Newest member of the family

I would like to introduce the newest member of our family - Charlie.



She is a wonderful, energetic, little thing. (or huge as James would like to call her.) She is long and she reminds me of the weiner dog on Toy Story that is a slinky. When she goes around a corner, her back half is moving a different direction till it catches up. She is a hoot! It is hard to get mad at her because she gives you those sad, "I'm sorry Mom" eyes...





She is great with the kids, great with the dogs, great with the cat, sort of. Angel (our cat) likes to chase Charlie and scare her. I guess Angel just wants to make sure Charlie knows who the alpha female in the house is.


Anyway, she is a beautiful dog and we are happy to have her.

I am a Novelist!

Well folks, for those of you who are interested in my writing Journey, the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) was a success. I finished a 103 page book with 50085 words last night about 1015pm. What a huge relief and the feeling of success is overwhelming. Most of the times the words just came and I can't even remember some of what I wrote.

All that said, there is still a lot of work to do on my first ROUGH draft, but I think the story is a good one. Of course I am biased. I will start that probably after the holidays, if I can wait. :-)

Anyway, I just wanted to share this in my blog sphere. I have some trophies to share too!

The aftermath...

Pain, Pain and More Pain.... It was fun too... Did I forget to mention the pain? I was so beaten up by mud and nets and dirt and Stairway to Heaven that wobbled 20 feet high, that I couldn't even bare the thought of getting on the computer to give you the down low on the mud.

I am supposed to be writing a book right now, but I am taking this short moment to share some pics that my mom took after we got done. Let me tell you, we all looked so pretty before the race. Oh and we didn't come in last. That is always a plus. Story goes like this...

We start off and there is a long stretch of running...(mostly walking for us, I felt bad for James.) It is James, Chris and me. I think it was 1.6 miles to the first obstacle, which was the Wall. It was about 6 or 7 feet tall. You have to climb it and go over. I did it! Wa hoo for me...first one down and no mud yet.

We get to the next obstacle 100 foot tunnel, cool. No problem, no mud yet. Slide right on through.

There there is the English channel. 100 yards of water and mud. That was fun because there wasn't much mud, but a lot of muddy water. Silly Chris walked in front of me with his white shirt and I decided that I had to take big hard steps. He got a little muddy. :-) That was fun. There were individuals that were coming by us the opposite way, a couple of them were being funny and "swimming" instead of walking in the thigh deep water. We were laughing at them.

Obstacle 3, um....there's the mud...ewwww. Can I back out now? It is thick and gross. Are you sure I can't back out. There is a line and I have to watch everyone go down and lay on their stomach for a Marine crawl under the wires. One by one...then it's my turn. EWWWWW...Did I already say that? Not only that, there was a drill sargent their yelling at everyone, threatening to send us all back to do it over if we don't get down. No thanks, stomach it is. Oh, yea, it's going straight down my shirt getting caught in my sports bra. That was fun.

In the midst of all that, there were a couple of water stops too...no cups. Wonderful!

Obstacle 4, log walk. No mud, thank you Lord! It was like walking across a log. No problem for me, I have great balance. Whew!

Obstacle 5, Mine field. It was basically like the Marine crawl above except for it was only 2 lanes, one going each direction and it was not as muddy...more like sticky mud. Still gross.

Obtacle 6, Cargo Nets...ever heard of Gladiators! It was a net up one side, thrown over the top of the bar on top then hanging down the other side. Kind of like a triangle. Yup, I climbed up about 15 feet to the top and got stuck. Couldn't get my leg over because I was looking at it swinging in front of me on the other side....James had to grab the bottom of the net and pull it straight to get my legs back under me. I got over and scooted on down and yes, I conquered a small portion of my fear of heights and I did the happy dance in front of about 100 folks standing in line on the other side and sang out loud, "I did it, I did it!" Yea for me... I heard a couple folks laugh, but I think it was James and Chris! Thanks guys for your support! :-)

Obstacle 7 - Hole to Hades... run down steep grass into concrete ravine, and back out the other side. The cheat sheet said steep, but they didn't lead me to believe that it was a trap, mice can get in, but they can't get out. Thank goodness my awesome husband could, because he helped pull me and Chris out! :-) Thanks babe!

Obstacle 8...Called the Quigley...I don't even remember this one, but it was a Marine crawl one too. I am sure it was muddy and gross...from here on out, I think they were all gross...

Obstacle 9 - The mud slide... Wa hoo! Got to bipass this one due to someone injured in the mud pit on the other side of the slide. Sorry dude who got hurt, but thank you.

Obstacle 10 - Slide for life....You climb probably 100 feet to the top of a moutain of dirt and slide down on plastic into a huge pit of water and mud. It reminded me of a waterslide, with dirt instead of water... math lesson for the day, water + dirt = mud ... in your shirts and shoes and ears and pants pockets and nails and nose and eyes...I think you get the picture. If you didn't have it everyone before this point, (which I did) you did now. Then you get to sludge out of it and try to climb the mud wall, not hill, to get out. Again, thank you to James for saving me from the pit of hell.

Obstacle 11 - Over n Unders - Imagine, 4 logs hanging about 3 inches above the water. In order to proceed through this, one must go over one log and under the next...whichever order it doesn't matter. I think I forgot to mention that there was a tv crew on the course filming for a tv show...well lucky me, they caught me on this one. My worst most embarassing one. Please God, let the edit crew cut me. I am not that cute... Anyway, I jump in and realize the water is deeper than I thought...it is just above my waist. I go under the first one, over the next, sort of, I kinda threw a leg up and pulled as hard as I could till I splashed over. Under the next one and the last one was a bit higher and lucky me, I get to over over it. I guess I did the math wrong and wasn't paying attention to the height. After a couple of tries, I got over it, camera spying me the whole time...then realized that I couldn't get a hold of anything to help me get out. The wall to this pool of mud was flat. I started to panic, since the camera was in my face my this time and the marine who happened to pick my lane offered to give me a leg up. I rolled out onto my back and got up in the cameras face and smiled really big. I was totally embarassed. Thank goodness for nice guys. James and Chris had come through on the opposite side of the course, so they were waiting on me.... probably they saw the camera and didn't want to be seen with me... just kidding guys!

Obstacle 12, it was supposed to be the tubes, but I don't remember them...

Obstacle 13 - Rope swing...I would call it the rope drag though. It was so muddy you couldn't hold on, you just slid right on down.

Obstacle 14 - The Stairway to Heaven. Actually it was a ladder from Hell. It was about 20 feet tall with the wooden 2x4 ladder rungs about 4 feet apart. The area you had to climb up with about 10 feet wide and each section had 4 areas. I headed for an open one and turned my fear of heights off by saying, don't think just do, don't think just do. I couldn't get my foot situated on the rung, so I decided to throw my knee up then stand up from there. That was how I got to the top. Once safely at the top, my feet strattling the ladder, my arms wrapped tightly around the top piece, I realized that there were other people also moving up and they were making it sway in the wind. I looked down and the only thing that would catch my fall were some small foam pads strewn about the ground. There was lots of open areas and I thought to myself, what if I hit there...it might hurt there. I came back to reality and the guy next to me was coaching his wife, "C'mon honey you can do it. We are almost there." I pretended he was James talking to me and I moved my other leg over and got down as quickly and safely as I could. Whew. When I got out of the way of the other participants, once again, I did a happy dance and threw a couple of jumps in, I did it, I did it... whew, I was still alive.

Obstacle 15 - Hurdles. Big logs, gotta go over them and they get higher as you go. I needed help on the last one, but I did those too. Did I ever tell you that boots are heavy when they are wet???

The last 3 obstacle were the same as we already have done, but on the way back, you are wet, cold, tired and muddy.

Obstacle 16 was the low crawl with all the mud and the mean drill sargent that was waiting for you to screw up so he could send you back. I was so tired by this time, I almost didn't care, almost. Most of the water was gone by that time, so it was sticky mud and sticky mud is hard to get your body to move through...did you know that.

Obstacle 17 was the tunnel. It was easier this time, because we were wet, you could just slide right on through.

Back to the English Channel. 100 yards of mud and water. It was so hard, I thought it would never end. James had booked it on ahead of us through it, but Chris and I could barely walk. I remembered thinking back to when we went through it the first time, there were people "swimming" through it. Now I know why and I felt bad for laughing. I was so tired, I wanted to cry, but we kept trudging through it.

