Christmas 2008

I am giving you fair warning...this will be a long post but a lot of it is pictures. We have returned from our Christmas excursion across the South and have many memories to share with you.
Last Saturday night we saw the Rockettes with E.J.'s dad and stepmom and some of their dear friends. We had so much fun and would recommend it to anyone.

Then we left the next morning after church on our journey westward. We stopped to see my Papaw and my aunt and her sweet family. By the way, if you have been praying for her, we found out today that she is cancer free...praise God!

Then we landed at E.J.'s mom's house for a good visit with relaxation and time with some of his side of the family that we haven't seen in a while. Monday we all went to their family farm and chopped wood and rode the four wheeler in 20 degree weather.

We played golf and I just want to publicly announce that I beat all of E.J.'s family. Now that I have mastered W*i golf I will work harder at learning how to play real golf but I am pretty sure that no matter how much I practice I will never beat any of them at real golf.

And we cuddled with their new little puppy Bandit. He has a white face with a little black mask around his eyes. He is so sweet.

Then we left on Wednesday to travel southward to my parent's house. My oldest brother and his whole family were able to come down from Indiana and my other brother came down from the Boro so it was the first time we had all been together in over a year and a half. Our nieces are growing up so fast which makes me sad that we can't see more of them but it makes me smile because they are growing up to be such sweet, polite little girls. With a two year old and four year old at the house during Christmas we could tell many stories but we will just limit it to a few.

Christmas Eve we all went outside with the girls for them to spread reindeer dust in the yard (you know, so the reindeer could find us). After the dust settled, Chali decided that we should all sing Christmas carols so she directed our choir as we all sang in the driveway for a good half hour at least.

This is just a sweet picture I wanted to share of Karis holding baby Jesus under the tree.

Karis is very interested in hair and make-up right now and she always makes sure that everyone has their lip gloss on. Here is a picture of her sharing some lip gloss from her stocking with Uncle E.

We were invited to multiple fabulous tea parties over the course of the 3 days and had wonderful hostesses.

Saturday morning we all got up and went to a little girl boutique in the mall. Mom and Dad gave the girls each a package at this boutique for Christmas and we had a blast watching the girls. They each got their hair and make-up done, nails painted and glittered, each dressed up with an outfit of their choice and then each picked one accessory for their performance on stage. The talented young Moss girls drew quite a crowd in the mall for their show.

We have had such a great time visiting with our family this season (so far...we still have Christmas at E.J.'s sister's house on New Year's Eve). We regret that we can't see everybody during Christmas but we are thankful for all of our friends and family and hope that you had a joyous and blessed CHRISTmas season.

Technologically Challenged-No More!!

I finally figured out how to save my pictures on my phone to my computer!! So here are some random pictures from my phone over the past year. Enjoy!

Kala & Duke-best buddies (at least in this picture)Kala backseat driving.
Jack beating a 30 year old man in a guitar hero contest.Connor Texas Ranger

(he is wearing a power ranger costume with cowboy boots)

Karis picked up one of Papa D's bad habits...sucking her own toe!

So now that I know how to put them on my computer...I need to figure out how to make them bigger.

Just call us Martha and Betty

That is Stewart and Crocker. During the holidays we are in the kitchen baking for special occasions a lot. Yesterday we made a few things for some parties and I thought I would share the recipes because they are yummy and easy.
Caramel Apple Crumble Bars
1 package yellow cake mix
1 1/4 C old fashioned oats
1/2 C butter or margarine, chilled
1 egg
4 Granny Smith apples
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C pecans, chopped (optional)
1/2 C caramel ice cream topping

1. Preheat oven to 375. Spray 9x13 baking dish with oil. Combine cake mix and oats in large bowl. Cut butter into cake mixture with pastry blender until mix resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1 C crumb mix for topping; set aside. Add egg to remaining crumb mix; mix until well blended. Press onto bottom of dish for crust.
2. Peel, core, and slice apples; cut slices in half. Finely chop pecans. In large bowl, combine apple pieces, brown sugar and pecans; toss lightly. Layer apple mix over crust; sprinkle with reserved crumb mix.
3. Bake 30-35 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden brown. Drizzle with caramel ice cream topping.
(Nutrients/serving: calories 340, fat 14g, sodium 320mg, dietary fiber 2 g)

