Saturday, February 28, 2009

Ask Me Anything

It's been almost a year since I did this last (see last year's by going here and here), so I thought it might be time to do it again. Ask me anything you'd like to and I'll answer the questions I receive in the next few days. Of course I reserve the right to refuse to answer something if I feel it wouldn't be appropriate, but other than that, I'm pretty much an open book. So, ask away!

Friday, February 27, 2009

Catching Up

Whew, a second to catch my breath. I know I haven't been blogging as normal & this post is really pretty random - I hope you can keep up. Things have been insane around here. Between the 1000+ mile plus trip last week for the funeral & then another about 400 miles on Monday & Tuesday, I'm not even sure what day it is. Missed out on 5 class days, 2 tests, a few papers, etc. I've also been dealing with a huge emotional stress that has really brought me down pretty low. I'm considering leaving the group where the stress is coming from, but I was asked to take a month sabbatical instead and then make a decision. My email inbox hasn't been this empty in a long time. It's nice though to take a break. I went out this morning and got my hair trimmed. Have a box of hair dye in the other room to make my hair pretty tomorrow. I need to get a book review written & finish up the lesson for the kids at church on Sunday. I am heading up a group of women who will be teaching our kids over the next 7 weeks. We are focusing on what is Lent and also about Easter. Should be really neat for the kids. Other than that, just still trying to get caught up on sleep. I hope to get back to normal blog postings next week. I'm doing well with my Lent sacrifices. I had a caffeine headache on Wednesday night, but haven't missed the sodas otherwise. And I'm pleasantly surprised how much I've been enjoying other foods since I cut out the meat. The complaining and grumbling thing is rough! But I'm trying to remember my verses & make my outlook more positive. Okie dokie, I hope you got all that. I'm going to get to work on this book review. Have a great weekend everyone!

Thursday, February 26, 2009

LOST 5x07



Time for my thoughts on this week's episode. There are numerous sites that do recaps so I'm not going to necessarily do that, but I am going to share my thoughts on what happened.

*****SPOILER ALERT - IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED 5X07, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE SPOILED!*****



Season 5, Episode 7 - The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham
~OK, we know this first guy on the episode is from the Ajira Airways flight, but who the heck is he?
~And what time period are they in that no one is around in the others camp?
~I'm guessing that somehow when the Oceanic 6 disappeared off the plane to a time about 30 years in the past, the plane and it's passengers ended up in the present.
~And we knew Locke was alive, but what was up with the hooded thing on his head. Reminds me of seeing Mrs. Hawkings in an earlier episode when she was wearing a hood
~Who do you think the woman was who took one of the longboats with Frank? Maybe Sun? But why wasn't she in the past with the other O6ers?
~How come if Whitmore had cameras in the Tunisian desert, he didn't see Ben end up there?
~From the info we got from Whitmore, Ben sounds like more and more of a bad guy with no good in him.
~If Ben tricked Whitmore into leaving the island, how did he leave? the submarine? the donkey wheel?
~And what war is coming on the island?
~I was shocked to see Whitmore was the one helping John.
~I knew they would have to come up with a way to kill off Abaddon since the actor who plays him is a regular on JJ Abrahms new show on FOX called Fringe (awesome show by the way - it's like LOST meets X-Files).
~It was great to see Sayid doing something positive.
~My word has Walt grown. I saw an interview with the actor who plays him and he said he'd love to come back on as a regular. We'll see what happens.
~And that sneaky ol' Ben is spying on Locke. Shame on him!
~Cracked me up when Hurley realizes that Locke was really there.
~Saw a screenshot of the painting Hurley is doing and it's an Egyptian sphynx with camels and people all around it. Maybe the 4 toed statue is part of something Egyptian????
~Almost cried when Kate asks John about being in love and why it didn't work out. Because he was angry & obsessed & he still is according to Kate!
~So sad to see that John's love Helen had died. That was the beginning of the end for Locke I think.
~And then HOLY CRAP!!!!! Abaddon is shot & Locke is in a car accident!
~The meeting between John and Jack showed how bad off John really was. He was seriously having some issues.
~And then, time for John to die. OK, I knew Ben was involved, but I didn't expect him to murder John like he did. And it was hearing about Mrs. Hawkings that sent him off the deep end. What the crap was all that about?????
~Ben sets the scene to make it look like a suicide. Didn't he look evil while doing that????
~And then back to the island. Should we be surprised at all to find out that Ben didn't go back with the O6? Obviously he's not as special as he thinks he is!!!!



