2006 Repost

Today is the last Sunday of the year!  I'm off to church in about 25 minutes.

I happened across a post from 2006 that still cracks me up in 2013.  It's from a woman who clearly has some issues.

http://alittlegrace.blogspot.com/2006/12/new-years-post-from-person-with-issues.html

I'm on a reading binge.  I'm reading "Pilgrim's Progress" and it's very good.  A friend of mine said she didn't care for it at all but I definitely like it.  It's a Christian classic.  My pastor mentioned it and so I decided to check it out. The Slough of Despond!  Look for the steps!  They're there but while were in the slough we fail to see them.

And "The Daniel Diet" which I'm 1/3 way through.  [Oops, I meant "The Daniel Plan."]  I like it too although I'm no fan of Rick Warren.  I want to buy a vegetarian cookbook now, but went to Amazon.com and was overwhelmed with choices.  So I still haven't picked one.

"Addiction & Grace" by Gerald G. May, M.D. - Only on page 22 and about 75% reads like pablum to me with a few grains of absolute truth.  For example, because of our addictions we simply cannot, on our own, keep the great commandments.  We try.  We want to keep them.  It's our deepest desire.  But we fail.  Has about 100 reviews on Amazon.

"Forgotten God" - Haven't started it yet but it has 485 reviews.  The title alone appeals to me more than "Addiction & Grace."

And I found a fabulous set of sermons on the Book of Nehemiah.  They're downloadable at Nehemiah: Rebuilding the Walls.  I've listened to two others by Ray C. Stedman, but this Nehemiah one is the best.  Such a nice sense of humor he has.  "Now let's turn to the Book of Nehemiah.  I'll give you about five minutes to get there."  Haha!

Couple hair pics from today before churchity-church.  I got new boots.

Well, my husband had a little heart attack in October.  He's doing really well now and hates all the pills he has to take now.  I was super scared for a couple days.  I became a Southern Baptist and am gonna get baptized soon.  Zumba is going really well.  Best winter ever.  I've had 10 to 20 students lately.  Last year at this time I had four to eight.  It's such a blessing.  Let's see there was one other thing...forgot it now I guess.

Blogging.  Well, I don't enjoy as much.  I loved when blogging first began and everything was so anonymous.  Nothing is really anonymous anymore.  Easy to get IP addresses and physical locations now.  The newspapers can cherry pick your statements and print anything out of context they want and make you sound like a horrid, horrid creature.  Kind of takes the wildness and the joy out of it.

I miss the old days.

But I love music and dancing and God and my husband.  I love studying the Bible and talking about it with people.  Who could ever take a crucifixion and turn it into something good?  Who?  God.  God could do that and He did.  He took a crucifixion and turned it into resurrection.  I love those mountains in front of us every morning.  I love our son but it doesn't feel like he loves me.  I love our other son.  Glad he's 35 and not 16.  Haha!

How beautiful are the feet that carry the Gospel.  My friends went to Juarez today and I'm so proud of them.  They took food and Christmas presents, Bibles and Good News.  I can't wait to see the pictures.  I sent a winter jacket for my girl; an 11-year-old named Anjelica.

Just give Blogger.com my mobile number and they'll make sure to call me if there's any unusual activity on my blog account.  Yeah right.  That's a real worry.  Not.  And I don't have a mobile phone either.

Zumba is going so well.  The chickadees from another class have stopped coming for now and I do hope they return.  I really enjoyed having them.  Class is going well is spite of their absence and for that I'm grateful.  I bought two cute Zumba light-up LED decals from the shop; one that I'll keep for my own car and one to raffle.  I hope whoever wins it will like it!

We've had blessed rain for two days.  It's been a magnificent monsoon season.  I've enjoyed it so much.  I was thinking I ought to find one single spot and take a photo from the same vantage point and see how the light and clouds and sky changes.

Today I gave eight hours of my paid time off to an employee at work.  Her dad had a stroke and she's taken time off work to care for him and is all out of vacation and personal time.  She's such a good daughter.  She's a super nice woman too.  I like her very much. 

My boss didn't get selected for a promotion.  They didn't even call him for an interview.  They interviewed one person to my knowledge and hired him.  Politics.  My boss would have been very good in that position.  Very good.  So, I shall continue as a part-timer which I'm content with.  Perhaps I'll start a Wednesday eve Zumba class.

We had a lovely rainbow out front yesterday.

I have Monday off!  Here comes a three day holiday w/e!

Tomorrow I will do some more housework.  Yay!

Might go to the chile festival this week-end.  Hatch, New Mexico, is the chile capital of the world.  For reals.

I have the sweetest kitty cat in the world resting in my lap.  I have to reach over her to type.  She doesn't mind.

It's possible that my manager may be invited for an interview for assistant controller where I work.  If he does, and if he was to get the job then I'd have an opportunity to go full time.  I really like part time.  But, I suppose if the opportunity presented itself then I would take it.  It might be hard to do my Zumba and work full time though.  Could I do it?  Even four hours a days wears me out sometimes!  I will put it in God's hands.

We want to put a 20' x 30' cement pad in the back.  I wanted cement as it would be nice to park on and wash the vehicles, but I didn't expect he'd want such a big one.  It will sure be nice though.  We'll be able to park the car and truck side by side.  We need a cover too, for shade.

We put our name on the mailbox yesterday.  Quite exciting to be sure!  My husband scraped the letters off and I stuck on the new ones.  The previous owner had only the husband's name on the mailbox.  I thought it odd to put only the man's name.  We put "The so-and-so's."  Well, not actually "so-and-so" but our last name as a family.  I think it's much warmer.  And I placed it diagonally on the box.  No one else has theirs diagonal!

Soon I must take a photo of my Madora comb for the hair board.  Five teeth have fallen off of it now and here I thought it was a quality comb when I bought it.  It's not quality at all.  The last tooth fell off right on my counter.  I didn't drop it or anything.  I picked up my comb and simply saw that yet another tooth fell off.  And I had hoped to save this comb for posterity.  Sheesh.  I have to find a new good comb now.  I use it every day.

I'm doing a new routine for Zumba tomorrow.  I really need to practice before I go to bed.  Last night I had 15 in class.  That's a cool $75 bucks.  It makes me so happy to have such a full class.  I take time to talk with them after class and it's such a blessing.  Last night one student gave me a handmade macrame rosary that she made and another gave me some crushed seashells to use in my organizer in my bathroom.  She loves to organize and she gave me the idea to set my mascara and small items in the seashell filler.  Similar to putting hairsticks in a bowl of rice to hold them in place.

My husband is working all week-end for the holiday.  No time off till next week.  I wonder if I get Monday off for Labor Day?  No one has said anything.

Wrrd is, they're talkin' about me at church cause I've missed three weeks in a row.  No wonder my ears were burning.  No one has chastised me though.  Heck, I'd be chastising all over the place if my friends missed three weeks.

Boss asked me today about what church I go to and about rumors he'd heard.  I told him they're not rumors.  He listened intently.  He seemed, hmmm, sympathetic, I think.

My very good friend walked through the sanctuary Monday and saw left over juice and wafers from communion just laying on the floor.  She was very upset.  I know it's symbolic but it's wrong to leave it out like that.  What's worse than that?  Leaving people's prayer requests spread out.  She said the new pastor and the youth pastor saw them and did nothing.  Tuesday, the leftover communion cups and wafers had been picked up... but the prayer requests were still there.  That's sacrilegious.  Just thinking of it makes me want to cry.  What's wrong with people?  As long as they are there and the same board remains at that church, I will not go there.  It's not right.

My current favorite song, "If We Are The Body" by Casting Crowns.
  

I saw an article tonight that began "Marriage is a lot of work."

Maybe we're well matched or maybe I'm just very lucky.  Work is work.  Housecleaning is work.  Raising children is work.  My marriage makes everything easier. I love him so much.  I can't think of anything 'work' about it.  Not in all these almost 30 years has it ever been work.  He's made me mad a couple times, but that's not work.  I've made him mad much worse.  I love him so much. 