Buffalo Chicken Dip
2 lb chicken breast, boiled and finely shredded
2 T butter, melted
1 C buffalo wing sauce
16 oz cream cheese
1/2 jar refrigerated blue cheese dressing
2 C shredded mozarella

1. Toss chicken with butter and wing sauce. Marinate for 30 minutes.
2. Spread cream cheese in 12 inch cast iron skillet (or any baking dish). Spread blue cheese on top. Sprinkle mozarella and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
3. Serve with corn tortilla chips or celery sticks.

ENJOY! and Merry Christmas from our kitchen to yours!

Frosty The Snowman

We got about 2 inches of snow tonight!! We made our first snowman together with a carrot nose, 2 starburst eyes and a mouth made out of trash...not exactly the same as the song but it's all we had.

Kiddos

E.J. spent some time with his sister's kiddos on Saturday night, and I wanted to share an adorable picture of him and Meg.

Then Connor their youngest son came to spend the night with us last night. Here are some pictures of our night.

We made Christmas cookies and Kala really enjoyed having Connor over. She followed him around the whole time! We have been kind of worried about how jealous she would be when a baby comes into the picture (not anytime soon...you haven't missed anything), but kids don't seem to bother her as much as Duke.

O Christmas Tree

Here are the promised pictures of our Christmas decorations and our 2oo8 Christmas card picture. (I have re-posted with pictures because my mom said she couldn't view the slideshow, so just in case you are in the same boat, here a few of our decorations.)

Christmas Time!

Even though I have been listening to Christmas music for a month and a half already, we just decorated tonight. And since we decorated our house, I figured I would decorate our blog as well. I love this time of year! With Thanksgiving reminding us of all of our blessings and Christmas reminding us of Who blesses us, it is just a warm and fuzzy time of year. I will post some pictures of our decor after I put all of the empty boxes back in the attic.

Isaiah 9:6 "For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Kala's Picnic

The past week our precious little puppy, Kala, has been terribly mischievous! Four days in a row she tore stuffing out of one of our couch throw pillows. Now, these came with the couch and they are not the cutest, so we didn't really care about the pillow...it is just the principle. She has never chewed on anything or torn anything up that wasn't her own toy. So this new found chewing of our things was disturbing to us. We thought she was over it because for 3 days in a row, we came home to a clean house.
Then she went NUTS!!!
Tuesday night I came home to a trashed living room!!!!! She had chewed up my sermon notebook, papers, and got a candle off the table and chewed it to pieces!! She got a spankin' to say the least!!
Then another 2 days of 'Kala the Angel'.
Then today...I came home to find that Kala had a candlelight picnic (minus the fire) while we were gone. She got the pizza box that I had put behind the trash can, a loaf of bread off the kitchen counter (my bad for not putting it back in the bread basket after making my sandwich this morning), and she got all four of my cloth napkins off the kitchen table and carried everything to her "couch". (This is an ottoman that we cover with a blanket so she can lay on it and look out the window.) Apparently pizza box sandwich sounded good to her today. And in the middle of the mess of shredded pizza box and bread crumbs was a candle (except this time it wasn't chewed up). If only she had thumbs she could have lit the candle. After I spanked her and sent her outside, I looked at the mess and chuckled to myself at the thought of her having a picnic. We always joke about her acting so human...if she only had thumbs.

Mathematically Speaking

We saw this in a mid-week update from EJ's old church and thought it was worth sharing.

What equals 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been in situations where someone wants you to give over 100%? How about achieving 101%? What equals 100% in life?
Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:
If A=1, B=2, C=3....Y=25, Z=26.
Then:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11=98%
and
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5=96%
but,
A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5=100%
AND, look how far the love of God will take you:
L-O-V-E O-F G-O-D
12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4=101%
Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that: while hard work and knowledge will get you close, and attitude will get you there, it's the love of God that will put you over the top!

