Meet Kate Aban:

Well, I did it! I have researched and found that Compassion International is where I need to be, so I have been looking at pictures, reading about children, deciding just what I wanted to do. I felt like I needed to find a child in the 'longest waiting' category. These kids have been waiting for more than 6 months for a sponsor. That fact alone told me that was where I needed to look. I was orginally looking only at boys, but then I decided to consider girls too and I found this sweet thing named Kate is close to Grace's age! Sounded like a good combo to me...when I told my sister want I was thinking about, she said, "That sounds like it might be a sign!" :-) So, at lunch today, I went online and sent money for one year to support this child.

God has really been using this to put my life in perspective about how much money I spend without thinking. I just bought presents for Grace's upcoming birthday that would pay for almost 3 months of support for this child (!!!) and tonight, when I got home from choir, my sweet cat came to greet me at the door and I thought, "You know, if I only spent one dollar on food for her a day, that is almost a year's support for a child!" Good grief....my CAT lives better than some people in the world...that is so humbling. It's such a drop in the bucket to compare with all my blessings...ones that I am convinced and convicted that I take for granted.

I am supposed to get an info packet within the next 15 days about Kate, and after I see more about all this and how it works, I still may sponsor a boy..it is definitely not out of the realm of possibility. If you think about it, please pray for this little girl. I will keep you posted!

Birthday: February 28, 2001
Age: 7
Gender: Female
Region: West Africa
Country: Ghana
Program: Sureway Child Development Center

Personal and Family Information:
Kate lives with her father and her mother. At home, duties include running errands and cleaning. Her father is sometimes employed and her mother is sometimes employed. There are 3 children in the family.

Playing group games is Kate's favorite activity. In kindergarten her performance is average and she also regularly attends church activities and Bible class.

Program Description:
Your sponsored child lives on the plains of Kasoa, home to approximately 34,700 residents. Typical houses are constructed of cement floors, wood walls and tin roofs. The primary ethnic group is Awutus and the most commonly spoken language is Awutu. The regional diet consists of maize, beans, bananas, chicken, fish, bread, cassava, beef, plantains, rice and goat. A common health problem in this area is malaria. Most adults in Kasoa are unemployed but some work as traders or farmers and earn the equivalent of $32 per month. This community needs school materials, affordable education, employment opportunities and roads. Your sponsorship allows the staff of Sureway Child Development Center to provide your sponsored child with Bible teaching, health screening, hygiene education, vaccinations, deworming, games, social clubs, tuition and educational field trips. The center staff will also provide meetings for the parents or guardians of your sponsored child.

Who couldn't respond to that description....Your sponsorship allows the staff of Sureway Child Development Center to provide your sponsored child with Bible teaching, health screening, hygiene education, vaccinations, deworming, games, social clubs, tuition and educational field trips. The center staff will also provide meetings for the parents or guardians of your sponsored child.

I already know this is the best money I will spend this year!

Fun and addictive!

I saw this on another blog....(thanks Angela!!)....and thought it was so fun that I had to post it on mine too! Needless to say, I took it several times....I think my lowest was 58.

Give it a try....it's fun!

70 words

Speedtest

You type 387 characters per minute
You have 70 correct words and
you have 0 wrong words

Any advice?

When Kate was about 4 or 5 years old, I started thinking about sponsoring a child that was about her age. Since I knew her life was going to be so blessed, I wanted to do something to make a difference in the life of a child in another country that was about her age. I looked at Compassion International and WorldVision mostly since they are the ones I'd heard most Christian artists promote. I don't remember why, but I never signed up to do this. I have again had a huge burden on my heart these last couple of months to do this, so I've been trying to research the child sponsorship organizations that are out there. I don't really know anything about any of them and don't personally know anyone who has sponsored children this way, so I was wondering if anyone in blogland has any advice, insight or experience with any of these organizations. I've looked at WorldVision, Compassion International and a couple of others, but I just don't know which way to go. I want to be sure to pick one that offers Christian guidance and benefit as well and I haven't seen that listed on a couple of the sights I've checked, so I know this is something that I need to stay mindful to look for and not just get wrapped up in the pictures and stories. Also, as cute as the little ones are, I am feeling compelled to sponsor an older child.....I heard a radio-sponsorship thing going on one time talking about how the older ones sometimes feel overlooked when the younger ones are getting sponsored. That thought just breaks my heart. I still may go for one about Kate's age...13...I just need to get something in the works.

Also, if you have any thoughts about things I need to consider that I may not be thinking about, I'd appreciate your help on that too....just let me know.

Thanks!

Are WE blind?

I got this as an e-mail yesterday:

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind.

She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.'

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her.

When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.

He asked her, 'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?'

The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.

Her boyfriend left her in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.'

This is how the human brain often works when our status changes. Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.

I was really quite touched by this and forwarded it to a friend....this was her reply:

"Wow...how thought provoking that is...but then if we only think of Jesus dying on the cross...isn't it really the same??"

Her reply has been as thought-provoking to me as the e-mail because I didn't think of it in those terms. I didn't put a spiritual spin on it at all. At face value, I just couldn't imagine, as the girl, what it would feel like to finally see, then as the other person, knowing the gift I'd given, have them reply with nothing but rejection. How heartbreaking would that be?

