Countdown Clock?

If anyone is wondering what my little clock is for on the right of my blog...it's my count down clock to my cruise. I am going on a cruise in 2 weeks with my sister, her hubby, my aunt, and a couple of friends from town.

We are going on an 8 day exotic caribbean cruise to Costa Rica, Panama & Cozumel on the Carnival Freedom, I am soo looking forward to it. There are 4 sea days and on those days I am going to relax, read and get tanned...:) The port days we have some exciting excursions planned.

I plan to take my laptop so that I can post pics while I am there. Also, so I can keep in touch with my husband & kids. There are phones on the ship but it costs like $10 a minute to talk so I will keep in touch with them thru the world wide web for 20 cents a minute lol...

I have a lot to do before I go....and we have to drive to Fort Lauderdale to get on the ship...but once we get there it will be smooth sailing....

Facebook

Ok, after a year of persuasion, I finally joined Facebook. After only a few hours I had found a bunch of my friends from high school back in Maine and also some of my Spartanburger friends...

If you are reading this and you do not have a facebook account....GO get one...

I look forward to getting in touch with and keeping in touch with my "old" & new friends...

If you are one of my facebook friends coming to check out my blog, it's been a lot of fun making this blog about what happens in our family. I started it back in June...You need to make a blog too. It's a lot different than facebook.

This is COOL...

My mom e-mailed this to me the other day and I thought it was really cool so I thought that I would share it with you.....

This is a pretty neat story and an interesting thing that few of us know. It's brief, so please read . (FROM A DOCTOR) A couple of days ago I was running (I use that term very loosely) on my treadmill, watching a DVD sermon by Louie Giglio...and I was BLOWN AWAY! I want to share what I learned....but I fear not being able to convey it as well as I want. I will share anyway. He (Louie) was talking about how inconceivably BIG our God is...how He spoke the universe into being...how He breathes stars out of His mouth that are huge raging balls of fire..etc. etc. Then He went on to speak of how this star-breathing, universe creating God ALSO knitted our human bodies t ogether with amazing detail and wonder. At this point I am LOVING it (fascinating from a medical standpoint, you know.) ....and I was remembering how I was constantly amazed during medical school as I learned more and more about God's handiwork I remember so many times thinking...."How can ANYONE deny that a Creator did all of this???" Louie went on to talk about how we can trust that the God who created all this, also has the power to hold it all together when things seem to be falling apart...how our loving Creator is also our sustainer. And then I lost my breath. And it wasn't because I was running my treadmill, either!!! It was because he started talking about laminin. I knew about laminin. Here is how wikipedia describes them :"Laminins are a family of proteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of basement membranes in almost every animal tissue." You see....laminins are what hold us together....LITERALLY. They are cell adhesion molecules. They are what holds one cell of our bodies to the next cell. Without them, we would literally fall apart. And I knew all this already. But what I didn't know is what LOOKED LIKE. But now I do. And I have thought about it a thousand times since (already).... Here is what the structure of laminin looks like...AND THIS IS NOT a "Christian portrayal" of it....if you look up laminin in any scientific/medical piece of literature, this is what you will see...



Now tell me that our God is not the coolest!!! Amazing. The glue that holds us together....ALL of us....is in the shape of the cross. Immediately Colossians 1:15-17 comes to mind. "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth , visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things HOLD TOGETHER. " Colossians 1:15-17 Call me crazy. I just think that is very, very, very cool. Thousands of years before the world knew anything about laminin, Paul penned those words. And now we see that from a very LITERAL standpoint, we are held together...one cell to another....by the cross. You would never in a quadrillion years convince me that is anything other than the mark of a Creator who knew EXACTLY what laminin "glue" would look like long before Adam breathed his first breath!! We praise YOU, Lord!

You know you grew up in the 80's if.....

My friend Jennifer had a similiar entry on her blog and I had to laugh it is so true. This is the one I have always heard, check it out you will laugh, especially if you grew up in the 80's and you know all of them......Check hers out too because she has a bunch of different ones. (it's on my blog list to the right, Look for God's treasures)

You Know You Grew Up In The 80's If...

