phone numbers

I sort of dropped my phone in a pitcher of water today...so if I've ever called you or you want me to call you or you think I should have your number in case I ever get stranded in your neck of the woods...would you mind sending me a note with your number? yeah. that would include my family. luv ya guys. just don't know any of your numbers...good times...

oh man...I just realized I'm going to have to program all the hospitals in the area into my phone again...what a drag! and all the guys I work with...and my whole family and all my friends...lol...and the movie phone guy...and the snow emergency number...and my mechanic! dang!

don't laugh...

okay. so I always carry my phone around on sunday mornings in case teachers/helpers need to get a hold of me...today I was in the baby nursery holding my phone, (dern the dress with no pockets I'm wearing!) my keys and a flyer I needed to pass out to the teachers when I needed to call the video booth about the video feed not working right on the monitors in the room so I transfered said items into one hand and reached for the phone on the wall only to *plop* my phone right into a pitcher of water. Nothin' but net baby! well...I snagged it out again really quick...but I have a funny feeling since even as I type this blog it is calling my voicemail with no help from me over and over...and Ana (sorry girl)...that it may be damaged...

um...yeah...

"Her hair like her life had become unmanagable."

I've only done this hair dying business once before...and that time I was trying for something different and got the same color (genius I know)...this time I was trying to get my same color back and in my overtired estimation of things my hair looks completely different...more red or something...I don't know...everyone else will prolly say it looks the same...I think the girl on the box looks nice...so I also included her picture :) At least my hair's not blue...or bluish...or blue greenish...or aquamarine...or whatever the heck it was morphing into...

Need a personal trainer?

If you have ever wanted a personal trainer to give you ideas for a great work out, to hold you accountable and all that other great stuff a trainer does but couldn't afford the prices offered at the gym or maybe weren't sure about the person you'd end up with as a trainer...well, I have a solution for you! Actually I don't have a solution, my brother Ira does. If you know him at all you know he is passionate about helping people reach their personal fitness goals and he is very good at what he does. He recently started an online business that you should take a second or two or three or 10 to check out...pass the info along to others as well if you think about it...

His website is www.irafitness.com and the great part about this personal training business is that he can work with you no matter where you live...

okay, enough from me for now...just check his website out and see for yourself!

is it mean?

Is it mean to break into giggles when entire rooms of 3,4 and 5 year olds scream at the same time right after a loud clap of thunder? Because if it's mean I am the meanest! Their cute little high pitched screams are just to cute!

tired and craving gummy worms

I remember a time not so long ago when sleeping was enjoyable. Oh where oh where have those nights gone? now I just lay there and try to breathe...and not lose a lung...and hope that it will end quickly...but then again I do have some very strange dreams on nights like these...last night I dreampt I was in a candy store with unlimited gummy worms...YUM! that was a good dream...almost made being wide awake at 3 in the morning worth it...almost...

so good

I checked my mail yesterday and there was a check from the church insurance covering my full deductable so between my own homeowners and the church insurance by this time next week I will be enjoying doing things online in the comfort of my own home! well...actually that's not completely true...I will get it right before leaving town for a 3/4 day (not sure) conference somewhere in chicago...I think...hmm...prolly need to figure that out sooner than later...you know, up until about march of this year I actually was a very organized person. probably to organized really. and I can't seem to get back into any kind of a rhythm with keeping track of my life. makes me wonder if it's really all that worth it keeping such a precise calendar...seems like I was always filling it up with stuff to do when I knew how much free time I had coming my way...now I just say things like "I think I might possibly be able to perhaps do that thing that you want me to do but I'm not really sure and won't know until I check a couple things..." lol used to annoy me when people gave me that response...and now here I am...all unorganized. whatever, take me as I am! it's all I got to give!

smiles!

Help Me Be New

How many times has God walked through the rooms and halls of my life and made changes? to many to count. I thank God he still cares to redecorate my life and heart on a regular basis.




