summer time blogggggg

like so many of my blogger friends, i too have sort of lost that blogging feeling. lol. ya that was bad i know! but oh well. so lets see here. it's been so long. summer has been going well. i think i must enjoy blogging more in the winterish months. i guess maybe because im inside more. to be honest i really just havent been in the mood to blog. im kinda not in the mood now either but i feel really bad for my blog page so im going to leave it something.
im having a great time with Generation Youth. it's been a fun summer with a few swim parties and awesome encounters with God. im really excited about camp coming up! just 10 days away. i cant' wait to get out of sizzling Bako and be away from everything! i know amazing things are going to happen and im ready for it! i usually enjoy my summers but honestly, im a fall/winter kinda girl. i dont really like when things slow down and momentem is kinda lost. thats how summers are to me. im ready for camp and then full force excitment at Generation.

My Treadmill :)

so i got a new treadmill! well it's not technically new but it's new to me and i love it! when i brought it home i decided to put it in one of my living rooms facing the tv so i would actually want to use it! the only place i've ever seen treadmills is in bedrooms or on infomercials... is infomercial one word?? hmmm anyways, they say they make great clothes racks! not mine! the only clothes my treadmill is gonna see hanging on it are the clothes that fall off of me cause they're too big! HA! :) so i took a couple pics so you can see what i see while im sculpting the new me on my new/used treadmill. enjoy. until next time...

Church at Chick Filet??

so yesterday i wanted Subway for lunch but my sister called and asked me if i would go to Chick Filet and pick up lunch and take it to her salon so we could eat together. being the nice little sis i am i said sure. :) (ok i begged for Subway cause my heart was set on it but she won) ... anyways, i pull up to a line of about 15 cars! not cool! but as i sat there patiently waiting, the line moved fairly quick.
so, i'm sitting there and suddenly a man walks up and quietly taps on my passenger window. normally i would have just ignored the psycho who probably wanted to kill me or hitch a ride or something crazy like that but this time it just seemed ok. so i rolled down my window. the man suddenly had giant tears in his eyes and could barely speak. i just waited. i realized that this was something good. a "God Thing"! he said 'mam... i have a word for you from the Lord. he seemed a little timmid as if i was going to call him crazy and think he was insane. i know it must have been hard for him because how many people just walk up to random cars to give a word from the Lord to someone in a fast food drive through! i knew this man was stepping out in faith. i said ok sure... This man began saying things that i know were only from God! it was amazing. the things he said were complete confirmation to me and im so thankful that this man obeyed God.
This man taught me a great lesson yesterday. i want to be so in tune with God and so focused that even when i'm out and about doing my regular daily things i can still listen to His voice and be obediant. it makes me wonder how many times i've passed up an opportunity to be used by Him. how many lives could i have touched by simply following direction. Thank you Lord for your word and for reminding me that i need to be more focused.

side note: i gotta give props to Chick Filet cause there chicken sandwich was bomb!!

quick thoughts :)

* i love my new treadmill
* had Subway for dinner
* went for a walk with Cassie, Mark, Andrew and Caleb... and Goldie the dog
* Caleb held my hand
* my hair is getting long
* i need to work on family reunion stuff
* i want to go to the batting cages (lets go Gayle!!)
* all my laundry is clean! :)
* baseball is always on my TV... go Yankees!
* i need a full body massage!
* i love Generation youth and our band!
* playing drums rocks!
* i need to practice pitching (bad)
* the beach is calling my name
* im glad i got my night of preaching done... successfully :)
* my church is awesome!!!

Catching up...

