Update...

I am SO EXCITED and thankful for my wonderful blogging friends and family who have supported the Making Strides walk that I'll be participating in on October 11th! There's no question that I'm blessed by all of you!!

I wanted to give an update and ask you, once again, to help out in one of three ways:

1. If you are not supporting this cause in any other way, perhaps you can make a contribution to our team. I am hoping to find ten more people to each give $10 so I can get to my original goal of $500. You can click on this link to go to my personal page. It's so easy to give right online.

2. If you cannot make a contribution at this time, or you are giving in other areas, GREAT! I know that many of you have many ways that you give back...BUT....PLEASE do not let October come and go without encouraging the women you know and love to make sure they are aware of , and practicing, good breast care.

3. Please pray for our team as we work to raise awareness at our school. I work with many young teachers who often think they are immune to this horrible disease. I am excited to be able to share this message on our campus.

Friday Fodder...

A few little school tidbits on this Friday morning:

• I just helped chase a "runner" (an angry child who was threatening to leave) around our campus and now my feet are soaking wet!
• He's twice my size, so I don't know what I would do if I caught him and he didn't listen!
• One little girl that I have watched grow from K - 3 here just told me that her "Mama moved last night" so it's her last day. That makes me SAD!
• Another little girl told me that she had "antelope" for breakfast. I said, "WHAT!?!? You don't eat antelope!" She said, "Yeah, it's sweet and juicy." It was then I realized that she meant CANTALOUPE!!
• I've had conversations with 7 adults on my campus this week about one little girl who is extremely low. I love it that I really do work in a "village"!
• Just by way of observation, I'm starting to think that our youngest teachers are less able to "think outside the box" than anyone else. They are afraid to be creative and run with their own ideas in the classroom.
• I hate it that educational bureaucrats may have created this climate by being so scripted!
• Even though I've had more moments of doubt about my job than ever recently. I still know I am doing the "right thing" for me!

And on the home front...

• DS 3 is ready for the Homecoming game tonight. He has worked feverishly on the Freshman Float.
• I never really expected him to get involved in that way. But I'm so glad he is.
• I've scarcely seen DS 1 this week. I guess this is a glimpse into our lives after he leaves for Basic Training on November 19th.
• DS 2 is busy as ever. I read another play with him last night. He's loving the acting thing.
• DS 4 is really improving at his goal keeping skills. The soccer club has been providing professional goalie training for the past several weeks. I cannot believe how he just gets right in there even with the "big guys".
• We had a terriffic small group meeting on Wednesday. I'm so excited for some upcoming events that we are going to be doing here in our community!

OK, that's all the time I have to do any catching up at all. Perhaps this weekend I'll actually get to float around the blogosphere a bit. Hugs to all!!

I know...I know...

I know that it's our differences that make the world go round. And most of the times I love that. But, I confess, some days I wish everyone would see things the way that I see them!

Redemption

Don't you just love that word? Redemption. I do.

I've been listening to Christian radio for a very long time. And because of that, I
am aware of some of the lives of popular artists. Over the years, I've come to realize that those who are often on the pedistals of publicity and entertainment are just as normal as you and I. They wrestle. They have pitfalls. They sin.

And, like us, they are candidates for the sweet gift of redemption that can be each of ours.

For me, Michael English is an example of this. He was at the "top of his game" in 1994 when he suddenly announced an affair with another CCM singer. He gave back all his Dove Awards to the GMA and made a public "confession". I was heartbroken when I heard this so many years ago. And, honestly, I don't believe that the "punishment fit the crime" in this case.

Anyway, he's struggled over the years. Occasionally, he made some reappearances in the music industry, and has taken quite a road to the place he is now. I'm not going into the whole story of his journey. In fact, I really don't know the whole story. I plan to read it in his new book: The Prodigal Comes Home. I love the title.

More than that, though, I LOVE LOVE LOVE his song that is currently playing on the radio: Feels Like Redemption. Here is a video that features the song:


And because It's really not about the video. It's about the words. And, I am so moved by the words to this powerful song, here they are:

I know how hopeless feels
When you're staring at the bottom of an empty hole
In my life I know how forgotten feels
Wondering if the world even knows who you are

But I've never known anything, felt anything
Like the love of Jesus
And it's hard to describe what's happening inside
But right now all I know is

It feels like redemption raining down on me
It feels like forgiveness is come to set me free
All my chains have been lifted
'Cause when the hands of love touch a broken life
It feels like redemption