Wyoming?! Really?!

We had a good time on our date and it is a day that I will always remember. We did not however see a good game. Tennessee lost to the Wyoming Cowboys, really? I still can't believe it! So the best thing I saw all day was the mullet pictured below. Enjoy!

Prayer for Governing Authorities

Our pastor did a sermon a few weeks ago entitled A Message to World Leaders. Last night for our Wed night prayer service, he used the same scriptures and outline as a guide for us to pray for our country's new leadership. He reminded us that as Christians we are to submit to governing authority in obedience to Him. I needed to hear it and wanted to share the outline.
1. Governing authorities are to be yielded to-Romans 13:1 a. Father, help us to be obedient civil citizens so that people around us will notice a difference in our attitude. May you shine through us as we follow You in our days on this earth.
2. Governing authorities are appointed by God-Romans 13:1b-Father, help us to remember that You are in control.
3. Governing authorities must praise good and punish bad-Romans 13:2-7. Father, show our great nation's leaders wrong from right so they can lead by example.
4. Governing authorities need wise counsel-Proverbs 31:1-2. Father, surround our decision makers with men and women of God so that Your will is sought.
5. Governing authorities must avoid immorality-Proverbs 31:3. Father, protect the eyes, hearts, and thoughts of our leaders. Keep them from stumbling so that they may set a good example for others.
6. Governing authorities must be sober in all things-Proverbs 31:4-7. Father, may our leaders understand the importance of their decisions. May their minds be clear and sober at all times so they do not fall prey to plots and schemes.
7. Governing authorities must defend the defenseless-Proverbs 31:8-9. Father, show our leaders needs in our country and give them wisdom to help.
8. Governing authorities are to be prayed for-1 Timothy 2:1-2. Father, keep our country and it's leaders fresh on our hearts and minds, so they we do not fail to pray for them.
9. Governing authorities need to be led to Jesus-1 Timothy 2:3-5. Father, give us the courage and wisdom of Esther and Daniel so that we may speak Truth to everyone around us especially those in a position of influence.
10. Governing authorities can have power taken away-Daniel 4:1-37. Father, protect the attitudes of our authorities. May they not boast in anything but You for You have given and can take away. For to whom much is given much is expected.
Regardless of who you voted for, I encourage you to pray for our president of this great nation, Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, as well as their children Sasha and Malia. Pray for the vice-president, Joe Biden and his wife Jill. Pray also for our House and Senate and the President's cabinet of advisers.

2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

A Date with my Daddy

My daddy and I are going to the UT football game on Saturday! I have watched him watch the games on TV for years, and he is so animated on the couch so I can't wait to see how he will react in the stadium. EJ will be out of town Friday night and Saturday so my daddy is spending the weekend with me, and I am so excited!

A Good Sport

I thought I would share some pictures from the game last Saturday. We had a great time and EJ was a gracious winner. He didn't rub it in my face too bad. And everything worked out okay for me because my loss was soothed with HOT KK donuts!!! mmmm...they make everything better.

BIG game!

EJ and I are going to the UT vs Alabama game tomorrow night, which regardless of the outcome will be a fun day. EJ and I grew up on rival teams and so it only seems fitting that we should continue the rivalry after high school and throughout our marriage. This is the first UT vs Alabama game we have been to together, and I am so excited! It will be like old times poking fun at each other during the build up to game time, but the car ride home will be a long and lonely ride for the losing team. I just hope it is not me, because I am a terrible loser, but at least I can sleep on the ride home if we lose ;)

Stupid People Should NOT Be Allowed To Vote

If you do not have a legitimate reason to vote for a candidate then you should not be able to vote! Even if you are voting for Barack Obama because he is black, so be it (although this is not a good reason, it is a reason). Even if you are only voting for John McCain to prevent Obama from being elected the next president, so be it (although this is not a good reason either, it is at least better than the previously stated reason).
Now, I know that all Americans have a right to vote (and evidently people that aren't Americans can vote too as long as they are brought in on a bus with a translator to tell them which candidate to vote for, right? ok, maybe not, except in this election) but we also have a responsibility to educate ourselves on the issues. I also know that many Americans feel they have a right to everything with a responsibility to nothing, but anywhooo!
The scariest part of the radio clip is that the people are so confident in what they are saying when everything they are saying is absolutely ridiculous!! (hmmm...sound familiar?)
Now, listen to these idiots talk about the candidate they are going to vote for in the election.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyvqhdllXgU&feature=related
(The picture of Stern is because he sent out a reporter to do the interviews.)

