WRITE STEPS ~ Tammy Bowers

Dog Prayers

2012-02-08T18:48:00.000-08:00

Praying dogs are so cute! Check out this link. I now want to teach my dogs to pray. My daughter is super good at teaching her dogs tricks. My grand dogs can crawl, twirl circles, high five, and play dead when she shoots her finger at them, plus the regular sit, stay come. I'm sure they would pick up praying as they aren't heathen dogs at all, but good Christian grand dogs.

Where for art thou blog update?

2012-02-03T09:57:00.000-08:00

It's been weeks since I've posted. Not because of a lack of subjects, but due to a lack of time. On 1-20-12, I had planned a very romantic post about the 32nd anniversary of my first kiss with a 19 year old jock named Dan, who I married 33 months later. (Man, that boy was slow to put a ring on it.) Since the date has come and gone, I'll save the idea for next year. A couple other randoms post ideas will also be saved for later. If I have time. Why is time more of a challenge the older I get?

Here are my lack of blogging excuses:
1) I am swamped at work, it's super stressful and busy right now. I often feel mentally spent.
2) Lack of lunch time. I either go to Curves to workout at lunch or I work straight through because work is so busy. So no more blogging at lunch.
3) BOC time. This is the good thing. I've been doing lots of writing on my manuscripts and am excited about what God is helping me write.
4) Precepts homework. I absolutely love the things I'm learning about the book of Daniel. I should put more time into it.
5) Lots of house stuff. My poor husband's back has gone out on him several times in a row. He usually helps with unloading the dishwasher and vacuuming upstairs, dusting and garbage's. But he is so miserable that he can't help as much as usual. So I have a few more house tasks than normal. You sure don't know how much a person does for you until they can no longer do it. Dan's debilitating back pain has made me appreciate him even more than usual. Is that weird?
6) Our furnace has died. We've been using our wood stove every night for fires. A space heater warms the upstairs pretty well. The roaring fire keeps every thing nice and cozy. It's been kind of fun. Except for the many trips outside for firewood. That wood is about to run out and I don't know if I'm strong enough to chop logs small enough for our wood stove. Dusty will have to chop enough this weekend to last us until the new heat pump gets installed next week sometime. (Dusty leaves Wednesday for the Holy Lands—post to follow.)

I mentioned Dan's back above. It has gone out 3 times in 32 days, and he's yet to recover. He's been in a lot of pain and walking crooked. I feel so bad for him. He'll see a neurosurgeon soon. A lazer spine institute in another state has his records and are recommending a couple procedures. I ask for prayer. Dan is miserable and needs relief. But which procedure and which doctor is best? God is not the author of confusion, so we pray for clear direction. And speed. Forty days of hurt, unable to bend over, sleep well, live normally, etc. just wears on a person.

Well. that's the update from my house. Hopefully, I'll post again soon about Dusty's trip to Israel and back surgery for Dan.

Blessings.

Emotional Air Travel

2012-01-17T09:38:00.000-08:00

My work travels have been whittled down to a science. Sparse packing for light carry on. Where to park my car that always has open spots and an easy out. I even go to the same area of the Economy Parking Lot every time, so I'll never have to try and remember where I parked. I also try to sit in the same area of the plane for quick exiting once stopped. I'm always super anxious to zip home when I return from a work trip.

But this past week was different. All my intentions were discarded at the Denver airport. Somber emotions set in at the gate when precious cargo loaded onto our plane. The flashing red lights from several airport security vehicles drew my attention, along with my fellow plane mates. A big black SUV and a black hearse were also parked on the tarmac next to my plane. Numerous TSA employees lined up and my plane's captains went down and joined them. Soon military officials in dress uniform stood in formation and saluted as a coffin loaded onto our plane.

When I boarded, I spotted two army soldiers sitting in the from row of economy. They dressed in their fancy uniforms complete with army berets tilted to the side. Their somber mood filled the whole plane. The captain announced we were carrying a fallen solder home to his family. The captain asked everyone to remain seated when we landed in Portland, allowing the soldiers to exit first. Passengers on our silent plane gladly complied. Even after the soldiers were gone, we all just sat there a few moments.

Upon disembarking, I found passengers at the gate who were waiting to board, enthralled at the window. Just as we had been in Denver. Seated men stood and swiped off their hats. But what really amazed me, the passengers on my plane didn't whisk away once disembarked. Most stopped to pay homage to the man who gave his life for our country. Some with hands over hearts and many of us with tears in our eyes, just stood in silence paying respect to a stranger.

The scene from the Denver airport replayed outside the Portland windows. Flashing lights, black SUV's transporting numerous army soldiers in dress uniform, and TSA employees lining up. The solders marched to the plane and laid a flag across the coffin, then picked it up and marched it to a waiting hearse—white this time. Their marching and saluting were carried out with extreme precision. No half efforts. They gave it all they had. It really moved us.

The movie Taking Chance, starring Kevin Bacon, is based on a true story. After witnessing first hand the highest ritual of honor given for transporting a fallen solider, I can testify that the movie didn't ham anything up. It is totally realistic.

If you haven't seen it yet, watch Taking Chance. I think it's a great way to honor all of our American Military...the fallen and active who have the daunting task of taking heroes home.

Guggul what?

2012-01-06T13:47:00.000-08:00

Confession time. I like fads. I think it's fun to jump on various band wagons. I might not stay long, or I might hop on pretty late, but I admit to playing around with fads.

So why not try the newest weight loss supplement called guggul. Actually, it's been undergoing testing since 2008, but I've never heard of it before this week.

Apparently guggul comes from the sap of Commiphora mukel trees in India and is a natural supplement to help lower cholesterol. One nice side affect when doubling the dose is that it causes weight loss due to increased thyroid function. (They had me at hello.) Guggul allegedly stimulates the thyroid to produce the hormone which increases metabolism. Yep, I'm caught hook, line and sinker. Now heading to Whole Foods to buy some.
Per WebMD, don't take guggul if on estrogen or birth control, as they interact. There is something about not taking it if you've battled cancer before. I'm not sure why, but since I don't need to worry about any of those, I'm going to give guggul a try. I will heed WebMD's advice about not taking it longer than 24 weeks.

I also read an important tip on Real Solutions, to purchase guggul standardized to 25 mg guggulsterones (also spelled gugulsterones and guggalsterones.) For weight loss, 30 to 60 mg should be taken with each meal. So that's 180 mg a day. The picture of the bottle below shows 750 mg, but only 2.5% guggul. I hope Whole Foods carries a more potent brand.
It will be fun to give this a try. I'll keep you posted and visa versa, if you like fads too.

New Years Resolutions

2012-01-01T13:09:00.000-08:00

I'm keeping it simple this year. Not the usual page long to-do list for the upcoming year. Instead, I'm just making 4 simple resolutions:

1) Lose 25 pounds
2) Consistent diet and exercise to keep the weight off
3) Consistent Bible reading. (I usually study my Bible 3 or 4 times a week. My pastor challenged us to spend 30 minutes a day with God. Just 15 minutes of reading then 15 minutes in prayer. That's not a lot—very doable.)
4) Finish writing book 4.

How will I accomplish these goals? Well, I'm joining Curves tomorrow. I have new thyroid medicine that will hopefully counteract my slow thyroid function, and I started a big diet today. In exactly 3 months, I'm going on a Caribbean cruise, so that is a big incentive. And a whole bunch of us from work are doing a Biggest Loser contest. That's a second incentive. As usual, I don't think I'll have trouble losing the weight. The hard part begins when I get home from the cruise. How to keep that weight off? How do I continue the motivation?

To finish writing book 4, I'll need a lot of BOC time. In writer's speak, that stands for Butt On Chair. But, BOC time counteracts with consistent exercise. Hence my new Curves Membership. The Curves circuit workout takes 30 minutes and I can do it at lunch time. No way it should interfere with my BOC time.

So, I have a plan. Please God, give me the discipline to actually do it!

Movie Reviews

2011-12-28T11:46:00.000-08:00

We always see lots of movies over the holidays. The movies this year did not disappoint. Here are the top 4.

In 4th place, Sherlock Holmes, Game of Shadows. This second Sherlock Holmes movie is way better than the first. Lots of action and some laughs, I liked it okay, but my son and brother thought it was awesome! Definitely a boy movie. Again, way better than the first and I enjoyed watching it.
In 3rd place is Mission Impossible, Ghost Protocol. Rest assured the title of Ghost Protocol has nothing to do with ghosts and supernatural. This 4th installment of Mission Impossible is better than the 2nd and 3rd, in my opinion. It had lots of action, a few laughs, lots of fighting, and crazy impossible stunts. Although not realistic, which doesn't concern me in the least, I liked it. I'd recommend this movie to those who enjoyed the first Mission Impossible. Although not totally necessary, the history in the 3rd movie may be helpful to understand the 4th. 2nd place goes to We Bought a Zoo. Loved it!!!! Based on a true story, this was a great film. I now want to visit the Rosemoor Wildlife Park in Southern California. When researching the exact location of this zoo, I learned it's real name is Dartmoor Zoological Park and it's located in England. (Bummer.) According to the articles I read on line—so they gotta be true—the movie is super close to the real story if you exclude the name and location change. Regardless, it's moving, heartwarming, and romantic with good animal care...everything I adore in a story. Lots of humor too, so I highly recommend We Bought a Zoo.1st place by a mile goes to War Horse. None of the others even come close. The cinematography was spectacular and the heart wrenching story moved me immensely. Some parts I could barely watch—it hurt so much to see horses worked to death in war. Other parts were pure joy. I want to own this movie on Blu-ray when released, but honestly, as a serious and deep animal lover, I don't know if my heart could handle watching it again. Does that make sense?

Enjoy the Holiday movie season...

Merry Christmas

2011-12-21T23:24:00.000-08:00

Christmas started early at my house, when Bree and Curtis came for a week on 12-07-11. We had a couple parties, went to the movies, ate at their favorite restaurant...what a great week.When they flew out, it felt like Christmas was over—like I should take the decorations down. This week I am finally getting back in the mood, but come 12-26, those decorations are outta here.

My two dogs love the excitement of lots of guests and treats at Christmas. Even my mom's dog, JellyBean, was invited to our little party.

JellyBean is a little blurry with my mom's old camera, but what a sweet picture of Ellie and Boedy taken by Bree and her amazing camera.

We had a fun gingerbread building contest. After dividing into two teams, boys against the girls, with my mom as team captain for the boys team, we had 20 minutes to put together and decorate a gingerbread train. Mom and Bree are gingerbread experts, so they were team captains. Below is the boy's finished product. Obviously they lost. Unfortunately before snapping a picture of the classy and elegant girl's train, I sent it home with Lori, my sister. There was no question that the girl's train won. It wasn't over done. The boys tried to use all the available supplies to decorate their train. :) What fun, laughs, competitive trash talk, and joy comes from our various contests/games we play each year.

Below is Kelli and Bree. Kelli, my niece, is home from nursing school in Colorado. Such pretty girls!

May the blessing of Christ's birth fill your hearts and minds this Christmas.

Nasty Thyroid

2011-12-12T10:08:00.000-08:00

The lump on my thyroid has grown again and my thyroid function has slowed down. Errr!!!! No wonder I've been gaining weight. When the non-cancerous tumor was first detected, it was a size 2.1. At the next ultrasound, it grew to 2.9, then 3.1 and now it's up to a 3.4. If it reaches 4.0, they will remove my whole thyroid. I don't want that at all. The thyroid is too important—it regulates metabolism and weight. Plus surgical removal will leave a nasty scar. I need a good thyroid!!!! My doctor prescribed a different prescription, so hopefully when I reach my New Year's weight loss goal, I will have an easier time maintaining. The thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland that producing hormones to stimulate the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus controls hunger, metabolic rate, sleep, fatigue, and more. In the last year, I have had so much trouble sleeping, now I wonder if my poor thyroid function is to blame.

Just more thing to be thankful for in Heaven. No more dieting, no more weight loss worries, no more fatigue, no more sleep deprivation, no more health issues!!!!

Homeless Gifts

2011-12-06T21:57:00.000-08:00

Last year at Christmas, I posted about my mom's gift bag idea for the homeless. We made up gift sacs to hand to the homeless people on street corners. We made them pretty late, so the week of Christmas and New Year, we had trouble finding homeless people. They seem to disappear the week of Christmas. Perhaps they find shelter from the Oregon cold and don't want to give up their beds through Christmas. We made sure to put them together nice and early this year.

I understand a big problem for homeless people is keeping their feet dry. With holes in shoes and the wet Oregon weather, various gross foot infections plague the homeless. Someone told me not to hand out money, instead give a granola bar stuffed in a pair of socks. What a great idea!!!! Mom and I bought a big pack of socks from Costco and added a pair to each homeless present.

I think it's easy to tell the difference between a true homeless person and a scammer in clean clothes with their car parked nearby. I save my sock gift sacs for the true homeless. Crackers, candy, socks, granola bar, and little Bible track about Jesus make up our gift bags.

The poor picture above is supposed to show the gift tag. It reads, "From Jesus."

We made up 10 gift bags with men's socks, and 5 with ladies socks. We've already started passing them out. The homeless recipients are so grateful to receive a Christmas present. It's really fun to watch their surprise and joy. It blesses me.

I wish this would catch on and more people would join us in this Christmas present endeavor. It's cheap, easy, and a help for the recipients. Plus, I hope it's a way to witness to really hurting people who need Christ.

Merry CHRISTmas.

Dumb Post

2011-12-05T14:59:00.000-08:00

Happy 9th birthday today, to my dog, Boedy. After losing Ladybug earlier this year, I've come to appreciate an animal's birthday. So please allow me one day to honor an amazingly obedient and smart dog. He can even jump through hula hoops. No joke. When Bree and Kristi were juniors or seniors, they taught him to jump off the ottoman and through a hula hoop. He can still do it, too. And no, I did not let him eat chocolate cake to celebrate. But hot dogs and bologna will be his dinner tonight. Happy birthday, Boedy!

Caught up in Black Friday

2011-11-28T15:30:00.000-08:00

It's took 3 days to recuperate from my Black Friday shopping. Black Fridays are so out of control, it's total madness. A madness that's easy to get caught in.

At 10 PM on Thanksgiving Day, my Black Friday shopping started at WalMart. I took my mother to get just a couple things and some half priced DVD's. At the Salem WalMart a 6-year-old girl was stepped on by several people grabbing color printers. And I personally got in a little tiff with a clerk. She was trying to direct traffic so people would walk on the right. Problem was there was a blockage on the right, so I had to go left. She kept stepping in front of me as I tried to side-step around her. She didn't listen when I explained the blockage on other side prevented passage. In irritation, I finally darted around her. Later that night I laid in bed asking myself what on earth I was thinking—totally embarrassed. Even if I had to walk to a different aisle, I should have. In the picture below, at least those people are staying behind the guards holding them back.

