God's Gift

Little baby on the hay,

soon there'll be another day

when nails shall pierce YOUR hands

and feet as YOU provide our sin's defeat.

Risen Jesus on the throne,

we lift our praise to YOU alone-

for YOU'RE gift that we receive

the moment that our hearts believe.

-Roy Lessin

As I grow older and get closer to God. I think about how Jesus must be so disappointed with us for turning his birth and ressurection into a big LIE. We tell our kids that Santa Claus comes and brings them gifts at Christmas. We tell them the Easter Bunny comes and brings them baskets full of eggs on HIS ressurection. How can that make HIM happy?

If we had started from day one making Christmas about HIS birth, we wouldn't have to be fighting to say MERRY CHRISTMAS now. If we had told our kids that Christmas was about a GIFT that God gave to US that would ultimately give US eternal life in HEAVEN with HIM, imagine how things would be today? Makes you think and wonder doesn't it?

Christians are usually good about standing up for their beliefs, but this is one thing that I think we really messed up with. How can any lie that takes away from our savior's birth and ressurection be pleasing to God? How can ANY lie be pleasing to God for that matter?

We always hear about how as Christians we are to be different. We should not watch ungodly things, we should not listen to ungodly music, we should always be careful to tame our tongues. We should be careful of the company we keep. BUT THEN we support this HUGE LIE every single year! Even if we don't have young kids, we ask "What is Santa bringing you?" ... We support the commercialism of HIS birth buy going into DEBT to SPOIL our children. We show just how ungodly we are by getting into fights with other people over that "special" toy for our kids.

Non Christians celebrate Christmas the exact same way we do.

Yeah I am very sure that the reason we are fighting to put Christ back in Christmas, is because Christmas IS NOT about Christ anymore, and it hasn't been for a very long time. We say it is, and we may watch movies like the Nativity Story, and read from the Bible ... but it is all about buying our kids those things they are just dying to have. It's all about impressing the people we don't even like. It's all about how much money we can spend ... and I don't care what anybody says, our God, our Jesus, would not be happy about any of that!!!

Put CHRIST back in YOUR Christmas. Celebrate YOUR savior's birth the way it should be celebrated. Don't continue to commercialize Christmas, don't continue to make a mockery out of HIS birth. I dare YOU to be different.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

It Is Depressing

It is very sad that the economy is as bad as it is. People all across this country are struggling to make ends meet and buy Christmas for their families. It is sad that people are losing their jobs during this crisis. That is why it is so important that people not live beyond their means.

If you have credit cards, cut them up! If you have charge accounts, stop! You don't need a fancy car and the nicest furniture and clothing. You only need what you can afford. Stop trying to impress the people you don't even like with your treasures here on earth.

Now is not the time to be buying things you don't need, or charging thousands of dollars on credit cards to buy Christmas for your family. Your family should be able to understand that you can't afford to spend money you don't have.

It just blows my mind to overhear people saying they can't pay their bills, but then they charge tons of money on credit cards. People are losing their jobs, or at risk for losing their jobs. This is not the time to go into debt, think about your families. I am sure they would much rather have a house to live in than an iPod or a laptop.

More Of This & That

Well school is out for Christmas break. I made it to the third semester of nursing ... YAY me! I had my hysterectomy and right side salpingo-oophorectomy (tube and ovary) removed on the 12th. I have had severe pain and swelling, which (hopefully and prayerfully) is going away.

My belly-button is really swollen and I still cannot stand for anything to touch my belly. This has been the worst surgery so far. I had sinus surgery and went to school the next day and had zero pain. I have had three C-Sections where I was up walking like nothing had happened the very next day. But this surgery, this one was very different. I woke up in recovery in horrible pain, and after enough medicine to sedate a horse, I still complained and hit the side rails in agony. Yes, it was that bad.

After crying for a few days in severe pain, the doctor basically put me in a drug induced coma (very strong pain pills), that allowed me to rest. Today I have not taken any of those pills, and only took one of my darvocets for some moderate pain this afternoon. I hate taking pills and will try to prevent from taking them if at all possible. I feel a lot better today ... Thank you GOD!

Then to top all of that off, I overhear something being said to my daughter that is not true. My daughter has been telling me things for a while that someone is saying to her. It struck a nerve when I overheard it myself, and so I made sure that the person saying it knew that it was not true. It really makes me want to get out of the situation we are in because we are doing this out of the kindness of our hearts, and we have gotten nothing but grief for it from day one.

I am trying to keep my anger from controlling how I handle this situation, but it seems like every time I turn around they are doing something to cause me more grief. I may have to call S.S. and tell them I am done. I am trying real hard not to do that, but they are leaving me no other choice if this keeps up.

It's Almost Over ...

I've been studying NCLEX review questions since Friday to prepare for my final exam in nursing on Wednesday. So far I have answered over 500 study questions. The Hesi is only 110 questions, so hopefully by the time I am finished, I will have covered the majority of questions that could be on this exam. I will continue to study until late this afternoon, and then I am just going to relax and get myself mentally prepared.

Today I have to stop by the church and pick up a letter that says I work in TeamKid on Wednesday night, so that next semester the school doesn't put me in a Thursday clinical. If I have Thursday clinical, I can't attend church on Wednesday's because of the amount of paperwork patient care requires. Then I have to take it to the school, and then go to WBH for my pre-op stuff.

Wednesday is my HESI final and then church. I will be glad to be finished for the semester ... my brain cannot handle any new information right now. Its processor is fairly slow these days and I am worried the system will crash :)

Thursday is my surgery! I am not looking forward to the surgery itself, but I am looking forward to a pain-free life afterward (after I heal of course). I have to stay overnight :( ... but I look at it as a vacation from the 5 kids in the house. I love them all with all of my heart, but I will not miss the noise! Have you tried to study in a house with three teenage boys and two pre-teen girls? It isn't easy let me tell you!

I am looking forward to being a couch potato for the rest of the week, I haven't watched anything but ER in a long time.

Well please pray that I do well on my nursing final, and please pray that I have a quick recovery from my surgery! Thank you so much, and have a great, glorious, and blessed day & rest of the week!

SOS - Someone Help Me

I have a bit of a dilemma, and so I am seeking all of your advice. Yesterday I had my interview for nurse extern. They asked me where I wanted to be, I told them ICU. They were thrilled, they needed a student with a year to go to be in ICU because of the heavy training it requires. The catch is that I would need to get some things accomplished this month before school starts in January. Dec. 16th I would have to have an all day phlebotomy class where I would have to get 50 visible sticks, I would have to have several orientations and EKG training, and I would need to work every other Wed. on a midnight shift to get my packet (a check off on all my skills) finished before January. My surgery is on Dec. 11th., and we have tried every way we can to see if I could get all of this done, and I would not be able to because Dr. Hodges will not release me to do all of these things before January.

So I am just sick. I really wanted to be in ICU, and after being in there a year, I would have the training to stay there, and would get so much experience just as a student. She said if I applied for it in May, I might could get in ICU, but she couldn't guarantee that I would stay in ICU after graduation. But she could guarantee that I would get a med-surg floor.

If I weigh the pros and cons, I should go ahead with my surgery, reapply in May, and just pray that I get ICU after graduation. I told mom I was going to have to pray about it, but that I needed my answer by today so that I can call them back and let them know I want the position. God does not work that fast, usually. She said if I go by the Bible, I already have my answer because we are to take care of the temple (our bodies). I could wait for a year for my surgery, but I would have to suffer in order to do that. I really-really want this position, but I also really-really want this surgery so that I can have a normal life again.

What do you think? I haven't had time to do much thinking, I have two tests today. Any words of wisdom to help me not regret either decision?

Let The Stress Begin

This is what my next couple of weeks look like ...

• Dec 1st. 9:05-12:35 Lecture - 1:00 PM Physical Therapy Lab - 3:00 PM Survey @ WBH - 3:30 PM Interview @ WBH
• Dec. 2nd 8:00-12:00 Lecture - 12:30 Proctored Medical Terminology Test
• Dec. 3rd 9:05-12:35 Lecture - 6:30 PM Church
• Dec. 4th Off for study
• Dec. 5th 8:30 AM Court - 10:15 AM Last Chapter Exam (Nursing)
• Dec. 9th 12:15 Lab Work for Surgery & Final Exam (Medical Terminology) May have this changed to Dec. 2nd after other exam.
• Dec. 10th 10:30 AM Final Exam (Nursing)
• Dec. 11th 9:30 AM Surgery
• Dec. 12th Get out of Hospital sometime that morning. - 6:00 PM Husband's Company Christmas Dinner (If I am up to it ... doubtful being 1st day post-op)

Now tell me that these next two weeks are not going to make me crazy, cause I think they will, but I really want to be wrong!!!

Thank God I have 5 days of holiday break (the rest of this week and weekend), to study and relax to prepare me for what is to come. Please pray for me that I accomplish all of my goals with God's help and direction.

Thank you, and have a great Thanksgiving holiday!

