New Year's Eve and getting on the same page

Well, I hope everyone had a great Christmas! I did!

I want to tell everyone thank you for being so generous! I really don't deserve anything. You guys are awesome!

Ok, so first thing I'm going to do is tell you what my reader's like:

Cats!

Results From my Pet Poll:

Cat        - 35%

Dog       - 28%

Dragon - 21%

Lama    -   7%

Turtle   -   7%

Thank you for participating, everyone! I'll be putting a new Poll on soon.

Also, I thought you might like to know that it didn't snow on Christmas. Sad.

Anyway, I'm back!  I just got back Saturday from visiting my family in the middle of nowhere. :D 

It was a lot of fun. I'm not usually a very sport-enjoying person, and have never had an interest in Basketball, but the whole time I went to a tournament and really liked it! I think it was because it was live. Anyway, yeah. I had a good time.

Tonight some friends of the family are coming over like they did last year and used to do more often (or at least I think they did). Anyway, they're like family. I've known them my whole life. So everyone is really looking forward to the celebration.

So yeah, God is Good and life is cool. I'm having a hard time because my sister's birthday wasn't very long ago and I'm not able to give her her present yet. A lady at our church is helping me with it and I have to wait until Wednesday to get it, finish it, and give it. But hey, her actual party isn't for a long time, so I'll look really good compared to a lot of people. 

Well, I guess I'll sign off for now. 

Thank you for reading!!!

☝

Hey, so I guess after the weird post that I had on here yesterday you're wondering what happened today, right?

Not much.

I didn't die.

I didn't meet the man of my dreams.

My house didn't burn down.

And it didn't snow.*

*It's also not Christmas, so that doesn't count.

Anyway, it was a much better day than yesterday because I was in God's word a lot more today. See, yesterday I didn't have it figured out yet, but today I've got it. I just have to keep praying and reading the Bible. I know that sounds kinda cliché, but I mean it. Nothing else will do. Awesome, huh? I wish it could be like this all the time, only sunny outside.

So I'll sign off for now.

Be sure to take advantage of my little survey ⇘

Only 4 days left to vote!

So anyway, have an awesome night, everybody! I love you guys!✌

A little update on my life

Well, I left everyone with a pretty boring post, so I guess I'll give a little update.

The wedding rehearsal went well. I learned my easy part and everything. Bridesmaids really do have it easy. They just walk up and stand there through the whole wedding. 

The wedding itself went well, too. Sheila looked beautiful. It was very emotional in the changing room. Everyone was crying and trying to keep the bride from crying. I kept thinking about when we were little and we used to dress up as brides. If that won't get you teary-eyed I don't know what will.

Anyway, the reception was pretty wild. We left really early. I won't go into any details. 

So everything is absolutely crazy. Please pray for me. At least the dog is behaving.

And the sun hasn't shown in days. It's never gotten to me before, but it's getting to me now. Praise God that he is greater than sunlight. Greater than recreation, greater than the world's view of a good time and so much greater than I. 

I know that no matter what happens God is in control. He already knows what's going to happen. He's got it all figured out. All I have to do is go with His flow. Whether it means I die tomorrow, or I meet the man of my dreams tomorrow, that my house burns down or it snows on Christmas. His grace is sufficient. Wow.

My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do!!!

Clarification

Ok, I think maybe there might be some confusion on the whole Bandit nightmare, so I'm going to try to make everything clear.

Bandit is a bad dog.

We love Bandit even though he is a devil dog.

Bandit has bitten everyone in my family.

When Bandit is good, he's very good. 

But when he is bad, he is horrid.

Bandit bit Dad.

That was supposed to have been the death sentence.

My family just couldn't make up their minds.

We took Bandit to the vet to see if there was a cheap alternative.

We came home with Bandit and some tranquilizers.

We gave Bandit a tranquilizer.

It worked.

We love Bandit.

Bandit is still alive until further notice.

Sorry if my ranting and raving left you confused and depressed. Just be glad you weren't me. 

Anyway, everything is back to normal. Unless the tranquilizers stop working it looks like we're stuck with my precious mutt until he dies. What a relief! 

He's Alive!

We've got tranquilizers to try!

Running in three foot deep Play-DoughⓇ

Well, Bandit is still around. It turns out that even though my family talks tough about getting rid of pets, they just can't do it. I kept telling everyone that we needed to get it over with. 

Tomorrow we're taking him to the vet and explaining our situation. Since Dad doesn't want to euthanize him we're going to see if psych meds are an option. I just wish it was all over. But this way I don't have any guilt - we're going to push that onto the poor vet. Oh well, he's used to it.

Anyway, something has to be done. Maybe an exorcist? 

Well, so far I've gotten a couple of Christmas presents bought (Mom, my sister and my Sunday School class) and I'm getting things ready to start making some. And then there are some people that I just can't figure out what to give them. Hopefully I'll figure it out soon!

Especially Dad. What on earth can I get Dad? 

Well anyway, I hope that was a nice little update for you. Sorry that it isn't more happy/interesting.

God Bless.

✌

Lighter Note...

Hey, did you see the map right over there ->

It shows me where all of my readers are! Isn't that exciting?! 

Good Riddance

Okay, so I'm back from a great time at Grandmas' houses. My sister and I are worn out, but we had a lot of fun. 

But for more exciting news:

Bandit is a devil dog and he's going bye-bye. I had considered putting the following on here:

Wanted: A good home for a bad dog

Family must be willing to have all belongings destroyed, visiting children bitten, incessant barking when there are visitors, and never go anywhere but their own house. It should also be noted that dog suffers from Separation Anxiety and something else that could be called plain selfishness if he wasn't an animal. Dog was given the name Bandit, but never answers to it,  loves to run free and terrorize  the neighborhood, while rolling in roadkill and picking fights with bigger dogs. Dog suffers from a bite from a neighboring dog that is finally healing. Future owners are advised to never leave him locked up or on a chain, as this will cause noises that make your neighbors think your torturing him. Also, no drug can knock him out. Please RSVP as soon as possible, as his favorite human cannot take anymore.

Yes, I considered putting that on here all by itself, but then I got home.

I never thought that I could despise the dog that I once cherished. With all of his thousands of faults, he has always been my puppy. my baby. my hot-water bottle. No more.

Bandit Bit Dad

So there's not much more to say. What makes me REALLY mad is that Dad wasn't being mean to him or anything. The only reason the dumb mutt bit him was that... well... there wasn't a reason. And what Really Really makes me mad is that the only reason the stupid dog is still living a great life in my house is me.

So it's time to say good bye to Bandit. Or good riddance. If you want to, you can think that I am very cruel, that I haven't done right by the animal, that I am a horrible-awful human being. Go ahead. You haven't lived through Bandit.

Back to Boring Posts

So wazzup my adoring fans? Okay, I'm joking. But if you'd like to comment and tell me how you're doing today, that would be absatively posalutly wonderful of you.

I don't really have anything to blog about. My dog is crazy. We had to lock him up with the cone on during church today, and when we got home he had it torn off. Thankfully he didn't tear at himself,  though. I was able to fix the cone up, and it actually fits him better now. Weird. 

Anyway, we're going to try to leave him unbandaged and de-conified tonight because he's scabbed over. Pray that it works out okay.

Well, I guess this is a pretty boring blog. We took my sister's rabbit to Sunday School today (because God made bunny rabbits!) and she was a big hit. She was a very good bunny. 

And if you want anymore updates on my teeth (everyone sighs, rolls their eyes and skims through this part) I'm doing very well. 

Time to give Dad the goodnight kiss... Okay. Well, goodnight everyone!

Christmas is now drawing near at hand...

So sorry for not posting anything yesterday. It was our traditional go-get-the-tree-and-let-the-chaos-begin day. But it was fun. In all probability, no one was able to get on here yesterday anyway.

Well, first I'll tell you about Bandit.

His boo-boo was doing good, but then he wouldn't leave it alone and it- well anyway, let's just say it wasn't pretty. We needed to bandage him up, but he would have torn off the bandage. So we came up with a solution:

I know it's not the best picture in the world, but you get the idea. Needless to say, Bandit hates it. But it's working!