wow i've been having such a great time! i havent blogged in a while cause it seems like i just havent had time! i know i know, no excuses!! haha. but really, i enjoy blogging while i'm at work but a few weeks ago i went to read a blog and my computer froze and i freaked out! i've been too scared to get on blogger at work ever since. so here i am at home.. nice and comfy on the couch with my hubby! :) it seems like it's been a while since i've been able to chill on the couch cause we've been so busy!
so let me catch up! we started softball a few weeks ago! so far we've had 3 games and have yet to win one. it's not the greatest feeling when you lose but i love my team and love spending time with them on the field!!! we have an awesome team but just keep coming up short. it would help if i could throw a few more strikes too!!! i'm working on it! :) Bart started his season with the mens league on Friday nights. i love going out and watching the guys play and hang out with my BFF AMy and chillin with our kids from Generation. great times! it seems like our house if full of teenagers every friday night now. we love it!
I went to ladies retreat this past weekend. i was able to go to half of it anyways. i was blessed with an amazing room with my friends Gayle and Sharron. they are so funny and they crack me up! i slept in the most comfy bed EVER. thanks Gayle! ;) i really enjoyed the speaker at Lift. she was so cool and i really got so much out of her sermons! i also got to play drums for the 2 services that i was able to attend. playing with Terry and Kylie was fun!
Saturday was the relay for life. i loved hanging out with my sister and nephews and friends. my nephew Caleb never fails to entertain us every second that he's awake!!! the Ceremony saturday night was really good too. so touching! i cried and my friend Gayle hugged me. Relay for Life raised over $100,000.00 for the american cancer society. amazing! every year we have a team in memory of my momma.
Sunday night i finally preached. our baseball season "fields of dreams" is going great! i was so nervous going into it but im so glad God allowed me the opportunity to speak. i spoke on "being benched". it's hard to remember a word i said cause it all happened so fast lol. i was so happy though because 2 people turned there lives over to God. that made it worth it all!!!! i can't wait to hear the rest of the speakers and see what else God has in store for all of us!
until next time....

FIELD OF DREAMS....

so in a few weeks i will be speaking at church. we are having different speakers for several weeks on Sunday nights and the theme is "baseball". im excited because i will get to totally brag on my favorite baseball team!! GO NY YANKEES! one of my goals is to try and convert every person at Celebration to become Yankee fans! perhaps if i were to give an altar call it could go something like this...

(lights dim and soft music plays take me out to the ball game) ...with all heads bowed and eyes closed, no one looking around, i know that there are so many of you who in your hearts would love to surrender and finally become the man (or woman) you've always wanted to become. for all of you who have been so bound by following the Boston Red Sox or even the Anahiem Angels and yes, i will go there, even the LA Dodgers this is your time to be free. please raise your hand if you would like to break free from these teams and become a follower of NY! Jesus will love you more if you do (ok maybe that's a little far fetched but this is my blog sooooo) ...i can just imagine every hand being raised!

ok so i can dream can't i? besides, the whole theme of this series is "Field of Dreams"!

so lately i've been waking up in the stinkin middle of the night thinking about what i'm going to speak about! i have so many different thoughts going on in my brain but i just gotta some how piece it all together and make into a sermon! man, all these preachers make it look so easy! i tried explaining to Bart how hard this is and he had no sympothy for me! i didnt understand why until he finally said "BABE I DO THIS EVERY WEEK, IT'S NOT ALWAYS EASY! ... in a loving sweet voice of course! so anyways, i'm really nervous but excited! i'm also glad i get to be one of the 1st to speak so i can get it over with! lol. i mean that in a positive way!

until next time...

No Words to Describe...

wow last night at Generation amazing things happened. it's so crazy cause every week has just been mind blowing and just when you think it can't get any better, it does!

war...

we started our sound check about a half hour late and for the 1st time it seemed like there was some kinda bad feeling in the air. it seemed like we couldnt get the music right and everyone had attitudes. we finally made it through a tough sound check and we all knew that we needed to pray! we put down the mic's and instruments and gathered together in one mind and prayed. i knew something great was gonna happen just from the struggle that was happening before Generation even started.

amazing...

God showed up again. the worship was phenominal and then Bart's word on "going Deeper" was just that, deep! the students got it! they just got it! there's nothing more awesome than seeing high school students on there faces before the Lord seeking Him and wanting more and more of Him. there's no one forcing these students to want God. it's so great to be a part of a Generation that is being changed to be more like Jesus. until next time...

