The Green Version of My Christmas Card

Yahweh assigned my portion and my cup. You made my lot secure.
Psalm 16:5

When I look back at the last seven months it seems like a hurricane occurred but instead of leaving disaster, there has been growth. I definitely have landed in a new place. Often I feel striped of all I had, and yet God has met me with His faithfulness to provide, direct and protect. The LORD has been my portion. What has happened and will happen has been warranted by Him.

The Reason for our hope is God’s Faithfulness to His People. God is committed to save for himself a people of this own. He does this not by searching for perfect paragons of virtue, but rather by reaching down to rebellious sinners and transforming them from the inside out. This is usually a slow work… but god is not in a hurry. This slow work often involves painful paths, as God strips away the things in which we have placed our trust instead of him. All along the hard road to heaven, though, the love of God draws us and drives us to Himself and will not let us go. - Duguid

I hope your 2008 has been a blessing. I pray you find great JOY and greater HOPE in the Savior who was born on CHRISTMAS.

cHRisTmaS moViES

I love christmas movies... and as of tonight i want to give a great recommendation to each of you to watch THE CHRISTMAS CARD. So go check your ondemand... go online do what you have to inorder to take in a true HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTjcvGglmuE

Did you know?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nteiqLgZFOU&feature=related


inquire based learning or bust

For these things I am thankful...

I am thankful for...

family
friends
sushi
good news
recoveries
new beginnings
soup
scary things that are not so scary anymore
my job
christmas movies
BIG FULL hope that only the LORD can provide
champagne
love
christmas music
confrontation (but just the right amount)
newt
pecan pie
the peace that passes ALL understanding
good health
maggie
james
haynes
rowan
TBA...
my new/old friend Alison
the part of You've Got Mail that spurred on many giggles with Kelley... appy tanksgibing boc
church
skype
the Lord
honesty
hair cuts
stars
community
reces peanut butter cups
ray lamontagne
american idol for the Wii (becky i promise to return it next week)
elton john
the truth
freedom
christmas trees
a big kitchen table
art
grace
diversity
door busters
magazines
fresh air
and as Banks pointed out today electricity

basketball season is upon us

i have traded in my vandy season tickets for middle school basketball tickets.
fair ... well that is tbd in the season that is upon us.

meeting new friends but keeping the old

as i transition and this move continues to settle in i am in a place of peace and excitement... my dear friends in nashville have made visits and i can show them where this new life is .... and i have made a few trips back as well... and it just does not seem too far away.

this week i made a new friend who has ... well ... broadened my view one could say and shown me an even deeper vision of what it means to hope in the LORD.

i have dinner plans tomorrow night and a community group... i am so stinking excited about both that i cannot handle it. i had a great weekend with sweet courtney last weekend and i await the arrival of evie and reba this weekend.

dad is doing well... the leaves are changing... the holidays in this city are just around the corner... the magnolia tree outside my window even has a flower blooming.

i am even on track with working on the living situation... i looked at apartments last weekend and the options are exciting. i am thankful too that i don't have to make any quick choices... to rent ... to buy... to live alone ... to live with a roommate... only time will tell.

this week has been off the charts.

i am june and i am thankful.

ahhhh

today has been full of things that things that make you go ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh (and are usually followed by 4 letter words!

i give up trying to fix them or make them more palatable... (especially) when they are someone else's unresolved bla bla... they are what they are... and they now reside in hands that are much larger than mine ... all powerful... all knowing...

i give up all the ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh (and the 4 letter words)!

shout out to my sister and to the sisters

Sisters, sisters
There were never such devoted sisters,
Never had to have a chaperone, no sir,
Im there to keep my eye on her

Caring, sharing
Every little thing that we are wearing
When a certain gentleman arrived from rome
She wore the dress, and I stayed home

All kinds of weather, we stick together
The same in the rain and sun
Two different faces, but in tight places
We think and we act as one

Those whove seen us
Know that not a thing
could come between us
Many men have tried to split us up,
but no one can
Lord help the mister
who comes between me and my sister
And lord help the sister,
who comes between me and my man

wow...

oh all that can happen in just a week...

i won't go into it but these truths remain...

