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Friday, September 29, 2006

Coming Out of the Fog



"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done." Genesis 50:20

Joseph spoke those words to his brothers after they sent him a message to see if he was planning on killing them. Joseph could have been hardened and taken revenge on his brothers for all that he had been put through because of them. He, however, chose to forgive them and recognized that even though they intended harm towards him, God had made it into good.

Over the past few months, I have been in a spiritual fog so to speak about some decisions that Abbey and I need to make about where we will go to church. Bad things have happened and last night, a light bulb sort of went off for both of us. The pain of leaving a church is still there, but we are both beginning to see how God can use that for good.

We had supper with some of the most loving people last night. They are friends from our church in Joelton. We recognize that no matter what happens there, God gave us lifelong friends who love and care for us very much. It doesn't matter where you go to church, but it does matter who your friends are, who your family is.

We have been going to Springfield Baptist Church, and although we have yet to find a Sunday School class, we have already started to develop relationships with people. At Joelton, we never had friends without children. That's not a bad thing, but we don't have children. Tonight we are having supper with 4 other couples from SBC who do not have children and they all live in Springfield. For nearly two years, we have lived in Springfield and have NEVER had any friends there. Finally, we are beginning to make some connections.

Yes, some may have intended to harm us. God is even greater, though, and He is going to accomplish a great work for us! So, we're coming out of the fog and finding our new place. The relationships we have built, the friendships we have made, and the children whom God has blessed our lives with from Joelton cannot be taken away. It's a new day now, true friends are not hindered by city limits, church memberships, and gas prices. We'll never lose those friends we've made. But we're coming out of the fog, we're finding a new place to worship, a new place to call home.

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Success

The subject of my devotionals this week has been success. When people on earth think of success, they often think about what their salaries are or what their houses are like. Success for for many people today is dependent upon how many titles they have or extra initials at the end of their names. Success can be counted for some in their ability to score a good deal.

The devotions this week say that success should be counted in God's way. We should strive for success in terms of heavenly rewards and not in terms of earthly rewards. I believe that when you focus on success in God that you experience success on earth. I know that God has blessed me more than I could ever have imagined. When I focus on the things of earth I am trying to accomplish some goal for myself, I don't feel the success even when I achieve it. However, when I am focused on God, I feel peace about where I am and what I am doing.

Success is a GREAT feeling, don't get me wrong. I think, though, that we often mistake success for happiness. Happiness is not a successful life, it is a life in Christ.

Think about how God has blessed your life. Do you feel successful? Do you have an amazing spouse? I do. Do you have a great job? I do. Do you have tons of money? I don't. Do you love God? I do. Do you understand that we all fail sometimes? I do.

On my desk there is a coaster that my beautiful wife gave me. On it is inscribed, "Anyone who has never made a mistake, has never tried anything." In life, we will fail but when we focus on eternal things, we're more likely to succeed. Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Yum Yum!

Last night, we had the Spicklers over for some good ole fashioned cooking. We ate our fresh veggies from the farmer's market and Abbey cooked my very favorite apple dumplings. They were just wonderful. In fact, I just had another one.
Today has been a busy day for both Abbey and I. We went to work, I did some editing and got ready for a couple of conferences that I have coming up. I also corresponded with several of my writers. Abbey taught and reviewed participles, gerunds, and infinitives. She also helped search a locker, but there were no drugs in it.


Abbey's Apple Dumplings!

1-2 Granny Smith Apples (cored, peeled, and wedged)
Half a stick of butter
3/4 cup of light brown sugar
1 can of crescent rolls
cinnamon to taste
1/2 cup of sugar

Sprinkle each wedge with cinnamon and sugar. Wrap each wedge with a crescent roll and put into a baking dish. Melt butter in a microwave and add 1/2 cup of brown sugar, white sugar, and 1/4 cup of water to the melted butter. Cover the crescent rolls with the butter mixture and sprinkle remaining brown sugar on top. Cook at 350 until crescent rolls are golden brown.

