As Of Late

I like to blog.  Really, I do.  But ever since I moved back to Illinois, I just don't have much to blog about.  I don't like to go so long between posts and I don't like to talk about nothing but I don't really want to quit blogging.  It's kind of a fun outlet for me.  Any great ideas on what I could start talking about?

Thursday the 24th was my aunt and uncle's big sale.  They are planning to move to Denver in a week and sold a lot of their stuff.  It's sad to see them go.  I'm pretty close to them and I love to just stop by and chat sometimes.  But there is no denying that this is the path God is leading them down so I am excited for them.  I know they will have their days of doubting and homesickness but they have such a testimony of God's leading to fall back on for those days.  I did shed a few tears at the sale though.  This weekend will be their last weekend as "Roanokians".  A lot of different emotions for a lot of different people.

This weekend I was out in Bluffton for Single Focus Weekend.  A couple of the talks we heard were very encouraging.  A lot about overcoming fear and worry in our lives.  Call me shallow, but moreso than the talks, I just really enjoyed spending time with a few good friends.  It's been awhile since I've laughed that hard and that much and it just felt good.  After it was over on Sunday I headed to Leo to visit Dustin and Mandy since I was already out that way.  I was able to spend last night with them before coming home this morning.  Another good time.  Hopefully soon I can get out there for more than just a few hours with them.

Now I'm home, and really really tired.  I may be seeing a very early bedtime tonight:)

Back From The South

I got to go to Athens this weekend.  I had a grand ole time.  Guess how many pictures I took?  Zero! 
I was really excited to be there, though.  Especially because Cassie happened to be going the same time I was.  We both stayed at our old apartment and it was about as close to old times as you could get.  Except for the fact that the apartment was lacking important things, like, food for instance.  But no matter because we were well taken care of. 
I had to work Friday night so I didn't leave until Saturday morning.  That evening we got to have supper with a lot of people from the church.  It was nice to have that time rather than to try and catch up with everyone during church on Sunday.  Sunday after church I took Devin out to lunch.  Since it was a quick trip this time I didn't have a whole lot of time to spend with him but I didn't want to go and not see him.  He chose the Mexican place that he always picks which is fine with me.  He was acting really tired and shy and I could hardly hear what he was saying to me.  All of a sudden he got this weird look and said he needed to go to the bathroom.  He made it about ten feet from the table before barfing all over the floor.  UGH!!!  I felt really bad and offered to clean it up but one of the girls working did it before I could even try to take the rag from her.  Well, I was pretty hungry and we only had a half hour or so before I took him home so we just stayed and he watched me eat.  While I was paying he walked outside and puked again in the bushes.  At least that time we didn't have to worry about the mess.  After I dropped him off, everyone else was just sitting down at a different restaurant so I decided to take my time.  I stopped at my favorite ice cream place, got a cone and walked around town, enjoying my cone and the 71 degree weather.  It was beautiful!
Monday I spent the morning at the preschool but was really dissapointed when a couple little boys I love dearly and miss so much didn't come.  So after lunch I called them both up and met up with them.  One came into town and met me at Wal Mart where he got really shy and would hardly say a word.  But he sure was cuddly.  I just stood there and snuggled him for 5 or 10 minutes.  I could've done that all day.  The other I went to his house.  He was a lot less shy and I had a great time playing with him for a few minutes. 
After that I left, stopping in Nashville at a Jamaican restaurant I have wanted to go to for about two years now.  It just has never worked out to go.  When I got off the interstate there was a man standing on the other side of the road that I was pretty sure was homeless.  I had something I could have given him- a Bible, some socks and a gift card for a fast food place.  But there was a lane of traffic between us and it was my turn to go.  I found the place, ate (and loved it).  When I got back to the interstate the man was still there but this time there were four lanes of traffic between us.  I wish so bad I would have gone past, done a U turn and came back to him, then gotten on the interstate from the other way.  Sometimes when I see people like that they look like they chose to be in that postion.  Whether they're at the top of an exit ramp trying to hitchhike or whatever the case may be.  I felt very drawn to this man and when I got home and crawled in bed, the image of him standing there was burned into my brain and that's all I could think of.  Maybe because he was selling a newspaper of sorts.  He had just a few in his hand and was holding them up for those driving by, hoping to sell one.  Typically when I see people like that, they have a duffel bag with them.  Something told me that this man only had the clothes on his back and desperately needed help.  I've never seen someone selling things in the middle of the street like that in this country.  It's always in Jamaica or Mexico that I see that.  I regret not doing a better job of being the hands and feet of Jesus in that situation.  Now the best thing I can do for that man is just pray for him.  I realize that praying for someone is great, but I also know that many times we are called to do more than that.  But I guess for now the best thing is just to learn from that experience and be more alert about it the next time an opportunity like that arises.
Well I'm still pretty tired from the weekend after spending the morning with some family from out of town and then working tonight.  But I wanted to talk about it and I also thought it was high time to have something on here besides the Cat in the Hat!

We Have A Birthday Today!

In years past, March 2 would have most likely been spent eating green eggs and ham with my kids.  Actually, I would usually do a whole week or two with Dr. Suess activites but green eggs and ham was always saved for his actual birthday. 
I've always liked Dr. Suess.  Once in Jr. High I even did a book report on him!  When I was a kid my favorite book was probably Go, Dog, Go! because of the pictures.  Now?  I'm not sure.  Now I like them because they're fun to read out loud but I don't have a chance to do that very often anymore.  Probably my favorite one to read out loud is either The Grinch Who Stole Christmas or The Sneeches.  Or if I'm really feeling motivated, I like to read Fox in Sox.  Especially the last part abou the beetle battle.  Here- try for yourself!

Let's have a little talk about tweetle beetles....

What do you know about tweetle beetles? Well...

When tweetle beetles fight,
it's called a tweetle beetle battle.
And when they battle in a puddle,
it's a tweetle beetle puddle battle.

AND when tweetle beetles battle with paddles in a puddle,
they call it a tweetle beetle puddle paddle battle.

AND...

When beetles battle beetles in a puddle paddle battle
and the beetle battle puddle is a puddle in a bottle...
...they call this a tweetle beetle bottle puddle paddle battle muddle.

AND...

When beetles fight these battles in a bottle with their paddles
and the bottle's on a poodle and the poodle's eating noodles...
...they call this a muddle puddle tweetle poodle beetle noodle
bottle paddle battle.

AND...

Now wait a minute, Mr. Socks Fox!
When a fox is in the bottle where the tweetle beetles battle
with their paddles in a puddle on a noodle-eating poodle,

THIS is what they call...
...a tweetle beetle noodle poodle bottled paddled
muddled duddled fuddled wuddled fox in socks, sir!

Fox in socks, our game is done, sir.
Thank you for a lot of fun, sir.

One of my favorite activites to do was to read The Shape of Me and Other Stuff and then trace my kids profiles for all to see.  They always like seeing their profiles on the wall too.


And now in honor of Sylvester McMonkey McBean (the fix-it-up chappie on the beaches with sneeches)...