Now I know how thankful feels
'Cause I am overwhelmed by this gift of grace
And I know how healing feels
'Cause all my pain and all my shame
And all my tears have been erased

It feels like redemption raining down on me
It feels like forgiveness is come to set me free
All my chains have been lifted
'Cause when the hands of love touch a broken life
It feels like

Say goodbye, the past is ending
Say hello to a new beginning
No more night
The sun is shining

Feels like redemption raining down on me
It feels like forgiveness is come to set me free
All my chains have been lifted
'Cause when the hands of love touch a broken life
And when the hands of love touch a broken life
It feels like redemption

I cried out to the Lord, He heard my cry
He healed my heart and He touched my life
It feels like redemption

So say goodbye, the past is ending
Say hello to a new beginning
Feels like
Feels like redemption!

Redemption. Don't you love that word? I do!

Hope Starts with Me US!

{Sticky Post...scroll down for most recent post.}
As you probably know, October is often focused on Breast Cancer Awareness. Each year I find myself supporting OTHER people and efforts for this worthy cause. This year, when a colleague at school sent out an email inviting us to participate as a team, I decided it was time I jump in and do something more than just make a single donation.

So, a team of us will be walking together on October 11th. I have never solicited support for anything via this blog, but I know that many of you are as passionate about this as I am. So, this post will remain here this week for three reasons:

1. If you are not supporting this cause in any other way, perhaps you can make a contribution to our team. You can click on this link to go to my personal page.

2. If you cannot make a contribution at this time, or you are giving in other areas...PLEASE do not let October come and go without encouraging the women you know and love to make sure they are aware of , and practicing, good breast care.

3. Please pray for our team as we work to raise awareness at our school. I work with many young teachers who often think they are immune to this horrible disease. I am excited to be able to share this message on our campus.

Overheard from the Pedicure Chair...

I've been working on a "very deep" post, but I can't finish it. So, I've decided to share with you a little episode I witnessed at the nail salon today.

This older woman was in the salon having her nails done by the nice Asian gentleman who runs it. When it was time to scrub, she grabbed her walker and began scooting over to the sink while singing: "You take the high road...and I'll take the low road...and I'll be in Scotland afore ye...for me and my true love will never meet again...on the bonnie bonnie banks O'Loch Lomond." Then she turned around to announce to the salon: "My Mother used to sing to me all the time when I was younger. Mostly hymns." And she scooted over to have her nails painted.

I'm quite sure this is not a popular song among young Asian nail techs. In fact, I'm not so sure my own children even know the tune. But I did. My tech rolled her eyes at me, but I was mesmerized by this woman.

Once she got to the new chair, I could hear her conversation with the new girl that was going to finish the job. The girl commented about this woman's age (88 years). She said, "My you look younger than 88!" {And she did.} The woman replied, "I looked much younger until a few weeks ago when I went in the hospital and they had to do surgery. They made me lose fifteen pounds." Then she proceeded to announce to the entire salon that she'd had diarrhea for several days...and at this point her conversation toned down to just include her and the nail tech.

I commented to my nail tech, "I hope I'm half that spunky when I'm 88!" She calmly said, "She obviously led a very boring younger life." I thought that was a strange come back and I asked why. The young girl told me, "You're supposed to get all that out of your system in your 20's, 30's and 40's. When I'm that age, I'm going to be sipping tea on my back porch and watching my roses grow!"

It was an interesting perspective...and I'll confess to you that my one thought was:

"Well, I still hope I'm more like HER at 88 than you will be! And I've had a blast in my 20's 30's AND here in my 40's!!"

But I've learned that some thoughts are better left unsaid.

And the rest of the day, I've found myself humming, "You take the high road and I'll take the low road and I'll be in Scotland afore ye..."

I Saw the Sign...

Note to Self: If you get stopped by every red light on your way somewhere, and find yourself highly annoyed, perhaps it's a sign that you need to settle down a bit!!

One Precious Moment

When I arrived at my Grandmother's birthday party last Saturday, my Dad immediately told me he had something for me. He and my stepmother had come up earlier in the week for my Great Uncle Al's funeral. He was 92.

Dad pulled out a grocery bag and said, "Nancy sent this up for you and said you had to have it. I don't know why. I hope you do." Nancy is Uncle Al's daughter. And before my Dad got the words out of his mouth, I said, "Is it a little black and white dog?" I think he was stunned that I knew what was inside that bag. For him, it had no meaning. In fact, I'm pretty sure everyone in the room was wondering what the heck it was and asking "WHY?" But for me it was a reminder of a sweet time long long ago. I was flooded with emotion and memories!