But isn't this how Jesus feels and how God feels when we knowingly reject the gift He gave us through Jesus? Look how much He sacrificed for us and how often we may not be as mindful of His gift as we should be EVERY DAY! I realize that many, indeed most, of us in this blogring are Christians and have a walk with the Lord, but this convicted me on a different level and made me think about how many people there are in the world that reject Jesus and dismiss the realities as 'impossible.' It really made me view the world outside the 'bubble' that I live in, there is no doubt. I mean, can't you just hear the Lord saying, 'Take good care of Jesus, my dear, for before He was yours, He was mine.'

There was more to the original e-mail and it is as follows:

Life Is a Gift
Today before you say an unkind word -Think of someone who can't speak.
Before you complain about the taste of your food - Think of someone who has nothing to eat.
Before you complain about your husband or wife - Think of someone who's crying out to GOD for a companion.
Today before you complain about life -Think of someone who went too early to heaven. Before you complain about your children - Think of someone who desires children but they're barren.
Before you argue about your dirty house someone didn't clean or sweep - Think of the people who are living in the streets.
Before whining about the distance you drive - Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.
And when you are tired and complain about your job - Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.
But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another - Remember that not one of us is without sin and we all answer to one MAKER.
And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down - Put a smile on your face and thank GOD you're alive and can make a difference!

As Easter draws near, my prayer is that we ALL slow down and take the time to know and experience in our heart what we are celebrating...the most amazingly spectacular, meaningful gift of all for those of us who believe....victory over death and eternity in heaven!

AWESOME! :-)

A new look

Well, I decided it was about time that I joined the ranks of those of you who have so masterfully changed, upgraded and perfected your blogs, so this is my first shot at that change. I am one that generally will not do anything until I have semi-figured out the outcome, so I created a test blog to play around with until I figured out what was going on with the new layout and format. I have thought and thought this change to death, believe me! If I'd known how easy it was to upgrade though, I would have done it long before now....I was just afraid of losing posts, losing links, etc, but my hat is off to whoever knows web design because it couldn't have been any smoother. I had a brown background earlier but wasn't totally thrilled with the shade, so after trying a few others, black is it for now. Black IS always a complementary color, isn't it??? Hopefully that's as true in blogland as it is supposed to be in wardrobe! :-)

I'm sure there will be more changes and everything else to come as I experiment and think things through a bit more, but for now, I'm happy with the look, warranted or not, feel a great sense of accomplishment! :-)

UPDATE: To anyone who may be seeing this for the first time, I realize this background isn't black now...I am experimenting, so there is no telling what I am saying that may change....all in the name of progress. I just didn't want anyone thinking I am color-blind or don't know my colors! :-)

Prop us up...

Every time I am asked to pray, I think of the old deacon who always prayed, Lord, prop us up on our leanin' side.

After hearing him pray that prayer many times, someone asked him why he prayed that prayer so fervently.

He answered, 'Well sir, you see, it's like this...I got an old barn out back. It's been there a long time, it's withstood a lot of weather, it's gone through a lot of storms, and it's stood for many years.

It's still standing. But one day I noticed it was leaning to one side a bit. So I went and got some pine poles and propped it up on its leaning side so it wouldn't fall.

Then I got to thinking about that and how much I was like that old barn. I've been around a long time.

I've withstood a lot of life's storms. I've withstood a lot of bad weather in life, I've withstood a lot of hard times, and I'm still standing too. But I find myself leaning to one side from time to time, so I like to ask the Lord to prop us up on our leaning side, cause I figure a lot of us get to leaning, at times.

Sometime we get to leaning toward anger, leaning toward bitterness, leaning toward hatred, leaning toward cussing, leaning toward a lot of things that we shouldn't. So we need to pray, 'Lord, prop us up on our leaning side, so we will stand straight and tall again, to glorify the Lord. '

I got this as an e-mail a couple of months ago and thought I'd post it here, but just haven't done so yet. I got to thinking about it over the weekend and started looking for a picture to post with it, but couldn't find any I liked, then my aunt sent this whole thing to me this morning, picture and all, so I thought maybe it was one of those 'meant to be' things. It certainly is a good prayer!

Conviction and Grace...(the gift and the person)

As I mentioned earlier in the week, I have been listening to the radio lately instead of the CD's I usually play while driving. The other day I heard this incredibly convicting song by Monk and Neagle, "The Twenty-First Time." I know some of you have heard it before because I know some of you got their CD in a giveaway they did last year, but the video is below. As busy as I've been, I am the first (and ashamed) to admit that I am sure I have let opportunies pass by that I could have maybe made a difference in someone's day, not only once, but repeatedly, and this song really spoke to me about that. It made me wonder how many people I may pass in a week's time where I may have overlooked a need or not said or done something that could have made a difference. I need things like this to pop me upside the head every now and then so that I don't become complacent and take my blessings for granted, but I also want to be on the lookout for opportunities to minister to others, even if it is only in a small way. Small to me may be large to someone else!



See what I mean?

On another note, Grace is playing soccer now. They've had 3 practices and had their first game today at 12:30. I got up at 5:30 this morning and went in to work so I could get my hours in and leave so I could go to her game. Luckily, she only has 2 at that I can't attend before tax season is over because they are at 9:30, but you can bet I'll be at all the games that I can! They did a great job today, and I was a proud aunt! Here's the e-mail from my sister, Grace's mom:

Grace had her first game today at 12:30. She was in for the entire game...loved every minute of it and decided it is the funnest thing she has ever done. After the game, she said she couldn't feel her legs!!! (but she was happy about that too!)

And here are a few pictures:
(My sister's battery died after taking these three, but more will follow later in the season...I'll be sure of that!)

