How's this?

Well with the help of Casey and Shannon, I was able to change the background and also the text. How do you like this? I think it is very pretty. Leave me a comment.

More Christmas Photos

Here are a few more photos from Christmas.

A serious conversation between grandfather and grandson.
Here is my father-in-law with his daughter and son-in-law, and his sons and daughters-in-law.

Here is my mother with three of her five grandkids (my kids).

Sore Throat

I woke up this morning with a sore throat. I used this as my excuse not to go to FF. Seriously though, I did not want to get overheated and start feeling worse. I have paper work to do here at home, and I do need to run some errands. Tomorrow is a work day for me. I need to get some things done here. If I feel better later, I will try to do a home workout.

Christmas Tables

Here are the photos from Christmas of my table settings. I thought I would show them since I talked about my kitchen accomodating the extra table. I wish I had closed my laundry room door before the photo was taken. The "older adults"were at the large table and the younger adults were at the smaller table.

New Format

Well, I wanted to change things up, and this is the only background I found that I kinda liked. I see all these other backgrounds that people have on their blogs- Casey, Shannon, tell me how to do it. I will use this one until you tell me where to go to find others. Any one want to tell me what you think about this one?

Skype

I just discovered something new that is really fun! It is Skype. In case you don't know what that is, it is a free program like an instant messaging program such as AIM. The difference is is that on Skype, you talk and see the person you are talking with! My new laptop has a webcam on it. So last night my daughter who also has a new computer with a webcam on her computer called me on my computer, and we were able to talk to each other and see each other while talking! How cool! We wanted this feature on our computers so that when the baby comes, we will be able to see and hear it from the computer.

Facebook

Well, I enrolled on facebook a few months back, but I only added two friends. I did not really participate in learning all about facebook. In fact my 21 year old son made fun of me saying that I was too old to be on facebook. I figured that he was right and just did not give the use of facebook much thought. However; I have changed my mind. My daughter helped me see all the advantages to facebook. You know I have email and this blog, but what better way to connect with so many people that you know and have a group discussion or meeting? You can view everyone's photo album, get the word out quick if there is a death or some big event coming up. Plus... you can find people that you have often wondered.... what ever happened to...? or where is....? I think that facebook can be an absolutely great tool. But.... it also can be for me a great distracter from doing more beneficial things. I need to be on the computer more like I need an extra pound. But for right now, I give facebook a thumbs up. Check it out.

Christmas 2008

Usually we do not have a large number of people on Christmas Day for dinner. From my original family, only my mother comes. My father and brother are deceased, and my sister and her family live out of state and never come for Christmas. My husband's father came last year and again this year. His mother and two of his sisters are deceased. We were thrilled to have his only sister and her husband and his only brother and his wife celebrate the day with us. Of course we had my daughter and her husband, my oldest son and his girlfriend, and my younger son.
I would usually have room to seat all of us at one table, but with the extra guests, I was able to put a small table in my kitchen. I will post a photo later from my sil because she took photos of the tables. I have included a photo of me working at my large kitchen island and then a group photo of all of us.

As we gathered in the kitchen/dining area, my son-in-law read the Christmas story, Luke 2:1-20. He has a great movie-star voice, and I was very happy he consented to do this. After that my younger son read a letter from my caretaker of my father-in-law. This woman helped care for my mother-in-law before her death, and for my fil since (almost 5 years). She and Mr. Mc have spent lots of time together discussing family and life and death. She expressed her love for Mr. Mc and his family and the letter had many in tears. We all pretty much believe this will be our last Christmas with Mr. Mc. He is 95 years old. I posted a photo from last Christmas just a few weeks ago, and you can see his decline from photo to photo. After this I lit a candle in memory of all those that I mentioned from our family that have gone on from this life. I then had everyone join hands as I gave the blessing. My husband is just not comfortable praying aloud, so I have been the one to always do it.

We had lots of great delicious food. The conversations were abundant. There was laughter and tears. We said good byes to my husband's family. My immediate family along with my mother then opened our gifts later in the afternoon. That evening we visited with neighbors down our farm to market road and swapped stories of our kids' escapades from the past twenty years. More laughter. Then my dd and sil, ds and gf, and other ds all played the game of Cranium. I was not very good at it. Again....more laughter. It was a great day the Lord blessed us with. My family is certainly not perfect... not even close... but they are the ones I have... and I guess I will keep them! I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas. I hope you remembered to keep Christ in the thick of it. I hope you told someone you loved them and you got to hear I love you from one of them. Now... it is time to get back serious with this healthy eating!!!!!

Borrowing

I posted last week about being a good house guest. I thought about borrowing things. I am having 13 at my house for Christmas. Usually there are only 8 of us at the most. My dining room table holds 8. I have a large island in my kitchen with 6 barstools. But the bar is usually where I put all the food to be served buffet style. My grown son has one of those hard plastic-like folding tables you get at Sam's. It would be perfect for the additional 5 people, and my country-style kitchen/dining area will accomodate this table. When I went and got it and brought it home, it was nasty looking. The top had mildew-looking stains, and the underside had some rust from being out in the weather. Of course I was going to put a table cloth over it, and no one would be looking at the underside, but I would know that it was nasty. Even if I just wiped it off, it would not get rid of the stains. Instead I got an SOS pad and scrubbed the top, and I got paper towels and wiped up the rust on the underside. I had it looking good. And I started thinking about borrowing things. I don't really like to borrow things. The best advice I have given my kids which always needs to be repeated is when you borrow.... 1. return it promptly 2. return it in better shape than when you got it. If it breaks... either fix it or offer to pay to have it fixed. As our future seems more and more uncertain, we may need to practice borrowing etiquette more often.

Foot

Okay... I am going to say a little more about my foot, and then I won't be writing about it for awhile. I finally called the podiatrist, explained about my foot pain, etc. He suggested I get a splint to wear at night that will keep my foot in a 90 degree angle. He said I will probably not be able to wear it all night as it will cause my calf to cramp. But it will stretch my tendon. I hope to get this soon, and have my pain resolved. I want to get back to walking and trying to jog like I did a few months ago. So... enough about the dang foot. I know that is what you are all thinking.

What if.....

What if my foot pain has been caused by one of my orthotics? No kidding... I have two different pair of orthotics. I have had one pair since 2001. They worked great with me. In the last year, my podiatrist fitted me with a more heavy-duty orthotic to wear with my workout shoes. He also refurbished my other one somewhat. Well... I seldom wear the original ones. But after looking at my newest ones, I noticed that the heel seemed to be very indented. I thought, " hmmmm...... I am going to quit wearing those and wear my other ones constantly for a few days and see if it makes a difference." Well, I do not know if it is all in my mind, but today all day long I have worn my oldest orthotic and I can actually walk around with very little pain. I mean... I can still feel this foot pain, but not like I have been feeling it. I am going to continue to walk around with these for the next week, and ice my foot, and then evaluate my pain. Wouldn't that me absolutely positively fantastic if I get free from this chronic pain? I must say that I am having so much more empathy for people with back pain, migraines, joint pain, fibromyalgia, osetoporosis, etc. Chronic pain makes it where you are in a bad mood, you can't enjoy life, you cannot hardly even think because of the pain. I am so hoping that this is my problem. You can either wish me luck or pray for me!