God is in control. I am not.

I am thankful for friends, family, delilah B98.5.

You get B.O. after 3 days of not showering.

We must find our truth in the Word. The rest of us and I mean all of us love to create new modified truths and they just don't cut it. In fact it can lead to a scarey place.

Chocolate Chip cookies have a bold message ... in fact they might even end wars.

Age is just a number.

A few lines from the daily devotional

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5: 6-7

In his heart a man plans his course,
but the LORD determines his steps.
Proverbs 16: 9

Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
Psalm 37:5

you will not find my peace by engaging in excessive planning; attempting to control what will happen to you in the future. ... when your mind spins with multiple plans, peace may sometimes seem to be with in your grasp; yet it always eludes you.

- sarah young

Trust in HIM at all times.
Pour your heart out before HIM.
God is your refuge.
Psalm 62:8

the last 24ish hours have been eventful.

the greatest news we heard was that the chemo was successful because it did not show up in the lymph nodes or the bladder. they did find some cells in the prostate but they are confident but since it is removed it should not be an issue.

Dr. Moses said it the best, "Mike... the cancer... IT is in a bucket somewhere not in your body." The tangible image of this brings me GREAT comfort.

yesterday dad started running a fever, and he had an irregular heart beat. the home health nurse said she thought it might be an infection and she thought it would be a good idea to get it checked out. so dad went back to Emory.

in the beginning they were thinking pneumonia and after x rays they wanted to rule out blood clots so they did a ct scan with contrast. the scans showed clots in both his lungs and one leg. so he is check back in to Emory and they are treating him with a blood thinner and monitoring him as this teeters on the healing process of his surgery.

we are all SO thankful for the good news! the set back of the clotting is in God's hands.

how thankful i am that the Lord has placed you in my life. your prayers and encouragements are the GREATEST comfort and strength.

while the image of the cancer being in a bucket is one of comfort and victory. the image of the Lord caring for us throught this and giving us just what we need for each day has expanded my perspective. my perspective of Him and the truths proclaimed in scripture have become even more real.

Rise

I see you dreaming by the ocean window
I hear you breathing like the waves upon the shore
The tide is turning on your time of sorrow
You will never be so lonesome any more

The breezes whisper as the curtain dances
Your dreams are deeper than the mystery of the sea
The sun itself is in the room beside you
With a message of how good your life can be

I know that a heart can just get buried
Stone by stone, crushing hope until it dies
Far away, but the message somehow carries
Beloved, it is time for you to rise. Time for you to RISE UP...

With a sudden sense of wonder | Though the promise goes unspoken
As the joy comes to your eyes | When the joy comes to your eyes
From the burden you've been under | For your soul was never broken

Beloved, it is time for you to rise, time for you to rise.

There's nothing wrong with taking time for sleeping
Your eyes are weary with the things that you have seen
A deeper promise your soul is keeping
Right in time for this appointment in your dream

Angels whisper so as not to wake you
There's nothing else in this whole world for you to do
But follow on to where your dream may take you
To see your footsteps from an eagle's point of view

© David Wilcox, all rights reserved

has it come to this...

i think i am in love with JACK BLACK... i mean i may have to put together a collage of pictures and hang them in my locker... i mean bookshelf by my desk. he just seems to have that quality... that factor... or maybe it was just his acting in portrayal of a character that really never existed...

these are lifes greater questions... ?

GOOD NEWS!

WOOHOOOOOOOOO! The results of the PET scan came back great! I won't type all the details but the big thing is that the lining of the bladder did shrink and therefore they can go through with the scheulded surgery on AUGUST 29th.

The next BIG prayer is that they will be able to remove ALL the lymph nodes that may contain cancer.