Fortunately, the WalMart excursion was the worst experience of the whole night. I saved about $10 whole dollars at WalMart, but I wasn't there for me. I needed to take my mom.

After WalMart, we went to Macy's, they opened at Midnight. It wasn't that crowded and they weren't out of things in seconds. Macy's was fun at Midnight and there I saved $270. Totally worth it!!!!

Next I took mom to Old Navy and Target. She needed a few more items. We arrived home around 2:45 AM. Fully dressed, I climbed in my spare bed and set the alarm for 5 AM. Problem was, I couldn't go to sleep. My mind was so wound up (probably still fretting about my tiff with a WalMart clerk.) I think I fell asleep around 3:30 or 4 AM.

At the sound of the 5 AM alarm, I jumped up and slipped on my shoes, brushed my teeth and hair, and was out the door by 5:10 for Bi-Mart. They had some name brand kitchen appliances on sale 50% off, but there were no crowds. Yeah! I saved around $35 there. My Black Friday shopping ended at Fred Meyer, where I saved approximately $70.

At 6:30 AM, I arrived home, washed off the make up, put on my jammies and went to bed. I slept until 11:00 AM. It took two nights to get back into my normal sleeping pattern.

I'd like to say Black Friday is just not worth it, but saving about $375 is pretty darn good. I just wish all the stores would not try to out do each other and keep opening earlier and earlier. It really is madness. And if you wait to go during normal hours, the limited supply is gone. Many items were already snatched up in seconds when we went to WalMart at 10:00 PM.

I wonder what the stores are going to come up with next year to out do each other. It really is crazy!

Are you Thankful for Heaven?

2011-11-22T09:16:00.000-08:00

With Heaven and Thanksgiving at the forefront of my mind right now, I thought it would be nice to post an article I wrote several years ago. It was the very first thing I ever sold and published. But that isn't why it's special to me. It's special because it gets me truly excited for Heaven.

Are you Thankful for Heaven?

Thanksgiving is the time to give thanks. What are you the most thankful for? Salvation, family, America and our freedom? Perhaps your job or health? These are blessings we should be thankful for, but what about your future home, a city you’ve never seen? We’ve heard of the lovely streets of gold and the great feast in Heaven. It’s beauty and luxury will be awesome. Yet Heaven is much more than that.

At your Thanksgiving dinner table chances are:

No one would include Heaven on their most thankful list.
Not every family member present is saved. Most Christians have an unsaved sibling or cousin. Perhaps you're the only Christian in your family.

So this year at Thanksgiving, take the opportunity to share some of the wonders of Heaven. Go around the table and ask, “What are you thankful for?” When it’s your turn, share heavenly details. It could be an excellent witnessing tool.

Ten reasons why Heaven should be on every Christian’s MOST thankful list:

1) Being with God—worship Him in person. See a cool rainbow above His throne. See Christ and the Holy Ghost in the Trinity. The President will not come to your house for dinner; or invite you to his. But God will. The numero uno guy of all creation from the beginning of time has invited us to be His guest. (Rev. 4:3, Rev. 21:3—6)

2) People. More important than seeing angels or living in mansions, are the people we are united with in Heaven. That’s truly why Heaven will be so great. If you haven’t seen your own child, parents, or grandparents in ten, twenty, or thirty years, the reunion that waits is sweeter than anything tangible. (Luke 16:9, I Thes. 4:13—18)

3) There will be amazing sights. Living creatures that have eyes all over their bodies, creatures that talk and fly, horses with heads like lions, innumerable angels, cherubim, an inheritance, and treasure for each person according to their earthly deeds. Water like glass and a living fountain. A new earth. How great it will be to see these strange sights. (I King 19:15, Matt 6:19—21, Matt 13:44, Heb. 9:5, I Peter 1:4, Rev. 4 & 5, Rev. 7:17, Rev. 9:17, Matt 19:21, Rev. 21:1—6.)

4) God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God is the great creator. Combine those two facts and ponder them. Will He continue to create in Heaven or just abruptly stop? Eternity is a very long time. Creating new mountains to explore, new tropical paradises to enjoy, new animal species, or recreational events to entertain, are all part of God’s nature. Everything will always be new. What a blast Heaven will be! (Gen. 14:22, Heb. 13:8, Rom 1:25, Rev. 21:5)

5) Party. Every time a new loved one enters Heaven, a grand celebration occurs. Ever hear the saying, “I’d rather party with the sinners in hell, than sing with the saints in Heaven”? Don’t believe this evil lie birthed in the depths of hell. The real jubilation is in Heaven where “eternal joy and pleasure” reside. (Psalm 16:11, Psalm 96:11, Isaiah 66:14, Psalm 68:4, John 14:1-3, John 16:22, Luke 14:15, Luke 15:10, Rev. 19:9)

6) Heaven is “better by far” than anything we could imagine. Think of the most fantastic thing you can and know this; Heaven is “better by far!” (Phil 1:23b, Heb 11:16)

7) Meeting historical figures. Even if someone wanted to, they couldn't sit and visit anyone in hell. Loneliness and darkness fills hell. However, it will be possible to visit with historical Christians in Heaven. Do you want to ask Enoch to explain how he came to be “no more?” Thank Honest Abe or listen to Mother Teresa’s stories? Won’t it be fun to walk on the water with Peter and Jesus?

8) If you’ve suffered poor health, you may look forward to what we become in Heaven the most, over what we'll see. Our new heavenly bodies will never feel pain, never slowly deteriorate and die. No more mourning, no funerals, no saying goodbye. No sickness, no fear, no weight gain, no more emotional hurts. No back pain, no diabetes, no blindness, no wheel chairs. God Himself will personally wipe away our tears and we’ll never feel sorrow again. We’ll always feel phenomenal. (I Cor. 15:50—58, Rev. 7:17, Rev. 21:4—5)

9) No more sin. No more guilt, no more confession, no embarrassing secrets to conceal, or temptations to battle with. Gone is the sinful nature. How truly marvelous it will be to shed that ugly creature! (Col.1: 5 & Rev. 20:15—20)

10) It’s not hell. There are only two choices of where to move when we leave this earth.

Hell that is filled with pain, torture, fire, loneliness, blackness, and sulfur—all of which are never-ending. The loneliness, blackness, and pain are so horrible, it’s difficult to fully comprehend. The hopelessness of no relief in store must be unbearable. (Luke 16:19—31)
Or Heaven, which is better by far than a golden cruise ship filled with all our loved ones and famous people that we desire to meet. Euphoric ports of call to explore each day and grand gala’s at night with amazing buffets, where we’ve been invited to sit at the head table with the Captain, all while mysterious creatures fly about serenading. Every day is new and pain free. Heaven is better by far than any Xanadu we can conjure.

Is Heaven real to you or like a fairy tale? Consider the following:

Meditate on Heaven with Lord, so that it becomes alive in your mind and helps shift your focus from earth to eternal paradise.
Study the above scriptures and pray.
Read Randy Alcorn’s books "Heaven" or the shorter version, “50 Days in Heaven". Also his book, "The Treasure Principle" is truly life changing!

It may be frightening to move to a new state or country where everyone is a stranger. Praise the Lord our move to Heaven is not scary. It is to be greatly anticipated.

Consider adding your future home—Heaven—to your MOST thankful list this Thanksgiving. It’s going to be a blast!

Sick Again

2011-11-11T09:24:00.000-08:00

What's wrong with me? I am sicker than a dog...again. I am not a vitamin person. Never have been. But this year, I started taking multivitamins. I think it was May when I started with a gummy vitamin and have stuck with it. Since May, I've had a couple colds, the flu, pneumonia, and now I'm sick again. Another bad cold——ear ache, sinus gunk, and coughing has taken over my body. In the last six months, I've been sicker, or had more illnesses than I've had in the last 6 years. It's crazy and I am sick it!!!! I didn't find any answers in my Google search as to the cause, but I did find a nice website comparing flu and cold. Click here to view. Summer is over, so flu and cold season begins. Begins? Are they crazy? I can't go through this all winter long. What's a girl to do to prevent sickness? I guess I need to stop taking my vitamins.

Random things

2011-10-31T12:55:00.000-07:00

Just a few random things:

1) Bree was here this last week for a nice visit and surprise birthday party for Dan's dad. We had a great time! While here, we cut out ponchos to mail to my aunt in the nursing home. Her severe dementia is starting to make aunt Dee curl into a ball. She is getting harder and harder to dress. So my mom, Bree, and I bought flannel at the fabric store and winged a few ponchos. No sewing, just cutting. Mine is too big, mom's is too small, and Bree's is just right. We made one round, one square, and one triangle. Kind of silly, but as long as they go over my aunt's head, keep her covered and warm, then they will be greatly used. 2) My mom bought a puppy and named her Jelly Bean. Bree is holding her in the picture above. Jelly Bean is a peke-chiweenie. That is 1/2 pekineses, 1/4 chihuahua, and 1/4 weenier dog, AKA Dachshund. Jelly Bean is 5 months old and so much fun. We really love her.

3) I am on an amazing winning streak. It truly is amazing—a gift from God—He is due all the credit and praise. I am blown away at the things I have won in drawings over the last 12 months. In October 2010, I won a $500 Bolivia diamond watch. Two months later, I won a $100 Visa gift card. This year I won a $40 spa card, a $20 iTunes card, and the creme' dela creme', I won an iPad2, 64GB, with a nice case and wireless keyboard. Just amazing! Thank you, Lord, for these awesome gifts! I am in awe.

4) Survivor. Oh!!! My!!! Stars!!! Who watched last week's episode? Is Ozzie nuts, or what? The gravedigger guy and ice cream scooper kid will no longer be considered the dumbest players in Survivor history. Ozzie just passed them by miles. He has played twice before, so he should know better. It will take a miracle for his plan to work. Not smart playing, but a true miracle. I can't wait for this week's episode. Plus there was high drama on Dancing with the Stars last week. Boy, talk about entertaining TV!!!!

5) I have two manuscripts in with publishers right now, one is with two different ones. My hopes are high and my prayers are fervent. May God's will be done.

Have a blessed week!

Biggest Loser

2011-10-17T17:08:00.000-07:00

I love the Biggest Loser show. It always inspires me. I'm a walker and not a jogger, but when I see people heavier than me or older than me jogging away on that show, it convicts me. So I have an idea. A little Biggest Loser contest of my own....working out a little more, dieting a lot more, and weighing in only on Tuesdays like they do on the Biggest Loser. As they transform, so will I/we if I can talk someone into joining me. We can report in on Tuesday with our progress. Can I talk anyone into this challenge?

Meet Ellie

2011-10-04T21:45:00.001-07:00

Look at those matted ears, poor girl!

God answers prayer even about finding the perfect dog. He gave me Ellie. She's 6 year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, which is my favorite breed. They look like a puppy even when they are old. I've never owned one before, because the pups are super expensive. I had the opportunity to purchase a baby boy Cavalier for only $500, which is an amazing deal. But I really wanted to do a rescue, so I declined. And then I found this little beauty in a shelter in California with an urgent need for adoption. She was schedule to be euthanized in 5 days. She was found bleeding from bites on her head, neck, and ear. One even punctured her lung. You can actually feel air bubbles on her back when you pet her. Also, she was also a ratted mess. My sister went to the shelter and bought her for me, then put her on a plane the very next day.

She had a chip and her owners were called, but they didn't want her. They named her Maggie Mae, but I changed it to Ellie Mae. I took the little sweetie to Petsmart to be shaved. That would be far less painful than trying to brush out all those mats. She is adorable. I bought her a little sweater to keep her warm until her coat grows back out.

With one trip in and out the doggie door, Ellie was trained. She has not had a single accident in the house.

I think her prior owners neglected her, but didn't abuse her, because Elie isn't afraid or skittish. She loves to be in my lap and she's friendly to everyone. Her personality is so perfect, I really believe she is a gift to me from God!

Ellie needs to go obedience school to learn to come and stay, although if I have a treat in my hand, she obeys those commands. I just love her and praise God for this perfect little gift!

A huge thank you to my sister Connie who does Brittney Rescue in California. She is the one that got me interested in rescue. Connie did so much to help get Ellie in my home, thank you dear sister! I love you and bless you for the foster and rescue work that you do.

And if you are interested in rescuing a cavalier too, I know of 2 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels in Grants Pass that are with foster moms right now. They will be ready for adoption in a few weeks. My sister is fostering a beautiful Brittney that needs a good home too. So if anyone is interested, please let me know.

Blessings!

I'm Adopting

2011-09-24T16:27:00.000-07:00

It's been over 6 months since I've lost Ladybug. I miss her everyday! She would sit with me to watch TV, or at my feet while I'm writing. She'd follow me everywhere. Boedy follows Dan way more than me. He's a great dog, perfect actually, but way to big to be a lap dog. So, even though Ladybug is irreplaceable, I think I'm ready to try.

First I looked to buy a purebred puppy, but my heart wants to rescue a dog. There are way to many suffering animals out there. I want to help one and give them a wonderful life! I just can't go through an early death again, like with Ladybug, so I'm looking for a young and healthy girl. This is actually a prayer request, because I've fallen in love with a couple different dogs only to learn they were already gone when I called.

My favorite breed is Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. The look like a puppy even when they're old. I am looking to rescue one of those. I also love Dachshunds and Cockers, especially mixed as pictured below. They are called Dockers.

Rumor has it that half breeds are more healthy than purebreds, so I would actually prefer that. Also, I want a girl. Females are more affectionate in my experience.

I have my feelers out on a couple different dogs right now and am waiting replies. I check my email and cell phone constantly. So far, nothing. Some are so cute with such sad stories that it just make my heart bleed. I know I can't go and look, because I'll come home with the first one I see. I have to shop on line and go see when I am really sure. But so far, no replies. I am a good mom, I promise! I really need God's lead to the right dog.

You can check out some of the fine beauties I'm looking at on Petfinder.com.

Proverbs: 12:10 A righeous man regards the life of his animal. Good care to animals is important to God!

Vacation Pictures

2011-09-19T18:36:00.000-07:00

I have lots of things to post about, but first, here are a few vacation highlight pictures as requested.

Bubba Gumps for lunch with Margie and Joanie (they are across from Lori and I.) Joanie has worked for NBC since 1979 and got us into Jay Leno, but that is saved for another post.

Another day we went to lunch at In-N-Out with Bree and Curtis, who is behind the camera for this picture.

Above is Bree and my sister Connie on the tea cups and below are Connie and Lori with Sleeping Beauty.

We surprised Bree, Bob, and Patti, by selecting a secret rendezvous point (Walt and Mickey) to meet one day, as they had no idea the other was there. It was fun to see the shock on every one's face.
Our group of 6 went on Splash Mountain. Lori's eyes are closed and Connie was screaming for dear life. It was awesome!

Lori and I loved the raft ride in Disney California Adventure the first time we did it and couldn't wait to take our sister Connie when she arrived.

