Cameo #6

Olivia

The baby of the family. My little Pixie. :-)

The other night, all of us sisters were sitting around the table talking and Olivia was making us laugh so hard. We weren't laughing at her, we were laughing with her. She has a very sharp wit and is really a lot of fun to be around! Sometimes it's hard to believe she's only 8. I look at her now, so tall and smart and wonder where the cute, dimpled little baby went. Well, you just have to get her to laugh really hard and you'll see the dimple. :-)

From a very young age, Olivia has had a talent for art. She has an great eye for 3-D detail and her pictures are really fun to look at. And to get!
Livy loves to sing and usually is. Her sweetness brings a smile to the face of those who know her. She's into everything Princess or American Girl. She just got another AG doll for Christmas--a friend for the one she has. Thanks to her brother, she also knows more about Star Wars and Legos than any other girl her age I've met.

She's definitely a Pixie and all our lives a bit sweeter for her.

Cameo # 5

[For those of you that thought I'd forgotten or didn't care about the rest of my family...you were wrong...I just got delayed. Hey, I can still be thankful into Christmas can't I? ;-) ]

Jared

My one and only little brother. :-)
Jared is 100% boy. Star Wars, Legos, building things, guns, action figures, you name it. If I was ever to write a handbook on little boys, I'd make sure to mention that they have hollow legs and come fully equipped with sound effects including the following: disgusting noises, explosions for 1001 different types of weaponry, and goofy laugh for silly jokes.

Jared is the kind of boy that is always looking for ways to help you. When he learned how to mow the lawn this summer, I did a little happy dance and sang the "Hallelujah" chorus-the whole thing. (ok, so not maybe the whole thing...)He always has a great attitude if I ask him to help me with the dishes or some other job where we work together. The older he gets, the deeper our conversations are. It's been really fun watching him grow and seeing our relationship develop from being just the Big sister/2nd mother figure to just being a sister and a friend.

If you ever want to know all the names of the Portland Trail Blazers, their stats, most recent scores, who they're playing next, or any other fun fact about them, Jared's your man. He loves basketball and watching the Blazers play. (He likes to remind me every time he sees Brandon Roy that he has a signed ball from him.)

Jared and I have a lot in common and a love for reading is no exception. Everytime I see him reading, it's usually a new book. I love it when he comes and asks me to borrow a book of my shelf. :-)

Jared was born when I was 11 1/2. I don't think I could ever imagine what life would be like without him. I remember holding him right after Mom and Dad brought him home from the hospital and wondering to myself what life would be like when he was my age. Suddenly, I find that time is here and I love what life is like with him in it!

Cameo # 4

Rebekah

Where do you start when describing one of your bestest friends? As I mentioned in my post about Bethany, Rebekah is the other reason why I have any fashion sense today. Not that we ever agree on clothes, but at least she admits that I look like I belong in the right century. ;-)

Rebekah has this magnetic charm about her makes everyone- old people, young people, weird people, freaks and geeks alike, love her. (I’m weird and slightly freaky so I would know.) That and she’s so darn cute! I think she’s actually beaten Bethany’s record of how many people she knows at school…
Rebekah went from being the youngest of 3 to the middle of 5. She’s borne the “forgotten-middle-child” syndrome very well.
Growing up she was my “let’s go outside, get dirty, and build forts” pal. Rebekah was a good child and Mom and Dad knew it so even though I used to try to get her in trouble, it didn’t always work.

She’s one of the only people that can annoy me and make me laugh out loud simultaneously. She’s my movie quoting, road trip, let’s-stare-at-people-and-make-up-stories-about-them, buddy; we could go on for hours and have tons of fun that only we can understand.

Rebekah is finishing her pre-reqs at Clark right now, training to be a nurse. Once again, I get to listen to all the intricate details of Anatomy and Physiology class or her current project on----- tapeworms. She has a very strong stomach and an exceedingly brilliant mind.

