Confessions of a PW

Check out our church

2010-07-19T10:10:00.001-05:00

Our church, Main Street Baptist Church, in Kernersville.

Book Club - Little Bee

2010-07-19T09:58:00.001-05:00

We have started book club again. So far, we have read Super Freakonomics and Little Bee. Both books were great and we had great discussions. The book club meets the first Thursday of the month at Panera in Kernersville at 7 pm. Upcoming books:

June - Super Freakonomics - Discussion led by Beth & Jess
July- Little Bee by Chris Cleave- Discussion led by Rhonda
August- The Road by Cormac McCarthy- Discussion led by Kipp
Sept- Book Theif by Markus Zusak- Discussion led by Jason
Oct- Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger- Discussion led by ?
Nov- Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire- Discussion led by Jess
Dec- Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell- Discussion led by Beth

Funniest Video Ever

2010-07-19T09:55:00.002-05:00

I know I haven't blogged in ages, but this video deserves a comeback:

http://www.wwaytv3.com/video/gotta_see_bigfoot_spotted_western_nc/06

This man saw Big Foot. I am also copying an article re this video:
CLEVELAND COUNTY, NC (WCNC-TV, CHARLOTTE) - The legend of Bigfoot is resurfacing in Western North Carolina. A man in Cleveland County says he encountered the mythic beast just last week.

Tim Peeler says he tried to call him, but thought at first he was calling coyotes, but he got something that frightened even this self proclaimed mountain man.

"This thing was 10 feet tall," said Peeler. "It had beautiful hair."

Sgt. Mark Self is a Cleveland County Deputy and says he didn't see the creature this time but remembers the stories of a Sasquatch when he was a kid.

"It was killing animals breaking into chicken houses, killing chickens," he says.

It's the same M.O. that Tim says he saw for himself: the Sasquatch going after his dogs.

"I come out here and rough talk him and run him off," he says.

Peeler got him to leave, called 911, then the creature came back!

"I said get away from here, get, get... and he went back down that path again," Peeler says.

Deputies filed a suspicious person report, and Peeler is still recalling the details.

"He looked like he had 6 fingers on each hand," says Peeler.

But even those sworn to serve and protect are left manning up for the cameras.

"It doesn't bother me now. I don't think there's anything to it," says Self.

A sad loss for the NC Legal Profession

2009-08-11T14:57:00.003-05:00

I had the honor of clerking for Judge Osteen after law school. You can learn more about this great man here or below:

William Lindsay Osteen

GREENSBORO � The Honorable William Lindsay Osteen, an incredibly kind, handsome, brilliant man, left us and went to be with the Lord on the ninth of August, 2009. He loved the Lord, his family, and all people.

The funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, August 12, at First Baptist Church. The family will receive friends following the church service in the church atrium. Burial will follow at Forest Lawn Cemetery

Judge Osteen is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 50 years, Joanne Snow Osteen. He is also survived by his three sons and their families, Judge William L. Osteen Jr. and his wife, Elizabeth Holt Osteen and their children, Anne Bennett and Bill of Greensboro; John Snow Osteen of Long Beach, California; and Robert Bennett Osteen and his wife, Jennifer Justice Osteen and their son, Chace of Charleston, South Carolina.

Bill and Joanne are grateful for our immediate family's support, love, devotion, and caring hearts. He is also survived by extended family who have been greatly caring: his brother, Major General John Luke Osteen Jr. of Brevard; his niece and her husband, Colonel and Mrs. Robert Sanders and their children, of Greer, S.C.; niece, Ann Voigt and her children, also of Greer, S.C.; and his nephew, Luke Osteen and his son, of Highlands, N.C. Additional caring relatives include Mrs. Mabel Souther Herzberg of Brevard and her children, Ruth and Fred Osteen of Brevard, Anne and Van Conn of New York; Mr. and Mrs. Robert Davidson, Mr. and Mrs. Howard Richardson, and Colonel and Mrs. Dan Dopp, all of Virginia.

Bill treated all people he met everywhere with great respect, always remembering their names. Bill's love for people was evident. His sense of humor was well known, with many practical jokes and humorous words. At 79 this great man still had his lifelong keen sense of humor and was an admirable and excellent husband, father and granddaddy.

Our three sons, who are Eagle Scouts, agree that their Dad embodied in his life the Boy Scout laws; he was trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.

A native of Guilford County, Bill grew up on a farm on Muirs Chapel Road with his wonderful parents, Ruth Tatum Osteen and John Luke Osteen, and his brother John ("Jack"). Guilford High School and Guilford College provided education, where he was an outstanding athlete and lettered in football, basketball, baseball and golf. Between high school and college he spent two years in the United States Army and received an Honorable Discharge.

In 1956 Bill graduated from the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law with an LLB and began a career in law which continued for over 50 years with the start in North Wilkesboro with the McElwee firm. In 1957 he moved back to Greensboro where he practiced law in the firm of Booth, Osteen, Fish and Adams.

In 1960 he was elected to the North Carolina State Legislature where he served two terms as Minority Leader. While in the State Legislature an outside group selected him as "Most Handsome". In 1969 Bill was appointed United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, where he served until 1973. In 1973 he returned to private practice with J. Patrick "Pat" Adams and together they founded the firm of Osteen & Adams, which grew to include the Honorable N. Carlton Tilley Jr., the Honorable Ralph A. Walker, and Bill's son, the Honorable William L. Osteen Jr.

In private practice, Bill Osteen was generally considered one of the finest criminal and civil trial attorneys in the state. While in private practice he served as a director to the Greensboro Bar Association and as a counselor to the North Carolina State Bar, where he served on the Grievance Committee. He was selected to the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Throughout his career, Bill remained interested in young lawyers and their education. He was significantly involved in both the Wake Forest and the UNC Schools of Law. He was a member of the Chief Justice Joseph Branch Inn of Court at Wake Forest. Bill Osteen's impact on the legal profession, and on attorneys in general, has been outstanding.

Many awards and recognitions have been presented to him: North Carolina Bar Association Award, Guilford College Alumni Association Award, American Inns of Court Foundation Professionalism Award, University of North Carolina School of Law Distinguished Alumni Award, Judge John J. Parker Award in recognition of conspicuous service to the cause of jurisprudence in North Carolina, Judicial Conference of the United States Committee on Codes of Conduct Recognition, Greensboro Bar Association Distinguished Service Award, United States Court Security Officers Certificate of Appreciation and several others.

We are grateful to our many friends and relatives who have shown us love and support, including our ministers and many friends from First Baptist Church; Greensboro and North Carolina lawyers, assistants, and judges; the court security officers and all his friends and fellow employees at the Federal Courthouse; The Fourth Street Barbers; and many judges, lawyers, and friends throughout the country.

Our family is most grateful to the dedicated doctors, nurses and support personnel at Wesley Long Cancer Center, at Wesley Long Hospital, Wake Forest Bowman Gray Hospital, and Charlotte Blumenthal Cancer Center, and the many other doctors who cared, worked, prayed for and supported Bill Osteen throughout his life, but in particular the past few years as he courageously battled cancer.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Bill Osteen's memory will be greatly appreciated by our family if donated to First Baptist Church of Greensboro, 1000 W. Friendly Ave., Greensboro, NC 27401; American Cancer Society, 4-A Oak Branch Drive, Greensboro, NC 27407; or Hospice and Palliative Care of Greensboro, 2500 Summit Ave., Greensboro, NC 27405.

Hanes-Lineberry N. Elm Funeral Home is assisting the family.

Offer condolences at www. news-record.com/obituaries

Redheads

2009-08-10T15:33:00.002-05:00

I also learned why I have a legitimate fear of the dentist and that the outlook is not good for people with red hair.

Based on this my kids should be geniuses!

2009-08-10T15:29:00.002-05:00

I hope this article is true - if it is, my kids will be really really smart. I was sick for 16 weeks with Jacob, and I had to get IVs with Maria. I have had to take prescription nausea meds with all three pregnancies. So if mom's sickness = smart kids, we should be golden:

Study: Morning Sickness Tied to Higher Child IQ
The Scoop: Although it can be a major nuisance for moms-to-be, morning sickness may actually make for smarter kids, according to a recent Canadian study. In an effort to understand the effect of first trimester nausea on fetal brain development, researchers followed 121 women who had contacted a pregnancy hotline. Among children (now between ages 3 and 7) born to these women, those whose mothers experienced morning sickness scored higher on certain tests of IQ, memory, and language skills, compared to those whose mothers had no symptoms of nausea or vomiting during pregnancy.

For Baby: Women in the study who reported the most severe bouts of morning sickness symptoms tended to have children with the highest test scores (this was even more pronounced if the mom also had a high IQ). According to researchers, morning sickness is most likely triggered by a rapid rise in human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) and thyroxine—two hormones needed during pregnancy to grow and maintain a healthy placenta. While morning sickness is viewed by most as an unwanted side effect of pregnancy, researchers now speculate the condition is a sign of a healthy pregnancy and nourishing placenta. Other studies have linked morning sickness to lower rates of miscarriage, stillbirth, and preterm delivery.

Halloween

2008-10-31T20:12:00.004-05:00

I love Halloween, so I decided to dress up this year. I got dressed while M napped. She walked in and said, "mommy, did you lose a tooth?" Then she asked, "what happened to your hair?" I think she felt sorry for me because she said I looked pretty. J said I was scary!

Below is a picture of us not dressed up and then pics from tonight:

The family downtown:

National Chemistry Week & Mole Day

2008-10-27T12:16:00.002-05:00

I missed this great event - National Chemistry Week & Mole Day. I didn't even know that chemist had such a celebration! Although I am not a chemist now, I did major in Chemistry, and Chemistry will always have a special place in my heart. : )

I met Poverty - blog action day

2008-10-15T09:48:00.005-05:00

Call it coincidence or simply fitting that blog action day, focusing on poverty, falls just on the heels of my return from Mexico City.

In Mexico, I met poverty face to face. I cannot express in words the impact that this trip had on me. I only know that I am different.

Upon my return, I wondered, “How do I go back to the way I was?” How do I worry about the typical middle class American issues – the election, high gas prices, whether I will get through the pile of contracts and policies that need review on my desk, whether I will get my kids into the right school, whether I will be able to retire, what will I have for dinner tonight, whether or not to buy a new tv? The answer is that I do not, in fact, I cannot go back to the way I was. I am changed. My perspective is different – my worldview has been broadened.

Despite this, I cannot live my life in guilt. Just after returning, I felt guilty for everything – for having a home, for having a toddler that “wasn’t hungry” for dinner and wasted food. I felt guilty for having an education, for being born – it seemed as if everything was luck of the draw – I was born in America, not in Mexico, thus I had the basic necessities (food, clean water), while others do not. And to make matters worse, work felt like torture. The job that I had taken pride in, and the career that I felt was centered on “making a difference” – working at a nonprofit hospital, impacting the lives of patients daily – it all seemed so irrelevant in the face of hunger, homelessness, abuse, and hopelessness.

Now, I am working through this. I am trying to find a way to continue to care, and to continue to make a difference, without losing my joy in the process. Feeling guilty and hating myself will not make the world a better place. I am trying to work through what I need to do to make a difference.

I also want to stress that I was not unaware of poverty prior to this trip. I’ve been on numerous mission trips in rural and urban areas. I’ve fed the homeless, repaired broken homes, and ministered to the sick. I’ve seen pain and suffering. I also read, I watch the news, and I am aware that there is heartache. However, something different happened to me in Mexico. I fed fruit and gave juice to a child that lived in a shopping cart. When I looked into that 2 year old’s eyes, I saw my children. When the child came to show me his toy and we tried to communicate, I saw a child that simply wanted to play. When I met the child’s parents, they, like me, were proud and did not want to accept help. However, in the mother I saw desperation when she asked if we had a diaper (the child was wearing a paper towel). There is something powerful in meeting poverty face to face – now poverty is not just a social issue, but it is a child – poverty is the people – a city full and overflowing with beautiful people that desperately reach for a glimmer of hope.

I have no answers, I only have pictures – this is my only way to share a glimpse of the poverty that I witnessed.

Maria's latest injury - the drama never ends

2008-10-15T08:55:00.002-05:00

The story below is in Mike's words. I guess we should get used to the injuries and drama - it seems that these issues are just a part of having kids. But it does seem like Maria has already had her fair share of heart stopping, scary injuries!

When Maria was one she fell down our steps (13) at our house. When she was two she passed out at a Doodlebops concert because of a fever and had to be rushed to the hospital by ambulance. Now that she is three I've been waiting for her next traumatic physical accomplishment. The wait is over.

Yesterday Jacob and Maria were busy chasing each other around the house. I warned a few times that they might want to slow down before someone gets hurt. (I sound like my mother). Finally the sounds of laughter were filled with cries of pain. I was in the next room and just casually asked the kids what happened. Maria was crying but not in a "emergency" kind of way. As she walked into the room with her hand over her mouth the first thing i noticed was the large amount of blood running down her arm. I rushed over and carried her into the bathroom. Once she saw the blood her tears and cry turned to curiosity as she casually asked me where the blood was coming from. After cleaning her up I did a quick exam and didn't really see anything out of the ordinary that would have caused that much blood. As I looked in her mouth I noticed some blood around her gums so I went to wipe it off with my finger. That is when I realized her front two top teeth were now loose.

The story I have been able to piece together from her and Jacob was as they were running she ran up and bent over our coffee table. Jacob then ran into the back of her causing her to fall face first onto the top of the table. Basically she did a face plant on our coffee table.

I called the dentist who wanted to see us first thing this morning. Her prognosis is 50/50. There is just as likely of a chance that her gums will heal up and everything will be back to normal in a few weeks as there is a chance she might lose both teeth. The dentist said everyone was different in the way they healed and we'd just have to wait and see.

So for now Maria is on a soft diet for a few days and no more thumb sucking for a few weeks. Other then that you would never know what happened. She was as wide open 5 minutes after it happened as she was 5 min before. I thinking she'll either grow up to be a stunt woman or a MMA cage fighter. She's a lot tougher then anyone else in this house.