When I was a little girl, and still living in Ohio, we used to go visit Great Aunt Rachel and Uncle Al. He worked in a Napa Auto Store. One time, when I was probably 3 years old, we visited him at his store. He had this little dog for me to play with during the visit. I am pretty sure he let me take it to their house later that day. I also remember playing with it a few more times at their house. I don't know why, but I thought it was so neat.

Uncle Al remembered. And so did Nancy. In fact, I remember several times when I saw Uncle Al as an adult that he would ask, "Do you remember coming to our house and playing with that little dog from the auto parts store?" And I would assured him that I did. When her Dad died on Sept. 7th, Nancy found the dog and made sure that it was sent to me.

In the picture to the right, Aunt Rachel and Uncle Al are seated with my Grandparents behind them. Aunt Rachel and my Grandpa were siblings. My Grandma is the only one left here on Earth.

These four people enjoyed spending time together and with their extended families. They have passed on their deep love for family to those of us who are blessed to be part of it. They taught us that treasures are often not expensive meaningless things. They taught us that treasures are in the memories that we make with one another. They taught us love. And laughter. And savoring time with one another. They taught us that simple things can make a difference in someone's life. From them, we saw how to create and make long-lasting memories from the simple things.

And in one little grocery bag last Saturday afternoon, I could once again feel that familial love that makes up so many precious memories in my mind today. When I gaze at that little dog on my shelf, I know it will be a constant reminder of the love that binds our family together. And I hope it, along with so many other treasures from my Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles, will serve as a tangible reminder that it is our job to pass along those life lessons to our Children and someday, our Grandchildren.

I don't know why Uncle Al and I shared this precious little toy together. I know it touched me deeply to receive it. And I promise to love it and care for it! :-)

Thank you, Uncle Al! And, thank you, Nancy for such a sweet gift! I will treasure it always!

Happy Birthday Surprises!

It's hard to believe that it was just a week ago that we headed into Ohio for my Grandmother's birthday surprise. I made a great little slide show on Rock You and when I hit publish, it was filled with photos from a Hispanic family not to mention Spanish captions! They were nice photos, but they weren't mine. I can't figure out what the problem is! So I'm going to post all the pics here. {Forgive the text alignment issues. I've republished this post nearly ten times...and I've just had a "let-it-go-and-hit-publish-for-the-last-time" moment!}

I love both of these photos and think I may put them in frames. One is my Grandma and Me. The other is DS 1 and Me.


The picture of me holding the little dog will be a blog post in the very near future. In many ways, I think I got one of the best presents of the day. I was touched beyond words and will share the whole story of this sweet little dog soon.



In this photo, Grandma is directing the "birthday singers" with her flower! I love it that she made sure we added that tag that says, "...and many more!" at the end of the traditional song! May it be so!


Below is a photo of DS 1 with my cousins two young children. They had a great visit with each other. I remember talking with my older cousins as a child and just looking up to them in great adoration. Maybe one day these sweet young things will think the same about this moment.



The other photo is Grandma with her children and their spouses who were able to be there that day.


This photo shows Grandma with several of her Grands and "Greatgrands". She has 13 Grandchildren. There are eight of us in the photo. There are 28 total Great Grandchildren and even a few "Great Greats" now. This photo has 7 "Great Grandchildren" in it.

It was definitely a weekend to remember!

Let's start at the...END???

I'm a chronological blogger for the most part. When I blog, it's usually a "thinking post" or an "informational family post". Pretty much when my posts are bringing bloggers up to date with the happenings in my life, I start at the beginning. Not today. I want to start at the end.

Most of you know that DS 1, my brother Dan, and I went to Ohio to surprise my Grandma for her 88th birthday this weekend. We had a great time. I DO intend to go back and fill in the missing events from the weekend, but I am limited on time to blog right now. So before I go back and fill in with pictures (which is easy to do), I want to tell you the part I don't want to forget.

It's all about coming home.

We flew out on Monday afternoon from Louisville, KY. There was a better deal if we left from there, so we made the four hour drive between the airport and Columbus both at arrival and departure. On the way, I think I mentioned to DS 1, "I hope we can remember where the car is parked at the airport in Tampa." He had the ticket, so we didn't talk too much more about it.

My brother in the meantime, tells us about losing his car in the airport once and walking from floor to floor looking for it. He mentioned that he "knew" he was "higher" than the first floor, so he never went down. [Side note: Keep this detail in mind. It's going to be important in a moment. And suffice it to say, I DIDN'T keep his little story in mind until later.]

