Momasham

Wow!! It's been over a year!!

2009-08-08T06:27:00.003-05:00

Time flies when you're living life! It's been about 1 year since my last post. Surprised Blogspot saved my space!
I've added a few skills since my last post. I now am familiar w/ facebook and twitter! My cell phone even has touch screen! I am a bit behind times. however, I am trying to keep up!

I do plan on posting more often when opportunity arises. Keep checking you may find something new!

2008-08-23T06:03:00.003-05:00

Yesterday morning I had plans to meet a friend for breakfast.
On my way I invited another friend. No surprise there!
We had a great time! Laughed so hard we cried for an hour plus! It was great!
Afterward, I needed to go to Kroger.
When I pulled in I thought about getting a new hairdo @ Great clips but, my hair looked good so I opted for an eyebrow wax @ the new nail salon/ spa.
OK in hind site when I read those words I see "BAD IDEA!"

Eyebrows hurt but, it's been a while so that's normal (right??).

She asked if I wanted my lip waxed as well, I thought "well if you're asking there's a reason."

"Go ahead!" I was trying to relax & enjoy!

Again it was not comfy when she ripped the hair off my face. However, I will endure for beauty.
Not feeling that way now!

I must have had an allergic reaction to something.

My eyes (above & below brow)are red & swollen, I have a HUGE red frown swollen on my face I swear I look like the joker from Batman!!

It's not funny!!

OK so it is funny but, it itches looks ridiculous & is very not comfy!! Who goes through this with a typical waxing??

Seriously, I would love some advice or another story here!

It's not like I had Botox or some laser therapy!

I had excess facial hair removed & apperently my face was not happy with the procedure or the idea!

My eyebrows do look good! Like anyone but me & my friends notice.

She did a great job of waxing & trimming. In fact I would go back if it were not for the fact that my face is swollen like a blowfish! (insert sarcasim here)

Computer / Internet Fast

2008-03-08T15:24:00.004-05:00

Our computer shut down Wednsday, February, 28, 2008 never to turn on again. I am told the data can not be recovered. Hopefully soon we can get a hard drive put in. I am going nuts! If you know me, you know this true! All our bills & most correspondence is done via internet! However did we get by 15 years ago or so?? I have no idea! Honestly! No I don't find it sad, I find it a sign of the times!

So what have been doing with time formerly spent online other than pulling my hair out??
Ha Ha! I've been checking email on the wii!! (insert evil laugh here). I can even do limited things on my cell phone. :) Well, I joined the gym before the computer died. That's been painful. I mean invigorating :) I have beet the kids at various video games, & organised nothing! I know your shocked right?? I've also borrowed laptops when available.

Ok so it hasn't been a complete fast. However, it has been interesting.
If Noone hears from me in the next week, I strongly suggest stopping by just in case in case the kids and I go into a no computer induced coma!

Have a great week all!

Quick find as many typos as quickly as possible!

Catching up Again!

2008-01-20T04:07:00.000-05:00

As usual I am playing catch up on my blog!

There have been many events since my last post. I choose to share Keanan's birthday first because it was fun!!! It was also just after Christmas!

We borrowed a projector from friends & hooked it up to a DVD player turning the basement into a movie theatre complete with concession stand. It was cool! I have no photos of said theatre as I accidentally deleted them.

After the birthday party however, we moved our "movie screen" upstairs & had a "theatre" in the living room for a few days.

It was very cool to have a mini theatre in the living room! This image is from behind the "screen"

This is how "screen" looked while playing movie & taking picture with flash.
Sheets don't work so well as they are too thin. The best material is a painter's drop cloth. ( this can be purchased @ home depot for $10)
The projector simply acts much like a tv. You hook in the speakers to their color coded spots then you plug in your cable box or dvd player & the igames project where you point them. Some may laugh as they have experience in this area. We just thought we were too cool!!

Clarification

2007-12-19T04:41:00.000-05:00

I need to clear something up.
When I said in my last post reffering to the homeless "Icouldn't live like that" I didn't mean I think it's a choice.
I do understand how people end up in those situations. I'm simply saying I am spoiled! And very thankful for that -- thank you very much!
I don't like the idea of camping for fun let alone for survival. I am thankful that I will never be in that situation. I am thankful that I have awesome people around me & my family who would help me insure this never happens.

For those of you who like to say "never say never" stop nit picking & feel the love :)

We are truly blessed!!

2007-12-17T05:00:00.000-05:00

It all started with the youth group from Church at The Grove and their Homeless for the Hurting project. Basically the kids spent the night in the parking lot of the middle school sleeping in boxes to get a small taste of what being homeless is like. While doing so, the collected bags of coats, blankets etc. to be donated to Homeless people in Atlanta.

That's where we came in. We stepped outside of our field of comfort for a very small amount of time Sunday. Helping @ Trinity UMC today was fun & interesting. I'm still not sure what we all learned. We all understood that we take too much for granted. That we are more than overly blessed.

The kids are awesome volunteers! Always eager to help! Each one was assigned a different job. Keanan was in charge of collecting tickets. Bryce handed out blankets & the two teenagers shot video & greeted people.