Okay, now for my update. Well, there's not much to report. I still have canyons in my gums, but they're shrinking. There's no pain unless I eat too much rough food. My front teeth feel like they're pushing together, though (just last night and this morning) which isn't good, because that's why my wisdom teeth were removed. Well, maybe it's just me. Anyway, this is probably the end of my Tooth Journal, because there isn't anything to report after this. The holes will slowly close and that'll be the end of it. Nothing exciting to report. Thanks again to everyone who's been praying for me. I couldn't have made it without you.

Well, in my other life, today I'm just cleaning up the kitchen and then I have a lot of undercover work I need to do. Monday my sister and I are going to my grandma's house to visit and have lunch, and then we're going to my other grandma's house to have dinner and stuff. I can't wait! Then Saturday (a week from today) I'm going Christmas shopping. So I really need to get my list together and see what I still need and stuff. Anyway, thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a truly awesome day full of the Lord. No joke.

¡Adios!

There's a hole in my head, dear 'Liza dear 'Liza

The stitch removal was a success! It only took about five minutes total, and it didn't really hurt at all. I only felt it on my left side, which has hurt more than my right through the entire ordeal. Plus I've got a neat little syringe with a curved tip for hydro-surging the holes.

What holes? The deep, dark caverns that are in my mouth for a limited time only. I'm thinking about giving tours. It's like a landmark that is disappearing - get your tickets now! Okay, seriously, close to half of my dinner was rinsed out of these four caverns. The hole in the bottom left side of my head looks like it should go all the way through my cheek. It doesn't feel too nice, either.

But hey! Life is good! My blasted stitches are out, I can eat and chew* and tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful for!!!

On that subject, thanks to everyone who prayed for me. I could really tell that you were praying. You slacked off a little bit on the fourth day, but I think you must have read my blog or something, because you started up again like a champ. Okay, I'm just messing with you. But I did wonder...

Anyway, I hope and pray that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Enjoy your pumpkin pie (nice and soft!!!). To increase your thankfulness, you could crunch something and remember that some people can't eat anything crunchable. Of course on that same note, you could just plain eat and remember that one person dies every three and a half seconds of hunger. That can make a person thankful.

So anyway, I'm tired, and I hope that last fact wasn't too much of a damper on your wonderful celebration. May God bless you and keep you and cause His face to shine upon you.

Bye!!!

*Limited to small bites and nothing crunchy

Bandit

I thought you might like to see a picture of my precious pooch. As you can see, he's the cutest thing that ever lived. And this isn't even a very good picture of him.

Good morning, good morning, good morning to you!!!

Well, I'm waiting for my sister's pumpkin pie to finish baking so that I can bake my apple pie, so I guess I'll give whatever update I can.

Last night I couldn't get to sleep. Then this morning Bandit woke me up at some insane hour, so I kicked him out of the room. My mouth hurt and I couldn't get back to sleep, so I was pretty miserable. Eventually I got up to take something and found out that it was 6 am, which was a little later than I thought it was. I was disappointed, because that meant that I wouldn't have much time to sleep. Mom gave me a Vicodin because I hurt so bad and I wanted to sleep, and I went back into my room and tried to sleep. That didn't work, however, so I decided just to get up and get with it - I was wide awake anyway. So I got up at the insane hour of a little after six and read my Bible. My sister got up shortly after (probably having a heart attack because she was up later than me) and we all decided to get my brother up and have breakfast. We ate and sang a hymn, which was very nice, and practiced our memory verses. Then we all got up and started cleaning up the kitchen for pie making. Now, as I said, I'm just waiting for my pie's turn in the oven. 

So far this day has been pretty awesome. God is very, very, very, very, extremely good.

I still have to get my stitches out this afternoon, which I'm not looking forward to. I'll be glad to get it over with, though. My gums are tired of these foreign threads invading their territory.

So anyway, I hope everyone is having a great time getting ready for Thankgiving.

Nearing the End

Okay! I'm so very sorry to have left you hanging Sunday. I'll pick up where I left off.

After a wonderful night of watching 'My Man Godfrey' ...

We got ready for Family Bible Reading. Unfortunately we were WAY behind, and I fell asleep at some point. When I woke up everyone was getting ready for bed. I felt kinda bad, but apparently everyone else had nodded off, too. Plus Vicodin makes me kinda sleepy.

Anyway, we were all getting ready for bed. My sister went up to our room, and I was going to sleep in Dad's recliner again because I woke up miserable when I slept in my own bed. My brother was going to sleep on the couch to keep me company.

Everything was going according to plan, until my dog told us that he needed to go out. We all knew it was a lie, because he'd just been out, so we told him to his face that he needed to stop lying. Instead he went to Dad, because he knows that Dad will give in.

He was right. Dad took him out. And he didn't have to go. He had to protect.

Outside stood the Hound of the Baskerville's and Friend (two evil dogs that prowl our road at night).

I had just drifted off to sleep when I heard high-pitched yipping and Dad yelling at some dog to "get out of here".

'Oh some pomeranian is attacking Bandit. How funny.'

Then the door opened and as streak of yipping white fur charged up the steps. After chasing him out from under all of our furniture, Dad gave him a look-over to see if he'd been bit. 

He had.

On the bottom.

Poor mutt.

So Mom and Dad fixed him up as best they could and we went to bed very late at night.

The next morning we woke up too early and went to church. I didn't feel very good, but by the time Sunday School started the Vicodin had kicked in and I was pain-free.

It stopped working just as it was time to go upstairs, so my entire church service was pretty miserable.

Then Dad had a meeting, and I fell asleep in the van - which meant I woke up disoriented and in pain. But when we got home I was able to crash. Bandit was doing better and I just laid in Dad's recliner on mouth-rest. That night I tried sleeping in my bed again and I didn't wake up feeling miserable.

Yesterday I felt better than I had through this entire trial - not wonderful, mind you, but much better. I was even able to eat the same meal that the rest of the family was eating. I gave Bandit a little bit of Tylenol because he seemed like he was in a lot of pain, and he perked up a lot. We watched Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back that night, and I was able to sleep in my own bed without fear. I slept very well, too. In case you were wondering.

Today I've felt almost perfect. I was able to clean up my room (not a small task) and as you can see I am finally filling you in on the past three days. Bandit seems almost normal, too. I feel bad for him, but now he's barking and having more fun and stuff. So anyway, the end is in sight and I'm VERY glad. Tomorrow I'm getting my stitches taken out, so I'm just a teensy-weensy bit nervous about that, but besides that I'm very happy. I'll be able to eat almost everything on Thanksgiving!!!

Thanks for checking up on me!

Bye

Quick Update

I don't have any time, but I just wanted to let you know that I haven't forgotten about you.

Quick summary of the past 48 hours:

Yesterday was abysmal 

Today was the best I've had

I'll finish my detailed account of yesterday (Sunday), along with a detailed account of today (Monday) later.

Good night.

a very quick upd-... to be continued

Well, I had a lot of fun at the tea party yesterday, but I think I had a little too much fun and talked a little too much. Anyway, when we (my sister and I) went home, Mom and Dad had locked us out of the house - they had gone out to lunch since their kids were all doing something. So we headed back to Next-door-neighbor's house and I rinsed out my mouth with salt water like I'm supposed to. When I came out of the bathroom I found out that my sister had cut her leg outside. Our poor next-door-neighbors! I'd like to take a moment to publicly thank them for being so great.

So when I got home Mom put me on mouth-rest (as opposed to bed-rest). I wasn't allowed to leave Dad's recliner until this morning - which meant I got to play a lot of The Firestorm's gamecube games - well, two - Smash Bros. and Animal Crossing. I couldn't play any wii games because I couldn't move that much, so I'd like to take a moment to publicly thank him for lending me his games. Animal Crossing rocks!

Anyway, guess what!?! Mom got me some spaghetti-o's! Isn't she the bestus mommy in the whole wide world?! Plus she got mini ravioli and beefaroni. I am so blessed!

After a wonderful night of watching 'My Man Godfrey' ...

Sorry, I had to leave for church. I'll have to finish my story later, because I'm exhausted and in a lot of pain. Thank you for your prayers.

I look poofy.

Well, Last night I stayed up till 2 something in the morning - mostly because I was very hungry and eat very slowly now - and slept in my bed instead of Dad's recliner. 

