Saturday, May 31, 2008

Day 61 of 100 Days of Blogging

The passing of Sydney Pollack this past week sparked me to rewatch for the zillionth time my favorite movie of all time which Pollack directed. That is the 1995 version of Sabrina. Sabrina is based on a play by Samuel A. Taylor called Sabrina Fair. It played on Broadway over 300 times. In 1954, the original movie version was made starring Audrey Hepburn as Sabrina Fairchild, Humphrey Bogart as Linus Larrabee, and William Holden as David Larrabee. It was remade into my favorite version in 1995 with Julia Ormond as Sabrina Fairchild, Harrison Ford as Linus Larrabee, and Greg Kinnear as David Larrabee.

It's the story of the chauffeur's daughter who is in love with the younger Larrabee son who doesn't even know she exists. Sabrina travels to Paris to find herself and upon returning, attracts David's attention. The Larrabee family is in the midst of a huge corporate merger with David's fiancee's family, so Linus makes the decision to distract Sabrina until the merger is completed. What happens instead is that he, "the world's only living heart donor", falls in love with Sabrina.

I've had a video tape copy of this movie for years and practically wore it out watching it so much. Russ bought me the soundtrack early in our relationship and I still listen to it quite often. Russ replaced my video tape copy with a DVD copy last year and I've recently shared my love of the movie with Damaris. If you've never seen it, definitely find a copy. It's worth seeing numerous times :-)

Friday, May 30, 2008

Day 60 of 100 Days of Blogging

Responding to her question:
If you had a day to yourself what would you do?

Sleep in, have breakfast in bed, a long bubble bath, and then spend the rest of the day in bed with yummy snacks, my knitting, and Gilmore Girls on tv.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Day 59 of 100 Days of Blogging

WOO-HOO! 2 HOURS AND 30 MINUTES UNTIL LOST!!!!!!!!!!!

To tide you over while we not so patiently wait, here is the LOST Flash-Forward Scenes in chronological order in 8 minutes and 42 seconds (that should get you to 2 hours and 21 minutes to go!):

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Day 57 of 100 Days of Blogging

I'm in this Ethics class on Money, Sex, & Power this week. This afternoon, we had a licensed marriage and family therapist in talking with us. One of the things we discussed was the church's role in sex education. Several great thoughts were brought up and discussed. So, I'm interested to hear your thoughts as well.

What do you think the church's role should be in the sexual education of our children and youth?

Monday, May 26, 2008

Day 56 of 100 Days of Blogging

I was tagged by Elyse.

The Meme originated over an idea that was prompted by the book written by Larry Smith and Rachel Fershleiser, Not Quite What I was Planning: Six Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure. It's a compilation based on the story that Hemingway once bet ten dollars that he could sum up his life in six words. His words were- For Sale: baby shoes, never worn.

Here are the rules:
1. Write your own six word memoir.
2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like.
3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere.
4. Tag five more blogs with links.
5. And don’t forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!

OK, here's mine:
Christ follower, wife, mom, friend, grace

I hate tagging people, so if you want to do this, go for it. Link back and let me know.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Day 55 of 100 Days of Blogging

As I read the specifics of Maria Chapman's memorial service, I couldn't help but notice how much of a blessing it must have been to the Chapman family to be surrounded by the community of the body of Christ. This song immediately came to mind:
How Beautiful the hands that served
The Wine and the Bread and the sons of the earth
How beautiful the feet that walked
The long dusty road and the hill to the cross
How Beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ

How Beautiful the heart that bled
That took all my sins and bore it instead
How beautiful the tender eyes
That choose to forgive and never despise
How beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ

And as He lay down His life
We offer this sacrifice
That we will live just as He died
Willing to pay the price
Willing to pay the price

How Beautiful the radiant bride
Who waits for her Groom with His light in her eyes
How Beautiful when humble hearts give
The fruit of pure love so that others may live
How beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ

How beautiful the feet that bring
The sound of good news and the love of the King
How Beautiful the hands that serve
The wine and the bread and the sons of the Earth
How Beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Day 54 of 100 Days of Blogging

Copying Amy

ONE WORD ONLY! Not as easy as you might think. Now copy, forward, or post this and change the answers to yours and pass it on. It’s really hard to only use one word answers.

