Soon approaching

Tomorrow is the last day of the year... Wow... 2008 has come and gone...

I really didn't have anything to say, I just didn't want to be at the bottom of blog lists anymore. Hee-hee...

All done!

The presents are wrapped and the stockings are stuffed... It's done! I'm not going into another store for a while now... I need a shopping break. I don't even know if that's possible for me, but I'm going to try!

So, if I don't get to blog until after the holiday, Merry Christmas everyone !!!

Surprise from Santa and other adventures of the day

This morning when we came into work, we found a bag filled with goodies in our outgoing mail. It had a note that said "To: Accounting, From: Santa." We still have not figured out who this kind Santa is. When we opened the bag, it was like the kids inside of us came out. It was filled with coke bottles from the old fashioned days, play-dough, a slinky, a gooey slap hand, and a pop culture trivia game which my boss was kind enough to let us play a card with three questions every 30 minutes. So far, I am in the lead with correct answers. Then in the afternoon, during our afternoon break, we took our play-dough and made a Christmas themed sculpture, which was later judged by our auditor. Yes, today was a good day at work. Don't get me wrong, we did accomplish quite a bit of real work as well.

Then this evening, I went to my friends house for a little Christmas gathering. Her house is in a nice area and it made me smile just driving through the neighborhood. Beth and Kelli got me this really cool Victoria's Secret gift set with my favorite scents inside. Those girls are such good friends and quality time with them is something that can always make my day.

Then I had to rush home to get dinner because I was preparing a pot roast on the slow cooker all day. I guess they call it "slow" cooker for a reason because it took forever. It turned out juicy and delicous though with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy... Yummy!

Now, it's time to sit back, relax, and watch Horton Hears a Who with Diamond.

I really want to -

But I just haven't had anything to say lately. Or maybe I've had too much to say and I don't want to post a long boring blog...

So, instead, I'm going to finish working on a project for my Secret Santa gift tomorrow and then head to bed.

Sounds like a plan to me!

Homework check

This came in an e-mail from work today... Kids can sometimes do the silliest things and not even know it.

Mommy works at Home Depot and was selling a shovel.

Oh how I wish you were here, Kohls

Yesterday, as we were getting ready for school, Diamond decides to wear one of her cute church shirts. She wanted to wear the new brown flats we bought at Kohl's last Monday when we went to Abilene.

She puts them on, walks around, goes and has breakfast, then as we are heading out the door to catch the bus, she asks me, "Momma, do you think anything is wrong with these?" I try analyze the shoe at 6:50 a.m. at my not yet fully awake hour and say, "No, they look just fine. They look good." These shoes are the ballet flats, but they have a little buckle at the top. When she takes them off to look again she tells me they just don't feel right. I look and I see the inner sole and see the shape of the foot... They are both left feet!!! Oh no!!! I don't go to Abilene often at all, but it looks like I'm going to have to make a trip down there before Christmas.

So being the good mom that I am, I tell her, "Well since they're flats, why don't you just see if you can wear them anyway..." She tried it then looked at me like I was crazy then put her tennies on... I don't blame her at all. It was still too early for me.

Christmas Shopping

It feels neverending...

But I'm almost done!!!

Woo-hoo!

Before she does...

Tonight Diamond had her first night of helping out as a techie for the upcoming Willy Wonka production. She has been looking forward to this all school year and after reading the techie schedule, I'm a little relieved she is not in the cast. She will be spending 3 hours for 3 nights this week and then it will go to 4 hours next week. Then on top of that, they have weekend practices scheduled. With the busy holiday schedule, like parties and more practices, I don't even know how these kids will have time for homework. But I have warned my child and she knows that if she doesn't get her homework done before practice, she will not be allowed to participate in the play. Mean mommy, I know...

So anyway... while she was practicing away at the play, I go to spend some time with my good friend, Bethany. I haven't seen her in a while so we had some stuff to catch up on. Since she spends Tuesdays watching basketball, we decided to do that. I love basketball and honestly, it's one sport I enjoy watching. Although I may not know the names of things, I understand the primary purpose of the game. I have been to a sports event with Beth before, but I have never been to one where her family member is playing. Sitting next to her made the game even more exciting for me and I actually wanted to stay til the end to finish it. She did some yelling, some cheering, and some encouraging. It was fun. She even bought me and her brother some yummy Chick-fil-a. I'm so blessed with such a good friend.

Oh... and note to self for the next time I watch a game with her... Do not talk to her. She will repsond with very little reaction no matter how big the news is. If only I could've had the moment on tape, huh, Beth?

And so on our way home, I picked up some dinner for Diamond and guess where we went... Chick-fil-a... I had to get a refill.

Past her bedtime

My daughter is just now getting ready for bed. I think it stresses me out more when she doesn't get enough sleep, but she doesn't seem to mind. We spent all night working on posters, signs, a little float, a song, a speech, and I don't even remember what else for their election they are having tomorrow. There wasn't a paper sent home so I was taking her word when she told me all this was required. Either that, or she just loves going above and beyond in her work. We'll see what happens tomorrow. They are supposed to be voting tomorrow for class president and we shall find out the results. I wanted to take a picture of the poster, but it's still covered in wet paint.

I think it's bed time for me too...

And the countdown begins

Christmas Countdown & MySpace Layouts

Happy Turkey Day!

It's almost over...

I love Thanksgiving! We get to spend some good quality family time together. We make the meal together, we clean up together, and we play games. I ate way too much, but today is the one day a year when it is okay to do that! We had all the traditional turkey stuff and from the looks of it, we will probably be eating turkey for the next week!

We actually even already have our tree up. It seems Thanksgiving is so late in the month this year so we spent last night getting our tree together. It looks beautiful and homey... it even already has presents under it. None for me though - I already checked. Hee-hee...

So tomorrow, I'm not going to any of the sales. Instead I'm heading off to work. Although it's against my will to go, I don't have a choice. A bunch of co-workers sent out an e-mail yesterday, and I think my department is going to be the only ones working on the 2nd floor tomorrow. Not really, but it started to seem that way at about 4:30. But I'm thankful. I'm thankful for our awesome God, my family, my friends, my co-workers, and the constant provision God has given us through the year.

"Where did all my money go?"