Mexico City and other information

2008-10-10T08:52:00.002-05:00

So I know that many of you want to hear about our mission trip to Mexico City. I really want to write and share about the powerful things that happened there. However, when I returned home, I've been hit with some personal tragedies (sickness of friends, etc.) Until I can update you, check out Mike's blog . Mike is updating his blog each day detailing the activities of a day in the City.

Also, please pray for my dear sweet Anne (the kids call her their Fairy Godmother). She is very sick and in the hospital. She had a kidney transplant a year ago. Some pictures of Anne are below - I love you girl!

Perfection

2008-09-23T09:47:00.001-05:00

Voltaire quote:

The perfect is the enemy of the good.

Bad News For Those of us that are Required to Think

2008-09-23T09:21:00.003-05:00

My friend Julie and I often pondered why we felt the need to eat throughout the day during our federal clerkship. Although we spent some exciting time in court, a lot of our time was also spent researching, writing, and thinking. We wondered if our bodies simply needed to use all of our senses - taste, smell etc. A new article sheds some light on this.

Basically, thinking burns more calories than relaxing. However, the calorie burn is minimal - thinking only burns about 3 extra calories in 45 minutes. The really bad news is that people are likely to eat a lot more when they are thinking and involved in intellectual activity. The researchers found the following:

The scientists noticed that even though the differences in calorie expenditure were minimal, those engaged in thinking work had much larger changes in blood glucose levels during and after the session. Glucose is the main fuel for the brain and thinking may increase the brain's requirements for fuel, leading to fluctuations in blood sugar levels.

The researchers guess that these fluctuations in blood sugar might trick the body into thinking it has burned more calories than it actually has, leading you to overeat.

This further emphasizes the need to exercise for those of us that are paid to think and use our brains all day.

On that note, I failed to blog a few weeks back that I reached 30,000 fitlinxx points at the Y. Mike and I have been in a race to see who can exercise the most (we make everything a competition). The YMCA has a great program where you get points for different activities. Generally, an hour long cardio workout may earn about 300 points. You also get points for doing weights on the weight equipment (points are based on machines used and total weight lifted). I am generally in a routine where I do an hour spin class 2-3 times a week, 45 minutes to an hour of pilates 1 time a week, yoga one time a week, weights 2 times a week, elliptical hiking 1 time a week and/or walking on the treadclimber.

Books that I've read

2008-09-18T20:37:00.003-05:00

I found this on my good friend Kat's blog:

“The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they’ve printed.

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Strike out the books you have no intention of ever reading, or were forced to read at school and hated.
4) Reprint this list in your own blog so we can try and track down these people who’ve only read 6 and force books upon them.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 The Harry Potter Series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

I don't know how this list was compiled but I am surprised by how many I have read!

Dave Crowder Obsession

2008-09-18T16:11:00.002-05:00

J is obsessed! He wants to dress like Dave Crowder, sing like him, act like him, draw him, etc. He told me last night that he was wearing jeans and a shirt like DC. He asks which instrument Dave plays in each song. M also loves David Crowder and loves to sing at the top of her lungs.

Fun in our yard

2008-09-14T19:33:00.001-05:00

My Babies

2008-09-14T19:09:00.004-05:00

The other night, I was sad because M is so grown up. I told her she was not a baby anymore. She smiled and told me that she would always be my baby. She has a way with feelings - she is very perceptive and knows the perfect way to tilt her head, open her eyes wide, and tell me that she loves me SOOOOO much. J warmed my heart too yesterday. After I soaked J & M with a waterhose in the backyard, J wanted to take a shower. As he showered by himself, I heard him singing at the top of his lungs - Jesus Loves Me. He then went on to sing some of his favorites by Dave Crowder - Never Let Go and La La La.

A few pictures of my babies (that aren't babies anymore).

Mullet Shampoo!

2008-09-11T14:51:00.002-05:00

This may be the coolest product ever:

The description says:
Vibrant Mullet Shampoo is formulated for all mullets and rat tails. New muscle car scent.

Where are the women?

2008-09-11T08:14:00.003-05:00

I attended a legal event this week. As I looked around the room, I counted 40 lawyers in attendance. Only 4 (including me), were women. Where are the women?

Birthday Wishes - Just Kidding - Dumb Product of the Day

2008-09-03T07:36:00.004-05:00

I have found what I want for my birthday! (just kidding). This rules as dumb product of the day.

For only $500, you too can have a great phone with these features:
You can save up to four speed dial numbers in the bear, one in each paw, which are activated by pinching internal sensors. It vibrates and makes custom noises for incoming calls, which can be answered and finished by pressing the tail. Read more about this product here.

Who is your Deborah?

2008-09-02T13:55:00.004-05:00

Mike has been preaching a series about friends. This week he talked about Deborah. Deborah rocks(Deborah was one of the few people in the Bible that held the titles of prophet/prophetess, judge and military leader). You can read all about her in Judges Chapter 4 and 5.

One aspect of Mike's sermon looked at the way Deborah had Barak's back (he was a military leader in the story and she went with him to war). In his illustration, Mike talked about how many of us may have numerous people praying for us that we do not even realize are praying for us. This had an immediate impact on me. A few Sundays before, I shared a praise for my sweet miracle, Jacob. As most of you know, Jacob was a miracle baby. I was on bed rest with him from the time I was 24 weeks pregnant. I was in the hospital for 12 weeks. You can read about it in this post. After the service when I shared a praise that Jacob was celebrating his 5th birthday, a lady that attends our church now (Main Street) approached me. She told me that she and her entire department at a hospital in High Point had been praying for me and my son. She did not know me at the time, but another lady, from our previous church (Shady Grove), had shared my story and requested prayer. It was amazing that this woman and her coworkers had prayed for me for weeks. I did not know that they were praying, but I could feel their prayers.

This post is simply to say THANK YOU to the many friends and family members that have loved me and supported me from near and far. I am so grateful.

My miracle thanks you too.

Favorite quotes of the day

2008-09-02T13:30:00.002-05:00

Favorite quote of the day:

“We are always getting ready to live but never living.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I identify with this. Although I am working harder to enjoy the moment, I tend to focus on the past or the future. I spend time crying over regrets from the past, or I spend time thinking that "when I finish school, my life will start;" or "when I pass the bar exam life will be great;" or "when I have a baby my life will be complete;" or "when (insert some future accomplishemnt or event), my world will be complete." I guess that is why Matthew 6:34 (the message translation) says:

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."

My favorite recent blog quote from my friend, Kipp:
"we have too many lips flapping for Christ and we are short handed on workers."

Which type am I?

2008-09-02T08:36:00.002-05:00

I found this post about different types of pastor's wives, and I don't think I fit any of the categories. Or perhaps I am number 2 and in denial.

The text of the post is below. The comments are good too (but are not included here):
get up very early each morning to write these posts. Part of the reason is that I want to get them done before work, but it's also because I am afraid of the P.O.P. What's that you ask? The Pastors of Power, a secret society of famous pastors that operate in the shadowy underground of most churches. (They have a secret handshake like that winner of the Bachelorette where you bump fists and blow up your hand while mouthing "POP.") They're mad at me for telling secrets like that you only ever see a minister in shorts during VBS week or for admitting that there is also a Pastor's Kid Guild that regulates how PKs live. Who do you think commissioned our theme song, "Son of a Preacher Man?" You think that lady just wrote that for fun? That's adorable.

And today, both groups are going to be furious. That's because I'm going to tell you the three most common types of pastor's wives. These three distinct types are no accident, but are actually carefully sculpted roles that all pastor's wives learn in a secret lair under a volcano. I've said too much already but I can't stop now, here they are:

1. Sunny Rainbow Happy Lady
My mom, a pastor's wife, is one of the nicest people on the planet. She is able to find something sweet about anyone. If you are a jerk she will say, "he really knows how to be direct with his emotions." If you are hideous looking she will say, "he has such a nice personality and is great with animals." She sees the silver lining in every cloud. And, when my dad said "hey, let's move a thousand miles from everyone we know, go to a frozen land where the sun goes down at 3:30 in the winter, and start a Baptist Church in a car wash," she said, "I'm in." I love her and love her approach to life. I think most Pastor's Wives are this way. They are just genuinely kind hearted people that God has put on the planet to make all of us a little happier.

2. The grumpiest person on earth
This is the polar opposite of type 1. This person is kind of like an ice queen, able to stare you down with a judgmental stare from a thousand feet away. This is like the pastor's wife on the Simpsons. She's mean, gossipy and secretly the one controlling the whole church. She has an inner circle of friends that rule things like the mafia. Want to bring a jello dish with fruit suspended delightfully in the middle? Better check with her. Feel good about your job interview for the youth minister position after talking to the search committee? Ha, better talk to the real search committee, the pastor's wife. She will break you. I never, ever cross this lady. She's liable to stab you in the bathroom with a shiv she carved from a church pencil if your family accidentally sits where her family usually does. Seriously, be careful. In her defense, I think she got this way by having hundreds of people criticize and nit pick and berate her husband for years. All too often, I think unhealthy churches turn type number 1 pastor wives into type number 2.

3. The Keyser Soze
In the movie, "The Usual Suspects," Keyser Soze is the unseen mastermind that no one can figure out. He is a myth, a legend, a ghost that can never be pinned down. Some pastor's wives are like that too. You just can't figure them out. It's not that they are robotic or fake, just that you can't quite understand who they are. It's almost like they're in the witness protection program. They say all the right things. They are polite and friendly but you can't help thinking to yourself during a slow sermon, "that pastor's wife probably stabbed a mobster in Reno and is on the run." You're like the kids from Scooby Doo, gathering clues, trying to put the whole puzzle together, thinking maybe that the haunted lighthouse was really just old man Jenkins with a sheet. Give it up. Some pastor's wives are great at establishing really firm boundaries. They know how easy it is to get emotionally drained at a church when hundreds of people want personal relationships.

Now I must admit, it's fairly common to have a pastor's wife that is a combination of these types. For instance, the other day my mom told me that someone that hit her car while she was backing out probably didn't realize it because they were on the phone. That is an incredibly nice way to interpret a hit and run. But then one time, much like my wife, she chased a man down that hit her car, running red lights and jumping a hill like in Starsky and Hutch until she forced him to stop. OK, the hill part didn't happen but the rest is true. The point is that she can channel her grump when necessary.

And I bet your pastor's wife can too.

p.s. Next week I will do the pastor's husbands version.

My Theology Quiz

2008-06-05T09:39:00.001-05:00

What's your theological worldview?
created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Emergent/Postmodern

You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don't think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this.

Emergent/Postmodern

75%

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan

68%

Neo orthodox

57%

Classical Liberal

57%

Modern Liberal

46%

Reformed Evangelical

36%

Fundamentalist

29%

Charismatic/Pentecostal

21%

Roman Catholic

21%

Deep Feelers

2008-06-04T10:34:00.003-05:00

I identify with this article. I think I may be a deep feeler (friends that know me can remember the way I spent my senior year of college in tears, that I became depressed at 25 years old becuase I was half way to 50, and that although I love to see my kids grow in independence, I mourn the passing of each day with my kids because they are growing older and away from me).

Big Island Hawaii

2008-06-04T10:22:00.003-05:00

For our 10 year anniversary, Mike and I spent a week on the Big Island in Hawaii. Mike did an outstanding job describing some of the top places we visited here.

I fell in love with Hawaii. It is amazing to be on an island that is actually growing and has an active volcano. I loved snorkeling. I could have stayed in the water with the fish for hours on end.

As I watched the waves, smelled the flowers, listened to the birds, and marveled at flowers that found a way to grow in a lava field, I was in awe of God's amazing creation. I felt renewed and closer to God than I've felt in a long time. The Big Island is raw, amazing, terrifying, and beautiful.

Cousins at the zoo

2008-05-04T17:58:00.004-05:00

Some pics of all the kids at the zoo!

Rock Band

2008-05-04T17:53:00.002-05:00

We have a great group of college kids at church. We had lots of fun having a rock band challenge! Of course, I performed the best when singing STP. We also played Cranium - my team won!

Spring Folly

2008-05-04T17:22:00.003-05:00

Our town has a spring festival. The kids loved the rides and tattoos!

Cinderella

2008-05-04T17:07:00.004-05:00

We attended the play, Cinderella, with friends at Salem Academy. Afterwards, the girls were able to make crowns and have a tea party. M was SO excited. She loved the "real tea" and cookies and loved dancing!

Female Employees

2008-04-24T15:09:00.003-05:00

One of my practice areas is employment law. I keep up with a few blogs, and found this article on the Guide to Hiring Women. The text of the article is below:

1943 Guide to Hiring Women
The following is an excerpt from the July 1943 issue of Transportation Magazine. This was written for male supervisors of women in the work force during World War II.

“Eleven Tips on Getting More Efficiency Out of Women Employees: There’s no longer any question whether transit companies should hire women for jobs formerly held by men. The draft and manpower shortage has settled that point. The important things now are to select the most efficient women available and how to use them to the best advantage.

Here are eleven helpful tips on the subject from Western Properties:

1. Pick young married women. They usually have more of a sense of responsibility than their unmarried sisters, they’re less likely to be flirtatious, they need the work or they wouldn’t be doing it, they still have the pep and interest to work hard and to deal with the public efficiently.

2. When you have to use older women, try to get ones who have worked outside the home at some time in their lives. Older women who have never contacted the public have a hard time adapting themselves and are inclined to be cantankerous and fussy. It’s always well to impress upon older women the importance of friendliness and courtesy.

3. General experience indicates that “husky” girls - those who are just a little on the heavy side - are more even tempered and efficient than their underweight sisters.

4. Retain a physician to give each woman you hire a special physical examination - one covering female conditions. This step not only protects the property against the possibilities of lawsuit, but reveals whether the employee-to-be has any female weaknesses which would make her mentally or physically unfit for the job.

5. Stress at the outset the importance of time the fact that a minute or two lost here and there makes serious inroads on schedules. Until this point is gotten across, service is likely to be slowed up.