Last night was a lot of fun. Our down-the-road neighbors/church family had a huge bonfire and a bunch of people from church came down. I had a blast. Because everyone lives so far away we don't usually get to get together with them, so it was a treat. I was having so much fun that my mouth didn't hurt at all for a very long time. We had a "hayride" in the back of our pickup truck. Dad drove and Mom was co-pilot. I rode in the back for the last one and had a great time. Looking back, maybe I shouldn't have sung so much, but oh well. I was also very happy because I got to nibble on hotdogs! Real Food!!! 

On that subject, this whole nibbling thing is a great diet plan. By the time you've swallowed the food you've been masticating you've burned up more calories than you've consumed. Of course, this does nothing for you if you're hungry. As I said: great diet plan.

So this morning (well, okay, afternoon) I woke up swollen and dry (I think I slept with my mouth open) and sore. I look poofy. : ( The Oral Surgeon said that this will probably be the worst day. I'm going to Next-door-neighbor's tea party. I've only gotten to go to one, but it was a lot of fun. I still have an hour, so I hope I feel a little bit better.

I really really really really really want a challupa (or however you spell it) from Taco Bell, cheap chicken strips dipped in ranch dressing, a sandwich on toasted bread with lettuce, or anything else substantial and crunchy. I mean, I love cream of wheat, don't get me wrong, but I want some real food so bad! I think Mom said that she would get me some spaghetti-o's today. That would be pure bliss.

Anyway, I hope everyone isn't bored to tears by this wisdom-tooth journey. And I also hope that you get the picture that I am doing really great. Now that I've taken my pain medication I'm doing great.

Have an awesome day full of the Lord, everyone!

Life without Wisdom

Well, I've got an ice pack strapped to my chin that makes me look like I'm an amish man (I've had Amish Paradise stuck in my head all day), so I thought that I'd give you an update on my situation. Yay! I got to take off the ice pack.
Well, mouth is sore, but I've got great pain medication, so I'm doing pretty well. I slept in Dad's recliner last night because I'm not supposed to lay down, but it was pretty comfortable.

So nothing catastrophic to report.

Have a great day! (I am so far!)

p.s. I don't have time for spellcheck now, either.

Be a dentist...

wahhhh!


Well, I just got back home. I was pretty nutty when they woke me up, but now I'm just miserable. The drugs made me super emotional and the numbing is wearing off, so now I hurt. The back of my throat hurts too, Mom said that they probably had some kind of tube down there to keep me from suffocating.

I really loved my nurse. Even though she had to interrogate me to no end over whether or not I could be pregnant or if I was taking any kind of birth control (FYI - the answer is NO) she connected to me pretty well. She buys pretty journals at book stores and never uses them, too.

I had my first I.V. which literally felt like a pinprick. I felt it and thought, 'uh-oh, here it comes' and they told me that that was it. But it WAS tiny. Then all of the sudden I started getting that wonderful feeling that I can go to sleep. I have a lot of experience with this feeling, because I have a hard time getting to sleep at night, so when I have this feeling, I know what to do. I started breathing like I should and boom! I was out.

Well, now I'm at home. And in pain. Extreme pain. Well, no, not extreme. I'd rather have extreme. I just pray that I don't ruin everyone's night. And all I wanna do is cry (it's the drugs). and I look goofy, to boot.

Cutting out my Wisdom

Okay! So today is the day that I get my wisdom teeth taken out - all four of 'em. So far it hasn't been too bad - yesterday I was spoiled to no end with my favourite meal, treat, you name it. Plus, since I can't chew after the surgery I've got eggnog (rock on!), pudding and jello! With only a 2% chance of anything going wrong, this could turn out to be a pretty sweet weekend.

I figured that I would be really nervous today, but so far it's been cool. My big fear was the anesthetic, but I've gotten a lot of feedback from people I know about it, so really I'm just dreading an I.V., but I think I'll survive.

The other thing I don't like is that I've put a lot of time into making these teeth, and now they're going to be taken out! Oh well.

Anyway, I guess no one really wants to hear about my mouth, so I'll get off now.

Okay, I'll admit, I'm a little twitchy over it. Maybe I'll just do a bunch of math. If that doesn't calm a person down, nothing will.

I'll post if I have any fun complications or anything like that, but I don't think I will.

Oh yeah, my article turned out presentable.

p.s. I don't have time to spell-check, so forgive any Type-Os

Yet another "What Shall I Write?!?!" Post

Well, it's time for another Christian Writer's Guild assignment that I'm stuck on. I figure if I just keep writing, maybe put together a couple of spoofs, I'll get my inspiration. It won't be anything great or anything like that, just to warn you.

So the first assignment I'm stuck on (besides haveing to write out asisngment over and over and spelling it rong everee tiem) is...

"In a paragraph, describe an unusual personal experience related to a seasonal or historical event - one that could spark ideas for an article."

Unusual personal experience...related to a seasonal...event...hmm...
Well, Last year we spent Christmas Eve night at my grandma's house. I didn't realize at the time that caffeine affected me so much, so I ate Chocolate-covered espresso beans like they were chips. I couldn't sleep at all that night. It was TERRIBLE. But staying at grandma's house was a lot of fun.

Oh yeah, before I go any further, I should probably list the next assignments I'm stuck on:
"Write out the lead paragraph and another one establishing the significance of the experience at the heart of the article."
"Next write out the key anecdote you would include, tying it to the lead."
"Now develop the full article, including a powerful conclusion, in no more than 1,000 words."

I really hope I don't get in trouble for posting all of these questions and stuff. Oh well. They won't find out, and if they do, I'll apologize. I never saw anything that said that you couldn't blog about your lessons.

So let's try out this idea, shall we?

In the Christmas of 2006, my family and I spent Christmas Eve night at my grandmother's house. During the first part of the evening all of my mother's siblings got together and exchanged gifts, ate good food and celebrated Christmas. Some of us played a hilarious game called Faces, and I was gulping down chocolate-covered espresso beans as fast as I could, sealing my doom. That night I tossed and turned, trying to find rest. When morning came and my alarm went off to wake up my siblings and check out the stockings, I was so tired I could hardly see. While I waited for Mom and Dad to wake up I took a Christmas Morning nap.

Nah. Too lame. And I can't think up a decent ending. My paragraph is morphing into an article.

Well, anyway, this isn't working, so I guess I'll sign off for now.

Adios, Amigos!

The Matrix

There is no Matrix - There is no Spoon.

I'm Back!!!

My birthday is finally over and I can post and know that if anyone ever actually reads my blog they will know that I've updated! I'm still keeping my wishlist up to date so that everyone can find it, but it's not going to be on top anymore! Yay!!!

Well, I would like to put a public Thank You Note on here to everyone that came to my party. You guys are really great, and spoil me way too much. I love all of you, and am so thankful that you're in my life.

I got a Wii!!!

Well, I don't really have anything to blog about, so I guess I'll just get off now.

Have a nice day!!!

The Flame Shall Not Hurt Thee...

How can a day start off so great and then by 10:30am feel like the world is falling apart? From bad news to no news, this day has risen up before me like red-eyed monster out to steal my joy. Everyone needs prayer, and comforting, and contacting. I just need strength, I guess. This day is forcing me to cast all of my cares on Him. So then this monster is a blessing in disguise. It will help (or force) all of us to grow closer to the Lord. Well, I'm putting on the Armor of God and going into battle, to pray and comfort. Pray for me, if you get the chance. I'm probably praying for you.

/\
|
|
my wishlist is back up there

My Sister's Poem

I have some pets, three about,
Two are skinny, one is stout.
One's a cat, One a dog
The other's a rabbit, or you could call her a hog.

The cat likes to whine,
Even though he is fine.
The dog likes to bark,
So we can't take him to the park.
The rabbit runs around a lot,
And then is unhappy when she is caught.

Even though they can be a pain, they have good parts, too.
In fact, their good makes the bad very few:
My dog is so cute, plus a lot of fun,
My cat likes to love on everyone.
My rabbit is always there to give me cheer,
Even when unhappy days are near.

So these are my pets, come and see them some time;
Just don't touch my dog, and you'll be fine!