It is AMAZING to me how much she's like I was at that age....she'll be 9 on April 13. She a girly girl (much moreso than I was though), a tomboy, is always saying or doing something funny and is always on the lookout to do something helpful for someone. She also loves to read Tiger Beat Magazine and know what's going on with all her favorite 'stars.' It's fun to see life through a child's eyes, isn't it?

Perhaps I was wrong....

Well, after I did that last post about needing reading glasses, I was doing a Sudoku puzzle later that night after I'd taken out my contacts and could see as clear as day, so now I am wondering if I misspoke or if may only need them when I'm wearing contacts. Weird stuff. We had a Sunday school social tonight and my friend that I was sitting by was using her reading classes to look at the menu. We started talking about my latest dilemma about all this and she said she was the way I described....she could see perfect up close without her contacts, but if she had them in, she needed the reading glasses. YEA! Maybe things aren't so weird after all.....but I DO know that an eye doctor visit will be happening soon.....

On to better things....

About 90% of the time, I listen to CD's in the car while I'm driving, but Sunday night on the way home from church and dinner with friends, I had the radio on and heard this super cool song. I didn't catch who was singing, so I came home and scoured the internet to find out.....then I went to iTunes to get it for my ipod. I've been trying to find the lyrics online for about 30 minutes, but can't come up with them. The song is by Andrew Carlton and is called, 'Hold Me Up.' There are a few places that I could find links to snippets, but nothing with lyrics or the full song. I'm going to keep trying to find one or the other. In the meantime, if you have access to iTunes or an ipod, this is a GREAT song....energetic, fun, and great words! Let me know if you know it or decide to download it. I am always THRILLED to find new good songs and artists. He may not be a 'new' artist, but he is 'new to me,' so that makes him 'new,' doesn't it?? :-)

And of course, now the next leading question.....what are some of YOUR favorites that I can maybe get on iTunes? I'm all gung-ho to find some good new ones now! Come on.....we're all one big happy family, aren't we? :-) Let's share our faves! :-)

A shocking realization

This week has wiped me out. I didn't even go to choir practice Wednesday night because my brain was just worn out. I have often thought that being brain tired is more taxing than being physically tired. At any rate, I have decided that I need to start taking vitamins. I've never been one to take vitamins or anything like that, but, at the ripe old age of 46, I think that age and the things that come with that are beginning to take their toll. I remember talking with Bev a few years ago about vitamins and she said she took Centrum Silver. She was so funny...she said, "You don't need to take those though....you're not as old as I am!" So knowing that Centrum was good enough for her, I bought some Centrum vitamins today for myself. I am eager to see if I can tell any difference after I've been taking them for a while. It's amazing the way things Bev and I discussed over time have come back to me since she passed away. They've always been in my mind, they just have a certain specialness and meaning now. I really miss her.

Here's my big, shocking realization for the week though.... :-)

I have discovered that I am about to need reading glasses! HA! When I went to the eye doctor when I was about 40 or 41, she was doing these extra tests, but I didn't think to ask what they were for. When she got through, she said, "It doesn't look like you need bifocals yet." HELLO! BIFOCALS? Just how old do you think I am??? :-) It never, NEVER crossed my mind that she would be checking for that. I do wear contacts for distance vision, but my close up vision has always been fine, until recently.....

I've noticed lately that I've been holding my wrist out a little bit to see my watch and have just laughed that off, then I noticed as I was writing out some journal entries at work the other day that I was pushing the page I was reading from back a bit so I could see it better. I told my mom the other night, jokingly, that I guess I thought I was going to escape this phase of life, but I guess not, huh? I bought some little reading glasses last night at Target to see how that works. It has been AGES since I've been to the eye doctor too, so as soon as tax season is over, that will be among the first things on my agenda.

I did do one cool thing last night that I'll share here too....

One of our clients at work is a theatre guild. It is a small, adorable, very quaint little theatre in Fairburn, about 30 minutes from here. We get free tickets because we do their accounting, but I haven't been to any plays there in years. They are doing 'To Kill a Mockingbird' now though, so me, my friend, Gina, her son, Chris and her husband, Jon, went last night. I am the first to admit that I am lightyears behind on reading well-known stories like that or watching movies about them, so I had no idea what the storyline was last night before we got there or anything else. I was very intrigued with the storyline and they did a fabulous job with the play. When I go to stuff like that, I am always impressed at the talent that is there in 'local' people. They have other plays coming up later in the year and I'm thinking I need to be checking into those as well. It was a fun night and something different to do. I had a headlight on my car that went out this week, so I went over earlier today to get my dad to change it -- thank heaven for him -- and was telling my step-mom about this play and she happened to have a VHS copy of it, so I borrowed and may watch it tonight to see how it compared with the play. It's always fun to see how/if they change stuff around to make it work better.

Lastly, and I almost forgot (!!), my friend Leanne asked me to post a link to a couple of blogs her daughter has started to promote family literacy. Check them out... http://excellencethruliteracy.blogspot.com/ and http://www.misscarpetcapital.blogspot.com/ . Thanks!

Not much else from here, but I hope you've had a great week. Thanks for checking in on me....I appreciate it.