It Breaks My Heart

I found myself a bit upset today. Upset because some people I adore are not really being treated very well by others, and it has caused them to not feel welcome at our church. I know there will be some that will say it shouldn't matter what others think, it's about God.

Well God would not treat these people this way. God would be supporting them, showing them love. Not whispering behind their backs or judging them for the mistakes they have made. We ALL make mistakes. No ONE person is better than another, no matter what you may think.

It upsets me, it really does. Especially when it comes from people that should know better. Especially from Christians. I know what I have done in my past, and though I have never murdered anyone, I have broken the Ten Commandments (just like everyone else has), and that is just as bad in God's eyes.

Anyway, we all need support and need to be lifted up when we mess up, not kicked while we are down. It upsets me more just thinking about it. Have a great week.

The Fight Against Abortion

A worried woman went to her gynecologist and said:

'Doctor, I have a serious problem and desperately need your help! My baby is not even 1 yr. old and I'm pregnant again. I don't want kids so close together.'

So the doctor said: 'Ok and what do you want me to do?'

She said: 'I want you to end my pregnancy, and I'm counting on your help with this.'

The doctor thought for a little, and after some silence he said to the lady: 'I think I have a better solution for your problem. It's less dangerous for you too.'

She smiled, thinking that the doctor was going to accept her request.

Then he continued: 'You see, in order for you not to have to take care of 2 babies at the same time, let's kill the one in your arms. This way, you could rest some before the other one is born. If we're going to kill one of them, it doesn't matter which one it is. There would be no risk for your body if you chose the one in your arms.

The lady was horrified and said: 'No doctor! How terrible! It's a crime to kill a child!

'I agree', the doctor replied. 'But you seemed to be ok with it, so I thought maybe that was the best solution. The doctor smiled, realizing that he had made his point.

He convinced the mom that there is no difference in killing a child that's already been born and one that's still in the womb. The crime is the same!

Amen!

UPDATE

Sorry I forget to update for those of you who read my blog. I waited from 9:30 until 11:30 to be called (missed my whole class), and then all that happened was they told me since I could not be at court on the 21st, they would have to reschedule for December 5th. Then they set up visitation with the mother and the man she calls daddy. They get to see her unsupervised (the man supervises with the mother) on Monday from 4-7 and on Saturday 10-3. This keeps them out of my hair everyday, so I am thankful for that. My husband is going off of her bond on Monday, and the man is going on it instead. That too will relieve some added stress.

On December 5th, I think it is the judication hearing where witnesses are present and that is when they may turn it from a neglect situation to a dependency situation. It's basically to prove why there was a need to take the girl from the mother. I don't know if they will let the man have her then or not, social services didn't seem very nice to him yeterday, and they are the ones who tell the judge what their recommendations are, so I don't know ... it is all in God's hands. I am trying very hard to get my will to match His, but it is very difficult sometimes.

I don't know if we will have her for Christmas or not, so I have done a few things just in case. Please continue to pray for us! We want to be in perfect alignment with God's will. Thanks so much!

Court Tomorrow

Tomorrow is court over this girl. The man she calls daddy is supposed to try and get custody of her tomorrow. I don't know if they will let him have her or not because he is living with her mother. That would defeat the purpose of taking her away if she is going to be with her mother anyway.

On one hand I hope he does get her, but I want that for selfish reasons: I am tired of dealing with the mother. On the other hand, I don't want her to go with him because I worry about the what-if's if left with her mother.

The girl has been good for the most part. She has lied to me about a couple of things, but her behavior other than that has been wonderful. She is a sweet girl, she just has been around so much that I am afraid she will end up making some really bad choices in her life. All I can do is pray that God protects her and keeps her safe from what the world has to offer her.

I don't know what God's plan is tomorrow, but whatever it is I am willing to do what HE wants. Even if that means I have to deal with things I don't want to deal with. I'm praying for God's will, not mine. All I can do is just trust God. Please keep us in your prayers. Thank you.

Oh, and I cannot go to the next court date on the 21st. I found out for sure that I will not be allowed to make up the test if I miss it, and that will cause me to fail nursing. Luckily, I have a letter from my instructor asking the judge to change the time.

Dreading The Holidays

The more I look at the extra bills I have for the next few months (county & city property tax, & house insurance ... over $1000 thankyouverymuch), and the more I think about the unknown (whether or not we will have my friend's kid over the holidays, or permanent???), the more I am dreading Christmas.

The economy just stinks, everything costs an arm and a leg, and maybe even a kidney... and so it looks like Christmas will be slim this year. At least we love each other and have a place to live. Some people don't even have a home or family to be with, so I am thankful that I have that.

Once I become a nurse and start contributing financially to this family, I will feel a lot better about the holidays. School costs us about $100 a week, and have you tried to feed three teenage boys? My goodness! Not to mention the two picky girls in the house. Feeding 5 kids on one income is definitely challenging. God does provide, and I thank HIM for that everyday!

At least my sister is cooking Christmas dinner, with my surgery, I don't need to be trying to do that this year. I may try to cook Thanksgiving though if I have time with all the testing I have for this month! Thank God there is just one more month of classes for this year!

INSTALLING A HUSBAND

This is funny!

Dear Tech Support,

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slow down in overall system performance, particularly in the flower and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0.

In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, and then installed undesirable programs such as:

- NBA 5.0
- NFL 3.0
- Golf Clubs 4.1.

Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system. Please note that I have tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail. What can I do?

Signed,
0A Desperate.


DEAR DESPERATE,

First, keep in mind,Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while Husband 1.0 is an operating system. Please enter command: ithoughtyoulovedme.html and try to download Tears 6.2 and do not forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update.

If that application works as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5. However, remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0 or Beer 6.1.

Please note that Beer 6.1 is a very bad program that will download the Farting and Snoring Loudly Beta.

Whatever you do, DO NOT under any circumstances install Mother-In-Law 1.0 (it runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources< /SPAN>.)

0A, In addition, please do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0 program. These are unsupported applications and will crash Husband 1.0.

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance. We recommend Cooking 3.0 and Hot Lingerie 7.7.

Tech Support

This, That, & The Other

Today was one crazy day. It started off with driving to school this morning. I was running late but my gas light was on. I thought I could make it so I drove on. I started running out of gas on I 24 near exit 11. The car died I am guessing about 1/4 mile from exit 11, and somehow coasted off exit 11 to the Exxon station ... It had to have been God getting me there, that was a long way to coast.

Then I went to my Gynecologist this afternoon. I have been having a lot of pain and bleeding when I'm not supposed to be (sorry if that is too much information), and I have a cyst on my right ovary, so I get to have a hysterectomy and my right ovary and tube removed on Dec. 11th. I am thankful for that though, because with all of my issues, I just know that once it's gone, my pain and troubles will be gone too. I know it will take some time to recover from, but it is well worth it if it means that I can be normal again, and enjoy loving on my husband again.

I still have my friend's daughter. I go back to court on the 14th of Nov. I don't see it changing unless the girls daddy gets her. I am OK with keeping her though. I thought it would stress me out but it doesn't. My friend is stressing me out a little bit, but I can fix that.

Just please continue to pray for me/us right now. We have a lot on our plate right now. I have a test Friday that is over a lot of content. I need to study tomorrow, but the girl I am keeping is running a fever, and I may need to take her to the doctor. It's a virus because all of us have had it, so there probably isn't much they can do about it, but I probably still need to take her. I am praying she will feel better by the morning.

God is good, he does provide all of our needs, and he sustains us and carries us when we feel like we can't go on. I thank Him for that, and I praise Him for whatever it is He is doing in our lives. have a great, glorious, and blessed evening!

Needing More Time On My Knees

A lot is going on that I really don't want to "air" in public, but I have got to talk to God, and I ask that you continue to pray for us and the situation we are currently in (previous posts). Thank you.

It's All In God's Hands

I was reading my In Touch magazine devotional this morning, and yesterday too. Isn't it funny how devotionals fit what is going on in your life? Well, anyway, it said that most people want the best most qualified person for a job, whereas, God usually chooses the weaker person because they are usually more dependent on him. And through their weakness, HE is strong.

I can't help but believe that I am not the person most people would choose to take care of a child. I don't think I am a bad mother, but I sure haven't received any mother of the year awards either. Some will say I have too much patience, I don't think I have enough sometimes. But who knows what God could be doing in this situation.

I have left it completely up to God. If HE wants us to take care of this girl, HE will fix it to where the judge says she can stay here. If HE doesn't want us to take of her, the judge will say he wants her somewhere else.

The social worker came by yesterday and checked things out, making sure we had the room for her to be here. She also talked with the girl to see what she wanted. My wish is that the man she calls daddy (not her biological father) could take her and care for her.

I will do whatever God wants me to do. I really don't think I need the added stress with going to nursing school, but I know that God does not give us more than we can handle, and HE will provide and make me strong enough to endure. It is all up to HIM now. Just pray for God's will to be done on Friday morning regarding this situation. Thank you!

Ok God - What Do I Do?