DS 1 and I arrived in Tampa at 10:15PM. We had our bags by 10:30 and headed out to the parking garage. DS 1 looked in the pocket of his shorts that he wore on departure day...but he couldn't find that little ticket that told us where our car was located. Both of us were sure we had an idea. And we could at least use the key to "beep the lock".

Down we went to floor 1. We peered out the elevator doors and didn't see the car, but we KNEW we'd parked right in front of the doors and low in the lot. So, DS 1 beeped the horn from the remote key. We could hear it "calling to us"...but it didn't sound like it was on floor one. It was a distant honk.

Up we went to floor two. We could still hear it...but it wasn't in front of the elevators. Now there ARE several elevators. So we walked and beeped until the beeping stopped. Then we'd turn around and walk in another direction until we couldn't hear the beep anymore. We repeated these steps SEVERAL times. In fact, we even found a young couple who were in the "We-search-for-our-car-for-an-hour" club.

DS 1 looked at the assistance phone and it said to "dial 3 for help". Turns out the other club members DID that exact thing and found out that if you know your plate number they can tell you exactly where it is.

Now, picture what I'm picturing. It's almost the middle of the night. We are SCHLEPPING our stuff around several floors of a very large hot parking garage. We find a phone to use for "help"...and all I can think is there has to be a guy sitting in a room somewhere watching the whole thing on security cameras with sadistic glee! I didn't want him to tell me verbally where my car was...I wanted him to get in a cute little golf cart and TAKE me to my car!

DS 1 determined that he knew my tag number. Almost. It is one off from my DH's (who knew?). So we called DS 2 who really wasn't too happy about being asked to go outside at that hour to look at his Dad's car plate number. I am pretty sure he picked up on the fact that his Mother wasn't happy either! In fact, by that time I was quite CRANKY!

He gave us the number and we called the "help line" in that parking garage. I barely got three numbers of my plate out when the parking lot guy tells me that my car is ONE FLOOR BELOW US. And he was quite amused because "another couple just called and their car was almost in the exact same spot"! I won't even go into the fact that I really wanted to know how they KNOW that! It's not like we stop and give our numbers on the way in! Weird!

Perhaps our trouble was because the floor is labeled on the elevator as "Floor BC". What the heck does "BC" mean? We were on FLOOR 1. Sure enough...we went down ONE little story and there she was beeping away when we called (Ok pushed the button) for us to come find her!

Now, on this end, it's a funny story. DS 1 reminded me in the midst of it all that we just needed ONE MORE STORY to make the weekend even MORE memorable than it was. And it was good for a laugh. Whatever!

As always, there are lessons to be learned. Like...

* get the card and put it somewhere SAFE so you don't lose it
* sometimes answers are closer than we think
* usually there's a signal that can guide us in the right direction...we just have to look (or listen)
* looking on the bright side is more fun
* you might arrive at the solution differently than you expect to do so

And, as usual, there's that "kicker" of a lesson...

* you never know when you might be some parking lot attendant's middle of the night entertainment!

Hey, it's all for the cause, you know?

Surprises!

Three years ago, our family surprised my Grandmother for her 85th birthday with a HUGE party in her honor in Ohio. Yesterday she turned 88. Last week we got an email from my Aunt inviting everyone who lives in town to come out for a potluck to celebrate.

I didn't think too much about it because we DO live so far away. I planned to send my wishes via mail. Then I had a conversation with my brother. We talked about just how precious these times are. And we decided to look for last minute deals on the airlines to come be a part of her special day.

It took a little planning, but yesterday DS 1, my brother Dan and I flew to Louisville, KY and drove to my Grandmother's hometown in Ohio. Last night we surprised her at a special dinner at a special dinner at Red Lobster. It was definitely not what she was expecting.

Here she is ready to celebrate with DS 1 looking on. I'm not sure if that adoration is for her or for her fancy pina colada! But I love the picture either way!

And of course the rest of us girls had to take part in the celebration too! This is my Aunt Sandy, my Stepmother, and Me celebrating. The picture of the rest of the guys didn't come out, so I'll have to snap some today at the potluck. The celebrations got off to a great start. I'll share more when I can.

Happy Saturday!

Reflections

We took DS 2 out for Sushi for his birthday. It was all you can eat. Well...they may change that rule after MY family ate there, cause I am fairly certain that the restaurant LOST money on this crew. DS 1 at 45 pieces. DS 2--our birthday boy--at ONE HUNDRED pieces! DS 3 didn't do too bad with 61. And I'm pretty sure DS 4 was also somewhere around the 40 - 50 mark! Don't know about DH's count...

