PC

I've been having lots of fun staying busy this last week. Actually, I'm just kidding. No fun. No busy. Just not on here boring you all with my lack of everything. lol What has prompted my return, however, is the need for your support! =D I am going to start selling Pampered Chef to help out the familia in the fast-approaching Christmas hoopla and I will be hosting my own Grand Opening at my house this Monday night, the 1st. I'd love for you ALL to come, granted you live within a reasonable driving distance for such a night of frivolity. I will be cooking for everyone and it'll be a great opportunity to practice my show for my friends! Please let me know if you're interested! THANK YOU

Nanos and iPods and Gadgets - oh MY!

Well, Logan is sick. Again. It's that time of year though. All the usual suspects are out in full force, making their impact infecting hapless children everywhere! Advertisers are always pulling new tricks from their proverbial "hats", but right around this time each year manufacturers step up their game as well. The latest "attraction" to catch my discerning son's eye? The video Nano! ayiyiyiyiyiiiii!!!! Yeah, it looks "cool". Probably has all kinds of neat tricks up its sleeve, but it's not something I need to worry about my son losing. No matter, it has taken hold in his impressionable mind and infected him with a serious, perhaps incurable unless he finds himself in the possession of said Nano, case of Stuffitis. YES! It's a real disease! Just ask Dave. Or Shegazelle. Or any other number of reasonable people trying to change their family trees. I know all about Stuffitis. I often catch a "sniffle-wiffle" of it myself, but I am more inclined to deny my own desires than my son's. *sigh!* He's got a monster of a case. What to do? How do I "spoil" him, while simultaneously teaching him the virtues of saving money and spending well and the like? Have him save allowance toward his own "blow fund" that he can then put toward its purchase, with his Dad matching him dollar for dollar? Seem reasonable? I don't know. I'm pretty done with the lavish techno-gifts that are so tiny, with even tinier parts and accessories, so as to be lost that much more easily. Actually, I've never purchased any of these types of gifts for my son. Every handheld game, cell phone, mp3 player, and the like have come from relatives. I have purchased him a couple of games for his Gameboy/Nintendo DS gaming systems, but only because they were dirt cheap on Black Friday. He is, however, growing up in an age of technology in which I don't want him to fall behind or be ignorant of. (I'm still amazed at the number of people in my generation and even younger who don't know how to operate a computer, with the exception of MySpace! Shout out to P.J.! lol) So, I have a dilemma on my hands. At least, I think it is. Maybe someone out there can just clear it up for me real quick-like and I'll focus my brain cells on doing my whole THREE math homework problems! (I know, I think I'm dreaming about how easy this teacher is being...) Help!!??!!!

Reflections and Goal-setting

Well, the response on my previous post was very good and I appreciate every one's words of encouragement and love! Speaking of "elders", one of the great men in my life, and the single most influential man in my life would have turned 58 today. My Dad was such an awesome man. From the time I was two, (which would be all I remember of my life...), he was a wonderful father to me. I knelt beside his deathbed, just seconds before his passing, and prayed. It was like no prayer I had ever prayed before, nor any I wish to pray again. In the seconds, minutes, hours, and days after he passed from this life, I felt a deeper calling than I ever have before. I still feel that I am not yet doing what God has called me to do, and in due time I will be able to "fill the gap" in a manner of speaking left by my father. He was a soul winner with a heart for shepherding God's people to the very end. I miss him so very much and wish everyone could have known him and remember what a great man he was. It is now my responsibility to remember and remind you all to appreciate your folks while you have them. As a good friend told me many years back now, "Life is too short for enemies." Focus on the good in people. Slow to anger, quick to forgive. These are things that my Dad exemplified and I hope to do as well, to the very best of my ability. When I grow up, I want to be just like my Dad.

Elder Paul Price

I love church. I love the people. I love the music. I love the preaching. More than all of these, I love the REASON I am really there! Even if God hadn't done a thing for me (He HAS and I am blessed beyond all reason...), I am still so in love. What has caused this most recent onslaught of sugary-sweet emotions? I had the wonderful privilege of hearing one of the great ministers of our time, Elder Paul Price, speak on Sunday evening. I hope to never forget his words of wisdom as he spoke from his heart and in so doing awoke something in my soul. It has never ceased to amaze me how young Bro. Price SOUNDS! If you only heard, without seeing, you would think him to be a much younger than his 86 years. I was also blessed to be able to speak with him one-on-one for a few precious moments after the service. The one thing that he said that really stuck out to me was, "Don't be bitter." Wow! He doesn't even KNOW me! When he said it, I felt the blood drain from my face, as though all my faults were laid bare in his eyes, yet he doesn't know me at all. I believe he just spoke whatever he felt needed to be said and THAT definitely needed to be said! I am still taken aback, yet grateful. I know bitterness is a battle many people have fought, but happens to be a very real struggle for me, at times. The other thing he said is to "...love God's word...", because so many people are in "'love with God', but not His word". It's very true, especially in our ever-evolving society. There was so much more, I could go on all night, but I know I'm not doing the Elder's words justice in my fast-fading recollections. The feeling and love and knowing with which he spoke is something I hope to never forget. Thank God for the elders and pillars in my life!

Patriotism Becomes Me

I woke up this morning much the same way I did 6 years ago this very same morning - to a phone call. This time it wasn't Grama McCorkle on the phone telling me that we were "under attack", which I was finding difficult to believe in the state of half-sleep I was still in. As it turns out, she was absolutely right and I had wished I was still asleep having a terrible dream. I immediately ran to my son's room and turned on his radio to AM 640 to hear if they had any updates. They did and the picture it painted in my mind is embedded there still. The DJ was watching the events unfold on TV and giving a "play-by-play" report. I was waking up much more quickly now, still unable to grasp the what I was being told. I tuned in around 8:55 and @ 9:03 the second tower was hit. I was still just getting my bearings on the situation and it was already TWICE as bad! It had to be a bad dream. As I listened, now glued to the stereo, clinging to my boy, I heard reports of people jumping from the top floors of the doomed towers. I was feeling a plethoric wash of emotion, not justified by words. At 9:40, all planes in the entire contiguous states are grounded for the first time ever in aviation history. At 9:43, AA flight 77 hits the Pentagon. At 10:05, the South Tower crumbles to the ground. As the reports are relayed, I have barely had time to digest one devastation when another is right on its tail. Now, the snowball is rolling downhill fast... At 10:10, both the Pentagon collapses and Flight 93 is downed in a rural area of Pennsylvania. The onslaught of horror continued in the minutes and hours following as the North Tower collapsed and many more precious souls were lost. Once Americans realized what was going on, there was a surge of national pride unparalleled in recent history. Flags were everywhere. Churches were full. Displays of sympathy and affection were plenty and prominent. From the ashes flowered the beauty of our great country and its people. The rhetoric immediately following the attacks was strong and bold. Partisanship took a backseat to a unified front for revenge. Six years later we have fallen back into the stupor of normalcy and bickering that I sometimes find frightening, other times inspiring. May we never forget what it has costs to attain and maintain the freedoms we carelessly enjoy! Never forget where we've come from and that nothing is certain except for God! Thank you for reading and may God bless you and may God bless this great nation, America.

