Reality TV

Last evening while I was making dinner, Cory turned the tv on, and started flipping through the channels. Usually whatever he starts watching is something that I usually wouldn't pick, but still I get sucked in. I would pick a movie, I 've seen a hundred times, or something on TLC. Cory likes shows like Cops, Intervention, or something from the History channel.

I am not sure the exact channel he ended up picking but it was a show about a prison in Mexico. A news crew was interviewing inmates about their lives in this prison. It was horrible. The food in the cafeteria was poorly made, and stored in extremely dirty conditions. There were rats almost as big as cats, and one inmate said that it was not uncommon to find a rat tail in your food, or even a finger. There was even a sewage backup problem that was overflowing in the kitchen.

The living conditions were not the only bad thing, it was also the violence that went on. Inmates were killing one another, and even forcing others to take their own lives. I told Cory that we need to thank God, because we are so blessed to be able to have healthy food to eat, and a nice place to call home. Cory said that while he realized that we are indeed blessed, that those people also have done bad things to get themselves in that prison. I agree, but I also have to dig deeper, and think that could just as easily be me. It could be me, if I didn't have such a loving family who supported, and loved me, and taught me to love God, and to make good decisions. It makes me feel for those prisoners, and wonder what their lives were like as children growing up. Why did their lives have to lead to this path? I got really disturbed watching that show, and I didn't even see the whole thing, just bits and pieces. It sure made me think, and pray. And that is a good thing.

Appreciation

My husband is the sweetest. Exuse me for gushing, but I am going to anyway.

My mom and Dave have been wanting to put some wood laminate flooring in their house for awhile. They finally saved enough money.

My husband, who is handy as ever.... patiently drove my mom around town to find the flooring she wanted. Flooring purchased, loaded into our truck, and driven down to my mom's.

Last weekend the flooring installation began. Cory went to my mom's after work, and got started. He worked late into Friday night, arose early on Saturday and worked all day long again. It is a lot of work. Measuring, cutting, bending, kneeling, lifting, hammering, sawing, caulking... you get the picture.




What deeply touches me is despite the hard work, and giving up his time and energy to do this for my family, my husband is doing this from his heart. He has always been incredibly generous in helping people. Always.

I am so thankful for Cory's friend Scott and my cousin Donovan. They also have lent their time and energy to help make this happen. The extra help is a blessing to my husband, it is a big job for just one person.

Tonight my husband is off to repeat all the work, and he probably will have one more weekend after this before the job is completed. But I am proud... so very proud.

"Top of The Afternoon to Ya!"

Today is St. Patrick's day. I wore green... and am annoying everyone else who is not. I am sleepy... because this booger kept me up.


She was meow whining, because she was hungry. I am trying to cut back on feeding her, because she is getting to be a little tubby, chubby. Poor thing, she is feeling the hunger pains.. but I want her to be healthy, so we will have to keep on the diet.
My husband was a little annoyed because she woke him up,and then he told me he just couldn't fall asleep again, and in the next five minutes he was snoring...which really kept me up. Sometimes I don't think men can realize how dramatic they are.

Hope you are wearing green... don't get pinched, umm.. unless you want to.

Don't Want to Come Across as a Weirdo....

Sometimes I feel like a stalker when I read other people's blogs. I know that it is common to stumble across a blog when you read one, you find a list of blogs that the blogger reads, so you click on one, and then you have a whole other list.. there are a million blogs. I love it. I have found so many good recipes, crafty ideas, and tips. I have heard such inspiring stories, and come across people who have endured tragedy, and are overcoming it.
I really feel that since I have started reading blogs it has showed me that there really is good people out in the world. People who work hard at their jobs, work hard at raising healthy, happy children, and just inspire me to try different things that I never would have thought of. Even so when I leave a comment on someones blog, after I hit submit, I feel a little weird. Like, what if this person thinks I am a stalker, or what if they think what I thought was a witty comment is just stupid. I guess what I really mean to do when I leave a comment for someone is just let them know that there is a friendly person out in the cyber world that likes their blog, and appreciates the opinions, ideas, recipes, or whatever it may be. I would never want to intrude, or make someone feel uncomfortable. I don't know if anyone else has ever felt like this, but I just thought I'd throw it out there.