It was GREAT fun!

When he heard I was a bit sappy about my DS 2 turning 19, DS 4 said to me today: "Don't worry Mom! I'm not going anywhere. I told you I was planning to go to college online. I'll live at home forever."

I said, "yeah, but what happens when you want to get married?"

He said (without missing a beat), "I'll do online dating!" Uh. OK...

But will there be "online marrying" by then????

You gotta love 'em...

Wordless Wednesday Wishes

This one.... is NINETEEN today! Happy Birthday, DS 2. I love you and am so proud of the young Man you've become!

It's Monday Do YOU Know What that Means?

In our city, Moe's celebrates "Moe Mondays". This is where you get any burrito and a drink for $5.55. My boys often go to Moe's on Mondays. Their burritos are simply huge and you can have them made with the toppings you pick. I rarely join them to eat there, although I do enjoy Moe's food.

Tonight, I got home late and DH tells me that a few of our family members aren't feeling well and that DSs 2 and 3 are at Moe's because they WERE hungry. I was starving since I did not get a lunch today and decided I'd see about joining them and leave sick bay at home.

Of course, the boys were gracious and said they'd wait for me even though they were more than half way through their meal. Upon my arrival at the restaurant, I should have realized just what a mess it was going to be! Cars were parked pretty much anywhere they could find a spot. And when I walked in, and was greeted with the infamous "Welcome to Moe's!", I could tell I just didn't belong!

I mean it was FILLED with the 15 - 20-something set with only a few folks of my age in the room. It was like a giant teen young adult ant hill. And they were everywhere. My growling stomach won out and I got in line anyway.

After making it through the line, DSs 2 and 3 and their friends had an empty table close by where they were seated. I told them I'd sit there. But they wouldn't have it. They squeezed room for their "forty-something" perhaps-she-needs-dates-for-hot-flashes Mother. And they politely sat there and talked while I tried to enjoy a peaceful dinner.

Although that was a stretch! The line, which remained out the door, continued to be filled with this crowd. It was loud. Very loud. It seemed that they all knew each other and there was communication throughout the restaurant that was weaving an invisible web of connections between diners. I actually began to wonder if there is a whole "Moe's Monday" cult or something!

Although I was tired, I enjoyed it in many ways. And I thanked God that my boys aren't afraid to get out with their Mother and are willing to let me occasionally glimpse into their teen and young adult lives. But I also told myself that next time I was tempted, I'd just send them with money and eat my burrito in the comfort of my own home!

Making a Hotel Reservation

It was a simple phone call. Really. I called the hotel chain where our conference took place this weekend and was greeted by a very nice Latin-sounding woman. She asked my request and as she found out I was in Florida said, "How's the weather?" I thought maybe she was asking because of the impending hurricanes, but I replied: "It's nice today. Hot. But nice."

She told me how beautiful it is in our state. And then she launched into this "Date Palm Dissertation"...From here on it was pretty much her 10 - 30 words to my one-to-three-word answers.

"I was there just eight weeks ago. I just LOVE the way the palm trees line the streets. They are just beautiful. So beautiful. Did you know that those dates from them are very good for you?" Me..."Really?"

"Uh, yes, they are very very good those dates. You just dry them out and they are good to eat. People don't believe it, but they are. I love them. I could eat them all the time. " Me..."I didn't know."

"Yes, yes, yes. You just pick them and dry them out. They are very very good for hot flashes. They help your estrogen levels when you eat them. Ladies really need them." Me..."uh..."

"You should try them. Just go pick some off the tree. You'd be surprised how good they are. They are like...I don't know...People don't believe it, but they are. You eat and no more hot flashes." Me..."Interesting!"

This "conversation" continued for about five minutes. And the following things ran through my mind during our encounter...

* Can you please just get me my reservation?
* I'm really tired. How long will she talk?
* I think the palms in my yard are date palms?
* I wonder if you really CAN eat those dates?
* I thought there were actual "date trees".

And probably the most pressing question of all...

JUST WHAT MADE HER THINK I NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT DATE PALMS AND HOT FLASHES ANYWAY???

I'd Rather Have My Head in the Sand...

Sometimes I'd just rather put my head in the sand and ignore the things happening in the world around me. I know that's not the way it's "supposed" to be. I also believe that we are supposed to be well-informed and responsible citizens. Maybe that's why the political climate bothers me so much.

