The Oddities of Our Friends...

So around midnight Saturday night we get the brilliant idea to straighten Aaron Preston's hair...which is REALLY REALLY curly...







We busted out the straightener and Becky got to work....yes his hair did actually stand straight up on its own...








An hour later, we had what looked similar to a, I'm not gonna lie to you, and mullet.









We call this the European Rockstar look...disturbing I know.

Black and White

Just now I was reading Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. I love this book because many of the things I have read have changed my life and my way of thinking. While I know this will occur, it still completely blows me away when right there in black and white is my life. My life, my thoughts right in front of me...

I am reading the chapter about church and how he loves the fact that his church is authentic - how it is such a huge value there - when I came to the part that is Jeanna's thoughts in black and white:

"I love this because by being true I am allowing people to get to know the real me, and it feels better to have people love the real me than the me I invented."

Everytime I think of my group of friends I am reminded of how lucky I am - I can be me, the real me, and have everyone love me for exactly who I am (crazy as I may be sometimes) - and a lot of people don't seem to be able to say that...

Life

Does life ever just get you down? I feel like I am running a hundred miles an hour with no place to pull over and rest. I am in dire need of vacation and there is no way that can happen for a while - I can't take off that much work (I'll be lucky to get a day here and there) and I don't have the funds to go anywhere either, so here I be.

I need a re-charge day - badly.

Hopefully today will be an awesome day at work - but I get to work with Jess, so Yea!!

Coffee is my friend

I realized that this week I have consumed more coffee in four days than I ever did in college - including finals week...

Most of you know that my boss has been dealing with some health issue, thus leaving me with a larger workload than before as well as much more responsibility. My life has turned upside down and backwards 39 hours a week and it seems that I have turned to coffee to help it to right itself. Has yet to help.

The crazy thing about the insanity of my life is that when something comes up that needs done, I do it, I don't even think twice about it and I do what I have to do...its just the down times that I have trouble downshifting. Take today for example. When my boss needed something I took control, took care of it, did what had to be done. Then she gave me a project she needs done as soon as I can in order for the library to not get into some major trouble with the state. No problem, I can do that, its not complicated. Only then I get a call - they need me at the other library because someone is sick - I only need to be there for backup and can work on the original project there, so, of course, I jump in to help out - only when I go to take my lunch break, I can't downshift and relax. All I keep thinking about is this project - it was overtaking my mind! So, I decided to blog to get myself to relax some - and to wear off some of the coffee (and the sugar that goes along with the coffee) I need some downtime in my life - I need a vacation - I need a break - I need a day off! Although I have tomorrow off to work on Saturday, I know that I will get wrapped up in things that need done and not chill again! I need the summer to come so I can get in some beach time where I have no cares in the world - except maybe running from getting dunked, but I can deal with that...

So this blog probably makes NO sense whatsoever, but I really don't care - I feel a lil better now...

Dropkicking computers

The main thought pulsing through my brain today is how much I want to drop kick some of the computers I have been working on/with today - even a Cafe Mocha hasnt been able to calm me down - although perhaps that could also be the espresso surging through my blood stream when I rarely drink anything other than water or tea - and I swear I have gained a few more gray hairs within the last few hours.

Sometimes living in the Good Ole Days before computers ruled our society sounds pretty appealing.

But ask me again tomorrow - I may have changed my mind by then, after all, I am a woman, and we do that.

The Blessing of Insane Friends

The Blessing of Hailey

The Hard Way

So occasionally I have blonde moments and do stupid things. Last night was one of those blonde moments.

I have changed my eating habits over the last two months - so much so that when I eat things with a high fat content, I tend to pay for it later and my body pretty much revolts. Last night I decided to listen to my cravings instead of my head and my body - and it didn't take long for me to end up enjoying spending time by the nearest bathroom. While nothing occured in the bathroom, thank goodness, I definitely was in some pain - learned my lesson the hard way...

I'm an aunt....again....kinda....

Amber had her baby!!!

Miss Hailey Raye was born yesterday a little after 3 pm - she is absolutely beautiful! She was 7 lbs. 13 oz. and they figure the duedate was wrong. Mom is doing well - although she has told me to never have children (she was in quite a bit of pain for a while there) Dad is doing well - he almost didnt make it through the epidural - and Amber never hurt him or yelled too much, and he is completely smitten by his baby girl. She has him wrapped around her finger already.