I can't sleep

It's a horrible hour (2:31am) to be awake. No one else is, and I can't sleep. It's not because I'm scared or anything. Well, to explain that, I got really freaked out by "The Birds" not too long ago, and we just watched "Little Shop of Horrors", so I was a little nervous that I'd freak out over it, too. But I didn't. Man that movie is weird. Anyway, I'm not awake because of a movie, but because of a soda. I had a Mountain Dew at 6 last night. That was pretty good. It's this weird citrus-cherry flavor, I think they're calling it Game Fuel or something like that. I don't know. Anyway, it has to do with Halo 3 coming out (not that I play first-person-shooter-games or anything - that's just what it says on the bottle). Since I'm not bouncing off the walls or anything, I thought that it was pretty pathetic for trying to keep you in gamer mode all night, but I guess I was wrong. As I was saying, however, the new flavour is VERY good. It tastes like gummi bears or gummi worms. Yum. I still like Code Red (you know, the cherry Mountain Dew) best, but this was satisfying.

I knew it would keep me up, though, because caffine always keeps me awake. Usually it's not THIS awake, though. I usually just stare at my ceiling and feel like crying because I'm exhausted and can't sleep. Not tonight.

It was really weird, I guess about an hour and a half ago I was laying in bed thinking about my post "Light and Dark" when all of the sudden my cat made that weird cat noise, you know, that grawer sound that means they're irritated, fighting or scared. It made me start and my dog (who sleeps in my bed) jumped two inches into the air (he had been sound asleep). We looked out the window, but I couldn't see Slyder anywhere (it doesn't help that he's black). Then I heard it again, and noticed some large animal up by the road. I couldn't really see it very well, so I thought maybe it was Friend (this dog whose real name is Hannah but is our enemy so we call her Friend). As I kept staring I thought it might be a deer, but it never came out of the shadows. I tried to wake up my parents when I first heard Slyder, but they didn't budge. When I got sick of not being able to see what the animal was (even though I was pretty sure it was a deer) I went and flipped on the porch light; but that didn't help, because the deer was standing RIGHT outside of the light. Eventually it left (it was a deer, because Friend wouldn't be eating our grass like that and dogs move a whole lot differently than deer - different legs and stuff, you know?) and I was bored again. And, I confess, a little creeped out. I just hoped no one stole my cat, since he's all back (except for a few hairs on his stomach) and Halloween is nearing. The dumb cat is so sweet, though, he'd probably go right along with them. But he'd make a terrible Halloween decoration, because he'd just purr and rub up against you instead of sticking all of his hair on end.

Well, when I got on here I thought maybe I'd write some great story, something worthy to publish so that my time wouldn't be wasted (I DID take a melatonin not too long ago, so don't think I'm being irresponisble). I'm lonely. I wish Mom were up, so we could talk or something. Oh well, she needs her sleep. Good morning.

May God bless you, and keep you, and cause His Face to shine upon you.

Sarah

Prayer Request

I'm Instant Messaging with a girl than I met on our mission trips to Mexico. She has a friend that got mixed up in gangs and eventually ended up being sent to military school. Right now he is in the hospital and could very easily die if his sickness isn't cared for properly. My friend was the only christian influence that he had and is having a hard time. She feels that if he dies unsaved it will be her fault for not telling him about Jesus enough. Please pray for him to survive and that the Lord would make him remember what Judith has told him and he would be saved; and that there would be a christian influence in the hospital. His name is Emmet. Also pray for Judith to have peace.

Instructions

I'm going to give you a list of things that you can do on my blog. Here we go!

1) Posting Comments

Comments are awesome. They let me know that people actually read this thing and if I'm typing anything worth reading. Putting a comment on Droll Digression is easy and encouraged. Here's what you do:

AT the bottom of every post (that's where I'm talking and stuff) there are some links (green words that get underlined when you scroll your mouse over them). One of them will have a number (probably zero) and then the word "comments" click on that link. You will be taken to a screen that is pretty blank, but doesn't have to be intimidating. On the right of the screen is a box that says: "Leave your Comment" - type your comment in here. Then you sign your comment. There are three options:
1. your Blogger display name - if you have a blog on Blogger you can sign with that.
2. Other - way more fun. You can say that your name is King Arthur of Camelot and no one will ever know that it's you.
3. Anonymous - very popular. Listen, it might seem fun and mysterious, but it's WAY over-done. But hey, you can use it.
THEN all you have to do is click the orange button that says: "Publish your Comment", and BOOM! you've made my day!

Also, to the left of the Comment screen you can read other comments left by other readers.

So practice right now. It's not hard, and then you'll know for certain that you CAN do something on the computer. It'll make your day and mine. I can't wait to hear about your experience!

The next thing I'd like to talk about is the Survey.

On the main screen of Droll Digression (you know, where all of the posts are and you can read my title and everything) the first thing to your right that you will see is a survey (currently on pets). Lots of people have already gotten the hang of the Survey (also known as a poll), so I guess there isn't much to say on the subject. Just click your answer and then hit "Vote". I REALLY like it when people do this, because I get to know my reader's better AND I know that someone actually visited my blog.

Some other things you might be interested in are:

THE SAFETY DANCE!!! - Formerly on the side of the main page, this is now a post and can be found in the archives posted in August.

Places I think You'll Like - These are the websites that I like, share, and forget about. They're pretty cool. You should try them

and DUH... About Me - You can learn weird stuff about me - like that I'm paranoid.

There'll also be stuff popping up off and on, such as Next-Door-Neighbor's Cousin's favourite quote.

So anyway, there's lots of things for you to do on here.

OH YEAH! I forgot to mention Search, my Blog Archive and the Lables. These are all things that will help you find what you're looking for on here. To search for a specific word in any and all of my posts, simply go to that grey bar up there at the top of your screen and to the left. Type in the word and hit Enter. It's easy.
BLOG ARCHIVE - This sorts out my posts by date. It works automatically - don't worry.
LABELS - this gives you all of the different catagories I put my posts under, so that you can look up specific subjects that I've talked about in the past.

I guess that's about it. Like I said, keep coming back for more stuff.

Thanks for reading!!!

Light and Dark

Here's a little epiphany I had during Family Bible Reading one night. It was awhile ago, so hopefully I'll get it all down correctly. So here's how my train of thought went:

You don't have to live in the world to know that it's bad, just like you don't have to drink sour milk on a regular basis to know that the sip you just took is sour. But at the same time, seeing what you've been saved from makes your salvation all the more sweet and miraculous, so how do the two fit together?

You can't see the stars during the day, because everything surrounding them is light. But put them up against the night sky and they shine. You can't see a candle's flame in the daylight because there is nothing for it to illumine. But light it in a dark room and it's brilliant.

The longer we stand in light-less dark, the more our eyes become accustomed to it. And the more light hurts. In the darkness, everything is gentle and all imperfections are hidden; but the light is sharp, it hurts our eyes and shows us things we do not want to see.

It also shows us that we're headed off the edge of a cliff.

I hope that all of this is able to be understood. To summarize: a godly life in an ungodly world stands out, and the more time you spend away from God, the harder it is to return.

There's a reason Jesus is called the Light of the world (Jn 8:12). And there's a reason His followers are as well (Mt. 5:14).

This all might be extremely old news for other Christians, and I guess in a way it is for me as well, but sometimes the Lord just shows you things, at least that's how it is with me.

This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine;
Let it shine, let it shine,
Let it shine.

Or at least I pray that I am.

Safety Dance!

Sorry that it's not on the side anymore, but this way is less confusing, so everyone should be happy.

The Cat and the Rabbit

This is the first Video I've ever put on YouTube. The Rabbit (Fuzzy Thing) is my sister's and the Cat (Slyder) is mine

The story that my reader referred to:

EL BUEN PASTOR (The Good Shepherd)