Super Bowl

With this being football season and the Super Bowl about a month away, I wanted to tell about my trip to the Super Bowl. The year was 1973 and I was almost 19 years old. I happened to be home from college for Christmas break. My uncle came over to the house to ask my dad about going to the super bowl. My dad wanted to go, but my mother did not want to. I just happened to come into the kitchen when they were discussing it. I said, " well, I want to go!" I really never thought they would take me. But my dad said, " well, get your stuff together." So that very day we were on a plane headed west. We stopped off in Las Vegas and went and saw B.B. King and spent the night there. We then went on to L.A. and visited with some friends of my uncle's and my dad's. My male cousin who was a couple of years older than me went with us.

The day of Super Bowl VII was a gorgeous sunny day at the Los Angeles Coliseum. It was the Miami Dolphins against the Washington Redskins. My dad has always been such a comical character and this trip was so much fun. As we were seated and began watching the game, there was a middle age man with a "much younger" female with him. This paunchy man began to talk to this blonde buxom woman about the game of football. He said, " Now baby, you see that man down there in the green, he is going to kick that football and that man in the maroon is going to try to catch it and run down the field this way." Oh my gosh... this mistress... I mean lady had no idea about the game of football. He began to give her instructions about the entire game. And my dad says to me, "honey, there are 50,000 people here in this stadium, and you would know that we would be the ones stuck sitting in front of them." Every now and then, he would let out this big aggravated sigh, or turn and give them one of his huffy looks. I am including a photo from January 1973. I was so excited about going and in such a rush, that I left my makeup at home. I have never been much of a spontaneous person, but that day I was and I am so thankful that I have this fun memory of my dad and me. He has been gone now for over 13 years and I miss him very much. But I am so thankful for that special day that we spent daddy/daughter time together!

My blog

I don't know if some of you were able to get on my blog and read my post entitled "Christmas Season". I deleted this post. It was about how I feel about all the gift-giving, shopping, etc. I reread it, and although I meant all that I said, somehow it might have come across as a big complaint. It was not meant to be that way. Also, sometimes I delete comments. It is not that I have had people write ugly or inappropriate things. If someone mentions the town that I live in or my last name, then I usually delete their comment. My blog is public. I realize that most people are like me and read others' blogs to get a different perspective about life, or learn something new, etc. But I also know from watching all the crime shows- both real (Nancy Grace), and unreal (CSI), that there may be some crazy person out there that I don't want to know my name or where I live. I welcome comments and I always like to know that some people like what I write about.

What a Treat

Today is a special day for our staff. Our boss is treating us to a day at the spa. Originally we could pick three out four indulgences- hair, nails, facial, and massage. The nail tech was not going to be able to get to us today, so we might get this next week. My choice is massage and facial (nails later). I am to arrive at 9:00 a.m. with no make-up. After the four of us finish, we are going out to eat courtesy of our boss. When I say "our boss", I really mean our boss and his wife. She is an active part of the practice and is always available to help out when we are bogged down or when someone is absent. I am thankful to be working for these great people.

Last night I started writing down some of my goals on this eating situation. I have again gotten out of control with the Dr. Peppers, goodies that patients bring to the office, and grabbing the wrong thing when I am hungry. You know that 3500 calories equal a pound. If I can either cut 500 calories of what I eat that will maintain my present weight, or .... if I do a calorie deficit by burning an extra 500 calories a day, then in a week I can lose one pound. Well... at least that is the way it looks on paper. So... I have gone through http://www.sparkpeople.com/ and I wrote out what I would have to do to burn 500 calories. I thought some of you might be interested in this list. It looks like most of the exercises should take around 40 minutes. That is all except walking, and you will have to do this two times a day to lose the 500 calories.

So here is my list:
cycling 12-13.9 mph for 45 minutes burns 504 calories
circuit training (FF) for 45 minutes burns 504 calories
swimming (crawl-308), (breaststroke-280) 20 min each for a total of 40 minutes burns 588 cal
line dancing for 85 minutes burns 510 calories
step aerobics for 50 minutes burns 490 calories
kayaking for 40 minutes ( 4 mph) burns 500 calories
walking a 15 min mile for 80 minutes burns 504 calories
treadmill walking- 15 % incline and a 20 minute mile for 40 minutes burns 520 calories
treadmill walking- 10% incline and a 15 minue mile for 40 minutes burns 520 calories
jogging an 11 minute mile for 40 minutes burns 504 calories
These are the ones that I listed because these are the ones that I would do. I thought last night how I need to add yoga and Pilates and see what I come up with. You can go to this website and type in your weight and your length of time for each activity and see what you come up with. This was for MY weight, which I prefer not to put down for the world to see!

I also listed the calories for some of the foods that I eat that I could do without easily and not miss. For example an ounce of cheese-110, mayonaise, 1T-100, Ranch dressing 2T-180, wine 6oz glass-250, Dr. Pepper 16 oz-200. Just think if I had a DP and a glass of wine and a piece of cheese that would be over 500 calories. Those are all pretty empty calories. I will list other food ideas for quick snacks later. Right now it is time for me to go get spoiled!

Learning

Well, as the following posts will show, I am learning how to do this scanning business. I will have this corrected later. Right now I don't want to go back and redo it, so you will just have to get the general idea, mistakes and all.

Even More Camp Snuf

Oh yeah, I am serious about those horseshoes. 1991

Our camp leader-Snuf-1991

Remember those painted T-shirts? This is 1990.

More Camp Snuf

This is the group on the deck of the beach house-1989

This is dh playing beach volleyball-1990Okay, I restarted my computer and was able to scan the other photos. I think that the group were always wondering what my hair would look like. Would I be blonde, gray, brown, curly, straight, short or long? Here are some more photos. This is 1990 - I am having fun playing beach volleyball.

Camp Snuf

I mentioned that I learned how to scan. I was able to scan one photo, and now my printer/scanner is not talking to my computer. I don't know what I am doing wrong. But here is one photo from our first beach trip (1989) from Camp Snuf. Steve's nickname is Snuf. Can you find me and dh? I am on one side of the photo and dh is on the other side. Snuf is in front with the fisherman's hat on. You can tell he is lots of fun. This photo was at Benno's on the Seawall.

Back Home

Today was pretty busy for me, and I am about to fall asleep at four in the afternoon. My day started very early (about 4:30 a.m.) because I was at my mother's house and just woke up early. I got up and had my coffee, got the newspaper and worked my sudoku, and then headed to FF. I got there early enough to walk 30 minutes on the treadmill. After my class I went back to my mom's house and got showered and dressed to attend the funeral of my friend Steve's mother. I got to see my Aggie son home on leave and he went with dh and me to the funeral. Afterward, I made it to the copy place to get my Christmas letter typed and my Christmas stampsfor my cards. They will be in the mail tomorrow. I got home after being gone since Saturday and I must comment on how my house looked. Remember I have just had eight house guests. My house was as nice and neat as it was before my guests arrived. I have some suggestions for those of you who go and stay at someone's house and hope to be invited back. I would not have been able to make this list prior to their coming. But as I look around and see what they did, I can offer suggestions.
1. Ask your host if you can do ..... what ever you are willing to do. Here are some of the things my guests did.
2. Stripped all the sheets and began the laundry process.
3. Gathered all the towels to be added to the laundry.
4. Washed any dishes that were in the sink and dried them ready to be put away. They did not put them away because this would have made work for me to try and find them.
5. Even though all the sheets were off the bed, they made up the bed so that when I saw my house, it looked nice and neat.
6. They put everything back exactly like I had it.
7. My bathrooms all looked very clean.
8. They thanked me over and over, and gave me the greatest compliment by telling me that they were so comfortable and "at home" and they felt like they were at a B & B. I have had guests plenty of times before in my house, but not where I have moved out and left them without my presence.

