It was a good day

Had Bible study tonight. I always like it and learn a lot from it. We have a student from Oral Roberts University here on a summer internship and I would like to talk to him. He seems interesting.

My day was good.

But I got mad because I ordered two Zumba t-shirts for a total of $28.90 only to find a set of 12 for $42.95 on the Zumba shop site this morning. They weren't there last night. I have the worst luck with their shop.

Faith explosion

Due to things happening in my life and the recent responses to my last post, I'm having a faith explosion.

I can't stop reading scripture. I can hardly put my Bible away. I'm learning it remarkably efficiently and am finding verses I need to support my witness. One scripture leads to another and supports the one before and after.

I have five volunteers from the teen group to help me launch my upcoming Zumbatomic classes in July for ages 4-12, plus Mayela who blesses me with encouragement. The reaction from the teen group to my short demo was exhilarating. They clapped and smiled and had fun. This means I've picked good songs and choreography so far.

My uncle has blessed us with a large monetary inheritance.

I did wake up with the baby song "Chi Chi Ua" ringing in my head which could send me over the edge. I'm using it in my Zumbatomic class. It's terribly cute. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S03RFm1xKY&feature=related

It's been on my mind. Keeps popping in.

At the Renaissance Fair last month an old woman (I say old but she couldn't have been more than 10 or 15 years older than I) asked me for money to buy a drink. She was thirsty and she had no money. It was a hot day. I had purchased a lemonade for myself and a friend an hour before. It lacked ice and good flavor and the price was ridiculously high for what we got, but we were thirsty and we drank them all up. The lady asking me for money was thirsty.

I told her no. I told her, sorry, but I have no money. A lie. I had about $20 in my renaissance purse. I feel bad about it. I've felt bad about it since the moment it came out of my mouth. My heart had no compassion. Do I have nothing to give? I did have something to give, but I would not give it. I kept it for myself. I regret it. I thought to myself, why doesn't she get a job?

I had no compassion. Would it have killed me to walk with her to the lemonade stand and buy her a drink? I think not. Have I not been blessed enough to part with three bucks out of my wallet that day?

One day about three years ago I was in Albuquerque at a Jewish convention event. It was the end of the night and about ten of us were piling into the van to go home. A homeless man approached us with purpose and we rushed to get in the van all the faster. After all, what if he had a weapon with which to kill us? Our pastor stood outside though and gave the man some money. I still remember that. I suppose there was no need for us to be afraid. It was only a man begging. I had no compassion then either. But I remember what the pastor did. Does Pastor not pass judgement? Do I need to do the same. I think so. Otherwise the Holy Spirit would not be clunking me on the head about it.

When I get the chance I'm going to fix this. I will correct it. I will repent. A lot of people think repent means to feel sorry or admit an error, but its literal translation from the Hebrew is to turn away from. That is, in other words, to stop what you're doing and turn away from it. I can do that.

Next time someone asks me, I will find in my heart some compassion.

Went to the laser hair removal lady today. She is sure sweet. I always rather dread the appointment, then after it's over wonder why I get so nervous. She is just super nice. The lady who answers the phones is a bit of a dork sometimes though.

Getting a little anxious about my Zumbatomic class for the kids and it's still over a month away. Don't know the routines yet. ODing on routine memorization. I think trying to learn too many and none are getting in my head. It's like they're just not sinking in.

True Grit

We're watching it for the second time. It is so good. The dialogue is unusual. My husband tells me the dialogue was the same in the original film with John Wayne. I need to watch it a third time to catch more of what they're saying. And not a single "F" word in it. Unusual for our times.

My daughter-in-law sent me a video of family photos that she put together. It made me cry. The pictures, so pretty. I did not know when my son married her that she would be such a blessing. I am very fond of her. I love my daughter-in-law. She is very beautiful too. I don't think she realizes it. She has pretty eyes and hair and lips and body. Well, I suppose that pretty much covers everything, eh.

There were 12 in my Zumba class today. Quite a crowd for our area for a Saturday. The energy was excellent.

My friend. I call her my best friend as I have a best friend now. She went to Texas to see futbol and she met her family there. They brought her gifts from Costa Rica where they live and she gave me two Costa Rica tops and a bag of candy. The candy is chocolate with guava jelly inside and it is so delicious. I don't usually care for candy, but this candy is yummy. One of my tops is a racerback and on the back it says "Pura Vida." Oh I like it very much. I didn't get her anything for her birthday though because. I don't know why. Because I couldn't think of what to give her.

I want an ironing board that attaches to the door and you fold it up to store it and down to use it. Helen has one. It's a very fine ironing board.

My new pants

Here I go to work!  In my tie dyed supplex lycra flare leg pants. 