We were grateful that we were eventually headed home where we would be warm & cozy. We met some interesting people with some interesting stories!

I couldn't live like that. I know I am spoiled I am extremely thankful for it!

We were in an historic building which, we all got a kick out of! They had a woman minister for several years who's father or father in-law was minister several people before her. It may have been her husband but the starting dates were almost 15 years apart. Her term ended in 1900. I had to use the zoom on the camcorder to read the info on the photos placed on the wall! :)
The one thing I have noticed about Methodists is they have had female ministers dating back to the 1800's & beyond. Table that discussion for a later date!

I published this by accident before I was done. I am leaving it this way because I don't think anyone is reading anyway!

Response to another blog

2007-11-30T14:08:00.000-05:00

I was reading Russ Butcher's blog yesterday & felt so compelled to respond I am posting my response here. Read Russ' blog & the comment I am responding to here.
For those of you who don't know, Russ is one of the church planting Pastors @ Church at The Grove just outside of Loganville, GA and a good friend of our family. He is also currently battling a Starbucks spending issue. If anyone would like to donate to the "Keep Russ from spending @ Starbucks" fund please email me.
On with the real story ......
"Disconnected & unconvinced" I can relate to that! I have learned much from being a part of CATG including the fact that whether I think so or not Christ thinks we are worthy of His love. He gave His life intentionally so that we may live & even make mistakes. We may not feel worthy enough to share God's grace or even feel the glory of God's grace but, the fact is He wants us to feel that Grace regardless of what we think about our selves. Sharing the glory kind of comes naturally. People just see it.

Our friends didn't follow us all at once. Some of our friends even gave us a hard time when we first started attending. (Our friends are notorious for this!) So many people have friends or family members that "turn to Christ" only to turn around & condemn others for not being "good Christians". Whatever they think that means. I think that's one thing some of our friends were afraid of.

The biggest questions came when we decided to be Baptized. "Why do you feel necessary to succumb to their rituals?" Look we're not sacrificing animals here. We're merely being dunked in water as a symbol of our accepting Christ into our hearts. As humans it is our nature to make things complicated. Trust me I do it all the time!
I think Craig Story (our other pastor @ CATG) told me once, "You're making it to complicated Shamrelle. God just wants a relationship with you that's it. It's that simple." This is a difficult concept to grasp. But, once you do and once you let go of some of your baggage, people around you will see & possibly eventually follow.

Billy, when & if you do decide to be Baptized, you can borrow my template for an invitaion to a "Cold Day in Hell". Trust me, people will show up in droves for that. :)

(Click the link above to read more)

My son is an extremely creative writer!

2007-11-16T14:26:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted since August because life has been so hectic. But, the latest creative writing project written by my 10 yr. old is more than worth sharing with the world! I'm not saying the kid's a geniuse. I just happen to like his writing style. The content is -- well, typical for the age I guess. The following is copied & pasted just as he typed.

I AM Ecyrb

Rrrrrriiiiiinnnnnngggggg!! Went the Ogel county high school bell. It was 2:15 the time of glory for Lee & Kirk Christiansen. This was when they went to the LEGO store. Every day they went to their dads LEGO store to get a free set. After they picked out a set, they went home to build it.
When they got home, they poured out their sets and built the figures. All of a sudden the LEGO pieces collided, forming a huge yellow LEGO head! The head exclaimed, "Hi hi don’t say bye or I’ll drop you from so high!” Kirk confusingly asked, “Why?” The head suddenly turned red with fury & said, “ Don’t ask questions you tiny little pest! I’m just here to help you start your quest!” Kirk still confused asked, “What quest?” The head now in a calming blue color started to turn electric yellow, and started to glow. All of a sudden lightning shot out from the head and zapped Lee & Kirk! Then their bodies suddenly appeared in the time stream and flew to a number that read 3812. The number then started to glow like a white sun, as if it were illuminated from the inside. It started to move to a telephone booth that had gadget & gizmo parts all over. But they didn’t care they were just surprised that they didn’t notice it before. Considering the booth was bright red & the timestream was dark blue.

All of a sudden the number came out of the booth and lunged at them with a telephone and put it to Lee’s ear!

