Bad hair days and crooked tiaras...ALL righted by God's grace!!

Looking out the window I saw my husband in the back yard.   Unable to believe my eyes I threw the door open, rushed outside and stood on the patio arms extended to the side in absolute dismay.   Weeks earlier I had decided that I was going to pursue a craft project that involved gourds, but there were none to be found.  A couple of seed packets were purchased and the seeds planted in the back corner of our flower bed next to the fence.  Some time later the vines had covered not only a fair amount of the ground but a portion of the fence, as well.  I was eagerly anticipating the arrival of the blooms which would yield a vast number of gourds. At that moment I stood looking at my husband with his arms full of my vines.  I threw my arms in the air and said, "What is the world are you doing?"  Grasping the torn, cut and uprooted vines, he said with pride, "This kudzu is taking over the flower bed and the fence, but I took care of it!  We won't be having that problem now

If you have bothered to watch any television in the last six months you are aware of the incredible popularity of "Reality TV."  Each week you can watch the whirl wind romance of your favorite "Bachelor" or "Bachlorette," see decorators compete to be the next "Design Star," or sit in dismay as contestants try to exist with only the clothes on their back to outwit and outlast others  to become the last sole "Survivor." Perhaps you are more of the game show person and enjoy seeing people suffer hits, spills and falls as they "Wipeout" their competitors.  Reality television has captured the interest of so many but, it seems that those who do not enjoy it are often adamant regarding the unrealistic nature of such shows.  Recently, my husband and I were watching television together when an advertisement aired for a reality program.  In this particular show individuals  were paired for  adventures with members of the opposite sex

Several years ago a group called Team Impact visited our church.  This team believes that  we live in a "sight and sound" generation. The truth is that fallen man has been seeking to fulfill their emptiness with what they can see, hear and touch since man's first disobedience. Since that time we have been pulled in every direction by a world that promises  everything and offers nothing. Team Impact has learned that if you can get a person's attention - they will listen to what you have to say- and boy, has Team Impact found a way to get that attention! Their unique style of ministry uses the talents of elite athletes performing a mesmerizing production of strength which  demands the  attention of old and young alike. The appeal is nearly irresistible, especially for those who would normally never attend church. While the method may be unconventional, the message is timeless-salvation through grace by faith in Jesus Christ.  These former athletes performed such amazi

In my last post I wrote about the adventure that my friend, Stephenie and I recently had in Birmingham which led us to a fancy little gourmet hamburger restaurant.  This super trendy restaurant, called Flip Burger Boutique, is known as ' fine dining between two buns.'  At Flip Burger  you don't just get a  plain old burger, instead you get a work of art.  Whether it is the crab burger with green curry coconut sauce or the Kobe beef burger with portabello mushrooms and red wine jam, you can rest assured this is not your run of the mill burger joint. Just walking in the restaurant is delightful with its swanky decor which  features red carpet, white leather banquettes and aluminum chairs along the bar. The atmosphere is as fun as the food.  After taking in the atmosphere and a burger we realized  the restaurant was also popular for  liquid-nitrogen milkshakes.  The ice cream used in the milkshakes is  frozen using liquid nitrogen, which results in a thick and smooth treat t

Last weekend my friend, Stephenie and I went to Birmingham to a Women's Conference. Numerous road trips in which the GPS led us astray made us decide to use an internet search engine's map and directions to help us reach our destination.  A few months earlier we had traveled to Birmingham and had great success using the same method-this time however, was a somewhat different.  One time we were trying to get to an outlet mall in Leeds (a nearby town) but instead the directions led to us to a completely different area.  Although it was not our intended point we found a delightful surprise - the unintended destination had a fabulous gourmet burger restaurant. Our attempt to travel to our hotel on Thursday night was an adventure-to say the least. If you have never traveled downtown Birmingham, let me tell you the streets are crazy. The street numbers are strange and most all were one way. The directions to the hotel were leading us in familiar territory, but suddenly we veered