Some things you might not know about Rebekah:
1.I have a few nicknames for Rebekah: Buzz, Robin, and Tonto
2.She can hear song once and then go play it on the piano.
3.Rebekah inherited Mom’s wonderful sense of direction. I’ve stopped arguing with her about whether I should turn left or right or go back the other way- I got tired of hearing “I told you so.”

I suppose there is a lot more to say about her but I'll close by saying this: My life would be exceedingly dull, lusterless, and completely devoid of chandelier earrings if it wasn’t for Rebekah. :-)

Cameo #3

Bethany

My little-big sister (I’m taller than her). Sometimes I think about my friends who don’t have big sisters and kind of feel bad for them because I feel like they missed out in some way.

Bethany, as the oldest was a guinea pig for a lot of things, homeschooling for one. She got to try out all the new curriculum before I had to use it.
Growing up she was great to play Barbies with and house and dress up. She was also great for instigating trouble and then getting me into it... not that I didn’t cause enough of that on my own, but that’s a topic for another day…
Bethany has always been a girly-girl (she used to call me over to where she was to kill spiders); she liked being clean and pretty. She still is that way today, but now I know that she’s not afraid to get down and dirty if she has too.

Bethany has great fashion sense, and honestly, it’s probably because of her and my other sister Rebekah (see tomorrow’s post) that I don’t only wear T-shirts and blue jeans EVERYWHERE (only every-other-where). ;-)

Bethany is a nurse. This meant that for four years I had got to listen to the long winded descriptions of the “vast majorialis-imperlus sephornitusis.” Don’t get me wrong---she’s really smart and secretly I was impressed—if I only showed that I was annoyed. ;-)

One of the most amazing things about Bethany is watching her as a mom. She married this really great guy named Alex (who, by-the-way, is a good big brother-in-law)and they have the cutest little boy, Jordan. No, I'm not biased; he just is. To know her as a sister, a friend, see her as a wife, has all revealed things about her character. Watching her as a mom has been really neat. There’s strength of character and determination of will that I never saw, even when she was in nursing school. I admire that immensely.

Some things you might not know about Bethany:

1. She can be kind of gullible. Ask her about the ice-maker story. She might tell you. If not, see me...I will! :-)
2. She helped open a human skull in a class for nursing school.
3. I think at one point she pretty much knew every single person at Clark College either by name or just by reputation. She was popular. :-)

Yeah, she’s pretty much an amazing big sister and when she’s gone I miss her tons, and when she’s visiting, we always have a blast. Did I mention she’s coming next week?!?!

Cameo # 2

Mom

You know how mommies are supposed to be soft, warm and smell good? My mom is. :-)
Born and raised in Vancouver, WA, Mom has lived in this town her entire life. I think that’s pretty neat; not many people can say that.
Her grandmother taught her to sew and over the years, she has made my sisters and I (and my brother too) so many beautiful clothes. One of my best memories growing up was hearing the sewing machine humming in the next room as I went to sleep at night. She’s taught me to sew as well.
A stay-at-home mom, she’s one of the hardest working people I know. She has homeschooled my siblings and me from day one; something I am thankful for every day. The skills she and dad taught me, prepared me for college and for life in the working world.
Mom has an incredible eye for detail and a talent for organizing and planning. Holidays and birthdays at our house are always amazing because of Mom’s hard work and direction.
And I don’t know how she does it, but she makes the best peanut butter and jam sandwiches.

Here a are a few things you might not know about Mom:


1. She does an amazing imitation of the voice of the Wicked Witch of the West. 
2. She makes the perfect apricot pie (you know, the one my dad asks for every birthday.)
3. She has the best sense of direction out of everybody I’ve met. (A trait, that unfortunately, I don’t think I’ve inherited)

And I wouldn't be who I am without her. :-)

Cameo #1

As promised, here is the first of the cameo posts about my family.

Dad

Born in Seattle, WA and raised in the mid-west in Cincinnati, OH. He wasn't what you would call an angelic child and with some of the scrapes he got into, I think it's a miracle he lived past 5 years of age. But, God had bigger plans for him.

One of those plans involved being getting married and being a dad to 5 kids.
As a father, he's always been a wonderful example of hard work, Godly character and how to make "groan-out-loud" puns.

