California Dreaming

Just a lil update

2009-02-28T20:03:00.004-06:00

I know you think I've fallen off the face of the earth. nah. just real busy. Here's my last month or so in a nutshell:

a quiz and 2 tests in A&P 1. Still pulling a 100 average. Whoohoo. My cousin Elizabeth ( a nurse ) says enjoy it while I can. That there will come a day when I will pray for a passing grade.

We bought a house. Forecloseure in Springville, 4 bedrooms, 1 bath; hardwood floors and crown moulding throughout. The house came to us for a song--quite literally. I am almost embarrassed at the thought of telling you how cheap it really was. You wouldn't believe me anyway. Let's just say it was CHEE-EAP.

We close on the house 3/13. Uh, Friday the 13th. I'm not superstitious. Only a little stitious.

We are ready to get settled in Springville and get going with this whole church plant thing.

I am very sad about leaving my little trailer in Odenville. Crissy told me we've lived there almost as long as they did. Oh dear...I know am going to cry when we move for real. Thank God we are only moving 8 miles away.

The house needs some work that my dad plans to help with: the kitchen is completely stripped and we have a laundry room to convert into a bathroom. We have a lot to do during spring break.

I need to catch up on LOST and the Office. Love me some LOST and Office drama.

I want to read Twilight again. And I need to let Karen borrow it too. Ugh, JoAnna, I need my book back! :o)

The church celebrated its 25th birthday with a huge 3-day party. It was a blast. And Kim and I got to sing again--so much fun!

We went to eat at the Cunningham's last weekend. It is so funny that I first met Karen at SEBC--she was my admissions' rep. Now we are in the same life stage and live only a couple miles apart.

My brother had a wreck last weekend on the way to work. I was so scared when I first read the text from my sister; something like: "Phil's been in a wreck. We are at UAB ER now. He is ok, but smashed face" Oh dear. He went off the road and overcorrected, losing control of the truck, and drove up on a bank and flipped the truck. Broke his nose and smashed his face, but he really was ok. Just looked awful. Thank God.

Did something I've never done before--sang karaoke with my brother (the same brother)Thursday night. Wow, that was fun. We sang "Bring me to life" by Evanescence, and then I sang "Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson. As a karaoke connossieur (sp?), he said I did well and made him proud.

Memorizing bones is hard work. You think there are only 206 bones in the human body and everything's good right? uh, no. Every bone has an average of 10 places on it, and each one has its own name. And the skull alone has dozens of microscopic holes, depressions, and extensions....I think there were probably about 50 different things to name on the skull alone.

But I love to learn! It is a fun class and I am looking forward to more. Except for math.

I went yesterday to see my cousin's newborn twins (cousin mentioned above). Matthew and Isabella. They are sweet babies. I am happy for her, she's waited 12 years to have children.

Ugh. Hadn't checked email and FB in over a week. 143 emails. Mostly trash, but a couple of important ones. My friend Alison from CA is coming to visit at some point, but between my busyness and hers, we may have to put it off til May. That's ok, I really want her to come after we've gotten the new house ready.

I will post pics of the house as soon as I can. I am so not good with a camera. I am one of those people who doesn't like to take pics at an event because I find it bothersome and it takes away from the enjoyment of the event. Strange, I know.

Hung out with my sister today too. She is missing her husband, who is in the Marines and in school right now in North Carolina. pray for her when you think about it. She and I went to judge a music festival this morning, then had Chick fil A. Good times.

Sat and ate pizza and watched Shrek 1 with my kids last night. We haven't done that in I don't know how long, and it was fun.

Oh well, guess I better get up and get the kids ready for bed/church tomorrow. I have nursery.
'night.

lil lazy today

2009-01-24T14:17:00.002-06:00

Ok, got off facebook so I could get up and get something done. But it's just not happening yet.

Ok, Frank and I officially rock in Human Anatomy and Physiology I. It is going great!--made 25/25 on the first quiz, and 17/15 on the second quiz. oh yeah baby, got us some bonus points! Exam on Thursday? hah! bring it on!!
Well, seriously, we did do some major studying over the weekend. But, I am feeling a tad better about taking the class and getting into nursing school. Thank you God. And I have to say it is kind of fun to study with the same person you've gone to school with since the 3rd grade.

Steven is sick again. Bless his heart, it's always going to be him. I know it has nothing to do with that flu shot he got last Friday, along with the combo of MMR and chicken pox shots. I know they (you know, that infinite and nebulous crowd of people whose opinions matter, and whom you always refer to when trying to make a point) say that the flu shot doesn't make you sick.
And they will probably tell me that in nursing school, too. But why is it that I'm always running into people who started feeling icky after the flu shot? Some full-blown icky, and others only a little. Also, I picked up the vaccine info folder in the dr's office while we were waiting, and read that the flu shot can make you feel icky. And there you have it, folks. Straight from the horse's mouth. I'm just sayin'.

I heard from four California friends in the past couple of weeks. That makes me very happy. Jackie called, Deannah and Emily emailed, and Heather sent me a message on facebook. And they were all substantial, fun talks--not just "hey, how are you?". thank you friends! I miss you and love you too. Deannah just started a blog, "Pretty Much Fabulous", and I've posted the link to the left. Check it out....she's pretty fun, if I do say so myself.

The talent show is coming up. They want me and Kim to pull together the Wicked song we did last year. Sort of "the best of the best show". It should be fun. (Note to self: call Kim and make sure that's ok with her. Kim, if you're reading this, please call or fb me and let me know if that works for you.)

I am wrestling with the thought of giving up teaching after this semester. So many different directions to go. I really am ok with giving up teaching. I enjoy it very much, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to parent when I work M-F in the afternoons and evenings. We are making it work with the homeschool and everything, but I'm about ready to be done with the stress and the no room to give. You know, like a tight pair of pants with no give? that's the way our lives are right now. And ultimately my husband and children are far higher on the priority list than my students. (although you know I love you all very much!) I feel like I'm not able to do anything very well, b/c I'm doing too much of everything. Right now the plan is, if we get into nursing school, we will put the boys into public school. Which I am totally ok with. I am NOT diehard homeschool. It was just the best option for us since I was teaching at night.

But you know the thing that makes me the saddest about not teaching anymore? It's not the teaching, really. It's the relationships that I've made. Yeah, funny isn't it? I started thinking and praying about it, and realized that I would miss the friendships I've made more than the actual teaching, lol. Which actually makes me feel much better about giving it up; because I know God is continually bringing people in and out of our lives to help us grow. It's just part of life that things change. I learned that first-hand from living in California and leaving the friends I made there. But, I also learned that you really don't lose them, thank goodness. We always have the internet, phones, airplanes, etc. So it really will be ok. And I have to say, I am not getting the teacher burnout that I usually start to get about now--because I know that I should enjoy it while I can. So I think I will.

I've been asked if I will keep on a few students. I don't know if I will or not. I would really like for Rachel to come home next year; take a break from school, and teach for awhile. Because I think she would make a fabulous teacher. And then she could take my students. (hint hint. *grin*) But we'll see. God may be leading her other directions as well. I do know that if I get too busy with school and work--I plan to take a job at the hospital so I can get $$ help with nursing school--teaching will be the first thing to go. My family is too important to sacrifice. Frankie asked me just the other day why he didn't get to see me as much as he wanted. Sorry to admit he had a point...I'm on the go so much that I don't spend as much time with the boys as I need to. So that will change come the beginning of May, when teaching is over. The boys have already been asking me about Spring Valley Beach, and I am excited about having the summer with them to play and have fun before they start at Odenville in the fall.

So, yeah, just a lazy Saturday. Thanks for sharing part of it with me. ttyl.

Wade in the water

2009-01-10T20:57:00.002-06:00

Both literally and figuratively.

A little bummed the rain came back. ugh. I guess I should be glad we're not in drought mode anymore. Out in California they are enjoying the lovely Santa Ana winds. If I were there, my hair would look real good about now.

Also, can I just say, my feelings are a tad hurt that gas has gone back up 30 cents? I know I should be thinking, well at least it's still in the $1.60's. But..I guess my underlying fear is what if it creeps all the way back up to the $4's?

Wading in the water figuratively too...getting my feet wet....with a little class at Jeff State called Human Anatomy and Physiology 1, aka, Biology 201. hmmmm....you ask why? well, to see if I want to get into the nursing program. Long story short, a bunch of what ifs got answered, and so now getting my feet wet is a good idea. If I (that is, we--Frank is taking the class too), do well, then we should be on track to apply for nursing school next spring.

So, madly trying to memorize medical/latin prefix/vocab words for Tuesday's quiz--which, surprisingly enough, are easier than I thought. About half of them actually make sense, such as, aqua--water, calor--heat, cardi--heart, etc. Had our first class and lab on Thursday, and it was actually kinda fun. Anatomy seems to be more interesting than regular old h/s biology. I guess I wasn't really into all the plants and stuff. The only thing that will be intimidating is the microscope stuff. Identifying specimens under a microscope is scary and intimidating...especially since everything looks the same! Heather is very encouraging though, and says that we'll get it, not to worry. um. yeah. ok.

I'll let you know how we do.

Doing ok with the grief thing. It comes and goes. I'm sure it would be even worse if I'd lost an 'already born' child or my husband. Every day has sad and happy moments. I appreciate my family more and am striving to show them in tangible ways. I am trying to be more patient and caring with the kids--and every day has its struggles, but they are much more precious to me since losing the baby. You never know how long you will be able to savor being with the people you love--enjoy it.
Having a real problem sleeping. The day is fine--staying busy is easy. But I lie down at night to sleep and my mind won't shut off. Rebecca warned me about that. Pray if you think about it. Laura recommended soothing music and promised to bring me some. I will try it.
Still have a hard time seeing a pregnant person or a baby. It's an instant physical reaction, a twisting in my gut; of sadness and grief. Today in Walmart, I walked by the baby section (accidentally) and saw the car seats on display. Immediately I was sad, because we'd planned to get a new car seat because our old one was too old. So, the moments come and go. Every day gets a tiny bit easier, and I can see more measurable progress every week. I'm sure it'll always be a poignant subject for me.
But if you are pregnant or have a small baby, don't be feel bad! I still love you. It's just a sad moment for me.

Went back to work this week. I'd considered taking the week off, but felt up to it when the time came. It was good, but draining. I was glad when Saturday got here!

Got some good study time in for the class today, and it just feels weird to be taking a class 6 years after college. I worry if I've still "got it". we'll see.

Leaving you with a verse that brings comfort to me. "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Heavy Metal and White Russians

2008-12-28T12:10:00.006-06:00

One of my voice students is in a band, and I'd been wanting to go see one of her shows. She has a very pretty voice, kinda like the girl from Evanescence, and her style is hard rock 'n roll. They had a show last night at a bar down on Southside, so I went. Took my brother for moral support, as he is now legal, and Frank had to work. I like to support my students whenever I can...
plus I felt the need to get out.

It was pretty good. It was definitely head-banger music. I hate that the singer is always at a disadvantage with that kind of music--you usually can't make out the words because of the heavy metal sound, with the guitars and drums. And the singer generally has to yell, partly because of the style, and partly just to be heard. Sigh. There's just no way that the human voice can compete with that kind of electronic sound. Luckily, I knew the words to most of the songs because we've been working on them in voice lessons. My brother and I had a discussion about it; he goes to hear a lot of bands and sings karaoke every weekend (yes, he is a great singer and gets lots of requests! :) so...he said the band was very good, which made me proud of my student of course.

While we were there, I decided to try something new to drink. I like fru-fru drinks that generally have a hint of alchohol, and are mostly, well, you know, fru-fru. Like wine coolers and fruity drinks. With that in mind, my bro recommended a White Russian. Don't ask how he knows so much about kinds of drinks. Anyway, Bailey's, Vodka, mixed with milk and ice. Sounds yummy right? I asked him if they would think I was dumb if I asked them to hold the vodka and just double the Bailey's, heehee. (not much of a vodka fan). He said, um. yes. And looked at me like, please don't embarrass me. Oh all right. I was a little worried about the milk thing because I am lactose intolerant, but he told me that he also has a problem with milk, and that the alchohol mixed with the milk seems to take away the intolerant problem. So I decided to try it. It was decent, or so I thought. Then I let Phillip taste it, and he thought it was rather weak. (which was fine with me.) It WAS a little weak, mostly the taste of watery milk with a tiny hint of Bailey's in there somewhere. He declared that they'd completely left the vodka out. oh good. I was there for the music anyhow and wanted to buy one drink to support the venue. Plus, I was planning to drive us back home. Couldn't have afforded another one anyway, as the drinks were 7 bucks apeice, plus tip! Ugh. You can tell I don't buy drinks out very often. Phillip got a
Long Island Iced Tea, which tasted a lot better than mine, but had a lot more alchohol in it too.

Well, I am pleased to say that the White Russian didn't make my stomach hurt. Not immediately that is. Oh dear. Bout 6 o'clock this morning, it hit me. and I got to spend a lot of time in the library with the porcelain furniture...oh well, live and learn, I guess. I think I'll stick with a wine cooler next time. do they even serve those in bars?.....But, it was a lot of fun to hang with my brother, whom I don't see that often. And to see a pretty good heavy-metal show.

getting a little better

2008-12-23T14:23:00.003-06:00

Today has been ok. I keep thinking about getting on facebook and doing the little comment: "Amber is..." but I am too many things...

So, I guess I'll blog instead.

Amber is...

1. Missing the baby kicking.

2. Glad that the baby is with Jesus. I like what Maja says: "that's my perfect child. I don't have to worry about that one."

3. Thankful for all the food. It has been wonderful not to have to worry about cooking at a time like this. Thank you friends!

4. Thankful to have so many friends who care. Who know that although they may not be able to understand, they know how to say I'm sorry and I love you. That is all that matters.

5. Thankful for a loving/caring mother.

6. Happy about the fact that I have my husband and 2 boys. I guess it IS a blessing that I seem to be able to carry to full term w/o too many problems. Dr. Adcock told me that my odds for being another statistic in the future are still slim to none. He is not worried about future pregnancies.

7. Going to wait awhile to have another baby. Although the doc is optimistic, I feel the need to give myself time to recover emotionally. This was different than a first-trimester miscarriage for a number of reasons. The baby was more real to me; I'd been feeling kicks for several weeks, and when we had the ultra sound, it LOOKED like a real baby on the screen. I've had 2 other miscarriages aside from this one, and let me tell you, they were not NEARLY as devastating as this one. And it was even more terrible because it was completely unexpected.

8. Sad they couldn't determine the baby's gender. I chose not to name the baby for that reason. I prayed God to name the baby instead.

9. Not going to take the anti-depressant medication. I'd asked for it, because I know that I suffer from post-partum depression, and I knew this situation might be worse because there was no baby to bring home. But, I feel your prayers. It HAS been difficult; it has not been unbearable. (although a couple days there were questionable.) I took the medication one day, and I swear, the side effects were worse than being sad/depressed. I didn't like the way it made me feel out of control, so I am trusting the Lord to bring me through this without medication.

10. Tired of being fat. Have been instructed to wait 1 week after surgery to resume normal activities due to surgery and extensive blood loss. I have been taking it easy, but am ready to get back to excercising. Which I know will help with depression too.

11. Glad for OBGYN South and Brookwood's Women's Center. All of those folks are great. Dr. A is the best, and the nurses especially ministered to me that day. It helped that they had all obviously read my chart and knew why I was there. Their kindness and compassion really made my hospital visit much more bearable.

12. Contemplating a career change and praying for God's guidance.

13. Reading John Piper's God is the Gospel. Great and encouraging read.

14. Is glad that the terrible headache is gone. I came home from the hospital with the worst headache I've ever had, and thought I was having a reaction to the medication. Instead it was caused by extensive blood loss. Dr told me to take 2 percocet and 1 motrin 800 at the same time!!! um, that definitely helped. Was really afraid that I'd get addicted to the percocet, but so far have not taken it in 2 days and feel fine.

15. Going to try to make it to Christmas Eve Service. Physically and emotionally was not ready for Sunday, but every day is getting a little easier, so we'll see. I miss you all.

16. Enjoying watching re-runs of "The Office" on Netflix. That is one funny show. I think what makes it so funny is that I've worked in offices before, and although the characters are a little exaggerated, they're not that far from the truth! It's been nice to sit with Frank and watch these stupid sit-coms...nice to be able to laugh at the silliness, and know that life still keeps going...

17. Worried about planning the boys' birthday party. Their birthdays are 12/30 and 01/01; Steven wants Pump it UP, and Frankie wants something to do with Star Wars/Clone Wars. Ugh. Just don't know if I have it in me to plan something big. We'll see. Maybe I should put it off a couple weeks into January? hmm...

Happy Anniversary

2008-12-19T21:07:00.000-06:00

Today is our 10th anniversary. Been quite a day--week, actually.

But I wanted to say that I didn't forget, amidst all the other stuff.

To Frank:

Thanks for being there for me, babe, through thick and thin, sickness and health. Thanks for being my rock. I am sorry from one grieving person to another the loss we have suffered this week and the ones in the past. I am glad that we've had each other and that we have the boys. Maybe through God's grace we'll get through this one too, and live to celebrate our 11th, 12th, 20th--well why not? let's just shoot for 50 or 60. Thanks for being my Edward. Who else would get up every 4 hours and make sure I had my meds and some food to take it with in case my stomach was upset? Who else would help me clean up after surgery, ugh? Who else would hold me while we both cry and fall into exhausted sleep? Nobody but you. I love you. Happy Anniversary.

going to the hospital now

2008-12-18T06:30:00.000-06:00

I'd also wanted to post on facebook before we leave, but it is "temporarily unavailable due to site maintenance and will be back on in a few hours." argh. Don't they know that people need to post at 6:30 a.m.? I guess I have nothing to say, since it is a FREE service, haha.

Just wanted to say thank you for your love and prayers. We've gotten so many phone calls, fb postings and emails. We love you too, and we are thankful for the Body. It IS a hard time, but God will bring us through it.

We are leaving for the hospital now. Wow. Had no idea I'd be going to the hospital 4 months early. Dang. It is so hard not to bring a baby back home! why do I have to have meals brought to me now? I wanted them the first week in May! I keep seeing my baby on that screen and wishing/praying that he would have moved, just a little. He was like a perfectly formed doll...head was already headed to the right proportion to the body, with legs and arms curled just so. I like to think that it was a boy, but only the Lord really knows. Dr. Adcock warned me that we probably would not be able to find out gender, even after it's over. Nor will we be able to definitively say exactly how/why he died. I may only find out after this life, and by then, it probably won't matter.

I may never know... Only God does and he has not given it to me to know. I keep trying to trust that he is good and loving and I know that we live in a fallen world. It still sucks though.

To God be the glory.

Sad News

2008-12-16T12:06:00.001-06:00

Just wanted to let you know that we received some sad news today. We went for our ultrasound appt and found that the baby is no longer viable, and has been gone since 16 1/2 weeks, even though my dates say 19 weeks. The doctors are not sure what the problem was, only that it was probably not genetic, but an issue with the umbilical cord being tangled or knotted. Needless to say, we are grieving pretty hard; also, we were not able to tell the gender, which I was personally sad about as well. I go in for surgery Thursday morning. I would appreciate your prayers. Thanks. Love you all.

Return to the Land of the Living

2008-12-14T22:04:00.000-06:00

Ok, I'm back. (Cousin Kevin, this is for you). And for all the people who've posted a link to my blog on their blogs. I kinda owe them, you know? Plus it's just time.

Lot going on. Most of which is: I am NOT SICK ANYMORE, YIPPEEEEEE. Part of my haitus from blogging is that I have been pregnancy sick. but no more--going on 19 weeks now and feeling pretty good. We find out gender on Tuesday 9 a.m. I will post on blog and FB as soon as I can get to a computer and the internet. Just so you know, I am predicting a boy based solely on the heartbeat. No, not because it is a specific rate unto itself, but because it matches the heartrates of my other 2 boys. This one is 156/minute and the other 2 were in the 150's. But I guess we'll know for sure on Tuesday. We already have the names picked out; one or the other, but I'll share after we know. Due date is May 12, but I also predict that I won't make it to that date. My experience with labor is that it gets faster each time. With the first it lasted 8 hours, the 2nd was 4 hours....so....if we stay on the present course, does that mean the next labor will be 2 hours? I would like to think so, except please let me make it to the hospital in time for some pain meds. My kids also come about 10 days early. I never make it to 40 weeks. We'll see.

Been working a lot. I have a great job teaching voice and piano. If I have to work, I'd rather do that than anything else in the world. It is draining, yet energizing at the same time. I come home tired, and some days are better than others, but it is what I am made to do. I'm also doing a p/t data entry job where I drive around the greater Birmingham area, collect building permit information from all the city halls (13 in all) and data enter the information, which is then compiled into a report, and the report is sold to companies like Home Depot and Lowes. Then these companies can know how to market to their target areas. Pretty interesting. But another reason to keep me from the internet world. I added it up, and between the 2 jobs, I am working 40-45 hours/week. But it is work I enjoy, so it's not so bad.

Recently set up a facebook account. Wow. how addictive is that. But, a lot of fun!

Got LOTS to do during Christmas break. It's my last free 2 weeks before the baby comes as I want to teach until about 2 weeks before the due date....which means at that point I could come anytime. But Kim and Crissy are going to come over and help me get it done. thank God for friends who help pregnant friends get their lists accomplished! if you are reading this and are in the area and aren't doing anything Monday the 22nd, feel free to come on over...

Frank is working as a patient care assistant at St Vincent's East (aka Medical Center East). It is interesting. I think he likes the job ok, but it can be stressful. It's weird to have a 7 on/7 off schedule. He works the night shift, so on his "on" week, he pretty much works and sleeps. But on his off week, he basically has a week off. Pretty neat, although I think he's going to look for some p/t work to bring in a little extra $$.

