Bullet Point Sunday

Last free week before classes start again. Summer class #1 starts tomorrow & runs through the end of June & then summer class #2 is July through early August. 67 days until I'm done with school forever.

75.5 days until we move. I'm really excited. Even though we love it here in Abilene, I'm ready to move to on to our next stop in the journey. Found out yesterday that an old college friend lives in Lubbock, so hope to reconnect with her when we move. My sister who also lives in Lubbock called yesterday and we're already making plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I have an addiction. I admit it. I've been having elbow pain since early in the week. Finally figured out that it's because I did about 10 times the amount of knitting that I normally do in the week. It's called knitter's elbow. lol! Russ thinks it's funny that I have a knitting injury.

I've been riding my bike this past week. I can't remember if I mentioned that my work will be 2.5 miles from our apartment. I plan to bike there as much as possible. But I've got to build up my distance and speed to be able to do that. I've been riding about 10-15 minutes each time I ride and I'm going a little further every time. Looking forward to riding again in the morning.

That's about it for this bullet point Sunday. Have a great week yall!

Russ' Presentation at NABPR

Russell presented a paper he wrote at the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion conference at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, on Tuesday, May 26, 2009. The paper was titled "Theology as Participation: Trinitarian, Narrative, and Missional Praxis."

Damaris' 4th Grade Awards Ceremony

As most everyone knows, I homeschooled Damaris for 4.5 years. We put her into public school in November of last year so we could help her adjust before we relocate to Lubbock where she will also be attending public school. It's been a difficult adjustment not only for Damaris, but also for Russ & I. The rewards of how Damaris has adjusted were shown today.

I couldn't be a prouder mom! Last week, we received notice that Damaris was receiving some awards at school today. Of course, Russ & I attended.

The first award Damaris received was for the outstanding achievement in 4th grade music by a girl.



The second award Damaris received was for "A" Honor Roll.


The third award Damaris received was for outstanding achievement in reading. She was one of two to receive this award in her class.


The final award Damaris received was the most prestigious and highest award that could be received. It was for outstanding citizenship by a girl in her class.



Here is a picture of Damaris and her teacher Mrs. Cheek.


Here is a picture of Damaris and her good friend Tori.


Thanks to each of you who have prayed for and with us and journeyed with us on this new experience for us all. We are so blessed to have each of you as a part of our lives.

Bullet Point Sunday

Spent the week continuing to prepare for our move, went to Lubbock Monday & Tuesday and found a great 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment just 2 miles from the hospital I'll be doing my chaplaincy residency at, came back home & sorted through more stuff, had to call Goodwill for another pickup, need to get some furniture pieces listed on CraigsList & continue to purge some more stuff

Some frustration this week has occurred with Russ' job at Walmart. They are trying to force all employees into being available to work any time, any day. With people like us who are students, this doesn't work. There are 3 colleges & 2 junior colleges here in town & many of the students work for places like Walmart. In forcing employees to do this, they are cutting the work hours of those who aren't open availability. Russ' hours have been cut in half. We need to make it through the next 11 weeks until we move & we're very concerned about finances while we complete these weeks before we move to Lubbock. Please pray about this situation. It's affecting not only us but many of the employees at Walmart.

I was blessed to be able to preach for the first time outside of a seminary classroom today at church. I've been a nervous wreck all week about this. Those who know me, know that I'm very much of an extrovert, but get me up in front of a group to speak & I don't do too well. God gave me amazing words to say though as I spoke about my "addiction" to knitting & how God has knit each of us & how we need to knit ourselves into authentic relationships with people. God has made each of us unique & wonderful & we must understand that in order to be open to these relationships.

Russ & I head out for Waco tomorrow where he'll be presenting a paper at the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion conference. We'll be home Wednesday & then a few more days to get stuff packed before school starts a week from tomorrow.

Have a blessed week yall! I appreciate each of you who are journeying along with me.

