achoo!

Excuse me... I did cover my mouth =] Obviously, I still have a cold. I didn't even get out of my jammies today. I HATE colds!! Don's is worse than mine, so I should be thankful. I'm going to make this short and sweet...

I believe I skipped a week on giving you my Post of the Week. Sorry about that. Once again, this Post of the Week really stood out above all the other posts I read this past week. I hope you will go read it. I think you will find that it's worth it.

I also want to highlight another blog. This one would be my mom's. She has been wanting to blog for some time and finally took the plunge. If you have an extra minute today or this week, check out Grace Notes and make her feel welcomed to the blogosphere. Thanks.

I will leave you with another plaque that I liked from the memorial yesterday. I was encouraged by it. I hope you will be, too.


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link of the day:
http://www.moillusions.com/2007/09/tiger-woman-illusion.html

a special hill

It actually doesn't look like much. A indentation built into the side of a hill. But it is a special hill. A hill with a view; to the west, the mountains, and to the east, the backside of Columbine High School.

The picture above was taken in 1999. The hill is known as Rebel Hill and was the location where crosses were erected and many came to pay their respects to those lost. The picture below was taken today and shows what the memorial site looks like.

I visited the newly finished Columbine Memorial site today. It was a somber place. It's located in a huge park where Jake was participating in a cross country meet. In fact, it was the second year of the Dave Sanders Invite. He was the one teacher who perished in the tragedy of Columbine.

There was a lot of people, a lot of noise, a lot of activity. But once you entered the memorial, the noise faded and you felt like you were in a place of reverence and peace. I walked around the inner circle first. This is where the thirteen who died were memorialized in words written by their families. This is where I cried. There were other people crying, too.

I don't see how you could read about the lives of these young people, how much they were loved, their thoughts about loving their God, and their future potential lost, without shedding a tear. It was a very touching tribute and a place to reflect.

The outer circle had plaques with words written by fellow students, teachers, emergency workers, even President Clinton. Again, it was very touching. What happened at Columbine, back in 1999, had a profound impact on me at the time, and ever since. It's when I felt God calling me to work with teens. It's when I realized how challenging it was to be a teenager in today's world.

Visiting the memorial today, again, had an impact on me. It reminded me of those who lost their lives and what those who survived have had to continue to live with. It reminded me that there are hurting kids out there who can make terrible decisions. It reminded me of the heroic actions that can be made by just about anyone who find themselves in the face of adversity.

The last plaque I read before heading to the top of the hill to the lookout was this:


As I sat at the top of the hill and looked out towards the mountains, I thought about this plaque. I think I already became a better person back in 1999 because of Columbine. I think a lot of people did. And I hope more people will. Then the death of these children will not be in vain and their short lives will have stood for something greater than they could have ever dreamed.

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link of the day:
http://www.usaweekend.com/diffday/index.html

more of Him

I still have a cold. I was miserable at the dentist's. I ended up having a cavity so I get to go back in a couple of weeks. I did come home and went back to bed for a few hours. And just in case you were wondering (I know you weren't, but humor me), Jake looked great in his toga.


(I think I still need to tweak these)

I had a post last week about something new I wanted to try; a spiritual journey carnival. I've decided to give it a go. Thank you to all of you who gave me your input. I really appreciated it. And you helped me pick a day, too. I originally thought Sunday would be a good day since we designate that as the Lord's Day. But a lot of bloggers don't post that day. After some consideration, I've picked Monday.

So starting this Monday, I hope you will join me in posting where you see God working in your life ~or~ a piece of scripture that spoke to you in a special way. My purpose in this is for us to be able to share some of our spiritual journeys with each other; to share how God speaks to us and what He is saying.

I hope you'll join others in this carnival. I'm calling it "More of Him" Mondays. I'm hoping it will be encouraging to others. I will have a Mr. Linky up so we can find each other's posts.

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link of the day:
http://www.letssaythanks.com/Home1280.html

pulling the covers over my head

This cartoon isn't exactly true since I'm posting around midnight the night before. But I have a feeling I'm not going to want to get out of bed. Why?

• I'm catching a cold (thank you, Don)


• last night's youth group didn't go well and that has me a little down. Don and I need to work some things out on that front.


• I have to help Jake dress up in a toga first thing in the morning. Why? It's spirit week and today is toga day. I am so glad I only have two kids and I don't have to do this again.


• and the biggest reason... I have a dentist appointment this morning. Ugh!

Can't I just stay in bed?

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link of the day:
http://www.glassgiant.com/maze/

love. it's a force.

If you look on my sidebar, you'll see a passage from Matthew under the title, Words to Live By. That passage is my life motto, or my personal life purpose statement. If I'm not living by those words, then I'm not living the life God wants for me.