Are you hungry yet? Tonight we went to Chick-fil-a. We accidentally skipped church on Sunday morning so we didn't have bulletins. We had to pay full price for the meal! The Horror! I bet you can't guess what we did next. Okay, so we're boring! Yes, we went to Target. They have their stationary on sale, so we got some for my writer's. Now, we're home and settled in. Abbey's got to have the computer, so I guess that's all for now! Posted by Picasa

Monday, September 25, 2006

Update: Date Night and Crazy Umbrella

First of all, I am sure that some of you are wondering what our crazy umbrella has been up to lately. Here is a look at where it was on Sunday morning. Although it is still alive, it did suffer a little bend in one of the arms this time. I think that I am going to try to duct tape it into the holder.

Now for an update on our date.

1. Read coupons in their entirety. We went to Merchant's and it was delicious. We were not overly impressed with our waiter, but he was alright. I had shrimp and grits, Abbey had chicken cordon bleu. They were both wonderful. We then had key lime pie, which was really yummy. I then got the coupon out when the check came. I missed the fact that it said valid on Sunday only. It was worth it though, it was really good.

2. We then drove to TPAC. We found a spot to park in outside of the garage. That was great, because the bus stop that you have to walk by when you are in the garage was full of drunks or crazy people that night.

3. The play. We saw On Golden Pond. It was good. The seats were awesome. Criticisms would include that the language was inappropriate, the younger female actor was manly and the young male actor was girly. It was a really sweet story though. The older actors were Micheal Learned from The Waltons and ______________ (can't think of his name) the guy from Father Dowling Mysteries and Happy Days. It was neat to see them.

It was a great DATE Night! Posted by Picasa

Sunday, September 24, 2006

Punkins

So, I am sure that you have all been dying to see what we went to the Farmer's Market to get. Here it is. We went to get pumpkins. Not just regular pumpkins, though. We got a bright orange frumpy one, a ribbed, frumpy green one, a tall white one, and two gords. As you can see, we got a green one and yellow with a little green one. The other day, I bought some flowering cabbage for two of our pots. It is really pretty, but I think that cabbage is gross to eat!
I also bought two white mums for the empty pots. They are starting to flower this afternoon.
We also got some little pumpkins for our desks at work. They are neat, don't you think?
 Posted by Picasa

Saturday, September 23, 2006

Fresh Veggies

Abbey and I had a great morning. We woke up and called the Spicklers to see if they needed to get out of the house. They did, so we went to breakfast at Bob Evans. Our first trip, and it was really good.

Frank felt up to it, so we decided to go to the Farmer's Market downtown. It was incredible. Lots of beautiful mums, pumpkins, and of course, fresh vegetables. All of the colors were amazing. It was really beautiful. So, what did we get? Okra, zucchini, squash, blue lake snap peas, butter beans, and purple hull peas. It was a really great place. I can't believe that I forgot my camera.

Sorry, I don't have pictures of the reason why we went to the farmer's market in the first place, so you will have to wait until tommorrow. I'm sure your dying to know what we bought, eh?

After we were sufficiently done at the farmer's market, we had the experience of a lifetime. We got to go see Granny (AKA Sheila's mom). I've met her before, but Abbey has not. She is 90 and FULL of life. I don't think that I have laughed so hard in quite a while. I think we'll have to go back and visit again soon.

We dropped the Spicklers off and went to Target. We bought a new bedspread for the green room. I'll put a picture up later. I've got to paint the dresser first. Then we went to Sam's to buy contacts, then we came home and I took a nap. Abbey cleaned up! Then we went to supper with Danny, Michelle, Carah and Cate. Now, we're home. Abbey is sacked out on the couch and we are about to go to bed.