Jonah Goldberg: It's Obama's economy, stupid

Jonah Goldberg: It's Obama's economy, stupid

Obama's conceit (he's a legend in his own mind), jobs creation (most in Texas which is business friendly), a White House report that indicates the unemployment rate would have been lower if no stimulus bill was passed. Then you have Mark Halperin, an analyst for MSNBC and Time magazine who says, "The president's ideas are still a little bit up in the air."

And the prez insists that Obamacare is a boon to the economy. Um, why all the waivers then?

Land of Enchantment

Today we changed our driver's licenses and registration from Texas to New Mexico.  My husband decided.  Now we can vote on local and state issues.  Yay.  Best of all, I took a good photo for my license.  I've never, never had a good driver's license photo.  I've had a lot of bad ones.

This state's motto is "Land of Enchantment."  Locals call it "The Land Of Entrapment."  Hehe.  

It's duperly windy out today.  We got Bella a fly mask to keep the flies from walking on her eyes.  She doesn't like wearing it.  She'll get used to it.

Sunday at 6:00pm is the big day.  We're buying our piggy for the fair.  He's going to be named Winston just like Winston of last year.  His pen is all ready with improvements.  We're so excited to add a pig to our family.  Well, he'll be in our family till October when we sell him.  We don't want to think about that though.  We remind ourselves of the good life he'll have before then.  Here's what they looked like on May 9th.  They'll all be bigger now.  They needed more time with their mom.  There will be 8 kids and they will draw numbers for who goes first to pick a pig.  Everyone hopes they're picking a winning pig, but last year the child who got last pick won first place!  You never know.

This little piggy was the noisiest.  The owner said we would have to be patient and wait a few minutes while he feeds her because she's the runt and requires hand feeding.  We couldn't talk till he was done because she was squealing so loudly. She gets some milk from her mom, but not enough.  She will be sold as a pet, he said.  It was awful cute.  You can tell she's smaller than the rest.

My favorite things

Summer is here and I like it hot.  We're running the air conditioner 24 hours a day.  It was 100 degrees today.

My favorite thing is to do Zumba from 5:30pm to 6:30pm, come home, eat dinner my wonderful husband prepared, change into horse clothes and go outside and groom Bella at dusk.  Then, lay on the back porch and look at the sky.  The other day a single great blue heron flew overhead.  He was so big.  Tonight I saw a satellite fly by.  Angel the cat was off gallivanting across the countryside somewhere so she didn't lay on my lap or on my tummy tonight.  I missed her.  I called but she didn't come.  She's probably off mousing somewheres.

My hair and nails are doing well.  Tonight at worship practice the ladies all thought my nails were fake.  I ask you, do I remotely look like the type to wear fake nails.  I told them Zumba made them strong.  I'm so proud of my fingernails.  What an accomplishment to have them all the same length.  Wow.  They're blue.  When I break one I'll have to cut them all off so I'm enjoying them while I can.

This is my hair today.  Meh, messy.  It has avocado oil in it from last night. I put it up and went to Zumba after this pic.

I love Benjamin Netanyahu. 

Getting better

Looks like, indeed, it was stomach flu and stomach flu is going around.  No one told me about it going around!  I guess my inoculation was not for this flu.  And who gets flu in May, I ask you.

So today the cramps are just now and then.  And I haven't visited the bathroom since last night.  Thank you very much.

One of my students is in Cruces and has been taking classes there.  I always encourage people if they travel to take in a Zumba class and experience a new instructor because all instructors are different.  He's taken several classes there now.  Said he loved them.  Did say one had too much hip-hop.  Secretly, I did worry he will like someone better than me.  I put that worry away though. I kick it to the curb because it's sure to happen sometime.  That's life.  But at the end of his email he said he's looking forward to coming back to my class.  He can be sweet as can be.  It made me feel real good and makes me want to give a goooood class.

I'm sick

Yikes.  It must be the flu.  I was up through the night with painful cramps and, ugh, the diarrhea.  Then one time I was so grossed out, I barfed, but my stomach was completely empty.  I want to be better soon.  I'm doing the BRAT diet for babies.  My innards hurt so.

I had to cancel tonight's Zumba.  Four whole people from class were sweet enough to write me back well wishes.  They are awful nice.

