One of the Best Birthdays....

So, I have had one of my best birthdays and it is not even my birthday yet. Saturday will be my birthday...but already it has just been so great. First of all, I got my red kitchen aid mixer as a valentines/birthday gift from Ryan. I love it! Then, I got my favorite dress ever and some fabric with which I have already done 1 project (pics to come soon) from my parents. Donna and Robbie gave me some monogrammed jewelry that I have wanted for several months!!! Just last night our small group had a surprise party for me and gave me a cake, a precious card, had a banner up for me, and gave me a digital picture frame!!! I am watching it now...it's so great! I mean....if it were to get any better I don't know what I would do. In small group...we just finished studying the book of Ephesians and I was explaining how God has really blessed me beyond measure. In Ephesians 3 Paul talks about how God is able to do immeasurable more than we could ever ask or imagine. I have a huge imagination and God has truly blessed me far beyond what I could imagine. I have the greatest friends and family. I could never ask for more

A New Kind of Culture Shock!

Growing up in the south, saying yes ma'am, no sir, please, thank you, Miss and Mr....is not preferred but expected. If a child does not include these manners when speaking with an adult it is a bit appalling. Even at the age of two my nephews are corrected each time they answer a question with yes or no...rather than yes maam or no maam. This is the way I was raised and it is the way of life in the south. RESPECT is HUGE and manners are part of that respect.

After moving to Houston...I began to see less of the yes maam and no maam....but it was still pretty prevalent. Now in LA, I don't think I have heard one child say yes maam. It is definitely not common in conversation here. I have to catch myself as a teacher because when a child curtly answers me with yes or no....something inside of me deep within my southern roots wants to look that child in the eye and say, "Excuse me?" To which I want their response to be "Yes Maam." But the truth is....it is not going to happen and I am getting very use to it.

I however can never get over the rudeness of some children. Today I was subbing in a 2nd grade classroom. While some of the girls were gathering outside of the classroom before class they were peering through the window to see their substitute. I could hear everything that they were saying...first I heard in a very mean snotty voice, "Oh, My Gosh....She's a teenager!" Then this student proceeded to tell every other student that came up to look at the little teenage sub. Here I am 4 times her age and allowed my feelings to get a bit hurt by her remark. Then I had several disrespectful students. After getting on to a little girl for being disrespectful, she walks up to me....looks me in the eye and says in such a sassy voice, "You are not any fun!" I don't think I could say that to anyone much less someone much older than me.

There are many reasons why I feel hesitant to ever move back to Mississippi.......but being in a place where respect and manners rank super high on the priority list would be nice!

The Healthy Lifestyle a.k.a. Diet Begins

Why can't I eat 8 chocolate chip cookies every day? Why was it that I bought mini rice cakes rather then potato chips at Target today...and why can't I eat pizza every other night? And why in the heck does exercise have to be such a pain? WHY??? Because my jeans are tighter than ever before...because it is already swim suit season in California...and because in a month I have my annual doctor's appointment which is also the one time a year I step on scales....and I am determined to lose any weight that I have gained since this time last year (siighhh).

Now the hard part of this is...I want to do this so that I feel better about myself and my body. But the last thing I want to do is become obsessed with it. Living in an appearance obsessed culture makes this difficult. Also, having had an eating disorder in the past also makes this tricky. So....that's why I decided to post about it....tell the world. This way I can somehow...kinda...hold myself accountable.

But, really....it is such a pain that we have to make a concious effort to watch what we eat. I hope when we get to Heaven our spirtitual bodies will thrive off of things like cookie dough, cookies, brownies, doritios, flaming hot cheetos, peanut m&m's gumballs, those sugar cookies with the bright icing from walmart/sams/costco,etc., chips and salsa, milk shakes, beef jerkey, and my beloved diet dr. pepper...would'nt that just be wonderful!!!???

So, until then .... pray that my appearance will never be more important to me than my character and spiritual health.....and pray that I can have self control as I really desire to stick to this healthy lifestyle.

Oh...and just because I haven't done this in a while....a loaded question card for the day:

If you were in line at the deli, what would you order?
This is easy...turkey sandwhich on wheat bread. Mustard no mayo. Please add lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, and every kind of pepper available! YUMMM!

What would you title your autobiography?
Utter Randomness

What color looks terrible on you?
Orange

Where is the best place to take a family vacation?
Branson, Missouri



ENOUGH, ENOUGH, ENOUGH....I HAVE TO GO RUN NOW.... I HAVE PROCRASTINATED LONG ENOUGH...AGGHH!!!!

