Good-bye 2009

It has been a while since my last entry...call it writers block, call it "not one spare waking second to be alone with my thoughts", whatever you call it, my mind has still been spinning. I must confess that my list of things to accomplish has not really been dwindling down and my "read my bible in a year" daily reading log has also fallen behind. This leaves my spiritual position in a place I would prefer it not be left. Don't get me wrong, I rejoice in the Lord and the true celebration of the birth of Christ for Christmas, I feel from my depth that is what this time of year is all about, but as I said, the busyness of the school parties, the work parties, the family visiting, (though all was wonderful and very special, the preparation can sometimes be exhausting - leaving little time to be quiet in my own thoughts).

The boys received a daily devotion for Christmas, and we have enjoyed piling up together and doing the devotion, and taking turns praying together...something that we used to do, but again, got out of the "habit" of doing thanks to life taking over. I have asked the older boys to pray about a way for us to serve the Lord this year... we have been out of service for too long and I ask myself, "What are we doing for the Him?" I truly feel like we are missing so many opportunities and quite frankly, blessings, by our idleness. We think that by teaching our children about serving the Lord and following Him that our job is over, but actually, it is just beginning. "Do as I say, not as I do!" NO MORE! SO we are prayerfully seeking a way to DO as a family. For many years, Russ and I served in the Married Couples Ministry, but our boys never "experienced" that service. They are getting to the age where at least the older ones would understand. Now the only question, is "What does that look like for our family?"

Moving to South Carolina has been a blessing in many ways. One way is that we are closer to family. It has been so wonderful to see my mom and Tim once a month or so, after only about 2 times a year seeing my mom and not seeing Tim for 2 years. Russ' mom and dad are about 6 1/2 hours away and Amy and Chris and our nephew Micah are about 7, though it takes them about 12 because they stop A LOT on the way. I have complained about one thing here though...here's the thing...in Florida, it was very much a "northern culture" meaning, people were NOT generally very "friendly". However, you pretty much knew where you stood with everyone. If people were friendly, they were authentic and really cared. In the "south", it is very much "southern culture". One thing you will almost always hear, is that everyone is sooooo friendly. Yep! That is absolutely true! The only problem with that, is that many times that friendliness ends with superficial greetings and how do you do's. The authenticity and "care" is many times not present. It is the polite thing to do to ask how you are, but at the end of the day, many people do not really care. Many are concerned with being "proper" and "friendly", but that does not minister to one another or the needs of people in any way. SO, I find myself, yet again, in a pity party, wishing someone would come along side of me and "care enough about me" to pull me toward a closer spiritual relationship with Christ. HOWEVER, I have also realized that I am at fault for expecting anyone to help me to be a more spiritual person, or to help me have a closer relationship with Christ. It is no one else's responsiblity but MINE! At the end of the day, it is me and God...and not the responsibilty of an "outsider" to nudge my spiritual walk.

So, as a couple and a family, it is time, to step up...step out of chaos of the "world" and seek HIM in all that we do... Good-bye to idle minds, idle hands and idle words... Use me Lord to make a difference for You. I know that my life on this earth is temporary... what do I want people to think of me when I am gone? More imporantly, I know that when I am rejoicing with my Creator in Heaven, I want HIM to say, "Well done, My good and faithful servant!" I want to lead my children by example, not words of instruction. Goodbye 2009, hello new beginnings!

Kwanzaa...say what?

Landon noticed that the word Kwanzaa was a spelling word this week for school. He was disgusted immediately. He proclaimed that he does not even celebrate Kwanzaa, why should he have to spell it. I calmly explained that just because HE does not celebrate Kwanzaa, that he could understand what it is about since other people DO celebrate it.

He said, "Well, what is it anyway?" So, I told him, to the best of my knowledge, that they celebrated their African heritage.

Landon quickly became even more irritated with the whole concept and proclaimed, "That is NOT honoring to God! What do they honor? Goo? Hair Goo?"

Now at this time, I was a little taken aback and confused. "Huh?" I said.

"I just don't understand why anyone would celebrate their hair!" (Hair-itage)

Oh my word! So, we will be studying and coming to an understanding about what Kwanzaa is tonight. To my understanding, it is a celebration of African Heritage...? Anyone...anyone...

I didn't know that...!

Gavin: Do you know how to tell if a frog is a boy or a girl?
Me: No. (Thinking to myself, "WOW, this kid has been doing some awesome educational learning...from SOMEWHERE!"
Gavin: Boy frogs don't have eyebrows!
Me: Riiiight!

That kid cracks me up!

Life Lesson Learned

Holden has a fascination with the telephone, as do most all children, I am sure. Problem: Apparently, if you dial **8***253**, this number will be answered by a 911 operator. If no one responds, and the phone is promptly hung up...the 911 operator will call back. Within the following 5-10 minutes a police officer will knock (ever so persistently) on your front door until you, trailed by your snotty nosed accidental caller, answer the door and explain. Makin' memories...!

Life Lesson Learned

Apparently, if are willing to start them early and you would like to introduce your 19 month old to the taste of fermented wine...just let them find an old sippy cup of long lost juice. WOW! Not sure about the taste, but the smell was ... well, you can imagine.

Life Lesson Learned

Blake learned today that metal travel mugs do not go in the microwave! Hmmmm... The explosive experience scared him so badly...and me too! The smell through the house is nauseating...so check that off for "lesson learned".

The Oldest...not necessarily the bravest!

Blake had to go to the doctor on Tuesday, we thought he may have the flu based on his symptoms. The wait at the doctors office just to go back to the exam room was an hour and a half. Of course, I had Holden the Destroyer in tow, and he was not too content with having to sit still for that extended period of time. Obviously, we had to sit in the sick room, because Blake was sick...but Holden and I, were not...at least that is how it started off. I was praying for an invisible shield of protection to surround us from all of the disgusting sick germs. One lady mentioned that her son had thrown up on the way to the office.... NICE! Seriously, invisible shield!

We finally went back and the nurse brought in the nasal and throat swabs to check for the flu and strep. OK...here is when it gets really ugly! Blake starts screaming, "NO! I will NOT allow you to do that to me!" I try unsuccessfully to reason with him, telling him that it is no big deal, it's just a cotton swab. He is having none of it! The nurse, at this point is telling him that we are going to have to hold him down. I am telling him he is going to get consequences. He continues FREAKING OUT! I swab myself to show him that it is no big deal...to no avail! The nurse is losing her pleasant calm and she says it is time to hold him down. So, I grab his hands. OK, NOW is when it gets really ugly...not before...comparatively, that was not so bad. So, he starts screaming, "DON'T TOUCH ME! GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME! How could you do this to me?"

Seriously? Number one...I was so embarassed! I felt like I was trying to pull his pants down or something. NOPE...just trying to let the nurse SWAB HIS NOSE!!! Number two...how disrespectful for him to talk to me that way, right? Oh...it was AWFUL! The child is 3 weeks out from turning 10 years old! The doctor came in and could tell that it was NOT going well! She asked if it was a Calgon day...if she only knew! At the end of it all...he tested positive for strep and he has to write a letter of apology to the nurse!

So, now he is supposed to receive the flu vaccine shot AT SCHOOL! They are discouraging parents from being there for several reasons. I am feeling sorry for the school nurse...she has no idea the hell she is about to experience giving this child a SHOT! He freaked out getting a SWAB! No skin was broken! I may need to send him in with some Calgon to give her!

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for so many things today! I am thankful that Russ had the day off yesterday, and though I would have liked to have spent the day with just he and I, he stayed home with sick Blake and crazy Holden and I spent almost 3 hours at lunch with a friend. Praise! I am thankful that Blake is feeling better and was able to go back to school.

I am thankful that Gavin was awesome at the dentist this morning. He had a couple of cavities, and they wanted to sedate him in order to fill them. It was going to cost $375 just to walk in the door...NOT. After much finagling, Russ convinced them that Gavin did not need to be sedated. We were hopeful that he would be a trooper and prove to the dentist that he did not NEED to be sedated...and HE WAS AWESOME! Not a peep! We did have to brag on him to the other boys, because I am preeeeety sure Blake would have had an out of body experience in the same situation! So, I am thankful for Gavin's bravery!

Weight Watcher Wednesday

So... it has been one week and two days since I decided to take control of my body! I have six less pounds to control this week! Yeah, Baby!