That is a question we get a lot of calls about at work. It's as if the credit union does some magic and we manage to use all of their money without them knowing. We secretly deduct a penny here and there and hope you won't notice... I don't think so.

So in return, we always ask, "Well, do you keep a register."

I have heard a lot of responses to this question. Some people don't lie and just plain out tell you no. Some people say yes and try to come up with crazy reasons as to why their register is $634 off what their balance is. Some people try to make excuses about why they don't (I'm not good in math; I can look at it on-line; I know how much I spend; etc, etc.) Well, on Friday, I was reading the notes on someone's account and I found my favorite reason as to why a person does not keep a register:

"I have a photographic memory and I will remember everything."

This made our Friday afternoon.

Two busy days down, two more to go...

Our sleepover is over!!! We made it and I think the girls had a wonderful time! I had a blast watching them play games and make new friends. I still haven't recovered from lack of sleep yet, but I think I will catch up on that tonight. Three of us slept on a queen air mattress with a secret hole in it. In the middle of the night, I hear this sound and one of the girls is blowing up the mattress while we are still on it. The unevenness must've bothered her. Well, not only did the girls have great fellowship, but so did I. I got to know a couple of my friends a bit better and they were such an amazing help to me.

Then I headed off to a 25th wedding anniversary party for one of my good friend's parents. Their relationship just sets such a positive example of how marriage should be - with God in the center. It's something I look forward to in life. The celebration was beautiful.

Tomorrow, I have another party at my boss' house - an Indian summer party. I've never been to one of those, so we shall see how it goes. Then the weekend will be over...

But the best part is, I am off Monday and Tuesday!!! Yay!!!

Thanksgiving Delivery

Tonight we had our annual Thanksgiving meal delivery to a family with Chi Alpha. This is one of my favorite things we do and I look forward to this event every year. A girl and boy small group get together and deliver an entire Thanksgiving meal to a deserving family. Each member of the small group pitches in parts of the meal, and together, we make a feast.

Tonight, we delivered to an amazing family. I think she was a little shocked at first to see a large group of people standing at her front door with grocery bags in their hands. None of us knew the lady, but she is a single mom of four children, her youngest being twin girls. It turns out, one of us has met her before, and was actually her NICU nurse during the delivery of her twins. This set of twins was also my friend's first set of twins she ever had to take care of. How amazing is that?!?

God had a purpose when he sent us to their house. They truly appreciated what we did. Her parents happened to be around too and we all joined together in prayer. Although I know they felt really blessed by what we did, I think we were even more blessed knowing this family will have a good Thanksgiving.

A surprise

Today, one of my little Daisies surprised me with this:

Cute, huh? And I had no idea. I was even asking her to tell us how to make it and she said she would show us in December as a Christmas craft. So now I have it up in my room (because it's not too early to hang up Christmas decorations!) I just loved it. It even has my favorite color.

This little daisy is just so amazing. I can already see her heart for the Lord. We are currently taking up a special offering for kids in Bolivia. On her own, she sold cookies and raised her special offering. I am very proud of her and I'm so blessed with such good kids who are so eager to learn about Jesus every time they come. They are all truly amazing!

Tattoos

This past weekend, Diamond attended a slumber party birthday. When I went to pick her up Saturday morning so we could head directly to Santa's market, I find my child with make-up and tattoos all over herself... Great! Lovely! She's definitely a girly girl that's for sure.

Anyway, it's finally time for the tattoos to go and they are the hardest things to get rid of. I've tried everything and I think nail polish has been the most successful. It still leaves a gooey residue all over my fingers and her skin though. I guess I can be thankful they are temporary. =)

Coconut cream pie

I made some tonight... But I have to wait until tomorrow to eat it...

I don't know if I can wait that long... I think a couple of hours will do the trick!

My baby is sick

I come home from small groups to find my baby curled up in a blanket with tears in her eyes. She hardly ever gets sick and if she does, it's usually perfectly timed for the holidays (we spent Christmas in the emergency room last year.) She hasn't missed a day of school yet and had perfect attendance last year as well. So she is really bummed out that she is not feeling well because she is afraid of being absent tomorrow. I hope she hasn't caught the bug that's going around because that just hasn't been any fun. But I tucked her in and we prayed together and she was asleep before 9. Poor baby... Get well soon...

A scare

I thought I lost my checkbook today, or yesterday, or the day before. I couldn't remember. And for someone that works in the banking industry, I've seen the horrors of lost checkbooks and I did not want mine to be another one. In my panic, I tried looking all over my house, under the chairs of my car, in my desk at work, and I even called the church because it was the last place I took it out to use. No where to be found...

So as I'm driving to pick my daughter up from piano lessons, I start replaying each day one by one and I finally remember... Middle console of my car. I stuck it in there so I could stuff candy and a soda in my purse.

Man, old age must really start to be kicking in now...

MIddle of the week day off

Yup, that's what today was. In honor of veteran's day. So to all the veterans who have served our country, thank you... I guess it also helps I work somewhere that celebrates federal holidays because the kids had school.

I debated on staying awake after taking Diamond to the bus stop, but it didn't take me very long to decide to sleep a little longer. After waking up, I decided to go out and enjoy the day. I went over to my co-worker's house and played with her new toy. She got a Cricut and for any one out there who is a scrapbooker or loves to make crafts, this is the coolest thing out there. I want one now. I can either save up for one or someone, (ehem, ehem mom and dad) can get me one for Christmas. We played with it for a while until I had to move on to my dentist appointment. And unlike my last visit, I am cavity free!!! I also went to the movie theater twice today. I don't think I've done that in a very long time.

So, now I get to go to bed and thank God for a wonderful day.

Yup... some boring update, huh? Really cool and interesting things just haven't been happening. So the results are a post about my day off.

Reunion

Tonight I reunited with my old co-worker/friend from Japan. I haven't seen her in five years and I was so thankful she decided to go out of her way home and make a trip down here. She was heading from Wichita Falls but was going home to Mississippi. She visited our house and we went out to dinner with another couple who also used to live in Japan. After dinner, we headed to the other couple's house to have some cocunut cream pie. It was great times and good laughs. Not only did we get to catch up on our silly stories, we made new friends and got a delicious coconut cream pie recipe. So now it is our turn to visit good old Biloxi...

