Okay, this is SOOO COOOOL! My brother got hooked up with Yellowpages.com to do freelance/contract work for their advertisers who want a short video to appear with their online listing. This is the first video Bryan filmed and produced! It's so impressive and really shows Bryan's talent. He is one of those lucky people who truly has IT. He has that gift, that eye, that talent that not everyone is blessed with. Lots of people can go to school and learn techniques and principles of design and creativity - and do well with that. But when it comes naturally to someone....it is so obvious.
I have a chip in my windshield right now, and I might drive to Texarkana, AR to have it fixed.
October 31, 2008
DO THE MONSTER MASH
This is my friend Staci. She made this scccaaaarrry Spider Dip to bring to work today.
And I just couldn't resist posting this picture of the cousins!
October 30, 2008
TAKE A NUMBER
I heard this song for the first time in the movie Fireproof and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. When I asked the Internet about it, I found the song had touched other people like it touched me. I guess because it's the human condition to be waiting...waiting for something to happen...waiting for something to get better...waiting for something to change...waiting for someone to call...waiting for someone to arrive...waiting for some sign...waiting for some door to open...waiting for something to start...waiting for something to be over...waiting with uncertainty...waiting with excitement...
waiting...waiting...waiting
Sometimes I get off track, and I was having a hard time finding my feet on solid ground; but by simple request for a reminder that He has a purpose for everything, He wooed me back, and I was humbled to hear this song in a movie. My reminder that in all the things I'm waiting for, really I'm waiting for God to say "okay, it's time." And in the meantime, I just trust and obey.
It comforts me to have this perspective of waiting faithfully - obediently - patiently - not losing sight of what I can be doing while I wait. It helps me to remember to joyfully walk the journey laid before me even though I can't see the whole story. I know I'm in the right story, His story. And I know He'll meet me in the trenches when I need Him. He always does. He never makes me wait alone.
Funny how when I change my focus to worship...the hours don't seem so long. I can listen more. I can hear better. I can see more clearly.
We are told to pray with expectation, to believe that our prayers will be answered, one way or another.
So if you need me, I'll be over here. Waiting.
In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. Psalm 5:3
waiting...waiting...waiting
the lyrics to While I’m Waiting
I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait
I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I’m waiting I will serve You
While I’m waiting I will worship
While I’m waiting I will not faint
I’ll be running the race
Even while I wait
I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it’s not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting on You, Lord
Sometimes I get off track, and I was having a hard time finding my feet on solid ground; but by simple request for a reminder that He has a purpose for everything, He wooed me back, and I was humbled to hear this song in a movie. My reminder that in all the things I'm waiting for, really I'm waiting for God to say "okay, it's time." And in the meantime, I just trust and obey.
It comforts me to have this perspective of waiting faithfully - obediently - patiently - not losing sight of what I can be doing while I wait. It helps me to remember to joyfully walk the journey laid before me even though I can't see the whole story. I know I'm in the right story, His story. And I know He'll meet me in the trenches when I need Him. He always does. He never makes me wait alone.
Funny how when I change my focus to worship...the hours don't seem so long. I can listen more. I can hear better. I can see more clearly.
We are told to pray with expectation, to believe that our prayers will be answered, one way or another.
So if you need me, I'll be over here. Waiting.
In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. Psalm 5:3
October 27, 2008
YOU PEOPLE WORK ON COMMISSION, RIGHT?
I recently spent a few days in Los Angeles. I was there for work, but got in some sight-seeing and even frolicked in the Pacific Ocean a bit.
Although I did not run into Johnny Depp on Sunset Blvd., I did spot Justin Long having lunch with friends at the L.A. Farmer's Market.
And I did find Godzilla's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of the famed Chinese Theater.
While I enjoyed staying in a fancy hotel in Beverly Hills and hanging out with the friends I've made in this group I meet with twice a year, and I did think of Pretty Woman about 294 times in the three days I was there and sang "Wild Women Do" in the shower, I was really glad to get home to my regular life.