Read the Bible in One Year

So thanks to my friend, Kris, I have been motivated to read my bible through in one year. I have taken the amount of pages in my bible and divided them by 365 to figure I should read about 5 1/2 pages each day. So, I started today. I got to page 21 already! YAY! So, we will see how it continues. If you would like to join me on the journey, let me know, because I would love to have a friend to help hold me accountable! :)

So far:
Tuesday November 10th - page 1-21 , Genesis 1-9
Wednesday November 11th - page 22 - 26, Genesis 10-12:9
Thursday November 12th - pages 27-32, Genesis 12:10-15
Friday November 13th - pages 33-38 1/2, Genesis 16-18
Saturday November 14th - pages 39-44, Genesis 19-21
Sunday November 15th -pages 44-50, Genesis 22-24

Monday November 16th - pages 51-56, Genesis 25-27
Tuesday November 17th - pages 56-62, Genesis 28-31:21
Wednesday November 18th - pages 62-69, Genesis 31:22-35
Thursday November 19th - pages 69-75, Genesis 36-38
Friday November 20th - pages 75-81, Genesis 39-41
Saturday November 21st - pages 81-87, Genesis 42-45
Sunday November 22nd - pages 87-91, Genesis 46-47

Monday November 23rd - pages 91-96, Genesis 48-50
Tuesday November 24th - pages 97-104, Exodus 1-3
Wednesday November 25th - pages 104-110, Exodus 4-7
Thursday November 26th - pages 111-116, Exodus 8-11
Friday November 27th - pages 117-122, Exodus 12-13
Saturday November 28th, pages 122-127, Exodus 14-15
Sunday November 29th, pages 127-133, Exodus 16-18

Monday November 30th, pages 133-139, Exodus 19-21
Tuesday December 1st, pages 139-145, Exodus 22-25
Wednesday December 2nd, pages 145-151, Exodus 26-28
Thursday December 3rd, pages 151-156, Exodus 29-31
Friday December 4th, pages 156-163, Exodus 32-34
Saturday December 5th, pages 163-168, Exodus 35-38
Sunday December 6th, pages 169-172, Exodus 39-40

Monday December 7th, pages 173-180, Leviticus 1-4
Tuesday December 8th, pages 180-185, Leviticus 5-7
Wednesday December 9th, pages 185-191, Leviticus 8-10
Thursday December 10th, pages 191-196, Leviticus 11-13
Friday December 11th, pages 196-203, Leviticus 14-16
Saturday December 12th, pages 203-209, Leviticus 17-20
Sunday December 13th, pages 209-215, Leviticus 21-23

Monday December 14th, pages 215-224, Leviticus 24-27
Tuesday December 15th, pages 225-232, Numbers 1-2
Wednesday December 16th, pages 232-238, Numbers 3-5
Thursday December 17th, pages 238-244, Numbers 6-8
Friday Decemer 18th, pages 245-250, Numbers 9-11
Saturday December 19th, pages 250-255, Numbers 12-14
Sunday December 20th, pages 255-260, Numbers 15-17

Monday December 21st, pages 260-267, Numbers 18-21
Tuesday December 22nd, pages 267-273, Numbers 22-25
Wednesday December 23rd, pages 273-279, Numbers 26-29

Thankful Thursday

It is not Thursday yet...only Sunday...but I just am so thankful for our small group. There are 6 other couples that we meet with each Sunday night to talk about how God is working in our lives, what we are struggling with, to praise Him for our blessings and to study God's Word. Then we lift one another up during the week with prayer. The more we get to know these couples, the more blessed I feel. I really believe that the Lord put us with this specific group for a reason and I am enjoying getting to know them all better. This group is so genuine and "real" and I am thankful to have them help me be accountable. Blessed!

Random Thoughts

I love it that Gavin asks everyday if tomorrow we go to church...and then he cries when (rarely) we cannot go.

Random Thoughts

I do not want to be a "SUPERMOM", just a SUPER MOM!

Weight Watcher Wednesday

I am almost done with week one of my weight watcher challenge... so far, so good! I earned 26 extra activity points, that I did not use! Whew hew! No cheats! Whew hew! Yay me! I am ready to say goodbye to the extra junk in my trunk!

Thankful Thursday

Gavin goes to school four days a week. The one day that he is out, is Thursday. He LOVES Thursdays and so do I! We try our best to stay in our PJ's ALL day and snuggle. Gavin gets his love of being at home honestly, his momma loves to chillax too, so on Thursdays we are thankful for our time together doing just that!

Holden on the other hand, not so happy about "chillaxin". Seeing as to how he is one of the most destructive children I have known, he makes it extremely difficult to enjoy that "downtime" ... but it's all good!

I am so blessed.

Family Funnies

Gavin had not one but two substitute teachers today. Mrs. Donna Carole Kitchens and Mrs. Gloria were apparently both sick. So here goes the converstation upon returning home from school...

Gavin: "Mom, guess what?"
Me: "What?"
Gavin: "My teachers have eyes in the back!"
Me: "Ha ha ha, do you mean eyes in the back of their heads?"
Gavin: "Yes! THEY DO!"
Me (still laughing): "Is that what they told you?"
Gavin: "Yep!"

Don't you love it?

Thank you Lord for Friends....

Blake had his new buddy Bennett spend the night last night. We actually heard the sound of gut laughter from our Blake again...we heard it until 12:30 am or later, but none-the-less, we heard it. As many of you know, this move has been really difficult on our Blake-Man, and there have been extensive struggles. Of course, we are not 100% sure where "Moving Grief" ends and "I think I am a teenager already" begins... or how skewed the line in between happens to be. UGH!

Landon was supposed to have been a birthday sleepover last night, however, Pearce's mom got the flu and they had to postpone it. We told Blake he could still have his buddy over, but my word... poor Landon and Gavin just do not get it. They think Bennett is their best friend... actually...poor Bennett! He is completely smothered by my children ... ALL OF THEM! I wish I got that much attention if I went to spend the night with one of my friends..." I am sitting beside Holly!" "I am going to lay beside Holly while we watch the movie!" I am on Holly's team!" Ahhhh, what sweet music to my ears. Hee hee hee!

Crazy! So, who is ready to fight over me like that? Ha ha ha! Obviously, I am joking, but it just cracks me up!

100 Things About Me

100 Things About Me
1. I am not happy about growing older.
2. I am a stay at home mom
3. and some days I think I may go crazy or cry! ...okay, maybe lots of days.
4. I DESPISE Spiders and Snakes!
5. I love collecting cookbooks with pictures...the ones without pics are useless to me!
6. I love to cook and try new recipes.
7. I prefer Dunkin Donuts coffee to Starbucks. (I think Starbucks is way over-rated.)
8. I have no idea where I learned to cook, but I am not bad at it...if I do say so myself.
9. I am tired of moving! but we are supposed to do it AT LEAST ONCE MORE>
10. I want to sew and reap a successful vegetable garden.
11. I would really like to have another dog...or two.
12. I love to read but have little time to do so.
13. My favorite type of book is Christian fiction.
14. One of my favorite childhood memories is laughing and singing into brushes with my mom.
15. I would love to write a book.
16. I actually feel sorry for movie stars and musicians
17. I think the public obsession causes egocentric issues
18. which in turn give them a lack of reality.
19. I hated college.
20. I wanted to be a soap opera star when I was in high school.
21. I am thankful for how much my mom loves me...
22. it was my first glimpse of self sacrifice...
23. I talk to my mom on the phone almost every day.
24. I have 0 siblings.
25. I have a bachelors degree in Environmental Science.
26. I have a reoccurring dream that I did not earn my degree because I failed one class.
27. I LOVE to laugh.
28. My spiritual gift is hospitality.
29. I'm not a morning person.
30. I wish Amy , Chris and Micah (Sister/Bro in law and nephew), my parents and Russ' parents lived in our neighborhood.
31. I used to teach aerobics.
32. I love being a mom, but do not feel like I am a very good one.
33. I would love to have a boat.
34. I drive a minivan...and have no issues with not being "COOL".
35. I would love to learn to play golf with my boys. (It sounds more appealing than hunting)
36. I would love to go on an RV road trip to the midwest.
37. I would also love to try snow skiing.
38. Though I could not handle another child, I still grieve not having a daughter.
39. But I know God is in control and His plan is better than mine.
40. I would love to play tennis on a regular basis.
41. I will not spend more than $20 on a purse.
42. I love the beach, it relaxes me.
43. I think the most amazing moments in my life have been the four moments when I met each of my children
44. Happiness to me is LOVE. (love of God, love of spouse, love of children, love of family, love of friends, love of giving)
45. I love roller coasters.
46. I hate scary movies.
47. I have a fear of the nighttime.
48. I believe that God was very present in the meeting between Russ and I
49. and that He blessed our marriage.
50. I believe Russ is truly my soul mate
51. We met on a blind date.
52. I am not the same person I was in high school and college...
53. I was very self serving then...
54. Now I am a child of God
55. and I am forgiven.
56. I hope anyone who knew me then, could forgive me now.
57. My favorite restaurant is Nami Japanese Steakhouse. (unfortunately, it is only located in Pembroke Pines, FL)
58. My favorite store is SuperTarget. (but we don't have one in SC)
59. Hearing the prayers of my children is one of the most precious things to my ears.
60. I would love to have my own business or business product.
61. I love making great memories with my family.
62. I'm not allergic to anything.
63. I love smell good things...shower gel, candles, fresh laundry, room spray.
64. I like going to Goodwill.
65. I love new clothes.
66. I would buy a new outfit daily if I could.
67. I love playing games...
68. not so much when I have to constantly explain the rules.
69. I wish we could take a real family vacation every summer.
70. I think personal hygiene commercials are a little odd.
71. I LOVE to bake.
72. The Herwig Family is the closest thing to family we have known (that is not actually family)
73. I do not believe in regrets...the things I have done, have made me who I am today...which has required a lot of repentance, but none-the-less has taught me a lot.
74. My favorite ice cream is chocolate chip and mint chocolate chip from Baskin Robbins. (I think it is due to the memories of my Granddaddy and Granny Byrd that are tied to it)
75. I love rainy days
76. when my whole family is home together with no place to be.
77.I love to sing
78. though I am not great
79. I love music
80. I live in comfy pajama pants at home.
81. I love to dance
83. I like to fish...just not to touch the bait or the catch.
84. I would love to go on a horse and carriage ride with Russ for a romantic date night.
85. I hated being pregnant
86. though I am a sad that I will never be again. I feel like it is saying goodbye to a stage of my life (which I also mourn...YOUNG ADULTHOOD)
87. I am blessed by GREAT in-laws and talk to my mother-n-law almost every day.
88. I worry about being a parent of a teenager.
89. I am not interested in going on a cruise.
90. I think the best things in life ARE free...
91. Beaches, Steel Magnolia's and The Notebook are three movies that make me gut wrenchingly sob... the love and loss of friends, the love and loss of children and the love and loss of a soulmate.
92. If I could hang out with one person in the entire world for one uninterrupted day...it would be... still thinking... maybe the President , not because I like him...but because I am not a fan.
93. I love watching Funniest Home Videos with my kids.
94. Guess what...my kids aren't perfect...and I am not ashamed of that...
95. I am convinced when my boys have kids (their wives) that they will have ALL GIRLS
96. I AM FORGIVEN!!!!!!!!!!!! Have I said that already? :)
97. I am so thankful that God called and I answered.
98. I love Jesus
99. And I’m going to heaven when I die.
100. Because He saved me.