I don't care which side of the political fence you're on, the mudslinging is just ridiculous! I teach Elementary School and this is one of those lessons that starts in the Kindergarten sandbox. Play nice. Be fair. Be kind to others.

Oh I know that sometimes someone's got to win. But at what expense?

As I've noted recently, I am often on the fence about which candidate I'd like to see in office. This is true for any race no matter how big or small. I don't always vote the "party line". As Melli noted in a comment here the other day, I vote the "person". And if I don't know the person, I won't vote for that race. I'm afraid that there are many voters out there who vote a name only because they've seen a street corner sign that shouted "vote for me!"

Anyway, as I've watched this whole VP pick from the McCain camp, I am sad. I'm not sad for Palin. I'm not sad for McCain. I'm sad for their families. As one journalist said last night, "When a person runs for public office, no family member or friend they've known in their lifetime is safe from scrutiny." I'm sure they knew that Palin's young daughter's pregnancy would be campaign fodder---or really journalistic fodder. And I applaud the other candidates who have said, "We're not going there." Still the train rolls on and names and faces are slathered all over our television screens.

The truth is, it wouldn't matter who or what the candidate is or was, we live in a world full of "dirt diggers":

• Did you know that candidate X's third cousin on his Mother's side did....?
• Candidate Y has been reportedly seen in........
• Candidate Z was recently seen in a car with........
• When {this candidate} was 15, he did.......
• At the age of 22, {that candidate} tried...

And whether we are a candidate or an average person, we all have dirt!

I know that we do not live in a "Christian" society. I don't think we can, or should, expect people who are not Christians to act as such. But, in the words of a VERY WISE LEADER, I have one thing to say:

"Let he (or she) who is without sin (or a troubled past or skeletons in the closet) cast the first stone!"

A Muesday or a Tonday...

I don't care how you say it, when you have a Monday off, Tuesday back to work and school just feels weird!

Here's a bulleted list that summarizes my weekend:

> Friday afternoon DSs 2 and 3 purchased and acquired the first supplies for our family's own Freshman Class President campaign while I worked out at the Y.

> By the time I got home, DSs 1, 2, and 3 had two signs made and were on their way to the first football game to put up signs. This left me in a quiet, "somewhat pink" (which on this blog translates to 'you can do girl things now') HOUSE with DS 4!

> With my feminine side in high gear, I immediately set up all my cropping supplies on the kitchen table and set out to work on that daunting Alaska album!

> The boys returned from the game pumped because they won. And they determined their plan to get the first signs up at the high school campus over the holiday weekend.

> Saturday morning is when I had that now famous "moment of weakness" and got DS 4 a new little critter (see my last blog post)! She's an adorable kitten and our "King of the Litterbox" is actually starting to get used to her. He's not growling at her anymore at least.

> Saturday afternoon was spent getting new supplies to be a household with TWO cats and the rest of the campaign supplies. It rained and rained!

> DH came home Saturday night after being gone two weeks. He told me he wasn't going on any more long trips cause while he was gone I bought all new pillows, new lamps for our bedroom, and a new kitten. He noted, "It costs me money to go away!" I tried to explain that we'd have had at least two out of three of those purchases whether he was here or not...I don't think he's buying it.

> Sunday morning was off to church and then immediately to the Rays game with DSs 3 and 4 and DS 4's friend. Baseball's not my favorite sport, but I LOVE to people watch. I enjoyed it, although I would have liked to have been a little closer to the players. I mean you ought to be able to see their numbers on their jerseys in my opinion.

> Monday, of course, was Labor Day. This meant more campaign poster making for DS 3 and his managers. It also meant that they were going to get out there and hang up the remaining signs. We won't elaborate on the school alarm being set off...all's well in our world--REALLY!

> I got to crop some more. There's actually an end in sight. This is probably a good thing since the stuff is still all over the dining room table!

> And now, here I sit feeling like it's a "Muesday" or "Tonday" cause it's still the first day of the work week. I dragged myself here today after a restless night's sleep. It'll be fine, though, because no matter what, tomorrow IS hump day and we'll be on the back end of it all!

Have a great week everyone!

In a Moment of Weakness...

I took DS 4 to the animal shelter this weekend. I know I should know better. He is an animal magnet if there ever was one. I TOLD him we were NOT going to get anything. We were just going to look.

At our shelter, you sit in a room full of cats...wandering around you. Several were attracted to DS 4 pretty quickly. But this one....