Right on to obstacle 18. The Wall. This time, I was so tired, I didn't know if I could get my leg up to go over it. Thanks to one of the kids watching the obstacles...young Marines, he gave me a lift up to the first place my foot would stick and I made it over.

Now we just had to make it the rest of the way. James coaxed me into running by trying to beat a couple that was ahead of us. I thought he was talking about the one right in front, we beat them. He was talking about the couple who was in front of them. We almost made it.

I was so proud. I didn't throw up and I didn't cry. I wanted to, several times, but didn't.

My body is killing me now. I have pain in places I didn't know there was pain. I also have bruises in places that I didn't even know I got hurt. They are nasty and ugly. Mud did it. Next time I see mud, I am going to stay way away from it. It is mean and angry and takes out it's affliction on people like me. Stay away from it.

So, with our story being told, only from my perspective, by the way... here are some after pictures. The water bottles we are holding have beer in them, by the way. They had run out of cups. Our finish time was 2 hours and 20 minutes or something like that. There were lots of lines that we had to wait in... seriously. I'm not kidding. Seriously.

Enjoy the pics I will upload the before pics when I geth them from my mom.

Until we read again...

Chris, Steve, James and myself...see how pretty we are?

Um, not so pretty anymore...

We should have done this for our wedding...it would have been cheaper... :-)

Chris trying to be macho... mud is your friend...love the mud...It was drying and shrinking...we needed to be cleaned...unfortuneatly, the fire truck ran out of water before we got to be clean... It was a long drive home.

Mud Run Monsters and more

So, tomorrow is the big Mud Run. I've got my boots and long pants. I have a black tank top that will not move too much so it won't drag me down. I also have butterflies in my stomach which has set it on fire because they are flying around so fast. I feel like I am going to throw up all the time. Why, you ask? Because part of me thinks I may be in over my head. I think I might actually drown in the mud. Enough scare tactics. God, please give me the strength to 1. Have a good time and not wally in the mud. 2. Have enough energy to finish the race not in last place. 3. Make you and my husband proud. Thank you and Amen.

On the More note,
I have started my writing challenge and almost finished the first week. I have 10002 words as of this morning and I am going to need to hit 12500 to stay on target for goal. My thing is, I am going to have days where I can write and write. Other days, I may not be so lucky. That is where padding comes in. I need to be sure to write whenever I can.

Anyway, I just wanted to update everyone on the goings on in my life. Keep me in your prayers and thank you for your encouragement.

Until we read again...

It's all good, then BAM, right in the kisser!

I feel like I have been punched in the gut. Yesterday things were flying high and everything was going to be just fine. Today, things are still going to be just fine, but the evil one is crawling all over me trying to smother me. Do you ever feel like that? Like you are wrestling and you're just trying to stay inside the circle, but your opponent is overpowering you and you are about to lose?

Money. Isn't it the root of all evil? That idol is something that I struggle with. Wants and desires. It would be so great to get a __________ with this and that. Wow, wouldn't it be cool to have __________, then everything would be great! I would love to have _____________, it would make my life so much easier. Check out this _____________, if I had a ____________, then I could do __________. Fill in the blanks with anything you want. Everything fits into someones category.

I am an Alderman in our little town, which is basically a council person. We open all our town meetings with a prayer for God to come work through us to do what is best for our town. I think that is awesome. Right now, I am also on the "committee" for our neighborhood group who is working on a gas lease with a local company. We are dealing with HUGE amounts of potential money for close to 400 acres worth of land. I think that myself and one other person are the only Christians on this team. Not once did either of us offer to pray prior to beginning our meetings. God was totally left out of these decisions. Why? I thought about praying more than once. Maybe God even placed it on my heart more than once to say something. Would the other have declined? Probably not, so why didn't I do it. Greed. My eyes were dollar signs and all I could see what the potential for a lot of freaking money. James and I talked about all the good things we would do with it, but I never brought it to God. I knew that once we got that money, everything would be just fine. Now, don't worry, we didn't spend it. We knew there was a possibility that it wouldn't come, but I was sure that that it would.

So, I say all this to say, with the economic downfall, it is pretty much a certainty that the gas company will pull out of their negotiations. That monetary windfall, gone. Is it possible, that due to the fact that we were greedy and left Him out, we are reaping what we sowed? Yes. Is it possible that maybe this would have happened anyway? Yes.

I laid awake last night allowing Satan to take over my thoughts. Tell me how disappointed that God was in me for not standing up when I should have. God was probably disappointed, I am sure, but would He chastise me over it? I don't think so. Maybe this is an "Idol" check for me. I let money get the best of me and I need to remind myself to let God get the best of me and bless me from His side of the green pasture. Whether it be money or not. We are blessed to have EVERYTHING we could possibly need. If we don't get the big green, then so be it. We still have enough and that is fine with me. I am blessed beyond measure.

God, thank you for reminding me of that. Money will not define who I am or what I have. You, alone, will provide for us in ways that we can't even imagine, when we keep our eyes set on you. Thank you Lord, for being the everlasting provider.

Until we read again...

Interesting email on Obama

For those of you who know me, I am a pretty far right conservative. I can't understand, when I read what Obama is all about, how any Christian would be willing to sacrifice what God's values for the values of Obama? They aren't even close to lining up.

Here is an email I had forwarded to me that is biblically based and states where I stand pretty clearly. I checked out snopes and it is undecided yet who actually wrote it, but the words are very well written and I think should be read by everyone, Obama fan or not. After you read it, if you question the details, take the time to google them and see for yourself if the stated facts are true.

Be blessed, Until we read again...
(Sarah Palin for President 2012!) :-) wt

The following statements are from an email that I received and copied to my post.

Why I (A Black Man) Can't Vote For Obama
Huntley Brown - is a fabulous concert pianist, man of God and is a black man.

Why I Can't Vote For Obama
By Huntley Brown

Dear Friends,

A few months ago I was asked for my perspective on Obama. I sent out an
email with a few points. With the election just around the corner Idecided
to complete my perspective. Those of you on my e-list have seen some of
this before but it's worth repeating..

First I must say whoever wins the election will have my prayer support.
Obama needs to be commended for his accomplishments, but I need to explain
why I will not be voting for him.

Many of my friends process their identity through their blackness.
I process my identity through Christ. Being a Christian (a Christfollower)
means He leads, I follow. I can't dictate the terms. He does because He is the leader.
I can't vote black because I am black, I have to vote Christian because
that's who I am. Christian first, black second. Neither should any one from
the other ethnic groups vote because of ethnicity. 200 years from now I
won't be asked if I was black or white. I will be asked if I knew
Jesus and accepted Him as Lord and Savior.

In an election there are many issues to consider but when a society gets
abortion, same-sex marriage, embryonic stem-cell research,
human cloning, to name a few, wrong economic concerns will soon not matter.
We need to follow Martin Luther King's words, don't judge someone by the
color of their skin but by the content of their character. I don'tknow
Obama, so all I can go off is his voting record.
His voting record earned him the title of the most liberal senator in the
US Senate in 2007.
NATIONAL JOURNAL: Obama: Most Liberal Senator in 2007(01/31/2008)
To beat Ted Kennedy and Hilary Clinton as the most liberal senator, takes
some doing.
Obama accomplished this feat in 2 short years. I wonder what would happen
to America if he had four years to work with. There is a reason planned
parenthood gives him a 100% rating. There is a reason the homosexual
community supports him. There is a reason Ahmadinejad, Chavez, Castro,
Hamas etc. love him. There is a reason he said he would nominate liberal
judges to the Supreme Court. There is a reason he voted against the
infanticide bill. There is a reason he voted No on the constitutional ban
of same-sex marriage.
There is a reason he voted No on banning partial birth abortion.
There is a reason he voted No on confirming Justices Roberts and Alito.
These two judges are conservatives and they have since overturned partial
birth abortion. The same practice Obama wanted to continue.

Lets take a look at the practice he wanted to continue.
The 5 Step Partial Birth Abortion procedure
A. Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist grabs the baby's leg withforceps.
(Remember this is a live baby)
B. The baby's leg is pulled out into the birth canal.
C. The abortionist delivers the baby's entire body,except for thehead.
D. The abortionist jams scissors into the baby's skull. The scissors are
then opened to enlarge the hole.
E. The scissors are removed and a suction catheter is inserted.
The child's brains are sucked out, causing the skull to collapse. The deadbaby
is then removed.

God help him.

There is a reason Obama opposed the parental notification law.
Think about this: you can't give a kid an aspirin without parental
notification but that same kid can have an abortion without parental
notification. This is insane.

