I Love You, Santa!!

Well, Liam finally was able to meet and speak with Santa Claus. This activity was super high on his list of 'to-do's'! John and I took Liam to Cool Springs Galleria and stood in line for nearly 2 hours to take a picture with Santa. Jonathan was at a friend's house and for some odd reason, didn't want to go. Ha!

Liam was an absolute angel the entire time we stood in line. This was probably because he was focused on his mission-meeting Santa and trying to make sure he had his wish list just right for when Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas.

I was a little fearful that Liam would freak out once he was actually with Santa but he didn't! He jumped in front of Santa and said, "Hi, how are you?" and then hugged him tight. He took a picture with Santa and then told him everything he wanted. When he was getting down he said, "Santa, can I give you a kiss?" Santa said absolutely! So Liam gave him a kiss and said, "I love you, Santa!" Ahhh...

As we were walking away to pay what could be loosely termed 'extortion' for the pictures, Liam stopped and ran back over to Santa Claus. Liam stood in front of him and said, "I forgot! Merry Christmas, Santa. Bye Bye!" Liam was on a high the rest of the day. Mission Accomplished!

Beyond Tragic

Hi! I know it has been a while since I posted. To say I have been busy is an understatement! I promise to update with Thanksgiving photos over the weekend! However, I came across this story on CNN and it really tore at me. Please read and keep this family in your prayers.



Tucson mother passes away, leaves husband and newborn triplets
Posted:Dec 6, 2007 05:27 PM CST

LOOK BELOW FOR DONATION INFORMATION
During this holiday season, a Tucson father has three reasons to celebrate. Andrue Smith's wife recently gave birth to triplet boys.
But tragically, his wife died after the babies were born.
Andrue is now struggling to cope with the loss of his wife and raising the babies on his own.
They're daddy's little boys. Legend, Tristian and Jaisyn were born six weeks premature, a week ago today.
"All I wanted was a son," he told us.
You can see the love in Andrue's eyes. Love, and sorrow, because his wife Debbie will never see her babies.
Andrue says, out of the blue, his wife got deathly ill. Doctors saved the boys, but couldn't save her.
"My wife's heart had stopped beating. Her body suffered and her brain suffered... It's not the kind of thing people will recover from."
So Andrue made the difficult decision to discontinue life support.
"It's going to be hard, very hard. I can't imagine a life without her."
Numb, this 28 year old single father of three is trying.
"My wife, I know she'd expect me to be strong and she'd want me to take care of those kids."
Andrew has a full-time construction job, but questions whether he earns enough to afford childcare. And if he quits his job, how will he pay his mortgage?
"Absolutely anything anybody can help out with or contribute, I'd be very happy to accept anything. I've got my babies, my three boys to worry about, and that's what's keeping me strong."
Andrew calls them daddy's little army.
If you'd like to help the Smith Family, you can drop off items such as diapers, clothes and car seats at Victory Assembly of God Church, at 2561 W. Ruthrauff Rd., Tucson AZ, 85705-1853.
A memorial fund has been set-up as well. If you'd like to donate to that, just go to any Wells Fargo Bank and donate to the Debra L. Smith Family Memorial Fund.
If you are wiring money from outside the Tucson area, please tell your local Wells Fargo banker to send your donation to account number 8453610233 through routing number 121000248.

Mad as He!!

Can I just rant for a few minutes? Would you indulge me for a bit? Good...

I heard on the news that the school district in Seattle is declaring the Thanksgiving holidays as a time of mourning. Yep, I am serious. I know public education is lacking in so many areas, but this is ridiculous as the administrators are seriously lacking in common sense.

Their logic is that we should mourn what we did to the Native Americans and not celebrate how we once dined with them and then turned on them so violently.

Let me say this; as a former history teacher and one who has taken graduate level history courses, I am not ignorant to the fact that we could've handled things a lot better years and years ago. Take a look at the text below...

Historical revisionism is the attempt to change commonly held ideas about the past. In its legitimate form (see historical revisionism) it is the reexamination of historical facts, with an eye towards updating historical narratives with newly discovered, more accurate, or less biased information, acknowledging that history of an event, as it has been traditionally told, may not be entirely accurate.