He loves to study theology and is very good at teaching it too. He also knows more Scripture by heart than anyone else I know. I call him The Walking Concordance.

When I was learning to drive, I found that I preferred driving with Dad instead of Mom. I think it was because he didn’t panic if I got too close or anything…he would just get loud if I did something REALLY wrong. Now he tells me that I’m a good driver. :-)

At Christmas time, you have to either hide the sugar cookie dough or just not tell him that you’re making sugar cookies. Sometimes though, I set aside a little ball of dough, just for him…(yeah, I know, I’m a suck up.)

Five things you might not know about my Dad:

1. He’s a wiz at packing the car for Family Camp or Camping or any kind of trip that involves massive amounts of luggage and ‘stuff’. It always manages to fit!
2. He’s a big softie when it comes to a cute puppy.
3. If he asks you your birthdate, it's most likely that he will remember it for the rest of his life.
4. He always asks for apricot pie on his birthday.
5. He can do a remarkable impression of a singing Elmer Fudd.

He's a great guy. Yeah, I'm kind of attached to him.

Thanksgiving

November is almost upon us. (Can you believe it?)
Autumn is my favorite time of year. The colors, the smells, warm sweaters and especially Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving. It's a great time of year dedicated to simply just giving thanks for the many gifts God has blessed us with. One of my biggest blessings is my family.

I decided that starting in November, I'm going to do a little "Thanksgiving" cameo on each of my family members. Stay tuned for those upcoming posts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In other news:

It's cold!! I'm bundling up in scarf, coat and gloves in efforts to stay warm. I've also had to start scraping my car in the morning.
My morning ritual is going to have to start a little earlier so I can have time to warm up and scrape the car before work. I guess this means no more hitting the snooze button "one more time".

A New Friend

I have a new friend and little buddy at work.
He makes me smile.
He reminds me that it's good to be young at heart.
He also reminds me of how many movie lines I know.
He pals around with two of my favorite characters.
He's from Mattel; (well not really from Mattel, he's actually from a smaller comany that was purchased in a leverage buyout.)
And he makes my co-workers think I need the help of a professional.

He's:


REX




Don't you wish you had one too?

The Smile

What is it about a Smile?

If you're having a good day, a bad day, just one of those days, a smile can make all th difference.

It's just a hello; that warmth from a caring friend; maybe a good joke; that one just because they caught your eye.

It's meaning can hold so much. It shows they care. It's a reminder that "hey, I'm here for you." It's because they're friendly.

And it makes you feel special; it shows that you matter.
And it makes me smile too.

Here You Go

I was told that my blog needs some picturage. (Is that a word? Well, it is now.)

I thought I would post a few pictures from our camping trip this past August.



Here are a few of my favorites:





The Fam




We visited the Botanical Gardens











One of the beaches we visited had 'sand' like this; all broken sea-shells.




Driving with Rebekah is never boring!




I have a thing for my feet...someday I might be able to explain it...



This is what happens when you leave me unattended:



Don't ask...

I love Google

I really do. It's an amazing tool. I type in what I'm looking for and up pops just what I need.

For example: yesterday I was looking for a simple crochet pattern for baby hats. I typed in "crochet patterns + baby hats" and voila! The first site I click has a gazillion and one patterns. I found one I liked right away and actually made the hat in about an hour last night.
And today, I was thinking about making jam. A coworker mentioned that she had plum trees ready to drop their fruit and asked if I wanted some. I thought "Plum jam is really yummy and I bet it's not hard to make." Thing is, I've never actually made jam before-by myself that is. So I looked up "plum jam recipes" and found a link to a Home and Garden information center that was chalk full of helpfulness on jam making and recipes to boot.

Then I Googled "Betty Crocker" and made myself hungry by just looking at the pictures on the site. Excuse me now, I need to go wipe the drool off my chin...

Good News

I got the news this week that I passed my college Algebra class! Hallelujah and Glory be!! (and I'm not being sarcastic!)
It was the fourth time I'd taken the class...yes, you read that correctly...fourth. I used to be ashamed of that but then I realize that the first two times, the medium in which I took it was not good for me, the visual learner. The by the third time, I realized what it was that I had problems with and by the fourth time, I overcame!