Ninety-three sheep. Ninety-four sheep. Sleep tugged at the Good Shepherd’s eyelids. It had been a long day, but He could not rest until He knew that all one-hundred of His sheep were safe in the fold. Ninety-eight. Ninety-nine... and no more. The Good Shepherd hung His head and shook it a little. There was always one that strayed away. He grabbed His staff and headed back toward the green pastures He and His flock had just returned from. Walking beside the still water, He searched the area until He found a small ravine. Calling out, He heard a soft, muffled bleat. There, toward the bottom of the rocky wall stood a pile of boulders, and in between two of them a little hoof wiggled. Immediately He slid down the side of the ravine and began pulling the boulders away from the hoof. The muffled bleats grew louder as He grew closer. At last the little sheep was free and the Good Shepherd was able to check for any broken bones. There were none, only bruises.
“Oh little sheep,” He whispered, “Why must you always go your own way?” After helping it to its feet He scanned the edge of the ravine for a way out. Then He looked back down at His sheep. But it was gone. Sighing, He headed in the direction of the echoes of clicking hooves.
Thunder rumbled in the distance. Storms in the valley often resulted in flash floods. He quickened His pace.
Mud formed as rain began to pour. A watery bleat sounded somewhere up ahead. With renewed determination He slid through the mud toward the sound.
Flash floods had already begun to sweep through the narrow ravine, bringing with it large branches and heavy boulders. As lightning flashed the Good Shepherd caught sight of His sheep. The creature was trapped on a small ledge across the temporary river that had formed between them. It was caught underneath a tree limb. The Good Shepherd felt compassion for His sheep. He leapt to the other side of the ravine, just before another burst of the flood rushed through.
The sheep bleated in terror as He knelt beside it. At the sound of His calm voice, however, it calmed. Pulling away the tree limb, He surveyed the damage. Its two hind legs were bloody and broken, and it was soaked; but it was alive, and He loved it.
Hoisting His sheep up on His shoulders, the Good Shepherd cheerfully made His way back up the side of the ravine. As He reached level ground He began to run. Seeing His friend’s house ahead, the Good Shepherd ran up to it, banging on the door and crying: “Rejoice with Me, for I have found My sheep which was lost!” ” And again to another home and another friend until He had drawn a crowd, to which He repeated: “Rejoice with Me, for I have found My sheep which was lost!” And they did.

What's Up?

Well, I don't have any pressing issues on my mind, so I guess I'll just do one of my little boring posts where I never get anywhere and just bore people to death. Under "Labels" this is "Just Blogging".

OF COURSE! I know what I can do! I've noticed that a lot of people don't comment or anything else on my blog. So maybe it's just because my readers don't know how! Well I'm going to give you a list of things that you can do on my blog. Here we go!

1) Posting Comments

Comments are awesome. They let me know that people actually read this thing and if I'm typing anything worth reading. Putting a comment on Droll Digression is easy and encouraged. Here's what you do:

AT the bottom of every post (that's where I'm talking and stuff) there are some links (green words that get underlined when you scroll your mouse over them). One of them will have a number (probably zero) and then the word "comments" click on that link. You will be taken to a screen that is pretty blank, but doesn't have to be intimidating. On the right of the screen is a box that says: "Leave your Comment" - type your comment in here. Then you sign your comment. There are three options:
1. your Blogger display name - if you have a blog on Blogger you can sign with that.
2. Other - way more fun. You can say that your name is King Arthur of Camelot and no one will ever know that it's you.
3. Anonymous - very popular. Listen, it might seem fun and mysterious, but it's WAY over-done. But hey, you can use it.
THEN all you have to do is click the orange button that says: "Publish your Comment", and BOOM! you've made my day!

Also, to the left of the Comment screen you can read other comments left by other readers.

So practice right now. It's not hard, and then you'll know for certain that you CAN do something on the computer. It'll make your day and mine. I can't wait to hear about your experience!

The next thing I'd like to talk about is the Survey.

On the main screen of Droll Digression (you know, where all of the posts are and you can read my title and everything) the first thing to your right that you will see is a survey (currently on pets). Lots of people have already gotten the hang of the Survey (also known as a poll), so I guess there isn't much to say on the subject. Just click your answer and then hit "Vote". I REALLY like it when people do this, because I get to know my reader's better AND I know that someone actually visited my blog.

Some other things you might be interested in are:

THE SAFETY DANCE!!! - Watch this awesome video from the stone age - well, no, I guess that's the Middle Ages

Places I think You'll Like - These are the websites that I like, share, and forget about. They're pretty cool. You should try them

and DUH... About Me - You can learn weird stuff about me - like that I'm paranoid.

There'll also be stuff popping up off and on, such as Next-Door-Neighbor's Cousin's favourite quote.

So anyway, there's lots of things for you to do on here.

OH YEAH! I forgot to mention Search, my Blog Archive and the Lables. These are all things that will help you find what you're looking for on here. To search for a specific word in any and all of my posts, simply go to that grey bar up there at the top of your screen and to the left. Type in the word and hit Enter. It's easy.
BLOG ARCHIVE - This sorts out my posts by date. It works automatically - don't worry.
LABELS - this gives you all of the different catagories I put my posts under, so that you can look up specific subjects that I've talked about in the past.

I guess that's about it. Like I said, keep coming back for more stuff.

Thanks for reading!!!

Hello Angie, How are you?

Hello Angie, How are you? You had better leave a comment, because otherwise I'll never know if you actually came...

You came!...

Wow. That's a lot of people! Thanx!

Independence Day

Today is July 4th, aka the 4th of July or Independence Day. Today our nation celebrates (or should be celebrating) our victory in the Revolutionary War that set us free from the rule of the English king, George III.

But for me this is a dual Independence Day, because ten years ago (I don't remember the date) I received my freedom. Because ten years ago I was saved from my sin.

Saved. Set free. Unlike in the Revolutionary War, I did not earn my freedom. It is a gift, and all the more sweet because of it. I have been released from the doom of Mankind. I have been freed from my sin, and given a way to go. I do not have to sin. I do not have to turn to other things to be satisfied (if only for a moment). My God has met, is meeting and will meet all my needs.

THIS is Freedom! Freedom to do what is right. Freedom not to care what others think. Freedom to live body and soul for my God!

But there are times - many, many times - that I abuse my Freedom, or worse, ignore it. King George says pay your taxes, and I do. The Lord says love ME,... and I don't.

His yolk is easy, and His burden light.

But I say that it is too much.

After the Revolutionary War, America had to make a government. It was their responsability to prevent what they had just defeted.

I am saved, and I must fight against what I have been set free from.

Praise God for the strength to live out my Freedom!

AND PRAISE GOD FOR FREEDOM!

Happy Independence Day, everyone!
(with both meanings!)

God Bless America

Mexico Journal, 2007

I'm Back! Here's my journal:

Tuesday, June 19th, 2007
Dear Journal,
Reached Texas @ 4:00 pm
-----------------------------

[note to self]

Ask Sonic to upgrade [my town's sonic] to look cool like the one in San Antonio
flags
silverish
and SCREEN
-----------------------------

Thursday, June 21st, 2007
Dear Journal,
Wow. A LOT has happened already, and we haven't even been to the church yet.

Right now a bunch of people are having a time of prayer in the boys' room, but the W. kids are too tired.

Everything is so much better this year. Sure, I started out crabby, but I've gotten a lot closer to God. I really love our group. Our huge group is divided into Small Groups:
One of a lot of people
One of a lot of people and led by my parents
& one of FOUR people (including me)

Each Small Group is in charge of at least one day in Mexico (my group has two). We have a lesson, a craft, and recreation. Stef and I are in charge of crafts. On the first day we're doing puppets and the next day we're doing masks.

This morning was our first together [everyone got in yesterday evening].

We had devotionals and sang and then practiced the Freedom Drama. For some reason Texas is extremely humid, so it's nice if you're just sitting there, but I've never sweat so much in my life as during that Drama!

We met a couple and their grandkids and told them where we're going and stuff. It turns out that their son is at the hotel to go on a mission trip, himself (in all we met 2 other teams). It was a lot of fun, and the lady (who, by the way, had a GREAT name) insisted on getting pictures of us with her grandkids. Then we exchanged addresses (but my copy was accidentaly thrown away).

Hopefully I'll get a chance to write tomorrow.

tired now.

have 2 get up early 4 Starbucks

G'night!

My God is a God of the Covenant!

PRAISE HIM!!!
*************************************
Friday, June 22nd, 2007
Dear Journal,
I don't have much time. I just got done with morning devotional. It was awesome. Denny talked about discipline, and then we prayed for kids that we'd met in Mexico.

Last night Mr. White did our evening devotional. It was about God's covenant (mainly about the covenant in itself). That was awesome. So far this trip has been like going to a really cool conference! Coming early has given us a lot of time to pray.

I'm so excited to see what God is going to do on this trip!
---------HERE THERE IS A STICKER THAT HAS MY NAME ON IT, FOLLOWED BY (Cent.) I RECEIVED IT @ TO EVERY TRIBE-------

www.tomsshoes.com

-------------------------
Saturday, June 23rd, 2007
Dear Journal,
Holy, holy, HOLY is the LORD, God Almighty.
Here I am in The-middle-of-nowhere, Mexico, and all I can think about is how gread GOD is! I know that it's not just the fact thta the weather is cool. I am sitting a foot off a ground infested with cockroaches this: I------------------------------I big (at least). And that's the bug I despise most. I was hot and sweaty, am using a toilet with out a seat, crunched a millipede and really had the kind of day I hate - but I LOVED IT!!!

