yummy days....

uhhmmmmm...
does anybody know how to get my blogroll to the TOP of the page instead of the BOTTOM?????
anyone......??????????
I miss my blogroll........
So, today was a lazy, yummy day of sleeping in late, staying in pj's even later, playing cards with my man(letting him win...),making yummy meals, catching on taped tv shows I missed while in MS, watching the the discovery channel about Bigfoot and Nessie legends.....that was cool, although, I'm not a believer, it's fun to watch stuff like that, it was just what we needed...yummy!
Oh, BTW, I think "Nessie" and that other one, ummm...Oggoboggo??...the one in Canada....are just plesiosaurs that got land-locked in really deep lakes after the flood.
Holy-duh!!!
What's the big deal???
One of my most favorite books is called, "Buried Alive, the true story of Neandrathal Man..."
It's about a man in the '70's who photographed all of the fossil remains of "early" man and the transition forms found and, consequently, found them to be fraudulent, and he tells of how he was hunted down and almost killed on many occasions.
It was a fascinating and true read, if you're into that kind of stuff, like I am.
Anyhoo, that was my day...hope yours was yummy, too.

we will not...forget

Life, as I know, is getting back to normal....although, normal, would not describe my life.....
Let's just say, it's getting to be status quo.
I feel sad that the work we did in MS is done, for you see, we heard that the kitchen was closed, for some unknown reason, and it's hard to understand how those people will survive with nothing left after the storm.....
The poor are still poor and still have no means to better their positions....but the human spirit is resilient and will go on....
There was a man that the ERV crew tried to give a meal to. He was living in a 5x8 ft plywood...box...and he told the ERV crew that he was hungry but, that there was a family across the street that needed it more than he......
You have no idea how awful it is down in MS and New Orleans until you've been there and seen it for yourself, now try to imagine it is you and your family that has nothing and then try to forget it.....
I dare you to try....
We, who served those precious ones left behind, and saw what we saw will never be able to get those pictures from our minds.....which is how it should be so that we will not....forget.

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I feel like sharing something poignant......something to make one pause.....something thought provoking....and deep.....
.........................................................................................
..................I got nothin'.................too tired..........

lessons from MS.....

So...I've been asking myself...."what did I learn from the experience in MS?"
I believe that we should always be searching for the lessons in this life so that we can grow and then teach.....
So, what did I learn?
First of all, that God in His providence has a perfect plan in place for us if only we should seek it and embrace it, no matter what the cost.
This summer, God placed a burden on my heart to earnestly seek His throne of grace, to really understand that God's grace has nothing to do with US, "lest any man should boast."
There is NOTHING we can do to change His love for us....NOTHING!!!!!
With that concept in mind, it sorta takes the wind out of a "works-based-spiritual-walk", doesn't it????
If only we would "die to ourselves" daily and seek His face, only His face, imagine what we could accomplish for His glory, if only....if only......
Back to what I learned.....
God told me to serve....
Serve who? I asked.
Serve my brother/sisters in Christ....He said.
Why?...I want to serve the needy, Lord....
Serve....my child....
That was it....it wasn't/isn't about me....it never is....
It is about obedience....and the faith to serve Him...no matter the cost.
Our thoughts are not His thoughts.......
Thank you, Father, for using me...for teaching me...for never giving up on me....and for your endless love......

This was my "family" in Mississippi.
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the wedding.....

So......
I get home at 2:00 in the morning and I have to be at Dana's house to get my hair done at 9:00 am but, first, I have to even out my tan lines from MS....
I get to Dana's and try on my dress and it is TOO BIG!
I lost between 15 and 20 lbs in MS, so... I have to STUFF my top to make it fit!
I've never had to STUFF in my life!!!!!
Anyway.....
We are dressed and ready and coiffed for pictures at 11:30, not bad....
Dana looked amazing......
The funnest part of the day was watching Alan see Dana for the first time in her dress....so sweet.....the other funnest part of the day was seeing my husband see ME for the first time in my dress.....I knocked his socks off!
THAT was fun.....
The wedding was perfect....
Alan surprised us all by singing to her.....it was a blubberfest....
Everything was just perfect.....
God has truly blessed these precious friends with true love.....
They will be leaving for their new home together in ALbany tommorow.....oh my goodness......another goodbye.....
I haven't really thought of that...until now
I have to say goodbye to my oldest and dearest friend.....
So hard.....
Here I go......breathe, Lori, just breathe......
I hate goodbyes......

saying goodbye....