There is a reason he went to Jeremiah Wright's church for 20 years.
Obama tells us he has good judgment, but he sat under Jeremiah Wright's
teaching for 20 years. Now he is condemning Wright's sermons. I wonder why now?
Obama said Jeremiah Wright led him to the Lord and discipled him. A disciple
is one in training. Jesus told us in Matthew 28:19 - 20 'Go and make
disciples of all nations.' This means reproduce yourself. Teach people to
think like you, walk like you, talk like you believe what you believe,etc.
The question I have is what did Jeremiah Wright teach him?

Would you support a White President who went to a church which has tenets
that said they have a:
1. Commitment to the White Community
2. Commitment to the White Family
3. Adherence to the White Work Ethic
4. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills
available to the White Community .
5. Pledge to allocate regularly, a portion of personal resources for
strengthening and supporting White Institutions
6. Pledge allegiance to all White leadership who espouse and embrace the
White Value System
7. Personal commitment to embracement of the White Value System.

Would you support a President who went to a church like that?
Just change the word from white to black and you have the tenets ofObama's
former church. If President Bush was a member of a church like this, he
would be called a racist. Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton
would have been marching outside.
This kind of church is a racist church. Obama did not wake up after 20
years and just discovered he went to a racist church. The church can't be
about race. Jesus did not come for any particular race. He came for the
whole world.

A church can't have a value system based on race. The church's value
system has to be based on biblical mandate. It does not matter if
it's a white church or a black church, it's still wrong. Anyone from
either race that attends a church like this would never get my vote.
Obama's former Pastor Jeremiah Wright is a disciple of liberal theologian
James Cone, author of the 1970 book A Black Theology of
Liberation. Cone once wrote: "Black theology refuses to accept a God who is
not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not
for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him."
Cone is the man Obama's mentor looks up to. Does Obama believe this?

So what does all this mean for the nation?
In the past when the Lord brought someone with the beliefs of Obama to lead
a nation it meant one thing - judgment.
Read 1 Samuel 8 when Israel asked for a king.
First God says in 1 Samuel 1:9 "Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly
and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do."
Then God says 1 Samuel 1:18 "When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the
king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day. 19 But
the people refused to listen to Samuel. 'No!' they said. 'We want a king
over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a
king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.' 21When
Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD.
22 The LORD answered, 'Listen to them and give them a king.'"

Here is what we know for sure.
God is not schizophrenic.
He would not tell one person to vote for Obama and one to vote for McCain.
As the scripture says, a city divided against itself cannot stand, so
obviously many people are not hearing from God. Maybe I am the one not
hearing, but I know God does not change, and Obama
contradicts many things I read in scripture, so I doubt it.

For all my friends who are voting for Obama, can you really look God in the
face and say, "Father based on your word, I am voting for Obama even though
I know he will continue the genocidal practice of partial birth abortion.
He might have to nominate three or four supreme court justices, and I am
sure he will be nominating liberal judges who will be making laws that are
against you. I also know he will continue to push for homosexual rights,
even though you destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for this. I know I can look the
other way because of the economy."?
I could not see Jesus agreeing with many of Obama's positions. Finally, I
have two questions for all my liberal friends. Since we know someone's
value system has to be placed on the nation,
1. Whose value system should be placed on the nation?
2. Who should determine that this is the right value system for the nation?

Blessings,
Huntley Brown

I can do all things through Christ who strenghtens me!

Ok, so most of you know about my running and getting into shape for the body abusing Mud Run, (which is on November 8th by the way.) Well, my goal right now has been to run 3 miles. At the beginning of September, when Jessi started school, I picked up where I left off at the end of May. I could run 1 mile straight, then run/walk the other 2 miles. As of last week, I am up to 2 miles running then walking the last one mile. Yeah! I thought that I might be able to run 2.5 miles yesterday, but I was sadly disappointed, sort of.

I started my run like I normally do, getting my breathing in rhythm with my feet hitting the ground. When I hit one mile, (13 minutes) I was starting to feel not so good, I started thinking that maybe I wasn't going to make it today, my chest started to burn while I was breathing, my legs were not so good and my head started spinning. When I hit a mile and a quarter, I knew I wasn't going to make 2.5 miles and decided that I had to make at least 2 miles, since that is what I did last week. I started nearing the 1.5 miles and realized that I didn't know if I could even make that. Something wasn't right, but I didn't want to give up and disappoint myself or anyone else...(not that anyone else even cared except maybe James.) As I crossed the 1.5 mark, still running, I couldn't stop. I wanted to, but I couldn't. All of a sudden, I started to cry. I wanted to stop so bad, but I couldn't. I knew I was going to have to find a way to get to 2 miles. Then it hit me. I couldn't stop because I didn't want to let God down. I shouldn't care what anyone else thinks, just Him. So, with tears streaming down my face, I ran on. I pictured the Holy of Holies standing at the 2 mile marker waving His arms at me, "C'mon Wendy, you can do it! I know you can!". I chanted in my head, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" Over and over in my head and you know what? I ran that last half mile and I finished that mile in 12 minutes! I had tears coming down my face from whatever was happening in my body and I finished it.

I hope that my story inspires you to keep going even when it hurts and you don't don't think you can. That is when God steps in and provides His strength to pull you through to the finish line. You won't need any other cheerleaders, but one.

ps- I will try to do better at updating my blog...I didn't realize so many folks like to read what I have to say! :-)

Until we read again!

I am a Writer.

I would like to give some thoughts to you today, inspired by trusting God.
Romans 4:16 -Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations."[a] He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.

My friend calls this last part a "be not, as though they were." God called Abraham to be the father of many nations. Abraham had to wait, be patient and most importantly have the faith that God would follow through on his promise. At one point he got impatient. Maybe he even felt like he was disappointing God because of his inability to conceive with Sarah. He took Sarah's handmaiden Hagar and tried it out on his own. There was success. He fathered the leader of Muslims today - Ishmael. I don't believe that was what God intended. God wanted it to be miraculous. He wanted it to be spectacular. He wanted it to be all Him. Years later, God did follow through with his promise and made Abraham the father of many nations. The promise that came by faith.

I would also like to share the same verses, however I would like to share them from the message.

16This is why the fulfillment of God's promise depends entirely on trusting God and his way, and then simply embracing him and what he does. God's promise arrives as pure gift. That's the only way everyone can be sure to get in on it, those who keep the religious traditions and those who have never heard of them. For Abraham is father of us all. He is not our racial father—that's reading the story backward. He is our faith father.
17-18We call Abraham "father" not because he got God's attention by living like a saint, but because God made something out of Abraham when he was a nobody. Isn't that what we've always read in Scripture, God saying to Abraham, "I set you up as father of many peoples"? Abraham was first named "father" and then became a father because he dared to trust God to do what only God could do: raise the dead to life, with a word make something out of nothing. When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn't do but on what God said he would do. And so he was made father of a multitude of peoples. God himself said to him, "You're going to have a big family, Abraham!"

I say all this because as some of you know, I have been struggling with a leading that I was not sure about. I have loved writing ever since I was in elementary school. I wrote silly stories all the time. I loved using my imagination. As I got into high school I got more mature and my writings were much deeper. After I graduated, I found other things to fill my time with and lost my imagination as the real world became really real.

In the last couple of years, God has been pulling me to start writing again. I, however in my own infinite wisdom, have been finding other things to fill my time with, hoping that I was wrong, or that God wasn't talking to the right person, surely he meant someone else. It is too hard to "open your vein on the page" and pour your heart out. Over the last several months, He has been putting signs everywhere. In books and in tv shows and words on the radio. They have all pointed in one direction. I have been reading several books on dreams, as I am sure you read in earlier posts, and I picked up one called, "Dream Giver" by Bruce Wilkinson. (Same guy who wrote, "Prayer of Jabez".) I thought for sure that it was about dreams and inturperting them. I sat down and low and behold, it was not about dreams at all. It was about following the little dream way deep down inside of you that was planted, by God, when you were born. God placed it in you so that you could use it for His purpose. It was an awesome read and I literally read it in one sitting. (Ask my husband, I don't think I talked all night...) That is when I decided, that I better listen to God. That book spoke directly to me, or God did through that book. It was about me all the way through it!