Wii Fit

I got one... It wasn't very easy to find either. I found out you needed the board to play some other Wii games so I figured why not. I tried it. It's a lot harder than it looks. And it does make you break a sweat if you do it long enough. The fun thing about it is that you move around and play to be top score all at the same time. So if you're competitive, and like to win, it may motivate you to move faster, which in turn burns more calories. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.

My star

And of course how could I forget... My superstar!

Something else...

We ate at this Chinese barbecue restuarant while we were there and the first thing you see when you walk in is this...

It's a duck - appetizing? I didn't think so, but it was too late once I walked in to walk out. Then I turned the corner of this cooking section and saw this...

More duckies. You would be amazed, but this restuarant was packed the whole entire time with people waiting outside the door. It was good, if you ordered regular Chinese food, but this barbecue duck thing... well, I'm just not too sure about it.

Austin

Yesterday, I took my first trip to Austin. It was a nice little day trip I took with my family. We were actually on a mission. We missed the shipment of cargo boxes to the Philippines at the local oriental store so we hauled our ginormous box weighing over a hundred pounds all the way over there in hopes to find a cargo shipper.

Mission accomplished - and for about $30 cheaper too!

On top of that, we also found a really large oriental store. It was as big as a Wal-mart and had everything you could possibly think of oriental. It was like oriental store heaven. We went crazy in that store because I don't know if you have ever been to the one here, but the selection is VERY limited and also marked up in price quite a bit compared to that one over there.

They even had my special eggs. If you don't know what eggs I'm talking about, refer back to my 7 weird things about me post. Oh and they had a fish tank. Not only did they have really large fish, like tilapia on steroids, but you could also hand pick it out of the tank yourself. Lovely, huh? As much as Diamond loves animals, I don't think she was very amused with that. We came bag with a load of groceries... and some other stuff too.

October Blogger

I have about 3 minutes to the end of the month...

Today was great. Fun day, fun times, fun people... I voted, went back to work and got off an hour early, helped Diamond get her costume ready, did some trunk and treating, and then headed to Rock the Pumpkin...

Then went to IHOP with a gazillion people... What a day...

Oh, and the reason my blog is called what it is is because for some reason, in October, I have more to say than any other month. At least I have more blogs posted anyway. Interesting.

Rock the... vote!

Well, along with Rock the Pumpkin tomorrow, it will also be the last day for early voting! Don't forget! Your vote does count!

But join us for Rock the Pumpkin. It's gonna be fun!

Top 3 sillies for the day

• I took my car in to the dealer to have my driver's seat checked out. It would recline, but it would not unrecline on its own. I had to manually pull it up, which is not how it is supposed to be. Results: the phone book I keep in the back pocket of my seat is weighing down the unrecline spring. Take the phone book out and tada -- it works! Duh! But to my defense, I always had a phone book in my old car and never had this problem. Thank goodness they did not charge me for my silly complaint (they probably actually laughed at me instead.)
• We had a member who had a stolen debit card. The debit card thief made several purchases at usps.com for large amounts. My boss asks around wondering what this thief could probably be buying for this amount. My answer: "Maybe he bought the personalized stamps where you can have your picture on there. I know those are really expensive." Yup, because a thief would want his picture along with his address as a record to track him.
• My co-worker sends an e-mail out to everyone letting us know she wants to sell her car for $12,000 thousand. She then sends one out 5 minutes later realizing she put thousand in twice. A few more hours later, she sends out another e-mail saying that after further consideration and researching, she will be changing the price to $13,000!!! Um, I have never heard of anyone raising their price when trying to sell.

Chick-fil-a

Today I had lunch with my parents at Chick-fil-a. I had an incredible salad there - grilled chicken and fruit salad with berry vinigarette dressing. When it was handed to me, it was so beautifully colored and to top it all off, they give you some sort of granola with dried cranberries. It was like eating your meal and dessert at the same time. I heard about this salad from a co-worker. She calls it the best mistake that has ever happened because she originally ordered the Southwestern grilled chicken salad, but they didn't have the corn or beans to make it and offered her this one. I must say it was muy delicioso.

Pumpkin Splatter

I don't know if anyone else is having this problem in their neighborhoods, but this morning, as I was taking Diamond to school, someone's pumkin was splattered on the road right in front of my house. Normally I park my vehicle in the garage, but due to some garage door malfunctions, I parked out front. I had pumpkin seeds on my hood. As I drove further down, there was another pumpkin smashed across the road. Then I turned the corner, and another one is there. They were everywhere! We didn't even make a jack-o-lantern and still there was one shattered in front of our house. I don't know if it is the deer that like to roam around the neighborhood that could possibly be doing it, but I sure hope it is. Gotta go clean up the pumpkin mess...

Sweepy

It's Friday and way past my bed time...

I need to go to bed. Good night everyone.

Diet Don'ts

***PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! (I don't think you'll want to anyway.)***

I was talking to my co-worker who loves to try diets. Everytime we eat something, she pulls out her handy dandy diet book and tells us how many calories the "garbage" we are eating has. I know it is true that Hamburger Helper, McDonald's, chinese, pizza, etc., etc. are not the healthiest types food to eat, but please don't tell me I'm eating garbage.

So anyway... a friend of hers is going to try something new. The doctor no longer prescribes these special diet pills so she is going with a new method. I don't really know much about pills, but I just don't think they are effective either. If pills would make you skinnier, wouldn't we all be on them? So... to replace the pills, she is going to try a tapeworm. Yes, a tapeworm!!! I think I almost puked when she told me about it. Supposedly, you can purchase it over the internet and all you do is swallow the tapeworm larvae and it grows inside of you! Can I say gross again?!? YUCK!!! DISGUSTING!!! Why would someone purposely put a tapeworm inside themselves? I mean, there has got to be something unhealthy about that! So, the point of my story is... Try the "Eat Less, Move More" method rather than all these alternatives. It's truly the healthiest way to go.

Babies

Tonight, as I did nursery for church, I realized how much I miss Diamond being a baby. The babyhood just doesn't last long enough and you have to treasure each and every smile, laugh, cry, and even dirty diaper a baby has - because before you know it, this will be just a memory.

I had so much fun with the babies tonight. I really loved it. They were all so well behaved and even though they didn't speak the words we know, they still communicate with each other. I sat there in a little circle playing with three infants and a toddler. The infants, with their sounds, were making each other laugh and smile. It was just so adorable! I wished I had video of them interacting with each other. One would make a little sound, and it would make the other one smile. Then she would make a sound, and the others would giggle. Too cute!!!

