Sigh of relief or a groan of despair?

Finals week is officially over!
Do I sigh with relief
or
do
I
Groan with despair?

I missed some important events this week, I canceled an evening out with a friend, I fell asleep 4 different times while finishing a final paper (I finally went to bed) so I'm sure the paper is great until the last page then it probably has a bunch of random misspelled cow jumped over the moon mumbo jumbo.. that does not in ANY way relate to the class...
I took my last final and just picked random answers instead of taking the time to look them up. I got a 32 out of 100...
That last bit is not normal behavior for me. I currently have a 4.0 and I like it, but I can kiss that goodbye this semester.
I can't complain because I still passed my classes. I was doing well enough in my last class that I didn't care if I bombed the test.
So I took a walk on the "wild" side and didn't do the responsible thing for the last final but JIMMY CRACK CORN AND I DON'T CARE!
I wish I had more hours this week so I could have supported everyone I needed to, socialized with the people who wanted me too, been the wife I usually am, been the student I usually am but my conclusion is if we had more hours in the day we would be required to work more hours too ;0p

So I sigh with relief because hell week is over but I groan in despair because I was a bit of a slacker and didn't live up to my full potential. But really the groan is just a weensy groan.

You found what?????

So we had to drill some safe deposit boxes today and usually they are empty and people just didn't return the keys, well four out of the seven we drilled had stuff in them. All had papers, ya know the basics: birth certificate, savings bonds, receipts for important stuff, will's, deeds, etc. except one. One in particular was very heavy. I handled it with care and opened it up to find guns. 4 guns! A SMITH AND WESSON 357 magnum, a 9 mm, a 45 and some itty bitty girly gun. The really cool one was the SW 357. This gun was huge!
Thankfully I got to shoot some various guns about two weeks ago and one was a hand gun so I was not nearly as nervous around these as I could have been. I am not claiming to be a gun expert but if you had never held one you wouldn't want to be handling any strange guns. So I followed proper gun safety and didn't point them at anyone.... and I bagged them and tagged them.

Marva, I am so weak!

So we are coming up on your 3 year anniversary of you partying in Heaven with JC. It still sucks and hurts and I miss you and I still cry and I am selfish. Yes I know you are singing glory right now but I need you, I want you here with me. I miss being able to just stop by your house whenever or calling you when some great injustice has occurred and your brutal honesty with me when I'm being a spoiled brat. I miss the comfortable silence we could have, I miss your pork chops and ranch tatoes! I miss your laugh, your smile, your gorgeous hair, I miss your awesome best friend advice and your cat lady sweater :0) I miss your son.
I haven't seen Jackson since late summer/early fall of 2008. Sharon picked him up for their weekend and she offered to meet us at Ihop and then Burris playground so we could spend some time with him. He had no clue who we were. Me... his aunt kimmykat and Nathan his uncle Nate. We are nobodies to him now.
You have to believe that we fought for custody. The lawyer said that he could dig up all sorts of junk on Justin's parents but he followed that up with "How much money do you have?" We had only been married 3 months and had ZERO funds. The card was maxed out on our wedding and no one would give us a loan for that amount of money with no collateral and we sho didn't have anything worth that much. He then closed with letting us know that in Indiana unless you had a will stating you wanted us to have custody it would be a battle that we probably, more than likely wouldn't win. We showed him the journal where you stated we were Jackson's God Parents but Indiana does not recognize God Parents.
Indiana also didn't remove Justin's parental rights since he didn't abuse Jackson. Apparently abusing the mother isn't enough for them to remove custodial rights. Justin signed his rights over to Owen and Sally. They haven't changed, they still suck, major!
1 by 1 they fell
June passed away
Owen passed away
Vinney passed away
but I'm sure that their student teacher aka your sorry replacement is still around.
We tried so hard to stay in touch with Jackson but I am weak Marva. I couldn't stomach being in their house, watching them pretend like everything was fine, listening to them tell me how well Justin is doing in prison and how he has figured out how to get around the system on some things, and when they started trying to convince me that it was all your fault and Justin couldn't help it, I had to quit!
They went so far as to send Chrissy to my work with pictures of Jackson asking me to come and visit because they missed me but it was just a ploy. As she was leaving she asked me to testify in court so Don and Sharron couldn't get visitation. She had the balls to say "You know Marva wouldn't want this"
I replied with "You guys haven't gave a crap about what Marva wanted" or something close to that.
Sharron kept telling us that we could come up on their weekends but they only get him every other weekend and they live practically 3 hours away. You know them.
It has been well over a year now since we have seen Jackson or Sally. It is the anniversary month of your murder. On Monday night I woke with an anxiety attack because in my nightmare Justin got out of jail and I didn't know and he just showed up at my house.
That's one of my biggest fears ya know...he gets out and I don't know and run in to him somewhere. I'm just not sure what is going on with me because I don't dream about you, Justin, Jackson or that situation.
When we put up the tree you would have been so proud of me. I found your ornament and I didn't breakdown not even once. God was with me, I got tears in my eyes but they didn't overflow.
So it's been an emotional month. I didn't even realize how much it was affecting me until someone asked me how I was doing, because they know what happened.
Tonight I had to run errands on the icy streets. I went to Morrison to pick up something, then to CVS close to Fazolis, then to Marsh on Walnut and I parked where I never park since the parking lot was icy. As I was getting ready to get out I froze because I saw Sally. Ironically she was donating money to a bell ringer. I couldn't get out of my car I was just stuck. Then she came out and got in a truck with Jackson in the back and what appeared to be a man in the passenger side. Man!??? What the crap? So I need to call tomorrow and make sure that Justin didn't get released. Sure he only got 25 years but he is eligible for parole in half the time and because Indiana is lame, he automatically got 2 years off of his sentence for good behavior so he has been in for going on 3 and he really only has to serve 9 but with overcrowding in the jails, you just never know. They don't look at voluntary man slaughter as harshly as murder. He murdered you but they settled so the prosecutor would get another "win" since elections were coming up and Justin got voluntary man slaughter. Indiana laws blow!
So 20 feet away from Jackson and he has no clue who I am. There is a hole in my heart, God can fill it but I'm not sure if he hasn't because he needs me to use it for something to glorify him or if I haven't let him.... IDK MY BFF!
Emotion overload this week. I love you and selfishly miss you. I am so sorry that I was too weak to continue. I should have fought harder for Jackson or sucked it up and pretended like I could stand those vile people but I couldn't....because I'm weak. I am so sorry my friend.