Help Me Be New
Sara G of course!

God is doing a work in me
Hes walking through my rooms and halls
Checking every corner
Tearing down the unsafe walls
And letting in the light
And I am working hard
To clean my house and set it straight
Not let pride get in the way
To catch an eternal vision of
What I am to become

Will you help me be new
Will you hold me to the promises
That I have made
Will you let me be new
Forgive my old self, and my old mistakes

It seems easier
Living out my life in Christ
For those do not know it
To hide the thorn stuck in my side
And all my secret faults
But you know me well
And its you I want the most to see
And recognize the changes
A word from you empowers me
To press on for my goal

Will you help me be new
Will you hold me to the promises
That I have made
Will you let me be new
Forgive my old self, and my old mistakes

When I feel condemned to live my old life
Remind me Ive been given a new life in Christ

Will you help me be new
Will you hold me to the promises
That I have made
Will you let me be new
Forgive my old self, and my old mistakes

Will you
You know me well

my retreat

I've been asked to post some pics of my lovely new office from my far away friends so here ya go.













I have hugged my elves. They are so sweet and so good to me.

Back to real life.

I love the guys I work with. They are a kick. Even when I am forced to golf with them I manage to have a great time ;) and by "golf" I mean "drive the cart".

It is always good to get away because coming home is all the more sweet. So back to work I go and onward I move in my life. It was a nice pause these last couple weeks. But I do love living too.

There are some things I want to see happen...time and patience and wisdom will probably allow for most of them to come about. Others may not. It will be fun to see how it all plays out though.

Lord help me. I need you like I need air.

Monday Monday

So I get here at 7:30 like a good little girl only to find out that we are leaving so stinkin' early so that we can go golfing...yeah. I hate golfing. Mostly cause I'm horrible at it. But it will be nice to spend the day outside. And I probably won't actually golf unless they make me and magically make some clubs appear. You never know with these guys though...they also just told me that I was supposed to bring a sleeping bag. This would have been helpful information yesterday when I asked what I needed to know. And now we aren't leaving anytime soon because people are trying to locate their clubs all around the twin cities. I so wish I was still sleeping!

But on a completely different note. This quote was in my inbox this morning and I thought it was a good one to share. Here ya go!

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in all of us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others the permission to do the same. As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
-Marianne Williamson

oh yeah...

and I did a little research on my cruise...bacon and bikin's do go together...thank heaven!

Escape Your Life Cruise 2007!!!

I think it might be a little hard for me to blog about my cruise. How do you put a feeling into words...I could tell a couple funny stories or share how amazing the food was but I don't think it's entirely possible to communicate the feeling you get when you completely escape, wind down, and just breathe. Being with friends who let you just be and don't demand intense conversation or organized thought...that is a gift.

But for my mother (and a few other curious readers) here are some of the highlights of my week...

The FOOD!!! endless. delicious. endless. I weighed myself and I only gained 4 lbs so that's not to bad really considering I ate like 5 meals a day! And the midnight chocolate buffet...glory!

The destinations!!! CoCoCay for a day. Hammocks, walking out in the water so far that the shore is tiny and still only being up to your waist. (okay my short friends weren't out quite as far as I was but still...) CoCoLoCo's in the sun... lounging and napping and flipping over so you're even.
Nasau was nice too. I actually didn't go into town with the other gals, I was in need of some alone time so I spent the day by the pool, in the pool, near the pool. After they came back and recharged we headed back out and went to the Atlantis hotel. Amazing. The aquarium was just lovely and being able to walk around outside and look down into the aquarium as well was kinda sweet. The sting rays came up to say hi and wave.

Dressing up!!! I don't have a lot of opportunities to really glam out for the night so doing it every night for a week was kinda fun. I left a trail of glitter throughout the ship...

My Girls!!! I talk to H&K at least once...sometimes 10 times a week so just being with them was a blast. And A who I only see at holiday's was fun to spend a lazy week with too!