If it wasn't enough that I am finding little time to study, I feel like I am coming down with something, and I have a party Friday I am not ready for ... well now I have emergency custody of a friend's child that I may or may not get to keep, or may have to keep for no telling how long. If I didn't take her she was going to end up in foster care, and I really didn't want to see that happen.

I just know that I am stressed beyond belief right now, and have no clue what to do. I am just going to get on my knees and pray for guidance, direction, and answers. I know if this is meant to be, God will provide, I just don't know how to deal with the added stress ... just lean on HIM I guess. Please continue to pray for me.

Thank you!

Feeling Rushed/Bad

I need to be studying, my daughter and best friend's daughter are having a joint early Halloween/birthday party that I am not even close to being ready for, and I feel ill, I think I am coming down with something.

I need prayer. I need to be able to study, study, study, and I don't need to get sick right now. My grades ARE NOT where they need to be and I really need help to get all of this content into my brain so I can do well on the next 4 tests.

I Need A Boost

I am seriously overloaded. I feel like all I do is read and sit through lectures. I think my brain is going to explode! You might even hear about it on the news ... "Breaking news, a nursing student's brain exploded from information overload today, full story at 10."

Then I hear about all of this election BULL, and get all the nasty emails and people telling me if I am a Christian I must vote for McCain, which just makes me want to vomit. I cannot vote for another 8 years of this mess, REALLY! I want Bill back!!!!

I agree with my BIL (brother-in-law). I think Obama will do more to help the abortion issue than McCain will. At least he voted for programs that gave teens education and contraceptives to reduce teen pregnancies. I mean really, lets think about this for a second--You can't fix the abortion issue if you don't offer alternatives. Abstinence is a great message, but it is not a message everyone will buy into.

The truth is that the world has a stronger hold on our teenagers than God does, and so we have to offer alternatives that fit into their way of thinking, we can't push our beliefs onto other people all the time. It isn't realistic. It's great that we try, but it doesn't resolve the situation!

I am exhausted and I have another sinus infection. I am thinking of buying the Netty Pot, I have been hearing about it for a few years now, and I think it will do me some good. The medicine I need to take for my allergies is about $200 a month ... not including allergy shots. Then they make me tired or agitated, so it isn't worth it to me. I'd rather be stuffy and have a few headaches then be tired all of the time and ticked off.

I really need to sit down and have a long converstation with God today. I have got to forgive some things and work on some things.

Have a great, glorious, and blessed day!

It's Not Happening

My prayer was not answered, I am very sad and depressed, and wish that I had never gotten myself involved because now I am hurt too.

Thank You Lord - I Praise Your Name

I cannot say what is going on ... only because I don't know if the parties involved want me spreading it around just yet ... but I have prayed, and prayed, and prayed, and prayed, and prayed, and prayed ... and prayed some more for God to intervene in a situation that is very close to my heart, and guess what? HE IS WORKING!!! ... actually HE has been working the whole time, it is just the people involved have been in HIS way, not listening, and not doing what they should have been doing. BUT, now they are trying to let GOD fix things, and so I am still praying, and will continue to pray until I know God has fixed it completely. Please pray with me, pray that God will continue to heal this situation, guide this situation, and work through and in the people involved!

THANK YOU GOD FOR ANSWERING THIS PRAYER! I KNOW THIS IS YOUR WILL! I KNOW THAT YOU ARE MIGHTY, WONDERFUL, GRACIOUS, PATIENT, AND FORGIVING! THANK YOU LORD!!!! THANK YOU!!!

I AM ...

#1. A big pain in the butt, and I am totally aware of it, and totally ok with it. I have to be stubborn in many ways in order to do God's work. I have to be honest because I am a bad liar, and lying stinks anyway! I know, I was lied to all of my life! I have to try and help people even if they really don't want my help, because that is me, that is who I am. I like to help people!

#2. Extremely tired, worn out, and emotionally drained from all the studying I do that barely makes the grade. I keep telling myself "ONE MORE YEAR!"

#3. Excited because this semester is half over already!

#4. Upset because I only get one day off for fall break, the kids get the whole week!

#5. A servant! I am totally ok with always being a helper in VBS, a helper in KidsFest, or just a member of the church. I don't have to be in a leadership role because a true servant wants to serve, not be the leader to get attention or to brag. It's about God, it is NOT about me!

The Irony - Studying = Student & Dying Put Together

Seems like studying is all that I do. Today is no different, I have a test tomorrow and so I will be out of pocket most of the day to STUDY-STUDY-STUDY, then I will DIE from serious brain overload!

I hope YOU have a stress free day!

One Word ... Interesting

Thanks to my sister, I have been reading a very interesting site. Click HERE to read what I am reading.

You can check out THIS for more falsehood's on both sides.

But the AFA says THIS.

Snopes.com says THIS.

I am amazed how we call ourselves Christian but promote lies on people just to score votes. POLITICS AS USUAL I SUPPOSE!

Better In Time - By Leona Lewis

Click HERE for video.

It's been the longest winter without you
I didn't know where to turn to
See, somehow I can't forget you
After all that we've been through

Going, coming
Thought I heard a knock
Who's there? No one
Thinking that I deserved it
Now I realize that I really didn't know
If you didn't notice, you mean everything
Quickly I'm learning, to love again
All I know is, Imma be okay

Thought I couldnt live without you
It's gonna hurt when it heals too (oh yeah)
It'll all get better in time
Even though I really love you
I'm gonna smile 'cause I deserve to (ooh ooh)
It'll all get better in time

I couldn't turn on the TV
without something there to remind me
It wasn't all that easy
to just put aside your feelings

If I'm dreaming
Don't wanna laugh, hurt my feelings
But that's the path, I believe in
And I know that, time will heal it
If you didn't notice, boy you mean everything
Quickly I'm learning, to love again
All I know is, I'm gon' be okay

Thought I couldn't live without you
It's gonna hurt when it heals too (oh yeah)
It'll all get better in time
Even though I really love you
I'm gonna smile 'cause I deserve to (ooh ooh)
It'll all get better in time

Since there's no more you and me (no more you and me)
It's time I let you go so I can be free
And live my life how it should be
No matter how hard it is, I'll be fine without you
Yes, I will

Thought I couldn't live without you
It's gonna hurt when it heals too (oh oh oh)
It'll all get better in time (oh oh ooh)
Even though I really love you (you)
I'm gonna smile 'cause I deserve to (yes, I do)
It'll all get better in time (oh oh yeah)

Thought I couldn't live without you
It's gonna hurt when it heals too (yeah ah yeah)
It'll all get better in time (ooh ooh oh)
Even though I really love you
I'm gonna smile 'cause I deserve to (ooh ooh, yes)
It'll all get better in time.

The Love Dare

I DARE you to go see Fireproof with your spouse or fiance. Even if you are divorced or going through a divorce, this movie can turn it all around! It was the best investment we have made in a long time. We took the kids to see it with us, and we all really enjoyed it. It made Stanley and I cry because we could see ourselves in this movie. I will definitely buy the movie when it comes out!

Ater watching Fireproof, I decided to buy the book that Caleb uses in the movie. I cannot wait to get it! The Love Dare is a book of things that you do to your spouse everyday to show love, and strengthen your marriage. I also suggest buying the book!

On The Issues

I love >THIS< website. It is the only place I have found where you can see what each candidate has voted on and their explanation for that vote.

Here is Obama's record on abortion. It is interesting that he votes for $100M for education programs to prevent unwanted pregnancies, and therefore preventing abortions.

CLICK HERE FOR OBAMA'S RECORD ON ABORTION

A Yes vote would:

Increase funding and access to family planning services
Funds legislation that requires equitable prescription coverage for contraceptives under health plans
Funds legislation that would create and expand teen pregnancy prevention programs and education programs concerning emergency contraceptives.

Mc Cain voted no on that issue. But voted to ban partial-birth abortions.

CLICK HERE FOR MCCAIN'S RECORD ON ABORTION

You can look at Biden and Palin's records on this website as well, and on all the issues, not just abortion.

James Dobson is against McCain, I did not know that. I cannot believe the president of the AFA would be against McCain.

All I know is that I am not happy with either of these candidates. I don't want to vote. If I vote my conscious, I guarantee it won't be McCain that I vote for.

You can CLICK HERE and HERE to see a few interesting posts over at my sister's blog.

Fireproof Your Marriage

If your married or thinking about getting married, or if you are getting a divorce or thinking about getting a divorce ... YOU NEED TO WATCH THIS MOVIE!!!! I have my tickets! I just wish it would have come out sooner, it might have helped some of my friends!

STRESS

I have a HUGE test on Monday. It is EIGHT (8) CHAPTERS LONG!!! I am studying a little everyday, but today I am really studying, and will study all the rest of the week and weekend. I just had to take a break long enough to eat and clear my brain. GEESH! I just keep telling myself "ONE MORE YEAR!"