101 Goals in 1001 days:

I saw this on a couple of other blogs and was inspired. So here it goes...

The Mission: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days? Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as new year’s resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.


Some common goal setting tips:


1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.
2. Stay Focused. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.
3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.
4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.
5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.

Here are my goals for the next 1001 days!

101 Goals in 1001 Days

Health
1. Lose 25 pounds by my birthday. (September 21, 2010)
2. Participate in a 5K race for a cause...with my mom.
3. Exercise 4x's per week for at least 2 weeks. (One week and one day down three days to go to meet this goal).
4. Don't eat after dinner for 30 days.
5. Do 50 sit ups without stopping.
6. No sodas for 2 weeks.
7. Drink 48 ounces of water/day for 2 consecutive weeks.
8. Take vitamin daily.
9. Eat 5 fruits and vegetables a day.
10. Try a new vegetable.
11. Join the gym and GO!
12. Run a mile without stopping.

Spiritual
13. Complete two personal Bible studies per year.
14. Prayer journal every day for 1 month.
15. Lead a bible study at my home and invite someone who does not go to my church.
16. Read one spiritual growth book-not about parenting!
17. Memorize 50 scripture verses.
18. Review memory verses twice a week.
19. Read through the Bible in 2 years.
20. Share my passion for Christ with a stranger.
21. Complete the 30 Day True Woman Challenge
22. Complete Beth Moore David devotional
23. Complete the Passion of Christ by John Piper


Personal
24. DO a photo journal for Blake.
25. DO a photo journal for Landon.
26. DO a photo journal for Gavin.
27. DO a photo journal for Holden.
28. Paint bedroom.
29. Paint boys bathroom.
30. Paint master bathroom.
31. Paint front bedroom.
32. Decorate and furnish back patio to make it suitable for entertaining.
33. Read 10 books before the summer.
34. Go one week without clothes left in my room waiting to be folded and put away...in other words, do it IMMEDIATELY!
35. Keep my van clean-really clean for 1 consecutive month. (Maybe this will happen closer to the end of my allotted time when Holden is more accountable)
36. Find an effective organization system for coupons or find out from Kris Hughes.
37. Organize freezer with baskets.
38. Go one week without arguing with my children.
39. Be friendly and talk to a person in a checkout line.
40. Go one week without complaining.

Family
41. REREAD Love Languages for Children.
42. Start a family devotion time once a week.
43. Pray with the boys every night for 30 days.
44. Respond to my children with a soft answer for 7 consecutive days.
45. Read one of Blake's favorite books and try to share that story with him. (He likes weird books!)
46. Plan a family fun night that does not include tv.
47. Read a book to children every day for 14 consecutive days.
48. Plan one fun family activity every week for 1 month that does not include tv.
49. Reread Creative Correction to refresh on ideas to creatively deal with sibling disagreements.
50. Get new family photo.
51. Go on a date with each of my boys separately.
52. Play kickball with my kids.
53. Go camping.
54. Go on RV road trip with family.
55. Make a snowman. (not sure where, but that is not the point of this)
56. Start and keep a journal of the cute things the kids say and do.
57. Make my bed everyday for 30 days.
58. Go one week without raising my voice to my children.

Marriage
59. Start once-a-month date nights and do for 3 months.
60. Start doing nightly devotion and prayer time with Russ again.
61. Go on a date and don't talk about the kids.
62. One overnight date a year.
63. Greet Russ at the door or driveway everyday for 2 weeks...I am pretty sure we may need medical treatment on day 4, but hey, I think it is worth a try!)
64. Thank Russ once a week for something specific that I usually take for granted (ex:working, playing with the kids, helping me) for 4 consecutive weeks.
65. Planning a surprise outing for Russ and I.
66. Complete the 30 Day Husband Prayer Challenge.
67. Go to the beach in the evening for a walk with Russ... :)

Friends
68. Go on a girls weekend with Emily.
69. Go on a girls weekend with anyone else who wants to go with me.
70. Ask a friend how can I pray for them.

Financial
71. Do or create something that will earn a little extra income for my family just so I can feel a part of helping in that way.
72. Buy groceries for someone who cannot afford them.
74. Only eat out once a week.
75. Save for Christmas budget.
76. Pay off loan.

Just Because
77. Write a letter to a government official regarding an issue I feel passionate about.
78. Tour 3 college campuses with the boys.
79. Go to a battle reinactment at Boone Hall.
80. Sponsor a college student or 2.
81. Do a kind gesture anonomously and for no reason.
82. Write a letter of appreciation to someone I appreciate.

Household
83. Dust entire house once a week for 2 consecutive months.
84. Clean out entire refrigerator and freezer.
85. Organize recipes.
86. Steam vac the carpet in the whole house.
87. Clean inside and outside of glass doors.
88. Mow the yard once a week for 1 months.

Just for Fun
89. Take 1 quality picture a day for 30 days.
90. Join a book club.
91. Grow fresh herbs.
92. Grow a vegetable garden.
93. Bake something for each of the boys' classmates.
94. Make lettuce wraps.
95. Make a quilt.
96. Get a massage.
97. Learn to make jewelry with all my supplies I got 2 years ago! :)
98. Make a new recipe once a month for 6 months.
99. Make dinner for my neighbors.
100. Volunteer at the homeless shelter at least once!
101. Buy myself a new outfit in celebration of completing my 101 goals!!!

Start date: November 6, 2009
Completion date: September 2, 2012

Whew! This is going to be challenging and fun! I should add one final note: as a Christian, God can and probably will change some or all of these goals as He sees fit. So, pretend that there is a "God willing" after every one of these items.

It is a new day...and I will rejoice in it!!!!!!!!

I woke up this morning, and made a decision! My decision is to make the choice to take care of myself! I joined the gym... and I am going to go! First class down, bring on the next! I will do Weight Watchers again, and I started TODAY! I will not be a victim of my own lack of self control! Food will be fuel... with a little treat every now and then...no more food as my constant comfort. I have a Comforter, and His name is Jesus! From now on, I will turn to Him in my sadness, stress and frustration with life...not to my own self pity and "feel good food" coupled with sedentary living. It's time to live again! I am ready to have the energy to chase the boys. It is time to be who God wants me to be!

Are we square pegs?????????

This was not a good Sunday morning for the Brown Family! The boys were not happy about going to church today, there were few happy hearts in our van this morning, but church is what our family does. For us, it is not about just "going to church", but about praising our Lord, studying His Word, seeking His guidance in our lives, hiding His truth in our hearts, living our life for Him, and thankfulness for all of His blessings upon our lives. Sometimes it is easy to become lazy in our flesh and not want to go, which is where our Blake and Landon were this morning. They had outright disobeyed as we walked through the church halls, by telling me they WOULD NOT GO TO SUNDAY SCHOOL after church. WRONG!!! We NEEDED Sunday school, and we were going.

Russ and I have been trying to find where we fit in at East Cooper Baptist Church. We joined a small group which meets on Sunday nights, which we felt God very vividly directed us toward. (As noted in a previous post). We do enjoy the people we are getting to know in our small group, but we feel like we need more. Sunday morning worship is GREAT! The praise and worship is great and Pastor Buster Brown is really awesome! He seems to be truly embedded in the Word of Christ and seeking to serve Him. We really do value his pastoral leadership. We have tried a Sunday morning bible study a month or so ago, and just did not feel a "fit" for Russ and I with this group. We were recommended to try another Sunday school class for young marrieds and we were very excited to try it. Our hope was to find a group of people in the same life stage as ourselves, who we could study the Word of God with on Sunday mornings, while getting to know them on a deeper more spiritual level, so as to hold one another accountable in our walk of faith. For years, we had a great Sunday school class were this goal was the same, and this goal was attained.

SO, this morning, was THE morning to try this highly recommended class. The class that was recommended by a couple of different people whom we had mentioned what we were looking for, and they said, "OH, THIS IS THAT GROUP!". So off we were...

We walked into a room with 13 couples, they looked like us in age, so we thought...AWESOME...this must be THE CLASS! Again...we walked in, no one said a word to us...no one was saying much to each other. We sat down...no one said a word to us. We sat there in silence, because the class had not yet started... and yet no one said anything. I leaned over to Russ and mentioned how weird it felt that not one person said hello to us, or introduced themselves to us, NOTHING! The leader, we supposed, told us to talk amongst ourselves since his lesson was not very long. SILENCE. Apparently, he was filling in for the regular leaders, and he was a little nervous about it. Class started, and not one person acknowledged that they had never seen us before. They had an ice breaker as we went around the room everyone had to describe what their favorite Halloween costume had been as a child, (if they were allowed to participate in Halloween), and what their least favorite candy had been.

Everyone went around, said their part, class started, class ended...not one word to the new folks... Now, I am perplexed that not one person welcomed us into this class! Isn't that what church is supposed to do? Isn't it the goal of those within the church to make people feel welcome, so they want to come back? What if we had not been Christians? Shouldn't they want us to come back? I am just in such shock at our experience that I it was all I could do not to burst into tears as we left the room. In that moment, we needed to feel connected. We needed to feel welcomed! I started feeling a little angry, and bitter. Russ asked if we would have welcomed people in the same situation if we were on the other side...ABSOLUTELY! WE ALWAYS DID! We welcomed people in to the point of almost running them off because we were TOO friendly!