The Water! I seriously love salt water. It keeps ya floatin with little effort, feels great and is good for your skin. Add the beach sand and it's the best kind of pedicure if you ask me! Plus it's lovely. Being at sea with water as far as the eye can see is something I enjoy.

The Entertainment! The Men's Sexy Legs contest is burned into my minds eye...not sure it's a good thing...but I did laugh a lot. A good belly flop two feet in front of me has given me a new appreciation for pain. I'm pretty sure you could put a block of ice in front of me and it would never look like a starfish no matter how hard I tried. And the newlyweds game show...oh my word. some people deserve eachother!

The Food!!! okay. I know I already said this one but seriously. YUM!

So there ya go...I will add pics later on probably. I need to weed through them and find a couple good ones...I took way to many of course.

Want to know something funny? After eating for a week straight I am now going on a prayer and fasting retreat for three days starting tomorrow morning...I don't think my body will be able to handle it...from 5 meals a day to nothing...yeah...I think I may have to sneak up a few power bars or something ;-) don't tell God! lol...kidding!!!!! calm down people!

And I am fairly certain that not carrying my phone around for a week while I was out to sea may have been the reason I left it behind...I am usually checking and double checking that it's in my back pocket but not so much after not checking for a week straight. (insert dramatic sigh...) come on fed ex! I probably won't get it before I leave for this retreat...guess it will help me save on minutes. (blasted bright side! I find you every time!)

While you were out...

So I came into the office tonight with the intent of doing a little blogging about my cruise but when I opened the door to my office I was greeted with a completely new room. Little elves have transformed my office into a lovely space. When I left it was piled high with projects and things that were displaced and a few piles of papers...and white white walls...blah. It was quite a drab spot to spend my days but who has time to worry about decor when there's always work to be done!
Well..they painted the walls, added shelves, put picture frames up and bought me a super comfy chair and fun organizing bins and a lamp...and cute tacks and ribbons and buttons and oh my cuteness!!! I adore it. I will have to find the little elves who did this and squeeze them! My favorite part though...three white pieces of canvas on the wall with hand prints and feet prints...kids...babies...I adore...it is just lovely here. I may never go home! HA! kidding...I'm leaving soon actually.

I am blessed.

And for those who wonder why I haven't called to dish about my cruise...well...genius that I am...I left my phone in the hotel room in Orlando. yup. so no phone talkie for me! I am hoping that Fed Ex really does overnight things and that tomorrow I will have it back in my possession...but in the meantime...I will just talk to myself!

I feel like dancin'

okay...so this is my last random blog before I leave for a week long cruise...maybe...

In the life of a friendship there are highs and lows. That's okay. I think people get a little to hard on themselves when things are in the low...but if you think about it...a heart beat monitor shows the line going up and down and if it flatlines that is actually a really bad thing right? so not letting things die off in the lows is a good thing and not having unrealistic expectations of keeping things in the highs all the time both lead to a longer life!!!

Okay. Enough thinkin' for one day!

I so need to pack. I told my friend burke today that I really hate bringing a lot of luggage so in the hopes of carrying less luggage I plan to bring and wear less clothes. lol. all I really need is my bathing suit, a pair of jeans, and a dress for every night! I could get that all in a carry on! yeah. we shall see.

I will now post a video!

For the record, I bought a dress like the ones the girls are wearing in this video...well...maybe not just alike but I think coupled with my dance moves and the right lighting it will be quite similar...

my dilemma

I bought a bikini.

I plan to eat bacon every day for a week and a lot of it.

Do you see my dilemma?

bikini/bacon/bikini/bacon

If I have to choose. I choose bacon.

I am hoping I can do both...

I will now post a picture of the bacon...and if things go well you may get to see the bikini...

Field Trip

So today I took my little moocher mono sister ana to the doc. Cause sometimes you need a sistah! I held her hand and laughed at all the most inappropriate moments...it was nice...for me, not her.