Clinicals - Day 3

Yesterday I was in the ER for clinicals, it was really interesting. I performed a quick cath for a sterile urine sample, and I removed 2 IV's and discontinued the IV line from an IID. I could have put in an IV, but I was nervous about the veins of the person being so small, and the RN I was with all day missed twice and that shot my confidence down. I need to just jump in there and not worry about it I suppose, but I don't want to hurt anyone if I can keep from it :)

Sweet Sixteen

Today my oldest son turned 16! I cannot even believe he is now old enough to drive ... time has really flown by! I think he has had a pretty good day, he has his x-box 360, and that is really all he cares about. A few friends and family came by to wish him a happy birthday.

I remember when I turned 16, it was really cool, but I wanted to get my permit and be able to drive ASAP, Austen doesn't seem to really care about getting his license ... I guess I will thank God for that!

New Look - Feeling Blessed

Well I kind of got bored with the solid blue and decided to change things up a bit. I like it but I don't, so I will give it a few days before I change it and see if it grows on me. I hope it is pleasing to your eyes.

I am feeling very blessed today. I have a nice size house, it may need a little cosmetic work done, but it is big enough and structurally sound, so that is good. I have 4 great kids - we joke sometimes about having 4 "terrors" but they are really good kids. They are very open and "mouthy" at times, and that gets them in trouble, but I love it that they all feel like they can tell me how they feel. I also love it that my son who will be 16 years old tomorrow, is more concerned with an x-box 360 than cars and girls. I also love it that my kids are sensitive and willing to help others.

I have a wonderful husband who always thinks of the kids and I before himself. He works hard everyday to provide for us, and he tells us and shows us how much he loves us all the time. I have a great family that I adore and love.

I am able to go to school and follow my dream and God's calling on my life. I am blessed with the best friends anyone could ask for. I know I could call several of them day or night and they would help me in any way that they could.

I just feel really blessed today!

My Day

Today I got to give a TB skin test, change the dressing on a central line, and give another sub-q injection. I was going to do an IV push through an IID (Intermittent Infusion Device - or IV with no tubes attached to it) but the AdminRx had problems with it so I wasn't able to give it, but I did flush the IID with saline.

I have studied for my IV competency test that is tomorrow at 1:15 PM. I will have a little more time to study before the comp. I have been working on organizing and printing things I need to study for my next exam. It is sure hard to study in a house with 4 kids ... I'm thinking the library needs to stay open 24/7 just so I can study in quiet. I don't see that happening though.

I talked to 3 of my friends in text messages today. I don't know what I would do without my friends, besides my husband, they are my biggest support and source of encouragement!

I hope you have a great, glorious, and blessed week!

God Is Up To Something

God really worked on me last night. I have been trying very hard to make time to read my Bible before I go to bed, and when I do that, I can hear the voice of God so much better. He wanted me to reach out to some of my friends today, and so I did. I just pray that they will have an open mind, and a soft heart, and really listen to what God is saying, not what I said, but what HE said.

Please God I beg you to work in this situation. I know you have tried over and over again, and I praise you for that, and I know that they keep getting in your way. Lord I pray that they will get out of your way so that you can do your will in their lives. In Jesus name I pray, Amen!

Oh Crappy Day

Today was a bad day for me. Today I said all the wrong things, did all the wrong things, and seemed to make everybody mad. I did not intend to do this, but I did it none the less. Seems like I just have those days where I open my mouth and insert my foot. It takes a lot of water to get that foot down too, let me tell ya.

I did somehow manage to squeeze in some homework and take an online test in Medical Terminology and make a 98 on it ... YAY ME! But I am feeling really bad that I hurt a friend. I apologized, but I'm not sure it did any good.

An Interesting Day

Today in clinical I had a blast ... no really, I was so scared but my teacher was there to help me with everything, and when I went to another department, the nurse there walked us through everything we did.

I gave two sub-Q shots in the belly. I de-accessed two central venous ports, and flushed one with normal saline and heparinized saline. I stopped an IV pump, I took two blood pressures, and I documented it all using the Admin RX system and the computer.

I watched people getting their chemotherapy, and that was the two ports I de-accessed. I watched a new needle and tubing get put into a central venous port. I had a really good day!

Then as I was coming home, my husband informed me that my son's glucose monitor was stolen at school, along with his books and homework, and he spent half the day looking for it and trying to get a new monitor. I just pray that the boy that broke his nose did have anything to do with its disappearance, because he was close by when it went missing. I can't believe anyone would be so mean as to steal a diabetics monitor, that is his lifeline literally, it had all of his insulin in it that he needs everyday. Now I am out a bottle of insulin. That stuff isn't cheap!

I just pray that whoever got it, got it by accident and will return it. He was able to get a new monitor, but still, I hope someone did not deliberately take it to cause my son harm.

WOW!

Tonight we heard a service about complaining. It was REALLY good. I know I needed to hear it. Not sure who has been complaining about their Sunday school class ... My Sunday school class is AWESOME, and we have awesome Deacons, Teachers, and Ministers at my church.

I know I drink the Cherry Limeade a lot ... (It was in the sermon ... had to be there). And sometimes we get tired of drinking the cherry limeade and are human and complain about it. Luckily we have forgiveness from our Father in Heaven, and hopefully from our Brothers and Sisters in Christ too.

Have a great, glorious, and blessed evening!

Blog Soup

Tonight's service was awesome, we got into small groups and prayed for our church leaders and for our government leaders. I love prayer services, I am very big on praying for others. I believe that is when God moves the most is when we are praying for people other than ourselves.

I got to thinking ... Ever notice how we all like to point out other people's sins and somehow try to say they are worse than our own? For example, say someone commits adultery, you will hear people gasp and oooh and awww and say how bad that is, but then they totally dismiss their own sins as though they are "better" because it wasn't adultery ... and I'm just using that as an example. It could be lying or judging another, or any sin for that matter.


I don't know why we do that, I suppose due to the guilt of our own sins, we have to find someone "worse" than ourselves to make us feel better. This is one area I am going to try and work on in myself because God says if we break one commandment, we break them all, and all sin is detestable to him regardless if it is murder, adultery, or stealing a dime from your momma'a purse. We need to remember that we are all saved from the same blood of Jesus Christ. He died for my sins just like he died for yours.

I have been having a lot on my heart and mind lately. I have friends that have gone through a lot and in need of prayer and support. Another couple we are friends with are about to be seperated beyond their control and will need lots of prayer and support. I feel like as a church family we need to stay on top of the needs of our people and give them as much love and support as we can because each person is part of the body of Christ, and each person is important.

God is moving and I want to be where HE is doing HIS work. I pray that you will have a great, glorious, and blessed week.

Find Out Who Your Friends Are

This is one of my favorite songs. Matter of fact, it is the ringtone for when my best friend calls me because even if it is just a text message, I know she is there and I know she would help me any way she could. You can think you have a lot of friends, but you figure out real quick who is a friend and who isn't just by going through some hard times. This song says it all.

Run your car off the side of the road
Get stuck in a ditch way out in the middle of nowhere
Or get yourself in a bind lose the shirt off your back
Need a floor, need a couch, need a bus fare
This is where the rubber meets the road
This is where the cream is gonna rise
This is what you really didn't know
This is where the truth don't lie

{Chorus}You find out who your friends are
Somebody's gonna drop everything
Run out and crank up their car
Hit the gas, get there fast
Never stop to think 'what's in it for me?'
or it's way too far'
They just show on up with their big old heart
You find out who your friends are

Everybody wants to slap your back
wants to shake your hand
when you're up on top of that mountain
But let one of those rocks give way
then you slide back down look up and see who's around then
This ain't where the road comes to an end
This ain't where the bandwagon stops
This is just one of those times when
A lot of folks jump off

{Chorus}

When the water's high
When the weather's not so fair
When the well runs dry
Who's gonna be there?

{Chorus}

You find out who your friends are(yeah, yeah)You find out who your friends are

Run your car off the side of the road
Get stuck in a ditch way out in the middle of nowhere
(Well man, I've been there)
Or get yourself in a bind lose the shirt off your back
Need a floor, need a couch, need a bus fare
(Man, I've been there)Man, I've been there
Oooh yeah.

Praise The Lord

After a couple of years worrying about my multi-nodular goiter, my ultrasound shows that the nodules have gotten smaller, so for now I have escaped having to have a biopsy ... Praise God!

So Far So Good

God has already answered two of my prayers this week, both on Monday. I released everything to him and now that I am out of the way, he is working on it. I may have a third answered prayer by the end of the week!!!!

I am still waiting to hear about my thyroid ultrasound. I am really not wanting to have a needle stuck in my neck ... haven't you heard that nurses and doctors make the worse patients? Yeah, that's me, a nurse in training and I am the WORST patient. I want vercet if they do the biopsy, that's the only way to go ... to Lala land, Ha ha!

I am busy-busy-busy this week with school. We are learning how to do IV's very first thing ... It's exciting but a bit scary at the same time. I have had bad experiences with IV's myself, and you have to "practice" in order to get good, but I don't want to practice on a real person :-(

I probably won't post as often as I did over the summer due to my busy schedule, but I will update as soon as God moves my mountain! Have a great, glorious, and blessed week!