Softball Season is Here!!!

i LOVE LOVE LOVE this time of year! i'm so glad the time changed and we now have longer days. Softball starts in just a couple more weeks and i can't wait! i've practiced pitching 3 days in a row. i'm feeling pretty confident about our team this year. i'm so excited! last year was fun but a little stressful for me. i loved our team but we had to make a few changes in positions because we didn't have all of our regular team members. i remember the day i found out from "coach" Terry that i was gonna be the pitcher! i was sitting in church listening to Pastor preach and saw a folded up paper slide over my shoulder into my lap. it was a note that Terry passed to me from the row behind me. i sit on the front row in church so it's not so easy to pass notes back and forth without getting caught by Pastor. besides, i havent really done that since jr high... but this is Terry Ramming we're talking about! so the note said that i was pitching and had an outline of the field with all the players names in the positions he wanted them in. i actually wrote back (without getting caught except by Bart who got on to me) and said NO I WILL NOT PITCH! ya so, guess who pitched all season! me! it was a little hard cause i had no idea what i was doing. this year i already feel so much more confident. i cant wait to pitch and hang out with my team!!! i can just taste the dirt in my teeth already! until next time...

GENERATION

GENERATION
as of November 08 Bart and I started a new group in our youth called Generation. this group is made up of high school students or ages 13-21. Bart and I had just come off a year long sabatical when we launched Generation. We had been Youth Pastors for 5 years at Celebration for Ignition Youth. we had great times and loved seeing God change so many lives. God had been talking to Bart and I about going in a new direction with our youth and that's when He gave us the name Generation. it was about 2 years ago that we started thinking about this change and praying about it. we were excited. at the time we just weren't sure how we were gonna go about the change. that's just about the time our time off began. this year long subaticle was unexpected and we went through some tough times. although we weren't in ministry at all for an entire year, we never lost sight of the things God had planted in our hearts. We were standing on the word and knowing that Everything that Satan meant for evil, God would turn it around and make it good. We knew that Gods glory would be revealed even through the worst of times. Through our time off we learned so much about God, ourselves and other people.

A GENERATION FOR A GENERATION...
We've just begun our 5th month at Generation. wow time flies when you're having fun! i remember the 1st night of Generation i was so nervous. we had been away for so long and i just didn't know how the students would respond. Bart and I knew our vision and purpose but there was still the fear of "what will they think". when it comes to teenagers, you just never know what your gonna get! We had 16 students the 1st night. it was amazing! Bart spoke the word and shared vision and the future for Generation and we've been growing ever since!

WORSHIP
at Generation we are so blessed with amazing gifts and talents of music. i have to admit, the Generation band is one the best bands i've played with in a long time. i love how the band works so well together and how they push themselves to learn the most difficult songs. the band is always up for a challenge! Generation Band is definately a band without limits and all the glory goes to God.

GOD FOCUSED
these past couple months we've seen God do miracles. at Generation we've seen students be healed. we've seen students be saved and delivered from the sin that had them completely bound. we've seen students grow at a rapid pace in there spiritual walk with God and be filled with the Holy Spirit. it's awesome to know that students are simply showing up to be a part of a God moment and know that they will be impacted and challenged to face the world and be more than conquerors.

PERSONAL NOTE:
after experiencing the most difficult life changing days of my life within 3 years, God really taught me a lot about myself. i went through days of being at my "lowest" and actually thinking i would not make it. there were lots of days of questioning and not understanding and not getting any answers. SURRENDER. finally i gave up. i gave myself up. i finally surrendered to God and through prayer, fasting and the word, i began to breathe again. i began to regain focus. my God focus had been lost... really it wasn't lost, i just chose to drop it for a while. God's grace and mercy is so overwhelming. i've moved on and have no sinful past and God is my strength and He loves me.

GENERATION WITHOUT LIMITS:

i cant wait to see what else God has for Generation. God is teaching us all new things everyday. Generation is ready to go to a place where we've never been before. We are going DEEPER than we've ever gone. im so thankful to be part of this movement. im ready...

a night with Terry and Kylie...

so Terry and Kylie Skiles came to bakersfield last night to speak at Generation for us. Terry did a great job as usual and the students at Generation loved them. they spent the night with us and brought there "kids" Mandy and Lucy with them. I think Mandy and Lucy like it here. Mandy still remembers her old boyfriend Jeter. Jeter was our dog and Mandy used to come see Jeter before he went to doggie heaven. I'm sure she must miss Jeter dearly. i can see it in her eyes. Jeter and Mandy would be married in doggie matramony by now if Jeter had never been smashed by that car. anyways... we all went out to lunch today and now we're just lounging around until the Jr High Awakening service tonight. it's always fun hanging out with Terry and Kylie. the only problem i have with Terry is that he's an Anaheim Angels fan. out of respect, i have the stinkin Angels on my tv right now. it's killin me!!!! ahhh.. oh well. we know the Yankees are the best! well i better go and hang out with my friends. until next time...