We joined Community Pres a few weeks ago. Yey! Finally. Just took us a little while to work thru the doctrine, as neither one of us were raised with reformed theology. But after 16 months of attending the church, along with Bible studies and sunday school, we really believe this is where God wants us to be. And I LOVE the church family. None of us are perfect, but they really come alongside us and encourage us in our growth. Now we are wanting to help with a church plant in Springville, which is where Frank and I would like to one day live. (after student debt is paid off, of course.)

ok there's prob a lot more catch up to do, but it's not going to happen tonight. Going to bed now....

Still here but not all there

2008-09-13T22:20:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to let you know that I have not abandoned the blogging community forever, just for a season. Lot going on right now, and a lot that has gone on these past few months. Too much to share, so I have, and am taking a break from blogging. Little bit too much emotion going on and I have absolutely zero drive to share over the internet. But have no fear, when I'm ready, I'll come back, don't worry. See ya around...If ya need me, call or email.

2008-07-24T20:21:00.000-05:00

Tough love sucks.

Thanks for praying for me, friends. Thanks for pointing me to the Gospel.

Strugglin'

2008-07-24T12:31:00.000-05:00

Struggling to see God's hand in my life.

Struggling with my stupid pride and unbelief.

Struggling with trusting Him with the things I don't understand and can't control.

God, I repent of my arrogance, un-righteous indignation, distrust, and selfish need to defend myself. I am completely loved and forgiven in Christ. You delight in me and claim me as a daughter. Demonstrate your perfect love through my horribly imperfect self--whether it be through compassion and/or tough love. Help me to preach the gospel, first to myself, then to those around me. Help me to trust. And Lord, help my unbelief.

I know the Lord is nigh,
And would but cannot pray.

For Satan hears me when I try,
And frights my soul away.

I would but cannot love,
Though I endeavor oft.

The stony heart can ne'er relent,
Til Jesus makes it soft...
Til Jesus makes it soft.

Help my unbelief.
Help my unbelief.
Help my unbelief--my help must come from Thee.

fun

2008-07-13T21:35:00.001-05:00

We went to Burt and Anita's for lunch to host visitors at our church. It was a lot of fun and the first time I've ever really visited the Boykin family. (I had been once before but only to the pool). Well this time I got the grand, 3-hour tour--thanks Anita! It was very cool and the company was good too. We got there and Laura was already chopping veggies, so we all just jumped in and helped, made ourselves right at home. Anita is so laid back--she was handing us stuff to do and somehow we got lunch on the table for about, oh 30 or 40 people including children. Or that's what it seemed like, anyway. I made coffee cake, brownies, and bread. Laura and Anita did salad stuff, fresh garden vegetables and dip, and Crissy did mac/cheese and hotdogs for the kids. We talked about the education system in St. Clair Co vs. Jefferson Co., the book "The Catcher in the Rye" (strange, btw), the probability of starting a group of CPC'ers in Springville, being a firefighter, and the rising cost of gas. Think we covered just about everything.

Well, now that Camp Cornerstone is over, I really must get down to business. Time to start thinking lesson plans and teaching schedules.
Now that it is the 2nd year of homeschool, we are adding to the list of subjects. We'll see how well I do with that, much less Frankie. Steven will be going to ClearBranch's k-4 program. We've decided to let him experience school--he is so social, and we want him to have a fun time, like Frankie was able to do in CA. Also, it will help me be able to focus on Frankie and get some structure established. Last year, being the first year, was a teensy bit challenging with the whole 2 kids in 2 different learning ages/grades. I am hoping (*wink, wink* fingers crossed) that I can get Frankie trained to be more independent this year and then be able to start homeschooling Steven next year. We'll see. It would be nice in a perfect world.

Got another gift from my secret pal. Wow, whoever you are, you sure are generous! 3 gifts in 2 weeks! 2 last week and 1 today! 'Course it could be that I always forget to check the table and those gifts may've been sitting for a while... Really good gifts to0--a great cd, cookies, tea, 2 shirts(!) that I really like and some other stuff that I can't remember!!! Wow! thank you secret pal. Agh. trying to assuage the guilt of not being nearly so thoughtful to mine. Must try to do better.

Tomorrow Frankie has a dentist appt. Poor Steven is sick. Again. That poor boy, he has been doing so well for the past 3 months or so, but here we go again. I thought it was allergies, but thinking now it may be a cold. Probably something he picked up at CC. I swear he has no immune system. And Frank looks at me and says, "and we want to put him in school 3 days a week?" ugh. I say to him, "well, maybe it will help strengthen his immune system". To which hubby replies, "yeah, so's licking the floor".
sigh.

I am tired. Got up today, early, and excercised. Had not excercised since Monday of last week. Darn it. I was doing real well with the whole eating and excersing thing. Made it all the way through the 1st day of CC without being bad, but went down hill from there--shot to you-know-where. Probably had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I helped with the food for CC... Oh well, back on track starting yesterday, with a video workout this a.m. I like videos the best, because I can excercise in the comfort and privacy of my own home. I find that as hellishly hot as it is right now, excercising outdoors is NOT going to happen. I do also like the treadmill if I've got a good movie that needs watching.

Speaking of good movies, stayed up til 11 the other night watching Jane Eyre with Kim and Melissa. Who are now my Jane Eyre buddies, along with Crissy Sharp and all Sr. High girls.
Yippee. Just about the best chick flick ever made. Even if it is 4 hours long. When we were watching it at the pool house, I did feel the teensiest bit guilty for keeping Kim H up so late past her 9 bedtime--I kept watching to see if she was falling asleep. But she never did! Then I felt completely guilt free when at the end, when it was almost 11 p.m., she said, "That was a really good movie." Sweet. You know it had to be good if Kim stayed awake through it. It was a lot of fun.
Speaking of more good movies, Crissy and I watched "Girl with the Pearl Earring". Strange but pretty good. Although, she had to keep stopping the movie and explaining what was happening. She calls it the girl version of "the Good the Bad and the Ugly." I agree. Not a lot of dialogue happening in that movie. Although it does have Colin Firth, who does very well playing a spineless man with very little character. I do like him better in Bridget Jones. Then Kim came over and we talked about co-op. Which I may do this year as it is our 2nd year of homeschool. But I have to be careful not to commit to too much--I do have a regular job, I have to keep reminding myself. And I am real good at over-commitment.

Well, speaking of over-commitment, this post is done. Must needs go to bed now.

new blog link

2008-07-13T21:23:00.000-05:00

As most of you know, my mom and I have a garden. Well, that is, she has a garden and I help. (Look mom, it's "shake 'n bake" and I helped!). Anyway, she is always telling me neat gardening tips that I will never remember, and I am always telling her she should start a blog w/all her good info. Well, she did! So I added her link to the left. Check it out when you get a chance. Now I am trying to talk her into doing a gardening workshop at our next ladies' event.
Like, "Beginner gardening" or "How to have a garden if you don't have a lot of time". Or something like that.

Good Times

2008-07-07T19:16:00.000-05:00

Remarks heard between my child and the pastor today at Camp Cornerstone:

Set-up: John W. had asked Burt how to get to heaven. From what I could tell, Burt was explaining to all the 4-year-olds how Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin. To which my son piped up and said loftily, "Oh I've already seen that movie." And Burt, without missing a beat, replied, "Well there was a book first."

Guess I might better get that one for him from the library huh? chuckle, chuckle.

I love Camp Cornerstone.

This is my first experience with it. I am helping Kim P. with the food. It is very fun to do the food. I think our job is the best. Here are my reasons why:

1. Elizabeth comes to see us and brings us funny email print-outs to make us laugh.

2. We get to see and talk to everyone.

3. Kim is so good at organizing. She has me, Mary Gill, Melody, and Tanner running around getting it all done--and she makes it fun!

4. We get to hang out with Mary Gill. She is cool.

5. We got to choose the food for the kids.

6. We got to choose the food for the teachers and helpers--even better.

7. We get to man the teacher table, and run off hungry teenage guys who like to eat too much. All the brownies got gone in the first hour.

8. We get to see all the kids play the games at game time, and we get to hear them all sing at opening assembly and closing assembly.

9. We get to eat.

10. We get to serve.

I love my job.

And for those of you who might be interested in the food job for next year--too late, Kim and I have already put in the bid--we get first dibs, hehe.

Closure

2008-06-12T12:54:00.001-05:00

Well, I have good news and bad news no matter how you look at it. I got an email from Disney and didn't get the job. But, they kindly let me know that I am still on the list, hehe. Good news b/c we don't have to leave, yippee! Bad news, b/c we don't get to leave, boohoo.

Seriously though, it is God's will, and I am glad. Steven cried. He was so sad we weren't moving to D-land. I wanted to cry a little on the inside, not only because he was so pitifully sincere in his sadness, but b/c I could feel a little of his sadness too, as I realize it is somewhat of a death of a dream. I don't mean that in a fatalistic way....but, you know how it is--every one of us has secret desires, dreams, or goals that would be SO cool to do--usually they consist of worldly ideals or pleasures that are not necessarily good or bad, just not what God has for you at that point in your life. Like, an injury preventing you from playing college ball, or not getting the dream job you thought you'd be so good at, or not getting that perfect house you always wanted, or not going into the type of ministry you'd always imagined you'd be so good at. So, yes I am slightly disappointed as I come to realize that it may never happen--I may never get paid to sing professionally (aside from teaching voice lessons, that is). But I can still work in AL, pay off debt, live my life and most importantly, share the gospel where I am right now. And know that I am in the palm of his hand.

thoughts on gardening

2008-06-09T10:39:00.000-05:00

I am helping my mom with her garden, with hopes that our combined effort will produce enough produce for us to eat pretty good all year. Here are some things I've discovered:

1. Gardening is hard work.

2. Ants like mulch.

3. Ants like people too.

4. Fish emollient stuff (fertilizer) smells terrible--like dead fish. But reminds me of going camping/fishing when I was a kid. That and the smell of gasoline.

5. Compost is very disgusting but very good for the garden.

6. Gardening is hard work.

7. But it is worth it.

8. It is hot in June in the summertime.

9. Working at 6 a.m. is early. But not hot.

10. Trying to teach your child the value of a hard-earned dollar at 6 a.m. is difficult, if not completely impossible.

11. Older children usually pick up the concept faster than younger children.

12. If you don't use gloves, you will develop blisters.

13. Sweat drippage will begin to occur no later than 8 a.m.

14. Frozen water takes longer to melt than you think it will.

15. Even if you put it in the sun.

16. Children are sooooo much fun to have around when working in a garden.

17. Wheel barrels are heavy and tip easily. Do they have any with 4 wheels and a swivel? Good grief.

18. One should stop and rest periodically.

19. Baby corn looks like baby weeds.

20. A shower is so nice after working in a garden.

21. Air conditioning is a good thing.

22. Gardening work is never done.

Truly, it was a good day--fairly productive: we've gotten almost everything planted and are to the point of doing the "upkeep". It is amazing how there's always something on the list to do. But it is a rewarding feeling to know that you are doing something good for yourself and the family. If I come up with any more gems of wisdom, I'll let you know.

Biola on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno

2008-06-06T11:33:00.000-05:00

Here's a pretty cool recording of Biola U on the Tonight Show. This is the school Frank attended to get his Master's in Philosophy. They are only about 25-30 miles away from L.A., so they are able to get fun opportunities like this:

Baby--Angel--Cricket

2008-05-24T17:10:00.000-05:00

The little white kitty has finally been christened her for-real name. When the sharp kids got home (yey, we missed them so much! and we miss the Hills even more!!), white kitty got a new name--Angel. But it became grossly obvious that this cat is only an angel when she's asleep. She is showing some promising aggressive tendencies that are putting her in the running for first place for staying at the Sharp/Ellis bunker. Namely, she can catch small creatures and eat them. This morning as I was cleaning up from breakfast, I looked down and saw the kitty eating/gagging on a stick (?) hanging out of her mouth. The gagging part stopped and she swallowed the "stick". Then I looked over and saw one of those humongous crickets--you know the fat brown ones that are speckled, and have HUGE legs? And they usually jump AT you, not away from you? We called them hoppy bugs when I was a kid, and they were my least favorite of all insect pests (not that I have any favorites, except for maybe lady bugs b/c they are pretty and they help farmers). I've heard some folks refer to these hoppy bugs as camel crickets. Anyway, the cricket was missing a leg and was in dire straits indeed as it was lying kind of lop-sided at a crazy angle, with the whole weird reflex/jerky motion going on that happens when a bug is slowly dying. Anyway, the little kitty finished off the leg and then went back for the rest of it. She had the WHOLE thing eaten in about 2 minutes flat. YESSSSS!!! That was the whole point for getting another cat--that we wanted one that could catch and kill vermin. So I made an executive decision and dubbed the cat "Cricket". Of course I pulled my "I paid for the food and the litter, and I am doing most of the work to take care of these kitties, so I get final say on what to name them" card. But it worked. And I think it is a nice name and shows her character. And it doesn't fit into the normal plethora of names for cute white cats, such as snow ball, whitey, or Angel. We gotta get Stripey to catch up. I told the kids if she catches a mouse, maybe we can call her mouse.

My little Steven woke up this morning throwing up. He got up, got a drink of water, and immediately went to the garbage and threw it back up, along with last night's supper, poor baby. And this is after 2 of the Sharps and Ellas spent the night with us in the living room floor. Great. Now we will prob pass it to everyone. If anyone is going to get sick, it'll be Steven--he seems so susceptible to stomach bugs and respiratory virus's (virusi?) This past winter, I think he got sick about once a month, ugh. He started asking for food a couple of hours ago and said he's feeling better, but I bet we will be up in the middle of the night puking. That is just his way. So if you don't see us at church in the morning, you'll know why.

Practiced piano for 2 and 1/2 hours yesterday morning. Got a lot done. I love this whole being off work thing. At least I have time to practice piano. Oh, and to blog, hehe. Aren't you proud of me? 4 posts in 3 days. I may even set up a playlist.

Pride and Prejudice and Pianos

2008-05-22T23:14:00.001-05:00

Yippee!!! It's here. The "free" piano cost us a tank of gas ($42--it was in Arab), and the manpower of 4 people including me. But, it is a spinet and a nice little piano. Thanks to Jacob and Tansy for letting me borrow it!! Sat down and played through some Beethoven and Clementi, and actually made it through most of it--a little rusty but not too bad. The groove came back faster than I thought it would. It doesn't even really need to be tuned either, the pitch almost matches the pitch on my electric keyboard. Which is good, b/c I didn't really have the $$ to pay a piano tuner to drive out to Odenville to tune it. Some of the left hand keys stick a bit, so I gotta get online and see if there's any way I can fix it w/o calling a technician. One website said sticking piano keys is most likely attributed to humidity. Oh dear. I may just be stuck then.

Finished Pride and Prejudice. I realized Mr. Darcy did mention that he ardently loved Lizzy--I guess his delivery was so pompous that I didn't catch that part. But the second half was even better than the first, and of course everyone lived happily ever after. It is Jane Austen after all. I think one of my favorite characters was the mother--she was so sincere. yet completely over the top--think that would have been a very fun character to play. I love the way folks in 19th century Britain talked too--takes them forever to get to the point, but they do it so eloquently. Anyway, if you haven't seen it, you should put it on your blockbuster queue and get it. Or borrow it from Crissy like I did. Just don't plan to keep it long, b/c I think she watches it at least once every 3-6 months.

Hating me some junk mail. And the bad thing about it is, I signed up for most, if not all of it! Airline tix, real estate quotes, ways to save money, Webster's word of the day, etc. etc. etc. Agh!! stop the madness!! the last few days have been spent UN-subscribing myself to all this stuff I've signed up for. I only want to get mail from people I know!!! So, I figure that the 2 hours or so that I've spent getting rid of this mess will be worth it in the long run, right? Though, I think I will keep the Michael's ad and Webster's word of the day....

Don't forget Friday night at my place. Bring something to eat, of the potlucky sort. I will prob make a main dish of some kind? who knows, whatever strikes my fancy. We'll eat maybe round 6ish?

couple more things

2008-05-21T11:01:00.000-05:00

K, now that I've got all that huge important stuff off my chest, so to speak, here's all my random stuff I wanted to say.

Went up to Crissy's while they are gone and raided their movie closet. Haha. thanks Crissy. I am now immersed in the 6-hour mini-series of Pride and Prejudice. I knew it was good b/c she said it was, but I mean it is SO good!! I am glad they took 6 hours to get in all the details and everything. I just reached the end of the first disc, and am trying to make myself wait til I get on the treadmill again, since that was the idea in the first place--to watch it while walking on the treadmill. Sigh. I know how it ends, but it's killing me how Mr. Darcy declares his admiration for Lizzy--against his better judgement no less, but never says anything about love. And Lizzy's indignation and rage is very palpable. I am feeling it right along with her. It will be so delicious to watch the last half. but alas, lunch is waiting to be cooked, a unit study is waiting to be studied and a piano is desperately calling to be moved. And I would never put my husband through the agony of watching it with me tonight. sigh....so I probably won't get to it till tomorrow, agh. Ok, trying not to think about it.

We have been needing to catch up on LOST. Thank goodness for internet and missed episodes posted on ABC. We'd just gotten too busy to watch it, but now we only have 2 episodes left til the finale.

We got two little kitties. My mom's cat had a litter, and Crissy and I'd been talking bout getting a another cat, as Bert d' cat is gettin' old. Although he did get me a dead chipmunk for mother's day, laid it right in front of the porch steps. We are only supposed to have one, but I couldn't decide, so took both, and will let the Sharp kids decide. They are so fun, and have been entertaining my children since the Sharps are not here to entertain them. I predict that there will be twice as much fun to be had when the Sharps get home! Anyway, I am *hoping* that Crissy will say we can keep both, b/c wouldn't they be lonely without each other? but, if not, we are in the market to get rid of one of them....hint hint. One is all white and the other is a striped tabby. They've already been named Baby and Stripey. Let me know if anyone in the blog world is looking for a fun, potty-trained play mate.

Just lazin'.........kinda

2008-05-21T10:04:00.000-05:00

Been a pretty good day. I have Crissy's playlist going while we are working on school. We are starting a new unit study on space today, and I am reading through the material. It is so interesting. Did you know that all of the planets can fit into Jupiter many times over? And that if Earth were the size of a mini-van, Jupiter would be the size of the earth? Hard to wrap my mind around it. We are planning a trip to the Huntsville Space Center sometime this summer while me and Frank are working less. (I refuse to say unemployed teachers, haha.)

I went through a funk in the winter where I did NOT want to homeschool again. Thus, we did not get a lot done and I got very discouraged: why am I doing this? I am no good at this. I have no motivation. I am not smart enough. blah. blah. blah. Looking back, I attribute this attitude to a couple of things.

1. It was my first winter back home after living 2 winters in the land of eternal sunshine and very little rain, a.k.a. southern California.

2. Crissy said it's called the "february funk". And every homeschool parent goes through it at some point or another.

So for awhile we talked about public and christian school alternatives. But I think we are back to the homeschool groove. Frank is not going back to his teaching job next year, and is thinking of getting a part time job (Starbucks is at the top of the list b/c they offer benefits for part-timers), and going back to work on another degree part time. Thus, he would like to be more involved with the boys' education. Which is totally good with me. Also, something else I think will help us is to keep doing school for part of the summer (yes we will still take a break, don't worry!). But summer is so laid back for us b/c neither of us are working, and we can get more done, i.e. cool field trips and unit studies. Frankie asked me the other day when are we done with school, b/c he was tired of reading. I made a snap decision and told him we would be reading every day of the year and would never take a break from it! Nor would he ever take a break from it for the rest of his life. Thankfully now, he's starting to really enjoy reading and his growth in that area is taking off exponentially.

I have this tendency to underestimate my children, you know, like thinking they aren't smart enough to learn this or that yet...know what I mean? But the more I teach and interact with children (such as in music lessons), I realize how smart my own two are. I mean they aren't necessarily genius material or anything, but I'm beginning to think they will definitely be able to hold their own in the world. We started both of the boys taking piano and I am delighted at their progress and level of understanding. No, I am not teaching my own children piano. I do that all day every day, so my sister is teaching them, and doing a marvelous job.

Speaking of piano, I have really been wanting to brush up on my own piano skills. Yes, I can actually play (took for 5 years), just have a huge complex about playing in front of other people. I know, you would probably never know it based on my singing, haha! Singing just comes easy for me, but playing takes a lot more work and I never felt very good at it. But that is about to change. With Kim H. leaving, I'd very much like to pick up the students she left behind. They are all folks I know, and I would enjoy teaching them tremendously. Since this summer is sorta free for me, I've been wanting to just take this time to get going again with piano. I have a friend who will give me lessons over the summer--she is amazing, having played every day of her life since about the age of 4. The only thing standing in my way is that I need a real piano--not a 61-key keyboard, which I have already. I began praying for a piano, as being unemployed, we have no money to buy one. Low and behold, it only took a week! My sister-in-law's mother has a piano she wants to find a good home for!!!! It belongs to my sister-in-law, so I would actually be borrowing it, but since they live in CA right now, I can probably use it for awhile. Yay. God provides.

I know you are probably thinking, what is she going to do if Disney offers her a job? I've been thinking about that too. I don't know if they will call or not--but I can't put life on hold, b/c what if they don't call? We have to keep living life regardless, so I am not counting on anything. If they do call, yes, I will take the job. But if they don't, I won't be crushed. We are happy here and would be fine staying in AL. I think the Lord is mainly teaching me how to trust and be content wherever I am.

I love our church. We get the gospel intravenously fed to us. It is the central focus for every sermon, every song, every announcement, every act of love. I've never been to any other church that combines life and Christ so well. You know, when I was growing up, church was about separation of life and church--almost like separation of church and state. You had your times of dressing up to go to church, times of soul-winning and evangelizing, and times of youth gatherings and bible studies. And these things are not bad. But Community is the only place I've been where the gospel is lived, breathed, and interwoven into every aspect of your life. I am learning how to live and breathe the gospel every day. Not just for church day, etc.