6. Give the female employee a definite day-long schedule of duties so that they’ll keep busy without bothering the management for instructions every few minutes. Numerous properties say that women make excellent workers when they have their jobs cut out for them, but that they lack initiative in finding work themselves.

7. Whenever possible, let the inside employee change from one job to another at some time during the day. Women are inclined to be less nervous and happier with change.

8. Give every girl an adequate number of rest periods during the day. You have to make some allowances for feminine psychology. A girl has more confidence and is more efficient if she can keep her hair tidied, apply fresh lipstick and wash her hands several times a day.

9. Be tactful when issuing instructions or in making criticisms. Women are often sensitive; they can’t shrug off harsh words the way men do. Never ridicule a woman - it breaks her spirit and cuts off her efficiency.

10. Be reasonably considerate about using strong language around women. Even though a girl’s husband or father may swear vociferously, she’ll grow to dislike a place of business where she hears too much of this.

11. Get enough size variety in operator’s uniforms so that each girl can have a proper fit. This point can’t be stressed too much in keeping women happy.”

Beauty

2008-04-24T08:52:00.002-05:00

My baby girl LOVES to wear dresses. The other night, we were going to a Bible study and the kids were going to play outside. M asked to wear a dress. I told her that she should wear pants so that she could run and play. She said, "but if I wear a dress everyone will tell me how pretty I am." This struck me because I don't want her to be consumed with trying to be thin enough, pretty enough, wearing all the right cloths etc.

I told M, "You are beautiful because of who you are, not what you wear." Then I told her how pretty she looked at that moment. She said, "But I don't have on a dress!"

According to this site, a new study has found that 75% of women report disordered eating behaviors consistent with eating disorders. This does not surprise me, but it saddens me. I am not always happy with who I am and how I look, so I can relate.

Now I struggle with the best way to build self esteem in my baby girl. I want her to feel beautiful inside and out. I want her to have a healthy body image. However, I want her to understand that what is inside makes her beautiful, regardless of her weight, her hair, her cloths, etc.

Questions and life

2008-04-16T13:52:00.002-05:00

I've been away from blogging a while. I've been sick, J had his tonsils out, etc.

In the meantime, I read a fascinating blog. This blog was so timely because last night Mike and I discussed some spiritual questions and struggles that I am having. We talked for a while, and one of my primary frustrations is that many Christians hate questions! My faith walk has never been filled with simple answers, so my life has been a constant struggle to come to terms with who God (and his son Jesus) really are to me. However, instead of welcoming my doubts/questions/ponderings, I sometimes receive some of the following responses:

(1) Why would you worry or think about such things when you can never comprehend God?
(2) Who are you, a mere sinner, to question God?
(3) It is a sin to doubt.
And so forth.

My favorite statement from the blog that I read is that "Struggling with God amounts to taking him seriously, and God blesses the struggler." Finally, those of us that have questions are not lumped into the negative category of the "doubting Thomas", but are recognized for seeking a deeper understanding of our creater.

This is the blog:
On Being Questioned About Matters of Faith
by Patty Kirk
How to avoid squelching the strugglers in our midst

April 8, 2008 | I’ve been studying Genesis for the past year and have found the book’s emphasis on violence rather striking. After Cain kills his brother, he worries that marauders in the regions of his exile will kill him. A few generations later, Cain’s descendant Lamech brags about his own murderous exploits. Soon the earth is so “filled with violence,” as God explains to Noah, that God decides “to put an end to all people” (6:13) in a great flood.

What struck me as I squirmed through the horrific flood account was God’s violence in response to human violence. However evil the people of that time may have been—and surely they were no more evil than the people of today—I couldn’t erase from my mind the resulting image of that genocide, the plaintive cries from high places, the gurgling screams and thrashing that must have horrified Noah and his family as all the world drowned. How could a loving God have done such a thing? I wondered. I struggled to understand what God’s violence says about his character, and how it's relevant to my own life.

I made the mistake of putting my question before some Christian friends, and it unsettled them. Outraged them even. “God made those people,” they explained, “so God had every right to destroy them.”

My friends were right. Certainly God had every right to destroy the humans he’d created, just as I have every right to delete the words on my computer screen, as I often do when I write, and start over with just a fragment. And, from the imagined perspective of the Creator, destroying his creatures wasn’t exactly on the same order as his creatures’ destroying one another. One of my friends even coined the word unmake to differentiate God’s violence from human violence.

Nevertheless, the answer rankled. It’s one I’ve often received, in many variations, in response to my questions. “We won’t understand this until we get to heaven,” dedicated believers tell me. Or they remind me of God’s supremacy. Such responses sidestep—or unmake—the question altogether. And, although I know God himself famously answered Job in the same vein—“Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge?” (38:2)—I feel unjustly silenced. These believers are really saying, “I don’t want to talk about this, and you shouldn’t either.” Few things bother me more than feeling squelched.

Students at the Christian university where I teach frequently report similar experiences. Though most of these students are lifelong believers, they’re struggling—often for the first time—with matters of faith, considering new ideas unfiltered by parents or churches, and learning independent decision-making. Naturally they have questions, often unsettling ones, about God. When mature believers shut such strugglers down with pat answers or refuse to entertain these questions as legitimate, they grow frustrated. Some turn away from faith altogether.

My daughters have been asking questions since they could talk, and I consider it my primary evangelistic assignment not merely to answer their questions but to take them seriously. I’ve probably learned more from their questions than I’ve taught through my answers. My non-believing acquaintances also have questions—often disgruntled or sneaky ones, like the questions Jesus regularly fielded from the throngs gathered around him.

I deeply identify with questioners and believe Christians have a responsibility to honor them. Having come to faith relatively late in life, I asked many of my own questions, sometimes the probing questions of a seeker, but more often the cynical questions of a heckler, bent on finding the poor besotted believer in error. God drew me to himself largely through the patient consideration of my questions offered by the members of my first Bible study class—the “Old-Marrieds” Sunday school class at a Baptist church I attended as an atheist. Here’s what I learned from their nurturing response: some premises I try to remember when asked challenging questions and some tips for how to respond usefully.

Premises for Listening

1. All questions are good questions. This principle isn’t merely a maxim of the classes I teach as a professor of English, but the foundation of my views on spiritual growth. Questions grow the questioner—and often the one being questioned.

2. Struggling with God amounts to taking him seriously, and God blesses the struggler. Jacob demanded a blessing from God and struggled with him till he got it. The converse is also true: Those who don’t struggle with God miss out on blessings—or, in any case, opportunities for spiritual growth.

3. God is bigger than any question. People can’t unmake God—or his gift of faith—by questioning or struggling with him or the Bible.

4. People who bait believers with questions unconsciously hope for real answers. Jesus took on every question put to him, even when he knew his questioners were just “looking for a reason to accuse” him (Luke 6:7).

5. Even mature believers can struggle in some area of faith. Often their questions originate in life’s tragedies and difficulties, and these believers are deeply embarrassed about their struggle. A squelching response is likelier to exacerbate their doubts than to grow their faith.

Actions for Responding

1. Listen first to the whole question.

2. Avoid pat answers.

3. Ask questions back. Doing so helps you understand the person’s question and also communicates the acceptability of asking.

4. Admit your discomfort with the question. Saying that a question makes you feel uncomfortable, rather than squelching it out of discomfort, acknowledges the question’s legitimacy.

5. Hold off on quoting the Bible. Non-believers can—sometimes rightly—perceive Bible verses as weapons. Later, when your questioner trusts you as ready to take on the question, is the time to bring in biblical authors’ probably varied responses to the matter.

6. Remember that aside from the essentials of faith—God exists, and Jesus was his son who died for humans’ sins—many Christian beliefs are debatable. The Bible is a complicated book. From the beginning of Christianity, believers have had different views on everything from free will to the meaning of Jesus’ command, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s” (Matthew 22:21).

7. Learn from your questioner. Believers are to sharpen iron with iron (Proverbs 27:17)—and thereby grow one another as believers.

8. Realize that your answer is less important than your perceived willingness to entertain the question. Keep your words and your heart on the goal: to be a vehicle of grace and growth. Strive for a conversation that draws you and the questioner closer to God.

I haven’t managed to resolve my questions about God’s violence. Perhaps I never will. As one of my colleagues—a professor in biblical studies at my university—recently commented, the account of Noah is hardly a cute little children’s story—of rainbows and happy animals entering the ark by twosies-twosies. Nevertheless, as I enter the adolescence of my faith—at 49!—I’m confident that God can handle my questions and even my occasional cynicism. And I’m certain that what I hope for—that God loves everyone and always works in his children’s best interest—will somehow prove true in the end.

Out of the mouths of babes ....

2008-03-16T12:53:00.014-05:00

My 2 year old has kept me VERY busy. Sometimes she keeps me busy with her questions on her own, and sometimes she has help from her 4 year old brother. The following are some conversations that we've had recently.

Easter Egg Hunt
Mom, Dad and I took the kids to the Easter egg hunt. The Easter Bunny was there. M insisted that she wanted to pick up the pink eggs. J & M had their pics taken with the Easter bunny. They had fun, but it bothers me that PARENTS get so competitive at these hunts. Older siblings and moms and dads were picking up the eggs and throwing them in their kids' baskets. You could hear parents frantically yelling for their kids to run to a different spot and quickly get eggs. I realize that the parents simply wanted the kids to get some eggs, but because of all the adult interference the eggs were gone in about two minutes. Sometimes I wish adults could just get out of the way and let kids have fun. There was also a little boy at the hunt with a walker. It broke my heart. M asked why he had the walker and I explained that it helped him walk. What I could NOT explain was why this little boy needed help walking.

Anyway, after the hunt we were walking to our car. M asked, "Where is the Easter Bunny's car?" I said I didn't know.

Here are some pics from the hunt:

Visiting with Gramma and Papa

We also went to visit my aunt. We drove by what used to be my granny's house. M looked out and said, "Does Granny live in her house or is she still died?" I told her that granny was dead. M said, "Why?" How do you answer that?

At the Japanese restaurant
J stayed with Gramma & Papa. Mike, M and I went to eat with our friends Brent, Kaylyn and Avenell at a local Japanese restaurant. We sat at our table. M was wearing her brand new pink Dora cowgirl hat and pink Dora sunglasses. She had already received a lot of stares and comments. She looked like this:

A man with long curly hair came and sat down at the table beside us. M looked at him and said, "Mommy, he has hair like you." I knew that this conversation could not be going in a good direction, so when the man looked our way, I tried to distract M by talking about her sunglasses and getting her to color. Then M looked at the man, and clearly and loudly asked, "Is that a daddy or a mama?" Kaylyn, Mike and Brent were no help, they were laughing and looking at the table. I again tried to distract M, who would not be distracted. As Mike accurately pointed out, M is used to seeing a mommy with long curly red hair and a daddy with no hair. She didn't know what to make of this guy.

Safari adventure
The kids have very active imaginations. M also LOVES crocodiles. Yes, you read that correctly - crocodiles. She tells me that a yellow crocodile comes to her room and jumps on her bed at night. When we went to the zoo, she wanted to see the crocodiles and ride on a crocodiles. She CRIED when we had to get off. I told her she could not ride again, and she insisted that she wanted to ride on a real crocodile. J wanted to ride a giraffe.

Here are some pics:

After the zoo adventure, the kids decided that they were going on a safari. They filled their Easter baskets with plastic play food and told us that after the safari they were giong on a picnic (note that when asked their favorite part about the zoo, M's favorite was riding the bus and J's favorite was having a picnic). As they walked off into the jungle of our dining room, M told us that she had the "pinoculars" (translation - binoculars).

A beautiful princess
Today, M looked especially cute. The kids and I went to eat with my mom and dad before church. Here are some pics of M.

I told the kids that if they were good, we would dye Easter eggs. They seemed very excited. However, about 10 minutes later, M asked, "Why do the Easter eggs have to die?" I had to explain that we were going to add COLOR to the eggs, not kill them.

One other note. J did some really sweet things. When I injured my back, I had to lay on the floor. J came up to me, put a blanket over me and gave me a big kiss. He also asked me often if my back was better. J also picked yellow daffodils for his daddy. He made it very clear to me that the flowers were "for daddy, NOT for you."

Below are some pics of the kids picking flowers for Daddy NOT Mommy, and there are some pics of my kids looking at my aunt's baby cow and goats.

NEVER a dull moment with these two!

I'm back

2008-03-16T12:50:00.002-05:00

I was out of town for work for a few days and really busy. On Monday (last week), I injured my back. I went to my cycle class & then took my shower. I bent over and felt something catch in my back. I had a lot of back pain, especially when I moved or tried to sit. I called Mike and said, "I think I've done something terrible to my back." I described my symptoms. My ever supportive husband simply said, "You are getting old Beth." That made me feel really good. Having an injured back, being on muscle relaxers and having 2 small kids is also not a good combination. I will try to post some pictures to catch up.

A prayer covenant - anyone interested?

2008-02-28T15:13:00.003-05:00

I just read a great idea for a prayer covenant. I think this is a great idea for a church, a Bible study, or group of friends. What do you think?

Funny kids!

2008-02-26T16:29:00.002-05:00

J & M have such active imaginations. When I came home from work yesterday, M ran to the door in a blue shirt and skirt and informed me that she was Wendy (from Peter Pan). J was crawling on all 4s in a dog costume. He could not answer questions about his day, he could only bark. He gave me a lick instead of a kiss.

M also tells us each day who is coming to visit her at night. Sometimes the yellow crocodile comes and jumps on her bed and tickles her under her chin. Last night the pink dinosaur was not coming to visit because he was sick with a headache and the hiccups. Sometimes a kitty visits and sleeps in her bed.

The kids also love to play with a toy nativity set. They take Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus to parades, car shows, and many other exciting activities.

A few nights ago, M wanted water (this happens every night - it is a stall tactic - when she is in bed she says she needs water). J said he would take her a cup of water. We have cups that have animals on them. J handed her a cup of water in bed and said, "Hold it with both hands so you won't spill it." Then he asked her what was on the cup. He asked if she was finished, and then she asked for more water. J said, "no, you don't need anymore." He sounded like an adult!