WOW!
The last couple of days have been such a whirlwind.....
We processed out of the Red Cross facility about 7:30 am and went directly to the airport.....I'm thinking we'll fly to Houston and lay-over there like we did on the way over, but NOoooooo, we're laying over in Gulfport, which is smaller than the Pasco airport.
I'm ALWAYS the last to know.....
So, our flight is at 3:30 ish and we have to say goodbye to our group throughout the day as they had different flights.
First, there was Mike, then Judy, then the Tims......
I really came to love all of these people and it was so hard to say goodbye knowing, probably, that we would never see each other again......whew...well, except, "up top".
Saying goodbye to Debbie was the hardest...she is truly a kindred spirit.....even as I picture her sitting there as we're leaving her behind to catch her later flight I am weeping over her...I love her so much.....
Then there was Jerry and Claudia.....the sweetest couple I have ever met....we had to say goodbye on our way out of the plane cuz we were delayed and barely going to make our connection.....I couldn't even love on them like I wanted to....
As our group boards our last flight home it is appalling to me that we are scattered throughout the plane.....so, I re-arrange our seats so we can sit together and that was somehow...sweetness to me.
Tim and I played cards and talked and laughed the whole time....even though we live in the same town it will never be the same....and I am so sad....
Truly, God knew what each of us needed to survive this trip and that makes our bond even sweeter....
By the time we said goodbye to Deana and Joyce and it was just James and Tim and I to drive home from Heppner it was.....poignantly quieter.....I was done....
Tim spoke of his chilhood and childhood friends....making homemade bombs....shooting pigeons.....getting beat up, alot......he kept James awake.
Well done, Tim, cuz I was done.....
We dropped James off at his house and Tim and I laughed that the fearful/tearful goodbye had gotten lost...somewhere....
Finally, I dropped Tim off in Pasco at 1:00 am and there were no tears left to shed...just affirmations of a great experience....hugs of thankfulness.....wanting to make it last a little longer....promises to get together...I hope we will.
Driving home alone I was finally able to see my way clear...I was going to see my girls and my man in just a few minutes and I began to smile and drive way too fast.....
Thank you everyone for your friendship and for the laughter and for the tears....
I'll see you later.....

time to go....

Well, I am in Gulfport,Ms, getting ready to process out of the Red Cross center and we are excited/giddy/exhausted to get home.
My "family" here is so precious to me and I am having a hard time processing all the feelings, but, mostly, I feel sadness to leave this place and these people whom I have grown to love.
My family back home is needing me and I need them, but in the meantime, God in His providence has seen fit to fill me up until I can be with my family back home........
The work here was so hard and unrelenting, but, we just did it, cuz that's why we came, to work hard.
Our days went from 5:00 am to 9:00 pm every night, but, all of us were held up...we just did that for each other......there was plenty of encouragement and laughter and joy to go around.
Truly, it has beena a privelege to be here....and now....it is time to go......

2 things.....

First:
Con and I have purchased our domain name for our upcoming business venture:

TheSupperSolution.com

We are very excited about that!!!!!
I'll tell more when there's more to tell, suffice it to say that we are on track to start a new business that will set Con free from "fast food" and make him an entrepreneur of his own business, which is his dream.

Secondly, I am going to Mississippi to help in the Relief effort down there and I will be gone for 2 weeks.
I am looking forward to serving the stricken people of New Orleans and Biloxi and I hope to have many opportunities to share the gospel and to show the love of Christ to His children.
Sufferin' for Jesus......that's what it's all about.
I would covet your prayers that I would have a servant's heart for the people and for my team.

OK......
so I'm at the mall with Dana to pick out wedding jewlery and as we are walking into the Bon an '06 Mustang GT in Tungsten grey drives right in front of us and I literally gasp!!!!
The guy in it hears me cuz the window is down and he stops cuz ....he knows....he knows.....he is driving THE CAR that makes me happy and he knows that I want to go for a ride and/or drive it and he offers and I say, "oh, yeah!"
and I circle the thing like it's my prey......it is THE coolest car Ive' ever seen.....and he knows....I tell him that this car makes me happy and then I tell him I'm going to watch it drive away if he didn't mind, meanwhile, back in real time, there are 5-6 cars behind him and I don't care......cuz it's an '06 Mustang GT!.......people start honkin'....I'm like....hey, buddy....it MAKES ME HAPPY!!!!!
Anyway, it drives away and I'm still gazing at it and Dana asks, "who was that guy?"
I say," I don't know."
She exclaims rather loudly," YOU DIDN'T KNOW HIM?????"
To which I reply, "NO."
She starts laughing and shaking her head and says, "I forget.....you can talk to anybody."
"Yeah, anybody with a '06 Mustang GT!!!
DUH!"
It was funny....
Later in the day, I was telling Con about it and told him that I was going to test drive this thing soon cuz I almost got into one with a perfect stranger!
God bless my husband cuz he drove us directly there, we did not pass GO, but went to drive THE car that makes me positively giddy.
The dash on this thing....same as the old.
The steering wheel....same as the old.
The stereo system.......blew my mind...
Oh how it purred....same as the old.
Eddie showed us all the bells and whistles and I fell in love....all over again.
The best part.....when Eddie said, "get in" and I got in and he took that thing to 80 mph in,like, 3 seconds and it through me back into the seat and I felt like I was home.
I said to myself," I gotta get me some a that."
Someday........when the kids.....ya know....someday.....

a new show....

OK, so you know how at our house we love certain tv shows; 24, Lost, Alias, West Wing......
Well, there is a new one to add to the list: "My name is Earl."
It is laugh-out-loud funny!!!!!
Remember Mrs. Landingham from the West Wing????
She plays the mother of one Earls friends' and she can't see well so she has a large letter Bible.....this thing is 12 inches thick, 2ft x 3ft big and it has approx. 6 words per page.
Here's a re-anactment of our fave scene:
She is reading from the large letter Bible with her face about 6 inches from it,
"Do not drink wine in the taber-..............(licks fingers to turn the page)
nacle of the Lord."
We laughed our butts off!
Tabernacle was hyphenated....
What other word starts with t-a-b-e-r????
Anyway, we got a jolly chuckle out of that one.
You should try it.