Trippin' Out!

So I'm in the middle of getting ready for my big trip to Oregon in the next week (I've even bought a couple of new outfits!) It's my first real trip that's completely solo - and I have to say I'm SO excited! I'm usually planning trips around what other folks are wanting to do and places they're wanting to see, but THIS time....It's all about what I want to do!! That might sound a little selfish, but sometimes you just need some time to yourself for refocusing! I've rented a car and am staying at the most beautiful place (if the pictures on the internet are any indication!) http://www.thecoholodge.com I've decided that I'm going to try things I've never tried (which means no McDonald's for the WHOLE trip!) and I'm going to do things I've never done (no TV for the whole trip!). Hopefully I'll have time to sit down and share some of my NEW experiences with you! :) (But don't count on it 'til you see it!)

A Little Trip and A Big Lesson

A friend of mine is getting married tomorrow in Florida, so my sister and I have packed up all our stuff and headed to the SUNSHINE state on a road trip! We had originally started planning that we would drive down on Thursday and just make a really big day of it, but Nathan (the groom's brother) asked if we would come a little earlier to make the young adult ministry that he's become a part of since moving down earlier this summer. So, after work on Wednesday Laura and I got in the car and drove for about 4.5 hours and made it to Tupelo, MS. Our hotel beds were really comfortable, but that may just have been because we were SO tired! After our complementary breakfast (Laura had a waffle, I had Rice Krispy's!) we headed out for the last 11.5 hours of our trip! We made it in last night just in time to go to FORWARD with Nathan and the rest of the Forsyth crew!

The series they are starting is about made ordinary people Extraordinary in their time and last night's message was about Job. After all of the desolation that came (his children, his possessions, his health) he's really wondering what God is up to and why all of this has befallen him. It's not that he's angry or giving God what for...it's just that he's questioning the WHY of the situation. God comes down to him and says..."Where were you when I formed the earth and told the sea it could only come so far? Where were you when I flung the stars out into the sky and named them? Were you there??"

After going through the last couple of months in dealing with my health, I have to admit I've been asking the WHY question of God alot. Why me? Why now? Why do I have to go through this? Last night He brought it all home for me (and 1,000 miles from home I might add)...It's not for me to ask why, but to say that no matter what happens, God is still God. He's still in control and He's soveriegn. I started thinking last night, Do I have the faith of Job-to know that whatever has or will happen He will still remain true who He is.

When life comes at us hard (and seemingly from somewhere out in left field) our initial human response is to try to find some kind of understanding or cause so we can put the brakes on it. But maybe, just maybe the lesson is to see how much you trust in, rely on and have faith in your Maker.

A Fantastic Weekend

This weekend my sister and I went on a little adventure to my parents house in Lowell. On the way we stopped at CJ's Butcher Boy Burgers. The burgers were so big Laura and I could hardley get them in our mouths! We finally finished and continued on our merry little way. We made a pit stop in Altus to buy some wine at the Post Winery. I'd never bought wine before, so it took us FOREVER to figure out which kind to buy. Some friends of ours are getting married in Florida in a couple of weeks, but they used to live in Ozark so we thought a little touch of home might be fun! I think I was more excited about finally buying a bottle of wine than actually giving the gift! We also picked up some muscadine and grape jellies for Dad!

Mom had gotten tickets for the Natural's game on Friday. We had such a good time and the weather could NOT have been more beautiful. We were a little worried through the 4th inning, but at the very last moment, the Naturals did end up pulling out an amazing victory. (Score 1 for the home team!) After the game was over they turned out all the lights in the stadium and had the most amazing fireworks show! There is just something about the smell of fireworks that makes me happy (and think of watermelon!).