So I am now an aunt again (technically, not really, but close enough in every other way) and this little girl is going to be so spoiled! She is well loved already.

Thank you to all of you who put up with my crazy impatience and excitement over the last 36 hours....

You will all see many more pictures to come....

Ups and Downs...

Yesterday was quite the roller coaster day of emotions. For some reason I wasn't thinking straight at work and managed to make a mistake. A big one. Looking back it wasn't quite as bad as it I orginally thought, and it has worked out okay since, but I was devastated. I was on the verge of tears and felt horrible. I kept apologizing to my boss - and when she would say I trust you, all I could say was "why?" I was definitely more upset about it than she was - but when I left work so many things had gone wrong that day - including getting to my car and my seat being wet from leaking rain, ug!

I went on my way to dinner with the girls - sitting on a hoodie as to keep my tush dry - knowing that an evening with the girls was just what I needed to lift my spirits...

Boy was I right!

Midway through dinner I missed a phone call from a strange number. When I checked my voicemail it was one of my great friends Amber, letting me know that she was at Memorial and Miss Hailey was ready to come out and play - 3 weeks early! I was so excited I'm sure everyone at the restaurant knew something was going on! I called her back and chatted for a few minutes before she had a contraction and had to hand the phone over to her husband. They said even if the contractions stopped, they would induce her and Hailey would be here by tomorrow (today!) night.

It's amazing how I could go from the depths of self-pity and borderline despair, to one of the happiest feelings in the world! Talk about a whirlwind of a day...

So, now I am sitting here, not so patiently, waiting for the call that Hailey is here. I finally broke down and called the hospital, rather than her room in case she was having her right then, who transfered me 4 times until they connected me to their room - craziness! But I got to talk to Jarrod who let me know that Amber was able to get some sleep during the night, and then this morning her contractions had stopped so they induced her. He said Hailey should be here soon - within a few hours!

Here I sit - having trouble focusing - thinking about meeting Hailey for the first time *sigh*

Stay tuned - pictures and details to follow - imagine that :)

Thoughts...

Some days I never know where God may show up and speak to me.

Today it has been all over - almost everywhere I turn today, God is talking to me - and I must admit, it's great. Some days I think God chooses to be silent. This is not one of those days.


I have been struggling lately with my job - wondering if I should stick out where I am even though the pay isn't nearly what I deserve and the rewards are few. I love my job. I love (most) of the people I work with. I am good at what I do. The irony of my situation is that everytime I begin to look search for another job, something happens where it would be impossible for me to leave. This happened again last week. Earlier today I was talking about it with a lady I work with - and I realized this very well could be God letting me know this is where I belong at this place in my life. Sure it's not where I planned to be 7 1/2 years ago when I first started working here - but He has shown me the people around me who need me. I have never been good at talking about my faith with people who aren't Christians - I'm always afraid I may offend someone. Everyone around me knows I am a Christian, that I go to church and how important it is to me. I talk about my church and my friends practically constantly, but I never open up my heart to them about my passion for Christ. During the conversation this morning, my passion started to show - we talked about the situation and how possibly this is where God wants me to be right now. I can't explain what changed, but something did. We talked about God and faith and it was amazing! I suddenly have this peace that this is where I am supposed to be now.

Then I read Melissa's blog on my break - and there at the bottom was a verse from Hebrews. The same verse that has been popping up all over my life for the last two months. I have never seen one verse show up so many times in such a short period of time. Ironically it reminded me of my job and once again reinforced that this is where I belong for now. How long, I don't know, but for now, I am where I need to be.


And of course, God was still not done - in surfing around Jen's blog I found a link to a website for Christian singles and wow, the first article I went to hit home on something some of us have been talking about lately, Christians and dating. While a few of the points in the article I am questioning, the main points are worth looking at and pondering over. So for those of you who are interested in stretching your thinking, here's a link for ya.

Then there is relevantmagazine.com - one of my favorite websites that never ceases to play with my mind - its great! And surprise surprise, there was an article there that had to do with another conversation a friend and I have had recently. Crazy I know! But flipping cool at the same time. Here's the link for this one - Learning How To Love Myself

Like Stephen always says, Live in the Questions...