The Parting of the Red Sea According to a 2 year old

2008-02-26T16:24:00.002-05:00

Mike bought a Bible book for the kids. Each night, we read a new story. A few nights ago, we read about the parting of the Red Sea. M asked why the people crossing the sea did not have on their "swimsoups" (translation: swim suits). I told her that they were not planning to go swimming and that God parted the waters so they could cross and stay dry.

The next morning at breakfast, M looked at me and said, "Will you part the waters of the pool please please please?" I explained that although I can do many things, I cannot part the seas, the waters of the pool, the waters of the bathtub, etc. Then she said, "only God can do that right?" I said yes.

Later M had the book in the living room and she was telling the story to J. She said, "All of the people forgot to wear their swimsoups so God made the wind blow really hard and parted the sea so that the people could walk through and not get wet."

Now you know what really happened. If the Israelites had worn swimsoups, we may have missed out on a miracle.

Pew Study

2008-02-26T11:57:00.004-05:00

I heard a summary of this report on NPR. This is really interesting - you can search for numbers of people that affiliate with various denominations, or that are "unaffiliated". You can also look by map and in other ways. Check it out. However, be warned - the Pew survey seems to offer different numbers than some denominations currently advertise.

http://religions.pewforum.org/

NPR emphasized that the study found that many Americans are NOT affiliated with the same religion of their parents, and that Americans tend to change their religious affiliation.

Long Time No Post

2008-02-23T17:11:00.004-05:00

I've been really sick. I'm not sure if I only had a cold or something worse, but I've been sick for well over a week. It has taken all of my energy to work and keep up with the kids.

I generally don't do surveys, but my friend Kaylyn tagged me so I promised her my comeback blog would be this.

Four jobs I have had in my life:
-Working in tobacco fields
-Taping packs of cigarettes together and inserting a coupon for RJR's buy one get one free promotion
-Chemist in a Biochemistry Lab
-Attorney (clerk for a federal judge, in private practice, and now in-house for a hospital)

Four movies I could watch over and over:
-Shawshank Redemption
-Little Miss Sunshine
-Pans Labyrinth
-Lord of the Rings

Four shows that I watch:
-LOST!
-The Office
-Scrubs
-48 Hours Mystery

Four Places I have been:
-Switzerland
-Chicago
-New York
-Boston

Four people who email me regularly:
-Mike
-Melissa-
-Anne
-Ann

Four of My Favorite Foods:
-Filet Mignon
-Sushi
-Dark chocolate
-Raspberries

Four Places I would rather be right now:
-Hanging out with girlfriends
-A spa
-Traveling with my hubby and kids
-Riding my mountain bike on a great trail

Four things I am looking forward to in the next 12 months:
-Trip with Mom
-10 year anniversary
-Vacation!
-Watching the kids change

Four Goals for the New Year:
-Keep exercising at least 4 days a week
-Pay off some debt
-Lose some weight
-Become more self-aware

Four Gifts I got for Christmas:
-sweater
-luggage
-new headphones (my old ones fell out of my ears at the gym)
-purse

Four places I want to visit: (traveling is one of my favorite things, so it is almost impossible to identify only 4)
-Australia/New Zealand
-Galapagos Islands
-Africa - for a safari
-Greece

Four Things you might not know about me:
-I am a real geek (I love to learn about everything)
-I would love to own a Harley
-I took dance lessons for 13 years (ballet, tap, jazz, and I even had break dancing lessons once)
-I am good at Air Hockey

Four Things I wish I could be better at:
-Singing
-Being carefree (I wish I did not worry and feel guilty so often)
-Being selfless
-I'd love to be a better mom

Four things I can cook without a recipe: (this is nearly impossible for me to answer - cooking makes me break out in hives)
-Scrambled eggs
-Toast
-Pop Tarts
-Cereal

Musicians that I really like:
-Third Day
-Jack Johnson
-Dave Crowder Band
-STP

Drinks that I LOVE:
-coffee
-hot tea
-chai
-cream soda

Now, I need to tag four people:
Mike, Melissa, Mal, Kristie

A beutiful story

2008-02-23T17:07:00.001-05:00

As many of you know, my friend Anne just had a kidney transplant this summer because her cousin donated a kidney to her. This story is beautiful and reminded me how grateful I am that my friend Anne is alive and well.

Stranger Donates Kidney to Atlanta Girl
By DORIE TURNER,AP
Posted: 2008-02-23 15:38:44
Filed Under: Health News, Nation News
ATLANTA (Feb. 22) - The picture of the smiling little girl on the flier was more than Laura Bolan could take. The 8-year-old on the pamphlet needed a kidney transplant, and Bolan knew she could help. She did a quick Web search on the surgery and talked it over with her husband. Then she made a phone call to offer one of her kidneys to Sarah Dickman.

The suburban Atlanta girl was born with the genetic disease juvenile nephronophthisis, which slowly destroys the kidneys. Without treatment, it can kill a child before the age of 15.

Bolan, 34, had never met Sarah when she agreed to donate the organ.

"It breaks your heart to know there's a little girl sick out there who you could help," Bolan said earlier this week.

The pair underwent successful surgeries Thursday at hospitals across the street from each other in Atlanta. Surgeon Dr. Thomas Pearson said both patients were doing well on Friday, and initial tests of Sarah's new kidney showed it was working normally.

Sarah was expected to be in intensive care for at least a day and then spend up to a week at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston. She said she was looking forward to being free from a dialysis machine so she can spend the night at her best friend's house.

And when doctors remove her catheter, she can take bubble baths again because there will no longer be the risk of infecting the skin around the tube.

Best of all, she can go to Kangaroo Bob's, a children's recreation center with inflatable slides, mazes and obstacle courses.

"I'll get to go there on my birthday because I won't have this anymore," she said, pointing to the catheter.

Bolan was expected to return home after a few days at Emory University Hospital.

She first saw a flier about Sarah in September at the elementary school where two of her children are students. Sarah attends the same school.

Bolan knew she had the same blood type as the little girl, so she called the number on the flier that evening.

Sarah's parents, Lori and Joe Dickman, had added Sarah's name to a national waiting list for transplant recipients after learning that neither parent was a match to donate a kidney. The flier was just a shot in the dark.

The Dickmans received two calls from people interested in donating a kidney. Both were tested, and Bolan was the better match. The Dickmans were relieved because Sarah's condition was quickly deteriorating.

She was put on dialysis in September, the same month the flier went up. She often left school early because her failing kidneys made her exhausted and irritable.

"We definitely need more people like Laura in the world," Lori Dickman said.

Joe Dickman wants to add his name to living donor lists so that he can help someone else. It's the least he can do to repay Bolan for saving his daughter, he said.

"A thank-you doesn't fit for what she's doing," Joe Dickman said of Bolan. "She can call me at four in the morning for a gallon of milk. I don't care. I'm indebted to her for life."

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Learning to say no and other random thoughts

2008-02-13T16:30:00.004-05:00

I can't say no. However, I am learning. I've gotten myself involved in too many things. Of course, this was all done with the best of intentions. I've learned that it is easier to say no than it is to resign from activities that you've started and done for a while.

On another note, I am teaching the Salem Business Law class again this semester. However, part of this class is online. This is a new challenge - to try to have good discussions and interactions while using forums and chats.

We've been busy. It seems that we've had something to do every night for days now.

I wonder how a person stops worrying and feeling guilty? Most of my guilt and worry relates to my family, but I also worry about work, and other activities. I feel guilty sometimes because I feel pulled in so many directions, and I feel like work, kids, my husband, church, friends, etc. are all getting short changed because I am pulled in so many directions.

On being grateful - it can be tough. I think that focusing on my blessings is worthwhile, but sometimes it is hard to take the time to reflect. I guess that is a sign that I, like many other people, am too busy to really slow down and be mindful of my day to day life.

Getting What You've Always Got

2008-02-13T16:28:00.001-05:00

My hubby is fond of saying, "If you do what you've always done, you will get what you've always got." I think this applies to exercise. I've been working out like a mad woman, but I fell into a routine of doing the same sprints, the same exercies, etc. each week.

I've been taking a cycle class that mixes things up. We've had a different instructor and he is a MACHINE! I've finally lost a few pounds. I guess the saying is right - if you keep exercising the way you always have you will get the same results.

My Guilty Pleasure

2008-02-13T16:21:00.001-05:00

I was talking to a friend and she said something that struck me. She said, "You and your husband work so hard. You need to play more." For those that know me, you know that I am determined and focused. I generally work hard and try to use all of my time productively. I multitask, and I try to make the best use of every minute of my day. However, something about her statement made me want to play.

A few weeks ago, Mike bought a used guitar and the game Guitar Hero. He played all the time and begged me to play. I kept refusing (because I thought that I was "above" such immature games). One night Mike begged and I agreed. I generally stink at video games (our friend Jeremy has witnessed me go the wrong way in car races), but for some reason, this game came fairly easily to me. Plus it was FUN. We also got together with some friends and played Rock Band. I tried the drums (but they are hard), and I even sang. I got 99% on Vaseline and 100% on Interstate Love Song (I am a HUGE STP fan). It was fun to sing because I like to sing, but I am not good. I also love playing the guitar and bass.

The only drawback to these games is that you sometimes feel like you could actually be a rock star or play the guitar one day.

I may not become a famous rock band member, but in the meantime, I am playing and having fun. Isn't there some saying - the family that plays together stays together?

The Year of Living Biblically and other books

2008-02-07T10:43:00.000-05:00

I just finished this months book club book - The Glass Castle. However, I am so excited about an upcoming book, The Year of Living Biblically, becaues an interview with the author reveals that my Lent commitment Gratitude in Action , may not be so crazy after all. An excerpt from the book:

******
Do you think many people are misguided in their “creed over deed” mentality?

[Note from Tim: “Creed over deed” refers to people who value religious belief more than moral behavior. “Deed over creed” would be the opposite.]

I wouldn't say misguided. But I'd say most of us do underestimate the power that behavior has to shape thought.

It's astounding. I watched it happen to myself. For instance, I forced myself to stop gossiping, and eventually I started to have fewer petty thoughts to gossip about. I forced myself to help the needy, and found myself becoming less self-absorbed. I never became Ghandi or Angelina Jolie, but I made some strides.

I even watched it happen with prayer. After a year of praying, I started to believe there's something to the idea of sacredness. It was remarkable. So if you want to become someone different, just start acting like the person you want to be. It's like that business motto "fake it till you make it" but it works on a spiritual and ethical level as well.

Even with my wardrobe, I saw how the outer affects the inner. There's a line in the Bible that says your "garments should always be white." I decided to take that literally, and walked around in white clothes. It affected my mood. I felt happier, lighter. Clothes make the man. I felt I couldn't be in a bad mood if I looked like I was about to play the semi-finals at Wimbledon.

What were some of the greatest benefits of following rules to the letter, and what are the things that have stuck with you since ending the experiment?

It was fascinating. I'd always loved freedom of choice. It's why I went to a loosey-goosey liberal arts college with no core requirements. But this experiment was all about freedom FROM choice. Or at least a minimal-choice lifestyle. I had a set structure: Should I read the gossip magazine about Cameron Diaz's latest sex romp? No. Should I give 10 percent of my money to the needy? Yes. Should I turn off my email on the Sabbath (as both the Bible and Tim Ferriss recommend)? Yes.

In fact, there was something Ferriss-esque about the entire way of living. It reminded me of your low-information diet, for instance. In some ways, it was a huge time-saver.
************

If you want to read the entire interview, you can see it here.

I love the idea of having control over some aspects of my life. Often, I feel so out of control, that it is nice to believe that through hard work and sheer force of will, I can at least control my attitude and my reaction to situations. Our old pastor, Jim Martin, would say "Act yourself into a new way of thinking." I am not naive, and I do not believe that I can simply wake up tomorrow and say, "I am going to be grateful today." However, I do believe that with lots of hard work and time, I can improve my attitude and become more grateful.

Gratitude in Action

2008-01-27T18:25:00.000-05:00

This month we've been doing a sermon series at Church, 2008: A Year To Give Up! We have studied the disfunctional family of Isaac & Jacob. Today Mike preached a sermon in the series- "2008: A year to Give Up Bad Habits." We looked at Jacob's bad habits: lying, blaming others, favoritism, and running from problems. Mike then shared the steps that we can take to break our bad habits: (1) recognize you have a problem, (2) realize your weakness, (3) refocus your attention on something else,(4) Reveal your plan to others who can help hold you accountable.

This sermon blew me away because I've been thinking about what I will do for Lent, and this sermon fit perfectly with what I was considering. I figured why wait, I will start now.

1. My problem(s):
I struggle often with my attitude. Often I tend to think the worst, worry, and be pessimistic. I take my blessings forgranted, which leads to jealousy, comparison with others, and a bad attitude.

2. Realize your weakness:
Like many people, I become negative when I am stressed, overworked, tired, etc. Often these emotions stem from living a hurried life with no time to slow down and appreciate the life that I have. Additionally, I stuggle with selfishness. I tend to feel these negative emotions when I am focused on myself and everything that I want and do not have.

3. Refocus your attention on something else:
This is where my plans for Lent come in. During the season of Lent, I had planned to take on an attitude of gratitude. This sounds wonderful in the abstract, but I believe that you cannot just tell yourself, "I am going to be grateful" and then you will become grateful. Instead, changing my attitude will take diligent hard work that will only be accomplished by small steps taken each day. Thus, I plan to refocus my attention by finding one thing or person that I am grateful or thankful for each day. This will address one of my weaknesses, which is being too frazzled to slow down. In order to identify one thing or person that I am grateful for, I will have to slow down long enough to consider my life and what I am truly thankful for that day. I will address my second weakness, selfishness, with my "action step". Once I've identified the person or thing that I am grateful for, I plan to take action - hence "gratitude in action." For example, if I am thankful or grateful for someone, I will take action to show my gratitude by writing a short thank you note or doing something thoughtful directed at that person. Sometimes I will do this anonymously in order to serve without expecting something in return. If I am thankful for something that God has done (like a beautiful sunset), I will show my gratitude to God by serving or doing something considerate for someone. This may be someone that I do not even know.