I went

We're having revival meetings at church.  I went tonight.  I don't really care for the preaching.  It's a visiting evangelist.  Even his voice I find grating.  I prefer a black evangelist to a white one who tries to sound black.  Luckily, I took two Excedrin before I went.  I admit, he's highly successful in his ministry for impoverished children in other countries.  The world needs people like him.  But I don't like feeling like I'm being herded in church.  Tonight I got a nutshell of useful preaching, but it was mostly a small torture.  Also, the fan overhead made me cold.  I moved.  I moved to where a guy behind me spoke quietly, but loud enough for me to hear, in tongues half the time and crumpled candy wrappers a quarter of the time, and chewed hard candies up one eighth of the time.  He's a super nice guy so I didn't move for fear I might hurt his feelings.  It was driving me insane, but as my husband says, the ticking of the grandfather clock can do that to me too.

I'll probably go again tomorrow night.  My husband who can't understand why, says, "Why are you going again?"  Because all the things we remember him doing last year, things we dreaded, he did again this year.  I don't know why, but I'll probably go again.  I'm not inviting my friend though because she'd probably never come to church again.  lol.

I wore my hair in a side braid pulled to the front.

FB

Hmmm.  Son got a Facebook page.  I said okay.  He's using a fake name.  He checked the privacy settings.  He's going to the local Christian school for high school next year.  It's a very, very small school.  There will be about ten kids in grade 9-12.  There were three graduates this year.  All are going to university.

I find it striking how many Facebook profile photos bear very little resemblance to their owners. 

I reminded him that Facebook is a toilet.  Eh.  Could be overstating it, but I'm not fond of FB still.  We talked about how few of the friends on Facebook lists are real friends.  We know a wonderful man who passed away and he had over 1000 Facebook friends.  Donations were requested, just $10 from each FB friend could have helped his family tremendously.  Yet, few donors contributed.  I guess $10 was too high; too much effort to put in an envelope.  There were words.  Lots of words.  But the donors were almost 100% his family, church family, or very close friends he knew in town.  It's a pathetic waste of time this collection of added "Friends."

I'm a fan of Charles Krauthammer.  I read all about him this week-end.  Fascinating man.  Very accomplished and overcame such adversity.  I'm reading his Facebook page and bookmarked it.  Don't tell anyone.

I read up on Krauthammer's life and about the Israel's Six Day War.  Bible says, "I will bless those that bless you and curse those who curse you."  We need to be on the side of Israel.  We must stay on the side of Israel.  It's sobering to look at a map and see all the anti-Israel nations surrounding tiny Israel.  How did they win the wars since 1948?  It had to be God on their side.  I can fathom no other explanation.

Rag or cloth

I used my white wash cloth till it was nothing but bare threads in the middle.  Literally. I had to throw it away finally because it couldn't suds up or wash me very well.  But the very next day a new wash cloth appeared.  It seemed new-ish, not completely white, but I thought my husband was so nice to put a new wash cloth out for me.  I didn't recognize it as being one of ours.

Then when I mentioned the timeliness of my new wash cloth since my old one wore out, he said he wasn't sure if it was my wash cloth.  He thought it was, so that's why he put it on the rack for me.

But then I asked him, if it's not mine where it come from and he said he thinks it might be one of his rags - that he uses on the truck.  So I'm using a truck rag for a wash cloth now.   I guess that explains why it seems a tiny bit....rough.

Carefree

Those darn Carefree panty liners.  I can't see where to pull off the adhesive.  I fiddle around with all the edges, with one end then the other, then back to the first end again.  I still can't see where to pull the adhesive off.  I have to go fetch my reading glasses. They need to make some panty liners and mini-pads for old eyes. 

And I have three, count 'em, three zits.  One is on the bridge of my nose.  I barely, barely touched it.  Okay, I picked at it yesterday morning.  One time only.  And it scabbed over.  It's just wrong.

Erg

Aw.  I told a lie today.  I big, fat, bold-faced lie.  I feel bad.  My husband asked me where a certain document is.  I threw it away.  I'm pretty darn sure I did.  He says, "Did you throw it away?  You didn't throw them all away, did you?"  Because he knows I throw stuff away.  I tried not to answer, but there was a giant pregnant pause. It was such a long silence I was sure it would indicate my guilt, so finally I said "No."

It's highly suspect that I tossed them.  They're nowhere to be found.  It's just that, I didn't think I'd need them. He saves papers for like 80 million years. 

Starting now, from now on I'm going to keep all those stupid papers.

Infected

Ohmygosh.  My life was nearly ruined.  Or at least all of my music, my documents, my bookmarks, my photos, my email, and my videos were nearly ruined.

