On the Side

Did anyone notice my sidebar blog? I've added a "Where is APFP tonight" text box on the right side of this page. I guess it's really for me to always be able to keep up with where my boy is every day. I try to remember to change it each day because his location changes daily. I have to trust my God to take care of him each and every day as they travel the American interstates and highways. I have to trust my God to provide for their needs. I don't know how I would handle this if my son didn't have a strong belief and faith in the Lord.

I went on a mission this past Saturday. I went to two different stores that are supposed to be selling A Plea for Purging's new CD, "A Critique of Mind and Thought", just to see if they had any available. Best Buy had one CD so I bought it. The store in the mall, F.Y.E., had several of the CD's for sale and the guy told me that every day one or two people come in there asking for it. Praise God for CD sales!!

The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good. Proverbs 15:3

8 Things

I saw this on Live Out Loud's blog, thought it was very interesting and decided to give it a try myself. It's 8 random facts about me that you may not already know. You can try it, too, if you'd like. If you have a blog, you're supposed to post a list yourself, but if you don't, feel free to leave it in the comments or email me. Either way, it's a fun idea.

1. I have three sisters, one older than me and two younger. No brothers. The other middle sister and I look like dad, and the oldest and youngest look like mom.

2. I love snow-skiing in Colorado, though I've only been there twice -- once when I was 20 and once when I was 40. I also went to ski in West Virginia once.

3. I don't like tomatoes, but I love salsa.

4. Sunsets and sunrises are a couple of my favorite things in the world. To me, sunsets represent peace and sunrises represent hope.

5. My job requires me to work in three different buildings three times each day. I walk down the street to each one and have to be prepared for all kinds of weather conditions.

6. I got married on a Friday night in 1980; a favorite TV show at that time was "Dallas"; my wedding guests complained that I had my wedding on the night they were supposed to find out who shot J.R.

7. I sunbathed too much as a teenager and young adult -- the result was a melanoma skin cancer found in my early 30's. Thankfully, it was in the early stages and was removed. I still have to get checked out by a dermatologist once a year to make sure it hasn't returned.

8. I don't wear a diamond ring because I don't have one. I lost the diamond from my engagement ring during the first couple years of marriage, so he bought me a whole new ring. Then I lost that whole ring on a cold day when it slipped off my finger.

Transformation

I enjoy watching HGTV when I have the time. Some of the shows are about decorating the house, and others are about making improvements that will help to sell the house. These interior decorators are able to take the most cluttered, sad-looking homes and transform them into every woman's dream house. It just amazes me because while I can appreciate a beautifully decorated house, I am "learning disabled" when it comes to doing it myself. I feel absolutely helpless and inadequate when trying to make my house look beautiful because I have no talent for decorating. I would have to hire a professional interior decorator to get my house looking like the finished products on HGTV.

I have a feeling that some people experience this kind of helplessness when trying to live the Christian life. I mean, just look at the Ten Commandments and you realize that no normal human being can live up to all the requirements set before us in just these ten areas, let alone everything else the Bible tells us to do and to be. That is why we need a Savior -- this is why God gave us His only Son. Jesus is our interior decorator who will transform our cluttered, ugly lives into beautiful, renewed lives. When Jesus transforms a life, the old things are gone and all things are new -- God sees you as clean and unblemished because He sees Christ instead of you. And when you are too weak to live the Christian life in your own power, His strength is made perfect in your weakness. Starting today, don't feel defeated any longer when trying to live the Christian life. Let Jesus transform your spiritual home into a fresh, clean, beautiful life.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

Funny

Below is a picture of this little sticky figure that is hanging from the ceiling in my son's bedroom. Many years ago, when he was still living at home, he threw this thing up and it stuck to the ceiling. He decided to see how long it would stay, and we have left it there for him even after redecorating that room. It's kinda become a part of the family ;-))

I can just hear what the real estate salesman will say when we get ready to sell our house!




You can tell by this that interior decorating is certainly not a priority at my house!

Award!