1. You've ever ended a sentence with the word "PSYCHE".
2. You watched the Pound Puppies.
3. You can sing the rap to the "Fresh Prince of Belair " ...and can do the "Carlton".
4. Girls wore biker shorts under their skirts and felt stylishly sexy.
5. You yearned to be a member of the Baby-sitters club and tried to start a club of your own.
6. You owned those lil' Strawberry Shortcake pals scented dolls
7. "WOAH " comes from Joey on Blossom.
8. Two words: Hammer Pants.
9. If you ever watched "Fraggle Rock ".
10. You had plastic streamers on your handle bars... and "spokey-dokes" or playing cards on your spokes for that incredible sound effect.
11. You can sing the entire theme song to "Duck Tales ". (Woo ooh!)
12. You wore a ponytail on the side of your head.
13. When it was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons.
14. You saw the original "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles " on the big screen... and still know the turtles names.
15. You got super-excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class at school.
16. You made your mom buy one of those clips that would hold your shirt in a knot on the side.
17. You played the game "MASH ". (Mansion, Apartment, Shelter, House)
18. You wore stonewashed Jordache jean jackets and were proud of it.
19. L.A. Gear... need I say more.
20. You wanted to change your name to "JEM " in Kindergarten. (She's truly outrageous)
21. You remember reading "Tales of a fourth grade nothing " and all the Ramona books.
22. You know the profound meaning of "WAX ON, WAX OFF".
23. You wanted to be a Goonie.
24. You ever wore fluorescent clothing. (some of us... head-to-toe)
25. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off and his cheeks shifted.
26. You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the only female smurf.
27. You took lunch boxes to school... and traded Garbage Pail Kids in the schoolyard.
28. You remember the CRAZE, then the BANNING of slap bracelets.
29. You still get the urge to say "NOT " after every sentence.
30. You remember Hypercolor t-shirts.
31. Barbie and the Rockers was your favorite band.
32. You thought She-ra (Princess of Power!) and He-Man should hookup.
33. You thought your childhood friends would never leave because you exchanged handmade friendship bracelets.
34. You ever owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes. (and like #24, probably in neon colors, too)
35. After you saw Pee-Wee's Big Adventure you kept saying "I know you are, but what am I?"
36. You remember "I've fallen and I can't get up"
37. You remember going to the skating rink before there were inline skates.
38. You ever got seriously injured on a Slip and Slide.
39. You have ever played with a Skip-It.
40. You had or attended a birthday party at McDonalds.
41. You've gone through this nodding your head in agreement.
42. You remember Popples.
43. "Don't worry, be happy"
44. You wore like, EIGHT pairs of socks over tights with high top Reeboks.
45. You wore socks scrunched down (and sometimes still do...getting yelled at by "younger hip" members of the family)
46. "Miss MARY MACK MACK MACK, all dressed in BLACK BLACK BLACK "
47. You remember boom boxes. and walking around with one on your shoulder like you were all that.
48. You remember watching both "Gremlins" movies.
49. You know what it meant to say "Care Bear Stare!"
50. You remember watching "Rainbow Bright" and "My Little Pony Tales "
51. You thought Doogie Howser/Samantha Micelli was hot.
52. You remember Alf, the lil furry brown alien from Melmac.
53. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool... and don't even flinch when people refer to them as "NKOTB".
54. You knew all the characters names and their life stories on "Saved By the Bell ", the ORIGINAL class.
55. You know all the words to Bon Jovi - SHOT THROUGH THE HEART.
56. You just sang those words to yourself.
57.You remember watching Magic vs. Bird.
58. Homemade Levi shorts. (the shorter the better)
59. You remember when mullets were cool!
60. You had a mullet!
61. You still sing "We are the World"
62. You tight rolled your jeans.
63. You owned a bannana clip.
64. You remember "Where's the Beef?"
65. You used to (and probably still do) say "What you talkin' about Willis?"
66. You had big hair and you knew how to use it.
67. You're still singing shot through the heart in your head,aren't you!