Pam, of Pinnacles, Pitfalls, and Pottychairs, wrote a post yesterday entitled, Spreading the Love. I felt challenged to write about my favorite word - my favorite emotion - my favorite force.

I strongly believe that you cannot just say you love someone. Love is more than a word, even more than a feeling. It is an action. It is shown in a gesture, a deed. If you tell someone you love them, but don't show it in some way, the words are empty. The other person has to "feel" your love.

I liken love to some form of action, as in a force. Force is defined as energy. You can view this word as a noun and an adjective. Love is something you feel, as in the force of the wind in your face, and it takes energy to love; it's something you actively engage in.

For me, I love people by engaging myself with them. I try to practice the ministry of presence, meaning that when I'm with someone, I forget about myself and try to be there for them, in whatever form they need. I try to put myself in their shoes, try to understand who they are and what's going on in their lives.

I then show I care by really caring about who they are and what's going on in their lives.

Hmmm... where did that sentence come from? I typed it as a result of my process of thinking. But when I reread it, it sounded, I don't know - phoney, or contrived. Where does that care come from? I can't create it out of thin air. I can't... but, God can.

How can I put this? Somehow, God puts the love in my heart to pass on to others. That seems so simple. I guess it really is. I love God. He loves me. He shows me how to pass on His love to others. He makes it possible for me to love others. His love to His children here on earth is manifested through, well... me... and you.

It's a pretty simple plan He devised. It should have been so simple. Too bad we've made it so complicated. Just think how different this world would be if everyone felt loved. It would be a different world, indeed.

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link of the day:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20657188/site/newsweek/

i am a procrastinator

It's been a while since I've done 10 on Tuesday. I had no problem coming up with 10 things for this week's list, which is: 10 things you've been putting off.

I feel like I should be saying, "Hi, I'm Diana... and I'm a procrastinator." I am terrible. I think the older I get, the worst my procrastination gets. Sometimes I have a good or legitimate reason why I don't get to something in a timely fashion. But most of the time, sadly, I don't. I usually just find something I'd rather be doing. Is there any kind of help for me? Don't answer that - it was a rhetorical question.

So, here are 10 things I've been putting off (in no particular order):

1. finish a birthday present for Jake's girlfriend (can't tell you what it is... who knows, maybe she reads this)



2. clean out and fix up spare bedroom to be my scrapbooking room



3. start working on a scrapbook for Jake as one of his graduation gifts (I have until May, so I'm not jumping on this one for a while)



4. clean out my closet



5. learn Photoshop (I have the program after all!)



6. read the many books I have



7. go to the eye doctor



8. take the car in for it's maintenance check



9. go through the pile of papers on my desk (I don't even know what's in there)



10. paint one wall in my dining room - it's purple - don't ask!

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link of the day:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HClNcAvD1AY

big city living

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If you didn't read my post yesterday, I would appreciate you doing so and giving me your opinion on an idea I've been playing around with. Thank you.

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I saw the new Jodie Foster movie, The Brave One, this last weekend. I really liked it. It's a little violent, so it's not for everyone, but if you can deal with that, it's an excellent movie. It's my opinion that Jodie Foster is one of the best actresses of our time. It would be my guess that she'll get an Academy Award nomination for her role in this movie.

Anyways, the movie has sparked, once again, my curiosity of what it would be like to live in a city. And what I mean by "in a city," I mean urban living, downtown, inner city.

There has always been a part of me that is attracted to that kind of living. Whenever we go to downtown Denver, for whatever reason, I can't help but observe and wonder about what it would be like to live there. I look up the lofts and fantasize what it would be like to live in one. I think there's an energy to the city that I would thrive on. At least part of me does.

The other part knows I enjoy living in a house, with a garage and a yard and a dog. I like having a quieter life that you have living in the suburbs or out in the country. I know I feel safer living where I do.

And yet, I still wonder what it would be like living in a big city environment. And until I do, I will always have this yearning to know what it's like.

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link of the day:
http://www.jpgmag.com/stories/1299

scripture speaks

Part of my wanting to blog was to record my spiritual journey. My spiritual life is part of who I am and so I didn't want to have a separate journal to record what I thought God was trying to tell me or the lessons I was learning.

In the past, along with the weekly memes, updates on my kids, rants and raves, I have posted on specific times when I've felt challenged by God or where I saw Him working in my life or the life of my family. The last few Sundays, I have posted a piece of scripture that I felt God had personally given me during the week. A few words that came from the Living Word and spoke to my heart.

That got me to thinking about how I would love to hear from other bloggers on how scripture is speaking to them and how cool it would be to share a little bit of our spiritual journey with each other. What do you think?