My sweet blogger friend, Amel, has so kindly presented me with this award! Thank you so much Amel. I love your blog, too!
I would like to pass this on to these blogger friends whose blogs have meant so much to me:
Strawberry
Frasypoo
Matt
Sandi
Nina

Antiques

Last year when my daughter moved away to college, she took her bedroom furniture with her. I needed to get a new bed to put in her room so she'd have a place to sleep whenever she comes home. I found out that my parents had this old iron bed and an old dresser that had been my grandmothers when my mother was a little girl. They just had it in their storage shed and said that I could have it if I wanted it. I love having things that belonged to my grandparents, so I jumped at the chance to get them. However, the bed was rusted, so we had to get it sandblasted and then we painted it. I was very pleased with how it turned out. The old dresser was in bad shape, so my dad stripped the old finish off and painted it to match the bed. After getting those two items, it made me want to find other things for this bedroom and make it into a 1930's/1940's room because that was when my mother was growing up and they had this furniture. In our garage, I found the little nightstand which had been my husband's grandmother's, so we painted it to match the bed and dresser. And then at a flea market, I found this cool white lamp from that time period. The vase on the nightstand is a replica of an old-time lantern -- I found that at an antique shop in Mentone, Alabama. At the bottom of the nightstand there is something that looks like the old-timey telephones. It is actually just a music box I got at Helen, Georgia, but I thought it would fit nicely in this room. The quilt on the bed is not from that time period, but I bought it new from Linens and Things because I thought it was so pretty and would be colors my daughter would like.

On the dresser you can see some white crocheted pieces -- one was made by my other grandmother and my aunt made me two more to match that one since my grandmother is no longer living. See the candle on the dresser? It is called a "Courting Candle" and was used as a timer. When a young man went to court a young lady, it was proper for them to visit in the parlor for the evening. The young lady's father would light the candle and set the height of the flame above the spirals. When the flame burned down to the candleholder it was time for the young man to leave. If the young man was rich and showed some promise dad would raise the candle to give him more time. If he was a shady looking character dad would lower the candle and cut his time in half. My husband got this in Jonesboro, Georgia during a "Gone With the Wind" tour.
Now, I am very proud of my 1930/1940 room. I've got stuff from both of my sets of grandparents, something from my husband's grandmother, and something from my aunt. I'm sure HGTV would say it's too much of a "granny" room, but to me it is special to have things in my house that were once my grandparent's.

A Prayer for my Daughter

I feel like I write a lot about my son, but not much about my daughter. So, I'd like to say a few things about Leah today. I've mentioned before that she had a rough start in life because of being born prematurely. She spent her first three months plus four days in the hospital, then came home for a couple of weeks, got sick and was back in the hospital for another couple of weeks. It was a scary time not knowing what kind of effects the premature birth, oxygen and other medical procedures would have on her later in life. It was a time of spiritual growth for us and a time of learning how to completely trust God with the outcome.

Today, Leah is in her second year of college, at a university about 50 miles from our home. School has never been easy for her and now college is extremely difficult. With all her heart she wants to finish college and get her degree. She is giving it her best effort, though she did finally have to drop one of her classes last week. I cannot tell you how proud I am of her for going to college and giving it her all. We never told her she had to go -- this is something she has decided to do. We are fully supporting her in every way we can, even though we never thought she would go to college. My prayer is that she will find God's will in her life. One thing that is so great about having a daughter is that they stay in touch. We talk to each other every single day and she tells me everything that is going on in her life, even sometimes to the point of being too much information!

The book of Ephesians has some really great prayers in it. One that I have been praying for Leah since January 17, 2006 is from Ephesians 1:17-19. Every time these verses use the words "you" and "your" I insert her name. Here is my prayer for Leah...

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

Filling the Empty Space

Have you ever seen young children playing with the toys that have all different shaped pieces that fit into openings of the same shapes? It is a great learning tool for children as they try to place the square piece into the circle opening, or the cross shape into the triangle opening. After playing with it for a while and being shown how the pieces fit into the correct openings, children will learn and then be able to place each shape into the right opening with no problem.

Several times I have heard my pastor say that there is a God-shaped vacuum inside everyone that will never be satisfied by anything except a relationship with God. People try to fill this void with so many different things, but these things only lead to more searching. Trying to fill this "God-shaped vacuum" with people, money, activites, or stuff will never lead to fulfillment and satisfaction. It will just leave you wanting more. The only way to fill this void is to have a relationship with God. He will satisfy that constant need for more. He will make your life complete.