Someone or something on the other side of the phone started to talk with a boring yelly voice, “Hello I’ve said this at least 57 times today and don’t want to say it again. I mean seriously people always want to come to 3812. Anyway, welcome to 3812 bla bla bla who cares? Yadda yadda yadda see ya’ good bye sianahra!
Lee said to Kirk at this point over the beeping phone, which probably isn’t on the receiver asked, “Where are we?” “I don’t know. ”Kirk slowly murmured.
So the two boys just stared around, when they noticed a small boy, probably about 10 years old flew up to them and “ Hey, whoa, hold on! I want to be in the story! I wrote the story, so I should be in it to! I’ll be that new kid!” So I flew up to them & said, “ Hi my name is Ecyrb!” “Ecyrb?” Kirk mockingly said. “Yes Ecyrb.” “Ecyrb?” “Yes Ecyrb!” “Ecyrb?” “Shut up!” ”Ok ,jeez!…Ecyrb?” “Will you just shut up?!” and the argument was finally over!
So I explained, “Anyway lets just go into the booth to go to the time, Wait what was the number that was in front of you?” “Um…3812? Ya that’s it.” Lee positively declared. “Ok then, we’ll just go into the booth and type in that number, choose a dimension and we’re done.” So of course Kirk asked, “Why?” “I don’t know, because its fun?” I unsurely declared. So we all went into the booth, pushed a few buttons and then like the world had come to an end, we were all fat, blocky, flat, weird haired… LEGO figures!
All I could think at that moment was, ”Oh my gosh I’m Fat I’m Fat!!” The world was clearly coming to an end! When all of a sudden a terrible halt flung us out of the booth, & knocked us all out.
We woke up to the sound of guns and warfare! We all ran around in circles screaming like it was the end of the world. The screaming lasted until we heard a plane hovering above us. The ship dropped crates with guns, armor, hoverbikes, & cute little army hats! We gathered up all our gear and it wasn’t until then that we noticed we were in the LEGO dimension! Then all in 1 motion I hurled myself onto the hoverbike & sped of, Lee & Kirk followed.
We all sped through the battle, guns blazing, when I heard Kirk yell, “Watch out! There’s a big robot right in front of you!” I stopped to look in front of me only to find a huge robot cannons loaded ready to fire! When a loud screech pierced my ears. I looked up to see a plane consumed in flames was spiraling down at me! I tried to scream but I was so frightened nothing came out of my mouth. I could only think about death & pain. The plane was getting so close I felt the heat run straight through me. I knew it then & there I was gonna die. I closed my eyes and waited, waited to die, when all of a sudden a force tackled me to the ground. I looked up to see Lee on top of me, then it all faded, faded black. Dead I thought, dead, I’m dead. I woke up on a cold metal surface. I wasn’t dead!
I tried to get up but when I tried pain pierced me all over. So I just stared, the sky wasn’t there anymore. Instead just a ceiling. I heard a voice next to me say; “You almost broke every bone in your body. If it wasn’t for that boy Lee you would of died! Instead you only fractured a rib & broke an arm. But considering we’re in the year 3812 technology healed you in 2 hours!” “So then why do I still feel pain?” “Because we haven’t taken off the machine yet. Here I’ll take it off now”. The doctor calmly told me. I then asked him, “Where are Lee & Kirk? And who are you?” Lee & Kirk went back to their own time, & I am Dr. Ogel.” Lee & Kirk, my best friends were gone, and I was alone.
----------------------------Alone -------------------------------------

Playing Catch up

2007-08-20T10:44:00.000-05:00

It seems I am always playing catch up! I can't seem to complete daily tasks!

Maybe because people send me links to sights like Godtube! Who knew there was such a thing? Check out the site it is really funny! There are some really good serious clips as well.

I have a list of things to do today & can't seem to figure out what needs to be done first!

Then I hear a little sound that tells me I have yet another email so I again stop what I am doing to see if something cool came in. Nope it's spam! Darn! a few more internet searches later I realise the dog has been waiting to come in for 1/2 an hour. I then notice only1/4 of the laundry is put away, 1/2 of the dishes are done & I left the bathroom cleaner in the middle of the bathroom floor.

Ooh the computer beeped again I better check email before I go back up to the school for lunch!

I will pray for focus while I'm the car!

Ever have days like this??

Chicken Pox?? You're Kidding me!

2007-08-16T17:34:00.000-05:00

So come to find out, when the youngest was ill he may not have been faking it!

The kids actually had chicken pox! With the vaccine, there are very few pox typically under 50. It looks like they just got into bugs! It took over a week & me getting it too to figure out what was really going on!

The worst spot on this kid's body looked like ant bites! He had a few spots in other areas but not typical pox!

Keep an eye out! You may think someone has gotten into mosquitoes or ants & because they have it or have had the vaccine, it will appear much lighter & have no other real noticeable side affects. The youngest has had the vaccine & has had pox Twice (that we recognized)

All is well now & after 7 days everyone is back @ school!

Yeah!!

I love my world!

2007-08-07T13:20:00.000-05:00

I have 2 of the funniest some times goofiest kids on the planet! Right now their world is a little different & new. They have been redistricted from a small school of 500 kids housed in 3 hallways & 4 trailers. To a school of 800 with oodles of hallways & a library the size of their former gym. At the old school they knew everyone. Literally, they knew all 500 kids! They also knew all the teachers. Here, they know the 50 or so that rode their bus and a few from church & soccer. I know better than anyone how hard it is to get use to a new a school & these 2 are up to the same tricks I used when I moved all over the country. Their not going to another new school until middle school so the antics must stop! Yesterday before I even got home from dropping them off, I got a phone call to come get the youngest one. He had convinced the teacher & nurse he was ill. They both said he looked horrible! He looked fine to me. Energetic in fact. This morning before we even left, he started it again. This time he did look kind of ill. By the time I got out of the shower the oldest is standing in front of me w/ a thermometer reading 99.1. I quickly ignored this & rushed them out the door. By 9:30, the nurse was calling I told her he's fine & I would be there @ lunch to check on him. While waiting I talked to the older kid. Not only had he held the thermometer under hot water he had taught the younger one his technique for making his eyes puffy and coached him on various symptoms that may keep him out of school! Well that's just lovely! My honest kid just became a con artist! Great! This is on the heels of the teacher telling me how much she enjoyed him & what a great friend & helper is. Great! He's helpful & a con!