how old???

well it's finally Friday! what a long productive fun week i've had! now time for a busy weekend! so i just had this customer leave our shop. this lady came in to get a smog on her 1983 Cadillac Eldorado with only 37,077 miles on it. i watched this lady as she drove into our parking lot and knew right away this was going to be an adventure! she parked in the handicap space and took up about 2 and half other parking spaces as well. i noticed as she was driving in that the front of her car looked like it had its fair share of "old lady driving over things that were not meant to be driven over" days! there was a big peice of plastic hanging and dragging from the front end of the car too. i was too scared to look and see what it was... you just never know! so the lady walks into the office and immidately starts going on and on about how she had been driving over and hour in circles to find our shop! i was somehow not surprised at all! as she sat in the waiting area while her car was being smogged she pretty much talked without skipping a beat or taking a breath. she rambled on and on about all the accidents she's had in her car and all the curbs and bumps she's hit (of course none of which was her fault!). finally when it was time for her to leave she asked me how old i thought she was! oh man, not a question i wanted to answer!!! i was like, ummm ummm ummm... finally she got impatient with me and said she was 80! she went on to tell me that she really shouldnt be driving and she doesnt know why they still allow her to have her license but as long as they let her she'll drive! she said her license don't expire until 2013. God help us all... until next time...

finally Hot again!

so i did not watch the awards show last night because we were'nt home. i probably wouldn't have watched it if i had been home anyways. today i got to work and logged on as usual to catch up on all the "important" stuff in Hollywood. sure enough the first pic i see is of Brad! oh yeah... the goatee is back! i knew it! i must say he looks much better now! if i ever meet him i'm gonna be sure and tell him to never try and pull off that mustache look again! seriously! side note: not that i really truly care that much but, i kinda would rather see him back with Jennifer.. but whatever! until next time...

my week in review...

MONDAY: work, grocery store, home, cooked dinner, started a fire, relaxed at home
TUESDAY: work, more work cause Lauren called in, home, went to Generation (it rocked), Chili's for dinner, home
WEDNESDAY: work, picked up Amy, went to Subway for lunch, me and Amy cleaned a gigantic house until 5:30, went home, changed clothes, went to Awakening, burger king drive thru, home
THURSDAY: work, home, cleaned house/laundry, took a nap, Outback Steakhouse for dinner, Borders Book Store, home
FRIDAY!!!!!! WOOHOOOOO

so this is my week in review! as you can tell, im low on blog ideas at the moment... until next time...

Up all night!

so last night was Valentines night. Bart and I had a great day and a wonderful evening and finally called it a night just around 11:30 or so. we got all tucked into bed and off to dream land we went. just around 1:15 am i recieved a text message that woke me up. i checked my phone then laid back down to drift back off to sleep. suddenly i heard a loud noise. something hit our bedroom wall. it hit so hard that i thought surely there would be a hole in the wall. there wasnt. i woke Bart up and said babe, did you hear that? we listened some more and sure enough there were more bangs, and booms against our wall. well behind our bedroom wall is our neighbors bedroom wall. for a moment i thought hmm.. it is Valentines Day and all so maybe they're just trying to enjoy the holiday (if ya know what i mean). i tried to cover my innocent ears and go back to sleep but the sounds just kept going and going and getting louder and harder. as me and Bart began to listen some more we realized that they werent exactly enjoying each others company. they were fighting! so, we did what any great neighbor would do. we jumped out of bed and ran to the window and tried to see the excitement. i turned off the loud fan and Bart even turned off the heater so that our room was silent for us to hear better. we cracked the bedroom window so we could hear everything! the fight was on! at first we were concerned about our neighbor hitting her but we quickly realized (by listening) that he was very calm and she was the one throwing blows. after about an hour we thought about calling the cops cause by this time there was no calming this chick down! we watched her stumble out of the front door onto the yard and she couldnt hardly walk. she was completely wasted! her boyfriend had hid her keys so she couldnt drive. she wanted to leave and that's what made her even more mad! we didnt call the cops. let me just say that i would hate to see what there place looks like today after that long night. she probably broke everything in the house and knocked tons of holes in the walls! thankfully my big mirror is still on my wall! finally after about 3 hours of this she passed out. Me, Bart and her boyfriend were all very happy at this point! we all went to sleep. Happy Valentines Day to them! lol