Keymology

I follow Christ

I adore socks and pillows

I've never met a Cadillac that I liked

I believe you can only have 1 best friend

I am completely silent in the mornings

I NEVER wear pajamas outside of my bed

I set my alarm for odd ball times like 8:03 or 7:49 never on the 5's or an even number

I heart going to the movies

Halloween is my favorite holiday and no I do not love satan or evil

I am an animal rights advocate

I am a licensed cosmetologist

I often over volunteer my time

I want a penguin and an elephant

I met the love of my life at 15 & married him at 23

Abby's Candles in grape are da bomb

Mmmmmmm Mexican food

I have a skinny girl fighting to get out of me

I wanna be the kind of mom that when my kids randomly bring home other kids I never have to say "We don't have enough"

Still a Backstreet Boys fan

I have pet a shark

I want an outside shower

I may or may not be an innocent car wreck expert

I have elves on my Christmas tree ladder

Mittens make me smile

I can't wear anything other than Burt's Bees on my lips or they explode

I am way emotional

I have a fear of failure

I am afraid of the dark

I have ophidiophobia

Alfred Angelo Fuchsia & Black were our wedding colors

I have 2 brothers

I'm a born and raised Army brat

Food textures creep me out

I prefer the bed to be made before I get in it

I believe it should always snow on Christmas Eve and Christmas

I love to sing

I fell in love with Ireland

I have a 9yr old massive carnival gold fish named Kitty

I prefer to be cold

I love the wind

I've learned the hard way that you should always answer your phone if you can

I have too many purses and shoes

The best games of all time involve the Super Mario Brothers

I'm not scared of new adventures

I get kankles when I fly :0/

I am a slight germ-a-phobe

My all time favorite past time is reading

Open Mouth, Insert Foot...

Have you ever said something then went "Uh...wait a minute, that is NOT what I meant"

We are in Chicago visiting -V- and we have been friends for so long that we have many many phrases that we say and others don't understand. Sometimes it is just a random quote from a movie like "Let's brew another batch" from Hocus Pocus or "Bam" IDK what that is even from.

As we were walking out of her apartment door tonight for fun and adventure I said "When we get back it is time for us to make some baby magic"

Then when we hit the hallway I thought "Um... I hope no body heard that"

It really doesn't mean what one would assume.

Back when Nathan and I lived in our town house and -V- lived across the grass she would often come over and we would play Mario Kart Double Dash.
In MKDD you can be baby Mario and baby Luigi. I was always baby Luigi and -V- was always baby Mario. We would pick the baby buggy as our car and kick some major butt. We won the entire game and thus we referred to it as "BABY MAGIC"

Since Nate and I knew we were coming up to visit we brought MKDD. As we were leaving -V-'s place I was trying to indicate that we needed to play MKDD and only Nate and -V- knew what I meant by "When we get back we need to make some baby magic"

Thankfully nobody saw or heard the three of us leave her apartment!

We had a baby!

A face only a mother could love!

3 Generations of Harris Women

At least I think my new demon possessed baby is a girl...

We wanted to buy this awesome Halloween decoration but passed, it was almost $50! Oh well it was cool to play with.

Pet Peeve (sp)

I loathe it when people yawn while talking on the phone.

Hello Rude much!?!

If you can't keep it in and it just keeps coming out please excuse your self from the phone conversation and call someone back!

ugh

That is all

My relationship with God....sometimes

"There For You" by Flyleaf

Sometimes I'm a selfish fake
You're always a true friend
I don't deserve you
'Cause I'm not there for you
Please forgive me again

I wanna be there for you
Someone you can come to
Runs deeper than my bones
I wanna be there for you
I wanna be there for you

Swirling shades of blue
Slow dancing in your eyes
The sun kisses the earth
And I hush my urge to cry

I wanna be there for you
Someone you can come to
Runs deeper than my bones
I wanna be there for you
I wanna be there for you

'Cause I hear the whispered words
In your masterpiece beautiful
You speak the unspeakable through
I love you too

I wanna be there for you
Someone you can come to

I wanna be there for you
And be someone you can come to
The love runs deeper than my bones
I wanna be there for you

I so kicked her butt

So I have went head to head with the gym two times now. So far I have won both battles. Muhahahaha victory is mine!
This skinny chick was next to me on the bikes and I was sooooo kicking her butt. I just happened to notice that her effort level was set to level 3 and mine was at 5 BAM! Now what. (You gotta say this all sassy cuz it really aint a question...you feel me) I was not spying on her either I was just looking around to avoid looking at the timer on the bike because I might loathe the bike and I honestly believe that the timer is slower because I hate it. 1 minute is really like 3 minutes! Watch out people watch out! And no she wasn't on it for an extended period of time so its not like she was kicking butt or anything. I believe that she is working on trimming her thighs. Flat stomach big thighs....if only I were so lucky :0p

HiiiiiiYAAA!

So it seems to me that Satan is in full force battle mode. He is attacking a lot of my friends right now. I was under attack last week and now it seems to be all the people around me. WHAT IN THE WORLD?!
God must be brewing up a big pot of.... well you get my drift, so Satan has to retialate. Well I say "Hiiiiiiya" and karate chop him in the _________________________ (fill in the blank)
So yeah Satan is a jerk-face and to that I say YOU SUCK SIR!

Oh My!

HA....or something like that....Right?