SNOW DAY?? Where is it?

Well, last night the kids were excited hoping for snow so that they could have a day off from school. They have only been out of school since Thursday at noon! So, I had mixed feelings about it. I wanted them to go back to school but also loved the thought of having another day off too...
So at 11:00 last night when I went to bed, I looked out the window and it was snowing...so I figured they would probably cancel school if there was any sight of snow at all.
Sure enough, I woke at 6:30 to Zack telling me there was no school...now any other day I would have to wake him up...go figure.
When I looked out the window I had to laugh because the ground was barely covered and the roads were clear. Only in the South (lol)...I grew up in Northern Maine where we had to get "feet" of snow before they cancelled school.
I guess they wanted to make sure that no one would get hurt if the roads were icy...and I guess they were after all.... My husband went off to work after 9:00 and sure enough he hit an ice patch and his truck almost hit the guard rail. Thank God he didn't and that there was no one else coming in the other direction.
All in all it has been a good day. The kids had fun playing games and I caught up on tv and laundry. I did venture out after all the "snow" melted to go to the bank, grocery store and took my two puppies to the groomer for a wash & a haircut.
The only thing about having a snow day is that the kids will have to go to school on a teacher workday and probably when they need it more....

Happy Birthday Jennifer

Even Adults Like Kids Games...

We bought Cassie a wii game for Christmas called Animal Crossing. Zack had played it on his DS before and liked the game so I thought maybe Cassie would enjoy it too on the "big screen" vs the little hand held version.
Well, we all have been playing this game since Christmas Day! It is really cool. You have your own character and your own house and you buy things for your house and find things to sell. The more money you make you pay off your mortgage to get a bigger house. The funniest thing is you can invite friends to your town via the Internet. Other people can come to "play" in your town. So my sister bought the game (also an adult lol) and she comes over to our town to play lol...It's funny...It also comes with a microphone and you can talk to each other.
It's a fun game. You can send letters & gifts to other characters. Also, you can make friends, make snowmen, decorate your house, plant trees & flowers, catch fish & bugs, find fossils etc.
The seasons change the same as ours do....
Anyways, if you have a wii you need to buy this game. If you have kids or not it's a lot of fun...

Blessings for 2008

I have been thinking about the people who have blessed my life, inspired me, and have made me a better person this year.




God..I would have to say that I have learned more about how great our God really is this year. I have been involved in bible studies as well have seen how it has helped my life become more meaningful.

My son...he is truly an inspiration to me. He is such a great young man. He doesn't gossip, lie, or cheat. He is a great help to others. He is very smart and talented and I love him very much. He also loves to worship the Lord.

My husband...He is great man. He loves me even when I have had a bad day. He is a great provider. We have had some great family trips this year and that is all thanks to his hard work.

My friend Jennifer. She is a very godly woman. She has inspired me to be a better person. She has introduced and included me in a lot of her girl time. I am so happy to have met her at Vacation Bible School this past summer and have continued our friendship.

My business partner Sheila. She is always in an upbeat mood. We have done some "stressful" catering jobs this year and she has kept me all together. I am very thankful for her and her crazy family.

My mom..She has gone through a rough spot this year financially. She has showed me that material things don't matter as much as love, family & friends do.

My sister....She has shown me even with a handicap, you can get out there and enjoy life to it's fullest.


My pastor, DJ..He is a great person. He inspires me to want to be at church every Sunday. He is a great teacher and I have learned a lot this year. I am thankful that I finally found a church home.

Jed Dearybury. He has inspired me to create this blog. I really have enjoyed writing this and uploading pictures. I have gotten messages from friends & family from Canada to Florida that they enjoy reading my blog and seeing our kids grow. Thanks Jed...

My daughter. She has shown me that I need to count to 10 more often before I get mad. I need to have more patience when it comes to her because she does it in her "own" time.

My 2 puppies. They have shown me unconditional love. Some days they are the only 2 in my house that are excited to see me. They are a lot of work but a lot of fun.