"Historical revisionism" (also but less often in English "negationism"

[1]), as used in this article, describes the process that attempts to rewrite history by minimizing, denying or simply ignoring essential facts. Perpetrators of such attempts to distort the historical record often use the term because it allows them to cloak their illegitimate activities with a phrase which has a legitimate meaning. Negationism relies on a number of techniques such as logical fallacies and appeal to fear.

Please just give me a break. When was the last time you sat at the table with your family and recreated the Pilgrims and Indians feasting together like on the Brady Bunch episode 30 years ago?

For me, Thanksgiving is a time to be with loved ones and enjoy their company. It is a time to relax and reflect on all of the blessings we have to be grateful for and then actually giving thanks for them. Truly, this is what Thanksgiving means to me. Well, that and eating too much and watching the Dallas Cowboys! (P.S. How 'bout them Cowboys?!?!?)

This year we are traveling to York, PA to be with John's aunt, uncle, dad and grandma. We will also visit the Gettysburg National Battlefield and the Amish Country. I love going to York because it is a happy and welcoming home in which we will stay. There will be lots of laughter, love, food, wine, and stories---perfect.

Don't look for us to be running around in the backyard chasing indians and stealing corn. And no, I am not making light of what happened to the Native Americans. I am just 'taking back' Thanksgiving.

No need to mourn this week-thank you very much!

Interview with God

This may take some time to load and play. However, I assure you that it is worth your time. Very touching and very timely. Please enjoy.

http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com/

Fall in Nashville

After living in Texas for 32 years, I now live in a part of the country that experiences seasons. I absolutely LOVE this about Nashville. My favorite seasons are autumn and spring, probably because of the visual eye candy they each provide. The picture to the right was taken just off of Natchez Trace in Williamson County.



The above picture was taken in the backyard, in our birdbath. Beautiful leaves. The picture below is taken just at the south end of our property. I love the burning bushes.




The next picture was taken a week ago in my co-worker's subdivision. I loved the colors on the tree as well as the rainbow. Gorgeous.




I am loving this time of the year. New England is known for their fall colors-but Nashville is not too shabby either!

Meet my newest 'son'...

It is official-I am now outnumbered 8 to 1 in my house by MALES! We have added a 7 week old golden retriever to our house! Jonathan got to name this puppy and his name is...Maynard. (BLEAH! EEK! Gag!) Maynard is the name of the lead singer of Jonathan's favorite band, Tool. His middle name is Caillou after Liam's favorite cartoon character. Maynard Caillou Cotter. Even with such a name, he is happy to be with us!

I saw Maynard on TV last Saturday as he was the featured puppy from the Animal Shelter. I had to go check him out! After spending close to 90 minutes alone in a room with him, I knew he had to leave the shelter and come home to his new family which consists of; John, Me, Jonathan, Liam , Claude, Jack and Max (all male cats) and Ronan, our 10 month old black lab. I am the only female in our household. It's good to be the queen...

Maynard is a typical puppy in that he wants to play all the time and chew on everything. Liam is probably the best disciplinarian. For those of you who know Liam, this fact does not surprise you! Maynard currently sleeps in Jonathan's room but this morning Jonathan announced that practice needed to stop. LOL Guess Maynard will have to find another place to roost at night!

We look forward to many years with our new golden retriever. Come see our newest addition-come see our entire zoo-we won't even charge admission!

Have a great weekend!

I'll post more pics of all the boys this weekend!

Growing up in the 80's

Someone sent this to me and I actually took the time to read through it all. Wow...it 'totally' brought back 'like' a lot of memories! : ) Read and enjoy the flashbacks...