Did a bunch of housework yesterday.  Got a sore back because of it but I just couldn't stop.  The fixtures in the kitchen are so shiny.  My husband replaced them for me.  Everything I do, I see some other little thing I need to do.  Dirt in the narrow runner of the window.  Stains in the carpet that I didn't notice at first.  Dried glue on the edge of the counter that I thought was egg yolk but turns out it was a sloppy repair job.  Well, it's not like buying a brand new house.  When we bought a brand new house it cost like $150 just to buy light bulbs for all the sockets.  Here, there are light bulbs and toilet paper already.  I like brand new, but I like this too.

I want to take out all the screens in the windows so we can see out better. 

A guy at church gave me his phone number on a piece of gum and asked me to call him.  He's kind of handsome and married and drives a Harley.  I nodded and smiled but I haven't gone to church for three weeks.  I wish my husband came sometimes.  I must go next week.  My friend texted me this morn and said, "God is looking for you."  Haha!  I shoulda told her he found me at Lowe's.  Well, I gotta go to church next week no matter what.

This evening when I sat outside for a bit I heard an owl hoot nearby.

I wake up every morning happy to open my eyes.  And I go to sleep every night thankful to have our very own place.  There's so much sky.  I can see the clouds forever.  We love it here.

Yesterday I ordered some Lush products.  A woman in my class gave me the littlest bar of Lush soap as a gift.  It made my skin so soft that I decided to go to the website and order some.  I got carried away and spent $70.00.  Lush is located in Vancouver, Canada.  The products are handmade and biodegradable.  Everything in the ingredients I am able to pronounce.

King of Skin $13.95 Body Butter (Cocoa butter)
Smooth onto wet skin just out of the shower, towel off – and you’re left with royally soft skin.  Good for after you shave your legs.

It sounds nice and easy and faster than applying lotion all over.

Sultana of Soap $6.40 Reviews say it smells nice, lathers well and moisturizes.  I dunno.  We'll see.

Ro's Argan Body Conditioner $32.95  Scoops of cocoa butter, cupuacu butter, almond oil and Argan oils, and the fragrant scent of fresh rose petals, this is the most luxurious body softener that ever was (if we don't say so ourselves!). After washing up, slather yourself all over with this new invention. Rinse, pat dry and revel in supremely soft, rose-scented skin.

Reviews indicate a lot of people use it as a lotion because they want to use every bit and not see any go down the drain.  Supposed to be super moisturizing.

 Ultrabland (that's not a typo) $16.95 Non-irritating beeswax cleanser.

A hugely popular cult product, Ultrabland is a thick, rich emulsion of essential oils, honey and beeswax to take off any make up or residue that has built up on your face throughout the day. Unlike most make up removers, Ultrabland leaves your skin feeling soft and nourished, thanks to soothing rosewater and iris flower extract. Suitable for all skin types.

The "suitable for all skin types" is key.  I will try each thing one at a time to make sure I'm not allergic.  I told the lady who gave me the soap in my class that I'll give her a little bit of these products to try, since she turned me on to Lush products.  I hope they work well for me.

My Zumba class is going well and so I have extra funds for these things which I do not need.  I've been making $70 a night.  Apparently something terrible is going on with one of the other instructors in town.  I feel very badly for her and her family.  I haven't seen her but I hear she's put on weight and is using drugs and alcohol, and I know she's been kicked out of her church.  She is in terrible distress.  I don't know what's going on, but God does, and so  I pray for her when I drive by her house to work in the mornings.  In the meantime, the hardcore Zumba devotees from her class have been coming to mine.  They are a real sweet group of girls.  It really makes the class fun when there are so many people.

Tomorrow is Saturday.  My husband has to work noon to 9pm which I don't like.  I will do housework.  I'm...looking forward to it.  I am!

Cumulonimbus cloud to the north of our house.

I wish running with bulls in Pamplona would be outlawed.  It's sickening to think of those magnificent creatures being forced to run with hundreds of human idiots looking for a high and the chance to brag and boast about themselves on Facebook.  Based on the cruelty of forcing the animals to run through the streets, I presume the poor creatures are then violently killed in the bull ring afterward.  Doesn't seem to me that after it has attacked someone they're going to let it live out its days living free in an open pasture. People are sick.

One photo this morning of a man being attacked by a bull shows people trying to distract the bull to stop it from further goring and possibly killing the stupid 31-year-old man.  The caption says "a man pulls its tail" to distract it from attacking, but my eyes clearly see a stick being stuck into the animal's anus.  What kind of person would do that to any animal.  A sick person.  And this Pamplona running with the bulls event is a whole lot of sick people getting together to participate and be entertained by such depravity.  Ugh.  Gross, gross, gross, and a testament to the character of Spain.

Dreaming

Today I spoke to Totsie at church and she said we will surely see quail and deer at our new place.  And she said the sunsets are beautiful; that we should sit outside and enjoy the sunsets.

Tonight I'm going to listen to the end of Romans chapter 3.  I also downloaded Romans 4:1-8, but I may likely be asleep when it starts.  I have to work 8-3:30 on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  Yuk, for the hours, yay, for the paycheck.

I am so happy.

At Walmart I bought six new white towels for dish drying.  I'm saving them till we move.  I brought home boxes and I tried to fill one.  Since I work in the stockroom I have access to GREAT boxes.  Ain't that sumpthin.  I decided I'd start some packing in advance.  I went through my nightstand, four drawers, and proceeded to throw some things in the trash and then relocated the rest to my dresser drawers.  That's a fail for packing so far.

Anthony said he will help us move.  And he said he will build the covers we need for the horses to have shade.  I'm so excited.  He does excellent work and I know we'll have the job done well and done right.  I am thankful tonight.

We had a bit of rain tonight too.  Praise God.  We need it so much.

Looks like this won't post without a title.  That's weird.  I've been going without titles for months.

We're moving about 15 minutes from here.  From the city, I say that tongue-in-cheek, to the county.  And alllll the land to the south of us is BLM land so no one will ever build in front of us.  Not that there's much building going on anyways.  It's a manufactured home built in 1998 and it's on 4.5 acres.  You enter into the living room and to the right is the hall to two small bedrooms and the bath and in front of you is the living room and to the left is the kitchen and dining room, then a short hallway to the laundry room and pantry, master bedroom at the end of the hall with its own bathroom and two walk-in closets.  The front view is all the way to the mountains on the other side and also you can see a little curve of the Rio Grande river. 

Technically, we're waiting to hear on our final loan approval Monday, so my husband just told me not to get overly excited, which, out of breath, I told him it's too late.  I'm excited!  And we already agreed that in our new place we will remove our shoes at the front door to keep the carpet nice like we used to do when we owned a home in California.  And it has a pantry!  Space.  Sigh.

It's 1200 square feet which is bigger than I wanted, but not too big.  It's has a dirt road about 1/8th or 1/4th of a mile to the front door from the old highway.  It's very bumpy which is fine for the truck, but in my little car I'll have to drive slow.  Best of all it has a well built corral for the girls (Bella the horse and Becca the mule) and a very nice covered area for hay.  It has a bomb shelter.  So, Kathryn, you can come to my house if you need protection from any bombs. 

I want to put some water out and see if we get any quail or birds out there.  I love bird watching.  We had a bird bath outside our dining room window in California. 

It has a private well and my boss at work spent a few long minutes Friday telling me horror stories about drought and people's wells going dry.  I can't walk in fear about that though.  A lot of people have wells.

I pray the inspections all go smoothly and that we hear that we got the loan on Monday!   

"And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done."  Romans 1:28

I'm studying Romans and this verse is with me today.  Rome was in a bad way in the first century, and yet the Gospel thrived.  God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

I'm looking forward to moving.  I can't wait to see the morning sun rise there.  I've heard it's beautiful.

I want to go to Hobby Lobby.  They had several Bible verses for wall hanging.  I want one good one for the living room.  One good one.  How to pick!

I love my husband with all my heart. 

Taboola.com needs to be flushed down the toilet

This Sunday morning I'm reading the news.  I'm waiting a little while till I take husband out for Father's Day.  The article I'm reading on Huffington Post is "Dick Cheney: Edward Snowden Is A Traitor And Possibly A Chinese Spy".

I finish the article and at the bottom I see thumbnail pictures with in small grey text "You May Like".