I'm very thankful that God gave me the clarity of mind to learn what I needed, the strength and perserverance to continue and the grace to succeed.

Now on to the next one! The nice thing about the next class I have to take: it's my last one! Lord-willing I'll be done with my Associates in Arts degree by December. I'm really excited!

(But I am really glad I do get a break...at least for a month until class starts again)

I'm not sure why I'm sharing this with the whole world but at some point the truth will be known

Today, I found my first gray hair. And I pulled it out in disbelief.
I have found other hairs in my head that I thought were gray and had pulled them out, but upon further inspection they were indeed only lighter blonde and the light had made them look gray.

Upon further inspection this one was indeed gray; silvery, translucent, shimmery, undeniably gray.
I could have said it was almost pretty.

If I was 50.

But I'm not.

*sigh*

I need chocolate.

quote I got from my sister

"Be the kind of woman that,
when your feet hit the floor in the morning,
the devil says, 'Oh, crap! She's up!'"

Happy Thursday or The Weekend's Almost Here

People ask me how I can manage to be so happy and cheerful all the time.

I tell them it's the combination of Red-40 and caffeine.

In other news: I'm going to the beach this Sunday (after church of course) with my sister and two cousins for an abbreviated "Cousin's Weekend". I say abbreviated because we'll only be there for Sunday afternoon. I'm stopping by our little Weenky-dinky Foods after work to pick up some sandwich fixins' and drinks for the much anticipated outing.

Here are some of the things I have to remember to bring:
~Beach blanket
~Towels--for the very off-chance that I might get into the water
~Camera- must document these significant moments for posterity
~Ball gloves and a softball --since it's just us girls, we can play, unashamed of our skills (or lack thereof)
~Dry socks - don't ask me why, but this just seems like a good idea...and a warm one
~Sweatshirt
~Food

And now you can go into your weekend feeling complete, now that you know what I'm going to do with mine.

why is it...

that on one of the days that I'm in a hurry, and decided not to care about how my hair looks (which folks, let me tell you...is a BIG deal) that it ends up looking kinda nice and staying in place?

I will admit...I was lazy this morning. My alarm went off at 5am, as it does every morning, but I didn't get out of bed until (and I'm only slightly ashamed to admit this)...6. Which means I hit my snooze button....um...I don't think I'd better but that in print...

Anyway, I kind scrambled with getting ready; hair, makeup, breakfast, etc...and decided that my hair would have to make the sacrifice. And for some reason, it ended looking halfway decent and a couple gals at work have told me how nice it looks. Hoodathunkit?

Moral of this story: get up late and still have a good hair day ;^)
(*note: story not intended as a bedtime tale for small children.)

Colossians 3:15-17

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Look

who

I found... =)

“We now interrupt this programming for some random local news”

And because I haven’t blogged in a while and can’t think of anything else to write about right now…here are:

Some of the Things I Love

Getting up in the morning with the sun and hearing the birds singing

A hot cup of coffee with just the right amount of cream and sugar

Logging into my computer at work and seeing this sweet baby boy’s face on my desktop…


High-heeled shoes

Listening to my favorite song (songs) on the radio –way too loud…

A square of dark chocolate….just because…

Hearing the words of a familiar hymn that I’ve sung for years and being suddenly struck by something I never heard before

And finally...

Rodeos

She's so my sister...

I was just now sitting here at the computer looking up books at the library online (no, really! I was!!) when my youngest sister, who had been walking in and out of the room, talking about the newest Narnia movie, Prince Caspian and telling me all about the "romance" between Caspian and Susan in the film, suddenly stopped mid-sentence and proclaimed in a very dignified and shocked tone:

"I can't believe they did that!! C. S. Lewis would be horrified!!!!!!"

(and yes, there were that many exclamation points in her voice...)

You Know Your Math Professor is a Nerd When:

He starts randomly quoting Monty Python and the Holy Grail in class...