Love is a Verb

The following is an excerpt from a book I am reading right now (7 Habits of Highly Effective People):

"Love is a verb. Love - the feeling - is a fruit of love, the verb. So love. Serve. Sacrifice. Listen. Empathize. Appreciate..."

The story the author was telling was about a husband and wife relationship, but it really struck me in regards to my everyday life. It was a good reminder to do love actions for my husband, but that is easier for me than the confession I am about to make.

I was convicted reading that story because I say that I love people and I pray that God would fill me with His love so I can better love His people, but do my actions show that I truly love people? I am reminded of a situation a couple of weeks ago when I was in a restaurant and a mother was struggling to carry her tray, her purse, and her infant while keeping an eye on her toddler. I offered to carry this woman's tray to her table...I didn't think of it at the time as a love action, but that was God in me. She was easy to love (because she was like me).

So here is the confession...today I watched in disgust as a gay couple struggled to get their stroller and their toddler in the car while being rained on. Did I offer help? Did I look at them and say a prayer for their salvation? Did I offer them the salvation that God graciously offered to me? No, I judged them for their lifestyle and raised my head up high, glad that I wasn't like them. Father, forgive me and help me to be more like Your Son. Fill me with your Holy Spirit so that Your love can be shown to all people because I can't do it on my own.

John 3:16 "For God so LOVED the world that He gave His one and only Son that WHOSOEVER believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."

Tagged!

I have been tagged by Ondrea, my sister-in-law, who got me hooked on the world of blogging, so now I am supposed to list six random facts about me. Random they will be, interesting they are not.

1. I have the privilege and blessing of only truly loving one man my whole life. I married my high school sweetheart and he is the love of my life.


2. My secret wish growing up was to be an actress. Growing up in RURAL Tennessee didn't provide many opportunities to try out the spotlight, except my lead role in our high school play, "Help, I'm Trapped In My High School" and the lead role in our children's Christmas musical "365 days of Christmas" when I was five years old.

3. I listen to Christmas music year round (maybe this can be attributed to my role in our children's musical, who knows?). November 1st is the first day of non-stop Christmas music in my car. The radio stations start the day after Thanksgiving, and that just isn't good enough for me.


4. My daddy led me to the Lord on my bed in Redmond, WA and then baptized me a few weeks later...what a treasure!

5. While packing when my parents were moving after I graduated high school I found a journal entry from my 6th grade English class journal entitled "Where I want to be in 5 years". I wrote that I wanted to have my driver's license and be working in the pharmacy at Wal-Mart. I had completely forgotten about that journal and that wish/desire/want or whatever, but I wrote that entry in early October, and my hire date at Wal-Mart was October 2000 (5 years later). That first job as a cashier at Wal-Mart pharmacy led me to my career as a pharmacist today.


6. I have never considered myself a "pet person", but after getting my first dog a year and a half ago I have been converted!! I now love my puppies so much!! and if anything ever happens to them I will cry like a baby with no shame!

So here are the rules if I tag you..
1. Link to the person that tagged you.

2. Post the rules on the blog.

3. Write six random facts about yourself.

4. Tag six people at the end of your post.

5. Let each person know they have been tagged.

6. Let the taggers know when your entry is up.

I am tagging...