1. You've ever ended a sentence with the word SIKE.

2. You can sing the rap to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and can do the Carlton.

3. You know that "WOAH" comes from Joey on Blossom.

4. If you ever watched "Fraggle Rock"

5. It was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons.

6. You wore a ponytail on the side of your head.

7. You got super-excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class at school.

8. You made your mom buy one of those clips that would hold your shirt in a knot on the side.

9. You played the game "MASH"(Mansion, Apartment, Shelter, House)


10. You wore stonewashed Jordache jean jackets and were proud of it.

11. You know the profound meaning of " WAX ON , WAX OFF"

12. You wanted to be a Goonie.


13. You ever wore fluorescent clothing. (some of us...head-to-toe)

14. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off and his cheeks shifted.

15. You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the only female smurf.

16. You took lunch boxes to school...and traded Garbage Pailkids in the schoolyard.

17. You remember the CRAZE, then the BANNING of slap bracelets.

18. You still get the urge to say "NOT" after every sentence.

19. You thought your childhood friends would never leave because you exchanged handmade friendship bracelets.

21. You ever owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes.

22. After you saw Pee-Wee's Big Adventure you kept saying "I know you are, but what am I?"

23. You remember "I've fallen and I can't get up"

24. You remember going to the skating rink before there were inline skates.

It's a Personal Choice

Today is Halloween and there are plenty of plastic pumpkins littering the halls up here at work. Thankfully, I am not the least bit tempted by the candy. However, if you place a big, fat cupcake in my face--I am so there on scarfing it down!

A few years ago, I made the personal decision to not celebrate Halloween. I do NOT condemn or judge anyone that does. In fact, I do not know anyone who feels like I do! I do not think it is evil that kids dress up and trick or treat. Not at all...in fact some kids look adorable. I just chose to not participate in this particular 'holiday.'

We used to participate in a fall festival in Texas at the church I attended. Kids were able to dress up in appropriate costumes and there were a ton of games and food. The event was called "Light Night" and hundreds participated. It was a safe, fun experience for the kids and the focus was on Jesus.

Perhaps when Liam enters elementary there will be fall festivals to attend as well. I hope someday the church I attend now will also hold some sort of alternative gathering.

I included these pics of my nephew, Nathan. His mom and dad told him he could carve anything he wanted into the pumpkin. He stated that he wanted to carve a cross so that the light of Jesus would shine through. I couldn't have said it better myself.

I am SOOOO old.....

As an educator,it is bound to happen! Your former students grow up and become adults-not just adults-but adults that are responsible,that become parents, and sometimes (ok, often!) make more money than you! One of my former students is now a mom (to Landon Cash) and a nurse in an intense field! Yes, many more of my former students have gone on to college, the military, and who knows what?!?! However, I have kept in touch with Jennifer ever since she graduated in 2000. She has come to Nashville twice from Texas to visit! I love her to death. However, she makes me feel OLD!

She gave birth to her little munchkin in Feb. 07. I know without a doubt that she is a fabulous and devoted mother. Jenn is a wonderful human being with a sweet, tender heart but is also hell on wheels when she needs to be. She will always be in my life!

Still, I feel old. Former students are now professionals with graduate degrees! Former students who are now in their late 20's and early 30's make me FEEL ANCIENT.

I love it when they are successful and I am thrilled when they stay in touch. I just wish I didn't have to feel so old every time they do!!!!!!

12 Ways To Obsolete-Proof Yourself

One of the constant fears people face is the fear of losing their job and with it their income and status. As you get older, your fear of being replaced at work and home with a younger, cheaper model can haunt you daily. The only way to confront this fear is to make sure that you get better as you get older.

If you want to be in demand over time, you must continue to grow in character, competence, and calling.

1. Become a knowledgeable expert at something lots of people need and want to know.

2. Take care of yourself. If you look old and puffy, you’ll feel old and out of touch. Workout, maintain a healthy weight, and dress cool for you!

3. Pass on what you know to others freely, without regard to what you get out of the relationship. Love people just because you can!

4. Ask for help and include people in your life. Let people know you need them and welcome them into your space. Do not allow yourself to become invisible or aloof.

5. Forgive past hurts and slights quickly. Bitterness will make being around you too painful and draining; therefore you won’t be missed when you’re fired.

6. Stay current and up to date on the developing trends in your area of interest. Read widely as well as focused on your area of expertise.