1. Where is your cell phone? …………..couch

2. Your significant other?…………………..Russell

3. Your hair? ……………………………………..red

4. Your mother? ………………………………..Beckey

5. Your father?……………………………………..Gary

6. Your favorite thing?………………………..family

7. Your dream last night?…………………..none

8. Your favorite drink? ………………………..coffee

9. Your dream/goal?…………………………..grace

10. The room you’re in?……………………..living

11. Your ex?………………………………………..none

12. Your fear?……………………………………..alone

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years?……..content

14. Where were you last night?…………..Chili's

15. What you’re not?…………………………..patient

16. Muffins?………………………………………..blueberry

17. One of your wish list items?…………..house

18. Where you grew up?……………………..everywhere

19. The last thing you did?…………………..Plinko

20. What are you wearing?…………………..shorts

21. Your TV?………………………………………..movie

22. Your pets?……………………………………..fish

23. Your computer? ……………………………..laptop

24. Your life?………………………………………..hectic

25. Your mood?…………………………………..exhausted

26. Missing someone?………………………..friend

27. Your car?………………………………………..SUV

28. Something you’re not wearing?……..makeup

29. Favorite Store?………………………………..Target

30. Your summer?………………………………..sweltering

31. Like(love) someone?……………………………..Russ

32. Your favorite color?………………………..pink

33. Last time you laughed?……………….. today

34. Last time you cried?………………………..yesterday

35. Who will re-post this?……………………..unknown

Friday, May 23, 2008

Day 53 of 100 Days of Blogging

I went to the dr on Wednesday because I have been feeling more tired than normal (even after sleeping 9-10 hours a night). I told him that I felt like my thyroid level was off again. He assured me that couldn't be the case, but I asked him to check my level anyway. He called this morning and unfortunately, I was right. The range that the TSH should be in is 0.5 to 5. Mine was 15. This isn't as bad as last year when it got up to 35, but it's still not good. So I'm on to a different dosage of medication and go back in 6 weeks for a repeat blood test. Please pray that this one change will fix things. Last year, I went through about 6 changes of medication to get my level to within range and I don't want to have to go through that long of a process again.

On a positive note, Damaris is going to a sleepover tonight, so Russ & I are going out to dinner. We made a commitment recently to try to have some kind of date time at least once every two weeks (but preferably every week) and so this is going to work out well for us tonight.

Have a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend!

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Day 52 of 100 Days of Blogging

From Fox News:
Steven Curtis Chapman family

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The 5-year-old daughter of contemporary Christian music star Steven Curtis Chapman was struck and killed Wednesday by a sport utility vehicle driven by her brother, authorities said.

The girl, Maria, was hit in a driveway on the family residence Wednesday afternoon by a Toyota Land Cruiser driven by her teenage brother, said Laura McPherson, a spokesman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

McPherson said no charges are expected.

"It looks like a tragic accident," she said.

She said several members of the Chapman family witnessed the accident, which happened in Williamson County just south of Nashville.

The brother apparently did not see the little girl, McPherson said. She did not have the name or exact age of the brother, only that he is an older teenager.

The girl died later at Vanderbilt Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Laurie Holloway said.

Chapman, originally from Paducah, Ky., and his wife have promoted international adoption and have three daughters from China, including Maria.

Chapman has won five Grammy awards and 51 Dove awards from the Gospel Music Association.

The singer's Web site said that Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, were persuaded by their oldest daughter to adopt a girl from China. The experience led the family to adopt two more children and create Shaohannah's Hope, a foundation and ministry to financially assist thousands of couples in adoption.

The Chapmans did missionary work at Chinese orphanages in 2006 and 2007, according to the Web site.

"After our first trip to China, my wife and I knew our lives were changing — our eyes and hearts were opening to how big God really is, and we have wanted to experience more of that," Chapman says on the Web site. "We've really wondered whether or not we should just go to China and stay there. But I don't think so. I believe God is saying, 'I want you to go, get your heart broken, your eyes opened, and then take this story back to the church in America and around the world."'

Chapman also has released a book about being a father entitled "Cinderella: The Love of Daddy and his Princess.

------------------------------------------------

My heart is completely broken over this news from last night. I cannot imagine the pain this family must be going through. Not only are they grieving the death of their daughter, but their son is hurting and grieving about being the driver of the vehicle. I just have no words to say. My prayer is that this family will be surrounded by a loving community of believers who will walk with them through this journey of pain and grief. My other prayer is that God will allow this precious child's death to become an opportunity for the Chapman family to minister to others who have lost a child. My prayers are with this family today.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Day 51 of 100 Days of Blogging

Just got a letter in the mail that my $1500 hospital bill (we don't have health insurance) from when I went in December because of my worst and longest migraine ever and had to have an IV cocktail was completely written off and we don't have to pay a penny of it! Praise God!