Clean up! On Aisle...

Well, I've had a lot of embarrassing things happen to me over the course of my life and tonight was an all-new low. *sigh!* I probably, in the name of "propriety", shouldn't bring this up, not knowing who will read, but it's too hilarious and self-depracating not to share! (I'm not into "toilet humor", but you can't fault me if it's me I'm laughing at...) There aren't a lot of things that the human race in general have in common, but one commonality that abides for sure is the need to use a bathroom, (or hole in the ground, depending on which hemisphere you live in...), from time to time. This is usually a more peaceful event in the comfort of your own home, which is not where my story transpired tonight. No, tonight I was in a public bathroom, but not just any public bathroom, it was a grocery store bathroom. It's all good - right? Usually, they're clean and well-stocked, as they should be considering they sell the supplies we buy for our very own bathrooms in their hallowed aisles, but that was not to be the case tonight. It's one thing when you're at home and holler to the nearest family member for some t.p., but it's quite another when "Lori" is paged over the store intercom to "...the ladies' restroom for customer assistance." End quote. My dear, dear, dears!! (I quite think she was as mortified as I was by the way she quickly averted her eyes as I stumbled away from the ordeal...) There is only one way to exit the "facilities" after said debacle, which in this particular store happen to occur front and center by the till, with head held high and a slight air of indignation at my inconvenience. I am so sorry if this post is offensive to your "whatever", but we all do it! I am usually very diligent in my public restroom procedure, but tonight I slacked off and paid for it BIG TIME! I have so many excuses, but more than that, a warning for those of you who do read this - "A t.p. check is always in order, especially when you aren't home!" Alright, enough of the gory details of my pitiful existence... hehehe...

Time Marches On...Right Across My Face

Yesterday was mine and Ralph's 10-year wedding anniversary. Yep! Ten years! A drop in the bucket for some (Ralph's grandparents were married almost 45 years before his grandpa passed away...), or an eternity for others (99% of Hollyweird). You'd think we were old pros by now, but we've still got a lot to learn. It's been quite the learning experience/adventure and I hope I never "arrive", because once you've "arrived", you're dead! Anyway, we spent the day @ Disneyland and had dinner at the Blue Bayou, which was a first for both of us. It was lovely. Good food and service and our waitress gave us a complimentary chocolate mousse dessert! Gotta love free stuff - right "Shegazelle"? Well, you'd think there was more going on, but that's about it for this week! Thanks for stopping by!

Jump, Jump!

Well, I'm full. No really! Stuffed to the rafters, pretty much! hehehe! I just got home from Claim Jumper and eating there with my friends and hubby. It was delish as always, but I ate too, too much, as always. Now, I'm paying the price! I can barely breathe! lol Just wanted to check in with everyone and say "Hi!" because I have been mighty preoccupied with my guests and school. As a matter of fact, I am procrastinating working on school work this very instant, instead rambling on here hoping to justify my lack of intensity. Tomorrow I will be taking my friends to Canter's to eat and we're hoping to meet up with another "friend" while we are there! =D Good times! Well, now everyone take care here in blog land and I'll be back soon with some juicy morsels of wisdom and wit! ta-ta!

Who wouldn't wanna go? (Besides Joni...) lol

Tomorrow I pay homage to the great Mouse, my Mickey. Obsessed? Maybe. And??? hehehe!!! I get a kick out of experiencing something for the 25th time with someone who hasn't been at all. This will be the case tomorrow. Oh, joy bells ringing...!!! So, I've prepared a very comfortable and hopefully cool outfit, purchased snacks so as to pinch my pennies, and mentally sketched a plan to see and do everything important. (I am a pro...) tee-hee! The only thing left to do is get a good night's rest, which is rapidly slipping through my fingers. *sigh!* I'm the most sleepless person I know. I've got to figure out how to have all the fizzy, high-caffeinated, low-sugary goodness of Diet Pepsi without these adverse side-effects! AAAAGGHHH! Alright, I better go give it my best shot, because tomorrow is going to be a looooonnnnnng day! The Magic begins @ 8 a.m. SHARP! =0)

Political-schmolitical

So, I need to go buy another book for school. My life's story. *sheesh!* So, the book I need is for my Politics class. Did you know that I HAVE to take this class to get a degree? Is that crazy or what? I can already tell my teacher is going to indoctrinate those who are brainless enough in my class to not know a lick of politics. I'm already irritated. My "victory" is going to be tested rigorously throughout the course of this class! I guess if I ever want to be President, it's a necessity, so I'll endure, albeit begrudgingly and with marked disgust. Teacher seems nice enough, but he's DEF a lefty! Grrrr... It'll be a study in tactfulness for me. Lord knows I need it! hehehe!

Off to spend astronomical amounts on a book for a class that I don't want to take! So much for financial peace...

Here we go AGAIN!

Well, I don't have my Disneyland slide show from when Bonnie, Amanda, and Amber came and I'm fixing to go again! AAAHHH!! I am rapidly falling behind - AGAIN! (No comments from the peanut gallery will be necessary...) Anyway, I have been busy, busy, busy! We had company this past weekend in the form of the King's Clown! Bro. Jeremy Joyce preached our kids' revival Friday-Sunday and we were happy to have him in our home for the duration. He's 24/7 clown, let me TELL ya'! hehehe... (Doh-hot! Doh-hot! Doh-hot!) LOL Anyhoot, he's moved on to his next revival and we're all here wiped out from the journey! lol

So, we had a great weekend. My mom's bday was yesterday. She turned 54, but I'm not supposed to tell anyone, so "mum's" the word! I was supposed to go celebrate with her and Log at the Happiest Place on Earth today, but I totally FORGOT it was the first day of screwl!!! Yikes! Don't ask me how that happened!! So, her and Log were off to D-land, while I was off to see if I was going to like my professors this semester. =0( I really wanted to be with them and I felt just AWFUL that I had forgotten about my first day and had to miss spending it with two of my favorite people. Well, at least I had decent teachers to make up for me spending the better part of the day in class! lol

Now, I'll be preparing for friends who are flying in on Wednesday and more Disneyland!!! (I may actually grow tired of it.... NOT!!!!! *Nathan Lindsey tribute!*) hehehe... These chicas of mine are some of the very best friends I have had and ever will have. They're really more like family. I'm very excited, since I don't get to see them much because of the distance we live from each other!

Well, that's it. That's my whole life in a nutshell. I know you wish there was more to read, but there's really not. I'm so sorry. =D JK! All right, all right, just one pic!!!

A little bit of this, a little bit of that...

Well, the slide show I worked so hard on isn't functioning properly! Grrr... I was hoping to bypass all the boring writing by including cutesy captions on each pic, thereby killing two birds with one stone! Obviously, it didn't work out that way, so I'll have to narrate the old-fashoined way!

The first part of the show is pix of a few of us going to Canter's in West Hollywood for John's b-day. It's mine and Ralph's favorite restaurant, so we dragged all the others along. I think they mostly enjoyed it, although Crystal did not get what she ordered. By and large it was yummy!

