Hearing the "Hallelujah Chorus" Ringing in My Ears

This month marks the anniversary of me and my two oldest friends on the planet.  I have known my friend, Bonnie, longer than any of my other friends, period.  At the time we met, we were the only girls our age in Truth Tabernacle, the church we both ended up being reared in and home to the school we both graduated from 14 years after we first met.  She is the "middle" friend of us three girls in age, and we've got many, many great memories.  Her and husband, Matt, have been married for 13 years this month.  My other friend, Amanda, I met a couple of years later.  Now there were three girls "our age" at Truth Tabernacle.  We all got on fabulously and Amanda lived with her family in my same neighborhood for years.  My big sis, Stacy, and I had lots of adventures with the Gregg kiddos growing up.  Amanda and husband, Erik, have been married for 15 years this month.  As life would turn out, I've been married the least amount of time of the 3 of us.  Twelve years tomorrow to Ralph, the most wonderful man on planet Earth.  We are also the only couple with a child.  One child.  Logan.  Our pride and joy!  We are so ecstatic to soon be joined in our adventures of parenting by another of my childhood friends!  Amanda and Erik are expecting a "mini-me" next Spring!  CONGRATULATIONS, you two!  We are very happy for you and your families!  And a big CONGRATULATIONS to Bonnie and Amanda for the many years of wedded bliss!  I love you girls and I honestly couldn't be more proud to have you both as my friends for life.  Whether you like it or not!  =D  Love you!  And LOVE YOU, RALPHIE!  You're the best thing that ever happened to me.  Thank you for loving me!

Rapid Weight Loss Report - Day 50

I'm an eating MANIAC! (Or I feel that way anyway...) Yeah, I've got to eat, like, 6 meals a day instead of the 3 the doctor initially instructed me to do. It's REALLY hard, especially to keep a little variety, but I must say I feel awesome. (Remember my "meal" is about 1/4 cup of food!) I really feel like I could run a marathon. Well, maybe not a marathon, but I could at least go check the mail! hehehe... I'm [finally] going to be playing keys in church again and/or singing starting this Sunday. I am not scheduled this month, but I'll be around and I'm stoked about it! There's something about ministry that draws me like a moth to flame. I love doing it and being a part of something so neat. I know I'm supposed to be reporting weight LOSS in these reports, but I haven't lost much more and had a little gain, so I'll post when I have better news. The good news now is how GREAT I feel. I'll be posting my 2-month picture in 2 short weeks, so stay tuned!

P.S. Don't forget that Monday is the voter registration deadline for Californians! Don't allow ACORN to elect our next President!!!!

Gaming

I'm an old-fashioned "gamer". I love to play board games with my family. We (almost) always have a grand, ol' time, but it depends sometimes on the mood of mama and papa bear. So, usually after we're done eating dinner, I'll ask Logan to pick out a game for us to play. After several vetoes by mama and papa, he'll usually find one that we all know how to play and can consequently may enjoy. Tonight he picked one of my favorites. Scrabble. Ahhh... For Christmas last year, I received not one, but TWO deluxe editions from different family members, knowing I liked the game. One, obviously, went back to the store, but the other has a nice niche in our game cupboard. Logan pulled it out and my husband immediately stated he wouldn't be playing if both me AND my mom would be! LOL (He likes to win...) hehehe... Well, my mom wasn't playing, so we all settled in. I had to take a picture this time, though, because last time my other Scrabble nerdy friends didn't believe that we [legally] used every piece by the end of the game. We did it again tonight. Logan did all of his own words, though a couple of times he would ask how certain words were spelled. Logan did a GREAT job and I'm so proud of my "little Scrabbler"! Ralph ALMOST won, but I pulled out a 16 pt. word on my last throw-down. So, I pulled ahead of him by 3 and won. Logan held his own with the big bears and we had a great time. I strongly encourage family game time as a quiet time to bond and have fun with the people you love and care about most!

P.S. I was too tired to contest the usage of "gil", but did doubt that was actually a word! LOL

I'm a Happy Gal

I woke up in a good mood today! I felt like singing! That hasn't happened in a while, but there are several contributing factors to my feeling of joy. First of all, last night Bro. Jonathan Shoemake preached a great, uplifting message. Second, a family situation that had been weighing on my mind and heart was resolved. Third, when I woke up, I remembered that today is my appointment at the Apple store to get my phoney-phone fixed! Yay! Ok, so the last one isn't as important as the first two, but it was a contributor nonetheless. Especially since the Apple representative I spoke with on Saturday about all the quirks in my phone said that she is putting me down for a replacement! Whether the geeks at the Apple store agree, well, time will tell. I just want my phone to work right and I don't want to have to "send it in". If I'm told I'll have to "send it in", then that will, for at least a moment, wipe the silly grin right off my face. I still have SOOOO much to be grateful for, I intend to focus on that. Thank You, Jesus for EVERYTHING You have done!

Comings and Goings

Well, I made it back from the land of no Internet connectivity! (Grandma's house in Fresno, that is...) My poor, little computer missed me! hehehe... I came home to a wonderful surprise! My husband had planted some jasmine, bougainvillea, and other beautiful plants in the front yard! Also, the backyard finally has sod and plants in those flower beds as well. It looks just lovely! I'm so excited and can't wait until we can finally WALK on the grass and have a big party! Everything looks just lovely and Ralph did a wonderful job! He might have a little green thumb after all! I had a wonderful and busy time with many friends and family in Fresno. I sang at my home church, Truth Tabernacle, last Sunday night and I was so honored to be able to do so. I also ate Me-n-Eds (twice) and had Grandma's tortillas (who's counting...? ;-). I was able to spoil my little doggy that mean, ol' Ralphiepoo gave to Grandma and Grandpa and I visited with TONS of people! I had a great time, but I am SO happy to be home and back in my recliner. Tomorrow starts Summer classes for me, so I'm going to enjoy what I have left of my summer "vacation". Later, gator!