Goodbye to Kim and Quinn and Fam . I am ok though, b/c having been there done that, I know it is not forever. We had a good-bye party for them on Sunday at the church. I tend to not get real emotional until it's over, after they've been gone awhile. Like, I'll start missing her in about 3 weeks, when I can't just call and come over. sigh. But, looking on the bright side, nothing lasts forever, and Lord-willing, they'll be back. I know Kim too, and she will make some good friends while she is there--friends that God provides that she'll need and that will need her. Chris and Crissy are with them in MS helping get them set up. Yet another example of the gospel. Speaking of which, we are still getting together on Friday night, though not at Crissy's. Just come to my place. Kim Poston and I will be there--come on over and be here to welcome the Sharps when they get back home. Then we can hear the low-down about Kim and Quinn's new house and how they are settling in. See ya there!

Orlando update

2008-05-04T23:21:00.001-05:00

The audition went well. I made it through all the cuts. There were about 80 people to start with, and there were maybe 12 or 15 left at the end. It almost felt like American Idol or something...They just kept cutting people throughout the audition until there were only a faithful few left. The suspense was terrible every time the directors would come out of their little discussion room to let us know who would be staying. After singing an initial solo so they could get a feel for individual sound, the audition mainly consisted of group singing (naturally). The music was glorious--we had to learn an 8-part arrangement of "Oh Shenandoah". It was very fun to sing with so many talented singers. AND! I never got cut!! Yippee!!! There were 2 other soprano 1's left besides me, so maybe I have a 1 in 3 chance? But then one of the girls told me that Disney will now negotiate contracts with their current cast to see who they're losing, and then fill in the empty spots from the audition pool. hmmmm. So it might be a long shot if they don't lose any sopranos. Oh well, it was a very fun experience, and the trip was great too. So I will be glad either way. I won't know til the middle of June, so I'll keep you posted...

Pics, updates and domesticity

2008-04-06T16:50:00.000-05:00

Sorry it's taken me awhile to post these.

I hate posting pics with my computer, as it takes FOREVER. I started this on 4/1, as you can see, but didn't get back to it til today. Oh well, it is worth it I guess. Thanks for your patience. I was Jack's Mother, and a bit of a nag--that is why I have my hands on my hips so much. I was either berating Jack for something (he was a little dim-witted), or nagging and/or patronizing other characters in the show. In the last pic I am yelling at the giant right before I get beaned in the head with the steward's staff and die. Good times.

It really was a fun show and I don't miss it a bit. So glad to have my life back and ever thankful for the experience of working with the other very talented cast members, director and staff.

Good news: have heard from Orlando!! I don't have to attend the open call (cattle call) audition on 4/18 for Voices of Liberty. I'd been checking online to see when they'd post the info about this audition, as this is the show the folks in CA told me I'd be good for. Orlando posted 2 dates: 4/18 and 4/24--a call back date. So I contacted my CA contact and asked if he was still willing to put in a good word for me and send my recording. He was quite accommodating, and said that he'd send the dvd asap, and had ALREADY called to let them know about me. yippee.
On Monday, as I was having an already good day at Jan's hanging out with all my friends to celebrate Kim's b'day; my phone rang and I looked down to check the number. I saw it was a 407 area code and immediately knew who it was...haha. (I don't know if y'all remember those old Disney commercials about booking a vacation there where they posted the number as 407-wdisney.)

I answered and the lady identified herself as part of the casting department, who wanted to let me know that they'd received my info from CA and were letting me know that this was my callback and I could attend the 4/24 audition. "And please learn the second soprano of the music we are emailing to you and here's your appointment time of 10:45 sharp." Sah-weet. She just saved me an extra trip to FL, as I'd originally planned to go down there for both dates if needed. But had really hoped that my CA contact could get me through the first round. It was so fun getting that call that day at Jan's --we had a little celebration right there. Jan said I shoulda held out for a plane ticket. Hahaha. Naw...I want the job too bad. So they emailed the music and it is "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess. It is a cool arrangement--check it out on youtube here.

Not the Fantasia Barrino version, but definitely right up my alley.

So, Frank and I are leaving the kids with grandparents and are going to head down there for 3 days. If the audition goes well, we will check out living info. We are also going to catch a baseball game, so that should be fun. I'll keep you posted.

On another note entirely, I love domesticity--to be at home as much as possible. I don't know what it is about spring, but I get in the cleaning mood and have completely purged our home. I got rid probably about 20 garbage bags and boxes full of stuff. It was so bad, I got rid of stuff we shoulda gotten rid of before we moved to CA. It is so nice to have an organized place. Free of clutter and looking more and more like home every day.

Another love of mine just recently discovered is making my own bread. I caught up with a good friend, Karen, about a month ago, who told me at our next get-together, she was bringing "bread". okay. So Karen's bringing bread. LOL! I had no idea what kind of BREAD she was bringing. Anyway, she brought quite possibly the best bread I'd ever tasted--whole wheat and completely home-made. Hand-kneaded even. I was hooked and she told me how she buys her own wheat and has a grinder and everything. I learned that wheat in its whole form retains all its nutrients, but once ground, it loses 90% of its nutrients within 72 hours due to oxidation. So, it's safe to assume that the bread you buy at the store probably does not have all the nutrients of a loaf of bread made from FRESH ground wheat. So, Frank let me get a mill and a bucket of wheat (my mom went in with me on the cost), and now I make all our bread too! It is SO good and good for you. I will never go back. I am a believer. It's really not that much work either. You mix the bread ingredients, knead it for 10 minutes, let it rise 2-3 hours, and bake it. Basically you just have to be at home for 3 1/2 hours or so. Also, the wheat is too dense to use a regular bread machine to knead it, so must either buy an industrial mixer or do it by hand. Which is actually quite a work-out; I think I am building upper body strength. haha.

Anway, to help off-set the cost of the mill, and if you want to try to homemade bread, I am selling it by the loaf for $1.50. So let me know if you're interested.

Pics from the show

2008-04-01T11:33:00.001-05:00

Found my phone!!!

2008-03-12T14:31:00.000-05:00

After much prayer, agonizing, turning the phone off, and more prayer, we found it! It was buried in a bunch of hoop skirts on the dressing room floor, and had no signal, so it wouldn't ring when I called it. Thank you Jesus!

The show is going great. Will post more soon...peace out.

Opening Night

2008-03-07T23:22:00.000-06:00

Went great, btw! My mom, dad, little sister, a friend, my grandmother, my aunt, and my cousin all came--plus a couple of family friends whom I haven't seen in probably 10 years! It was a good show--not too many slip-ups for the first night. I could hear my mom laughing during one of the serious (melodramatic) scenes, and it was so hard not to burst out laughing! But I managed. I must say that Sarah really got into character and made an excellent granny as well. I hope to have pics very soon--we had a lady come in and take pictures during the final dress rehearsal, and she'll have those ready sometime next week.

The only black mark on the entire evening is that my phone has disappeared. Since we don't have a home phone, it is the connection to friends, family, and of course, all my students. I was certain I had it last night as I got out of the car and entered the dressing room to prepare for the final dress rehearsal. But as I was leaving 5 or 6 hours later, I couldn't find it. One of my friends called it while I went to the car to listen, but it wasn't in the car. The building of course had been locked by then, sigh. So we called it today when we got to the dressing room, and it went straight to voice mail. Hmmmm. Meaning the phone's been turned off. Even though I had it on the last time I had it with me. And I charged it up just yesterday morning. And it's set on the loudest ring. Which makes me think that it's been found by someone, just not someone who knows me. Neither the theatre staff nor my fellow cast members have seen it. So, worse case scenario, I dropped it, someone picked it up around Highland Avenue, and doesn't plan to give it back. Sigh. This is only 3 months after the last phone fiasco, and I've just gotten 175 numbers stored on my sim....

So pray that my phone turns up. If it doesn't by tomorrow night, I plan to contact Cingular and cancel that number just in case whoever has my phone is trying to call Timbucktoo. Which means I will need to get a new phone and a new number. So I'll let you know when you can call me.

Catching up

2008-02-24T21:04:00.000-06:00

Into the Woods is seriously taking up a lot of time. But I am not regretting one minute of it--it is so much fun! If you are in or near Birmingham, you should totally come see it. You could come see me have a hysterical fit and die onstage! I have such a fun character. If you are interested, check out the website here. Tix are a little expensive, but if I can get a group of 10 or more to commit, I can get them for you for $15.

I am sad...I've been so busy, I feel like I haven't seen any of my friends in forever. And now Kim Hill is leaving me so her husband can go to seminary in Mississippi. Slacker. I can tell she is totally not committed to our friendship. huh. I must go see her and try to explain the repercussions of moving out of the state to pursue education. I must make her understand that I will be lost without her. Maybe she will change her mind...
see you thursday Kim!

Speaking of folks moving, so are Shane and Amy, Kelsey and Shayna. Bum! Why does everyone have to leave? Don't they know I need them? lol. (btw, Shane is Frank's brother). No, actually, we are very excited/happy for them--Shane has a great opportunity/job in Nashville, so they are in the process of moving. But at least they're not moving 36 hours away. not like some people we know...
It will be easy to see them--only 3 &1/2 hour drive, not too bad...

Burt's sermon today made me uncomfortable. How does he do that? By telling me to be missional--leave my comfort zone and share the gospel with everyone around me--believers and nonbelievers alike. thanks for the kick in the pants Burt. Btw, I am excited at the possibility of a Community Pres campus in Springville! I will be praying.

I have been working hard to get in shape--part of it is getting ready for the show, another part of it is just knowing I need to lose 20 or 30 pounds to get in shape. Well, happy to say, after 7 weeks of counting weight watchers points and excercising, I've dropped 9 pounds. yey! Slow and steady wins this race. There are several things I like about weight watchers: counting points--it seems tedious I know, but the way they have the system set up, you follow your specified points and you can earn extra by how much excercise you perform. So, I feel like I can "spend" my extra points if I excercise that day. Also, I think it is kind of fun to try to figure out how to make my points last as long as possible. Which basically pushes me to eat as healthy as possible, b/c the healthy foods have the fewest points, of course. Then at the end of the day, if I have any points left, I can "reward" myself with something sweet. And I definitely have a sweet tooth. So, it is a good system for me.

I just visited Rebecca and Keith's little boy, Jonathan's blog. He is adorable! I am so happy for them...and will continue to pray for them as well.
Speaking of babies, Tracy is due any time--please say a prayer for her as well; for a healthy, uncomplicated delivery. We are excited to be getting another little cousin hopefully very soon.

Ok, gotta go get the kids in bed. later,

Star Wars and the Chronicles of Narnia

2008-02-04T23:22:00.000-06:00

I love Star Wars. I remember when VCR's got really popular when I was a kid...about the 4th grade for me, and one of the things my dad did was buy up some movies, among them, the original Star Wars trilogy. (The others that stick out in my mind are Dumbo and The Little Mermaid, which contributed to my love for Disney and its music.) But I remember Star Wars as this cool epic story of good vs. evil, and for awhile I even wanted to name my first girl Leia. She was such a great character. We watched those movies over and over again and probably wore out the tapes. Well, now my children are in on the Star Wars craze. My dad watched it with them one night during a grandparent spend-the-night party, and now they are hooked. Star Wars this, Luke Skywalker that, Darth Vader's breathing, 'I wanna be Darth Maul for Halloween'. We have 2 Star Wars PS2 games, 3 light sabers, a Vader helmet, a Vader cape, and own/or have seen all 6 movies.
Here are a few comments I've heard over the past few weeks:

"I'll name my kid Luke Skywalker, and you can name yours Darth Vader."

"Mama, which one was the one that got his arm chopped off by Obi Wan Kenobi?"

"Mama, which robot is it that can't get over anything?" (Steven, trying to remember C-3PO)

Ah to be a kid again and in love with Star Wars. I still love to watch the movies even as an adult.

Speaking of epic tales of good vs. evil, and I am sooooo ready for the next Chronicles of Narnia movie, Prince Caspian, to come out. May 16th baby!!!! I am not generally a huge movie fan--I don't even really like to go to the movies. I'd rather sit in my own living room and eat my own way cheaper, fat-free popcorn, and not have to pay a babysitter. But this movie is different.

While we lived in CA, Biola brought in C.S. Lewis's step-son, Douglas Gresham, as a guest speaker for chapel one day. He was promoting The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. He was a fun speaker, telling us all about the audition process in finding the 4 children; and that they really did act like brothers and sisters on the set. He told us a little of what it was like to have C.S. Lewis as a step-father--he thought it was cool and loved Lewis very much. Gresham also encouraged us as the Christian community to support the film and christian films in general, because he said, what sells hollywood is money. Meaning, if we support these films and go see them and pay out money for them, then hollywood will keep making family-friendly movies. During the question/answer time, one of the students asked Gresham if Walden/Disney would make movies of any of the other Narnia books, and he replied that only if the first one did well. Then (I quote), he said, "Go see the movie! Take all your friends to see the movie!"

And then, the first one was SO GOOD!!! Very well made and believable. He said that they added the war part in the first part of the film even though it's not in the book, to give some believability to show how badly the 4 siblings NEEDED to get out of London. But for the most part, he was proud that the movie remained true to the book.

So, it's almost as bad as waiting for Star Wars Episodes I, II, and III; or the LOTR Trilogy to come out. And, it doesn't hurt that the guy who plays Prince Caspian looks a lot like Atreyu from The NeverEnding Story. Oh yeah, love me some epic adventures....

Check out the trailer here.

Update #2

2008-01-23T21:50:00.000-06:00

Ok, finally got THE call. Out of only 2 demos (mine being one of them) sent over, Tokyo chose the other girl. Sigh. Well, I'm actually not too disappointed. The guy called me Tuesday night late and broke it to me, but then was very complimentary. So much in fact, that he acted very sorry that they didn't choose me, and wanted to know if I was ok with his sending my demo to Disney World in Orlando, b/c he felt that I might be a good fit there. He told me I had a "perfect Disney princess voice" and he would really like to see me work for Disney. Um yeah, I think I'd be ok with that!!! I was actually rather relieved--he also told me that normally they give singers 5 months to prepare, like getting work visa and passport, and the only reason that there was a 6-week time crunch is that the original girl had dropped out. He said that it would have been very hard to get all the arrangements for me and my family to get over there in such a short amount of time. I know that with God all things are possible, but apparently this is not what He has in mind right now. And I am totally ok with that. My dad summed it up nicely: "Good. I can drive to Orlando. "

So, I am not holding my breath per se, but will just keep on living life and wait and see if they call. Oh yeah, and Billy Blanks and I will be getting together every day, believe me!

Update

2008-01-18T18:54:00.000-06:00

Ok, here's the scoop so far. I don't know if I got the job yet, but I did make it into to the top 3!!!

Here's what happened:

I got into town Wednesday afternoon and met up with Alison, who kindly let me and mom stay at her house. (thanks Alison!) We had a good time catching up and then we were so tired we went to bed at 9:30 (11:30 cst), but I set the alarm for 7:30 in hopes that I would get 10 hours of sleep. I actually slept pretty well and got up about 7. My appointment was at 11, so we allowed ourselves a couple of hours to get there. It's only 35 miles away, but with California traffic, we wanted to be prepared. I was bummed b/c mom didn't bring the gps, and I am nervous about driving in CA. But Alison helped me google it, and we got there w/o too much mishap--I only took east instead of west once, haha. Mom was great help too--she helped navigate, and she didn't laugh when I did all the silly vocalises/warmups in the car on the way there. Thanks for being there for me, mom!

We were still so prepared that we got there an hour early. So I had to sit and and be nervous in the car until I couldn't stand it any longer, and went in at 10:25. They were already accepting folks at the sign-in sheet and I was second. I waited for about 20 minutes and then they called me back. I sang my song for them (30 seconds anyway) and then they gave me another song to learn. I was nervous, but the song was actually easy, and very pretty. It took me about 20 min to get it, and they were patient. Then they recorded me, which I didn't realize they were going to do, but it made since b/c they needed to send a demo to Tokyo. They gave me another song to learn, and sent me out with a cd to learn it, while they went on with more auditions. That song was really pretty too, and I came back and recorded it as well. Then the head guy asked me a series of questions; I guess this was kind of the "interview" part. He wanted to know if I had a passport, did I want to go to Japan to perform (um, yeah), and did I have any tatoos? Hahaha, that one kind of threw me, but they were looking for unmarked bodies, and I was happy to oblige. Then he asked me to speak into the camera and tell a little about myself and why I wanted the job. All in all it was easy. The people were so nice, the pianist was good, and the longer I was there, the more I enjoyed myself and quit being nervous. The head guy gave me a little info about the job, and I was able to ask some of my own questions, like, can I bring my family (yes, but we would have to find a different place to live), can I get passes for my children for the park (yes), etc. They would also help me get a work visa.

Then I asked him, "well, I kind of need to know if you think this will be a go, as I'd like to let my husband know so he can start making arrangements." He told me that they will send the top 2 or 3 demos to Japan by fedex, then those folks will decide who they want. Then he told me, "you are definitely in the top 3--your demo is going over; then it's up to Tokyo Disney to decide who they want." Whooooooooh! Yippeeeee!! But how nerve-wracking!!!! Anyway, they thought they could have an answer for me that day, but of course it would take longer. So they told me I'd know something by next Tues or Wed; and that they'd call and let me know either way.

It looks like a great show--I went to Crissy's last night, and we googled it til we found a recording of the show!!! I am so excited b/c its the real thing. And of course it has the 2 songs that they had me record. You can check out the show here. I have to warn you though, the show lasts about 20 minutes, so make sure you've got time to watch it. Also, the first number is only instrumental, and the vocalist comes on later.

I'm ok either way: if I don't get the job, I still had a great time in CA, visiting with friends and jamming with the folks at Disney--and I get to stay home. If I do get the job, it will be a fun, hassling, educational experience. As soon as they call, I'll let you know.

Cali, here I come

2008-01-10T09:27:00.000-06:00

Ok, booked my flight and I'm gonna do it! I am nervous but excited. I will leave next Wednesday, audition on Thursday, and fly back on Friday. I think it is a win-win situation. If they like me and offer me the job--great! I get to go to Japan for 8 months with my family. If they don't offer me the job, I get to stay home and NOT leave comfort zone--which is also great! we'll see...

Oh, forgot to mention in all the excitement that I got a role in "Into the Woods". I got Jack's Mother. It is a great character role and will be a lot of fun. Unfortunately, if I get the job at Disney, I will have to leave the show, bummer. So, life will be um, exciting, either way...

Check out the audition info here.

Out of the blue...

2008-01-04T13:05:00.000-06:00

Ok, just got an email from Disney, CA; requesting me to come and audition for Tokyo Disney--they need a Celtic vocalist. Agh! how cool is that? I think I might do it (audition that is..)
who knows? I might just get it.
Here are the details: Thursday, 1/17 in North Hollywood. They even offered me an appointment and greeted me by name in the email! I can't believe they kept my info for so long--I auditioned for "Aladdin" in June 05! They had told me "thanks for coming; you're not quite right for Aladdin, but we'll keep your info." Well, I guess they did...

It would be an 8 month run from March to Nov if I got the job. But I could sing "celtic woman" all day long. and homeschool my children in a foreign land. How cool would that be?!

I'll let you know if I decide to go...

New pics of us

2007-12-20T21:20:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas! Crissy kindly took our family pics this year. I am so pleased with the results--thanks friend!

2007-12-10T09:30:00.000-06:00

Chris's work party was the other night. I was at work for most of it, but got invited to come up and sing with Adam when I got home. Found out that while I was not there, my child party crashed in my place. He had those folks laughing so hard Crissy told me. Every 5 minutes, he would go back for more food, and all the grandmothers in the room were right there to help him if needed. Crissy finally had to tell him no more food or he was in trouble. haha. I am so glad she and I have that kind of relationship. I told her she shoulda just told him to GO HOME. But she said he was too entertaining.

As far as the entertainment goes, singing with Adam was a BLAST. Thanks Adam for letting me sing backup. It has always been a little dream of mine to do backup singing in a band. I can do solos ok, and I do enjoy them. But I am a team player, and love to do things with other people. I think that's why I enjoyed being a choir teacher so much. (Although that comes with its own stress).

Speaking of team playing, I auditioned for a show last night. "Into the Woods", a Sondheim musical; which is basically like "fractured fairy tales" on Rocky and Bullwinkle. It combines Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and maybe a couple others. It takes a humorous and sometimes cynical view of what happens after "happily ever after".

The audition was actually a lot of fun. I wasn't too nervous. I got to read the parts for Red Riding, Jack's Mother, the Witch, and the Baker's Wife. Jack's Mother was my favorite. I'd forgotten how much I love to perform in musicals and stuff. I've been thinking of doing a show lately, as I think it helps in teaching. It gives me a better perspective as I am trying to get certain concepts across to my students and it keeps me on my toes. I won't know until after Christmas if I made it into the show but I'll let you know. I went with my boss (the owner of the music studio) and my sister. I would love it if we all made it into the show together. I am not keen on doing a show "by myself", with no friends I mean. It is hard to do a show or be a part of a group when most or all the folks around you are non-believers. Been there done that.

I think it will be good for me too as I've been feeling a little restless lately. Not sure, but thinking it's probably the health and emotional things we've gone through lately. I think the show would be a healthy and fun, well, not diversion, but a therapy, so to speak, to get me back on my feet and give me something fun to help me move on. God has given me a gift and I'm thinking this would be a fun way to use it.

Christmas it coming faster and faster every year. How come it is not still the first of November? or the middle of October for that matter? My mom and dad are going out to see Jacob for Christmas so we will celebrate with them a little early. But good thing for us is that Tracy, Justin and Solomon are coming out for 2 weeks, yippee! I can't believe they will be able to stay so long. I am looking forward to having a long time to visit and catch up. We won't have to play family tag either, as my family will be gone for 8-9 days. So I will have plenty of time to hang out with Frank's family.

Well, speaking of my mom, gotta go so I can get to her house today. Catch you later!

bothering

2007-11-29T08:57:00.000-06:00

Something's been floating around in my head bothering me lately, so I think I'll get it off my chest and feel better. I know you understand.