The next little bit shows some scenery and other shots from taking Logan to Jackass Rock. He went to the Jr. Camp there, run by Section 7. He would have had a lot more fun if his mommy could have been with him. :( Poor little guy. He was pretty miserable towards the end there, according to my friends who were on staff.

Next, there are a couple of pix of the truck that Ralph's dad bought for him. It's a little bit of a beater, but it will get him from point A to point B! Thanks, Dad!

There are pictures of our trip to Santa Maria for Camp Meeting. Included in that bunch are some scenery shots on the way and back, shots of us all at the dunes, and miscellaneous crazy pictures.

So, I think that's it. I've been doing lots. I'll put up a post in a day or two of my most recent venture to the Magic Kingdom with my "Fresno friends". =D

Back in a few! Scout's honor!

What I've Been Up To...

0

Yep, Yep, Yep...

Well, I got an "A" on my speech. Steve (my teacher), was very merciful, that's all I can say. Anyway, the test grade was not as good. I only got a "B" on it. boo-hoo! I should have worked with a partner! Oh, well!! Bygones! Just had to share the good news, to those of you who were wondering.... *cricket!* *cricket!* LOL Okay, so nobody was wondering, except maybe "anonymous", but it's ALLLL good!!!

Lessons in Terror

Well, tonight I had to do my first formally graded speech in class. It was extremely nerve-wracking. I literally wanted to crawl out of the room in the middle, because it was going so, so bad. Anyway, I lived and hopefully I'll pass the class. The teacher did mention that he has almost never given anything less than a "B" on the first graded speech, so that's assuring, I guess. It was a demonstration speech, so I had to keep moving while I was talking, trying to keep track of my speech outline and the time. I guess the best thing was that I didn't go over the allotted time, as did many others in the class. I'll be docked for sheer "horribleness". LOL Anyway, I'm glad it'll all be over in a few short weeks! =D Gimme that "A" and let me go home! JK!!!!! I'll be lucky with a "C" after tonight's episode, but I shall persevere!!! I'm looking at the big picture and "winning" means getting my degree. I'm gonna do it, or at least give it a real honest try. There. I hope that wasn't too bo...ring for whoever left that less than kind comment, anonymously no less! Nighty-night!

Nothingness

I know! It's the saddest little blog on the net, but I just have so many excuses... LOL I have had a very interesting past week and a half. Lots and lots going on. The main event, of course, being the 4th of July, which is always huge around the McCorkle household. We run a fundraising booth and oversee another out at a local park in Redlands. Funnel cakes and tri-tip sandwiches coming out of our ears! lol Anyway, it was a lot of work and really sneaked up on us this year because of Ralphie's medical woes. We were able to pull through, in spite of it all and have a BBQ on top of it all! We had good friends, the Clarks, over for a BBQ and the kids jumped in the bounce house and we stayed up very, very late. Well, almost all of us did anyway, RALPH! He's always the first to fall asleep! We laughed till it hurt and watched the fireworks from the H.S. It was nice and relaxing. I did miss out on our annual tradition of going to the University of Redlands. They really do an awesome show. We were able to see at least 3 separate displays from our vantage point, so it was really, really neat. I love fireworks!! Now, I am working hard on school stuff. I'm feeling really old, too. So, thanks for stopping by, even if I am not as clever as usual! ;0) Night all!

C.O.D.E. West, but glad to be home!

Well, the very long weekend which began, for me, on Thursday is now officially ended. It is 12:06 AM on Monday morning and I am staying up till 1 to do my hour of prayer for Hope Center's 24 hour prayer chain. Meanwhile, I partake of less spiritual pastimes such as web surfing and blogging! ;0) I did have a wonderful weekend with a couple of really great ladies! Babs, Bek, and myself made the trek to the metropolis of Hanford, CA to expand our drama expertise. LOL Actually, it was a very informative and wonderfully creative time with fellow "drama-teers" (yes, I just made that up!) doing improv and the like. I got some really helpful information and my friends and I just had a good time in general. Now I am back home in my very quiet, peaceful house and it is good. I missed my hubby and Log, so I think I will go give them extra love just because. Thanks for reading and have a good morning! :D

School Days...

Well, just when I thought I was too busy or self-absorbed to take anything new on, I re-enrolled in college!! AAAHHH!! No, really, it'll be just fine because I am just taking 1 class, for now. I am trying to get back into the swing of things, per some motivating words from an old friend. So, for the next 6 weeks I will be attending Monday night and Wednesday night classes for 4 hours at a time. *whew!* That's a long time to sit in a desk, but at least my teacher will make it tolerable. My teacher wants to be called "Steve" and he's younger than me!!! Oh, my, my, my!!! Really awful! Anyway, I won't let it deter me any, but it is a little unnerving. He's quite nice, even though he's a proud Democrat, and he seems to have a certain amount of reason ability, which I find refreshing. The class I am taking is Speech 100, The Art of Public Speaking, which I need for transfer credit, but probably just need in general. My Wednesday night class will be grateful when I return with all the panache and smoothness of a learned pupil. :D So, that's all for me right now. I need to try to get some reading done for class tonight, so I'm OFF! ;0)

Weekend in a Paragraph

I had company this weekend in the form of three very good friends - Tenille, Bonnie, and Tracey. Frivolity ensued upon their arrival and sheer giddy laughter could be heard most any moment echoing throughout the plantation! LOLOL We took over Disneyland on Friday and rode every good ride, save the new Finding Nemo attraction, which we were disinclined to wait in the horrendous queue for. Saturday was rather relaxing, with the exception of Tenille zipping off early to get back to work, and we had a late breakfast and even later dinner. I had two, count them, 1-2! parties to attend on Saturday night, so I left my company home for one and took them with for the other. One of the parties was my cousin, DeAnna's graduation party at my Aunt's house in Beaumont. All of the sisters were there and some cousins I see only on very rare occasions. Family can be comforting and stressful all at once. I found mine to be extreme in both areas on Saturday and that's all I have to say about that. I'd put up some pix of my adventures, but my husband has "bullied" me into making a post "pronto!" so I haven't had time to load said pix. I'll post them later! Check back soon! Hopefully I'm not boring everyone else as badly as I have my love of my life. :D I'm outtie....!!!!

Priceless Tidbits

Well, Ralph's granny turned 29 (again!) this past Monday. I tell you what, it's a scream a second around here! Other than that, not much going on!

Oh, yeah! I do have boatloads of company this weekend. First, my grandparents came in today. Tomorrow morning Bonnie and Tracey will arrive and tomorrow night some time Tenille will make her appearance! It will be the first time in the short history of our home that we will make use of every single bathroom! kewl!! Should be veeerrrrry interesting!

Since I do have wonderful friends coming in, you know what that means! Disneyland, of course!! I am sooo excited! It's been too long! (almost a month!)

That's all for now, folks!

I DID!