Wait...I knew what he was quoting...does that make me a nerd???

On second thought--- don't answer that.

The Latest and Greatest

Well, this week marks my last week at Columbia Credit Union. After working here for 2 years, I'm leaving to go work for Boise Paper starting a week from today. It was another one of those doors that God opened up and showed me (again) how good He is. I'm coming to understand how much I have to learn about trusting in Him.

I've spent some time today and the other day doing things at work and then thinking to myself "This is probably the last time I'll do ___". All my filing is done, my desk drawer is cleaned out (except for my hand sanitizer that I use REGULARLY), my computer files have all been deleted, besides anything important that I really need to keep and those I've emailed to myself. I've been saying goodbye to some of my members that come in to see me. A few people, that I've built good relationships with, have exchanged numbers with me so we can keep up later.

I'm really looking forward to this Saturday! It will be the first Saturday in about 4 years that I won't have to work aside from those Saturdays when I was on vacation.
Having those days off will be so nice. I'll have more time to spend with my family and other special people. =^) The new hours will enable me to continue finishing my school and still have a life after work.

All in all, life has been going really well. I'm still trying to figure out how to properly juggle some of the new things in my life, but slowly and surely, it's all coming together. It helps that people are very patient with me. =^D
I started the Family Camp countdown this past week too. I can't believe it's almost 25 days left!! Ack! I feel like I need to start packing!! Or at least making my packing list....*sigh*
Me and my lists. =^)

Goodbye Friend

Yesterday, we had to say "goodbye" to our good doggie friend Maggie. She was dying of kidney failure. We knew for a while that this was coming, but it was still hard for us to say that final goodbye.
Maggie was a wonderful pet for the very short time we had her. She would have had her first birthday tomorrow. But, God in His wisdom had better plans for her and us.
I've always loved dogs. They love unconditionally, are not embarassed by open displays of affection, protect us, and have hearts that just get bigger with time. Maggie was no exception. From the moment I saw her at three weeks old, my heart was lost to her charms. She was a total lover of a puppy--would greet me with a smile and a very wiggly body then flop down to get her belly rubbed (and I fell for it everytime...) She also was beginning to develop her protective "mama" side--would bark warningly at the door or just come and stand by you, letting you know she was there and everything was alright. She had the softest puppy-ears and would give sweet "kisses" when you let her. Her goofy side came through too--she loved to swing on the swings in our playset, I think she even tried the slide once. She may have only lived for 363 days, but she loved and was loved every minute of them.
I've been blessed in my life to have two great dog friends: my first dog Daisy, who we had for 14 years, and then Maggie. I think if they had known eachother they would have been best friends. Maybe they are already friends in heaven... I'd like to think so.
Often times God will bring friends into our lives, maybe even for a short time, that test our patience and make us grow in it, show us what it means to trust, how to laugh harder, and how to love unconditionally. Maggie was such a friend.
Goodbye baby...I'll miss you.

I’m beginning to think that the phrase “Expect the Unexpected” isn’t as goofy as I once thought it to be. But then, my thinking on a lot of things has changed over the past few months. Thankfully. I can’t count how many times I’ve foolishly questioned God and asked Him if He’s really sure what He’s doing. I’m happy to say now, that, by His grace, I’ve stopped arguing that line and started enjoying the ride. And what a ride it is! The past few weeks have brought events, opportunities and relationships that I would never have thought twice about, except for the fact that God opened doors and opened my eyes to what He’s working. I am so incredibly blessed.

“All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

Union Jack Would Be Proud

I've drunk enough tea this week to float the entire British Navy. So much tea that my Patriot Ancestors (that is if I have any Patriot ancestors) would be getting me ready to be tarred and feathered and writing my name under Benedict Arnold's on the traitors honor roll.
The reason? That dreaded 'L' word: laryngitis.
I started getting it on Sunday afternoon. What started out sounding like I just suddenly started smoking 3 packs-a-day, turned into the sound of an old rusty, squeaky door, and then completely went away. I mean gone. I was able to go to the doctor's finally on Wednesday (by then of course, my voice was rounding that last quarter mile pole and coming down the homestretch.) The diagnosis: allergies.