Who knew a room full of babies could be so entertaining to me? Thanks babies!

"Sock" hop

Every year, Diamond has a "sock" hop dance at the school and they learn to dance to songs from the 50's and 60's They even get to dress like they are in the time period. All the kids just look forward to this event and this year, I was actually able to capture some video.

They actually get to dance in their socks too!

Motherhood

Being a mom is getting harder and harder. I know God never said it would be easy and it's not supposed to be. I'm sure it's one of the biggest challenges a woman has to face in life because it's an everyday learning experience. I want my child to be a sweet, little angel who obeys every single word I say without hesitation. I want my child to patiently wait on her mother's indecisiveness as she chooses which macaroni and cheese to buy. I don't want to have to argue with her about unimportant things, which I guess, may be more crucial life changing situations to an 8 year old.

I just feel tired. (Maybe if I was in bed rather than up late typing this blog, I wouldn't be tired, huh?)

Don't get me wrong. Diamond is a wonderful daughter. She is sweet, loving, and very thoughtful. She is so considerate of people around her, but she does have her moments - and they seem to be increasing on a daily basis. But she is also growing. She is learning to have a mind of her own with opinions about certain things... and I just don't know if I'm a big fan of that yet. She even has her own personal thoughts of who should be President of the United States. Sometimes I wonder if she's 28 stuck in an 8 year old's body - yes, I wonder if she is older than me... (I just laughed to myself as I typed that thought.)

I had to have a talk with her the other day. It breaks my heart to have to discipline her, but I know it is necessary. I actually gave up on all my other options that I finally had to throw Rock the Pumpkin in there. That crushes me because I know how much we all love to go and I would hate to go without her (only because I have volunteered to work, not because I would go without her just to be mean.) I know she is her own person, completely different from me as a child, but sometimes I just want to know she is going to grow up loving the Lord and knowing what is right and wrong. Although she didn't know, I heard her praying the other day and I'm so proud to know she talks to God the way she does.

I want to not only be a mother to her, but I also want her to know that I am her best friend. I don't want her to be afraid to tell me things and I always want her to know I love her unconditionally. She is my favorite daughter (ha ha) and I know this will pass. We're both growing and we're both learning...

Oh and...

...in this pile of laundry, I was very disappointed to see a big stain on my favorite college shirt!!! I have no idea where it came from, but it's there and I think it's there to stay. BOO!!!

I don't think I can buy another one of those alumni shirts for $5.

Clean laundry

This is one of my favorite smells! That's what my room smells like. I just put some clean sheets on my bed and the clean laundry smell is filling the room. Makes me want to just lay down and tuck myself in under my covers... too bad I still have some projects to work on...

An evening with the girls

Everybody needs that sometimes. I had a little bit of a frustrating day at work today, and hanging out with the girls was definitely a must do for the night.

It started off with a walk along the river with one of my good friends. Along with exercise, we also got some good conversation in. We couldn't have been walking that fast though because we saw several people pass by, turn around, and pass by again. I enjoyed it though...

Then I went to Hastings to check stuff out since they will be closing for a while... and there was nothing there. Well, there was still stuff there, but nothing I wanted. A lot of the store has already began its move to the new location. They were actually hauling in more carts to move stuff as I stood in the entrance way.

I ended the evening with Starbucks. I love the Starbucks. Just the smell of it makes me happy. My friends and I sat outside drinking our drinks and talking. We shared laughs, silly stories, thoughts, and everything else. It was just a good way to end the night. I love those girls!

And let me tell you, I'm glad it's Friday!

$700 billion!!!

I think that money is down the drain now. Every single day, I've watched my retirement account dwindle. I know they say, "You are still young and it will work itself out," but when you see your total losses doubling what you have contributed for the year, I think it's okay for me to get a little more concerned about this economy situation. The massive drops on a daily basis is no good! I'm waiting to see the effects of that bailout.

On the positive note though, I'm thankful I work at a credit union and not a bank. I will still have a job tomorrow.

Shoes

I realized today... Well, not really today... But I contemplated on the thought more today...

Well, I have a shoe problem. I buy shoes... and shoes... and more shoes...

The positive thing - My feet aren't growing anymore so I don't have to worry about changing sizes.

The negative thing - I don't have any room in my closet for anything else.

My argument for my purchases - Even if you gain any weight, shoes will always fit you. Hee-hee.

A positive and an argument definitely outweigh that negative. I think I need the shoe pshychiatrist...

This is not my shoe closet... Although I would not complain if it was. =)

Report Card Time

Six weeks of the school year have already passed?!? It seems like yesterday, I was sending Dime off to school with bags of school supplies in her hand. I was a little concerned about third grade and all this TAKS stuff. I don't think I ever had to do anything like it when I was in elementary school, so I wasn't and still am not really sure what to expect. I'm relieved though. Diamond has all A's with her lowest grade being a 99. I just pray she continues to do well in school and continues to want to go every morning when she wakes up -- even on the weekends (I have never seen a more excited child at 5:55 a.m.)

So for good grades and good conduct, we went to watch Beverly Hills Chihuahua (and I even got her her own Kid's Meal Pack.) Yes, today I was a nice mommy. =)

It's raining!

It's pouring...
The old man is snoring...

I love the rain!

My Letter L

It is broken on my keyboard! Well, it isn't actually broken, but it's a lot less sensitive than the other keys. I have to jam on it 3 or 4 times before it will type anything, which can get frustrating at times.

I just got this keyboard for Christmas last year and it can't already be messed up. I wonder if the batteries are just dying. That better be it... I use the letter L a lot! Well, I don't really know if I do, but it is one of the most commonly used letters in the English alphabet which is why it is on the row where we lay our hands on the keyboard and one of the letters used in the R S T L N E combination on Wheel of Fortune.

So, letter L key, you better get to working right again!

Another year...

Happy birthday, mom!

Today we celebrated your day. You got to spend time with your favorite people in the world -- your family. I hope you enjoyed your day with wishes of many more to come. We spent the day watching a movie then having dinner at Applebee's with some ice cream cake for dessert at home. It was yummy!