I must give this list to my grown kids so that they too, can be good guests at others' homes. I also must say that my house is very simple, not at all fancy. I have decorated my house to please me so that my dh and children will be comfortable and always feel like this is a place to be equipped and nurtured to get out in the world.

Busy Weekend

On Friday morning, I got an email from a friend in Waco. These friends are couple friends, and the husband's mother passed away. She and her husband have lived here in my hometown for many years. Steve went to high school with my dh. We began joining them twenty years ago in Galveston for the male Steve's 40th birthday. We were able to continue to meet for many years. Then he changed jobs and it was more sporadic when we met in Galveston. I guess the last time we had a group down at his inlaws beach house in Pirates' Beach was about 4 years ago. We just have so many fun memories of being with these friends and Kathy's brothers and their wives and their friends from Waco. We had planned activities. On Thursday if you arrived early enough, the guys would play golf. That evening was hamburgers. Friday began the beach fun with beach volleyball and horseshoes and lots of sun and surf. Friday night would be a dinner out at Benno's (Cajun seafood), along with miniature golf right on the Seawall. On Saturday night we would have boiled shrimp earlier in the day and have it iced down and have a gigantic salad and lots of beer to go with it. Time at the beachhouse was playing shuffleboard, spoons, and laughing and telling stories on one another and then replaying memories of past get-togethers. We have already been told that this summer will be the 60th birthday bash, and we are so looking forward to it! I gotta keep working out so I can make those volleyball digs!

When I was able to talk to Steve, he asked if I could house his grown kids/spouses. I love this family, and I got to know some of them better while I was there on Friday night. Since there were going to be so many and my house will only sleep a certain amount, I decided to let them have the house and I went to our camphouse. And then tonight I am at my mom's house so I can use the computer tonight, and make it to my exercise in the morning. What a pleasure it is to get to know your friends' kids as mature adults. Like I said, they are a great family. The oldest daughter who has a two year old gave me lots of grandmother pointers. I can sure use those.

Steve's mom and dad have been married for over 67 years. What a testimony to marriage just like my inlaws who made it to 74 years. There are going to be difficult days for this family. They know where she is which is a great comfort even though they will miss her very much. I was very impressed that two of Steve's good friends made the trip from Atlanta and Nashville.

I must mention that when I knew I was having house guests, I put it in high gear. Now my house is not a trashed out place or anything, but hey.. I am an empty nester. My husband is not picky about having things spotless... I have better things to do than clean house. Well... you know what I mean. It is not high on my list of priorities. So I really worked at it. All day long! I have no carpet in my house, so any dust is easily seen on wood floors. I was down on the floor with the dust mop getting under the bed. I was reaching high to clean the blinds. I had my house clean!!! And then yesterday afternoon I was at the camphouse with my dh and I was lying on the couch watching Mission Impossible III, and I got up to get a drink, and I was so stove-up. I said, " Gosh, what is the matter with me? Why am I so sore?" Duh....... So if you don't join a gym and you want exercise, invite some people over and get busy cleaning your house.

Tomorrow I will attend the memorial service for this dearly loved wife, mother, and grandmother. But before that I will go to my FF class. And then my life will be back to my regular routine. I learned how to scan last week( yes, you can laugh and make fun of me).
So I am going to find some photos from 20 years ago at the beach or at least a while ago and post them on this blog.

Should I Change the Title?

I am beginning to wonder if I should change the title of my blog. I mean... it says Daily with Dee, and there is no daily about it. I feel like sometimes my life is just too humdrum boring to post anything. I meant for this blog to be about my exercise, but lately it just seems like I am falling short. I have only been exercising about 3 times per week instead of the 6 times that I started out with in January. Not the way the I wanted to end this year. But that is what I like about a new year..... we can start afresh. I have been making it to my FF class every MWF, but I am not spinning, nor swimming, nor bike riding lately. My foot is still giving me pain. I need to call the dr. office and find out about taking the celebrex. I also need to be icing it, which I have not done.

My Sunday school class have embarked on a new study about our attitude. I have discovered that complaining is a sin. Hmmm...... go figure. Even thinking of complaining is a sin.... hmmm..... well, my assignment has been to keep a log of what comes either to my mind or out of my mouth as a complaint. You talk about someone who is not talking much these days. I have just tried to keep my mouth shut to keep from uttering complaints. Thinking about writing it down has really made me accountable. I thought I was a very positive person, but I am realizing that I have lots of room for improvement in this aspect. How about you? Does your thought life involve lots of negative thoughts and complaints? Take note of this. It may really surprise you. This week we are talking about the sin of complaining and getting rid of it. And of course when you rid yourself of something, you must fill yourself with something else... and that is thankfulness. I facilitated our lesson on Sunday because the teacher was gone. I told them all to think about how they could turn their complaint into thankfulness, and also what could they do to change what they were complaining about. I don't plan on grading them or finding out this information.... it is for their own benefit. Try this exercise and see if you become like me. Just more aware of how you complain and more observant of all the things to be thankful for.

It is cold outside and rainy and instead of complaining about this day, as I was driving home from work, I said, " oh thank you Lord that I have heating in my car." And when I got home I told my dh how thankful I was for the nice warm house that we have. I am going to beat this complaining business, so those of you that know me, just you watch and see!

Tagged

Okay, I have been tagged to list 7 random things that others may not know about me.
1. I have my clothes in my closet color arranged and by sleeve length. I would be so much more anal if I let myself, but I try to not become too obsessed.

2. I wish I could sing so I could sing a solo in church.

3. If I was 20 years old, I would head to Hollywood and try to become an actress. I would still like to be one.

4. My middle name is an abbreviated form of my Swedish grandfather, Ferdinand. My middle name is 'Dinand, and Dee is my nickname.

5. Although my husband and I did not start dating until I was 21 years old, we met when I was 13 and he was 18, and of course he did not know that I existed.

6. From my very first memory, I remember praying to God.

7. I miss my father very much, but I cannot wait to see my grandmother again when I reach Heaven.

I am tagging two people, one with a blog and one without, so you will have to list it here. I am tagging Lee Ann and Kyle.

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day

Okay... I have some photos from Thanksgiving Day. The first photo is the one we will use for our Christmas card that we send out to friends and family. I just realized this is the first photo I have posted of some of my other family members. Back row is oldest son, youngest son, only daughter and her husband. Front row is husband and his beloved dog and me.
This photo includes oldest son's girlfriend. She took the other photo for the family card. Maybe next year she will be in the Christmas card photo. Who knows?