What may I like?  May I like these articles they say I may like?  Because here are the headlines for the articles Taboola claims I may like:

"Coco Shows Booty Popping Progress in a String Bikini"

"MMA Fighter Breaks His Penis During Sex"

"Danny Brown Receives Oral Sex From Fan On Stage, Keep Rapping"

"See Just How Gorgeous Killzone: Shadow Fall Looks"

The last one, I have no idea what it's talking about and I'm not clicking.  The others are disgusting and foul.  I'm careful about where I surf.  Usually you get cookies and they know what you've been surfing and so you'll receive adverstisements, for example, based on what you've already looked it.  But I didn't look at anything that should send me such filthy recommendations.  How could I get such icky recommendations?

Last week I did google Kate Middleton's topless photo.  Could that be it?  I thought, how stupid could a princess be to be half naked anywhere in the world.  I thought they had to be super blurry.  Well, I found them and they're more in focus than I expected, but could Huffpo be tracking my searching?  It was the only questionable search I did.

Then I noticed the articles were brought to me by one Taboola.com.  Went to their site and it reads, "People like your content.  Some just don't know it yet."

Gross.

So I should stick to TheBlaze which doesn't use Taboola.  Here's a nice article from The Blaze:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/06/16/cute-video-alert-sea-lion-pup-jumps-onto-boat-cuddles-with-driver/

Phillipians 4:8
"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."

Yesterday I baked a German chocolate cake for my boss for his birthday and he liked it a lot.  I was not sure what to make but he likes chocolate and my husband said make German chocolate for him.  It was a good call.  But it's time consuming and I didn't want to make it all Sunday long.  I took a nap.  Finally I got up because I could avoid it no longer and got in the kitchen and as soon as I started getting the ingredients together and mixing I was happy.  My husband always has the best ideas.

I downloaded a load of sermons on the book of Romans from Calvary Chapel.  Can't wait to start listening tonight.

Today my right femur ached all day during work.  I was slow thinking at my desk.  I felt annoyed with my boss because he flew speedily through the repetitive steps on the computer and I wondered if he was doing it purpose.  I on the other hand am slow as molasses.

Three times I was forgetful during Zumba.  My brand new routine that I was totally prepared for, I flubbed a little.  After dinner I suddenly was so angry at pastor for being a fake and a fraud.

Then I started my period tonight.  That's what was wrong.  Those darn hormones.  They can be  pesky!  My poor husband said that he knew something was wrong with me when we talked on the phone this morning.  I haven't the foggiest idea what he's talking about but he's known me long enough that I guess he knows if something's wrong with me.  Heh!

Maybe now it'll all even out and at least however my day is tomorrow I will know exactly what to attribute anything to.

I'm eating Haagen-Daz and am getting a headache.

I love my daughter-in-law very much.  She is beautiful and a good mother and wife.  I love her a lot.  I didn't tell her tonight, but I should have.  It's her birthday and she's 34.  A very good age.

The whole earth groans because of sin.

First day of Memorial Day week-end.  Our hay delivery day.  We're getting 150 bales.  It's a lot of hard, hot, itchy work moving 150 bales off the semi and into storage.  My husband is working 3-midnight today and he went with them.  He can take a nap later.  I hope he sleeps well for his nap.  Usually the day after hay delivery everyone is sore.  He's never had to work on the day we get our hay.  Son and he should be here in about an hour or less now.  I feel worried.

Jesus.  He isn't just partly human and partly divine.  He is completely human and completely divine at the same time.  The divine nature made it impossible for the him to err or sin in any way.  (From the commentary book I've ordered from Amazon.)  That's how he was able to live a perfect life.

Augustine said, "The New is in the Old concealed.  The Old is in the New revealed."  That so rocks.  Little ditties like that I can remember and then I can launch into why the OT is still relevant today.  One friend said to me, he doesn't like the angry, violent God of the OT.  Well, the God of the Old Testament is the same God as the New Testament.

And I read somewhere, can't remember where, it's a sad fact that leaders who chose a path of error or sin rarely turn back from it.  Where did I see that, and is it true.

unregenerate: Not reforming or showing repentance; obstinately wrong or bad.

Or in my words, bad fruit.

We got one mouse!  Aw, he's so small.  I'm real sorry to kill him.  I was sitting here and I heard a pop!  I went to our son's room and told him I needed him.  So he got up, after some drama because he makes a small thing a big thing, and he got his little flashlight.  I said, what should we do with the little body?  He said, "Get a taxidermist?"  Yeah, always the comedian.  Anyway, we tiptoed to the cupboard, I don't know why we tiptoed, and he opened the cupboard very slowly.  And there he was.  Poor thing.

My son went outside and got the trash picker-upper.  He had to add more drama to my life which I could do without by climbing over the wood fence around the porch, what little fence there is I mean, and I could hear the wood creak.  If he fell several feet onto the concrete I would not be happy.  I told him not to do that and by the time I finished saying it he had the picker upper and was standing in front of me. That's very irritating. 

He used the picker-upper to pick up the trap and put it outside in the trash.  I wondered if we should keep the trap, ew, so I woke my husband up.  He doesn't have to go to work tomorrow so he wasn't mad.  Not that he ever gets mad when I wake him up anyways.  I wake him up a lot.  I ask him if he's awake till he's awake, then he says why did I ask him if he's awake if he didn't answer.  Then to make sure he was listening to me I shined my iPod in his face, only for half a second.  He was awake.  He asked me why I shined my iPod in his face.  To see if he was hearing me, I said!  Anywho...

He thinks there's only one mouse.  If true, then the second trap won't catch anything.  He said the traps are only ten cents apiece so just throw it away.

If I think of the disease on the mouse and think of it relieving itself in my cupboard it makes me a little sick.

Onwards and upwards.  I have to hit the hay now.  I was going to go to bed at nine, then I was going to bed at ten, and now it's 10:30pm.

I unfriended my church on my stupid FB page.  Tonight I think I will not attend there anymore.  I must find a new church home.  God will guide me if I ask him to.

Found some mouse poops in the cupboards.  We put traps there with cheese but those little meese must be smart.  They took the cheese and didn't set off the traps.  So tonight we put peanut butter on them.  We put out poison but I guess they didn't take it or it just didn't work. 

First we heard strange sounds in the wall by the washing machine.  I said, what is that?  My husband couldn't hear it so I got up from the table and found the sound and stood by it.  "That sound"!  Do you hear it?  Then he heard it.  Two days later teeny little poops under the bathroom cupboard.  Two more days later two little poops in the spice cupboard.  Yuk.  I don't hate mice.  I like mice, but not in the house. They're under the house I think and squeeze in through the tiniest little spaces.

I loved learning about God's angel army.  Tonight I'm going to listen to "Are Just a Few Being Saved"?

When I got home from work I thought Kathy was gonna come learn how to make pie pastry, but she made other plans.  So I put everything away and sat down and I was suddenly so tired.  I went to sleep.

My Word With Friends partners are all slow today.  I only had about four plays today.  I need to find a new partner or invite an old one or two to a game. 

I'm reading online articles.  I read that forgiveness is granted; trust is earned.  And that if you lose love, you lose everything.  Or maybe it said if you have not love you have nothing.  Something like that anyway.

Pastor and his wife left town permanently today.  Went back to Oklahoma where they were born and raised.  They came here a little over 30 years ago.  Built a church from the ground up and it ends like this.  I am left to wade through whatever this is going through my mind.  He didn't do it to me personally.  I know that.  It feels like he did though.

I think of the times I went up for alter call.  What a farce it must have been and God saw it all.  I'm really grossed out.  I don't want to go up for an alter call anywhere ever again.

And the DNA test came back.  The child from the affair of nine years ago is his.

Pastor's wife had bruises on her shoulders when she said her good-byes last Friday.  One of the husbands went to their house and was going to beat up Pastor.  My guess is she stood between to stop it and got moved out of the way.  I'd say, Pastor's just lucky the husband didn't take a gun.

The two women have not been seen anywhere in town.  It's been a full week.  Going on two now.  So far they're staying in their houses.  I don't know how the one who is a marriage and family counselor can keep her job going.  That seems like a farce too.  A mockery of marriage. I feel sad and sorry for the children and all the families. 

Every saint has a past.  Every sinner has a future.

 

Pentecost Sunday is May 19th this year.  Tomorrow.  It marks 50 days after Easter when the Holy Spirit arrived.  The apostles didn't stay inside the upper room and keep it to themselves.  They TUMBLED out of the upper room and into the streets!  And that was the beginning of the church as we know it. 

