just to make you smile

hee, hee... that tickles

It's Friday... Aloha Friday. In Hawaii, Friday is the day to relax and look forward to the weekend. In the spirit of that attitude, I make it easy on myself on Friday and join other participants in asking a simple question in hopes that readers will answer it and I can get to know people better.

Well, I am definitely looking forward to the weekend. We're leaving for another vacation. The BIG vacation. The vacation we've researched, booked, and have looked forward to for months. Should I tell you where we're going? Should I make you guess? I'll make my decision by the end of the post. But don't scroll down right away. Read the post and watch the video first. And don't forget to answer the Aloha Friday question. Thank you so very much.

I've heard about this a couple of times now over the past week. It's a new type of pedicure where you submerge your feet into a tank of fish. These little fish nibble at your feet, eating off the dead skin. It seems that women (and men, I guess) are enjoying the sensation.

Looks like it's the newest rage. My question is:
Would you try this kind of pedicure?



If you can't view the video, you can see it by following this link.

My answer: yes, I think I would like to try this. If I ever find some where local to do it, you can bet I'll post about it.

Okay... the vacation... I'll tell you. We'll be spending the next week in Alaska. I'm not sure how much posting I'll be doing. I'm planning to spend most of my time with a camera stuck to my face. But don't be surprised if I get a post in here or there... maybe even pictures.

smiling on the outside

In case the video isn't streaming correctly, you may also view it here on YouTube.

If you haven't already watched the above video, I encourage you to do so. It conveys my feelings better than I can.

My blogging friend Nancy, of More Than Enough, posted this video along with some very personal feelings she experienced during a very hard time in her life (post here). It reminded me of when I experienced some of the same feelings she described.

There was a time when I felt as though I was in an emotional vacuum. I was dealing with heartache and grief and it was getting the best of me. During that time, I felt like I was sleepwalking - just going through the motions of everyday life. I remember going to church one Sunday morning and after the service, standing amongst 100 or so people, I had to smile and make small talk all the while feeling so empty and alone. I just wanted to hide in some corner and cry, but that is not what was expected from me at the time and in that place.

As I stood there, with the smile plastered on my face, I looked around at the other people, who were also smiling and making small talk. I found myself wondering how many of them might be feeling the same way I was. How many of them were dealing with something painful? What struggles were they experiencing but didn't let any of it show? How many tormented souls put on the "I'm okay" mask so the rest of the world doesn't know how broken they really are?

I had never seen or thought about other people in this way before. Later, when my own heart was healed, I realized God had given me a gift. He gave me an insight and I believe He's asked me not to just look at a person from what I can see on the outside, but what might be going on on the inside.

And from my experience, when we start looking inside instead of strictly the outside, we come to learn more about ourselves and realize that we all need to be ministered to.

a little bit of this and that...

A few posts ago I shared how much I had on my plate for the next couple of weeks and how overwhelmed I feel trying to get everything done. Well, wouldn't you know it... I think I'm catching a cold and hopefully it's only a cold because it looks like Don has come down with pneumonia. If you feel so inclined, please say a prayer for our health.

Since all I want to do is go to bed (and it's only 10:15), I'm just going to share a couple of things. This was my mother's day present from Don. I know, I know... I'm not his mama. But as he would way, I am the mother of his children =)

It's a Blackberry Pearl. I've never had such a fancy phone. I can get the internet on it! So if I really wanted to (and let's face it, some times I do), I can look at my blog - or your blog. I also like being able to check my email. It's very nice and I love it. Thank you my dear.

And Mighty Mom posted this video the other day in dedication to me (she is so sweet). She picked up on the fact that I'm feeling the weight of being at a crossroad in my life. The lyrics are beautiful and the video difinitely lifted my spirits. Thank you so much, Sarah.