Thank you mom for all you have done for us. You have been there through everything and have supported me in my times of need. Through the good, through the bad, the happy, and the sad, you have continued to love me unconditionally. You're my best friend and I love you mom.

Color of the season

IS PURPLE!!!

It's very exciting because purple is my favorite color... and now I can wear it and be in fashion! Yay!

Tomorrow

...is already the last day of September!

I just can't believe the holidays are right around the corner!

Wedding shower

Today I helped assist with hosting my first wedding shower. Although it may have been a lot of work, it was actually very fun and exciting. We had a very good turnout and everything about it went well... from the games, the food, and the perfect weather since it was all done outdoors to go along with the outside wedding theme. Our bride-to-be loved it and that was the best part!

It actually makes me look forward to having a wedding shower of my own! =P

Here are some pictures from the day:

The gift table

The seating area

The food table Our bride-to-be getting ready for the apron game The cake - coconut and Dr. Pepper

And He speaks

As my mom was getting ready for church this morning, she could not find anything to wear. God never said His number one concern was what we wore to church, but she wanted to be comfortable yet dressed as well. So she slips on a soft dress and jumps in the van assuming there is either a handkerchief or a paper towel in there for her dress. Yes, I know, it is odd, but that's my mom for you. The paper towel was going to be an "undershirt" to cover up her low cut dress. My mother is one who rushes and does things last minute and puts her make up on while dad is driving to church. She says she works better under pressure (and now I know where I get it from.) So as she finishes applying her make up she searches the van for the paper towels or a hankie... and they are no where to be found. So she starts hearing these voices in her head telling her she should just not go, even though they are only minutes away. And she debates with herself.

She talks to God. "God, I know it doesn't matter what I'm wearing on my shirt or whether or not these imperfections on my arm are showing. I'm going to go. I won't let what other people think bother me. I'm going to go. Even if you have the church pick us to take the offering to the altar, I'm going to go. I'm going to go."

Although my parents have been going to their church for a while now, they have never been chosen to deliver the offering to the altar. Today, they were picked. My mom knew it was God speaking to her. Despite of what she was wearing, she had to humble herself and walk down the altar in her silly little dress for the entire church to see. And bow...

We laughed. Our God is a humurous God... but He definitely speaks to us. It's amazing. My mom was so happy. Even though the situation may have been awkward and embarrassing for her, she was just so excited about hearing from God.

Thank you Heavenly Father...

A star has entered the building

Is that Hannah Montana???

According to ABC

This weeks is National Stay at Home week. This is season premiere week. All those shows we have been waiting for forever to start are finally here!

Well, I'm only really excited about Heroes, which I still have yet to finish watching. So that's what I'm going to do...as soon as I finish this blog anyway.

This morning...

I panicked. I woke up at 6:27 and all I could think was, "Why didn't my alarm go off?!? Diamond is going to be late! We're gonna miss the bus!" So, as I sit there calculating how much time I have to get ready and check to my phone to see if my alarm is set, I realize...

It's Saturday!!!

Whew! Go back to sleep!

Learning new tricks...

I don't blog much about my dog. Probably because she is usually well behaved and is generally calm natured. I don't have any cool stories other than she plays nice and likes to throw around "fox" - her favorite toy.

Well, as of last night, that changes.

My dad grilled 4 huge steaks for the family for dinner last night. The kitchen smelled so good and they were nice and juicy. Diamond and I sat down at the table to eat, but mom and dad decided they still needed to get ready for a night out. They should've just ate with us. As we left the table, Diamond forgot to push her chair in (which she does often, but it has never been a problem.) We both left the dining table for a bit (and I mean like two minutes), and I come back to the dining room and here I find my dog on the table with one steak dragged on the table and another steak dropped to the dining chair. I don't get mad at her often, but last night, I GOT MAD! I have no idea what got into her, but I guess the smell was killing her and she followed her nose. So there, in the serving dish, was one lonely piece of steak ... all three pieces thrown away because who knew if she licked all the steaks and the dish. Well, actually, we saved them for her and are going to give it to her a little bit at a time for a treat. I know, we should not feed her people food, but I couldn't see putting it to waste and giving it to her that evening would only seem like we were rewarding her for bad behavior.

So all that hard work my dad spent in front of the grill and he didn't even get to try any of his yummy steak. Poor daddy. He deserves a treat.

Today...

...is a lazy day. An unbelievably amazingly lazy day.

I guess everyone needs them every now and then. Today is mine.

Camping...again

I have never gone camping in my life and this year I managed to go twice. I think I actually enjoy it. I guess I can go 24 hours without taking a shower every once in a while. This time, my friend's brother very kindly set up the tent before we even arrived and took it down for us the next morning. That was really nice! We took a nice little hike, which was supposed to be at midnight, however, for the safety of the people there, they decided that that probably was not a good idea. They especially realized this when the leader of our hike stepped on a rattle snake on the way to the cross where we were supposed to do praise and worship. It was a good time though. A great escape from all we know to spend some time with Jesus.

And surprisingly, I took no pictures!

Interesting

I was driving in my alley and couldn't resist taking a picture of this...

Ummm... a stalk of corn is growing out of my neighbor's driveway. I wonder what will grow out of ours.

What a day...

The end/first of the month after a three day weekend with two people out in accounting...

Whew!

I feel like I didn't get any work done today!

Watching her grow

Three weeks ago, Chapter One was preparing for their big school year kick off service held this past Monday. When we broke into our small groups, each person in the group wrote down a name of someone we had in our heart that we wanted to pray about – whether it be for them to start coming to Chapter One or just to pray for them.

Immediately, I knew who I wanted to put down – someone I regularly pray for. When I moved to San Angelo, she became my first friend. Next month, marks five years of friendship between us. I know it's silly, but we always celebrate this with the anniversary day of our work. We started work on the same day and on my first day when I had nowhere to go for lunch, she offered to take me with her. Getting to know her a little better on our drive to lunch, I find that we are around the same age, we were going to work in the same department, and we have the same story – we were both single moms to preschoolers. This helped us in building a relationship together because although there were four of us who started work that day, me and her still remain close friends. When we finished training, we actually were separated and moved to different offices. We tried to remain close, but of course, with everyone’s busy schedule, it was difficult at times. Over the years, I have watched my friend go through hard times. She has questioned God and sometimes couldn’t understand why He would allow her to face such trials. No matter what happened though, she continued to be in my heart. I couldn’t give up. I knew this girl was special and God had something awesome in store for her.