Thank you for your dedication to prayer and your constant encouragment!

update on dad

so as of today daddy mike is done with chemo... thursday he goes for the PET scan which will finalize some things and secure his surgery date which is tentatively set for August 29th.

a little/big miracle.... so i have learned that blood readings platelets, cells red and white are all a huge factor in the progression of treating cancer. so a week and a half ago dads platelets were an low low low and a transfusion was almost inevitable... so he went to check in a few days later he went back to have blood work done and they had jumped by thousands ... the miracle part comes in by way of platelets don't increase unless a. you stop chemo or b. you have a transfusion... woohhoo!!! coming off this final cycle of chemo has been a little rough but we are all hopeful that this is the end of the road for the chemo segment... and if it isn't we will all just gear up again.

in anticipation of getting to move on to part III (surgery) please pray for the surgeon his name is Dr. Nieh (knee) ... dad thinks he is great so i back him on that... they met about two weeks ago and he went through the process with him... the BIGGEST factor in the surgery is removing ALL the lymph nodes... i am trying to learn more about this but i hear it can be difficult to insure removing all of them. please pray that they would be apparent and easy to remove. he will have his bladder removed and there will be some reconstruction.

thank you for being faithful to pray for him.

today our spirits are definitely higher but there is much anticipation to have the PET scan and hear the results (August 7th)....

we will keep you posted.

summer is over ... not the season but the vaccation...

it has been a different summer but a good summer none the less.

from pulling dad through his chemo ...

a move...

taking a new job...

picking apples...

beach...

bring back prices right but this time with drew carey...

buying my first lottery tickets... (and on a regular basis)

hanging out with old friends...

starting a new art class... figure drawing... challenging but worth it.

not having a summer job...

going to mama mia with nicole kidman and keith urban but most importantly dear dear friends...and then againg with my dad

driving a big rig over mont eagle...

going to the robert plant allison kraus show...

saying good bye to the last five years...

taking a tour of the mayfield dairy...

embracing the sonoma lifestyle without leaving the great state of georgia...

and oh so much more...

so tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my life... and yours too!

early retirement...

the summers that i do not work i find myself in early retirement...
this summers retirement in the simplest form is reduced to the prices is right, playing the lottery (Mega Millions, Quick Pick, with the Cash Option), and reading the obituaries... did you know bozo the clown died two weeks ago.

getting on your own nerves

so a few years ago while sitting around laudy some of us were wrestling with this worlds greater issues... when one of my dear friends said, "ahh i am getting on my own nerves." that is when i realized that the great feeling of frustration that wells up within myself when all i have done is think about myself is really just me "getting on my own nerves."

so this morning i was reading a little Oswald Chambers when i came across this entry on redemption... i think he does an outstanding job of putting words around this and within the greater context of scripture. simply put... i am redeemed and therefore i am taken care of so it is not necessary for me to keep my focus on myself.

well anyways... the past two days have been full to the hilt of me, my, i, mine and i have definitely reached the point of "getting on my own nerves." i may have missed the mark here in the details of interpretation ... but here is how he said it...

Launch out in reckless, unrestrained belief that the redemption is complete. Then don’t worry anymore about yourself, but begin to do as Jesus Christ has said, in essence, "Pray for the friend who comes to you at midnight, pray for the saints of God, and pray for all men." Pray with the realization that you are perfect only in Christ Jesus, not on the basis of this argument: "Oh, Lord, I have done my best; please hear me now."

How long is it going to take God to free us from the unhealthy habit of thinking only about ourselves? We must get to the point of being sick to death of ourselves, until there is no longer any surprise at anything God might tell us about ourselves. We cannot reach and understand the depths of our own meagerness. There is only one place where we are right with God, and that is in Christ Jesus. Once we are there, we have to pour out our lives for all we are worth in this ministry of the inner life.