FUGGS!

thats it! i'm done with FUGGS! my fake Uggs have done nothing for me today so far! i'm pretty disappointed in them as a matter of fact! i got these fake Uggs at Costco about 4 years ago. these fake Uggs have been special to me cause my mom bought them for me. i've been trying to hold on to them but i think it's time to say goodbye! my feet are soaked and freezing! THANKS MOM! haha.. im sure she's probably laughing at me right now! oh well. i'm gonna start saving my money and by this time next year, i'll have me a REAL pair of Uggs... oh great, by then they'll totally be out of style im sure! :) good bye FUGGS! until next time...

slippery when wet!

this is my window view at work. today is Friday and i'm so happy! it's pouring down rain and very windy! i went outside to write up a car and got soaked within 2 minutes! i learned that writing on wet paper doesn't work very well. i also learned that when your shirt is soaked it can be very cold! good thing i didn't wear that white shirt today after all :) another thing i learned today is that wet pavement can be very slippery and you shouldn't try and sprint on it... note: yes i almost fell and broke my head. LAW SUIT for sure! haha. so this is how my Friday at Blue Ribbon Auto has been so far! HAPPY FRIDAY TO YOU ALL... :) until next time...

HOT OR NOT???

ok, normally i'm a big fan of the stache. Ever since Brad Pitt/Bradd/BradJolina/Branjolina started sporting the new mustache it has sent cold chills down my spine. really, Brad is a great looking guy i have to admit. in fact, he's almost as hot as my husband but still not quite up there. but this new mustache just isn't working for him. now, if he added some fuzz on the chin then i may think differently. i love the goatee look. but for now, the hair on the upper lip only?? not a big fan of! i give the new stache 3-6 mths tops! Brad thought for a minute that since he was sporting the new stache look that others would follow. ummmm so far im not seeing any followers! Thank God! well that's my opinion of the Brad stache. i give it a NOT! until next time...

my thoughts...

1. i need a nap
2. i did way too much filing at work today
3. my hands are cold
4. im ready to play softball!!!
5. i want my hair to grow faster
6. wish i was in my sweats
7. chili's for dinner tonight!!
8. my truck is so dirty... inside and out
9. i want a massage
10. Jr High service tonight
11. Matt D is sick... Bart has to lead Jr Highers :\
12. wanna watch the Yankees play
13. can't wait to watch Biggest Loser
14. Bart just called

25 THINGS ABOUT ME... :)

1. I WAS BORN BLONDE
2. I WAS DRUM MAJOR IN THE HIGH SCHOOL BAND
3. I WAS A CHEERLEADER IN HIGH SCHOOL
4. I WAS A MAJORETTE IN JR HIGH AND HIGH SCHOOL
5. WHEN I WAS 5 I FELL THROUGH OUR LIVING ROOM WINDOW AND LANDED OUTSIDE (I GOT A SCARR ON MY BACK TO PROVE IT) :)
6. I'M A VIRGO
7. I WAS CAPTAIN OF MY VOLLEYBALL AND SOFTBALL TEAM IN HIGH SCHOOL
8. I COACHED HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER FOR 4 YRS
9. I WEAR SIZE 6 SHOES
10. I LOVE TO BE IN THE SPOTLIGHT BUT GET REALLY NERVOUS
11. I'VE BEEN PLAYING DRUMS ALL MY LIFE
12. I'VE HAD 9 PLASTIC SURGERIES
13. MY FIRST CAR WAS AN ORANGE TOYOTA PICK UP. I DIDNT DRIVE IT FOR MNTHS CAUSE I COULD'NT DRIVE STICK AND MY SISTER WAS TOO IMPATIENT TO LET ME ACTUALLY LEARN... SO I BEGGED MY GRANDMA TO TAKE ME OUT TO THE COUNTRY ROADS AND TEACH ME :) AND SHE DID
14. I STOLE A SNICKERS BAR FROM SAVE MART WHEN I WAS 10. I PUT IN MY POCKET AND WENT IN TO THE BATHROOM AT THE STORE AND ATE IT. NEVER STOLE ANOTHER THING AGAIN IN MY LIFE!
15. I MARRIED BART HIGHT IN 1997
16. BART'S BROTHER SCOTT WAS MY YOUTH PASTOR AND I HAD A CRUSH ON HIM. (BEFORE I KNEW THERE WAS A BART) :)
17. I'M 4'11"
18. I DON'T LIKE SCARY MOVIES
19. I MISS MY MOM
20. I GREW UP ON 1ST ST IN WASCO
21. I ALMOST DROWNED IN LAKE BUENA VISTA UNDER A BOAT WHEN I WAS LITTLE. MY COUSIN SHAWN FOUND ME ...UMMM I SURVIVED :)
22. I HAD MY FIRST "REAL" KISS IN 7TH GRADE. HIS NAME WAS EDWARD MORENO.
23. I HAVE ONE SISTER (CASSIE)
24. I'M THE BABY
25. I CAN TYPE 50 WORDS PER MINUTE AND HAVE THE CERTIFICATE TO PROVE IT! :)