The weekly roundup... :-)

So I guess, as Jean said as a comment my last post, I guess I am down to only weekly posts now, huh? I'll not go on and on because I know you all realize what the bulk of my life is right now, but here's this past week in a nutshell:

Monday -- February 11 -- Happy Birthday to me! 46 years old this year....WOW! Every year, I wonder where the time has gone but never come up with any answers... :-) For whatever reason there is, I always tend to have great birthdays....several cards, lots of e-mails, a few presents here and there....I was supposed to go to my sister's for dinner that night, but she called and said Grace had come home from school early with a 102 temperature....needless to say, we waited! :-) I went to dinner with some other friends, got home about 8:00, called my mom and enjoyed the rest of the evening by myself.

Tuesday -- Nothing special...work....then to a Premier Jewelry party that night. Got home about 9:30....just in time to get a bath and go to bed!

Wednesday -- Work, children's choir then adult choir practice. Wednesdays are full days, but I know they are for many of us, it just seems to be much more hurried during tax season. We are practicing some GREAT songs in choir for Easter and others just to do in the next few months.....it is a real worship time during many of those songs and a great pick-me-up for the middle of the week.

Thursday -- work, then to my sister's for a belated birthday dinner. Of course, this was Valentine's Day too, so I had a quick run by Target that I needed to make to get Grace something. I always give those sweet girls something for Valentine's Day, or any occasion I can squeak a present in without their mom not saying anything (!!). I already had a book and a cup that I was going to give to Kate, but I was at a loss for Grace....Guess what she got....an issue of Tiger Beat Magazine, a 3 pack of gum and a Valentine's cup from Target. That child LOVES Tiger Beat magazine....which I loved when I was her age too....no wonder I could just eat her up! Anyway, the birthday dinner at my sister's was great. She fixed some shrimp recipe that she got out of a Pampered Chef book.....Very good. Kate and Grace each made me cards....I'm all about the homemade stuff, they are real treasures. Then my sister was extra thoughtful this year...3 gifts that I love. I'll post pictures of two of them once they get hung up, then she gave me a $25 iTunes card. Plus she and Grace made me a cake that afternoon. That really was one of the most thoughtful birthdays with family that I've ever had and I was sure to thank my sister for it when I left. Sometimes being single, you don't always get the special times and special thoughtfulnesses that others get to experience with their family, but this year was different for some reason. It was nice.

Friday -- It seems like I went shopping somewhere after work, but I can't remember! Isn't that bad? Seems like I either went somewhere or thought about somewhere I needed to go then thought I'd wait until after I got off work on Saturday....that's how my brain in sometimes...I just can't remember!

Saturday -- I set my alarm for 5:30 so I could get on up and go in to work so I wouldn't have to stay there all afternoon. We are required to get in 5.5 hours on Saturday, so I got to work about 6:30 and got to leave around noon. That was nice. Shopped at Kohl's some....intended to go a couple of other places but decided I was tired, so I came home and worked around here...putting Christmas stuff back in the attic, cleaning ceiling fans, etc.....then napping.

Sunday -- Church this morning, lunch with friends, home for a couple of hours, back to church for ensemble practice, then church tonight. We have a great interim preacher right now and I am really enjoying his style and hearing what he has to say. He's had some fabulous points and things that have made me think already and he's only been here two weeks! I am thankful to be a part of such a great church.....it really makes me look forward to Sundays.

And now I am sitting here typing my weekly post with my cat curled up beside me.

A rich life. Many blessings. God is good.

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Catching up...again.

I can hardly believe it's been another week. Good gravy.....life is passing by so fast. I am glad to report that January is over, W-2's and 1099's are out for the most part....the ones we had info for anyway....and we're moving on to corporate returns and property tax reports. HA! There is always a deadline.

Personally, I am happy to report that I got my car back this week and they did a fabulous job on the door. I could not be more pleased. I did discover last night that that alarm system on it isn't working, so I stopped by there this afternoon on the way home to see if they could reconnect that and they were gone for the day, so I will make that a goal for Monday. I'm sure it's something they had to disconnect in order to replace the door, so hopefully it will be something easy to fix. It was so funny getting back in my car after driving that Jeep for a week though. I was weaving all over the road, stomping on the brake and not pressing the gas pedal hard enough....and that is RARE for me! I was laughing at myself the way I kept stomping on the brake. It's funny how easy it is to get adjusted to driving another vehicle. I did decide that the Jeep was too high for me though. If I ever had one of those, it would have to have a running board to step on to get in or something. I found myself using the steering wheel to pull myself into it and I could see that side and back problems would be looming if I'd had it much longer. I still want an SUV....actually, if you can believe it, my dream vehicle, if I could pick anything I want, would be a Honda CRV. HA! Not really the plush, high dollar thing many people would pick, I just like them and when I see them on the road, they always get my attention. Maybe someday!

I am curious if anyone has done the Beth Moore 90 day study on David. I got it for Christmas from a friend who has been hugely influential in my life spiritually, morally and in every other way since I was about 10 years old. I had seen this study, but hadn't purchased it, so I was thrilled when I opened it and saw what it was. My dad's wife also gave me the Beth Moore 90 day study on Jesus, so I can't wait to get into that one as well. I am only a few days into this one on David and I can already tell it's going to be fabulous. God is good to give us people like Beth Moore and others like her who can give us avenues and studies to feed our spiritual hunger at times. If you've done this one, or the one on Jesus, let me know....I'm eager to know your thoughts.

Not much else has been going on really, just work, church, my car and all the normal life stuff right now, but I would be totally remiss if I didn't pass on a word of thanks to Tonja who gave me the following award last Friday:

I don't know what to say because I am the first to admit that I am not always as kind as I need to be, but I can say that try to stay conscious of it whether I succeed or not. Many times all it takes is a kind word or a little thoughtfulness to make someone's day and that's what I try to keep in check. I appreciate you thinking of me Tonja and I can honestly say that YOU have been one of my best gifts from this blogging experience. Thank you for just being YOU.