I was thinking of making it a weekly meme thing with a Mr. Linky and graphic buttons (still needing some tweaking). I thought of giving two options. One; to share a piece of scripture along with how that piece of scripture was speaking to you. Two; to share how God is working in your life or how you experienced Him during the week.



I would love to hear from you whether you think you would participate in something like this. I don't want to register for a Mr. Linky unless I know there is some interest. I thought Sunday would be ideal but maybe not. I've noticed that a lot of bloggers take this day off from posting. Anyways, let me know. You can leave your thoughts in a comment or e-mail me.

Here's my "scripture speaks" for the week.

God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God's Word. We can't get away from it—no matter what. Hebrews 4:12-13 The Message

I thought this piece of scripture was appropriate for my post today. I love the part, "God means what he says." We can't just use part of the Bible - the part that we like. He gave us the whole Bible and every word is true and meant for us to follow.

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link of the day:
http://www.biblegateway.com/

God, you've been served

I just don't get this. I've read several accounts of it but still don't understand. Did you hear that a Nebraska senator has filed a lawsuit against God. yep, you read right - GOD! I suggest that you follow both links to read both stories in their entirety.

Fox News reports, "The suit asks for a 'permanent injunction ordering Defendant to cease certain harmful activities and the making of terroristic threats.'" The article goes on to say, "Chambers says he isn't suing God because he has any kind of beef with the deity. He says the suit is to fight possible laws restricting the filing of frivolous lawsuits."

He's trying to prove a point that anyone should be able to file lawsuits against anyone - even God. Well, I don't think anyone CAN file a lawsuit against God. It just doesn't make sense to me. What's funny though is that, apparently, God has responded to the lawsuit against Him. The response was left miraculously on a counter at the County District Court in Omaha. Obviously, God didn't really send it, but whoever did, has God's best interest at heart.

It stated, as reported by Yahoo News, "Blaming the Almighty for human oppression and suffering misses an important point. I created man and woman with free will and next to the promise of immortal life, free will is my greatest gift to you." Another response said the Lord disputes Chambers' allegations. Both responses were signed by, "God."

I'm just wondering how far this will all go. It's all pretty silly if you ask me.

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link of the day:
http://www.mrpotatomash.com/

a magnet collection is all i got

It's Friday's Show & Tell, hosted by Kelli over at There's No Place Like Home. Kelli has the Mr. Linky for all of today's participants. So head on over there.

I'll forewarn you... this is a very boring Show & Tell. I really wanted to do Show & Tell and had a couple of things in mind. Last night, after watching Survivor and Kid Nation (I taped it), I started the process of taking pictures. Well, the pictures didn't turn out as planned. My item just wasn't photogenic :(. To make a long story short (because you really would be bored with the long story), I tried to photograph several things and nothing worked.

So this morning I got up and walked around my house. I came to the conclusion that I have a boring life and really don't have anything from my home to share. But since I have nothing else to post about and I'm going to be out most of the day, I decided my magnet collection (I heard all those oooohhs and aaahhs!) would be the only perfect thing to share.

These magnets are on the side of my refrigerator (where else would they be but a refrigerator?). I've tried to pick up a magnet whenever I travel someplace and since I don't travel too much, there's not much of a variety of magnets. You might notice that there's a few that look like they're from the same place. That's because I feel like I need to get a new one every time I go to Hawaii, or Disneyland, or California. So that makes it look like I've been more places ;) Enjoy! (and I won't be offended if you don't enjoy)




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link of the day:
http://walk2web.com/

burn that sculpted rose candle

The following writing was sent to me in an e-mail today, so it may be something you've already read. Even if you have, it's worth reading again. I think Erma gave us a lot to reflect upon and I encourage you to do just that.

It sure made me think. Where in my life am I letting the busyness get in the way of just enjoying the moment? What are my priorities? I want my priorities to be more about people and less about things and schedules.


IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER - by Erma Bombeck
(Written after she found out she was dying from cancer)

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn! With my grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, 'Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.'

There would have been more 'I love you's'; more 'I'm sorry's.'

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute...look at it and really see it.. live it and never give it back. STOP SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF!!! Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's doing what. Instead; let's cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us. Let's think about what God HAS blessed us with, and what we are doing each day to promote ourselves mentally, physically, and emotionally. I hope you have a blessed day.


The e-mail then said to pass this on to other women in celebration of Beautiful Women's Month. Has anyone heard of Beautiful Women's Month? I hadn't. I guess I should go Go*gle that and see what shows up.

One last thing... thanks to all of you who left such encouraging words to me on my last post. You lifted my spirits and I appreciate you all. Thank you.

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link of the day:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/whatamilike/index.shtml

you make me smile

Leigh Ann of Living to Learn, Learning to Live and Melissa of Mejojac's Memos (in a round about way) awarded me with the You Make Me Smile Award. Thank you.