Lets go back in time shall we?
A few years ago someone who we thought was becoming a friend of ours started spreading a vicious lie about Nathan and I. Of course it got back to us and it hurt. We made a few mistakes *side note Not anything major just a few little mistakes financially* and after we became Christ followers we decided to handle our situation the way God tells us to in the Bible. Well this person twisted our situation all around and made it 1 billion times worse than what it really was and made us look like big nasty losers. I never shared with that person how much their lie hurt us. I am a super emotional person and I think that the wound was too fresh to be able to handle it in a loving manner. I had enough dirt on this person to spread truths to hurt them but I didn't. Instead of being nasty and vicious back we chose to start distancing ourselves from them.
Lets jump back to present time eh?
I talked to this person today and KAZAM they are now in the same situation Nathan and I were in a few years ago (with a few differences). Now you see my mind and heart don't always operate on the same accord. In my mind I thought HA...OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT....RIGHT? but in my heart I was feeling pain for them. The situation they are in sucks there is nothing good about it. Logically I wanted to be like JUSTICE IS SERVED! WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND! NAN-E NAN-E BOO BOO! But my heart took over my brain and those thoughts were fleeting thoughts that I don't think I really had at the moment. I believe they were more of an after thought like "Hey shouldn't I have been all like BAM IN YO FACE"
I hurt for them, I have and will pray for them because learning from your mistakes just sucks sometimes and no one should get joy from watching you go through it.
So God has transformed me from the inside out (I'm still working on the outside part but you get my drift)
This post isn't about me, it is about God and the marvelous work he has and is doing!
I praise you God for all that you are and for loving me even when I suck.

Boring!

So I just finished my World Geography assignment and let me tell you I feel smart.
I had to read a pro side and a con side to the unification of Europe and then weigh in with my opinion. It is really boring so feel free to not read it but I felt smart after posting this. You should have read some of the others... I'm just saying. Below is my post.

I believe that you can look at this several ways. As noted on page 67 uniting all of the countries would take the currency from many to just one. A united Europe with one currency would bring in a lot more money with tourists. I for one would probably visit other European countries instead of picking one and sticking to it my entire vacation. It is such a hassle exchanging currency not to mention the money I lose when doing that. The lost money is money that I could have spent on goods in the different countries. I would like to think that if more people spent more money in a “united Europe” then that would boost their economy. While this is just one good point to have the United State of Europe I must say that I disagree with them uniting.

In just looking at the pros and cons I feel that the cons far out weigh the pros.

To start with not every country is on the same page religiously. Pages 62 and 63 talk about the immigration Europe is facing. With so many Muslims now becoming involved with Europe it would never be feasible to try and have one major religion. Page 63 states that many men unskilled and uncompetitive in EU get involved in petty crime or the drug trade and end up harassed by the police, they turn to their faith for solace and reassurance. How are they going to feel if they are ostracized for their faith?

While some of the smaller countries may benefit from getting assistance the larger countries are going to be footing the bill. The bigger you are the harder you fall. I imagine that the larger countries have made a much larger deficit in their budget in an attempt to sustain and better their situation and are going to need all the money they can get to bail themselves out. Who would get to decide where the money goes and how it is spent. Unification would be a major change and not one that could happen over night.

The next issue I see is the language barrier. Page 58 points out that the 590 million people speak numerous languages and not all of them are mutually understandable. It also raises a good question of how is one determined as the “official” language. School curriculum would have to change; the new official language would need to be required. Attempting to get the entire country speaking the same language I believe would take more than a few decades. The old faithfuls who would hold on the the “old” ways would have to die off and I think it would take a few generations before their influence disappeared and the new “norm” actually became the accepted norm.

In my opinion there would be far too many people who would be feeling suppressed and controlled to have the European unification to be anywhere successful. The statement on page 67 “...ultimate goal….the creation of a federal United States of Europe, a worthy competitor and countervailing force in a world dominated by another federation, the United States of America”

That is a scary statement. If that is their ultimate goal, to compete with the USA, then I feel that they are not ready for unification. Their focus should be to better the lives of their people not to be able to dominate who they think is their biggest competitor.

New Widget & 69 days!!!

Wooohoooo I am sooooo excited about my New Moon count down widget! I decided to delete the movie trailer, I mean sure I thoroughly enjoy watching the NM trailer every stinking time I get on my blog but I am sure that some of you out there make a sound of displeasure when you hear it... you freaks :0)
I originally wanted a NM count down widget but all they had was the trailer widgets so I took what I could get. But yesterday on Stephenie Meyer's official website they released this widget. So needless to say I now have it.
*Sigh*
Only 69 more days until NEW MOON!
And you are welcome. I am glad I could provide you with the information you most certainly need because everyone in the world should know how long they have to wait for NM!

Technology!

We are having a Mexican food carry in tomorrow at work and I signed up to take in 2lbs of taco meat. On my way home at 9pm tonight I remembered that I only had 1lb of hamburger thawed out. I stopped by Marsh to grab another pound and when I made it to the check out the cashier was talking to a woman about her receipt. She looked up at me with out a greeting and walked away with the woman. I thought "OOOOOOk I probably would have said I will be right with you but what ev I will just glance at the magazines until she gets back" Since it was kinda of late she was the only cashier. When she came back she started ringing up my purchases, I went back to the actual check out line and gave her my Marsh card. My bill went from $27 to $12! Wooohooo for my Marsh discount card. I laid my phone down to get out my debit card, below is what happened next:
Cashier: "Is that a CELL PHONE with a CAMERA?" while leaning down inspecting it in awe.
Me: I paused for a moment thinking "Don't all cell phones have camera's now???" and "Is she serious?" Oh my friends she was VERY serious. I said "Yeah it is"
Cashier: "That is WEIRD!" as in I can't believe that there is a cell phone with a camera in it!
Me: In my thought bubble "What rock has she been under?" I really wanted to say something like "I know right! It is amazing what kinds of things they can do with technology theseadays, I mean what will they think of next.... maybe the INTERNET on cell phones or the ability to play music on cell phones!"
I didn't really say any of those things but I did kinda think them :0)
Shame Shame Shame on me!

You suck!