Just a little time

I got to spend this weekend with some amazing kids (well, Peyton would say she is not a kid anymore, she is a teenager, but you get the drift) I love this family as if they were my own and I am always excited to spend time with them. Dalton, who is a feisty 11 year old, always plays the tough guy role. He always acts as if he doesn't care if he gets to see me or not, if he gets my attention or not, or if I am even around. I have always suspected that he really did enjoy the time we have together (I babysat them in the summer of '04 and have been a part of their lives since) and recently his mom confirmed my suspicions. While I get the tough guy attitude, his mom hears the real thing - asking when I am coming, excited of time with just the two of us...This became apparent yesterday afternoon.

Soon after their mom left, Peyton was off somewhere and Dalton wanted to play ping-pong. After a crazy 15 minutes of some insane hitting and chasing of balls, he decided he was done. He said he was going to go play a video game in his room, and he asked me if I wanted to come watch him. How could I say no to this kid - there wasn't any pressing issue to attend to, no dinner to make, no animals getting into trouble - so I went and sat beside him while he showed off all the different parts of his new XBox game. We sat there for around an hour when I had to go check on his sister to see if she was ready to babysit, and he looked completely deflated when I had to leave his side. I wasn't doing anything. We talked about the game some, but I know that wasn't what was important to him. There was something even more precious to him that he was yearning for - my time. Time. What a simple gift to give, yet also one of the hardest. Our lives are so jammed pack full of things (yes I am guilty of this as well) that we forget sometimes that all people may need and want from us is our time. And you know, I think that is really what most of us want from relationships - time.

This weekend helped me to determine that I need to be more aware of what is taking up my time. What is truly important and what is not. Time - a priceless gift whose rewards are unmeasureable.

Double Ug

My bears lost

and 24 is starting late...

Countdown to 24...again....

7 minutes until 24

I'm stressing about my Bears

Too much excitement...

The Bears are playing (and going quite well I might add), 24 is starting in 29 minutes and the guy who just scored for the Bears is #37 (my ultimate favorite number!) Can it get any better!?!?! Tara is sitting here just laughing at my freakin out but I can't help it - I am on excitement overload!

GO BEARS!!!!!!!!

Countdown to 24

37 minutes until the season premiere of the best and most addicting show of all time!

Yes I am obsessed, yes I know its not healthy, and no I don't care - cuz its flippin awesome!

Craziness!

So my life has gone completely haywire! Long story - but my life and my responsibilities at the library have grown in the last week and will stay that way for at least the next two months...

Which leads me to - I am so excited for tonight! My Peyton is turning 13 and her mom asked me to help out with the party! I love this family like they are my own and they fact that they feel the same way about me and want me there makes my heart smile :) Then this weekend I am house/kid sitting for the family and I am pumped to get to spend Sunday with Dalton! He tries to act tough and like he doesnt really care if he gets time alone with me, but he's told his mom otherwise :) Once again, makes my heart smile :)

I hope everyone has a wonderful, heart-smiling weekend!

I did it!

I finally did it! I got out of bed early to workout! I am so not a morning person, so this was quite an accomplishment for me! It was definitely worth it and I am hoping I will be able to continue this trend...we shall see...

Good Advice

As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken
probably more than once and it's harder every time. You'll break hearts
too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You'll fight with
your best friend. You'll blame a new love for things an old one did.
You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose
someone you love.

So, take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love
like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset
is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

Awakening Moments

The last few days I have thought I was happy - there was a glimmer of something brewing inside but I chose to ignore it and try to focus on being happy...while this can be a good plan sometimes, I discovered this time was not one of those times. The something brewing inside of me grew from a glimmer to an all out overtaking of my soul. So much so that the last 18 hours had me twisted up in knots inside and causing me to spontaneously cry for completely dumb reasons. Only a few minutes ago did I see where I went grossly wrong. I had pointed my feet in the wrong direction.

Let me explain...