Tonja added a quote she likes to hers and I thought that was a good idea, a nice touch....so here's mine to go along with it.....a very sobering thought to me.

You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I hope you've had a great week....I'm off to check in on my blogger buddies! :-)

My cool 'ride'

I haven't posted about this because I didn't know how it was going to turn out, but I have had a cool vehicle to drive this week and thought, since I haven't had anything fun to say because of working all the time this month, I'd post about this.

I took my car to Big 10 back in November, the week before Thanksgiving, to have my oil changed. When I went back to pick it up, I paid, got in my car and left. I thought the driver's door sounded like it didn't close right, but the weather was getting colder and figured it was just because of that. That was the Thursday afternoon before Thanksgiving. I didn't put a lot of thought into it, but I just knew it didn't sound right.

As I was leaving work on Friday, I decided to look and see if I could see anything that would make it sound the way it did. To my HUGE surprise, there was a hole poked in the side of my door at the bottom and the metal down there was all buckled! Well good grief! I am not a confrontational person by any stretch of the imagination, so I had no idea what I was going to do. I drove to my sister's house to pick up some PTO money I had to count that weekend and showed the door to her and told her about it. I asked her if she thought I should go back up to Big 10 and ask about it. Her answer was a VERY HARDY "YES!!!," but I cannot actually type her answer here! :-) They didn't close until 6:00, so I had enough time to get back up there before they closed. As luck would have it, the manager had gone home early and he was the one that was there when I dropped my car off and picked it up and he's the one with whom I always deal. The assistant manager had no idea what was going on about my car, but I showed him the door. He was a bit dumbstruck. He said he used to work in a body shop and he could see that it was buckled. He said he would mention it to the manager when he talked to him that night and for me to call back up there the next morning. Well, I was SICK having to go confront them about it anyway because I could just see them telling me, "No idea what happened, Lady.....Tough luck!" I decided that I wouldn't just call the next morning, that I would go back up there and show the manager what had happened. I got there about 8:20 and he came straight to me and wanted to see the door. I told him what I had thought about it closing different because of cold weather, but he just shook his head like that would never happen. (I'm a girl....I KNOW he knows more about cars than I do, I just had to put my theory out there!) He looked at the door and as I was explaining to him, he acted like he knew what was going on. I said, "Do you KNOW what happened?" He said he did, then he said that when the assistant manager had called him the night before and told him I'd been up there, he knew exactly who had worked on my car and so he hung up and called THAT guy. The guy finally told him that when he had my car up on the rack to change the oil, the driver's door was open and when he brought it down, it hit a table and buckled the bottom of the driver's door! He didn't tell the manager at the time because he'd already had two other instances and had been told that if anything else happened, he was going to be fired. With that being the case, he cut a hole in the side of my door and tried to fix it himself and not tell anyone! I was just glad he admitted it and they could see I was telling the truth....this day and time, you just never know.

SO, I had to go get three estimates....one was $1,283.05, one was $1,343.42 and the other was $1,741.04. I took those back to Big 10, they were sent in to the corporate office, someone there called and talked to the manager at the Big 10 where it happened and talked to the mechanic that did it, then they finally, FINALLY, contacted me about getting it fixed. Of course, they sent me to the place with the lowest estimate, but that is really fine by me because it was the only one whose estimate gave me a NEW door. The other two were used doors, so a new one is great to me! Evidently there's a lot to matching paint colors and stuff to consider too, so it's evidently really quite a job.

Anyway, I dropped it off this past Monday then, at Big 10's expense, have had a rental car this week. As luck would again have it, the Enterprise guy that came and picked me up is the son of a guy I used to work with. I don't know if it's because he knew me or if they try to give you a car montarily comparable to the car being fixed, but he offered me a PT Cruiser or a Jeep Grand Cherokee! I chose the Jeep Grand Cherokee because I want the next vehicle I get to sit higher off the road, so I wanted to see what that would be like. I must say, it's pretty cool. I could never afford a Jeep, but it's nice to drive!

The first car I bought was a Ford EXP, a two seater, that I drove for 12 years! I loved that car. I was just fun. I traded that in and got a blue Honda Civic that I also loved. It had front and back seats AND 4 doors, so after driving a two door two seater for 12 years, that was a great change! I also had that car for 12 years. Then, when my mom and her husband moved to Florida, she had a van and they decided they were going to buy a Toyota Prius, so Doc gave me his Infiniti I30t. This was also the year that I bought my house, so, not being willing to look a gift horse in the mouth, I sold my Civic for $3,000 and paid much of that money toward furniture. That whole thing really was a Godsend. I've enjoyed the Infiniti and will definitely drive it until it won't go anymore, but whatever I get next, I do want to get something that sits higher off the road. I can't stand to get behind SUV's and not be able to see around them. I've posted before about what an impatient driver I am and that doesn't help the situation! I love being in this Jeep and being able to see two cars in front of me! Anyway, here are pictures....as if you haven't seen a Jeep Grand Cherokee before! :-)

I can't post all this good though without posting about God's way of humbling me even in the best of circumstances. There was bit of a hassle between the time I turned in my estimates and when they finally called last week and told me what I needed to do to get this handled. Other than that, it's been smooth but in all honesty, I've thought that I've been pretty cool this week driving this vehicle....(this is where the humbling comes into play).