I started asking Russ if maybe this was not the church home for us... but the thought of taking the boys out and looking for another fit at this time sounds so daunting. Are we square pegs trying to fit ourselves into round holes? Why does it feel like such a struggle? Lord, show us where we belong. The boys love it once they get there, I cannot imagine moving around at this point. We need guidance...and definitely more prayer...

We will probably go back to this Sunday school class next week...not because we felt welcomed (because we absolutely did not), but because it is not about us, but about what Christ wants to teach us through His word. It is my belief that God places us in situations for a reason...we will just have to wait and see what it is...

Counting my blessings!!!!!!

So, I have been very closely following 'The Biggest Loser' this season. Some seasons are "Eh" but this season has been more about new beginnings for these people than just weight loss. One contestant, in particular, has just really touched my heart. Abby! In the case that you are not watching, let me breifly tell you about Abby. Two and a half years ago, Abby found herself happily married, with a beautiful little curly red-haired five year old daughter, and a two week old little precious boy. In the blink of an eye they were all three taken from her in an auto collision caused by another driver going well over 100 miles per hour. All of them died!

Talk about tragedy... she lost everything! I cannot imagine, and would not want to imagine, how I would feel if this scenario occurred in my life. As you can imagine, she did not know how to go on living. In order to "cope" with her life, she had to stop feeling. She found herself going through the motions of life, just trying to survive day to day. She found herself given this opportunity to go on "The Biggest Loser" and in the process of trying to get her eating and fitness back in control, she found herself again. She found her ability to feel love and no longer continue "just going through the motions" but to find joy again. She says she is looking forward to her new beginning and is thankful that it is now time to start that new journey in her life.

I am pretty sure, not many of her fellow contestants have gone for any extended length of time with dry eyes, while living at the ranch with her. I can honestly say, neither have I! This woman is one of the strongest women I have ever seen. I feel like I have been right beside her on her journey and I can say that she has certainly touched MY heart. As I sat sobbing my eyeballs out, Gavin asked me if I was laughing or crying. As I scooped him up in my arms telling him how much I loved him while at the same time kissing him endlessly on his cheeks and forehead, I told him that I was, in fact, crying. I told him all that she had lost and how thankful I was for him and the rest of our family!

Our days are often very stressful when the boys get home from school... homework, arguing (UGH!), and just livin' la vida loca! The loss that Abby has suffered reminds me of how unpredictable life is, and even in the stress and frustration of our life, I have been telling the boys how thankful I am for them. Russ and I always try to do this on a daily basis anyway, but I feel even more aware of the need now.

I do not know Abby, but if I could tell her anything, I would thank her. Thank her for demonstrating the beauty of hope. She has hope for the future and in her ability to feel love again. My hope for her is that she will be blessed in ways she could never even have thought to dream. What a precious, precious person she appears to be! I believe many people will be blessed just by knowing her. In the meantime, I will count my own blessings, and enjoy each moment!

Churches for Santa?

Sadly, Blake figured out last year that Santa was not who he thought it was for all these years. :( It was awfully sad, but being too smart for his own good, he asked outright and we felt we had to tell him. We swore him to secrecy and threatened him like crazy if he breathed a word to anyone, much less his brothers. So, he really played up the Santa thing with his younger siblings, while feeling as if he was practically an adult pulling one over on his young immature little bros!

Well, just let the kids ride the bus and apparently they will learn EVERYTHING you are not ready for them to learn...aside from the most ungodly four letter words, you know like "dumb" and "heck", and "stupid" and "idiot", they also have heard all about Santa's hidden identity. Landon has been asking for a couple of weeks now for "THE TRUTH", as he calls it. "Mom, is Santa Clause real? Tell me the truth! Is he?" asks Landon.

"Cough, cough, gag, cough!" I say. "Well, who on earth told you that?" I continue.

"Well, the kids on the bus and my best friend, Ethan. Ethan says that his mom told him that the Tooth Fairy is not real and neither is Santa. His mom said that she is both of them!" is Landon's reply.

"What the ... huh? Well, that is just sad, Santa must not visit those kids!" Sweet huh! I am a great mom! NOT! So, he let's the initial interogation go at that! Yet, he still seems to ask every other day or so to tell him the truth and I just keep asking him if Santa visits HIM.

Then today, after apparently much thought and concern for the Salvation of the Soul of Santa Claus, he brings it back to the table for conversation. "Mom, I have a few more questions... Number 1. Does Santa ever die? Number 2. Does Santa believe in Jesus? Number 3. Are there churches at the North Pole for Santa to worship? Number 4. Just because Santa does nice things for kids, does not mean he is a Christian, you know! Number 5. Will I see Santa in Heaven?"

REALLY? First of all, Blake and Gavin were sitting right there...SWEET! Blake, is grinning and saying, "Sure there are churches at the North Pole, where Santa lives!" As for Gavin, who knows how much of this he is taking in, is telling Landon that he has to be real because he brought them light sabers and Clone Trooper helmets last year.

So, Landon says, "Did Santa bring those to us, Mom?"

"Well, he must have, because I do not remember buying them!" which is partially true because I have the memory of ... well, whatever has little to no memory...oh, Dory from Finding Nemo...that's who.

Oh my word! I certainly do not want to lie to him, but he is still so young. It makes me sad to see the disbelief so soon for my little Landon! UGH!

Any suggestions?

The Library Circus?

So, I have been looking for some new books to read lately, yet, not wanting to spend money buying them... so I have become a regular at our local library. It is a very small library, and they do not have many books at all, especially new ones, but I am trying to extinguish all other options before breaking down and buying more books. Did I say the local library is small? Okay, just checking!

So, as you can imagine, the idea of taking 4 book loving boys to the library with me sounds like a death threat. I mean, I am pretty sure the crazy bus would have to pick me up at the door on the way out after the nervous breakdown I would have on the inside. So, I try to go when I just have Holden with me. A much better option, right? WRONG!

Apparently, Holden thinks that the library is as good as the circus. It brings him great joy to break free from me and run squealing as fast as he can through the rows of books, (pulling them off as he goes, mind you), while trying excitedly to hide from me. He then proceeds to squeal louder, in an effort to say, "Nanny Nanny Boo Boo, you can't catch me!" Have I mentioned how small the library is? EVERYONE IN THE ENTIRE LIBRARY can hear our interaction. His squealing, and me... frantically trying to get catch him, while shushing him as quietly and as firmly as possible (very hard, by the way). Why don't you just put him in the stroller, you may ask? Oh, let me tell you why! Because in the stroller, he flails, kicks, and screams, thrusting himself back and forth as if I have him strapped into some type of electric shock table and it is going to get him at any moment. Oh, no! Crazy Library Boy needs to be free to savor the joy of the library circus.

In the meantime, I have some very random books to read, many LARGE PRINT EDITION because that was all they had...did I mention how small the library is? Can you get banned from the library? We may be a first!

Know-It-All?

Most of you know that Gavin is a true homebody in every sense of the word. He would stay at home everyday, in his pajamas and be as happy as a flea on a dog! I am pretty sure he gets it honest, as every opportunity I have to do the same, I prefer to stay in my PJ's too. Unfortunately, some days, I do stay in my PJ's, yet still leave the house..my Flamingo Road peeps can attest to it. (I really need to work on that!)

He usually has a mini meltdown when he gets up in the morning, with the concept of going to preschool for 3 1/2 looooong hours. 9:00 - 12:30 ... However, once I stick to my guns and tell him that he is going and he needs to get dressed, he does so with a happy heart and full of excitement... ? I know, I don't get it either!

However, this morning, he did not snap out of his initial contesting of getting prepared for his day. "Why do I HAVE to go to school? I already know ALL there is to know about Jesus... so why do I have to keep going to school?"

Obviously, I agreed that he knew a lot about JESUS, but asked him if he could READ...

"Well, NO! Ugh! I'll get dressed!" and we were on our way...

For I know the plans...

I was going over in my mind the other day, the series of events that lead us to finally feel like we had a place in South Florida. We moved there in August of 2002 and we were visiting First Baptist Weston, where we DID NOT feel called to when we first moved to FL. We had visited Sheridan Hills Baptist Church in September, but just felt it was a little far. However, after several months at FB Weston, in January 2003 we decided to try Sheridan again, and were immediately taken in by the Herwig family. They invited us to pizza that first night and the rest is history. It is my belief that God truly had a hand in leading us to Sheridan and to the Herwig family.

Well, we have been in Mt Pleasant for almost 4 months. We have really enjoyed East Cooper Baptist Church, our small group is good, the pastor is great...but we have not really connected yet. I am not hoping for an Emily replacement, that does not exist, but it would be nice to have maybe one friend that could provide an outlet for having next to zero adult stimulation most of the day. Apparently, Miss Donna Carole Kitchens does not have tons of time for me to chat her ear off when I drop off and pick up Gavin. APPARENTLY, there are other parents who need to drop off/pcik up their kids. Sheesh! Poor Miss Donna Carole! Many days, she is the ONLY other adult I come it contact with until Russ gets home. Russ says he has no friends either...at which point I just roll my eyes...it's that whole...at least he goes to work and has adult conversation while he is productively solving the problems of the world....okay, so that last part may not be true, but you get the point.

So, I pray that God will deliver me from this loneliness, Holden better start talking soon or else. :)

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future". Jeremiah 29:11

Worry Wart

This week at small group, we also discussed what heart conditions we may have that we would ask God to help us with... Hmmmmmm... how much paper do I have? Seriously, many people who know me well, know that worry, self-pity, and control are big issues for me. {Man it must take a lot to be my friend! :) } I worry about not being able to control the future (moves, etc) and then I feel sorry for myself for having to go through the struggle of moving and readjustment. I know that these things are sins, and that God is there ready and willing to take my worry, and my control and work things in my life for His good leaving me to be at peace and without self pity. I give it to Him...and then I take it back, then I give it to Him, then I take it back. It seems to be an unendless tug of war. I am pretty sure that I will give it to Him for good in about 3 years...when it is time to worry again! Ha ha ha!
I hope that is not the case. It is my prayer that today I will give it to Him and let Him have it... I have other things to worry about... hee hee hee... j/k

Thank the Lord for Forgiveness...but can I forgive?...