Link (in case video isn't working)
Lyrics:
When everybody's in and you're left out
And you feel drowning in a shadow of the dawn
Everyone's a miracle in their own way
Just listen to yourself not what other people say
When it seems you're lost alone and feeling down
Remember everybody's different, just take a look around

Welcome to wherever you are
This is your life, you made it this far
Welcome, you got to believe
That right here right now you're exactly where you're supposed to be
Be who you want to be, be who you are
Everyone's a hero, everyone's a star

When you want to give up and your heart's about to break
Remember that you're perfect, God's make no mistakes

Welcome to wherever you are
This is your life, you made it this far
Welcome, you got to believe
That right here right now you're exactly where you're supposed to be
Welcome to wherever you are
This is your life, you made it this far (I say welcome)
Welcome to wherever you are
This is your life, you made it this far (welcome)

Maybe we're all different
But we're still the same
We all got the blood of Eden running to our veins
I know sometimes it's hard for you to see
You're caught between just who you are and who you want to be

If you feel alone and lost and need a friend
Remember every new beginning is some beginning's end

Welcome to wherever you are
This is your life, you made it this far
Welcome, you got to believe
That right here right now you're exactly where you're supposed to be
Welcome to wherever you are

Oh, and this post won me a USB Flash Drive from 5 Minutes For Mom. It was one of 10 winners from the Motherhood Moments themed contest.

can you believe it!?

We interrupt this regularly scheduled Q&A session for something... well, just different. I needed a break. You probably did, too =)

Since I couldn't watch Survivor tonight because I'm not caught up on back episodes, I turned on American Idol. I heard some buzz today about the show last night. It was Idol Gives Back, where they have different performances that can be downloaded and the proceeds go to charity. It's a nice thing they do. Tonight was a little bit of a continuation of that.

Evidently they closed the show last night, and performed it again tonight, with a song that shocked and thrilled me... and gave me goosebumps. It was the Christian praise song, Shout To The Lord. I couldn't believe it! They did a great job, even though they edited out the name of Jesus. It made me wonder if all these contestants were Christian. What if they weren't? How did they feel about singing such a song?

I've included a video I found at YouTube as well as a link in case the video doesn't work. When I found the video, I started reading some of the comments left - most of them positive. Then I noticed there were nearly 1200 comments, so I stopped reading. As you would think, some people weren't happy with the choice of song. Some thought American Idol and/or Fox would take some serious heat for their decision of performing this song. But most of the ones I read were very pleased with the choice and performance.



link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY8N5sdrEf8&feature=related

And check out my link of the day. It's a news story of an elderly lady ministering to a man who was trying to rob her. Amazing!

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link of the day:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDmp967UMds
(thanks Deb)

sound familiar?

Someone sent this to me and I thought it was worthy of sharing.



And if you didn't read yesterday's post, please scroll down and do so. It gives you the details of my blogaversary - or bloggoversary, or blog-a-versery, or however you want to say it - GIVE AWAY.

Ask me a question, or two or three, and leave it for me in a comment or email, but do so by 9:00 central time on Saturday because that's my deadline. And it's firm... you snooze, you lose. okay, I'm kidding. If you're a minute or two late, I'll still take your entry to the wonderful give away =)

The prize? I told you, scroll down to yesterday's post to get all the details. Thank you.

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link of the day:
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~usgenweb/special/ppcs/ppcs.html

i can't decide how i feel

Today is a rare day. I'm doing two things that I don't usually do in my posts. One, embedding a YouTube video (I usually just leave a link) and two, talk politics. But today I'm doing both.

You may have already seen what's on the video. It's been all over the news and is currently a hot topic. The day before the New Hampshire primary, Hillary got emotional as she spoke with voters about how hard it is to balance a busy campaign life and her passion for the country's future.



I'm writing about this because I honestly don't know how I feel about it. We've had a few discussions here in my home on the subject. And there's been a lot of talk online where both sides of the issue have been very vocal about their feelings. A lot of people think it was staged. I DO NOT think it was staged.