So, I wrote her name down. That evening, instead of going back to where we regularly sit, we were asked to stay in our small group and sit with them during the service. When it was done, we were asked to pray in our group for the people on the list. Our small group leader decided instead of her praying over all of the names, we should each pray for the name we put down. We did know them better and we knew their situation. When each of us prayed, I could just feel God’s presence there as we made our requests and lifted these people up to Him.

The following Monday, I was not able to be at Chapter One due to being in Florida. The amazing thing is, she e-mailed me at work asking me what time Chapter One was but she got my “Out of Office” reply. She did not know I prayed for her the week before nor have I mentioned Chapter One to her other than the stories I share about services. Although I haven’t invited her in a while, she has always known the door is open. This past Monday, the Monday of the kick off service, I didn’t return to work yet so I had no idea about the e-mail. I texted her and invited her and her sister… and to my surprise, she said she would come. I was EXTREMELY excited. God never ceases to amaze me. They both really enjoyed the service and their kids even were little helpers in the nursery.

My friend is growing. She has started attending church regularly again and is doing so much to improve her and her family. She has overcome the struggles in her life and it shows. God is placing so many things in her heart and everyday she shares them with me. Last weekend, she told me she anonymously made goody baskets filled with crafts she made to place on her neighbors’ doorsteps. She is on fire for God and this is the happiest I have ever seen her. I am very proud of my friend and it just fills my own heart with this great feeling of joy seeing her this way.

“Therefore, encourage each other and strengthen one another as you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11

I know God is looking down and smiling. I know I am.

Rain rain, go away...

That was the theme of my desk when I walked back into work this morning.

I knew those girls were gonna be up to something while I was gone and they surely surprised me. What I had on my desk was nothing I expected...

I had raindrops hanging from the ceiling, which I have actually kept up because they make everything look so cheery. I had a rain guage, which is actually a running joke between us all. People love to talk about how they got 1/10 inch of rain and stuff and I just never got it. They got me a purple poncho, which is my favorite color (and I also refused to wear a poncho my entire trip.) They got me a ring float because I do not know how to swim or pick out a bathing suit. They got me a pretty cool rubber duckie I can use in the tub, which actually has a "HOT" warming if the water is not the right temperature. And my most favorite thing... They got me a High School Musical umbrella. Yes, they thought they were hilarious doing this. I could picture them putting this whole thing together...

Well, little did they know, I also had a surprise for them. I had souvenirs!!! I brought them back hotel amenities - their choice of soap or a shampoo/conditioner bottle. Hey, it had Mickey Mouse on it, it counts! They found it rather funny actually and surprisingly, they all really liked them.

But of course, I couldn't do just that. For girls who are just awesome to work with, I had to bring them back chocolates - our favorite! It was a good surprise and a good laugh for everyone. I am truly blessed with some of the greatest co-workers ever.

First Day of Third Grade

Diamond has been waiting all summer for school to start and the day has finally come around. She picked out her outfit all on her own. I just can't believe it's THIRD grade already! Where did the time go? This will be her last year at her school. When we got there, they still had the superhero theme going on. All the teachers were wearing Wonder Woman shirts because they are Wonder Women teaching our kids. Diamond's two best friends weren't in her class, but I know she will do fine and have a great year. She always does.

The end

So, if you have managed to make it through all of those posts and pictures, then I'm glad you haven't died of boredom. I thank God for blessing us on our trip and even though we had to face Tropical Storm Fay, we had a vacation to remember. It actually made some things a little easier.
But I was definitely glad to step off of the airplane and be home. There's nothing like sleeping in your own bed. Although it was fun, I missed home and I missed my Ruby too!

Oh, and my most favorite picture is this...
Even through the pouring rain and the winds blowing at I don't know how many miles an hour (note the flipped umbrella), we were still laughing away.

Oh, and for any of you that are thinking of going, I definitely recommend the Disney Dining Plan. It was very worth it!

And finally...

Day 5: Magic Kingdom day!!! Here we see Cinderella's castle and everything else Disney. The pictures say it all.

Day 6: Shopping in Downtown Disney. We got to eat at a Wolfgang Puck restuarant... That was delicious. Then we spent the afternoon at Epcot finishing what we didn't get to do the first day we went. We rode on Mission Space which made it really feel like you were taking off on a space rocket. It was my dad's favorite ride. We had dinner at Les Chefs de France. I had four shrimps and 2 scallops placed nicely on my plate on this stick. In trying to get them off so I can eat them, I pulled so hard with my fork that one shrimp went flying across the room... Woopsy! I guess I'm not made for fine dining!

Epcot and Animal Kingdom

Day 3: We spent the day at Epcot. This was a very interesting park. It had the World Pavilion where you could tour around different countries that were around a big lake. The "cast members" that were in the specific countries were ones that were actually from the actual countries they represented. They even had accents and I love to hear the accents of the world. In the Future World part of the park, they had all these innovative things that were pretty much hands on for kids and adults. One of my favorite rides was one called "Soarin" where it simulates you being on a glider touring the world. If you watch Disney channel at all, you might know what I'm talking about. It's definitely an experience. Something interesting I learned was how everything served at Disney restaurants are all grown and raised there on the resort. It's almost kind of a scary thought. We went through the greenhouse experience and even saw the little shrimpies... All I could think was, "I could be eating one of you tomorrow." Hmmm... made me think twice about my meal.

Day 4: Here is Animal Kingdom. For anyone that loves animals and zoos, this is an awesome park. One of the best things is probably the Safari ride. The animals just roam free and a driver drives you around the savanna. There were several times where we had to stop due to animals crossing. They have right of way over us humans. For dinner, we visited another resort and ate at Ohana. The food was DELICIOUS!!! It was Polynesian style and everything was brought out to you on skewers. We even had the perfect view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks. They played the music that went along with the fireworks and we watched them over dinner. It was beautiful (I have never watched a fireworks show that was synchronized to music.)

Day 1 & 2 ... good weather days

This is all about our trip to Disney World. I am a big Disney fan and you can really tell by the smile on my face when I got there. When we lived in Japan, we visited Tokyo Disney and Disney Sea yearly, but the trip to Florida, is not so easy to make. This is my first time to ever visit Disney World so this was definitely a learning experience for us all.