I am not a good picture taker. I have not taken nearly enough pictures of my children. Then I think 'what's enough'? I went back to work not long after Steven was born and had suffered post-partum depression mess, so I just didn't care for awhile. Another part of me doesn't consider myself a good photographer, and it's an insecurity--therefore an excuse to not take pictures. Also, every time I go to use the digital camera, I've used it so infrequently that I can't remember how to get the pics onto the computer once I've taken the pictures, can't remember how to charge the stupid thing when it's going dead, and can barely remember how to turn the dang thing on.

But something got me thinking the other day. I've finally got our home in order and pulled out all the pictures we had stored while away and put them back out. Steven went around to see all of them and kept asking me: "mama, is that one me? is that one me?" over and over. And I saw that most of them are of Frankie! Agh! A terrible sense of guilt washed over me as I realized that I have slighted Steven by not taking any pictures (or as many) of him. What's bad is his babyhood is a little blurry to me as we were trying to get enough money to go to school and I was working sometimes 50 or 60 hours a week. Frank pretty much was raising the boys during that time. (Thank God that time is over!)

So I went into the cedar chest and pulled out every picture of Steven I could find and framed about 4 pictures and set them out. Even the newborn picture. When they get home from grandparents on Saturday I plan to take him around and show him all his pictures.

Anyway, I have a renewed sense of duty to my youngest to make sure he knows that he is loved as much as his brother. Even if I have to resort to good 'ol archaic film camera. I know how to use those! Anyway, y'all gotta help keep me accountable.
thanks.

movie quotes

2007-11-11T17:33:00.000-06:00

Since we've been sick, there have been many movies watched over the past couple of weeks. here are some of my favorite quotes; see if you can guess which movies they came from:

(whoever guesses them all will receive a hearty congrats comment from me to their blog.)

"But I don't want to go among mad people..."

"Hey! Now those were alphabetized!"

"You gots to puckah up yo lips like dis..."

"Virtually indestructable, yet breathes like Egyptian cotton."

"I think it would help, if you'd sort of open your umbrella and say, 'tut, tut, it looks like rain'."

"If he were here right now, I'd kiss'im--right in front of everybody!"

"Some children just don't know when to stop pretending."

"Are they gone yet? My cheeks are killing me! I think it's time for a little break..mm-hmmm...time for a little break..."

"Let's go meet the Pansies!"

"Are we THERE yet?"
"We get there when we GET THERE!"

"Hey fellas....we got ourselves a nodder..."

"You must pull yourself together! Go! Fight! Win! and call me in the morning, dahling--you know I love our little talks..."

"I'm just thinking about the first time I laid eye on you."

"She just loves me for my body."

News

2007-11-11T15:31:00.000-06:00

We have been sick for almost 2 weeks now. This is the second Sunday in a row that we've missed church. I hate that. Paige M. and I had a conversation that even when you miss one Sunday, you are completely out of the loop. It started on halloween with Steven coughing and throwing up. ( I knew they must have called it the devil's holiday for some reason). Then Frankie got a fever, then it spread to Frank and then to me. I guess I could be thankful that we weren't all sick at the same time and I was at least able to take care of my boys. My sickness is the tail end of it I think, with a bad cough, sore throat and post-nasal drippy mess.

On another note, the Church Christmas Bazaar was yesterday. I had a jewelry booth and did pretty well--so for the past couple of months, my life has not been my own. It has belonged to this crazed woman who is up at all hours of the night trying to put together jewelry sets to sell at the bazaar. I haven't added up my costs, but I came home with $140 more than what I started with. Yippee! I notice that more of the less expensive necklace/earring sets sold, and lots of the earrings sold. Which doesn't surprise me: most people are like me--they like to spend 10 dollars or less at a booth at a craft show. That's totally fine with me. I am good with bringing home 140 bucks. I will just use the sets I didn't sell as gifts. Oh, I also got about $50 worth of orders; that helps too.

Sometimes I am missing California. My friend Deannah had given me a bunch of cute clothes before we left, and most of them were winter clothes, so I've been wearing them every day. It makes me miss her so much. Thanks Deannah! I think of you every day when I put on your clothes.
The other day I got an email from Sandra, Alison, and Amy. They were goofing off in the office and were dressed in halloween clothes. It looked like so much fun! I miss you guys! I remember Dave loves to play practical jokes and last halloween, I got to work that morning and there was a huge (fake) tarantula on my cup of pens. I did do a double take (Dave I know you are laughing right now!). Then it took us all day to try to figure out who left the tarantula. For the longest time I thought it was Martin, who is notorious for having a laugh on other co-workers...then I though it was Albert, James, or Dan, who are all deceptively quiet but have evil senses of humor. I knew it couldn't have been Robert, who is just too nice with his Texas charm. But, eventually someone (I think it was Karin) spilled the beans that it was really Dave. Haha. Thanks for the laugh!
The other day I was making one of my necklaces and I thought of Jackie too, as I made one very similar for her right before we left. Jackie, hope you and Marc and Max and Noelle are doing ok--keep in touch!

A little birdie told me Alison is on a trip to Hawaii with her husband for their 30th anniversary...Congratulations Alison and Mike!!! Hope you have had a blast!

Abraham is back in India. Sangeetha should be giving birth any day now...Frank talks to him about once a month. I think Abraham is glad to have put school on hold for awhile and be back in India with his wife. I will let you know about the baby as soon as we hear anything.

Frank is immersed in his job as a Biology/Science/Bible teacher at a Christian school. The stories he comes home to tell me!! Nothing like a first year of teaching. Makes me so glad to be teaching music lessons where I get ONE kid at a time, for ONLY 30 minutes at a time! Whew! I couldn't have any of this 50 minutes at a time with 30 kids cooped up in one room! And he does this all day. I pray for him daily: that he won't get burned out, and that he won't fall asleep in the car driving to or from work. It is a 1.25 hour drive, as the school is 55 miles away. He generally drives 55-60 mph only, as you can get up to 50 miles more to a tank of gas. Pretty cool. But he is learning a lot about teaching, kids, and himself. Needless to say, he may be looking for something a little closer to home next year.
Frank's class at BTS is going really great though, from what he's told me. I think he's even ok with it being from 6-8am on Mondays, because his students actually WANT to be there. (Not so with the high school kids). And he has a lot of fun teaching something he truly loves: Apologetics. His students are all adults and like to make him think.

My parents are planning to go see my brother for Christmas in Monterey, CA (northern). I don't know if I'd told you already, but Jacob is in the Air Force, learning Chinese at a language school out there. He will either get a job in Intelligence, or go on for Officer Training School. He and Tansy and Ashlyn will be out there for another year and then will be deployed to Maryland, Hawaii, or Japan. Their wish is Hawaii of course! I wish we could go back out there for a visit, but it will be a while, as it is expeeeeeeensive! Email and phone will have to suffice.

Steven tells me every day: "Mama, I need to tell you something." And I'll say, "What?" His reply: "I love you!". Now we all say it to each other. Each child has his own way of showing affection, it is so funny to see their personalities come out.

ok, I think that's mostly everything....

Time for a new post...

2007-09-09T19:36:00.000-05:00

Things are going great here, but I know I need to update you on what's going on in our lives. My apologies for taking so long--we've been so busy! I know, you say "Cry me a bucketful, why don'tcha?" hahahaha...
Anyway, here goes...

I guess the biggest thing is that although the job was going fine at the funeral home, there was something still not sitting completely right with me. I've been wanting to be at home with the boys for awhile, and have been half praying that it could work out. you know what I mean, more like wishful thinking b/c you can't bring yourself to believe that God would be able to work it out for you etc. A.K.A. lack of faith. I started to seriously consider what I could do in order be with my children more. We were also struggling with the school system here. Birmingham school system is not that great. In fact, it is pretty low on the totem pole of schools in general. We will also be moving the middle of September to another district (next-door to my best friend, yippee), and were worried about dealing with changing schools in the middle of a term. I carried around a general sense of unease, like, 'I don't know what to do about this, and I don't want to think about it right now.' I was discussing my options with Crissy one day a couple months ago, and she brought up homeschool. At first, a host of insecurities jumped up: I am not smart enough, disciplined enough, lack of socialization, I'm too selfish, etc. I finally told her that if God wanted me to homeschool, then He would put it on my heart--just like He did when we decided to move to California to go to school. Heehee. I guess you probably know what's coming. Suffice it to say that we have been homeschooling successfully for the past 3 weeks, and it is going fine. There are ups and downs, but it is definitely worth it.

So, bout 6 weeks ago, I put in a 3-week notice at the funeral home, and started signing up voice students. Thanks be to God, I am bringing in the same amount of $$ I was working 40 hours/week, except now only working about 15 hours! (I could still use about 5-6 more students, so pray when you think about it.) Now I teach some week-day afternoons, and Saturday; and am home most of the day with the boys. The interesting thing is, the girl they hired to replace me at work was from California and had moved to AL a little before we had! I had a week to train her, and it went well! She has a lovely little girl, and after talking with her a while, found out she's a believer! So, she is visiting our church. Very fun.

Speaking of church, we are attending Community Presbyterian. Never been Presbyterian before. It is such a great church--I love hearing the Gospel proclaimed to me every time I cross the threshold. Thanks CPC folks--you guys are great!

I have been able to reconnect with several great friends--KimH and Naomi--we've gotten together and hung out a couple of times; so much fun!!!! I see Crissy, Kim and Terri every Friday night. And lots of new faces that I am getting to know. We are also moving earlier than expected--our old home became available sooner, so we're moving this weekend. It will be nice to be in comfort zone again.

I am looking forward to a trip to California in a week and a half. Going to serve as an attendant and sing at Deannah's wedding. She has become one of my closest friends from out west. I am excited to see all my friends again and catch up. If you are reading this from L.A.--I miss you and will see you soon!!

Well, that was a lot, but I feel like it doesn't really even half cover it. Oh well. Thanks for sharing in my life. Leave me comment and let me know how it's going.

Stuff

2007-07-11T11:49:00.000-05:00

It’s raining. And the rain is making me very happy. We’d come home to about a 6-month drought. The locals informed us that we were down 18 inches for the year, and that it was a state record. But it is finally raining. Well, Texas is finally sharing, that’s all…
After living in the land of eternal sunshine and concrete, it is nice to hear the rain on the roof, and see all the green here. I found it interesting that last week, the Governor of AL, Bob Riley, called for all of us to pray collectively as a state for rain. And the funny thing is, or miraculous for that matter, is that our fervent prayers were answered, and God sent some rain over from Texas. Thank you Jesus.

Well, bout time to go cut some grass…

I have some exciting, stupendous, and marvelous news that you will never believe. After months of battling, pleading, praying, and yes, unashamed bribing, my son is pooping in the potty!!!! (and there is a heavenly host in the background singing in 4-part harmony!!!) And it was nothing to do with me or his dad, or his brother. It had everything to do with his being ready. It was if a light switch went on from night to day—I am not kidding. One day he was using a diaper, and the next day he was going potty all day and wearing underwear. He told me he’d gone while in Sunday School (we’ve been putting him in pull-ups when we go out), but his teacher didn’t tell me, and I half did not believe him. But then that night, he asked to go again, and he actually produced! Of course that prompted a quick trip to the store to get the bribe—a ring pop! Which Frank gladly went to get. And ever since, he’s been going all the time. Decided he’s a big boy now, and talks about it to anyone who will listen—even (and especially) in public. But, I am so thankful. Now on to driving…

My brother is graduating from BASIC Air Force Training this weekend in Lackland, Texas. I am so proud of him! Now he will be off to language school in Monterey, CA, where he’ll learn an Asian language (most likely Japanese or Korean) and then be trained to work with one of those countries’ intelligence departments. Oh yeah, top secret stuff, baby! And trips to the Orient to visit family. I am trying to be optimistic and think, what a great opportunity for Jacob, Tansy, and Ashlyn, and wow, how cool will that be to go and visit them in Japan—and not think: I won’t see my brother and his family except maybe every 5 years!!! But, I could never be selfish and hold him back. He is so excited—please pray for him when you think about it.

The Drive Home

2007-06-25T20:11:00.000-05:00

This is my first chance to talk about how the trip home went. We didn't get going on time: the goal was 6 a.m. that first morning and we didn't actually leave til about 8:30, but we only needed to make it to Phoenix by 4:30 p.m., so we did ok. About halfway between Los Angeles and the CA/AZ state line, I got a call from my sis (the one that lives in TX), that went something like this:

Me: "hello?"
Sarah: "hey."
Me: "what's up?"
Sarah: "I have some good news."
Me: "oh?"
Sarah: "Yeah. I'm tired of living in TX; the EMT thing's not working out; Subway's not working out, and I'm coming home. Just thought I'd let you know."

Yippee!! Couldn't have heard much better news than that! See, she'd moved out to TX back in September to go to Paramedic school, but didn't know til after she moved that they wouldn't pay her schooling (like she'd been led to believe); they'd only reimburse her after the fact. So she got out there and got stuck working at WalGreen's and Subway. And was totally miserable. I was so happy to hear she was coming home!!! So, by the end of our conversation, we'd convinced her to load her stuff up with ours when we got to her place, and we'd take her home too. Which we did.

So great news by the time we got to AZ. We stopped at a cousin's to attend a graduation--incidentally, it was over a hundred degrees when we got there; hot as you know where. Only a precursor for the rest of the summer too. But no humidity, so my hair did great, haha.

We left out the next morning for College Station, TX. Mapquest said it was supposed to be a 16.22 hour drive from Phoenix to College Station. Well, we decided to go for it. Left at 7:30 that morning and trucked on towards our destination. 16 hours later we'd barely made it to somewhere around San Antonio....uh oh. So, about 11 p.m. CA time, Sarah called and said "hey, are y'all getting close?". Um. no. But, we decided to stop and grab a bite to eat and then keep trucking. So yeah...we finally pulled into her place at 3:30 a.m. CA time--5:30 CST! We'd been going straight for 20 hours!!!! By the last hour or 2, we were doing everything possible to stay awake! haha. Playing the radio loud, and talking and trying to stay awake. (and praying). But thank the Lord, we made it ok, and Sarah had beds waiting for us. We slept for a few hours and then got up and packed her up. We didn't have any room left in our truck, so we rented a little U-Haul and hooked it up to the back of our Honda; which is how we'd moved to CA in the first place. We started on the last leg of our trip on Saturday morning, and pulled into Birmingham about 9 p.m. that night. So, 40 hours/4 days later, we made it home safe and pretty uneventful.
I know we had several folks praying for us...thanks so much!

Graduation

2007-06-17T18:13:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting to post pics of Frank's graduation from Talbot so y'all could see, but I realized he did it for me on his blog. Check it out here.

I'll post more later bout how our trip home went.

I've been tagged...

2007-06-17T17:56:00.000-05:00

Oops. This is the first chance I've gotten to sit down and catch up on other friend's blogs, and I realized Abbey tagged me back on May 3. For heaven's sakes. Where is my head? Anyway, lest I fail as a true quirky friend, let me post my seven:

1. I do not like sand between my toes. Or in any other crevice of my body for that matter.

2. I was born with a form of club feet. Yup, wore casts and all, til I was 2 years old.

3. I work in a funeral home.

4. I have been a dental assistant, a music teacher, a restaurant server, a student, a finance secretary, a grocery store cashier, an opera chorus singer, and an advocare representative.

5. I hate to excercise, but love how I feel after it's over.

6. I have a secret fear of meeting new people. I know you don't believe me...But once the ice has been broken, I'm fine.

7. My grandmother and I have the same pinkie toe.

ok, there's my seven.

I tag:

Kim H.
Crissy S.
Sandra N.
Alison A.
Megan J.
Miriam A.
Kim P.
Jenn C.
Jawan M.
Deannah E.
Jackie C.

Now we'll see who's keeping up with Amber....ok, all you Biola folks, good chance for my AL friends to meet you, teehee. If you don't have a blog, please leave your seven in the comments section. Let the fun begin!

Back in the Habit

2007-06-14T20:01:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm back. Sorry it's been a while. I've missed posting, but haven't had a lot of time, as I got a job TWO DAYS after I got home. Agh! Talk about not letting any grass grow under my feet. Anyway, we got home Saturday night, 6/2; I was over at my mom-in-law's the next day checking the Sunday paper want ads, called on Monday to apply to the funeral home for receptionist position; had one interview on Monday; a second on Tuesday morning, and by Tuesday afternoon, had a full time job with benefits! yippee. I almost didn't take the job, just cuz they offered so quick! I felt a little jinxed or something. But, I'd prayed for several things:

1. To find a job with professional people who would be nice to work with
2. To find a job close to home, so I could go home every day at lunch (which doesn't happen very often in Alabama)
3. To find a job with benefits.
4. To find a job that was not too stressful, so I could leave it there at the end of the day.
5. To find a job quickly

Every stipulation was answered, thank you Jesus! The folks seem pretty nice (so far...); the job's only 4 miles away from home; it has great benefits; I got it quickly; and it's not terribly stressful. Weeeeelllll, I say not too stressful, except the day I started, Monday, the funeral home had 13 new cases come in over the weekend, which was a record for them. Needless to say, it was a tad crazy my first couple of days. I made it ok--nothing like jumping in with both feet! but, it helped me learn their phone system quicker, which was probably the hardest part of the job.

So, I think everything's ok...It seems about like working in a medical office. It's mostly answering phones and creating files for the cases (dead people). The work is nice and boring (Shelley, I know you get me!) But instead of working with doctors and nurses, I work with funeral directors. I think I've hit it off with them ok; they like my perky personality. Most of them are a lot older than me. Maybe it'll help liven the dead folks, who knows. I know you are probably wondering what it's like to work at a (ew) funeral home? It's not that bad, actually. Although I am front line, I get to pass the folks off pretty quick and don't have to deal with too much.

I'll let you know if anything else interesting pops up. more later.

May be the last post for a while...

2007-05-23T17:46:00.000-05:00

So, some random thoughts before I go:

Ok, getting down to the end now. I've been busy packing everything we don't use on a daily basis, i.e. books, knick-knacks, special appliances/dishes, cold-weather clothes (since we don't have real winter here, only occasional cold weather), etc.

Mom, Gran and Maw-maw got here yesterday. Everything went well on the flight out. Maw-maw did ok despite her hip. They are all in fine spirits and it is good to have them here.

We're trying to eat up the last of the food. We've had mashed potatoes 3 days in a row trying to use up the box...I think my family is going to rebel about mashed potatoes and we probably won't have them again for six months.

Still have to shovel out my bedroom. It is the junk-collecting place, as it's the last room that anyone sees. So, you know, you throw everything you don't have a specific place for in there, til you can deal with it later. Well, later is now, unfortunately for me.

American Idol: Kinda bummed Melinda got booted. I really liked her and thought she was very professional. So, if I hafta choose between Blake and Jordin....definitely Jordin.

LOST: Hmmmmmm.....I am probably going to miss it tonight. Several reasons: Frank is still working on that final paper, and doesn't have time to watch it. And I can't very well watch it without him as that would just be wrong. And I wouldn't do that to him.
Also, American Idol finale is on tonight and I can't very well miss that either. So....ABC posts some of their shows online, including LOST. We'll just watch it later when we have time...hahaha, if that ever happens.

Speaking of papers, yeah. Frank has one 25 page paper left on Bioethics. He liked the class but I think has been secretly dreading the paper. (Is there anyone who doesn't dread 25 page papers on Bioethics?) Anyway, I think his topic is Invitro and genetic engineering or something like that. you go babe.

Busy trying to get in time these last few days to say good bye to my friends here. I wish you all could meet Deannah, Jackie, Alison, Sandra, Miriam, Jenn, Jenn (there are 2 of them), Shelley, Megan, Heather, etc, etc, etc. These are all women that have been there for me and have prayed for me, laughed with me and encouraged me while I've been on my 2 year trip. And now I have to say good bye. I'll be back in September to serve as an attendant in Deannah's wedding, which I am very excited about!!
I love them all dearly, and want you all to know that I was in good hands while in CA...

Last tee-ball game is tonight. Tee-ball and I have had a love-hate relationship these past few years. It is p'haps the most boring thing I've ever had to endure. but, know what? It has been so good for Frankie. He is so ok in a group now, and he used to be really shy. He loves to "show off" for family members, and I do have to say, he has an excellent slide. He has also earned the "game ball" 3 times this season! (Best player per game earns the game ball.) And, it's getting not as boring b/c the boys are getting older and more experienced, so it more closely resembles a real baseball game. This year they also graduated to no tee. So we can't even refer to it as tee-ball anymore. I better start enjoying it, b/c I'm afraid I'm stuck with it for awhile...Steven has been begging to play for the past 3 years, and will finally be old enough spring '08. the story of my life...

We will also miss our housemate, Abraham. Please pray for him: his wife is expecting their first baby, and he would very much like for her to get here before she delivers (she is still in India). They are working on a visa, but the U.S. Embassy can be very stubborn. Please pray that God will soften their hardened hearts and let Sangeetha come be with her husband.
Abraham and Frank have hit it off with this sarcastic, funny, guy kind of relationship, and I know we'll really miss him.

We keep telling people that they have friends in AL now, so they should come visit. That would be so cool if some of our CA friends could come visit the South. Lots of people out here have never been to the East coast. I think it was so good for us to get out of our comfort zone and move to a "foreign" land. Our horizons are definitely broadened, and I find that I am not nearly as self-centered as I was before, and I have a new appreciation for different cultures.

Ok, well I'm tired now and I can't think of anything else to say. Pray for us that we get packed up ok, get all the details wrapped up and that our trip will go well. We leave early morning, May 30th, with stops in Phoenix, AZ; College Station, TX, and then home. So maybe pull in sometime Saturday morning?....we'll see....

See you soon!

Been Awhile

2007-05-04T17:50:00.001-05:00

Ok, been gently reminded by my good friend Jawan (otherwise known as the "Blog Cop" *grin*) that I need to post again. Well, it's cuz I am so busy is all...we're coming down to the end, and it's starting to get, well, a little crazy. Here's what's going on:

--Frank is down to 2 and 1/2 papers.