After she survived her ordeal we went and got ourselves some Izzy's at Noodles. yum and yum.

Then we took off in the blue bonnet (not to be confused with margarine) and away we went to see if Ana's superpowers had kicked in yet...we are still waiting...

ahoy, matey's!

So this weekend I plan to rent Titanic and Poseidon and An Affair to Remember. I will freak myself out in the hopes to mentally prepare for what I'd need to do if the ship sinks (hollywood style)! and of course a little romance out to sea never hurts either.

"The ocean is a body of water occupying about two-thirds of a world made for man - who has no gills."
The Devil's Dictionary

dumb

driving in the rain tonight someone kicked a rock up and cracked my windshield! dumb! it's little...but I have a feeling it will grow...right in front of my face too so I'll have to deal with it sooner than later. dumb!

I am sooooo going on a cruise next week and not looking back!

my real age

I just took this little quiz thing and my results said:

You can expect to live approximately another 19400 more days. (phew!)

hehe

my biological age is 30
my real age is 20.9

average life expectancy is 74
my life expectancy is 83.1

want to try for yourself? see how old you really are...or how young you really are? here ya go...

(I have no idea how to link stuff...and I'm okay with that...just copy and paste people!)

http://www.peterrussell.dreamhosters.com/Odds/RealAge.php

check it out

my sisters website is up and running...you can listen to a ton of her songs on the site that are coming out on her live album soon. My personal fav is "Stay with you" it is soooo pretty! she has crazy song writing talent...

so go! check it out! do it!!!

www.jessilynn.com

the burger joint story

per my last blog...


So she worked for me on Tuesday mornings and Wednesday nights...she taught my toddlers and two's classes and she was faithful for years and years in her care for the kids and families who were in her classes. She was single and in her 80's...wanted to know why God hadn't given her a husband but was happy with her sweetheart who she had no plans to marry...lol...that always made me laugh...mad at God for not sending her a husband and she refused to move and marry the man who she loved. People are so funny sometimes. Anyhow...she would take me out to lunch every couple months to tell me what she thought of me...not particularly my favorite activity becuase she wasn't always happy with me...but it was still time well spent because she clearly needed to be heard.

So on this particular tuesday she asked me to lunch and she told me that she had found this great new little burger joint that she wanted to take me to. I agreed to go to lunch with her and after the kids had all left and we'd cleaned up we headed out to her car. She proceeded to rave to me about how amazing this little burger joint was that she was taking me to. "I've driven by it for years and never went in until last week, I've eaten there three times now and they have the best burgers". Well I am always up for a new restuarant so I was pretty excited to find a new place to eat at. We start driving and we are heading in the direction of the local restaurants and I kept thinking "I wonder how I missed a cool little burger joint, I eat over here all the time". But she was driving and excited to show me this place.






So yeah...it was Burger King. She took me to Burger King. I thought I was going to die. I wanted to bust out laughing when we pulled in the parking lot. She asked me if I'd ever eaten there...um...yeah...I'm on a first name basis with some of the staff...I eat there.
She proceeded to introduce me to all of the people she remembered meeting on her previous trips, including the owner (his parents go to my church) who I knew. She went on and on to him about how great his little burger joint was and how she wished she had started eating there years earlier. He was laughing and jokingly said "well on your 10th trip we'll give you a free burger"....to which she replied in complete seriousness "you would do that for me?! I just love this place, you guys are so nice!" hehehehe The owner realized his joke had gone over like...well...not like a joke...and shaped up and said he really would give her a free burger. We ordered our food, they handed us the empty cups and she proceeded to ask why there was no pop in the cups. um...seriously I wanted to die laughing. I took the cups asked her what she wanted and got her drink for her. She then introduced me to the owners mom (she also goes to my church) and we went and found a spot to sit down.