My dear mother joined us. We usually have just a small group for holidays because right now we are a small family. My sister and her family live in NC, and they don't come for holidays. My husband says my sister may never return to Texas again because she was here the weekend of Hurricane Ike, and was delayed in getting back home. She was here to help us though with the massive cleanup at my mother's house and also on our property. We had so many limbs down that it was lots of work. My father and my brother are deceased. Hence, my family is small. I hope to have a much larger family in the future. I am soon to have my first grandchild. My daughter and son-in-law have decided to withhold learning the sex of the baby. They are going to do it the old fashioned way, and hear those exciting words.... "IT'S A BOY"..... or ......"IT'S A GIRL".

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family. Problems... arguments... disagreements... hurt feelings... tempers.... oh yeah... we have our share. But laughter... tears of joy.... unforgettable moments.. insightful times.... special bonding.... and lots of love! Yeah we have that too!

My husband's family has also changed. He has lost his mom and two sisters. And he just has one sister and one brother and his father. We are excited that his father and his sister and her husband will be joining us on Christmas Day. Gosh.... I cannot believe that Christmas is three weeks from tomorrow. Whoa... too much to do... I gotta go.

Get Back on Track

Okay... it is time to get back on track. I missed my exercise these last four days just like I intended NOT to do. Unless you count walking at a mall or shopping center. I just got back from HEB and Sams and I intend to try to eat healthier the next few weeks before Christmas. I usually don't eat sweets, but I was like a fiend with the pecan pie. I mainly like to pick the pecans off. Today I went to my fitness fusion class. It is just too cold to go and swim. My computer's battery is messed up, my computer cord to the electric outlet is messed up. I am going to get a new computer for Christmas. I am unable to get on the computer any time I want right now. Perhaps I need to break my computer obsession anyway. My dh made fun of me wanting to get my new computer right now. He asked, " Can't you do without it for a few weeks?" I asked him to turn the television off or not to watch ESPN for a few weeks until I got my new computer. Case closed... I made my point. I am headed for Best Buy, and may have a new computer when I come home.

Exercise Taking a Back Seat

It seems like lately my exercise has been taking a back seat. Last week I think I made it two to three times, and this week I made it to FF on Monday and today. Boy, this is a far cry from how I began at the first of the year. I know I was almost obsessive when I began, but I think that is the way you pretty much have to be in order to stay consistent. I got off work early today, and I wanted to go and swim, but I just kept thinking of all the Thanksgiving cooking that I needed to get started on. I was looking up some of these dishes that I made on the internet to determine the nutrition information. Oh my gosh.... if I had a serving of everything that we are preparing, then I would end up eating probably about 100 fat grams. And that is before even getting to the desserts. I am going to enjoy the food tomorrow, but I am also going to have a small serving of each dish. I do not want to have to work so hard to get it all off. My gym will be closed until Monday. I just am going to have to make myself either go for a walk, a bike ride, or do an exercise video. Four days is too long to go without physical activity. I am ready to get my exercise routine out of the back seat and back where it belongs- in the driver's seat!!

All of you have a great Thanksgiving and ponder on all the blessings you have to be thankful for.

Camp Street Cafe and Store

Gosh, it seems like recently I have been blessed to have the opportunity to listen to some good music. Last week it was Chicago. And then last night I went with a friend to Crockett, Texas to the Camp Street Cafe and Store and heard the Lost Bayou Ramblers. This is cajun music, also known as zydeco. I have heard this kind of music in movies, but I have not heard it in person. The setting is an old building in the small town of Crockett. It has an old country store sort of feeling. There is no dancing nor smoking. You are welcome to bring in your beer or wine, or you can purchase soft drinks or water. The only food sold is homemade cookies, candy bars, and popcorn. Of course you are not there long. The show was from 8:00 until 10:00.

The Lost Bayou Ramblers are a youthful group of musicians. There were four energetic guys with one singing and playing the fiddle, another playing the accordian or the lap steel, another the drums, and another the upright bass. It was a fun time listening to this cajun music. There were people of all ages- older, middle age, and children.

If you are near Crockett which is located in deep east Texas about 90 miles from College Station, check them out. They have entertainment every Saturday night, and then also some other nights of the week. We had a fun evening, and I hope to go again.

Death

Okay... I know the title of this post is not one that sounds good. But oh how indiscriminating. I have been away from my computer for about 22 hours. I spent the night last night at our hunting camp, and I arrived home and of course needed to check my email. I had several emails in my two email accounts. But out of all of the correspondence emails from friends and the many forwards, three were telling me of the death of someone. Now I did know about the condition of all of these people. One was an elderly woman who has cancer all over her body that was just found out last week; one was a middle-age woman with a brain tumor that was removed on Monday after finding out she had it the previous Wednesday; and one was a 28 year old young woman who was battling cancer. My heart goes out to each of these families. But.... all of these families say that their loved ones had a personal relationship with Jesus. Yes, there is much grief. But the Bible tells us that we are not like the world without hope. They have faith that their loved one was welcomed into Heaven by the Lord Himself. And... we know if we are right with God that we will see them again. Death comes unexpectedly. Cancer, heart attack, stroke, aneurysm, car wreck, drowning, electrocution, murder... I know someone who lost their life in each of these ways. We don't know the way or the time of our death, but we can know where we will be in that very moment that death occurs. What a great feeling to know to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. What about you? Do you have this eternal assurance?

Cell Phone vs. Bible

I was emailed this and thought it was pretty good. Think about this email when you pick up your cell phone. Try to do this all week long and see if it changes you any.

Cell phone vs. Bible

Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat
our cell phone?
What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
What if we gave it to kids as gifts?
What if we used it when we traveled?
What if we used it in case of emergency?
This is something to make you go....hmm...where is my Bible?

Oh, and one more thing.
Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry about our Bible being
disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.

Makes you stop and think 'where are my priorities?
And no dropped calls! '

Trust in the Lord and ASAP (Always Say A Prayer)
Even though you can't see Him, GOD is there for you.

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What A Weekend

I am still reeling from the weekend. It was just a fantastic weekend. My daughter and I spent all day on Saturday together. We shopped for her baby bedding. "It" is due the end of February. She and her dh have decided to be surprised and not find out the sex of the baby. So... you remember those days... you don't do pink or blue, but instead do green. Actually the bedding has all different colors in it. We had a great day of shopping and we went to lunch together. And I must say that I was quite honored that she included me to be with her and her friend. I was asked if she enjoyed Chicago, and my response was that I thought she enjoyed watching me watch Chicago more than her watchingand listening to Chicago. I just had such a great time! I am still so thankful to my daughter, her friend, and the business contact her friend had. I did not mention the fantastic auction that preceded Chicago. They had some great items up for auction, and they all did well for this benefit.

So my exercise included FF on Friday, and nothing on Saturday or Sunday. On Monday, I did not make it to FF because I had an appointment. I did nothing yesterday, and today I did make it to my class. Whoa... it looks like I am slacking off. I gotta get back doing at least 5 days a week. My foot is continuing to bother me. And to top it off, my insurance did not pay well, and I owe the doctor a couple of hundred, and still have pain!!! I would not feel so bad about being out of money if I was healed. I had one injection, and as far as I am concerned, I think that is only a temporary fix. Well, I hope that I can say I am better in another month, but this has now been bothering me for two months. My cardio is definitely suffering because of it. I think I will go and ice my foot right now.