Yes that is right You suck! That is basically what my boss told me today.
I think from the minute I walked in the door today I must have had a sign on my face that said "Please attack me emotionally today, I enjoy it!"
With in the first 3 minutes she jumped on me and stayed there until she left for lunch. She even made me cry... (gasp and insert dramatic music here bom bom boooommm)
I sometimes cry easily however NOT a work.
Long story short: I made a teller mad and she retaliated which gave my boss the ammo she needed to pull attention away from herself. In the conversation she said "I can't coach you on your personality you have to change that yourself, your personality stinks and it needs to change"
That is worse than hearing "You are not doing you job"
I mean my personality....really??
What was really heartbreaking is that I try to be Christ like all the time especially at work because it is such a spiritual battle field and I really really really try to bleed God's love on others with out being a Bible Thumper and today after she said that I thought "What am I doing? Obviously not God's work if this is how it turns out" so I was distraught.
Tonight my good friend MO as she is listed in my phone called and we chatted for 30 minutes which is HUGH for us because neither of us really like talking on the phone that much.
She said that Satan is attacking where he can and if he can just get me to shut up he will succeed in his efforts.
BING! A light bulb came on over my head.
That is exactly what I was going to do.
IDIOT! (You must say this drawn out and in Renn's voice)
I was going to let the prince of darkness win. I was feeling so low that I thought I will just keep my mouth shut and say the bare minimum to everyone from now on.
The teller that retaliated against me was a teller I just recently wrote a recommendation letter for and surprise she received a scholarship for school because of it and I also spent countless hours on the phone and multiple emails trying to find her a paid internship at ONB which I did! So it really hurt that she would be such a witch.
At last because of my great friends who all love God, I will be heading to the battle field again tomorrow fighting battles for God's glory and wearing his armor.

Galatians 5:21-23 (NIV) ²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Ephesians 6: 14-17 ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

BAM! TAKE THAT SATAN!
As my good friend PK would say "KICK SATAN IN THE COOKIES!

Warning! Family Reunion. You may judge me on this...

I had the "privilege" of getting to attend our family reunion today. I try to go every year with my mom because it is her side of the family. At this reunion each family unit or single adult brings a dish or several and also they bring their own plates/silverware and drinks. Today someone asked what dish I brought. I looked at them and said "I didn't (insert pause here), I am a married adult and live in my own home, until I start receiving my own invitation (like I'm not a kid anymore) I count my mom's food as mine."
Then I realized that I didn't have a drink so I made a quick run to the Village Pantry to grab some soda and decided to pick up some cheese puffs. That's right folks I brought CHEESE PUFFS to the family reunion. Never say I don't participate!

As I was at the family reunion I looked around and realized that I am not really related to these people. I mean they are like from a different planet. I promise you there was an entire family of mullets there today. I rest my case!

There are approximately 6 people from my "extended family" that I see on a pretty regular basis so I don't need to attend the family reunion to catch up with them. The others.... I don't really want to know.
I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW judge all you want but are you attending family reunions to make sure that you keep in touch with ALL of your family. Let us just be honest folks, there are some family members that when people ask you if you are related to them you respond with "Why?" This should not be a normal response but it is!!!!!
So one of my classy and cool family members said "This is why no one ever gets to know anyone, we always sit with our click" my response "I'm ok with that"

There it is people, my brutal honesty. I am a firm believer that you sometimes have to create family. Yeah Yeah Yeah family is important and all that but sometimes you get the crap pot if you will. I refuse to pretend to be happy to see people once a year that I don't even know their name, they don't know mine and we are all ok with it. This isn't a one way street here.
So this is why I have a lot of acquaintances but am very picky about my core friends. You know the people you are REAL friends with not just the niceties on Sunday but the actual "What's new in your life and I really mean it because I care about you?"
And did you read about the mullets???

Lunch Date with another Man!?!?!?

That's right people, I had a lunch date with a man that is NOT my husband today.

It was lunch with the wonderful 2 year old Mr. Isaiah. I mean really have you taken a look at him? He is handsome, blond, big eyed, sensitive, full of conversation, and absolutely adorable!

I can't help it people this guy has got my heart wrapped around his little fingers ( I mean that literally. His fingers are tiny he is only 2)!

So look out Nate... I love you hunny but Isaiah is irresistible and he has carved out a spot in my heart for himself.

His wonderful mom joined us as well! Tacos = yum!

Facebook is screwing with me!

So I was on facebook last night when I saw an advertisement for Midnight Sun. For those of you who are not Twihards:
1st let me just say "What are you thinking? You are soooo missing out!" but whatever I am not judging... much.
2nd is some back ground info.
Stephenie Meyers wrote the amazing Twilight Saga. There are currently 4 books in the series: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn.
She was in the process of writing a 5th book titled Midnight Sun when someone leaked it. She knew who it was because she gave out different copies to a few different people so it wasn't hard to figure out who the jerk was. Stephenie was so upset that she decided in August 2008 that she was not going to finish the book at this time.
*Shed a tear, it is ok*
She later confirmed that she would finish the book however she was not putting a date on it.
I am a hardcore twihard so I often check her website for updates.

Flash forward....

I was on facebook last night and on the side bar there was an advertisement for a contest to win a copy of Midnight Sun!

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! How could I not know about this? I mean me... a twifanatic!?!?!? My heart rate increased and I was super excited at the prospect of Midnight Sun being so close.

HEY Don't you dare judge me!

I went to www.stepheniemyer.com to get the scoop. BIG BUST. There was no mention of Midnight Sun anywhere.

Stupid Facebook it was just screwing with me.

Warning! Frozen Hot Dogs.

At youth group we usually have hot dog's as one of our main foods for the kids. Today all of the Ball Parks were frozen so I ran a block of frozen hot dogs under the tepid water to break them apart so I could cook them on the hot dog cooker.
Enter the hazard...
As I was trying to break them apart my fingers slipped on some particulary stubborn hot dogs that were refusing to break loose. When my fingers slipped I really hurt the middle finger of my left hand. It did that thing where you hit something with a lot of momentum and the skin that is normally attached to your finger keeps moving but your nail stays put.
Yeah... ouch.
I didn't rip my nail off or anything disgusting like that, I didn't even bleed but I did pull the skin apart from my nail just a little bit. So I now am sporting 2 bruise marks under my nail and my finger really really hurts.
Oh the things I do for the youth! Who knew frozen hot dogs could be so hazardeous?
Perhaps they should come with a warning.