SO, I am driving to work Thursday morning....on this street that that my subdivision is off of....and I get about two miles up the road....about 3 houses from the main road I'm going to turn on. I see something to the right out of the corner of my eye. I think...."Once I get out of this curve, I need to look and see what that is!" Well, HELLO....it was a DEER that came running right out in front of me! It was running across the yard and passed within feet of the front of me. No kidding, if there had been two of them together, I would have hit one of them. I was like, "Oh my gosh! I need to slow myself down! That would have been BAD in this rental!" So I get on up to the main road to turn...no traffic. I turn, still thinking about how fortunate it was that I didn't hit that deer, how close it was, all that stuff.....I get maybe 500 feet up the road and ANOTHER deer passes just as close in front of me from the other side! Scared me to death! Literally, again, if there had been two, I would have hit one of them! Let me just say that I calmed my big ol' self down and thought all the way to work about how it doesn't matter how big your vehicle is, I was just lucky that nothing happened! Because we both want something higher off the road next time, I had been talking with my friend that I work under all week about how much I LOVE driving this vehicle, how high it sits off the road, how much I LOVE being able to see everything....but I told her when I got to work on Thursday, "Well, I think God was trying to get my attention this morning!"

And I have one thing to say, "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!"

After all, it's only a vehicle....but it is fun to drive! :-)

Two weeks later....(well, almost)

I really have NOTHING to post about. I have done very little these last two weeks besides work, church and a few other things as needed. Tax season is definitely here....in a big way.

Work has been 90-nothing in aiming for the January 31 deadline to have W-2's and 1099's done for about 40 companies....oh the joys of public accounting, huh? :-) I've got my momentum though and things are smooth so far, I am just praying it stays that way. Once I am done with January, the rest is downhill for me! YEA!

I've talked to my mom a few times and Doc is about the same. Thanks to those of you who commented on my last post and for your kind words.

We've had some weird weather here this week....both Wednesday afternoon/evening and today. Believe it or not, I even set my alarm for 5:10 this morning so I could get on up and get in to work to get my time in before the bad weather started. It's not really bad weather yet, but I left work shortly after the snow flurries started. If I were going to get stuck anywhere, I didn't want it to be there! We've had snow flurries and even some accumulation....and that's a weird thing for Georgia! :-)

My brother-in-law, John, came over today to look at my laptop. For some reason, since we got back from my mom's, my laptop couldn't find my router here at home and I couldn't send e-mail from my laptop. Weird stuff, and for a girl who likes to know how things work and why they don't at times, that has been VERY frustrating! John works for Bellsouth and looks at these problems all the time, so he came over and showed me what to do if it happens again. I am GLAD. Anyway, Grace came over with him and had to build me a snowman before she left. Of course, being the proud aunt, I had to take some pictures. She's just SO sweet and so good for my heart!

Life lessons

I am glad to be home tonight. I went with my sister and her family to see my mom over the weekend. She lives in Florida, Amelia Island, and while it's nice down there, it was nice to return home as well. There really is no place like home, no matter where that might be!

We left Thursday after work and got to my mom's a little after midnight. Her husband is in a nursing home there and isn't doing well, so we knew we needed to go. He was diagnosed a couple of years ago with semantic dementia, which means that he knew most everything, he just couldn't find the words to convey what he wanted to say. They have been seeing someone and working to help him stave the progression off as long as they could, but since Thanksgiving, he's done some really strange things, totally out of character for him. Things have taken a real turn and now he doesn't know who anyone is, where he is, etc. My mom was determined to keep him at home as long as she could, but after a couple of stays in the hospital, their doctor told my mom that he needed more care than she could provide alone. The ironic thing is that he, her husband, was a doctor and knew this was happening and knew what my mom was eventually going to have to deal with, so he helped to prepare her for it as much as he could. It's just a sad situation.

I know that people all over the world have had to deal with this, with Alzheimer's or an array of other mind-stealing disorders, but this is the first time that I've really seen it first hand. When we were got to the nursing home on Friday, he was sitting there in his wheelchair with his food in front of him, but holding a little food in his hand, barely able to eat. My mom fed him, talked to him, asked him if he remembered anyone or if anyone looked familiar, but of course, he didn't know any of us. It was so odd to stand there looking into the eyes of someone who has been married to my mom for about 6 or 7 years and have him not recognize her or any of us. I can only imagine what it would be like to have it be one of my parents, a spouse, or anyone I have really been close to.

What makes all this even sadder is that his children have not done anything to help my mom handle this situation. He has a son that lives in Ohio and a daughter that lives in Seattle. The daughter came to see him the week before Christmas, but he didn't recognize her either, so she left and went shopping! She went to see him the next day, went shopping again, then she was supposed to leave early Friday evening, but changed her flight to leave first thing Friday morning and hasn't called but a couple of time since then! I just can't imagine! The son has called and, while he doesn't care much for my mom at all, he talked to the doctors and told them he was coming 'after Christmas'.....then it turned into 'after New Year's'.....and now it's turned into, "Well, I'll call again in a few weeks for an update." Can you even believe that? My mom's husband was a doctor, afforded for his family to travel the world, send his children to the best colleges, bought them vehicles, townhouses and condos when they graduated, etc, then to have them not have any more regard for him than that....I am amazed. I realize though that you don't really know a situation unless you live it, but still, they've had a good life and this is their dad! 'Doc,' as we call him, has been good to my mom, good to my sister, brother-in-law, my nieces and me, so I can't imagine that he would have been any less with his own children. I'm just amazed.