Today was a very exciting day for me and my new business venture! I coordinated my first official wedding as a Kiss of Bliss sole propietor! I'm stoked! The wedding went very well, and I do believe the family and happy couple were please with my work. I didn't do it on my own, though; I had help! My good friend, Rose, helped me as the "on-site reception coordinator", which was a LOT of work! Just ask her! LOL Anyway, it was a wonderful wedding and I was proud to be a part of it. I handed out lots of business cards, so hopefully I'll get some good "word of mouth"!

As for Ralphie-poo, my wonderful, loving, and long-suffering husband, he's doing lots better!!! I am so glad! I was getting so stressed, I popped out a huge blister on my lip! It looks totally disgusting and it was very embarrassing to try to be a serious business woman with a "growth" on my lip! I got through it, but less about me and more about my honey. He's getting around like a pretty normal person now, even driving our car, which is a six-speed. Tomorrow will be our first Sunday morning in a while and we are anticipating a great service! We were having serious withdrawals from Sunday church and it'll be great to be back in God's house. I've got some CLEANING to do! ;0)

bbs!

Staples - Yeah, we got that!

Tomorrow is Ralph's follow-up visit to check on his progress after all the slicing and dicing. Also, the doc will be removing those fancy staples that "Dr. Matt" (we never learned his last name!) so carefully punched to his abdomen. Sixteen. That's the number of staples it took for them to close my baby up. If it sounds like a lot, that's because it IS!! Yikes! So, we're hoping to have a smooth ride from here on out of this ordeal.

On a similar note, while Ralph is recuperating I have encouraged him to read. Let me tell you something, I went into the living room yesterday and he was just lying on the couch staring at the ceiling!! I asked him if he wouldn't rather be reading, but he said no!! LOL He is too, too much. I'll have to read to him if I want him to get through the wonderful books that he has been blessed with by people who care for him. I must go, for now! The E Myth awaits! ;0)

What a lot of craziness!!!!

Well, you wouldn't believe the week I've had if I told you! I put up some pix of some of the excitement, some of the misery. God is STILL good!!! Ralph, Log, and I went to Fresno to visit my family and some of our friends. We ended up seeing Uncle Vince pray through at church, which was a huge miracle. He hadn't been in 16 years and he just happened to show up the same exact Sunday morning that I was there with my family. With us living 5 hours away, we aren't in service there very often at all, in fact it had been over a year and a half since we'd been. That was awesome. It had also been a long time since I hadn't seen him since my Dad passed away, so it was emotionally overwhelming for him to be there! Very awesome. Then the saga began. We went to visit my Uncle Vince and his familia on Monday and that is when Ralphie's pains began. It came on very suddenly and grew in intensity. Long story short, he ended up having his appendix taken out on Tuesday and we were still in Fresno! He should have been better - right? Wrong! Unfortunately, the operation seemed to only enhance the pain he had been having before and we ended up back at the hospital with a lot of questions! As it turns out, he had a rare condition known as "Meckel's diverticulum". Even more rare is to have any symptoms from this rare birth defect, but he had major symptoms! He was extremely ill and ended up back in surgery less than two days after his initial surgery. They kept him in the hospital until Sunday and we were finally able to make the trek back home on Monday. He is doing lots better, thank God, and he should be like new in a few weeks, give or take. There are many of you who already knew parts or all of this story and we thank you so much for your prayers! We wouldn't have made it through without them! TAKE LUCK!! ;0)

Living and Loving It!!

So, WOW! Lots has gone on since I've been on here last. Sorry for my seeming lack of dedication to this blog! Let's start with Log's dentist visit last Tuesday. You have never seen a kid so happy to go to the dentist! I am not kidding! He had a great time and the dentist and assistants got a kick out of him and his sheer joy of dentistry! He's got a little cavity, so we'll see how much he loves it after it's fixed. Wednesday was Chick-Fil-A day. Boy, what I won't do for a little free food! LOL I got to the new CFA @ around 1:30 on Wednesday to wait in line for a year of free chicken! I had to spend the night, but I got my chicken! I didn't sleep. It was nutty. It got really fun after dark when we started getting a steady stream of visitors. Ralph and Log came after dark and stayed and Logan rode his scooter almost all night!!! That kid is tireless. Anyway, I got my free chicken and it was so worth it! Friday I left for Ladies' Retreat in Carlsbad with my friend, Barb. We had a great time there, except it was too cold to swim in the ocean, which I love to do. Also, the dead, half-decomposed seal on the beach was a major turn-off. Anyway, it was such a fun, fun time! My husband drove all the way down there to bring me flowers and a card full of money! How sweet is that?!? OMW He is sooooooo wonderful to me. I love him. Sis. Hernandez was so inspirational and anointed in her speaking. It was life-changing material. We got home Sunday, then Monday Ralphie took me and Log to Disneyland! (That's what I asked for my gift for Mother's Day...) As you can tell by reading here and checking out my nifty little slide show, I have been somewhat preoccupied...LIVING. Living life to the fullest. "...It's not the years in your life that counts, but the life in your years...."

Happy, Happy, Happy

I'm in a good mood. Actually, I'm in a happy, good, wonderfully harmonious mood. Yes, I am. Why? You ask... Do I have to have a particular reason? It's a good life living for the Lord. There. Does that suffice? Last night, our evangelist Bro. Marks preached on happiness and its essentiality to revival and even salvation. It was very enlightening. It was easy for me to get with the preaching, being the happy-go-lucky to a fault person that I am. :0) (no laughing, babe!!) So many of us Pentecostals walk around looking either very self-righteous or like we have the flu! It's nuts! I don't get it! How is someone gonna want what we have when we are rude, haughty, or depressed???? I come from a "culture" where people who are different are mocked and looked down upon. I'm sick of it. That nut with a crazy haircut needs Jesus too, however he'll never listen to anything we have to say because of the looks of condemnation he receives from "our type". So if you're ever with me and notice that I don't laugh with you at "salvation-less" people, now you know why. I do my best to bite my tongue in the moment, but no longer. Jesus died for all of us, no matter how different-looking or whatever we are. So, how are we going to reach our world? With a stiff upper lip? Or a smile? Good preaching, Bro. Marks! LOL I'll just pick up where you left off... LOLOL :D

Let the Winning Begin...

Tonight was the official start of the "Pit" season. :D For those of you who may not know, "Pit" is a fast paced "commodity" trading game. It is one of my favorite games, right up there with "Mexican Train", but I am much better at Pit. I hereby invite all of my friends and family to challenge me at this game... (I will probably start a wicked losing streak as a result of my haughtiness...) LOLOL Anyway, we had company and kabobs and games. It was a wonderful ending to a wonderful day. Winning always puts me in a good mood! I win! :D

Drug BUST!!!

Drug BUST!

Yep, I will never again assume that I am safe! I know there is evil lurking at every turn, but I don't live in fear. However, when my husband told me there were a bunch of cop cars a few houses down from me, my heart leaped into my throat! What could be going on?? Well, it was a marijuana bust of monumental proportions. The cops Ralph spoke with indicated it was a multi-million dollar bust. They had purchased a brand new home (same floor plan as us!) and filled it with plants. There were scores of heat lamps and obviously lots and lots of marijuana. You just never know what is up with your neighbors! Crazy!