There's my thoughts for what it's worth. Tune in next week for my thought on 5X08 LaFleur.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Lent

I've been working with a few other people from our church to come up with a curriculum to teach the children at our church about Lent and Easter. I found this website which does a good job of explaining Lent in easier to understand terms.
God has given us a great and comforting gift...But it's easy to forget what God has done for us. We forget that it was because of our wrong that Jesus was punished. We are wrong when we try to make ourselves happy by eating lots of candy and junk food, by buying lots toys or watching too much TV. We fill up with all sorts of things, always hoping that they will make us happy, but it doesn't last very long. We just end up wanting more. We are never satisfied by these things. During Lent, many Christians try to stop filling up with junk food and TV and all these other things to make room for God again. If we do this too, we can feel near to God again. If we clear away some of our comforts for a time, there will be more room for God.

This year for Lent, I have felt convincted to give up three things. For two of the things, my motives are also health related.
First, I am giving up sodas. I have been drinking probably close to 60 ounces of Diet Coke a day for about the last year. I have given up sodas in the past and always feel so much better, but then I start drinking them again and get addicted. So, I am giving up sodas and hope to continue this on past the 40 days of Lent.
Second, I am giving up meat. I have been having some health problems over the last 9 months or so that I have been doing some research on. Some of the research I have found suggests that my health problems might be helped if I do not eat meat. So, I am giving up meat for the 40 days of Lent. After those 40 days, I will evaluate how I am feeling and decide then if I will continue on not eating meat.
Third, I am giving up grumbling and complaining. If you know me at all, you know I complain alot! I admit to it! It's something I do not like about myself. So, I am going to give up grumbling and complaining for the 40 days of Lent. When I first started thinking about this, the Scripture passage of Philippians 2:14-15 came to mind: "Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people." So my commitment is anytime I find myself wanting to grumble or complain, I will remind myself of this verse before I say anything. And I ask those of you who know me in real life, are my Facebook friends, follow me on Twitter, etc., help keep me accountable. If you hear me beginning to grumble and complain, please gently remind me of my commitment.

So, are you giving up anything for Lent? I'd love to hear how God is working in you.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

All About Mom & Dad

Found this at Amy's blog. Asked Damaris, age 9, to respond to the following questions about Russ & I.

1. What is something mom/dad always says to you?
about mom - I love you!
about dad - you are a runt face!
my response - that I do
Russ' response - hysterical laughing, not I love you!

2. What makes mom/dad happy?
about mom - coffee
about dad - football
my response - yes, I do love coffee
Russ' response - what about books & theology?

3. What makes mom/dad sad?
about mom - no coffee
about dad - no football
my response - again, very true
Russ' response - snickers

4. What does your mom/dad do to make you laugh?
about mom - sing silly songs
about dad - makes Mommy say, "Bubba is a sexy stud!"
my response - especially the Hee-Haw one where you get to spit at someone!
Russ' response - oh yeah!

5. What was your mom/dad like as a child?
about mom - adventurous
about dad - I have no earthly idea.
my response - me, adventurous, not so sure about that
Russ' response - I don't know what I was like either.

6. How old is your mom/dad?
about mom - 31
about dad - 34
my response - what? I'm not twenty-nine & holding?
Russ' response - that's too easy, of course she knows that

7. How tall is your mom/dad?
about mom - 5'6"
about dad - 5'10"
my response - she gave me a couple inches there
Russ' response - that makes me feel good, most people think I'm 5'8"

8. What is her/his favorite thing to do?
about mom - watch LOST
about dad - watch football
my response - I do enjoy other things than coffee & LOST, but I'll go with that.
Russ' response - that's probably not my favorite thing to do, but ok

9. What does your mom/dad do when you’re not around?
about mom - work on homework
about dad - turns up his radio
my response - ummm, no!
Russ' response - ok, I don't do homework too??? I figured she'd say I play video games.

10. If your mom/dad becomes famous, what will it be for?
about mom - helping people
about dad - I have no earthly idea.
my response - I'd be happy to be famous for that.
Russ' response - hmmmm, now I'm sad; I'm going to be a world famous theologian & I'm going to write a book (Damaris' response, only one?) Russ' response - ok I'll write more than one really thick books that people have to read

11. What is your mom/dad really good at?
about mom - knitting
about dad - watching football
my response - I'm not really all that good at it.
Russ' response - man! somebody's got a very low opinion of me, thank you I think!