We have worshiped so much! I'm so in love with God right now! Tonight our singing was so wonderful (I sang with so much emotion and love that my ears hurt - but not from the sound) that I honestly thought that I might be in Heaven.

In the first evening we have gotten responses that we usually get on the last evening.

HOW GREAT THOU ART!!!
-everyone's tired - must sleep - praise God!
Sarah

+++++++++++++++++++++++
Lunes, June 25th, 2007
Dear Journal,
I don't have much time. Im sorry I missed yesterday.

Yesterday Mom and Dad's small group did the lesson.

A little boy pointed to himself, a heart on his desk and then to me.

It rained big time but didn't last long. One of four predicted 'hurricanes' by Evelyn (one of our translators).

It is very windy and very wonderful

Today my small group was in charge of Bible School. The skits Ben wrote were a big hit and EVERYONE wanted to make a puppet - teenage boys and our group included. We played Ultimate Frisbee (which I stink at) and Stef got dehydrated. I've been dehydrated off and on.

I think the boys are doing a good job looking out for the girls.

Our worship is wonderful!

I love listening to the little kids sing off-key. They keep trying to sing London Bridge is Falling Down in English, but they're just making nonsense noises. [They ended up singing "If they ask for Macaroni" - In Spanish - because that's what it sounded like we were saying!]

Tonight we watched a long movie that went through La Biblia from creation to Jesus & Pentecost. Everyone's exhausted.

God is so good!

!El Dios es siempre bueno! (that first exclamation point should be upside down - not possible on here)

People are praying for me, I can tell.

Buenos Noches (did I spell all that right?)

Sarah
=====================
Martes, June 26th, 2007
Dear Journal,
Today was muy bueno. I slept very late and missed breakfast finishing the preparation for Escuela de La Biblia. Then we had our meeting.

I was kinda out of it (half asleep/dehydrated) but our worship was still sweet.

For lunch some of our group had been invited to someone else's home to eat, including my sister. I took her place. Wow the food is good here!

Anyway, I tired something new. Apparently they put hot sauce and chili powder on their fruit. They were serving us watermelon, so I had some of the mildest stuff. It wasn't very bad. (Ha, you probably thought I was going to say it wasn't very GOOD - fooled you!)

After we returned from lunch and visiting we headed to for E.Z. (another town very close to Cenentario) and did the Drama. During the Drama we (the evil knights in rebellion) are defeated by the Gentle Ruler's good knights and fall down (sort of) backwards. Well, when I dropped I lost balance and landed hard on my left wrist (just so you know, it's been hurting me off and on for a while). It hurt so bad I thought I broke it. I was scared to death, because the evil knights are required to fall down at another time, too - and I couldn't'. Praise God, it turned out well! I managed to fall with out my wrist.

So when we got back to Centenario we put ice on it and I took ibuprofen an hour later because it still hurt REALLY bad. And mom wrapped it up for me. So now my arm looks mummified. But it doesn't hurt. (it's not wrapped up anymore, and it doesn't hurt hardly ever - I'm going to have it looked at soon)

Anyway - hey, why do I always begin my paragraphs with 'anyway'? oh well - there's this cute little boy named Jorge and Kim was calling him 'Bebe' (I think that last 'e' should have a tick mark, but I don't know) so for awhile it was just her teasing him, but then he started calling her Madre (do I need a tick mark? I don't know). So then we were teaching him names of relatives in English (I got stuck as Grandma - but hey it's a nickname, which means you're accepted down here). It was all really fun, but then some crazier niNos (that 'N' should have a squiggly over it) got too worked upt and we couldn't get them under control. Gracias SeNor por los... guys. (how would you say that in Spanish? Oh yeah, the N needs a squiggly).

The guys were VERY helpful.

have 2 go. Night! Sarah
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Padre te adoro/Father, I adore You

Padre te adoro
Pon me vida ante ti
Como te amo

Cristo
Espiritu

(above the lyrics I have the counting written out)

Father, I adore You
Lay my life before You
How I love You

Jesus
Spirit

Sarah - via Carol (one of our translators)
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Mr. Postman, bring to me
A copy of the ESV
I just can't wait any longer
I need the Bible to grow stronger

Milk, Milk, Milk,
Drink the Milk, milk, milk
Eat the Word, Word, Word,
And grow stronger...
(this is the song that everyone sang)

"The only good thing
about being dumb is
that it makes magic
better"

"If you have to make
time for God, you don't
have enough time to begin with."

"Those who plan to meet
God at the 11th hour often
die at 10:30"

(Quotes Ben likes)
000000000000000000000000000

Thursday:
I have things written down about how sad I am that we're leaving, a sticker that has a donald duck head stamped on it, and Evelyn's phone number.
------------------------------

Friday, June 29th, 2007
Dear Journal,
Well, we're headed home. I guess I should write about the last two days, but I get so sad when I think of what I'm leaving. I've already cried. I can't again. I'm gonna get dehydrated if any more water comes out of my eyes. Why does it have to hurt to love and leave? Man. Here are more tears.

Well, since that's painful, I will write about now. A little while ago I saw a long puddle. The water was still and in it I saw a long streak of blue sky and beautiful fluffy clouds. It was so beautiful. I thought: "Lord, the sky is amazing, I can't take my eyes away. But this isn't the sky, it's just a reflection. Why am I so in love with the reflection, but not the real deal?" Then the puddle ended suddenly and I instinctively looked up. I have never seen clouds as beautiful as these. They're amazing. They make my heart ache, like when I hear beautiful music. There's something Heaven-pointing about them. I used to call that horrible, wonderful longing 'depression', but it's not. It's that feeling that makes you cry and laugh You want it to go on forever, but you don't think you can take anymore.

Lord, please make me a puddle.

Sarah
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
My Letter thing from Ben:

Sara.

I enjoyed being in your Small group. You always have very interesting, thoughtful comments. It was also great having you around because often you were the only one able to understand and appreciate my complex, intelligent sense of humor. The wise, off-handed remarks you threw out want to make me encourage you to continue your writing. God has given you a gift. Continue to use it to Glorify Him.

Ben H. 6/28/07
Hebrews 13:2
your dad has my contact info
99999999999999999999999999999

I had to put this down so that I won't lose it. Hebrews 13: 2 was our Small Group verse:
"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."

To explain the complex, intelligent sense of humor thing: Ben makes humorous comments constantly, and many times people didn't get them - even though they were really funny. He's engaged, but his Fiance didn't get to come (I think it was work-related or something). I wish she could have. I'm sure she would have been a lot of fun.

Hey look, that cloud looks like a squid!

Wow. That one looks just like a mushroom.

MonkeyLion's new wife couldn't come either. That was a shame, too. The other girls know her, but I don't except by sight.

Hey, I have something to add to the puddle thing (analogy). I just saw a dirty puddle. A dirty puddle can't reflect the sky. Not even when you're looking for it. Maybe a hint of the outline of a cloud - nothing more.

Sorry, I never explained the MonkeyLion thing. His real name is Denny (I mentioned him before - he did a morning devotional). Well, ok, his real NICKNAME is Denny - but the kids in Mexico call him ChangoLeon (I don't know how to spell it) -MonkeyLion. They call him that because he does flips in the Drama and he has some blonde facial hair - a mane...

Lo Siento. A Robert Earl King (did I spell any of that right?) song about an illegal alien just played and it made me cry.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||////////////////////////////////////////////

So ends my journal. Don't worry, I'm not quite as emotional about it now. Yesterday morning was kinda hard, because there was a Spanish service at church in the morning and we sang a song that we sang in Mexico (Dios de pactos - God of the Covenant). Hearing our voices and Aaron's (our Fearless Leader :-D ) singing in Spanish made me get choked up, because I knew when I opened my eyes that I wasn't going to be in Mexico.
But, like I said, I'm better.

If I left out anything you wanted to know about, please contact me and let me know!

God Bless!

The Night before the Day before the Trip to Mexico

It's that time again! Yup, day after tomorrow we begin our journey, only we won't be going into Mexico for a couple of days after that. I'm going to try to keep a better journal for you this year.