my weekend

wow, yesterday's church service was amazing. i wish i was still there! God is great and is always blessing us with surprises.
so i had a great weekend. it went by so fast though. i enjoyed having friends over Friday night to BBQ and play ping pong! i feel bad for Bart though. he has a little issue he's dealing with and he's in a lot of pain. after a couple weeks of antibiotics he'll be completely back to normal. he did'nt get to go to church yesterday or last night. i think he missed 2 of the greatest services we've ever had :( .... he'll be fine though. i had a long day Saturday. we had youth music practice for about 5 hours!!! ahhhhhh.... too much! we learned 4 new songs. not only did i have to learn all the crazy drum rifs but i also had to learn vocal parts as well. my brain was shot by the time it was all over! after that i did my neice Hillary's make up for prom! she looked gorgeous! by late afternoon i was exhausted. i decided to take a lonnnng hot shower and then put on my most comfortable pj's i could find! it was smooth sailing the rest of the night. then to the services yesterday was icing on the cake (that i'm no longer eating) lol. speaking of eating... my calorie counting is still going strong. no sodas and no desire for them Thank God! i coul'nt even get anyone to drink my Dr Pepper on Friday night. the can is still in the fridge if anyone wants it!
well i better go for now and get some work done. until next time...

Generation Girls Rock!

so i just got this text from the girls in our youth group! they wrote me a poem so i thought i'd share...

From: Generation Girls

today we took some time
to write this little rhyme
to show how much we care
and how we love your hair
every tuesday night
we think it's pretty tight
to visit the beautiful miss Lori Hight

you always make us smile
so we stay for quite awhile
you're not very tall
but that does'nt bother us at all

the girls are gonna win
cause we kicked the stupid boys in the shin!!!
(jk that would be rude)
Jesus loves you and i think it's obvious the girls do too!!!

Day Eleven...

so today is officially day #11 of counting calories! so far i'm finding that it's actaully getting easier! a couple weeks ago, the boys from our youth group bought me a can of Dr Pepper. i didnt drink it right away so i actually took it home and was gonna drink it later! since i decided to kick my addiction to soda, that stupid Dr Pepper has been begging me to drink it every day. i know i know.. why don't i just throw it away? well you see i thought about doing that but then i was like... nah! i think i'll keep it because after all, it was a gift (thanks Kev!) and i love challenges! so, the DP will not win! i'm actually not even missing it to be honest! today i decided to wear my "uncomfortable tight jeans that are'nt supposed to be tight but they are because... well they just are)"! as i got them out of the closet and prepared myself for battle, i was dreading the fight that i was about to encounter. me and my jeans never get along! well, to my amazement, this morning i won! as i slipped on my jeans i noticed that they were smiling at me! and guess what, i was smiling back! my jeans are starting to fit so much better! i was so happy! i don't know how much i weigh because we don't have a scale.. but honestly i don't really care! i just know that i'm lookin' fine and feeling great! lol ....thanks for reading. until next time...

