Prayers of Friends and Family are such a BLESSING!

Jen has known for some time that layoffs with her company (and specifically in her division) were pending... but today was THE day. We are so blessed to have such good friends and family that stopped what they were doing and prayed for her this morning when we found out what was happening. She just learned that her position is safe, but that she will be transitioning to a new work group. While change is always a challenge, we are so grateful that she is keeping her position. Please keep her in your prayers as she learns more about her new role and responsibilities.

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers and for being there! :)

VOTE!!!

Just a reminder that if you haven't already voted, you have until this Friday, 10/31, to vote early and beat some of the election day crowds. If you live in Dallas County, early voting locations can be found at this link:

http://www.dalcoelections.org/nov42008/EVLocations.htm

This is a critical election for the future of our country. Please PRAY, then VOTE. Don't miss this incredible God-given opportunity to tell the world what AMERICA is all about.

Thanks for letting me have a little soap-box time!! :)

Nothing too inspiring today, but...

I'm so excited that I got my Christmas cards already!! I love Shutterfly and every year they have a great sale if you order them early. I literally ordered the cards one evening about midnight and got them in two days!! I could hardly believe it. The wonderful thing about ordering them so early, is that you have plenty of time to get them addressed and everything. I also have started my Christmas spreadsheet but Jen beat me to the punch this year and got hers started first!! I'm not always so organized, but I do LOVE it when it works out like that!!!!!

I go back to the orthopedic doc tomorrow morning for hopefully my last elbow appointment. What a miracle it is that our bones just heal with time. It's simply amazing.

Hope y'all are enjoying this beautiful, crisp weather!! :)

Do you like it?

Well, I am thinking about getting a new Christmas tree this year and I'd love your opinion. Please comment if you like this one.

Thanks!! :)

Another Melanie Update

Wow... we got to actually visit with Melanie today. What a blessing... the doctors had taken out the trach earlier in the morning and so she was actually talking. She looked really good. Thanks again for all your continuing prayers. She was able to move her arm slightly and is getting a little leg movement. Her mom seems so hopeful and precious. What a sweet Christian woman. Continued prayers are definitely needed, though. Thanks again, y'all!

Melanie Update

Great news regarding my friend Melanie. She is continuing to gain strength and some muscle control and movement... she is beginning to eat real food... and she is able to talk some. All fabulous improvements! Thank you all for your prayer support. It is such a blessing to her and to her family!!

Precious Great Niece!

These pictures have been circulating among my family, but they were just too cute not to post on my blog, too. Isn't she adorable?? Mimi would have been in love with this little girl!!!!!!!

Fun Week...

Well, it was a fun, busy week. One of the highlights was going to the "Boomers Comic Club" at Prestonwood. There was a great Christian comedian and I got to go with a friend, Linda Walker, who I met through Silpada Jewelry. I was tired after a long day of work, but it was still fun to do something new!




Last night, I went with a few of my old church buddies to a party with a new group and we had a really nice time meeting a bunch of new people from other area churches. We were encouraged to wear costumes, so Jen helped me find this fun hat that I wore. Although it wasn't a dramatic costume or anything, a bunch of the other girls really loved it!


Spending today getting ready for next week... :) Here we go again!!!!

Cool new additions to the campus

Here are some photos of one of my campuses that is getting an extreme makeover, including a new library. It's going to be beautiful!!

BEFORE:







UNDER CONSTRUCTION:





PROPOSED FINALE:

"Gotta have it" syndrome

I saw this quote on a random blog and it really touched me. Especially after having a garage sale with my sweet sister-in-law and precious niece today who were dead-dog tired after a long night for an "away" football game and then preparing their garage for the sale. I tend to collect "stuff" and it felt so good to get rid of so many things that I don't need and that other people were so excited to have. My goal is to be a better steward of my resources and to live for the joy of living, not for stuff to collect. For those of you who know me, you know that this is probably WAYYYY overdue.

"It doesn't matter what you have, someone else always has something bigger or better. And those decorating magazines can often give us great ideas but also a dose of the "gotta have it" syndrome. Maybe it's time to take a little break. Instead of focusing on "home beautiful", concentrate on what makes your home warm and caring. A place where you can express your God-given talents. No mater how little or how much you have, you can experience the results of a godly home. Make it more of a sanctuary in the best sense. A place of security, trust, and comfort. That comes from you. There's no decorating scheme in the world that can replace the role you play in your home!"

from "The One Minute Home Organizer"
by Emilie Barnes

Please Pray for Melanie...

Please keep my friend Melanie in your prayers. She has had a rough week with another blood clot in her right arm. She is battling through one thing after another, but is still making progress. She was able to say a few words yesterday. We are grateful for the progress, but she still needs our prayer support. This has been going on since July and her family is able to be strong for her because of our prayers. Thanks!!