My friend Heidi called me a few day later and told me she heard a commercial on KLTY, (our local Christian radio station) about the North Texas Christian Writers Conference. I checked it out online and found that for 2 days of classes it was $229. How the heck am I going to pay for that? Our funds were already allocated elsewhere, how on earth can I ask to take that much out of the pot? This was 2 weeks ago on a Wednesday. I decided to pray on it for 24 hours and see how I felt. The next morning, I emailed my husband and told him why I knew it was ridiculous, but I really felt like I was supposed to go. We decided to pray about it some more and trust that if God wanted me to go, He would get us the money. On Friday afternoon, I got a call from the county tax office who stated that we would be receiving a $232 refund from our 2007 taxes because of the homestead exemption. I emailed James who said, "I guess God answered our prayers." Indeed, He did. I went, it was awesome and the story will go on.

Even Abraham had doubt because it was taking so long, but he followed, knowing that God would follow through and he believed that God would indeed make him the "father of many nations." I am blessed to be part of his many nations. Abrahams faith inspires me to also faithfully follow God's calling on my life to be a stay at home mother and a writer. I decided that listening to God is better than pretending He is not talking to me.

So with that all being said in my overly wordy way, I am a writer. I will call it as though it is. I am a writer. I am not perfect and I have a LONG way to go, but I am a writer. I will use my talents He has gifted me with to make Him proud. I will work hard and I will learn the craft and I will write, for God, with love, from me.

Until we read again...

Kindergarten Milestones

Well folks, not only has my precious Miranda started school, just 2 whole days ago, but she also lost her first tooth! She noticed it was loose on the first day of school then came home the next day with it very loose and today it was stuck by a thread. I said, "Miranda, do you want me to go ahead and just pull it out."
She said, "Well, ummmmm, yes!" When we got home I was checking my email and had totally spaced my commitment. She came up to me with 2 kleenex's and said, "One to hold the tooth so you don't get blood on your fingers and one to catch it with when it falls out so it doesn't get dirty."

So sweet. I yanked that sucker out and placed it on the pantry door with all of our other trophy teeth. See our tooth fairy leaves money in the bags, she has too many teeth so she lets Mommy keep them. :-)

Well, it has been a big week this week. School, falling teeth and I started my book again today, although this time, I think I might actually get further than one page. Jessi starts school next week...hopefully I won't cry while I start running to train for the Mud Run.

Until we read again!

First day of school

I just wanted to drop a quick post. Today, my 5 year old started school. I thought it would be an easy day, but it wasn't. I fought back tears several times. Maybe it would have been better to let them just come instead of eating them.

I wish I had pictures, but I don't right now. I still don't have a working digital camera. I did take pictures with my disposable camera though.

After the Boo Hoo breakfast at school, I went to Heidi's house for a Moms and Muffins Prayer Breakfast. This was our first annual one. A bunch of us moms got together to have some breakfast and pray over our kids, each other, our teachers and the different administrations responsible for our schools. It was moving. It helps you not feel so alone in this ever changing world of children. It was led by someone who still cries every school year when her college age kids and college graduates call her when they start school every year. One of them is a teacher. She said that it doesn't change. Every year, she is still moved by the experience. Wow, how incredible is that? It puts things in perspective. God gives us these babies to raise and give back to him. He trusts us with his precious children. We are his precious children too though and I bet he crieswhen he sends us off too. You know we are the coolest kids on the earth right!?? He loves us more than anything in the whole world right???
He wants us to run in the door at the end of the day and tell him all about how our day was too. How awesome is that???

Just some ponderings from a tired mom.
Peace be to you from the Lord most high!
Until we read again...

Another dream

Wow, when it rains, it pours. I guess, since I showed God that I was ready and willing to listen, He decided He would give me a opportunity. I will pass this along for you to pray about. Maybe it's for you too.

I was fighting in some kind of war. We were in a riverwalk type place. I, along with 2 other women, were captured, although I never did see who I was fighting against. They were people, but with undescript faces. Our hands were tied behind our backs and we were led into an open area, like an outdoor restaurant without tables. It looked like it had been made into a holding area with couches and pillows. Our captors removed our bindings and told us to sit down on a couch up against a far wall. They handed us some handcuffs, only there weren't with locks, they were yellow padded and had velcro instead. They asked us to put them on behind our backs. The two women next to me did. I started to, then realized that if they can't see what I am doing, then I will pretend. When they left the area, I looked to my commanding officer and asked her what the plan was. She said that they had taken our belongings and held them in the Dollar Store across the walkway and we needed to escape and sneak over there to get them. She said with the bushes and trees down to the river, we could get down there and then sneak back up outside the store. She then said that they were not going to go. They didn't want to leave. I knew that I was not going to stay, I know what happens to POW's and I didn't want to be any part of that. When no one was looking, I jumped up and ran outside the area down the hill. I turned around and hid behind some bushes to see what was going on. The captors realized I wasn't there, so I was not going to be able to get my belongings. It was just a matter of time before they came for me. I ran down the hill as fast as I could and jumped into the water. I stayed near the bushes and trees for saftey, but did not go onto ground because I didn't want the hounds to catch my scent. After running for a little while, I turned around and saw that no one was coming after me. I came to a clearing and there sat my family. All but my oldest daughter. They were not happy to see me though. They didn't believe what I was fighting or what I was fighting for. I didn't have any food and wanted to eat so I explained my plight to my husband and asked him for a couple bucks. He said he didn't want to but pulled out his wallet anyway. Then I woke up. The ringing in my ears was calling me to read Psalm 74.

I got up and read Psalm 74. I had never read it before. It is a prayer to God to use his limitless power. If you haven't read it, stop right now and grab your bible and take a gander. Kinda scary.

After I got done reading it, I read over my notes from my dream again. As I read it, I had feelings of what it meant to me so I wrote those down too. I am positive it was from God. Here is what I got -

It is a dream about spiritual warfare. The unseen army were forces of darkness, which is why I could not see their faces. The velcro handcuffs can only hold us if we allow them to. Our enemies don't actually put the bindings on us, we have to put them on ourselves. We talked about getting away, but the other 2 captives were not willing to take the velcro bindings off and were willing to risk death to stay. I could not go get my things when I finally escaped because if I would have ventured up the hill to get them, I was risking going back into the very bondage I just got out of. I can't take the things of this life with me in this war. I was not ever afraid in this dream. I did not want to be captured anymore. The enemy is always waiting for me, but they did not chase me. They lay in wait and set traps and wait for me to come back because they know I will. My family was upset because I was fighting in a war they didn't want me in. They didn't realize that they should be fighting in it too. All of Gods children are fighting this war, some just don't know it yet. My oldest was not at the table with everyone else because even at her early age, she is fighting in it. I think that when God was with her while she was in her coma, she was being prepared for early battles. I feel like I need to be doing a better job of equipping her, but that is another story altogether.

So that is my story. I pray that God uses it to touch someone out there. I know that my eyes and ears are open now and I pray that God continues to use me.

Until we read again!
wt

Extra Extra, Read all about it - God uses Wendy!

This is the word that He wanted me to share on Sunday - I hope it touches you too.

I could not sleep last night. Have you ever had those nights? I was watching Discovering the Jewish Jesus. God started nudging me when I heard two things I had spoken with Darlene about on Friday were repeated just as I left the bathroom to get into bed. Insecurities and fear holding me back from being close to God and me not taking enough time to be still and know that He is God. So, I need to give you a little background on this before I go into what I believe I am supposed to share. It is rather graphic so I will not get too detailed.

I am a dreamer. I have been since I was little girl. I don’t just dream black and white. I am a full color motion picture dreamer. Details and everything. I feel like this is the way God uses to get to me because I am so preoccupied that I don’t hear him during the day. I have known that this was an issue and try to work on it, but I always make excuses.
I am not proud of that.

This past week or so, I have had 3 dreams in particular. The first two, I fought with evil dark figure, which I can only assume was Satan. I was scared and the only thing I could do was to call on the power and light of God to save me because I was his child and He did. I was carried away to safety. When I awoke, I was refreshed and satisfied that I was able to stand on God promises and he would take care of me, in spite of me not being as obedient as I should be. On Thursday night however, I was not so lucky. I was in the middle of an office type place and was looking at some young girls and was thinking how someone should tell them about God’s love for them and give them hope. The door to the office opened and in walked the dark stranger with a gun. Without anymore details than that, it was the worst nightmare of my life. I was shot and killed. I woke up gasping for breath as the final bullet entered my head. It was awful. I couldn’t help but start doubting my safety in God. I was not reading my bible or doing all the things I could or should be doing and maybe this was God’s way of telling me that. I love to write, so I wrote the dream down thinking that maybe if I got it out it would be okay. It didn’t help. It actually made it worse. I was trying to think of who I could call to talk to who wouldn’t think I was crazy! Not one minute after I was done writing though, my phone rang. It was Darlene and her first question was, “how ya doin today?” I told her terrible and start to cry uncontrollably. Bless her heart, she jumped in the car and came right over. When she got here, I told her that God must have told her to call me and told her what happened. After a long talk, I came to the realization that that dream was not from God at all. It was Satan taking advantage of me at my weakest moment. He took all my chaos in my head and used it all against me and killed me, just like he wanted to.