Things i like! :)

1. happy people
2. sunshine
3. solid colors
4. getting my hair done
5. playing softball
6. Generation Youth
7. getting a massage
8. hanging out with Bart
9. my BFF Amy
10. going to the beach
11. my church friends
12. my Chevy Truck!
13. pay-day!
14. payday candy bars!
15. Dr. Pepper (which is now sitting the bench since i don't drink it anymore)
16. church camp

there is so much more but i'll save them for the next post :)

things i don't like

1. lettuce!
2. Boston Red Sox!!!
3. slow computers
4. greedy people
5. fish
6. silence while i'm trying to sleep (gotta have the fan on)
7. polyester
8. rose bushes
9. sci-fi movies
10. the dentist
11. waking up early
12. bills
13. waiting in long lines
14. bright lights
15. math

A MILLION CALORIES!!!

so here i go... as of Jan 17, 09 i have been counting my calories! ahhhhhhhhh! it's been 9 days now so i'll tell you about it. at first i didnt want to tell anyone because i didnt trust myself! i didnt think i could last 1 day! i thought if i announced it to you then i would be a loser if i failed and ate my normal million calories a day! but here i am after 9 days! woohoo.. i feel great! yeah i know you're probably thinking... geez Lori 9 days is nothing, but hey it's huge in my book. trust me! it's huge! :) i am making Bart do this with me too. he's so excited about it! lol.. NOT! actually he's doing really good too! we actually split meals when we go out to eat now.. CRAZY! it's cool when we get the bill and see that it's split in half too! saving money and losing weight all at the same time? is this really happening? sweeeeeeeeet! Bart thinks he's gonna die without his Pepsi! so far he hasnt croaked so i'm sure he'll survive! since im on the topic of counting calories, let me just share with you whats really going on here. after reviewing my past eating habbits and finally getting real with myself (i know i sound like Dr. Phil) i realized that on average i was eating right around 18,000 calories a week!!!! OMG! well after keeping track of every calorie i've eatin in the last 9 days i have calculated that i've had a total of 10,817 calories! woohoooo party!
well now its Monday again and i'm starting my 2nd week of this! thanks for listening to me brag about myself in this blog.. lol. until next time...

my dream... a way of escape

Jan 20,2009

today i laid down to take a quick nap. i ended up falling into a deep sleep and having a wild dream. i dreamed that me, Bart, Lindsay and someone else was in this big warehouse. there was another man in the warehouse with us. the man was really angry for some reason. he went into this small room within the warehouse and locked himself in. while he was in there we realized that he had turned a valve to release carbon monoxide. he was commiting suicide. there was nothing we could do to save him because we coulnt get into the room with him. soon we realized that not only did he want to kill himself but he wanted to kill us along with him. he had released the carbon monoxide to the entire warehouse as well. there was no way out. every door of the warehouse was locked and we were starting to feel the effects fast. we tried everything to get out! suddenly i saw a window but there was no way of opening it so i grabbed a big stick type thing and shattered the window with it. i yelled for Bart and the others and they ran over and we all got out.
tonight durring worship i started thinking about the dream i had. i thought about how we found a way of escape through breaking through the window. then i thought of how so many times we surround ourselves with people who are not only commiting spiritual suicide but they are wanting everyone else to die along with them. we have to know and believe that God will always make a way of escape in every situation we find ourselves trapped in. we just have to look for the escape and break through.
Thank you Lord for this dream.

Happy Monday...!

today was a good day. i was pleasantly surprised at work today when Tyler stopped by the shop. he was hungry and so was i so he went and got us breakfast! woohoo! we got to hang out and talk about church and stuff! lots of fun. after work i came home and got so much done around the house. then again i was pleasantly surprised when Bart called me and said he got off work early. i like it when he's home. we lounged around for a while then i made a great healthy dinner. while i cleaned up after dinner, Bart finished up some work for the youth service tomorrow night then it was time to play ping pong! Bart has been talking smack for the past few days saying he was gonna beat me (again)! He beat me once and now he thinks he's the ping pong king kong! i don't think so! after beating him 3 games in a row tonight he called it quits for the night! that's what i thought!!! :) haha. we've really been having a lot of fun playing ping pong together. now we're in our usual evening mode... on the couch with our books, journals and my bible... and the laptop of course. this is my favorite time of the day. time to reflect, relax and see what God has in store for me next! until next time...

a time for everything...