Prayer Requests

• I am having a thyroid ultrasound this afternoon to check on the multi-nodular goiter that I have. I am asking for prayer because if any part of that goiter is over 1.5 cm then I have to have a biopsy guided by another ultrasound.
• We may have to uproot our family to another town, to another church, and my husband may have to get another job to escape what we are dealing with. Please pray that God will lead us where he wants us, or heal the situation so that we can stay where we are.
• Today is my first day back to college. Please pray that I can hold on to the information I read and hear, and that I won't be overly stressed.
• Please pray that I can keep my eyes on God during this trying time, and not let Satan destroy my faith.

Thank you so much, and have a great, glorious, and blessed day.

For Your Information (Update)

This is my blog. It is like an online prayer journal. I can go back and look and see how God got me through the things that happen in my life, and yes, so can any body else. It may bother some that I am very honest on my blog, but all I can say is that if it bothers you more what I put on here, then it does for what someone is actually doing to hurt me and my family, then you probably have your priorities all messed up.

Those that are lost need to know that Christians are not perfect either. Even though we are saved, we make mistakes everyday. Deleting my blog would be like erasing my testimony, and I refuse to do that.

Our Battle With Satan

We always hear that we cannot argue with the Bible. If it is in the Bible, we must believe it. You cannot believe part of the Bible, you must believe the WHOLE Bible. So therfore ...

The Bible tells us in Matthew 18:15-17

A Brother Who Sins Against You

15 "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector."

So for those that disagree with us, I am sorry, but it is in black and white right there in your Bible.

Discouragement Has Set In

It has been 4 days since my son got beat up by the majors nephew, and the boy is still not charged with anything. If it had been the other way around, my son would have already been picked up ... yeah I know how it is around here. The ----- family gets away with EVERYTHING!!!!

I can tell you now that if something is not done, my husband and I will be finding some way to get something done about this. If that means we have to call the news and make a big fuss, we will. I am TIRED of this family harassing us and NO ONE will help us. We have begged and pleaded for someone to help us with this family, and everyone turns their back and tells us this isn't their problem. So they better stay out of it when matters are taken into our own hands.

I'm Still Looking Up

Yesterday I sent an email to the principal at school that was with my son at the middle school last year. I sent him a picture of Austen's face and told him what happened. He called me and asked me where it happened, and why, and then told me to pursue charges. When I told him that the boy's uncle was major and that I had filed a report with the City Police, but I was afraid they would sweep it under a rug (so to speak), he told me that a week was too long for them to arrest the boy, and that he would work on it for me and try to get something done about it today.

He loves Austen, and has been very good to us. But he said since it started at school and then they fought in Calvert, that the school could handle it. PRAISE GOD!!! I just hope God is smiling down on us for dealing with this the right way, and that this boy stops getting away with things just because of his family name.

He gets into fights all the time, and his dad brags about it. The boy boxes, there is video of him boxing on Facebook. I seen it last night right before I removed him from my son's friends list.

I went to the Church about some of the things this family has done to us, but they felt it wasn't a church problem. I disagreed, but what can I do? Now it has resolved to fighting ... so hopefully God will deal with it, even if no one else wants to.

Just please pray for our family at this time. Once the boy is charged, I have a bad feeling things will get worse as far as harassment from this family goes. It says in the Bible not to sue a brother, but everyone has left us no choice.

When It Rains, It Pours!

My son got beat up pretty bad yesterday. He had hernia surgery about 3 weeks ago, and did not need to be fighting. The boy that beat him up knew he had just had surgery ... we know the boy and his father. Both of them have harrassed our family for a long time now.

The boy kicked him where he had surgery, and then grabbed his head and slammed my son's face into his knee and broke his nose. It looks pretty bad. He also has a chipped a tooth. All I have to say is that I hope they are ready for some doctor bills. We had the ER visit with a cat scan, he has to go see the ENT to make sure his nose doesn't need surgical correction, he has to see a dentist, and he will have to be checked out by the surgeon that did his hernia repair to make sure it didn't mess it up.

The boy is being charged (we hope). The boy is related to the major here, so we may request the case be moved to county, the Sheriff told us we could if we feel it isn't handled appropriately. This family tends to get away with everything, so we may request the move. Austen asked him to stop several times and he kept on going, and then Austen even turned his back and the boy kept hitting him. My husband works with the boys father, and my son rides the same bus as this boy does, so things are probably going to get ugly. I am praying that everyone keeps their cool and that God handles this for us.

I had to keep my son home from school today, he is still in a lot of pain.

What To Do?

God has been dealing with me over many things lately. Some of them are things I do, and some are what others do. I have been really having a hard time dealing with things that are going on at church lately that I totally disagree with. I have actually thought about changing churches, but that won't help what is going on, but it don't do a bit of good to talk to anyone about it either. Besides, I love so many people at my church!

I keep praying, and then someone else tells me things that have been said or have been done, and it just gets me upset all over again. I'm thinking God wants us to try to help, but I don't know where to begin. I'm gonna keep praying because I know God will deal with all of it in HIS time.

To My Loving Husband - Happy Anniversary Baby!

Dear Stanley,

I just wanted to tell you how much I have enjoyed the 17 years we've been together! I know we have been through some tough times, we've made a lot of mistakes, and we've broken each others hearts ... but I would not trade it for anything in the world. Matter of fact, I would do it all again because I am so happy and so in love with you!

I know we have many songs ... but this is a song that is a great description of how I feel about you.

No One
By Alicia Keys

I just want you close
Where you can stay forever
You can be sure
That it will only get better
You and me together
Through the days and nights
I don't worry 'cuz
Everythings gonna be alright
People keep talking
They can say what they like
But all I know is everything's gonna be alright

No one no one no one
Can get in the way of what I'm feeling
No one no one no one
Can get in the way of what I feel for you
You you
Can get in the way of what I feel for you

When the rain is pouring down
And my heart is hurting
You will always be around
This I know for certain
You and me together
Through the days and nights
I don't worry cause
Everythings gonna be alright
People keep talking
They can say what they like
But all I know is everything's gonna be alright
No one no one no one
Can get in the way of what I'm feeling
No one no one no one
Can get in the way of what I feel for you
You you
Can get in the way of what I feel

I know some people search the world
To find something like what we have
I know people will try
Try to divide
Something so real
So till the end of time
I'm telling you there is no one
No one no one no one
Can get in the way of what I'm feeling
No one no one no one
Can get in the way of what I feel for you
Oh oh oh...

You can watch the video or just listen to the song by clicking HERE

I love you baby, and I'm sorry I have to work tonight, but tomorrow is my last day, and so tomorrow night I am looking forward to just us going out and celebrating our many years together ... It gets better every year!

All my love,
Cindy

I Am Blessed!

As my wedding anniversary approaches, I am thinking about how far Stanley and I have come, and how much in love with him I still am after 17 years together. We still hold hands, sit by each other on the couch and snuggle (or as Noah Short says, "nuggle"). We hold hands when we pray, we say "I love you" all the time, we kiss each other everyday, everynight, and several times in bewteen. We truly love each other and WORK at our marriage. I often PRAISE GOD for the husband I have. I KNOW FOR A FACT that he is the man GOD intended me to be with. I am so fortunate to have a husband who loves the LORD, his family, and works so hard to provide for us.

If I were to give marriage advice, this is what I would say.

1. PUT GOD FIRST, then your SPOUSE, then your kids, then your extended family, and then your friends. IT WILL NOT WORK IF YOU PUT ANYONE EXCEPT GOD BEFORE YOUR SPOUSE!!!!

2. "Date" your spouse as often as you can. Flirt with your spouse everyday!

3. TALK about your problems calmly and as soon as they arrise (a lesson it took me a long time to learn), letting it stir is bad and no one wants to talk to someone who is yelling!

4. ADMIT WHEN YOUR WRONG, and APOLOGIZE!!!!

5. Don't criticize or call names, just explain what is wrong and ask that they stop.

6. Last but not LEAST -- Pray for your marriage! Pray for God to strengthen it and draw you closer to each other. Pray for your spouse and for yourself too!

It is sad when people start having problems in their marriage, and they turn away from God instead of toward God. It is more sad when Church family turns their back on couples who need spiritual guidance and support!!!! We should not be judgmental, we should reach out and offer help! I am praying for several couples who need the church, and have tried to help in any way I could ... but like our guest preacher said Sunday ... divorce affects everyone, not just the couple. I don't want to see the people I love seperate, not just for my sake, but for their kids and family's sake. And because I know that GOD IS AGAINST DIVORCE!

Well I am off to think about my loving husband, and to brainstorm a great place for us to go out to eat this Saturday (anniversary is on Friday, but have to work :( ) ... we want to start a tradition so I want it to be a good place, but I also like my favorite place (LOS AMIGOS)! Any suggestions?

Questions

Why do we as Christians say the most horrible things in front of lost people?

Why do people like drugs? Are they an escape from God? Why do people want to do drugs?

Have you ever had someone look at you in a way that you knew they were judging you or thinking that they were so much better than you? Me too, I wonder what makes people do that? I may not agree with some people, but I don't think I'm better than they are. Sometimes I just want to say "What, am I not good enough to be in your presence?"