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Day 50 of 100 Days of Blogging

fifty 50We're halfway


there! Today is


day 50 of 100


days of blogging!


I think this


quote by Walter


Elliot sums it up -


"Perseverance is



not a long race;


it is many short



races one after


the other."


Here's to another



50 blog entries


written one at a time.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Day 49 of 100 Days of Blogging

Go figure, who would of thunk it? Wouldn't you think an employer would tell you if your paystubs and W-2 were available online rather than continuing to print them and waste paper since Russ has his check direct deposited???? Yeah, anyway!

OK, so my thought for today is actually a question. How do you encourage people to participate in/interact/comment on your blog?

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Day 48 of 100 Days of Blogging

In service this morning, our pastor spoke on Matthew 28:16-20 which reads:
Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him—but some of them doubted! Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

I want to discuss this passage, but I want to hear your thoughts first. The question is:
If you had to sum up this passage in just two or three words, what would they be and why?

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Day 47 of 100 Days of Blogging

scrubbing bubbles automatic cleanerWent to CVS today to pick up some great deals (actually walked out making money!! WOO-HOO!!!!). My favorite purchase is the Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner. It was $25. I had a coupon for $5 off of a $25 purchase. Had another coupon for $7 off the actual product. CVS gave me $3 in Extra Care Bucks for purchasing the product. That left $10 and I paid for that with ECBs. So essentially, it was free! I hung it in the shower and we'll see how it works. It promises to go from a dirty shower to a clean shower in 2 weeks. I hate to clean my shower, so it's dirty to begin with. So we'll see!

I redyed my hair tonight since my beautimous pink turned to orange within a week. I think it looks pretty good. I have no makeup on and my hair is not fixed right now, so I'll take a picture tomorrow and post it then.

Russ, Damaris, & I have walked together 3 times this week. We walked 2.5 miles each time. Our goal is to add 0.4 mile every 2 weeks so that by summer's end, we're walking 4.5 miles It's great to be able to talk as we walk and spend time together.

Have a great evening yall!

Friday, May 16, 2008

Day 46 of 100 Days of Blogging

LOST 4x12I'm a huge Thursday night TV fan (5 hours of shows that I watch religiously!).

LOST! I'm a HUGE fan! I won't spoil anything in case some of you haven't seen it yet, but I do have to say that last night's episode gave me my #2 favorite quotes from the series when Hurley's mom said, "Jesus is not a weapon!" And the look on Jack's face at his dad's memorial! OMG!!!!

ambulance

ER! And I desperately need to know who was in that ambulance!

Smallville Lois and ClarkSmallville! And the scene where Lois is comforting Clark after he watches the DVD from Lana. WOW!

OK, enough about tv. Just had to get those thoughts out though.

On a different note, woo-hoo! Our economic stimulus tax refund is in our account today and it's more than we were expecting. Got to love that. What are you using your refund for? Ours is going to bills. Oh well, it's nice to have a little cushion.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Day 45 of 100 Days of Blogging

I've been a fan of Cindy Morgan for many years now. I recently reconnected with her music through http://www.twitter.com/lorelaicc. I'm thrilled that I have been given the opportunity to hear her new album, Beautiful Bird, which will be available for purchase on May 20th. I'm reviewing it here as part of her blog tour.


Lay Me Down - This first track kind of threw me because it wasn't the traditional Cindy Morgan sound. It's got a really funky spiritual, soul, bluesy feel to it. The first time I listened, it was so not what I was expecting that it took a couple more listens for me to really get into it. I do have to say though that upon several listens, it's really a great song.

When It's Love - Now, this is the Cindy Morgan I remember. This is a great love song with a great beat.

I Wish - I could so resonate with this song. We all wish for so many things. What if these wishes came true? God is listening when we wish. Does that mean it will all come true? No. But I'm so thankful for a God who hears my wishes and walks with me in this journey.

Fine - This song had me ready to dance and a chorus that you can't help but sing along too. A beautiful song about keeping on keeping on.

The Sun Shines Through - This song has a story format. Easy to relate too for anyone listening.