What a Beautiful Baby

Russ & I made a quick trip to Lubbock on Monday and Tuesday to look for a place to live in August. We found a 2 bedroom & 2 bathroom apartment that they are willing to hold for us until we move in August. We had to put a deposit down & there is some paperwork I had to fax in today, but as long as everything goes smoothly with the paperwork, the apartment is ours. Russ still is looking for a job in Lubbock, but we were able to figure out that with the rent & utilities for this apartment, we can make it on my salary. It will be extremely tight, but we can make it. He'll look for a job though & that will definitely help us out.

Russ & I have another week & a half off school (we'll be going to Waco for the first part of next week so that Russ can present a paper at the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion conference). I'm also preaching for the first time (outside of the classroom) at our church on Sunday.

Our first summer class starts June 1st & our second summer class ends August 6th & then we'll move to Lubbock on Saturday, August 15th. Please pray that all the details with the paperwork for the apartment go smoothly, for a job for Russ, & for a good school situation for Damaris.

We stayed at my sister's house so of course we spent plenty of time playing with Lola. She's 8 months old now. She's saying mama and babbling alot. She is crawling everywhere. She can pull herself to standing and she's going to take off walking any second now. Carrie also showed us the last two puppies they had left from one of their dogs having puppies. Damaris wasn't able to go on the trip with us and we were told not to come home without pictures of Lola and the puppies. Thought yall would enjoy seeing them too.




2009 - May 19 - Lola Callaway Frink from C.C. Almon on Vimeo.

Bullet Point Sunday

Spent most of the last week working on packing up the house. We're simplifying and purging as we pack. We've probably gotten rid of 50% of the stuff we've gone through (Goodwill either loves us or hates us with as much as we've donated). We want to go through our storage room probably next week & purge some more. We can't pack everything up right now, but we're packing up as much as we can so that when we get done with school in August, we won't have much left to pack up in the week before we move.

Russ and I are headed to Lubbock tomorrow afternoon to find a place to live. Pray that we'll find something in our price range quickly as we have to be home on Tuesday.

We're staying at my sister & brother-in-law's house when we visit Lubbock tomorrow. I'm so excited to see my niece Lola. It's been 2 months since I've seen her. She's saying Mama and standing on her own now. Can't wait to see her!

Russ is having some issues at work. Pray that he will be given the hours he's supposed to be given for the next 2.5 months. We just need to hold on until we move. Pray also that the 2 job leads he has for Lubbock will pan out. My job in Lubbock is secure, but we'll need some income from Russ to in order to make ends meet.

I finally got in my Mother's Day present late this week. They are Toms Shoes in pink big dots. I'm in love with them! I might have to look at getting another pair as they can be dressed up or dressed down and they provide more support than my beloved flip-flops.

Thanks for your prayers and support friends. Have a blessed week!

LOST 5X16

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 5X16, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE SPOILED!*****