7. Develop a network of friends and associates and keep it in good repair. Don’t wait until you need a favor to reach out to people.

8. Make plans that require you to stretch, grow, and take risks. Write them down and date them.

9. Set goals beyond goals. They will keep you focused and hungry.

10. Keep your motivation centered around your life mission and make sure your life mission is grounded in helping people, meeting needs, honoring God.

11. Think long-term investment. Avoid emotional decision-making and remember that there is no short cut to any place worth going. Act like today is the last day of your life, but think like you’ll live at least to one hundred.

12. Maintain an attitude of wonder at all times. Never become a cynic, critic, or armchair expert. Keep your words and actions positive and hopeful.

Interesting Message (And thought provoking!)

This blog is a snippet of what my pastor taught on Sunday. I think it addresses an issue that ALL of us wrestle with from time to time.

Today @ The Gathering we completed our series “7 Lies of Organized Religion,” with the last installment entitled, “God does mean well, but it’s really all up to you.”



Of all the religious lies, this one is the most deceptive and ultimately devastating. And it questions whether God is good or great or both by refusing to accept the fact that He has a purpose for everything, even suffering.

We dealt with the reasons that God allows us to suffer in a straight-forward way by first of all making two absolute statements that you can get up and go to bed with every single day. They are:

1. God never betrays a trust.
2. God never breaks a promise.

If God is a promise-making God and a promise-keeping God, and if God promises that if we trust Him, we will never be put to shame, that He will never fail us; then circumstances always are interpreted in light of those two great promises.

Of the nine reasons we dealt with today, two of the most powerful were, number one, suffering is indeed a downside of God’s gift of choice. God has given each one of us the gift of choice and if we use that gift well, good things happen. But if we don’t we can be devastated.

That having been said, the real question is, do other people’s stupid choices diminish my life? And the answer is absolutely not. God is so big and so good, that He is able to give each one of us freedom to make choices; choices that can have a direct impact on us. Choices like, to get a divorce, to break a contract, to not honor an agreement. And yet even in those reversals and betrayals, God protects us. Other people’s sin does not have to diminish our own life.

The second point made during this message that really stood out in people’s minds was that suffering is the way we grow. We don’t grow in a vacuum. We don’t learn things just by studying a book, or a sheet of notes, or sitting in a Sunday school class. We have to live it every single day, to put it into practice.

Florida and Posh Spice

Jacksonville, FL.



I leave Sunday afternoon to fly to Jacksonville. I will also visit Tallahassee and Panama City during the upcoming week. I have to travel for my job and audit three facility's education programs. It will be a long and stressful week not only because of the travel but also because of the audits. Never fun and lots of paperwork and walking!

I wish I could say that I would have time to visit the cities while in FL. I will be working 12 hour days and the last thing I will want to do is tour! I will get back to the hotel, workout, eat dinner, review paperwork, watch the news and go to bed!

The hardest aspect of leaving (and it is always the hardest part) is be being away from my boys. I HATE, absolutely despise leaving them. However, I talk to them everyday and try to find something for them in every place I visit so that they know 'Mom' was thinking about them!

Other news...



I took the plunge and finally cut my hair into the style I had been thinking about for months! I wanted a more modern and age appropriate hair cut. I got it cut like Posh Spice. For those of you who have seen me recently, you know my hair color is very similar to Victoria Beckham's. Anyway, I LOVE it and John actually thinks it is a sexy and sophisticated cut. Jonathan wanted me to keep my long hair and was not happy. Oh well....I tried to explain to him that I was too old for long hair and with my position in the corporate world, I needed a more modern hairdo! Liam just said, "Mommy, where did your hair go?" then he proceeded to hold my face and turn me side to side before pronouncing, "You're pretty, Mommy!" Too sweet.

Well, I hope everyone has a great weekend! I will be in touch after I return from Florida. Keep me in your prayers as well as my family while I am away!

My Oldest Friend...

Theresa Campbell-Page

Now, let me preface this blog by stating that this does NOT mean Theresa is my oldest friend in terms of age! Ha-she loves to remind me every year she is one month younger than me! No, this blog is about my oldest friend in the world; the oldest friend I've kept up with through the years and the oldest friend who still holds a special place in my life.