Read more about my goofy kids in my next post!
Also any suggestions on determining if it's a real illness or a pretend one would be greatly appreciated!!

Happy Day All!!

Monday July 23,2007

2007-08-04T04:46:00.000-05:00

I had so many thoughts I wanted to post. Then I read through my blog posts & drafts!

I make me tired!

This week had it's typical highs & lows along with the gray areas. But, they were all handled with teamwork, grace, and love. It's nice knowing that a friend can intrust you with their child for several days (a child they had never left before) and feel comfortable and safe doing so. It's also nice knowing the child would rather stay with you than take a 14 hour drive with family. How cool is that??

Our family is blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives.

Today was awesome! We had a teriffic service @ Church at The Grove followed by a cool lunch with David Odom & his family & friends. Can you believe we had to sing Happy Birthday to this guy, 3 times in 1 day!

Thankfully David has Amanda to keep him grounded.

The day was completed with a pool baptism at the home of a wonderful couple.

We saw 3 adults with (testimonies similar to mine & Troy's) and 2 amazing kids baptised. It was a perfect evening weather wise & the fellowship was fantastic as always.

It's just a really great feeling to look around you & know that God is working all around you.

I just hope I can keep this feeling with me throughout the week!

2007-07-07T06:31:00.000-05:00

Independence week has always been a big tradition in our family and in our neighborhood. Back before Troy became his own boss he ran the P'tree every year. Three years in a row I pushed a stroller w/ 2 kids up & down the hilly streets of downtown ATL to watch him run and enjoy the show. For those of you who don't know what the Peachtree roadrace is -- welcome out from under that rock!

The Peachtree as most refer to it is the world's largest 10k. It began in (I believe) 1970. Over 70,000 people enter for a chance to run 6.2 miles & receive the coveted t-shirt. Only 55,000 are allowed to run. In order to run, you have to register the day the application comes out. The fun really begins the day of the event (July4) when you get to wake up the whole family @ 4:30 a.m. to get on Marta (subway). This year Keanan was up before us & putting on his 4th of July tatoos (at 4:00 am!!)!

Once in ATL the kids & I walk the mile from Marta to our spot on 10th (near the finish), Troy continues on to the starting line.

It's all pretty cool! People from all over come to Atlanta to celebrate their independanc, run 6.2 mi. & get a t-shirt.

It's so much fun to watch the whole event from start to finish! The wheelchair race starts @ 6:50. The kids watch the start on their 2 inch dino of a hand held tv. We watch the air & the road in anticipation of of seeing the first racer! Throughout the day the experience is shared with countless strangers everyone shares their stories, people around you ask what your runner is wearing so they can help you cheer. I really feel connected to the world around me during these events! Once the last wheelchair racer has passed you have a few more minutes to visit while waiting for the first runner to come into sight. These are the men & women that actually win money! It's cool to be one of the first to see the top three runners battle for the finish. Today everyone running is a "rockstar". Some dress up in red, white blue some in hula skirts. This year we had the pleasure of seeing one guy run in a speedo! You should have seen some of spectators & runners faces when they saw this guy. I was so busy taking pictures of everything I had my back turned when Troy came by! Oops! The kids got a high five though & one of the marathonfoto guys got a pic just as he ran by us!

I added a couple of my favorite photos below. More can be seen here http://picasaweb.google.com/momasham/Peachtree2007

1. Troy after he saw the kids 2. Mile 5 -- Ithink

3. Dad carried her across finish! 4. Almost there!

5. he's feeling pretty free! 6. He brought his own shade! It even matched! Speedo Guy was funny!

7. Go Army! (Sorry Tim! I missed the Marines! They were in full gear!! Boots long pants & shirts! EEWWHH!)

The wheelchair racers are my heros! Think of the upper body strength required! Not to mention the fact that it's not like going out & buying a pair of running shoes. Think of the money that goes into a hand bike.

Below are pics of the top two finishers. I am not sure which actually won # 2 started to cath up just as they passed us!

Look @ that stride!

Not exactly focused but, he is running pretty fast!

Summer Time!

2007-06-15T08:44:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've posted anything!
Life seems to go by too quickly as school comes to an end & summer opens up our doors to many extra children running around.

We have been able to take some cool field trips though. With gas prices on the rise we've had to find many fun things to do locally that are affordable. Here are a few ----- Be sure to let me know if you visit the site -- literally or virtually :)

Sandy Creek Nature center in Athens has a clay pit beaver pond & interactive nature center. We haven't been yet but it looks fun!

Hard Labor Creek has a beach for swimming, golf course, nature trails, paddle boats & fishing boats. The beach even has a cool hot dog stand with Corn dogs & hot dogs for $1.50! Where do you get a corn dog for that price these days?