Sunday night at our small group our lesson was on FORGIVENESS! Yikes! Don't we all feel as if someone has wronged us in one way or another? Yet, how do we wrong Christ and yet he gave the ultimate forgiveness to us! I will be the first one to admit that I do not take that into full account when I think of others who have hurt me or wronged me in some way. So, today I ask God to forgive me, and thank Him for it, and feel the freedom of knowing that though it is a process, I do not feel wronged or hurt by anyone. I have a peace and a forgiveness in my heart that holds no grudges on this day.

So,...make sure ya'll treat me right. Ha ha ha!

Too much on the brain?...or not enough Ginko Biloba?

This morning I knew I had to be at Blake's school for the "Terrific Kid" ceremony. Apparently, he may be teetering on Christian counseling at home, but was selected as a Terrific Kid for the first 9 weeks of school. Only 2-3 kids per class were selected, blah, blah, blah. Very exciting and we are certainly proud, but I digress.
So, I had to wake Gavin up at 7:15, though he does not have to be at school until 9:00am, which left him a wreck. He is a true homebody, so after much tear shedding and whining (UGH) I bribed him into getting dressed so we could be at Blake's school at 8:00am for the ceremony.

At 8:20 we were done and leaving the school and I knew it was time to pay up. So we proceed to Burger King for some Cini Mini's to pay out my earlier bribe. We head back over to Gavin's school, which is right beside the boys' school, and we arrive with 15 minutes to spare. So we sit in the car for the next 15 minutes waiting for drop-off time. At 9:00, we go inside, taking Gavin to his class and to enjoy his day with Mrs. Donna Carole Kitchens. As we walked in, I saw a lady that I recognized from the church. She stated how funny it was that I am always up there...even when there is no school. HUH? WHAT WAS THAT? NO SCHOOL? She continues to go on about how it was fall break and there was no school today. Where have I been? I was in the classroom for an hour and a half on Wednesday helping with a fall party, and Gavin does not normally have school of Thursday's anyway. So somewhere along the way, I missed the fact that there was no school. I think I need to start taking some Ginko Biloba. Apparently, parenting four boys has made me loose my mind. Calgon...take me away.

Not age appropriate...

We were sitting at the dinner table the other night and Russ was telling me about an instructor who was in the hospital with kidney stones. This poor man has many ailments and this was just icing on the cake. Landon, being the nosy child that he is, was asking what was wrong and what kidney stones were. So, Russ and I go into the anatomy of the urethra and the kidneys, etc., etc., etc., when Blake abruptly stopped the conversation. He very passionately stated, "I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS IS AGE APPROPRIATE INFORMATION!"

Really? Oh, he cracks me up!

...DAILY DRAMA...

I find myself wanting to write, yet not finding the time...however, I blog in my head on the way to take the kids here and there...but that does not make it to paper (or computer) before I forget what I wanted to talk about. Why do I blog, you may ask? It is a sense of feeling like I am not crazy when I can laugh about my life...and the craziness going on day to day with these four boys.

Right now, the boys just got home from school and were MADE to practice drum and guitar by "Mom the Dictator"... leading to much drama and sass...mostly from Blake. Now, it is onto homework time which is what I like to call "2-3 hours of daily Hell"! Seriously, the day is so long as it is, then they tack on sooo much homework, of things that have many times not even been taught during the day. I have not been called to homeschool my children up to this point, so I am not really sure why I find myself teaching my children at home when they get home from 7 hours of school. (Oh, it could be the 30 kids in their class, which is absolutely RIDICULOUS!!!) It has done much to wear down a very fragile relationship between Blake and I, and with all the hormonal changes he is going through and his extreme mood swings, I certainly do NOT need help in wearing at our relationship! Sheesh!

Dear Lord...HELP! I know...this too shall pass! I need to take it to the cross...something I have not done enough of lately.

All in Due Time

Let me start by saying that Sunday School to Russ and I has always been a pretty tight peer group. Other couples in our same age range, in a similar life stage, studying the word of God together, praying with one another and ministering to one another. Moving is difficult and we have always felt like our Sunday School class was more like our extended family than just a place to go study the bible, though that aspect was very important.

Upon our move to Charleston, we felt it increasingly necessary to not only be in the Word, but to connect with a group of like minded individuals that we could "do life with". We believe that Christ has to be the center of our life, our family and our relationships. We find it necessary to be with others equally yoked people who can lift us up in our struggles, pray for us, cry with us in our despair, and laugh with us in our joys... this past Sunday was our first experience with trying to find our group. Our church has two types of classes...those that are "peer groups" (ex. Newlywed, Married with School age children, and Empty Nesters) and electives classes (open to all couples, singles of all ages). We thought we would try our peer group for the above mentioned reason. So we went to an amazing worship service and then headed to our "class". Well, to say that we were the youngest in the class would have been an understatement. I realize that I am in denial about my "real age", but the class consisted of "Parents of Parents, a.k.a. Grandparents NOT Parents of School Aged Children. I digress!

So, we ventured down the hall looking for some others that looked similar to us... convinced that the Newlywed class was our closest fit... I told you that I was in denial... and Russ said NO! We decided to go to the class we were "supposed" to go to. Right before class started another guy walked in...one that had on "child pickup tags". He was very nice and said it was his first time in class as well. He said his wife was out of town, but he thought he would try the class. He introduced himself and Seung and we were pleased to see that we found one other person in the class with children in our kids age group. When class ended, we quickly departed, after doing a brief study on Luke...

Well, Sunday night was being promoted as Link'd Up. This was where the church was connecting people with Community Groups. We had been planning to attend for over a month and we guessed that maybe this was were the "doing life with" people would come from. Once we arrived, we immediately saw Seung. He smiled, instantly remembered us and we saw that he was a Community Group leader. Hmmm, interesting. So, he showed us where to take the kids and said to enjoy our evening.

We dropped off the kids, and got in the buffet line, along with hundreds of other people or all ages and marital status. The tables were set up in rows all the way from the back of the room to the front and the announcer stated that their was some seating up front. We decided to walk blindly toward the front until we found 2 open seats together. We heard our names called out, and Seung asked if we were looking for a place to sit...2 open seats right across the table from him. So, we took a seat. We enjoyed conversing with him and met another of the husbands from the group whose wife was also out of town. We talked about our kids...and discovered that Gavin was in the same class as his son Micah. (Miss Donna Carole Kitchens) Micah was the first friend that Gavin made when he started school. We discovered that our older kids went to Belle Hall and though they were not in the same classes, Landon's teacher was the mother-in-law of the other husband that we met. We laughed at what a "small world" it was and I silently thanked God for his perfect plan and for leading us so obviously to a community group that we are really looking forward to joining.

We finished the evening and went to pick up the boys, who were not too happy to be going back to church for the second time in a day...they could not stop talking about how AWESOME the time was that evening. They were excited about the memory verse that they had to learn for next week and the joy that had seemed a long way away flooded back into our family. As Pastor Buster Brown said yesterday morning...if Christ is in the center...it will stick! I finally feel like we might be breaking free, free from the loneliness, the isolation, and the sadness. Thank you Jesus for your Mercy and Grace~

Big Brown hearts...

Well, I spoke with Landon's teacher this evening after a 2nd grade "parents only" meeting at the school. I needed to discuss a potential problem with a bully before anything occurred with my Landon. She assured me that he was doing well adjusting and that she could already tell that he was a very sweet boy. DUH! He definitely has the biggest heart in our family. I told her that we were coming from a private Christian school and that Landon was very happy that they would not be drilling evolution down their throats this year... heh hem, where does he get this stuff from. ;) She was a little tickled and said...no not this year! I also informed her that Landon is worried that if he tells anyone that he loves Jesus that he will get a "strike" and end up walking the fence at recess. Though Russ and I have both reassured him that this will NOT occur, he still seems to be a little concerned. She told me to tell Landon that SHE LOVES JESUS! She is a member of the church we have been attending and was very excited to tell us all of the great things they have for the kids there. Of course, as soon as I returned home, I informed Landon of her message and he was elated! He said, "Did you ask her if I could bring my bible to school?" Isn't he just the cutest thing? Big heart!

She also informed me that Blake's teacher was also a Christian and a VERY GODLY WOMAN! YAY! Blake seemed to also feel a sense of relief and actually knuckled up with excitement about the news. Thank you, Lord! Oh, how we have been blessed by two Godly teachers who will know my boys' hearts! It is still not the wonderful Christian influence from FRCA being poured into our boys with each day, but I will continue to pray for them! May it be a blessed year!

Update...

Good News... Day 2... Sweatshirt and Blake's lunchbox from Day 1...found and brought home.

Bad News... Gavin's lunchbox that Blake borrowed due to his being lost... now left at school.

To all of you wonderful parents out there... HELP! Do I start consequences? ...taking away priveledges? Do we need to have him examined by a doctor? Is this normal? Abnormal? What is wrong with my child?

And they're off...