Beautiful Bird - Title track of this album. It was written as a companion to the book by Cindy's husband Sigmund Brouwer entitled Broken Angel.

Two Roads - This is another track unlike Cindy's normal music. It has a great soul feel to it. Great reminder that God is always there with us and wants us to chose Him!

As A Child - Another beautiful Cindy song.

Lion and The Lamb - The musical score to this song is simply breathtaking! You can't help but feel that you are right there watching what Cindy is singing about.

Most of All - A reminiscing song. I'd be interested to hear the story behind this because you can definitely tell that Cindy was singing this about someone very dear to her.

In These Rooms - I'm wondering if this song also might correlate with Cindy's husband's book. I've not read the book, but the lyrics seem like they are telling a story and I can't help but notice the relationship between the use of the words "broken angel" which is the title of the book.

Overall, I loved this album. I think my favorite songs would have to be Lay Me Down, I Wish, and Fine. Don't forget to check it out for yourself on May 20th.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Day 44 of 100 Days of Blogging

And now, here are the answers to your questions.

From Rebekah:
What’s your favorite color? HAHAHAHAHA!!! - obviously my favorite color is pink LOL!
When did you first learn to knit and who taught you? - I first learned to knit in 2005. I am a self-taught knitter. I bought a kit from Walmart with lessons in it and away I went. It is truly a relaxing thing for me to do.
What is your personal mission statement? - Coram Deo which means living all of life in the presence of God, under the authority of God, and to the glory of God.
Did you ever go and get that tattoo? - not yet, plans are to do that sometime this summer

From my hubby Russ:
Ummm…Why don’t you like watching football with me, I mean, in general-not just the Cowboys? - why watch any other teams, the Cowboys are the best. LOL!
Oh, I have another one. What is with the fixation on the Gilmore Girls? Isn’t it all reruns now? I don’t understand. - the Gilmore Girls is just a tv show I resonated with in many different arenas and I just fell in love with the show. Yes, it's all reruns now, but it's such a pleasant hour when I get to sit down and watch. It's like an old friend visiting over and over again.

From my daughter Damaris:
Do you like Hannah Montana? - she's ok, I'm not a huge fan, but she seems to be a good example for younger kids and thus far, I'm ok with you watching her and listening to her music :-)

From Elyse:
What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? - chocolate chip cookie dough
If money were no object, what you buy and why? - a house so that we'd be able to stop paying overpriced rent and have a place all our own

From Shanin:
Okay, I was thinking….nose ring, soon to be tattoo…soon to be licensed minister…how does this line-up with your Baptist background? Don’t get me wrong…I love it but just curious. Are you accepted or are you finding yourself rejected? - No, it doesn't line up with my upbringing. I was brought up in a very traditional Southern Baptist church where the women were allowed to work with the kids and teach each other, but that's about all I remember a woman doing. I don't think those from my background approve of where I'm going or what I'm doing, but God is leading me in this direction and ultimately, He is the One I answer too. We're so blessed to have a supportive church here in Abilene that respects women in ministry and encourages it, so I'm glad God brought us to this place at this time because, honestly, I was to that place where I didn't know what to do because I was feeling called to do something and outside of Russ and Damaris, had no support in what I felt God was calling me to do. OK, that was a long rambling answer. I hope I answered your question.

From Sara:
Have you always wanted to be a Hospital chaplain? - No, this is something that has occurred in the last year. I knew I felt called to ministry but wasn't sure where God wanted me. I had never even thought about chaplaincy until one night watching ER on tv (I know, I know, I've been watching since day 1 though and can't stop now) and saw a female hospital chaplain. Within a week's time, God just dumped it all in my lap and said, "Hey C.C., this is where I want you!" Now I can't imagine doing anything else.
Do you have an Author that you always have to read their newest book? - Janette Oke is one of my favorites as well as Lori Wick. I haven't had time for a lot of recreational reading though since I'm back in school and have all these textbooks to read.

From Crystal:
what’s your real name? it drives me crazy not knowing. - LOL, what are you willing to do to find out? Not really. C.C. stands for Christie Cherie. I've never been a fan of my first name, so shortly after Russ and I got married, I started going by my initials. Everyone calls me C.C. now except for my family who can't get over me preferring to go by my initials and Russ occasionally slips and calls me Christie and people look at him like he's insane and wonder what other woman is in his life. LOL!