--Both of us searching Monster and madly posting resumes and hoping for emails and phone calls offering us the most perfect jobs in the whole wide world.

--Setting up the truck rental through Penske. We are driving the truck and our car. Plan as of today is for my mom, Frank's mom and grandmother to come out and see us for graduation. Then, Frank's mom/grandmother are going to fly the boys back home while me, my mom, and Frank will drive across the U.S. Plan is to leave early 5/30 and go to Phoenix, AZ and stay with Frank's family. Then 5/31 get up and drive to College Station, TX to see my sister (16 hours to get there, ugh.) Then we'll only be 12 hours from home....so we'll see how it goes.

--Looking for someone to fill my post here in Accounting at Biola. So far, no one. But we do have one possibility.

--Madly getting everything together at work--creating a manual, just in case they don't hire someone before I leave--which it's looking more and more like that everyday....

--Pumping the boys up about going home...they are getting excited, although I don't think Steven remembers much...Frankie, however, has the memory of an elephant.

--Catching as many days of Angels' Baseball and Disneyland as we can before we go...

--Getting to all the rest of the tee ball games before we go...

--Getting sad and glad all at the same time. Sad to leave friends we've made here. Glad to be seeing family and friends when we get back.

So, 25 days and counting...

Garage Sale Tips from Living on a Dime

2007-03-28T19:09:00.000-05:00

I love garage and yard sales--"yard-sailing" as my mom calls it. Here are some good tips from the experts:

Ten Garage Sale Shortcuts

1. There are two kinds of garage sales - the ones where people want to make money and the ones where people want to get rid of stuff. The object is to find the ones where people want to get rid of stuff.

2. Get a map and newspaper and map out your route. Photocopying a map from a phone book or printing one from the web works great. Using this method, you can easily visit 25 sales an hour. If you're a beginner you might hit neighborhoods you are familiar with first.

3. If at all possible, leave the kids at home. If you must take them use a baby backpack or an umbrella stroller to make it easier. Give older children 25 or 50 cents and let them see what good deals they can get. Kids love picking out gifts for grandparents, siblings, parents and other family and bargain hunting helps them learn about money. Bring snacks (animal crackers, cereals, crackers in plastic bag works well) and cold water for everyone and plan ahead for potty breaks. If you have children with you, it's best only to plan on hitting about five sales until you see how they do.

4. Wear cool, comfortable clothes. Bring lots of change and one dollar bills. Put your money in your pockets so you don't have to worry about carrying your purse. Also bring a tote bag in which to carry your finds as you walk.

5. When you find something you're not sure you want, pick it up and carry it around while you continue looking. Otherwise someone else may take it while you're trying to decide.

6. Always ask politely if they will come down on the price. Most of the time they will. Every once in a while some things are so reasonable that I do not feel right asking for less. Finding women's sweater's at $1.00 each isn't bad, but I still ask if they will take 50 or 75 cents. If I find a name brand sweater in perfect shape for 25 cents, I don't ask for less.

7. If there is something you really want, but the seller is asking more than you want to pay, offer them a lower price. If they say no, leave your name and number and ask them to consider selling it to you at your price if they still have it at the end of the day.

8. Always check items well for hard to see tears, stains, or breakage. Remember it is a garage sale so everything won't be perfect.

9. It is best to go early, but don't panic if you can't. Sometimes you get the best buys after lunch when sellers are tired and don't want to have to drag everything back into the house. It's great to go on the last day of a sale because most sellers will almost pay you to take things so they don't have to keep them.

10. If you don't have success in one part of town, try somewhere else the next time. Sometimes the best garage sale neighborhoods are the ones you don't expect.

Don't be embarrassed about buying at garage sales. Some of the wealthiest women in the world love garage sales - Martha Stewart and Oprah are among them! When you're done, go home, put up your feet and have a nice glass of ice cold lemonade. Grab the phone and call someone who will share the excitement and appreciate your good buys. Garage sales are like old fishing stories. Die-hards always brag about the one that got away!

Cool new eating ideas we've picked up here

2007-03-28T10:48:00.000-05:00

Several things we eat now that we probably never would have tried back home:

Edamame' (ed-uh-'mah-may) Usually find them as appetizers at Oriental Restaurants. (Btw, no one says "oriental" here--the term is "asian".)
Anyway, edamame is just steamed soybeans in the pod--usually lightly salted. They are so good! I found them at the Trader Joe's and felt as though I'd found a treasure! Also, the good thing about soy, as most vegans know, is that it's a complete protein, like eating meat. It tastes kind of like peanuts and looks like peas in a pod. And, it's kinda fun to eat.

Soy milk Ok, I know you are all going, like, ewww!! haha. Well, the older I get, the more sensitive I've become to milk and milk products. I also believe that it's not the lactose in the milk, but the protein itself; as the lactose pills don't seem to help. But I am a big cereal fan, and wanted to find an alternative. I tried rice milk, but it just didn't do it for me...so... soy milk was the next alternative. The taste is definitely acquired, but doable. The only thing I can't do is brownies and soy milk, but I just stick with water when eating a brownie, as, 1. don't need the extra calories from milk, and 2. I know the pain that cow's milk causes is NOT worth the taste of the milk with the brownie.

Ground turkey There was a sale at the grocery store not long ago, so I thought I'd try it, as poultry is better for you than red meat. I have to admit, I wasn't impressed at first. I tried making hamburgers out of it, and it has kind of a gamey taste as compared to regular hamburger meat. I didn't want to throw out the remainder, so I ground it up and put it in spaghetti. It was a little better, but still didn't do it for me. Then I decided to add a little beef bouillon to the meat to help along the flavor. Aha! that was it! Now it tastes like a very mild beef. We've pretty much completely switched, except for hamburger steak. So tacos, spaghetti, and beef skillet fiesta are now all turkey based. Not sure how prices are back home, but here ground turkey is cheaper than ground beef.

Enchiladas Never knew how to make them back home, and never used soft corn tortillas. But, everyone here has some variation of enchiladas, and I've come up with my own version as "enchilada casserole". mmm-hmmmm. It is good. Maybe I will make them for the next get-together when we get back home and you can let me know what you think.

In 'N Out Burger Only THE best burger joint ever invented. Everything is fresh and homeade, like a mom'n pops, but it's a chain out here. Kind of like Chick fil A for burgers. The fries are also homeade and they have a window next to the drive-thru where you can watch them putting the peeled potatoes through a potato-dicer 'thing'. So much fun! In N Out also has great benefits for their employees and pay higher wage than minimum wage. So their employees tend to stick around and are very friendly. I've seen the same people working there as long as I've been here.

Indian Cuisine Most of you know that we have 2 house mates: Brian and Abraham. Brian is from MI, but Abraham is from India! yup, you guessed it--we have been treated to Indian food a few times and LOVE it! Their spices are good--a lot of hot, sweet spices, like curry and ginger. They have a great bread, called 'paratha', made with some kind of oil and grilled in a skillet. Looks like a pita or tortilla, but has a richer flavor (as it has more fat). My favorite Indian dish is "chicken tica masala"--a chicken dish made with yogurt and spices, served over rice. I know it sounds weird, but it's real good.

So, we have definitely had our culinary horizons broadened. Just gives me more meal ideas for when I get home. Now I just need to get a Trader Joe's in B'ham...

Kids say the darndest things

2007-03-09T19:20:00.000-06:00

Frankie: "If you don't stop, I'm gonna get on your nerves!"
Steven: "Huh! My nerves are strong enough to handle you!"

Steven: (in a LOUD outside voice at church) "Mama, I passed gas! I didn't poop!"

Steven: "Mama, can I have flappy peanut butter and jelly sandwich?" (As opposed to toasted)
Me: "Oh, you mean a 'floppy' pbj?"
Steven: "NO Mama! A FLAPPY peanut butter and jelly sandwich! And can you switch the jelly to honey?"

Steven: "Brian, why are you naked?" (after walking in on Brian as he was getting out of the shower.)

Frankie: "Mama, the Tooth Fairy forgot to come last night." (Oops. Shoot. We forgot to switch his latest tooth for a dollar.)
Frank: "That's ok, buddy. Maybe the Tooth Fairy's working the day shift."

Steven: (after Frank walked in the door wearing new shoes) "Daddy, your shoes are beautiful!"

American Idol

2007-02-26T18:50:00.000-06:00

hahaha. there are so many things I've been keeping from you! Never would have known, but now I have my claim to fame:

I did it! I tried out for American Idol back a few months ago--and not once, but twice! For all of my friends who always told me, and believed in me--yes, I tried it. Been there, done that. I wasn't going to tell anyone, but now I've got the proof: I made it to the website:
click here .

So, I'm famous for just a moment--a mere snapshot.
But I know, I know--you want to hear the whole story, right? and why I didn't show up on T.V....
Well, it's a lot different than you might be aware of...16,000 people showed up in B'ham to try out, and less than 30 made it to Hollywood. That's about 1 in 600. Also, about 99% of the people that show up CAN sing. So you're fighting for a chance to be heard, but almost everyone is just as good as you or better. So, for the most part, only the bad and the ugly make it. The first audition I attended, B'ham, was a learning experience. As you can see in the pic, I didn't do anything special--kept the look you all know and love. The girl pictured with me is Beth, whom I met on the plane back to Birmingham--a believer, and really sweet girl from Ohio.

Anyway, the producers set up about 16 booths with tables and 2 judges, down in the arena and start lining up people 4 across in front of the tables; about 6 rows deep. So, 24 people standing in front of 16 booths--384 people. So there are as many as 16 people singing at the same time across the arena. In that way, it only takes about 10 hours to process 16,000+ people! It was very hard to concentrate to say the least. Then, as the auditions progress, you realize that nobody is making it. Then you hear through the grapevine that you don't even see Randy, Paula, and Simon until the 3rd round! So, Sarah and I tried out together and neither of us made it.

Well, I did see that more trendy folks were getting thru, and I hate rejection--so I wanted to try one more time. I chose Memphis, b/c it was on a Sunday, and I could catch a red-eye (overnight flight), and be back to work on Monday. (Frank, btw, was very supportive of the whole thing.) I got help from my artsy friend, Deannah, who straightened my hair, gave me makeup tips, and helped me come up with trendy outfit and jewelry. Well, I felt like a million bucks. But, unfortunately, Memphis was like B'ham. Too much talent, too few spots.

I was disappointed at first, but the longer I've dwelt on it, the more I've come to terms with it.
Rejection is hard, but here's what I think:

1. The entertainment industry is HARD work. Touring is esp. difficult (KimHill, I know you get that!). I would just like the $$ that come after all the work! haha.

2. Thank God I find my identity in Him and not AI. I know that I can sing--I am also aware that had I made it to the big 3: R,P, &S; they would have said: "you're a good singer--but too broadway, etc." I know my style, and I don't know how long I would have been able to hold up a pop sound.

3. Don't know if I would have made it in the Industry as far as the pressures: mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. There is SO much room for moral failure.

So, now I can have a small claim to fame and say I was there when...

p.s. You're probably wondering why I didn't tell you before....well....

I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up in case I didn't make it. The fewer people to disappoint, the better. My mom was crushed pretty bad as it was. And after it was over, it became, well...not important anymore. I just didn't care. But, now that I made it to the website, I HAD to tell someone!

10 Tips for painting a room on a budget

2007-02-22T14:11:00.000-06:00

This article came from the website "Living on a Dime" (link: bottom left). If you sign up for their newsletter, they email articles once or twice a week with great tips on how to save money.

This info about painting a room was too good not to share, and now I can get rid of the email, cuz I'll always have the article!

One of the easiest ways to save money redecorating is to paint a room yourself. It can cost anywhere from $200-$500 to have one room painted. Painting it yourself, you can do it for under $30. Here are some tips that we have used to save money painting:

1. Check your local hazardous waste recycling center for free or low cost paint. I've painted many rooms and pieces of furniture just by checking their free paint section. I painted my entire house for $45 using three of their low cost five gallon buckets of brand new but leftover construction paint.

2. Use an old sheet or spend $1.00 for one at a thrift store to use as a drop cloth. Sheets are heavier than the plastic drop cloths at the store and will last for many rooms of painting. Hang over a clothesline or fence to dry before folding and storing.

3. When removing the outlet and switch covers, put the screws back into the holes so they don't get lost. You can also put the covers and screws in a zip top sandwich bag.

4. Line your roller pan by putting a plastic grocery sack or trash sack (inside out if it has writing on it) on the paint tray. Then you can just invert the sack when you're done and throw it away.

5. Poke four or five holes with a nail in the groove on the top of the can. That way the paint doesn't get stuck in the groove around the edge of the can and make a mess when you put the lid back on.

6. Use the paint at the bottom of the paint can when nearly empty to paint the trim. I got enough paint out of an "empty" gallon to do the entire room's trim.

7. Don't use painter's tape. Painting is just like coloring inside the lines in school. Use a small, one-inch, angled paintbrush and slowly go around the edges. It takes less time than putting up and taking down tape. Keep a wet rag by your side in case you make small mistakes. Some tape also lets the paint bleed through, so it's not a very clean finish.

8. Store your rollers and brushes in a plastic grocery sack between paintings. You don't have to clean them after each use if you keep them from drying out. Refrigerate overnight or freeze them if you are going to not be painting for several days or weeks.

9. Turn the ceiling fan on in a room to speed up drying time.

10. When you're done with your painting clothes, turn them inside out as you take them off. This way, you don't accidentally get wet paint on anything but your head. ;-)

Irritating habits I've picked up since moving to CA:

2007-02-13T16:08:00.000-06:00

The impulse to hold items for reading at a distance. I don't know if it's because I work with a lot of people who need reading glasses, or if I'm just getting old too, heehee. But I've found that when I pick up a piece of paper to read, I hold it far away from me while studying it. Maybe I AM getting old...sigh...

The sound "mhhhm" at the end of a telephone conversation. Instead of just saying "bye", I've picked up what EVERYONE here does: "mhhhm, bye". I think it's because we're trying to be polite, and we can't quite figure out how to end the conversation, so this just seems to be the best way. I've caught myself several times in the past few days, and it is annoying as all git out. (now there's some good ol' southern slang for you.)

Several key phrases:

"Totally". That is sooooo valley girl/Southern California!

"You guys". 'Nuf said.

"yeah-no". Where you are agreeing with someone about something, esp if they are telling you a funny story.

"Hi". Everyone says that instead of "hey!".

So don't laugh at me when I get home!!!! You know it'll take me awhile to get "re-Southernized"!!!

Stuff I keep meaning to tell you

2007-02-06T18:47:00.000-06:00

Don't have a lot of time, but there's things I've been meaning to share...

Got my phone fixed finally, thank you Jesus. I'd spilled bubbles on it from the boys' birthday party and the battery was damaged. Then we got a new battery and realized that the little port where you plug the battery charger in was messed up too. bummer. and my new phone too. Pink Razr and all. So my mom sent an old loaner phone so we could switch the sim card, and Frank found a desk charger/battery set on ebay. So you can finally call me now. yey!

Frankie lost his 2nd tooth yesterday. He cried at school b/c he thought it had come out while he was on the playground, and he looked for it in the grass but couldn't find it. He was sad b/c somehow he found out about this thing called the tooth fairy who would give him money if he put the tooth under his pillow...don't know where he got that one...
Anyway. He was getting a drink from his water bottle at home that afternoon and found a piece of "ice" in his bottle--yup, it was his tooth!!! Bless his heart, he has been on cloud nine ever since with that new tooth.
(I say it's his 2nd tooth, as he'd had some trauma to one of his top front teeth-subsequently the nerve died and the tooth was pulled about a year ago. so it doesn't count.)

Well I'm finally legal in the state of California. Have put off getting my driver's license switched over for several reasons: 1. My AL license was still active 2. I like my picture and my weight on my AL license 3. Just too darn scared to take a leap of faith in a foreign world and go take the test, ugh.
Unfortunately my AL DL expired and I was forced to go. Of course to drive w/o a current license anywhere is bad, but esp bad here b/c there are so many bad drivers and just too many drivers period. You can be the best driver in the world--but it's the other drivers you have to worry about. So, after about 2 weeks of being driven around, I finally went and took the test and got my CA license. The picture turned out pretty good. I look older--more like a mother I guess. In my AL pic I was skinnier and looked like a little kid. So I guess I like the CA pic better. But the weight--well...
Hopefully it won't be that way for too much longer.

Something funny that Frankie came up with: when he was little, like maybe 2 or 3, he looked at Frank one day and said, "Daddy, you're my Special!". He has always called birthdays, "special day", like instead of "someone's birthday", it's "someone's special day". And everytime we eat a dessert or snack or get gifts out of the ordinary, he always calls it a special. It's just a cute something he came up with that I don't want to forget, and thought you would enjoy.

Ok, if I think of anything else, I'll let you know.

Free Stuff online

2007-01-28T19:28:00.000-06:00

My husband just posted a great set of free (legal) resources online, including classical works where copyright no longer applies, audio books, and old computer games that we used to play when we were kids. Cool! Check it out Apologique: Really Cool Free Stuff

Calling all 24 fans!!

2007-01-23T13:06:00.000-06:00

Oh my goodness--y'all gotta check this out! One of Frank's friends in the Philosophy program had a cool experience: a-team

For Anyone whose ever flown

2007-01-21T10:58:00.000-06:00

I came across these as an email forward, and this is kind of long, but too funny not to share!

Airline cabin announcements:

All too rarely, airline attendants make an effort to make the in flight "safety lecture" and announcements a bit more entertaining. Here are some real examples that have been heard or reported:

1. On a Southwest flight (SW has no as signed seating, you just sit where you want) passengers were apparently having a hard time choosing, when a flight attendant announced, "People, people we're not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it!"

2. On a Continental Flight with a very "senior" flight attendant crew, the pilot said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants."

3. On landing, the stewardess said, "Please be sure to take all of your belongings. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's something we'd like to have.

4. "There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane."

5. "Thank you for flying Delta Business Express. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride."

6. As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Ronald Reagan, a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella. WHOA!"

7. After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in Memphis, a flight attendant on a Northwest flight announced, "Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as hell everything has shifted."

8. From a Southwest Airlines employee: "Welcome aboard Southwest Flight 245
to Tampa.. To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised."

9. "In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with more than one small child, pick your favorite."

10. "Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but
we'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than Southwest Airlines."

11. "Your seat cushions can be used for flotation; and, in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments."

12. "As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses."

13. And from the pilot during his welcome message: "Delta Airlines is pleased to have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!"

14. Heard on Southwest Airlines just after a very hard landing in Salt Lake
City the flight attendant came on the intercom and said, "That was quite a bump, and I know what y'all are thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the
airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight attendant's fault, it was the asphalt."

15. Overheard on an American Airlines flight into Amarillo, Texas, on a particularly windy and bumpy day: During the final approach, the Captain was really having to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Amarillo. Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of our airplane to the gate!"

16. Another flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing: "We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal."

17. An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the Passengers exited, smile, and give them "Thanks for flying our airline." He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart
comment. Finally everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with
a cane. She said, "Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?" "Why, no, Ma'am," said the pilot. "What is it?" The little old lady said, "Did we land, or were we shot down?"

18. After a real crusher of a landing in Phoenix, the attendant came on with, "Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Capt. Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we'll open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal."

19. Part of a flight attendant's arrival announcement: "We'd like to thank
you folks for flying with us today. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized met al tube, we hope you'll think of US Airways."

20. Heard on a Southwest Airline flight. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing and if you can light 'em, you can smoke 'em."

21. A plane was taking off from Kennedy Airport. After it reached a comfortable cruising altitude, the captain made an announcement over the intercom, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Welcome to Flight Number 293, nonstop from New York to Los Angeles. The weather ahead is good and, therefore, we should have a smooth and uneventful flight. Now sit back and relax.. OH, MY GOD!" Silence followed,and after a few minutes, the captain came back on the intercom and said,
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I am so sorry if I scared you earlier. While I was talking to you, the flight attendant accidentally spilled a cup of hot coffee in my lap. You should see the front of my pants!" A passenger in Coach yelled,"That's nothing. You
should see the back of mine."

Other stuff

2007-01-19T23:04:00.000-06:00

Mom and Phillip came out to see us for 2 weeks. We've had lots of fun. Took Fifi (P's nickname) to Disney and let him ride all the fast rides. Rode the new and improved Space Mountain--I like the changes. It's a roller coaster that is completely in the dark, and used to have spacey/orchestral music with lights that simulated shooting stars all over the place--like you were at light speed thru the whole ride--immensely fun! But believe it or not, they've made it even better. They placed black lights strategically around so that you can sometimes 'see' where you're going, and changed the music to some cool heavy metal w/electric guitars. It was rockin! literally.

On another note, it's been REALLY cold here. Mom and Fifi brought it with them I think. Normal 'winter' temp is around 48 degrees at night, but it's been getting down to low 30's. Gov. Schwarzeneggar (sp?) has declared that CA will lose over a billion $$ in lost citrus crops. Bummer. We saw on the news to expect much higher prices and more damaged fruit. I think our lemons are doing ok though. I am curious to see how high the prices will be by next summer. Oranges are really good here. I hate that the crops got ruined.

Counting down to the end. I am getting excited. For the first time, I won't be sad to put my mom back on a plane to AL, because I'll be there in 4 months, yippee!! 132 more days to be exact.

My job is very demanding. It'll be nice to be the mommy again. I think Frank will also be glad to switch back to the breadwinner role. Not that he doesn't make a great stay-at-home parent. He is really good with the boys. (I know that's why I was blessed with boys) So patient, and even helps keep up with the housework. The only time he gets bogged down is midterm and finals time--usually several papers and exams are all happening at the same time. It has proven to be a bit stressful. Thank you God that we are almost done. Frank (by the grace of God) has managed to maintain an A/B average! and that is with being a full time at-home parent! So pray we finish well. We have one semester left that will start next week, and it looks to be the easiest semester we will live thru, yey! Frank set it up that way on purpose so that his graduating semester would be the least stressful.