Needless to say, this is one of my all time favorite burger king stories. and sadly, I have others.

in the end

I hate endings. Especially ones I didn't see coming.

She worked for me for several years. She loved on and cared for so many little ones that came through the doors of our church. She was everyone's grandma even though she didn't have her own kids or grandkids. She was opinionated. She was giving. She took me out to lunch on a regular basis to critique my leadership. She wore lots of lipstick and perfume and would grab my arm anytime she talked to me.

No one expected her life to end when it did. Tomorrow we will all gather together and share memories and stories and tears.

She left behind a few siblings and her sweetheart of something like 13 yrs. They just got engaged. She told me she didn't plan to actually marry him though because he wouldn't move here and she wasn't about to move there. But they were happy somehow...it worked for them. I would have moved. But that's just me. His church is flying him here for the funeral. He is heartbroken.

She was an interesting woman to say the least and will be missed by many.

Remind me to tell you the story about the time she took me to this great little burger joint...

thanks burke...allison does know how to sing it and say it better than me :)





Take me for Longing

Don't choose me because I am faithful.
Don't choose me because I am kind.
If your heart settles on me, I'm for the taking.
Take me for longing or leave me behind.

I would be, for you, a fire in a rainbow,
I would be, for you, an opening door.
Time and hard lessons are one kind of wisdom.
Try to forget them or love me no more.

I'm not asking your heart to believe me.
I'm not asking for promise or pledge.
Whatever the answer, it's yes that's the question.
I am the fool dancin' over the edge.

Don't choose me because I am faithful.
Don't choose me because I am kind.
If your heart settles on me, I'm for the taking.
Take me for longing or leave me behind.

just a note...

as discontent as I occasionally sound on this blog and when I'm in the middle of an emotional moment...the truth of the matter is that I am happy. really happy. i blogged about it a while back but just to say it again, my circumstances may change but who I am and how I handle things won't.

and I am now going to go eat a huge fat juicy burger!!!! life is beautiful!

retail therapy

I felt the air change...I shivered...and then went shopping...

Next week this time I will be wearing a bikini, sipping an iced tea and figuring out which slinky dress to throw on for dinner.

I may not always get what I want but I can still enjoy my life. where I am today. who I am with. and tonight that is with some good friends. and next week that is with some of my other good friends. last week it was with my family. (boohoo I miss them like crazy) yes, I'm sick of so much being alone but the wallowing is done for now. sorry to put you all through that with me :) well, not to sorry. it's not like I make any of you read my ramblings! and on that same note...I was thinking recently about why I blog...one of the main reasons I do is to augment current relationships, the ones with real live people who I've stood in a room with and shared time with. So they can have a little better glimpse into how I think and into some of my stories. I know there are a few mystery readers and a few people who read that I've never met...that is a little strange to me but I don't mind you reading, just remember this isn't the same as really getting to know me. and it can't be a substitute for real relationship either. maybe a starting point.

anyways....I am going to go look at my cute new swimwear again and then decide which nights I want to sparkle and which nights I want to be able to dance under the stars with out fear of being a hoochy on my cruise next week:) such decisions!

dealing

I wanted to hop in my jeep and follow their car out of town.

I wanted to hop on an airplane and head south.

Instead I sat there. Alone.

I'm sick of alone.

and I have a sinking feeling nothings going to change.

tonight I wallow...but I don't let myself cry.

crying alone is worse than plain ol' being alone.

trust me.

whirlwind!

my heart is full

my neck is sunburned

my house is a mess, pack'n play's galore, diapers in the corner and mr potatoe head in pieces everywhere

my babies are leaving tomorrow :(

my babies are soooo sweet..and so are their kisses!

my memory card is almost full..must capture every moment in a picture!

my senses are overloaded from all things chuck-e-cheese

my name never sounded so sweet, "damie damie" all day long.

my feet are dirty and fair weary..I may dream of sweeeeeeet martha tonight!

my alarm is set for way to early

my heart is full