It's a little ironic because I haven't felt like smiling for a few hours now. In fact, I've had to hold back tears all night. To put it shortly, Jake and I had words and we haven't been able to reconcile. It's breaking my heart.

I'm glad that there are so many blogs that are positive, uplifting, and can make us smile. No one would want to consistently read a blog that was negative and left you feeling down or sad each time you visited. We all want to be able to smile and even laugh. We need that in our lives.

But I would hate to think that we post only happy things because we feel like we can't share the times when we're down or are dealing with hard stuff. We need to feel like we can be honest on our blogs, at the expense of making ourselves real and therefore, vulnerable.

I do appreciate the award and I am so thankful for those of you who come and read my posts each day. It means so much to me. And if I leave a comment on your post, then take my word for it - you make ME smile. I thank you for that. I will leave you with these quotes, because I am normally a happy person with a smile on my face. I believe in the power of a smile and that laughter can cure much.

Smiling is infectious,
You can catch it like the flu.
Someone smiled at me today,
And I started smiling too.
~Author Unknown

Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing. ~Mother Teresa

It takes a lot of work from the face to let out a smile, but just think what good smiling can bring to the most important muscle of the body... the heart. ~Author Unknown

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link of the day:
http://littlekenadie.com/

just some bloggin' stuff

A blogging friend of mine, *cough*Leigh Ann*cough*, shared a link with me that I will in turn share with you. Mom's Turn wants to give you the opportunity to publish a post on their site that you wouldn't want to post on your own site because of who reads your blog, like co-workers or in-laws. If this sounds like something that you are needing, be sure to check it out.

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Kailani, of An Island Life, has started a new feature over at 5 Minutes for Moms. She will be writing a feature column entitled 5 Minutes Around The Blogosphere. Every Sunday, she will be sharing the best contests, informative posts, and interesting happenings throughout Blogland. This is the kind of stuff I love.

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My post of the week, for last week, is: http://this-aint-new-york.blogspot.com/2007/09/when-multi-tasking-becomes-deadly.html

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Sometimes on Tuesdays, I play along with Ten for Tuesday. They give you a prompt for you to list your top ten answers to. This week's prompt is; "what do you do when you have nothing to do?" Read that again and think about it. ... when you have nothing to do!? What mom ever has nothing to do? We may take time off, from the always expanding list of things to do, to do something to nurture ourselves. But I can't think of a time that I have had nothing to do. Can you?

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link of the day:
http://theoldpaintedcottage.com/cottagemonth.html

take me out to the ballgame

It may be Fall and it may be football season, but let's not forget about our boys of summer and the end of their season.

I love the game of baseball. I love going to baseball games. I love the atmosphere in the ballpark. I love the overpriced hot dogs and stale pretzels. Too bad I don't like beer or peanuts. I've heard that's an important part of the whole experience. I love singing during the seventh inning stretch. I love people watching. I just love it all, even without beer and peanuts.


I had the privilege of attending the Rockies baseball game yesterday. Some friends gave us their season tickets to the game - seats right behind home plate. It was a good game. The Rockies ended up winning 13-0. The only downside was that there was a thunderstorm that rolled through and caused a rain delay. It was the sixth inning and we were up 11-0 at that point so we decided to make a break for the car and head on home. After all, we could still catch most of the Bronco game on tv. I love baseball, but a Bronco's game comes in a close second.


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link of the day:
http://www.widgetbox.com/

blessed

"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.
Matthew 5:3-5 the Message

I was reading the beatitudes this week and looked them up in The Message. I like the way the first three have been translated.

How many times have I felt like I'm at the end of my rope? Plenty, and I haven't necessarily felt blessed. But I do know I am blessed when my life is more full of Him. Why does it take me getting to that point to let go and let God?

And what about that third one? Can it get any more plainer than that? I need to learn to be content with who God has made me and what He has given me. Could this be the foundation of "living joyfully at all times?" I know I feel blessed when I'm living joyfully. If I want to feel this way all the time, contentment is key.

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link of the day:
http://www.freecycle.org/

perpetual movement

I came home last night, around 9:00, exhausted. I kid you not. My body was so tired that my brain didn't function either. I sat down to my computer (laptop) and just stared at the screen. Stared... stared... stared... hoping some kind of inspiration would come to me and I could post something worth reading. It didn't work. My eyes finally closed and I woke up an hour or so later with the same blank screen staring back at me.

I had left the house at 3:00 to head over to the other side of town for a cross country meet. Not just any cross country meet, but one of the grand-daddys of xc meets here in the Denver area. It's the Liberty Bell, just in case you were wondering (and I'm sure you were!). Over 70 schools from in and out of state come to this prestigious meet.