Oh, I forgot to mention that we got new cell phones today! Posted by Picasa

Abbey's Room

Here is a view where the best teacher in all of America gets here planning done. Notice the cute skirt around her computer table and the fabulous curtains.
Here is a view of some of the signs that are up in her room.
Notice how neatly all of the books are and also the nice curtain that the MIL made to cover up the bottom row of shelves and the refrigerator. You can't tell but the pattern is really nice.
This is Abbey's award winning Homecoming door. Her students did a great job at putting it together. She won first prize. You don't think that she rigged the contest do you? Posted by Picasa

Friday, September 22, 2006

Date Night



Just wanted to let everyone know that there would be about a 2.34% chance of a blog update this evening. That doesn't mean that you can go and check, remember there is only a 97.66% chance that there won't be something new. Due to a series of unfortunate events, we have been the recipient of tickets to go to "On Golden Pond" tonight at TPAC. Boy am I glad that I haven't bought our season tickets yet. I will do that next week. I am going to save some moolah since there is one less show in the lineup. I guess we are most excited about getting to see "The Lion King," but we will certainly enjoy tonight's performance.

It is the first chance that Abbey and I have had to do something with just us in a while! We are going to go eat somewhere nice. I don't know where yet, it will depend on what coupon I find in my Citipass book! If you don't have one, you need one.

We've got some interesting things to tell you, so stay tuned throughout the weekend.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Poor Putty



Sorry for the lack of posting yesterday, we were busy little beavers. Our good friend Mr. Frank, or Putty for all you Walt's World fans, had surgery on his ankle. We'll let him tell you how he broke it.

Anyway, I left work around lunch to go to the momentous surgery. Putty was in good spirits before the surgery and I finally got to meet the famous Tutta (I don't know if that is spelled right). Tutta would be Sheila's "sister", Tutta is the word Sheila came up with when she couldn't pronounce sister. I guess Sheila didn't try calling her Brenda, because that would have probably come out Bubba. I am pretty sure I have never met a female Bubba, well, at least not one that I was willing to call Bubba.

Anyway, Putty survived the surgery and after Brenda and I had spent sufficient time getting to know one another, it was time to go home. Of course, traffic was a nightmare and I was totally afraid that the Sprinkles were going to get home before I got to their house to help Sheila get Frank in, but luckily Frank's "shortcut" turned into a really long-cut, and I had time to drop his Rx off, work on a conference, and make it to their house in time.

We got him in and got him settled. He wasn't feeling so hot, so I went to pick-up his Rx and get him some ginger ale. Abbey was insistent that she come and see Mr. Sprinkles, so she drove that way. I told her that Sheila told me they didn't need any food, and she said, "Of course, she would say that. Go to Chick-Fil-A and get them something." Anyway, I got us all something (note-Mr. Sprinkles got chicken soup). We left around 9:30, Putty had regained more consciousness and was being pretty talkative.

After all that, I was afraid that I might have missed something exciting in the illustrious Nashvegas so I watched the news a little while. I was totally thankful, because had I not watched the news I would never have known that on yesterday's beautiful fall day, the top story was a mouse infestation at the new City Hall. Now, there was a new report released yesterday that said that New York City was the safest large city in the US. Did Nashville get left out of the survey? I mean, our top story was about a MOUSE! How crazy is that?!?! I think that they saved the story for Mrs. Sprinkles who is a member of the National Society for Not EVEN A DEAD MOUSE IS A GOOD MOUSE!

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

I need a break!

I am supposed to be editing the last week of December 2007 right now, but I am having a little trouble getting started this morning. I decided that a little blogging my help me get kick-started. Don't get me wrong, I have been working since I got here at 6:30 this morning, but on about 35 other things that you don't realize are part of putting a publication together. Anyway, I digress.

There will not be a picture on this blog, in memoriam to the pictures that were taken on Saturday of the "Fifth Grade Friday Fun" stay at our house this weekend. It seems the technical guru (that would be me in title only) accidentally deleted all of the pictures that were taken. Just know that there were 112 and they were really cute. Imagine the girls seen in previous pictures smiling and having fun.