As history, we call him 'Doc' first of all because he was a doctor, but he was my mom and dad's internist the whole time my sister and I were growing up, so we've heard his name virtually all of our lives. My parents divorced in 1997 and mom and 'Doc' started dating in probably 2001. His first wife had died of leukemia in 2000, my mom got sick that Christmas and called him to call in a prescription for her. Since my parents had been patients of his for so long, he shared that his wife had passed away and next thing you know, he and my mom were dating! So here we are being step-kids to someone we've heard mention of our whole lives. Although my brother-in-law started the nickname, 'Doc' just seemed to fit, so that's what we've affectionately called him.

While this is a sad situation, my sister had some good words the other night, and really it was a good lesson for life. I said, "You know, isn't it sad that you live the life he has lived, traveled and seen the world like he has, helped people, then come to this point and not remember any of it?" Her response: "Yeah, but you know, he knew what he was doing when he did it and he enjoyed it, and you can't really ask for any more than that."

I had to agree.

"It's NEVER about the presents!"

Wow. What a sweet holiday.

Kate was only about 4 months old when her first Christmas rolled around back in 1994, so I can't remember if I did this that year or not or if it was her second Christmas that we started doing this, but every year, I spend the night at my sister's on Christmas Eve. Kate is now 13 and Grace is 8, so it's been going on for a really long time. It's just tradition and they start asking in early November every year if I'm going to spend the night there on Christmas Eve. I always act like it's a big decision because I want to see what they say, but truthfully, there is nowhere else I'd rather be! If they didn't ask, I'd be disappointed!

Here's my story:

My sister called me last Saturday and asked if I could come get the girls and take them out for a little while that afternoon so she could get all their stuff out and be sure things were 'even.' Of course, I jump at the chance to do that any time she asks, so we went to Blockbuster, Books a Million, Target, then Starbucks. All was well. My sister had things just as she had hoped. I stayed at their house for dinner then left to come home and start wrapping their stuff for Christmas.

While we were out that afternoon/early evening, Grace was talking about the things she wanted for Christmas, what she'd told Santa, etc, just excited about the holiday. After a few minutes, I said, 'Grace, I know you're looking forward to all that, but you know what Christmas is really all about, right?' Her response, 'It's about spending time with friends and family and being nice.' Well, I had to giggle because she KNOWS that Christmas is about Jesus' birth. They go to church and she's heard the story since she was little, I guess just in the moment of me asking, that was what came out of her mouth. I said, 'It is about those things sort of, but it's really about it being Jesus' birthday and that's what we need to remember.' We talked about that for a bit then moved on to other things.

I went to our Vespers Service on Monday evening, after that, to some friends' house for a little while, then I left there to come home, gather clothes and gifts and head over to my sister's. I had been there about an hour or so and my sister discovered that she needed more eggs (she was having about 15 people at her house for Christmas dinner, so she was busy into preparations for that....she is a FABULOUS cook!), so Grace and I left to come here to get eggs....I never cook, so it was amazing that I had any to begin with! As we were leaving, Grace and I decided to ride around my neighborhood to look at Christmas lights. My house is the 7th one in at the second entrace to my subdivision, so I don't see what goes on with all the houses behind me unless I drive around to look, but I was pleasantly, and I mean pleasantly, surprised to see that many houses had a nativity scene set up in their front yard! YEA! I was glad to see that, and it provided more of an opportunity for talk with Grace. That was fun and we decided that might be our tradition. As we were heading back to their house about 10:20, she saw Santa several times up in the sky. She was worried that she wasn't in bed and asleep yet, so I told her he was probably up there looking for the babies homes so he could go there first since they had an earlier bedtime and were surely already asleep. She was satisfied with that. Although I know these days will be coming to an end in the next year or two, I love the fact that she still believes in Santa. It is just so much fun and when I say she still believes, I mean she believes HARD. She told my sister that she wanted to marry Santa so she could take care of him. I guess she's afraid Mrs Claus isn't as good to him as she needs to be! Grace leaves him cookies and milk out every year and, this year, she even left him a Starbuck's mug so he could take his drinks to go and they would stay hot! She wanted a bell from his sleigh too, so my sister had found these ornaments that were like sleigh bells, but they had a portion cut out in the side and had a nativity set inside of them. She left two of them out, one for Kate and one for Grace. Grace was absolutely thrilled! You should have heard her screeching and hollering....it was adorable!

Anyway, not long after we got home from getting the eggs and looking at Christmas lights, it got to be about bedtime, so since I was sleeping with Grace that night, I went in there to lay down with her until she fell asleep. While we were laying there, I told her we needed to say our prayers and asked if she wanted to say them or if she wanted me to. Of course, she wanted me to, so I started:

"Dear God, we thank you for today and for the time we have had together to play and have fun....we pray that you will give us a good day tomorrow and help us to remember that Christmas isn't about the presents, but that it's about Jesus' birth...."

While I am saying this, I hear this sweet little voice, "It's never about the presents," I keep praying, then I hear a little louder, "It's NEVER about the presents," so I just try to fluff over it and keep going thinking that she surely understands that I know that since we had talked about it earlier, but then Grace stops me and says, "AUNT DIANNE, IT IS NEVER ABOUT THE PRESENTS!!!" Of course, I just had to giggle because it was funny that she just kept right on saying that until I got the point, but I had to acknowledge what she was saying....that she was RIGHT and that I was proud of her for correcting me on that. What a sweetie! Not much gets by her, that's for sure.