Recently several friends have been working on the "Couch to 5k" plan.  This training program is designed to help you go from a couch potato to a runner in just 2 short months.  The program claims it's secret is to get the body moving, starting off alternating between walking and running and slowly building up until the person is able to run 3 miles or 30 minutes non-stop.  Although I admire them for their discipline, I have chosen to not participate in the program.  Let's be real here- the only time that I am going to run non-stop for any length of time is if I am being chased by a mass murderer like Freddie Kruger.  I have no desire to jar all my internal organs around.  Let's face it, at my age I have enough bladder "issues"  without adding to the problem.  About 15 years ago I trained and attempted to run a 10K and was surprisingly alarmed at the difficulty of such a race.  It was all that I could do to complete it.  When the gun sounded and the rac

When I was 5 years old, my grandfather purchased a pony for me.  Initially, I was so excited about my new pony, Flicka, but somewhat afraid of her too.   In an attempt to help me  feel comfortable in the saddle my Daddy designed  a fake horse out of saw horses and a barrel and  placed the saddle atop the barrel.  When I got on that fake horse and settled into the saddle, I felt like a real cowgirl!  Unfortunately, I was NOT a real cowgirl.  I never really warmed up to my pony and rode her very infrequently.  It was always more comfortable for me to be on the fake horse  than the one that was real.  How often are we more comfortable with the fake than the real?  What about in our own lives?  Is it easier for us to be fake or be real?  As Christians we sometimes don't want to be real-we want people to think that we have it together, that we are "super spiritual", that our lives are going perfectly when in actuality we don't have it together at all.  Just as it wa

As much as I long to be a domestic goddess, it has always somehow alluded me.  Most of my culinary attempts have been a fiasco, cleaning the house is a chore that I seldom look forward to and I have scorched my fair share of clothes while ironing.  The beginning of my  junior year  in high school I had huge expectations for the year ahead.  My home economics class was not only going to teach me how to cook, but also how to sew.  Excitement welled up in me as I looked for the perfect pattern for my sewing project.  Having always been fan of fashion I felt this was going to open up a door for me.  I would soon be able to sew all my clothes and not only be stylish but have the satisfaction that I made them myself!!! I didn't want to do JUST a skirt. No, I added a vest to the project as well.  Probably should have stopped at the skirt.  The fabric I chose for the outfit was one of the most difficult for a first time seamstress to sew-corduroy.  After finally getting the pattern cut w

Recently while looking on a popular social networking site, I saw a photo that was titled, "Easter is officially cancelled!"  The photo was so alarming to me that I couldn't even bring myself to post it on this week's blog.  On a deserted road lay a rabbit, an Easter basket and dyed eggs which appeared to have been flattened by a vehicle.  The inference was that the rabbit in the road was the "Easter Bunny," and because of his demise there would indeed be no Easter.  Now don't misunderstand me, I am aware that the person posting such a picture was just thinking that the picture and the comment were eye catching and edgy.  Searching the web, I found many similar photos which caused me to really start thinking about this from a spiritual perspective.  If Easter were all based on the bunny  in the road then it would certainly  have to be cancelled because of his untimely demise.  The death of the Easter Bunny would have been the finale, so to speak-no

One night a few years ago we had invited a couple of our good friends and their children over for supper.  This particular night was not much different than most any other night that we all gathered together-lots of lively conversation and lots of laughing. Since this was around the time that the hideous "Billy Bob teeth" were introduced on the market our friend's daughter, Eva and my husband, Marshall were comparing to see which one actually owned the ugliest set of teeth.   After saying goodnight to our guests, we began cleaning up the kitchen and came across Eva's "Billy Bob teeth" which she had left behind.  Marshall decided that he was going to call and let them know that he had the teeth.  He dialed the number and thinking that his buddy's wife had answered the phone he quickly began the following conversation-"  Hey! Just wanted to let you know in case you start looking for them that Eva left her teeth over here!!  She left them laying on

Last summer my friend, Stephenie and I went on a business trip to Philadelphia.  During our free time we were able to walk and enjoy some of the sites of the historic downtown area, the Liberty Bell, Constitution Hall and Betsy Ross' home.  It was absolutely awe inspiring and beautiful to see all of those places, but as we moved further into the center of the city the atmosphere changed significantly.  The buildings were architecturally  beautiful, but the city was a buzz with some very different types of people.  Many of which looked, for lack of a better word, unsavory.  As two women traveling alone in an unfamiliar city we began to feel somewhat uncomfortable-that was until we decided that we would pull our containers of mace from the bottom of our cross over bags and put them in our pocket.  At any given time one of us was on alert-if I was reading the street map Stephenie was watching with the mace ready to spray in an instant.  Once, while my hands were  loaded down and wai