I felt led to tell you all this. I think that God wants to remind us that Satan is here to lie, cheat, steal and destroy our lives. He will use any weakness that we allow him to have. He will even wait to catch us off guard when we are not thinking about it. I was on the top of the world in my dreams. Every time I fought him, it was head on and I knew he was coming. This last one, I didn’t. He walked right in and looked right at me before I even knew it was happening. I didn’t even get a chance to ask God for help.

I don’t know if anyone needed to hear this today, but I have one more thing. Tonight after I heard 2 of the very things Darlene and I talked about yesterday, I still could not go to sleep. I laid there wide awake with a pressing feeling to get up and go the living room and pray on my knees. I finally did. When I did, I didn’t know what to say, so I said, God if you are there, please show me. I felt a sensation all over my body and heard in my head clear as a bell, “Read my word”. I have been reading a chronological daily bible. (when I read it.) and that is the one that I saw in my head. After sitting there for a moment in shock and trying to figure out if it was really happening, I got up and got the bible. When I opened up to the next daily read, this is what I read.

Why Righteous Die - Isaiah 57.1-2
The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart, devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace, they find rest as they lie in death.

I have a New Century Version also I would like to share –
Those who are right with God may die, but no one pays attention. Good people are taken away, but no one understands. Those who do right are being taken away from evil and are given peace. Those who live as God wants find rest in death.

After I read those two, I knew that I was supposed to share and it has given me a feeling of peace to know that I am headed in the right direction.

Catie and All Stars 2008 is fini

The benchwarmers before New Orleans....

To those who prayed and even got to come see a game or donated to the team or bought from the team, THANK YOU! We had an outstanding season and it was fun. I wish Catie could have gotten to play more, but she did get to play some and that is what is important.

The team did make it to Nationals which was held in Slidell, LA 16-20July08. It was hot and steamy. We played 3 games on Thursday, 17th July and the games began at 8am. Our girls do not play well first thing in the morning and even after an hour warm up prior, they still lost all 3 games. That was a downer. We went back to the hotel and swam for a little while then Catie and I went out to dinner with a family who is living near there and will be moving out to Burleson in the near future to be associate pastors at our church! (With 3 little boys, they will help even out the girls at church!) It was great and we went down to the French Quarter and ate at a restaurant called "Mulate's". Real Cajun food and it was awesome! Thank you to the Wells Family for hanging out with us for a little while and for the awesome dinner!

So, Friday we had 2 games and our first one was at 1240p, we already knew it would be a good game! Yes, we did win that game and were very excited! Going into game 2, which we had to win to go to the final tournaments on Saturday, we knew it would be hard. This team was kickin behinds and takin names. With a little team shuffling, the girls worked hard, but couldn't close the deal. We were the only team that was able to hold them to no runs during a couple of innings. The other innings, they scored max points though. The score ended, 6-5 with them winning. That was a bummer.

Now to Catie, she got to play 4 total innings and hit twice. My digital camera took a dump, so I didn't get too many pics, but I did have a friend who caught Catie hitting her first at bat. She it it to 3rd and got thrown out at first, but she it it hard!

I will finish with this,
I am glad Catie got this experience and glad she had a good time.

Praise God it is over! Fall Ball starts in 2 weeks, (yuck). Miranda wants to play and Jessi is thinking about it. Catie has decided that 6 months of softball is enough for her, she won't be playing fall ball this time... whew...

The girls in the parade - Catie is the first hat on the left.
The team getting beads from the teams behind them in the parade!
Catie and Shelby after the opening ceremonies...lots of beads and the fun has just begun!
Catie's big swing!

And she hits it!

The benchwarmers after New Orleans! From the left, Shelby, Brianna, Kelsie and Catie.

Until we read again!

Catie and All Stars - Coming Soon!

I wanted to just let you know that I will be posting soon! I have some pictures from the opening ceremonies on Wednesday night, but after that my digital camera took a dump. I did buy a disposable, but I have to get the film developed, so give me a couple days and I will get some pics up and tell you all what happened!

Thanks and Until we read again!

Life in General

Ok, so I thought I would throw another post up here.
I painted my cat room yesterday and started the transformation process into my very own office/peace space. It looks incredible. We are getting high speed internet later this week and once I get that settled in and figured out, I will move my computer in there. In a few years hopefully, I will have a laptop and then it will be perfect. For now, though, my flat screen monitor works perfect and I can hide the base under a table cloth on the floor so you can't see it. When things get finalized, I will be sure to load up some picts for everyone to see.

What else, Catie is going to Nationals for All Stars next week! We are driving to Slidell, LA. I am nervous about what to expect, but hopefully God will bless the girls who are playing with a cool and safe week/weekend. Once Nationals are over, we are over with softball for the summer, Praise God! Hopefully Catie will be able to have a calm rest of the summer and she can relax.

Not much else to talk about right now. Just wanted to get something up other than the Nascar one. I am sure you are ready to stop seeing that one!

Be blessed!
Until we read again...

Speed Racin Dreams!

Wow, What a freaking dream come true! June 22, 2008 @ apprx, 130pm, I got to race a real Nascar Nextel Cup 10 laps around Texas Motor Speedway. I am not even sure where to start, but I will go ahead and tell you all about it!
We got there and drove out thru the tunnel to pit road. What a spectacle seeing the speedway from that side. I can't believe how ginormous it is! They had all the cars set up inside the garage and seats so you could sit down and listen to the 30 minute shpeel about what to do and the lines and where to drive. Then we get to go up to the track and ride in vans 2 or 3 laps around the speedway so they could go through it again and show you on the track. I was one of the first ones in line for that. I walked fast up to the van and asked if I could ride in the front. The answer was, "sure!" With that, I jumped and squealed like a little girl and got in the van. (Squeal number one.) Of course, I listened like very intently, I wanted to make sure I took it all in and didn't forget anything. Can't drive like a racer if I don't listen to how to do it right!
After that, we stood in a line and they picked out the groups. I was in group 4. They sent us over to pick out our firesuits and then we wait.
During all the van rides, they had moved the cars up under a tent where folks would get to ride. We were told that all these cars were actual cars that the Nascar Cup drivers had used and retired (since they are in new cars this year.) As the first cars rumble up and move out, it was so freakin awesome! Have I already said that? Adrenaline starts pumping because I know that soon, I too, will be rumbling out from underneath the tent onto the track for my drive.
Oh, did I tell you that it was HOT outside??? Did you know that those firesuits are hot too and I was in group number 4. Thank goodness my dad got me some water. He kept telling me to drink and I didn't want to because I was afraid that I would have to go the bathroom during my drive. He told me not to worry about that...nope, didn't need to worry about that...
Anyway, my turn came up and we are standing under a little red tent, just the 10 folks in my group. The guy comes over and tells us about how this is going to work and then starts telling us what car we are going to be in. We can't pick cars because each car is set up for a certain size. When he is going around I started saying under my breath, "number 20, Home Depot, number 20, Home Depot." He gets to me and says, "You are going to be in Number 20!" I jumped and squealed like a little girl again! (Squeal number 2) Dudes I can't even begin to tell you how freaking awesome it was! Have I already said that...
Just talking about it gets my blood pumping again!
After that, we go pick our helmets and wait for the last group to finish getting out of the cars. Then, it is our turn.
Off we go. I jumped the pit road fence and head for my orange number 20 Home Depot car, just hoping that I do my family proud and don't let down them or the Home Depot. There is a reputation to up hold you know. Also, the weirdest part, I wasn't nervous. I was elated and floating on cloud nine. They told me how to get into the car and when I scooted into the seat, it fit perfect. My instructer Pat scooted in his side and I told him that I will do whatever he tells me to do, my goal is to go as fast as possible and not come in last. He said that is what he wanted to hear.
Now during the drive, you can't hear each other so they use hand signals. Thumbs up to speed up, thumbs down to slow down and flat hand to keep it even and side to side to change lanes. If you don't do what they ask for with speed up or slow down, they tap your right knee or push your knee down to go or grab your leg and pull it up to take the foot off the gas.
When the drive started and we popped the clutch to start the car, it was like thunder rumbling under my booty! (Squeal number 3!) I think I went perma grin and didn't stop. I went ten laps, but it didn't feel like it. It felt like 10 seconds. I passed 6 cars and went 145 miles per hour! I was not passed by anyone and I didn't come in last. During the drive, the G force was so powerful that I got light headed at one time, but because of where I was, I did not lose it. I have bruise on the back of my right arm that I am so proud of because I was getting pushed so hard to that side that it couldn't help but form. I will have to take pictures of that for ya! It is the best bruise ever!!
Whenever I got done and got out, I asked Pat how I did and he said great! He said that I couldn't have done any better because I got everything out of the car it had to offer. He was smiling really big too! That was great. I had to do good if I made the instructer smile that big!
What else?? Oh, I got a video too. My dad paid for me to have an in car video. You can hear the rumble of the engine and see out the front window. I think we are going to time some of the laps too, so eventually, I will have to put that on here.
Anyway, it was SOOOOO AWESOME! Praise God that I got to do it safely and Thank You to James for making a dream come true! Can't ask for much more than that! The adrenaline rush I had, carried me for about 2 hours and after then I tanked! I see why they call them adrenaline junkies! What a high! I would do it all the time if I could! That would be an awesome part time job!
I have to give the big boys credit, it is harder than it looks and I am positive they earn every penny they make! May God be with them when they drive every week! Those are adrenaline junkies! You don't realize how quickly you have to make decisions when you are driving that fast. You have to be one step ahead of the next guys and trust the guys driving around you. Now I understand why they get so mad at each other when they wreck. So here's to you Racecar Drivers everywhere!
So with that being said, I will load up some pictures for you. I hope you enjoy!
Until we read again!