So yesterday was the first day of school for Blake and Landon...first day of public school at that. Blake is starting 4th (MY WORD...I'm NOT THAT OLD, am I?), and Landon is going into 2nd. They decided that they would like to ride the bus, and seeing as to how I cannot do anything but drop them off out front along with a gazillion other parents adding extreme combustion and frustration, I decided...why not. The bus was supposed to come at 7:01 am and stop directly in front of our house according to the bus list, so we were all out there at 6:46 am just to be sure there was no chance at all of being left behind. For 25 minutes we saw NO ONE! We knew the neighbor boys were supposed to also be riding on the first day, but no sign whatsoever of them. Blake was just about beside himself devastated by the possibility that they would be late. He went back and forth..."just take us"..."we'll wait"..."let's just go". Finally around 7:15am, we saw one of their buddies and their mom. I asked Will's mom what was up with the late bus and she replied that it was always more like 7:15 rather than 7:00. Good to know!

Well, the boys were off! The day went by for Gavin and Holden and I with little excitement. My homebody Gavin stayed in his PJ's all day, even when we had to run to Walmart for some ice cream fixin's for the afterschool party we were planning. We made it back in time to cook the cupcakes, pop the popcorn, set up the party table, make the signs, put out some chairs and wait in the driveway for the bus to arrive about 3:05 pm and drop the boys off right where it picked them up...right in front of our house. At that time, the plan was for all of their buddies who would be getting off with them to stop in and make their own ice cream sundae and decorate their own cupcake.

Well, at 3:00 the boys come running around the corner from the front of the neighborhood. When I asked where they came from, they said the front entrance of the neighborhood. When I asked them WHY they did not get off the bus where they got on it, they replied that the bus stopped, they did not know if it would stop again, so they got off and walked home! REALLY! As we stood in the driveway, we watched the bus come down the road and promtly stop in front of our house and let all their friends off. Blake says, "Well, it looks like we got home sooner!"

Needless to say, we discussed with them the importance of staying on and getting off safely in front of the house to which they reluctantly agreed.

Then, Blake confessed that he left his sweatshirt on the bus on the way to school. Really?! DAY 1? Oh, but apparently, it is okay, because his bus driver, Mr. Wilson, turned it into the office! Then as we were doing our nighttime routine of getting lunchboxes ready...he realized that he left his lunchbox on the bus in the afternoon. Please, please, please give me wisdom in raising this child. He claimed it was NOT HIS FAULT! I guess it was the magical fairy who flew past him on the bus and wrestled his sweatshirt and lunchbox away from him while sprinkling memory erasing fairy dust on him so that he would not remember a thing! Yep...that had to be whose FAULT it was! Seriously! (We then had the "take responsibility" talk!)

Overall, the boys said their first day was good. Blake said the library was HUGE!!! He was thrilled to check out his first two books! Landon said that he walked by and noticed how humongous it was also! Landon also informed me that even though the teacher would not talk about Jesus that they would NOT be learning about evolution this year!

We gave each of the boys an assignment for their first day...remember the name of at least 1 kids name in your class. Blake very excitedly reported that he had a boy in his class named Bennett. I asked him if that was all he could remember and he said that he had tried to remember everyone's name, but they just slipped right out of his head...all 27... must be that fairy dust again. (Yes-I said 27, he has 29 kids in his class, but hopefully, they are going to make a new class, fingers crossed).
Landon, of course, knew several names if not all! Of course, the social aspect of Landon is probably what will cause him to score many a "strike" from his teacher's discipline policy! Oh, my boys! Calgon...you know the drill!

I would like more ...

We were sitting at the table eating lunch on Saturday when Gavin (very politely) says, "May I have some more turds please?"

"What?" Russ asks him with a slight hint of confusion in his voice.

"Well, whatever they are called." Gavin replies.

"Do you mean "tater tots"? Russ asks him as we all just about choke on our food as we double over in laughter.

Gavin looks at us all, a bit confused himself by now, just laughs and says, "okay...tater tots".

This kid CRACKS me up!

Judgement Day

Today, Russ and I had to meet with the admissions team and preschool director at the preschool we are trying to get Gavin into. It is at the Christian school affiliated with the church we have been visiting. SInce it is a covenant school, we needed to go in and tell them our testimony of our salvation experience so that they could recommend or not recommend our family for admission into the school. Let me start by saying, that is great! I am fine with the interview process and with telling them all about my excitement about coming to Christ and the impact Christ has had on my life.

What I will say that I am not too crazy about is the waiting... as we sit and wait for a decision board to decide if we are worthy or not to attend, it frustrates me. I KNOW my walk with Christ. I KNOW the power of grace and forgiveness God has given me undeservingly! I hate feeling like someone other than my Savior is judging me based on a 30 minute meeting. I will say, that my life is not wrapped in a pretty little bow perfect and unblemished. Every single day is a new day and a new struggle to make the right choices to follow my God and to seek His face. Not everyday do I give it all to God. I am not a perfect Christian, there was only one of those and because of Him, I am not perfect, but forgiven.

So, we will see...

That's Not Fair.......

If I have heard those words once, I've heard them ten thousand times! Really! I know life is not fair... I have lived it longer than the three boys of mine that constantly tell me how unfair it is! "It's not fair, he doesn't gets to go to a private school. It's not fair, his school starts later than ours. It's not fair, he gets to have his own room. It's not fair ...", the list goes on and on.

Today, my reply was simple. Do you think Jesus was complaining as he was dying on the cross. Yelling at his Father in Heaven...shouting, "It's not fair...I have been blameless and without sin my whole life and yet here I am being beaten and tortured while nailed to cross...dying for the entire world, most of whom could care less, just so a bunch of sinful selfish people can experience forgiveness and Heaven. That is sooooo unfair!!!!!"

So, I will take no fair... and just be thankful that Jesus did too.

Is it just me?

Still Walmart...different state...

So, I took the boys into the Walmart hair salon for a shape up/trim. The hairstylist was quite talkative to me... a total stranger. I learned all about her recent fainting spell at work a week ago that landed her in the hospital. While there, she found out that she was pregnant, which she found quite shocking since her tubes are tied, as well they might should be, since she has 9, count them 9 children. I am somewhat certain that this was NOT a religious decision seeing as to how she is going through a divorce from her second husband and she was impregnated by her boyfriend of eleven months. Her boyfriend does not yet know about this pregnancy, (and unfortunate miscarriage shortly thereafter), as he lives in Minnesota and suffers from high blood pressure, she concluded that he did not need to know because it would probably just cause him unnecessary stress. Total strangers are free game... who cares what my blood pressure is or how much stress she could cause me by all of her business that she unloaded upon my shoulders or the fact that I have to explain all of her choices to my big eared children (figuratively - of course)!

So, is it just another day in my life...or does this kind of thing happen to others as well?

Why Me?

This morning in church, the pastor had a very powerful message. I found it to be very true and thought I would share. He stated that there are two type of people that come to church:
1. Those who think that if you do A, B, and C ... then God will do D, E, and F. In otherwords... if I do this this and this, then God will do this and that for me. That God's love is conditional on our actions. I have found myself in that place more times than I would like to recount. In a place where I felt like maybe things were not going my way because I was not loving God enough or doing enough to please him. Or... that things were going well for me because I was being a pretty good Christian! How sad would that be?

2. Those who think, WHY ME? Why would God in all His perfection forgive ME of all the nastiness that goes through my mind, or comes out of my mouth. Why would He pluck me out of all the unbelievers around me and allow me the ability to see His truth? Why would a God so PERFECT and SINLESS love someone as IMPURE and SINFUL as ME? I do not know WHY? But, I am so very very thankful!

If I am honest, I would have to say, that I do not fully appreciate ENOUGH the true GRACE and MERCY of my God! I tend to take my salvation for granted some days, just going through the motions, caught up in the daily hustle and bustle of life. It is my prayer, that I will take the time to slow down and that EVERY DAY and EVERY MOMENT I will remember the Cross that my God died upon for ME!

Fire at "Will"

Last night Landon and Gavin tried to muster up the courage to go over to the clubhouse with Blake to watch the neighbors set off fireworks. When Landon was over, some of the neighbors apparently mistakened him for a boy they knew named "Will". They kept saying, "Come on, Will, stay and play". A confused Landon would just run back home and tell us that they kept calling him some kid named "Will". Then fireworks would start going off. Somewhere along the way, Gavin picked up the term "Fire at Will". So, due to the name mix up, he was convinced, they were firing at the kid they thought was named "Will". We got so tickled. Everytime they would run over to the clubhouse, Gavin would run back like he was running from machine gun fire, screaming..."THEY ARE FIRING AT WILL".

Too Funny!

Friendly People Rock

The boxes are slowly being emptied, the walls still need paint, but slowly but surely, we are making a home. We are exhausted beyond belief, and I am pretty sure I have not worn makeup in 2 weeks, poor Russ, but again...we are making a home. I must say, I have never ever lived anywhere that people were so friendly! We have met 5 sets of neighbors so far, and that is 3 days after moving in. One neighbor churned us some homemade chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Another neighbor brought a homemade pound cake. They have just overwhelmed us with their kindness and friendliness.

Thank you, Lord for your mercy! If only we could bring all of our family and friends with us, it would be perfect.

He Lives in a House

If anyone knows our oldest son, Blake, you know that he is not the most social of our children. He is fine to stay in the house, play his PSP or some game, and let the world go by around him. When school starts, it takes him a month before he can tell me the all the kids names in his class and in private school there are only 15 to remember. He has one best friend and a couple of good friends, and that is fine with him.

I was very worried about us moving and all of the boys having to start finding new friends, etc. We were especially worried about Blake. He was the most devastated about leaving Florida and even yesterday he was crying and wanting to go "home". :(

Well, tonight we were supposed to go to our friends house in Summerville. That plan did not turn out how we had hoped, so after 2 hours in the car, we ended up back home. The boys were none too pleased because they really wanted to meet our friends' son Jake and have at least one "friend". However, it did not work out like we had planned. So, when we got back home, I was getting the boys bikes out of the garage, and our fifth set of neighbors stopped by to introduce themselves. They have a son Landon's age and live 2 doors down. They said their son has been hanging out near the bushes to try to meet our boys. Too cute! (He is just 7- probably would not be very cute if he was 15).