Lenora Park has a cool recreational pool (read mini water park). Our family of 4 was $18 total! We had fun in the water met a few neat people & had a great time! Adult swim is the best! For 15 min. we actually got to enjoy the two water slides or the lazy river with out kids! Fun!

We also checked out a make shift skate park set up behind City Hall in Social Circle. The "skate park" in it's current state is much like what you would find in a back yard. However the community is excited about it as it will eventually fulfill the dreams a young man taken before his dream could be fulfilled! Check out his story! His family & friends have already raised $10,000 (one fundraiser) to help realize his dream! It's a great story!

Get out! Have fun! Learn something!

I don't care who ya are. That's funny right there!

2007-04-29T18:29:00.000-05:00

First of all let me start by saying people in my little "bubble" of the world say this at least what 50 times a day!?! It's annoying to some. However, many of us who live in rural Georgia find Larry "The Cable Guy" or almost any redneck type anything funny! Why? Because it's fun to laugh at your surroundings!

OK! Now that I have proved I am easily entertained here's the real post --- Since Friday, I have been laughing over the typo made by a friend with reference to "paper email".

So, today after church, the kids & I got to thinking -- There's got to be some cool things online. Here's the funniest one -- Gmail paper. Check it out! Their site says" it's as easy as 1.You click
2. We stack 3. You get (paper email)

I found a website that actually offers note pads that allow us to do things on paper we typically do with computers. How fun is that? It used to be the opposite! Hmmm???

The web site even offers a personal library kit. I don't really need it for books but it would come in real handy for DVDs & Cds! If you are reading this & have any of our DVDs or Cds this is clue. :)

I liked this item as well. I think I need to start a printing company! Oh the cool note pads I could think of!

Have a terrific week all!

Go out & spead the love! Even the knowledge of trivial things! It's fun!
Just DO IT!

Note: Typos were left in to show I mess up & forget to proof too!
I just have to tell everyone "Yeah, I meant to do that!"

Stop being afraid! Oh! OK!

2007-04-22T22:23:00.000-05:00

My biggest issue with life is fear.
Fear that I'm not trusting God(Life, The Universe) fear that I'm not portraying the right message or being understood although I am carefully choosing my words & reading them 27 times to be sure. Fear.

I have learned that those around me accept me for who I am regardless.
If people can not accept me fine.
They may be missing out on something.
Like these thoughts perhaps. ?????

Although not raised in completely Christian home I always had faith in these words --
"Be the best YOU you can be & God, the universe what ever put us here & makes our world revolve, will provide. That will never fail. But, if you get really scared mom , dad your family & friends are always here. You have what it takes to make life great don't dwell on the petty normal issues. Instead think about the amazing things you can accomplish in your life as well as those around you."

I have always tried to do this & I still find myself bogged down so to speak by others emotions or negative thoughts.

So here it is ----

I am now letting all the dirt go & seeking my own truth. I am also asking everyone around me to help me do the same thing. Sifting though to find out what is dirt as opposed to what is not is not an option.
Simply take deep breath look to God. What needs to be focused on will come to the surface.

I should have posted this when I wrote it!

2007-04-13T14:48:00.000-05:00

I Should have posted this when first typed. I Guess we'll have to do the time warp music twice ? :)

Easter is now two days away. I have been thinking about this for several weeks as it marks the first time Troy & I had been in church in years! It was definately a pivotal day in our lives.

Time warp music & visuals please -----

Easter Service was @ Crossroads Community Church, where Troy's family attends. We were skeptical at best , as our church experience was not all positive at this point.

Troy wanted to make sure we were all dressed & presentable. I tried to tell him both his sister & mother said "We dress casual. Trust us it's not traditional you'll feel at home. We wear jeans"

I still found myself ironing dress pants & shirts for all three guys. Traditional Easter tension was in the air. :)

We were focusing on the physical as opposed to the true meaning of the day.

As we pulled into the church we saw people in shorts & flip flops some were dressed up but, none in long sleeved shirts & ties! (it was too hot for that). From the back seat, I told my Mother in law with a laugh "Your Mom & my Grandmother would want to be appauled but, I think they would smile. Finally Sham..... & troy are taking the kids to church!"

Mostly I gave Troy a hard time for being over dressed. (Evil wife syndrom hits again :)

At any rate we did end up enjoying the service & attending a few more. (There's a story here you'll have to comment or email me to "hear")

So the search beagn to find a place our kids could learn about Christ & maybe along the way we would find something.

Quite by "accident" We found a church family a true faith & a whole bunch of love.

We found people who accept our doubt, fear, blame, questions whatever we are experiencing or wondering.
Sure there may be people who would judge our indescrestions wouldn't life be kind of boring without that?

The point to the above text is we all think we have to act a certain way to be accepted in a Christian enviornment.
Bottom line is ----
God loves us all the way we are.

For many years churches have pushed people away with rules & judgement. I urge those of you who have turned from God, Christ, the Bible, religion. Try to find a way to "give it a second chance"

For us, it took first, an enviornment where we felt accepted.
Once we were open to the idea, a new thought pattern opened for us.

We may not always be the ideal people others think we should be.