4. Reveal your plan so that others can hold you accountable.
I plan to try to be thankful and take action each day. I will share some of my experiences here. I may not give names or share the exact details of I do (because I may do things for someone anonymously), however, I will try to share what I learn and some of my experiences here.

I believe that this will honor God because I will be loving God (I will be thankful and slowing down to recognize and ponder the blessings in my life), I will be loving others (again, I will slow down and recognize the people and things that make my life so special), and finally, I will be loving myself (I will be slowing down, focusing on others, taking steps to better myself along the way).

As my fortune from my fortune cookie said today, "Your happiness is intertwined with your outlook on life." I hope to begin to recognize how richly blessed I am, and perhaps I can bless a few other people along the way.

Computer crash and burn

2008-01-27T08:43:00.000-05:00

A few nights ago, our computer stopped working. Without going into a lot of detail, we found out we had a number of viruses and adware, despite having antivirus software (regularly updated) and firewall protection. We had to do a recovery, and when we recovered the computer and got rid of the viruses and adware, we had to reload programs. Problem: all of my adobe pictures are no longer there. The thumbnails show up, but the photos are missing. I had almost all of them backed up, but that is over 7000 photos that are now not connected to adobe and that just disappeared from the computer. It is so frustrating! Plus, I have no idea how we picked up all of these viruses when we supposedly had virus protection. We do not download lots of items or open email attachments.

"I'm a model."

2008-01-26T17:23:00.001-05:00

My good friend Kaylyn is selling hairbows and other cute things on etsy. You can see her stuff and the link to her etsy store at http://dunlaplove.blogspot.com/

Kaylyn needed a girl to model some of her bows. She asked Maria. The night that we put the bows in and took pictures, we joked that Maria was a model.

When Maria wore her bows again, Maria told me all morning, "I'm a model mommy because Kaylyn said so." Kaylyn is happy to be building self esteem in young girls early!

These are some pictures of Maria as a model.

My big scare

2008-01-26T17:04:00.000-05:00

Today started off as a normal day. Maria did something really sweet - out of the blue she said, "Mommy I love you SOOOOOO much." She and Jacob spent the morning playing. Mike was not home, and as I was getting dressed I heard the kids jumping on the bed. I told them to stop. Then, a second later I heard Maria screaming. I ran in her room and there was blood all over her eye. I have no problem with blood(remember I observed an autopsy and pulled the brain out), but I immediately thought the worst (she may have seriously injured her eye, scratched her cornea, etc.) I ran and put a cold cloth on her eye and tried to call Mike. He said he was coming home and I tried to call the doctor. I was a crying mess. Jacob told me she fell off the bed. Then he hugged me and told me Maria would be ok. I later learned Maria had fallen on a plastic toy, hit her eye, and then her "eye cracked open" (in the words of Jacob). She had a cut on her eyelid that had caused her to bleed.

She is fine now (except for a swollen eye and cut eyelid). However, I was a wreck. I guess I am still so overprotective and worried since the seizure scare.

Traveling and Who's Looking

2008-01-23T10:51:00.000-05:00

I have this link on the side of my blog that shows who is looking (the city and country where they live is shown on the map). It is fascinating to me because people are looking from all over the world. How do they even find this blog? What do they want to read about?

The other fascinating thing is that many of these people are from places that I would love to visit. I just saw a visitor from New Zealand. I've always wanted to go to Australia and New Zealand. I became even more fascinated with New Zealand after Lord of the Rinds was filmed there. Maybe one day .....

My Idea of Success

2008-01-22T16:29:00.000-05:00

A few days ago, I posted a blog about success. After thinking about success for a while, I think my idea of success is being comfortable in my own skin. If you ask me about areas of success in my life, I would say that I am fairly successful as an attorney (I would always like to be better), that I try to be a good and successful mother (I have a LONG way to go in this area - I do the best I can), that I work to be a good PW. However, all of these are things that I do. I do not want to simply be satisfied with things that I do, I want to be comfortable and satisfied with who I am.

For those of you that know me well, you know that I have a very hard time saying no. I get involved in far too many activities, and then I get tired and burn out. I think that I often fill my time with so many activities because I am gaining my self worth and vision of success based on what I do (doing the right things as a mom, doing enough service and church activities, etc.) I feel that I am only useful in God's eyes (and sometimes my own eyes) when I am being productive. I want to be comfortable being alone with myself. However, I often do not have the time to be alone with myself to gain this comfort.

Thus, as I begin to focus on achieving "success", I want to focus on loving myself, becoming comfortable with who I am, and most importantly, gaining my self worth for the person I am, not for the things that I do. I think this is especially important for me as a Christian. I think I work so hard to "do" things in the hope that by doing many praiseworthy things, God will love me. I want to feel God's love for me in my heart - a love that loves me for who I am, not for the works that I do.

The Games We Play

2008-01-22T16:18:00.001-05:00

As many of you know, a favorite activity to do with friends is have game night. Game night usually includes food (everyone brings a dish, baked ziti from Brick Oven, or Pizza), lots of games, and friends. It is harder to have game night now that we have kids, but we still manage to have game night fairly regularly. We are always interested to hear about fun games, so let us know if you have suggestions.

Some of our favorites that we highly recommend:

1. Settlers of Catan - this takes skill, strategy and can be addictive. Thanks to Brent and Kaylyn for introducing us to this game!
2. Cranium Pop 5 - anything that gives me the opportunity to hum old Madonna songs is a favorite
3. Catch Phrase - I get very competitive when I play this game!
4. Loaded Questions - this game is great to get to know people. It also makes you laugh when silly friends have crazy answers to the questions!
5. Monopoly - I always win
6. Chess - Mike and I used to play this often, but I've found that I am often tired and do not enjoy playing as much when I cannot focus all of my attention on the game.
7. Checkers
8. Scrabble - when I was in the hospital on bed rest Mike and I played this daily
9. Phase 10 - this is a very fun card game; one of our former youth introduced us to this game.
10. Rummy
11. Rook - my family (in laws and my parents love to play this)
12. Battle of the Sexes - this game is fun, but the men's questions tend to be easier than the questions that the women have to answer!

Hugs, Hair, Friends, Good Times

2008-01-19T16:21:00.000-05:00

We had dinner at Red Robin for the first time with friends. The kids loved it!

I had my hair cut. My hair dresser can blow my hair out straight. I always leave it wavy in the back (I just pretend that there is no hair back there) and I only work with the front when I style it. Mike loves it straight.

The kids had fun playing with Avenell. J carried around a doll (formerly baby Jesus) - now the baby doll is Avenell.

We made Gingerbread cookies. It was a mix that I bought 90% off at Target after Christmas. As most of you know, I have very few abilities in the kitchen. The mix said I needed honey (which I thought we had, but we were out). I substituted pancake syrup. I did the best I could to help the kids make the cookies. They had fun squeezing the tube of icing into their mouths.

Let It Snow!

2008-01-19T16:11:00.001-05:00

It is FINALLY snowing! It snowed on Thursday, but the rain started soon after and the kids did not get to play. Today I made sure to have the kids out the door the minute the snow started. We walked Rufus around the neighborhood. There was no snow on the ground, but the kids loved catching snow on their gloves. They were so excited.

It is snowing A LOT now, and I will post pics later.

However, I've posted a few pictures below of snow and other exciting things:

M was excited to see that our hair looked the same.

Before church:

Freckles: I want some too

2008-01-19T14:16:00.000-05:00

I hated my freckles when I was a kid. I remember reading Freckle Juice and identifying with the character that would try anything to get rid of the freckles.

The other night, I was getting M ready for bed. She pointed at my shoulders and said, "I want some too!" I asked what she wanted and she said the spots on my shoulders. Then J came in and said he also wanted some. I still don't like my freckles, but I guess it is nice to know that someone likes them.

On another note, M has such an active imagination. She woke up a few mornings ago insisting that a "yellow crocodile" jumped on her bed, tickled her chin and yelled "Wake up!"

A Great Quote

2008-01-17T16:18:00.000-05:00

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined.”

Henry David Thoreau

Goals - What Is Success?

2008-01-17T16:04:00.000-05:00

In the seminar that I attended, we needed to think about our goals. The seminar also discused success. We discussed why women are graduating from college and professional school at the same or higher rates than men, yet there are still very few women CEOs. Although we all acknowledged there is still a glass ceiling in some companies, family responsibilites make it difficult for women, and other issues contribute to the lack of female CEOs, one thing that stuck out for me is that many women may not WANT to be CEOs. To be a CEO is not only not their goal, but it is not what they would consider "success".

I am trying to determine what I view as success. Often I want it all - successful career (whatever that means), to be a successful mother (again, what does that mean?), to be happy and fulfilled, to have a balanced life, etc. I haven't clearly determined what I view as success.

What do you view as success?

My Personal Board of Directors

2008-01-17T15:26:00.000-05:00

I attended an excellent seminar on developing a personal board of directors. This is a group of people that serve as mentors. It is necessary to have some from your current place of employment, from outside your job, with expertise in your field, that know you well, that know your personal goals, etc. The people can change as your career goals change. The interesting aspect of the talk was that women are often not very intentional about our career development. Women may think about the next career step, but they often do not think further ahead.

Additionally, women tend to be very bad at informing others of their accomplishments. I stink that this. It always feels like bragging. However, we were told that there are ways to self-promote without bragging. Additionally, if we do not look out for ourselves, no one else will.

There was also a panel of speakers, including Susan Ivey, President and CEO of Reynolds American. It was a great conference.

Upon reflection, I've realized that I am a natural at networking. I am extroverted and I love meeting new people. However, my weakness is that I am not intentional about networking. I am not very thoughtful about meeting people that may be able to help me further my career. I also need to work on some self promotion. I do not plan to advertise my accomplishments, but I need to do a better job of keeping my boss, as well as other leaders at work, informed of successes that I may have at work and projects that I complete.

Am I frugal?

2008-01-17T15:08:00.000-05:00

Lately it seems that I am surrounded by people that are talking about coupons, saving money and being frugal. There are numerous blogs on the subject.

I've looked at some of the tips, and I was shocked that I already do many of the suggested things. I guess I am frugal and did not know it.

Some things that I do that are frugal or have been sited as tips on frugal type blogs:
1. I coupon. I've always used coupons. However, I do NOT coupon like the really serious couponers. I have been told that it does not take much time to clip all the coupons and organize them in a binder, but I truly do not have time to spare. Thus, I try to be really targeted. I clip coupons that are for products I know I will use and keep them until the item is on sale or the coupon can be doubled or tripled. Many friends poke fun at me because I love to use coupons.
2. I shop sales. I LOVE Kohls and Target. I generally try to get a 30% off coupon at Kohls and then I shop the clearance racks. I do the same for Target - I try to buy my exercise cloths and kids cloths at Target. I also shop for cloths out of season (I buy winter cloths in the summer and buy summer cloths in the winter).
3. I frequent consignment sales, thrift stores and consignment stores. I sometimes go to Goodwill, but I have more luck at consignment stores - I can generally get better quality stuff when it is 50% off there than I can trying to sort through all the items at Goodwill.
4. I try to recycle and reuse items (I reuse paper by letting the kids color and paint on the back of used paper), I use magazines for the kids to practice cutting, etc.
5. I sell old items or donate them. This is hard for me because I love to keep things (I either think I may need it one day or I want it for sentimental reasons). However, I now try to donate things that I no longer use or sell items at consignment sales, on ebay, etc.
6. We did not have any cable channels until a few months ago. Many people thought we were crazy, but we have some debt that we would like to pay. I do not watch much tv, and the kids can see educational programs on PBS. It is only in the last month or so that I broke down and agreed that we could get a few more cable channels.
7. We try to eat at home most nights, and when we eat out, we try to go on nights that kids eat free or kids eat for a small price.
8. I exercise and try to take care of myself. In this way, I save money on healthcare!

Exercise and Fitness - The Many Benefits

2008-01-15T09:38:00.000-05:00

While at the gym this morning, I realized that I have been committed to my work out routine for well over a year. I joined the fitness center in November of 2006. Since then, I have attempted to go to the gym 4 days a week. I work out for an hour to 1.5 hours. I do one hour of cardio and I do 15-30 minutes of weights. I generally like the elliptical (it is easy on the knees), but I've recently discovered cycle class. I love the class and I think being in a class pushes me to work out harder. It also adds variety to my work out routine. It is especially fun to meet people in class and watch as they meet their fitness goals.

Despite my work out routine, I've lost no weight. I realize muscle weighs more than fat, but I've lost very few inches. However, I am much stronger, and I am in really good cardiovascular shape. I was just reflecting today on how amazing the human body is.

Although I haven't lost the weight that I would like, I have had some tangible medical improvements. I was on bed rest for 12 weeks in the hospital with my first child. When I came out of the hospital, I had gained a lot of weight (probably around 60 or so pounds, and I had lost muscle). I could barely walk. If I was sitting on the floor I could not get up out of the floor without fear that my legs would collapse under me. When I walked, I broke out in a sweat and after walking my legs would tingle and feel as if someone was sticking pins into my muscles. I visited my primary care doctor, and he checked my cholesterol. The numbers were so bad that he discussed putting me on cholesterol medicine. I refused and went on a strict diet. I did the South Beach diet for over a year and lost a lot of weight (I was smaller than I am now). However, I was not exercising, and I could not maintain the food restrictions forever.

Then I discovered exercise. I started working out to lose weight, but I soon began to marvel at the strength of my body. I became proud of what my body could do, and although I still do not "like" everything about my body, I have developed respect for my body.

Last week I had my cholesterol checked. My blood pressure was 97/60. My cholesterol was:

Total Cholesterol: 162
HDL: 57
LDL: 77
Total Cholesterol/HDL Ratio: 2.8

Needless to say, I was THRILLED. For those folks that say that exercise does not make a difference - I beg to differ. Exercise has made a huge difference for me physically.