The following quote is by Blaise Pascal, French mathematician and philosopher.
"What is it, then, that this desire and this inability proclaim to us, but that there was once in man a true happiness of which there now remain to him only the mark and empty trace, which he in vain tries to fill from all his surroundings, seeking from things absent the help he does not obtain in things present? But these are all inadequate, because the infinite abyss can only be filled by an infinite and immutable object, that is to say, only by God Himself."

Goodbye is not Goodbye

Saying good-bye to people has always been very hard for me. When someone I care about moves away or leaves the job, or when relatives and friends go back home after a visit, in whatever form it happens, I just don't do well with goodbye's. It takes everything in me not to cry, and then after trying so hard not to cry, I still get tears anyway. I would prefer to not ever have to say good-bye to people I care about.

Today I went to my aunt's funeral. But this time, it didn't feel like I was saying good-bye. It wasn't a sad time or a solemn time. It was more of a time of joy and remembrance of someone who lived a life that was pleasing to God. It was a time of seeing relatives I hadn't seen in so many years. It was a time for getting to talk to cousins that I no longer know, but was able to become reacquainted with. Today, I didn't cry.

After all of the funeral services were over, some of us went to my parent's house. We had such a nice time catching up with each other. And then before we all parted, we did something that has always been a part of our family get-togethers as long as I can remember. We went to the living room, I played the piano and my sister and my cousin sang a few songs. And then my husband and my cousin's husband joined in the singing so that my mother, my dad, my uncle and aunt could all listen to their kids singing. It was such a great way to end a day that in other circumstances could have been so sad. I have a feeling that Aunt Katherine was watching and smiling from heaven -- and she was probably singing along on these old family favorites. After the out-of-town relatives left, Eddie and I ate with my mom and dad because people had been so kind as to bring them lots of food. Today didn't feel like I was saying good-bye -- it was more like saying "I'll see you when I get there!"

Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved -- you and your household. Acts 16:31

Rush of Fools -- Christian Band

The coolest thing happened this morning as I drove to work. About the time I was driving past my church, I changed the radio station to WayFM which is a nationally broadcast station that plays today's contemporary Christian music. Rush of Fools song, "Undo" was playing right at that moment as I was driving past my church. The cool part about it is that the singer in Rush of Fools, Wes Willis, goes to my church and was the leader of the youth praise band when he was in high school. To get to hear Wes singing on the radio as I passed the church where he started out, was so fun to me. He doesn't get to be at our church that much anymore because Rush of Fools is doing a lot of touring right now. They are out on tour now with Todd Agnew. In a few months they are going to have the privilege of touring with Newsboys! What an honor for them!

Rush of Fools is not only a really good Christian band, but they are also really nice people. They have done so well in the Christian music scene, but they haven't forgotten their friends in bands that are not so well known. Here's a story my son Aaron told me -- a couple of weeks ago, Aaron's band had a show in Kentucky, and they looked up to see the guys of Rush of Fools coming to hear them play. And after the show, Rush of Fools took Aaron's band out to eat and paid for it. They've all been friends for a while, but that was such a nice thing for them to do. I hope wonderful things keep happening for this band and I pray God's rich blessings for them.

Read 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 to see where this band got it's name.
But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. 1 Corinthians 1:27

Life and Death

Monday afternoon after work, I needed to stop by my parent's house to pick up something my sister had left there for me. I have to pass my aunt's house (mom's sister) just before getting to my mom's house. When I passed Aunt Katherine's house, I saw a big red truck in front of it. It looked like a large paramedic's vehicle. I knew that my aunt's health has been going down and that hospice had been called in, but I didn't know why paramedics were there. When I got to my parent's house, I asked my mother about the paramedics truck and she didn't know it was there. So she called my aunt's house and found out that she had just died a few minutes earlier. At first, it was sad to realize that she's gone and I'll never see her again. But at the same time, we also knew that Aunt Katherine is no longer bound by this earthly body that was diseased with Parkinsons. She is whole again and in better condition than she ever was here on earth. Just when I saw the big red truck at her house, she was walking into the kingdom of heaven and seeing her Savior and God face to face.