My mom has been cooking for the last 2 weeks. When she comes it is wonderful. Most folks would be thinking,"Your mom took over the kitchen and you're ok with that?". Yup, most definitely. As a f/t working mother, it has been WONDERFUL to come home every day to home cooked, southern meals! I sure will miss that. And the company. It's been nice to hang out with my brother too, as I'd not seen him in probably over a year. So, I'll be seeing the rest of you soon too, and we can hang out!

See ya soon! :o)

Changed my look

2007-01-19T22:59:00.000-06:00

How do you like it? Got bored with green and was perusing the templates and found this charming look...so...decided to pull an aol and update my look. Aol is notorious--every time I JUST get comfortable manuevering thru the site--will have located my stored emails, figured out where they put the entertainment news, and relearned how to find recently sent or deleted emails; they go and change the look again. So, just when you were comfortable with my site, here goes...

Birthdays

2006-12-31T01:12:00.000-06:00

Today is Steven's 3rd birthday. Because Frankie's b'day is on Monday, we had a kid party--a first for me. It was successful, thank goodness. (I was a little nervous, having no one to invite but friends we've made here--man, where are good 'ol AL family and friends when you really need them?!) I kept it small on purpose so as not to be too overwhelming or out of control, and we did a CARS theme. It gave me a good chance to get to know the family of one of Frankie's classmates. It was actually a lot of fun! They just played for awhile and then we did pizza, presents, and of course, cake and ice cream. It's strange to think that this time next year, we will most likely be at home celebrating with family and friends, and our time here will feel like it was a dream. But Frankie and Steven are making friends here that they will miss when we go back home. E'en so, I'm ready to see everyone soon! Also hard to believe that one more semester and Frank will be done. So, see you in six months!

Flowering Herbs is Back

2006-12-31T01:02:00.000-06:00

Yey. I am pleasantly surprised. Went to Bath and Body Works to pick up my yearly supply of lotion. They run such a good sale after Christmas every year, that I get enough to last a year, usually about 4-5 bottles. When I was in high school, Flowering Herbs was my favorite scent: kind of a clean, flower smell. Anyway, when I was pregnant with Steven 3 years ago, they had phased it out and I had to find a new scent in order to take advantage of the in-store sale. (I know I could'ave ordered straight from the company, but you have to pay full price for that, ugh.) I decided on Sheer Freesia and have been using that for the past 3 years--it is also very good. Well, went into the store couple of nights ago, and could not find any hints of Sheer Freesia--but...guess what was back! yey! Made my day. I know you all wanted to share in my joy. thanks. :o)

The hurryer I go, the behinder I get...

2006-12-19T18:29:00.000-06:00

Just quoting a guy I work with...Goodness! Has everyone back home been as busy as us here?! My head's spinning; I've got so much going on: Choir concerts, church get-togethers, Kid Christmas parties, Adult Christmas parties, house cleaning for the holidays, gift wrappings, shopping (ugh. which I hate), and the list goes on. Oh yeah, did I mention work? We get a whopping 11 day vacation (paid--yippeee!!!) from Biola, so this last week of work everyone is scurrying, trying to get all the work details wrapped up before we leave for break. Don't know if I'd shared this earlier, but one of my jobs is to monitor/process all incoming and outgoing wires for the school; and everyone wants to get their payments made before we leave. Needless to say it has been interesting trying to get it all done. Told my boss I needed an 11-day vacation; and he was happy to oblige.

Also: today is our 8th wedding anniversary! How is it possible in one moment to feel like time has flown and in the next moment wonder how we ever got this far? I do know that I love my husband more and more every day, and literally could not live without him. He keeps my head on straight for me! Love you Babe!

New Hobby

2006-11-28T21:59:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine here in CA just graduated from Biola with an art degree. She taught me how to make jewelry--it is so much fun. As you can see, I was busy over Thanksgiving, and I've just posted several of my pieces on ebay!!! Here's a preview of some of my work:

Check out my auctions at http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120058929545&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.com%3A80%2Fsearch%2Fsearch.dll%3Ffrom%3DR40%26satitle%3D120058929545%2509%26fvi%3D1
and let me know what you think!

Welcome to LA traffic

2006-11-21T19:21:00.000-06:00

This is what you go through if you try to get on the freeway at almost anytime of the day in LA:

Ugh. why are there so many people here? no elbow room or anything. Guess I'm just a country girl who grew up with a forest for a playground. When we were living in our apartment next to the interchange of the 5 and 91 freeways, we would look out the window about midnight and see nothing but brake lights.
Frank and I also had a conversation yesterday, that from Beach Blvd. and La Mirada Blvd. (a major intersection close to our house) down to Huntington Beach, which is about 20 miles down Beach; there are approximately 10 million people living between those 2 points. 10 million!! And did you know that there are only 4.5 million people living in the entire state of Alabama? I don't know if it's the bright lights of Hollywood, or the mild, sunny weather, or access to everything under the sun...but you can see why it is the smog pollution of the world. The freeways here are like streets back home. It is common to take up to 4 or 5 freeways to get from one place to another, and you may have driven less than 20 miles! So different from home, sigh. One thing I won't miss...

Onomatopoeia

2006-10-24T14:23:00.000-05:00

Last night Frank was reading a bedtime story to the boys: "The Berenstein Bears tell a Lie". When they got to the part where Brother and Sister Bear blamed it on the bird, the bird flew away with a 'screech' (we always add in a screeching sound for special effect). At this point in the story, Frankie stops Frank and excitedly exclaims, "Daddy! I know what 'screech' is--that's onomatopoeia!--and so is 'crunch, crunch, munch, munch'!

Oh yeah. That's my boy. What are they teaching in kindergarten these days anyway? I mean will there be anything left to learn in high school?

Oh well, thought you might get a kick out of that.

about 5 hours later...

2006-10-13T22:27:00.000-05:00

Just had a quick thought. I love all my friends and family. (Can you tell I'm missing home?) I wish all my CA friends could meet all my AL friends/family, who could get together with the friends and family I have in CO; and the church friends totally would love the work friends; who would really dig the friday night/chattanooga friends; oh yeah, and the Southeastern Bible College folks, and the ones who live in Georgia. Lest I forget the cool folks I met in Austria, and what about the friends I have who are serving on the mission field?...I could go on all night. I am such a girl (relational, emotional, etc...but proud to be what God made me.) At least I can take comfort in the fact that we all have a common bond: Christ, and that you all will get to know each other in Heaven. You're gonna love each other--I can't wait.

Thinking out loud

2006-10-13T15:24:00.000-05:00

Soooo missing home right now. Probably because I know we will be moving home in approximately 7 &1/2 months, 32 weeks, 228 days (if we make til May 31st, which is when our lease is up). But, we are choosing not to come home for Christmas since we'll BE home another 5 months after that. But now that we're sure we're coming back, 228 days seems like forever!!
We'd been going back and forth for a little while between several different options:
1. Stay in CA and Frank immediately apply for a Phd program to anywhere and wait for a response.
2. Stay in CA and both of us work for a while
3. Move home and get jobs; pay off student debt already accumulated; put Phd pursual on hold for a little while.

So, yeah, when it's in print--why did we even waffle? Our rent now is $2,050 a month. We do have 2 guys living with us in the 3rd bedroom to offset the cost, so net cost is $1300. But still. Having to share a 1500 sq. ft. house with 2 more adults is rather challenging, honestly. Kim Hill, I am totally understanding the whole house parent thing. But you might've had it a little bit worse than me. But only a little bit. I have grown to like California....here are some of the good things about it:
1. The weather. 70 degrees year round. It does vary slightly, but no terrible cold.
2. Convenience of everything no more than 5 or 10 minutes away, i.e. grocery store, church, Biola. As long as you don't get on the freeway.
3. The house we live in. It is so cute. and the room plan is good.
4. The church we are attending: Grace Evangelical Free. We have met and made friends with some great people.
5. My job at Biola. My co-workers are great and I have medical insurance. I like medical insurance.
6. Let's see, can I think of anything else? oh yeah, we splurge on one thing: Disneyland. It's so fun. Even though I am a grownup, I will always have a soft spot for Disney.

Now, benefits to coming home.
1. Save couple grand a month on rent.
2. Family.
3. Lower cost of living in general. 30 cents less a gallon for gas.
4. Friends.
5. Did I say family and friends? I really miss y'all.
6. The absence of the phrase "you guys". I caught myself the other day. I was chagrinned to hear it come out of my mouth. Agghh. I have been here too long already.
7. Seasons. though don't think I will ever have a soft spot for 100% humidity in August.
8. Don't have to work as much (I won't anyway.) We've talked about my having a part time job to help pay the bills--but no more rat race, thank goodness. Sometimes I feel that between Frank in school, me working f/t, Frankie going to K5 and Steven just hanging out, I will never catch up. But I plan to use Christmas vacation as sorting/throwing out time before we come home.

Ok, if I think of anymore, I'll let you know.

Kids' Kitchen Terms

2006-09-14T17:53:00.000-05:00

BOIL: The point a parent reaches upon hearing the automatic "Yuck" before a food is even tasted.

CASSEROLE: Combination of favorite foods that go uneaten because they are mixed together.

DESSERT: The reason for eating a meal.

EVAPORATE: Magic trick performed by children when it comes time to clear the table or wash dishes.

FRUIT: A natural sweet not to be confused with dessert.

REFRIGERATOR: A very expensive and inefficient room air conditioner when not being used as an art gallery.

SODA POP: Shake 'N Spray.

TABLE LEG: Percussion instrument.

Back in the swing of things...

2006-09-11T12:06:00.000-05:00

Hey you all. I am finally back into the groove. So much has been going on (good things) that haven't had a chance to share. Wanted to show some pics of Europe:

The first one is the palace that was our base in Austria. We stayed in the small town of Eisenstadt--where Josef Hadyn worked for the royal family of Esterhazy. The color is called Imperial yellow, and the palace was converted from a castle/fortress look with moat (early 1800's) to the more Victorian look pictured here. This place was so cool! Since we were the performers, all rehearsals were held here and we had access to more of the rooms.
The second picture is Hadyn's church and his final burial place (he was moved at some point from Vienna to Eisenstadt). Our hotel (a converted monastery--very neat!) was literally next door to the church. Our last concert took place here. A couple of interesting things about Hadyn's church: it is completely round inside except for one large painting on the wall above the pulpit. Consequently, the reverb was terrific!! to the point of being rather mushy...our director would have us sing a 3 or 4 beat phrase and cut off after beat 2 because the sound just kept going and going--and it would sound as if we held the phrase for 10 seconds!
But it was a neat experience to sing there, as the reverb made us sound soooo good.
Ok, teaser...I will share more later as I get time...

World Traveler Has Returned

2006-08-24T14:37:00.000-05:00

Yey!

I know you are all overjoyed that I arrived home safely, despite the dangers of traveling internationally. In this post, I want to share my airline experiences: all of the airlines listed below I have flown on recently, and I feel obligated to share my experiences in hopes that it will help you make an informed decision about the airline you choose the next time you fly:

Now that I've spent 3 weeks being a world traveler, I took a moment to jot down a few ideas about airlines, based on my experiences with these companies. I hope you find the information interesting and insightful. They are listed in order of best to worst:

American Airlines
Pros: Good snacks--long flights get good meals
nice flight attendants
tv's in every seat
nice, up-to-date magazines
clean, modern cabins
assigned seats
Cons: no leg room
noted for losing luggage

British Airways
same as Amercian Airlines--very nice to fly. only gripe--no leg room

Southwest
Pros: snacks not as great as AA, but good--peanuts, pretzels--long flights get cookies/wheat thins
nice leather seats
nice flight attendants
clean modern cabins
pretty good magazines
Cons: no tv's
no assigned seats
limited travel destinations (they don't fly to a lot places on the East coast, including Atlanta)

Continental
Pros: huge amount of leg room--almost feels like first class
assigned seats
clean, nice, up-to-date cabin
Cons: not great snacks, again pretzels
mean flight attendants
no tv

US Airways
Pros: nice flight attendants
assigned seats
Cons: not up-to-date cabin/planes; looked very old
no good snacks--one small bag pretzels, even on long trips
no leg room
old, out of date magazines
definitely no tv's--these planes are too old

Bottom line: I would choose American if I could get a cheap enough flight, (generally they run more expensive). Also I would choose Southwest (if they have a flight where I'm going) --or Continental for the leg room --which was GREAT on long flights!

Ok, more later on how the trip went-- I will also have pics soon.

Remodel's done

2006-07-27T19:13:00.000-05:00

Yey! I know you are all cheering and applauding for me now that the remodel's done at work. We've been cooped up in a small computer lab. My co-workers and I've been joking that we feel as if we've been sharing a bedroom with 15 other siblings. lol! So, since we don't have internet at home, and I have no privacy at work, I haven't posted in awhile. I do my posts on break, (of course), but even then, it's awfully hard to keep folks from reading over your shoulder when your desk is right next to the printers that 16 people use every day. Thankfully, we'll be moving back to our new office on Tuesday, so you should see more posts from me.

Except....that I'm leaving for Europe on Tuesday night!!! yippee!! I am so excited to go on this tour and sing Mozart on his 250th! The music is glorious, and our tour is primarily in Austria, so we'll be singing in Mozart's home, too. I will try to post from Europe since my mom is bringing her laptop. If we find a good wireless signal. I will try to get some good pics too.

Sooooo.....more later! :o)

bothersome

2006-07-06T19:36:00.000-05:00

Hey Folks. Sorry this is gonna be a really short post. I do want to share all the great things that are going on right now, but don't have the time. Just wanted to leave you with a couple of random, albeit bothersome, thoughts that've been circling in my brain for the last couple of weeks:

Why do hot dog makers load the package with 10 hotdogs, and hot dog bun makers load the package with only 8 buns?

Why do garbage pickup companies make black garbage cans for the garbage that gets stored for the week and picked up only once in that week? I notice this only after walking to work on garbage pick-up days, in the heat, in very crowded neighborhoods. Ew. Don't most folks know that dark colors absorb heat and light colors reflect it? All I'm saying is: we need some white plastic garbage cans around here...

ok. I feel better. I'm sure you feel my pain--thanks for letting me vent.

Moving again?!

2006-06-15T18:56:00.000-05:00

Agh! I think I am officially going crazy. I work in a building at Biola that is being renovated. I'm in accounting, and the entire department is being moved on Wednesday of next week, and we were officially notified today to get 40 people moved, packed--not to mention that year end is at the end of June and audit happens at the end of August!!! What are these folks thinking?! So, it may be a while before you see another post from me...but please pray that I keep my sanity...

oh, but here's some great news:

Justin is home!!!! whoopee!! The army let him come home for the birth of his child. He is in Colorado right now and the plan is to head to B'ham on Thursday nite. Pray that Junior stays just a little longer so daddy can make it for his birth. Thanks to everyone for praying for Justin, Tracy and baby...

Walmart Woes

2006-06-05T15:37:00.000-05:00

This is for all of you suffering from a love/hate relationship with Walmart--I don't know if it's true, but it's almost too bizarre NOT to be!! Enjoy:

"Dear Mrs. Obanion,

Over the past six months, your husband, Mr. Shannon Obanion has been causing quite a commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this type of behavior and have considered banning the entire family from shopping in any of our stores.

We have documented all incidents on our video surveillance equipment.
Three of our clerks are attending counseling from the trouble your husband has caused. All complaints against Mr. Obanion have been compiled and are listed below.

Claremore Super Wal-Mart Complaint Department
--------------------------------------------------------
MEMO - Re: Mr. Shannon Obanion - Complaints -

15 Things that Mr. Shannon Obanion has done while his spouse is shopping:

1. June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people's carts when they weren't looking.

2. July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals.

3. July 7: Made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the rest rooms.

4. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official tone, 'Code3' in housewares..... and watched what happened.

5. August 4: Went to the Service Desk and asked to put a bag of M&M's on layaway.

6. September 14: Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to the Depends undergarments area.

7. September 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told othe shoppers he'd invite them in if they'll bring pillows from the bedding department.

8. September 23: When a clerk asks if they can help him, he begins to cry and asks, "Why can't you people just leave me alone?"

9. October 4: Looked right into the security camera; used it as a mirror, and picked his nose.

10. November 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, asked the clerk if he knows where the antidepressants are.

11. December 3: Darted around the store suspiciously loudly humming the "Mission Impossible" theme.

12. December 6: In the auto department, practiced his "Madonna look" using different size funnels.

13. December 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browse through, yelled "PICK ME!" "PICK ME!"

14. December 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumes the fetal position and screams "NO! NO It's those voices again!!!!"

(And, last, but not least!)

15. December 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door and waited a while; then, yelled, very loudly, "There is no toilet paper in here!"

Our New House

2006-06-05T12:53:00.000-05:00

So, it's been a little while. I forgot to warn you that we were moving and I might not be able to post for a few days. We decided not to keep our cable hookup for internet, so we use only the internet access at the school. Kind of inconvenient, but it saves us a hundred bucks a month.

Here are some random thoughts about my new house:

It's really nice! About 40 years old, but fairly well taken care of. I think the decor in the kitchen is original, but now that it's forty years later, it looks retro, and I think it's pretty cool.

We have a fire place and a big living room. The house is not THAT big by most standards (about 1400 sq. ft), but it's so much bigger than the 1,000 sq ft we were living in before. It feels like there is elbow room and space to move around.

There's a fenced back yard and a patio. Six girls (all Biola students) lived in the house, and planted about 10 rose bushes--and they are all in full bloom--beautiful!! I am so excited to have the beautiful landscaping, without the work! Of course, I will try to maintain with watering and weeding, but the hard part is already done.

We have a washer and dryer--whoopee!! No more trotting up and down the stairs to the laundry room. And if I want to start a load before going to bed and finish it in the morning, so be it. No more scrambling for the washer and washing at odd times in order to get one.

Such a huge blessing too: the girls who lived there before us left us a LOT of stuff: the washer and dryer--gave it to us!! An old set, but works great. And, I think they'd gone to SAM's or Costco, b/c when I walked into the laundry room there was: a big box 3/4 full of Tide, a full bottle of Downy, 2 industrial size boxes of Glad cling wrap, 3 boxes of Ziploc freezer bags, 1 box of regular Ziploc sandwich bags, a gallon bottle of Palmolive, and various other half-used cleaning supplies: 409, CLR, etc. I am so excited!! We walked into the bathroom and there was a card welcoming us, and they included pertinent info about trash and street-sweeping days, AND they organized all the house keys and left them for us. To top it off, they left us a vase filled with roses from the back yard--how sweet is that?! We knew 3 of them from church, and they were all nice. And most importantly, the place was pretty spotless--what you'd expect, but always nice to walk into. And from talking to the girls, we found out that they stayed up til the day before we moved in, so I know they were busy.

We had to move in the middle of the week, as that's when the first of the month hit. So amid moving boxes, I had to get ready for work on Thursday, and let someone else do all the actual moving. Thankfully, Frank got 3 of his friends from class to help move the big stuff and we were in the new house by Thursday nite--amid a HUGE mess. Ugh. Then I still had to go work on Friday--but Biola goes to half Fridays during the summer, so I got to come home early. God Bless my husband. While I was at work on Friday and then on Saturday I had to go to an out of town wedding; he singlehandedly unpacked and/or organized every box in our new place! So when I got home at 5 on Saturday, it looked like a house!!! Yahoo! and I didn't have to do that much. What's bad, is then I conked on the couch for about an hour out of exhaustion. Poor Frank, like the Energizer Bunny--just kept going and going...

The only sad thing is, we only get the house for a year...and rent is so expensive that we are looking to sublet the 3rd bedroom to 2 philosophy majors--so that we can afford to live there, and Frank can have some "philosophical interaction". So far we've had interest from 3 guys--so hopefully we can get renters quick, as rent is: (*drumroll please), a whopping $2050/month!! Aghhh!! I guess it's a good thing we finish in a year...just hope I don't get too attached to the new house. I already know that I'll miss it terribly. Oh well, I'll enjoy it while I'm here--makes our stay here much more pleasant.

But, our house looks wonderful! And I walked to work this morning!--about 3/4 of a mile; got there in 15 minutes--what I normally would've spent driving. I will post pics as soon as I get them loaded to the computer.

So that was my week...how 'bout yours?

:o)

God Bless America

2006-05-29T22:16:00.000-05:00

And God bless our armed forces.

The one I want to spend some time on now is the father of my almost-here nephew, and my brother-in-law, Justin. Justin and Tracy were married on Labor Day weekend last year, and now she is expecting their first baby. And he is serving in Iraq. Please stop and say a prayer for him:

for his safety,
for his sanity,
for his testimony,
for his Christian witness,
for his wife,
for his child,
for his protection,
and for God to bless him.

I heard "God Bless America" and "The Star-Spangled Banner" today at the Angels Baseball game, and was struck with the thought that I am able to go to a baseball game b/c my brother-in-law and his compatriots are keeping us safe and free.

Justin, we love and miss you! Come home soon and know that we are praying for you and Trace. love, Amber

God Bless America.

Memorial Day

2006-05-29T09:23:00.000-05:00

Well, since today is Memorial Day, I would like to remember my Grandfather. A year ago this month, we buried my granddad on my Dad's side. He was 80 years old. His name was Ellis Vance Ewing, Sr. (Funny that when I married, my last name became Ellis:o) Here are some things I remember about his life:

He loved to fish.

He had a fishing buddy named George, who, when I was little, I used to call "Grammaw". (George was the first person I remember seeing as a kid who had grey hair, and I thought if you had grey hair, you were supposed to be a grandma)

Grandad also loved his t.v. By the time I got to know him, he was older and had slowed down considerably. His favorite things to watch were college football, old westerns, and the game show network. He was a master with that remote. He could change those channels almost faster than lightning!

"Is your daddy a glassmaker?" I probably heard him say those words more than everything else he told me put together. Granddad had a funny sarcastic side and if you got in the way of the t.v., he would grunt that phrase; which meant, "get out of the way--I'm can't see the t.v." And if he didn't say it fast enough, someone else would jump in and say it.