Exercise also benefits me mentally. I am much more focused at work, and I sleep better when I work out. I've also learned that I am very high energy. Exercise helps me use up some of that energy. When I exercise, I am calmer and more patient with the kids.

I think it is ironic that our society can be so condescending when it comes to exercise. We call people "health nuts", "fitness nuts" and other names for being concerned about their health and well being.

My hope is that I will look back to read this post to remind myself why I exercise when I feel like slacking off.

Photo Storgage - Electronic or the Old Fashioned Way?

2008-01-15T09:34:00.000-05:00

As most of you know, I take a lot of pictures. I am obsessed with trying to preserve memories of my children and my life. For years, I have developed many of my digital photos. However, I am running out of space, and no matter how cheap I can develop pictures, I could save money by not developing them. In the past I developed pictures because I was afraid technology would change and I would lose my pictures if I stored them all in electronic format on my computer. Currently I keep my photos on my hard drive and I back them up on DVDs.

Has anyone else converted to only keeping electronic photo albums? Of course I may still develop a few pictures for frames and gifts, but I am seriously considering this. Tips, thoughts, comments are welcome.

New Years Blast!

2008-01-12T10:36:00.000-05:00

For New Years, our church revived a tradition - bowling! We went bowling during family time (6:30 to 9:30). This was a first for the kids. I bowled 2 strikes - one the fair way, and one with the use of the guard rails. The kids LOVED dancing and singing - M danced like a mad woman!

Law Firm Friends

2008-01-12T10:32:00.000-05:00

These ladies (Crystal & Patricia) will change the world! I had fun catching up with them over Christmas.

Christmas Pics

2008-01-12T10:07:00.000-05:00

Preschool Christmas Performance

2008-01-12T10:01:00.000-05:00

Book Club Reflections

2008-01-09T09:01:00.000-05:00

We discussed Life of Pi last night. Jeremy did a great job leading the discussion.

We discussed our favorite books of 2007. It was difficult because we loved so many that we instead had to focus on the few books we did not enjoy. Least favorite books of the book club were: Tales From the Bed, The Alchemist, and Catcher in the Rye (although some of us loved some of the books, the club as a whole liked these 3 the least). Everyone, especially the guys, was surprised by how much they enjoyed the Memory Keepers Daughter. Everyone LOVED Water For Elephants. The ladies were surprised by how much we enjoyed Into the Wild and Shadow Divers. 1984 and The Stolen Child were also surprise favorites.

Life of Pi had mixed reviews. Most people liked the book much more AFTER our discussion. This often is the case - we come to a book club not very impressed with a book, but once we begin to discuss the book, we discover the themes and symbolism and develop a new interest in the book.

The greatest thing about book club is the way that it is pushing folks outside of their "comfort zone." The ladies are reading books that may be considered for guys and the guys are surprised by how good "girlie" books are. Fiction lovers have developed an interest in nonfiction, and all of us develop a new appreciation for a book after discussing it. Some folks in the club commented that they tend to read the surface story, and it is only when we begin to discuss the book and dig deeper that they discover the themes, allegory, symbolism and underlying meanings in many books.

I've come to love the folks that we have at book club. Some are friends that I've known for years, and others I have just met. It is really cool!

Fights

2008-01-06T16:06:00.000-05:00

It amazes me that kids will fight about anything. My kids love each other one minute and are hitting and pushing the next minute. Of course they fight over normal things (toys, attention, etc.) However, one of the strangest things they fight over is which way they want the driver of the car to go in our neighborhood. To get to our house, you can turn up a hill or you can go straight. Each time we go somewhere, M will ask to "Go turn" and J will yell, "No, go straight!" I used to tell the child that asked first that I would go the way they requested. Kids are smart, so in response, as soon as I back out of the driveway, the kids will say, "Go straight when we come home" or "go turn when we come home." What is a parent to do?

Music Box

2008-01-06T16:01:00.000-05:00

This morning before church the kids were playing with a music box that my parents gave them. They love it! The music box has cats on a record player. The kids wanted to know what it was - I felt really old trying to explain what a record player is and how it works.

On another topic, my Nikon camera is in the shop. During Christmas we had the "perfect storm" of malfunctioning electronics. My camera flash would not work. I had to send it in for repairs and I missed having that camera so much at Christmas. Our video camera also stopped working. Mike decided we would use our old video camera, but the tape was stuck in it so it would not work either. Thus, this year we have a lot of pictures, but in my opinion they are fairly low quality, and we have no video.

Going Green - Sort Of

2008-01-06T09:12:00.000-05:00

Many of you may not know about my brief time of fame. When I was in 8th grade, I won the North Carolina essay contest for my Keep NC Clean and Beautiful essay. I wish that I had the essay now so that I could laugh at how bad it was. When I won, my teacher, parents and I traveled to Raleigh. I read my essay, had my picture made with a person in a costume of the NC state bird, and made a commercial that was played for the following year in NC. The essay said something like, "As I walk down the side of the road, the strong wind blows angrily around my feet. I glance down expecting to find the rustle of new fallen leaves, but instead find discarded candy wrappers and litter ...." Brilliant stuff, I know.

Anyway, I've always been interested in the environment. I grew up in a rural area, and I spent my summer days outside in the woods. My cousins and I would run into the woods in the morning, return for lunch and a brief rest, and then we were off again to explore. We made up games and used the natural wonders of the world in our imaginative play. Although I am not outside now as much as I would like, I still enjoy biking outside, hiking, camping and discovering the natural wonders of the world.

Despite my love of nature and animals, I often fail to think about my connection to the environment. I rarely, if ever, think about the trash that I produce or the impact that I am having on the environment.

Rob Bell has stated that the way we treat a creation reflects how we feel about the creator. A concrete example of this is a box full of scribbles, paintings and art that my kids have created. These works of "art" are not worth any money, but I cling to them because of my intense love for my kids. These creations are a part of them, and I cherish their creations because I cherish the creators.

I never thought about the fact that the way that I treat the world around me, including other people, reflects how I feel about God. If I trash the environment or treat other people badly, I am reflecting that I do not care so much about God or his beautiful creations. By disrespecting the creations, I am showing a lack of respect for the creator.

Despite this revelation, I am not going to go and buy a new hybrid car (we can't afford a new car). However, there are small steps that I am taking to respect and love the world that God has created. For example, in our office at work, I am trying to make us paperless. Actually, we will not be completely paperless (that may be impossible), but at least "more electronic". Lawyers are the WORST at wasting paper. We are taught from our first day of law school that we must document everything and keeping everything. Although I am still a pack rat, I am trying to document and store things electronically. I also try to reuse paper. If I print something and no longer need it, I let the kids color or paint on the back. I buy lots of items used (cloths & toys at consignment sales, etc.) Will these small efforts save the world? No, but at least these are small concrete steps that I can take now to make a difference and to show love for God's creation.

I would love to hear about small steps that others are taking to help the environment.

Life of Pi and exercise

2008-01-05T22:43:00.000-05:00

I just finished Life of Pi. I was shocked by the ending. I really enjoyed the book, and will elaborate more after book club.

I need to post pics from Christmas and New Years. I am behind. I am simply tired. M was sick almost all of November, and then December was filled with Christmas activities. I desperately want to spend a day in my PJs resting.

I am taking a cycling class at the gym, and it is the greatest workout! I did not work out the week of Christmas, so I wanted to get in a good work out the day after New Years. The class was supposed to last 45 minutes, but there were only 2 of us and the instructor so we made it an hour class. I love the variety of the class. I thought you would simply ride a stationary bike, but it is much more fun and challenging. You stand up at times, you sometimes go up "hills" and at other times you sprint. I think that I work out much harder in the class because the instructor is encouraging us. The only bad thing is that the class is only 2 mornings a week. I will probably keep doing the elliptical the other two days. I seem to have reached a weight loss and a fitness plateau, so I am trying to add variety. I do the treadmill some days, but it hurts my knees and sometimes I get blisters. For the runners that read this blog, comment or email me if you have any suggestions to prevent blisters!

I miss Yoga. I went regularly to a class that met on Tuesdays and Thursdays over lunch. I usually cannot work out at lunch because I sweat and get very red (I do not understand these women that do not sweat! I wish I knew the secret). Because I get so sweaty, I would have to shower and reapply make up so I would have to take a 2-3 hour lunch, which is impossible. I tried Yoga at lunch because I don't sweat during Yoga, and I needed something that I could do on the mornings that I could not get up at 5 am. I love Yoga, but work has been busy and it is really hard to get away during lunch. I may try to do some Yoga on Fit TV, but I really like having an instructor in class to correct my form.

If you have any good ideas to add variety to a work out, let me know!

Surprisingly Good Movies

2008-01-01T14:28:00.000-05:00

In 2007, Mike & I rented/checked out from the library some surprisingly good movies:

1) Little Miss Sunshine
2) 28 days Later
3) Lucky Number Slevin
4) Usual Suspects
5) L.A. Confidential
6) Life is Beautiful
7) Stranger Than Fiction
8) American Beauty
9) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
10) Sideways
11) Punch-Drunk Love
12) Everything's Illuminated
13) Waiting for Guffman
14) Adaptation
15) Best in Show
16) The Pursuit of Happiness
17) In America

We never get to go to the movies, but we recently watched I Am Legend. It kept me on the edge of my seat. We took the kids to Alvin and the Chipmunks and they watched the ENTIRE movie! M spent much time dancing, but they watched the entire movie - this is a first for our family. The movie was not as bad as I had expected (I had low expectations).

Children's Books

2007-12-31T15:11:00.001-05:00

I love to read to my kids. Some of our favorite books of 2007:

1. Mercer Mayer's Little Critter Books
2. Mo Williams - Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, and Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late
3. Jane Yolen - How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight, How Do Dinosaurs Clean Their Rooms, et.
4. Little Quack's Bedtime
5. The Giving Tree
6. Goodnight Moon
7. Sandra Boynton - The Going to Bed Book
8. Guess How Much I Love You
9. Love You Forever
10. The Polar Express
11. Curious George
12. Clifford the Big Red Dog
13. Winnie the Pooh books
14. If You Give a Moose a Muffin & If You Give a Pig a Pancake
15. Where the Wild Things Are
16. Arthur's Birthday
17. Fairy Tales in Rhyme

Christmas - the anticipation!

2007-12-31T14:59:00.000-05:00

The kids came up with some very interesting things to pretend prior to Christmas. After we took the kids to a live nativity scene, they loved playing "baby Jesus." They had a doll, which was baby Jesus. They took the doll to birthday parties (Jesus was usually turning 2), and then after Jesus, Pooh, Tigger and friends had eaten lots of cake and played games, they took Baby Jesus trick or treating. One night, J pretended to be at a house and knocked on the door. He said, "give baby Jesus some candy too! He gets hungry too!" I asked what Baby Jesus was dressed as and J said a goat. J would also always tell M the proper way to hold baby Jesus like Mary.

The kids also LOVED playing Santa. J generally wore a Santa hat and M wore reindeer antlers. J would fill the laundry basket with toys, and then he would try to tie a jump rope around M so that she could pull him in his "sleigh". M always informed me that she was "Donner" the reindeer. One night, J asked M and me to sit on his lap to tell him what we wanted for Christmas.

I am posting some pictures of these fun games. The kids were also convinced it would snow on Christmas because it "always snows on Christmas" and we were instructed that we could NOT have a fire in the fire place so that Santa could get down the chimney.

We also had our first advent calendar filled with candy. The kids fought over who could get the candy out of the slot, but they were always willing to break the candy into two pieces and share.

I'm Rich!

2007-12-30T21:39:00.000-05:00

Isn't it amazing that it is so easy to focus on the negative? I am amazed at how easily I fall into the habit of focusing on all of the things I do NOT have - such as more money, more things (cars, cloths, jewelry), ability to travel, etc. When I focus on the things that I am missing, I generally end up comparing myself to others. I become envious of the many "things" that they have that I am lacking - sometimes it is money, sometimes it is a situation, and sometimes it is a relationship. This always leaves me feeling angry, sad, and hopeless. So why would ANYONE focus on what is lacking if it makes him or her feel so bad? I do not know the answer; however, I do know that many people, including myself, spend more time complaining than we spend praising.

As most of you know, I am NOT a fan of New Years Day. I think it is a fairly worthless holiday that leads people to make commitments and resolutions that they never keep. However, this year, I want to make a resolution that I will keep, and that I am convinced will have a positive impact on my life. I want to focus on the positive, happy things that are happening in my life - specifically, I want to focus on the rich blessings that God has poured upon me. When I focus on the blessings of my life, I am filled with joy, gratitude, and hope. Why would anyone chose to focus on anything else?