Thanks to everyone who posted one (or more) questions. This was fun! Maybe we'll do this again sometime.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Day 43 of 100 Days of Blogging

Allergies are kicking my butt. So, I thought today would be a good day to do the traditional blogger thing of allowing yall to ask questions and I'll answer them. So, post all your questions by midnight tonight and tomorrow's blog entry will be the answers.

what do you want to know about me?

Monday, May 12, 2008

Day 42 of 100 Days of Blogging

My mom sent me a link to an article this morning about using Twitter as stress relief. You can read it here - http://stress.about.com/b/2008/05/10/twitter-a-new-path-to-stress-relief.htm?nl=1. I don't even know that my mom knows I utilize Twitter. LOL!

I started using Twitter on March 27th, so I've been tweeting for 6.5 weeks now. I started using it because some friends had been using it and I thought it looked like something interesting I might try. And I have used it for stress relief such as on this day http://twitter.com/lorelaicc/statuses/781034142 or on this day http://twitter.com/lorelaicc/statuses/783809702. I also utilize Twitter as an outlet for my what the crap moments during LOST.

So, what's your reaction to the article? Do you Twitter? If yes, why did you start using it? If not, why not?

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Day 41 of 100 Days of Blogging

Mother's Day is always bittersweet for me. Today, we should be celebrating our first child, Jordan Taylor's, 9th birthday. My arms ache for our three children I never got to hold. My heart aches for love I never got to shower on them. Memories that never occured, events that never will happen. I am so thankful for our miracle baby Damaris. I am so grateful that she understands that while I love her so much, that I still miss her siblings. I am blessed to have a husband who walks with me through this journey of heartache to get to the point of acceptance, but never forgetting. For my fellow sisters who know this pain, I'm so sorry. I wouldn't wish these empty arms and heart ache on anyone. Happy Mother's Day to each of you!

When clouds veil sun
And disaster comes
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
When waters rise
And hope takes flight
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul

Ever faithful
Ever true
You I know
You never let go
You never let go
You never let go
You never let go

When clouds brought rain
And disaster came
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
When waters rose
And hope had flown
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul

Oh, my soul
Overflows
Oh, what love, oh, what love
Oh, my soul
Fills hope
Perfect love that never lets go

Oh, what love, oh, what love
Oh, what love, oh, what love
In joy and pain
In sun and rain
You're the same
Oh, You never let go

Written by Mike Hogan, David Crowder, and Mike Dodson

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Day 40 of 100 Days of Blogging

shredderI don't know why I get such joy out of it, but shredding paper just makes me so happy! I've had on my list of 100 things to do before 12/31/08 to sort through all our files and paperwork and purge what we don't need anymore. I did that this afternoon and shredded six trashcans full of paper. Woo-Hoo! It's so nice to have things back in order again rather than just in stacks on my desk.

So, now I ask you, what seemingly little thing brings you much joy? Let's hear some comments!

Friday, May 9, 2008

Day 39 of 100 Days of Blogging

I've tried several times in the past to do the pink hair thing. I have never been able to get it to work out right. I tried again last night and freaked when only half of my hair took the pink color. So this morning, I foiled off a few chunks of the pink and dyed the rest back to my normal burgundy color. I think it turned out pretty cool!
cc-with-pink-hair

So, this begs the question, what's the craziest thing you've done to your hair? Come on, let's hear those responses!

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Day 38 of 100 Days of Blogging

Today is my hubby Russ' birthday!
Happy Birthday to the love of my life!
 You Bubba!
Russ

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Day 37 of 100 Days of Blogging