THE BEST VALENTINES WEEKEND EVER! Part II

This is Wyatt (Ryan's sister's son) singing "At the Cross." And yes, that is Ryan playing with legos in the back ground.

Wyatt singing "The B-I-B-L-E"

Maeson and Robbie telling Tacey Goodbye!

More to come later...and some pictures of the neices...but for some reason...blogspot is not wanting those images to upload right now!

THE BEST VALENTINES WEEKEND EVER!

This Valentines was wonderful! On the Eve of Valentines Ryan gave me a Valentines gift! I was so surprised and excited...it wasn't just any gift but something that I have always wanted! It was a red kitchen aid mixer. I was so surprised and felt so loved!

Then, on the 14th we flew to Mississippi to be with our family. We surprised my Daddy...which was priceless. I also surprised my sister-in-law Donna...which was fun! Here are a few glimpses from our weekend! We have the best family in the world!

This is my big brother, Robbie, and I. I guess we are still a little childish. P.S. Make up is not worn when hanging out at home in Mississippi!

One of the many highlights of my weekend...a quick horse ride with my nephews, Maeson and Wes.

Here is my Wessy Bug!

This video was taken when Maeson and I went feeding the cows with Daddy.

HAPPY VALENTINES!

Love is in the air! I love valentines....actually I love the whole month of February for 2 reasons...one because it means my birthday is only 1 month away and the second reason is I love all of the Valentines stuff. I love the pink and red hearts, the candy, the talk of love, the stuffed animals, the cards...I just love the coversations of love. We have a nearby Target that the parking is in a parking garage and the store is above the garage. You have to ride up an escalator to get into the store part....and as you go up, there are giant signs that look like the heart message candy hanging from the ceiling. Each time I see them it makes me smile. I pick out which one I want that day...for example they say things such as, hello luv, hello star, hello precious, hello cutie, hello cheeky, etc. Most of the time I pick "hello precious...." So I am just playing an imaginary game in my head that someone is saying that to me...haha. Anyway, each year I have been making Valentine cookies....I have so much fun doing it. Here are this years cookies:

I hope that you have such a wonderful Valentines and feel more loved than you ever have before! Happy Happy Heart Day!

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BABY BLUES (THE RESTURANT)

Last Weekend Ryan and I met his boss and his bosses wife at their home in Venice, California (just north of us about 15 minutes). We went to a Bar-B-Q resturant that Ryan has been wanting to go to for a while. It was called Baby Blues....and I must admit, it was very good. My favorite part was the dessert ....banana pudding...the best I'd ever had! I also was a tad bit offended...well okay, not really offended, but I thought it was funny. You see, it was a hole in the wall place...but the servers were I believe intended to look southern. They all had on jeans and sloppy big white shirts (like a big undershirt)...and a john deere cap. And the girls hair was horrible messy ( I am not sure if that was part of the southern attire or just her). Anyway, I overheard our waitress explaining to someone else that the attire was "white trash." I mean....seriously...just because you are from the south and eat bbq doesn't mean you are white trash...or dress like it. Anyway, I am rambling now and have a ton that I need to be doing so, this is for me today.

LOADED QUESTIONS

So, my favorite game is called Loaded Questions. Our friends Cathy and Cliff gave it to us for Christmas....probably so I would stop asking to borrow their game. But anyway, I love it! You have all of these questions youare suppose to answer honestly...completley random questions. I make our small group play it occasionally and it is such a fun way to get to know people. However, I have discovered that no one likes this game as much as I do....especially Ryan. I try to play it with him at the dinner table....but he refuses to participate. So, I play it by myself...and crack myself up. So, I am about to draw some cards and answer the questions on my blog.

If you could choose any one person as your dinner guest, who would you choose?
Ellen Degeneres

What is your favorite dish at an italian resturant?
Pizza

What is one rish you are not willing to take?
Getting lice again...that's why I cut my hair off and stopped hugging children.

What is your favorite kind of soup?
Chicken Tortilla

What is guaranteed to tick you off?
humm... Probably me cleaning and working in the house while Ryan sits not helping me.

What is the most exciting thing you can imagine happening in your life?
Going to China and getting MeiLing and then getting an orphan from Africa....it could be in the opposite order.

What one word would people never use to describe you?
Intelligent :)

I am always amused when I see people: Do magic tricks.

If you could be a member of any TV Sitcom family, which would it be?
Friends

What makes you laugh uncontrollably?
My Friends (especially Jen and Jode....Mrs. Kelly Taggie...and Crazy Mrs. Helen McCrory)

Okay, I won't make you read anymore today! But I highly reccomend the game!