I believe with all my heart that the furnace of affliction in the family of God is always for refinement, never for destruction.   God didn't send his Son for the righteous.  He sent Jesus for the sinners.  And who would that be?  All of us or some of us? 

It's all of us.

Acts 2:1–4

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

I stayed home.  Mayela and Kathy went to Caballo but couldn't find the church.  So, they drove to Cruces (70 miles) to church!  And, the preacher was visiting from Oklahoma and he preached on missions.  Could it have been more perfect?  Kathy has a missionary's heart.  She's just bustin' to do mission work.  Last w/e she and Mayela went to Juarez.  They want me to go, but my husband says no.  Juarez is dangerous.  The drug cartels and murdering and raping and the news shows dead bodies that they sat in chairs on the side of the road with notes attached to their chests with ice picks, and bodies hanging from bridges.  It's horrifiying.

So Mayela and Kathy went to Juarez.  They walked over the bridge instead of driving.  Long story short, they gave beans and rice and clothes to a family.  The little girl cared not a whit about the clothes.  She liked the breakfast cereal.  She held onto the cereal box and would not let go of it.  Photos show her holding tightly to the cereal.  They ate it with water and were exceedingly happy.  Kathy cried and cried and Mayela has a photo of that too.

The little boy, about eight years old, liked the hand-me-down cowboy boots.  Kathy asked him why he didn't put them on.  He had placed them is a cubby with a fabric drape in front of it.  He told her he didn't want to use them up. 

The poverty there, so close to us, is heart rending.  They had no heat.  No electricity.  No running water.  They live like that every day.

Mayela and Kathy talked to the preacher after church.  He said he'll get them into a class to learn about missionary work.  Mayela, I'm so proud of how assertive and articulate she was, said they have no church right now and are kind of lost.  He said he knew of our church and that he and some other pastors have plans to talk with out pastor about resigning.  She said he didn't used the word "resign" but that's what she thought the word he used meant.  I'm so glad to hear some godly men will come to our rescue.  My church needs help.

I love my pastor.  I miss him.  I wake in the morning and think of he and his wife and family.  He has a gift, for sure.  A God-given gift for preaching and teaching and connecting people up to the Word. I'm a product of that church and he taught us to always look to scripture.  We are not to be like fledglings, opening our mouth and swallowing whatever is before us!  Our job is to check the scripture, and I know what 1Tim 3 and Titus 1 say. 

I just want everything fixed; to go back the way it was.

I don't want to go to church tomorrow. 

I got new wispies cut in to frame my face and my husband said he likes how it looks, so, BAM, that's good.

I'm hungry and I have to go to bed and I don't want to get up and go to a church tomorrow.  I can worship anywhere.  I have been worshipping anywhere and everywhere on Sundays.  Have gone to three churches now.  But it's a drag.  Total.  Drag. 

Technically, it's not that I don't like the churches, it's just that the people are all so old.  I guess when you get old and have no desire to commit the usual sins it's must be easier to live in faith, because, like, what are you going to do against God anyway?  It's all been done and all that's left is going to church on Sunday.

Husband started his seasonal job today so that's good.  We'll easily afford hay for the coming year.  Sal invited him to watch football at his house when football season arrives and Sal is nice and has a nice family.  It would be enjoyable for my husband I think.

We got rid of cable last week, so no more O'Reilly for us.  That, and McLaughlin are the only shows we'll miss.  We waited till the Bible show was over then cancelled.  Satan rules the cable tv networks anyway, so no great loss.

Got a massage today and it was very nice.  She did my hands and feet and neck.  I really enjoyed it.  I used the gift certificate that I bought a year ago for Ryan, but he never came back to town so figured I ought to go ahead and use it.  I've had some terrible massages in the past, but she did a good job.  She's not a clock watcher.  That's unusual.  She said she's coming to Zumba next week!  It's been over ten years since my last massage.

I don't want to go to church anymore.  I used to look forward all week to Sunday.  Now every week I dread it coming closer and closer. 

Someone put one of my hair photos on Pinterest and she said "pretty braid" and there were three repins.  I am happy.

I just realized that I can google "What time is it in (name a place)?" and Google will tell me what the time is there.  Very useful for when you're playing Words With Friends with people in other countries!

I got a new Ficcare today.  They are sure slow mailing their product out.  But the package was classed up.  They now have a dark chocolate brown box with the word "Ficcare" in script on top.  Inside, the clip is in a pretty little chocolate brown bag.  I really want the plain shiny silver Maximas clip.  It's online and in their printed info sheet, but you can't select it to buy it.  I emailed and asked if they'll have it soon and they said yes, and suggested I look at their other clips.  Now why would I write about one clip and ask them when it'll be available again unless that's the clip I want.  I don't want any other.  I don't want the Ficcarissimo matte silver.  I settled for another, a striped one, but it's wasn't my first choice.  The shiny silver is still not in stock.

Church was outstanding.  The visiting preacher is a young black man attending Oral Roberts University and he preached on David from the book of 1Samuel 30:1-9 and 30:16 -19.  The theme was "I'm recovering everything the enemy has stolen from me."  David encouraged himself in the Lord and we should do the same.  And God said..."Pursue!"  Very wonderful sermon.  It's wonderful to see young people on fire for God.  He must study the Word extensively every day.  It flowed out of him and filled my ears and my soul and my spirit.  Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but God delivers them.  And now is not the time to backslide.  Now is not the time to go to the things of the world.  God has not left us ill-equipped.  That's part of what I learned Sunday.  I went up for alter call and said my church family is in distress and I want prayer for that.

They left the gate open when they went to the mountains Sunday.  I was late to church because I was running up and down the neighborhood trying to catch Bella and Marmalade.  Thank heaven for Laurie Chavez.  I called her.  She helped me.  She's a good, good person.  Nine o'clock a.m. I'm running around in circles in the house because our horse and mule are loose up the street.  I thought to call animal control but couldn't find the phone book.  I went to the shed to get two harnesses, but I didn't know the combination.  So I thought who can I call.  Husband was at gun training class.  Son in the mountains.  I called Laurie.  She drove over here and must have come right away because she was here in ten minutes.  I owe her.  She got Marmalade and the she got Bella and we walked them home together.  She even walked with Marmalade and drove her vehicle - holding Marmalade's rope out the window at the same time!

Now I have shin splints and sore quads today.  Zumba tomorrow.  Not sure I can teach at my usual pace.  My shins do hurt so much.

Sow mercy. Sow grace. Sow kindness. Sow faith.

(From the song!)

I'm refreshed.  Renewed.  I listened all night to Andrew Wommack on grieving.  Four podcasts.  Okay, I listened to two.

Romans 8:18 - "For I consider the sufferings of this present time are not worth being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us and for and and conferred on us!" 

The chapter is about life in the Spirit.  We're empowered by the spirit of God to overcome sin.

And Paul was in far more dire straits than I.  My sadness is nothing compared to his.  He was in a dungeon so dark.  He was whipped.  His back laid open.  And he was chained.  He couldn't even sit comfortably.  And, he sang.

Everything will be all right.  I have to keep getting out on Sunday morn and not sit in the muck.  Must get out and be with the people of God.  Forsake not the assembling...

I lied.  On Sunday, I didn't really like the church that much.  I didn't dislike it, but I miss my church.  My church.  My church family.  Usually there's about 175 people at my church on an average Sunday.  Last week there were 80 I heard.  My church family is blown to bits.  Little pieces scattered all over.  And what's worse, most of them I never told them that I loved them.

I downloaded four Christian podcasts about dealing with grief.  Hope it helps.

Sometimes I'm mad.  Mostly I just feel like crying.  A big moaning cry that shakes my whole body.  Then it goes away. 

Pastor's been dilly dallying with a church member says Pastor's wife.  I don't know if she has absolute proof, but that's what she said.  She knows scripture, I know that for sure.  My friend says the divorce will be particularly ugly because they've both chosen lawyers in town.  Two lawyers in town who absolutely hate each other.  That's a fine scenario. 

Zumba was good.  Tuesday I had 11 peeps.  This month's Zumba DVD is a gold mine of cute choreography.  I've found five routines I like.  That's a record.  One of the songs is "Take On Me" by Aha from the '80s.  Really cute dance routine.  Love it. 