It's one of Don's and my favorite meets. There are kids everywhere, and they are always in motion. Before you race, you warm up - a light jog for 5-10 minutes. Then there's the race. With that many schools, there were 16 races for the different genders, school divisions, and athletic levels. And then after a runner races, he or she does a cool down - again, 5-10 minutes of light jogging. Everywhere you look, there is perpetual movement.

Since I love taking pictures, I've volunteered to photograph Jake's team's runners during the races and the meets. That meant that I photographed the beginning of each race, ran over to another spot on the course to snap away there, and then scurry to the finish line (no where near the start line) to capture the thrill of victory and sting of defeat. I did this for 9 different races. Is it any wonder that I flopped down on the couch and fell asleep with a computer on my lap?

I uploaded 185 pictures this morning. Sometime today I need to go through them, pick out the best ones, crop if needed, resize, and upload to the school's site. It may be a lot of work but I really do enjoy it. Every runner or parent loves to have a picture taken during a race. Here are a few...




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link of the day:
http://www.slightlywarped.com/crapfactory/amazingimages/moresandcastles.htm

patience is a virtue

A man's wisdom gives him patience;
it is to his glory to overlook an offense.
Proverbs 19:11

My patience, and tolerance to rudeness, was sorely tested yesterday. Here's what happened...

I pulled into the drive-thru line at T*co Bell and noticed an elderly gentleman in a car waiting to get into the line at the point where he was located. The problem was, it wasn't the way the line of cars was going. I don't know how long he had been sitting there, waiting there for someone to let him in. So when I got to that point, I decided to let him go ahead of me. (yah yah, i know, I'm such a nice person).

As the car ahead of me moved and I motioned for this gentleman to go ahead, some punk kid behind me, driving a topless jeep, sped around me and took that place in line - the one in front of me. I was so caught up with what was happening that I sped up thinking I could stop that yellow jeep, but forgetting about the guy who I was going to let go ahead of me.

I was so angry. My heart was thumping loudly in my chest as I calculated what, if anything, I should do. What would you do? I ended up just yelling out my window at him, "hey! that wasn't cool!" The hardest part of this whole situation was that I had to then follow him the rest of the time in line. He never looked in his rear view mirror at me or acknowledged that he heard what I yelled at him. I was seething.

As I sat there, moving one car at a time closer to the speaker and the "can I take your order?," all I could do was to stare at this punk kid, the girl in the passenger seat, and his stupid yellow jeep. He was shirtless and I noticed all of his tattoos. I watched as he and the girl lit up their cigarettes. I read the offensive bumper stickers that cluttered the back of the jeep. I noticed that the boy and the girl hardly said more than a sentence or two to each other. And I couldn't help but notice that they ordered a lot of food.

The long line gave me time to settle down a bit. As I did, all I could do was stare at this kid in front of me and try to figure him out. Why would he do such a thing? Was being rude part of his personality? Did he think nothing of cutting in front of someone in such a bold way? Maybe he was in a big hurry for some reason and felt like he needed to cut down his time in line. Or maybe he and this girl were in a fight and he was so mad that his cut in line was an impulsive decision.

I don't know and I never will. Yes, it was very rude, but there are a lot of rude and unthinking, uncaring people out there. By the time we had both given our orders and were waiting for our time to collect our food, God gave me two messages. The first being; patience is a virtue and love is patient. The other one was; you reap what you sow. I would hate to think what all this punk kid will be reaping if he continues down the path he seemed to be on.

As I write this, I feel like God is giving me one more message; it's not my place to judge. So, I'll leave it at that.

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link of the day:
http://www.photostamps.com/

search the mom blogs

I came across something interesting and wanted to share it with you.

A fellow blogger, Michelle of Scribbit, created a custom search engine, powered by good 'ole Google, but searches only mom blogs. You can read more about it in her own words in this post, which I suggest you do because she explains it so much better than I could.

I was impressed with it so I asked her for the code so I could add it to my sidebar. Check it out for yourself. Pick something you would like to search. Once you've typed it in, Google will search blogs that have been specified by Michelle. She has designated over 1500 blogs, which is a small number compared to the millions of results you would normally get.

So if you're in the midst of potty training and want to know what other experienced bloggers have written about it, this search engine would be ideal. Or if you're writing your own post on, let's say, a craft idea. You could do your search and include links to other blogs/posts on the same subject. Cool, huh? I hope you'll give it a try.

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link of the day:
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/enter.cfm?l=eng

yum!

It's Wordless Wednesday. Be sure to check out all the other wonderful wordless photos.

These were taken at CiCi's Pizza a couple of weeks ago. If you've ever been to a CiCi's Pizza, you don't need any explanation. If you haven't - these are the best cinnamon rolls around. YUM!