- Oswald Chambers

definitely easier said than done... but what a great freedom!

green tea

green tea has served a great purpose in my life recently. i have been trying to drink more fresh brewed green tea because it is a great agent in balancing the pH levels of our bodies. so i have had mint green tea, mango green tea, acai berry green tea, plain green tea... and i do have to say i think it has been refreshing and rejuvenating and lets face it a pH balenced body is a happy body... insert smiling face...

it has also served me as my new local sushi eatery... here is what makes it great... it is the Chinese food restaurant of my parents choice and they seem to be celebraties there or maybe it is that my sweet little southern mom has become best friends with all of them. she has shared with them her favorite place to go blackberry picking... her favorite place go on walks... and even her favorite grocery store for the best produce... i would not even be shocked if she has made them all pound cake and or asked them to dinner later this week. well when i walked in a team of employees stormed us at the door shook our hands and took us right to the "usual" booth. but really what makes this place a cut above is the fact that... not only do they have great sushi... but they have Chinese and Thai food... and they do it all right! it is just a little one stop shop if you ask me. the clincher is that the Chinese food apparently trumps the sushi and Thai by the gesture of a fortune cookie at the end of your meal.



i love fortune cookies... i always let the others that are with me take theirs because then i feel like the one that is left was meant for me. well tonight i had a great fortune... it read, "you will step foot on the soil of many countries." that fortune makes me one happy girl.

A Father's Day Tribute to Daddy Warbucks

moving home...

meet my new roommates! i have recently move home to georgia... and when i say i moved home i not only mean to the state that i lived in for roughly fourteen years i also mean i moved in with my parents. many thing have prompted this decision and it is a blessing to be able to return. this blessing comes with both joy and akwardness... so it should provide many opportunities for me to write and share with you daily snips in this ever changing ever challenging and ever entertaining life...

like the wii my father recently got... i am sure i will be keeping you up to date with triumphs and victories... as today after church i boxed in four matches and three of them were KNOCK OUTS! last night i played golf and well there is some room for improvement but then i went bowling and whipped up on my sister with a score of 210 or something like that... with the spirit of the olympics in the air one could say i have aquired the fire and i am yet again training.

training leads me back to another fire that has been aquired and that is running or lets call it jogging... i have picked it back up as a means to keep the peace, provide free entertainment, and shead the lbs that were put on during the stress of this winter... bring it on... some days i can run just a mile or two other days i feel like i could just keep going on to nashville... i should keep track of my millage and see how many days it would take me... okay so i have rambled now...

on this fathers day sunday that can be joyful for some and painful for others i leave you with our closing hymn from church... for it is our Heavenly Father who is our only HOPE for our broken and unsatisfied hearts...

How Deep the Father’s Love for Us

How deep the Father's love for us, how vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son to make a wretch His treasure.
How great the pain of searing loss; the Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the Chosen One bring many sons to glory.

Behold the Man upon the cross, my sin upon His shoulders;
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice call out among the scoffers.
It was my sin that held Him there until it was accomplished;
His dying breath has brought me life--I know that it is finished.

I will not boast in anything--no gifts, no pow'r, no wisdom--
But I will boast in Jesus Christ; His death and resurrection.
Why should I gain from His reward? I cannot give an answer;
But this I know with all my heart--His wounds have paid my ransom.

i have a coffee stain on my pride

yesterday was a dooooooozie... it started when my skinny decaf caramel latte fell off of the top of my car over my head and all down the front and back of my snappy casual spring meeting attire... i was scheduled for an 8 o'clock meeting with the big wigs and i was lacking options for clothing and had to borrow sweatpants and a long sleeves t. i had a blazer in the back seat of my car that i threw on and a bobby pin in my desk drawer... i threw my hair back in a bun and walked confidently toward the confrence room... i smiled big hoping that no one would notice my less than chic attire and forged ahead...

the waiting place...