Good Friends, Good Food and Good Conversation

I got to hang out with two of my very good friends tonight. Tonya and Kate came to Muncie with out the kiddo's to have some chill girl time. Our plans were dinner at the O.G. (Olive Garden) then off to see a chick flick, we were leaning toward Julie & Julia but the movie didn't start until 9:50. Our next choice was The Time Travelers Wife but it didn't start until 9:40 so we skipped the movie and came back to have some chat time at my place.
While we were having girl time our husbands were having a guy night only the best part??? They had the kids! Woohooo. Don't get me wrong I love all of their children but girls need a break too.
How cute are we?
*Side note, I learned tonight that you can sub any pasta in any dish at O.G.

2 Jesus Points

A coworker of mine came back to work today. She took last week off because her oldest son was starting school for the very first time. *Sweet right?*
Today she is telling everyone we work with how she and her husband along with another couple plus one more male friend went to a strip club.
1. Why would you go?
2. Why would you tell other people you went?
3. Why would you go with another couple if you really felt you must go?
4. Wouldn't you be worried about your soul?
She was talking about how the other men were getting lap dances. Then she went on to brag about how she actually ENCOURAGED her husband to get a lap dance.
5. Morals aside...what woman in her right mind would encourage her husband to spend money on that?
She thought it was great because he wouldn't do it with her (his wife) there, he just had too much respect for her!
6. ARE YOU FLIPPING SERIOUS?
This is the chick that claims to be a "christian" you know the kind. Judgemental but is good on Sunday's sometimes attends church and not just on Christmas and Easter. Claims to love God but then turns around and talks trash about everyone, starts rumors and lets everyone know all about her sex life, all while ensuring she is the gossip queen.
I had a long conversation with her about her visit. I wasn't hateful but I really wanted to know where she was coming from. How can you claim to be a Christ follower and then proceed to turn your back on him all the time?
My other staff were encouraging her all laughing at her sick and disgusting story. I felt so alone in my office and thought "I have to get out of here"

Flash forward to a few hours later.

Another one of my employees comes in my office and we had a few words. There is something she wants and I won't give in (disclaimer: I have very good reason, I mean I am the boss so I must do what is right) and we talked it out. Our conversation ended up with me inviting her and her family to church. She is moving back in with her mom and will be living in Farmland. The conversation was like a breath of fresh air. It made me realize that I am where I am because God wants to use me. I can bleed God's love on my employees and hopefully that will be a breath of fresh air for them when they hear crap like the above story.

I have had many great conversations that were Christ centered with my employees but so often it seems like I am throwing seeds on the rocks, but today I saw where one seed just may have landed on the soil.
So PRAISE GOD, praise God for using me who is completely unworthy of him. I wish I knew the right thing to say to make everyone realize just what they are missing and that they would all TESHUVA.
My wonderful husband called and I told him about the day. He said "I'm proud of you baby, you just earned 2 Jesus points"
and to that I say "Nice"

Today made me think about The David Crowder Band's song Everything Glorious.
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
And I am yours
What does that make me?

Wolf Power? Who knew???

So my friend -V- told me I should check out this 80's fab wolf t-shirt on Amazon. To the left my friends you can see the "awesomeness" Amazon has said that this shirt has been on their web site for years with not a lot of hype (I really have no clue why either) until a college student posted a funny comment. Since this post on www.amazon.com the shirt sales have exploded, due to its mystical powers. You can read the comment below.

It has become a best seller in the apparel category. Reviewers have touted the shirt's magical properties to attract women, including cheerleaders.

"This item has wolves on it which makes it intrinsically sweet and worth 5 stars by itself, but once I tried it on, that's when the magic happened. After checking to ensure that the shirt would properly cover my girth, I walked from my trailer to Wal-mart with the shirt on and was immediately approached by women. The women knew from the wolves on my shirt that I, like a wolf, am a mysterious loner who knows how to 'howl at the moon' from time to time (if you catch my drift!). The women that approached me wanted to know if I would be their boyfriend and/or give them money for something they called mehth. I told them no, because they didn't have enough teeth, and frankly a man with a wolf-shirt shouldn't settle for the first thing that comes to him.

I arrived at Wal-mart, mounted my courtesy-scooter (walking is such a drag!) sitting side saddle so that my wolves would show. While I was browsing tube socks, I could hear aroused asthmatic breathing behind me. I turned around to see a slightly sweaty dream in sweatpants and flip-flops standing there. She told me she liked the wolves on my shirt, I told her I wanted to howl at her moon. She offered me a swig from her mountain dew, and I drove my scooter, with her shuffling along side out the door and into the rest of our lives. Thank you wolf shirt.

Pros: Fits my girthy frame, has wolves on it, attracts women
Cons: Only 3 wolves (could probably use a few more on the 'guns'), cannot see wolves when sitting with arms crossed, wolves would have been better if they glowed in the dark."

I mean really folks... we should all have one!

CANNA I GET A WOOT WOOT!

WOOT WOOT! Word homies!! We now have the internet at HOME. I know I know I know it is simply.... wow. You just never know what your missing until you have it. Ahhhh so I believe that I will be back to blogging reguarly now. So look forward to reading more about the wonderful and amazing Ireland, because seriously it is so fantastic you need to see, read, hear more.
*insert girlie giggles here*

Newry & Kids

We went to Ross Travers (?) and checked out the Christian Renewal Center. WOW! I believe these people should give me and Nate this place....

We then ventured to Newry to be locals. We ate lunch at ground a trendy coffee bar and then had some chai tea. It was not as good as ours at FFC, so I tossed it.

After some shopping at TK Maxx no that was not a typo it is TK not TJ here. I scored a PUMA bag for 9.99! Sweet action. We headed home to get some rest before the heathen youth get here :0) for a BBQ.

The kids are here now so I gotta go!