Last night I had the extreme pleasure of assisting my lovely wife in chaperoning the Homecoming Dance (yes, I think a dance on a Monday night is a silly thing), however, apparently the Junior High kids at East Robertson did not think so! They were out in full force and had plenty of money to spend.

It led me to believe that there should be a height/age requirement for slow dancing. I mean, whose bright idea was it to make 6th graders "Junior High" school kids? I promise some of those boys and girls were less that 4.5 feet tall and they were certainly slow dancing. As they looked into their "loved ones" (yeah right!), I could only imagine what they were thinking...

Boy: She's taller than me... all the girls are taller than me.
Girl: I bet he thinks my braces are hot.
Boy: I wonder if she likes Gordon or Earnhardt?
Girl: I can't believe that I am at this dance while "That's So Raven" is on.
Boy: She's cute now, but she hasn't hit her ugly stage yet. I better fall in love with her so that we can make it through the tough time.
Girl: I want a boyfriend, but I usually try to wait until closer to December, that way I only have to "talk" to him for 3 months to get all of the major holidays done. If I am "seeing" him from now until February 15, he better get me a big white stuffed Teddy bear for Valentine's day. Ooh, maybe he will get me a pink ice ring for Christmas.
Boy: I want a slice of pizza.
Girl: Do you smell something?
Boy: Okay, let me do a cool check... Hair gel- check, Cologne - double check (I used a whole bottle of dad's Old Spice), deoderant - uhh...I forgot, but I used a whole bottle of dad's Old Spice, zipper - oh no...I forgot! Maybe I can tell her I want to go buy her a drink and I can zip it up before she notices.
Girl: I still smell something, but I know it's not me, I use Teen Spirit.
Boy: I wonder if it's true that if you kiss a girl, your braces can get locked together?
Girl: I hope he doesn't try to kiss me.
Boy: Alright it's time for me to make my move... "Everything I do, I do it for you..." just came on.

Okay, so maybe that's not exactly what they were thinking, but you get the idea. Okay, gotta go work. By the end of the day, I hope to be in 2008!


Oh yeah, if you want to check out my sister-in-law and soon-to-be BIL, go to this link:

http://www.mcherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060919/LIFE/609190309/1003

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Blessings and Promises

Aren't you glad God knows what you need, even when you don't? I was definitely the recipient of this incredible power of His this weekend. I came about as close to an emotional breakdown as I ever have on Friday. Fortunately, God knew just what I needed. A wonderful visit from Walt and four girls was the perfect way for me to deal with my frustration.
(Um, Rebekah, I think, then Sara, Michaela, and Makayla, and of course, the cute guy in the middle is Walt!)
I have had such a wonderful time this weekend, and I have lots of pictures to prove it. Somehow, however, this weekend is almost over, and I haven't had a chance to go through them and pick the ones to share with you. Jeff is driving home as I type, sans the luggage he took with him, but he's coming home! I still have some rice krispie squares (or as some say it, treats) to make and some laundry to do. So, dear readers, please be patient, and I will eventually get the pictures on here, along with some narration. Tomorrow night Jeff and I get to chaperone the Homecoming Dance at school, so don't worry about lack of material this week, just the time to share it with you.

Friday, September 15, 2006

Don't Adjust Your Computers


No, you didn't click on the wrong address! You haven't found your way onto Walt's World! Just a little of him coming your way...

Tonight is "Fifth Grade Friday Fun" and Walt decided to join in. At first, the girls weren't that impressed by Walt. I think you can see why!

However, after some strong coaxing from the girls (Michaela H. , Makayla B., Rebekah H., and Sara H.), he "woke up" and wasn't too thrilled to be in the prescence of so many strangers. I don't blame him. But, after a while, he had the girls eating out of his hand, or you could say the other way around!