Have you ever wondered why pizza comes in a square box? Doesn't a round box make more sense, or how about a square pizza?

Why do people wonder what beggars do with the money you give them? Doesn't God just require us to help others? Do you think he's setting up in Heaven saying "Now make sure they buy food and not beer." ? I mean really, we worry way to much about what others do and don't pay near enough attention to what we, ourselves, do. Do they some how think that if that person buys beer or cigarettes that they will have to suffer the consequences or pay for another person's sin????

Why do you only hear crickets at night?

Please answer any of these that you may know the answers to.

This & That

I am finding that I grow closer to God by helping others. Doing something for someone, even if it is just praying for them, makes me feel really good, and I learn and grow in Christ at the same time.

I am feeling really good about some things that have been going on. Some friends of mine are having a hard time, and I have prayed for them for a long time, and during this long time I have seen God working, but now HE is really working, and I am praising HIM for it!

I have decided that there should be a law that says that if you are responsible for a diabetic child in any way, form, or fashion, that you should have to go through training. I am really getting tired of people around my son keeping sugary foods around him, or have them included in every "group" event, but expect him not to eat it, and stay on his case about it. Looks to me if they were truly concerned about him eating it, they wouldn't make it available to him, or have events that are centered around sugar. But what do I know?

If I pull him out of the "group" every time there is sugary foods available, he would not get to be with this "group" much at all. He has already been banned from overnight trips with the group because his blood sugar tends to go really high while with this "group" (probably because of all the sugar they keep around him), but I guess it's easier to expect him not to eat it then it is for them not to have it around him. Yeah, that's being responsible ... But they expect him to be responsible. I just don't get it, please God help me get it!

I love my blog, it is a place I can vent and get things off my chest without hurting others feelings. I have found that talking to people does not always work, so this and praying is how I deal with it

I'm Tired

Tired because I've been sleeping over at the lady's house I take care of for the past three days, and I don't sleep well when I'm not with Stanley and in my own bed.

Tired just thinking about school starting back up. I need three more months of relaxation!

Tired of my boys eating all of the food in the house ... I will be glad when my grocery bill goes back down!

Tired of the same ole' daily BS!

Tired of people freaking out when we are not at church. We are more faithful about going to church than many of the SS teachers and Deacons!

Tired of not seeing my husband much this week, but I am off today and tomorrow so we will catch up!

I am tired, but I could have it a lot worse, so I'm gonna be thankful for the few complaints I have :)

I hope that you have a great, glorious, and blessed day!

To My Friends

I'll Stand By You (Carrie Underwood)

[Originally performed by The Pretenders]

Oh why you look so sad
The tears are in your eyes
Come on and come to me now
Don’t be ashamed to cry
Let me see you through
Cause I’ve seen the dark side too

When the night falls on you
You don't know what to do
Nothing you confess
Could make me love you less

I’ll stand by you
I’ll stand by you
Won’t let nobody hurt you
I’ll stand by you

So if you're mad get mad
Don’t hold it all inside
Come on and talk to me now
Hey, what you got to hide
I get angry too
Well I’m a lot like you

When you're standing at the crossroads
And don't know which path to choose
Let me come along
Cause even if you're wrong

I’ll stand by you
I’ll stand by you
Won’t let nobody hurt you
I’ll stand by you
Take me in into you darkest hour
And I’ll never desert you
I’ll stand by you

And when, when the night falls on you, baby
You feeling all alone
You won't be on your own

I’ll stand by you
I’ll stand by you
Won’t let nobody hurt you
I’ll stand by you
Take me in into you darkest hour
And I’ll never desert you
I’ll stand by you

Oh I’ll stand by you
I’ll stand by you

I love my friends, I will fight for them, and I will tell them when they are wrong, but I will always love my friends, and be there for them!

Feeling Helpless

I have friends that are in serious need of prayer. I am the type of friend that truly cares for my friends, and I truly care what happens to them. I am praying for God to intervene because I don't know what to do to help them, but be there for them, pray for them, and encourage them. They are really going through some things and in need of God's direction.

Satan has really been working overtime lately to pull God's people away from Church. I am trusting God to take back control and work in these people's lives so that they can get back on the right path. Please join me in praying for them. You don't have to know their names, God knows who they are. Thank you, and have a great, glorious, and blessed day!

God Has Been Talking To Me

I have slowly but surely drifted out of a close relationship with God the past few months. I don't know how it happened, but it did. I think I got caught up in life and dealing with issues that I forgot to let God have the wheel of my life, and because of that, I went the wrong way.

My friends are very important to me, but some of my friends are not as close to God as I WAS, and so I think I just let myself slide, telling myself it was ok. I want to be closer to God, I want to be there for my friends, and I want to pray for my friends, and even my enemies. It is NOT ok to put God anywhere but FIRST in your life. I pray that I start doing that again!

Gunner Gillespie Fundraiser - Please Help!

I received this in email, if you follow Gunner's story, please consider sending your pennies to help pay for his treatment! Thank you and may God bless you for your kindness!

Hello Faithful Gunner’s Magic Train Riders,

Gunner has completed 20 treatments and he has begun a second round of another 20
treatments. We have had many curves and cracks in G’s Magic Train Ride. However,
we have seen some wonderful improvements in the last few days. We still have a
long way to go and since they would like to do another round of treatments at
Envita it is costing WAY more then we had anticipating paying.

Please, remember since this alternative, insurance will not pay for any of the
treatments or supplements. We have had many helping us in the fundraising area.
We thank each and every one of you. WE could not have gotten this far without
your help, suggestions, ideas, and hard work. One family at Envita is doing
something similar to this as to try and raise more money and they are having
quite the success. So I thought we would give it a new twist and try it as well.
We NEED your help. I am asking that you send this email out to everyone you
know, asking everyone to forward this to everyone they know etc... Asking
EVERYONE to do this little thing to help Gunner Gillespie (Brain tumor patient –
Diffused Intrinsic Pontine Glioma).

"See a Penny pick it up
Send it
to Gunner
With a prayer
For Good luck!"

If EVERYONE sends a
penny and a prayer to the bank account that the friends of Gunner Gillespie has
set up to help pay for medical expenses, we think it could help put a dent in
the medical bills.

Donations can be made payable to
The Gillespie
Family and sent to the special account set up for them at Community Financial
Services Bank (CFSB) PO Box 467 Benton, KY 42025 You may send more if you like
but most people throw pennies away, let them collect in a pile on the dresser,
and etc. A penny will not break anyone, but can help tremendously more then you
could ever know. One of Gunner’s favorite things to do is look for money on the
ground. I think he was given this passion genetically. If I remember correctly,
that is how my dad got his nickname, Hawk Eye, which was later shortened to Hawk
because he could spot coins on the ground anywhere. So this is what has given me
the idea of sending a penny. Besides the fact that Gunner’s favorite president
is Abraham Lincoln. I thought if each and every one of you would say a prayer
before sending that penny then he not only gains a penny to help pay for
treatment but he gains a prayer too. We cannot have enough pennies or enough
prayers.

A penny saved is a penny earned and a prayer allows us to be
united together as brothers and sisters. "Prayer of the righteous is powerful
and effective." James 5:16 NRSV
Just think about it....if every person from
all the cities that are listed on Gunner’s buddy map was to send only one penny
and a prayer....how much money do you think that could be? How many lines of
communication would be opened to our Lord?

We need ALL your help and all
your prayers! We truly believe in the treatment that Gunner is receiving. We
believe that what we are doing is helping to save Gunner’s life as well as give
him quality of life. Gunner’s little life is depending on all of these little
things we are doing and what YOU are doing with us. As of right now there is no
cure just options that help buy time if they are effective. We want to find a
cure so badly but it takes time, energy, resources, HOPE and FAITH.

Please, EVERYONE get involved in saving this child's life. Remember the
old saying it takes a village to raise a child. Well, we need the village to
help. We need the village to pray and to toss your pennies Gunner’s way instead
of on the ground or on your dresser.

"Bear one another’s burdens, and in
this way you will fulfill the Law of
Christ." Galatians 6:2 NRSV

What if this was your child or grand child? How far would you go and how
many people would you want to help?

If we all do this one little thing,
by sending Gunner one of your pennies you could be giving him enough money to
pay for his 20 treatments and helping to pay for supplements that he is to take
for the for the next 2 years that INSURANCE does not pay a thing for. We realize
that a penny is not a lot of money but I did not want to put a financial burden
on any one person. We don’t want anyone to feel obligated or worry that they
cannot help. Just look around on the ground, in your couch cushions, at the
bottom of your purse. I guarantee you will find a penny that you did not know
you had so it won’t hurt to send it on to Gunner. The one thing that I ask
though is that you say a prayer before sending it on to Gunner. If you want
write your prayer down on paper. We would love to hear them and read them. I
know that a penny may not be enough for all the treatments. However, it is a
start and when you are trying to come up with this much money, every penny
counts.