12. What is your mom/dad not very good at?
about mom - playing football or volleyball
about dad - knitting
my response - yeah, I'm not so sports adept
Russ' response - snickers, that's true

13. What does your mom/dad do for a job?
about mom - knit, well, you used to be my teacher but you're not anymore, I don't know what you do for a job
about dad - works at Walmart
my response - I actually sell AVON, but I consider being a student my job right now.
Russ' response - yep

14.What is your mom’s/dad's favorite food?
about mom - coffee
about dad - triple chocolate chip muffin
my response - I didn't know coffee was a food!
Russ' response - chicken fried steak actually, but triple chocolate chip muffins are good too

15.What makes you proud of your mom/dad?
about mom - you're my mommy
about dad - he's my daddy
my response - I agree with Russ
Russ' response - that's either a very uncreative answer or very, very sweet

16. If your mom/dad were a cartoon character, who would she/he be?
about mom - The Little Mermaid
about dad - Bob the Tomato
my response - I do like to swim & my hair is red, not as red as Ariel's though.
Russ' response - Bob the Tomato? Bob the Tomato! What? He's got hair!

17. What do you and your mom/dad do together?
about mom - watch movies
about dad - play games
my response - yep, we do like our movies
Russ' response - ok

18. How are you and your mom/dad the same?
about mom - we both like pink
about dad - we both like computers
my response - yep, pink rocks!
Russ' response - ok

19. How are you and your mom/dad different?
about mom - I can't have coffee & you can.
about dad - he likes football and I don't
my response - not yet sweetie, but sooner or later I'll help you gain the addiction
Russ' response - she's obsessed with this football thing!

20. How do you know your mom/dad loves you?
about mom - you care for me
about dad - he cares for me
my response - awwww
Russ' response - nods head

21. What does your mom/dad like most about your dad/mom?
about mom - you think he's a something something (that means sexy stud)
about dad - you like football like he does sometimes
my response - this has become a running joke in our house for anyone who is wondering
Russ' response - laughs, ok

22. Where is your mom’s/dad's favorite place to go?
about mom - to go see Lola
about dad - home, because he doesn't like his work
my response - I do love to see Baby Lola!
Russ' response - ha, ha, ha, ha, ha; what about the mountains?

my final response - apparently I like coffee quite alot, surprised she didn't say anything about Gilmore Girls or say that I was one of the Winnie the Pooh's characters on the cartoon question
Russ' final response - great, everyone is going to think I'm a lazy bum that watches football all the time

Saturday, February 21, 2009

LOST 5X06


I know I am much delayed in posting this. Forgive me. Just having been on the road 1000+ miles this week in order to attend my Grpa's funeral has made everything wonky. Here is my thought's on this week's episode though.

Time for my thoughts on this week's episode. There are numerous sites that do recaps so I'm not going to do that, but I am going to share my thoughts on what happened.

*****SPOILER ALERT - IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED 5X06, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE SPOILED!*****