And, after a while, he was so relaxed he was suddenly pointing out landmarks to the girls around him.
















And, he even found some time to work on his shotput. Who knew?

Finally, Walty learned that girls can really be confusing...he's learning early!








All in all, it was a great glimpse into Walt's World. He revealed a lot of his vocabulary during his little visit. He said words like mom, daddy, happy, and also the ever-important word - Abbey, and when he left, he said "hug" and pointed to each girl! Of course, we all obliged, who wouldn't? Sorry, Jeff, maybe next time! Stay tuned for more on my weekend, including lots of pictures of Fifth Grade Fun Extended Weekend!

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Getting Ready for Conference

I'll be in my home state tomorrow after a layover in Atlanta. I will then get in my rental and drive down to south Mississippi to teach a conference on Saturday morning. Here are the things that I pack. I had to use a large suitcase this time, because of the toys that I am taking. The legos have letters and statements on them. The conferees have to find the matches and put them together. The balls will have the five points of the first conference that I am doing on them. They will be hidden under the domes. The domes will also have different things tape under the bottom of them that the conferees will have to find. The traffic cones will have the road blocks to learning on them.
Next I added several pieces of fabric to cover the tables and some of the walls with. I am currently using black sheets with John Deere fabric. I also added several periodicals.
Finally there are lots of large colored sheets of cardstock. Oh, I forgot to metion that there is a bunch of Sunday School curriculum and a REALLY big book at the bottom.
Finally, the handouts and teaching plans stay with me. They go in my briefcase. That way, if my luggage gets lost, I will still have something to teach. The problem is that this time, I am packing my clothes in the bag with my teaching supplies. Hopefully if anything gets lost, it will be on the return trip and not on the going trip.

Abbey is having a few of the fifth grade girls over tomorrow night. They are going to spend the night with her to keep her company. I am glad that she won't be alone. If there is a lack of blogging this weekend, it is because Abbey decided not to! It's not my fault. Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

A Tribute

Pain. Gut-wrenching, world-stopping, pain. I felt it this morning when I received a phone call. A loving, generous, encouraging family lost a loved one. Death was coming, expected even, but it still didn’t change or stop the onslaught of pain. I never met this person, at least not physically. Yet, I knew her. She was a brave, loving woman who loved her husband and family. Even during her last days, she fought hard, not complaining or asking for anyone’s sympathy. For many months since the diagnosis, people prayed for her at church, through emails received, and the general passing of conversations. I felt this pain not for the loss of this woman in my life, but in the life of her family.

When I turned on the television, I expected to see a news story, a request for a moment of silence, anything to acknowledge this loss! Nothing. Perhaps the thing a person struggles with most after losing someone is continuing in life. And yet, that is the one thing that others are doing so effortlessly. Don’t they know? Don’t they care? How do they manage when I can barely remember to breath, I’m so drowned in my sorrow?

No one doubts that, if possible, any one of her family members would have traded with her, and left this world in her place. If it was only possible, but it wasn’t.

Parallels glare at me, serving as a reminder. He knew His son would die, and so did others. It was written about, talked about, even preached. The day finally came, and the pain was more than anything capable of being expressed. Only this time, He could change it all, and He chose not to do so. He watched His son die. Only this time, the world did stop, and grow dark. People knew something had happened. He was separated from His son for three days, and then reunited!

Now, we are separated from this dear loved one. She has left us to be with her heavenly father, thanks to the ultimate sacrifice. While her earthly mother and father, husband, and children grieve, God rejoices. I once heard, “We rejoice at birth and cry at death, when we should cry at birth and rejoice at death.”

Pain. Gut-wrenching, world-stopping pain. Please pray for the Ellis family, a family so filled with love and concern for others, now needing that from us.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Door Bling!