Not long after that she was snoozin' away and there I was, laying in the dark thinking about how God has blessed me though these two nieces of mine, each in their own way, and that I probably wouldn't experience such sweet times with them if I had kids of my own.

Have I mentioned lately how lucky I am to have the life that I have??? 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from me and one sweet, spoiled rotten cat....

hope yours is great!

Older and wiser...

From a recent e-mail:

The other day a young person asked me how I felt about being old. I was taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, she was immediately embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting question, and I would ponder it, and let her know.

Old Age, I decided, is a gift.

I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror (who looks like my mother!), but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, or my family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself...I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60's & 70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love, I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hi t by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong. So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I feel like it!)

The fabulous Babbie Mason

There are some things that happen in life that are just too cool. Last night was one of those times.

We were fortunate enough to have the fabulous Babbie Mason at our church yesterday. She sang two songs yesterday morning, then she was in concert last night. After it was over, I bought three CD's....one for me, two for gifts, and a book. There was a line of people waiting to speak with her and since I never know what to say to 'famous' people (and not that I've had many opportunities...some people on Days of Our Lives (who are hardly famous!) many years ago and of course my favorite....Donny Osmond!), I was going to forego that opportunity, BUT as I stood there talking to people, the line kept getting shorter and shorter as others had their turn, got their autographs, pictures, and left. SO, there I was deciding that since she was SO close, I just needed to speak to her. She had mentioned during her concert that they are living in Bowdon now and since I have aunts and uncles there, I thought that might break the ice....big deal, huh? :-) Anyway, I waited my turn, handed her my book to sign, then as that was happening, my friend Pam's husband, Dow (who is also my friend), sidled up next to me and kinda stood there....I was wondering if he wanted to get in on my conversation with Babbie (!!), but imagine my suprise when he leaned in and said, 'They're coming to our house for a little while when they leave here....We have an extra spot, so why don't you come over too?' Babbie said, 'Yeah, come on over!'

I was like, "UH....OKAY!!!" :-) WOW!

So there we were breaking bread together....Pam, Dow, Rick (our Minister of Music--his wife was out of town so that's why they had the open spot), me, Babbie, her husband, Charles, and two people who were helping at the sales table after the program. Babbie had caught wind at lunch that Pam's house is fabulously decorated for Christmas (and it REALLY is!!!), and asked if she could come see it after church last night! Can you imagine....Babbie Mason asking to come see your house?? :-) It was a very nice night and as you would expect, Babbie was as fun, gracious, humble and unpretentious as you would ever want her to be. We all talked and shared things, but she shared about their new ventures, living in a small town where people know her husband more than they know her....as evidenced by her trip to Dollar General one day....her children, her grandchildren, personal prayer requests, etc. It was an amazing night and one that only served to deepen my respect for an incredibly gifted artist and a godly woman.

I told Pam that never in a million years when I left for church last night did I imagine it would end with dinner and fellowship at her house with Babbie Mason! Of course, I'm sure she never dreamed when she woke up yesterday morning that things would transpire like they did either, but it was a fabulous concert and a fun night and once again, I am more than blessed!

But can you believe that I didn't even think to take my camera??? What is UP with that? I thought about that today though and really that may have been best anyway. Babbie may have felt more comfortable since no one 'wanted' anything....just time to relax and talk....no pictures, no expectations....and making it easy to follow Pam's #1 rule for anyone who enters her house...."Make yourself at home." Now THAT is a sweet friend!

But, camera or not, it was definitely a night to remember...

A Christmas quiz

I got this quiz as an e-mail and thought it would be fun to post the answers here....I'd love to read your answers too, so let me know if you want to play along....

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?

both

2. Real or Artificial tree ?

artificial....but this is the first year I've had one....and it's SKINNY! :-)

3. When do you put up the tree ?

The day after Thanksgiving this year because Grace was spending the night

4. When do you take the tree down?

Knowing me, as soon as Christmas is over....like maybe that night!

5. Do you like Eggnog?

absolutely.....I can't imagine anyone that doesn't, but I'm sure there is someone!

6. Favorite Gift you received as a child?

I don't know....but the first thing that came to mind is a pogo stick that I got one year.

7. Do you have a nativity scene?

yes

8. Hardest person to buy for?

My dad...he doesn't need or want a thing, except for us to come visit...bless his sweet heart!

9. Easiest person to buy for?

My nieces

10. Worst Christmas gift ever received?

Believe it or not, gel insoles from my boss! NO kidding! Can you imagine??

11. Christmas Cards...Snail mail or E-mail?

Snail mail....I love cards!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?

No favorite movie comes to mind, but if I can pick a cartoon, it is Frosty the Snowman

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?

November-ish

14. Have you ever 'recycled' a Christmas present?

Not that I can remember

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?

My sister is a fabulous cook, so most anything she makes...except oyster dressing.....YUCK! Luckily she makes regular dressing too! :-)

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree?

clear

17. Favorite Christmas Song?

O Holy Night

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?

home...at my sister's....but she's only 5 minutes away

19. Can you name Santa's Reindeer?

yes

20. Do you have an Angel or a Star on top of your tree?

A star with a snowman on it

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?

Christmas morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?

the busy-ness

23. Shopping...Mall or online?

both

Let me know if you play along and I'll come check out your answers too!