Me in the hot suit! It was even hotter in the car, but the wind helped!
You see me driving by. My uncle was trying to catch me under the checkered flag and I was going too fast ... :-)
This last one is me waving with my instructer after we were done! If you could find a way to zoom in, all you can see of me are my teeth!

Go TONY!!!

Political tyrade, my opinions only

I have been watching all this crap, I mean stuff on the news lately about global warming. I don't believe most of it. Truly, I believe that it is a facade to help take away our freedoms so the government can gain more control, but whatever. I think the ideas of keeping trash picked up and recycling and planting trees is all good. I have no problem with that. But the idea of buying carbon credits is the silliest thing I have ever heard of. In other words, it's another way for us to pay more taxes to the government and they are calling them carbon credits. What a joke!

We live in the good ole USA. We have improved our climate around here. When I was a kid and we used to drive to LA to see my grandparents, you could see the smog sitting in the city like a thick fog that won't go away. Where is it now? We are obviously doing something right. Now I hear people in Washington state thinking about not having fires on the beach anymore. What next!?

What about China being 60 miles off the Florida coast and stealing our oil/gas, oops, I mean drilling in international waters. Who cares that our gas could be almost 10 dollars a gallon and we are giving ours away because the environmentalists are so worried about the planet. God gave us this planet. No, I don't think we should abuse it, but we also are starting to be the joke of the world. The rest of the planet doesn't care. Even if we did what the scientists want us to do, it won't change much. China and India aren't changing anything. C'mon folks! If we were really all that worried, we would be trying to get them to do something, but guess what, t'ain't happening.

Now I have that out of the way, I am sure I did not make any new friends saying all this stuff, but I had to get it off my chest. Yes, I will do my part, but stop brainwashing my children in school and on TV. The planet has been going warm and cold for billions of years, that is what it does. God planned it that way.

Which brings me to my next rant - Watch out whoever takes the presidency, because we are a divided nation right now and it is not going to get any better. What a great way for an enemy to take advantage of a country. You want to know a person, look at who he hangs out with and who endorses him, whether he accepts it or not. Obama scares me. You can't tell me that he went to church for 20 years and never heard any of the things that have been brought up recently. Have you heard some of the left wing radicals that are excited about Obama possibly becoming president? Folks from Hamas and other terrorist organizations. Drug dealers in South America, leaders of countries who probably shouldn't be excited about our new president. We don't want to be friends with them. If you are curious, do some investigations on your own. He can denounce them all he wants to, but it doesn't change the fact they like him.

So there is my 10 cents. I promise not to go on anymore tyrades. I know some of you actually like what is going on in the world. I will choose to know that God sees this and this is all part of the plan. A weakend America will allow His plan to unfold the way He needs it to. It sure would be difficult to have us United when the anti christ comes. Divide and conquer. I may be totally off base here. I don't think I am though. If you look at the world and all that is happening, it seems to be the beginning. I am not saying it is going to end anytime soon, but I think it is the beginning. Just some thoughts to ponder.

Until we read again - if you will read me again! :-)

The big weigh down!

Well folks, I know that I haven't talked much about it lately, but I have been getting healthy. I am so excited because today was my weigh in morning and I hit the 20 lb mark today. It has taken me 6 months and I am officially at a loss of 21.5 lbs! The past 4 months or so were the movers and I had one funk during it of about 2 weeks long, but I finally did it! I am looking forward to my continued downward trend!

I would like to give God all the glory! He has given me the strength, the courage and the will power to do it. When I run, I always praise Him for giving me the energy to just do it!
I would also like to thank my Sisters In Sweat. If it wasn't for their encouragement and prayers and continued support, I don't know that I would have kept going. Thank you Sisters for lifting me up and keeping me going. It has been a wild roller coaster! I look forward to riding it some more with you! The ups and downs may be different for all of us because of where we are on the ride, but at least we are all on it together!
I, of course, would also like to thank my husband. He has been getting in shape too and it sure makes it easier for me to do this, as I watch him. We can show united front of being healthy for our girls and that makes us that much more stronger together, as a team!

I have some good news. I fought through a fear last night. A year or so ago, I took my girls to Bartlett park with me to ride their bikes around the jogging track. I brought my roller blades since I don't have bike, so I could keep up. Now imagine remember, I was 20 lbs heavier and I was on roller blades. I usually don't do that in public for fear of being made fun of. Little did I know that shortly after I started, it would come true. There was a car load of boys driving by and I heard them yelling at me out the window. I don't remember exactly what was said, but I acted like I didn't hear them. I was crushed inside. I don't know if the girls even knew what happened. If they did, they didn't say anything. I kept going. We did one lap and they were ready to go and so was I. That was the last time I did that. The last couple of months, I was running in the mornings there. I figured most of the crude boys would not be driving around at 8 in the morning. Since the girls have gotten out of school, I have not been able to run. Catie had All-Stars practice last night at the same park, so I thought that James would keep the little ones while Catie was practicing, I would go run. I figured that it would just be Catie's team there and as awkward as that would be I would put one foot in front of the other and just go. I kept looking for a way out and I so insecure that I asked Catie if it would embarass her if I ran. She was like, "No, go ahead!" Ok, now I can't back out. When we get there, the park was PACKED full of boys playing games! My heart started to choke me. Here I am all dressed and ready to run and the park is full of the young teenage boys. I would look silly if I didn't. All dressed up and too scared to go. You think God had anything to do with that? I would like to say though that I did it. I swallowed my pride and got out and did 3 miles. I didn't get to run the whole thing because I had eaten dinner before running and wanted to throw up, but I fast walked and pumped my arms, in spite of all the people who were "looking" at me. Were they really looking at me? I don't know, but I was so excited. I don't think that it is something that is going to go away overnight, but I had the courage to do it once and I believe, with God's help, I can do it again!

Here's to looking at getting and staying healthy, in spite of everyone "looking" at me. Praise to God!

Until we read again...

Bloggin, Bloggin, Bloggin

Ok, so once again, it has been awhile. I am not sure why it takes so long. I feel pretty bad about that. Some folks actually like to read what I write! I have had some great things to say, while I am driving or running or whatever, but hmmm, no computer to type on while I am doing that. It would be kinda hard anyway.