Season 5, Episode 5 - 316
~Did anyone else feel like we were back to the premiere episode with that opening shot of Jack in the jungle? I did a double take for a second wondering if they were showing the wrong episode.
~The cryptic "I wish" note had me wondering if Jack had to write something to focus on to get back to the Island or what the heck was going on. Glad they answered this one within the episode.
~I for a second thought that the guitar case Hurley had might be Charlie's, but they didn't take it when they left the island so it must be a proxy just like John is.
~I hope they are soon in telling us how Sayid, Hurley, & Kate were convinced to go back to the island.
~The staircase down to the underground room - the lighthouse station - reminds me of going down into the cave under the orchid station. Is that coincidence?
~I suspected that the island was constantly moving but seeing that they are predicting where it's going to be in the future is brilliant.
~Now how about Desmond! I think everyone was shocked when Mrs. Hawking told Desmond that the island wasn't done with him yet & his response that he is done with the island. I honestly think that before all is said and done, Desmond will be back on the island.
~The discussion about these people are using you and they are all pieces in a game so reminded me of a chess game. When all is said and done, will we see that they have all been played? Hmmmm....
~I totally was spot on in my theory than 316 that has been referenced earlier in the season was going to be the flight number on Ajira Airways to get them back to the island. Woo-Hoo! Go me! LOL!
~I really didn't like the attitude that Mrs. Hawkings exuded when she is sharing with Jack that pretty much they just have to get on the flight and see if it works. What's up with that? Just really rubbed me wrong.
~I was shocked to learn that John had killed himself. But then the previews for next week episode with Ben being there with John. Holy crap!
~The scene with Ben praying in the church just totally creeped me out. Not sure why!
~More confusion for me when Ben is explaining to Jack why Mrs. Hawkings is helping them & why she knows all this, here is what I typed while watching the show, "Thomas the apostle, when Jesus wanted to return to Judea knowing he would probably be murdered there, let us also go that we might die with him; Thomas is not remembered for his bravery, remembered for refusing to remember the resurrection, he couldn't wrap his mind around it, had to touch Jesus' wounds to be convinced, what he convinced, we're all convinced sooner or later Jack." I'm not sure what the heck all this means or has to do with the island.
~Ben runs off to tie up a loose end, a promise he made to an old friend. Does this have something to do with one or all of the three other members of the Oceanic 6 ending up on the 316 flight?
~Jack is back at the bar, just like before the original Oceanic flight.
~Is the whole situation with Ray, Jack's grandfather, destiny stepping in to get something of Christian's (the shoes) to Jack for the flight? Ray seems to know more than he's saying. I wonder if he knows about the island somehow. I mean, Christian, his son, has this huge role on the island, so surely Ray knows something, even if he's not saying it.
~Oh, what about the bunny at the magic show? Remind you of anything????
~Now, what the heck is going on with Kate. What did she do with Aaron? And what's with the drama of, if you want me to go with you, you'll never ask me about Aaron again! Ummm, me thinks she does protest too much.
~OK, now we're up to seeing Ben with the crap beat out of him. Does this have something to do with the promise he made to an old friend??? What shocked me though is that no one said anything about it? It was like the elephant in the room that everyone was seeing but ignoring.
~Sayid being under arrest is just like Kate from the original flight. I'm wondering what he finally got caught for. We know he's killed numerous people while working for Ben. Which one finally got him?
~Frank looks totally different than when he was on the island. It didn't surprise me though to find out he was the pilot.
~Laughed out loud at Ben telling Jack that the reason he could read was because his mom taught him. But!!! how could his mom mom have taught him since she died when he was born. What's that all about?
~I knew the note would come back to Jack somehow. However, I expected more than just "I wish you had believed me." That must have done the trick though since that was the start of getting them back to the island.
~So, do you think that Sayid, Sun, Ben, & Frank are back on the island or did it only halfway work and it is only Jack, Kate, and Hurley back on the island?
~Then we see Jin in the Dharma uniform! My thought is that John turning the wheel stranded those on the island in the past and they had to join up with Dharma because that was their only option.



There's my thoughts for what it's worth. Tune in next week for my thought on 5X07 The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham. The preview said the mystery of the island will be revealed. I can't wait!

Thursday, February 19, 2009

I'm Back

I think most of yall know that my Grpa passed away on Valentine's Day during the late hours of the evening. He lived with my parent's in Carlsbad, so we left Sunday morning and headed there. We spent a day and a half getting things ready for the funeral. We then left for Albuquerque on Tuesday because Grpa wanted to be buried with my Grma, uncle, & Grma Cady (great-grandmother). The funeral was Wednesday. My mom, sister, & I sang 2 songs which was difficult, but something we wanted to do. The funeral went well - we didn't expect many people because we assumed he had outlived everyone he knew (he would have been 91 years old next month), but we were pleased to see several people there at the service. We debated whether to try to drive part of the way home on Wednesday, but we were all so exhausted, we stayed at the hotel with my parents another night. We got up this morning and drove the 9+ hours home, arriving home just before 8pm. We drove 1000+ miles this week & I can definitely feel it. Tomorrow we get back to life as normal. I have 2 exams to make up, 2 papers that were due today, and numerous other assignments to get done. Russ heads back to work in the morning as well. Damaris will go back to school tomorrow too. Pray for us as we get back on track and on schedule with everything. I did get to see the new episode of LOST last night & I promise to get my thoughts post up in the next day or so. I want to say thank you to each and every one of you who has emailed me, called me, texted me, left me a message on Facebook, etc., during this past week. Your prayers and support got us through these difficult days.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day!



Grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ—the Son of the Father—will continue to be with us who live in truth and love. 2 John 1:3

I am so thankful for each of you who join me here on my blog everyday. I love each and every one of you! May your Valentine's Day find you surrounded by those who you love and those who love you.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

LOST 5X05



Time for my thoughts on this week's episode. There are numerous sites that do recaps so I'm not going to do that, but I am going to share my thoughts on what happened.