Here we are all dry and happy to be there.

And after....not so much. We made it through the ride pretty dry, then got soaked by a geyser. That was a first for me. Hours later we were still wet!

On our last night, we went to the ESPN Zone for dinner and the Angels game. What a great way to end a memorable week.

Disney Half Marathon

2011-09-11T16:27:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the 10 day hiatus, but I've been at the Happiest Place on Earth for a half marathon with my daughter and sister. Sixteen thousand people did the Disneyland Half Marathon. I only knew 4 of them. Above is Mick from church, then my sister Lori, me, and my daughter Bree. Drew Carey did the race too, but I don't think he counts as someone I know. It was dark when we lined up at 5:15 AM. People gathered as far as I could see in front of me and behind for the start of the race. Fireworks erupted when the count down reached zero. And then we were off in a blast. No, not really. We barely moved the first 100 yard. A lot of people dressed up as Disney characters and a lot of Disney characters posed with us before and during the race. Inside Disneyland, people would line up and wait their turn for a picture with a character. We did not do that. We were too worried about finishing on time. We did not want to be taken to the end in a golf cart if we fell behind pace. So if we could snap a picture without stopping, we did. Hence, a lot of my photo's are blurry.

The 13.1 mile route went through Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, through their back lots, then out on the streets and down to the Angel's Stadium.

Red faced, exhausted, and ecstatic that we finished, Lori and I proudly show off our medals at the end. Neither one of us felt ready for this race, thanks to pneumonia in July with a month of training lost for me, and a hip/knee injury for Lori. Yet we finished with our fastest time ever. Lori's stride is much longer than mine, so I had to jog a lot to keep up with her. And then I wanted to slow down the last two miles after seeing how far ahead we were. But Lori wouldn't let me. Thanks, sis! Because of you, we finished ahead of 6000 people. Yes, that means 10K people beat us, but we didn't get carted to the end because we were too slow! Whoo hoo! So I am super happy with our results. Bree, AKA Speedy Gonzales, finished in 2 hours and 14 minutes. Holy cow, that's fast! And it was only her first half marathon.

And now, I have an announcement to make. I'm done. Done! Done! Done! Yes, I think this was my last half marathon. Not because it is too difficult, which is it, but because of the time it takes to prepare. You can't just go out and walk for an hour. Getting ready for a half takes hours and hours. Two or three hour walks several times a week...that's just too time consuming!!!! I have writing to do and golfing with my hubby. So I am so happy to say, short 2 or 3 mile walks at lunch is going to be my speed from now on.

I'm glad I went out with a bang!

The Help

2011-08-31T12:56:00.000-07:00

The Help... I did not read the book and only recently saw the movie. It was great and so inspiring. Not just the message, but also the author's personal story. Both in how she lived in Mississippi, growing up around 'the help', but also in her journey to novel publication. Only one of those areas I can relate to. Click here to read Kathryn Stockett's story of her childhood in Mississippi and her attachment to the family maid, Demetrie. As an adult, Kathryn moved to New York to work in magazine publishing. I like how she says, "Mississippi is like my mother. I am allowed to complain about her all I want, but God help the person that raises an ill word about her around me, unless she is their mother too."

My granny had a maid. She was white. I grew up in California. So obviously the part of Kathryn's story that personally moves me is the one about her journey to published novelist. Notice how I say published novelist. I always make that distinction, since I've been published in several magazines. It's that next step—a steep one—that I am seeking now.

In an interview, Kathryn Stockett admitted to approximately 60 rejections of The Help. But she believed in her debut novel and didn't quit rewriting her story. She made improvements after each rejection and resubmitted. I understand she was embarrassed to admit to friends and family that she was still re-writing her story after so many rejections. I can relate to that. One would think after 60 rejections that it wasn't going to happen. But Kathryn stayed the course. And that 61st time hit the golden ticket. The Help spent 30 weeks on the New York Best Seller's list and is now a wonderful movie.

Wow. What a great example of perseverance with something you believe in. I am inspired to not give up on my first book, which I love and totally believe in. I finished book 2 and moved on to writing books 3 and 4. I stopped talking about book 1, but I have never stopped rewriting and pitching it. Never! it's good and I believe in it. I learned at OCW a couple weeks ago that the average novelist doesn't get published until book 4. Also, the current average age for publication for first time novelist is 52.

But I am not daunted. The dream doesn't feel like a pipe dream anymore. It feels like a reality. I no longer wonder IF it will ever happen. I now wonder when. God has a plan and I am waiting on Him. But the 'if' is gone. It's kind of scary to put that out there—it sounds so confident and cocky. I don't want that. I'm just trying to say I feel different. Inspired. Validated. Vindicated. Faithful. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. I feel that faith—that evidence that my first novel will be published soon. It's so much more tangible now. I'm not sure what caused the change, it wasn't just watching The Help. The faith has been building all year, and I am so thankful to God for His goodness and love. The timing is the Lord's. I'm just staying the course.

Oregon Christian Writers Conference

2011-08-24T06:52:00.000-07:00

Black event, epiphany, change, and HEA these are all things I learned about last week from Susan May Warren at the Oregon Christian Writers conference. Yes my stories had them, but I didn't know their names. Are my novels a Why/Why not? story or a Why not/Why story? I know that now too. I learned more from Susie's class than any other I've ever taken. My head is spinning. I purchase Cd's from several of the workshops I was not able to attend. The days were just packed with so many workshop choices. I should have bought Susie Warren's Cd's even though I was in her class. I need to learn her lessons inside and out! The picture above is me with Susan May Warren and all her books that I purchased.

Below I am posing with author and agent, Karen Ball. A lot of her novels include a rescue dog. I purchased one on them on CD for my upcoming drive to Disneyland.

Below are the authors of two of my very favorite books. On the right is Christina Berry Tarabochia, who wrote Familiar Stranger—loved it!!!!! And on the left is Roseanna White, author of A Stray Drop of Blood, also loved that one!!!! They're holding Roseanna's book, Jewell of Persia that I bought. Notice Roseanna's bracelet matches the one displayed on the back of her book, of which she has a whole interesting story. Perhaps she will post about that sometime on her blog.

And here I am with Roseanna and her two books. One I brought with me for her to sign and the other, I purchased there....autographed of course.

What a fun and great week. I met some wonderful ladies, exchanging blog addresses to keep in touch. I received excellent words of encouragement from the critique class for my current WIP, as well as requests for one of my manuscripts and great advice for the other. We even had good food—the most fun I had at dinner was sitting with the sci-fi guys and a young man who published at age 19. He's now writing the 3rd book in his trilogy. Praise God for up and coming Christian writers.

I learned that the average age of a first time novelist is age 52. So I have plenty of time. Also, the average published author is not published until book 4. Nope—I'm not going to accept that one. I am looking at the author of THE HELP as inspiration there. (Will talk about her on my next post.)

OCW was wonderful this year. It was truly food for my writing soul.

Great Book by Roseanna White

2011-08-19T07:24:00.000-07:00

A Stray Drop of Blood is a great Christian Historical Novel by Roseanna White and published by WhiteFire Publishing. Talk about a breath of fresh air! This book didn't follow the usual cookie cutter pattern for a Christian novel. I loved that! It was different, fascinating, griping, and very well written with unexpected twists. The new Christian characters struggled with past sin issues, just like real people. They didn't start out as super-good-perfect Christians. Their journey to salvation in Christ, then Christian maturity wasn't an overnight transformation. Therefore, it felt more realistic. Of course, I've never been to Israel and I'm not 2000 years old, so I'm no expert on that period. However, the author is an expert with extensive study. The setting of Israel at the time of Christ, and then Rome was written from a fascinating point of view. I'm adding this book to my favorites list. I truly loved it!

The author, Roseanna White is also a publisher, editor, and co-owner of WhiteFire Publishing with her husband. I met Roseanna this last week at the Oregon Christian Writer's conference, where I picked up her second book, Jewell of Persia. If I had to describe Roseanna in one word, I could not. I'm a writer, so I like lots of words. Nice, funny, humble, talented, and very kind are the first words that come to mind regarding this beautiful young woman.

Here's a blurb about A Stray Drop of Blood from the WhiteFire website. "Beautiful is a dangerous thing to be when one is unprotected. Born free, made a slave, married out of her bonds, Abigail never knows freedom until she feels the fire of a stray drop of blood from a Jewish carpenter. Disowned by Israel, despised by Rome, desired by all, she never knows love until she receives the smile of a stoic Roman noble." Click here to order her book on Amazon.

After reading A Stray Drop of Blood, I loaned it to my mother. She's retired with lots of time for reading. A day or so later, I stopped to visit and noticed the book on mom's coffee table. Placement of her book marker told me she was already 3/4ths done. "Whoa, mom!" She admitted to reading it all day and night as she couldn't put it down. She then said, "I'm forcing myself to ignore it until this evening, so I can live my own life during the day." Mom is a big reader and very picky, so if she gives it a rave review, you know it's good.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes - Movie Review

2011-08-07T14:47:00.000-07:00

My family went to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes on opening night. It's rated PG13 for violence. The beginning is kind of slow, but they are building the story, explaining all the why, and the start of the Planet of the Apes. So overall, it was interesting and good. I love the original Charleston Heston version of Planet of the Apes, as well as the Mark Wahlberg revision. So it was nice to see how the story supposedly started.

Unfortunately, the liberty taken with rearranging the State of California drove me crazy! They moved the Redwood Forest to the end of the Golden Gate bridge. What the heck? Redwood National Park is north of Eureka and over 200 miles north of San Fransisco. It was hard for me to get caught up in the fantasy when the details were not real. The screenwriters took too much liberty. Adding an extra street into a neighborhood or making up a building on a street to fit the plot is something authors do often. Otherwise, we try to be true to the real facts, real geography, and real history. There's a saying among authors, "Fiction is a lie caught up in truth." For me, the Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a lie caught up in a lie. I didn't think I was such a stickler, but it kind of ruined the movie for me. (I need to remember that for my future writing.)

If you've never been to California or don't care about the real geography, or loved the old Planet of the Apes movie, perhaps you will enjoy this one too.

Great Start

2011-08-03T09:28:00.000-07:00

Between my diet and getting sick, I was able to lose 11 pounds in July. Yeah! That is a great start. And if I can stick with it and lose 14 pounds in August, then I will meet my phase 1 goal of 25 pounds before the Disneyland half marathon on 9-4-11. Praise the Lord!!! August is a long month with lots of events, weddings, traveling, conferences, and special dinners that I am attending. So losing 14 pounds this month will not be a cake walk. But, I have the fruit of the spirit—self control—and Christ who strengthens me. I am not doing this alone.

When I return from Disneyland, it will be time for phase 2. Phase 2 will be long and slow. I like to always make a plan for my diet and exercise, then post it her for the world to see. That gives me a little extra incentive to stick with it. What's the saying, "If you fail to plan, then you are planning to fail." For my diets, that is certainly true.

Phase 2:

Lose 1 pound in September
Lose 1 pounds in October
Lose 1 pound in November
Lose 1 pound in December
Lose 1 pounds in January
Maintain, gaining nothing back in February and March
Gain 3 pounds on the cruise in April (I'm a realist and it's impossible to maintain on a cruise)
Lose 3 pounds in May
Maintain June through September

Achieving phase 2 accomplishes 3 things:

I will lose weight over the holidays and not gain weight, which will be a first and a huge accomplishment, since I bake wonderful goodies over the holidays.
It means I will have kept 25 pounds off for a full year, helping to make it permanent.
I will have lost a total of 30 pounds, reaching my ultimate goal. Hallelujah and praise the Lord!

October 12 will begin phase 3—a permanent life style change. I have some ideas for that, but want to wait to post about phase 3. It needs to be designed specifically for me over the next year.

So phase 1 if fast and phase 2 is super slow. I think that's good and probably more healthy for my internal organs.

I am planning my success.

Cowboys and Aliens

2011-07-30T17:01:00.000-07:00

Cowboys and Aliens opened this weekend. It's rated PG13 (violence) and stars Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig. It is produced by Ron Howard. So it must be good, right? Yep. I thought so anyway. I went opening night on a double date and everyone in my party liked it.

The sparse crowd in the theatre surprised me, as there aren't many good movies out right now. Could the lack of crowds stem from criticism over the premise? I hope not, because my party was thoroughly entertained.

I loved Stargate with Kurt Russell in 1994. That movie was about aliens and Egyptians. So why not aliens and cowboys? I don't understand why professional critics rave about gross movies full of foul language and drug addicts, claiming they're, "so raw and honest." How would they know? Have they almost overdosed, or lost loved ones to drugs, or watched a loved one float in and out of jail ruinning their lives? Why on earth would anyone want to watch movies about that? I go to the movies for entertainment. I like to escape reality and be intrigued, inspired, educated, and entertained. Therefore, I never listen to the professional movie critics!!!

Cowboys and Aliens is a typical David vs. Goliath story—always love that. Lots of horses—always love that. A touch of romance mixed in the action—always love that. And it was fun to see Harrison Ford play a bad guy—or sort of a bad guy. Good for him to mix it up.

If you're an eclectic movie watcher, I'd recommend Cowboys and Aliens. It was fun! (Although my mother should probably stick to Murder She Wrote.)

Self Control Part 2

2011-07-26T10:05:00.001-07:00

Last week I posted about Self Control as part of the Fruit of the Spirit. I asked for comments. No one chimed in. Have I lost my dozen or so readers? Or is this a boring subject?

Here's my bottom line: I try to justify my lack of self control over diet and exercise, convincing myself they are minor, non-spiritual issues, thus unimportant to God. I tell myself I'm being carnal and fleshly to worry so much about weight. And yet, the scripture is pretty clear that we're at war with fleshly desires. I have no desire to hang out at the local bar every day for happy hour. That's not my fleshly desire. For me, too much TV, Rated R movies, and eating too many sweets and carbs every day. Those are my fleshly desires.

Every one's fleshly desires are different and I should not compare mine with anyone else's...and visa versa.

So, I need to stop justifying my sweets and accept that fact that I am supposed to master self control over the flesh in every area. Self control over food and exercise can indeed be a spiritual issue for me, if I'm obsessing with it, harming my body via yo yo diets, and not crucifying my fleshly desires. I love Christ and desire to walk in the spirit to please Him!

Galatians 5: 16, 25 “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh [....] And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

So perhaps if I started approaching self control over food and exercise as a spiritual issue, seeking the Lord's help, then I could finally make a life style change. Could this be the answer? Approaching yo yo dieting as a spiritual issue? Well, since it is a spiritual issue for me, that's exactly what I must do.