100 Things to Do Before December 31, 2008
69 DOWN ~~~~~ 31 TO GO

DONE 1. Go back to school to work on my M.Div.
DONE 2. Reach my goal weight.
DONE 3. Run a 5K race.
DONE 4. Be able to run 5 miles.
5. Work towards having a date night with Russ at least once every two weeks.
DONE 6. Be able to run 8 miles.
7. Get accepted into a CPE residency program.
8. Knit stockings to replace those for my parent's house that were destroyed.
DONE 9. Make a new friend.
DONE 10. Read a good book.
DONE 11. Go on a date with my husband.
DONE 12. Go to a conference that I'm interested in.
13. Go to a marriage conference with my husband.
DONE 14. Finish making this list.
DONE 15. Finish 2007 Christmas shopping by the end of October, 2007.
16. Finish 2008 Christmas shopping by the end of October, 2008.
DONE 17. Buy a new digital camera.
DONE 18. Grow my hair out longer than I've been wearing it.
DONE 19. Find a hair stylist than can thin my hair out so that I can wear it longer.
DONE 20. Send a snail mail card to someone for no special reason.
DONE 21. Buy a new couch and loveseat or recliner.
22. Find a church who will allow me to preach a sermon in front of a congregation (versus preaching only for my hubby & daughter or classmates).
23. Write my husband a love letter.
DONE 24. Join the local runners club.
DONE 25. Open a savings account for Damaris.
DONE 26. Get Damaris a laptop computer for her school curriculum (she's using a computer based curriculum now).
DONE 27. Run the mile in less than ten minutes.
DONE 28. Update our http://www.thealmons.com website.
DONE 29. Get my eyes checked and get new glasses.
DONE 30. Do something outrageous (got my nose pierced).
31. Maintain my goal weight until year-end.
32. Work towards paying off last credit card.
33. Maintain important friendships.
34. Learn how to take a compliment.
35. Write at least 2 more chapters to the novel I started several years ago.
DONE 36. Sing a great song in front of an audience.
37. Forgive someone who hurt me very deeply as a child.
DONE 38. Fly a kite.
DONE 39. Meet someone I met on the internet in real life.
DONE 40. Learn to be content - "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." Phil 4:11
DONE 41. Say "I'm sorry" and mean it.
DONE 42. Sing in the rain.
DONE 43. Meet someone else with my first name or nickname.
DONE 44. Sell something on eBay or Craigslist.
DONE 45. Say the words "I love you" to someone and mean it.
DONE 46. Knit something I can wear.
DONE 47. Watch a sunrise.
DONE 48. Watch a sunset.
DONE 49. See a rainbow.
DONE 50. Look good in a swimsuit.
DONE 51. Stand in two places at the same time.
DONE 52. Learn to play a game I don't currently know how to play.
DONE 53. Run a 5K in under 35 minutes.
54. Exercise at least 4 hours per week.
DONE 55. Go on a hike.
56. Look into my child's eyes, see myself, and smile.
DONE 57. Scale down my dozens of boxes of Christmas decorations.
58. Organize my file drawer of "important paperwork" to see if it's all still important.
DONE 59. Cut sodas out of my diet.
DONE 60. Find an accountability partner.
61. Love the unloveable people in my life.
62. Spend more time in prayer.
63. Take Damaris on a Mom/Daughter trip.
DONE 64. Get a library card.
65. Become a better listener.
66. Learn to be patient.
67. Don't be so quick to criticize.
68. Let others see Jesus in me.
69. Go on a trip for Russ and my 11th anniversary.
DONE 70. Volunteer at least once for a charity or charitable organization.
DONE 71. Have new family pictures taken.
DONE 72. Learn how to cook something new.
73. Go to the drive-in to watch a movie.
74. Go to a sporting event with Russ.
75. Donate blood at least once.
DONE 76. Do a good deed for a stranger.
DONE 77. Get an A on a paper.
DONE 78. Get an A on a test.
DONE 79. Take a bubble bath.
DONE 80. Do something kind for someone without expecting anything in return.
DONE 81. Get new bedding for Russ & I.
82. Go on a picnic.
DONE 83. Watch a movie with Damaris.
DONE 84. Watch a movie with Russ.
85. Get the oil changed in our SUV.
DONE 86. Write a real Christmas letter this year.
DONE 87. Mail out the Christmas letters/pictures by mid-December.
88. Visit Grace Museum.
DONE 89. Subscribe to a running magazine.
DONE 90. Buy a new Christmas tree.
DONE 91. Find a friend(s) to knit with or teach a friend how to knit.
DONE 92. Put together a jigsaw puzzle.
DONE 93. Run the Phedippidations Kick the Couch 5K.
DONE 94. Run the Turkey Trot 5K.
DONE 95. Finish the 6/20 running program.
DONE 96. Tell someone "thank you".
DONE 97. Take Damaris to Carlsbad Caverns.
98. Teach Damaris to ride a bike.
DONE 99. Make a decision about the rings Russ has for me to chose from about which one I want.
DONE 100. Dye my hair a crazy color, even if it's just temporary.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Day 36 of 100 Days of Blogging

OK, my stats say that there is up to 124 unique visitors coming by my fun blog daily and I'm curious who is reading. So let's have a check-in of sorts. comment and share the following:

Your name:
Do you blog and if so, what's the address:
Where are you from?:
What first brought you to my blog?:

So, come on yall, it's a great day to jump right in and comment here! Grace & Peace!