It does show her as being vulnerable. But maybe that's a good thing. I like seeing her show some of her heart and not just her brain. I think her answer (shown on the video) shows passion and compassion. I just don't know if it also gave the impression of weakness. No one wants any signs of weakness in a president. I haven't decided who I'm voting for and this just makes it a little harder for me.

I'd love to hear what you think. But, please... don't get up on your soapbox or use this as a venue to promote your candidate of choice (I will delete comments if necessary). I'm just curious of how other women are feeling about this issue.

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link of the day:
http://www.panoramas.dk/fullscreen5/f52-times-square.html
(thanks Tee)

imagine...

Imagine the air thick with smoke.

Imagine hearing about the fires getting closer to where you live.

Imagine being told you have to leave your home because of the chance of fires getting too close to your home.

Imagine trying to leave your neighborhood and your city, along with the rest of your neighborhood and your city.

Imagine camping out in a football stadium along with thousands of other people.

Imagine not knowing the fate of your home.

Imagine being a firefighter.

Imagine being a firefighter and trying to fight a fire that's engulfing an entire hillside.

Imagine being a firefighter and trying to save a house - someones home - an entire street of homes.

Imagine being a firefighter that has spent days on the fire lines with little food and little sleep.

Imagine living miles away from the nearest fire, but you can't breath because the air is so thick with smoke.

Imagine returning to your home only to find that it's gone - everything is gone.

Imagine how you would feel after returning to your home and finding it still standing.

Those affected by the fires in California still need our prayers. And while you're saying a prayer for them, say a prayer of thanksgiving that you have a roof over your head, a bed to sleep in, and your personal possessions safely stored away.

(all pictures were taken from the CBS News web page.)

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

more of Him

Welcome to MORE OF HIM Monday

You can encourage others or you may be encouraged by sharing part of your spiritual journey. If you post today under one of the following themes, please leave a link to your post on the Mr. Linky below.

Share a specific piece of scripture that has spoken to your this last week. Share what you feel God is telling you through that passage and how you plan to apply it to your life.
- or -


Share how God is working in your life right now. Is He telling you something or helping you through something? Do you hear His small, quiet voice? Or is He hitting you over the head with a two by four? Are you on a spiritual high? Or low? Share as you are led.

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HIM in my life

As I wrote last week, I've been going through a little "dry" spell when it comes to feeling God in my life. Thank you to all who left encouraging comments. I've been working harder at spending quality time with Him and trying to hear His quiet voice amidst all the noise that fills my life.

One of my favorite songs is Never Alone by Barlow Girl. Not only do I like the melody and beat of the song, but I love the lyrics. Here they are:

I waited for you today - But You didn't show - No.No.No.
I needed You today - So where did you go?
You told me to call - you said You'd be there
And though I haven't seen You - Are You still there?

Chorus
I cried out with no reply and
I can't feel You by my side
So I'll hold tight to what I know
You're here and I'm never alone.

And though I can not see You - and I can't explain why.
Such a deep, reassurance - You've placed in my life oh
We cannot separate' - Cause You're part of me
and though You're invisible - I'll trust the unseen

Chorus

We cannot separate
You're part of me
and though You're invisible
I'll trust the unseen

Chorus

You can also watch the music video here.

One day last week I was waiting in my car and the song came on over the radio. I turned it up and started singing away. I have sang this song countless times (just ask my family). I know every word and every note. But for some reason, this time was different. I had a real feeling of God speaking to me.

When I came to the part that said, "we cannot separate - you're part of me - and though You're invisible - I'll trust the unseen," I cried. It was really the words, "we cannot separate - you're part of me" that got to me. It brought me a new sense of comfort to know that no matter how I'm feeling, no matter how far away I feel from Christ, there cannot be any true separation. He's a part of me. And I truly believe that.

I've always believed that. Maybe I temporarily forgot that or maybe I really hadn't thought about it for awhile. God must have known I needed to hear it. He uses scripture to speak to us, He uses pastors, teachers, and friends. I shouldn't be surprised that He will use a song to tell me something He wants me to know.