So, I have been in what I like to call a funk. Things have been so dark around me, you almost have to carry a flashlight to see me. I am pretty good on the outside, but the inside is just eating away at my muscles. (I wish it was the fat, but it's not.) I feel like all my strength is getting taken away. You know why? I have not been one with God. I have been outwardly focused on other things and not Him. I have been letting the voice of lies deceive me. It sucks too. I started eating more that I should again. That makes me feel yucky, so I eat more. Now I am going to have to retrain myself, again! It is a constant battle. I hear those voices telling me that I suck as a mom and I just want to be alone, but my kids are always there. It's like they know how to irritate me and do it with great pleasure. Although, I don't know that that is true, it sure feels like it. Here is what I think,

Wendy, you are in a funk. You know it. Do something about it. Take the step. You need to get back to Gods arms. You need to reach up and say, "Daddy, hold me, I am sad."
Doesn't He promise to pick me up? Doesn't He promise not to let me succumb to pressure? Doesn't He promise that when I feel like giving up (which I do), that He will give me the strength to perservere?

We are going to have hard times. We are going to have funks. The question is, will we rely upon the one who promises big promises and never lets us down or will we try to handle it ourselves? I vote for God and I know that, but I have to take the steps to give it up again and not try to hold onto myself in the drivers seat.

Sometimes it's hard to give up, dare I say it, control, when you are control freak. The road is always smoother when you are not driving though. I always hit the potholes, but God never does. You ever notice that when you are in the passenger seat and God is doing the driving, there are never any accidents? He has a perfectly clean record. How does your record look? Unpaid speeding tickets, running a red light or a stop sign, driving while intoxicated, maybe even manslaughter. I bet that we are all felons for one reason or another in prison, waiting on death row for more than just driving issues. We are all hoping that we will get the call from the Governor, the night before our sentence is to be carried out. But wait, don't we have the ultimate hope? We ARE on death row and we KNOW that right before they put the needle in, we won't have to have that lethal injection. Guess what, Jesus is going to lay down on that cold table and let them put the needle in him. He is going to do it for me and He is going to do it for you.

So why do I continually try to control my surroundings? Why can't I just let go and pray when I feel that urge to control come on? Why can't I stick my nose in His book and let Him tell me what to do?
Maybe I will do just that. I will go stick my nose in His good book and let Him talk to me. That is something you all can pray for me about. Letting go, again, of everything that I don't need to have my hands on or in.

I feel better now. Thank you for listening.

Until we read again...

First assignment

Hello fellow Readers,
I mentioned a post or so ago that I was beginning a new writing course online. I have finished 2 lessons now and absolutely love it. I can feel my creative juices flowing again and it feels great! I wanted to share my first writing assignment with you. We were supposed to light a candle and tell everyone about the candle. Our goal was to bring all the 123 people in the class enough about the candle, that they felt like they were looking at it too. So, here it is!

My candle has an amber glow down to middle as it flickers at the wick. It is swaying while the draft gently tosses it around. I wonder, if I sit here very still, will it stand at attention? Are the breaths, that I breath really enough to make it continue to move? The wax around the wick is beginning to melt. It has burned down just enough into the center of the candle that it looks like the inside of a cave with a hot spring in the middle and fire coming up out of the water. The fire continues to jump, unsteadily with a serene feel to it. As I stare into the small flame, it looks soft. Like if I touch it, it wouldn’t hurt, but feel like a warm winter blanket. I can feel the warmth and if I let myself go, I imagine it being cold outside and having this warm fire to cuddle up next to. Soon, I will have to blow out this, ever so peaceful flickering flame and move on with my day.

Until we read again...

Let's play the what if game?

I don't know if this is even worth writing about, but I felt the need to do it anyway. The thought came to my head, like a brink, on the way home from taking Catie to school. I know that folks say not to play the, "What If Game", because you could play it all day and never win, but I did it anyway. I am always breaking the rules...

Anyway, how about this scenario?

What if, the person you are today, went back 10 - 15 years to the person you were back then? Could you live that life? What would your friends and family and coworkers think of you?

I went back to when I was a supervisor in Customer Service. I guess that was '98/'99 for me. That is what I was doing before I got pregnant and while I was pregnant with Catie. I was a different person then. Looking back, I see a world full of sin all around me. I was swimming in the midst of it and didn't even know it. I was blinded by the darkness. That was before I accepted Jesus as my Savior. I still had God with me, but I didn't live for Him. If I was to go back and live this life back then, I don't think that I would have lasted very long. I probably would have not been able to speak freely about my faith. I probably would have been made fun of. I probably would have felt like the outcast. I can see folks calling me the Jesus freak or Bible Thumper. Persecuted, in my own job, go figure. I don't think I would have been very respected. I think, in my case, my family would have been the same as they are now. Tentative, supportive, but not very understanding of what I had and why I wanted them to have it too. It is hard for people, who don't see the light, to see it until they "see" it. Does that make sense? I don't think that I would have had the same friends because my light might have blinded them. They were in such a dark place. I wonder who I would have had as friends? Who was a follower and I never saw them because they were too scared to show their light for fear of being ostracized? Interesting question. I guess I will never know.

There are tons of other questions this game could raise right now, but I think that is enough for me. You know, I could play this game all day long and never win.

Until we read again...

Oh so long, oh so much

Gosh, it feels like forever since my last posts. Oops, it has been! So sorry about that.

Lots been going on. Too much to tell, but long story short. Softball, school, softball, sleep, softball, allergies, softball, working out, softball, losing 9 inches off my body and 11 pounds. Yes, I am getting smaller! Just one size so far, but it is coming off! I have an awesome support group and we all feed off of each other. If one of us had a lousy week, then one of us had a great week and we can all still celebrate! Awesome!

I started a writing course online, so expect my posts to get better. I am very excited. I feel like I am answering a call of God to use my talents, finally. He has been hounding me for almost a year now and I spoke to someone who really pushed me over the edge to take the leap of faith. Fun Fun! Wish me luck.

So for now, unfortuneatly, I don't have much else to say. I just wanted to let everyone know that I am still here, just with not a whole lot extra stuff to say. I get ideas in my head in the middle of the night, but then I don't remember them in the morning.

Take care everyone and may God bless you abundantly!
Until we read again...wt

My Hero!

I have to say I am so proud of my husband! He has been working so hard to get ready for the Marine Mud Run and it has paid off. It is a 6 mile Marine obstacle course, with mud and walls and cargo nets and mud. They say that 1/3 of people who start it don't finish it, well, James did! He even did much better than he thought he would. It is so true, you CAN do anything you put your head to! Based on the time frame, due to some rescheduled softball games for the girls, we were not going to be able to go. Well, I decided right after church that we were going to surprise Daddy at the end! We would just miss the warm up, but hopefully make it for the game. I did not know where LaGrave field was and ended up driving around downtown Fort Worth for about 30 minutes looking for it. I finally got a hold of Chris and he got me there. We only had to wait about 20 minutes for James to run across the finish line. He was so muddy that I didn't recognize him and had to really look before I had the girls holler for their daddy! He was so surprised to see us, but I wanted him to know how much we loved him and supported him and what better way to do that then to have 3 little cheer leaders at the end of a six mile grueling run!
If you are interested in seeing what this is all about, click here - www.mudrundfw.com - The next Mud Run is on 10/25/08. I have been inspired to push beyond my normal girl limits and do a team with James. We need 3 more particpants to team up with us. If you are interested in pushing beyond your limits and getting dirty for a good cause, let us know! In the meantime, here are some pictures of my awesome husband and his moments after the finsh line! (Yes, it says start, but it says finish on the other side...you can see the time he finished on the left of him. I take that back, you can't really see it very well here, but it says 1 hour 13 minutes.) In the last picture, the one in the middle is Steve and he was a Marine and he stayed with James the whole time. Thank you Steve! (For those of you in our Nascar Fantasy Racing league, this is the other Steve playing with us!)The other guy in the picture was with them too, he finished 6th! He was already cleaned up and waiting for James and Steve to cross the finish line. Congratulations boys!