Went to a church this morning. It was good. The pastor mentioned a Hillsong song that the chorus just learned and I was looking forward to hearing and singing it. It was a hymn. Haha! Not what I expected. The title is "Holy is the Lamb" from Revelation. After church we (we three amigas) were singing it and singing it but we couldn't remember the right words so we made up our own. Funny how you get a song in your head then you're humming it the rest of the day.

The fields are white for harvest. Harvest is not the problem. It's the laborers who are few.

I found out tonight that two very important people have left our church. She is retired but used to be a magistrate. I have always liked her presence - I can't think of the right word - her gentle personality has always reminded me of my Aunt Helen. She has long, lovely, blonde hair and she's older than I am. She has led the Ladies Group for years.

And she and her husband were close to Pastor and his wife.

Well.  It's started.  Pastor's wife filed for divorce yesterday.

I'm told that he froze all their assets which prompted her to file.  

I'm told she asked for his cell phone records and her lawyer recommended against it. 

I'm told a young woman, one whom I like quite a bit, was asked to speak before the board.  They asked her if she knew anything about what was happening.  She said no and was quite upset.

My source is a reliable one.  

I'm thinking a lot of 2Cor 4:8,

"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;  persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed."

The Holy Spirit will work it all out in his time.  I can only wait.  Pray and wait.  Wait and pray.

I felt I could keep attending till the Holy Spirit told me otherwise.  Or, I told myself, if he was mean to his wife I couldn't bear to be around him.

So.  I'm going to visit another church on Sunday.

I don't feel great about it, but something's wrong at my church.  Something has gone terribly wrong. Forty years of marriage comes to this?

There are two kinds of creative television Super Bowl commercials.  There's one kind of creative that makes GoDaddy commercials that made to repel, to be cruel to unattractive people, and put pretty people on a pedestal for the world to (supposedly) laugh at.  Not with.  At. 

And there are people who create commercials like the Budweiser Clydesdale one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=o2prAccclXs

I have a wee bit of a tummy ache.  Actually, not a tummy ache but lower than my stomach and I don't know what you call it.  I ate our spaghetti dinner okay.  I don't feel like I'm gonna toss my cookies or anything.  Hope it goes away before tomorrow.

Had a headache all day at work.  That means four hours since I work from 10 to 2.  I took Excedrin before work and it did nothing.  Took another at 2 and it worked.  Zumba was fun tonight!

Wore my hair in a plain pony and got a few compliments at work.  It's the second time I've worn it down to workity-work.  Head hurt too much for a bun.

Son is taking driver's ed.  Lord, help me.  He'll be getting his learner's permit.  I could never drive with our eldest when he was learning.  I was afraid to.  And when he got his permit when he was about 17 he walked out of the DMV all smiles, sauntered toward me and said, "I got it."  I said, WHAT?  You mean they GAVE you a driver's license?  He said, "Ma, don't you have any confidence in me"?  Well, it's not an issue of confidence but just pure unbelief that the baby I gave birth to would be allowed to legally drive the 60 freeway.  My goodness.

So our second one will soon be driving.  He's had plenty of practice already.  Anthony and Laurie have let him drive their truck for small errands in the country and on side roads for a year or so.  My husband does too.  He sat next he dad all the time when we traveled all those years.  Since he passed the written and missed only two questions the driver ed instructor said he could get the learner's permit tomorrow.  Husband will take him to get it done.

One thing I like about our son is that he's not hung up on getting a pretty car.  He's utterly excited about getting an old beat up Ford truck that's like 20 years old.  I think that awful sweet.  He'd turn green if he knew I said he is sweet.

Words With Friends is currently down.  Supposedly they're working on it but I wish they'd work on it at 2am and not during my play hours.  My average score is 350 per game but I hear a better gauge of play level is average score per play.  I want to keep track of that sometime.  The best players average 20 to 30 points per play and a couple bingos per game.  I'm not that good, but I want to be someday.  I play once a week against a guy who played in Scrabble tournaments for 30 years.  He's awesome.

I'm working on tile counting.  I almost have the letter distributions memorized, I think.  Let's see.

A - 8 Oops, 9
B - 2
C - 2
D - Dunno [5]
E - 13
F - 2
G - 4 Wrong, it's 3
H - 4
I - 8
J - 1 Power letter, 10 points
K - 1 Power letter, 5 points
L - Dunno [Answer is 4]
M - 2
N - [5] Forgot my ABC's and left O and N out, but I'd have gotten them wrong anyway. 
O - 8 [But I didn't know]
P - 2
Q - 1 Power letter, 10 points
R - Hmmm, forgot [6]
S - Five Highly desirable
T - 5 [Wrong, it's 7]
U - 4 Not a fan of the U.
V - 2
W -2
X - 1 Power letter, 8 points
Y - 4 [Wrong, it's 2]
Z - 1 Power letter, 10 points
Blanks - 0 points, Highly desirable

Hmm, I need to still memorize nine out of 26 letters.  Okay.  I'll work on those.  Good thing I tested myself.

Glory to God.  I woke this morning with no sciatica in my leg.  God is great and greatly to be praised.

Uh oh.  Shaggy Dog Journal is gone.  Just about all my regular reads are gone now.  They keep disappearing.

I'm doing Zumba again four days a week.  Through December I just did one or two nights a week and it's just not enough.  One class put my back out and I was sore for a week.  I think it was the samba that did it.  Already I feel peppier at work.

The wind came up today and when I pulled the heavy outside door open to go in for lunch the wind pulled it and the door pushed me and I almost dropped my cup of tea.  I gathered myself together and was a little embarrassed  for two reasons.  One, because I'm the stock clerk and I go through that door dozens of times per day and two, the huge lunch bag my husband sent to work with me is lime green and it was fighting me getting through the doorway.  A man walking by said the wind was blowing in beautiful women.  Welp, that purty much made my year.

Zumba is going well.  Although, the other girl in town is having larger classes than I am because her price is $3 per class.  When my friend told me I felt real bad.  Real bad.  Then it went away and now I  am happy for the people God brings to my class.  I love the ladies who are in my class and they pay me a wee $5 per class and we have fun.  I tell myself that even though I have fewer students, they are the creme de la creme.  Well, every instructor has her own clientele.  I still have the best location in town which is large a spacious with a genuine wood floor and bare minimum overhead to pay for the space.  Her class is larger lately but I earn nearly as much as she and most the money I make is mine.  God is good.  I'm a tither.  First fruits go to the kingdom.  Gotta do it because if I don't, who will.  The bartender isn't gonna care about spreading the gospel.  Neither is the drug dealer.  The disciples need to do the tithing.

I'm working extra hours because my boss is out of town.  I still love, love my job and the men I work with.  My boss even gave me three presents for Christmas.  I thought it was so sweet.  He gave me a nice pocket knife that is mini size; just right for my hand.  He gave me some photo coasters and some delicious sweets leftover from when his wife made pecan something-or-other.  The thing is, he remembered I don't like nuts so he gave me the sweet without the nuts.  He has some kind of memory I tell ya.  And he can count a couple hundred AA batteries in about three seconds flat.

Pastor hurt my feelings a little bit last week.  In November he had asked me to come up with a concept for the 2013 year.  He has a theme for each year.  Last year was the year of Double Portion from the book of Kings.  This year is the year of Holy Fire.  But one night another guy said, hey look, here's our new image for the year.  I said it was beautiful but my heart stopped.  Why didn't pastor tell me he chose someone else to work on it?  Probably because he's busy and forgot and has bigger fish to fry.  So I didn't take offense, but I felt bad.  I sent him the two I had done and he says he wants to use them through the year.  I didn't feel much better though. And I believe they will not be able to enlarge the raster image to vinyl banner size that the other guy did.  Frankly, I don't think he made it from scratch.  I think it's from the packaged software of backgrounds the church has and he just put some text on it.  They haven't asked me for any assistance though so I suppose they are not interested in what I have to say.  You need vector graphics for big banners.  I think there are some raster images you can use but they have to be able to be enlarged 1:1 for say, a 3' x 8' banner.  The pic they're using will not enlarge well.  It'll be blurry and pixellated.

I gotta get in the shower.  I'm late.  I have to get up at the crack of 6:45am.  Yeesh.

He is Alpha and Omega.