Chicago - Legends 2008

Here are the pictures from the night.

Mandy, me, and Casey at cocktail hour.

See how close I was! He's holding my hand!


I tried to get a photo of each member of the band. Here are some of my best!

Connie and Mandy with me (They're the ones that got me the ticket).

Chicago- Legends 2008

Oh my gosh... Last night was so fantastic. If I had ever gone to a Chicago concert before, I would have never been up close like I was last night. When they began playing last night, I asked my daughter to accompany me to the dance floor to take a photo or two..... or a hundred! Yes... she went with me as I shyly took a few photos. The music kept playing... Just You and Me, Simple and Free.... and I went from sophisticated middle-aged woman to an over-the-hill screaming groupie!! No not really... but it did not take long before this calm dressed-up group of men and women who were casually dancing stopped and began singing and clapping with Chicago. The band continued to sing nonstop for over an hour and a half. They were very audience-friendly. I am thinking there were four of the original members in the band- Robert Lamm (keyboard), James Pankow (trombone, and my favorite), Lee Loughnane (trumpet), and Walter Parazaider (saxophone, flute, and other woodwinds). I looked all of this up on the internet before you think I am so smart and remember so well. The other group members are Bill Champlin (guitar), Jason Scheff (bassist who replaced Peter Cetero), Tris Imboden (drummer), and Keith Houland (lead guitarist). After the we thought the group left the stage, and we thought they were finished, everyone "hollered" and clapped for "just one more." I thought to myself, " I don't remember them playing 25 -6-2-4. " And here they came, back on the stage, and completed the concert with this great oldie. Like I said, I was right up front on the dance floor three feet away from the guys the entire time. No... I was not alone, so I did not stand out too much. I have always loved the sound Chicago made with all the horns. This was just one of the most fun nights I have had watching them and listening to them. I had built it up in my mind, and I was not disappointed- it was everything and more that I thought it would be.

I did make a few mistakes though in my earlier post. To correct myself-this was a benefit for St. Paul Medical Foundation and UT Southwestern Heart, Lung, and Vascular Progams. It was called Legends 2008. And the hotel is now the Hilton Anatole Hotel. Alot of the patrons were in the medical community. Most everyone there was dressed in black. There was a cocktail reception at 7:00 with appetizers and open bar, and then you were seated for dinner at 7:40. There were 58 tables of 10. The menu was a portabella mushroom that was looked like a hamburger with the middle part being roasted peppers, buffalo mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes, and modena balsamic vinegar reduction. The main course was filet mignon of beef, crab stuffed mushroom, baby carrots and squash, fingerly potatoes, and port wine sauce with mushrooms that was served with your choice of pecorino rolls, house-made lahvosh, mini jalapeno corn muffins, and herb breadsticks, and sweet butter. The wines for the evening were Geyser Park Savignon Blanc, California, and Deloach Pinot Noir, California. The dessert was a trio of ice creams-cookies and cream, chocolate, and classic vanilla served with warm fudge sauce in a nougatine shell with caramel sauce. They fed 600 people, and they knew how to do it- it was all hot and delicious!! The dessert was fabulous. Now... do you feel like you have been there with me? I will be posting the photos later.

Exercise and Excitement

Okay, I gotta make this fast. Wednesday was FF, and today was FF. Yesterday I did not get myself together enough to get any exercise in. It just seems like when I am at home I have too many distractions. Earlier this week, my daughter told me about a friend extending her an invitation to attend a benefit. This is a dinner for Saturday night which is at the Dallas Anatole, and the entertainment will be the group Chicago. When my daughter told that she was going I exclaimed how excited I was for her. She, of course, does not really know their music. Well...Chicago happens to be one of my favorite groups. I don't even know how many original members are in the group. All I know is that recently when I got an ipod and put songs on it, I had several from Chicago put on it. Well.. today while I was grocery shopping my daughter calls me. She told me that she had told her friend how neat I thought that was about this event. Her friend said, "well let me see if I can get another ticket." And she did... oh yeah... alright... I am so excited.. and I just can't help it... I'm about to lose control and I think I like it! Seriously, I am really thrilled that I am going tomorrow to Dallas to see Chicago. (it doesn't take much for this country girl). So..... I will be gone until Sunday, and I will be sure and have some photos for when I return.

Things That Annoy Me

I know this sounds negative, but I was just thinking of some of the things that annoy me.
1. At the top of my list is smacking- smacking food yes, but especially smacking gum and popping it. Is there anything more annoying and showing no manners.
2. Hearing someone tap a pencil, click a pen ( you know it writes, it doesn't write), shuffling their feet, clipping their fingernails in public place
3. People who do not return their shopping buggies at the grocery store to the cart storage. Come on, don't be so lazy.
4. People who make an excuse for everything.
5. People who are habitually late. I know we can all be late for appointments, but not as a habit.
6. People who take your money and never make eye-contact ( you know cashiers)
7. People in front of you walking in a store that let the door hit you in the face.
8. People who think they can piggy-back through a four way stop sign when it is your turn.
9. People who use obscene language in public places.
10. People who cut in line.
11. Telemarketers
12. Litterers and people who dump garbage on country roads.
13. Drivers who weave in front of you when there was only a car length between you and the next car anyway.
14. Drivers not using a blinker.
15. Barking dogs.
16. People that throw gum out for you to step in.
Hmmm... I thought this list would be longer. Can you think of others?

My Son Said It Right

Here is a post my 20 year old son wrote on his blog. He is a junior at Texas A&M and he posts once a week on a student blog. I think he said it right. This is what he wrote:

America The Beautiful

November 10th, 2008

Many things have happen over the past week. The most significant was the election of our 44th President of the United States. The election was a pivotal one for America since so many things are up in the air. For the first time in my life, I was able to vote in the election, so that made me pay much closer attention to what was at stake by choosing a particular candidate. I’m not here to talk politics, but instead, I want to talk about the people I am friends with. The vast majority of them really showed me some things this week about themselves. Lots of these people are the people that I would do anything for.

Facebook may be one of the worst things ever invented. If you don’t know what Facebook is, then first get with society, and second be glad you have not been introduced to it. Facebook is a social network that allows people to connect all over the world and share information about themselves including education, photos, and messaging. If you took a poll of college students around America and asked what their number one distraction from school was, I would bet 95% said Facebook was their downfall.

Over the past week, there have been many derogatory comments about our newly elected president. Many of the things people say could even get them in trouble if it was seen by the right people. The people saying this are intelligent, well-educated people who would be better off not letting their political views show.

I may not agree with many of the policies that are presented, but I agree that the United States of America is the greatest country in the world, and we are blessed to live here. So many of my friends continued to update their public profile on Facebook bashing our new president that it got me thinking one thing. Writing stuff about what has happened is not going to change who takes office on January 20, 2009. God has a plan with everything and whatever is meant to happen will happen. Whether the right man for the job has been elected or not, God wanted him to win, and God will take care of his followers as we continue to have faith that He is in charge. More importanly, I hope this shows to think before you act and always remember that we live in a great place where freedom exists and we have the ability to be whatever we want. God Bless you and God Bless America.