Look at this!

I found

this

site through Melanie's blogroll links and I can't wait to try some of her recipes! Her pictures are pretty amazing too, if you're like me and always wished you could have been born to ride a horse and live on a ranch. (I'm a pretty good rider but I haven't been in the saddle since I was in diapers or anything...)

Small Graces

Sometimes in life there are some very small and seemingly simple things to be thankful for. Those small graces that God shows us every day.
This morning, I experienced one such “small grace.” I was working the early, early shift at work today, which means myself and one of our loan officers come in an hour early to load our cash dispensers. Loading dispensers can be tricky, for various reasons and typically, this never takes place without something troublesome happening or going wrong). This morning, we had both dispensers done in record time! Nothing had gone wrong: the cash counter didn’t get jammed or decide to spit out the bills flying in every direction or count too many of the new $5 bills; (our machines HATE new bills); I didn’t whack myself in the leg with the vault door, or smash my fingers in the cassettes. It may seem like a rather small thing, “yeah, ok, so you had a good morning at work,” but for me, in my job, it was one of those moments where I saw God’s goodness to me in a very real way.
There’s a song that I remember listening to when I was little that my dad would have playing in the house or the car. It’s a song by Bob Bennett. Here are a few verses that describe my feelings very fittingly.

“Small graces surely have a meaning
Beyond their merely passing by;
They are a reminder to the heart
There’s more to life than meets the eye.

Cheerful greetings unexpected
Shared by strangers on the run,
For when the sky is clouded over
Still the promise of the sun

Is in the small graces,
The little moments when the miracles come.
These are the small graces,
Small graces pointing me to the larger ones”

Creativity and Quality Time

Yesterday, my mom, sister and I spent several hours scrapbooking together. I've been scrapbooking more now that I ever have, and now, thanks to a good friend of mine, I understand better how to put pages together and really enjoy it!
I've had pictures of our trip to Ohio and Kentucky in 2006 in an album (a big deal for me!) and I finally pulled out the pictures of the visit to Churchill Downs and scrapbooked them. I had bought paper specifically for those pictures ages ago and it was so much fun to finally sit down and scrapbook some of the most "iconic" photos of that day's trip.
I also got a couple pictures of me and my puppy scrapbooked. :^D
It was nice to sit and visit and have some good time together.

I'll try and post some pics of the pics later...

Sound Effects

This morning on my way to work I was listening to my favorite radio morning show on The Wolf (yes I listen to country!) :^D They were talking about compiling a list of the top five best movie sound effects ever. That got me thinking about my favorite movies sounds.

Here's my personal top five:

5)The arrow whizzing into the center of the target in "Robin Hood"
4)Feet tap dancing like in one of the old movies
3)Horns blowing the fanfare in "Ben Hur"
2)Lightsabers crashing together in "Star Wars"
1)The whip crack from "The Man From Snowy River" (it gives me chills!)

And now you know...

One of my favorite poems

THE FOOL'S PRAYER
by Edward Rowland Sill (1841-1887)

The royal feast was done; the King
Sought some new sport to banish care,
And to his jester cried: "Sir Fool,
Kneel now, and make for us a prayer!"

The jester doffed his cap and bells,
And stood the mocking court before;
They could not see the bitter smile
Behind the painted grin he wore.

He bowed his head, and bent his knee
Upon the Monarch's silken stool;
His pleading voice arose: "O Lord,
Be merciful to me, a fool!

"No pity, Lord, could change the heart
From red with wrong to white as wool;
The rod must heal the sin: but Lord,
Be merciful to me, a fool!

"'T is not by guilt the onward sweep
Of truth and right, O Lord, we stay;
'T is by our follies that so long
We hold the earth from heaven away.

"These clumsy feet, still in the mire,
Go crushing blossoms without end;
These hard, well-meaning hands we thrust
Among the heart-strings of a friend.

"The ill-timed truth we might have kept--
Who knows how sharp it pierced and stung?
The word we had not sense to say--
Who knows how grandly it had rung!