Death is such a strange thing. Sometimes it makes me so sad when people die unexpectedly or tragically, or when children and young people die. But other times, when someone has lived a full life and I know they are going to heaven, it doesn't make me sad. I loved my aunt and I felt a closeness to her; I'll miss her.....but today I am rejoicing because I know that Aunt Katherine is not suffering any longer and she is finally home.

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." 1 Corinthians 15:54

A New Week

Well, here it is Monday morning once again. I've had a busy past few days, busy but good. I praise God for his goodness, his provision and his protection. He is able to meet our needs and to give us so much more than we ever hoped for. God is almighty, all-powerful, all-knowing, omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent. He is the most high God who is strong, sovereign and supreme. He is the unchangeable, everlasting God.

Today I just feel like praising the Lord for who he is. I feel such gratitude to him for all the wonderful things he has done. For several nights, we had the honor and pleasure of being able to have in our home our daughter, and our son plus the other 4 members of the band. A situation that was bad for them -- transportation problems and breakdowns -- turned into a good time for us to spend time with them. It also turned into good for them as God provided new, reliable transportation for them. Things that were absolutely out of their control happened during those days that caused them to have to cancel a couple of shows. But sometimes things that look bad in our eyes, are really meant for good by God.

One of my favorite Bible stories is the one of Joseph in the book of Genesis. So many bad things seemed to be happening to him, but it was all according to God's will and in the end he was placed in a high position. If you aren't familiar with the events in Joseph's life, I encourage you to read that story, starting around Genesis 37 and on through chapter 50. It's a great story of hope!

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Genesis 50:20

Wake Up Call

Sometimes you get a wake up call from God. What I mean is that something happens in your life that makes you stop and realize that you are not the one in control here. This wake up call can come in many different forms -- it might be something that scares you into realizing that you need to be praying; it might be an illness or an accident of someone in your family; it might be a stressful situation that you're facing; or it might be a dream.

The important thing about this wake up call is that you see it for what it is. And then do something about it! When you get a wake up call from God, it means it's time to start completely trusting him to "run the show" or in other words, to control your life. Realize that it is time to pray and center your life around God and what he wants for your life. It also might be a time to look at your life and see if you are doing things that you know are not right. If you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit will show you what is wrong in your life. And even if you don't consider yourself a Christian, you still have a conscience.

So.......if you think God has given you a wake up call, then please listen to it. I get wake up calls and it always sends me straight to my Bible to search for guidance, comfort and answers. The wake up calls also cause me to pray more. This is how God can talk to me and tell me what to do.

(This is a blog I did on myspace before I had this blog. Most of my posts on myspace were things I wanted to say to my daughter -- I figured it would be easier to get her to read them there than to try to verbally tell her these things. Something pretty scary had happened in her life and I really felt like she was getting a wake up call from God.)

Song from the new CD

A HYMN OF PRAISE

I will extol you, my God. O King, I will bless your name.

With the reason of everyday, I will praise your name forever.

One generation speaks your name, of the glorious splendor,

highly to be praised.

As men pour forth like a fountain, the praises of your grace,

highly to be praised.

I'll sing it loud, I'll sing it loud, abounding in mercy, and loving-kindness.

I'll sing it loud, I'll sing it loud.

Your saints praise your tender mercies, highly to be praised.

O Lord, My King, my eyes wait for you.

Your open hand provides, gracious and merciful.

You who are so close, Hear my cry. Hear my prayer.

My lips speak your praise. I'll sing your name.

Forever.

© 2007 a plea for purging and facedown records

A Perfect Life...?

Today is Wednesday of the work week, but it's like Monday for me since I took off a couple of days. The weather is gorgeous, one of those days where you just wish to stay outside all day. I don't even know what I want to write about today, so I decided to just start typing and see what happens.