Although there was a glimpse of our door last night, you did not get a complete overview of the fall decorations. We now have door-bling. I guess that is the right way to spell bling, right? We purchased the piece in the above picture at Old Time Pottery tonight.
Fall colors are so beautiful and rich. Abbey and I love to see the leaves changing and we love the great colors of fall. When our favorite store, I'll call it Bullseye for some variety, put their summer pots on clearance, we grabbed the pots pictured above. We got some big mums to go in the pots for fall. I repotted them yesterday.
So, there you see it. We have 4 pots of mums, a fall wreath, and the swag above the door. I think that our door bling is complete for the fall. We love fall so much that we are going to go to Tellico Plains in a few weeks to stay in a cabin and check out the beautiful fall colors. We've never been there, but have heard that it is wonderful. Posted by Picasa

Monday, September 11, 2006

We'll Never Forget

It's hard to believe that it's been five years since the terrorist attacks. Here are some things that I have learned in the five years. Some things are serious, others are silly, but all are true.

1. Cotton Candy was invented in Nashville.
2. You can love your in-laws as much as blood relatives.
3. Wintogreen Lifesavers spark when you bite into them.
4. Texas is a big state.
5. True friends are not detered by geographical constraints.
6. Buying cars is fun (6 in 5 years).
7. Moving is stressful (3 times).
8. A home is made by the people in it, not by the house itself. A trailer can be home if that's where God wants you to live.
9. There's no use trying to trick God into going your way.
10. Best friends can be your age or twice your age.
11. You can change the color of your walls easier than you can change the location of your walls.
12. It is possible to miss someone you've never met.
13. God can do immeasurably more than you could ever ask or imagine.
14. Christians can commit hate crimes too.
15. Losing a grandparent doesn't get easier with age.
16. It is cheaper in the long-run to buy according to quality rather than cost.
17. Tennessee is a beautiful place to live.
18. There's nothing like Mimi's corn.
19. There are not enough real men in church.
20. People are afraid of confrontation.
21. Freedom of speech is important.
22. America has the right to defend itself.
23. There is no place I would rather live than America.
24. Every couple needs a mentor couple.
25. Fertility clinics are uncomfortable places to be.
26. It is possible to love your wife more everyday.
27. It is possible for husband and wife to go to graduate school at the same time.
28. Seminary was wonderful.
29. You can't outgive God.
30. The interstate was one of the greatest inventions.

There are so many more things that I have learned over the past five years. The above is just a sample. My beautiful, creative, future new Beth Moore, should have gone to seminary wife wrote a beautiful poem today. Enjoy.

I don't remember
When people say
I rememberJFK's assasination, Pearl Harbor, Elvis's death
Where I was, what I was doing, how I felt...I don't remember
The Berlin Wall, The Challenger, Princess Di, and 9/11
I remember
Chances given, lives lost, tears shed
Images in my head
Thoughts
Memories don't fade
Yet one event
I remember
I didn't see it, hear it,watch it
But I know
It happened.
I believe
It happened.
One death, one sacrifice
Gave life
Thousands, millions can live
One death can't be forgotten
I will remember
Thousands remembered on the anniversary
An important day in history, yes
Yet THE one so important,
Seems somehow forgotten
I will remember Posted by Picasa

Worse than a Galant?!?!?!?

Well, we got our rental car. It is a Nissan Sentra! UGH! It is comparable but I can think of another word that starts with a c, that would describe the car. I guess we should be thankful that the guy had insurance. Posted by Picasa

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Abbey's Car Has BooBoo

Scene: Jeff and Abbey have just left Target (big surprise, right?) and are headed South towards Rivergate Parkway where they plan on getting on to the interstate so that they can get off on exit 98 for gas that is $2.37 a gallon (instead of the 2.55 that it is in Springfield). The rain has begun to come down a little heavier and the streets are nice and slick. Because they are on the street that wraps the mall, they are going rather slowly. There is one car in front of Jeff. As the car continues to drive, all of a sudden Jeff and Abbey both see this blue pontiac turn right in front of them.

