Way to Go Emily

Have any of you heard of the 4th/5th Grade Talent Search by Duke TIP? Well I hadn't either until yesterday. Emily is in GT at school and she brought home a letter from Mrs. Gairhan yesterday. In this letter was an application for the 4th/5th Grade Talent Search. This is an honor given to the top 5% of students in their grade level. It is Talent Identification Program (TIP) offered by Duke University. According to the provide material this program is designed to help academically talented young people become inspired to learn through exciting educational opportunities through formal recognition, praise for performance, and a clear message that continuing to develop their intelligence can be fun and fulfilling.

Marty and I are so very proud of her. My nephew, Dylan, has been recognized by Duke University and many doors have been opening for him and now Emily is being offered unique opportunities also.

Emily, daddy and I love you so very much and are so very proud of all your hard work at school. We pray that you will take every oppurtunity that opens to you and use it to your best ability. God has blessed you with the world and the ability is yours to make the most of it.

Day 13 and Friends

Still doing the 30 day challange:

"I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me." Song of Solomon 7:10

Okay this day's encouragement is too personal to put on my blog but let's just say that in this department my husband rocks my world and I never feel that I'm not his desire.

Thank you God for giving me such an amazing man.

Revealing myself to my friends:

In honor of Tiffany in Japan, I'm taking the challange of blogging these personal questions. Here is what you didn't know about me.

1. What time did you get up this morning? 4:28 am cst
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Can't remember
4. What is your favorite TV show? Numbers
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? coffee and muffin
6. What is your middle name? Joann
7. What food do you dislike? vegetables
8. What is your favorite CD at moment? CD??? you mean ipod playlist right?
9. What kind of car do you drive? 2001 Chevrolet Suburban
10. Favorite sandwich? Nutella
11. What characteristic do you despise? Lying
12. Favorite item of clothing? bathrobe at the moment
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Australia
14. Favorite brand of clothing? don't have one
15. Where would you retire to? in the mountains in a cabin
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? 2006 when Marty got me my Canon rebel digital camera
17. Favorite sport to watch? Nascar
18. Furthest place you are sending this? Japan and Germany
19. Person you expect to send it back first? doubt anyone will
20. What is favorite animal? wolf
21. When is your birthday? April (month of the diamond)
22. Are you a morning person or a night person? Morning
23. What is your shoe size? 8 ½
24. Pets? 2 cats
25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? Nothing new but exciting - Christ died for you
26. What did you want to be when you were little? A baby doctor
27. How are you today? Healthy and doing better then last week
28. What is your favorite candy? Snickers
29. What is your favorite flower? Gardenia
30. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? Feb 3 - I have a business trip to Denver and I have never been there
31. Mountains or the beach? mountains
32. What is your full name? You know my middle - why my full
33. What are you listening to right now? Nothing
34. What was the last thing you ate? Muffin
35. Do you wish on stars? Yes
36. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Purple
37. How is the weather right now? It is clear and sunny
38. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Stacey
39. Favorite soft drink? When not dieting - Mt. Dew
40. Favorite restaurant? Red Lobster
41. Hair color? brown
42. What was your favorite toy as a child? baby dolls
43. Summer or winter? Summer
44. Hugs or kisses? Both
45. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate
46. Coffee or tea? both
47. Do you want your friends to email you back? Well, I always love emails from my dear friends. Lets me know they are still keeping tabs on me.
48. When was the last time you cried? Last week everytime I drove in the drive and saw our empty yard
49. What is under your bed? clothes
50. What did you do last night? Disciple IV bible study
51. What are you afraid of? Loosing Marty or my kids
52. Salty or sweet? sweet
53. How many keys on your keyring? car ring - 1, work ring - 4, house ring - 8
54. How many years at your current job? 15
55. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
56. How many towns have you lived in? 4
57. Do you make friends easily? yes
58. How many people will you send this too? blogging it - so I don't know
59. How many will respond? didn't we already do this one?
60. If you could experience anything in the whole world, what would you want to do and why? Scuba diving, Snow Skiing, White Water Rafting, Backpacking in the Rockies and the Appalachians (I love the outdoors and these are things I want to do before I can't)

Loosing Focus

This has been a long stressful week and it has caused me to lost my focus, my excitement, my enthusiasium. I know I have lots to get done but I don't want to do it. My shoulders hurt and I want to go to bed. I don't want to go out and sale Girl Scout cookies, I don't want to go purchase things for Sunday School, and I don't want to plan more activities - girl scout or church. I just want to be. That is me today: flustrated and unfocused.

One of my dearest and best friends called me this morning and she was soooo excited. She has been gone all week at a conference and she is fired up about what she learned and wants to spread the word. (Which I'm very glad for and support her 100%) I just am not excited to hear it. Not that it is her or the subject, it's just me. I don't like being this way because I support her work and her enthusiasium, I just wish I had it too. She wanted to get together this afternoon and normally if she has been gone as much as she has I'm right there. Drop everthing, reschedule, There. But today when she ask, I just couldn't and it has been eating at me since I got off the phone. I'm not a put my friends at arms length type person. I'm the hug, high fives, support beyond any cost type. This mood has got to go.

Dentist/Orthodontist = Evil Tormentors ????

Have I told you about my daughter and her adversion to any professional person working in her mouth? Well ..... today was the routine check up for Emily at the orthodontist. She has had a spider for about a year and a half and we go every 9 to 12 weeks for him to check in preparation for braces. Now she has seen this man since she was 7 and she is now 10. He has talked her through every process thus far and has caused her the bare minimum of pain (I can a sure you that the cat has hurt her far more then him or his staff.)