My accomplishment of the day.  A two hour Photoshop tutorial that took me about four hours.  I luurve the metal effect.  It's so fine.  The font is way ornamental.  The first thing my husband said is "What does it say."  He doesn't appreciate the art in the text.  I needed to do the first attempt with the same font the tut uses so I could check as I went along and be sure mine looked right.  It was ten steps with some of those steps having ten steps in them!  I've learned to use layers and how to add styles, styles, and more styles.

And I realized I can go back to the .psd file and change the word easily.  I don't have to do the whole thing over again if I want to change the word.  Yay!

I love fonts.  I love typography.  I'm dreaming of kinetic typography and Adobe After Affects lately.

To build this project I'll need different fonts.  I could maybe use just one letter from this set, but we'll see about that. I want to do another tut which teaches how to make the word "fire" appear on fire - in a realistic way.  Found a grrrreat one, but it's advanced and I have to purchase the fire image. I'm gonna give it a go next.  Am thinking of adding an image of liquid metal being poured with the text. Thanks to Creative Commons I found a beautiful photo at Flicker.com which may be just right for my needs and the photographer allows me to copy and adapt the work.  I'm so glad there are photographers online who share their work.

I'm pretty sure that firing rockets into Israel is not a good idea.  I'm positive that war breaking out in that region of the world is very, very bad.  For everyone.

Woke up this morning, rolled over onto my back, and remembered that Barack Hussein Obama won a second term.  It's like waking up from a bad acid trip and realizing it's still not over.

At work Friday

On Friday I overheard someone in a small group curse and it wasn't funny so I walked out of the main area and into my office and sat down to work at my computer to work.  I share my office with the boss, or should I say the boss shares his office with me.  He's the department manager.  Heh.

Then I heard someone whisper, She's a Christian.  Another person said, I don't care.

A few minutes later my boss came in and sat down.  He rolled his chair toward me and smiled and said he hoped they weren't making me uncomfortable out there.  I told, him not at all.  And it's true.  It doesn't make me uncomfortable.  I've heard it all.  Used to talk like a sailor myself. 

I wish I'd said more.  I wish I'd feigned innocence and said "Why do you say that?"  Might have been interesting to hear the answer!  But I'm not quick thinking on my feet.  Honestly, it doesn't matter what I think anyhow.

But if anyone uses the same of my savior, the saver of my life, as a curse, I'll go spiritual and reply with a joyful and loud exclamation... Amen, Praise the Lord, or Hallelujah!  Because the name Jesus Christ isn't a curse.  It's the sweetest name to my ears.

I just got my three month review a week ago and they're keeping me, so next time I need to say, Amen, Praise the Lord, or Hallelujah! both hands will go up too.   Although being a good employee comes first.  That's really one of the best ways to witness.

“A well-formed Christian conscience does not permit one to vote for a political program that contradicts fundamental contents of faith and morals,” Ricken said in the letter. “Some candidates and one party have even chosen some of these as their party’s or their personal political platform. To vote for someone in favor of these positions means that you could be morally ‘complicit’ with these choices which are intrinsically evil. This could put your own soul in jeopardy.”

From a letter written by Bishop David Ricken, the leader of the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay, to his parishioners.

It's been three months and I still like my job.  A lot.

I had a conversation with my sister last night.  She's not far from a six figure yearly income and her job is stressful sometimes.  I know I couldn't take the stress she does.  Well, she started telling me about a job she was on and I had to interrupt her. 

So I said, Sis!  This is a boring story.  Your job is boring.  She said, wait, I'm getting to the funny part.  Actually, it was kinda funny at the end.

My husband overheard me saying her job was boring and turned to me and said, "Um, Lil, do you know you work in a stock room?  Talk about boring.  Hahahahaha!  Okey dokey.

My sis and her work group are gonna be on the front of a professional magazine for professional right-of-way people and I hope she sends me a copy.  I have some Zumba jingle bracelets and lip gloss to send her.  I just have to get an envelope.

We just had the last night of revival last night.  Man, I like the upbeat pentecostal attitude.  It was like being at the Johnny Carson Tonight Show only the speaker is preachin' the gospel.  Makes you laugh, makes you cry, makes you scared, makes you wanna share the good news.

The last revival we went to was in February.  Since then we've come so far.  Mayela, Kathy, and I are taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to the park on Fridays.  We make a giant pot of soup and give it away and give out tracts and pray with people and do some Zumba.  Free.  All free.

We've done it three weeks.  We've got mostly kids coming.  Only a few adults.  Got a group of youth that I'm purty darn sure are imbibing in a bit of illegal substances.  They've come for soup steady.  So we're adding to our plan for tomorrow.

Our concern is, we don't wanna be impotent women handing out food for nothing.  We're working for the kingdom.  So, mañana we're upping the ante.  We're handing out bibles.  A lady at work gave us about 20.  Gave.  Us.  Yeah!  So I'm going to ask anyone who wants one to come up and get one.  Come to me and get one.  I'm not walking to them, they walk to me.  And I'm going to tell them not to feel pressured.  If they don't want one it's perfectly okay, and it is.  Gonna tell them if they get one and then decide they don't want it, please bring it back.  Just don't want them to throw them away.

Then my plan is to give a brief rundown of biblical factoids.  For example, the bible is really 66 books, not just one.  Written over the course of 1600 years.  All pointing (except for a few like the Book of Esther) to Jesus.  Best selling book of all time.  Sells more than Playboy, Old Yeller, any cookbook, self-help book, or religious book that you can think of.  Shortest verse: Jesus wept.  Open to the middle and you're in Psalms.  Psalms means songs.

So then I'll tell them to read through any part at all and if they have questions, bring the questions next week.  We ain't experts but what we don't know we can find out.

That's the plan.

I had a flash of a vision.  I envision a huge circle, all of us holding hands, praying aloud.  We have a circle already, but it's only about 12 people or so.  I believe it's going to grow.

God is great and greatly to be praised! 

This is my third week and I still like my job.  I moved three carts of pretty heavy boxes today.  Then I set them down in stacks and as I turned to leave I realized the second from the bottom boxes had their labels turned to the wall.  That's.  Just.  Great.  So I had to rearrange them.

My husband's seasonal job will be over in September.  I will be so glad to have him home.  I hope we'll be okay without his extra money.  It sure spent fast.

I'm gonna have extra hours next week.  I'm sorta looking forward to it.

Today my husband had the day off so he followed me to work in the truck.  Then he got the car and drove it home, washed it, brought it back, and when I came out after work, voila!  Or, wallah, as my sister says, I had a clean, shiny car to drive home.

My sister is kickin' my behind at Words With Friends.  She also went to Hawaii and didn't tell me.  That's why she hasn't played for two days.  Well, I'm just not going back to play with her.  (And I won't tell her I've checked in two dozen times in the last two days.)

I took Monday and Tuesday off from Zumba.  My usual venue is closed because the city pulled out the floor and put in a new one.  It's gorgeous.  I'm scheduled to restart Zumba there on Thursday.  I tried teaching at a smaller place but after a week my back was killing me from the cement floor.  I even made sure not to jump at all, but still got a sore back.  One of my students got sore feet.  So I cancelled there and took a couple days off.  It's been kinda nice.

In September I'm taking Zumba Gold workshop.  The veteran's home is interested in chair Zumba for its seniors and I'm so looking forward to teaching there.  I volunteered and did a free Zumba class for some teeny bopper girls at the Boys and Girls Club.  They had fun and so did I.  Their sound system was broken though.  Sounded like the music came out of a tin can.  Young Pastor Jake busted the bass.  Haha!

I'm not enjoying being mother of a teenager.  He has said some really awful things and I don't know where it's coming from.  To use the words from an article I recently read, it looks like I gave birth to myself. 

My new boss rides a motorcycle.  How cool.

Some of the maintenance people have no class.  They burp and use bad language.  

I have some new routines memorized.  I can't wait to use them.

My period was two weeks late.  Hmmm.  That's not good.  Some girls at Mayela's work asked how old I am and she said they were surprised that I'm 53.  She might have said that just to be nice, but they said I had a good body and that was good to hear.  Gotta work it, baby!  Gotta work it.