So, Landon and Gavin were riding their bikes and we put a couple of lawn chairs in the yard to watch the fireworks at the clubhouse across the street. Well, low and behold, Blake decides to walk over to the clubhouse and see if he could meet anyone. We watched him as he eased his way up the drive and stood off to the side watching all the kids running and playing and watching the fireworks. I almost cried feeling so much anxiety for him. What he had to be feeling, walking into that unknown situation knowing not one person, and just hoping to meet someone...anyone.

We tried to talk Landon and Gavin into going over there with him to back him up...thinking it may harder to ignore two or three boys over one. They were too chicken and couldn't do it.

Then, as we sat there watching, we saw Blake start running back toward the house. I was heartbroken. I thought, "My baby has put himself out there, out of his comfort zone, and he has been ignored. He is tired of standing over there feeling out of place and he is coming home". Russ replied, "That is a run of joy!". What do you know? Blake runs up to me, grabs my hands and says..."I met someone. He lives in a house. He is 10. He goes to Belle Hall. That's where I go, right?" I told him how excited I was for him and told him to go back over and hang out with him for a while. I do not think I have felt that much joy in a long, long time! Tears of happiness peaked in the corners of my eyes as I thanked God for His love and blessings. Then Russ and I laughed when we thought about what Blake had said... "He lives in a house".

Of course, after we told Landon about Blake's new friend, he was all up over in Blake's business. Turkey!

Gavin turns 4

Gavin celebrated his 4th birthday while we were in transit and at Nana and Papa's house. We tried so hard to make it special and very memorable. We started out having lunch at Mellow Mushroom...YUM! We went to the Children's Discovery Museum in Chattanooga to see the Curious George exhibit. That was fun! Of course, I had to make him a Batman cake to try to prove to him how much I love him. The birthday went well, but it made me sooooo sad. It was just us! I know, I know, that is okay...but no Brady, no Herwig family. I was so sad that his best friend was not with us to share in his special day. I felt like such a loser mom for moving him from all that he knows and loves. He will make some new friends, sure, but until then...hee haw, hee haw. I just feel like that!

He probably will not even remember this birthday when he grows up and is a young man. I sure hope he remembers that cake though. It sure did take a lot of time and TLC! Oh well, if he doesn't, I know it meant a lot to him on his special day!

Deceptively Delicious

We left the reunion and travelled on to Birmingham to visit Russ' sister Amy, her husband Chris and their son Micah. Micah is 3 weeks younger than Holden any my did they have a grand time scoping each other out. Amy and Chris are first time parents, as Russ and I were 9 1/2 years ago. You so quickly forget how anal you are with your first child...making sure they have every single food group represented in front of them for their dining pleasure at every single meal. I told Russ how awful I felt about my great parenting skills now with number 4... Helden is lucky to get some chicken nuggets and a few french fries for lunch some days. Maybe it is not quite that bad, but it is close.

I copied down some recipe ideas from 'Deceptively Delicious' about hiding veggies in "normal looking" food. Then I asked myself why would I go through all of that trouble when my boys eat fine. They eat vegetables... if I give them some. Being on the road for the past month, a big food food staple has been nuggets and fries. They will get a little crazy and get apple fries or comparable, but the vegetable choices have been limited as of late.

One night we stopped at Cracker Barrel for dinner. You would have thought we were in the organic section of Whole Foods Market. We scarfed down plates of vegetables and almost cried at the wonderful taste. Of course, they are the "good vegetables". You know what I am talking about I'm sure...cooked in tons of fat back and bacon, seasoned for hours with deliciousness! Healthy...not so much...but vegetables none the less.

Weight Watcher What? Seriously, my body will probably go through detox once we get our house together and can cook some reasonably healthy meals. Bring it on... or I am going to need to have my arteries unclogged.

So, maybe I will try some of those "Deceptively Delicious" recipe ideas, and of course I will share them with you on www.Keyingredients.com . I think I need to be deceived to eat some vegetables...aagh!

We had a great time with Amy, Chris and Micah. The time was short, but the love was great!

Just Around the Corner...or 47

One thing I will have to say is making me a little crazy is how delusional everyone is on distances. When someone says something is just around the corner or right down the street, that is exactly where I expect it to be. When I say…”Oh, Walmart is right around the corner”… I literally mean in less than a mile and around one corner you WILL arrive at Walmart. As of late, when someone tells us how to get somewhere or where something is located they direct us “right down the street” or “around a corner” and we have to drive 10-15 miles or around 47 swervy curves down 3 other roads and up a hill to get to that destination. So, let that be a lesson to you all…OWN IT. You do NOT live close to anything! It is okay, that is just the facts, just OWN IT!

I did something I swore I would never do…swim in a lake! I HATE lakes. The dark murkiness is haunting. Not knowing what is in the water beneath you… snakes, gators, more snakes, creepy fish. Up to this weekend Russ has been tickled to death about the prospect of going out on the lake in his uncle’s boat and water skiing, tubing, etc. He grew up going to lakes during the summer, that is what “inland” people do, I suppose. I am a beach girl. I go out on the beach, and the extent of my water contact is when I start to perspire a little too heavily, I go wade in the water about thigh high…still able to see the bottom, splash a little on my arms, then its back to shore. However, against all of my best judgement, I bit the bullet and took the plunge. It had to be 450 degrees outside, I think I would have jumped into a vat of motor oil swimming with sharks if it had been 400 degrees or less just to cool off for a split second! I have to admit…it was not as bad as I thought it would be. We were on the “big water”, not the swamp, so that made it a little more “ocean-like”! I also went tubing…yee haw. It was also not soo bad, it gave me a slight headache with all the bouncing, but it is something I would consider doing again. The boys had a blast and we all decided that we need a boat. So much fun and family time!

Now it is off to Birmingham to visit Chris, Amy and Micah. Micah got Roseola last week, so they could not make it to the reunion. So, we are off to B’Ham to hang out for a few days. More fun to be had!

How many bottles does it take to drive to Arkansas?

How many bottles does it take to get to ___ ? That is the driving game that we like to play on our road trips. See, once the boys break the seal to their bladders, they have to go to the bathroom every few minutes. SO, they use water bottles in the car so that we do not have to stop every 10 miles for potty breaks. Blake is OCD neurotic about the wipes. He MUST have a wipe in ready position for the current pottier to use AS SOON AS THEY HAVE FINISHED THEIR BUSINESS! So, we can now determine the length of a trip by the amount of potty bottles it takes us to get from place to place. The trip back was a four bottle and 2- 64 ounce big gulp cups. Say what?

You ain't nuthin' but a hounddog!

We went to Graceland, Baby! The home of Elvis Pressley. It is really a neat place. We learned that Elvis bought Graceland in 1959 for $100,000. WOW! He bought it from a doctor and his wife who built it on land given to them by the doctor’s Aunt Grace, so they named it Graceland in honor of her. Elvis bought one of his two private airplanes for $200,000 and spent $800,000 to customize it! It was quite obvious that his home was decorated in the era of bright colors, apparently his favorite color was BLUE! The boys barely knew the name before we got there, but let me tell you, they are all about The King now! They want to know what his biggest hits were, why he died, if he could have lived longer had he not gotten addicted to drugs and alcohol, and if he was in Heaven. Well, only God knows the answer to the last question, but we certainly are glad that they are concerned about his salvation! I think that it is pretty cool that all 3 boys think that Elvis Pressley is cool as a musician and an actor. The Legend lives on!

A little 'Night Talk' goes a long way.

I have talked a lot about the country aspect of life that we have been experiencing this past month. Please do not take that as me making fun of these people. God loves us all the same and just because they are different does not mean that is bad. Actually, I think we have a lot to learn from many of these “country folks”. Our family specifically can get so wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of life that you forget to slow down and appreciate what is truly important…God and family. One night while watching ‘Night Talk’, one of the nightly cable access channels, a caller phoned in concerned about how he was going to be able to find out the news once the new digital cable boxes were mandatory in order to watch television. We find ourselves trying to get the latest and greatest and newest and biggest HDTV. This poor man just wants to see the news. If you take the complexity out of life, I would be willing to guess life might be a lot happier. It is my prayer that we, our family especially, could learn to appreciate one another more and the things of this world less. This National Lampoon Vacation has started us on the path…being together in the car, in a tiny hotel room, back in the car, in the middle of nowhere for days on end…that will make you appreciate one another…or strangle each other. I have never heard so much laughing and playing and giggling between the first three Brown Boys until this trip! To God be the glory!

You can't get something for nothing!

Our favorite thing about Crater of Diamonds park was the following story:

We kept hearing that the best time to find diamonds was after it rained and right after it was plowed. So Blake got it in his head that anywhere he saw a puddle… that is where he should look and dig around. At one point, he was off exploring, and he shouted out that he needed help. Not too concerned, because again, we were in the middle of a 37 acre field of dirt, I moseyed on over to see what was up. He was covered in mud from his knees down and he was panicked. His shoes had been eaten up by the ground. Yes, you read that correctly! He found a wet area that he decided to investigate and when he stepped onto the ground, he sunk! A foot into the ground, he sunk. It took all of his strength to get himself out the bog, and his shoes did not come out with him. A lady that was venturing by about this time, offered up her opinion that he should just say adios to those shoes, they were G-O-N-E! So, we got Daddy-O on over to dig his shoes out of the earth! Blake got his heart beating again and his shoes were found a foot in the ground. The big life lesson that Blake learned from this adventure is this…YOU CAN’T GET SOMETHING FOR NOTHING! It is a lot of WORK! Let that be a lesson to all my boys!