so here i am again in the same spot i was in a few nights ago. on the couch in the quiet dim lit living room. i think it's kinda weird that i love these kinda nights so much. most of the time i love being active, loud, hyper and crazy :) but so many times i find myself just sitting quietly with my thoughts. i kinda like that im both ways i guess. the TV is off and Bart is on the other couch reading another book. he can have like 3 or 4 books going at once! im totally opposite! i have to read a book really slow and take plenty of time so i'll be able to take it all in so i'll remember what i just read! lol. Bart can just glance at each page and remember everything he just saw! amazing! thats why i call him Smart Bart!
So here i am... i was reading my daily devotion then after that i sorta laid over on the couch and starred at the high ceiling with my thoughts. as i was laying there i noticed that it was so quiet in here that the clock sounded like a bomb ticking every tick cause it was so loud. then i was reminded of the scripture that talks about "a time for everything". Ecc 3:1 there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven... time is an amazing thing and so often we take something as simple as the sound of each tick-tock for granted. our time on earth is so important. we need to slow down and always be sure to love our family and friends. we need to remember to walk in the spirit so that we are giving God every moment of our lives. i thank God for the time he has blessed me with...
so anyway, i think i'll wrap this up for now. im gonna get me a warm blanket and lay back on the couch and visit with my husband and enjoy the rest of the night. until next time...

Coolest Kid Ever!

so im hanging out with my nephew Caleb today! he came over just about 30 minutes ago to hang out with his favorite aunt in the whole world for the afternoon! :) (that would be me!) so far he's managed to ask a million and 1 questions, eat all my food, pull out every toy from the toy box and pee all over the toilet! fun fun fun! i must say, when you're feeling kinda insecure and lonely, just hang out with a 2 year old! Caleb thinks im the greatest! he was so excited to see me and he makes me smile all the time! he says the funniest things and cracks me up! well, i gotta go and hang out with the kid.. time to have some fun! :) until next time...

looking back...

so im sitting here in the very place i sat at this time last year. on the couch in the living room. i love this time of night. the room is softly lit and its warm and quiet. i love to just sit and think. i remember growing up at home we would sit as a family at night and just talk. no TV no music. just so quiet and peaceful. i loved those nights. as i was sitting here i began to reflect on this past year and think of all the things i went through. God has brought me through so much. i pulled out my old journal from 2008 and this is the scripture i had written a year ago. Jan. 12, 2008 1 Thessalonians 5:18 In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. ...this may not seem like such a big deal but for me, this very day last year, this scripture was a huge deal in my life. you see, "giving thanks" was'nt exactly the easiest thing for me to do. too often we take these small scriptures for granted. at least i do. as i went on to read a few other things i wrote i saw this line; "thank you Lord for everything, even the seeming trials and worries". what? what was i thinking? it seems a little insane to thank God for even the trials in your life. but looking back i know why i did. i dont ever want to forget where God has brought me from. this time last year i was in a very vulnerable place. God was changing me in so many ways and reshaping everything about me. so much of it hurt but yet it felt so good. i was'nt used to surrendering completly to him. i thought i was completely His until before i knew it i was wrapped up in my own world and so far from God without even realizing it. (at the same time still going through the motions of the "church go-er"). yes i loved God but i had become detached and disconnected.

so i thanked the Lord for even the seeming trials and worries. how do you do that? how do you say thank you when your life is crashing before your eyes and everything you love and want is shattering into a million pieces? how do you say thank you when all you can see is fear, doubt and frustration? how do you say thank you when the more you pray, the worse things get? ...Satan wants nothing more than to steal your focus. he wants to make sure you can't see. you see, God has so many things in store for us to bless us with. if our eyes are blurred by the things of this world, how are we going to see what God has for us? we have to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. dont look at your circumstances and everything that surrounds you... look up. know that God is in control. He will bring you through this again.

Lord i thank you. i thank you for loving me when i was unloveable. i thank you for careing for me when i had no hope. i thank you for holding me when i cursed you. i thank you for forgiving me when i sinned. i thank you for carrying me when i was weak and feeble. You are my strenght Lord. i want to be like you. i dont want people to see me, i want them to see you. change my heart Jesus. continue to break me and mold me. im yours. completely yours. i love you Jesus