1. My husband - we will be married 10 years this year, and he is still my best friend. He makes me laugh, and he reminds me that it is ok to have fun. In fact, he shows me that God designed us to laugh and enjoy the beauty of life. He supports me, comforts me, and has enabled me to be the person that I am. He has given me a glimpse of what unconditional love should be - he has helped me feel the love of God.
2. My kids - they are the light of my life. They make me smile daily. Being a mother is the most challenging job I could ever have, but nothing in my life gives me the satisfaction that I get when my kids hug me and kiss me and tell me they love me. I am so proud of them, and I am so blessed and thankful that they are healthy, beautiful, wonderful kids.
3. My family - my mom and dad are the best. Of course they are not perfect, but they are beautiful, loving people. They loved me enough to give me the courage to try new things and be the best that I could be. They love me so much, and they have sacrificed to give me opportunities that they never dreamed of having. They have always believed in me, even when I did not believe in myself. They enabled me to have all that I have. My in laws also rock - my mother in law keeps my kids when I work. I never have to worry about the care that they are getting. I know that she loves them as much as me. My father in law adores my kids and is so good to us. My extended family - aunts and cousins, inlaws, etc. adore my kids and show generosity to my family that cannot be measured.
4. My friends - God has richly blessed me with friends all over the world. I have friends from high school that have loved me through many stages. I have Salem sisters that love and support me and are heart sick when I suffer. I have my legal gal pals and my guy friends from law school that understand the many challenges that lawyers face in our profession. My church is full of wonderful Christians that are willing to love me, despite my many, many shortcomings. I have friends at work that bring joy to my day. I have a spiritual mentor that listens to my ponderings and never judges me. I have friends that love my family and my kids as their own. I cannot begin to describe how rich my life is with friends.
5. My job - I prayed for years for a position that would allow me to support my family financially while giving me some flexibility to be with my kids. I have found that position, and I have been blessed with an outstanding, ethical boss.
6. My church - the Refinery, and now Main Street, have been powerful influences in my life. I've met so many people that are struggling to be the followers of Christ that I long to be. My church is filled with people that want to change the world and bring restoration to the brokenness of this world. These people seek to do this for unselfish reasons, and they seek to do this through serving others. I admire so many of these people and look forward to learning more from them in the future.
7. A big, big world - I am so thankful that God designed such a beautiful world full of mysteries to be explored. Nothing makes me happier than reading a new book, discovering a new piece of art, learning something new, or enjoying music that helps me feel a specific emotion. I love to travel and see the way that others live, and I love to explore nature - I can find God in the smallest tidal pool or on the top of the highest mountain. I am so thankful that God designed a beautiful big world that is full of things to learn and to explore. I hope that I never take this forgranted.
8. I am thankful for my faith. I am thankful for the hope that I have in Christ. I am thankful for a God that gave me free will to seek him. I am thankful for a God that allows me to work out my faith. I am thankful that God gives me the privilege of serving him by serving others, and that I can be a small part of his purpose for the world. I am thankful to live in a country and be surrounded by people that allow me to ask the difficult questions.

I wish you all a blessed 2008. I hope that 2008 will be a time of joy - a time that you and I can focus on the many blessings that have been poured upon us.

2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl - WFU wins!

2007-12-29T20:50:00.000-05:00

Winter Fun

2007-12-15T16:38:00.001-05:00

Easier Said Than Done

2007-12-10T16:28:00.000-05:00

I hesitate to even post this blog for fear that anyone that reads it will worry that I am having a crisis of faith. Let me begin by saying, I am not! However, I feel very sad and reflective today.

While I was in the hall at work, a small child, that may have been Maria's age, was wheeled by on a bed. The child had numerous tubes inserted and appeared to be resting. At that moment, I felt completely overcome with emotion. As I looked at that child in bed, I realized that it is only by the grace of God that one of my children is not in that bed.

As most of you know, I've had terrifying experiences with both of my kids. When I was only 24 weeks pregnant with Jacob, I had a placental abruption. I was told that he would not live if he was born, and was placed on bed rest for 12 weeks. During that time on bed rest, Jacob's well being was constantly monitored and every contraction or change in my health was cause for concern. Then, this November, Maria had a febrile seizure and stopped breathing. Although her condition was not life threatening, I thought my daughter had died in my arms, and all that I could do was watch as her lips turned blue and she lay limp in my arms.

As I reflect on these two events, I feel powerless. I HATE knowing that no matter how hard I try, I cannot control some things in life. I can't control whether my kids are healthy, and I can't control whether they live or die. Of course decisions that I make can help keep them safe, but in the end, their life and well being is not within my control.

When I am overwhelmed with these feelings, I often pray. I pray that God will keep my kids safe and healthy. However, I don't know how I feel about prayer and what its impact actually is in my life. For every prayer that I have prayed that has been answered the way that I want it to be (my son was born and is now healthy, my daughter has recovered), there is a parent somewhere in the world that has prayed just as desperately for their child to be healthy or to live and that prayer has not been answered the way that parent desires. Beyond the obvious reasons that this disturbs me (such as I don't understand why God answers some prayers the way we want and not others), I am disturbed most because it makes me realize that I am not in control. In my past, I have often prayed desperately for God to heal my kids or to take care of them. I pray these prayers because I want a very specific answer and outcome. I, in essence, want control. I think, "if I pray for the outcome that I want and if I have enough faith, I will get what I want." God is teaching me that this is not always the case.

I want to reiterate that I am not having a crisis of faith. I still believe that Jesus is my savior, and I still believe in prayer. However, my view of God is changing. Years ago, I viewed God as sitting in judgment, waiting to punish me for each mistake. I viewed problems in my life as punishment for past sins. As I grew in my faith, I began to see God as loving and full of grace. However, God became my "genie in a bottle" because I believed that God would grant my wishes and pour blessings upon me because he loved me so much. When some prayers were not answered, I believed that it must be my lack of faith. Thus, I believed that if I prayed enough, and believed enough, my prayers would be answered. Now, I don't know what I believe about God. I am in a stage of awe and wonder. I still believe God is just. I also still believe that God loves me unconditionally and that God is full of grace. However, I do not even pretend to understand the vast mysteries of God. I have no idea why God allows life to unfold as it is currently unfolding. I do not understand why some people suffer so much. I do not understand why some prayers seem to be answered and others do not.

Perhaps this is a natural progression in my relationship with God. Just as people are not one dimensional, neither is God. I've experienced God as a God of justice, grace, and love. Now I am experiencing the infinitely mysterious aspect of God. Deuteronomy 29:29 says:
"The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law." (NIV)
or
"GOD, our God, will take care of the hidden things but the revealed things are our business. It's up to us and our children to attend to all the terms in this Revelation. " (The Message)

God is teaching me a lesson, but I don't know if I am ready to learn yet. God is trying to show me that I need to worry about what is revealed to me, and I need to let God be God. I guess some things are easier said than done.

The Reason for the Season

2007-12-08T16:24:00.000-05:00

We took the kids to a live nativity a few nights ago. They LOVED it. They were able to feed a donkey. They also loved seeing a live baby Jesus. Since that night, they have each carried around baby dolls. The doll is "baby Jesus." Last night they pulled out a Pooh bear that plays the Happy Birthday song and they had a birthday party for Jesus. We also adopted a foster child this year for Christmas. I wanted the kids to learn that not all kids are as fortunate as them. The kids had a blast shopping for the little girl. She is four years old and she wanted dolls, a jump rope and a cash register. I took pictures of the kids with the presents for the little girl. Now when we go shopping the kids ask if we are buying toys for little boys and girls that need them.

Visit with Santa!

2007-12-08T12:48:00.000-05:00

Santa came to work today! The kids were so excited. They reminded me of Will Ferrell in the movie Elf - while other kids were sitting on Santa's lap, my kids were jumping up and down in line and yelling "SANTA" at the top of their lungs. They wanted to sit on Santa's lap alone. They were very thoughtful about what they would request.

Thanks for our Train Judy

2007-12-08T12:41:00.000-05:00

The kids have a new Christmas train! It makes smoke and plays Christmas songs. It can go forward and in reverse. They love it! Thank you Judy!!!!!!!!

Parade

2007-12-08T12:23:00.001-05:00

Our church was in the parade. Jacob enjoyed it. He kept yelling "Santa" and could not wait to see Santa and his reindeer. When Jacob saw the ambulance he said, "Maria got to ride in an ambulance."

Old Salem Candle Tea

2007-12-08T11:59:00.000-05:00

When I was at Salem, I was introduced to one of my favorite Christmas traditions - the Moravian Candle Tea. When we started the Refinery, our first women's outing was to the Candle Tea. A trip to the Candle Tea has been a tradition each year since then.

I love the Candle Tea for so many reasons. Although standing in line in the cold does not sound exciting to many people, I love the fellowship that I am able to have with friends.

My favorite part of the Candle Tea is slowing down and feeling as if I am stepping back in time. Each year, I am reminded that Moravians had the foresight to believe in educating women. The Moravians started Salem Academy and College - one of the first institutions in the nation dedicated to educating women. I am reminded each year at the Candle Tea how proud I am to have been educated at a place that believes in the ability of women to change the world.

I also love sitting in a room and singing Christmas songs to the organ. For the short time that we sing, I feel connected to the generations before me that also sat in a similar room and sang by candle light.

I also love the smell of the bees wax candles. I've decided that if I were a Moravian responsible for making the candles, I would love to pull the candles from the mold.

Perhaps the best part of the Candle Tea is the time in the kitchen when we are served coffee and sugarcake. The coffee is specially brewed twice to give it a unique flavor. This takes me back to the time when I sat in Salem Square, sharing sugar cake with my friend Kacee during scholarship weekend. I knew then that Salem was a special place.

Then you go to the putz. This is a miniature reproduction of the town of Salem at the turn of the nineteenth century. The model is built to scale and is absolutely amazing. Each year something new is added.

The most meaningful part of the Candle Tea is saved for the end. In a small room, there is a Nativity scene. Someone reads the Christmas story from Luke. It was so nice to have time to sit quietly and reflect on the birth of our Lord.

We always finish the night with dinner!

Animal Rights

2007-12-07T15:33:00.000-05:00

A good friend from college wrote this. She is in Eastern NC, but this appplies to all NC residents!

Educate yourself about your passions; try to make a difference

By STACEY MANNING, Managing editor

The small video image flickered in front of me. I didn’t want to click the play button. I didn’t want to watch. I didn’t want to see what I knew was going to play out in front of me, but I had to.

To write about something I feel so passionately about, I had to watch.

To write about something that makes my heart break, my stomach turn and tears well in my eyes, I had to watch.
I clicked play and watched.

On the screen in front of me, my heart ached as I watched a video, recorded sometime in the 1990s, of animals being euthanized in a gas chamber at a North Carolina animal control facility.

I watched workers pick up dogs of all sizes, colors and breeds. Not one of them was vicious. Not one was muzzled. Not one growled or barked. Not one was mean.

The animals were loaded, one at a time on top of one another, into a cramped space. The top was closed, the hose connected and the carbon monoxide valve turned on.

As the animals squealed and cried, they barked and clawed trying to get away from the poisonous gas that poured into their chamber. Sealed in, they had nowhere to go.

My heart sank further; my hands covered my mouth. My stomach flipped. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. I wanted to be mad at the world.

Above all, I was sick.

I was sick for the animals whose only crimes were being born unwanted.

I was sick for the men and women who have jobs that give them the heartbreaking chore to do that. How difficult that must be for each of them.

I was sick thinking of careless human owners who give little regard to what happens when animals aren’t spayed or neutered.

I was sick mostly because I know something similar happens right here in Brunswick County.

Throughout North Carolina, according to the North Carolina Coalition for Humane Enthunasia (NCCHE), more than 30 animal shelters still use gas chambers as a way to kill unwanted, sick and aggressive shelter animal.

Brunswick County Animal Control is among those.

What they do is perfectly legal and currently accepted by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture.

But just because it’s legal, it doesn’t make it right.

Currently, the state agriculture department is accepting public comments about rules that govern animal control facilities in North Carolina. This is a time for Brunswick Countians to speak up about what they think should be done right here and throughout the state.

As it is proposed, the state’s rules would currently continue to allow animal facilities to gas animals until 2012. However, NCCHE is calling for that to be changed immediately.

The group is requesting all gas chambers be put out of use now. It argues the method is inhumane and requests rules be changed to say that euthanasia by injection should be the only method allowed in the state’s animal facilities.

Injections, the group claims, are currently used in all veterinarian offices and are the only euthanasia methods approved by every national humane organization in the United States. The American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Humane Society of the United States recommend injections of sodium pentobarbital as the preferred method of euthanasia.

And, the group goes on to point out, the cost of lethal injections is comparable to expenses related to using inhalant gases like carbon monoxide.

Why should you, as a Brunswick County resident care? Your tax dollars fund the animal control facility here, and your money is being used to pay for animal gassing. Your hard-earned dollars are being used to kill animals slowly. They don’t just lie down and go to sleep. Animals cry, scratch and howl while they’re dying. Animals urinate, vomit, convulse and defecate their way to death.

Is this something you want to pay for?

You can make a difference and it doesn’t take a lot of effort. Let the Board of Agriculture know you want gas chambers eradicated right now.

You can send letters directly to David S. McLeod, secretary, N.C. Board of Agriculture, 1001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1001.

NCCHE has a form letter you can download directly from its Web site at http://www.ncche.com. Click on “Sample Letter to NCDA”; print it out, sign it and drop it in the mail. It’s that easy.

Or contact me via e-mail and I’ll send you a copy of the letter.

Don’t delay. The letters must be received by Dec. 31.

Now is the time to tell North Carolina we’ve had enough.

Before church

2007-12-06T17:52:00.000-05:00

Nemo On Ice and a Chance to be Generous!

2007-12-01T15:07:00.001-05:00

We traveled to Gboro today to see Disney's Nemo on Ice. After M's seizure at the Doodlebops, Disney was generous enough to offer us tickets to Nemo on Ice since we missed the entire Doodlebops show.

When we arrived, we saw my friends, John, Jane & their kids. When we picked up our tickets we realized that we were all sitting together! To make matters even better, I received 8 tickets instead of 4. When we realized that we had extra tickets, we saw a large family waiting to buy tickets. I walked up and said, "Are you buying tickets?" The mother said, "Yes." I told her that I had 4 tickets. She asked how much they would cost and I said, "These tickets are free." She looked at me in disbelief and said, "Free?" I said, "Merry Christmas" and left. It was great to make someone's day.

We found our seats and the kids LOVED the show. They were a little restless during the second half but they really enjoyed it. I took a few pictures but it was very dark. At least you can get the idea.

my cuties

2007-12-01T09:50:00.001-05:00

Fall Pictures

2007-11-28T17:42:00.000-05:00

Holidays are here!

2007-11-28T16:33:00.001-05:00

I LOVE Christmas. I wanted to include some pictures of our kids decorating the tree. It was stressful, and all of the ornaments ended up in the same place, but they had so much fun! Jacob loved putting the star on the tree. Jacob also asked a lot of questions like why we put a star on the tree and about putting angels on the tree. It was a great opportunity to talk about Jesus' birth and the Christmas story!

Just before the Doodlebops

2007-11-28T16:28:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures of the kids before Maria's seizure. In one picture you can see that Mike is trying to get the kids started early on video games!