After the game we went to Braums (love these, but we don't have any in central Arkansas!) for some ice cream to top off our day. On Saturday we cleaned around the house a bit because Mom and Dad are thinking of putting their house on the market. Who knew there were so many odds and ends to getting a house ready to leave it? That evening we went to Smokin' Joes Ribhouse in Rogers. So completely yummy!! Dad ALWAYS gets brisket when we have BBQ and the rest of us usually get pulled pork! Both were immensely tasty! After dinner we followed the crowds to the Frisco Festival in downtown Rogers. Lots of fried foods, vendors galore and some pretty cool music by Sarah Brown and the Neighborhood. All in all it was one of the best weekends I've had in a while! :)

Movie Night

So last night my sis and another friend of ours went to to dinner (at Burger King!!) and to see G.I. Joe. I've really been anticipating seeing it because I remember watching the cartoons (vaguely) when I was little. But with all the new technology, gadgets and gizmos I could hardly find the cartoon characters in there anywhere! I have to also mention that the last time I saw the cartoons was over 20 years ago (did I really just say that??) so I might not be remembering very clearly! I am excited to see what the sequels will bring because that's always the tell of a really good movie. Did the follow-up sequel get you just as much as the original or was it better? Like the Bourne trilogy and Transformers, we'll just have to wait and see if G.I. Joe can hold it together for another round!! In any case we had a great time out. I always love spending time with my girls whenever we go anywhere!

KRIS ALLEN IS IN THE FINALS!

So, Kris Allen has made it to the finals of American Idol! I'm SO excited I can hardly stand it! I'm so proud of how far he has come and how much Central Arkansas has gotten behind him! The radio stations and tv channel personalities have really made an effort to "Come Together" and vote for him!
Kris has made such a lasting impression on the people around here! Everywhere you go people are wanting to talk about him and what they've heard other people say. I've even heard one person say that he's our generation's Elvis! Elvis?? He's great, but it will be years before we'll know if he's made that big of an impression, but wouldn't it be something?? :)

A Weekend with the Ladies!

So, I'm in the middle of packing my bags for a little getaway with the ladies from church! We're headed to a little cabin in Jasper, AR for a Women's Treat. (Notice: "Treat" vs. "Retreat"). Jasper is right along the Buffalo River and we've gotten ourselves a little spot that overlooks the river. What a way to wake up in the morning! We always have such a fun time together and with us being out in the middle of no-where I can only imagine the kind of shinanigins we're going to get ourselves into!

I think I might be more excited about the chance to get away from work and all the craziness that's been going on. Have you ever felt like you were the thrid wheel in somebody else's story? I SO get that all the time. It's almost like high school all over again! I had to remind myself over and over yesterday that I was an adult and had to act like one - but let me tell you...it was HARD! I'd like to be able to say that it was the easiest thing in the world to shrug off their whispers and uninclusiveness, but instead I pouted while sitting at my desk. (Not that anyone else saw, of course, but deep inside of me the little kid was at least partially satisfied.) I keep wishing the somehow I'd win the million and not have to go to work at all! I think I could make the half million I'd come away with after taxes last for at least 5-10 years!

Rrrrrr!

Work is not going so well today. Having a bit of a RRRRRrrrrr moment. Wish that I could *ZAP* my way out of it, but it doesn't appear like that's going to work. Gotta love these kinda days! :(

Sew! Sew! Sew!

Well I've finished another Senior blanket! This year there was only 1 Senior, so it wasn't as crazy as last year, but still there's always pressure to get the job done before graduation!! J wanted purple and green - and I have to admit I thought the color choice was a little crazy, but now that it's done I can say that the they work really well together!
My next blanket is a baby blanket for little R! He should be here in a little over a month, so I'm going to have to get crack-a-lackin'!! His momma wants blue and brown so I've gotten the thread and have the first 9 rows done! Whew! Busy, busy!

Fun Stuff

Today when I got off work, I just wanted to DO something! I jumped in my car and took the "long" way home and just so happened to pass by Barnes and Noble. Well, I couldn't let an opportunity like that pass me by, so I pulled in and spent a solid hour just browsing through the Travel section. I found two books that I'm really excited about 'cause they're prep work for my up coming trip to Italy. The first one is 24 Great Walks in Rome and tells where to start the walk, how much time to allocate for the walk and how long the walk is. It has the best maps and ideas for where to stop for coffee or lunch along the way. The second one is Venice Day by Day and covers what you should do if you only have "this" much time to spend in Venice. Both of them will be great for getting a handle on what things we'll want to do in Italy!