We had planned for the first round of treatment but the second
round came as a complete surprise. No matter what happens, we will find a way to
pay for treatment it just would be nice to have one less thing to worry about.
Living the life of a terminally ill child brings many ups and downs, many curves
and cracks in Gunner’s tracks of his Magic Train Ride. I am asking you to join
us on his journey in moving his mountain. I know that this may seem bold and
extreme. However, I have learned in life that if you don’t ask then people don’t
know how to help. This is something everyone can do.

I even actually
thought that you could make a game or contest out of it. If you challenge your
friends, family members, and co-workers to a contest, you could see who could
collect the most pennies. You could have penny wars with pictures of your
co-workers. The one with the most pennies could have a pie in the face or have
to treat everyone to a treat or something. It could be an opportunity for
churches, businesses, organizations to come together have some fun and make a
difference in a special little boy’s life. You could get the news involved to
spot light your place of business or organization to help spread the word of
humanity and the awareness of this awful disease that is effecting 200 children
a year (and what seems to be a low figure).

The planning and raising of
funds is time consuming, overwhelming, and exhausting for people. We don’t want
to have to ask people to give up their time and energy and so we thought a penny
and a prayer would be something that would not wear anyone out and it would be
so easy to do. We feel guilty even having to ask people to help. WE want to be
able to do this on our own but I have realized that this is what God wants. God
wants us to be good people and he wants to see people doing good things. He
wants us to be humble and he wants us to have humanity. He wants us to make a
difference in this world and sometimes all it takes is one small step. I know
with weddings, graduations, and the price of gas that money is a big issue for a
person right now which is why we chose the penny. I know you can find one
somewhere and you won’t miss it by sending it to Gunner and please don’t forget
the prayer. It is what is the most important and if you can’t send a penny then
please just say a prayer for Gunner.

So PLEASE..... all join together
and help us help the G-Man.

He has taught me so much in life and I have
to do what I can to save him. He has so much to offer our world.

If you
will participate with us and help save a life, this is what I need you to do.
1. YOU and Everyone YOU know.....Send a penny and a prayer, {more if you
wish – many families have asked for a dollar – we are only asking for a penny}
to The Gillespie Family’s special account set up for them at Community Financial
Services Bank (CFSB)PO Box 467 Benton, KY 42025 As soon as you can get it out...
the sooner we will know where we stand but we realize if you have made it a
contest you will need to have time to make a challenge.
2. EVERYONE forward
this to EVERYONE you know, with a little note from you saying something like,
how you know Gunner, how he has touched your life and/or the person who sent it
to you, and ask that they also help with this cause to save his life.

If
anyone wants to Check out the Story on Gunner and make sure it is not a scam I
have some places you can call, or go to, to see for your self this is real, and
if this child needs ALL OUR HELP!
You can call, or go to these sites....
..................
Donations can be made payable to
The Gillespie
Family and sent to the special account set up for them at Community Financial
Services Bank (CFSB)PO Box 467 Benton, KY 42025 Call us at 270-527-4600 or
888-226-5669 or contact us by location or at contactus@cfsvcs.com

Just call the bank and ask them if they are collecting money for Gunner Gillespie and if they know this little boy.................... He needs your help!

When Life Throws You Lemons

You make lemonade right?

Lately things have not gone the way I'd like for them to go. We've had issues with our teenage boys, which, by the way, seems to have gotten better. We've had issues with co-workers, and now I am having issues with my mother. But I am praising God because I know that somewhere there is a lesson for me to learn.

Please continue to pray for us! Have a great, glorious, and blessed day!

Pondering

As I was driving my kids to summer school this morning, I started thinking about everything that is going on in our home. Satan has definitely figured out how to get to us, and I know it's him because my oldest son hasn't been sitting through a church service in a long time, he ends up leaving a service for high blood sugar, or stomach hurting, or something. We seem to NEVER have any time to get in our Bible's everyday. That is Satan! Satan DOES NOT want us to hear the word of God. He does not want us to get closer to God. Satan will try his best to break up a family, and believe me when I say he is well on his way in my family.

I have handed it over to God. I have asked for help from our church like I always hear we should, and now I just have to trust that God does not want Satan to be doing this to us, and if we turn to God, and put HIM back in first position in our lives, HE will handle this for us.

I pray for healing for my family, I pray that my boys will seek God and put HIM first so that they can have a close relationship with HIM. I pray that God will show us all the error of our ways and help us to change the things that are ungodly in our lives. I pray that Stanley and I will recognize that this is Satan, and we WILL NOT let him steal our joy and our peace. I pray that we lead by example, and stop being busy for God and start being close to God. Please pray for these things as well. We need all the prayer we can get!

Have a great, glorious, and blessed day!

Facing Crisis

We are facing a crisis in the Stevenson home. Satan has found a way to steal our peace and I was thinking about how I need to turn to God more for guidance, I was led to a website that was sent to me in email by a friend. God's YellowPages is a great place to find scriptures relating to your problems.

Please pray for God to guide all of our actions during this time, and to bind Satan from further attacks.

Thankful Thursday - God's Word

I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God's Holy Word, I will make it a lamp
unto my feet and a light unto my path and will hide its words in my heart that I
might not sin against God.

As I was at VBS last night saying this pledge, I realized how thankful I am for God's word. Without God's word we would not know how to handle everyday life situations. We would not know how to act, and we would not know the sacrifice Jesus made for us.

I am so very thankful to God for HIS word and I am going to remind myself of this pledge so that I will get in HIS word more and hide HIS word in my heart so that I can have a better walk with HIM.

What Do You Think?

I had a disagreement with someone over how to take care of a child who is diabetic/not responsible. I told the person we would just have to agree to disagree because I will not ever believe the way they do, and it's doubtful they will believe the way I do.

It was about my son who is diabetic, and does not think he has to keep his blood sugar under control. He does not show responsibility in taking care of his blood sugar, and therefore eats sugary foods without getting shots for them.

The disagreement came from the fact that this person keeps sweets, junk food, regular sodas, and that kind of stuff around my son when he is in his care, but then expects him not to eat it. He also says he is not responsible for my son while I am in the same building. To me that is backing out of his responsibility, and so how does he expect my son to be responsible if he can't even take the responsibility of taking care of my son while in his care?

His feeling is that since my son can go to the gas station nearby and buy junk food while away from me, that I should not worry about keeping it in his face, and around the house, that I should expect him to be responsible not to eat it. I feel like then maybe I need to buy alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, and while I am at it. a loaded gun, and I will keep that in the house and expect all of my children not to get in any of it, drink it, smoke it, or use it. Come on, we are talking about a teenager, not an adult. Everyone knows that teenagers lose their brains and can't make good decisions over 60% of the time.

Adults are called adults, and kids are called kids for a reason. If I keep a loaded gun around my house and my child accidentally shoots someone, guess what? I go to jail ...WHY? Because I am supposed to be the responsible one. So the same can be said about keeping concentrated sweets, drugs, alcohol, and other dangerous things in the house. If I keep it, and my son goes into a coma, who do you think the doctor is going to blame?

Would you leave an unresponsible child home alone over and over to make them more responsible? You really can't do that. So you don't keep the concentrated sweets in front of an unresponsible diabetic and expect he will eventually become responsible. The adult has to step up and be responsible in this situation. And to me, the responsible thing to do would be to keep concentrated sweets away from a child who does not need it. It is the same with children with allergies. No responsible adult keeps foods their children are allergic to in their face. It is too dangerous.

That's my opinion, what's yours?

Today's Thought

A CLEAR CONSCIOUS makes a SOFT PILLOW.

Today's Thought

It is IMPOSSIBLE to have NOTHING TO DO with JESUS CHRIST!

Thankful Thursday

• I'm thankful to God above for equipping me with the ability to be a mom, a wife, and a student. Going to nursing school is not easy by any stretch of the imagination, and I'm thankful that God has led me, guided me, and stayed with me through this journey.
• I'm thankful that I am a member of a great church that loves the Lord and each other.
• I'm thankful for my health, and the health of the ones I love.
• I'm thankful that JL and BL are our friends, and have tried so very hard to make their marriage work!
• I'm thankful that another couple have decided to work things out and not let Satan split them up.
• I'm thankful for a loving husband whom I absolutely adore.
• And finally, I'm thankful for for every single day that God gives me on this earth with the people I love.

GREAT NEWS

For those of you who want to take GOD out of EVERYTHING, He won't be in HELL either!

Great Times

This past weekend we had a big get-together with some of our closest friends. There were two couples plus my sister and her husband and kids, and then my best friend for over 20 years came with her girls. We invited JL & BL but BL was sick so they were not able to come :( We had a big time! We cooked lots of food, and had a bon-fire in the backyard. It was a great day! Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, and Stanley and I enjoyed everyone being here!

It was originally supposed to be my best friend and her girls staying the night with us, but then Stanley started inviting everyone over to celebrate me being out of school, and my birthday is the 14th, so I think he was wanting to do something he knew I would enjoy. I love having friends over!

I am hoping soon to be able to host a Sunday School get-together. I would love that as well because I really like all of the people in our Sunday School class. they are good friends too. I would have invited all of them last weekend, but my house is half painted inside and half not painted, so I would rather wait until we finish things up. My closest friends know how I am so I don't worry if my house isn't clean when they come over, but I wouldn't want my Sunday School class to see that.