The Middle of NOWHERE!!!!!!!

Let me start by telling you how we got on the path to diamond digging...It started about 2 years ago, when Blake found out that Murfreesboro, Arkansas was the only place in the US where you could dig for diamonds and keep what you found. So, we figured, what better time to venture into the middle of no-where-land, but during our transfer from Florida to South Carolina. So, the adventure began. Let me tell you something else...there is NOTHING AT ALL IN ARKANSAS! Nothing! Land, empty land, and more land. So, we drove, and drove and drove some more. We get to Arkadelphia, Arkansas, and had to stop at a Walmart to buy a pack n play. We ever so smartly packed that we forgot Holden's bed. NICE! The last Walmart before we left "civilization" was in Arkadelphia. (Correction, we left civilization way back, but I digress.) We asked the boy at the register where the closest sit down restaurant was, and basically the ONLY restaurant was the Western Sizzler located with Walmart. Yep...the Sizzler! YIKES!

We had to get off the interstate at this point to get to Murfreesboro, Arkansas. It was another 37 miles. Landon, at that time, asked if those were regular miles or "country miles". That kid!

Okay, so Murfreesboro does not have chain named hotels. So, you can imagine, I was a little scared of where we may have to spend the night. One of the best recommended hotels is actually a series of teepees. Yep, you read that correctly...teepees. They do not recommend you stay there if you have allergies to any type of animals or insects. Hmmmm...I think what that means is...HOLLY, DO NOT STAY HERE! That is at least what I heard. We realize that we are on a National Lampoon's Vacation, but a girl has to draw the line somewhere!

After over 9 hours we made it to the Queen of Diamonds Inn. I prayed shortly before we arrived that I would not have to wear bug spray to bed. Thank You, Jesus! He answered my prayer. The Queen was clean! Yee Haw!

Tuesday morning we went to have the hotel breakfast and the ladies at the desk must have thought I was a wierdo, because I just kept saying how wonderful and clean the place was and it was so nice. Seriously, I was shocked! I had to give them props!

Well, the time had come...dirt digging time! We rented our bucket, shovel and screens. We walked out into the field and the digging began! Seriously...our vacation revolved around sitting in 37 acre field with 110 degree heat index, digging in the dirt. I told Blake to take a picture of his sweaty, dirty mom digging in this field, because he could put it on his wall and ALWAYS know how much I love him. I would have been on the beach in Destin, with an ice cold sweet tea, reading a book. But then again, that is not how memories are made...

No diamonds were found, but we will never forget that adventure. The ONLY other thing to do in this entire area is Ka-Do-Ha Indian Mound Village. So, we looked at the mound houses that housed duplicated skeletal remains. AWESOME! Checked out another dirt field that supposedly contained indian artifacts from 1000 years ago. However, at this point, I am done dirt digging, and so are the boys. Seeing as to how there is absolutely nothing else to do in Murfreesboro...we decided to check out a day early and head to Memphis. Graceland, here we come. Thank ya, thank ya very much!

I think my favorite thing about the entire trip so far has been the following:
Since we started having children, spontanaity has been a thing of the past. But, we spontaniously decided to change up our plans and visit the King. Look out Elvis, here we come! These boys are about to get schooled on The King. Apparently, they have already been schooled on the Big As_ Beer. When we went to dinner tonight the signs were all over the place for the before mentioned delicacy. Welcome to Memphis!

Chickamauga Battleground

On Sunday, we went to Russ' mom and dad's church in Fort Oglethorpe! It was wonderful! The pastor was great, the music was too and the people were so friendly...normal friendly...not crazy Walmart lady friendly. The boys had a great time in childrens' church and it was just an all around great morning of praise and worship and hearing a great message of God's Word.

Following church, we decided to go through Chickamauga Battle Park. It was really cool and educational, blah blah blah, and the boys loved the rifle museum and the canons. We climbed the battle tower and I thought we would all die climbing to the top, but we made it!

There were amazing grass fields all around and there was a patch of trees about 300 yards from the tower. So, Russ and I had a great idea to tire the boys out, we told them we would give them $5 to run to the trees and back. They took off like a bolt of lightning and ran like the wind. Maybe that is the motivation I need as well...someone to pay me to run. AGH! You would think my big fat booty would be motivation enough, but apparently NOT!

She's a Gold Digger

Oh, how do I follow my last entry? I will just start by continuing to tell you about our National Lampoon's Summer Vacation! Saturday, we went to Dahlonega, Georgia to pan for gold! We went up and around and down and over and ugh...I thought for sure I must have appeared physically green! I am not much for motion sickness, however, I am afraid of heights, so the winding coupled with the deadly dropoffs were just too much! We reached one point and we had been driving for what seemed like days, okay so it was only 2 hours, but the sign said we had 17 miles to go to get to Dahlonega. So, we drive and drive and drive until we reached the end of the road another turn and we had 5 MORE MILES TO GO! So I made the comment that I know where they get the term "country mile". THEY REALLY ARE LONGER! They MUST be twice as long as a regular mile! Did you know that it is completely normal to have a washer, dryer, bed, refigerator, AND/OR sofa on your front porch? Suh-WEET!

We got to the gold panning / gem searching adventure that followed with a great yee haw tractor ride. Then I almost cried as I realized we had to drive back to North Georgia. I truly did almost cry.
I also almost threw up, and Holden did scream at the tippy top of his lungs for the entire 2 1/2 hours, minus 20 minutes...whew hew! But, we made it back, praise Jesus! Good Times!

We are in not in Kansas anymore, Toto...or South Florida.

We are in the mountains of Georgia and Tennessee...whew doggie! It is absolutely amazing how different people in this world are. I always knew it, but WOW, today, I lived it.

So, I went to Walmart, to grab some groceries so that I could prepare dinner for everyone. I also needed to grab some pull-up, because, apparently, with all of the moving around and not being in a routine, Gavin has started having night time accidents. No problem. So, I am standing in the diaper aisle, checking out the pull-ups, looking for the best option, when a lady comes toward me with her cart. She is talking to me before she is even beside me, telling me about her 7 year old grandson who is not night time potty trained yet. "Oh!", I said, "I am sure he will grow out of that soon!"

"Well, the doctor says that he is fine, it just takes longer for some to stop having accidents. My husband thinks it is wrong, but I told him it was normal", she continued.

Three to four more minutes continue with the above dialogue. Then, she looks at me and asks me, "You got any kids?" very serious, like those of us with children are an anomaly.

I reply, "Yes, I have four boys."

"How old is your last one?" she asks.

"Fourteen months", I say.

"Well, whatcha gotta say about this...I have been seeing things all fuzzy, I have had my belly weight shift to down here (and she ever so INDISCREETLY pulls up her shirt and shows me her entire belly fat), and these things have been tingling like crazy (at which time she grabs and jostles her boobs in her hands). Whatcha gotta say about that?" she says.

What did I have to say, you ask? "OH MY WORD!!!" is what I was thinking! Where am I? The Twilight Zone? Who does this? Am I on Candid Camera?

She commenced to telling me that she lost everything when her house burned to the ground and she is living in a hotel. She is having to write down the entire contents of her home (which she has bought and owns) so that insurance can payout. I felt awful, and told her so, but she was not gonna let that get her down. She continued on the road of bloated belly, tingling boobs and too much information about her menstrual cycles. She said she has had 30 miscarriages, PCOS and diabetes, which is apparently all connected. She is 56, her husband is 44, and he does not believe that she is pregnant. But she told him..."You'll see"! "Whatcha gotta say about that?" she says again.

"It's a girl, I think", she continues. Yes! SHE CONTINUES!!! "I have dreams about a little curly black haired girl, with brown eyes and dark skin...because my husband is half hispanic! She crawls into bed with me, and I tell her to "Go away, you are not real!", but she just keeps calling me mommy! You know, I used to have dreams about having a little girl and a year later I was pregnant with my daughter. Now she is 25!"

She showed me her belly, and what she perceived to be a pregnant bump, and talked about her "tingling" boobs some more. "YOU know what I am talking about!", she would say.

Let me tell you all something, for the record... there is a strong possibility that I could appear on Punk'd, Candid Camera, or maybe a new show that we have not heard of as of yet. There is no other explanation for the very odd encounter I had at the local Walmart today... at least nothing that makes sense to me. Bless her heart...at this point, I hope she IS pregnant! I cannot stand the thought of her finding out otherwise!

Travelling to our Destination

We have been out of South Florida for not quite a week yet, and I must say...I miss it, and I am lonely! The last week of school for the boys was the 4 days that we had the packers and movers at the house. We decided to stay at a hotel for a couple of nights, then stay with the Herwig's for our last 2 nights in South Florida. (We would have stayed with the Herwig's all 4 days, but we were afraid that by Saturday they would be dancing when we left instead of wanting us to stay.)

So, the last 2 days were nice, we enjoyed just hanging out with our friends, then Saturday morning (D-Day) arrived. It was AWFUL! I am not sure when the sobbing started for me, but once it started, it was hard to stop. At one point, while the boys and Russ were coming in and our picking up our bags to pack in the van, Landon starts singing... "Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today..." Actually, I think that was when my tears started to fall. Just watching Gavin and Brady sleeping in their bed Friday night made me so sad...they have no idea everything that is about to change in their friendship.

We drove up to South Georgia to Cordele to stay with Russ' Aunt Priscilla and Uncle Durwood. We were tired, but it was a nice visit. Sunday morning we finished our route to North GA, Fort Oglethorpe, which is about 10 miles from Chatanooga, TN, a great little town...filled with so much shopping. The boys started VBS at Nana and Papa's church, and have had a great time so far. There is a talent show tomorrow, that supposedly Blake has signed up to sing in, but we will see. I'll let you know.