Today's visit started like all the others. She goes in smiling and the assistant calls her name, she and I go back where she promptly climbs up in the chair grabs the gameboy provided and begins to play. The assistant calls for an x-ray which just brightens her day more and she hopes out of the chair heads to get the x-ray and comes back with an even bigger smile.

The assistance takes a look in her mouth and talks with her about her 3 loose teeth and they laugh and carry on. Doc walks up and looks at her mouth, talks to her about her 3 loose teeth, tell me to look at the front top because he thinks the next time in he will start putting brackets on the front, and then he promptly turns to the assistant and says "take out her appliance".....

You would have thought he just told her to jab a hundred needles into my child. Emily came completely and totally unhinged. She was hollering, crying and begging for Esop (her lamb she sleeps with). She was unconsoleable by him, the assistant and Mom. We tried to console her for about 5-10 minutes. Nothing would calm her down. And they haven't even touched her!!! Remember he has only given a verbal instruction to his assistant. The doc is getting flustrated with her, as is mom, and gets in her face about her behavior and tells her Mom will have to leave if she doesn't stop. He explains that it won't hurt and exactly what it will take to get the spider out. NO. Not working. He finally makes her open her mouth and pulls the right side off and then the left. She never even screamed about pain. She was fighting him and crying though. Then she wouldn't allow him to scrap the glue off completely. When he's finally had enough he asked her if is actually had pain and my stubborn, mule headed daughters says "Just a little." She doesn't know what pain is!! She can't even consided that it actually didn't hurt and that she was wrong. And to think we still have to put braces on?????

I love my daughter but I've never so not wanted to be her mother then that moment. I don't mean for that to sound bad because I would never trade her and couldn't ask for a better daughter - most of the time. I just don't get this side of her. Her fear is very real to her but unfounded. I don't know how to get her through this. Rational reasoning doesn't work, grounding doesn't work, offer of reward doesn't work... any ideas????

Oh and if your wondering, she isn't any better at the dentist when she gets her teeth cleaned.

Sad Day

Scout Foster Bowie
October 2006 to January 6, 2008

Some days you just want a do over and try to change the events. This is one of those days for our family. Many of you know that our dog, Scout, has been sick since September. Even though we thought we had his condition in hand, sadly he passed away last night. I'm a dog lover. I always have been and our dog is like one of my kids. Some people think that is stupid but everyone is entitled to their opinion. Scout wasn't but 2 years old and had already had a hard life because he was hit by a car when he was 10 weeks old. We adopted him from our vet and had hope to give him a better life. Well things just don't work out the way we think some times. Instead, we had to wake our kids today and tell them that the dog they loved was gone and watched as they cried. All the while, knowing that we couldn't take away their pain because we couldn't even take away our pain.

Bye buddy, we miss you already. We love you!

Strong Character

"Love suffers long, and is kind." (1 Corinthians 13:4a)

"My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19)

My husband is one of those considerate men who knows who he is and isn't afraid to show it. He isn't super physical strong but he is so very emotionally strong. I know how he feels most all of the time (because like all men he does get quite and not talk at times), but I never have to guess how he feels about me and our marriage. Thanks to God for creating such a wonderful man.

For all he does

"....through love serve one another." Gal. 5:13b

Day one of encouraging my husband was rather easy. I had a staff meeting at church and didn't really see him but about 30 minutes before I left and 30 minutes before we went to sleep. Though it really won't have been hard anyway. I have always said that God blessed me far beyond what I ever deserved when He brought Marty into my life and that still has not changed.

Today I'm suppose thank my husband for the way he serves me and our family. Well where do I begin? Marty has always been a doer. There is no job that he won't do and most of them he doesn't have to be asked to help do. I know. You don't have to say it. He is fabulous. He takes care of feeding the pets, he washes dishes, he washes/folds/puts away laundry, he makes sure the kids have their baths, he cooks, he vacuums, he does anything and everything and NEVER complains. I have the greatest husband and he loves me on top of all that. He makes me feel special and perfect and sexy.

He is Mr. Wonderful and he's all mine. THANK YOU God for such a wonderful but undeserved partner to share my life with.

New Year - New Adventures

It's a new year and have you done what everyone else always does and make new year resolutions? Do you really plan to lose weigh, get fit, spend less and save more?

Well I have made my resolutions with my husband and my family and I do plan on doing my best to keep them.

One that I am planning on doing is only 30 days and it is the 30 day Husband Encouragement Challenge for Wives (see www.ReviveOurHearts.com). I resolve for the next 30 days to: not say anything negative about my husband ... to my husband ... or to anyone else, about my husband and instead to say something that I admire or appreciate about him ... to him ... and to someone else about him!

I also resolve to pray for 31 days for him.

To get started - I am to thank him for "choosing me" above all other women. I plan on tell him this in person but so every one else knows without a doubt - I LOVE MY HUSBAND and I am so glad that he is my partner in life. I can't image going through life without him and love to experience each day with him. Going camping, hiking, bike riding, or doing work around the house is all fun because I do it with him. I thank God for leading me to him and for blessing our marriage.

"The heart of her husband safey trusts her; so he will have no lack of grain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life." Proverbs 31:11-12

If you care to join me in this challege then please go to www.ReviveOurHearts.com and click on the link to the challenges.