It was typical stormy night at our house- my husband, Marshall was glued to the television watching for any tornadic occurrence in our area and I was settled into bed sleeping soundly.  When he felt the reported tornado was close to our house he came  in and woke me up and moved me into the hall bath tub which he had prepared with numerous pillows and cushions.  I climbed into the tub with our little dog while Marshall ran back and forth from the front to the back door watching for the tornado. Now, do not misunderstand, my heart breaks for those individuals that have suffered devastation and loss from a tornado and I am also appreciative that I have a husband who wants to protect me from harm, but I am confident that if I survive the tornado-he will most definitely not. He will certainly be blown away as he watches for it.   At that point I would have preferred to be sleeping comfortably in my bed instead of uncomfortable in that small tub. I decided to make the most of it and set

Due to the ever increasing size of my waistline, and the recent appearance of some type of topping spilling over my already existent muffin top, I decided that it was time to get serious about this weight loss thing.  Somehow it just doesn't seem right that someone that enjoys eating as much as I, should have to worry about this.  I mean, good metabolism should automatically be given to those of us who love to eat!!  My, how I love to eat!! It would be nice if I could be like my husband who will often announce at dinner that he forgot to eat lunch.  Really?  Come on?  Who forgets to eat lunch?  I wake up in the morning already thinking about what I will have for lunch,dinner and mid morning and afternoon snacks! In the past I have done well by not eating any sugar and limiting my carbohydrate intake-so that is what I decided to try again.  All the chocolate was eliminated from the house, but 48 hours later I was like an addict coming off crack cocaine, rummaging through every noo

Those who know me well would tell you that I have a tendency to be somewhat of a hypochondriac. Occasionally, prior to bedtime,  I will tell my husband about some type of pain that I am experiencing so that if something happens to me in the night and I am unable to relay my complaint to the medical staff, he will be able to inform them of my earlier malady.  In 2001 events lead me to believe that I had contracted an illness that was sure to make me a statistic.  In the weeks following the September 11 attacks several news media offices and U.S. Senators received letters containing anthrax, a refined white dry powder which when inhaled initially caused the person to develop a sore throat, mild muscle aches and fever. Approximately 5 people died and a little over a dozen were infected.   News agencies warned citizens to watch for any suspicious substance in which they may come in contact. Prior to any knowledge of the aforementioned events I was going to drink a Coke and noticed some

March 12, 1955-April 14, 2010 Last year after a long and courageous struggle with melanoma I said goodbye to my dear friend of 21 years, Elaine Hines. Her struggle lasted over 3 years and for the last year and half  the tumors left her with severe pain and lack of mobility in her left leg and right arm.  For 21 years I celebrated the day of her birth with her.  This year I celebrate that day by celebrating my memory of her. On Wednesday morning,  April 14, 2010, Elaine looked straight in the face of Jesus and started walking on streets of gold and raising her arms in praise to the God whom she loved. Elaine came into my life 23 years ago  when I came to our office as a graduate student and subsequently worked along side of her for the years that followed.  Little did I realize the impact that she would have on my life.  Not only was she my mentor, but she was my friend. There are many stories  I could tell you about my friend and her sense of humor- One time she was pushing a ma

A few years ago Marshall and I had the privilege of traveling to Sydney, Australia.  We  arrived at our hotel in Sydney absolutely exhausted after the 15 hour flight from Los Angeles. Without even unpacking we headed to bed in hopes of getting a good night's sleep before beginning sight seeing the next day.  Sometime in the night my exhausted, confused and jet lagged husband got up to go to the bathroom.  He tried to orient himself to the unfamiliar environment, but as he approached the bathroom door he suddenly let out a loud shout.  I sat straight up in the bed and saw him standing in front of the mirror on the outside of the bathroom door. In his confusion he mistook his own reflection for that of someone else and was initially afraid that we were not alone in the room and that he was going to have to 'take on' our would be attacker.   He didn't even recognize his own image reflected in the glass.  Scripture speaks about a man that looks in a mirror and then walk