Maria's unique style

2007-11-28T16:24:00.001-05:00

Maria loves cloths and she has her own style. She loves dresses and braids in her hair.

First WFU Basketball Game!

2007-11-28T16:19:00.001-05:00

Before Maria got sick, we took the kids to their first WFU basketball game. They honored Skip Prosser at the game too. The kids were really good and loved it!

Things I love (or Things I am thankful for)

2007-11-27T10:17:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving always makes me reflect on the many blessings in my life. This year was a time of reflection because of Maria's sickness. I realize now that Maria was not near death, but when she had her seizure, I thought that she had died. This event has made me so thankful for every small thing that my kids do. This has also made me realize that a great pleasure in life is enjoying the little every day things.

I am so thankful for so many things. Of course I am thankful for general things like my health, healthy kids, my husband, my family, my church, my great friends, etc. But I am also thankful for many small things. A few things that I love / am thankful for:

1. The public library. A favorite trip for our family is to the library. Maria loves the puzzles and Jacob loves to find new books. The kids often find books that they have read at school and they find books that we have at home. I love discovering a new book or new author that they love. Kids are such creatures of habit and routine, so it is fun to have a library full of books that we can check out without any commitment. I always loved the library as a kid - I could spend hours analyzing the books and trying to decide which books I wanted to read. I would go every week and check out the maximum number of books allowed. Even now, I love to walk through the shelves and make lists of the books that I plan to read.

2. Christmas. I LOVE Christmas. I try to make the holiday last as long as possible. I was ready to put up our tree the day after Halloween, but Mike did not agree. I love the glow of the white lights on our tree. I especially love our ornaments. Our tree is not a Martha Stewart tree. Instead, it is a tree filled with ornaments that are full of meaning. We have ornaments that I had as a child, ornaments that the kids have made, ornaments that we have collected while traveling, and ornaments that were given to us as gifts from dear friends. I love to pull out the ornaments and remember friends, fun times, and bits of my childhood. I also love the Christmas season. I love the spirit of giving and the Christmas songs. I love Santa Claus - I love the magic of Christmas - it takes me back to a time when I would anxiously look out the window hoping to steal a glimpse of Santa or a reindeer. The magic of the Christmas story and Jesus birth, along with the magic of the traditional stories (of Santa and his generosity, of Frosty and Christmas snow), fill my heart with warmth and hope.

3. I love the innocence of childhood. I want to begin to teach my kids that not all people are as blessed as we are. One way that I am trying to do this is by adopting a foster child. I invited Jacob to go shopping for presents for a foster child with me. Jacob responded that he did not want to buy presents for someone else because he wanted to buy toys for himself. I explained that this little girl may not get any toys for Christmas unless our family helps her because her family may not have enough money. Jacob looked at me and said, "Why doesn't Santa bring her presents?" I explained that Santa may bring her one present, but that I am sure that her family would like to be able to give her a gift too. So if we buy a gift for her, we will be giving a gift to her foster parents (because they can experience the joy of giving to their foster child) and we will be able to help the girl because she will get more than one gift.

4. I love to laugh. My husband is a practical joker. He loves to hide spiders in my closet or jump out and scare me. He loves to laugh. My kids also love to laugh. They love to be tickled and play rough and tumble games.

5. Imagination. I was an only child, so I spent many lonely days wishing for playmates. To fill my time, I developed a very active imagination. In my imagination, I had a large family, a twin sister, many friends, and I could travel all over the world, or even the universe. I love to watch my kids use their imagination now. Jacob loves to use household items as props to dress up. He will use a stick for the tin man's ax, and he has used a pink pompom for Captain Hook's hair. I love to watch Maria pretend to go to the beach. She will put Dora the Explorer in the back seat of a van while her "mommy" (a dinosaur) drives.

6. I love the journey. At one time I was so preoccupied with the destination and end result that I failed to enjoy the trip along the way. For example, I so desperately wanted to grow up that I complained away many childhood days. Or I am sometimes so anxious to get to work that I fail to notice the beauty of my drive. This was brought to my attention when my friend Gretchen visited. She rode with me to work one day, and she said, "Your drive to work is beautiful!" I had not noticed. She compared it to her drive to work which is over bumpy roads with potholes and angry drivers. It made me realize that I am often so determined to get to work quickly that I fail to notice the beauty of my drive. Another example of this is when my kids play "going to the beach". They spend huge amounts of time gathering their toys, packing their bags and deciding who gets to drive. They generally never make it to their destination; instead, they have fun in the preparation.

7. I love to ponder deep questions. I love to think about the meaning of life. I love to consider what the Bible actually means to me. I especially love to discuss these questions over a good cup of coffee or chai with a fellow friend who is not afraid to explore the more difficult questions in life. I love finding others who are not afraid to drink from the deep waters ……

I also love reading to the kids!

Febrile Seizure Information

2007-11-26T13:59:00.001-05:00

Febrile Seizures Fact Sheet
What are febrile seizures?
Febrile seizures are convulsions brought on by a fever in infants or small children. During a febrile seizure, a child often loses consciousness and shakes, moving limbs on both sides of the body. Less commonly, the child becomes rigid or has twitches in only a portion of the body, such as an arm or a leg, or on the right or the left side only. Most febrile seizures last a minute or two, although some can be as brief as a few seconds while others last for more than 15 minutes.
The majority of children with febrile seizures have rectal temperatures greater than 102 degrees F. Most febrile seizures occur during the first day of a child's fever. Children prone to febrile seizures are not considered to have epilepsy, since epilepsy is characterized by recurrent seizures that are not triggered by fever.
How common are febrile seizures?
Approximately one in every 25 children will have at least one febrile seizure, and more than one-third of these children will have additional febrile seizures before they outgrow the tendency to have them. Febrile seizures usually occur in children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years and are particularly common in toddlers. Children rarely develop their first febrile seizure before the age of 6 months or after 3 years of age. The older a child is when the first febrile seizure occurs, the less likely that child is to have more.
What makes a child prone to recurrent febrile seizures?
A few factors appear to boost a child's risk of having recurrent febrile seizures, including young age (less than 15 months) during the first seizure, frequent fevers, and having immediate family members with a history of febrile seizures. If the seizure occurs soon after a fever has begun or when the temperature is relatively low, the risk of recurrence is higher. A long initial febrile seizure does not substantially boost the risk of recurrent febrile seizures, either brief or long.
Are febrile seizures harmful?
Although they can be frightening to parents, the vast majority of febrile seizures are harmless. During a seizure, there is a small chance that the child may be injured by falling or may choke from food or saliva in the mouth. Using proper first aid for seizures can help avoid these hazards.
There is no evidence that febrile seizures cause brain damage. Large studies have found that children with febrile seizures have normal school achievement and perform as well on intellectual tests as their siblings who don't have seizures. Even in the rare instances of very prolonged seizures (more than 1 hour), most children recover completely.
Between 95 and 98 percent of children who have experienced febrile seizures do not go on to develop epilepsy. However, although the absolute risk remains very small, certain children who have febrile seizures face an increased risk of developing epilepsy. These children include those who have febrile seizures that are lengthy, that affect only part of the body, or that recur within 24 hours, and children with cerebral palsy, delayed development, or other neurological abnormalities. Among children who don't have any of these risk factors, only one in 100 develops epilepsy after a febrile seizure.
What should be done for a child having a febrile seizure?
Parents and caregivers should stay calm and carefully observe the child. To prevent accidental injury, the child should be placed on a protected surface such as the floor or ground. The child should not be held or restrained during a convulsion. To prevent choking, the child should be placed on his or her side or stomach. When possible, the parent should gently remove all objects in the child's mouth. The parent should never place anything in the child's mouth during a convulsion. Objects placed in the mouth can be broken and obstruct the child's airway. If the seizure lasts longer than 10 minutes, the child should be taken immediately to the nearest medical facility. Once the seizure has ended, the child should be taken to his or her doctor to check for the source of the fever. This is especially urgent if the child shows symptoms of stiff neck, extreme lethargy, or abundant vomiting.
How are febrile seizures diagnosed and treated?
Before diagnosing febrile seizures in infants and children, doctors sometimes perform tests to be sure that seizures are not caused by something other than simply the fever itself. For example, if a doctor suspects the child has meningitis (an infection of the membranes surrounding the brain), a spinal tap may be needed to check for signs of the infection in the cerebrospinal fluid (fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord). If there has been severe diarrhea or vomiting, dehydration could be responsible for seizures. Also, doctors often perform other tests such as examining the blood and urine to pinpoint the cause of the child's fever.
A child who has a febrile seizure usually doesn't need to be hospitalized. If the seizure is prolonged or is accompanied by a serious infection, or if the source of the infection cannot be determined, a doctor may recommend that the child be hospitalized for observation.
How are febrile seizures prevented?
If a child has a fever most parents will use fever-lowering drugs such as acetominophen or ibuprofen to make the child more comfortable, although there are no studies that prove that this will reduce the risk of a seizure. One preventive measure would be to try to reduce the number of febrile illnesses, although this is often not a practical possibility.
Prolonged daily use of oral anticonvulsants, such as phenobarbital or valproate, to prevent febrile seizures is usually not recommended because of their potential for side effects and questionable effectiveness for preventing such seizures.
Children especially prone to febrile seizures may be treated with the drug diazepam orally or rectally, whenever they have a fever. The majority of children with febrile seizures do not need to be treated with medication, but in some cases a doctor may decide that medicine given only while the child has a fever may be the best alternative. This medication may lower the risk of having another febrile seizure. It is usually well tolerated, although it occasionally can cause drowsiness, a lack of coordination, or hyperactivity. Children vary widely in their susceptibility to such side effects.

Still sick

2007-11-26T09:52:00.000-05:00

We had to take Maria back to the emergency room on Saturday night. On Friday at 5:15 when she awoke from her nap, she had a fever. Of course I discovered this just after the doctor's office had closed for the weekend. She kept a fever friday night and Saturday. The fever was as high as 103 (she had a seizure when it reached 103 before). I called the nurse on call and she called the doctor on call. He was concerned because the strong antibiotics should have cured the pneumonia and he wanted more tests so he told me to take Maria back to the emergency dept. I took Maria on Saturday night. She did not want to go to the doctor and she told me and the nurse, "I do not want a booda booda". This is what she calls a catheter. The doctors ran more tests and determined that it is a virus. They said that the xray of her lungs looks a lot better so the pneumonia is not an issue now.

I am relieved that it was not something serious, but it is also so frustrating. This is our 3rd trip to the emergency room in 2 weeks and Maria is still sick. On the discharge instructions that they gave me, it said that I should bring Maria back if she has a fever above 102 for more than 3 days. She's had a fever for a few weeks, and at times her fever has gotten up to 105.

On a lighter note, Maria kept the Emergency Dept staff entertained. Two doctors and a few nurses came into her room just to talk to Maria. They said that they loved to hear her talk and could not beleive that she was only 2 becuase she can talk so well.

Maria seems to be doing ok this morning. Please pray that she will recover.

Febrile Seizure & Pneumonia

2007-11-15T10:57:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, Mike and I were taking the kids to see the Doodlebops (a disney show) in Greensboro. We got there early. Mike took Jacob to the bathroom and I noticed that Maria's head felt hot. Then, she took a raspy breath, her eyes rolled back in her head and she stopped breathing. Her lips began to turn blue and I could not get her to wake up. Of course I paniced, screamed for help, for someone to do cpr, etc. No one knew CPR, and the two folks that worked at the coliseum were as paniced as me. When I realized they could not help, I ran into the hall screaming for help. Mike ran up and blew into maria's mouth and she began to open her eyes. The EMS folks at the coliseum arrived at about that time. Then they checked maria out and gave her oxygen. They called the ambulance and they took us to moses cone. When we got there, we found out maria's temp was over 103. They did chest x-rays and other tests and determined she had a virus and had a febrile seizure. We brought her home with instructions to give her tylenol and motrin. We did that round the clock and then Sunday night her fever went back up to 103. She was coughing and feeling terrible. Her fever broke around 2 am. Monday morning at her dr, they told me that it seems like it is just a virus and that febrile seizures are fairly common in young kids. The doctor told me that his daughter also had a seizure at 2 years old. His wife was also alone with his daughter and he said it took a while for his wife to get over it.

I now know that I do not respond well under such circumstances - I became hysterical because I literally thought she had died in my arms. I am so thankful that she is ok. I am also so thankful that we were at the coliseum where the EMS folks could give us immediate assistance.

Since then, Maria has kept a fever despite giving her tylenol and motrin. On Tuesday night her fever went to 105 so we took her to the Emergency Dept at Baptist. The Emergency Dept visits are so hard because of all the tests they have to do (Maria screams and cries). However, the nurses and doctors were wonderful. They diagnosed her with pneumonia and put her on antibiotics. The fever is finally down, so I hope that she is on the road to recovery.

New Adventures - Boot, Carnival, Goats, & Cows

2007-11-10T09:51:00.000-05:00

Below are a few pictures. There is a picture of me and my friend (and cousin's wife) Kerrie at their new house. There are pictures of the cows, goats and the kids at Aunt Betty's. The kids LOVE to feed the goats acorns and feed the cows apples and pears. Maria, who loves to climb, was caught climbing the fence. There are also pictures of Hanging Rock.

In one picture, Jacob has his foot on a stool and has a boot on. My dad and mom have each had numerous foot problems lately. They have been wearing a boot. I came home from work one day and Jacob had on one running shoe and a boot. He told me that he "hurt his foot at work" and so he was wearing a boot like Papa.

We also took the kids to a carnival in town. They had a blast!

Halloween

2007-10-31T20:27:00.001-05:00

2007-10-31T20:25:00.001-05:00

Friends

2007-10-25T13:23:00.000-05:00

JT & Anne took me to lunch for my birthday.

My quote of the day

2007-10-23T09:42:00.000-05:00

"It is in fact a part of the function of education to help us escape,
not from our own time -- for we are bound by that -- but from the
intellectual and emotional limitations of our time."

--T.S. Eliot