Emily, Misty, Elizabeth Ann, Laura, E.J., Kristen

FIREPROOF

We saw the new Sherwood Production tonight called Fireproof. This is the church that did the movies Facing the Giants and Flywheel, which I thought were good movies with a great message. The new movie, Fireproof, is a GREAT movie with an even better message. There were moments of suspense where I was squirming and E.J. was making fun of me. There were moments of laughter and moments I wished I had my tissue. Those three components make a movie good, but the storyline makes the movie great and this is the best movie I have seen in a long time. I can't remember ever being in a movie theater where the audience clapped at the end of the movie, and many of the people in the packed theater clapped at the end of Fireproof. I would strongly recommend this movie to anyone and everyone! Go see it! http://www.fireproofthemovie.com/

Back Where We Come From

We spent this past weekend in the Twin Cities with family and friends that we haven't seen in a while. Growing up in a small town an hour away from civilization, we always said we couldn't wait to get out of there, but I have to say there was something relaxing and very peaceful about going home this weekend that is very hard to find in "civilization". We went downtown to the annual (banana/pontotoc/railroad heritage) festival and had a good time running into friends that we haven't seen in a long time. We wandered through the cemetery (on a guided tour) and learned about influential people in the community that have passed on. We fought over candy at the parade with E.J.'s high school baseball coach and my high school math teacher. We sat in lawn chairs and listened to a concert, and to top it all off we went to the church picnic on Sunday afternoon. We felt like teenagers all over again and we were able to leave the stresses of the grown up life at our house for the weekend. I must say it was good to be home.

I Miss Family!

Well, I was busted...I started to blog about this last week, but decided not to in an effort to prevent a whiny atmosphere, but I posted the title and a family member saw it, so I decided to just whine a little bit. I didn't want to say anything before because I don't want anyone to think we are unhappy or lonesome in our new little town and in a home that we feel extremely blessed to live in. So just to start off, we know we are extremely blessed!! and another blessing we have is an incredible family on all sides that we don't get to see as often as we would like. We chose the town we are living in based on location in regard to jobs and finances and when we moved we thought, "OH it will be so great...we will be closer to everyone! We will be about the same distance from E.J.'s parents, only 1.5 hours from my parents, 3 hours closer to my Indiana brother and his beautiful family, only 40 minutes from my other brother, less than an hour away from E.J.'s sister and her precious family...it will be great!! We will see everybody so much more!" And we have seen some family way more than we did before, but being within reach has made me realize how much I want to be able to swing by to see family on the way home from work or regularly eat Sunday afternoon dinner with family or have nieces/nephews ride their bike to our house for a weekend sleepover or just to bake cookies or watch a movie with us. I want to see all of their sporting events and recitals and help with puzzles on rainy days and swing at the park on beautiful days. I want to see and experience nieces/nephews growing up and be part of their daily lives. Everytime I get to spend some time with the kiddos, it makes my heart grow heavier, because I am always left wanting more time with them. And as we get older and get closer to talking about having kids of our own, it makes me want to be closer to family all the more. I want our kids to be able to play with their cousins whenever they want to and I want to be able to drop the kids off on their way home from preschool to sleepover with grandparents. I want our kids to be able to spend as much time with their family as possible, so they understand how blessed they are to be in a family with as much love as ours. But as my Papaw always used to say, "It's not what you want that makes you fat, it's what you get." So maybe someday I will be fat with family next door, but until then know that we love you all very much and miss you so very much! and know that we are happy and content and blessed right here, right now where God has us.

Psalm 37: 4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."

Athletics Are Back

The Board held a special called meeting the night after I posted the last blog and decided that they would not include athletics in the budget cut, so thank you for your prayers...but please continue to pray because the vote on Sept 15th will still affect many people in the county. The vote now is for a property tax increase or else...the Board will cut asst. principals and aides positions.

James 5:16 "The intense prayer of the righteous is very powerful."

No Athletics In School?!