Lord,
Please forgive my lack of self control over my flesh. Give me strength to crucify my fleshly desires. Forgive my yo yo dieting, which is so bad for my internal organs. As I diet now, give me self control over cheating and help me be successful...again. Then, Father God, the hard work begins—a life style change to keep the weight off permanently. Daily self control over food is what I need. Send your Holy Spirit to convict me in advance and help me to master self control over sweets and carbs, so I never gain the weight back. Once and for all, God, help me keep the weight off. I can do all things through you who strengthens me. This is not a pie in the sky dream—it's real. I believe your promises! As I focus on you, seek you, and am filled with you, please manifest the fruit of the spirit in me. With the fruit of the spirit, self control over sweets and carbs will be easy to exercise. I rely on you alone.
I love you and pray in Christ's name, amen! Tammy

Self Control - part 1

2011-07-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

There are 9 fruit of the spirit:
1. Faithfulness
2. Gentleness
3. Patience
4. Kindness
5. Goodness
6. Joy
7. Peace
8. Love
9. And self control

Interesting that self-control is listed last when for many people, me included, it is the most difficult to master. Of course, I suppose that depends on what item we’re trying to control. Steeling, killing, cussing, lying, becoming a workaholic…. Nah! None of those are difficult to master control over. But mastering self-control over other aspects can be very challenging. Areas like dieting or getting up early to exercise, or exercising consistently. Those items are much more difficult for me to master self-control over.

Galatians 5: 22-25 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

Backing up a bit farther, Gal 5:16-18 states, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

To me, its clear the fruit of the spirit are spiritual things/matters of the heart. So can we apply self control as a spiritual fruit to one’s own physical diet?

II Pet 1:6 says we are to practice self control in the face of temptation.

Titus 1:8 says self control is a characteristic of a spirit filled life.

So if I am filled with the spirit, which I am, shouldn't exercising self-control be easy?

Of course, does God really care if I am 25 pounds over weight, when He looks at the heart and not the physical? God wants us to do the same, not showing favoritism to the rich and well dressed, but to the poor and weak.

See, it’s easy for me to go around and around, justifying and dismissing the importance of self-control over a measly 25 pounds. Which is probably why it is a battle. Does the fruit of the spirit really apply to this?

This is part one, as it's a big subject. In the mean time, please feel free to share your thoughts. I would love to hear from fellow Christians.

Thanks.

Promises, promises

2011-07-11T09:39:00.000-07:00

I promised you a post about self-control and the fruit of the spirit last week, but I have been sick. Really sick. 102-fever-type sick. So as soon as I can breathe and think through an ongoing sinus headache, I'll make good on that promise. I promise.

FAT AGAIN

2011-07-01T10:53:00.001-07:00

The purpose of today's post is to try to scare myself straight.

My name is Tammy, and I am a yo-yo dieter.

My sister recently chastised me about my yo yo dieting because of the bad health effects. I knew yo yo diets were frustrating, depressing, and bad, but I thought, "at least I keep trying." Well, I learned from my awesome nurse sister that yo-yo diets actually hurt one's internal organs. That I did not know, so I did a little research on-line. (Obviously it must be true if found on line, right? Well, I need to convince myself that it is absolutely true!)

Websters defines the slang of yo-yo as an "eccentric or crazy person." LOL! That is funny, for it truly fits me. Only a crazy person would gain 30 pounds back after working for 8 months to lose it. Oh, what have I done to myself????? On second thought, that is not funny at all.

According to http://www.suite101.com/content/dangers-of-yoyo-dieting-a15787. The dangers of yo yo dieting are:
* Liver problems
* Loss of muscle
* Lower metabolism
* Heart disease
* High blood pressure
* Stroke
* Diabetes
* Cancer
* Shortened life span

Holy cow!!!!!

At another site, http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=21745, I found the dangers of yo-yo dieting as "high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and gallbladder disease." I have two of those, which my doctor said was hereditary. Now I wonder if my yo-yo diets contribute or worsen them.

And the last site I'll quote is http://www.weight-loss-center.net/yo-yo-dieting.html which deal with the emotional effects of yo yo diets. "Another danger of yo-yo dieting that you may not have considered is not only a cause but also a result. Depression can come at any time during dieting if you are not on a good diet that takes care of your health. Depression and sadness can come when a diet fails or stutters, leaving the door wide open to binge eating to deal with emotions."

I always thought of binge eating as what mentally ill binge/purgers do, or the morbidly obese. Now I think it doesn't have to be that extreme. It can be what any yo yo dieter does. I've heard many times over the years not to diet. Just focus on eating a little less and exercising a little more. That will convert to a healthy lifestyle and stop the yo yo cycle. Yeah, I've tried to do that before, obviously with no success.

How can I make this time different? Will I do it to save my internal organs? Will that help me not to binge, and for me, a binge may be a donut at work for breakfast, PPJ sandwich for lunch, and spaghetti with garlic bread for dinner. None are bad as long as not combined all in the same day. I've talked about this before—carbs only once a day. Pick and choose which meal. If spaghetti is planned for dinner, then fruit for breakfast and salad for lunch. Dah! I know what I'm supposed to do, but I do not do it, just like what Paul talked about in the Bible.

ONE MUST SPACE OUT THEIR CARBS!!!

You know how smokers go to hypnotists to change their subconscious to hate cigarettes? Maybe I need to do that for cookies and french fries.

So, as I start another diet, the danger of yo yo'ing up after is heavy on my mind. I want to lost 20 pounds over the next 2 months. That is only 10 pounds a month, which is only 2.5 pounds a week. That is very doable and healthy per Weight Watchers. And at the end, my plan is to exercise a little more and eat a little less.

Here I go again...7-1-11 to 9-1-11. The yo yo at the end is what scares me the most. Can I really make this permanent? Will I be writing this same post again come January for New Year's Resolution. What is wrong with my thinking?

Not trying at all is not an option!

My next post will be about the Fruit of the Spirit, for self-control is one of the fruits. Is it possible for Christians to only bear some of the Fruit of the Spirit and not all? Does that mean yo yo-ing is a spiritual issue for me? I think Gwen Shamblin would say yes. Check back in a few days for discussion about what the Bible says. Maybe the key to my success is focusing on the Fruit of the Spirit to prevent the yo yo after my diet is complete.

Hmm....lots of food for though. (Couldn't resist the pun.)

Family Changes

2011-06-18T13:13:00.000-07:00

All my siblings came to Oregon last weekend to surprise my dad for his 80th birthday. What a fun weekend we had.

We sure have changed from the first picture above to the second.

Postcards from Hell

2011-06-04T15:40:00.000-07:00

Seriously! I mailed four postcards from Hell on May 17th and they still have not arrived.

The lime stone formations in an area on Grand Cayman are pretty spooky looking. The area is appropriately named Hell, Grand Cayman. There are a few stores, viewing areas, and a post office. The lime stones do not stink like sulfur and the lake of water between the rocks may be putrid, but no where close to a lake of fire.

I bought stamps at the above post office and mailed several post cards to family in Oregon and Texas. None have been delivered. I have no idea how much I paid for the stamps, as it was in Grand Cayman dollars. Surely the post master sold me the right stamps to mail post cards to the United States. I would think that is a common thing at this little tourist stop. Above is Pastor Randy, who is writing about the real Hell.

It was pretty hot the day we went to Hell. I'm glad it was a quick trip and the only time I will ever be there. I'm not lost in Hell like my postcards, thank you, Jesus! I am Heaven bound, amen.

Reclaiming Heaven's Covenant

2011-05-26T14:52:00.001-07:00

Big news...my pastor's debut book is available now on Kindle. Since I don't have a Kindle, I'll have to wait a month for the print copy. I'm super excited to read Reclaiming Heaven's Covenant because I know the people in it and the author. Dr. Randy Butler's wife is one of my very best friends and I understand she's mentioned quite a lot in the book. So I'm counting the days to print release, but if you have a Kindle, you may want to get it now. The paperback can be ordered from Amazon for only $9.99 or from Randy's new writing website, http://randybutlerbooks.com/?page_id=2.

To my writing friends (all 3 of you) we can be a little jealous, not sinfully covetous of course, but a "you're so lucky" type jealousy because Randy has 2 big names forewording his book, HB London and Randy Alcorn. Since we're in the biz, we know that's HUGE! All kidding aside, I Praise the Lord for this great blessing to Pastor Randy.

While on vacation last week, it sparked an idea in me. Since Randy will soon be a famous author, thanks to his 4 book deal, I should get him to foreword my non-fiction book. And he agreed. Yeah! Write Steps with God: 70 Daily Devotions and Writing Tips for New Authors is finally complete. I just sent my first query letter and have now given my manuscript to Randy to read and foreword. May the Lord's will be done, amen!

Instead of posting the dignified photo of Dr. Butler from the back of his book, here are a few candid vacation shots that I like much better. Randy and Joan above and Randy with my husband below, just kicking back.

We saw Prince William and Kate in Grand Cayman. Oh wait. That's Randy and Joan again.I remember when our families went to Maui a few years ago on vacation and how Randy wrote feverishly while sitting in the condo. He'd reluctantly set it aside while out on the beach. The words burned inside him, fighting to get out and onto paper. I can't wait to read his book. It feels special to me because I know the people and the reason. I imagine parts will be hard to take, but I hope they'll help me reconcile some things that still remain unresolved with the Lord. Perhaps it will help you to reclaim Heaven's covenant as well.

Enjoy!

Sting Ray City

2011-05-24T07:38:00.000-07:00

The Caribbean sea around Grand Cayman truly looks like this! Honest! The above aerial shot came from Google images, but I promise the water truly looks that color!

Probably the best excursion I have ever gone on is the one to Sting Ray City. Eight years ago, we went to Sting Ray City via Dexter's Fantasea Tours. It was so much fun, we did the same one again. We went on a day when there were no cruise ships in port, so there were only 2 other boats out there. The sting ray population has decreased since 2003, thanks to Hurricane Ivan in 2005, but we still held many, hand fed them, and had a blast on Captain Dexter's Boat.

Captain Dexter has named many of the sting rays and has even taught a couple to obey verbal commands. I kid you not! They obey like a dog...kind of. The two commands were massage and sugar. When given the command "massage" the sting ray flaps it's wings on your back like giving a massage. And when given the command "sugar", it raises it's front tip to your chin. So very cool! Above is Kim getting a massage and below is a video of Simon (Captain Dexter's boat hand) catching a sting ray and giving it to Dan to hold.

Notice the underwater camera in Dan's hand? That is a nice camera and we took a whole roll at Sting Ray City and a whole roll at the awesome snorkeling spot Captain Dexter took us to near Sting Ray City. So many cool fish. We sa several lion fish that we had never seen before.

I turned in the underwater film from my awesome camera and went to pick up the pictures yesterday. Not one turned out. My camera malfunction and there were no photos, Such a bummer! I am so glad I risked taking my little Cool Pix in for a couple shots and videos. The pictures below of lion fish were also jacked from Google Images. Lion fish are pretty cool looking, but aren't welcome in the Caribbean. They are a Pacific Ocean fish, with no predator in the Caribbean. They were released from a tank into the waters around Grand Cayman about 10 years ago and are now taking over. They can produce 30,000 eggs every 4 days. They ruin the reef and gobble up all kinds of schools of tropical fish. The locals can legally hunt them.

They are pretty cool to see in the water while snorkeling. We only saw 3, so the locals must be doing a good job keeping their population down. We don't want them to ruin the amazing reef around Grand Cayman.

Grand Cayman

2011-05-21T14:53:00.000-07:00

I'm home from a wonderful vacation to the Grand Cayman with friends. Like visiting grandma's house, you'll just have to put up with a few vacation pictures this week. Let me begin with the water...so amazingly beautiful and warm—unbelievably warm. It was by far the clearest and warmest ocean water I have ever snorkeled in!!! Below is a little video of what we think was a jelly fish. Not sure why I decided to baby talk while taping this—a little embarrassing now, but at the time, it just looked so cute, like a little snow flake.

The Cayman Islands are famous for their blue iguana, which are mostly found on Little Cayman. However, we ran across several on the Grand. In person, their heads look kind of blue, but in pictures, they're gray. So, probably not the famous blue ones, but we still enjoyed spotting them—not something you see all over Oregon.Their heads are grayish blue, body's are green, and their tails are yellow and black striped. God was having fun the day He created these guys! We'd see them in parking lots or on the side of road. They'd let us get kind of close for a photo, too. Zoom did the rest.

The video below is one I spied moving closer to the ocean. His head looked very blue, but his body color looked like all the rest.

We really loved visiting Grand Cayman. Check back soon for some cool Sting Ray City pictures.

Ride in the helo

2011-04-18T18:43:00.000-07:00

While in Phoenix, my nephew Scott took me flying. He's a new helicopter pilot. I was so excited. When I arrived at the airport, I learned 3 things.

1) Our helicopter had no doors.

2) My nephew's own wife and mother have not been brave enough to fly with him yet.

3) We were taking off between two hangers and not out on a runway.

Nevertheless, our take off was flawless, as evidenced below!

Here we are flying high over North Mountain below. You can barely see the hiking trails. Eve and I hiked this mountain twice while in Scottsdale. In the small helicopter, we could sure feel the wind gusts off the mountain. Scott did a great job keeping it steady to minimize my fear...again, no doors!

Below is an aerial of a Different Pointe of View (great place to watch sunset while sipping iced tea) and the Hilton at Tapatio Cliffs where we stayed. The pools were beautiful—lots of waterfalls! Sure can't tell from 1000 feet. Our landing was perfect too! Nice and smooth.

Scott is a great pilot—very skilled and careful. I would fly with him anytime! Thanks for a great ride! What a blast!

3 posts in one

2011-04-13T08:19:00.000-07:00

I know, I'm way behind in my posts. Work has been swamped and I've been super busy preparing for the WCCA seminar yesterday. I am so glad to have it behind me, and it went well, PTL! Okay, so here are 3 short posts about the past 3 weeks. Bree and Curtis were here for a wedding. Bree was a bridesmaid in her friend, Liz's wedding. They have been friends since first grade. The wedding was lovely! We had lots of fun!

Liz' gown was gorgeous. She was a beautiful bride!

Bree and Curtis were here for a week that flew by. The following weekend, I went to Seattle with my sister to see our brother and wonderful sister-in-law, who we adore. Below we sit for lunch at Johnny Rockets! They even sang for us. What a fun place.

And now, I'm off to Phoenix for a little work-cation. Couple days of work and a couple days to play with my friend Eve. April is our birthday month, so it's fun to get together every April.

Check back next week for a diet and exercise update post. Yikes!

Now we've seen everything.

2011-03-23T11:55:00.001-07:00

My brother-in-law owns a horse, a thoroughbred race horse to be exact. Or should I say my niece, Emma, owns the horse. His name is Tre' and he's a beauty. Here is a video of him, "Triple Gainer", at Churchill Downs in 2007. He finished 10th in his first and only race. Mark likes to say that someone forgot to tell Tre that he was a racehorse.

Well, Tre' recently turned 7. How does one celebrate a special horse's birthday? With a birthday party of course, complete with a guest horse.
Happy Birthday, Tre'!

