it all the way back to the dressing rooms after curtain call. Happily, one of my white knights, Ross helped me the rest of the way & went and got lunch for me and sat with me, PoD and Stacie for a while.
I iced my ankle for a couple of hours because we had another show at 8pm.... My ankle got wrapped and I went on because the show must go on....yeah..... crazy. When I got home Saturday night, I undid the wrapping and took a look at my ankle. I was very fortunate to have put ice on it when I did, so it wasn't very swollen, HOWEVER, there was a cut on the back of my ankle.
Yes, that's right, my shoe cut me. That's why it was hurting like it was.
Anyway, Sunday, my family and Darcy's parents came to the show. It was so exciting to have everyone there. Also, the family whose kids I watch came too- the girls brought me flowers & I took them on tour of the backstage area. They were thrilled.
After the show was over, my parents, his parents, Darcy and I went out to dinner. It was very cool & the food was wonderful. It was the first time our parents had met, so it was a big event! See below for pics!
Anyway- 4 more performances to go!
Me and Mr. Darcy... I'm still looking awake and okay.....
Mr. Darcy and me with his parents... This is after dinner and I'm starting to look little worn around the edges.
And here we are with my parents... And I think I was ready to fall over at this point...
I still need a day to sleep- however, that's not very realistic. Oh well, I better get back to my laundry. It was overflowing the basket! I was running out of clothes!!!!
That's all I have to say about the past 2 weeks or so!
I guess I had forgotten how much work goes into being in a play! I am exhausted! Last week was Tech Week.... or Hell Week as it is more commonly known in the theater world. That was in the midst of finals (which I think I did pretty well on those, btw)... and all of that was followed by 4 performances.
On a side note- I seem to be incapable of being in a WOM show without hurting myself in some shape form or fashion. At the 2:30 show on Saturday, I was waiting for my cue when I turned to one of my fellow performers and made the comment that something was wrong with my shoes. Then I (for some reason) made my entrance at roughly MACH 10. I bounced right off one of my poor fellow actors as my ankle turned right from under me. Fortunately, David caught me or I would have been on the floor. When I got off stage, I untied my shoes and started to take them off, but quickly put them back on when my ankle started to swell. By the the time the show was over, I was hurting.... badly. I didn't even make it all the way back to the dressing rooms after curtain call. Happily, one of my white knights, Ross helped me the rest of the way & went and got lunch for me and sat with me, PoD and Stacie for a while.
I iced my ankle for a couple of hours because we had another show at 8pm.... My ankle got wrapped and I went on because the show must go on....yeah..... crazy. When I got home Saturday night, I undid the wrapping and took a look at my ankle. I was very fortunate to have put ice on it when I did, so it wasn't very swollen, HOWEVER, there was a cut on the back of my ankle.
Yes, that's right, my shoe cut me. That's why it was hurting like it was.
Anyway, Sunday, my family and Darcy's parents came to the show. It was so exciting to have everyone there. Also, the family whose kids I watch came too- the girls brought me flowers & I took them on tour of the backstage area. They were thrilled.
After the show was over, my parents, his parents, Darcy and I went out to dinner. It was very cool & the food was wonderful. It was the first time our parents had met, so it was a big event! See below for pics!
Anyway- 4 more performances to go!
Me and Mr. Darcy... I'm still looking awake and okay.....
Mr. Darcy and me with his parents... This is after dinner and I'm starting to look little worn around the edges.
And here we are with my parents... And I think I was ready to fall over at this point...
I still need a day to sleep- however, that's not very realistic. Oh well, I better get back to my laundry. It was overflowing the basket! I was running out of clothes!!!!
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