Well, we have a sticky situation in our county at this moment. Apparently there are some budget issues with the Board of Education, and if the County Commissioners don't approve a property tax increase on Sept. 15 then the Board is going to cut athletics in the county. Here is a brief summary of the problems with the situation, and then I will elaborate on what it means to us as a family.
1.) the Board didn't have any problems going $20 million over budget on a new high school in the county (which totaled around $65 million at completion)
2.) the Board had no problems spending over $3 million dollars on land for another new high school that the majority of people don't want anyway, people of the community would rather renovate the old school than build a new one
3.) the Board has the money to support athletics, they just don't want to "release it", they would rather put the County Commissioners in a lose-lose situation...increase property tax=lose; don't increase property tax=no athletics=LOSE!.
Now, if athletics are taken away, we will be looking for a new job. The P.E./Health position is not in jeopardy (at this time, but "special classes, i.e. P.E., music, art, etc." will be the next to go), but E.J. feels that God has gifted him in teaching and athletics specifically for the purpose of coaching young people. He feels very passionate about God's calling in his life at this moment in time to coach.
But aside from the fact that this puts the coaches in a sticky situation, I feel that many young people will be at a disadvantage without access to organized athletics. For some young people athletics is the only form of discipline they will ever receive in their adolescence and for those and many others, athletics helps to mold them into well rounded adults by teaching them responsibility, accountability, and coping skills that can be applied throughout their life.
So I say all of this, partly to vent about the situation, but mainly to ask you to pray for our County Commissioners as they make an important decision on Sept 15th that will affect nearly everyone in the county no matter which way they vote, pray for wisdom for each one voting, and pray for the people of our county that will be affected by the decision made that day.

Philippians 4:4,6-7 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!...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."

Immanuel

We are so excited about our new church. We officially joined this morning and we feel such a peace that can only come from following God's will for our lives. We are excited about the opportunities to serve in this church and the community in which God has placed us. Please continue to pray that we will follow Him in the ministry opportunities where He wants us.

Blessings

This is a video clip that blesses us each time we listen to it, and we hope it will bless you today.

The Voice of the Purple Tigers

It's football time in Tennessee! This not only means GO VOLS! but it also means you should come to a Watertown Middle School football game and hear the voice of the Purple Tigers! E.J. announces all of the home football games and, might I add, does a fantastic job! If you miss football season, don't fret...he is also the voice of the Purple Tigers during basketball season. And if you need a place to stay after the game, we have room for you at our house.

And an update on the Duke...he is doing well inside now. He hasn't pee-peed on the carpet again since his first time inside. I guess he was just so overwhelmed with excitement that day that he couldn't help himself. He has come in after dinner to hang out with us a couple nights this week, and has been sleeping inside in the kennel every night for a week or so. Kala still freaks out right at first when he comes in, but we are hoping this will subside in the near future. (By freak out, I mean - jumps all over him, makes sure she stays in between Duke and us, runs circles around the couch like a rabid dog, and then jumps in our lap to make sure Duke knows this is HER house...but it doesn't seem to bother Duke, I guess because he is just so happy to come in at night, he ignores her and just enjoys the air conditioning.)

Day 2 and I'm OK

I have started a new rotation this month at the VA downtown Nashville in the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit. I was nervous about this rotation, and it was probably the one I have been dreading the most; mainly because of the nature of the patient's disease states, but I knew that this would be a great learning opportunity for me because in class we only get an hour or two on this subject. I am excited to report that it is only day 2 and I have learned a lot already and the people I am with are great, so YAY!
A typical day looks like: I get there between 6:30 and 7 am (yeah so I am leaving the house between 5:30 and 6, that is early for me!!) and review the patient's medication lists as well as the nursing notes from the previous evening to make sure that none of the patients' problems or complaints are medication related. Then we round with the physicians, medical residents, and nurses to discuss each patient in the ward. After rounds the preceptor talks with us about an hour regarding things that took place during rounds and important things we need to know about the oncology treatment as well as the patients' disease states. He then gives us an article to read and/or an assignment for the next day. Sooo, now I am going to work on my assignments.

Is it an epidemic or am I just in the wrong part of the country?