Our first two days, we spent in Hollywood Studios. These were our only good weather days. The weather was humid, but not extremely hot. We had a blast. I have too many pictures to share so I just went with my favorite.

Back to the real world...

Our vacation has come and gone... Yup, it's come to it's end today. I have lots of stories and pictures to share about our many adventures chasing Tropical Storm Fay...

I'll have to do it later. After a week of vacationing, I need another vacation from that!

Sweet Little Daisy

Every Wednesdays, I teach Daisies at church, which are girls in Kindergarten. This year, I only have one little girl, who faithfully comes every Wednesday. I am so proud of her because she stuck with it all year even though she may have been the only one there a majority of the time. I actually think she is on her way to being an Honor Daisy because you must earn 9 badges to receive this award, and she is already working on that. I'm really very excited for her.

Today was a very funny day. She did the sweetest thing for me. When we got to the classroom, she pointed out a dead cockroach laying there on the floor. For those of you who don't know, I hate bugs! I just left it there and I don't really think she wanted to touch it either. So, all night, every time I'd turn around, I'd shriek a little because even though I know it's there, it surprisingly shocks me every time. For snack, I decided we should go outside and sit on the sidewalk while eating our popsicles, hoping that upon our return, the bug would be gone. Well, dead bugs do not move on their own. So, I continued to do a little scream of "Aah!" and my little Daisy says, "I'll be right back." She comes back with a paper towel from the bathroom and I ask her what she's going to do with it and she says,

"I'm going to use this to cover up the bug so you won't have to see it anymore. I've been thinking about doing this all night."

It was absolutely sweet. Or maybe I finally annoyed her with my little scream. The bug was hidden under the paper towel when we left church. She had a very good idea. I completely forgot about the thing.

Daughters and blogs

My daughter just loves to read blogs with me. We share the computer chair and sit here and read blogs together for a while and I definitely enjoy it. The only problem with it is that she reads my blogs as well. And well... she doesn't always agree with my posts, especially the ones about her. She likes to read them and make sure there is nothing embarrassing about her written in any of them. Sheesh child!!! I don't blame her though. I wouldn't want my mother sharing embarrassing stories about me either.

So... it's about that time again. Seven hours from now I will be waking up to another work week.

The new trend

I went to church today and it seemed like everyone had short hair all of a sudden! And not just at church, but everywhere! It really does look cute and I've thought about cutting my own as well. But today was Diamond's day. She had her back to school hair appointment and she decided to go short with lots of layers and side bangs.

It's beautiful of course, but for some reason, it's just not that little girl hair anymore that I can put in pigtails and have in cute little hair bows (although I still try to convince her to let me get away with it every now and then.) But it's trendy and even though she looks a little more grown up, I like it.
This is her before the haircut. Also note that she is wearing MY shirt (from my skinny days)!!! She likes to sneak in closet and find things she can wear. I made her change it because no matter how much she insisted it fit, I thought it was still too big for her.
And this is her after. Her hair is unstyled because she is getting ready for bed but I didn't have a camera when we left the hair salon. She made a face at first because she really loved her long hair, but she quickly got over it when she saw it was cute.

It's official...

We're in the month of August, which means only 15 more days until my vacation to the happiest place on Earth!!!

I can't wait!!!

And back to school is right around the corner. Where has the summer gone?

Sneaky Stinker

My dog, Ruby, is not allowed on any furniture. She is an inside dog, but she very well knows she is not allowed to lay around on the couches or anything.

Diamond has been sleeping on the trundle of her bunk bed. Silly of me to think that Ruby actually stays on her doggy bed throughout the night. Last night, after tucking Diamond in, I stand outside the door for a while. A couple minutes after they both probably think I am gone, I hear the "jingle jingle" of her collar and I knew she jumped onto the bed. I open the door and Diamond with a delayed reaction says, "Ruby, go to your bed."

Uh-huh... sure Diamond...

The obedient little dog immediately jumps off and onto her bed. For the longest time, Dime couldn't wait for Ruby to start sleeping in her room because she knew she woud be able to cuddle with the dog. I checked on them again and there they were... sleeping together... it was too cute to interrupt. Oh well...

No wonder she gets bathed weekly. (Oh, and I mean Ruby, not Diamond.)

Food & Exercise Journal

I was inspired by a co-worker to start one of these... and all of the people blogging about running and working out.

So I'm going to start one. Day 1 - so far, so good. I've eaten healthy today. And I will take my walk after church (hopefully).

Let's see how long this lasts...

And they lived happily ever after...

It's over...

After watching four theater performances of Aladdin, I find myself humming Prince Ali and Friend Like Me throughout the day. The songs are in my head.

Diamond premiered in her first theater performance this past weekend. According to her, it is 'one of the best experiences she's ever had in her life!' (Because she's had so many in her 8 years.) 63 kids got together for the past 3 weeks and spent 7 hours a day 5 days a week preparing for this show. Nobody had a small role. Everyone had a speaking and a singing part. The kids built great relationships with each other and they even had a mentor program where an older child was responsible for a younger child. They were each others' "Big" and "Little." It was all absolutely adorable!

All of the kids worked really hard to bring this on and with five performances, you better bet they were tired after today. They had a cast party for them this evening to celebrate their success and their first show without the academy's director (although they did raise money at a garage sale one weekend to bring her home from New York to watch it.)

Diamond was a townsperson... and for those of you that know the story behind her role, she loved it all!!! She was probably the cutest townsperson up there! Here are some pictures from their final show.

Diamond in costume as a townsperson.

Diamond and her good friend, a Rif Raf, after the show.Diamond and her 'Big' who was a narrator.

Posing with Jasmine.The Genie... He was awesome!

Yesterday I learned...

...what an air intake thingy is on cars. I dragged my friends to the annual Mustang, classic cars, and motorcycle show. I didn't know what it was, other than it having to do with cars, so I was curious. So, we walked around, admired the pretty colors, and even accidentally touched some we weren't supposed to. But then it got too hot so we decided to leave...
But here we are thinking we are posing for a snapshot, when in reality we were being videotaped (not on purpose though.) Silly us!