*****SPOILER ALERT - IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED 5X05, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE SPOILED!*****



Season 5, Episode 5 - This Place is Death
~So, last night I actually took 3 pages of notes while watching LOST. That helped me remember that random things I wanted to comment on today.
~Now how about little Ji Yeon. Is she not adorable!!! Question - will she have to go back to the island since she technically left the island with the Oceanic 6, albeit she was in her mom's tummy, but still, it would seem to me that she would have to go back too.
~Why is the radio tower repeating the numbers? I've also seen this morning that some think that it was Hurley's voice saying the numbers. Hmmm, what could that mean?
~Smokie - HE'S BACK!!!
~I thought the blonde French dude was going to have a major part in the goings on, but then his arm got ripped off, so we can only assume he was just another causality of the island.
~OK, how about the temple? Those were hieroglyphics on the side of it. Is it Egyptian???
~I was shocked to see Danielle kill all those with her. But that kind of explains why she pretty much went off the deep end in those 16 years she spent on the island.
~I loved the reunion between Jin & Sawyer.
~And it was absolutely hysterical watching Sawyer try to explain the time travel stuff to Jin.
~We know that Ben went to see Locke and that's how Ben knew about Jin, but why did Ben go to see Locke?
~I was surprised to see Sun come onto Ben & Jack's side so easily. I thought she would be the last holdout.
~How does Charlotte know Korean? Latin wouldn't surprise me, but Korean? And the Klingon comment was pretty funny!
~Was anyone else creeped out when Charlotte told Daniel, "This place is death!"
~Another favorite line, Ben to Sun - "If you're going to shot me, get on with it!"
~Oh, so what about the possibility of Charlotte being Ben's friend Annie? I think it might be possible.
~So who is Charlotte's mom & what happened that she left the Dharma Initiative and lied about it to Charlotte?
~And how could Daniel be the crazy old man when he is young now? Hmmm......
~Why in the world did Jin want Locke to lie to Sun? You would think that he would want her to know that he was really alive. This one confused me!
~And now we know that the time jumps originate from the well. Why was the well filled in? Was the Orchid station built there to cover it up? And how does Charlotte know about the well? Has she time jumped when she was on the island before?
~I still don't buy that Daniel is in love with Charlotte. I honestly think he is her father. It was sad to see him watch her die.
~Why did Christian want Locke to move the island? Why did Ben take over and move it for him?
~Another favorite line, Christian to Locke - "Since when did listening to him [Ben] get you anywhere worth a damn?"
~And then we see that Christian wanted Locke to be the sacrificial lamb.
~Why couldn't Christian physically help Locke? Maybe Christian is a figment of Locke's imagination that he conjured up to help him?
~Does Locke know that Jack is Christian's son? Christian obviously thinks so since he told Locke to say hello to Jack for him.
~And then we see Desmond! Woo-Hoo!
~And I was right in my theory that Mrs. Hawking is Daniel's mom.
~My final thought - what in the world does Mrs. Hawking mean when she tells Ben that the 4 of them will have to do for now? I thought all of them had to go back to the island. What are they fixing to do!!!!
~Next week's episode is called 316. I think that will be the flight number of the Arija Airlines flight that takes the O6 back to the island.



There's my thoughts for what it's worth. Tune in next week for my thought on 5X06 316.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Wordful Wednesday


I got my Valentine's Day present from Russ & Damaris earlier this week. This is a hand-stamped necklace from Mountain Girl Silver. I then went to a local bead store and bought the silver/pink spacers to go between the disks. The middle one is self-explanatory - my princess girl Damaris' name with a spiral heart underneath it. The disks on either side have the initials of our four children who are no longer with us - J.T., K.C., M.J., & N.A. I'm absolutely in love with this necklace. Thanks Bubba & Mare-Bear! I love you both so much!

Join in on the fun at

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Bullet Point Sunday

How can it be February already, wasn't it just New Year's yesterday??
I've been sick this weekend with a sore throat & laryngitis.
Russ thinks it's quite funny to tell me to "speak up" when I have no voice.
Not having a voice tends to happen about once a year.
This year, I resorted to sending Russ IM's when I wanted to tell him something even when we were in the same room.
He thought it was funny to tell me to "type louder".
Damaris got in on the action & all 3 of us were IM'ing each other while we were all in the same room.
That's the quietest our house has ever been. LOL!
I won a Starbucks gift card from a contest on Abby's blog.
I'm not a big Starbucks person (I make my own coffee usually), so any suggestions on a drink I should try at Starbucks?
I'm thankful for the 3 women who showed up this morning to help me put together a Lent/Easter curriculum for our church kiddos.
Damaris & I did a yoga session on Friday.
Hoping to do that at least once a week.
Went for a massage on Wednesday - fabulous! And it really helped with my back and shoulder pain.
So I plan to try to go once a week for a 30 minute session.
On to week 5 of school starting tomorrow.
Have a blessed week yall!