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link of the day:
http://www.neave.com/strobe/

9-11

Who doesn't know what that is? Or where they were when it all started or when they heard about it? Or how they felt as the tragedy unfolded? We all know the answers to these questions. We don't have to think more than a split second. The answers are part of who we are - because of that one day.

I was at home. I had just got the kids out the door for school. I then turned on the tv just in time to see the second plane hit the towers. I was glued to the set for the duration. After a while, I wanted to turn the tv off, but couldn't. I didn't know what was going to happen next and I didn't want to miss anything. I remember feeling numb with disbelief and then anger and then overwhelmingly, grief.

I called the school to see how they were handling things with the students. I called Don, who ended up leaving work due to a bomb threat to their building. I thought, "what is happening? The world has gone crazy!" That afternoon was supposed to be the kick-off of a brand new after-school program that I was a part of. We cancelled it and had to make announcements at all the local schools to let students know. The church had a prayer vigil that evening. That day, and the ones to follow, were spent in a daze of sorrow.

My family took a road trip to California at the end of October after that September. As I write this now, it seems like a lot of time had passed between these two events. But I remember at the time, I was still greatly affected by all that had happened, as was the rest of the country.

I also remember all the American flags that were flown during that time. It was so heartwarming to see how many flags were flying while driving through four different states. They were everywhere. I truly felt united with the rest of the country. The flags were just a symbol of being united. It was the grief and the loss, and then strength, heroism, and patriotism, that united us.

Today is the sixth anniversary of 9-11 and we are asked to fly or display our country's flag as a way of showing our pride in our country, to remember those who we lost that day, to remember those who were heroes six years ago, and those who are our heroes now, fighting for our country and our freedom, and to show that we truly are united.

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link of the day:
http://suzanvitti.org/poems.html

random thoughts

Did anyone watch the Bronco-Buffaloes football game today? Oh baby, was it a good game or what! Actually, it was the ending that was so great. And that would only be if you were a Bronco fan (hehe). The Broncos kicked a game winning field goal as the clock ticked down to zero seconds. Woo-hoo! What a way to start the season.

*****

Jake's band played tonight at a well known venue, The Gothic. Don and I were there to watch a great show. I would post pictures but they wouldn't let me take my camera in. I did my best to try to talk the very big bouncer guy into letting me. But no! He told me there was no professional photography allowed. I almost laughed in his face. Me! A professional photographer... I DON'T THINK SO. It was actually my zoom lens that made him think I was a professional. If I had my regular lens on, I think he would have let me take it in. Bummer!

*****

Alan Alda has written a book and it was just released. I just love the name of it... Things I've Overheard While Talking To Myself. Isn't that just the greatest name? I wish I had thought of it. It would be a really good blog title.

*****

Don't forget that this week will be the anniversary of 9-11. And in remembrance of that tragic day and to pay tribute to those who were killed that day, those who survived, and those who helped save lives, we are asked to fly our flag on Tuesday. I can't wait to see our country's flag flown so proudly in so many places.

*****

This post is my Post of the Week. It really wasn't posted this last week and many of you may have read it already, but if you haven't, it's worth reading. It was actually a description comment of some pokemon cards the blogger had put on ebay. She was explaining why she was selling these cards and does so in a very comical way.

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link of the day:
http://www.blockposters.com/

anyway

I heard Martina McBride sing the following song on The Early show this last week. Of course I had heard of her and most likely, I've heard her sing. But I'm not a big country music fan, so I couldn't have told you anything about her or named any of her songs. But just by chance, I heard her sing this song that morning - and I was entranced. She sings beautifully, and the words, her voice, and the melody touched my heart deeply. I hope your heart is touched, too.

Anyway

You can spend your whole life buildin'
Somethin' from nothin'
One storm can come and blow it all away
Build it anyway

You can chase a dream
That seems so out of reach
And you know it might not ever come your way
Dream it anyway

(Chorus)

God is great, but sometimes life ain't good
When I pray it doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
I do it anyway

This world's gone crazy and it's hard to believe
That tomorrow will be better than today
Believe it anyway

You can love someone with all your heart
For all the right reasons
And in a moment they can choose to walk away
Love 'em anyway

(Repeat Chorus)

You can pour your soul out singin'
A song you believe in
That tomorrow they'll forget you ever sang
Sing it anyway
Yeah sing it anyway

I sing
I dream
I love anyway



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link of the day:
http://bestuff.com/

class rings

I haven't done a Show & Tell for a couple of weeks. It feels good to be back to Kelli's Show & Tell Friday. Visit her blog for a list of links to others who are sharing this week.

This week Jake and I were perusing a class ring catalog in search for the one he wanted to order. There really aren't too many choices for the guys and he wasn't sure there were any he liked. I pointed out one that I liked, listed under the heritage category, and told him it looked like the class rings from decades ago. In fact, his grandparent's rings looked like the ones shown.