Jeff: (slamming on the brakes and laying on the horn): There's nothing I can do.
Abbey: I know.
Jeff: (still laying on the brakes and the horn): There's nothing I can do. There's nothing I can do. There's nothing I can do.
Abbey: (car still sliding, horn still honking): I know, I know, I know.
Jeff: (CRASH!): There was nothing I could do.
Abbey: I know.
Jeff: (on phone): Yes, I've just been in an accident. (pause) No, no one is hurt. (pause) Okay, I'll call them.
Jeff: (on phone again): Yes, I've just been in an accident. (pause) No, no one is hurt. (pause) We're at Rivergate mall between Macy's and the Goodwill Store, I don't know the name of the street. (pause) You want me to move the car... This wasn't my fault, and I want the officer to see that. (pause) Oh, Tennessee is a no fault state. Okay, we'll be waiting.
Well, the police finally came and the guy who we hit was very nice. He was kind and sorry that he had caused an accident. I was just thankful that he had insurance. At first glance, it doesn't look like we had that much damage. Look and see the next picture though.
The bumper is dented. There is a crack to the right of the headlight. Also if you see the right panel above the tire, it is dented to. So, tomorrow I get to take the car to work, where during my lunch break I will take it to the Toyota dealership. Then I will get a rental car, while they work on repairing our car. I don't know if we've blogged about it before, but we love Toyota's. The problem is, they seem to attract accidents that are not our fault. We didn't have the blog at the time the lady plowed into the backside of Abbey's Camry. Thankfully, no one was hurt and we will be alright! Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Standing in the Rain


Well, some-probably most-who read this blog know by now, but Jeff and I are currently searching for a new church home. If you know us well, you know this is one of the hardest decisions we've ever made, nor was it one we really wanted to make. However, you deal with life the best you can, and we are.

One of my friends once said you know you're having a good day when you can notice the day, the beautiful sky, the sounds of living things all around you, and just in general God's canvas He created. Yet how often do we take a beautiful day for granted, yet the day - and its beauty - still exists? And while beautiful days go unnoticed, the rainy days sure can cause the grumblings to begin.

While driving in my car today, I heard a testimony from SuperChic (a Christian group). A member of this group was explaining the meaning behind one SuperChic's new releases, Stand in the Rain. She was describing me! How often we don't want to get wet, so we wait inside Wal-Mart for things to dry up, often ending up more wet because it only got worse, not better, before our patience wore out! If only I would just deal now, knowing God is on my side, rather than pushing it aside. So, here I sit, er, stand, in the rain. God knows it isn't easy, but He's in control, and I'm ready to weather the storm. I know I'll come out stronger, with new truths God will reveal through this journey I didn't choose to take, but I'm willing to walk. Maybe this excerpt from the song will help you decide if you want to weather your storm or come in out of the rain.

So stand in the rain
Stand your ground
Stand up when it’s all crashing down
You stand through the pain
You won’t drown
And one day what’s lost can be found
You stand in the rain

"And as for you, dear brothers, never tire of doing what is right." 2 Thessalonians 3:13

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Now You See... Now You Don't

Everyone who has seen me lately, has noticed something. It was pretty obvious, my hair is growing out of control. Tonight after we went to CFA and (drum roll please) Target, I decided to get a haircut.

I told Abbey that I was going to go to Super Cuts, but on the way, I chickened out. I backed out because the last time I went to Super Cuts, my hair was destroyed. Anyway, I decided to go into the mall.

I went to Dillard's first and the lady told me it would be about 15 minutes. I told her I thought I would pass and so I went to Mastercuts. Upon walking in and seeing a 45ish lady with purple streaks in her hair (while talking to her equally unaware-of-her-age friend) and her in a very country accent about her boyfriend, I freaked out and left.

I went back to Dillard's where I waited on a nice lady named Ashley to cut my hair. She cut my hair and this is the result!
 Posted by Picasa