For some odd reason, I am becoming sentimental. Is it because I am pushing 40? (OK, the big 4-0 is still 3 years away) It could be because my 20th High School Reunion is approaching this spring. OR, it could be due to the fact I nearly lost my father last month. I think the fact that I stopped to examine myself and all of my relationships during that time period, I am finding myself a bit more thankful for my life and the people in it.

I am going to use this blog over the next several weeks to highlight special people in my life. Theresa is the unfortunate OR fortunate guinea pig and first up!

I met Theresa in the 5th grade at Fannin Elementary in San Angelo, Texas. I thought she was exotic because she had just moved to Texas from Italy. (Her father was in the Air Force.) She was quiet and seemed like a duck out of water. However, we soon began to talk and realized we had a lot in common. We became fast friends and very close.

As the years progressed, they brought changes in our lives and our relationship. We experienced band in junior high together and many nights spent at the other's house. Theresa's parents became like my second set of parents and vice-versa. My folks loved her! We loved to watch silly movies and listen to music. Oh my gosh--if I had a $1 for everytime we belted out, "Come on Eileen", "In Your Eyes","Love Will Never Do" and every U2 song, I would be RICH!! We especially loved, "Parent Trap" and "Grease." I can also remember many nights sitting outside and talking for what seemed like hours and viewing the stars. We would talk about what we hoped our lives in the 'adult world' would bring us.

Throughout high school and college we remained good friends. At times we were not as close as we had been, but we always knew we could count on one another. Theresa was there for me through my first real love and heartache. (Lance, anyone?!?!?) I was there for her first real love which turned out to be her husband!!! I remember 'stalking' Steve one day as he ran errands in San Angelo and we followed him in my car. LOL Theresa married the first man she ever kissed. Wow, what a love story. Oh, did I mention we won tickets to see the greatest rock band ever? We did! We flew to Dallas to see U2 in concert. What an experience!

Theresa was there for me through one of the most difficult times in my life. She never judged me, but she did support me. Soon after that time, she moved to Omaha and married Steve. I missed her desperately. I still miss her desperately even though we have not seen each other for several years.

Theresa went on to earn her master's degree and publish articles in D.C. She and Steve have enjoyed traveling and building a life together. They welcomed cutie-pie, Ethan in Feb. of 2004. Now, Theresa and her family live in Germany where Steve is contracting with the government.

Theresa in five words: Open, Loyal, Sweet-Spirited, Smart, and Beautiful (on the inside and out!) I miss her and wish we lived close. However, Theresa is my oldest friend and I am so grateful we stay in touch. I know I can count on her and I believe she knows she can count on me.

We may not be the other's best friend anymore, but she was my first real best friend I ever had. And she still is my close friend and I love her dearly.

Lesson from Church Sunday

To quote a friend and co-worker: "You can be as good as gold and still bust hell wide-open"

~Tim O'Dell

This blog is not intended to offend a single person in my life. However, if it leads anyone to examine their beliefs, then that is awesome!

Michelle
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://www.davidfoster.tv/?p=475
Sunday, October 7, 2007

Today @ The Gathering we continued in our current series:7 Lies of Organized Religion,with installment #5 which says, "As long as you are sincere, all roads lead to God."

One of the major problems people have with Christianity is its exclusive claim, its truth-claim that Jesus Christ is indeed the way, the truth, and the life, as He claimed. People believe that this seems too narrow and contradictory.

So in order to avoid facing the reality, we've invented new realities which religion has embraced and expressed in sayings like, "It doesn't really matter what you believe as long as you are sincere." Or, "If you go to church as much as you can, be as good as you can, you might have a decent shot at heaven." Or,"If your good outweighs your bad, you are in."

Issues of eternity are way too important to be left up to these irrational, religious excuses to avoid the truth.Today we talked about the three reasons why what we believe really matters.