I then remembered that I was in possession of my parent's class rings (as well as their wedding rings - they divorced some time ago). After retrieving them, I showed them to Jake. I think he found them interesting - in a historical sense. He also decided he liked the design of the older rings, and has since ordered himself one that will look very similar to his grandfather's.

Here is my dad's and mom's high school class rings. They went to different high schools but in the same city. My dad graduated in 1953, four years prior to my mom. They met in their church's youth group. My dad's ring still has yarn wound around it which was done so it would fit my mom's finger so that she could wear it.


I like the look of the older rings. I don't believe I had all the choices that are available for students now. And I didn't like the look of the one or two rings I had to choose from, so I didn't buy one. I am glad my two kids will own rings that represents their time in high school.

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link of the day:
http://www.mrpicassohead.com/create.html

GIVING is on my mind

I wrote a post yesterday about what has been on my mind lately. It talked about my thoughts in general terms without getting very specific. It really wasn't intentional that way. It's just that I'm having a hard time making sense of it all and to try to articulate how I'm feeling seems impossible at the moment. Maybe over time, the random jumbled mess in my head will become more coherent and I can write about it.

Something I should have added to my post yesterday is how fascinating I find it that God puts things in front of me that resonates with the feelings or thoughts that I'm already dealing with. It's like I see and experience things through a filter that God has specially fit over my heart.

I mentioned that I had watched the Oprah show a couple of days ago where Bill Clinton was the guest. The whole show was about people who went above and beyond to help out others who were less fortunate. Mr. Clinton's new book entitled Giving had just been released and he shared that it was his opinion, and the premise of the book, that just one person can change the lives of many.

That's part of what I have been feeling and trying to figure out on a personal level. I want to be part of the change. I want to help others in a significant way. God must have something specific in mind because, being a youth worker, I'm already committed to and working towards helping people and hopefully changing lives. I get the feeling that God wants more or something else from me.

And then after I posted yesterday, fellow blogger Pam, of Pinnacles, Pitfalls, and Pottychairs, posted this simple and yet powerful post:

It's time to stop looking inward
and start looking God-ward!

What blessing
could you be
or difference
could you make
to His world,
one person
at a time?

Just wondering?

Wow! What are you trying to tell me, God?

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link of the day:
http://wvs.topleftpixel.com/flash/cntower_timelapse.swf

on my mind

Let me share what has been on mind of late...

It started last week when I visited our local parade of homes and it was made obvious how much money is wrapped up in some of the homes here around me. The next day there was a lot of media coverage on the anniversary of hurricane Katrina and how it continues to affect those that live in the areas that were hit. The contrast between these was so great that I couldn't get it out of my head. I wrote a post about it but didn't feel like I expressed all that I was feeling. I couldn't articulate all of my feelings.

As I have continued to reflect on this, I have experienced other situations or examples of people in need. To name a couple, I watched the movie The Ultimate Gift (highly recommend it) over the weekend and then the Oprah show yesterday where Bill Clinton was the guest (I will be purchasing his latest book). In trying to keep this short, I won't go into all the details. I'll just say that they both have me continuing to wrestle with all of my thoughts.

What do I mean by wrestling? I think that's what one does when they think God is trying to tell them something. That's where I'm at. I'm trying to figure out what God is telling me.

Maybe He's just trying to give me a bigger awareness of how many people in this world are truly in need. Maybe He's telling me I need to share more of my blessings. Or... maybe He's trying to tell me something more. That's really what I am wrestling with.

Some time within the next year, Don and I will be entering a new phase of our life. Not only will our youngest be leaving to attend college somewhere, but Don could be changing jobs and that may also mean a possible move, and we may be retiring from youth ministry. You see, I've been reflecting on all of this, too.

So is it just coincidence that these two trains of thought have collided in my head? I'm thinking not. Is God preparing me for something that I would have never thought of before? Possibly. What would that be? What would that look like? All I know, at this point, is that I can't dismiss some of the thoughts that have been rambling around in my head, and that my heart is very much engaged with these thoughts. And that I want to be open to God's leading. It's very scary but it's also a little exciting.


It's these kinds of thoughts that have been playing havoc inside my head lately. I had planned to eventually write a post about my thoughts, but was motivated to write it today from the prompt "on my mind" from TopBlogMag. If you haven't checked them out, do so now.

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link of the day:
http://www.kiva.org/

blogging advice tag

Susan, at Penless Writer, tagged me on this one. There's all kinds of good advice here. Besides my piece of advice I left at the end of the list, I also suggest that you visit the other blogs on the list.


So here's how this one goes...
It’s very simple. When this is passed on to you, copy the whole thing, skim the list and put a * star beside those that you like. (Check out especially the * starred ones.)