Lincoln City Half

2011-03-14T15:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks, friends, for the requests to post about the Lincoln City Half Marathon 2 weeks ago. Let me begin by shouting, "PRAISE THE LORD! THANK YOU, JESUS!" There was no rain, no wind, clear blue sky, and I did way better than I should have for only training on the weekends.

There were around 400 participants and I finished 16th in my age division. I thought I'd come in dead last and finish around 4 hours. But, I didn't. I crossed the finish line in front of 31 people at the 3 hour and 20 minute mark. Whoo hoo! I would have finished even faster but....more on that in a minute.

The winner finished in only 1 hr and 15 minutes. Holy cow! He is a 25 year old Oregon State Police Trooper. Here's is a link as well as a picture of him stopping after crossing the finish line. Tall and lean. When he whizzed by me, his strides and speed were mind boggling. I wish I had a picture to post of that.
The route was beautiful along a river. Here is how the website described the route, “Due to a slide on Schooner Creek Road, the race will now start and finish at WAPITI PARK. This scenic course will take participants on rural two-lane county roads through coastal woods and along fields and streams. Plenty of friendly volunteers will be on hand to provide directions and water throughout the race.”Do you see any mention of hills in that description? Nope. Not even a hint about hills, much less lots of them in every mile. They also failed to disclosed the long, long, long upward sloping hill in mile 12. I truly think that should be against the rules!

As I mentioned earlier, I was only training twice a week and had a couple 8 and 9 mile walks leading into this event. There are no hills on my route, so now I was even less prepared. Nevertheless, I shot out of the gate and stuck to a 14 minute mile pace. I slowed a little going up the hills and jogged down them—again and again and again. Until mile 11.5. That is where I hit a wall. I slowed a bit, ate/drank one of the gross little gel packs, turned a corner and saw the previously mentioned long long long slow uphill grade. I actually cried. I think it took me about 20 minutes to go from 11.5 to mile 12.5. But at the top of the hill, I sped up as fast as I could and finished strong.

My goal was to finish, not come in last, and not to leave anything in the tank—burn it all on the course. I did all that, so I'm happy with the result. I was pretty sore for three or four days after. Plus I sported two huge blisters on my feet. I earned those babies!

All in all, it was a good start. My June half will be faster and my goal for the Disneyland half is to finish in 2 hours and 55 minutes.

(I think maybe I've lost my mind.)

Jumping on the Band Wagon

2011-03-10T14:34:00.000-08:00

ZUMBA! ZUMBA! It's all the rave and I finally joined a class.

Actually, I've wanted to try Zumba for about 2 years now. People sure rave about it. Last week I started a class through Curves. It's really fun and gets my heart rate sky high pretty quick. It is much more cardiovascular than walking!

I've never done Curves before either and I have to say that I really like it, What a great place for ladies to work out! I like their set up and how you get a really good weight and cardio work out with stretching in just 40 minutes. Very cool set up!
So, I'm jumping on the Zumba band wagon and becoming a big fan.

Ready or Not...

2011-03-05T08:55:00.000-08:00

Rain or shine, in shape or not, the Lincoln City Half Marathon is this Sunday. Yikes! I'm not ready, but I can't stop the calendar from turning. So, I'll have a fun weekend at the beach with girlfriends and not worry about my time, I just need to finish.

Unlike in years past, this year I only set a few goals. One was to do a half marathon every quarter. This is the first. Boedy and I have been walking twice a week. We've both lost 5 pounds, which is a lot for him...a 50 pound dog. Work has been swamped...lots of travel and overtime, plus lots of tasks for my new role in WCCA. So it's not very easy to train on the weekends only. A couple of our walks have been 8 or 9 miles, but were excruciatingly slow! I know can do 13.1 miles in Lincoln City...in the rain, but I have a feeling I'll come in last. "That's okay! Don't be embarrassed, just finish!" At least that's what I'm trying to convince myself.

The next one is in June and I'll be way faster. Then September Disneyland half has a time limit, so I WILL be plenty fast by then.

I may be starting out slow, but at least I'm starting!

Caribbean Cruise giveaway

2011-03-01T19:44:00.000-08:00

Check out this giveaway over on author Michelle Sutton's blog.

New giveaway! Win an all expense paid Florida vacation that includes a Caribbean Cruise to the Bahamas!

Ford County

2011-02-25T08:37:00.000-08:00

I hate to say it, but John Grisham's book, Ford County, is really awful!!!! I don't care about his writing style, head hopping, that doesn't bother me at all. I just want a good storyline with likable characters and villains to fear. But his book, Ford County, has no likable characters and terrible story lines. It's a couple years old and contains seven short stories taking place in Ford County, which is where his first novel, Time to Kill, took place. His two newest books, The Confession and Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer are both entertaining page turners. But this Ford County just stinks, which is sad for me to say, as I am a die hard John Grisham fan.

Sorry, man!

Ladybug is gone

2011-02-20T10:37:00.001-08:00

Ladybug deteriorated a lot this week when I was gone to Denver for work. We had to put her down on Saturday. It's heartbreaking and surreal. I will really miss that silly girl!

My sweet baby

2011-02-09T21:09:00.001-08:00

You all know how much I love my dogs from all the pictures and funny videos I post of them. But this post contains sad pictures, for Ladybug is back in liver failure. As you may recall from the posts two years ago, she went into liver failure and almost died. A biopsy revealed copper build up in her liver leading to sclerosis. No, we had not been feeding her pennies...or alcohol. Apparently copper is in all foods because of it's abundance in the soil. Most of our livers process the copper out. Not Ladybug's. The Vet said in the February of 2009 that she wouldn't make it to her 5th birthday. We prayed and prayed, and God answered. She made it to her 5th birthday and then her 6th. Now she is only two months away from turning 7. But the Vet says she won't survive a week.

Her belly is super bloated from fluids that the liver isn't processing right. She is weak and dehydrated. Fluid builds up in her belly instead of hydrating her body.

She looks pregnant, sad, and miserable. I took her in two weeks ago, thinking they'd put her down. I can't stand to see her suffer. As soon as I opened the vet office doors, I burst into tears. But to my great relief, the Vet said it wasn't time. She isn't in pain, although she is uncomfortable. He said I have maybe another week with her. When she stops eating and drinking, she'll deteriorate fast and it will be obvious that it's time. Until then, he said I could give her as many last meals as she wants. So I have. She loves a little strawberry yogurt on her dog food.

If she were twelve or fourteen years old, this would be so much easier. But six is too young to die! Below is a poor quality video from several years ago when she was alert and healthy. I want her back like this—notice her toys nearby. She loves her toys!

My brother-in-law thinks it's dumb to ask for prayer for pets. But God cares about what we care about. He even says in Proverbs that people who regard the lives of their animals are blessed. So, I continue to pray for my Ladybug and ask anyone who's willing, please pray for her too. There is power in unified prayer!

Flip-the-Coin Date

2011-01-29T11:47:00.000-08:00

My first ever Flip-the-Coin date was a huge success. Dan and I like to make Friday nights our date night, which doesn't have to be elaborate, just whatever we are in the mood for. Sometimes we go to dinner and movie with friends, other times it's just us. Sometimes we go to dinner then complete the dreaded chore of grocery shopping at Ware-Mart. I hate that place, but if we're together on a Friday night after a nice dinner, it doesn't seem so bad.

A few weeks ago, we were so tired on a Friday night that we didn't want to go out at all or cook a big meal. So, we just opened some cans of Healthy Choice soup and made grilled cheese sandwiches together. Then we sat in the hot tub and by 7:30 PM, we were in our PJ's in front of a Netflix movie. Friday nights is just whatever we're are in the mood for. Simple or big, we make it what we want.

This last Friday, the only thing that interested my taste buds was a burger from Red Robin. What a weird craving! However, Friday nights at Red Robin are loud and busy with a long wait. So as I drove home late from work, I ruled Red Robin out. I didn't want to wait an hour to get seated just for a burger. Unfortunately, nothing else sounded good.

By the time I got home, changed and we left again, it was twenty to six. "Where to?" Dan asked. I had a Sees Candy coupon from Christmas, so I asked him to go there first. When we were finished, he said again, "Where to?" I told him to pick, but he didn't know either. I grabbed a quarter and flipped it. With my hand covering the coin, I said, "Heads—we head out south and tails—we turn over the West Salem bridge." He said okay, sounds fun. Then asked if there are any good restaurants in West Salem. "I have no idea but it's heads." West Salem would have to wait for another day as were traveling south.

And so our first Flip-the-Coin date began.

We did not know what we were doing, so we just made it up as we went. No fast food and no place we'd eaten before. And because it was already late, we wanted to stay in town. South Salem would be new to us, as we never go out there. We flipped the quarter at any restaurant that sounded good and skipped ones that didn't. Heads was always head straight and tails was turn in. So far, everything came up heads, so we kept passing restaurants.

We when got to the fork of Commercial and Liberty, we decided heads was heading straight on Commercial and tails was turning onto Liberty. Ah...finally a tails. "Great," Dan said. "There's nothing out Liberty except that little shopping center with a Subway."

"We can always turn on Kubler and head back down Commercial."

"Good plan."

Soon we passed a bright two-story house on a small hill. Thompson's Brewery. It was a McMenamins. We've never been to this one before and didn't even know it existed. After we passed it, I flipped the coin. Heads was head straight still, but tails would be turn around. It was tails. We traveled on to the little shopping village and pulled in to turn around. There were two possibilities in the shopping village: a Sports Grill and Cancun's Mexican Restaurant—never heard of either one. We flipped the coin to stay or turn back. It was tails to turn back. Twice tails to Thompson's Brewery. So we followed the flip. The parking lot at Thompson's was packed, but there was no waiting to be seated inside. Yeah!

After we both ordered burgers, Dan told me he was glad we didn't end up at a Mexican or Italian restaurant, as he was in the mood for a burger. Oh my stars, me too! We had no idea where were we going, but where we ended up was absolutely perfect for what we both had craved.

I don't know if every Flip-the-Coin date is this successful, but I'll certainly try one again the next time neither of us know where we want to go—flipping a coin is a fun way to decide.

You should give it a try. If time allows, flip to stay in town or head out. Flip for Bridgeport or Beaverton. Flip to go to either Corvallis or McMinnville. Or maybe flip between West or South Salem, like us. Since we rarely go to either place, I imagine we'll flip between them again someday. It's a fun way to find new places.

The older I get the more I realize how easily I am entertained by the littlest of things.

William Borden

2011-01-20T17:05:00.000-08:00

My pastor often talks about a young man from the early 1900's named William Borden. When he was in college, his wealthy father died and left William a fortune. Yet, William gave up his luxurious lifestyle and his dad's riches to become a missionary in Egypt. Six months after arriving on the mission field, William got sick and died. Upon the return of William’s possessions, his family received his Bible. In it William Borden wrote, “No Reserve! No Retreat! No Regret! For outside of faith in Christ, there is no explanation for such a life.”

The more I think about William’s words, the more I realize just how deep and true they are. Eternity with Christ in Heaven is the only explanation for devoting one’s life to helping others find Jesus. The earthly wealth Borden gave up was nothing compared to the indestructible and indescribable treasure he received in Heaven. The same principal is available for all Christians. Just read Matthew 6: 19-21 that teaches us to store up treasure in Heaven. That treasure stems from our deeds on earth per 1 Timothy 6:17-19. I wonder what the treasure in Heaven will be like.

Why do you think we don’t spend more time and energy on good deeds and reaching the lost for Christ when it has such eternal rewards for both the lost soul and us? It is a total win/win deal from God. I really want to be more like William Borden. I know it’s hard to keep that fire burning bright every single day, but I think the key is focusing on one day at a time without worrying about the next. Seek God daily, asking the Holy Spirit to stoke the fire everyday, study the word with intent and ask for opportunities to serve or witness. Then obey when He answers. The ramifications for such obedience are eternal, and beautiful, and fun to ponder!

Bring on the Halfs

2011-01-17T08:41:00.000-08:00

Well, I've set my half marathon schedule and am all registered for a few. I guess now it is time to actually start working out. The first one is only 6 weeks away. It's awfully rainy and cold out. I've never trained for a walk entirely on the treadmill. I hear it isn't even close to the same. So I'm going to either have to buck up or live dangerously. Hmmm....

1) Lincoln City Half, 3-6-11
2) Eugene Half, 5-1-11
3) Pacific Crest 6-25-11
4) Disney Half, 9-4-11
5) Silver Creek Falls, 11-5-11

I'm considering dropping one of the above, as four in a year is plenty. Five is a bit much and honestly, this is quite a challenge. I don't know if I really want to do all these halfs. 13.1 miles is a long flippin' way! This was a really good idea a month ago, but now I'm wondering what I was thinking!

A winter sunset in Oregon

2011-01-12T15:31:00.000-08:00

I glanced up from my computer at work a few weeks ago and was shocked to see this gorgeous sunset out my window. It took my breath away. I haven't seen a sunset this vibrant in a long time...maybe ever. I grabbed my little Nikon and went out to the parking lot to snap a few pictures. My photos truly do not do justice to the overwhelming colors streaking across the whole western sky. It was breathtaking! It looked like the horizon was blazing with fire."Thank you, Lord, for filling the earth with amazing beauty. You promised us that Heaven is better by far. It's hard to image a sunset better than this one, but I believe you and look forward to your astounding creations in Heaven. Amen."

New Year Goals

2011-01-06T16:12:00.000-08:00

Every year I make a long list of New Year's Resolutions. This year is no exception. I don't want to become stagnant in life—I want to be a better person, grow, create new habits, and become more disciplined. So, I make goals for my year. Some I'll accomplish and some I won't, which is fine. I'll try again next year—no big deal. The point is that I challenge myself and make some improvements, even if they are just baby steps.

My 2011 Goals

Do 4 half marathons—one each quarter of 2011. Every year I put 'Exercise Consistently' on my goal list. I think I only exercise about 6 months a year. Not because I'm lazy, but because I get sidetracked with other projects and I hate the rain. So this year I've decided to approach this goal differently. If I sign up, pay, and commit to friends that I'll do a half marathon with them each quarter, it should force me to be consistent with exercise the whole year. I'm excited that I might finally accomplish the goal of consistent exercise!
Read the Bible each night before bed. I want to be more consistent with my Bible reading. God's word is the best thing to have on my mind as I fall asleep. I want to get into the habit of falling asleep to scriptures and not the TV.
Finish a writing project. I have 4 and they've been on the back burner far too long. I really want to finish 2 of them this year...or at least one.
Lose 15 pounds. For the first time in years, I don't have, "Lose 25 pounds" on my New Year's Resolution list. YEAH! Been there and done that! But the bad part of that is the fact that I had lost 37 pounds in 2010 and have gained 15 of it back. Shoot! I hope to re-lose that 15. My plan to lose is a little different this time. I'm simply going to eat a little less and exercise a little more. Maybe lose 2 pounds a month. Hopefully that will help me to develop new habits for life.
Be INTENTIONAL with my eating. I'm so good at eating fruits and veggies while dieting, and drinking teas and lots of water. But I return to my beloved cookies when the diet is over. Soon my good habits fade. This year I want to learn to be intentional with my eating so I can keep the weight off without feeling totally deprived. I've read lots of books, I know what I'm supposed to do, and now it's time to actually do it. So if I eat a couple cookies, I need to skip the pasta and garlic bread. Pick and choose my calories—be intentional! This is the year to learn to eat without gaining weight.