However, we will allways be perfectly flawed humans.

God simply wants us to accept that & try to follow the rules.

We do that for the most part. We are accepting, loving, thought provoking, kind, thinking, helpful,thankful and so much more.

Doesn't that cover it?

Please weigh in on this! Comment, email, whatever, just help finish the thought :) :)

Random Ramblings

2007-04-06T00:22:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted in a while partly because I have the kids home for two weeks & partly because I have developed a fear of blogging. Yes it's true.
I have a fear of public speaking & typing!
My words have the ability to impact many without my even knowing it! Therefore, I must think & type responsibly!
Right now, there are too many thoughts floating around in my head!
I'm working on that.
I even have a re-occurring dream where my thoughts literally jump out of my head & appear on my blog Disney style. Think Sorcerer's Apprentice with the mops & buckets dancing around doing their "jobs" without human help.

There are many people who won't get this. I think perhaps this post was not meant for you. Hopefully in the future, I'll post something everyone will understand. Until then --This is me signing out until the kids go back to school . Maybe.......

2007-03-27T14:58:00.000-05:00

For whatever reason the last few times I tried to post there was an error & what I was writing was lost forever so here is just a glimpse of today's thoughts.

I have learned so much over the past year. It has been an amazing year of normal life things.
We are just starting to see things in a different light. Today I realized I am much happier & more in control of life when I nurture my relationship with God. When I take time out during the day to be thankful at the very least for wakeing up.

I also feel more connected to God when I am connecting with other people.

Over the past several weeks Troy & I have had the opprotunity to connect with an amazing group of people from Church at The Grove. We're even learning how much we all really enjoy food! Roland -- I'll need the recipe you used for "the chicken dish" you made! Troy loved it!

Take a moment today to stop & smell the roses!

Chucke E Cheese

2007-03-20T23:59:00.000-05:00

Chuck E Cheese is fun! I always go w/ a plan & plenty of coupons! When we got the tokens I generously doled out an equal amount to each child making sure I had the most! Most parents do this to teach the kids to use a few & come back for more later so you use them wisely.

Nope! Not me! I was on a mission!

I was going to try Craig's skeeball technique by shooting for the 100,000 spots in the corners. After 10 tokens I gave up! Craig's technique was not working for me & I only got two or three tickets per play!

I was looking for a big payoff! I needed those tickets! I had three kids who needed silly sticky toys! I went looking for a better payoff!

I found it at the flaming finger. You laugh at the name but, this game is seriously addictive!
It's an LED touch screen that pops up a maze you must follow quickly with your finger. The catch you have to beat the clock! The buzzer almost always goes off right before you reach the end!
The trick is to keep your finger on the screen & let me tell ya after a few games your hands get really sweaty! I think the games senses this & starts to taunt people! But, I could be obsessed!

Imagine my surprise when I heard the bells ringing on the skeeball machine & saw my youngest trying to figure out what to do with all those tickets!!! Keanan had hit the JACKPOT!!!! 650,000 POINTS!!!

What was his secret technique?? Simple! He gently crawled up there on his knees & dropped the balls in the 100,000 point spot!!
What could I say? He didn't cause the machine to tilt, he did bring in 250 tickets! And here's the best part -- I figured he only cheated with 6 out of 9 balls! If he had used all 9 we would have had to have a serious talk!

We ended up with 1085 tickets!! That's COOL! Divided by 3 (we took a friend) That was 360+ points each! That's serious pay out!
This time we got 230 tokens food & drinks for $35. Not bad for a few make your own bouncy balls, disc shooters, silly glasses, and some good old fashioned fun!

I've gotta exercise my fingers for next time! I will beat that game one day!

Happy Day All!

After thought ->

Ya know what -- Now that I think of it -- If you read Russ' blog Keanan's infraction keeps up the standards of the adults in our community group!

It's Been a long day!

2007-03-19T15:54:00.000-05:00

I attended an all day meeting @ our School District today along with two rooms full of parents and administrators. The idea of this meeting was to set into motion a Comprehensive [district] Improvement Plan. All I can say is, I'm glad my children are being educated in Walton County. Our faculty & parents are working together to make great improvements while still keeping up with projected growth. Wow! That's a tough job! Being as involved as I have been, it's difficult, at best, to to explain the amazing task at hand or even how our district has handled this up to this point. There is so much involved that you couldn't begin to understand unless you saw it in motion.
I had the pleasure of meeting every principal, literaraly, in the county not to mention the countless other people! Amazing hard working people with a true intent on making a difference in our community!
There is so much that goes into making schools work for kids that one would never really think of unless you see it first hand.
I Have a tendancy to think if I have learned it or lived it everyone else should get it too! I'm now learning to say "uhhh check my blog & email me w/ questions!" :) :)

I'm not spell checking this! So if there are mistakes --- oops!

My Kids are Awesome! So is life!