Add the next number (1. 2. 3. 4. 5., etc.) and write your own blogging tip for other bloggers. Try to make your tip general.

After that, tag 10 other people. Link love some friends! Just think- if 10 people start this, the 10 people pass it onto another 10 people, you have 100 links already!

1. Look, read, and learn. ****- http://www.neonscent.com/

2. Be, EXCELLENT to each other. *****- http://www.bushmackel.com/

3. Don’t let money change ya! **- http://www.therandomforest.info/

4. Always reply to your comments. ************- http://chattiekat.com/

5. Link liberally — it keeps you and your friends afloat in the Sea of Technorati. ******- http://chipsquips.com/”

6. Don’t give up - persistence is fertile. ***- http://www.velcro-city.co.uk/

7. Give link credit where credit is due. **********- http://www.sfsignal.com/

8. Pictures say a thousand words and can usually add to any post. *******- http://scifichick.com/

9. Visit all the bloggers that leave comments for you - it’s nice to know who is reading! ********- http://stephaniesbooks.blogspot.com/

10. Make a blogger template unique: change the background colour, or add a background picture to your header. *- http://chris-book-a-rama.blogspot.com/

11. Write positively even if the situation is seemingly negative — spread joy and not gloom. You can do it!****- http://www.aliceteh.com/

12. When you find something that interests you, write about it. Sharing yourself with others is one of the best things about blogging.****- http://jhthomas.blogspot.com/

13. Start draft posts to capture ideas for future posts, so you don’t lose track of them.- **http://charmingdelightful.blogspot.com/

14. Be helpful to new bloggers. Remember when you first started blogging and didn’t know how to post a link? Or was that just me?****- http://islandlife808.com/

15. If you have a question about blogging, don’t be shy, go ahead and ask. There are so many bloggers happy to give you help if you need it.**-http://www.arewethereyetmom.com/

16. Remember that blogging is a community - don’t be afraid to comment on the blogs you read. Reach out and make new friends, you’ll be glad you did!**- http://debmomof3.blogspot.com/

17. Try to blog daily, this is the only way to build up a “cyber following”***-http://mylifeasmamajodi.com/

18. Check that box on your profile so your bloggy buddies can reply by email to your comments, it makes life so much easier... and by all means PLEASE make your profile public so when you click on your name it doesn't say profile not available. There's no way to reply to you or visit you when you aren't public!*http://mylifeasannie.blogspot.com/

19. Be REAL and don't put up a false front. We want to get to know the REAL you. *-http://penlesswriter.blogspot.com/

20. Leave a comment. If you've taken the time to read the post, let the blogger know you did by leaving some kind of comment. My advice is an encouraging one. - http://www.sunshine-on-my-shoulders.blogspot.com/

I now tag... Amber, Lyndy, Sarah, Lori B., Kelli, Lynne, Dana, Mighty Mom, Mary, Lynn and anyone else who wants to play along.

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link of the day:
http://home.disney.go.com/games/

round up your containers

There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!
-Romans 5:3-5 the Message

This is the scripture that touched me this week. I usually read from my NIV Bible or New Living Translation. But when I feel God speaking to me, I'll read the piece of scripture from some other translations, one of my favorites being the Message. I like the part that says we can't round up enough containers to hold everything He generously give us. How could you not feel hopeful after reading that?

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link of the day:
http://www.needhim.org/

princess diana

Amber, over at Crazy Bloggin' Canuck, wrote a nice post on her thoughts about Princess Diana and finished it asking the reader where they were when they heard that Princess Diana had died. I've actually been thinking about the world's favorite princess a lot while seeing all the media coverage on the 10th anniversary of her death.

I always had a fondness for Lady Di. Part of it was that we shared the same name. Another was that Don and I were married the same year as she and Charles, which was 1981. Another was the fact that she was a real live princess, the dream of every little girl. And yet another is that she ended up becoming a woman of substance and one that I admired for so many reasons.

I remember exactly where I was when I heard of her death. Our family was on our annual Labor Day church camping trip (I'll have to write about that some other time). Someone that came up for the day broke the news to us. I remember just standing their in disbelief. I felt numb for the rest of the day. I arrived home the next day still feeling numb and feeling that the world had lost a great person.

Sometimes, it's hard to believe that 10 years has passed. It's been hard to watch all the controversies and conspiracy theories and the tattle tale books. Sometimes it's hard to remember her smile and numerous humanitarian acts. It's hard to think about how much more good she would have brought to the world had she lived.

So, I'll ask you the same as Amber asked; where were you when you heard the news? And if you want to share; what are your feelings regarding the late Princess Diana?

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link of the day:
http://www.time.com/time/daily/special/diana/