I was shopping online.  Surfin' around and checking out cute tops.  I followed a link from Overstock.com (I think) that went to a site called Fashionista and bam!  Got infected.  Man oh man, window after window was poppin' up and dialog boxes saying "Infection! Infection!"  And numbers were zipping by so fast I couldn't keep track of which window was doing what.  I never clicked Download or Cancel, but I clicked X to close out one of the windows and I think that's what did me in.  I think the evil people improved the malware so that no matter what you click it downloads to your machine.  I knew it wasn't really Windows trying to protect me because the icon on the top left was fake.  I turned off my computer.  Hoped I avoided infection.  Turned computer back on and bam!  All the windows and yada, yada, again.  Turned it off again.  Thought for awhile.  Decided to turn it back on, not open the browser but go to System Restore and reset myself to yesterday.  Couldn't do it.  I was locked out of everything on my own computer.  Couldn't open the browser window either.

My husband had the bright idea that I should call Eset Antivirus.  I did and it was the best advice he could have given me.  I got a super duper smart guy.  He got my browser back up.  Then he finished doing his thing remotely.  It was amazing watching what he did.  He was awesome.  And modest.  Before I hung up I said, "Your family and friends must love you."  He said, "Well, I am the "go to" man."  I'm sure he is.

So I'm happy tonight.  Not surfing for tops though.

Whuh?

I think I got called a Holy Roller today.  In Zumba class I introduced a new routine.  Unlike the TobyMac song I rotated out for this one, from the get-go there's no mistaking this one's a Christian song.  It starts off with a child's voice clearly repeating two verses from the book of James: "Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."  How do you like filling up the room with those words!  Yeah, buddy.  I sure do.  Then the choreography begins.

So one of my regular students came up to me after class tonight and asked for the name and artist of the song.  She says, "Usually I don't like Holy Roller songs.  I don't like Christian songs.  But I really like this one."  I told her it's not a Holy Roller song.  But praise the Lord.  It made me really happy.  She's a super nice lady too.  She's optimistic, funny, and interesting to be around.   I got a boot out of her.  I have such wonderful students in my class.

I was slightly concerned as to what the reaction in class would be to the new song.  There's always the chance of losing students if God's name is used.  I prayed about it.  There was no doubt in my heart that I wanted to use the song.  Dancing is a joy.  But dancing to a song with Christian lyrics is just different from dancing to secular songs.  It's like my heart is leading and I get pumped in a way that the secular songs don't do.

I'm working on a bachata and a pure salsa next.  Plus a toning song, plus a Zumbatomic song.  Boy, I better learn fast.  Actually, technically, I think I am getting faster at learning routines.  In July it will be one year that I'm teaching Zumba.

My daughter-in-law gave me a great, great compliment last night.  She told me that when my son went back home that he told her over and over how good I Iooked.  He told her that from the back I look 19 years old.  Hehe!  So nice of him.  Funny thing is, I'd never had known it had she not told me.  All he said was, one single time in his deep voice, "You look good, Ma."  I thought he was just being kind.

As my youngest one says, "Life is good."

Heavenly

We were in the parade on Saturday and our Zumba float was a big hit.  We played our music loud and nine of us danced on the float.  We decorated it all week with pink fabric, and gold hearts, and purple bows, and ribbon, and a Zumba poster board girl.  Actually she is a real life boxing fighter girl of some sort.  I don't know her name.  She had cool lace up combat boots and one of the women in class made a Zumba top for her.  We were going to do a poster board of me but it was $100 more than getting this wrestling girl.  Haha!  I asked Kerry to please make a top with a wee bit more coverage so we don't go through town looking like the Zumba hookers.  She did a super good job.  She's very creative.  Good with a needle in her hand.  Or scissors, I should say.

The spectators clapped and smiled.  It was great.  I hope we place, but there were 52 floats and I'm sure some better than ours.  Whenever I almost tipped over, about three people grabbed for me.  Haha!  They are very protective of me.  So sweet.

And after, I rushed home and changed into my renaissance costume.  I came in first place in the costume contest.  Pretty good, huh?  So I wish I could say I beat like 50 contestants, or even 20, or even ten.  But I beat two.  One was an 75 year old lady and the other was a belly dancer.  Haha!

It's very windy and my shoes and skirt are all dusty.  Those are my Madonna shoes from 1985.  They were the first anniversary gift from my husband.  I loved them.  I love him.  I've kept them all these years.  I will give them to my granddaughter someday.

Then my husband made jambalaya for me on Mother's Day.  And he let me order a whole bunch of horse grooming supplies tonight.  The weather is hot, and hot to me is better than cold for grooming.  I have to get back into a Bella grooming routine.

And my friend, Mayela, came to church with me.  It makes my heart sooo happy.  I think she's so pretty and so nice.  I like when she's next to me.

And the lady who took my photo for the newspaper looked exactly like Avrilon.  Exactly.  Except that she was my height.  I told her I had a friend in Georgia who looks just like her and she said, "Well, I am a southerner."

It's been a heavenly week-end.