Although I did not run into Johnny Depp on Sunset Blvd., I did spot Justin Long having lunch with friends at the L.A. Farmer's Market.
And I did find Godzilla's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of the famed Chinese Theater.
While I enjoyed staying in a fancy hotel in Beverly Hills and hanging out with the friends I've made in this group I meet with twice a year, and I did think of Pretty Woman about 294 times in the three days I was there and sang "Wild Women Do" in the shower, I was really glad to get home to my regular life.
October 21, 2008
I FELL IN TO A BURNING RING OF FIRE
Aaron and I went to see the movie Fireproof last night. Oh, it is so good on so many levels.
from the movie's website:
The movie is so well done.
It really is action-packed. And the action is centered around firefighters, people you actually know. Real heroes putting their life on the line. You know I love Spiderman. I want to be Spiderman. I gasp and clench my fists hoping Spidey can stop Green Goblin from terrorizing the city. But the Spiderman movies seem like cupcakes compared to how I feel watching a fireman trapped in a burning house find a way to drag a little girl to safety.
It really is funny - as in, Aaron laughed out loud. Out loud. We even left the movie with a few quotable one-liners.
It really does draw you in. I'm not absolutely positive, but I'm pretty sure I noticed Aaron choke back a lump in his throat at least once. He could have been trying to swallow a popcorn kernel that was stuck, but I doubt it.
When the movie was over and we filtered out of the theater among the other couples, Aaron looked over at me and asked if I liked it. Yes! Did he like it? Yes. It was good. He thought it had a good message.
I was so glad he liked it.
Then as we were driving home he asked what was my favorite part and told me his favorite part. We laughed recalling a few of the scenes. We talked about how amazing the Sherwood movies are considering they are amateur.
I was so glad he liked it enough to keep talking about it.
Then Aaron said, "There sure was a lot of crying at the end. It seemed like the last thirty minutes was nothing but people crying."
I laughed, agreed, and thought to myself, There's my sweet husband. A sensitive soft-hearted man, but a man nonetheless, who can only take so much crying in one movie.
And I like him like that.
p.s. If you have not seen Facing the Giants, it is an equally remarkable movie and well worth watching.
from the movie's website:
FIREPROOF is the third feature film from Sherwood Pictures, the creators of FACING THE GIANTS and FLYWHEEL. With hope-filled, heartfelt storytelling, the moviemaking ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church continues to touch the world from Albany, Georgia.I've been wanting to see this movie for a while, and I have to admit, I was a little unsure of what Aaron's reaction would be. I mean, come on, it's a story about luuuuv, it's dramaaaatic, it's touching...it stars Kirk Cameron. Not exactly Aaron's top pick.
An action-packed love story, FIREPROOF will have audiences laughing, crying, and inching toward the edge of their seats as they are drawn into the world of a firefighter, his wife ... and a marriage worth rescuing.
The movie is so well done.
It really is action-packed. And the action is centered around firefighters, people you actually know. Real heroes putting their life on the line. You know I love Spiderman. I want to be Spiderman. I gasp and clench my fists hoping Spidey can stop Green Goblin from terrorizing the city. But the Spiderman movies seem like cupcakes compared to how I feel watching a fireman trapped in a burning house find a way to drag a little girl to safety.
It really is funny - as in, Aaron laughed out loud. Out loud. We even left the movie with a few quotable one-liners.
It really does draw you in. I'm not absolutely positive, but I'm pretty sure I noticed Aaron choke back a lump in his throat at least once. He could have been trying to swallow a popcorn kernel that was stuck, but I doubt it.
When the movie was over and we filtered out of the theater among the other couples, Aaron looked over at me and asked if I liked it. Yes! Did he like it? Yes. It was good. He thought it had a good message.
I was so glad he liked it.