This one latched on to him and wouldn't let him go. We sat. We played. We snuggled with others. But she stayed constant. We left to go look at the dogs. They were ugly and loud. Then it was back to the cat room. And, in the words of DS 4, "I looked at Mom with these eyes and she said, 'If I let you get this cat, then you have to take responsibility for it'." Between her eyes and his, I was gone. I asked him to share his eyes with the blogging world...so here ya' go...

After I agreed to take her, we went outside to fill out the paperwork. And do you know what? She came to the window in the midst of all the other cats and played with DS 4 THROUGH the glass!

And here they are...at home...where she is now living as a "foster kitten" until she gets fixed on the 25th of September.

And, guess who's not happy....and wants to remind everyone that he is the king of the litterbox? Yep, that would be DS 3's cat who was rescued from the very same shelter just over a year ago. Please pray for peace in the feline world that is now living in my house! It's really our goal for everyone in our family to get along including our four-footed friends. As soon as he knows that he's still loved and important to us, I'm sure all will be well.

In other family news...

I've decided that DH and I gave birth to our own "Alex P. Keaton" when we had DS 3! He's a staunch Republican who is very concerned about my occasionally standing on the fence in the political arena. In fact, he begged DH to make sure I didn't vote for a certain candidate earlier this year! I am only hoping that DH explained the word DEMOCRACY to him. But, alas, he knows about (and for that matter, cares about) politics more than I probably ever will. And I'm glad. It's people like him who help people like me sift in a way.

Anyway, he came home last week and announced that he'd be seeking the job of Freshman President for his new high school. He went to the meeting on Friday and was unswayed by the fact that there are 14 other candidates. Nope. He started his campaign via Facebook the night before. He painted signs before the game Friday night (only a few hours after the information meeting) and hung the first two up there. He plans to go to school early on Tuesday to meet kids at the busses. DS 2 took him to the school yesterday so they could hang posters in the "best spots".

Hey, I have an idea! Maybe he could be like his cat and sit on a litterbox to tell 'em who should win!

Seriously, though, DS3 is nothing if not persistent---and clever! I'm not sitting on a fence here. I hope he wins!

Book Review: Healing Promises

I was so excited when my SIL, Heather, sent me the proof of her friend Amy Wallace's second book, Healing Promises early in the Summer! I immediately put it in my "to be read" pile. Then I found the book at my local Christian bookstore and decided to buy my own copy so Heather could have hers back.

I reviewed Amy's first book, Ransomed Dreams on my blog over a year ago. It is a fabulous book that reads like a great episode of CSI or Law and Order but has Biblical truth woven throughout the story.
Healing Promises delivered the same satisfaction. It is the story of Clint and Sara Rollins. Clint is an FBI agent who receives an unexpected diagnosis of cancer after being shot on the job. Sara is an oncologist who has offered hope to many of her patients. Facing the familiar disease is totally different when it's her husband who's fighting the battle. Both Sara and Clint are forced to come to grips with their faith amidst the trials they are facing. As she did in the first book, Amy makes the faith thread a natural extension of the story and does not shove it down the reader's throat.

During his illness, Clint continues to work to help solve the case of a kidnapper and serial killer.
In the meantime, the reader gets to read the next chapter of Steven and Gracie's story which started in the first book while meeting Michael (Steven and Clint's co-worker) and Hannah (Steven's sister). Amy's books are suspense-filled yet brimming with hope and possibilities for Christians living in the "real world."

If you choose to read this book, I suggest starting with book one. While their stories "could" stand alone, these two books are definitely woven together as the reader gets to know the characters and the events of their lives. While the ending was quite satisfying, I found myself wanting to go back in and savor the characters just a bit more. I am anxious to do just that when I read Michael and Hannah's story in book 3 of Amy's Defenders of Hope series in 2009!

There's a SNAKE In My Boot House!!

My DS 3 grew up with "Buzz and Woody" of Toy Story fame. For years, he carried Woody around and pulled the string that made him say, "There's a snake in my boot." I never understood the saying. But today it's ringing in my ears over and over again.

In the last two weeks, I have found not ONE but TWO snakes, albeit little itty bitty baby "worm-like" snakes, in my house. Even though they are itty bitty, like 3 - 3 and 1/2" at most and VERY thin, they give me the CREEPS! (If you've been reading a while, you might remember two years ago when we found one in our bathroom that had come up through the drain.) That was then, though, and this is now.