This weekend something happened that really, truly fired me up...someone invaded my "kids" lives that ultimately could have put them in danger - and I am angry. I haven't felt anger like this ever before. While I kept my cool at the time and handled the situation with grace (or so I have been told) I had this anger brewing inside of me. I wanted to inflict serious bodily harm. I can't even put into words the torment and anger going on within me. I know there is nothing wrong with anger - but there is something wrong with holding on to it...when I chose to not turn this over to God, when I chose to hold this inside, when I chose to let this anger brew, I unknowingly turned my feet away from God. And as soon as I did, I felt satan invade my life - he tried to bring me down, and it was working. I thank God for Lindsey who last night knew something was wrong, prayed with me over the phone and reminded me of who I really am - of who I am in God. When satan was trying to bring me down, she was right there lifting me back up - she was fighting satan for me, and I am so grateful.

So now comes the battle I must fight within myself - to let this go - to forgive this person - to give everything over to God.

Hard to describe...

Today is one of those days when there is something going on inside of you that you just can't describe - something is terribly wrong and its hard to find the words -

Driving to work this morning I was listening to this song and I think it best describes my life right now-

Best of You - by Foo Fighters
I’ve got another confession to make
I’m your fool
Everyone’s got their chains to break
Holdin’ you

Were you born to resist or be abused?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Are you gone and onto someone new?
I needed somewhere to hang my head

Without your noose
You gave me something that I didn’t have
But had no use
I was too weak to give in
Too strong to lose
My heart is under arrest again
But I break loose
My head is giving me life or death
But I can’t choose
I swear I’ll never give in
I refuse

Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Has someone taken your faith?
Its real, the pain you feel
Your trust, you must
Confess

Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Oh...

OhhhhhhOhhhhhhOhhhhhhOhh
Has someone taken your faith?
Its real, the pain you feel
The life, the love
You die to heal
The hope that starts
The broken hearts
Your trust, you must
Confess

Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
I’ve got another confession my friend
I’m no fool
I’m getting tired of starting again
Somewhere new

Were you born to resist or be abused?
I swear I’ll never give in
I refuse

Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Has someone taken your faith?Its real, the pain you feel
Your trust, you must
Confess

Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Oh...

More random pictures...

For a view of some more random pictures, visit my Xanga! (They publish so much easier on there!)

www.xanga.com/tootsiegirl37

5 days and 6 1/2 hours...

5 days and 6 1/2 hours until the premiere I have been waiting for since last June - 24! I have never before been so addicted to a tv show! Life as I know it stands still during 24 - phone not answered, people shushed if talking, the whole she-bang! (The only step I haven't taken to be even more obsessed is changing my night to work so I can watch it live) - although I did take next Monday night off to watch part 2 of the season premiere....

I am so pumped about my show starting again! I got an email from Fox (yes I am on the email list) with a quote from a TV guide reporter, Matt Roush, who saw the premiere already, can I just say how this pumped me up even more!! "I didn’t know how 24 could top last season, but so far it’s working. And the edge of my seat is already frayed."

So excited!!! If you want to see the fastest moving show of all time, this is a show to watch!

Pictures...

Tara, Naomi, Tracy and me at the food drop!















The last piece of Laura's sixth donut...













Tracy, Laura, Tara, Naomi, Me and Stephanie - this picture was taken by ME and surprisingly we are all in it! I blame all the smiles on the amazing morning we were all taking part in!

This was Jon's going away breakfast - very early in the morning for some of us, but we love him, so we got our tushes out of bed to send him off right...

Me and Jon before he hit the road...I actually look awake for having got up at 545 in the AM when I am so not a morning person!

We got called out...

So, this Saturday night at church we were singing worship songs as usual and of course Laura and I were sitting on the end of a row having a ball praising God. So we get to the song "Can You Hear Us?" by David Crowder which begins as....

When we sing
Hear our songs, to You
When we dance
Feel us move, to You
When we laugh
Fill our smiles, with You

Well, after it says, When we dance, Laura and I always dance. Nothing out of the ordinary - our friends are used to this by now - only this time....Right after we finish that line - Dan, the original ohmygoshiloveyouinchurchband and the worship leader this weekend points to Laura and I and from on stage with his microphone says "Yeah, I see you over there!" Yes, he pointed RIGHT AT US! We completely froze and then busted up laughing! I don't know if we have ever all laughed so hard in church! Then Laura and I look at each other, shrug our shoulders and decided we didn't care, we were going to keep on dancing anyway! (By the way, Dan said it with great fun and was smiling at us!) After the service when we told others about it who hadnt been sitting with us they weren't in the least bit surprised by the fact that it was us that had gotten called out. What a time!