Then as we were driving home he asked what was my favorite part and told me his favorite part. We laughed recalling a few of the scenes. We talked about how amazing the Sherwood movies are considering they are amateur.
I was so glad he liked it enough to keep talking about it.
Then Aaron said, "There sure was a lot of crying at the end. It seemed like the last thirty minutes was nothing but people crying."
I laughed, agreed, and thought to myself, There's my sweet husband. A sensitive soft-hearted man, but a man nonetheless, who can only take so much crying in one movie.
And I like him like that.
p.s. If you have not seen Facing the Giants, it is an equally remarkable movie and well worth watching.
October 20, 2008
SMITTEN
I love this picture of Reid and her Dad. Casey has been head-over-heels in love with his little girl since the moment she was born. Believe me, I was there. I had the privilege of being there during the precious first hours when Casey became a father. And during those hours my heart was filled with so much happiness because I saw what kind of Dad my precious niece was lucky enough to have and I knew that she will be spoiled rotten, not with material things, but with love.
I am so thankful that God gave my sister the perfect partner, and that he made Casey the Dad of one of the most important people in the world to me.
I am so thankful that God gave my sister the perfect partner, and that he made Casey the Dad of one of the most important people in the world to me.
October 18, 2008
ATB ROCKS IT OUT WITH NATURE
Most of you know Aaron and know that he would be happy to live his life in a tent under God's big sky next to a river surrounded by deer, birds, bugs, critters and fish (provided that tent had a cable connection so he could watch COPS and a microwave for burritos). He would spend his days exploring, turning over rocks, poking a fire, fishing, building contraptions to lure animals near or just sitting and watching.
Our yard is one of the top reasons we bought the house we live in. When we first looked at this house, I saw rockets shooting off the top of Aaron's head at the prospect of a deer wandering to his doorstep. And this location has proved to provide an abundance of God's creatures.
Aaron keeps the deer feeder full of corn and even after three years, we still get excited every time we see a deer. Aaron built a bird house and keeps two other bird feeders and a hummingbird feeder for our little winged friends, paying close attention to hang them out of reach of deer and coyotes. Yes, I said coyotes. We have frequent coyotes and an occasional fox - which Aaron loves to see. Most of the neighbors complain about the coyotes, and maybe if we had small pets we would too, but Aaron keeps a sharp eye out for the mangy four-legged menace and instead appreciates its prowess.
Aaron traps and inspects tarantulas, he plays with a praying mantis, he feeds spiders. Feeds spiders! I mean, he actually catches moths and other little bugs and puts them in spider webs on the porch to help out our friendly arachnids!
He fills water containers for frogs and keeps the geckos out of harm's way (i.e. the dogs).
Speaking of the dogs, and harm's way, let's talk about the rabbits. Aaron's love for animals gives him the strength to put injured baby rabbits out of their misery.
Or maybe it's just that he understands nature. He is so in tune with how nature works, that even when I figured out that by providing a bounty of seed for the finches and blue birds, we were actually providing a buffet for the resident Hawk, and I got a little upset about that - Aaron responded with his usual calm, reasonable, logical tone "Yeah, a Hawk will eat anything smaller than itself. Wouldn't you rather have the Hawk around because he also eats the snakes and mice?"
Ummm, sure, but can't we tell him that birds are off limits in this yard?
I love that my husband is a nature encyclopedia. I love that he has Eagle eyes and can spot wildlife fifty yards off the road behind some trees while driving 60 miles an hour in the dark. I love that he is gentle and contemplative, which I believe comes from his observation and awareness of his surroundings. I love that he appreciates the circle of life and the role each one of God's creations plays on Earth; that he sees the benefit and purpose where I might only see pretty, cute, icky, creepy, crawly, mangy, scary, dangerous. He is a lover of all things. And I love him.
Our yard is one of the top reasons we bought the house we live in. When we first looked at this house, I saw rockets shooting off the top of Aaron's head at the prospect of a deer wandering to his doorstep. And this location has proved to provide an abundance of God's creatures.