Nathan and I ventured out and about the town today! We went to the post office and exchanged our Euros for Pounds. I'm pretty sure that we lost a LOT of money when we exchanged. We originally exchanged in Newark, NJ from US to Euros (because that's what we were told we needed!) and when we got here we found out that Northern Ireland uses the pound because it is part of the UK. Southern Ireland uses the Euro, soooo we had to go to the post office to exchange our Euros to pounds because in most NI places they do not take the Euro. When the post master told us what we were going to get back in US if we exchanged the Pounds made my jaw drop. I'm still not sure where the money went!?!?!?

While in New Castle we ventured to a little used book shop and one their versions of a dollar store. Their pound is our dollar, so one of their versions of a dollar store is "Around A Pound". The lady we were with Cynhia, had to hit the grocery to pick up some missing ingedrients for our lunch she let us roam for about 20 minutes and we had to meet her back at the car. The grocery she went to was Lids. This was their version of our Aldi's. They had giant pictures of fruit and vegetables and underneath it said "SERIOUSLY CHEAPER" hahahaha That guy should get a raise :0)

After lunch we went to Downpatrick. Cynthia dropped us off on her way to Belfast to drop off an intern from Paris at the airport so she could go home. We visited a cathedral, St. Patricks grave, The prison and all the stuff that went with that, then the St. Patrick center where it was a museum with a IMAX movie *Way different version of an IMAX than ours*. Cynthia picked us up on her way home.

After dinner we went to Dundrum to hang with Richie's youth kids. FYI Irish youth is WAY different than ours!!!! The Taylor University soccer team joined us and we just hung out with the kids. Then we headed to the Galley (?) to get what Pink called the BEST fish and chips. Well I gave it a whirl and I still detest fish (and chips when fried in fish grease) *Insert disgusted look here*! Everyone loved them with the exception of me and 2 others and all 3 of us despise fish in general so I guess we don't count.

After we dropped the soccer team off we went to a real Irish pub! It was nothing like I expected. I was thinking a loud smoky bar where giant Irish men were tipping over in a drunken state *In all fairness I have not been to many bar's in my life and never an Irish pub* It was a really nice restaurant with no smoking and they stop serving alcohol at half past 11. Hardly anyone was there and it was a family establishment. Nathan and I had our first and I believe last glass of Guiness. They let us keep our glasses as souvieners. So yeah... were practically locals now :0)

It is now 1:22 A.M. and I need to get to sleep. I can't be falling asleep durring the Bible lesson tomorrow now can I?!

Wednesday!

I have high hopes for today. It has been hard to hear God because everyone is trying to drown him out (by that I mean they love God but they are too busy with trying to put their agenda on everyone else), but today, today I feel good about.

Excuse me... Could you please shut up?

I have always had a fine appreciation for people who know a LOT about something.

What I have never developed an appreciation for is people who THINK they know a lot about EVERYTHING.

What a Day!

Today we went to Narnia

And we came out at the Irish Sea

We discovered some really cool things

P.S. I had NO clue that seaweed attached its self to rocks!

We made some friends!


But at last it was time to head back

And get ready to hit the streets downtown

All in all we had an awesome day!

Belfast!!!!

So Nathan and I made it safely to Ireland! Woohooo, this place is beautiful.
I was in the country for about 45 minutes when I learned my first valuable lesson.
The Taylor University soccer team is also staying at Murlough house and they just happened to be on our plane. We were instructed by Richie (I am referring to him as our Ireland tour guide) to follow the lads and get on the same private coach to get to Murlough house. They were detained at customs because they didn't give the officers a satisfying answer as to why they were in Ireland. Apparently training for soccer wasn't good enough. We were almost detained with them because we are staying at the same place! We made it through and went downstairs to claim our luggage *this is where I learned my lesson* I had to use the "facilities" because lets face it airplane bathrooms even on a 757 are not spacious and you almost have to perform acrobats to pee!
So Nate points out that there is a bathroom to the right of us. I look and see a door to the left of the bathroom door *logically one would think 1 is the men's and 1 is the women's* so I am delirious mind you because it is around 4 a.m. Indiana time and I didn't sleep on either plane ride. I stumble past the group of airport workers and to the bathroom. Mind you we have been traveling non stop in the air for like 7 hours so my ankles are really kankles at this point. I open the bathroom door only to be greeted by a urinal?????
No one was at the urinal THANK GOODNESS but I assess my surroundings and at first *Hello I'm still delirious* think "Weird! Why would Ireland have urinals in the women's restroom?"
So I take a small step back because I am still in the door way and take a closer look at the stick figure on the door.
Oops! This stick figure is NOT wearing a dress.
I turn around to make a hasty exit and one of the women are pointing at the women's restroom (NOT next door to the men's but WAY on the other side of the room.

Lesson #1 in Ireland: Always pay attention to the stick figures attire!
*yes I know you think I would already know this* :0)

My friend V landed in Dublin a few years ago and she said that the bathrooms smelled good. FYI the bathrooms at the Belfast airport DO NOT SMELL GOOD.

More to come this week on Ireland so keep checking back!
Did I mention that this place is BEAUTIFUL!

Cosmic Vending Machine???

I have had several friends who have "issues" with God. As the "Token Christian" friend they turn to me. Sometimes they almost sling insults at me because MY God is not answering them aka Giving them what they want. I had an extended conversation once with a dear friend. I will paraphrase our words
Friend: "I've talked to God! I asked him to ......, and he isn't listening to me. He doesn't care"
Me: "Perhaps he is telling you something you don't want to hear, so your not listening"
Friend: "NO! All I have ever asked he ignores me, he never gives me what I want. He can't hear me"

I have been rolling this over & over in my mind for awhile now. What is the best way to respond to people when they are in this mind frame.

One Sunday PK hit the nail on the head.
GOD IS NOT A GIANT COSMIC VENDING MACHINE IN THE SKY!

That night when I was reading my Bible I came across something called Off And Running. In my Bible there are little boxes here and there like this that will pertain to something you have just read in the above/below/beside scripture. This one was in the book of John.