Although I have several small goals for 2011, these are the main five I will focus on. I don't see any reason I can't complete all of them either.

May your New Year be blessed, fulfilled, and safe, Amen!

Best Gifts Ever

2011-01-04T16:57:00.000-08:00

One final Christmas post.

What was the best gift you received this Christmas? I received two very special presents. The first came from my daughter and son-in-law. They made me a CD of the songs played during dinner at their wedding reception. They had made a CD of cool old songs to play before the band started. The CD included Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James, Louis Armstrong, Dean Martin, and a couple newer ones, like Michael Buble's Feelin' Good, which I adore! It was a lot of work (and money) for Curtis to make that CD for the reception. For him to do all over again for me was very sweet and thoughtful. I love this gift and have been listening to nothing else in my car since receiving it. Great memories, great music, and made special for me—you just can't beat a present like that!

The second special gift is similar and from my sister, Margie. Years ago when my grandma passed away, Margie received a box of old time home movies on the old reels that my grandpa made before he passed away. That happened when I was in seventh grade, so these movie reels are really old. Margie's had this box of movie reels for several years now, and this year she started the daunting process of splicing a bunch together and putting them onto a DVD. She duplicated it many times for family. There is no sound, but what great footage—my sisters doing 50's swing dancing and Go Go dancing, my brothers playing baseball, my grandparents alive and well, my mom looking like a movie star. I'm about 3 years old in the movies and am amazed at how pure white my hair was. I was a toe head until becoming a teenager. It seems the older I get the darker my hair gets, so it is really strange to see my hair so dang light it's unreal.

Anyway, what special gifts I received this year. I love them both and my heart is overflowing with gratitude. Thank you Margie, Bree, and Curtis!

So, anyone willing to share about something that really touched you? Not every year is like that, but when it happens, it comes as such a surprise and sure melts your heart. I love it!

I'm still learning lessons from my mom.

2010-12-29T14:16:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks before Christmas, my mom said something in passing about giving a homeless man a five dollar bill, because she was out of ones. I told her to give her money to the Union Gospel Mission instead. They give free meals to the homeless. Don't give it to the dudes on the street corners, as they are likely to use it for for booze and not food. I think supporting the Union Gospel Mission is a better way to feed the homeless than passing out one dollar bills.

Mom then explained she doesn't feel right driving by an obviously homeless person without giving them something. Jesus said that what we do for the least of them, we do for Him. (See below.) Therefore, my mother dear plans to keep giving homeless dudes dollar bills, as it's not her job to monitor what they spend it on. True, but if you want to feed them, why not do why my husband does? He often buys an extra bag of apples to keep in his truck. He passes apples out. Sometimes he even gives the whole bag away.

Days later my mom presented me with her excellent idea. The next thing I know, I'm buying little peanut butter crackers to participate in her epiphany. We packed little gift bags with an apple, peanut butter crackers, some candy, and one of my grand dad's Bible tracts. Grand dad used to order them by the hundreds and pass them out because he was too shy to talk to strangers about Jesus. When grand dad moved to Heaven, I received a box of his little tracts. I used to hand one out with a dollar to the homeless folks until I saw one of them buying beer in WinCo.

Anyway, check out how cute our little homeless gift bags turned out. We signed the tags, "Merry Christmas! Love, Jesus."

We made a dozen of them and put them in mom's car and mine to pass out as we did our Christmas shopping and running around.

Matthew 25: 34-46

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

New Grand Dog

2010-12-29T14:00:00.000-08:00

Thank you, friends, for asking me to end my blogging break. I rarely see comments, so I appreciate the verbal feedback. I'm glad some of you enjoy my pictures, weird musings, and ramblings. I've made a long list of topics to blog about, starting with a fun one—introducing my friends and family to Sir Theodore Roosevelt Howard, my new grand dog. Isn't he cute!!!!Bree came home for 12 days this Christmas bringing her new puppy and new hubby. What a blast we had...except for the trip to the ER. Curtis tore tendons in his ankle. I doubt he'll ever want to play B-ball with his bro-in-law again.

Back to my grand dog...he is such a sweetie and I am smitten!!! I've changed his name from Theodore to Theodorable.

Now I have 2 grand dogs, Teddy and Toby. Both are Pugles, half Pug and half Beagle. They have great personalities.

There were lots of doggie gifts under the tree this year. What a fun Christmas with a full house—a very special year.

2 things I learned this week

2010-12-10T15:24:00.000-08:00

I've been on a blogging break and I'm not really back, but thought I would stop a moment and share two things I learned this week.

1) From the Biggest Loser: Only one percent of all Americans will ever complete a Marathon. I will never be in that 1%. I wonder what's the percentage for a 1/2 marathon, though, because I've done a few of those. I even have 2 planned for next year. (As long as my friends come through, hint hint, M & J.)

2) Fifty-nine percent of Americans never read a book cover to cover between high school and death. Holy cow!!! That astounds me!

Quote of the Week

2010-11-15T13:33:00.000-08:00

I love this quote posted in my dentist's office from Bishop Fulton J. Sheen.

"Beauty on the outside never gets into the soul, but beauty of the soul reflects itself on the face. It's loveliness refuses to be imprisoned; it comes out on the eyes, the words, and the kindness of the hands."

How true.

13 pounds. Seriously?

2010-11-09T14:56:00.001-08:00

Since Bree's wedding I've gained 13 pounds. How the heck did that happen? It's like 1.25 pounds a week. Why does it come off so dang slow and come back with lightening speed?
Is this my life? A never ending diet?

My friend told me a few months ago that at some point, we must learn to be content with our weight. I did that....13 pounds ago.

So, only two and half weeks before Thanksgiving, and I am starting a diet. My goal is to lose 13 pounds by 1-1-11. If I don't diet through the holiday, then come 1/1/11, my 13 pounds regained will become 20. I can't let that happen. It scares and depresses me. I worked so hard to lose 35 pounds, but the real work is now...keeping it off.

Again I ask, is this my life?

Voodoo Donuts

2010-11-01T19:50:00.000-07:00

I've heard about Voodoo Donuts in downtown Portland for a couple years now, but never had the opportunity to go. When Dan and I flew to Palm Springs a few weeks ago, a lady boarded our plane with a box of Voodoo Donuts to take home. She was pretty excited and protective of them.

Well, last Saturday I finally went to see what all the fuss was about. Voodoo Donuts is a freaky little hole in the wall in down town Portland. They had a long line outside just to get in.The donuts were very different. They have a maple bar with bacon on top and several donuts with cereal toppings. It was impossible to choose, so we got lots to take home and share.

My verdict???? Although I enjoyed their 'classic' I didn't like the funky ones. And their donuts are super heavy. Honestly, I don't understand all the fuss. They are expensive and they don't beat Krispy Kreme'.

With that said, I'm glad I gave them a whirl. It's fun to try new things and spend time with friends. That was the best part.

Work-cation to Palm Springs

2010-11-01T19:39:00.000-07:00

I was able to take my hubby with me on a recent work conference in Palm Springs. The host treated the attendees to golf and polo. We had a blast.

I like the little critters we saw on the course. There were lots of road runners too, but they'd take off at the sight of a camera.
I had never been to a polo match before. It was an exhibition match, followed by golf cart polo. (Not really sure what's up by my funky pose, but my friend Maria and the horse sure look great.)

Dan played golf cart polo and scored a goal or two. His name was Hoof Hearted, after the race horse, pretty funny. Here's a quick video.

Bree's wedding...again

2010-10-21T13:49:00.000-07:00

Sorry to go backwards, but a couple items have only recently become available: the awesome picture below and a little video of Bree's wedding. It's only a 5 minute overview that I've watched a dozen or more times. I just love it, so I thought I'd share the link, enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDBWo4Hoftk

Zip Line checked off the ol' bucket list

2010-10-06T18:14:00.001-07:00

For years, I've had zip lining on my bucket list. Not anymore! Last week in Kauai, I did it! Not really sure what I was thinking, though. Skydiving and bungee jumping scare the beejeebies out of me, so why did I think zip lining would be fun? I suppose it was, after the running jump off—scariest thing ever!Above is the canyon we traversed with 7 different lines to the bottom. And below is my nephew Scott, posing with the cool little Swiss army jeep (or something like that) we rode to the top of the canyon.

We went with my chopper flying nephew, Scott and his gorgeous wife, Courtney pictured below. They're newlyweds for another week. The 4 victims below look peppy at the top. Although none of us had zip lined before, the other three had skydived, so this wasn't scary to them. I was the only one shaking in her boots.
On the 3rd line, I actually let go with one hand to extended my arm for a self picture. Notice how high in the air I am. Oh my stars! As we traversed to the bottom, we each took a turn holding the camera for a self portrait.

Great timing, Courtney, you were right over the little river. Notice her zipping in her lei. And below Dan hangs loose above a tree. Below is Scott with our guide, Pono—a totally cool surfer dude! A lot of the locals were excited about the arrival of the big waves, which came in the week we were there. I didn't know surfing was seasonal. I guess the small summer waves aren't great for hanging ten. So last week many locals were counting down their work shifts and super anxious to hit those big waves.

Well, zip lining is officially checked off my bucket list. And honestly, it was fun the closer we got to the bottom. One of the zip lines at the top was over 900 feet long. They actually made us sprint off the platform and into a cannon ball to get enough speed to make it all the way across the long line. Whoa! Scariest thing ever!

Fall preview

2010-09-20T16:44:00.001-07:00

For the first time in a really long time, I am super excited about all the new TV shows...Hawaii 5—0 premiers tonight, as does The Event and The Chase. Or course, Dancing with the Stars is back. Oh so many choices! My favorites before DWTS even begins are Jennifer Gray and Michael Bolton. The rest of the cast is a little disappointing!

Tuesday also has some old favorites and some new hopefuls like Running Wilde. It looks cute, as well as No Ordinary Family. Detroit 1-8-7 might be interesting. Of course, NCIS and Biggest Loser are back.

Wednesday now has the privilege of hosting the best show on TV, Survivor! America's Next Top Model is also back. Those 2 already premiered. Four newcomers will premier this week that may have possibilities: Undercovers, The Whole Truth, Defenders, and the new Law & Order LA.

Apprentice is back on Thursdays, as well as CSI and the Mentalists. They have a few new sitcoms that I'm not really interested in. My Precepts Bible Study is on Thursdays, so no TV this night. Okay, well maybe Apprentice at 10PM.

And finally! they're putting good possibilities on Fridays. I am super excited for Blue Bloods with Tom Selleck and Outlaw with Jimmy Smits. There are 2 others that I don't know anything about, but I like their titles: Secret Millionaire and Body of Proof. They sound like they could be cool.

Having so many choices is kind of exciting. But for someone who wanted to reduce her TV viewing to only 3 or 4 nights a week, it's sabotage!

Enjoy Premier week!

Real Change Takes Real Time

2010-09-13T09:35:00.000-07:00

I started a journey of change on 09-09-09. (Click here to review one of those first posts about it.) Today, I reread all my entries from September 09. Some of the items I challenged myself with have fallen away and others I've done pretty well at.

I stopped taking my hormones on 9-9-09. I am still off of them.
I've lost about 30 pounds. At my highest, I was up to 37 pounds off. I do not have the discipline to maintain that though. I teeter between 27 pounds lost and 33 pounds off. Still, I am very pleased. I'm super excited that it's been a year, which makes it more permanent.
No rated R movies - I must confess that in the last year, I saw 2. I guess I get an F grade here, because I did not watch very many in the first place and was trying to eliminate the few I did see. Dah!
Regular exercises - I successfully completed the Chick Challenge for Change, which was a 5.5 month exercise program. Since then I have been golfing a lot this summer, a few good bike rides, hiking 3 times at Silver Creek Falls, and now I'm getting ready for the Good Samaritan Challenge next weekend—over 7 miles. So I'm doing okay, but my workouts are not nearly as strenuous as they should be! Nevertheless, looking at the year as a whole, and I'd say, "Not too shabby!"
Deeper with Christ — my Precepts Bible Study has really helped stay consistent with weekly homework and meetings. I love what I've been studying and learning. However, there is plenty of room to be deeper and not perfunctory. I greatly desire to be closer to Christ. Not only can I do better, I NEED to do better here. And I will!
Be a deeper friend and less surfacy. Again, yes and no. I stepped up many times with some of my girl friends, but it's hard to find the time to be everything to everyone. I can tell you about an unexpected blessing in this area....my friends and family really came through for me at daughter's wedding. What amazing women I have in my life. I am so blessed and thankful! Here I wanted to be a better friend to others, and instead others really and truly blessed me. Thank you, ladies. I praise God for you all.
Reading non-fiction sprinkled in with my beloved fiction - I sort of forgot about this one. I went on a diet book kick and read several of those in a row. Recently, I've been on a Jude Devereaux kick, having read several of her fictional books. I have two new John Grisham books to read too. But, after reading my original plan, I see that I need to get some good non-fiction books back into my literary diet.
Journaling...I finally started a journal last month for the first time in my life. I like to keep it poised while doing my Precepts lessons. When the Holy Spirit reveals something interesting or I have an epiphany, I write it down. God's word is so amazing—it is truly miraculous how a scripture can say something new ever time you study it. It's also ridiculous how fast I forget those insights. I should have been writing them down all my life. I finally get the importance of keeping a journal.
Less TV....oh man, with the fall premiers right around the corner and lots of cool new shows on the schedule, I don't even want to do this one. I'll save this subject for a post of it's own. I have lots of thoughts.
Think first, talk second, and less interrupting. Believe it or not, this is one of the hardest things for me to do. My personality really gets in the way of meeting this goal. I need to force myself to get into this habit. This is not going to be an easy change to make.
Be a better cook. With all the dieting I've done, all the traveling, all the busyness, I don't know if I accomplished this goal, but I can honestly say I've tried. We've eaten a lot of tacos this year, BBQ's all year long, lots of crock pot meals, a few de-boned chicken meals and two big thanksgiving dinners. I've been watching the food channel and putting things learned into practice, which has been fun. I even recently canned marinara sauce with my homegrown tomatoes. So maybe I'd get a B grade here. Or a C. I think my husband needs to grade this one.
Last but not least, adopt some freegan traits of spending less, shun commercialism, avoid over spending. A wonderful, fantastic wedding doomed this goal as soon as the words, "Will you marry me?" were spoke to my daughter. However, I can tell you this, I am on a non-buying kick right now—no Visa for 30 days except for gas or services. But one or two good months out of twelve does not meet the goal. I guess that's why permanent change is a long journey of baby steps.