Paris

So, Paris Hilton is going to jail. How sad. I mean that. Just goes to show you that you can have fame, beauty, wealth, and SHOES for DAYS, yet still not be happy. Obviously, she is unhappy enough to drink enough to get her in trouble on numerous occasions. Whether I personally emulate her (I don't) or not, she is still someone who needs Jesus. It's really sad when I hear other "Christians" saying she's just gotten what she deserved. Don't we all really deserve death? As the world goes to hell in a hand basket, I will not stand idly by, but rather I will pray and try to reach as many as I can with genuineness and love. I am nobody, so I am honored that you, whoever you may be, are reading my blog. Thank you and have a blessed day!!

Mickey/Graduation

Well, I enjoyed a good day at Disneyland yesterday. It was actually a beautiful day, weather-wise, and thousands and thousands of fellow park-goers agreed. Yep, there was a lot of them-there picture-takers there, but I loved it and joined in the picture taking!

My mom had never been to California Adventure, so I had a great time showing her the ropes! We went on everything, except Tower of Terror, and saw all of the good shows. As a matter of fact, I convinced her to see the Aladdin Musical with me and she really enjoyed it! (Everyone does, though it's like pulling TEETH to get them through the door!) AnyHOO! We got out of that show and were walking/riding along the street when, lo and behold, there was Joni Ayn and her crew!! Talk about a lovely surprise!

I did my best to scare Joni, but I'm not really sure it turned out all that great. At any rate, it was great to run into them and visit for a while at the Magic Kingdom. We'll have to do it up good next time! (Ralphie's getting a pass soon!!!!!)

Today we went to watch Brandon graduate from Vanguard University, which is always lovely for me. I love ceremonies in general, except funerals, of course! I'm always so caught up in the emotion of such a wonderful accomplishment, it makes me want to go back. I haven't yet, but Lord help me not to be such a SLOUCH! :( I've really GOT to work on that! Well, one of these days, maybe it'll be my graduation I'll be writing about. Until then, it's just my very fine gibberish you'll have to tolerate and fake enjoyment about. (What terrible grammar! Oh, well, it's late...)

Yesssssssssssss......

Well, it's that time of the week again. Yes, you guessed it. It's time for DISNEYLAND!!!!!! *ugh!* I just really enjoy a good visit to the Magic Kingdom. Tomorrow's visit I will be accompanied by my Momma, which will be loads of fun! Just like old times! VERY old times!! LOLOL We'll probably end up running into some people from my church, as they have also chosen tomorrow as the day to get their weekly fixes. I hope to find a couple more hidden Mickey's and eat a gigantic corn dog. (Don't tell! shhh!!) ;0) Just so you know, if you count yourself a friend, you should always call me when you are going to Disneyland so I can go too! LOL JK!! Anyway, I'm almost always up for Disneyland, so if you were so inclined, you could call. I won't be around tomorrow for a post, but I'll try to get on Saturday and put up some pix of our "happiest place" visit. em-eye-see-kay-ee-why-em-oh-you-ess-eeeeeeeeee....... :D

Peace, Be STILL

Not much interesting going on today, except I finally girded my loins and cleaned our church office which had been shamelessly neglected since Easter!!! *whew-y!* What a disaster! You don't even WANNA know some of the stuff I found! LOL Anyway, the floor is once again visible.

Right at this precise moment I am looking for some new songs to teach tomorrow to our worship teams. Any ideas or suggestions??

Earlier, I was talking to a friend and a scripture popped into my mind - Philippians 4:5-7 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)
Public Domain
5Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
6Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

I have so much peace right now, and I am so grateful. Life isn't always easy, fun, or exciting, but I try to not back down from a challenge. So, look out! As I search for my next mountain to climb!!

I'm Baaaack...

Well, I'm back. I guess. It has been a real struggle for me to take this back up again, due to falling poll numbers... ;0) It is a lot of work and being the narcissistic person I apparently am, I do want people to actually read what I have to say. Obviously, not a lot of people care what I have to say, so it became a burden. I am ready to tackle the endeavor, once again, wholeheartedly and unabashedly!! So... Since it's been a while since I wrote, I thought I'd include some tidbits about what has been going on lately.

1. Easter was awesome. It was really great. Twelve souls were filled with the Holy Ghost and many lives were touched! Thank you, Jesus!

2. We moved twice in one week. I know it sounds crazy, but we did! We had to get out of our apartment by a certain date, but the house wasn't ready, so we moved into a storage. Actually, we moved all of our STUFF into storage, and we took up house with Ralphie's Grams. Then the house became available, so we turned right around and moved into the house. All in the week and a half leading up to Easter!!!! Nutty! Right? (I love my house, though!)

3. I have been to Disneyland a few times since I've been on here. Splash Mountain is still closed, which is getting on my "nervous" already!!! Open that ride so I can SPLASH!!!! Yippeeee!

4. We are still in revival with the Marks, who are really swell people. They have a new baby, which I want to hold all of the time, but I'm too embarrassed to ask!! LOL (I did get quite a fix the other day, though...)

5. Logan has started a new curriculum, so we're kind of behind schedule now. He had to start from the beginning of 4th grade, so we'll be working feverishly for the next 16 months to get him back on the right track!

6. My husband gave my "baby bear" to my grandparents! *sob!* I cried and cried. He's better off, though, because he was christening the house in a way we found off-putting. hehehe... (My poor baby boy...)

Wow! I guess that sums things up nicely as far as what I have been doing (or NOT doing) for the last month and a half!! I really have been busy!!!!!!!! LOL I will be back very soon for more "splendiferous pontifications"!! (Don't hold your breath, though!) But DO check back more regularly, now - ya hear??

Yada, yada...

LOTS going on lately. I haven't had hardly any chance at all to even read my e-mail, much less write to my fan base. ;) LOL Unfortunately, it's not anything interesting to anyone, but maybe myself. I did secure my first formal client for Kiss of Bliss, my wedding consulting business I am trying to get rolling. We made a wall for Pilate's court in the church. (Pix below...) I have been consumed with everything that I have going on, so I probably won't be back on here until I have MOVED into my BLESSING!!!! Thank You, Jesus!!! I am soooo blessed. I really am. I hope you all are going to be able to come see our drama. Check out my church website for more details.

A Day of Remembering and Aiming High

It is almost time again. A time to remember. A time to mourn. A time to fulfill at least half of the "times" listed in Ecclesiastes. March 9, 2004 was a very sad day in my life. I will never forget it. As I type, I can't believe how much it still hurts. My head wants to explode from trying to hold back the tears that threaten to spill over on the keyboard. It will be 3 years to the day at approximately 1 a.m. that my dad passed from this life. He had muscular dystrophy and succumbed to the disease on the fateful day. I was there when he breathed his last breath. It was something I never thought I would have to go through in my whole life. I had somehow always escaped the clutches of tragedy, yet my father's passing was the epitome of tragic. The happy ending was in how he had chosen to live his life and GIVE his life to God and His work. It is truly mind boggling to think of all of the lives that this one man touched, but he was able to accomplish amazing things in his too-short life. He was a pastor, but not just any old pastor, a shepherd would be a more fitting description. He loved people and it was evident in how he poured himself unselfishly into every last person that would allow him. He was not a "convention speaker", but he had a speaker system in the back of a truck and would drive around the worst neighborhoods in town, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. I grew up in the shadow of greatness, but it took his passing for me to realize the extent of it. He was so humble, not very easy to make laugh, but burdened for souls like nobody I have every come in contact with. As the hundreds and hundreds of people touched by this amazing man filed past his earthly vessel lying in a casket, I realized that I now knew what I wanted to be when I grew up - I want to be like my Dad.