Aaron keeps the deer feeder full of corn and even after three years, we still get excited every time we see a deer. Aaron built a bird house and keeps two other bird feeders and a hummingbird feeder for our little winged friends, paying close attention to hang them out of reach of deer and coyotes. Yes, I said coyotes. We have frequent coyotes and an occasional fox - which Aaron loves to see. Most of the neighbors complain about the coyotes, and maybe if we had small pets we would too, but Aaron keeps a sharp eye out for the mangy four-legged menace and instead appreciates its prowess.
Aaron traps and inspects tarantulas, he plays with a praying mantis, he feeds spiders. Feeds spiders! I mean, he actually catches moths and other little bugs and puts them in spider webs on the porch to help out our friendly arachnids!
He fills water containers for frogs and keeps the geckos out of harm's way (i.e. the dogs).
Speaking of the dogs, and harm's way, let's talk about the rabbits. Aaron's love for animals gives him the strength to put injured baby rabbits out of their misery.
Or maybe it's just that he understands nature. He is so in tune with how nature works, that even when I figured out that by providing a bounty of seed for the finches and blue birds, we were actually providing a buffet for the resident Hawk, and I got a little upset about that - Aaron responded with his usual calm, reasonable, logical tone "Yeah, a Hawk will eat anything smaller than itself. Wouldn't you rather have the Hawk around because he also eats the snakes and mice?"
Ummm, sure, but can't we tell him that birds are off limits in this yard?
I love that my husband is a nature encyclopedia. I love that he has Eagle eyes and can spot wildlife fifty yards off the road behind some trees while driving 60 miles an hour in the dark. I love that he is gentle and contemplative, which I believe comes from his observation and awareness of his surroundings. I love that he appreciates the circle of life and the role each one of God's creations plays on Earth; that he sees the benefit and purpose where I might only see pretty, cute, icky, creepy, crawly, mangy, scary, dangerous. He is a lover of all things. And I love him.
October 04, 2008
ATB ROCKS IT OUT WITH THOUGHTS
Aaron went to do a few errands last night. When he came home, he had picked up two things for me while he was out. Two things I had not mentioned that I needed or wanted; two things I had not asked him to get while he was out.
My hair dryer died a few weeks ago, so I started using my travel hair dryer. It's perfectly fine, except that it doesn't seem to work well if I'm not holding it exactly upright. Have you ever blow dried your hair? Have you ever been able to do it without tilting the dryer a little bit or even turning it upside down, especially if you're trying to master those fancy styling techniques your hairdresser uses in the salon? Needless to say, I've been struggling a little bit with the hair dryer.
Aaron brought me an awesome new hair dryer last night. Just exactly what I would've picked out, with the little extender attachment and everything. The cool thing about this is that I never so much as peeped about the crazy dryer to Aaron. He just noticed that I was having trouble in the mornings and probably witnessed a few frustrated harrumphs! and so last night while he was at the store, he thoughtfully wandered over to the hair dryer aisle and pondered which model and wattage would be best and picked one for me.
--
I love making my coffee in a coffee press. I mean, I really really leeerrrv it. I make it every morning. And sometimes in the evening. I usually hand wash (or kind of slosh water around to rinse out) my press every day, but for some reason the other night I decided to stick it in the dishwasher. Bad idea. I'm pretty sure it's dishwasher safe, but I was kicking myself when the delicate glass beaker came out cracked because I knew, I knew, as I was putting it in that it probably wasn't a good idea.
So yesterday morning, Aaron walked in the kitchen as I stood with half-dry hair crying into my cracked coffee press. He did some testing and determined it would be okay to use. (For the record, I wasn't really crying. I was actually standing stone still staring intently at the crack as though I could melt the glass back together if I just wanted it badly enough.)