~ REAL CHANGE TAKES REAL TIME ~

I finally did it.

2010-09-08T13:57:00.001-07:00

Silver Creek Falls is probably my favorite touristy spot in Oregon and I go there a lot. I've seen all the water falls many times. However, I don't know if I've ever hiked the entire 8.7 miles to see all ten falls in one day before. I finally found a friend willing to do it with me, and what a great time we had last weekend. Beautiful and pretty easy. It wasn't until the hike up, up, and out that I felt fatigue...in my gluts. Ha! My rear end was pretty sore the next day too, but that was nothing compared to what came next.

My husband is tearing out our side yard and seeding new grass. He's been working on it for days, so I pitched in on Memorial Day...all live long day...digging, shoveling and wheel barreling, lifting, raking, more shoveling. That night every muscle in my body ached. Now today, 2 days later, the only thing still sore is the ole gluteus maximus.
But no rest for the weary. Due to my busy summer of wedding preparations for my daughter, I've put off training for the upcoming Good Samaritan 12K Challenge on September 18th. I'm doing it with several friends. I know I can easily walk a 12K, but I really wanted to run at least half. I thought that would be a great way to up my game, since I am a walker, not a runner. But it's raining. I need to get out there and really train for 2 whole weeks if I want to jog. But I hate the rain. What's an Oregon girl to do?

Wedding Dreams

2010-08-26T09:47:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pictures from my daughter's wedding last weekend. The ceremony was at the Smith Family Chapel in Austin, Texas.

Above is my niece, Kelli on the right with Bree's Matron of Honor on the left, Kristi, who has been Bree's BFF since grade school.
All the bridesmaids and the bridesmaids dresses were so pretty! We crossed the street for the reception at the Austin Country Club. Everything was so pretty and fun. All the hard work and stress leading up to the big day faded away, leaving a special and romantic evening—better than we dreamed.Above the girls pose at the Austin Country Club with the 360 bride in the background. Aren't they beautiful! We are extremely blessed to welcome Curtis into our family. He makes my daughter so happy, which makes me love him all the more!
If you want to see more photos, because oh man, there is so much more to see, here is a link to a whole album of them. And kudos to my friend Joan who took most of these for me. She is very talented—thanks, Joanie!!!

Let the wedding pictures begin...

2010-08-23T14:30:00.000-07:00

I just returned from Texas where my baby girl became a wife and I gained an awesome son-in-law. Their wedding was so beautiful, and yet surreal for me. Lots of friends and family members made the long journey to attend, but many others could not. So' I'll post lots of pictures for them, starting with the rehearsal dinner, decorating the church and the reception. These will set the stage for the big event. Enjoy.
Not a flattering pose of me, but you can see the good work I'm doing fixing the petals just right for the big moment. Joanie helped, but you can't see her because now she's behind the lens.Above and below are a few personal touches I made. So pretty!Below is my sister and niece, Kelli, an AWESOME bridesmaid. Such pretty girls!Bree's mom and new mother-in-law. The reception flowers were gorgeous!My handsome son and two cute nephews were so helpful with ushering, videography, driving people, and carrying stuff on the day of the wedding. Thanks, boys!All the girls in the bridal party, including the bride, wore high high black heels. They looked great with their pretty pink toes.The bride's cake was beautiful and the groom's cake was amazing to look at and fantastic to eat, as it was chocolate praline. Next is Bree and Kristi, the best Matron of Honor in the world!And a little peek at the bride. Check back in a few days for gorgeous pictures of the happy couple and their touching wedding ceremony. (Yes, several of us cried.)

Wild life in Big Cottonwood Canyon

2010-08-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

I recently went to Utah and Colorado for a few days of work. The more I travel to these two states, the more I like them, especially Utah. Great, picturesque hikes with viewable wildlife make it so much fun for me. Check out this moose just eating on the side of road. How cool is that!

Thanks Prez!

2010-07-29T06:47:00.000-07:00

We have a new car in our garage...an electric car. It may look like a golf cart, but technically it's an electric car—street legal with license plates and everything. And we'd like to thank our president for this electric car.
In 2009, President Obama offered $6500 straight off one's taxes if they bought an electric car. So we did. Our wise tax dollars at work...thanks everyone!

Proverbs

2010-07-23T10:46:00.000-07:00

I've been reading Proverbs a lot lately. Some verses are so amazingly deep they are hard to absorb. Others can really entertain me, like ...better to be out in the desert than in a house with a quarrelsome woman. Ha!

Below are a few interesting ones that are fun to ponder—such great gems!

Proverbs 11:22 Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.

Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

Proverbs 16:30 He who winks with his eye is plotting perversity; he who purses his lips is bent on evil.

Proverbs 23:4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.

Dramatic Take Away

2010-07-07T15:14:00.000-07:00

I've been listening to the Karen Kingsbury Sunrise Series on CD. There is a line in the last book that I can't stop thinking about. This is a completely fictional book series, so one wouldn't expect a dramatic take-away. And yet the more I think about the line, the bigger it becomes.

Before sharing the line, here's the scenario: One of the characters lost a baby due to anencephaly. Several months later, she is pregnant again and her sister is fearful that the new baby will also have anencephaly. The pregnant girl's father is the patriarch of the family. He is a godly man and a physician. So the sister asks him what are the chances the new baby will also have anencephaly. He answered, "100%." The sister freaked out until the doctor-dad explained. "There is 100% chance that this baby will turn out exactly how God intends."

Hmmm.... That is a seemingly insignificant sentence. But think about it. The depth of truth is pretty profound....and applicable in so many ways.

Journey of Change Update

2010-07-02T14:44:00.000-07:00

As promised, here's a quick diet update. My journey of permanent weight loss can be described with one word. Yo-yo. Of course, I'd like to add a few other words, like sleep deprived, frustrated, and encouraged. Well, maybe this won't be so short since I need to explain those.

First yo-yo. I lost 35 pounds, gained 10 back, and now I'm back in the saddle. I really want to re-lose the 10 pounds before Bree's wedding. So I'm on a big push and have 4 pounds down, 6 to go. (And if I were totally honest with you all, I'd admit that my secret goal is to lose 11, not just 6. I'm afraid to admit that, as it will take a lot of discipline and I don't know if I have it in me. It's been a long fall, winter, and spring of dieting and I'm getting a little tired of it. And yet, I am really motivated to make sure I keep the weight off for a full year, which makes it permanent and not temporary.)

Second: sleep deprivation. On 09-09-09, I started this journey of change and stopped taking my hormone, which really helped with my weight loss. I did not know stopping would cause an inability to sleep. So, I recently went to see a naturopathic physician for something natural to take that won't cause weight gain. My blood work showed low thyroid function, so no wonder I've had so much trouble keeping the weight off. I'm starting 2 new natural medications to help correct these two items. The doc promises me there are no side effects, especially not weight gain. As a matter of fact, he says they will support my weight loss, so I won't be constantly fighting an uphill battle. Whoo hoo, now that is encouraging.

Ten months down, two to go. Things are going well, thank the Lord!

The Write Stuff

2010-06-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

In life, things come and go and come again, only to leave once more just like the weather seasons in Oregon. I think my writing journey of late has followed Autumn. Winter is consumed with holidays, family, and baking. Last spring and summer, as well as the ones before, golfing with my husband gobbled my time leaving little room for writing in the spring and summer months. However, this year wedding tasks and the rain have prevented me from golfing much. (Although after church last night, I enjoyed a quick 9 holes with my son and husband. I even parred one hole, which doesn't usually happen for me until the end of summer.)

Therefore, it seems like fall is my writing season. How can I find more room for writing all year round? Well, I strong armed my critique group, The Write Stuff, into starting back up with strict Saturday deadlines that we much keep! There is only one problem with this plan—my critique group has dwindled down to just me and Lovely Lynetta, who is as busy or busier than I.

Let me introduce you to Lynetta Smith, an author published many times in Focus on the Family's Clubhouse Junior Magazine, Chicken Soup For The Soul, and many other magazines, as well as her local newspaper. She is a great Christian writer and reader, gifted speller, and gracious critiquer. I am blessed to be a part of The Write Stuff with Lynetta. She recently did a speed critique of my entire manuscript, which is now back in the hands of the editor—Yeah! I am praying it finds favor with the editor, that she likes all her requested changes I made, and it's finally accepted. This is it! My hopes are sky high this time. God is faithful—His will above my own! Since God wants to give us the desires of our heart, my faith is unwavering.

Lynetta does book critiques for Christian Fiction Blog Alliance, which are published on her blog. So if you want recommendations on something good to read, check out her book only blog at: Open Book.

Well, that's my writing update. The Write Stuff is giving our selves some Saturday deadlines, which sometimes we keep. But that's okay because Jesus Christ, family, church, and our jobs will always take first priority in our lives. If the Lord allows for writing time after these priorities, then Lynetta and I will take full advantage. We are truly on the same page making us the perfect critique partners.

God bless you, Lynetta!

Blog Break

2010-06-23T19:28:00.000-07:00

Not since I started blogging have I waited so long between posts. Sorry about that...to you dozen or so readers. It isn't because I don't have anything to say, rather it’s due to being so busy...at home, at work, in yards, with my writing and especially my daughter's wedding. She was home recently and her Matron of Honor gave her an awesome shower. I'll post a few pictures now and in a few days, I will post a writing update and a diet update.So check back in a couple days, I promise to be quick.

High school friends and church friends.

Bree poses with her bridesmaids. Only one was unable to attend.And below is my mom with two of her grand daughters. Kelli is also a bridesmaid in Bree's wedding. Next Bree is with her other grandma above and two moms below.

Here I am chatting up with another mother of the bride. Bree's friend Liz just got engaged, so Susan and I had lots to talk about. My good friend Trish is below, also a MOB. We should have grabbed Karen Palmer, the 4th MOB in attendance, and all posed for a picture—our own little mafia.

Sherry works on the rehearsal bouquet.

Below Bree is flanked by her Matron of Honor and Maid of Honor.

Kristi sure knows how to throw a party!Such a special time! We are truly blessed to have so many friends and loved ones!

Narrowing in on Israel

2010-06-04T08:31:00.000-07:00

I'm not into world politics, but the article below is definitely heart stopping! Below is a cut and paste. I added the emphasis in the last paragraph because I thought it was pretty important.

ISRAELI RABBIS SAY CURRENT EVENTS COULD LEAD TO "WAR OF GOG AND MAGOG"

By Joel C. Rosenberg

(Washington, D.C., June 3, 2010) -- A pastor friend of mine who is helping us set up the 2010 Epicenter Conference in Philadelphia later this month just sent me an urgent text message with this headline from Israel National News: "RABBIS: FLOTILLA CLASH SIMILAR TO GOG AND MAGOG PROPHESY." As you might expect, it caught my attention right away. Excerpts:

* "The Rabbinical Council of Judea and Samaria issued a statement Thursday in which it said that the results of the incident in which Israel intercepted a flotilla trying to break the naval blockade of Gaza seem like the Biblical description of "the beginning of the Gog and Magog process where the world is against us, but which ends with the third and final redemption….

* "The Council was formed by Rabbi Zalman Melamed of Beit El and includes leading religious Zionist rabbis who are the spiritual leaders of communities in Judea and Samaria….

* "'Gog and Magog' is a reference is to chapters 38 and 39 in the book of Ezekiel, a part of which is read on the intermediate Sabbath of Sukkot (Tabernacles). These chapters describe a vision of a war where the world is united against Israel that will precede the final redemption of Israel and the world. The prophecy's symbolism involves a prince called Gog of Magog, leader of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, who leads a coalition that includes Persia (Iran), Cush, Phut, Gomer, and Beit Togarmah against Israel. There are various opinions regarding the modern identity of these nations."

There is growing interest in the Ezekiel prophecies and whether they could play out in our lifetime. I believe it is still too early to say anything definitively. But I agree that current events are strikingly consistent with the prophecies and I believe it is possible that we could see these events unfold soon. The mention of "Gomer" in Ezekiel, for example, refers to the modern-day State of Turkey which will be an enemy of Israel and part of a Russian-Iranian alliance against the Jewish state. I'm not saying the prophecy will necessarily come to pass soon, but I can't rule out that possibility. We've never seen a convergence of geopolitical and spiritual events so consistent with Ezekiel 38-39 in history like we are seeing today. We need to be prayerful, sober, alert and prepared. At the conference on June 25-26 in Philly, I will address the latest developments. But I knew you'd want to see this article. It's posted on my weblog -- http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/.

Taking Chance for Memorial Day

2010-05-31T10:45:00.001-07:00

Last night I watched the true HBO movie, Taking Chance, starring Kevin Bacon. WOW! Wow, wow, wow! It was interesting, educational, super moving, clean, not gruesome, and educational. I know I already said that but it's worth saying twice. I had no idea the process involved in bringing a fallen soldier home for burial. This interesting and extremely moving movie is well worth your time! Based on true events, Taking Chance is the perfect movie to watch for Memorial Day—and what an honor to Chance Phelps and all our fallen soldiers! Watch it!

Spring

2010-05-20T18:39:00.001-07:00

On my way home from work tonight, I had to stop for a duck crossing. Where is this momma going in the city with 5 o'clock traffic all around and no pond in sight? Curiosity got the better of me, so I turned my car around and tried to follow her. She must have hid in some bushes, because I couldn't find the little family...rather big family. That's a lot of babies.

I do love spring.

All that awful rain sure brings pretty things, like this Keizer iris.

Survivor Final on Sunday 5-16-10

2010-05-14T14:33:00.000-07:00

I am thoroughly enjoying this season of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. I am pulling for Sandra or Colby to win. Even Jerri, just anyone but Russell.

Funniest thing, I like to watch the Ponderosa videos. After the Survivors are voted out, they go to Ponderosa. At cbs.com, you can watch little videos of life at Ponderosa. Well, Coach, JT, and Courtney wrote a song, formed a band, and made a music video. The photo on the left is of JT on the guitar. Oh my stars. Coach is so totally serious, which makes it hilarious. Watch the Ponderosa video dated 4-22 first, JT part 2, then the music video for the Dragonz. Here's a link to the site.
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor/video/?vs=Ponderosa

Such fun entertainment!

Rambling thoughts

2010-05-10T09:05:00.000-07:00

Tammy's musings for the week....