Two weeks ago, DS 4 and I found a little tiny one slithering in his closet. As I said, think very very small...but still. It was quick. And it moved in the "S-fashion" which confirmed for me that it was, in fact, a snake. DS 3 removed it and disposed of it properly for me. We checked the closet to make sure there weren't any siblings lying around. We looked for other signs of the critters. I determined that it probably came in on someone's shoe.

Then, last night, just before bedtime, the cat was playing with another itty bitty snake in MY BEDROOM! We caught this one and put it in a small container. I looked around for others. The cat looked around for others. We saw nothing, but I will tell you that rest did not come easy for me. At. All. At midnight, I heard DS 1 come in and I got up to show him what we found.

He promised me that he would research it and figure it out today. In the meantime, I went to bed and everytime my foot hit a cold spot under my sheet, I jolted awake to be sure there wasn't a reptile in bed with me.

DS 1's research turned up some answers. My critters are "ringneck snakes". The adults get to be about 6" long. They are subterranean. Most babies come into homes via the sliding glass door. The pest control company told DS 1 that they were 90% sure that there is no adult in my house. Uh. What about that other TEN PERCENT???

We all looked tonight. The housecleaner saw nothing today. I seriously considered moving out for the night. Or two. Or three. Or ten. My sweet in-laws offered me a bed. My DS 3 laughed. I guess one of the boys talked to DH and he called from Texas and did the "logical thinking" discussion. He says it's an anomoly. He says we should spray around the doors. He was happy we had already poured the boiling water down the drains (a trick we learned from a plumber years ago). It didn't take long for him to say, "The logic isn't going to work is it?" Uh. NO!

I've looked in all the dark places I can find. Well, most of them anyway. I checked the boots in case Woody's saying is right. I have toyed around with getting a second cat (uh, I know that's the irrational side of me). I'm not convinced we are totally snake-free. But I'm not convinced there are more either. I'm in limbo.

And, if I'm being honest, I won't be totally satisfied until I know that the reptiles around here have gone "to infinity and beyond!"

Gosh, I miss Buzz and Woody!!

The Mission Field

A couple from our church left Monday for full time mission work in Belize. Their story is an amazing one.

Nelson's Dad and StepMother have already been in Belize for eight years. They care for girls who have been abused in horrible ways. Our church found the Dad and StepMother a little over a year ago and linked up with them to help out where and when we could. His Dad had been praying for Nelson and his wife to come to Belize to help out in the mission. Nelson said he'd help by building a website for his Dad from his home in New York. In the meantime, Nelson and his wife moved to Florida and happened to come in to our church one day. Imagine their surprise when a photo of Nelson's Dad appeared on the screen!

After Nelson shared this story on Sunday, my DS 2 said he wanted to go back to Belize. He and DS 1 were there on a mission trip a few years ago. And he said, "Mom, have you ever even been on a mission trip?" I replied, "You mean out of the country?" I told him that I had not been out of the country on a mission. He said, "Awww, Mom, you HAVE to go!" I told him I might someday. But I also reminded him that I AM on a mission field every single day!

I choose to work at my specific school. Is it the "worst" school in our town as far as poverty and need goes? No. But it's one of the schools with a very high percentage of students and families in need.

I've been sharing about E. For those of you who have been curious, the goose was simply a connection from home. He actually never "used" it here at school. He simply threw it when the teacher tried to give it to him.

He is from a family that may not be considered "in need" by most. I mean they have financial resources and are well-groomed. Yet it's obvious that Mom, who is quite pregnant, is tired. In fact, I'd go so far as to say she's quite worn out!

Yesterday, I sat in a conference with another Mom who by all outward appearances wouldn't "look" like someone who has great needs. Yet the story she told was about her daughter who has been abused in ways that I cannot repeat here. Suffice it to say, this little girl has a seriously LONG road to healing ahead of her.

Last week, there was the Grandma who does live government check to government check and didn't know how she was going to get school supplies for her little girl.

And, there's the family of NINE grandchildren who have been raised by Grandma and Grandpa who were removed from the home just before school started. While I know several kids in the family, two of them simply stole my heart. I've been mentoring one since he was in second grade. He's in fifth grade this year. Last week he asked me if I'd seen his sister, who is in first grade. You see they were separated in the foster care system and he was so worried about her.

Now, he's been moved from the shelter to an Uncle's house and is no longer at our school. When he left, he asked me to promise to keep my eye on her when she comes. His sister showed up for the first time yesterday with her foster Mom.

And when I think of each of these cases and so many others that I simply cannot relate here a thought occurs to me. While I know it's not some exotic place, I can confidently say, "Yes, I've been on the mission field!"

Where's your mission?