Last night, after Aaron gave me the hair-dryer and I had calmed down and was done gushing about how awesome and thoughtful he was and how sweet to notice my hair-drying woes, he goes and pulls out a new coffee press! Now even though he knew how distraught I had been over the cracked beaker, I had not mentioned getting a new one. Especially since I could still (carefully) use the cracked one. But Aaron was so sweet to know how much I enjoy my coffee and that I would eventually need a new one, and that, Heaven forbid, he walk in the kitchen on the morning the crack becomes a break and there is coffee, coffee grinds, glass and one upset un-caffeinated wife staring intently at the mess.
I am so glad I married such a thoughtful man. He is always thinking of others - offering a coworker a ride home, sharing things (books, music, cheese) with his friends he thinks they might enjoy, emailing a YouTube link to make someone laugh, noticing when anyone needs a koozie.
He is always showing me in little ways that he is paying attention to who I am and thinking of me. (Now if I can just get him to catch on that putting his dishes in the dishwasher would put me over the moon. Just kidding. kind of.) Seriously, though, this is about how much my husband rocks, and He Does. I appreciate his thoughtful thoughts. And I love him.
My hair dryer died a few weeks ago, so I started using my travel hair dryer. It's perfectly fine, except that it doesn't seem to work well if I'm not holding it exactly upright. Have you ever blow dried your hair? Have you ever been able to do it without tilting the dryer a little bit or even turning it upside down, especially if you're trying to master those fancy styling techniques your hairdresser uses in the salon? Needless to say, I've been struggling a little bit with the hair dryer.
Aaron brought me an awesome new hair dryer last night. Just exactly what I would've picked out, with the little extender attachment and everything. The cool thing about this is that I never so much as peeped about the crazy dryer to Aaron. He just noticed that I was having trouble in the mornings and probably witnessed a few frustrated harrumphs! and so last night while he was at the store, he thoughtfully wandered over to the hair dryer aisle and pondered which model and wattage would be best and picked one for me.
--
I love making my coffee in a coffee press. I mean, I really really leeerrrv it. I make it every morning. And sometimes in the evening. I usually hand wash (or kind of slosh water around to rinse out) my press every day, but for some reason the other night I decided to stick it in the dishwasher. Bad idea. I'm pretty sure it's dishwasher safe, but I was kicking myself when the delicate glass beaker came out cracked because I knew, I knew, as I was putting it in that it probably wasn't a good idea.
So yesterday morning, Aaron walked in the kitchen as I stood with half-dry hair crying into my cracked coffee press. He did some testing and determined it would be okay to use. (For the record, I wasn't really crying. I was actually standing stone still staring intently at the crack as though I could melt the glass back together if I just wanted it badly enough.)
Last night, after Aaron gave me the hair-dryer and I had calmed down and was done gushing about how awesome and thoughtful he was and how sweet to notice my hair-drying woes, he goes and pulls out a new coffee press! Now even though he knew how distraught I had been over the cracked beaker, I had not mentioned getting a new one. Especially since I could still (carefully) use the cracked one. But Aaron was so sweet to know how much I enjoy my coffee and that I would eventually need a new one, and that, Heaven forbid, he walk in the kitchen on the morning the crack becomes a break and there is coffee, coffee grinds, glass and one upset un-caffeinated wife staring intently at the mess.
I am so glad I married such a thoughtful man. He is always thinking of others - offering a coworker a ride home, sharing things (books, music, cheese) with his friends he thinks they might enjoy, emailing a YouTube link to make someone laugh, noticing when anyone needs a koozie.
He is always showing me in little ways that he is paying attention to who I am and thinking of me. (Now if I can just get him to catch on that putting his dishes in the dishwasher would put me over the moon. Just kidding. kind of.) Seriously, though, this is about how much my husband rocks, and He Does. I appreciate his thoughtful thoughts. And I love him.
October 02, 2008
EL GALLO (DAY 7)
Peace out, homie.
October 01, 2008
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