We always saw them--Nanny and Granddad on Thanksgiving and/or Christmas. If not to eat, then at least to drop in and say "hey". The holidays always centered around food, t.v., and Christmas gifts. And of course, catching up on what cousins were up to in the last year since we'd seen them all. I think it is a shame that we don't get together more often than once a year--and I am as much to blame as anyone. I really do have a great family. Always tell myself that we're too busy, but living so far away has changed me. I don't take things for granted anymore.

Granddad fought in WWII. Since he didn't like to talk about his war experiences, mostly we heard the stories from my dad. One story that we tell and re-tell is the story of Granddad's sword that he brought back from Japan. The hilt of the sword is a dragon's head, with rubies for eyes. Rumor has it that it belonged to an old Japanese warlord, and every time we tell the story, the sword grows about 2 inches and gets 100 years older. It is very cool. There are also stories of buddies he lost and sadness in the Japanese wilderness. We didn't really talk about those too much. Granddad wasn't really keen on remembering who he'd lost, and I can't say that I blame him.

Granddad hung sheetrock for a living. All or most of his brothers did, and most if not all of his nephews and sons do too. The Ewings are like the Drywall Dynasty in the south. Everyone knows Pidd, Podd, Calvin, Junebug, Hoochie, Mike, Steve, and all the rest who I don't even remember their names. They were (and are) known for being FAST and skilled at their jobs.
One thing I really admire about Granddad is that he worked up til 3 weeks before he died (at 80). Even at 65, he never did really retire. I think he went bored and stir-crazy. His life just revolved around work, so he kept at it. Usually worked 3 days a week. When he finally got sick, it was colon cancer, and it just up and hit him one day. One day he got up and went to work, and the next day he was laid up in the hospital sick. By then, the cancer was too far gone, and the doctors told him it didn't look good. I remember about a week later, I saw him and knew that this time it was for real. He'd lived through 2 heart attacks and a bypass, but this was it. Thankfully, he wasn't sick for very long, and did not suffer. He just sat down in his favorite chair, fought it for a few moments and then went to sleep. And most of the family got to be there with him when he passed.

He left so many of us. 4 kids, 15 grandkids, and 5 greats. Oh and Nanny, who just keeps going too. Nanny still works at the day care, but she has struggled with her health--she had an eye cancer a while back, which dr's were able to help; but now she is struggling with heart disease. She is great too--no matter how many grands and greats we produced, somehow Nan and Granddad were able to get EVERYONE a little something for Christmas! I never understood how they did it, but they did. It's like their labor of love for the family, and I appreciate their generosity. I also appreciate knowing that they would always be there for every Christmas, and we could go and "catch up". As an adult, I realize that life won't always be like that. But I am going to call Nanny today and catch up. The older I get, the fewer things I take for granted.

*If you are a family member and/or friend who knew Granddad, please leave a comment and tell me what you remember about him. Love y'all!!

LOL!!!

2006-05-26T17:53:00.000-05:00

My boss sent these to me and I can't quit laughing. I don't know if it's just because it's Friday at 3 p.m.--I'm still at work and I need the laugh, or what?! Anyway, thought I'd post real quick and share the fun. Please leave a comment and let me know which was your favorite:

Bumper Stickers

Back Up My Hard Drive? How do I Put it in Reverse?

Everyone has a photographic memory. Some don't have film.

When the chips are down, the buffalo is empty.

Seen it all, done it all, can't remember most of it.

Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't.

I feel like I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe.

He's not dead, He's electroencephalographically challenged.

She's always late. Her ancestors arrived on the June Flower.

You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted, then used against you.

I wonder how much deeper would the ocean be without sponges.

Honk if you love peace and quiet.

Pardon my driving, I am reloading.

Nothing is fool-proof to a sufficiently talented fool.

A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.

Save the whales. Collect the whole set.

Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

On the other hand, you have different fingers.

Change is inevitable. Except from a vending machine.

"Out of my mind. Back in five minutes."

"I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian."

"When there's a will, I want to be in it."

"Okay, who stopped the payment on my reality check?"

Thoughts on Homeschool

2006-05-21T11:06:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking more and more of homeschooling lately. All this time, I've been completely opposed to it: no social interaction, I don't want to quit work, I don't think I'm capable of doing it, etc.

First, you need a little background. Prepare yourself for an extremely long post. If you have something pressing, like, going to the bathroom or getting supper started; I suggest you do that and come back later. :o)

Yesterday, the boys and I went to Legoland by ourselves. With no one else but us. And for the first time I can remember, I had the boys with me, just us, and we'd gone somewhere far away to have fun. I came upon a small epiphany. Nothing as big as say, discovering Jesus' redemptive work or anything; but still an epiphany to me. I realized that I am, for the first time in 6 years, comfortable with being a mother and taking care of my own children all by myself. I've finally understood that for 6 years I've been hiding behind my mother, my husband, my best friend, my work, other friends, school, etc, etc. So that I wouldn't have to take care of them alone. Because I was afraid. What if I am a bad mother? What if I can't take care of them? Anxiety and Insecurity are the Burdens on my back. And yesterday changed it all. I think the change has been coming for quite some time though: a year in fact.

See, a year is how long it's been since I moved away from most of my comfort zones. And God has been slowly dragging me out of my shell and developing my independence in the world, and my dependence on Him. Remember my post about going to the library alone? It was happening then and I didn't know it. Then last Sunday, I desperately needed to go the the store (called the market out here) and for the first time, I couldn't leave the boys at home with Frank--he was just too tired from studying and completely zonked. The whole time I've had my children, I've always looked for ways to leave them at home when I ran errands--it's just too hard to take them with me; takes too much time, energy, effort, blah, blah. Looking back, I think deep down it was that anxiety/insecurity issue again. ("how can I be old enough to be the mother? what if we are in a terrible accident and they get killed?" "I don't have the confidence to do it." As I write these thoughts, it occurs to me that this feels a lot like the post- partum depression I went thru. Maybe I've carried a tiny part of it with me and just didn't know it.)

Anyway, we went to Sam's and Walmart and did fine. Then, Thursday nite, I needed to run to the store for some stuff for work on Friday, meaning it couldn't wait til the weekend. Since Frank is studying for finals, and Sunday went well; I decided to take the boys with me on Thursday nite. That is HUGE for me--usually after work, I am tired and don't feel like going to the store, much less dragging 2 boys with me. Well, it went fine--AND we went to 3 different stores! I was more tired than normal when we got home, but we made it.

So, every day this week, Steven asks if we can go to Disneyland again. Everyday we've been putting him off b/c of busyness: work and school. I was beginning to feel differently however. We can't go to disney b/c our passes are only good on certain dates, but the passes to Legoland are good anytime. So that's what we did. Me and the boys made the hour and 15 minute drive down to Carlsbad and we did just fine. In fact, we had a blast!! including me!! As we were driving home, I thought to myself: 'Wow, my children really are quite enjoyable, I want to do this again sometime soon. I wish I didn't have to work. If we homeschooled, we could do this all the time.' and so on.

Hence the title of this post: Thoughts on Homeschooling.

I don't know if we will do it. I had a conversation with Frank last nite when we got home that pretty much consisted of all of the above. He was glad to see how much I've grown, but that doesn't mean he's ready to jump into a whole new way of life. Plus, it's a difficult way of life: lesson plans, schoolwork, being COMPLETELY responsible for the education of your children. And we depend on my income right now. So, it will have to wait a little while. We have at least a year to think and pray. Please pray for us that we will make the right decision. I don't want it to be for selfish reasons: I don't want to work, I want my children with me, I want that emotional satisfaction, I want to shelter my children (i.o.w. hide them from real life), I want complete control of my children's education. All of these reasons boil down to: pride, selfishness, laziness, etc. But right reasons would include: Being able to spend time with my children, being able to teach them a Christian worldview, giving them more extra-curricular activities without piling that onto an already full school day, having the flexibility to pick up and go when needed. If you think of any more, let me know. (*Crissy, call me. I know you've probably got some good advice, enough to fill another post!)

Mother's Day

2006-05-16T13:48:00.000-05:00

So I have something terrible to confess:

I forgot to call my mother on Mother's Day.

I woke up Monday morning with a strange sinking feeling of "there is something really important that I forgot to do yesterday, but I can't remember what it is..."

Oops. But, problem is, and I know this should be no excuse, I was so busy this past weekend! This is what I got done:

-packed several more boxes to move
-got the house clean
-excercised
-performed 2 concerts with the chorale--one in Pasadena (which is far away)
-took the boys swimming
-did the grocery shopping
-cooked all meals
-washed 3 loads of clothes
-baked brownies
and on and on and on.

Excuses, excuses. Unfortunately, I didn't get the one thing done that was the most important thing:
To call MY mother and wish her a happy Mother's Day. So, Mom, if you read this, just know that I love you very much, and now that I know what it's like to BE a mom, I'll never take you for granted ever again. Happy Mother's Day!! (belated of course.)(*Note: I called her Monday morning, and after holding out for a while, she finally forgave me for being so forgetful.:o)

I received this through a forwarded email and it's opinions on mothers as expressed by select 2nd graders:

Why God made Moms
Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He jused bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use
string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your mom?
1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty
bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to
chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3 . I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms & dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home & dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of
plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my Mom smarter. Then she would know it was my brother who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of
her head.

Happy Mother's Day!

I am the grownup

2006-05-10T18:50:00.000-05:00

Do you ever feel like you are a kid in an adult's body, and that you should still call your mom to ask permission to take the car out? Sometimes I feel like that. The other day I was on my way to the library to pick up something to read, and I was alone in the car--and I had the strangest feeling of: I need to let someone know what I'm doing--feel like I should ask permission! Or, when I'm taking the boys to the park, and it's just me and them; it feels surreal, like: I am not old enough to be taking them to the park by myself! *laugh*

I know that I am 27 years old and have been "of age" for quite some time now, but I still get that feeling of: I can't believe this is my life! I can't believe I am old enough to be married for 7 1/2 years and have 2 children; one of whom is already 5 years old, going on 6!! I mean, I just got married yesterday! Or did I?...

Some of the time, I look back and think: Wow, we've done so much in our married life; lived so many different places, made lots of friends, etc. But most of the time, it's the opposite--I think: Wow, it feels like just yesterday was my wedding day, the births of Frankie and Steven, etc. It's like a time warp--time is really creeping AND flying by all at once! I think part of it too is that I live so far away from everything I've ever known. It is COMPLETELY surreal to me that I am driving to the library in Fullerton, California! of all places to be! Growing up, I would never have thought that the path of my life could've brought me this far from home. But it is such an interesting journey.

On that note, I do have to admit that my horizons have been broadened since moving here. And, after living here 11 months, I must also admit that I am finally getting used to being here. I'd been warned to give it at least a year for the homesickness to subside--and they were right--I am getting more used to it.

I've also found that I am much more patient than I used to be, and more independent. Always been a homebody, but it's kind of hard to maintain the homebodiness when you're 2,000 miles away from home, heehee. I used to not like to go public places by myself; i.e. amusement parks, regular parks, even the grocery store. But heck, I go to the library by myself (I've come a long way). I know that seems kind of silly, but I was just never very independent. I can see now that God has been pushing me out of my comfort zone for a while, and I've grown by leaps and bounds. Let's see what He'll do in the next 12 months...

Trader Joe's

2006-05-06T17:51:00.000-05:00

One thing that I love about California is a store called Trader Joe's. It's fashioned after trading posts in the 1800's, and they have a little of everything. Some produce/dairy/meat, but also organic stuff and vitamins. You can't do all your grocery shopping there, but you can get a lot of it, at very good prices. They buy whole sale from manufacturers, and all their food is very good for you--organic, no preservatives, etc. That's one thing I hate about buying organic/no hormones/antibiotics, etc; is that those things cost twice as much as the regular stuff. So you have to make a decision: 1. be extra healthy and spend a lot more $$ buying all natural/organic, or 2. be as healthy as you can and take the cheaper alternatives; like Tyson's hormone-laden chicken or Barber's antibiotic-laced milk. Granted, I still buy a lot of my stuff from a regular grocery store (I should buy stock in Tyson's); but today at Trader Joe's, I picked up organic baby spinach for $1.79/bag, with a good date and cheaper than the Fresh Express Variety at the grocery store. I also got several all natural frozen meals--like stouffers or lean cuisine family dinners for less than $5 apiece. My favorite is box mac 'n cheese--all organic cheese and pasta, for 79 cents a box. It's so cool to be able to eat more healthy for the same price, or in some cases, cheaper. If you're interested, check out their website at www.traderjoes.com

Now if they'll just open up one back home, I'll be good. I think I'll email the company and suggest it.

Europe

2006-05-04T21:53:00.000-05:00

So I need to update you about my music opportunities. After dropping out of the music program at Biola, I was sad, and decided to do a search on the internet to find community choirs in and around my town. I wanted to find a group that would challenge me musically without being too hard. I found a choir through a college called "Chorale Bel Canto".

They mostly do classical music, and I had to audition with an aria--from opera or oratorio. Since at the time, I knew from their website that the next concert was featuring Bach, I decided to do the Bach aria I'd done at my recital. (Less work on my part! didn't have to learn anything new.) Well, the director was very kind, and I like him--he invited me to sit in on the rehearsal to see if I liked it, then I could sing for him. Everything went well, and I joined the choir that night. We had our first concert at the end of March, and it focused on Baroque music--hard! Kicked my butt, in a good way. Now we are working on Mozart's Mass in C Minor, which is very beautiful music, and even more challenging than the Bach. But I am loving it.

Oh, and I keep forgetting to tell you that I got to sing on Easter Sunday. The choir participates in a sunrise service at Rose Hills Cemetary here in CA(it's the biggest cemetary I've ever seen, miles and miles), and I was asked to sing the solo: the spiritual "Were you there?" at the very beginning of the service. It was cool-- dark, so I couldn't see all the people, but they told us later that there were about 1500 people there. Cool!! I wasn't really nervous b/c I couldn't SEE anyone, heehee. The service was beautiful; reverent and sacred. Hard to explain, but there's something about celebrating the resurrection of Christ around the same time of day as the disciples and women first saw Him.

Ok, now I get to the reason for this post. The choir is going to Europe this summer and I get to go too!!!!!! I am elated! Never gotten to do anything like this before in my life. The price is very good, and we are touring Austria and Hungary, singing the Mozart music. Didn't want to mention anything sooner, as there were a lot of variables: had to get permission from work and make sure we had the $$. (Tax returns and earned income credit are great!) I'm also thankful my husband is willing to live without me for 16 days (8/1-8/16). That'll be the hard part--being separated from my boys. But it is the opportunity of a lifetime. Now onto passport and electric outlet converters, whoohoo! :o)

LA/Dodgers Stadium

2006-04-28T12:36:00.000-05:00

Dodgers Stadium as seen from our seats up high

LA skyline

Shot of LA from a different angle

The Hollywood sign as seen from the stadium

The Dodgers Game

2006-04-23T21:16:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we went to a Dodgers game. Los Angeles has 2 major league baseball teams: The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (of California, and so on...little bit of a joke); (and the ones we have the season tix for); and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Why then, you ask, did we go to a Dodgers game? Well, Frankie is in the Buena Park Little League, and their team, the Cardinals, got a chance to parade around Dodgers stadium right before the game. Something about National League vs. American League. His team was affiliated with the Dodgers instead of the Angels.

And, it was also autograph day for kids under 14. So, while Frank was getting Frankie to the parade, Steven and I took a brand new MLB baseball (used for autographs) and stood in a line 1/4 length of the stadium, in hopes of getting an autograph from one of the Dodgers. After standing in line for about an hour--it wasn't too bad, the weather was sunny but not hot, and the view was great; Hollywood is on one side and LA is kind of at a right angle--so we did ok. But just as we made it up to the autograph tent, they called all the players out so they could go warm up for the game. Darn. But, they left the veteran players, so we got autographs from Bobby Costillo and Rudy Law. (Like I know who they are. Someone famous, and I wouldn't even know it :o) It was a good game too--the Dodgers won, and Steven took a nap. YES!

Last but not least, we did get to see a couple of famous folks and we actually knew who they were: Harrison Ford was there with his girl, Calista Flockhart. Of course, they had a private box, and we only saw them because they got put on the big screen. But it was still neat to think that we were probably only about 100 yards from Indiana Jones. (He's actually looking kind of old; sporting a full beard that's mostly white.) Also saw some NFL player, Warren Moon; again, wouldn't know him if I saw him on the street, but Frank knew who he was. Once they pointed him out, we looked down and saw him in the stands live, so Frank took this picture. He's the one with the mint green shirt. Cool, huh? Course, we're in the nosebleed section at the tip top of the stadium, so Warren's features are a little indistinguishable, but trust me, it's him.

2006-04-21T18:32:00.000-05:00

This is Frankie and Steven at a visit to a couple's house in our small group: Jesse and Ginny Grotholson. Jesse is an actor--a serious one. It was so interesting to talk with him and find out what it's like to make movies. He has an MFA (Master of Fine Arts) and they moved here from Chicago last July for him to pursue a professional career in acting. He is working on what's called a "reel"--basically a film strip of several examples of his work to present to agents. He hopes to have it finished by the end of the year so that he can have an agent and be auditioning for TV/Film. I loved learning about all that, and it was great to interact with a Christian in the "Industry" who is spiritually well-grounded. Oh well, at least I'll be able to say "I knew him when..." :o)

Been a little while...

2006-04-21T18:00:00.000-05:00

Hey Folks!

Sorry it's been a while. I've been missing all of you alot. We are still doing ok out here. About a month ago, my sister came out and we had so much fun. We went to Disneyland for a day--got there when it opened at 9 am and left when it closed at 11 pm. It was a blast! Sarah had a free ticket, so we wanted to get our money's worth since a one day park hopper (Disney has 2 parks) is $79. Thankfully, Frank was able to take the boys home in the middle of the day for a nap.

Unfortunately, Sarah and I picked up sickness while we were there. Part of the reason I haven't posted in a while--been sick with food poisoning. We think it was the hamburger...sigh...I am just now getting over it, 3 weeks later. Finally went to the doctor, who is running lab tests to find out what it is. Funny thing is, I waited 2 1/2 weeks to go to the doctor, and they are running tests, but now I think I'm getting better. Oh well, least I'll find out what it was. Fyi, if you ever think you have food poisoning, there are several different kinds. Some you can treat with antibiotics; some go away on their own; and some you can treat with antibiotics, and they go away, but then mutate and come back worse than before. So, we are postponing any kind of treatment until we figure out what it is. I'll keep you posted.

Frank started a blog: www.apologique.blogspot.com
Check it out when you get a chance. It's pretty good if I do say so myself. (Course I am a little biased) :o)

I have spring fever so bad! California doesn't have normal seasons. Instead, it's: Summer, Indian summer (with desert winds warm fronts), and Rainy season. We just came out Rainy season--which was basically kind of cold and drizzly with highs around 60 every day. Not too bad, but to Californians it's "Winter/Storm Front"!! Their Evening News cracks me up! One day when it was drizzling lightly and the wind was blowing about 10 mph, the anchor persons were on the news decked out in full rain gear and commentating in very serious tones about how the wind was making the rain blow sideways and that looked really bad. LOL!! Give me a break. Maybe I should call'em up and talk about Tornado warnings in the South--now those are some serious storms. One problem we do run into here is that since they don't get rain very often, when they DO get it, flooding tends to occur. Esp. at LAX (the airport). Esp. when you need to go pick someone up from the airport...in the rain...and the dark. and you get lost in downtown LA. Sigh...sometimes I miss AL and Malfunction Junction. heehee.

We are moving at the end of May to a house with a yard. We've been living in an apartment, and now we're going to live in a house within walking distance of Biola. YES! Good thing too, since gas is predicted to go up to $4/gallon here by the middle of summer! Sheesh! It's already up to $3/gallon right now. How is it back home? Another thing that I find interesting about here is that folks depend a lot more on transportation other than cars. They will walk, ride a bike, or use the bus. I have to be a lot more careful driving here, you have to watch for pedestrians and cyclists constantly. Darn! lowers the point values too.

Ok, more later. Talk soon!

Sarah onstage!!

2006-03-13T17:43:00.000-06:00

Random things I need to tell you

2006-03-13T16:58:00.000-06:00

Well, yesterday was my birthday. It was quite uneventful, actually--which was nice. We went to church and then small group. I made a birthday cookie and the boys and I ate it. When you're the mother, sometimes you have to take care of your own birthday cake, heehee. But it's all good--I would rather have a birthday cookie that I made myself than a store-bought cake that's way too sugary.

A huge thank you to all of you who remembered! You made me feel special. But, it's also ok if you are reading this and didn't know it was my birthday, or forgot. I don't mind. One time Crissy and I were talking about all the stuff we have on our plates--that life is almost like a cup. There's only so much you can put in it, and when you start trying to put too much in it, it overflows and you lose some details, and some important things you were trying to remember--like folks' birthdays. So, I completely understand.

I got so many calls yesterday, in fact, that it made me really homesick and I cried last nite. Just from sheer missing everyone that I love in the whole world, and the actual places too. It is a physical hurt in my gut sometimes--how can a person miss something so much? I know I do. For the first couple of months we were here, we were getting busy settling in, and then after that, the sadness hit. Then the next few months, I started grieving and cried about once or twice a week. Now it's down to once a month or around special holidays that the sadness hits. Thank the Lord for the internet--what did they do 150 years ago when folks left on the wagon train to never return to the East, and all they had was the Pony Express--WORSE than Snail Mail. :o) Anyway, we have Email, Blogs, and Instant Messenger, for Pete's Sake! So, I know it could be a lot worse. And we are learning so much out here.

Speaking of missing home, Sarah, my sister is coming out here!!!! yey!!!!! I am so excited. This is her first visit to CA, so she will get the grand tour. She is staying for 10 days, so there will be time to do and see everything. Sarah just finished up Madama Butterfly with Opera Birmingham.

I'm very proud of her: she teaches voice lessons and also does opera and sing for 2 choirs: East Lake United Methodist Choir, and Colla Voce of Birmingham. She is so busy! I am glad that she is able to get some time off to come out here. I like the thought of introducing my sister, and one of my closest friends to my new life out here.