Dun-Da-Da-DA!

I'm leaving for Fresno today to spend some time with family and friends during vacation. But before I do that, I am going to a wedding. I love weddings! I even had a wedding planning business for a while - "Kiss of Bliss". It didn't really take off as I had hoped, so I went back to school and now have different dreams. I still LOVE weddings and being involved or just attending, as I will do today. This particular wedding has been a long time coming and I am so happy for the bride! In a perfect world... Well... It's not a perfect world. Anyway, I totally have had my outfit planned for WEEKS, then the weather had to go "koo-koo for Cocoa Puffs" on me! Now, I have no idea what to wear and the clock is ticking. So, I'll be in touch later!

Detention-Free

I'm done with school! Yay!! For the next 11 days of my life, I am footloose and fancy-free! Woo-hoo! Then the Summer semester begins, which I do NOT want to talk about right now! Grrr... Anyway, I got through my Database class and the final project practically unscathed, which just really surprises me! I wish I had gotten at least one "A", but "B's" are good too. I plan to go to the commencement exercise tomorrow night to just sit and daydream about getting there myself in the not-so-distant future. It's just an "AS", but it'll be my very own degree, which I will promptly have blown up into poster size for the office! hehehe... The next few days will be very lazy, then I'll be off to Fresno for the rest of my "vacation" to visit friends and family. Hopefully, that will be fairly relaxing as well. Does anybody out there, either currently enrolled or graduated, have any schooling advice for me? I'm getting down to the wire and every single unit counts. I'll take all of the advice I can get! You know where to find me...

Picture Show

Some random pictures I finally got from my camera to the computer. Good times with friends and family.

Playing the Game

I have a somewhat competitive nature. I'm told this competitive nature has a companion "nature" called jealousy. Apparently you can't have one without the other. Major bummer, huh? So, there is yet one more thing for me to work on!! I do enjoy a new challenge! I'm competitive in a quirky way though. I love being the person at the potluck whose dish is wiped clean. I love having a really good hair day. I rejoice when told I look younger than the 32 years I have. Or when Logan is complimented for having wonderful manners. Also, when someone mentions how wonderful and/or handsome my husband is. So, that is my "competitive side". I just FEEL like a winner sometimes! Not all the time! LOL Nobody else even knows it's a competition, and I'm only a winner in the arena of my own imagination. HAHA! Does that make me a complete PSYCHO?!? Ah, well, what to do, what to do...

"Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is." - Vince Lombardi

Ear-ry

I went to the doctor today. I have chronic migraines and a GROWTH in my ear! Ewww! How "growth"! LOL Anyway, she gave me THREE prescriptions. Ugh. I really can't stand taking medicine. I mainly go to the doc so they will reassure me that my aches and pains aren't literally going to kill me. Well, she's a wonderful doc, but no reassurance. Lots of meds though! I've been referred to an ENT in San Bernardino, so I'll be going there so they can reassure me that I'm not growing another head out of my ear. Ah, the wonders of modern medicine.

On a more victorious note, I have been the recipient yet again of God's wonderful blessings. I have applied for and received several grants and scholarships for my schooling, as said schooling can be costly, even at the community level. Well, I had already received everything, or so I thought, for this semester. Meanwhile, I had made a pledge to support indigenous missionaries for $50 a month, that I had no idea how I was going to pay. (I just make a small amount of money in my little job...) Well, last week I got a letter explaining that I was to be the recipient of an additional $600!! The EXACT amount of my pledge!!! I was super-stoked, until the check came. I misread it. I was getting one check for $600 and ANOTHER check for $540! I had already planned to give the whole $600 to my missionary pledge, and God just kept on blessing! Woo! I feel like writing a SONG! Yeah! Thank you, JESUS!

We're a "Canter's" Kind of Family

Logan finally can say he has eaten at Canter's! We took him there on Saturday for a family night out. If you don't know about Canter's, click here for more information. It's a place that Ralph and I frequent on our date nights or nights out on the town with friends, but that usually means Logan is with a sitter. Sometimes Mom and Dad need "Mom and Dad" time! It's all good and he's always been a great sport about it, but we just really wanted to take him there so he could have that experience. It was delicious, as usual! The service was decent, since we got a server born SINCE the Kennedy administration. (Most of the servers have worked there for a VERY long time and are short on patience and the like...) Hey, that's part of the Canter's "experience"! Anyway, if you're ever in the area, I highly recommend you go there and at least buy cheesecake by the pound or something healthy like that.

Insanity Defined

Well, the set is down and the church cleaned up (for the most part!), so we're about back to normal. It looks bare, as it does every year when we take down all the Easter stuff. Hundreds of feet of scaffolding and plywood, all decorated with various facades really do grow on the eye and brain! Anyway, I guess it have a more "clean" look to it, so it's all fine and dandy. It'll be a shock to those church members who didn't make it out today in the morning to see the transformation! So, now we've got a cast and crew party tomorrow night after service. I got Pizza Hut to sell us 18 Large pizzas for $8 apiece, which I think Shegazelle would be proud to hear! hehe... We'll have salad and yummy homemade desserts. Plus, I'm very STOKED about the gifts I got for the team that helped me and I really hope they like them! It'll be fun and when that's done, stick a fork in me, 'cuz I'll be DONE! =D Yay! I'll be the one with a huge SMILE pasted on! Woo-HOO!!

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!!!

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

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!

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

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!!

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

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...