It seems like people all around me have a disease called "blame-itis". This disease apparently causes people to slack on work that is expected of them and then to blame it on somebody else or something else when clearly they are just a slacker, no excuses!!! This disease is affecting people that I work with who are incidently being paid for their slacking, CRAZY...I know!! It also seems to be affecting people that I go to school with, and it disturbs me a little more in this group of people who will be licensed pharmacists in a matter of months, but anywho...growing up, my parents told about people like this, but it seems like I see it more now. I am not sure if there is a higher incidence now because I am getting older and it is a disease of our generation or maybe a disease of people in their 20's-40's or maybe it is a disease of this geopraphic region (we are farely new to middle Tennessee). I am not sure, but I wish the infected individuals would move to an isolated island where they could wander around aimlessly blaming each other for whatever, but I guess until that happens I will continue picking up their slack while looking for a cure. If you know of a cure, please fill me in. (By the way, I have tried telling them they aren't pulling their weight, I have tried ignoring them (and hoping they will go away). Neither of which seem to cure the problem.) And yes, Mom, I do pray for these people and my attitude towards them.

"a going problem"

Well, we tried to bring Duke inside to enjoy the comforts of air conditioning. He had a visit to Barks-N-Bubbles to get a bath, then we came home to try out the inside life. Kala was very disappointed that he followed me inside the house instead of being put in the backyard as usual. She followed him around the house making sure he didn't touch any of her toys or her bed, etc. Then once he smelled the whole house he peed 5 times in like 3 hours!!! I think he has "a going problem" as the commercials would say. He is an old man who just can't hold his stuff in, and I am a young girl who just doesn't have time to clean up pee 5 times in 3 hours, and I don't have the heart to spank him like we did Kala when she used to pee in the house because he is so old. EJ did make me spank him once and I will have to say that the next 2 times he peed, he stayed on the tile, so there is hope for him. But for tonight we sent him back outside and listened to him whine at the back door all through dinner so we didn't have to keep an eye on him while eating. We will probably let him sleep inside in the kennel, but no drinks after like 5 pm for the old man. At least for now, Kala is enjoying the house to herself again.

God's Living Word

I was looking for the scripture, "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father," which I thought was Colossians 3:13, but what I found was ",bearing with one another, and forgiving each, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you."
God has truly been convicting me over the past few weeks about holding grudges and not letting things go. It always seems easier for me to get angry with the people that I am closest too, but it also is easier for me to forgive them 70x7 times because I love them so much. It is the people that knowingly do wrong and do it in my face just because they can or just because they are lazy that I have trouble forgiving. Then every little thing they do just irritates me even more unti I am in full blown rage, and I am so convicted because I know people will never see Jesus in me when I allow satan the opportunity to fill my mind with anger. Our pastor has been doing a series on the Great Commandment and he has stated multiple times in the last month that we must "Love God first, most and best," and everytime he says that, I nod my head in agreeance with his statement but then I allow satan to have my anger towards these few people which means...I am not loving God first, most, or best. I know that there is such a thing as righteous anger and as much as I would like to proudly say that my anger is righteous...I know that it isn't, if for no other reason that I don't deal with my bitterness appropriately.
I began writing because I am amazed on a daily basis at the way God's Word continues to speak to me and draw me closer to Him, but I ended up confessing my sin to the world (or the few that may read this) but I ask you to hold me accountable for my sin.
He must become greater and I must become less.

we have arrived

well, we have officially entered the world of blogging. this is mainly a place where friends and family can keep up with what is going on in our lives. we may occasionally use the blog to vent about life's "hardships" (so please excuse our complaining) but mostly we will just post new and exciting (or not so exciting) things that are going on in our life.

One of the most exciting things that took place this past summer was the addition of a family member. EJ's cocker spaniel, Duke, has come to live with us so he could enjoy freedom in what will probably be the last few years of his life. He has been on a runner in EJ's mom's backyard for the last 8 years because his mom and stepdad moved to a new house at that time. We jokingly say he is in his retirement home now (which really is just a fenced-in backyard with a fabulous dog house that EJ and his stepdad built). He is 11 years old but not a cranky old man yet. He still likes to play and cuddle with us, but he is not too sure of Kala yet. Kala is beginning to welcome him into her yard but she still has a way to go. She is soo afraid that we will pet him more than we pet her, and I think she is secretly scared that she will become an outside dog rather than being able to enjoy the comforts of being an inside dog.

Well, that is the most exciting news I have for now. We are off to take our church directory picture (I know...the excitement continues to multiply.)