,
when i grasped fully that this season would be about of researching possible life changes i had NO idea that it would involve this much waiting. ahh

wednesday night after a big girl glass of wine with a dear friend Evie i realized that the Lord has placed many great things in my life currently and He has also recently placed many great options for my future in my path too. it is comical because at warp speed i feel like they are being heaped on me and that YET none of them have come into fruition or are fully known at this time... i so long to know these options a little more and to have them narrowed down.

with so many births and pregnancies around me ... i have put this all into a pregnancy analogy... i feel pregnant with opportunity and yet i cannot induce them into play... when will my water break... when will i know ... here or there... who... when...

last night i hit a wall of sorts in this process... the result was a late night walk where there was lots of praying, crying, playing out scenarios, crying, (can i thrown gnashing of teeth in there for effect)and general process of the frustration that is at hand.

today as i read my devotion from Streams in The Desert I came across this... and it helped sooth the frustration...

And then, when pressed with burdens and troubles too complicated to put into words and too mysterious to tell or understand, how sweet it is to fall back into His blessed arms, and just sob out the sorrow that we cannot speak! --Selected

my friend sarah once asked me, "at what point did it not become okay to be broken?"... at first i answered puberty and then more seriously after the fall... okay or not okay i am broken and at times i will not appear to be but the truth is i am ... i am just a broken girl made full, complete, and purposeful by the savior.

a piece of my childhood is gone

a piece of my childhood has passed on.

A small group of boys walks down the street
Throwing a ball in the air
One says to another
Hey I'll always be your brother
I'll always be your friend

Do you remember
When we thought we were immortal
And the games we played always had a happy end
But in the game of life all the roses wither
And time writes its lines upon your face

Summer's here and three young men
Drive through the town in the night air
When fall comes they'll part again
One turns to another and he says

It's three A.M. and he's been feeling lonely
Work's been hard and the city's hard too
He picks up the phone and
halfway across the country
A brother listens to his blues he says

Sometimes I wish
That we all were immortal
And the game of life always had a happy end
But I know it's not true oh time keeps passing
But I'm just glad to spend my time
With you

Lift your voices loud and clearly
Sing for brotherhood right now
Lift your voices loud and clearly
Sing for sisterhood right now

waiting on the dress

i have come to the conclusion that seeing a dress or item of clothing that you really want but don't know if it fits perfectly or if you you need it ... is similar to meeting a guy and enjoying him liking what you know and see and yet not knowing if you need him or even more so if he fits into your world.

change... it happens

change happens and i think it is about to rain down on me... in some exciting & good ways and some unsure & unknown ways. it is sure to be an exciting season of events and decisions... so hold on because i think this is going to be an exciting ride and this blog is going to be the outlet.

depth of winter

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."

Albert Camus

Need I say more?

so much to say so much to say so much to saaaaaaaaaaaay...

well i am just not even sure where to start so you are about to run the gamete of events, emotions and epiphanies that have occurred since january 18th. i have to say i am writing to a small audience but you are faithful readers as i am prompted and encouraged to blog by two of the five of you reading. so here is to you and yours.

the last three weeks have been utterly chaotic, confusing, disappointing, gray, uncomfortable and then yet at the same time redeeming, hopeful, joyful, and refreshing.

those of you who know me at all know i love to sing a good song every now and then... so in my mind as i go through life there is always a soundtrack; therefore, making my life similar to a television show... not so much like the shows that are basically a music video you know the ones that overly use music as a means to sell music because MTV no longer shows any videos... more like a sitcom/musical/drama mixed story with very random episodes of singing.... some days there is definitely more music than others.... at different points in the last three weeks there have been an array of songs here are a few to give you perspective...

At the peek of disillusionment this next song fit perfectly. (Pre and Post my weekly Thursday Breakdown with Kelley and again the next week Pre Conversation with Kelley)


The storm is coming but i don't mind.
People are dying, i close my blinds.

All that i know is i'm breathing now.

I want to change the world...instead i sleep.
I want to believe in more than you and me.

But all that i know is i'm breathing.
All i can do is keep breathing.
All we can do is keep breathing now.