Testimony about Faith and Trust

It was a Sunday afternoon, on our way home from church. James was not yet a Christian and was asking me questions I could not answer about faith and God, again. Once again, I got frustrated and said to him words that, little did I know, I would be eating exactly one week later. “James, one day, something is just going to happen and it is going to slap you in the face and you will just know!”
The next Sunday morning October 24, 2004, I was awoken by my then 5 year old, Catie at 4 AM. She was sobbing uncontrollably, crying for me. I ran to her as fast as I could and saw that she had wet her panties while trying to go to the bathroom. She was shaking in waves, like she was being electrocuted. I tried to calm her down, but could not. I got James and after taking turns trying to calm her down for about 40 minutes, things just progressively got worse. James told me to take her to the ER.
By the time I arrived at Hughley, she could not walk. I got to the window to check in and I was crying too. The lady behind the counter asked me to sign in and I asked her to do it because I could not put Catie down. I started to panic because by this time, Catie couldn’t use her tongue anymore and she couldn’t talk to me. I guess the lady did not want me to lose it in front of the entire waiting room because she took me right back. When the doctor came in, he stood at the end of her bed, completely calm and started barking medications to put in her. As panic grew into fear, I asked him what was going on. He was at the end of the bed with his hands behind his back and said, “Mam, your daughter is having seizures, we are putting medicine in her to get them to stop.” I think I went into shock. My healthy as a horse 5 year old is having seizures? I remember going to the phone outside the room and calling James, but I don't remember what I said. Shortly thereafter, they were taking her back to do a Cat scan and they told me it wouldn’t be a good idea for me to go in there, in case something happens, they didn’t want me in the way. I remember them taking her through the doors thinking that I was watching a bad episode of ER, with doctors and nurses running in and out right by me not saying a word. It was horrible.
Less than an hour later, I was on my way to Cooks Children’s in Fort Worth in an ambulance with my husband in our truck behind us. They could not get the seizures to stop. They didn’t know why it was happening; they didn’t know how to get it to stop. At one point, James asked the neurologist what all the side effects of the medicine were. They were giving her a lot and we were worried what could happen. The doctor told us that right now, if they didn’t give her the medicine, she would die. They would worry about all that after they got them stopped. That was when we knew, for sure how dire the situation was.
That afternoon, our church family came up to the hospital to pray with us. It had been almost 10 hours since this all started. They had taken Catie down for another Cat scan. We were out on the balcony off the ICU waiting area and everyone encircled us and prayed over us and for Catie. It was strength we could not have had alone. When we went back to the room, we asked them about the seizures and he said they stopped. He said that during the Cat scan, she started another seizure and it just stopped. That was it. They couldn’t figure out what happened, but I knew. God put His hand in and stopped them. At that point, I knew everything would be okay. I tried to tell James, but he wouldn’t hear me. Since the seizures stopped, they were going to wean her off the medication and see what kind of damage the large doses could have done. Of course they list off all the things that could happen, but I knew that it would be fine. The next morning at the doctor switch off, when they got to Caties room, we sat down for the meeting. They spoke about everything that happened and where they were blah, blah, blah, “Mr. and Mrs. Thompson, do you have any questions?”
I don’t remember if James had any or not, but I told them that my daughter was going to be fine and there was no other option, she was going home with me and they were going to help her.
I never left Catie’s side while she was in a coma, maybe for a few minutes here or there, potty breaks or food. I kept looking at her thinking about how much she would have hated the Band-Aids and the gooey stuff on her head when they did the brain testing. They told me not to rub her hand or touch her because it would cause her brain to work trying to process the movement on her skin. All the tape and tubes on my beautiful baby girl. I remember telling God to make sure and take care of her. I told everyone who came to visit that she was with Jesus in the Garden of Eden having a picnic, but she would be back. I couldn’t even comprehend life without her, nor was it an option.
On Wednesday, 3 days later, she opened her eyes. I remember her blue eyes being so dark, but they were the awesomest thing I had ever seen. I smiled and told her how much we loved her and was glad she was back. I told her everything would be okay and all she wanted was that tube out of her mouth. She had a single tear roll down the side of her face and started to cry and it was all I could do not to start too.
Later that day, I asked her if I could go to the bathroom and she stopped me. She said, “Mommy, don’t you see it?”
I said,” See what baby?”
“The Angel, in the corner?”
I did start to cry that time. I knew that what I was saying and believing was true. God had his hand on her the whole time and everything was going to be okay, there was a reason for this terrible story.
By Thursday late afternoon, we were out of ICU. The doctors had told us that we would have several months of therapy to teach her how to walk again. They explained that while she did not exhibit any symptoms of side effects from the medicine, her brain had been scrambled and would have to rewire itself. Saturday evening, we were all ready to go home. We talked the doctor and explained how ready to go we were and since there was no therapy folks working the weekend, we were taking up space in a hospital we did not need to be at anymore. The doctor agreed with us, provided we did not leave her alone and got her into therapy, beginning on Monday.
On the way home from the hospital, I told Catie that I was telling everyone that she was in the Garden with Jesus. She laughed and rolled her eyes and said she wasn’t with Jesus. She said that Angels came and got her and she was talking with God. I asked what He had to say and she scoffed at me and told me she couldn’t tell me that! Who was I to argue with that?!
Sunday morning Catie wanted to go to church. She was still weak and couldn’t walk very well. When we arrived at church, her best friend Sarah came out to help her walk in. Sarah escorted her best friend to the chairs that we like to sit in. Tears were everywhere, including me. It was a real miracle! I knew it and so did everyone else. That was Halloween of 2004. That evening we came back up to Arlington to take Catie trick or treating with her friend. We knew it wouldn’t last very long, but she wanted to do it anyway. After we got done, James was driving and we went the opposite direction of home. I questioned him where we were going and he said to our Pastors house. I asked him why and he told me that while Catie was in her coma, he asked God that if He was really there, to make Catie better and that when He did, he would believe and get baptized and follow Him. He said that God kept his part of the bargain, now he was keeping his. We spent 2 or 3 hours at Craig’s house and James was baptized in a garden bathtub.
They say everything happens for a reason. God needed James and He needed to strengthen my Faith. He used the only thing He could to get us both at the same time.
On April 1, 2005, we took in our 3 nieces from CPS. We ended up adopting one of them. God knew the road we were going to be walking down and He needed us both to be a united front for Him. It worked and still works today. God has made us stronger and both of us know that if we have Him, we can do anything He needs us to do. While life may look dark at times out of the darkness can rise the greatest blessings.
A side note, which I know you were wondering. Catie had Cat Scratch Fever and it caused Encephalitis. It was worse case Cats Scratch Fever and best case Encephalitis. They had told us she would probably be in 6-9 months of physical therapy, she went to only 3 physical therapy appointments and was released. She also played in her last soccer game that next weekend. Today, she is in perfect health!
Praise God for his tremendous blessings!

What would He write to you?

Wow! It has been forever since I last wrote... I like to write when I feel led to write and I guess, it just hasn't happened, until last night.

I was laying in bed, not able to sleep. Oddly enough, that has not been a problem for awhile because I have been teetering on the edge of real sickness. I have beat it though and am feeling a TON better. Anyway, I was laying in bed last night and starting thinking about something I read in a book that I am reading. This book is called Fire of Heaven. It is sort of a Left Behind type book, but it is from the 2 prophets stand point. In this book the prophets are a man and a woman. (it is not in the Bible that that 2 prophets are 2 men, this has them as a couple.) Anyway, there is a close friend who passed away and she was the one who was telling them who they were and what they were going to be. This lady had told them things that had come to pass and the 2 knew that what she was telling them was true. After they 2 got married, the lady had set up to have an email sent to them. (She knew she would not be there herself.) Along with it was an attachment and it was a letter from God himself to the newly married couple. Wow...

The details of the letter, for my blog, really doesn't matter. My point is, God wrote them a letter. Now yes, God wrote all of us a book and it is called the Bible and we are so blessed to have that from Him and be able to know what it means for us today.

But, what if though, just what if, God wrote you a letter? What if, the one true God of the universe, who knows every hair, on every living beings head, who was and is and is to come, what if He wrote you a personal letter? What would it say?

Well, this was my pondering as I drifted off to sleep last night. He was writing me a letter in my head. Here is most of what I remember.

"Dear Wendy Michele Hinsley Thompson,
I know every hair on your head. I know everything about you. I made you. I made you just the way you are. I brought Cathy Watson and Robert Hinsley together because they had what I needed to make you, perfect, just the way you are. You want to do things and I know you are hearing my message, You can do all things through my son, Christ because he strengthens you. You know it and you can do anything I need you to do. Life will be hard, but you will be sheltered from the storm, in me. My Precious, precious Wendy. Stay in my word, you have so much to learn, keep learning, don't stop. "

That is all I have. I can't remember anything else. Do you think I slept well last night... um yes. I was peaceful and content in who I am, just the way I am. I know that I can do the things I have been doubting because I have Christ who gives me strength. When I am feeling weak, I will have to come back and remind myself of this letter. Thank you God for talking to me last night...

What would He write to you? Take a moment sometime today or when you get a quiet moment and ask Him? Then make sure you write it down or type it out and keep it.

Be blessed, until we read again...