Well, I have definitely been slacking off in the blogging arena. I love my blog and I hope I am not losing all of my wonderful fans due to my lack of diligence! ;)

So, this last week has been pretty busy with all kinds of wonderful things involving moving into a new house, Easter drama, and starting revival. CONGRATULATIONS, by the way, to the Marks on their new baby, Jathan Kye. He is GINORMOUS!! I can't believe poor Sis. Marks was carrying that little hunk around in her little belly. Wowser! So, as far as moving goes, my Mom and I have done a lot of furniture/accessory shopping for the house, including going to the O.C. swap meet! Now, you know I am getting old when I voluntarily abuse my feet and go walk that place. Especially since everything starts to look the same. Well, through the windows of a 31-year-old, everything looked pretty cool and I saw things left and right that I wanted to purchase. We are actually, once again voluntarily, going back! Yes, that's right, I am going to buy stuff from there. I know this may not seem like that big of a deal, but I am someone, who up to a few months ago, abhorred anything even remotely resembling or smelling of a swap meet. Now I can't get enough of it.

As for Easter drama, we've had a few practices and things are coming together nicely. There were a couple of major character changes, but everything is still coming along nicely. We are finally going to start putting up set pieces this week-end, so our platform is going to start looking very different.

As for revival, we started Sunday morning, but baby Jathan wasn't waiting one more service to make his big entrance, so the Marks were not with us Sunday night. This Sunday they will be with us Sunday morning and night and Monday night. Then we have drama practice Tuesday and Thursday and Bible study on Wednesday. Phew! It's going to get really crazy in these parts! It's all very exciting, though and I am looking forward to what God is going to do in our church!! BTW - Pastor Wilmoth "filled in" for Bro. Marks Sunday night and it was a very good service! We had "chuch"!! LOL

Alrighty, I'll try to be back sooner, than later! *Muah!* :D

God is GOOD

So, have I told you lately how blessed I am? I am very blessed. I don't deserve the blessings I have, material and spiritual likewise, but I am SO glad God has given them to me. I especially appreciate my wonderful husband. He is sooooooo patient with me (lol) and he really tries to do right by me, so you can imagine my horror when he called me last night to inform me he had just been in a wreck!! OMW!!!!! I was positively beside myself, because I know how calm he can be in very, very stressful situations and I just really had no idea how bad it was. As it all turned out, he was rear-ended by a little rice burner in the rental truck he (Ralph) was driving. The other car was demolished, but the rental truck's bumper was all that was damaged. Today, as I prayed and thanked God for his love and mercy, I just started to cry. I really don't deserve it, but I am so glad that God kept my love from any serious injury. (His neck and back are strained, but he should pull through fine...) We did end up in the ER, just to make sure he would be fine, but the x-rays were normal. I just thank GOD for keeping his hand on Ralph!!

I found this quote online and wanted to share it with any "passers-by"... Have a GREAT day!!

"Whoever is happy will make others happy too. He who has courage and faith will never perish in misery." -Anne Frank

What I've Been Doing For the Last Week...

Well, my friends, it has been too long! I have been very busy, and as a result, unable to fill everyone in on the latest happenings. Since my last entry, Logan and I went to Disneyland on Valentine's Day and Ralphie and I went to Marriage Retreat in Costa Mesa. I guess I've really been busy in the most exciting ways!

Valentine's Day @ Disneyland was wonderful with my little man. We did everything he wanted to do - or ALMOST everything. We had to be at church by seven, so we weren't able to totally wear ourselves out staying all day long. I thought it would be busy, but there weren't very many people there at all. We had both parks to ourselves! When we got home after going straight to church from Disneyland, my MAIN man had gifts for us on the kitchen table. Logan got some new Axe products, which he loves, and I got Gucci shower gel, which I love!!! So, overall it was a very nice day.

Thursday was just business busy and I won't bore everyone with the details here. One thing that was fun was I went "junking" with my friend for Easter drama props. We found some really neat stuff, and I, of course had a great time.

Friday my hubby and I left for Marriage Retreat. (Logan, by this time, was already @ Grama McCorkles getting spoiled silly...) Bro. and Sis. Stevenson were the speakers for this year's retreat and it was a HOOT just as much as it was enlightening. Friday night after the session we had a karaoke contest and it was over the top!! Really hilarious! I didn't know some of these people had it in them, I really didn't. I sang "You're Still the One" to Ralphie and I started CRYING!! Oh, my! (As Sis. Stevenson would say, "I was touching myself...") Good times. We ate at Maggiano's on Saturday and I'm still full. Honestly, it's a sin. Gluttony. Blech! I'm fine with once a year there. It literally took us 3 hours to consume our 5 course dinner and we still took a bag full of leftovers back to the hotel. That's a lot of food.

Sunday was good and we actually made it in the group pic this year. Every year we miss the pic for one reason or another. After we were dismissed, we went to The Container Store, and can I just say that is my new favorite store!! Wow! There's a container for EVERYTHING in there. We were shopping for something nifty to put all of the drama make-up/hair products in and we came up with something really cool. It should be very organized, which will hopefully make the hair/make-up lady's job more comfortable and fun.

So, that's it. That's what I've been doing. Oh, yeah! I put a slide show at the bottom of this page, so check it out! There's a pic in it of me and Ralphie from Marriage Retreat. Well, that's all folks! For now...

The BIG Move

It is now absolutely OFFICIAL!! The McCorkles are moving back to Yucaipa. That's right folks, we are outta here. We are moving into a beautiful house and I just feel so very blessed. Anyway, we can't wait to have all of our friends over again and again. (Mexican Train anyone?)

Happy Valentine's Day! I probably won't be on here tomorrow, so I'll go ahead and get that out of the way. I am taking Log to Disneyland tomorrow so we can ride the rides he likes and what-not. We do have to be back in time for church tomorrow night, so it won't be a real long day, but who cares? It's DISNEYLAND!!!!!!! :)

We are now paging all friends who are willing to help us to move on the 10th of March.... True friends only need apply. ;0) (YES, I am trying to guilt everyone into helping...) Toodles!

A Week-end of "Brilliantness"

This week-end has been so full with laughter and good times, I don't even know where to begin. Saturday my friends and I went shopping around, trying to find good bargains. It turned out to be a bit of a wash and we came home pretty empty-handed - even Ralph was surprised at the absence of many bags when we finally arrived home. Yes, my foot killed me, but it was fun nonetheless. After much fruitless searching, we finally came home and quickly changed from flip-flops to boots (these SoCal winters drive me up a WALL!) and then carried on to Claim Jumper for our seven-thirty reservation. We met up there with John and Casey, who turned out to be the entertainment for the night, coming up with one witty quip after another. Several times I ran completely out of air for all of the laughing they caused with their shenanigans. It was quite hilarious.