Season 5, Episode 16 - The Incident
~so much emotion and shocking stuff in this episode, I laughed, I cried, I was sick to my stomach, I was screaming, WOW! Amazing episode for sure!
~the blanket/wall hanging being woven in the opening scene obviously had Egyptian writing on it, what was the significance? I'm wondering if it's Jacob's rules for the island or something in that vein
~interesting talk about the loophole, we heard that word several times last night, hmmmm....
~was completely shocked and gasped outloud when we finally saw Jacob for the first time, made me want to watch again for Season 1 to see if Jacob was ever in any other episodes and we just never noticed
~wondering who the guy talking with Jacob was
~Russ & I discussed a couple of different theories about Jacob & this other guy, my first thought was God & Satan especially seeing them wearing white and black, better thought though is Jacob & Esau, especially once we see Jacob giving blessings to several of the O6
~random thought - wonder what time period the beginning clip was in after seeing the ship with sails, definitely not present time period
~laughed out loud when I saw Kate steal a New Kids on the Block lunchbox, you've got the right stuff, baby, you're the reason that I sing this song, lol, ok back to LOST
~found it interesting that Jacob made both Kate & Sawyer promise him something only for them to completely break those promises
~not sure what the deal with the Ajira passengers discussing Frank as the possible candidate was about, was hoping for some clarification but never got any last night
~literally screamed at the tv when Nadiya was hit by the car and died
~the shootout in Dharmaville was as violent as I remember the show being, that was a tad bit overwhelming for me
~love, love, loved that we got to see Vincent, Bernard, & Rose last night; I love that they retired off by themselves; such a beautiful couple
~Russ was asking me about the ashes around the cabin; if I remember correctly, the circle of ashes was complete when someone was inside the cabin (Jacob, Claire, Christian), but now that they are broken, no one is inside; any other insight on this one?
~wondering what happened to Iliana that she was wrapped in bandages in the hospital
~the scrap of cloth in the cabin was from the wall hanging in the beginning of the episode, correct?
~found the title of the book Jacob was reading, Flannery O'Connor's Everything that Rises Must Converge, very interesting in light of all we've seen happen in this show thus far
~it almost appeared that Jacob touching John after his father pushed him out the window brought John back to life, interesting!
~the blessing Jacob gives at Sun & Jin's wedding was one of the blessings I alluded to earlier
~how come if Jacob lives in the statue, he has always been in the cabin when we saw him before last night?
~I've seen the fight between Jack and Sawyer coming for awhile, they really have it in for each other
~what Juliette's parents said to her completely broke my heart, "Just because two people love each other doesn't mean they are supposed to be together"
~And then the discussion between Juliette and Sawyer, oh my gosh! "What we had was just for a little while" & "If I never meet you, I'll never have to lose you"
~Jacob and Hurley talking is another time when the blessing is mentioned, Jacob telling Hurley that he is not cursed, but blessed
~the O6 are back together to try to work things out, loved the live together, die alone line!
~And then all h-e-double hockey sticks breaks lose! The magnetic stuff beats the crap out of everyone!
~the scene between Sawyer & Juliette had me literally crying my eyes out both times I watched the episode; I think this is the only time we've seen Sawyer emotional like this; this completely reminded me of the was it Season 3 finale with Desmond & Penny professing their love over the telephone; priceless lines! "Where you think you're going blondie" "Get those chains off, hold on" "I've got you" "I can't" "I got you"
"Don't you leave me" "It's ok" "I love you" "You don't let go" "I love you James, I love you so much"
~finally we find out the answer to the "What is in the shadow of the statue" question; Richard speaks Latin and says "Ille qui nos omnis servabit." Translation: "He who will save us all." So who is going to save them?
~holy crap about the dead Locke! So is the alive Locke really Locke or is it someone impersonating Locke? This one has me completely baffled!
~the loophole is mentioned again when Ben & Locke go inside the statue to see Jacob
~Another great set of lines was Ben's speech "Oh, so now after all this time, you've decided to stop ignoring me, 35 years I lived on this island and all I ever heard was your name over and over, Richard would bring me your instructions, those slips of paper, those lists, and I never questioned anything, I did as I was told, but when I dare to ask to see you myself, I was told you have to wait, you have to be patient, but when he asked to see you, he gets marched straight up here as if he was Moses, so why him, hmmm, what about me that was so wrong with me, what about me"
~I didn't know if Ben would go through with it, but he did. Just stabbed Jacob and meant it!
~What the crap was the deal with John kicking Jacob into the fire? Completely LOST about this!
~then Juliette gives her life to explode the bomb, what an amazing ending to an amazing season!
~Next winter, destiny is found. Who's eye do you think it was in the flash at the end of the preview for season six? My first guess is Jack. Any thoughts?
~Well gang, it's been an amazing season. Thanks for coming along on this wild ride with me. See you in a little over 7 months!



There's my thoughts for what it's worth. Tune in through the next few months for new thoughts & clips on what's happened & what's to come, & next year for the final season of LOST.

Poems by Damaris

Damaris gave me a book of poems this morning. She wrote all of them. Thought I'd share a few with you.

Pink
Pink is the feeling you get when you blush.
Pink is seeing clouds floating across the evening sky.
Pink is the sound of flower petals falling.
Pink is the taste of little candies.
Pink is the color of diamonds, jewels, and new beads.
Pink is the smell of dawn.
Pink is lovely, warm, and soft.
Pink is a color that is calming.
PINK!