Also, for those of you who are interested, Corey Mann's Blog has a link to the food drop video which I have a cameo appearance in - none of the insane footage of us though, but that's okay, I have some pictures I will post later....

TaTa for now people! Hope you had a good laugh on us!

Food Drop!

Okay people so today was some of the best insane crazy fun I have had in a loooooong time! We're talking awesome! While we were moving boxes, Tracy Laura and I were gettin a little crazy up in the church parking lot! There are a few pictures on my camera - and I think we may be ending up in a media at church sometime as well! Lots of video and photographs taken of us and our craziness! Wow are there stories!

Here are a few highlights (all while moving boxes mind you) -

* Insane loud singing of completely random songs
* Occasional outbreaks of the Hokey Pokey and the Chicken Dance
* Lots of cheering
* "Go Number 5!" (our truck number)
* Laura's guiding of the boxes while finishing her 6th, yes people I said 6th, donut of the morning!
* Laura's conveyor belt movement
* Kung Fu fighting

So many stories, so little time!

Pictures later to come...

Dang Becky!

This is the picture which is now and forver formally named - Dang Becky! We all got to see Becky for the first time in weeks last night (man did we miss her) and of course she had tons, and I mean tons, of pictures she took of her boyfriend Greg. As Sarah was flipping through the cutesy pictures, out of no where we hear "DANG BECKY!" - which of course peaked all of our curiousities...so more of us flipped through the cutesy pictures, and then we found it - the Dang Becky! picture...So, for all of you to see...I give you...the Dang Becky! picture...

Thoughts and Fears

The last few weeks I have been in a constant battle. A battle within myself.

For years I have struggled with fear. And for years I would either use avoidance or fleeing to protect myself. While I have worked through and gotten past the majority of my past fears, one still shows its face when its least expected - the fear of getting hurt. Most women, or possibly all women, have dealt with this fear of having your "heart hurt" - a pain that's purely emotional and hits right to the core. I have been hurt many times in the past, some of which were pretty bad. While I have forgiven myself and the others involved, every once in a while when I become afraid of being hurt again, I can feel that same pain inside of me again. A pain I never wanted to feel again. And this feeling makes me want to run. It makes me want to hide. It makes me want to seclude myself. And recently I decided I was no longer going to give in to my urge to protect myself. I found myself not even realizing how tightly I was holding on to my own web of protection. I have been praying many times a day for the Lord to give me the strength to not run. To not close myself off. And to trust Him to protect me. The battle is mellowing out some, and my urge isn't nearly as strong as it once was...but its still there.

Earlier today I read a past blog of Stephanie's, and it not only spoke to me exactly where I am, but encouraged me to continue to be the person God wants me to be - God doesn't want me to be afraid - He doesn't want me to run away, He wants me to run to Him. Here's what I stole from Steph's site, for all of you who are interested...



The Invitation

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living, I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are, I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your sorrow, if you have been open by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain. I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it. I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own; if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstacy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without causing us to be careful, be realistic, or to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true, I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself, if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul. I want to know if you can be faithful and therefore trustworthy. I want to know if you can see beauty, even when its not pretty everyday, and if you can source your life from God's presence. I want to know if you can live with failure, mine or your own, and still stand on the edge of a lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, "yes!"

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after the night of despair and grief, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done for the children.

It doesn't interest me who you are, how you came to be here.I want to know if you will stand in the center of fire with me and not shrink back.It doesn't interest me when or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else fails away. I want to know if you can be alone with yourself, and if you truely like the company you keep in the empty moments.

My Life...

Since I haven't blogged much lately, I figured I was due for some catch up time...so this blog may end up being completely random (hard to imagine I know) and possibly lengthy...so I apologize now.

Where to start...