Today my friends had to leave and I miss them already. Their visit just didn't seem quite long enough.

As for other eventful events (that sounds redundant, I know...), Ralph, Logan, and I went to look at a house that we may rent in Yucaipa. It's really beautiful and the owners have all but given us a final approval for move-in. I pray that if it is God's will, it will come about easily, but if not, He will make it near impossible. We as humans will always find a way, whether it be God's will or not, but I am praying for wisdom and insight into what God wants for us. Help us pray!

One final note on the week-end, tonight's service was exceptionally good in reference to the preached word of God. My pastor really "got after it" tonight and I have a more profound respect and love for him because of it. I love my pastor anyway, but like I said, tonight was very exceptional.

That's all, for now...

Disneyland! YAY!!!!!!

I had an absolutely "fantabulous" time at Disneyland today with two of my very best and oldest friends. Logan went with us as well and rode all the rides like a pro except for the Tower of Terror. He didn't quite like that one and I will try to post the pic that was taken between stomach-churning drops. It is priceless. I think we got on every ride that we wanted to and four of the rides we rode twice. It was a great day to be at Disneyland! Also, since this is the second time in about a month that I have been, I talked Ralph into buying the "bottom-of-the-barrel" annual pass. It's only available to SoCal residents, and it's really a good deal, so I am now the proud owner of an annual pass!!!! Yay for me! (BTW - if you ever can't get me, it may be because I am riding Indiana Jones or something else equally exciting!) ;) We got a good seat for the fireworks and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the show. It was particularly spectacular, I thought, which reminds me... Fireworks make me cry. I am not for sure why, although I have a theory which I am not inclined to share at this juncture. Without fail, tonight's show was no exception. As the grand finale neared and the symphonic orchestrations rose to a great crescendo, I teared up and felt a lump in my throat the size of Texas. (I don't know why Texas, so don't ask!) I LOVE fireworks, which is one of the reasons why the Fourth of July is my favorite holiday. Now that reminds me, I made a couple of unusual purchases (FOR ME) today. First, I purchased a pack of antenna Mickeys that are made up of all the major holidays. How cool is that??? Then, I also had a profile of Logan done. It turned out very nice, but that's a given - right? (He's just a gorgeous kid...) Anyway, those are things I wouldn't have normally picked out, but it just struck me the right way today.

I guess that's enough raving about Disneyland. Next week I plan to take Logan again so he can try to be a part of the Jedi Training Academy show they put on 10 times a day and I wanna see Fantasmic! I will get lots of use out of this pass and make it worth our while!! :D

EM-EYE-SEE-KAY-EE-WHY EM-OH-YOU-ESS-EE......

Oh, yeah! I forgot to mention that Bonnie found one of the hidden Mickeys on Pirates of the Caribbean!! Yay for her! (I am TOTALLY into that kind of stuff...)

Glory BE!

I think I was born on a soap box. No matter how hard I try to be meek and humble, I somehow inexplicably find myself in the same position - feet firmly planted on my soap box, mouth open, preaching about something. I really wish I could stop. Lord knows I have tried, but it hasn't happened yet... Tonight's soap box? Consecration. In all fairness to...myself, it was tonight's lesson in my class. (Oh, yeah and some history on Pentecost that I never got to, because class was cut short!) Not just a general consecration, but my rant was more channeled into girls cutting their hair tonight. The ten and eleven-year old kiddos that I teach were very attentive when I started talking about the blessings of God being linked to obedience and consecration and hair-cutting in particular. I know there are many ways to consecrate to God, but it took me a long time to get the revelation of not cutting my own hair and I have a burden for those who haven't yet realized it themselves. I see so much suffering withing Pentecostal ranks that just seems unnecessary. I feel strongly that much of it may be linked to a lack of dedication and/or consecration to God. (I told you I had a soap box going on tonight!!) I don't know. I'm just a "laywoman" and not anyone very inspirational, but I hope that the girls that I have a direct influence over will be influenced by me in at least this respect. Keep the scissors out of your glory! Don't shave it, break it, burn it, cut it, dye it, or otherwise alter its appearance. God WILL bless your obedience. I am living proof. I won't elaborate further here, but I'd be more than happy to one on one, if this is a struggle in your life. Soap box relinquished! (For now!) ;)

Judas, Cleaning, etc....

Well, after having a rambunctious practice tonight with very capable "dramatacizers" I decided I'd rather "dramatize" than direct. Too late! LOL I did have a TON of fun playing a crazed Judas who has realized the error of his ways and becomes suicidal. Whoa! It was a little heavy, but I can do heavy! (No pun intended, my friends! ;) I must say I am having a good time experimenting with the different characters of the script and working on their various moods, voice inflections, and body movements. There's a ton of stuff to remember, but I love the challenge.

In other news, my carpet is freshly shampooed and for the first time in my nearly ten years of marriage I am having someone come to clean my house tomorrow. My very dearest friends of some twenty-plus years are coming into town Thursday for an extended week-end visit and I just haven't been keeping up on the house. Now I am so far behind I am actually paying someone to help me get caught up. I have mixed emotions about this, because I was reared in such a manner that only lazy or rich people got housekeepers. I'm definitely not rich, so YOU do the math! I made a good dinner tonight to help ease the pain of my guilt... *sob!* :D So, if you were planning on dropping in on the McCorkle's tomorrow afternoon would be a GREAT time to do that and you can use either bathroom and even rummage through closets, if you like! LOLOL It will be clean!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Profundity Lost

Alright, so I had this really great post on the how deep and profound life can be and my computer puked out on me, so... Bummer!!

In a nutshell, "...ALL things work together for good to them that love God..." Romans 8:28

Sorry, you'll have to fill in the blanks since I had already stretched my brain to capacity on the aforementioned tragedy of a post.

Have a great night!

Some day, I'll laugh...

There will be times in life that something will happen that is so positively and absolutely horrifyingly EMBARRASSING, you won't ever want to think about it AGAIN. But I can't STOP thinking about it. Of course, I am not indiscreet or lame enough to post it on my blog, but I am not too proud to address it. Lots of really infamous "JoniAyn-isms" are popping into my ever-loving brain right now, but I can't repeat those EITHER! LOLOL Ugh! God is working on my humility, I'm sure of it. I need more, obviously.

Good news, though, I am getting to a certain point in a certain situation that I will be able to talk about it on my blog and I am BURSTING. I really am and it will be great fun to blog about.

ANYhoo, I am trying to regroup from the last couple of days of non-stop busy-ness. It was a great opportunity to be able to be involved with the SCC conference in Ontario, and we had a wonderful time. I think we're just going to move out of our apartment and take up new residence! LOL I know "that" would probably get old, but I still love those precious times with wonderful people. Good times.

Have a blessed evening and I'll be back!

Yay! I say...