Why is Survivor only 1 hour each week and Celebrity Apprentice 2 hours each week? They so need to switch that around!
I finally finished all the revisions on my manuscript and sent the last 10 chapters to my awesome, faithful critiquer. As soon as I get it back and I will rush to make the changes and send it back to the editor who expressed interest months ago and requested these changes. I just pray that my long delay did not cause her lose interest. Oh may my manuscript find favor in her eyes, making the third time the charm!
I've resumed work on one of the other books I started writing lasting year. I feel jazzed again.
Haven't golfed yet and I am super anxious to get out to the driving range. The weather is getting better and things are getting crossed off my wedding to-do list, so I think hitting the links is just around the corner.
I am maintaining at 30 pounds lost, Praise God!!!!!!!!!!!
Finally, thank you, thank you, and thank you to those who've passed Michael's coupons to me. I've made a big dent in the list.
Hand cutting silk rose pedals is for the birds. So, please keep the Michael's coupons coming!

Have a super blessed week, everyone.

What is humility?

2010-05-03T11:02:00.000-07:00

Last month I posted about hitting my goal weight. And although I see so many imperfections and changes needed in myself, I also realize that I must transition my thinking toward contentment. At some point, we must all learn to be content with our selves, which of course is a Biblical instruction. But one thing always itched at the back of mind about being content...is it a form of conceit? Thinking one is perfect and doesn't need to change?

Well, I finally have that itch scratched. A friend shared an anonymous quote with me that explains humility so well. I personally believe that humility and contentment go hand in hand, so this really hits home.

"Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less."

Abso-stinkin'-lutely, that's what I need!

I've written it at my desk to keep it front and center.
Phil 2: 3 & 4 "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others."

I think a big part of learning to be content is shifting my focus from my many wants, and thinking of the needs of others first!

"Humility is not thinking less of yourself,
it is thinking of yourself less."

Help please

2010-04-22T15:39:00.000-07:00

I am home from Texas. Wedding planning is exhausting and a blast!

So I have a favor to ask my local friends. I need some Michael's 50% off coupons. So if anyone has an extra, or one they don't plan to use, can you pass it to me please? I need lots throughout the whole summer, actually. We have a verrrrry long list of wedding necessities.

Thanks, all.

How to de-bone a chicken

2010-04-12T07:38:00.000-07:00

While at my uncle's ranch in Texas last October, my uncle Ron taught me how to de-bone a chicken. He then stuffed and baked it. Talk about fabulous. Ever since watching Julie/Julia, where Julie was so afraid to de-bone a duck, I have wanted to learn how to do that.

Two months ago, my young, strong, healthy, and wise uncle Ron went to bed feeling fine, but moved to Heaven in his sleep. There were no signs. We are still in shock and he will be greatly missed. In his honor. I de-boned and stuffed a couple chickens for Easter dinner. It was actually pretty fast easy.Above are the ingredients. A whole chicken, rinsed with the yicky stuff pulled out and cooked for the dogs. Something covered for roasting, a really sharp knife, a needle, and dental floss. Just cut a long line down the back bone then start carving out the rib cage. You will have to cut through the bone at the legs and wings, to separate the body cavity thing from the rest of the bird. Basically, you are just cutting the whole back bone/rib cage thing out, as shown below. The only bones left are in the legs and wings. Those stay. When chefs talk about de-boning a chicken, duck, or turkey, they aren't including the bones in the wings and legs. I never knew that.
Use the needle and dental floss to stitch up the back. The dental floss works great, because it is a little waxy and big, thus easy to find after cooking the chicken. Stuff it, season it, bake it covered at 325 for 90 minutes, then uncovered about 30 minutes.

And voila! It split a little bit when I took it out of the casserole dish and placed it on the platter, but that's okay. The taste is what matters, and this chicken was tender and fantastic. I loved slicing it and having the chicken and stuffing come out together for a slice on your plate. That looks so cool. You can just cut the drum sticks for folks to eat like regular.

I'm so thankful for the time I spent with my uncle last October. I plan to make this dinner a lot in honor of him.

It was a great Easter dinner.

(FYI: No Bowers boy knows how to smile like a normal person for a picture. That's just a fact.)

MOB Duties

2010-04-05T13:30:00.000-07:00

My daughter and her fiance' were in town this week for Easter, an engagement party, bridesmaid fittings, and wedding gown shopping. We look lots of pictures, but those can't be shown. Mums the word on the fabulous gown. Here are some pictures from the fun little engagement party at Padington's Pizza Parlor. We had a wonderful cake made by Meli. Red velvet and super moist. She is self taught and makes cakes for fun, selling them at cost, since she is just starting out. That girl needs to go pro! If you need a cake, let me know and I'll give you her number.

Above is Liz, her folks and her fireman.

Curtis looks highly entertained by Skyler.

And I'm highly entertained by my brother in law. Those crazy Bowers!

The best two hairdressers in Salem...go to Pikes and ask for Nancy or Angie.

My brother wanted to talk to Wanda but saw her with another guy, so he stayed away. Not sure how Mick and Jenifer ended up across from each other, instead of side by side, but it kept the boys away from Wanda. Not sure if that was a good or a bad thing.
Two blondies and the third is rocking her grandson in the background, but got cut off. Sorry, Trish!

Thanks, everyone, who came to wish the happy couple many blessings!

Learning to be Satisfied

2010-03-31T10:58:00.000-07:00

Learn to be satisfied...learn is the key word here, as we must truly learn to be satisfied. Deprogramming the brainwashing of commercialism, TV, and magazines, and instead program into ourselves thoughts of satisfaction and contentment, is easier said than done. But not impossible. It just takes effort and self-discipline, something a lot of us aren't great at. But I am setting my sights on learning to be satisfied.

Dr. James Marocco said, "Never think about yourself so much you are consumed with yourself."

The last six months, I've been a bit consumed with my diet. It's hard not to be consumed with it when every day I had to think about what I am supposed to eat, what to cook for me vs. for my family, two grocery shopping lists, and getting my weekly exercise in for the Chick Challenge. (And I know what you are thinking—one list and meal so everyone is eating healthy. It is not that simple as I have such a hard time keeping meat on my husband's bones. His food must be healthy as well as loaded with calories.) Anyway, I am crossing a threshold this week and must now convert my thinking from desire to contentment. For I have finally met a major goal. I have officially met my goal weight and lost 35 pounds. That is huge. (I think stopping my hormone on 9-9-09 was key.)

So now that I have met my goal, I find myself noticing how much more I could lose, or picking part other things. My good friend said to me a few months ago, that at some point we must learn to be happy with ourselves. I agree, but how does one actually accomplish that? I suppose through concerted efforts to deprogram our minds, to reject thoughts of dissatisfaction, and to purposely fill our minds with thoughts of contentment. But this new way of thinking is so foreign and new to my brain, it seems almost unnatural. Why is that? Do the roots of American TV and commercialism really borrow themselves that deep inside our psyche? I honestly believe they do.

So as I begin life with new eating habits and learning how to enjoy food without ever gaining the weight back, I am also going to teach my brain to think content thoughts. I am the teacher, my brain is the student. Satisfaction here I come.

Temptation

2010-03-29T08:01:00.000-07:00

Adam and Eve were so innocent and, dare I say it, perfect before they met that crafty serpent. They must have been amazed when the serpent talked to them, asking questions. When the serpent told them the forbidden fruit would not kill them, but instead would make them wise like God, that must have sounded awesome! After all, they loved God and would probably have greatly desired to be more like Him. What Christian does not want to be more like Christ? Isn't that our goal? Christ like.

Anyway, if Adam and Eve would have paused a second before jumping in, and said to the serpent, "This sounds awesome! We're going to ask God when he comes down in the cool of the day tonight. We'll let you know what He says. Bye now." Oh, the great cost of sin they could have avoided. And think of how must they could have learned from the Lord if they would have told Him what transpired with the serpent and how badly they wanted to eat the apple.

I'm studying Genesis in my Precepts class and I keep thinking about this. If all Christians (okay me) could get into the habit of stopping in the middle of temptation and say, "Lord, I REALLY want to do this, is it so bad? Show me the true cost of this sin." How many scars could we avoid if we could just get into the habit of pausing and asking God the cost.

Scam Revealed

2010-03-16T09:50:00.000-07:00

I am not a conspiracy theorist, but I swear to you, there is a big scam going on with the companies who sell cheap airline tickets and rent cars online.

In the last week, I have reserved 13 airlines tickets. Lot's of flying around for my mom, aunt, cousin, as well as my family to Bree's wedding in August. Here is what I uncovered: if you search all the big online companies, Orbitz, Cheap Tickets, even Alaska or United's site directly, and you gather all the cost information and flight options, then you sign off. You talk to your family and make your decision, then go back the next day to purchase something you found the day before, suddenly the price has jumped up by $40 bucks or more. Or it is no longer available, only a more expensive flight is available.

I find that very very fishy when it happens time after time. So yesterday I tested my theory. I looked up and reserved our rental car for Texas in one sitting. Then signed off and 5 minutes later, I looked it up again. The price had jumped up over $100.

SCAM!

I wonder if these companies have a computer program that tags a computer coming back in to search for something they already looked up, so they automatically raise the price. They think you must really want that flight if you come back again.

So my advice to everyone, search from one computer, then use a different one to purchase your tickets.

We can beat them at their own game!

Maui Disposable Camera Photos

2010-03-10T18:04:00.001-08:00

If you've been following my Maui posts, you may recall I forgot my digital camera. So here are a few pictures taken from the $10 disposable I picked up at an ABC Store. These pictures are better than I expected, except for the whale ones.

We walked down for Shaved Ice almost every day.

Below is Dan, Kim and Sarah watching sunset. God blessed us with some gorgeous sunsets!

Below is the sunset from our table at the Humuhumunukunukuapua'a restarant in the Grand Wailea. The dinner tasted good, nothing fabulous despite the big price. I guess we paid for the fantastic view!

We went on a fast raft to see the humpback whales. Above is one's flipper and below is a tail. The babies like to play, lots of tail and flipper flaps.

No zoom, so this is as good as it gets.

We experienced a Tsunami evacuation. Up to the top of the hill everyone within a quarter mile went. Police and firetrucks drove up and down streets, yelling on their bull horns to evacuate to higher ground. Cars lined the streets at the top of the hills. We stood outside for hours, talking with family on the main land for news updated. It was a perfect day, no wind, no clouds, such a shame that the beaches closed. Thank you for all your prayers and text messages. God answered and nothing happened! Just a 3 foot waive, no biggie.

Our foursome posed with some exotic birds in Lahina. Too fun!

And of course we had Hula Pie on Dan's 50th birthday. Not a great picture of me, but this is the only one we got of the birthday boy on his actual birthday.

Fun trip, fun friends, great time!

And believe you me, I will not forget my camera(s) in August for my daughter's wedding. Plus my personal professional photographer will be there. Whew!

Underwater Review

2010-03-07T16:15:00.000-08:00

Creatures of habit... And I'm not referring to turtles, I'm talking about Dan and I on our recent trip to Maui. We went to our favorite little beach by the Keawalaea Church each time we went snorkeling. No branching out this time. We've tried lots of other beaches on prior trips, but this one is by far our favorite, so why waste time on less than perfect beaches. It's not crowded with people, but it is crowded with sea life from a long, beautiful coral reef off shore and lots of giant green sea turtles.

Below is a cool Trunk Fish.

Check out the Humuhumunukunukuapua'a pictured below. (At least I think that's how you spell it.) It is the Hawaiian state fish and this variety of triggerfish is only found in Hawaii. Pretty cool, huh!

Here are a couple Moorish Idols.

We don't often see needle nose butterfly fish when snorkeling. They are the rarest of the butterfly fish. I see lots of raccoon butterfly fish, but not too many of these needle nose beauties. And the crem' del la crem' is the green sea turtle. They aren't really green on the outside, although they do have some algae on their shells. They are called green sea turtles because their meat is green. They are endangered though, so no eating! But who'd want to eat green meat anyway?

I was just swimming along side this small turtle when I noticed a clouded figure ahead. It scared me at first, but as we got closer, I realized it was another turtle, about twice the size of this little one. It actually turned around and came back to check on this one, then they went off together. So cute!

We took all of these pictures in the waters off our little beach. Isn't the water clear—such good visibility. Now do you understand why we didn't venture to any new beaches?

Check back in a few days for some people pictures.

Mahalo.

Aloha from Maui

2010-02-26T09:56:00.001-08:00

We Just arrived for a fun filled week to celebrate my hubby's 50th birthday.

Snorkel gear? Check
Swim Suits? Check
Sundresses? Check
Wanda's cool shell necklace? Check
Tropical handbag? Check
Flip Flops? Check
Pool bag? Check
Sarrongs? Check
Laptop? Check
Thumb drive with Manuscript? Check
Suntan lotion? Check
Good underwater camera? Check
Digital camera? Ahhhh.....huh???? Not in my carry on? Not in my handbag? Not in my suitcase? We are all the way in Maui for my husband 50th birthday during high whale season and I, a photocropper, have no camera? You have got to be kidding me!

Pitter patter, my little feet went to the ABC Store for a $10 disposable camera with a flash. Aeyeyeye!

I wish my personal professional photographer were here!

I have a new title

2010-02-18T09:59:00.000-08:00

I've worn many hats in my life, but I have just been given a new one. One that I can only wear once and I'm super duper excited. I plan to relish the next six or seven months in my new hat.

What is my new title? Drum roll please ..... it's MOB. That stands for Mother of the Bride. Whoo hoo! Needless to say, I am thrilled.

My daughter is officially engaged to a great guy, Curtis. They're thinking of a late summer wedding in Texas.

As we embark on a journey of wedding planning, out-of-state wedding planning for me, and paying for a wedding, I'm having a few crazy thoughts.

1) This will give me new writing fodder.

2) I want a great MOB dress, so this wedding is giving me that kick I need to get busy and lose my last 10 pounds. I'm feeling too good with about 25 pounds lost. Well, now maybe I can close the deal.

3) When oh when will I get that greatly anticipated grand baby?

Patience, my child. One step at a time!

Congrats to the happy couple, Bree & Curtis.

It's been a hard month with two funerals in my family, so this is a very special blessing. God is good!

Survivor is here, Yippee!

2010-02-11T15:32:00.000-08:00

It's here, it's finally here!!!!!!! As I jump around my office, I feel like Steve Martin in 'The Jerk' when the phone book arrived. Villains vs. Heroes premiers on 2-11-10, and let me tell you, I can hardly wait. Go Rupert, Go Candice, Go JT, Go Colby, Go Stephanie, Go James, Go Tom, Go Cirie! Oh my, there are so many great castaways, how do I choose one to root for? I even like Boston Rob on the villain's side. This is like having old friends over to visit. How soon can my fav's get rid of Coach, Russ, and Tyson? Oh the suspense, how does one stand it????? This season should make for some thrilling entertainment!

Whoo hoo! It's here, it's finally here!

Mark's Place

2010-02-05T08:08:00.001-08:00

Dan's brother built an awesome house up near Seattle. Above Mark and Jeanette are cooking a great dinner for us in their huge kitchen and below is Emma, painting her nails. She is so much fun!

Meeko is their little Chihuahua. He loves to watch TV. Below he is watching the Dog Whisperer on Animal Planet. Meeko truly will watch TV for an hour.