I Am
I am kind and sweet
I wonder why there is no such thing as magic
I hear a dolphin's cry
I see a beautiful ghost
I want to know magic things are real
I am kind and sweet
I pretend I am a dolphin girl
I feel the ghost's hand touching my cheek
I touch the dolphin's body
I worry about the world
I cry for Grandfather
I am kind and sweet
I understand the world is hateful
I say God is important
I dream to be an authoress
I try to be my best
I hope I will make new friends
I am kind and sweet

A Princess
Sara
Lovely, Rich
Running, Jumping, Playing
She is a lovely girl
Princess

DOLPHIN
Does not live on land
Only lives in water
Likes to swim
Petting them is fun
Has fins and flippers
It lives in salt-water and rivers
Never goes out of the water

Happy Birthday Russell

Happy Birthday Russell! I thank God for the 13 years we've had together.

"Happy Birthday" means much more
Than have a happy day.
Within these words lie lots of things
I never get to say.

It means I love you first of all,
Then thanks for all you do.
It means you mean a lot to me,
And that I'm proud of you.

But most of all, I guess it means
That I am thinking of
Your happiness on this, your day,
With pleasure and with love.
© Nicholas Gordon

LOST 5X15

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 5X15, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE SPOILED!*****



Season 5, Episode 15 - Follow the Leader
~So finally people are grasping that time travel has something to do with the Island.
~Richard tells Sun that he saw the O6 that are part of Dharma die. Looks like they'll all get back together. But if he remembers them from seeing them die, why didn't he recognize them when they first crashed on the island? All this time traveling is confusing me!
~The possibility of everything changing back to the way it was before the crash totally baffles my mind. All the people who died on the island would be alive. All the relationships that have occurred would never have happened. Jack's comment about all the misery they have been through and Kate's response that it wasn't all misery was heartbreaking. Made me reflect on if I'd go back and change a bad event in my life knowing that all the good that has occurred since might never happen. WOW!
~OK, the bomb is in the tunnels and Dharmaville was built on top of it. Confused! I thought the Swan was built on top of it. Anyone got a map?
~Just thought you'd be interested that I'm watching Southland as I type this & Phil is a cop. He's pretty arrogant on this show too!
~OK, so did they have to make Hurley pack up the food? Talk about typecasting!
~And now Dr. Chang believes they have time traveled. Pretty soon everyone will know.
~Charles & Eloise's relationship is obviously complicated. We heard that last night. I wonder what we don't know. They can't seem to stand each other from everything we've seen, but...
~The whole Richard helping John get the bullet out of his leg while John and Ben watch was crazy. Simply amazing that they aren't as confused as I am!
~Look's like Sawyer's going to draw that map for me. Whew!
~Kate comparing Jack and John & their levels of craziness, sad but true!
~Broke my heart to see Dr. Chang yell at his wife to get her too leave. Explained so much for older Miles, but how heartbreaking!
~Did anybody else think Sawyer wasn't going to get on the sub? For a little bit I thought he was going to get Juliette on and then stay on the island. Previews show him back on the island, but with the ladies as well. Hmmm.....
~The tunnels are amazing! All the hieroglyphics. Wish I knew what they all say. Another aspect of the Egyptian stuff that I think will play a huge part in the premise of the entire show.
~John's not holding anything back. Let's just get all the Others together & find Jacob!
~Awkward moment of the night, when Kate gets on the sub with Juliette & Sawyer! Didn't see that one coming.
~Any thoughts on how they got the bomb down into the tunnel?
~And we end with the others marching down the beach. They think they will finally meet Jacob. Yep, right after John kills him!
~Next week is our season finale. Recap show at 7pm and a 2 hour finale starting at 8pm. Lots of questions. Lots of answers? I sure hope so. See yall next week!



There's my thoughts for what it's worth. Tune in next week for my thoughts on the season finale 5X16 The Incident.