1. There's such a thing as truth and non-truth. This introduces us to the law of non-contradiction. A thing can't be true and not true at the same time. If you ask a woman, "Are you pregnant? " She's either pregnant or not. You either are or you are not. You are not just a little bit.
2. There is such a thing as trust and non-trust. Trust is built on truth. If there is no truth, then there can be no trust.

3. There's such a thing as love and non-love. A thing is either loving or non-loving. Love can't exist where there is no trust. And trust can't exist where there is no truth. So you can understand why truth is so important to building an inner life.

4. Maybe the most important, there is such a thing as eternal life and judgment. No matter how much we try to avoid it, all of us face the end of our lives. At the end of a long road, there is a debt that we all have to pay; the debt of dying a physical death. And yet even Jesus said that the gift of God is eternal life.

We also dealt with the 4 Freedoms: the freedom from the fear of death, judgment, being abandoned, and being forgotten.

Such is Life at the Moment...

After starting a new diet I altered my drive to work to avoid passing my favorite bakery. I accidentally drove by the bakery this morning, and as I approached, there in the window were a host of goodies. I felt this was no accident, so I prayed ... "Lord, it's up to you, if you want me to have any of those delicious goodies, create a parking place for me directly in front of the bakery." And sure enough, on the eighth time around the block, there it was! God is so Good!"

My Dad's Triple Bypass

Thanks to Melanie, here are a couple of pictures of my father. The top one is a couple of days prior to his triple bypass. My five year old nephew (Nathan) is with him in the picture. The bottom picture is LESS THAN A WEEK after surgery at HOME! Can you believe how quickly they send heart surgery patients home??? Oh well....

I always knew my father would have a heart attack before he was 60. Seriously, I just knew. However, when he did, it was still a surprise that my family would have to go through such a serious operation. My dad has been a trooper through the entire journey. I am very proud of him and how he has followed doctor's orders to a 't'.

I could probably fill up page after page regarding what he has gone through as well as my mother during this ordeal. However, I just want to share something fairly cliche. If you love someone, let them know. We are not promised tomorrow. And while I know where my father would've gone had he not made it through surgery, it was still important to spend that time and share those thoughts with him. I know that when Dad was rolled into surgery (telling STUPID jokes to the nurses and doctors!) that he was aware of how much he was loved.

I don't ever want to go through something like that again. However, I learned valuable lessons. I think we all did.

What's in a Name?

What's with, "Your heart is rent?" "What does it mean?" As a working mom, it means everything. It is a big part of who I am. I have always admired Golda Meir and could lace my blog with numerous thoughts and quotes from the lady. However, this particular quote touches me to the core, however cliche that might sound.

'Rent' in this context is the past tense of 'rend'. Definition: "to tear apart or into pieces violently; to penetrate and disturb; to distress the heart painfully". Yep, this quote pretty much sums it up as to what I feel on almost a daily basis.

Because being a mother is how I most define myself outside of being a child of God, I chose to go with what I feel the most regarding motherhood as I named this new blog. Sure, I feel joy, happiness, laughter, strength, and freedom (yes, freedom) at being a mother, I also feel my heart is rent.

My two sons are my LIFE. I know the criticisms that often follow such a statement. I don't want to hear them!

When I was 19, I was told I would more than likely not be able to have children without medical intervention. At 22, I gave birth to my sweet son, Jonathan. 12 years later, I gave birth to my second precious son, Liam. Would I like to have more? Yes!!!! However, God apparently believes two are enough! I struggle to constantly 'get in line' with this idea. Still, His ways are better than mine.

As I was saying, my sons are everything to me. To say I feel blessed to be their mother is an understatement. There are challenges to raising boys, especially when they are 12 years apart, but overall, boys RULE! Because Jonathan and Liam mean the world to me, my heart is constantly rent. I fear that I am not teaching them everything they will need to know in order to grow up and be: followers of Christ, independent, strong in mind and body, and responsible adults. This is when my faith leeps in the picture.

I pray for my boys daily and will long after they have families of their own. I also try and remember to pray for myself, that I will enjoy every minute, hour, and day I have with Jonathan and Liam. And...quit feeling sooo guilty! Get rid of the working mom's guilt!!!