One of my blogger friends mentioned one day that she was "selective" in the things she chose to put in her blog about her kids and their life. Since then, I've realized that I, too, am very selective about what I write on here and how much of me I actually allow readers to see. I tend to only let you in on the good things that happen or the positive thoughts that I have. And the more I think about this, the more I realize that I do this in real life also. I don't know why, but for some reason I want the people around me to think that everything in my life is great and wonderful all the time. When I have difficult things going on in my life, I try to hide it from my closest friends and even family. But then sometimes, when I've held the bad stuff in too long, it will come out in tears when I least expect it. Maybe I would be better off just sharing my problems with someone rather than trying to make people think that my life is perfect. If anyone has any psychology education, maybe you can tell me why I am this way. I think one reason I am this way is because I don't like to be around people who are negative all the time and complain constantly, so I try really hard not to be that way. Maybe I went too far the other direction. Anyway, just in case I've made anyone think that my life is smooth sailing all the time, it's not! I have big problems sometimes, and as much as I hate to admit this, I have sinful thoughts that pop into my head sometimes. I wish I didn't, but thank God for giving us a Savior who will forgive us of our sins and who will carry the burden of our problems if we just let him.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

A Plea for Purging

We had a great weekend! I've mentioned several times before that my son plays drums in a band called A Plea for Purging. Their new CD came out last week and is in some stores now, and Saturday night they had their CD release show at Rocketown in Nashville, Tennessee. Our daughter came home and went with us up to Nashville for the big show. We always like to support the band and watch them play whenever we have the opportunity, so that's why we went all the way to Nashville. The guys did great as always, and it was so special to get to spend some time with both of our kids during the weekend. After the late night Saturday, we got together with Aaron on Sunday and spent the day in Nashville. Below this post I will add a couple of pictures and videos that I took at the show.

I realize that some Christians are not able to accept the type of music this band plays. It is loud and you can't understand the words and the band members have tatoos and piercings. I didn't understand it either before I got involved. You need to know, that I am one of the most traditional type people you'll ever meet. But since my own son's life revolves around this type music right now, I've had to open my mind to some new things and new ways of taking the gospel to the world. There are kids out there who love this kind of music and won't set foot inside a church. But they will go to a heavy metal concert. Then bands like this one get the opportunity to tell these kids about Jesus. If you are a praying person, I would ask that you please pray for these guys. They are on the road every day. They pretty much live in the van and stay in homes of whoever will give them a night's shelter. We always let them stay in our house when they're in our city, along with one or two others bands. Our house isn't big but sometimes we'll have 15 or 16 people sleeping all over the place. They are just so thankful for a floor to sleep on and a bowl of cereal to eat. But we get such a blessing every time because we've met some awesome people who we would not have met otherwise.

This is a picture of Aaron at the drums during the show. It might be too dark to see well.

This is a picture of the band during the show.

It was great to see so many friends and to meet some new ones in Nashville this weekend....Julie, Blake, Andy, John, Lyle, Josh, Nick, Kim, Wendy, Killeen, Lauren, Alyssa, Allison, the guys in Once Nothing, and new friends Sarah and Megan.

Videos of A.P.F.P.'s CD release show

These are some videos I took at the CD release party at Rocketown in Nashville. Aaron is playing the drums. The other guys in the band are Lyle, Andy, John, and Blake.

Friday Favorites

Hope you all have a safe and peaceful weekend. I will leave you with two of my favorite Bible verses that have been a great source of encouragement to me through the years and at some of the most stressful times in my life. I will write out the verses in three different Bible translations to help you get the full meaning.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 (KJV)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)


Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

For anyone who reads my blog on a regular basis, first of all I'd like to say Thank You! I appreciate the fact that you take time out of your day to read and leave comments. I also would like to let you know that for the next few days, I might not have the opportunity to write much because I'm going to be somewhat busy.

Today, I want to let you read a letter one of my co-workers wrote recently. She is a young, pregnant wife, and writes letters to her unborn child. When I read this one I thought it was so sweet that I asked her if I could put it on my blog and she was happy to share it. Here is her letter to her baby...