2007-03-17T15:19:00.000-05:00

It's freezing & very windy most people would be bundled up in front of a fire. Nope! Not us! Not on Saturday! We were at the soccer field baby!
Let me just say my Kids rock!!! Not one complaint! Instead they both said the wind makes it more challenging! Keanan's game was against Bryce's coach (he coaches 2 teams, plays & is a ref!) There's a fun friendly rivalry there. We won 4-1!!! Go Green Giants! Yes, Green Giants! Our friend Karen wanted to say "Ho Ho Ho Grean Giants" before each game! So far we've been lucky & haven't had to!

Second game was awesome! Bryce played great! He's really getting into it! We won 7-0!!!
Go Killer Wolves! The kids picked the name! No cool chant for this team.

These cool wins come on the heels of near perfect report cards & great compliments from teachers on very well behaved and helpful children! I'm not bragging, I am wondering where they learn this stuff!

Here's the bottom line----

Life is great! We have been blessed to be surrounded by simply wonderful people! Cool Soccer kids and more great people! It's wonderful when you can watch life unfold in front of you & think "Wow! all these small things aren't so small!"

Life is truely amazing every day!

OOPS!

2007-03-12T14:53:00.000-05:00

Just noticed one link to Russ' blog was wrong I fixed it. Sorry all!

Spring Soccer

2007-03-10T15:44:00.000-05:00

I just LOVE Spring soccer! Sitting in 43 degree windy rain watching my frozen 7yr. old try to stop a cold muddy ball from getting in the goal is my idea of how to start the day!
Soo Not! Thing is it's always 20 degrees colder on a soccer field.

But what is soccer with out cold, rain & mud? The kids played hard & had fun!
The second game was much more dry & even sunny! It was one of the best games I've seen! Our team won 2-1! We didn't have a lot of wins during Fall season so this was awesome!

I have to say, I have 2 of the best natural [goal] keepers!
They both attack the ball & refuse to let one go by. O.k. they both missed 1 today.
I guess I should start counting how many they stop!

I love being a soccer family!

The beginnig of a journey

2007-03-10T15:37:00.000-05:00

I said I would elaborate on my comments about an "invitation to a cold day in hell". Here Goes! Wish Me luck!

I personally have always had a tremendous faith in something. I knew no matter what things would work themselves out the way they were suppose to. I had major issues however, with organized religion & churches in general.

Over the years, many people would try to get Troy & I to attend church. We did occasionally & didn't like what we saw. It was the environment, I think that turned us away. I had it in my head that God & I were fine. I live amoral life, I have 2 of the smartest most well behaved kids on the planet & when I felt like getting around to exploring my relationship with, I would. "No I don't want to go to church with you or have a conversation about God thank you!"

Last Easter (2006) we made the once a year "obligatory visit" with Troy's family (mine is in CA).
Long story short, we found a welcoming environment in which we as a family could feel comfortable to learn in.
We decided we needed to find a church in our area "for the kids".
We still were not quite "there" or "here" yet. We decided to try every church in Walton County until we found a comfortable place to find out where we were headed. One Sunday in May we headed out to an 11:00a.m. service, at 10:48 we saw the signs for Church at The Grove in front of the middle school. "Hey they meet @ 11:00 want to go here" "Sure pull in". With our two boys & as usual 1 extra in tow, we walked in. We thought everyone was very friendly even saw a few familiar faces. We all enjoyed the service. Then we were all thanked for joining the first service @ Church at the Grove. HMMMM ---- We are beginning our journey & so are they. Uhhm Here's your sign! Jump in do it now!

We made it to both remaining preview services & by Sept. 10 we were more than ready for regular services to begin. I had been doing allot of learning & soul searching during this time & was ready to explore some more! We had spent the entire summer trying out various other churches. Which confirmed for me, The Grove was where our family belonged. There's a lot of great churches in Walton county. I may actually have a map :) But our church is home for our family.

It was nice to be accepted for who I am! I am a vary fact driven person so I had many questions. I know no matter what I ask no one will look at me like I have 27 heads. In fact They would open their arms to a person with 27 heads & ask them questions so they could relate!!

No one has all the answers truth is we weren't there. Everyone struggles with faith. We're just a lot more honest about it here than the people I encountered in the past.

To those of you are questioning your relationship with Christ or are teetering on the brink -- I can tell you everyone who knows us will tell you there is a huge change since we started attending church & having a true relationship with God!

I personally don't think the change is "Huge" but, there is a change. We see things a little bit more differently now. There's just some type of clarity that comes when you finally accept that you are not on your own. That God really does want to be in your life. That he wants us to talk to him daily & walk with him daily. An overwhelming relief when you realize everything is not in your control. It really is ok to just hand it to God. It's also really cool when you discover that you have learned how to do that!

You know what else is cool? Seeing the look on people's face when they ask where your church is & you reply "Well some are at work some are school, I talked to so & so a few minutes ago." Thanks for that quote Russ!

Quick note-- sometimes my spacebar gets stuck & I don't catch it. You're not proofreading here people. You are reading a story. You have been given permission to overlook gratical & typeing errrorrrs! :) :) :)

More thoughts on life

2007-03-08T15:05:00.000-05:00

I saved this as a draft & just finished it!

The picture to the right is the one I used as background for an invitation to a "cold day in hell"(Troy & I were Baptized 2/4/2006) For those of you who weren't there to see it -- It was a truly amazing day! 8 people were baptized at The Grove's first ever & you could feel the love & excitement! AWESOME!