THANK YOU INGRID MICHAELSON

The realization that i have misplaced my hope occurs next ... i mean i literally lost my hope and then tried to put it in the wrong places followed by loss of joy and search for something else to comfort me satisfy me and ultimately give me joy... Then, the beginning of the epiphany, that was really just so simple and yet impossible to see. The lyrics from Four Him and Getting BACK to the basics of life chimed in...

We need to get back
To the basics of life
A heart that is pure
And a love that is blind
A faith that is fervently
grounded in Christ
The hope that endures for all times
These are the basics,
we need to get back
To the basics of life

THANK YOU FOUR HIM
(Post 2nd Thursday weekly break down with Kelley.)

Psalm 16:5 also chimed in... Yahweh assigned my portion and my cup. You made my lot secure.

Then I think i heard the fourth verse of amazing grace clearly for the first time.

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be
as long as life endures.

I mean the answer keeps getting clearer...

Then the promises of the Lord securing my JOY and being my hope continues to pore in...

Psalm 4
7 You have filled my heart with greater joy
than when their grain and new wine abound.

8 I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for you alone, O LORD,
make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 16
11 You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.



Then the Sunday after my second weekly breakdown per Kelley's advice I listen to Craig's sermon basically on the disappointments in life... Jacob and Leah

LISTEN TO THE FOLLOWING...

http://www.citychurcheast.org/sermons/2008_01/01_06_2008_sermon.mp3


and then the following (Q and A from the above... trust me you will need it)

listen for Kelley’s question it yields a great answer...

http://www.citychurcheast.org/sermons/2008_01/01_13_2008_vision.mp3

and then the following

http://www.citychurcheast.org/sermons/2008_01/01_13_2008_sermon.mp3


Then the truth was just so clear...

that i had been placing my hope in other things that were NEVER intended to serve such a purpose... then my joy was squashed and my hope was misplaced... i searched for satisfaction in an array of things family, work, boyfriends, books, art, cooking, rearranging, $50 couches from the Antique Market, friends, music, shopping, food, running, swimming, tv, movies, drinking... You Get The Picture...

I can't Get No Satisfaction...

When I'm watchin' my TV
And a man comes on to tell me
How white my shirts can be
But he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke
The same cigarettes as me
I can't get no, oh no no no
Hey hey hey, that's what I say

I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no girlie action
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can't get no, I can't get no

Thanks Otis...


these things people places could not provide me with the satisfaction... comfort ... or protection that i was needing and longing for. which is when the light bulb switched on... the choir raised up and sang there anthem... the ahhah was sighed... the ball hit the bat... etc...

MY HOPE IS TO BE PLACED IN THE LORD ONLY. HE IS THE SUPPLIER OF ALL THINGS INCLUDING JOY... COMFORT... PROTECTION. ONCE GROUNDED IN HIM THE OTHER THINGS IN LIFE CAN BE ENJOYED FOR WHAT THEY WERE INTENDED TO BE RATHER THAN THE SOUL SOURCE OF HOPE... EXCITMENT... JOY... PEACE... PURPOSE... ETC...

It boils down to this...

Psalm 16

2 I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing."

inconvenient conveniences

so you might be wondering what is she talking about well here is the definition by Webster of the following:

convenient
Main Entry:
con·ve·nient
Pronunciation:
\kən-ˈvēn-yənt\
Function:
adjective
Etymology:
Middle English, from Latin convenient-, conveniens, from present participle of convenire to assemble, come together, be suitable, from com- + venire to come — more at come
Date:
14th century
1obsolete : suitable proper2 a: suited to personal comfort or to easy performance b: suited to a particular situation c: affording accommodation or advantage 3: being near at hand : close
— con·ve·nient·ly adverb

inconvenient
Main Entry:
in·con·ve·nient
Pronunciation:
\ˌin-kən-ˈvē-nyənt\
Function:
adjective
Etymology:
Middle English, incongruous, harmful, from Anglo-French, from Latin inconvenient-, inconveniens, from in- + convenient-, conveniens convenient
Date:
1651
: not convenient especially in giving trouble or annoyance : inopportune
— in·con·ve·nient·ly adverb