Oh and my favorite things with the weekend? My sister brought her baby, and my best friend brought me a birthday gift that she said she only paid a dollar for, but it is priceless to me!

I pray that you are as blessed as I am with good friends!

Praise The Lord

I am finished with school for this semester, and I passed all of my classes! I am totally amazed at how God gets you through when HE puts you in places you never thought you'd be! I feel so blessed to be where he has put me, but it is very hard, so I know I can't do it without HIM!

I hope your feeling blessed today and are praising the Lord with me!

Did We Fail Them?

I have two great friends whom I adore. They have been going through a rough time the past couple of months. Satan has tried very hard to drive them apart. Stanley and I have prayed for them and supported them 100%, trying to help them in any way we know how.

They told me yesterday that are switching churches, and this really broke my heart. I can't help but wonder if maybe as a church we failed them. Maybe we didn't show enough love and support to them. Maybe too many people were whispering and taking sides, and they felt like they needed to be somewhere where people wouldn't judge them??? I don't know, but I know that as Christians, we should NEVER advocate for, encourage, or push for anyone to get a divorce. God created marriage, Satan created divorce.

I just pray that they both do whatever it takes to keep their marriage together. They must put their marriage under God, and before anyone else in their family. And I pray that God heals everything, and that their marriage will be stronger for all that they are enduring now. Please pray for this couple. You don't have to know their names because God knows who they are. pray that God will bind Satan and keep him from tearing them apart, and that they won't worry about what other people think, that they will fight for their marriage with everything they've got! Thank you, and God bless you!

Looking Around

Since this is technically the last week of school for me (a test and meeting next week), I thought I would relieve some stress and look at nursing shirts. I found some that I absolutely love and will buy before nursing school is over.

I definately want this one ... http://www.cafepress.com/buy/nursing/-/pv_design_details/pg_10/id_17279531/opt_/fpt_/c_666/
Then I really like this one too ... http://www.cafepress.com/buy/nursing/-/pv_design_details/pg_2/id_17980817/opt_/fpt_/c_666/
And this one ... http://www.cafepress.com/buy/nursing/-/pv_design_details/pg_2/id_21361861/opt_/fpt_/c_666/
And this one ... http://www.cafepress.com/buy/nursing/-/pv_design_details/pg_1/id_18543601/opt_/fpt_/c_666/
And this one ... http://www.cafepress.com/buy/nursing/-/pv_design_details/pg_3/id_13801099/opt_/fpt_/c_666/
And this one ... http://www.cafepress.com/buy/nursing/-/pv_design_details/pg_4/id_18860484/opt_/fpt_/c_666/
And this one ... http://www.cafepress.com/buy/nursing/-/pv_design_details/pg_7/id_3528341/opt_/fpt_/c_666/
And my husband needs this one ... http://www.cafepress.com/buy/nursing/-/pv_design_details/pg_7/id_16517175/opt_/fpt_/c_666/

I Can See The Light ...

... At the end of the tunnel, for this semester anyway! My last day of actual classes is May 2nd. That is also when my nursing 101 final is. My A & P 2 final is May 5th, and May 6th I have to go back to nursing class for a mandatory meeting, I am assuming it is to get us ready for nursing 202.

These next two and a half weeks are going to be hectic. Tomorrow I have an Acid/Base Balance quiz, Monday is a nursing test, Tuesday is my last lab exam for A & P 2, then we have the last bit of content for this semester in nursing. The 24th is a physical assessment competency, then the 25th is catheterization check-off, then the 29th is the catheterization competency, then the 30th is our last exam in nursing before the final. YES I'M STRESSED!

I am vowing to do nothing on the weekends from now until this semester is over, (except work-out). I am looking forward to summer vacation, do you blame me?

By the way, I've lost 8 pounds working out at the gym for the past three weeks. I am feeling better and stronger!

Some Questions I Have

I have had a bad week. Things have not gone right for me and things have happened that have left me so confused.

I have never understood why it is that when your kids act bad, no one tells you until they don't know what else to do. They just talk about it with other people and then quite some time later you find out about it. Wouldn't it make more sense to tell the parents about the kids in the beginning so that they can help get them under control?

We have been having problems with our boys for quite some time now, but apparently so have other people, but they didn't tell us about it until recently. We found out that people were complaining about our kids who see us a lot, and never said a word to us. I just feel like that is wrong. That is like talking about someone behind their back.

I know my kids are acting bad, I deal with it too. We have tried everything, and nothing seems to really work. I have even thought about sending them some where that can do something with them, but I don't want them to feel unloved. Praying is all I know to do right now.

I'm just going to keep looking to God for answers.

Another Slap In The Face

I feel like crying, I really do. I've spent over a year being friends with a couple that I truly care about, and trying my hardest (without pushing them away) to win them to Christ. Another Christian couple came along and may have undone everything I worked so hard to accomplish, by partying with them. I'm sorry but that really ticked me off! Satan is working double time lately! Back to drawing board I suppose.

A Heavy Heart

I am in mourning yet no one died, but I am because the soul of someone I love is destined to go hell because she does not believe in the same God I believe in, and she doesn't believe in Heaven or Hell, or that Satan can make us do bad things.

Please pray for this person. Pray that she will seek truth, find it, and make a decision for Christ before it is too late.

Have a great, glorious, and blessed day!

A Lot On My Heart

I have been super busy with my studies, and haven't had much time for anything. I have also been dealing with some serious issues and personal problems, so I've been a bit depressed and out of sorts lately.

I'm blessed that I have a loving and forgiving savior! After years of dealing with some things that were not pleasant, after years of praying that God would do something about it, I believe he is working on it now. I praise him for that! It is really hard to be a Christian when someone is constantly doing you wrong, and especially when they are hypocritical about it.

I am starting to feel like I can breathe now, just knowing that God is dealing with this situation. Maybe that was my biggest lesson, instead of trying to find someone to help me deal with it, and give me answers on what I could do, I should have just trusted that God would deal with it in his time.

There is one more thing that is bothering me that I am praying he will fix. I am going to do my best to trust that he will and not talk to anyone about it, and see what God does with it. It too is painful, but I am trusting God.

Satan is on a surge, and he is attacking the best people. I have been so emotional these past two weeks because I feel so heartbroken about a particular couple that Satan, has for now, torn apart. I would have never thought that this could happen to this couple, but I am praying daily that God will intervene and heal this family. I love them so much!

Another great couple that God has put in our path, have been a true blessing! I think they are going to join our church tomorrow! I praise God for great Christian people! And the neat thing about it, is that a lost couple is good friends with the four of us (Stanley & I, and this new couple), so hopefully God will use all of us to reach them, and we can be good influences on them and encourage them and show them love.

So even though in some ways I'm suffering with some issues, I am also praising God for what he is allowing me to go through (to teach me), and for working on some things I have been praying about.

I pray that God is working in your life!

Confused & Not Feeling Well

Well the situation below has calmed down a bit - I don't feel like screaming as loudly anymore, but I do think we should talk to him and tell him that what he is doing is sin and he needs to stop causing us so much grief and harrassment. Stanley feels like if we say anything it can cause more problems, so I don't know what to do.

Last night I started feeling bad. I am praying it isn't the flu, because it has been going around like crazy! I have to go to school at 2PM today and then everyday for the rest of the week, I will have to go sick because I cannot miss one day of nursing.

Have a great day!

Ready-Aim-Fire

I am about to explode, no really! One person is constantly causing my husband or my family trouble and I am tired of it, and am about to make a total complete fool of myself telling him exactly what I think! I need prayers, and lots of them.

Waiting To Exhale

I have been so busy that I haven't had much time for anything but school. Thursday was my first day off from school since the semester started, and I sure enjoyed it, though I was studying for an A&P 2 test. (I made a "B" on that test).

Today I don't go to school until 2PM and that may change due to the weather situation. Thursday is my first clinical experience, and I'm excited! Things should slow down a little bit now that clinicals have started, and I should be able to breathe a little bit easier too.

I have a big A&P 2 lab test coming up, and a few quizzes in Nursing, but overall, I think I'm doing pretty good and enjoying school so far! I'm really looking forward to when this is all over and I am a registered nurse!

I hope you have a great, glorious, and blessed day!

Too Busy To Post

I haven't had time to post lately, I have been swamped with reading and studying. The nursing program is definitely living up to it's reputation of being "tough". It also requires a lot of critical thinking skills that I'm not sure I have enough of just yet. I am hoping that those skills will come easier as I learn more.

Please pray for me! I know this is where I belong, and Satan has sent a lot of people to me who are trying to discourage me from this profession. As hard as this program is it would be easy to give up if discouraged enough. Please pray that God will send encouragement my way to counteract Satan. I don't think I will give up, I just think that it will hurt my confidence.

I hope you have time to "be" with your family. You take for granted the time you spend with them until you don't get that time anymore!!!!

Have a great, glorious, and blessed day!