To my baby: Tomorrow is the day we find out if you are a girl or a boy. I am so exited I can hardly bear to look at the clock! I am trying to take my mind off of it by reading, playing on the internet but my mind keeps reverting to my excitement. For the first couple of months, I was so sick. I would throw up everything. I have been having a lot of round ligament pains too. On top of my right rib, I am hurting so much! I'm trying to sit up straight to make that pain go away. I am not sure if it is you pushing up my organs or what! I will have to ask Dr. tomorrow. Last night, I woke up in the middle of the night and you were playing. I felt you kick and roll around. You must be getting ready to play sports or be in gymnastics. I love to feel you kick. It is reassurance to me that you're ok. (Sorry about the jalapeño peppers by the way) but they are sooooo good! I'm trying to eat much healthier now though. I should have been doing that from the start but why when you puke everything up? You need to hurry up and get bigger. Mommy is still in her regular clothes, and I would love to be wearing maternity, you're 18 weeks now! Daddy is having some sympathy symptoms though. We can't have any candy, cakes, or pies in the house. You would think I would be the one to stuff my face, but no, it's daddy. Between you and me, I think he is a bit more moody now too. He keeps it together pretty well though. Sometimes I will rant and rave over stupid things and he has to level me out. I feel kind of silly for this, but we have been trying to shine a flashlight on my belly to get you to move so daddy can see you, but you never do! Can you hear your daddy when he tells you that he loves you? I sure hope you can, I would hate for him to be looking silly for nothing! (Sorry about the loud music, maybe you will appreciate it one day.) I can't wait to get you in the living room and dance with you! I cannot wait until you get here. Just know in advance that no matter how much you scream, cry, make stinky's, scream, spit up, and scream that I love you regardless. And when you're older and throw your fits and I spank you for it, I love you then too. And when you're a teenager and you are trying to pull away from me (which I hope you never do) or scream at me, and I tell you no that you can't do something, and you scream at me again, I love you then too. If I am the one who gets on to you the most, it's because daddy didn't want to be the bad guy. And if daddy gets on you more, it's because I am way cooler! :) Although, I have a feeling we will both be fair. When you get here, a couple of weeks later, or a week later, your Godmother's baby will be here! Aren't you exited!? You will have someone to play with already! But for right now, mommy is enjoying patting aunt Rachel's belly and watching it grow :) We have not decided completely on your name yet but tomorrow, we will at least be able to go crazy over a girl or a boy name. Oh yes, about tomorrow. I know that you are my blood, so you may be stubborn. So could you please cooperate with us and show us the goods??? I don't want the doctor pressing all over my belly so I am going to try to drink a little bit of something with some sugar in it. I know you can't see me, but I will be waving at the monitor from the bed. I hope you do something silly :) I hope that one day you will know the love that your daddy and I feel for you. I love your daddy to bits but I cannot explain to the world how I knew I loved you before I met you, and it be so strong I could break down and cry. I want you to know that you're not here because me and daddy made you (don't ask me about that until I say so) but it's because God wanted you here. He chose me to carry you and daddy to protect you and us to love you. You have a purpose, even in my belly. And that purpose will be so big one day that the world will not even know what hit them! You are going to do great things in this life and I can't wait to be there for that, because I will be the proudest mommy there ever is. I love you! And daddy does too!-mommy

Oh, sorry, did I forget to tell you to grab a tissue? It sure made me get teary-eyed! Thanks co-worker for sharing this with me and my blogger friends! She has since found out that it's a girl.

The Man

For the past few days, I have been promoting some of my favorite blogs and I've had a lot of fun doing that. Today I want to tell you about a very special person who doesn't have a blog, but who has made such a dramatic impact in the lives of hundreds, maybe thousands of young people. I'd like to tell you about the love of my life, Eddie. I will use a symbolic last name for us rather than our real last name. I will use "Theman" since he's The Man in my life.

I won't go into how we met or started dating, because I did that in an earlier post a few months ago. But today I'd like to tell you what makes Eddie so special. First and foremost, he's a Christian man who loves the Lord, his wife, and his family, and he lives what he believes. He's been a wonderful and faithful husband to me for nearly 27 years. I mean, I have been so greatly blessed with a man who not only tells me every day that he loves me, but shows it in every way imaginable. I don't think a day ever goes by without him telling me, "You're a good-looking ____year-old." (I'm not going to fill in the blank -- it just sounds too old!). I mean, maybe I looked okay 10 years ago, but he doesn't even notice the effects of age after all these years -- he just loves me! If he goes to the grocery store or Wal Mart for something, he always brings back something special for me like some chocolate, or some type of food that he knows I love. Last night he was going to the store and I had mentioned that I needed something to take to work for lunch, but I told him not to get anything because I didn't want him having to walk all over the store. But he came home with all these frozen dinners, the expensive kind that I wouldn't buy for myself, most of them Mexican food just because he knows how much I love Mexican. And he brought me back another little treat because he knew it would make me happy. Another thing he does that is so sweet is he takes my car out and fills it with gas so that I won't have to worry with it. He takes care of our yardwork so that our property looks really nice in the neighborhood. He works a full time job and a part time job so that our family can have everything we need and much more. When our son was little, Eddie helped to coach his baseball teams and they did a lot of father/son activities together.