But that's not why I'm on.

I'm on because I have an assignment due on the day that we'll either be home that night or the next day. WHICH means that I must send it early, WHICH means that I must finish it. Tonight.

I have most of it done, but part of it I have no idea what to put. I have to write a very difficult article and all I have is the Introduction and the Conclusion. Well. I can't really remember all of the examples I was going to use and stuff. It's horrible. I guess you must get sick of my AHHH! blog posts, but hey, I don't really have any readers (well, sometimes I do, but not often), so you won't really care much.

But yeah, I'm desperate.

And tired.

AND I HAVEN'T PRACTICED PIANO!!!!

great.

Well, God loves to show His power, and He's gonna have to to get anywhere with me!

If you happen to get on here, please pray for me.

Night!

On Last Night's Dream

Last night I had many dreams, but the last one really affected me.

I've recently watched... well I don't want to ruin it for you, so I won't give the title. But in the movie a certain man ends up being twins, and this explains everything, blah, blah, blah. Well, I was dreaming about him and he was making everything right that had gone wrong in the movie (again, I can't tell much because it would ruin the movie for you) but then it wasn't the guy from the movie. It was my biological father.

I guess I haven't really talked about him much on here, but I don't talk about him much usually. He died when I was very young.

Anyway, I couldn't really see him, I mean, I sort of could, but it didn't look like him. And I had all of these memories that I had forgotten rushing up on me - real memories, not fake ones - and it was overwhelming, so I was crying.

Well, to explain, it turned out that my Daddy had a twin and it was his twin that died. I haven't really figured out where he was all that time, I guess maybe in jail, because EVERYONE in the dream before that was in jail, but I don't know.

So to continue, I was having trouble remembering some things and it made me sad (like it usually does) but then it was OK, because he was back, so it didn't matter about the memories.

Then at the end I had my eyes closed and I was trying to hug him but he was being pulled away and I was grabbing for him and I managed to touch his arm... and then my alarm went off.

When I woke up I didn't have time to realize that it was ALL a dream, so my first thought was, 'Oh well, he's back. It doesn't matter.' But then I realized that he wasn't, and that was really hard to take. But my life really is great, I've been blessed with so many that love me. And Daddy isn't in pain anymore, and he's with God. Sometimes that makes me jealous (not that I want to die, but I DO want to be in Heaven).

So I was reading my Bible this morning and praying about that dream and thinking about how much I love my dad (that adopted me) and how all things work together for the good of those who love HIM, and how everything in the past was OK because my dad was back from the dead. Then it hit me: if I was so happy because of the return of a physical father, how much happier will I be when my Heavenly Father returns?

Can you imagine? I mean, I always thought that the first thing that I'd think about when I was with Him would be how great He is or how undeserving I am, but now I think that I'm just going to be so happy to see Him that that's all I'll think: You're here! You're finally back! I love You! Thank You! You're here!

I've been studying Revelation and at the end of chapter 3 there is the letter from Christ to the church at Laodicea. It is a rebuke, but at the end He says: "'He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.'" Revelation 3:21 NASB
Well, I guess it doesn't necessarily mean this, but the first thing I thought when I read this verse was of sitting on His lap. I guess it's weird, but that sounds like the best reward I could ever receive. And still, even if I'm not on His lap, just being close to Him sounds wonderful!

Someday everything that's happened, all of the pain and the struggles and the ups and the downs won't matter. "Oh well, He's back. It doesn't matter anymore."

"Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight!"

God is so good! I just wish that I would always feel this in love with Him!

(I'm sorry that my entries are so long. Hopefully this one was worth your time.)

Today is a good day.

I know that I should be doing something else right now, but I’m so happy that I have to jot down something right now, and my laptop is open, so I figure typing would be faster than writing it down by hand.

GOD IS SO GOOD! Here I sit on my bed, listening to worship songs and hearing the wind blow through the trees outside. This is an extension of my Bible study. This is how I should feel always... filled with Him.
So often I ignore Him and go on with my life without Him, but it’s impossible. I’m miserable. And then I want to come back, but I know it will hurt, so I keep putting it off and putting it off and I get farther and farther away from Him. Then His Word doesn’t matter, prayer doesn’t matter, true joy (and not passing happiness) doesn’t exist. I’m disrespectful to my parents, I’m lazy and won’t do my work, I’m cruel to friends and family (if not in action then in thought - which will lead into action). And I’m miserable.

And then I know that there is no other way to get my life back together than to repent. It’s like having a broken bone heal wrong - I have to be broken again so that I can grow straight.

And sometimes I can convince myself that everything has been put back in order and everything should be good again... but it’s not.

And then I truly repent. It hurts, yes, but then I know that everything has been forgiven and taken care of, and life is so much more sweet.

So here I am this morning, so thankful to be His child - and so unworthy.

Everything is so beautiful outside, the birds are cheeping, the wind is blowing, the sun is shining through thick, leafy branches and making blotches of shade on the brown/green ground than run all over as the wind blows. This is raw nature; no picture can capture the life in this. This is what God created, not the death, but the life. When you’re inside everything is dead. Dead walls. Dead chair. Dead floor. Dead electronics. But outside everything is alive.

God has given us this gift, and right now I feel like He gave it to me. I love His Creation because He made it. And my heart bleeds for those who cannot know this joy.

Oh God, Thank YOU!!! May Your Name be praised in all the earth!

My scattered, horror-stricken thoughts typed up, but without much rhyme or reason.

This actually isn't the big thing that I was going to write about (and I will get to it eventually). I just really feel like I should. Okay. Here we go.

I need to talk about violence, like, "fake" violence such as movies. Well, let's just start with movies. Okay, how many kids 10 or under do you know that watch movies today that you would NEVER be able to watch? I just went to see Spiderman 3 last night. It's easier to watch than 2 (or at least I thought so) simply because there isn't a scene like the hospital scene in 2. Nothing like that. Just plain violent, not my-nightmares-go-something-like-this stuff. But it was still violent. People are blown up, chopped up and run into walls at a rate that makes you wonder if the writers forgot there was such a thing as a concussion. AND CHILDREN WATCH THIS. Okay, I realize that some boys take a while to hit a growth spurt and guys that are fifteen can look like they're eleven, but they don't look like they're nine. Or if you want to go back to a different violent movie (Star Wars Episode III) they don't look like the're... oh,... I'd say about six. Yeah. Just because they can watch the old Star Wars doesn't mean anything for the darker movies of today. Just because it's based on a comic book doesn't mean it's for kids.

But do you want to know what scares me in all of this?

These kids, you know, the ones way younger than me, THEY'RE LESS AFFECTED THAN I AM BY THE VIOLENCE.

Now, you must understand that I was born with one of those blessing/curse things that you find in movies. Mine is an extremely vivid imagination. So violence affects me; like, if someone is getting stabbed, I can get pretty close to knowing how they feel, so I feel really bad for them. And some things just affect me. For instance, my parents took me to Chicago for my birthday and we went to Medieval Times (which was SO much fun). At Medieval Times they have a torture chamber museum thing, and so I wanted to go. And so we went. My whole family. Even my little brother and sister. And I saw things... and I get sick at the thought of it. AND MY SIBLINGS SAW IT!... AND MY BROTHER WASN'T AFFECTED AT ALL! After I rushed through it all I wanted was to keep him from seeing it. To keep him from seeing the horror that my mind was giving me. And I couldn't.

Well, I mixed up subjects there, but now you know my side of watching violence - I'm more affected.

The rest of the world? They aren't affected.

Because it's common.

Okay, I'll talk about Video Games. Specifically, I'll pick on Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (my siblings and I just bought it). This game consists of killing bad guys. At first they're robots, so it's cool. But then they're human. And your powers get scarier, so you're zapping the brains out of one or grabbing them with your web and using them as a weapon. Now I don't think about it while I'm playing, so we just keep going on and on and on. And then my brother starts talking. And I realize that the violence has had its effect. He loves it.

When a kid says something like "There's only a little bit of blood" or even "There's no blood" you've got trouble. They ascociate violence with blood. Just to let you know, something can be VERY violent and have no blood at all. So what is violence, anyway?

Violence |ˈvī(ə)ləns| noun behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something.

Yeah, I'll agree with that definition.

You can't just say that something is "fake". The point of a movie is to seem as real as possible, so while you're watching it (especially if you're young) that movie isn't fake. When war is going on in your backyard, you don't want your children to see. You don't want your children to start shooting at people. You don't want them beating people up. So why do you give them these roll models?