So the combination is when something occurs that that hinders the outcome you are projecting and hoping for, but that something while postponed helps you to get to where you need to be and in the perfect time. It does not always feel great but in the end you are very satisfied if not blown away by the timing and by what actually occurs and then those things that never come into play.

what can i say but the last 6 plus week have been full of inconvenient conveniences. today was like the cherry on top. so my dad is having some health scares ... alot of which is unknown until after the biopsy is taken and the results return. the timing of this yet again is an inconvenient convenience. this has made me look at a few things

a. the fact that i will be leaving to go and be with family which puts me out of reach to a situation i was hoping to be in arms length of.

***(BEING WITH MY FAMILY IS NOT AN INCONVIENCE TO ME JUST AT ONE POINT IN TIME IT SEEMED TO BE AS I WAS LEAVING WHAT I THOUGHT WAS MORE IMPORTANT AND I WAS BEING SELFISH ... (this all turns out to be a convience though).)***

b. i realized that the situation i hoped to be in arms length of is not a situation that i need to be in the vicinity of for now anyways.

c. both these situations have brought me to face the fact that i come from a line of really strong women who are outside the box thinkers and lovers ... yes i said lovers.... i also come from a home, childhood and adulthood where i have been surrounded by and loved by really strong men and the situation that i want to be in reach of but due to an inconvenience (the geographic possibility of this especially for the weekend) puts this as yet another convenience. this convenience will give me time to reflect on the clarity that i had random flashes of today.

d. this also puts me smack dab in the presence of those strong men that have loved me so well and i believe after the convenient inconvenience that i have allowed myself to be absorbed by will be put into perspective.

if you can make sense of this your IQ is definitely above average and i would go as far to say you would be great at the word problems that go something like...."if two trains leave the same station at the same time but train a.... and train b.... what time will they arrive at t......

so all this to say i am learning that conveniences are sometimes VERY inconvenient and inconveniences are some times well ... just BIG BLESSINGS!

it is a new year and one of my resolutions is to be more intentional. how this translates into TIME is an interesting and challenging issue to let my busy be busy and my time with friends and family be time with friends and family.

now most of you are thinking that june ... she does a great job of stating the obvious. i mean it gets dark at night....

well i just want to be where i am in 2008 ... i do not want to wish i am anywhere than were i am.... this is how i think this will play out... when i am with a friend at dinner... walking ... a game... a concert... .etc... i will be there and not on the phone with other people trying to figure out what else is happening in this rapidly spinning home we call earth.

i also want my downtime to be full of nothing and not alot little somethings while turning circles that only myself, my mom, and mrs. yates would find relaxing. so far i am doing well with this seeing as my intentional downtime was supported with my car being in the shop and limiting where i could go.

however today after school and a mesocyclonic (or something like that) supercell (aka a drill with 2,000 student in the hall in tornado position) i wanted a drink so ... i intentionally met my friend leslie to have a drink. it was intentional... and then i intentionally went to the gym to burn some calories.

i guess you could say my new years resolutions have been a success so far.

not a typo

steal magnolias... was declared my blog title with great conviction by kirker. with that declaration my heart resonated and i thought... it should be. so here i am in 2008 with a blog and not really knowing what form or function it should take on but knowing that it is time.

steal magnolias is not a typo... it is truth because well....

i steal magnolias.

i have a great love for this tree and its glowing white flower and the sleek shiny green leaves it produces. i grew up in the great state of Georgia where magnolias sprout up freely. in the house that i grew up in there in the front yard stood and still stands a magnolia tree that is both huge and humongous also. well the house that i now reside in well there is no pillar of such great beauty however the neighbors and surrounding churches have bounties of this great tree... i and i mean we (kirker, emily, brent, phil, my mom...) will go out normally on great occasion and prune the trees in order to share their great glory.

so... steal magnolias is not a typo but i cannot promise that my blog will not be.