Eddie's profession is teaching. He teaches science to kids at the age most of us would want to avoid -- 8th graders. But he has a heart for teaching and a heart for kids, and the kids know it because it shows. Did you ever have that one special teacher that you always remembered because they were so much fun, or so interesting, or because they just cared? Well, that is Mr. Theman! I hope I don't sound like I'm bragging because this is the truth. The students absolutely love this teacher, and not only when they are in 8th grade, but years and years later. Some of them keep in touch with him or call him years after they've finished with school. Parents of the kids send him notes about what a great teacher he is. When we go to the mall in our city, we can't get anything accomplished because every few steps we take, we get stopped by students or former students recognizing him and coming up to hug him or shake his hand and talk. We can't go to a restaurant without seeing someone that he taught -- and these people don't avoid him, they want to talk to him. Just last week, a man in his 20's was at my office and before he left I told him he looked really familiar and asked if he went to my church. He said that he did and he asked my name. When I told him Kathy "Theman" he excitedly said, "Are you Mr. Theman's wife?!" I said yes, and he started talking about how Mr. Theman was the nicest person and the only teacher who ever made him want to learn, and on and on. I mean, it just amazes me the things people say about my husband. I really don't mean to sound boastful, but I am proud of Eddie and I just wanted to tell you about him so you'd know the kind of man God so graciously blessed me with.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Ephesians 5:25

Monday Morning Laughs

I like to watch T.V. - there, the truth is out! I don't want to like to watch T.V. because there are so many other things I could be doing that would be a better way to spend my time. But....I grew up watching T.V. and I still enjoy it. I do have a hard time finding things I like, though, but I'll mention some of my favorite shows. I kinda find myself navigating toward the TVland channel because it shows some of the good old classics that were around when I was a kid. My all-time favorite show is The Andy Griffith Show -- the black and white ones with Barney. In my opinion, they'll never again be able to come up with any show better than that one. I also still love to watch Leave it to Beaver. These shows just take you to another time, another place even though they are a little bit unrealistic. And of course, I Love Lucy was always another favorite. Lucy could get herself into the craziest situations! There aren't really any regular current shows that I just have to watch every week. I do let myself get caught up in American Idol when it is on, and Big Brother when it is on. At one time I tried to get into Lost because people at work were talking about it, but it was hard for me to have time to sit through an hour-long show.

I enjoy watching reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond and Seinfeld. I've also started watching The Office when I remember it. I think the comedy in Seinfeld and The Office is a new kind of comedy that I didn't see in the old shows. I enjoy this kind of comedy, maybe because my kids like stuff like that. If you enjoy shows like The Office, I think you would really like Matt's blog, Mom Yelled My Full Name Last Night. His title alone makes you want to see what his blog is about. I have to check it out every day because it makes me laugh. Matt has a way of writing that sounds like he's just talking in a conversation, but the way he says things is just so funny! And then the comments that his readers leave are nearly as funny as his posts. I hope he keeps posting in his blog for a long time because I love getting my daily dose of laughter from this unique young man.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven......A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4

Totally Fabulous Award!

My first blogger award! Amel has awarded me with this Totally Fab Award. Thank you Amel!!

This award was designed by Mike At Ordinary Folk and was originally offered by Christy of Totally Fabulous. She says the award is for “bloggers who are fun, cool, and of course Totally Fabulous!”. I wish to pass it along to:

1. Middle Age Ramblings

2. This and That

3. Living for the Simple Things in Life

4. Raising Butterflies

5. Did You Ever Think About...