A New Week

Gosh... A new week about to start, and I see that I have not posted since last Wednesday. I think on Thursday I had planned to post and my dh invited me to go to the deer camp with him. I went out there and he cooked for me. Isn't it nice when someone else does the cooking and the cleaning up? We had salad and a gigantic ground venison pattie. Yum... he put it on the grill, and I promise it was probably about 10 ounces. Errands had me side-tracked so I did not get in any exercise. But I made up for it on Friday. I swam 32 laps (again without touching the sides). I swam for 43 minutes, and then I went on to my FF class. So there you go- a two-a-day that I have not done in quite awhile. Friday I received some unexpected news. My family's beach condo in Galveston had originally been listed in "good" condition. The management company called and let me know that after the engineer had been in there, there was moisture and so they are going to have to demolish my kitchen. Since the condo had recently been upgraded and their insurance would not pay for the upgrade, it was necessary for me to go and remove my new kitchen cabinet doors. I was so thankful to a friend who went with me and helped me remove these. I was not prepared for the way our condo looked- the framing in the walls was showing, the beams in the ceiling were showing. All the furniture was in the middle of the room covered in plastic, and the carpet was all ripped up in the living room. Well... hmm.... can you spell S-T-R-E-S-S? Galveston looked much better than I thought. I saw walkers, bike riders and we were able to eat at one of my favorite restaurants- Casey's. There is still debris on the side of the road, and I did not drive around much and look because we had somewhere else we wanted to go.

Today was the first day of our revival at church and our hearts were blessed. Lots of great music and good preaching. Today my boss called and invited me for a bike ride. We went on some country backroads and went about 16 1/2 miles. It was a beautiful fall day to be on a bike. Tomorrow is FF. Maybe I can make it to swim too.

Mr. Mc

Here is a photo of my father-in-law from last Christmas with my three children. Until the last five years, he has been a very active man. When dh and I were at his house on Monday, I was walking around his yard, and I felt sad. The big garden he always had was grown up in weeds. The rose garden he prepared for his bride of 70 years was no more. The treasured pecan trees were ravaged by squirrels. The big oak tree with the swing was a victim of one of the hurricanes. Even though now he is in frail health, he still has his sense of humor. He is so proud of his children and grandchildren. He says he has been blessed beyond measure with a great family and a great life. I would have to agree. Here's to you Mr. Mc!!

Being Organized

You know I talk alot about being organized. When I first wake up in the morning before I get out of bed, I mentally go through the tasks of the morning. I am gonna take my thyroid medication, put my contacts in, get dressed, get my lunch packed, get my breakfast made, and load the car. I try to preplan as much as I can the night before. You know I will have the lunch all ready to be put in a Walmart sack, my clothes for the day will be in my bag and the ones for exercise will be right there by the bag, I won't have to look for my shoes, my purse and anything I need for errands will be right there (library books, cleaning, bank deposit slips, etc). So this morning, I thought I had it all together. I planned to go for my swim this morning before work. I have all my stuff together. I get up there, get my card punched, and go to the dressing room to take off my windpants, put my swim cap and earplugs in, and look and ......what? .....what? .....where's my goggles? ..... huh.... no goggles..... well I'll be!!! Forget this. No swimming for me today. So I go on to work, wash my hair in the sink, eat my breakfast, and do some Bible reading. So today was no exercise for me. I did make it to FF yesterday, and then I walked 3 miles yesterday afternoon. Tomorrow is FF and maybe I will make it to swim on Thursday. Hopefully I will have everything I need.

Opening Day

Opening Day of deer season was not what my deer hunters had in mind. The weather was not as cold as it had been earlier in the week. My dh and ds did not find the deer they wanted so they passed. There were two bucks killed over the weekend by other members of the club. Here is a photo of Roxie and me. I am not very good at uploading photos and then finding where they are in my computer to put them on this blog. I need my computer teacher, dd, to help me out.

Beth Says It Best

I have the link to Beth Moore's blog called Living Proof Ministries linked with mine. Her post today says it best. Please read it. I have fervently been praying this last month. I do plan to continue to pray that our nation turns back to God. I am about to view the very last video of the Daniel Bible Study. As I have mentioned before, the first part of the study is about how similar our culture is to the Babylonian culture that Daniel was captive in. Daniel resolved himself not to live like the Babylonians. Thankfully we have many, many Godly people seeking God's wisdom and guidance which is unlike the Babylonians. This similarity is a Babylonian mindset which has the motto of " I am, and there is none besides me." So... I continued to be challenged... to resolve that in this selfish culture... that I want to be a Daniel. And as for the next 30 days... and the next 30 days... and the next 30 days... and the next... and the next... and the next.... I am praying for this great nation-it is still the best in the world!!

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is Day 30 of our 30 days of prayer. I am going to go ahead and post tomorrow's prayer. We are praying for God's will to be done on earth-whre you live and throughout American society-even as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:9-13) We are praying for spiritual awakening across the nation, that the Gospel would be communicated across the full spectrum of American society and that Americans of all ages, races, and backgrounds would be drawn to Christ and receive His life and salvation.

Tomorrow is a special day. My sweet father-in-law will be 95 years old. Can you imagine the changes he has seen over these years? He was married for over 70 years before his dear wife went on to be with the Lord. He has been in good shape until the last couple of years. His life was changed dramatically when he was about 35 years old- this is when he came to know Jesus. And he has lived the last 60 years being the Lord's servant. I feel the Lord will be calling him home soon, but tomorrow we will be celebrating his 95 years here on earth.

Just Start It

I have a new mantra that is better than "Just Do It." It is "Just Start It". I could be speaking about alot of things, but I am talking about exercise. Are you like me? Is getting started the hardest part? Once I start my routine, be it swimming, fitness fusion class, weight lifting, running, biking, walking, whatever.... I do great. I have to push myself to "just start it". Friday before I went to the hunting camp, I considered going swimming. The place where I swim is only open for short periods during the day. On Friday afternoon, they were open from 2:00-4:00. I was trying to get my car all packed up and it was after 3:00. Even as I drove toward town, I was still debating whether or not I was going to swim. I gave myself every excuse... I had the dog with me who would have to wait in the car... I would have to rush to get my workout in.... I 'm tired... I already did my FF class....blah..blah...blah. Excuses...excuses...excuses... So what was the problem? The problem is GETTING STARTED!!!! So I made myself drive to the pool. I found some shade where I could park so the dog would be comfortable. I hurriedly ran in and changed into my swimsuit. I looked at the clock and it was 3:30. I had 30 minutes to swim and get out of there. So I plunged ahead. I even found myself swimming faster than I usually do. I swam until 3:58 and made 20 laps and was putting my clothes on (over my swimsuit) in the parking lot. I was so proud that I had made myself do this workout. So next time you are debating the "if" about exercise, well... think about me... and .....Just Start It!!!!

Getting Close

The election is getting close. My commitment of 30 days of prayer is nearing an end. Yesterday was Guam and Midway Islands and today was Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands- all U.S. Territories. Along with these countries we have prayed over the weekend for candidates in public office, that they would be moved by God to seek what is honorable, just and moral. And we prayed for new American citizens, that they will have the opportunity to hear and respond to the Gospel and place their faith in Jesus Christ.