I can't WAIT till tomorrow! Actually, I kind of can, because I'm not really ready, but I'm STILL excited!!!! We are going to have a blast.

Anyway, more on today - the drama budget was approved, which is great. We have added a couple of departments and I thought we would go way over budget, so I am happy about that. I am very much looking forward to the drama and anticipating great things.

I went shopping, thinking I had lost a few pounds and could reward myself, but that was not to be. First of all, I think I must have gained everything back in one fell swoop, because everything I tried on looked horrific! The things that looked nice were out of my price range, so I had quite the dilemma on my hands. I did find one little thing that I think I am going to go ahead and purchase in the morning, but that's it! I have yet to go to Victoria Gardens, so maybe I'll find something there, if I have time to shop while we're out there. So, I guess it's "moldy oldies" for me this conference...

Hope everyone had a great day!! **smiles!!**

Hillary for Prez (they'll let anyone run nowadays)

Well, I can't believe it's that time again when any ol' yahoo who wants gets to run for President. (Don't get me started...) LOL Yeah, it is, though. Have you seen the Democratic hopefuls?? Whoa! It's a plethora of backbiting, murder, double-talk, and the like. Not very hopeful, which is good for those of us with a conscience, but may still be potentially devastating. I am anxious to see who the "elephants" will produce, but lets not kid ourselves... No matter who we put up, I don't think we stand a chance. However, I do still feel strongly that we should all vote no matter what! Please don't tell me that it doesn't matter what you do, 'cause God is in control! I know God is in control and He does His will THROUGH us!!! So get registered and stop making excuses!! Also, everyone should know something about what they're voting on and I guess that's all I'm gonna say about that... For now...

Today

Today was a day filled with quite opposite spectra of my life. This morning I found myself doing laundry and cleaning - Mom/Wife stuff. Tonight was a whole different story. I played for our youth team who sang for a sectional get-together. It was quite fun and there was a lot of good music, which in turn brought about lots of good worship. I was feeling a little old, being that I'm neither a teenager or "twenty-something", but a woman. I'm a woman. Nah... I'm a 31-year old young lady. ;) So, tonight I was feeling slightly apprehensive about playing with such a young crowd in attendance, but a calm came over me after we had a good, solid team prayer time. Music is my passion, so I was in my element and there were so many great musicians there, it was an honor to be playing at all.

After service, we (me and 17 of my closest friends - LOL) went to Mimi's. I never thought the day would come when I would be KICKED out of Mimi's, but today was that day, my friends. Contrary to what you may think, it was not due to any lack of discretion on our party's behalf, but rather at the request of the manager so they could set their "perimeter alarm." I've spent lots of late nights at Mimi's, but this was a first - perimeter alarm??? Alright, dude, what-evah you say... Well, that broke the party up a little earlier than what we could have gone until, but that's probably a good thing. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. I need my sleep. I am still feeling a wee bit "whooped" by pneumonia, but much better overall.

Thanks for reading.

Good morning.

Sicky Blues...

Well, I just wanted to write real quick-like to inform concerned parties that I am still here, but slightly out of commission. I have been hit hard with something, (fever, chills, aches, cough, rattly breathing, etc.) and I do not have the strength or desire for my daily spellbinding antidotes. However, I do hope to be back in the saddle soon, so don't lose hope! Not yet, at least!!

Happy New Year!

Well, I want everyone to know that today, for me, is New Year's Day. It's not, however, due to my being of Chinese descent or anything like that, but because today was a momentous day in my life. As a matter of fact, without this day, I wouldn't have life. Yes, today is my birthday. I love birthdays and mine is a big deal to me, whether or not anyone ELSE thinks it's a big deal is another story altogether. Without this day, (31 years ago), my husband would be short 1 wife, my son wouldn't exist, my friends would not laugh as much, and my church would miss me and not even know it!! LOL ;) I may not be God's gift to men, music, or whatever, but I think God did give me to a very special lady - my Momma. (BTW-Mom, did I mention that I wanted Gucci bath products??? LOL) JK!!!! I love you, Mom and I wouldn't be here without you, so I'm especially thankful for you on today, my birthday. You are a wonderful, beautiful person and awesome "Granny"! :D

Don't even ASK about my diet today! I've already received some "encouragement" from a friend to stay on task with my diet today, but all I really want for my birthday is a PB&J. So, that's what I'm having, even as a write. *tap!* *tap!* *chew!* *chew!* LOL I'll have spinach for breakfast tomorrow to make up for it.

So, the moral of the story today is, even if you can't be WITH me - CELEBRATE this very wonderful day! (Someday it will be a National Holiday.)

For Everything a Season...

Soooo, it was time. It was a tough decision and even all the "tougher" to carry out, but it had to be done. If I didn't do it - who would? I dreaded it with every fiber of my being and couldn't wait for the whole painful experience to be over. Childbirth might be less painful, but I wouldn't know since I had a C-section. Yes, it was time to accept the fact that Christmas decorations are no longer an acceptable form of one's expression of Christmas cheer. Not half-way through January, they're not. Why on EARTH did the pilgrims have to give thanks so CLOSE to Christmas?!? Didn't they realize that would substantially shorten the Christmas season for those of us who still actually observe Thanksgiving these many moons later??? I MEAN! THE gall! Needless to say, I have been in quite the state of denial that my love for the season had now become a tacky eyesore. The only hint that Christmas ever was celebrated here are the few gifts that I have repeatedly neglected to pass out to some church friends sitting on my bench. That's it. Finished. Done. Kaput. Will it still be okay for me to listen to my Israel Christmas album?

In other news, I have not, as I had previously hoped, finalized our drama script yet. It is, however, in pretty good shape and should be ready for proof-reading tomorrow. Pray for us that God will use us to touch many lives.

Can't wait to see what tomorrow holds! Many exciting challenges, I am sure... I know, I know, it actually is today, but I'm still in Wednesday, for all those who think I've lost it, it's 12 a.m. It's very cold out, too. Maybe it will snow... :D THAT would be Christmas-ee!!

Ninnymuggins!

I have just been informed in the most loving and genuinely concerned way that I should no longer use any self-deprecating humor on my blog! AAAACCCKK!! What on EARTH will I write about to make people laugh?!? The excruciatingly small clearance between stall door and commode in most public bathrooms? Too yucky. The minutia of my day-to-day appointments and tasks? Too boring. Ten ways I have shown my love for my husband in the last ten years? Too intimate. What about my regrets on our current administration? Too redundant. (Everyone is regretting and fretting these days...) Why Madonna had no business adopting that little boy? Too blase. How I hope to be able to run for a public office some day? Too deep.

What to do!!

Any ideas? Anyone??

I'm waiting.........

Maybe I will write about all of the above - what do ya' think??

Delinquents

As I enjoyed a nice, healthy meal of Big Mac, fries, and DIET Coke with my good friend, Rose, my car was being sabotaged. I know WHO you are, WHERE you live, and WHAT you're gonna GET! "White MLK"! *Harrumph!* LOL You have no idea what kind of Pandora's Box has been opened... 8-}

They even got my wheels! What-evah! LOL