I'm sling-less!!

Great news! I went to the orthopedic doctor this morning and my elbow is continuing to heal nicely and I don't have to wear my sling any more!! Yay!

Jon's 21!

I can hardly believe that the cute little boy with the flat top hair cut, overalls and scruffy voice is all grown up! I was getting prepared for this moment, but it's pretty strange and unsettling to know that my "baby" is an adult!! Wow... where did the time fly??

Lovely Day!

Today was such a nice day. Jen came over and we made blueberry muffins and spent the morning just visiting, sitting on bar stools in the new kitchen, (and admiring the new vent hood that was finally delivered and installed this week.)



It was so nice having a quiet, non-busy time just to spend together. Then, we started nibbling on a pot roast that I had made the night before. (It was delicious, if I say so myself!!) We started watching a movie, "While You were Sleeping" as Jen went through some old photos. She found some absolutely precious ones and it brought back so many memories for both of us. It was hard to believe how much everyone has grown up in these past brief years!!

We then started tackling a classic "Kim Russell 30-minute" project of pulling stuff together for a garage sale that Jeri and I are hosting next weekend to help raise money for the Leukemia marathon that Jeri, Christen and Stephani are running in two weeks. You just cannot believe how much "stuff" there is. It felt so good to help Jen "edit" and redecorate my rooms and really de-clutter them.





Thanks, Jen, for spending your Saturday with me. I loved every minute and it was such a wonderful indulgence to have you with me all day!!

God says...

We say: 'It's impossible'
God says: All things are possible (Luke 18:27)

We say: 'I'm too tired'
God says: I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28-30)

We say: 'Nobody really loves me'
God says: I love you (John 3:1 6 & John 3:34 )

We say: 'I can't go on'
God says: My grace is sufficient (II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

We say: 'I can't figure things out'
God says: I will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5- 6)

We say: 'I can't do it'
God says: You can do all things (Philippians 4:13)

We say: 'I'm not able'
God says: I am able (II Corinthians 9:8)

We say: 'It's not worth it'
God says: It will be worth it (Roman 8:28 )

We say: 'I can't forgive myself'
God says: I Forgive you (I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

We say: 'I can't manage'
God says: I will supply all your needs (Philippians 4:19)

We say: 'I'm afraid'
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear (II Timothy 1:7)

We say: 'I'm always worried and frustrated'
God says: Cast all your cares on ME (I Peter 5:7)

We say: 'I'm not smart enough'
God says: I give you wisdom (I Corinthians 1:30)

We say: 'I feel all alone'
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)

God determines who walks into our lives....it's up to each of us to decide who we let walk away, who we let stay, and who we refuse to let go.'

God bless all my friends in whatever it is that you know they may need this day! And may their life be full of your peace, prosperity and power as they seek to have a closer relationship with you. Amen.

Who the Heck is Steven Wright?

According to one of the million email "forwards" I know we all get, here's some information about Steven Wright... (BTW, for you OCD people... I have no idea what happened to number 7 in the list. It was missing before I got it!)

"If you're not familiar with the work of Steven Wright, he's the famous
erudite scientist who once said: 'I woke up one morning, and all of my
stuff had been stolen and replaced by exact duplicates.' His mind sees
things differently than most of us do, to our amazement and amusement.
Here are some of his gems:

1 - I'd kill for a Nobel Peace Prize.
2 - Borrow money from pessimists -- they don't expect it back.
3 - Half the people you know are below average.
4 - 99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
5 - 82.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
6 - A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
8 - If you want the rainbow, you got to put up with the rain.
9 - All those who believe in psycho kinesis, raise my hand.
10 - The early bird may get the worm , but the second mouse gets the cheese.
11 - I almost had a psychic girlfriend, ..... but she left me before we met.
12 - OK, so what's the speed of dark?
13 - How do you tell when you're out of invisible ink?
14 - If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.
15 - Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
16 - When everything is coming your way, you are in the wrong lane.
17 - Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy.
18 - Hard work pays off in the future; laziness pays off now.
19 - I intend to live forever.... so far, so good.
20 - If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?
21 - Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
22 - What happens if you get scared half to death twice?
23 - My mechanic told me, 'I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.'
24 - Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?
25 - If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.
26 - A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.
27 - Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
28 - The hardness of the butter is proportional to the softness of the bread.
29 - To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research.
30 - The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard.
31 - The sooner you fall behind, the more time you'll have to catch up.
32 - The colder the X-ray table, the more of your body is required to be on it.
33 - Everyone has a photographic memory; some just do not have film.
34 - If your car could travel at the speed of light, would your headlights work?"