Our Hunting Camp

Today I made it to fitness fusion. We did lots of squats, lunges, reaches, one-legged stuff. We did a cardio workout with our dumbbells. Clint is my trainer on Fridays, and Clint just loves to be a smarty-pants and give me a hard time. We do an ab workout to the old 60"s song "Wipeout". You know the song. Well on part of it we are doing crunches, and then whenever the music changes, we go into a bicycle ab workout- you know, elbow to the opposite knee. I debated on going swimming this morning and I did not get away from the house soon enough. Yesterday I talked about doing some workout, and NEVER made it to do anything. Yes, I feel so guilty. I am trying to get away right now to go to our hunting camp. I am taking my mountain bike, and maybe I can get a ride in. I am also taking my sewing machine along with my Bible study. I love being out there with my family even though it will only be dh and my youngest son. My older son may make it out there. My dd and sil will not be here this weekend. It is fun to be out there with the other members of the club. I am not a hunter. I just do not want to kill a deer. I certainly do not have any problem with anyone else killing one. I do love to eat venison. I have grown up with my father and brother being hunters and then married a hunter. I have fond memories of going to the deer lease when I was a child. I am thankful that my husband has taught my sons gun safety and they will know how to provide for themselves as well as defend their homes should that ever (God forbid) happen. So all of you be careful this weekend if you are hunting or getting out for Halloween.

Washington D.C.

Today we are praying for the leaders, churches, and Christians of Washington, D. C., and also for American Samoa (U.S. Territory). We continue to pray for soldiers, sailors, marines airmen, and guardsmen of our Armed Forces, thanking God for their service and asking Him to bless them with strength.

I was listening to Joyce Meyer on the radio the other morning. I only caught the end of her message. I love to hear Joyce Meyer preach. I'm not going to get into her theology on certain things, nor debate anyone about female preachers. I think she is just such a regular person when she speaks. She is not eloquent in the least. She has a rough voice (like someone else I know), and she is just so direct. She was talking about the homonyms- presents and presence. She was saying some people just worship God for what He does for them. (presents) When we should worship Him just because of Who He is- presence. She told a story of a woman who contacted her ( I assume someone who had donated to her ministry), and the woman said, " I want my money back." Joyce says, " What, what are you talking about?" She says, " I want my money back, it's been two weeks now since I told God what I wanted and I haven't gotten it, so I want my money back." Joyce says, " I didn't know God was for sale." I say all this because I not only pray for these states, but I also tell God what I want. Does that mean that God is still God if the future events don't turn out like I want? Could God still work regardless of who we elect as President? Does God want us to pray for the next President if it was not our candidate? Yes... yes... yes... God can do whatever He wants. He is God, and He has a plan. It may not be our plan, and we may not understand, but no matter what happens... I 'm trusting God, and I still know that He is going to do mighty things.

My Third Post

Gosh... my third post for today. Believe me I have not been on the computer all morning. I am now on my third load of laundry, I have my chicken casserole all ready for tonight's dinner, and I have paid my bills. I am much slower than what I used to be, but I do still get things done. I just got word from my doctor's office. My bone density test is normal. Yea!! My stress test was good!! My blood work was good!! Now one more thing.... the dreaded.... colonoscopy. I will make this appointment soon. I have not made it for my exercise today yet. I hope I get it in.

Cool Fall Morning

I am loving this cool fall morning. The temperature is in the 40's, and it feels great. I have not turned my heat on in the house. I am preferring to sleep under a warm blanket, and then get up and put on windpants and a sweat shirt. I know my guys are looking forward to deer hunting this weekend with these cool temperatures. They never like it to be hot when they deer hunt. I love venison. My husband processes the deer himself, and mixes the ground meat with brisket fat. It is still lean meat, but has a great flavor. In fact, we still laugh about when my daughter was a young child and we had beef steak ( not deer backstrap ) for dinner on a rare occasion. After eating several bites, she said, " Momma, this meat tastes funny." Now I do not like straight ground venison. It has to be mixed with some beef fat. I love deer sausage and deer cutlets. I love knowing that these animals have eaten in the wild and have not been pinned up in a nasty processing plant and given some kind of inoculation. Yes, I do still eat beef, but my point is I do like venison. I do try to eat healthy, but I am just like the average American, and I love hamburgers and French fries. I have gotten back on my habit of eating oatmeal each morning. I plan to try to eat it 5 days a week, and then I can have something else like eggs or waffles on the weekend.

Today, I am again trying to catch up on some of my reading. I am still trying to finish the Daniel Bible study that I started 6 months ago. Also, I am reading some of my last month's World magazine. Are you familiar with this magazine? It is a news magazine much like Time or Newsweek, but it has a Christian worldview. I like the news in it, and I like the editorials. I get to learn about other defenders of the faith, books in review, movies in review, and what is going on across the world in regard to Christianity. You sure cannot read that anywhere else.

Yesterday I went to FF. We did alot of walking lunges, walking squats, lifting the medicine ball, extending the medicine ball, planking with one foot off the ground. This morning when I woke up, I had some sore muscles. I mean... it wasn't tremendously sore, but nevertheless, I did feel something. But I thought to myself, " Gosh, I am only a little sore. I remember when a workout like yesterday would have had me in agony when I tried to sit down." I need to do something today cardio-wise... a bike ride.... a swim.... a walk. Hmm.... I better get off this computer and get busy.

Wisconsin and Wyoming

So today we are praying for Wisconsin and Wyoming. We are praying for the leaders, churches, and Christians of these states. We also are praying that Christians in the workplace will demonstrate exemplary ethics and shine as witnesses for Christ. Matthew 5:16 says in the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Washington and West Virginia

Today is Day 25, and our prayer today is for the states of Washington and West Virginia. We are praying for the leaders, churches, and Christians of these states. Today we again pray for the police officers, prosecutors, defenders, judges, and Justices of the Supreme Court, that they would be vigilant in service and wise in judgment.

I have never been to either of these states. But I know that they have the same problems that we have in the state of Texas. We are all in need of God's wisdom. We are all tempted to do things that are unpleasing to God. I pray that God will quicken our spirit to know sin as it comes to us. Sometimes we don't even recognize it in ourselves. I ask God always to show me what he would have me do as well as what he would have me not do. Thankfully, God is not through with me. Sometimes his correction can be quite painful. Many times we can see the bad in other people but not recognize it in ourselves. Thank you God that you are in the people-changing business!!

Living Proof Ministries

Well, those of you that know me know that I love the Beth Moore Bible studies. I have been doing them for about 12 years. I have done just about every one of them, and many of them I have done more than once. I just consider Beth a great mentor. I feel she is truly annointed by God. She is a Texan who speaks our kinda talk. She is a mom; she is humorous, and she is very smart. God continues to use her in discipling others . So I just found her blog and wanted to post it so that others could link on to this. If you have never done a Beth Moore Bible study, then you have missed out. She is very indepth, and you will learn alot.

Swimming

Yesterday before FF, I went for about a 30 minute swim. Swimming is just hard work. I think it is because you have to not breathe the entire time, but hold your breath. I swam yesterday about 16 laps which is 800 yards. When I come to the end of the pool, I would just tread water and turn around and I kept this up the entire time. I want to be able to swim like I am in a lake which has no sides to it. The temperature outside was cold, the temperature in the gym was warm, and the pool was a good temperature. Of course, I have to put my legs in and kick and kick and kick before I plunge in and begin my swimming. I would like to make myself get up there early in the morning before my FF and before work. However.... I just don't know if I will make it.