Well, I guess that's enough for now. Goodness! Don't know what got into me, getting all nostalgic all of a sudden. Oh well, more later. Miss you all and love you!!

Ad for Boudreaux's

2006-03-04T01:07:00.000-06:00

I was reading Crissy's post from the other day, about her kids coming up with "Alternative uses for Everyday Foods". I thought the month old milk in the sippy cup was esp. true; and really found the $6 bottle of virgin olive oil quite painful. I even laughed my socks off at the ice cream sandwich paint, while thinking to myself: "thank God my kids haven't done anything that crazy, cuz I would sure be ticked off...oh well, happened to Crissy, heehee."

Well that thought has seriously come to bite me in the butt. almost literally. Ok, let me just say 'boudreaux's butt paste'. !!!! :oO uh oh.

Wellllllll, let me share--this is how it happened: Night before last, kids were REALLY cranky, and so were we (poor kids), so we decided to put them to bed early--YIPEE!! Bad move. 1 hour later, Frank walks down the hall to check on them cuz everything had gotten really quiet...come to find out, they'd gotten into the hall cabinet and opened the butt paste and smeared it all over everything. The ENTIRE 16 oz. cannister. Oops. Now, for those of you who don't know what butt paste is, it has the consistency of car wax. and that was the only way we got it off--half a roll of paper towels, with the classic "wax on, wax off". Shoot, I think it took me 30 minutes just to get the goop off the cabinets, and shelves; and I still haven't got it out of the carpet. The stuff is great on chapped bottoms cuz it's so oily--if any of you readers happen to know how to get it out of carpet, please let me know.
I guess it'll teach me not to laugh at my dear friend's misfortune...

I should've taken pics to prove how bad it was. And just moments ago, I discovered boudreaux hand prints all over the closet walls. Beautiful. *note to self* I love my life. :o)

My silly, wonderful kids...

2006-02-24T23:39:00.000-06:00

These are my boys at their finest...they're the sweetest, most exasperating, crankiest, loving, funny, silly, hilarious kids in the whole world and I wouldn't trade them for anything. This is a couple of days ago while they were just being kids. One day about a month ago, Steven was quoting Monsters Inc and I realized how smart he was, so I started working with them to memorize some Scripture. We are working on Psalm 8 right now, because it has lots of word pics in it: "fish of the sea, birds of the air, children and babies", etc. In four weeks, they've memorized the first 2 verses. I am glad to get the opportunity to teach them early...I remember all the Scripture I memorized as a kid, but now that I'm an adult, it is SO hard to memorize stuff! But what I do have memorized from my childhood is never going away. Thank the Lord I have some Scripture committed to memory--but not enough! "Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." (Deut. 11:18-19)

Tracy's having a boy!!!

2006-02-09T18:25:00.000-06:00

I am very excited...my sister-in-law, and one of my closest friends, Tracy, is having a baby boy!! She is due June 23rd. Isn't she cute? Please pray for Justin, her husband--he is fighting in Iraq. Pray for God's protection and also that Justin will be able to come home for the birth of his son.

Bummer!

2006-02-08T19:11:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm kinda bummed...

I won't be able to take classes at Biola after all. Allow me to elaborate on this drama:

First of all, applying was a headache. So many hoops to jump thru when you apply for school...references, transcripts, statement of faith (for a Christian school). Shooooot....the application itself is about like writing an autobiographical thesis! Ugh! I can't believe I'd forgotten what a pain it is...about like the pain of childbirth...you know how you forget? And, because I am also an employee, had to check several times to make sure I was getting that tuition discount--very important!

Well, finally got accepted--on to registration! Now for the nightmare. Registration is not easy at Biola. I think they make it as difficult as possible to test your faith. Either that, or it's oppression. It is absolutely THE definition of "getting the runaround". I felt like I was wading thru knee deep mud the whole time. When I got in line, (I got to be first because of the employee status), they put me thru to the computer registration line. Biola has electronic registration for everyone except first timers--but what no one explained to me is that the first timers still register online, they just get the permission for the classes from their specific dept. before going thru registration. So...the music dept gave me this archaic little yellow card with my 2 classes listed on it, and told me to take it with me on reg day and the reg folks would know what to do with it...well, come to find out, after 3 times of trying to register--going thru the line ALL three times!--I had to have an "electronic" signature...so had to call the Music dept AGAIN, and get them to submit my classes electronically...sigh.

So, finally got registered, but then could never get the voice teacher to set up a lesson time. Emailed her twice, who said just "sign up". Then called the music office (twice!) to find out how to sign up, and they said "email your voice teacher" aggghhhhh!!!!

My frustration really went thru the roof Monday morning: got an email from my voice teacher: "Everyone signed up for voice lessons except for you...maybe you can get in after voice workshop". Basically saying: maybe I can work you in since you didn't get to the signup in time....
It's irritating, b/c I checked her door twice last week (following what the music office told me to do) in order to sign up; but never saw a sheet. Also, had emailed the head accompanist (per the music office's instructions), to see if she could get in touch with my voice teacher to set up lessons. Anyway, called the music office one more time: who said to contact my voice teacher via email, and see if I could get this all straightened out....While I had the music office on the phone, I asked about voice workshop. The conversation went something like this:

Me: "Hey, can you also explain to me what voice workshop is?"
MO (Music Office) pause. "Ooooohhhhhhh.... No one ever told you about voice workshop requirment, did they?"
Me: "No.... can you tell me what it is?"
MO: "Well, voice workshop is a requirement as a member of the music program in the Conservatory...you have to show up on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:30 to 10:30. It's required for all voice students."
Me: panic at this point

See, I'd signed up for 3 units: 1 hour of voice lesson a week and a 2 hour Music history class, = a total of 3 hours out of the office...right? WRONG! Come to find out, I was required to be have 3 hours of class time for the one unit of voice and 3 hours of class time for the 2 unit history class--on top of labs and homework on my own time! Not to mention, (but I'll mention it anyway:o), Concert Music Requirement: a non credit requirement for graduation--basically attendance to about 20 or so concerts throughout the semester at different locations; mainly Biola, other area colleges, and a couple of big productions in downtown LA--to be completed every semester.

So.....this was looking more and more daunting for someone who only wanted a couple of classes. And the sinking feeling in my stomach was only getting more sinking. So after a few tears of total frustration, I went to talk to my boss, and we agreed it was just TOO much work when we added all up. Hence, I am no longer a student of Biola University. Yeah, I was extremely disappointed...I kept asking myself why is God not letting me have fulfillment from what I truly love? But, He keeps reminding me that it's not about me, and maybe I'm trying to find my identity in something else aside from Him...He sustains me--and keeps trying to remind me that anything can become an idol, even something He created. And, He has something better for me--in fact, He has my best in mind--even if it's not another degree. I was getting so wrapped up in getting more education that it was taking away from my personal life--and that is much more important. So, I'll be all right. God is still in control, and I can take comfort in that.

2006-01-16T17:12:00.000-06:00

I finally have a chance to sit down and post on California Dreaming. Welcome, and my apologies for waiting so long to post. We have just been so busy...I almost don't know where to start. I'll just do a few bullet points to fill you in on the past couple of months, and hopefully I won't forget anything. Here they are in a somewhat chronological order:

--I got a job at Biola University. I am very blessed: I was able to land a job in the accounting department, as a clerk. I find that I am actually pretty good with numbers, (gasp!) and I very much enjoy working with my fellow employees. It's great to be able to work in a Christian environment. I have several different responsibilities; including, but not limited to: all wires, incoming and outgoing; cashflow and several other related reports, and clerical support for other staff members. This is also the only job I've ever had where I've been told I need to "talk and socialize more"...Hahaha...Because we work in accounting, the department wants us to be friendly and socialize with each other, so we won't be so wrapped up in numbers...it is probably the easiest part of my job...heehee; I just can't believe they WANT me to talk more!!

--Tracy and Justin spent Thanksgiving with us. It was so much fun. We took them down to Legoland (Justin really likes legos) and we did the cooking thing; turkey, dressing, and all the bells and whistles. It was great to hang out with them, and we got to see family for the holidays.

--We went home to AL for Christmas....yey!!!!!! It was wonderful to see everyone again. We love you all so much, and it makes life out here easier since we were able to see so many of you. (For those we didn't get to see, I am sorry...and miss you too!!!) Frankie and Steven really had fun hanging out with cousins, and we got to see the latest member of our family: Ashlyn Ewing, my brother Jacob's little girl. She is so special and we were glad to get to know her! I also got to spend a lot of time with my best friend, Crissy and all our other sister chicks. It was neat to go to the New Year's Eve Party and see all the Community Pres gang...I got there and it felt as if I had never left. Love that feeling of being able to pick up where I left off!! Many thanks to Crissy and Kim for throwing a great party! We also had a blast celebrating the boys' birthdays: Steven on 12/30 and Frankie on 01/01. So....holidays were full....

--Got back to CA and routine, and then got a fun call from Justin and Tracy: Tracy's having a baby!!!!! Yey...more cousins...:0) She's due late June, so we are looking to come back to AL for a visit then. Please pray for Justin and Tracy: he's in Iraq, and it would be great if he can come back to the States early for the birth of his child. Thankfully, Tracy is back in AL and close to lots of friends and family, so she has a lot support.

--I applied to the Conservatory of Music at Biola U and got accepted! Because I work at Biola, I get a huge tuition break, and I'm allowed to take up to 6 credits/semester...so...I'm looking at working on a music ed degree while we're here in CA.

--Frank is having the time of his life in a Philosophy class with William Lane Craig. I am so proud of him; he got the required reading done for his class: 1800 pages! He is determined to do his best; we are of a mindset of get as much out of school as we can while we're here. I think although the work is hard, Frank is content to be pushing toward a goal and thankful to be learning so much.

--Frankie and Steven also have "jobs"--kid jobs of course. Frankie goes to school every day, and loves it. He told me the other day that he doesn't miss any of us when he goes to school--he likes school too much! Steven goes to Melinda's house (a neighbor) while Frank is in class. He does fairly well, although he is a mama/daddy's boy; he would rather stay with us. But, he lets us know that he want to go to school with Frankie--he doesn't realize that he's not old enough.

So, that's life right now...kind of busy, but God is good. Let us know how it goes with you...

A Day With Thomas

2005-12-08T21:59:00.000-06:00

This was our trip to see Thomas mid-November. It was fun. We drove to the middle of the desert about an hour outside LA, to an old railway museum, who was hosting Thomas for the day. This is us and a combination of our favorite things to do: Thomas and Legos!

People work here.

2005-11-06T20:22:00.000-06:00

People work here.

You know that sign that you see along the freeway where major construction is going on? It’s orange and it says “People work here”. I used to see it all the time on 459 around the Summit when I worked at Southeastern. I used to think it was so random and kind of dumb; but now I like it b/c it fits this post perfectly: yup, you guessed it! This is the celebrities post. And my point being that celebrities are people too, and their job just happens to be our entertainment. Case in point: Arnold Schwarzenneger. He is my governor! Ha. Ha. I STILL cannot get over it. Every time I see him come on tv on one of those little promotional political ads begging us to give him a second chance, I have to crack up. The Terminator asking for my vote! (A second chance from what, I don’t know. I guess you just had to be there…)

Anyway, as you may’ve guessed from my last post, we have had several encounters with these people. You know about that time we were at Dodgers’ Stadium downtown L.A., and I walked by so close to Pat Sajak I could’ve stuck my foot out and tripped him. I didn’t though, and wouldn’t have, b/c that would just be mean. But, Frank and I laughed all afternoon about that encounter, and decided that getting stuck in traffic both TO and FROM the stadium just might’ve been worth it.

And in the middle of August, I drove to downtown Hollywood to audition for Disney. I got to sing in the Debbie Reynolds Rehearsal Studios! That is a big deal to me—I know some of you are wondering, who is she again? Well, she’s Singin’ in the Rain, and Tammy, and most importantly, she is Princess Leia’s mother!!! AAAGGGGHHHHHH, and I parked directly across from her reserved parking spot! But, believe it or not, it was just an old brick warehouse building. We looked it up online, and it used to be a U.S. Post office, until D.R. bought it and turned it into a rehearsal/dance studio. Inside, in the office, they told us she drops in every once in a while, but she is busy right now performing onstage in Vegas.

Biola hosts some pretty cool celebrities: Michael Chang, the tennis pro, is a student at Talbot, and one of the princesses of Swaziland is also a student in the undergrad at Biola. Not to mention some pretty big names in the world of philosophy and theology: J.P. Moreland, William Lane Craig, and Robert Saucy.

The best story I am saving for last, but here it is:

Frank took the boys to Disneyland last Friday, (Oct. 28th, to be exact) during the day while I was at work. (Sigh, I was a little sad, but I had gotten to go the week before). Well, there Frank was, in the park, in the crowd, with 2 little boys, ages 4 and 1, and no stroller…anybody else’s nightmare, but Frank is a trooper. So, Frankie’s running ahead, and Frank’s trying to keep a hold on Steven, and Frankie just keeps moving further and further away. At this point my husband is getting concerned b/c Frankie has managed to infiltrate himself into someone else’s group about 10 or 15 feet ahead. Just as Frank opens his mouth to call Frankie back, one of the guys in the crowd kind of trips over Frankie and tells the little girl with him, (in an English accent!) “be careful and watch the little boy”—meaning Frankie. Knowing Frank, I know he was probably a little embarrassed that our kid was tripping up this guy, until he looked up and saw who it was…it was PAUL MCCARTNEY!!!!!!
I know you’re going “AAAAGGGGHHHHH!”, b/c that’s exactly what I did when Frank called me a few minutes later to relate the incident. My next question, and I’m sure yours is/was “Did you get his autograph?!!” Sigh….nope. Frank said it happened just too quick, and about the time he realized who it was, the moment had passed. Besides, he (Paul) was surrounded by an entourage of Disney people and he had a small girl with him…so it would have been kind of hard to approach him. Frank tried to follow him for a little while and thought he was headed for the Pirates of the Caribbean, but they kept going. And since the Pirates is a cool ride, with a relatively short wait, Frank and the boys decided to leave Mr. McCartney alone. I was so mad that he didn’t get his autograph, but Frank was more worried about the fact that he wished he’d had a chance to share Christ with him. Had to go and get spiritual on me. But, I agree, and the point I wanted to make is that people do work (and live) here.

When we drove down to Hollywood, it really looks better on film than it does in person. It’s just an old rundown city. I mean, it was cool and everything, we saw the Chinese Theater and drove down Sunset Boulevard, but I was a little disappointed and disillusioned that there was no glamour. We drove by several movie studios, Paramount or Universal, I’m not quite sure which; they are near LAX airport; and they are nothing more than big white warehouses, and you absolutely cannot tell anything about them from the outside. Celebrities –esp. tv actors, get up every day and go to work just like we do—except they work in a big ugly white warehouse. They usually have 5 day work weeks where they rehearse the show the first couple or 3 days and then film the last 2. And, b/c life is so expensive here, everyone except the really big stars are still struggling to make ends meet. And keeping up with Hollywood’s lifestyle is hard—esp. on Christians. It just does not jive with the life of Christ, which is who we are trying to follow. When I first got out here, I was sure that entertainment was the life for me. But, God in His providence, knew that was NOT up my alley, esp. as it would seriously hinder my Christian walk. Not to say that there are not Christians in the entertainment industry, who work in Hollywood, and are wholeheartedly following Christ—I just know it is not my path. (In case you were wondering, I work at Biola now. But that’s another post.)

So, although I was disappointed to know that we didn’t get Paul McCartney’s autograph, I know that it would drive me crazy to BE a celebrity and not be able to go to Disneyland w/o being recognized and have to have an escort to run interference for me. I’ll take my anonymity, thank you very much! And certainly, the most important point I want to make is that celebrities are people who need Christ’s redemption just as much as us nobodies.

(But I still think it was cool that Frankie ran into Paul McCartney!)

Life here...

2005-11-02T22:07:00.000-06:00

There are several things I've been wanting to share about life in Southern CA. It is sooooooo different from the South! Some of the obvious differences are: the smog, the traffic, no sweet tea, and total absence of any Bama food products, including mayonnaise--I miss my mayo!!! (I get my mom to bring 3 or 4 jars in her suitcase every time she comes--bubble wrapped of course!:>)
I know you've all heard rumors about what it's like to live on the West Coast, so here's the low-down from someone who knows:

1. People here do not shop at Wal-Mart on purpose. There are no Wal-Mart Supercenters, and generally people avoid it like the plague (including me), because all of them here are really dirty, run-down, and ALWAYS out of carts. (there is no such thing as a buggy here--that is what you find on Main Street Disney, where you get in and ride behind a horse.) Wal-Mart here is like the old K-Mart in Roebuck before they shut it down.

2. Yes, things are more expensive here. Before we left AL, we had pipe dreams about buying a house when we got out here, building the equity for about 2 or 3 years (b/c we'd heard that prices are rising very quickly every day, which is true), and then selling and using our saved-up equity to pay off student loans. Sounds like a plan, right? Uhhhhh....no. Or as they say here, "Um, yeah, no. (Don't ask me how that one works.)
Yeah....so, houses out here are AT LEAST $600,000. I am NOT joking. A 3 bed/ 2 bath house built in the '50's and remodeled is NO LESS than that! And, if you think, well, I'll just look into getting a town home....hahahahahaha, think again. We can't find a condo for less than $400K! Ok folks, we are talking about 1100 square feet in a 30-year old building--2 bed/1 bath. Needless to say, we are very excited to be renting an apartment for a steal of $1225/month! There are not many cheaper than our apartment complex. We are very blessed to be in a good complex where we've made friends, and we like the landlady. Anyway, I think we'll be here a while...

Other things that are really expensive: gas. It's fluctuated over the past 4 months from $2.49-3.10/gallon. But, since Katrina happened, our gas is cheap compared to the South! Right now, it's around $2.65/gallon.

Also, some food is more expensive: I bought a 6 oz. bag of walnuts from the grocery store and paid $4.00 for them! and that was the generic. And you're thinking: yeah, well, she should have bought the bigger bag. Well, the bigger bag wasn't any cheaper per ounce--it was $8 for the 12 oz. bag! Maybe I just won't put nuts in the brownies...

However, produce is significantly cheaper here, esp. fruit. I guess b/c mostly everything is grown in CA and shipped out; local produce would be cheaper here, which is nice. There is also no sales tax on food, which is really nice.

CA has every kind of entertainment under the sun. Several major baseball teams, Disney (which is as good as or better than the one in FL--take it from someone who's been to both), the San Diego Zoo, downtown Los Angeles (that's an adventure!), Hollywood, Beverly Hills, the Beach, Knott's Berry Farm, Legoland (that's a blog by itself), Basketball, Hockey, etc. etc. We've experienced all the fun kid stuff, and it's not uncommon for folks to get off work in the afternoon and then use their season pass and spend the evening playing at Disney. And yes, we've succumbed to that pressure too--we are annual pass holders to Disney and we usually go once every 2 or 3 weeks.

As far as the traffic goes, we just try not to get on the freeway. When people joke about the traffic in Los Angeles, they are really not kidding. There are just so many people here that the interstate is frequently bottle necked, except it lasts the entire length of the freeway! Think of the worst stop-and-go on I-59 right around the airport, or, even better, on I-65 trying to get Birmingham at 7:45 in the morning. Multiply that frustration by about 10 million more people and you have LA traffic. heehee. But, good for us is that we don't have to get on it very often unless we want to go sight see downtown or in Hollywood, which are both about 30 miles away.

Well, that's about all I can think of right now, except for, oh...I know! Everyone wants to know about the celebrities. but, it's late sigh....so I'll save that one for another blog. ttfn.

Wellp...aaahhh....here it goes....

2005-11-01T23:05:00.000-06:00

Ok. all right already. I've succumbed to the pressure to be just like all my friends and create my own website. Wow this is a big step! I just got on Crissy's blog, and realized: "omigosh! even Brendan's blogging!" Oh now this is not right--I need to catch up. After all, I do live in the 21st century right? (Brendan, you've inspired me.) Well, I tell myself, "Self, you know EVERYONE's doing it" and "it's a way to be closer to all my friends, right?" Right. So....here I am taking that first step to post my words, thoughts, feelings--my soul-- to the WORLD (!!!) via the worldwideweb. Who would've ever thunk it? Why do I suddenly feel like I'm at the top of the Great American Scream machine about to plummet to my death? Well, maybe not that bad, except for the adrenaline rush.

Anyway, just so you know, our family lives in CA now and we used to live next door to Crissy, who managed to become my closest bestest dearest friend in the 5 years that we lived next door to her. (But I love you too, Kim, Angela, Jen, Terri, and all those other wonderful Nertz women out there.) So that, even though I now live in Southern CA (35 min. from Hollywood!) I still call Crissy to find out what color walmart brand triaminic I need to give Frankie for croup.

A little more need to know info: my husband, Frank is studying philosophy at Talbot School of Theology (which is why we moved halfway around the world in the first place; but hey, it's an adventure right? an adventure for the Lord. yeah. uh-huh.) And, my 2 daaaarrrrling little boys, yeah. uh-huh. the ones that hit each other and scream at each other and refuse to go to bed. yup those. Also the ones who climb up in my lap when the scary part of Monsters, Inc comes on, you know that part at the beginning where the monster is trying to scare the little kid, but is actually more afraid of the kid. And the boys who think I am wonderful when we get together in the kitchen to make sugar cookies. And the 2 little boys who are very forgiving of me when I yell after a long day at work and I feel very bad and realize that they don't deserve my grumpiness just b/c it was a long day. Ahh, the grace of God is a wonderful thing, especially when you see it exhibited by the closest members of your family. God is truly good.

I don't want you to think that I am completely just dying to get back home, and I hate it here. Not at all. When you are doing what the Lord wants, He tends to put your life into perspective for you, and give you blessings along the way. We are excited to be here and every day Frank and I talk about the ways we are blessed and how much we're growing in Him.

So anyway, comment and let me know what you think!!! more later....