Monday, May 5, 2008

Day 35 of 100 Days of Blogging

I've been taking a class in Theological Thought this semester. I'm currently putting together my notes for the final exam tomorrow. One of the possible essay questions on our final is the following and while I have my own opinions, I'd love to hear yalls:

What makes a church a church? In other words, what distinguishes a church from a para-church group or a dorm Bible study fellowship? Or is there a difference? Relate to the universal church and local church.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Day 34 of 100 Days of Blogging

So, I have been pondering what I should blog about today since apparently I don't have enough material to fill 100 days of blogging. I visited Carlos' blog and he had this cool website link that gave you stats on twittering.

So, without further ado, here are my Twitter stats and if you aren't Twittering yet, get to it and follow me so that I can find you and follow you!

Tweets by Time of Day and Day of Week:


Tweets by Day of Week:


Tweets by Hour:


So, apparently Thursdays and/or the 10pm hour is my favorite time to Twitter. And yes, I twittered 349 times in April!

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Day 33 of 100 Days of Blogging

My friend Crystal was blogging today about some of her quirks. She ended by asking about her reader's quirks. I started to reply and realized I had so many, that I should just make it my blog entry today. So here are some of my many quirks and I'm really quirky, so here goes:

*I'm really anal about my e-mail inbox. I can't stand to have unread messages, so I either respond immediately upon reading or archive them so I don't have to see them until I can deal with them.

*My huge coffee mug must have exactly 4 teaspoons of Splenda and 2 teaspoons of creamer for me to drink it.

*The toilet paper roll must have the paper coming over the top.

*I can't stand the feel of unshaved legs, so I shave mine daily.

*I love lists! I make lists of tons of things and my phone even has a direct link to my current to do list.

*I also love spreadsheets. I keep track of our checkbook via a spreadsheet and I keep track of our small group's meal weekly meal assignments via a spreadsheet.

*Things like candy, I eat by color and I eat my least favorite color first and work my way to my favorite color.

*Along the list theme, I organize our tv viewing via a list that says what time, what channel, and what the show is. Then, if I have to record anything, I can refer to my handy list.

*Another list, when we go on trips, I make lists of everything we need to pack and mark things off as we go along. Damaris has even starting making her own lists for trips.

*I have the exact same thing for breakfast every single morning.

*I listen better when my hands are busy, so I knit during chapel, church, at conferences, while watching tv, etc. If I thought I could get away with knitting during classes, I would do that too.

Well, that's all I can think of for now. I'm sure there are more. So, what are your quirks?

Friday, May 2, 2008

Day 32 of 100 Days of Blogging

Here we are again, back to my Gilmore Girls obsession. Here's a few videos to let you join in on my obsession.

First, this is one called "Goodbye to the Gilmore Girls: All Good Things Come to an End." It's random scenes through the seven seasons.


Second, this is one called "Gilmore Girls: From the Beginning to the End." I think it is a better wrap-up of the series as a whole because it shows essential scenes from each season in order. Very good video!
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Third, this is a scene from the final season where Lorelai starts out singing karaoke of "I Will Always Love You" to Rory while celebrating her graduation, but quickly turns to Lorelai singing to Luke when he comes into the bar. This would rank up there in my top 5 favorite scenes from Gilmore Girls.


And lastly, this one is called "Gilmore Girls - Bad Day" and it's just a random mess of scenes where someone on the show is having a bad day. Very humorous!


Hope you enjoy my obsession!

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Day 31 of 100 Days of Blogging

Well, here we are starting with month #2 of 100 days of blogging. Thought I'd share my recent projects with yall. I am knitting 15 stockings for my parent's house to replace the ones that were destroyed when mice ate through the rubbermaid container the old ones were stored in at the storage unit at my parent's house (that was a run-on sentence - LOL!) I'm using the same pattern for all the stockings, but using different colors in each set. For my part of the family, the stockings are red, white, and gray. For my sister's part of the family, the stockings are green, white, and gray. And for my parent's part of the family, the stockings are blue, white, and gray. I've completed 3 stockings thus far and have 12 more to go. I will put names on the stockings utilizing the letter beads you would find on name bracelets. Here are pics of the three I've finished so far.
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