Perfect? No.. but Good Enough!!

Life isn't always picnics, and starbucks coffee. Infact in my experience, life is full of imperfections. Imperfect jobs, imperfect people, imperfect appearances. Everywhere you look, one is quick to tally negative thoughts about things and people, why?? Because those very same people are imperfect!!
Sometimes I look in the mirror, and I study the face looking back. In my eyes, at times this is the view.. freckles, red blotch on my nose, tiny ears, and frizzy hair.. should I go on. What I have been learning is that God, the only perfect being..created me... and you. In his eyes we are beautiful, and he loves each of us for who we are.
One day in my small group class for church we had to write down one physical feature that we loved about our spouse. You know what my wonderful husband said? He said,
"I love my wife's gap between her two front teeth." My whole life I have debated on whether to get that gap fixed, but finally one day I decided that is me. I opted against it. My mom has that same gap. It represents her, and me. It is sort of a trademark, and God designed it. He does not get things wrong.. you know?
Imperfections are everywhere, life will never be perfect. And, all those people that seem to have perfect lives... they don't! Everyone has hardships, secrets, and worries. Though this is true, life is still so beautiful and special..but never perfect.
Just when you think you are coming up short.. we all are!! No one is perfect. Life is really a roller coaster.. and you have to hold on tight. Stay true to yourself, and enjoy the ride. It goes by faster then we know!!

A Lovely Dream

Lastnight I had a dream. I had an adorable baby. It was a boy, and he was so cute. He looked like he could be 5 or 6 months. His hair was dark blonde, and he had the most beautiful grey eyes. I was in a hotel.. why? I am not sure... you know how dreams go... but he was supposed to be sleeping, but he was restless. So I cuddled him against me, and walked the hotel, gently bouncing him. I sang to him softly. He gurgled, and cooed. His eyes were fixated on mine, and I could tell he loved me. He looked so precious in a green and navy blue oufit. Soon his little chubby hands reached up and he rubbed his eyes. Then he laid his little body against mine, and his breathing became even and his weight solid against my chest. He drifted off to sleep. I felt so maternal in this dream. It.Was.So.Precious.
Mostly I can never remember my dreams, but this one was so clear. It was wonderful. My neighbors just had a baby girl, and I watched a video on Jill's facebook of her newborn, so my dream may have been stemmed from that... but I wanted to write it down so I wouldn't forget...

What Kind of Person are You?

When Cory's grandfather passed away, my father in law asked me if I would like to say something for his memorial. I wrote this, and that led to someone from my church asking me if I would like to write an article for our church bulletin. I was a little nervous at the thought of my whole church reading something that I wrote, but I went for it. I thought I'd share it here.

What Kind of Person Are You?

One day my husband, and I found ourselves in a thrift store. As we browsed through odds, and ends, we came across an old, rickety, wooden sign. The letters burned into the wood read, “To Be Kind, Is To Be Unique.” I have thought about the truth in those words ever since I read them. Can you imagine how wonderful the world would be if everyone were kind to eachother?

In Proverbs 15:1 it reads “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” We should all practice being gentle with the words we use to speak to others, and in the way we treat people. It really doesn’t take much to offer a kind gesture, and it does wonders for the heart.

If you were able to see Jesus right now, these are the things I am sure of. Jesus would smile at you, Jesus would hug you, and Jesus would most certainly talk to you. We all have the ability to reach out in those same ways. Aren’t we supposed to be molded to be more like Jesus? If Jesus were standing in front of us, we would want him to see us at our best. We’d smile, and be patient, loving, and generous. The truth though, is that Jesus does see us, and there is nothing we can hide from him.

God wants us to be kind to eachother, and he has equipped us with all the tools to do so. In God’s infinite wisdom, he wired us with special gifts that he intended us to use to serve him, and others. What gifts did God entrust to you? Your gifts, plus a smile, hug, or simple conversation could make a world of difference in someone else’s life.

I didn’t buy that old sign in the thrift store that day, but I never forgot about it either. Buried among posters, and framed pictures, I was faced with a lesson. It is up to me how I treat others… and it is up to you too.