Pray Expecting to Get Answers (Read 1 John 5:14-15)
"Prayer is not getting your will in heaven. It is getting God's will on earth. Prayer is not an argument with God in which you try to persuade him to move things your way. Prayer is an exercise in which his Spirit enables you to move yourself his way. Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance. It is laying hold of his willingness. We like to gravitate toward the latter part of these verses. But don't forget the first part. You have to first "stay in Christ" by maintaining a healthy, ongoing relationship with him. When that happens, you will see your will coming in line with his, and your requests will begin to mirror what Christ wants to do in your life and the lives of those around you. At that point, you can be assured that God is listening to you and will answer your prayers"

TA-DA!

So simple. Why would God give you the time of day when you WON'T give him anything?
My dear friend (as far as I know) has never had a real relationship with our wonderful, loving heavenly father. She doesn't even play the hokey pokey as Pink would say. She just flat out has no connection to God. So sad. I love her and I want her and anyone who doesn't know Christ to have him in their lives.
Sorry I was getting off track here.

The answer is simple. You have to have a RELATIONSHIP with God. He is not a giant cosmic vending machine in the sky for you to visit when you need something.

Fear

I woke up this morning with fear controlling my body, then I realized that today is only Saturday so I collapsed back in bed and slept for another hour.
When I woke up an hour later I had a moment of panic.....then I realized that today is Saturday. I stretched, got up and got ready for the day.
Nathan and I will be heading to Memphis this afternoon for a wedding tomorrow.
Tomorrow is Sunday and I will be getting up early to go to Cardova Tennessee and style the Brides hair. No pressure just one of the biggest days in her life! :0)
I always get struck with fear the day before something major because I am afraid that I will miss it, be late, not be able to find it, etc....
At last I am good to go, we will check in to our hotel tonight, go eat at a restaurant people keep telling us we have to eat at in Memphis, I will set my alarm and have the front desk give me a wake up call. What's the chances that I will miss both of those???

Tourist

This trip to visit my family has been interesting. Nathan and I are getting to be tourists. I lived here for a few years and never once did my family and I venture out. I'm sure the adults did but I was a kid so I was stuck at home.
We went back to the Bluff View Art District today and ate lunch at Tony's. Ohhh lala, it was good, then Nathan and I took a stroll around the art district and took some fun pictures. I'm sure Nate will put them up on his blog for your viewing pleasure.
Last night we hit the Murder mystery dinner theater, it was a blast! I got pulled up on stage as part of the act, the food was good, the show was good, the atmosphere was good, yeah it was good.

mUrDeR mYsTeRy????

We are going to the Murder Mystery Dinner Theater tonight...in less than an hour and I have been lazing away on the net. (you just don't miss stuff til you get to use it) So I need to:
Blow Dry My Hair
Flat Iron My Hair
Apply My Make-up
and
Get Back On The Net
:0)

Vacation.....kinda...

So Nathan and I made it safely to Tennessee with a pit stop to Chick-fil-A in Murfreesboro. You can read all about our trip down by going on Nates blog. We had a minor hair crisis this morning but all is better now.
Seriously I am sure that some of you are laughing at me right now but it was a crisis folks! When we were packing I realized that I only had liter size of my PROFESSIONAL shampoo and conditioner and I was running out of hair spray so I told Nate that we would just stop by the supply store on our way out of town. Well....we forgot.
I get in the shower today and realize when I reach for my shampoo & conditioner that I was a doofus and didn't bring any. Nathan said "Just put your hair up and we will get some after lunch" The problem was that I had already wet my hair down.
I don't have normal hair. It is EXTREMELY curly and has bleach in it = unmanageable, tangled mess. The last time I didn't have my products I almost had to cut my hair off because I couldn't get a comb through it. NO JOKE.
So Nate goes in search of shampoo & conditioner. My brother uses a razor on his head so he doesn't have any hair products in his bathroom. Nate brings back SUAVE 2 IN 1 from Katie & Steph's bathroom. (It was all he could find)
WHAT!?!?
As I am trying not to have a breakdown I attempt to wash & condition my hair with this trash.
*SIDE NOTE, Under NO circumstances can a product cleanse (removal of junk from hair shaft) and condition (replacement of nutrients back into hair shaft) It just can't happen people, it just can't*
I attempted to comb out my hair while spending 40 minutes calling around trying to find a professional beauty supply store and then threw it up in a pony tail.
We ate lunch in the Bluff View Art District of downtown Chattanooga, and then headed to my brothers work place. Mick's (my brother) work bought a hotel that was built in 1909. The down stairs is a computer data thingie but the 2nd and 3rd floors are the original hotel. It was crazy awesome getting to explore it. It was so beautiful, the staircase was my dream staircase. It needs some work since it has been there since 1909 but who cares!
Our camera died so Nate didn't get any great pictures but there is always tomorrow.
We went to State Beauty Supply and TADAAAAA I bought what I needed. We went back to Mick's and Nathan and I showered for the 2nd time in just a few short hours. My hair no longer feels gummy when it is dry and slimy when it is wet. I got a comb through it in just 1.5 minutes if that long! Praise GOD for the small things!!

And I checked my grades....4.0 for this last semester. Woot Woot!

Not Finished...

I decided to change the blog layout and it is not done. I need to change the top so the color matches.
Notice the vines on the side...
Notice the branches in the middle....
Yup that's right folks THE BRANCHES.

Confused

So I'm a little confused by some events that have passed this week.
I think it is amazing that God gives visions to people. Visions for them to carry out to grow God's kingdom. Visions that they are supposed to carry out to give GLORY to GOD. Visions to help lead people to the SAVING KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST.
Only to be squashed and for them to not be allowed to carry out the vision of GOD.
GOD, people. GOD!
It is not about us and our comfort. It is about the unsaved, those on the pathway to hell.
I remember hearing some say they would do anything short of sin to lead people to Christ.
Well it looks like anything except that.....

I was bummed, greatly disappointed, wallowing even but then I realized that everything happens in GOD'S timing.

So this trendy chick is chilling. Big things are going to happen all in God's timing!

It's been awhile....