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"More of Him" Monday Participants

1. Susan - Penless Writer 2. Leigh Ann @ Momma Roar 3. barb moser

4. Ginger 5. Lynne 6. SharonB

Learn more about "More of Him" Monday here.

Powered by... Mister Linky's Magical Widgets.

johnny

This video was sent to me in an email, so I don't know how many of you might have already seen it. I think these kinds of emails circle the country, if not the globe.

I get so many emails with funny little cartoons or a meaningful video or cute photos of babies or kittys or puppys. Where do all these emails originate from? What I don't like is when they ask you to pass it on to 100 25 okay, 5 friends. I just don't do that. If I did, I would be spending all my time doing it. And it's a little presumptuous; what if I don't have 5 friends? But I guess they need to ask people to do the passing on thing. How else would they be able to circle the globe?

I don't know if the people who forward these emails to me know that I don't do the passing on thing. They probably think that I pass on each and every cutesy little (or long, because some are!) email they have ever sent to me. Sorry, that's just not me.

Okay, here's the video. Let me preface it by saying it really touched me and inspired me. I think it will for you, too, or I wouldn't have posted it. That's my way of saying.... WATCH IT! (please)



Oh, and thank you, mom, for sending me the email with this video. I appreciate all the emails you send me. Sorry I don't pass any of them on.

One more thing... even though I found this video on youtube, the one in the email was put out by the same site that is my link of the day. It's tag line is "the gift of inspiration." Might be worth checking out.

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link of the day:
http://www.simpletruths.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/

what a wonderful world

I just loved this video. Hope you do, too.



**Thank you to those of you who wished my sister a happy birthday. She and I both were surprised and appreciative. She wrote a very nice response to my post and I invite you to read it as it is a comment to the post right before this one.**

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link of the day:
http://patrickcrosley.com/?q=node/657

the world of videos

i'm amazed at the videos you can find on youtube. i remember when videos started getting popular. there was one good one out of every 10 or so. but it quickly became main stream and ever so popular.

tonight, youtube became a major player on the political front. they helped organize a new format for political debates. here's what one reporter wrote:

In this sunny, sultry setting bursting with Southern military tradition, CNN and YouTube hope they'll break ground on a new tradition in televised political debates. It's here at the Citadel, the 165-year-old South Carolina military academy, where the two media companies will test, with the help of the Democratic Party, a new wrinkle on the admittedly tired old debate format. Monday's two-hour broadcast will feature all eight declared Democratic candidates answering no questions from the 2,000-member audience gathered at the McAlister Field House; instead, they'll look to a 25-foot video screen at 30-second clips recorded by YouTube users young, old and interested in the future of the country. (source)

on a lighter note, you can find just about anything on youtube. and youtube isn't the only video site. new ones are popping up all the time. and there's more available than just personal videos. if you see something funny on tv, you can pretty well bet that it will be on youtube the next day. car makers show off their vehicles via videos. there's how-to videos and amateurs showing off their artistic abilities in animation, music, and comedy.

want to reminisce? they have old commercials. some are entertaining. check out this one i found. you can find it at the bottom of this post. they say it's mcdonald's first commercial. it's kinda freaky if you ask me. but i thought you might be interested in seeing it.

i really have no point to post. i just find it interesting how prevalent videos have become. and i can't help but wonder what the future holds for them. of course, my favorite videos are the homemade ones made by proud parents showing off their kid(s).



this post came to me after watching the video highlighted in my link of the day. it's entitled; to blog or not to blog.

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

eel vs. man

i found this video so interesting. it caught my attention because it's titled "eel bites off diver's finger." but i found the first part, where the eel is swimming in and around the photographers. it looks so tame. then after the finger is bit off (eewwww), what they did to the guy's hand (and foot) is pretty amamzing!

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