I started my new job on Monday.  Today I spent my whole day in my new department.  I think I like the men I work for.  I think I got a purty good job.  I'm a stock order clerk.  I need first to get proficient using their software.  The whole system is automated. I need to learn where all the departments are located in the building where I make deliveries.  I like making deliveries.  I need to learn where things are in the stock room so I can find them.  I need to learn the order in which I do things.  I did a little filing today.  Greg helped me a lot.  I don't want any special situations to come up when I'm in there by myself.  I haven't been alone yet, and I don't wanna be. 

The A/C is broken so it's in the 90s inside the building.  I sweated a lot today.  I feel pretty tuff.  I've only had administrative jobs before this one.  I feel like a man!  I wear Levis and cowgirl boots to work.

I really, REALLY, wanted a glass of wine with dinner tonight. It would have tasted so good I think.  But then I thought of how it would ruin my witness.  Doggonit.  I really wanted a glass.

We went out for dinner and it was goooood.  I had a combination prime rib and Alaskan King crab plate.  The servings were on the small side, but very tasty.

I've just blogged about food.  About a meal.  Shoot me now and put me out of my misery if that's all I have to blog about.

Ohmygosh.  The Affordable, (I don't think it's affordable) Health Care Act has been deemed constitutional as a tax.  A tax!  Just what we do not need is more taxes.  It was struck down under the commerce clause, in other words, the federal government can't make us purchase something, but as a tax it is permitted.

President Obama and the democrats continually and consistently insisted it wasn't a tax, but then the administration's lawyers argued to the Supreme Court that it is a tax, not a penalty.  I guess the democrats were being misleading by not calling it a tax.  It's a tax.

Chief Justice Roberts said it's not the Supreme Court's job to protect people from the consequences of their political choices.  True, true.  It reminds me of the section in the bible in the book of Kings where the people ask for a king because they want to be like surrounding countries who all have kings.  God says, well, ifn's they want a king give them a king.  They got what they asked for and it did not turn out well.

Michelle Bachman called the court an activist court.  We have a lot of that going on especially in California but I really don't think the Supreme Court is an activist court.  All of this will go back into the political arena and the the parties will duke it out.

Be careful what you ask for, you might get it.

I want to see it repealed by Congress and redone with bipartisanship.

My brand new Zumba class last night was a smashing success.  Twenty-two people came!  That's 22 people who thought the class was good enough to pay for and to pay for in advance.  Oh I was sooo happy!  Thank you Jesus!  I was a little bit of a dork during one song.  My timing was early for 'Party Anthem' and in one section I just went arms and legs akimbo in every direction at once.  Haha!  Don't know what happened there.  And two ladies asked for Zumba twice a week already.  I said I'll take a vote next week and see if enough people want two nights a week.  If so, I can drop Monday here which runs about six to 11 people lately and open a class there.  Mayela complained she didn't want Mondays here to stop.  Well,  I think five days a week might be pushing my body.  I want to be sure not to pressure my bod too much so I'd have to make a....yikes...a decision.

And the thing I don't like about running a session of Zumba is now I have all this money but I have to work the next six weeks to earn it.  I don't feel like it's mine till the work is done.  That's why I like pay as you go better.  Get a little money every night and you worked for it already.

My new Zumba shoes killed my right foot and to throw a bit of salt on the wound Zumba had a flash sale yesterday, yes, yesterday, and they were thirty dollars cheaper than what I paid.    [Silent scream.]

I'm excited to hear the Supreme Court decision tomorrow morning.  I think they'll strike down the individual mandate as unconstitutional. They may be able to keep some other parts of Obama's Affordable Health Care Act.   Nancy Pelosi said, "But we have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it."  Hopefully that's not being taught in the public school system.

Tonight I'm starting a new Zumba class in a nearby town.  I hope it's a smashing success.  They seemed to really like the demo class.  You always get more peeps at the demo though because it's a freebie.  It was so much fun!

It was over 100 degrees yesterday and expect more of the same today.  Hot, hot, hot!

I bought a pair of shoes from Zumba.  They were $80 worth of junk.  I'm never buying shoes from them again.  Now the nerve in my back is bothering me down my leg.  Idiots.  There's no cushion in the shoe.  They're cute but worthless.

I got a new nightgown.  It's light yellow, long, diaphanous, tricot, feels wonderful on my skin.  I swished by my husband feeling very "Gone With The Wind" and he asked me if I was gonna haunt houses.

Hhhmph.

Told him he hurt my feelings saying that and he said, Well you have such a nice shape.  Why don't you buy something that shows your shape.  Men.  I guess I will go on another nightgown shopping hunt.  I want something long.  Pretty.  That feels nice.  And that my husband will like.  I had a nice one once but I spilled, or spilt as Jules in New Zealand would say, nail polish on it.  Tricot doesn't get along well with nail polish. It bunched up and wilted in a large circular area at the hemline and felt all scratchy there even after I washed it. 

Test flyer

There are three things I need to do.  Need a new photo for my Zumba.com profile.  Did it.

Two, I need to make a sign for the door where I teach Zumba.  I talked with a lady in Walmart and she said I ought to have a sign outside so they can see what time my classes are.  I hope the center doesn't complain about me putting one out.  Nobody else has a sign on the door.

Three, I need a business card.  A custom one.  A bright colored, cool one. An awesome one.  I want a high gloss one.  Maybe a slim one.  Should I do both sides too? 

And I need to make a regular flyer, so that makes four things I guess.  I might be getting a call tomorrow about the possibility of starting a new class in a nearby town.  I hope, hope, hope it works out. I need a flyer and even if I don't get to start that new class I need to make a new one because summer classes frequently drop in numbers - and mine has.  I've got pretty much just my core people coming.  I need a few more.  Juuuust a couple more to get me into that regular double digit number 10.  Please, please, please, please!

Here is the sign for the door I made.

And I had to create a new, improved Zumba profile image on account of we are getting a coconut load of new Zumba instructors in town.  I got an action shot!  Mayela took some test pics of me this week-end.  I pray I can maintain my class numbers, then increase, keep a fresh playlist with songs people like, and incorporate awesome moves that make people feel good.

Lately, there's really been a party atmosphere in my class.  I must have the most GREATEST people in my class of any Zumba class I've ever been to.  For reals.  I do.  Maybe Zumba is ruining my grammar too. Hahahahah!  Anyhoo, these photos were taken in town.  Got a few whistles while we were workin!

Taco Dream

Last night my husband dreamed that he told me not to eat my taco too fast.  He said in the dream I opened my eyes real wide and looked at him and stuffed the whole taco in at once.  I wondered why when I got in bed last night at 1am he said, "Don't eat all your taco" and went back to sleep.  What taco.  We had fried chicken for dinner.

It's exactly what I'd do in real life.

Looking forward to hearing the election results in Wisconsin tonight.  This year is the first year I've ever voted in a primary so am looking forward to hearing the result in our town too.  I voted for a county commissioner.

I want to start a Zumba class in a little town that's a half hour drive from here.  I applied yesterday at the elementary school to use space there and hope they'll exempt me from their policy that no income can be made on school property.  I charge a very low $5 per class and will need it at least to buy fuel to go back and forth.  They have a lot of women who are very active in sports and I think I can get a great class going there.  The floor in the cafeteria of the school is sort of a rubber mat kind of flooring - quite good for a Zumba class. 

My current class is small but bigger than at this time last year.  I'm mightily encouraged because there are about five active Zumba instructors in town now whereas last year there were only two - the gym and me.  Even more people have recently been licensed to teach Zumba here.  Quite exciting!

Today I feel overall crummy and would like to sit here all day long and do nothing.

I'm going to an art opening next Saturday.  Going to a City Council meeting on the 13th.  Gonna watch a girl being taught barrel racing tomorrow at 1pm at the rodeo arena.

And Coda finally had her baby.  Two days old.  She's a bundle of energy.  Runs around all the time.  Really friendly too.  The baby will come right up to you and let you scratch or pet her.

7.5" cut

Here's the photo of the hair my son cut off last week.  Definitely two inches needed to go.  The rest, I told him cut where he thought would look best.  I know, I need to take a length pic still.  I'm at 42" now which for me is comfortably classic.

I made my first paranda.  I'm crazy about them.  When I make the next one I'll take a profile shot too.  It gives me a big, gorgeous bun!  I tucked the tail in too far so I think the orange ends are sticking out in the middle of the bun.  I used olive oil before I braided to give it some extra shine.