So Nathan and I still do not have Internet access at home, this is why I do not blog right now.
We went to Jamaica in January and I promised to let you guys know about how the trip went.
At first I wasn't ready to share because I was so over whelmed with emotions and thoughts.
It has been just over 3 months and here I go...

I have a love hate relationship with Jamaica.
Yup...I said it...
I am not a builder, if you look at me you can see that I am not really physically active. I despise the heat & food with bones in it, well not really my thing. I am an animal rights activists and the people of Jamaica have a hard time taking care of themselves let alone all the stray animals, hence the hate part of our relationship.
However there is a flip side as well.
I loved talking to the people and getting to witness to them. RELATIONSHIPS, that is what I am all about. I believe God made me outgoing for a reason, surely he has a plan to use me and my personality to help benefit his kingdom.
We built the house for was a single mother of two. Her oldest daughter Jessica stole my heart. Here were these two beautiful little girls in poverty. It was so sad. These children have nothing and sometimes do not get to eat yet Jessica was the happiest little girl ever. Everyday on our way down to the work site Jessica would be there to greet us always with a smile on her face and jibberish coming out of her mouth. This two year old could not form sentences or have conversations and then I realized her mother really didn't talk so how would little Jessica learn?
One night we went to the boys home. Another sad experience. Here were all these boys being taken care of by one lone man. Try as he might he just couldn't give each child the individual attention they deserved. So while we were there we got to talk to them, witness to them by teaching them the story of Joseph, play games with them and get to know them.
I loved the time I got to spend with my husband and the entire team. We met people from other states in the US and got to hear their story. We learned how the missionaries live and work. We shared secrets with each other and prayed for each other. One of the most important things we did was to get out of our comfort zones, not always an easy task!
In short this is the story of my love/hate relationship with Jamaica. I can't tell you everything about the trip because that would be the longest blog post in history and I think you should check out missions work yourself.
God definitely changed my heart while I was in Jamaica, I guess we will just have to see where that leads us.
Thank you to everyone who donated to us so we could go on this trip. If we haven't already told you in person then it's coming.

On a roll...

I was totally on a role with school tonight and then blackboard shut down! WHAT THA...? Oh well I will get some sleep tonight and be able to tackle it fresh tomorrow.

Still not ready

I'm still not ready to share about Jamaica yet. Processing takes some time ya know. If you haven't already stopped by my husbands blog and read/saw all about the missions trip then you should ;0)
I'm behind in school work too so that is going to set me back as far as blogging goes.
Talk to you soon blog homies!

The time has arrived...

We have to be at the church in just 7 hours. I am waiting patiently for Nathan to finish packing so I can pack. It is amazing how prayer helps so much. Thank you to everyone who prayed for us this week. I am as cool as a cucumber. Shout out to my homie Cobi- I so wish you were still going!
Everything just ya know fell together and tonight I am pumped. Pumped to be going, Pumped to be in Jamaica, Pumped that God is going to use ME, Pumped that I will develop stronger/new friendships with others, Pumped just pumped.
So goodnight for now, I will return to blog land sometime in February probably. I don't want to commit to blogging as soon as I get back. I think this is going to be such an amazing experience that I may need a little time to absorb it when we are back in Frigid Indiana! I must say impeccable timing with the weather...

Miss us while we are gone,
xoxo~Keym

Pray please

So just a few short days away from Jamaica.
Ton's of people have been asking me "Are you getting excited?"
Seriously what am I supposed to say?
Don't get me wrong I am so fortunate and blessed to be able to go. I am looking forward to getting to do God's work. I just don't have the faith in myself. What if I fail? What if I say or do the wrong thing and have the exact opposite effect that God wants? I have NO clue how to build a house. NO PRESSURE THERE.
Also this week is overwhelming on my schedule.
Work, haircuts, haircolor, School started today, Growth group, Youth group, Getting the house in order and the pets settled for the next week, laundry, packing, dental appointment. All of this in a few hours in a few short days.
So yeah I am excited about Jamaica but right now my emotions are on OVERLOAD! I am sure once I am up in the air life will be good again, but until then would you please pray for me?

Luke AFB is west of Phoenix and is rapidly being surrounded by civilization that complains about the noise from the base and its planes, forgetting that it was there long before they were. A certain lieutenant colonel at Luke AFB deserves a big pat on the back. Apparently , an individual who lives somewhere near Luke AFB wrote the local paper complaining about a group of F-16s that disturbed his/her day at the mall.

When that individual read the response from a Luke AFB officer, it must Have stung quite a bit.

The complaint:
'Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base:

Whom do we thank for the morning air show? Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 A.M, a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at approximately 500 feet. Imagine our good fortune! Do the Tom Cruise-wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyns early bird special?

Any response would be appreciated.

The response:

Regarding 'A wake-up call from Luke's jets' On June 15, at precisely 9:12 a.m., a perfectly timed four- ship fly by of F-16s from the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base flew over the grave of Capt. Jeremy Fresques. Capt Fresques was an Air Force officer who was previously stationed at Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on May 30, Memorial Day.

At 9 a. m. on June 15, his family and friends gathered at Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son and friend. Based on the letter writer's recount of the fly by, and because of the jet noise, I'm sure you didn't hear the 21-gun salute, the playing of taps, or my words to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques as I gave them their son's flag on behalf of the President of the United States and all those veterans and servicemen and women who under stand the sacrifices they have endured..

A four-ship fly by is a display of respect the Air Force gives to those who give their lives in defense of freedom. We are professional aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on June 15 what the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay their ultimate respects.

The letter writer asks, 'Whom do we thank for the morning air show? The 56th Fighter Wing will make the call for you, and forward your thanks to the widow and parents of Capt Fresques, and thank them for you, for it was in their honor that my pilots flew the most honorable formation of their lives.

Only 2 defining forces have ever offered to die for you....Jesus Christ and the American Soldier.
One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

Lt. Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr.

USAF

Twifan

I may not be 14 but I am a Twifan. In fact I pre-ordered the "Special Edition" Twilight movie tonight from Amazon.com. It comes out March 21, 2009, just 3 days after my birthday~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME.
Twilight = Good times