When you're a kid (or at least I was like this), you want to be tough, you want to be able to handle the violence. Then you see it, you can't handle it, you flip. Then you laugh at yourself, you talk yourself into believing that it's not that bad. Then you go back and watch it again. And it's not that bad.

Things need to be "that bad". Violence is shocking because it's wrong. Death is shocking because it's wrong. No one should be able to see someone die by being horribly mutilated and not be affected (I understand that this is sometimes nessesary for people in medical professions and people who fight in wars - I am not trying to say that they are wrong, actually they should be admired because they can handle it).

People are like the Romans with their gladiators. Nothing ever changes.

But please don't let your children see too much violence. Just because they CAN handle it doesn't mean they SHOULD.

Sorry. I'd love to say more. I'm just too sad.

Baby Sophia

Thank you to anyone that prayed. Keep praying. I just received word that Baby Sophia passed away last night. Please keep her family in your prayers.

Baby Sophia

Alright, I know it's been awhile since I've been on here with anything interesting (okay, I know that that's never happened - so make it Resonably Intersting) but I have a lot to say, It's just going to be a little longer until I can say it.

Right now, however, my bed is calling and I have no time. I have to let you know about one thing, however:

PLEASE PRAY FOR BABY SOPHIA!!!

That might not make any sense, but visit this link and it will. Please, PLEASE pray for this child. please pray.

www.caringbridge.org/visit/sophiamichelle

Thank you.

Right now I'm working on my Evolution paper thing. I keep hitting spots of inspriation and spots of braindead-ness. You never could have told me that I would have trouble meeting the word-minimum on a contest. I used to go thousands of words over-board. Now I'm sitting here desperately trying to collect my thoughts. I had so many ideas, but I only got a few of them written down. And it's due very soon. I have to finish it tonight. Inspiration. Gone. Oh Lord, please help me!

It's raining, it's pouring... but now it's not.

Today we went to the zoo, expecting it to rain... well around now. Instead, it started pouring on us as soon as we entered. Oh well. It was a lot of fun, but by the time we got to the insectarium I was soaked to the skin. I'm still slightly damp - but only slightly. We saw gi-antic spiders and millions of little gross bugs and beautiful butterflies. Then we ran off to the Living World part of the zoo so that I could try to figure out what I'm doing for the Evolution paper thingie that I'm working on. Just so you know, the St. Louis Zoo is awesome, but don't believe anything you read in the Living World. They've got evolution stuff in there that the evolutionists agree isn't true. They even have something that says that the sound that a mourning dove makes is the sound that the great horned owl makes! It's so sad. But I still love our zoo. Sorry, I'm kind of distracted right now, because Slyder (my cat) is attacking my sister's foot. Now he has to go back outside. Bandit will be happy. He hates that cat. Slyder's always attacking him. Oh well. Great. Now I'm way off the subject. OKAY. After we went to the Living World, my sister wanted to go to the Red Rocks (or something like that) part, which is where they keep all of the Girraffes and Okapis and kangaroos and animals like that. She's always loved that part. Then we ran to the other side of the zoo to see the penguins for my brother. I was glad that he picked the Penguin Puffin House, because I wanted to see them really bad, but my exibit was the Living World - the only reason we got to go today. I love the zoo.

Well, you probably didn't think that was interesting. Sorry. I'm on here because our internet is freaking out and I'm trying to make use of it while it's on. I've already done my chores, so I'm done for the day. I am so tired, though.

There's something that I want to tell (well, I'd like to tell ANYONE at this point) but I'm scared my mom reads my blog... well... I don't think that she'll get a chance to, but I can't take that chance. Well here: I'm getting her an Easter gift. Isn't that exciting? Now she'll know, so I hope that she doesn't read this before Easter. Well, if she does, then I could always get her something lame for Easter and save the present I have in mind for Mother's Day. The problem is that I'm impatient. I don't like waiting to give things to people. That's why I'm waiting so long to get it. The sooner I get it, the longer I have to wait until I get to talk about it. I never realize how much I talk until I can't.

Well, I'm going to see about ordering it now.

I'll write later... maybe there'll be something of more interest then!

Hey, it's raining again!

Good-bye!

I passed!!!

Boy, this is a great time for my blogging, first 2nd place in poetry, now my Intro. to Psych. Test! I passed! Praise the Lord! I didn't know almost all of the questions, so I prayed really hard and begged God to pass this test for me... and HE DID!!! Thank You, Lord! My practice thing that helps you study really didn't help me. But I still passed!!! Praise God!!!

I won!

I can't believe it! I won a poetry contest!!! YAY!!! I can't believe it! YAY YAY YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!

Baby Sitting Kids that aren't Babies

Right now I'm "Baby Sitting". That's a really bad name for it because none of them are babies and the only one sitting besides me is my sister (the oldest one being 'sat') - and she's playing the piano. Everyone else is running around with this game that we play every time I watch them. I print up all of these little clip art pictures and each picture is a clue. Then they run around the house looking for all of the pieces of a puzzle and eventu - well, I had to go and then the parents returned and now all is quiet. And I'm exhausted. I don't know why; the kids are great. The most work I did was with this game. Oh yeah, the game. - and eventually they've got the puzzle finished and the picture in the puzzle is a clue and if they find what's in the picture (or something like that) then they've found the prize. I've really got to start thinking ahead regarding the prize, because I had to run around the house like a crazy person to find something.

Oh yeah, I never finished telling you about my dog. He was going crazy. It was weird how bad he was. (sorry if my sentences don't flow well - I'm tired) He was running away (he does that on nice days, runs around the neighborhood and visits the other dogs) getting on table, hating visitors more than usual eating our fortune cookies and dark chocolate and pulling the muscles in my mom's neck. After the neck incident we had a really nice day and so Mom put him on the chain and let him jump up and down all day. And now he's back to normal! Weird dog.

I finally read the Red Badge of Courage. Wow. That book is SO boring through... well I guess about the first half of the book. It got better after I started reading out loud, though. Actually it flowed very well. Maybe it was meant to be read aloud and not silently. I think my dog was bored, though.

So the house is destroyed, but it'll clean up fast (I guess it's my fault, I'm the one that came up with this game), everyone's tired and happy and I've said goodnight to Dad. God is good. Of course, He's good when things don't seem so great for me, but for some reason we say that He's good when good things happen to us. But if something "bad" happens, it's hard to say that He is good, not because He's not, but because either 1) it's really hard to concentrate on how great God is when you're suffering or 2) because (most common for me) you don't want to sound fake, or like you're just trying to look holy or something. And people would think you were stupid or something to believe that your God is good even when you say that He is Sovereign and something bad has happened to you. But if you don't believe, then it wouldn't make sense. Oh may I glorify God when I suffer, and may He open the eyes of those around me and allow them to understand why I praise Him.

God is so Awesome. He's the only One who is truly awesome. Thank Him for being Him!

Good night!

I'm blogging because my friend told me to.

Hello. Anything. As you can see from the title, I'm being forced to blog. Nextdoorneighbor, my adoring fan, is holding me hostage via phone until I update any and all blogs unfortunate enough to be owned and neglected by me.

I HAVE A MACBOOK!!! It's GREAT!!! I can do Wi-Fi and everything! It's very new for me, as all that I have EVER used is PC. Everything's turned around and backward, but it's SO COOL!!! And now I'm able to Wi-Fi from home, thus my typing right now.

AHA! I've figured out what the salesperson was talking about!!! Sorry. I don't really want to explain right now.

Okay, so Nextdoorneighbor (who needs a better name) told me to write something wonderful about my dog. He has black spots!!!

Now I am going to dedicate this next paragraph thing to renaming Nextdoorneighbor. Sue. No. Mimi. No. Gamergirl. No, that's almost as hard to type as Nextdoorneighbor. Okay, here we go again...Xiatha. Cool, but I would probably forget it. Maybe I'll name her Endie. She might get mad...no. She's cool with it...haha! She's given me a condition! I'm going to call her Endy. She doesn't want me to spell it with a "Y". ha Ha HA HA!!!

Apparently she's named some characters in her game after my sister and her cat.

Okay. So this is probably really boring to anyone but her, and this will just make Endy mad. So what shall I blog about?...

How about nothing!