This weekend - It has been a long time since I have had an awesome New Year's! It all started out with an awesome church service and running into an old friend - A former nevaeH guy, Ryan, who moved to California last year always comes back to visit his family around the holidays and attends GCC when he's back. I saw him from a distance while Melissa and I were heading to the water fountain and ladies room and then when we got back to our seats, who is sitting in the seat right next to my saved spot...if you said Ryan then you are correct! In an auditorium that seats high hundreds of people, he happened to sit next to me! It was great to see him again and to chat for a few minutes!

Then it was off to Laura's for a flippin awesome night! The only way it would have been better would be if my stomach hadn't started hurting soon after midnight - so I missed out on a lot of the dancing :( After only a few hours of sporadic sleep, we all got up, played some cards and chilled and some of us headed back to church to take in another service. (What can I say, it was a good one!) Then home to get some MUCH needed sleep! Then back to Laura's for some hang out time. I must admit at first I was hesitant to do anything, but I am soooo glad I went because Melissa and I had some awesome heart to heart time.

Monday was an emotional mess of a day - if you really want the details, let me know and we can chat...

Tuesday - wow, Tuesday morning was rough...Jon left for California - it was a hard day what can I say...between work being insanely busy and a lot of praying throughout the day, it got better! And ended with a jaunt to the movie theater to see Cheaper by the Dozen 2 - not as good as the original, kinda slow to start, but hilarious by the end!

And today - only one thing sticks out today that I must share .....

I had a new experience this morning in the computer lab. I had a patron fall asleep with his face flat down on the desk in front of the monitor - and he started snoring! Quietly but snoring!! Now he is a sweet, older guy and so I didnt want to scare him awake, so I gently tried waking him up. That DID NOT work! So, I said his name and shook him harder. Then he woke up. Not 15 minutes later, I look over, and he's sleeping again! And starts to snore again! So I had to walk over, and this time I had to really really shake him to get him to wake up! Man the stories of working with the public...

New Years Resolutions...

I've never been real great at keeping my new year's resolutions. By the 3rd week of January I tend to get distracted or forget what was so important to me. This year I am more determined than ever to keep my "resolutions" - these are things I have been thinking about doing or already working on trying to do and I decided this was the time to make it happen.

I'm blogging my resolutions partially as reminder to myself but mainly to let everyone know what goals I have set in my future. Please help keep me accountable on these - even when I may not want you to....

1. Lose 40 lbs and get back in shape - 20 lbs will be by my birthday, June 3rd, and the other 20 by Christmas next year.
2. Read more Christian books or books with Christian's morals and values than books without.
3. Read the Bible in one year

The crazy thing about these goals I have set is that the one I wrestled with the longest is #3. As much as I hate to admit it, I have never read the entire Bible. I have gone to church my entire life and have yet to read every word of God's Word. I have thought about making this commitment many times and I have to say that I wasn't going to make this one of my resolutions this year. I was trying to ignore it - hoping it would go away - only it didn't and I realized how little of my time God was asking for...I sometimes get so caught up in everything else I forget that God wants some time as well. So, I did what I didn't want to do, and I put my commitment to read the Bible in a year in writing. Black ink. Permanent. Written on paper. Written on my heart. I found this reading guide online so I can physically see what I need to read each day and be able to mark it off once I have read it. I started last night (already behind after not starting on the first) and already I am learning new things - even from Genesis! Who woulda thunk!

The ironic thing about my resolutions this year is that all three of these things are included in not only how I want to live out this year, but how I want to live out my life. When I look back at the "places" I have been in other new years it's amazing how much I have changed - this year I am not trying to accomplish these unattainable goals alone...I am changing my lifestyle bit by bit - only not alone - with amazing friends and a father in heaven who will help me through...

Friends...

Today I have been thinking a lot about friends...and how amazing everyone is! I must say I am truly blessed...

So here's a few pictures...this one is a group picture from a few months ago - yes we are piled on top of each other!











Tara Amber Jeanna
(Plus a soon to be baby Hailey to Mommy-to-be Amber)













Yes - this is Jon - and yes - he is scraping "Ranch Stuff" from his shoe.
















Sarah and Me!










This came off my camera phone - Tracy on New Years! What can we say, there were some hotties there and we needed a fire woman!

My dancin friends!

Crazy times Crazy time of New Years Eve!