I was thinking last night about the two thieves and the Titanic.  I said the captain of the Titanic said she sunk in one piece.  Only thing is, the captain went down with the ship.  I might have to fine tune that analogy.  Haha!

I had to tell my husband I accidentally ran over the power cord reel.  Twice.  And then I had a bad dream about it at night.

Something I really hate is a hoax about health.  Got a forward about graviola.  It's a fruit touted as the cure for cancer.  I say, stomp out cancer hoaxes.  It's just cruel that they're out there and they make me mad.

Yesterday someone said, "Don't ever cut your hair."  That was nice.

*****************************

I'm prepared for somebody to tell me there are contradictions in the Bible.  Now I just need my first guinea pig to test myself.  Hope someone brings it up before I forget everything.

There are no contradictions in the Bible. What it contains is more accurately called paradox.  Paradox is something that on the surface of it appears contradictory, but is nevertheless true.  In other words, there are differences to be found in the Bible, but a difference is not necessarily a contradiction.

Take for example the sign over the cross.  Matthew said it read, "The King of the Jews."  John said it read, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews."  So which is right.  Eh, both are. It said, "Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews" and it was written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek.  That's as easy one though.  One I found more interesting is about the two thieves crucified with Christ.

In the book of Mark (Mark 15:32) it says both thieves reviled Christ, "And they that were crucified with him reviled him."  In Luke (Luke 23:43) it says one mocked and one defended.  So?  It's a contradiction, right?  Wrong.  We know that the one who defended was told by Christ, " Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise."

Something happened to change the mind of one thief.  What could it have been?  Could it have been knowing about all the miracles Christ performed while on earth?  Could it have been hearing him pray for the Romans, asking God to forgive them, His enemies, even while they were cruelly torturing Him? Could it be the darkness he saw come over the land (Matt 27:45)?

Whatever it was we know he was saved by his faith.  The other thief said, "If."  If you can save us...  "If" demonstrates lack of faith.  Course, he was mocking Jesus too.

Some insisted that the Titanic went down in one piece.  Other eyewitnesses say it broke in two.  It was found in three pieces at the bottom of the ocean.  Maybe the last break happened on the ocean floor somehow.  Who knows.  In any case, the Titanic definitely went down.  Argue in how many pieces as much as you like.  Same way with Scripture.  The Bible is a set of 66 books all inspired by God.  He doesn't make mistakes.  He's perfect.  "For now we see in a glass darkly" says the Bible.  In heaven, we will know God even as He knows us now.  How well does God know us?  Pretty dang well.

So I believe the Bible is true, accurate, infallible.  It's an instruction book for life.  I live my life by it.

I think this is the cutest.
Paper Mache

Paper Mache is gone.  I will never know why.  It's always sad when a blog you like inexplicably disappears.

This was the highlight of the Zumba night.  Tanya, on the left, with the shaved head, is my favorite.  I sat in my car for all but ten minutes of the concert because I couldn't stand the crowding.  Now I don't want to leave my house ever again.  But.  I had to.  I had to go to Walmart and I had to drop off my flash drive with church announcements at church, and I watered the horses, though technically Becca is a mule not a horse, and I kicked a bunch a weedlets up with the point of my cowgirl boots on my way back in the house. 

I went to a huge Zumba concert and I did not have a good time. 

Becca is afraid of cookies.  She's afraid of Angel The Cat.  And she jumps when we break a carrot in two to feed her a snack.

I don't like Blogger's change.  Are they trying to get rid of people?  I remember before Geocities went away they made it less and less user friendly until finally they closed down.

Test post.  Blogger has changed and they didn't ask me about it at all.

We got a new mule

We have her on a try-out basis till Monday and so far I like her very much.  Son loves her and wants her badly.  We told him we'll pay $500 and he can pay $500 if he likes her that much.  She'll need some reining training, but she comes from Nebraska and originally sold for $5500 so we're getting, I think, a good deal. 

Her name is Becca.  Becca and a Bella.  They will become good friends.  Becca has been alone and Bella has been alone so they'll be happy to have company.  Mules make better pack animals and walk faster and better on rough terrain.  Son will be doing a lot of trail riding this summer I think.  I'm so glad he doesn't sit around during summer.  He's going to have a remarkable summer this year.

Hair yesterday

I took down the ugly pic and replaced it with this one which I like to think is a more accurate rep of the hair.

So tomorrow is the day we have Ryan and his crew teaching a Zumba class for me.  I hope we get 20 people.  I paid for a massage and hot mineral bath soaks for them so sure hope I make back that money.  We won't be able to meet JR because JR is still in the hospital.  His next round of chemo begins April 4.  I do hope he can come home to refresh his soul before then.

Got the video announcements done for churchity church.  They are pleased with them so it makes me very happy to do it.  It's very rewarding.  I love putting them together.

We're doing a new thing at church.  The youth pastor has taken over praise and worship.  I have to say I miss our regular pastor and his songs, but I am loving the new sound and the new feel too.  I believe the group has great potential.  Right now it's all in transition.  Transitions can be bumpy.  Some people fall away and other new people are pulled in.  Some people will always be unhappy with change. Such is life.  I think it's a mistake to get too comfortable because too much comfort contributes to stagnation.  I try to remain dynamic.  Sometimes I even succeed at it.  Haha!  But it's a rush standing in the music.  Being in the sound.  And calling on the Holy Spirit.  There's nothing like it.  It's even better than head banging.  Gotta keep it fresh because there are so many souls out there that are lost.  We must reach them.  Music reaches out.  Like Kathy says, we need to reel them in!

I had a couple weeks after the fundraiser of feeling no energy for learning my new routines.  But then all of a sudden it came back.  Now I have about five songs and routines I am loving and practicing.  It was a little blip on the radar I suppose.

I am happy.  Next week-end the fantastic Zumba instructor from Las Cruces is coming back to town and he's going to teach a class for me.  He's bringing his "staff" too - three girls, women, who dance with him.  They're very good.  I so hope that I can get a big enough group so I can pay the women a little something.  And I hope I can make a little bit of money for myself since I will be giving my class time to them and foregoing my own class.  I will have big expectations.  Gotta get the word out now.  I had six students today.  If I could get 20 that would be good.

I'm cooking fried chicken for dinner.

Fundraiser vid

I made a video of our fundraiser.

49"
Ends are still straight and in pretty good shape as far as I can tell.  I did a hot oil treatment today. Some teens asked me why do I have long hair.

In October had it trimmed back to 47" on the full moon so it's grown two inches in five months.  Not bad for a 52 year old.

For church tomorrow we have to wear black and white.  I'm going to wear a black sweater cowl neck and blue jeans.  The top I'm not too fond of.  Blue jeans are neither black nor white but I don't have black or white pants that I like.  I don't want to wear clothes I hate and be in front of everyone.  The youth pastor has taken over praise and worship.  I am excited but a little anxious.  There are two songs he has us do that have a lot of jumping or stepping and the youth usually do them.  Since the church has only seen the youth do the songs they identify those songs with the youth.  I'm not too thrilled about us olders looking kind of stupid doing youth oriented songs.  We have to do something for the lady who is older than I am.  She's been in praise and worship a long while but she can't do those two songs so she has not been singing these past two weeks.

Our fundraiser went well.  It was energizing.  As soon as the music started I knew it was a success.  We had 75 people come even though the weather outside was in the 30s.  We raised over $2100.00 for the family.  I was well pleased.

Today is the day.  We are prepared.  I am prayed up.  Got my words ready and signs and sign-in sheets done.  I think we've thought of everything.  Mayela stayed with me till midnight last night.

The fundraiser is on Saturday.  Things seem to be going well.  I'm not too nervous.  That's good.

We've collected about $230 so far.  I hope people will come on Saturday.

I bought some rubber Zumba bracelets to toss out to the audience.  Three women ordered Zumba tops and they'll be happy to know they were delivered today so they can wear them Saturday.

Need to go by the newspaper and see if they'll run an ad for us.  I might need to off this recliner to get that done.

Celia has done the decorations and I'm excited to see what she came up with.  She's exceptionally good at decorating.  I know it's going to look really pretty whatever she does!  I'm so lucky to have met her.  She's quiet.  I like her very much.  She has pretty hair too.  She wears it about shoulder length and it's salt and pepper.  Her hair is strong and healthy.  I'm sure a reflection of her physical and probably emotional well-being.  She seems well anchored.