After my two fabulous finds I made my way over to Macaroni Grill and ordered Penne Rustica which is the perfect blend of chicken and shrimp and spice! If you haven't tried it...shame on you!! I'm normally a Pasta Milano kind of girl, but tonight I felt the need to branch out and try something different - and I wasn't dissapointed!! Actually, I'm not sure what's going on with me...I've been carbing up lately and it really needs to stop! I'm going to have to go on an all protein diet starting tomorrow. (I'll keep you updated, but I have a feeling that's not going to stick.)

God wants us to know that when we have Him we have everything. ~ A.W. Tozer

Coffee Cups

Have you ever noticed how different coffee cups are? They range in size and color and texture, but they're all created for one purpose. Granted, not everyone uses their coffee cups for that purpose, but the intent of the designer is the same - to hold coffee.

We all, as vessels created by God, have a common purpose, too: to know God and in that knowing of who He is, share that intimate acquaintance with the world around us. God purposed that we should know Him in order that the world may know Him. Too many of us believe that we can choose our own purposes and desires-essentially fill our cups with whatever strikes our fancy. (As for me, I sometimes use my coffee cups for ice cream or Frosted Flakes cereal.) Instead of filling up with the Word or understanding of God's innate character, we fill ourselves with the things of the world-neglecting the most important and crucial element of our creation.

Coffe cups are great thermometers. With just one touch you know whether or not you want what's inside. If you know that the contents are supposed to be hot and the cup feels only luke-warm...you toss it down the sink and start over. The world does exactly the same thing. If they touch you and find you only luke-warm - they want nothing to do with you because you aren't fullfilling the purpose of your cup.

Because we are not using our cups (vessels) for the purpose that that we were designed for, they are develop battle scars from life - a broken handle, a chipped rim, a tiny crack. Only the original Designer can restore the cup to full useful capacity. Yeah, we could probably superglue it back together, but it's never really whole until the Master Craftsman has restored it.

How is your cup? Are you filling it up with your intended purpose? Are you offering something of value to those who "touch" you? Do you have any chips or cracks in your cup?

For my determined purpose is that I may know Him (that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly). Philippians 3:9 (Amplified)

American Idol-Kris Allen

So, if you don't know already...I'm a Kris Allen fan! Just wanted to be sure that if you happen to read this...you'll vote for him tonight! :)

I Want it All

I want the presence of God Himself, or I don't want anything at all to do with religion...I want all that God has or I don't want any. - A. W. Tozer

So Maybe It's A Good Thing

So I ordered some clothes from the JCP catalog and they came in the mail last week. I got them out and started trying them on but they just didn't work out. You know what I mean...the shirt was too loose at the top and not loose enough at the waist, the jeans were just a little snugger than they needed to be for comfort sake, etc. So today after work I took the long way home in order to return them. I get up to the register and put the bag on the counter. The lady behind the counter starts the whole return process and 25 minutes later $15 more than the order price was added back to my credit card. Yep, you just read that right. Somehow when she rang up the return it added up to $15 more than what I had paid for them in the first place! Both the cashier and I tried to figure out what the difference was, but in the end we couldn't find it! So, while I was completely bummed about the clothes not fitting it turned out to be a good thing for my little credit card! Ain't life grand? I decided to be a gracious winner and bought the cutest pair of silver earrings! I'd show a pic, but my sister has the camera tonight!

A Start

I'm completely new to the whole blogging idea, so if this seems a little rough around the edges - it is!

I'm in the process of re-doing my bedroom. Currently it's red with white trim and black and white photos on the walls. When I first decided on the red (about 3 1/2 years ago) it was exactly what I wanted. Now it's driving me completely crazy so I'm Kilzing it to get it ready for the new color. It's taking two coats of Kilz to cover the red! My house is in a current state of utter chaos because everything that was IN my room is now spread all over creation!
I'm almost ready to start painting the new color, but I'm torn between Jubilee and Rhythmic Blue. Decisions, decisions!