For those who don't know us, our family was beginning to think it would be a cold day in hell when Troy & I attended church let alone get baptized.

It wasn't that we were total non believers it was the idea of organized religion. The idea of what we thought church was like. (I'll use a seperate post to share the story.

Those of you that have heard it 50 million times can skip it!)

God has really opened my eyes to the true joys of the world this past year!

I have met a lot of really amazing people & learned a lot about myself.

Being in on the beginning of a new church (quite by "accident") is an experience I recommend to anyone who questions God's existence!

Seriously! Take it from me I know first hand!

Don't take someone else's word for what life, God or anything else is all about!

It only hits home when you open yourself up to experience it for yourself.

Seriously -- I had issues with the bible it's self (and quite possibly still will as I continue my journey) one story that comes to mind -- the whole Johna & whale thing. Ya know, "Man swallowed by giant fish, carried around in ocean in said fish's belly for three days & spit out on beach." It's a headline that reads a little bit unbelievable. Some I talked to said "look Jesus believed so it must be true." (or something to that effect.) My reply -- "O.K. Jesus I got but, I think most of the stories are parables." Many others agreed the story is hard to swallow - pardon the pun!

So finally I read the book of Johna. Then I looked up Johna in my handy dandy study bible (Matthew 12:39-41 & 16:4 Luke 11:29 - 30). You can read those for yourself.

It was fun to read about Johna then look up where else he was mentioned.

I'm here to tell ya people, Jesus offered Johna as proof that he is who he has claimed to be. If someone who actually came back from the dead believes & offers the story as proof ---- Uhm I'm gonna have to go for it!

Johna was an interesting story! It'll take all of 5 minutes. Read it! Ya know ya want to.

What's my point?? Talking to other people about faith, about historical events about anything in life helps us learn but you can't get it until you see it or read it yourself!

Then you have cool little ahh haa!! moments & those are fun! I'll start sharing some of those here!

Can I get an Amen?? Really I'll settle for a WOOO HOOO!

One quick thought ---

I promise I am not the guy with a bullhorn in a crowded space screaming "repent now!"
I am the chick @ the computer telling you "I get it now! This is cool! Look what I learned! Look what I saw happen! I get to be part of something bigger than me! WOW!!"

Life is Good when you have....

2007-03-08T14:37:00.000-05:00

I had the chance to bond with a cousin I rarely talk to this week.
A quick hello & a simple I love you & you're in my thoughts is all it takes sometimes.

Just the day before, an old friend forwarded an email just because she saw my name & thought "oh yea! it's been a fe years I'll let her I thought about her today."

Small stuff like that is what makes life Great!

Another great point in the week was lunch with friends. I have a very dear friend that lives right behind my house & the only time I see her is @ lunch or if I pick up her kids for school. It's kinda sad but she's a busy woman! I'll take what time I can & thank God that we have that time once a month or so. It's funny when you have to take notes during lunch with friends but it works for us!

Troy & I had the pleasure of having lunch with another cool person this week who really has the gift when it comes to getting to know people & allowing them to know you. Thanks for lunch Russ!!
By the way, we're bringing real food for small group Sunday! Choclate chip cake, cheescake, oreo pie & brownies are not a healthy dinner!

Jill, thanks for the chicken & rice soup! Best chicken & rice soup!!

Craig thanks for being so understanding of my own special language. No one but, you would have known that banjo translates into BULLHORN! (more on that later)
Why would we have a dvd about a banjo guy??

Another always important part of my week is small group! We ROCK!

We learn we have fun & we start some seriously deep conversations. When we stay on topic anyway! Helicopter, mansions & other stuff oh my! All of you are really amazing people! It's been a blast getting to know you!

Keep reading I'm not done yet! There will be more!

Just beginning

2007-03-01T16:07:00.000-05:00

Friends & Family have been asking me to blog for quiet some time.
I did register for an account elsewhere but didn't like the environment so I never posted.
After an interesting series at church and seeing one of the Pastors start a blog I decided to be a copy cat. Not really though! You can rest assured, the two will be entirely different!

Posting my thoughts for the world to see is not an entirely new journey for me.
Utilizing a format such as this is. Let's see how it goes!

The past year has seen the beginning of several new journeys for our family.
We found a true faith in Christ, an amazing church family, & terrific new friends, we sold & bought a home simultaneously for the first time (that was a headache I hope to never again endure)
and the kids started 1st & 3rd grades. That's a bunch of new adventures for the O'Connor's (did I mention we moved just under 2 miles away because we don't do change well? We'd miss our neighnors & the kids' bus driver too much! :>)

In August, we will be redistricted to a new school. Yes we! If you know me, you would know I am at the school as often as possible so yes we have to adapt to another new environment.

However, all these changes are wonderful & positive. God has a plan for us & puts us where we need to be. I know this because I see it happen almost everyday!

Now that you know a bit of the "back story", I hope someone out there will be able to find something to relate to, maybe a bit of wisdom, most likely a true story of life through my eyes.