My 80's child

At least she will be tomorrow. For acting camp, they have to come dressed in the 80's theme. She didn't want to believe me with how some of the 80's people dressed so we had to google some images so I could show her. But, she still wanted something simple yet changeable to something of today. So, here she is...
We could only be as 80's as she would let me... It looks adorable though...

P.S. Even though I was an 80's child, I don't think I ever wore the torn t-shirt with a tank top look. =)

Waiting for me...

It's there... patiently waiting. It's sitting on the couch. I'm trying to ignore it by having my back turned hoping that it won't see me. But I think it sees me. And I think it's staring at me. I can just feel it. I'm hoping it will just go away... but laundry doesn't miraculously fold itself and put itself away. Instead it sits there waiting for you. So, I'm avoiding it by blogging. But it's still gonna be there when I'm done.

I guess I better get to it...

Wiper check!

When I bought my car, the dealer told me it takes drivers two to three months to learn all of the functions to their new vehicle. Well, I guess, I am still in the learning process. The other day, Diamond and a friend of mine were riding along and I noticed some pedestrians wanting to cross the street. I wanted to "flash" them and let them know it was okay to cross... but instead I hit the wiper and a splash of windshield wiper fluid goes across the window. Wow! We all just laugh hysterically as the pedestrians cross. I never did get to flash them. I wonder if they noticed what I did though...

Friends

Why is it we can sit down and watch an episode of Friends over and over again and still laugh like it's the first time you've seen it?

That's what I'm doing right now...

I'm up...

...because I can be! I don't have to wake up to an alarm clock tomorrow (or later this morning). I can lay around and be lazy and not have to go to work, but I will probably end up doing some cleaning. And last but not least... well, I don't have to go to work tomorrow!!!

Woo-pee!

Jeans

Tomorrow we get to wear jeans to work! And it's free!!!

Very exciting for me!

The Caverns

Yesterday, we took a trip out to the Sonora Caverns. I've wanted to go for a while since their ad is always on the radio and I have never been inside any kind of caverns. It was so pretty in there. Due to the natural oils on our fingertips, we were not allowed to touch anything. This was so hard for me because I just wanted to know what the stuff felt like. Diamond was even doing better than me because everytime I just put my hand close to one of the formations, she would say, "Mom, you can't touch those!" I made it through without touching anything.

And more toys...

Last weekend, we spent our time rearranging my daughter's room. She hasn't had her own room for a while now and she finally has it all to herself. So we decided we would try to fix it up some. Eventually, we will change her bedset, but for now, this will have to do. With all of the furniture moving we did, I figured we should've went ahead and painted her walls. Oh well, we will have to save that for another weekend because now that everything is in place, it's just a little too heavy to be moving around for me...

So, it's nice and clean and smells all girly. It looks like this:

But hidden in that corner is this:

We call it the 'pileostuffedanimals' corner. Note that there are already 2 trash bags filled with them inside the little storage area of the bed that we need to donate. These are the ones we agreed we would keep, but we just couldn't figure out what to do with them. The next night, i figured out what their purpose was. It was this:

I went to check on her and found her there in the middle of the night. Hmm... that's why she wanted them to stay there.

Too much!

My Littlest Petshop... My daughter's current phase of toys. I don't know how she manages to convince grandma and grandpa to buy her a set everytime she goes to the store. On top of that, she has pretty much every playset of theirs that has ever been invented. I give it about a few more months and that stuff will be junk... Toys... Too many of them! The more toys, the more we have to clean. I need to have a garage sale... SOON!!!

While you were gone...

This week, my boss went on vacation. Everytime she goes somewhere, we tease her about how we are going to break all of the rules. We're going to chew gum, wear no pantyhose, eat at our desks, listen to unauthorized cd's and all of that stuff you're not supposed to be doing at work...

Well, we made a little surprise for her. Yesterday, we took pictures of each one of us doing something wrong and we made a little story book out of it. It's hilarious... I can't wait to see her reaction to it. It definitely gives us something to look forward to on Monday.

But even though we may like to "get her," the truth of the matter is, we are actually on our best behavior while she is gone. If you ever go by accounting while she is on vacation, you will find us working very diligently at our desks.

I wish I could post some of the pictures here, but they weren't taken on my camera.

It's a small world after all

Yes, it is! A couple weeks ago, one of my co-workers in another department was talking about this credit union she used to work at in Japan. Come to find out, it was the same one I worked at, but she worked at a different branch. A branch that was about 8 hours away from us. She started working there a little after I did, but our time did overlap. Just recently, I was sorting through my pictures and came across some that were taken at a meeting we went to where all of the Japan branches had to take place. I remembered to pull this picture out today and looked at it to see if I could find her. Yup, there she was, standing 5 people away from me. How weird! I have probably met her before and we may have even had a conversation together at that meeting, yet we couldn't remember each other. Now, here we are... working again at the same place and this time, on the same floor... So yes, it is a small world (especially the military world.)

Something new

Well, it's not really. A lot of bloggers have been playing with it already, but that scrapblog thing, that's really fun. I could sit here and play with it forever. But since it's kind of late, and maybe even a little past my bed time, I must get under my covers and shut my eyes, and try to think of a design for another one until I fall asleep. I like scrapbooking with paper supplies, but this new little toy -- well, it's so much cheaper.

Insane

I just drove past a gas station today and saw it was over $4.00 a gallon!!! What?!? We left here on Thursday night and it was still in $3.83 and in San Antonio only $3.79... What happened? I should've brought a barrel with me and filled it up there. This gas price thing is crazy!!! Pretty soon I'm not going to be able to afford even going to work.

Sheesh!!!

Road Trip

This weekend, Diamond and I went to San Antonio with a friend for a job fair. We had a blast. And surprisingly, we didnt' spend too much. We went to the Witte museum, shopped, and walked around downtown. We had a lot of fun. On Friday night, our friends took us to PF Changs. It was a Chinese restaurant, probably one of the best ones I've tried in a long time. It was so good that we still talked about it on the way home. One of our friends introduced us to lettuce wraps. If you ever eat there, I definitely recommend that appetizer. It was pick your own plate, but they placed the plates in the middle of the table to serve like family dining. All I can say is that it was delicious!

Diamond at the Witte riding this bike on a wire. There is no chance of her falling.

Dorinda and I at the Alamo.

Ripley's - Notice the elephant has two trunks.

Bass Pro Shop