I'm Done

Okay, I'm done with the television show "House". You know... I loved to watch this show. The main character House was so obnoxious, but I still liked to watch him. I guess because he would say things to people that I would like to say sometimes. But he is a total arrogant A_ _. I loved watching how they would figure out what type of disease the person had. But last week- ugh... double ugh.... they had one of the doctors who is a female making out with another female. Yuk! double yuk! You know they could insinuate that a person was gay, and even say that a person was gay, but showing that. No!! absolutely not!! I am not going to watch two females kissing each other!! So I am done with House. Good-bye!!!!

What is it about?

What is this blog about? Well, I began with the focus of exercise for middle-age people. I wanted to diary some of the things I do and learn, and that has been the focus of this blog. Periodically I have thrown in things I think about or things I do, just stuff. But as of late this blog has turned somewhat to things that are not "stuff". I have listed the states along with other requests that I along with many others have been in prayer for. So what is prayer? The best way I describe it is me talking to God. Does God talk back? Well, I have never heard God speak to me in a voice that is audible. But that does not mean He could not do it. After all.... HE IS GOD!!! So how does God speak to me? Well, since I have His Holy Spirit dwelling in me, this is how He talks to me. As I read His word, He speaks to me. As I talk to other people, He uses them to speak to me. As I face different circumstances, He speaks to me. So I make no apologies regarding the direction of this blog. It is how God leads me that I write. And with that, I must say this- if you don't believe in any of this about God speaking to you, or if you don't believe that He is the one true God, or if you don't have a desire to know Him better, or if you don't really love Him.... then ask. Yes... ask God to speak to you. Begin today to pour your heart out to Him. Ask Him to give you the desire to know Him better, to love Him. And if you don't know Him and think " I don't believe in any of this God stuff," then I ask you to just say, " I don't believe in you, but I am asking anyway in all earnest if you are really real God, would you reveal yourself to me because I really do want to know that you are real?" See what happens.

I have to say that along with prayer does come change. And these last few weeks of fervent prayer have taken me on a journey. I am thankful to friends who along side of me have cried along with me for this nation. One of my friends "just happened" to stumble on a blog that has tremendous truth. I ask you to go and read this blog and read the post from this man entitled" I am not voting for a man." His blog is www.randyalcorn.blogspot.com Now I must warn you... there are two videos on this blog. The first one will warm your heart. The second one.... well.... it will tear your heart right out of your chest. So I give you this warning ahead of time. You will not be the same after viewing this video. What have you thought about and how have you felt when you viewed the videos and photos of the Jews' Holocaust? Did you feel sick to your stomach? Then you have an idea of what I am describing. Before you vote, I ask you as my friend, my neighbor, my fellow countryman, my brother or sister in Christ to visit this blog. Don't stop reading until you have read it in its entirety.

I have neglected posting the states we have prayed for. Today is Vermont and Virginia. In days past, it was Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. Let's continue to pray for our President, Vice President, Senators, Representatives, and Judges. May they all seek the Almighty God in the decisions that affect all of us. May God have mercy on this nation if we continue this path away from Him.

My Stress Test

Friday morning I arrived at my appointment to have my stress test. My appointment was at 11:00 so I saw no need to grab anything to eat. I had my breakfast at 7:00. I should be through quickly to go to lunch. NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They did not get me into the room until well after 12:30. According to my age, for me to get to 100% of my heart rate, they would have to get me to 166 beats per minute. I got on the treadmill and if you have had one of these, then you know that they start it out at a normal walking pace, then they increase both the speed and the incline. Meanwhile the technician is watching the numbers on the computer screen. And she periodically checked my blood pressure. I only went to phase 3 because she got me to 104% for 3 minutes. The doctor had asked her why she did not go longer and she told him that I was at 104%. I don't know if that meant that they should have had me on longer or not. The strange thing was although I was becoming winded, I never did sweat. I mean.... this was not hard. My spin class would have me dripping wet on my face, the back of my neck, my clothes. Was it because I did not stay at this rate for very long? Or did I just really get my heart rate up at that spin class? Anyway... there was not a great, good, fair, or poor. He said it was either good or bad, and I was good. I knew it was going to be fine because I have not had chest pains from exercise. I really think it is caffeine or stress.

Planning

My plans today were to get up really early and go swim and then on to FF. And what did I do? I turned that alarm right off. I made several excuses, but my biggest problem was that I did not PLAN. You see today at 11:00 a.m. I am having a stress test. I live 10 miles from town so going and coming is 20 miles- a gallon of gas- hence, about $2.79, not to mention the wasted time of driving. So if I went to my exercise, then I would have to wait until my appointment time for my stress test. That was no problem. But I also planned to go to lunch with my mother and then go to our hunting ranch. I plan to spend the night there and stay all day on Saturday. So... I need all my stuff for all of these places, and I did not get it all packed up last night. Therefore, that is what I am doing this morning before I go to the stress test. I so try to be organized, but I am not very good at it. I find that planning is so important in so many areas- exercise, what we plan to eat, and how we spend our time. We can do so much better when we plan!! I think I will mark this down definitely as one of my goals that I hope to improve on. I certainly don't want to become absorbed in my planning and drive people around me crazy, but I want a happy medium of being a better steward of everything- namely my time.

Oregon and Pennsylvania

Today we are praying for the leaders, churches, and Christians of Pennsylvania. We are also praying for the teachers and administrators of our educational systems, that they would be positive, God-honoring influences in students' lives. Do you remember when you thought your teachers were right up there next to God? I remember when I was young seeing my teacher out shopping. I was so stunned to see her out in public. I mean... I guess I just never thought of her as being like a real person. But she was still the same in public as she was in school. She still was dressed very nice with her hair fixed and she had a smile on her face. She acknowledged me and I thought I was so special. What power teachers have in a child's life. Like I have stated before, many of my dear friends are teachers as well as my daughter. These I mention love their jobs- they love teaching and their students despite the struggles they encounter. Pray for ALL the teachers you know today!

Ohio and Oklahoma

Today is our 19th day of prayer. We are praying for the leaders, churches, and Christians of Ohio and Oklahoma. We also are praying for a spiritual awakening across the nation, that the Gospel would be communicated across the full spectrum of American society and that Americans of all ages, races, and backgrounds would be drawn to Christ and receive His life and salvation. I found out about 20 years ago the difference between "revival" and "awakening". A revival has to do with people who are already Christians. Those that have put their faith in Jesus and follow Him as their Lord and Savior. You must already be a Christian to be revived. Awakening is when people for the very first time come to know Christ as Lord and Savior. There have been times in England and in this great country of ours that there has been an "awakening. And that is what we are praying for today.

North Carolina and North Dakota

Today we are praying for the leaders, churches, and Christians of North Carolina and North Dakota We are also praying for the candidates for public office, that they would be moved by God to seek what is honorable, just and moral.

Yesterday I swam for about 41 minutes. I swam 28 laps. The first four I touched the way and pushed my way off from the bank, but the other 24 I swam without every touching the bottom or the sides, and I swam nonstop. I am still having to swim all different ways to make it though. Today I am on my way to fitness fusion. Gotta go.