"Our faults no tenderness should ask.
The chastening stripes must cleanse them all;
But for our blunders -- oh, in shame
Before the eyes of heaven we fall.

"Earth bears no balsam for mistakes;
Men crown the knave, and scourge the tool
That did his will; but Thou, O Lord,
Be merciful to me, a fool!"

The room was hushed; in silence rose
The King, and sought his gardens cool,
And walked apart, and murmured low,
"Be merciful to me, a fool!"

This is what happens when everybody is sick...

I came home from work today, and being very tired and worn out from being sick with whatever-it-is-I've-had the past 3 days, I decided to just put on my comfy p.j. pants, a t-shirt and a warm sweater. I walked into the office to say 'hi' to my youngest siblings and Olivia says to me,"Oh hi Rachel! I haven't seen you---all day!"
Turning to Jared, she states, "Look Jared, Rachel's finally up."

Maybe I need to change my tactics...

Yesterday in Sunday School class (I teach the 2-3 year olds) we practiced our 10 Commandments song. I've been trying to get them to remember what song we're learning by holding up all ten of my fingers and saying "The Ten Commandments!" (very enthusiastically mind you...) Well, I decided to try and get them to think about the song a little more by asking them (like I didn't know) "How many Commandments are there?"
One of my three-year-olds (K.S.) promptly replied in a very confident voice, "THREE!"

Snowboarding

This past weekend I went snowboarding for the first time. Maybe I should call it "butt-boarding" becuase I think I spent more time on the ground than standing up. It was fun though. :-) I also spent a lot of time laughing laughing at myself-I know I looked a sight!! I can't wait to go do it again.

(PS Thanks to Amy Shearer for helping figure out how to post pics!!)

New Year's Resolutions

This morning, my sister asked me if I had made any resolutions for the new year. I thought about it on my way to work and realized this:
Last year, I had made a whole list of goals/resolutions and looking back, I don't think hardly any of them were accomplished. I realized this is because I had set goals or resolutions while telling God that I wanted to do these things instead of asking Him for His plan for me and for guidance in my paths. Sure, I got a lot done this past year, and there were a lot of changes in my life, but those had nothing to do with myself or my strengths.
This year I hope will be different. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." ~Phil 4:13. My goal or resolution for this year is kind of summed up in the words of this poem. I know it says "A Regular Man" but I think it applies to me as a Christian. I want to be able to look back on the year and be able to see ways in which I grew and give glory to God for it.

Lord, Make a Regular Man Out Of Me
~By Edgar A. Guest

This I would like to be – braver and bolder,
Just a bit wiser because I am older,
Just a bit kinder to those I may meet,
Just a bit manlier taking defeat;
This for the New Year my wish and my plea-
Lord, make a regular man out of me.

This I would like to be – just a bit finer,
More of a smiler and less of a whiner,
Just a bit quicker to stretch out my hand
Helping another who’s struggling to stand,
This is my prayer for the New Year to be,
Lord, make a regular man out of me.

This I would like to be – just a bit fairer,
Just a bit better, and just a bit squarer,
Not quite so ready to censure and blame,
Quicker to help every man in the game,
Not quite so eager men’s failings to see,
Lord, make a regular man out of me.

This I would like to be – just a bit truer,
Less of the wisher and more of the doer,
Broader and bigger, more willing to give,
Living and helping my neighbor to live!
This for the New Year my prayer and my plea –
Lord, make a regular man out of me.

Happy New Year!!

"Another year is dawning, dear Father, let it be
In working or in waiting, another year with Thee.
Another year of progress, another year of praise,
Another year of proving Thy presence all the days.

Another year of mercies, of faithfulness and grace,
Another year of gladness in the shining of Thy face;
Another year of leaning upon Thy loving breast;
Another year of trusting, of quiet, happy rest.

Another year of service, of witness for Thy love,
Another year of training for holier work above.
Another year is dawning, dear Father, let it be
On earth, or else in Heaven, another year for Thee."

~Frances Ridley Havergal