Pregnancy in 15 seconds

take a load off Gina...
you are in my prayers.
love you!

i read this to the kids tonight: amazing verses for just daily living-

Galations 6: msg.

1-3 Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day's out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ's law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.

4-5Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.

6Be very sure now, you who have been trained to a self-sufficient maturity, that you enter into a generous common life with those who have trained you, sharing all the good things that you have and experience.

i love "live creatively friends" leave it to eugene...
and that part about saving our critical comments to ourselves...wow.
and the part "if you think you are too good for that (sharing burdens) you are sorely deceived". PoW! (can you tell which parts fell on my ears just right?)

Pray for Gina- she's having LiAm soon, very soon. Maybe NoW!

my three redheads

Kym and Holly, here are my crazies as i lovingly refer to them...now i need some shots of your babes girls. Mine are the ones with red hair and goggles mostly. (Sadie is a goggle freak.)
(click on "my crazies" for more pictures)

the fire...

last night i worked diligently on the application and still am no where near finished. thank you for the responses- i am somehow brought to a little better understanding of what to put by what you guys are willing to say about me...
i think you were all being nice and i figure all of you had at least 3 grumpy adjectives you could have shared. i really wish you would have, it looks as if i was calling everyone to build me up and that this a.race app. was a big front. i may be that insecure however that was not my intentions.
sooo...this week has been very much a walk thru the fire for me. i can't really explain other than a series of unfortunate events. i am proud to say God is working in me. my attitude has been on a rollar coaster and my heart on my sleeve but i am working on being more even and presentable.
today i am hanging on this verse: 1 peter 1:7

Your faith will be like gold that has been tested in a fire. And these trials will prove that your faith is worth much more than gold that can be destroyed. They will show that you will be given praise and honor and glory when Jesus Christ returns.

and this song:

The pathway is broken
And the signs are unclear
And I dont know the reason why you brought me here
But just because You love me the way that You do
I will go through the valley
If You want me to

Now I'm not who I was
When I took my first step
And I'm clinging to the promise
You're not through with me yet
So if all of these trials bring me closer to You
I will go through the fire
If You want me to

It may not be the way I would have chosen
When you lead me through a world that's not my own
But You never said it would be easy
You only said I'll never go alone

So when the whole world turns against me
And I'm all by myself
And I can't hear You answer my cries for help
I'll remember the suffering Your love put You through
And I will go through the valley
If You want me to

i want this kind of spirit.

and holly i am working on posting some pics of the kids...

questions for you...

so i am on my bi-yearly "i have to run the Amazing Race" kick- the good news is, this time i have gotten my application BeFoRe they quit taking them...season 10- i know this is bizarre and just silly to some buy i really want to run this thing.
seriously. i need your prayers. HoWeVeR...there are some tough questions i am not sure of and who better to ask than my friends, right?

i am not trying to lose friends here but i would like your complete honesty. I am a big girl. If the answer is too much and you can't comment here, let me know somewhere when no one is "listening" (apparently i am expecting the worse from you guys)
so Shannan, Cortnie, Trina- you guys who read and never say anything, its time. i need your voice. this is important information that you are offering.
ok -enough drama...here's what i need the answers for-

1..."What famous person reminds you of yourself?"

2..."List 3 adjectives that best describe yourself"

(i have no idea on the first one and the second i am wierded out about describing myself)

now i need to know how YoU would answer these questions:

3..."Are there any locations in the world to which you absolutely will not travel?" if so identify where and why
4..."What part of the world is the least interesting to you and why?"

(these are hard for me to answer because i just don't know enough about the "world" to know if there is a place i don't want t0 go, other than the places we are in war with..)

ThAnK YoU for your time.

So it's Saturday, the kids are classically watching cartoons and sporatically eating. I am checking email and blogs. We are about to go swimming i think, well after i do something productive so i won't feel useless...i just ran into a blog from Krista's, "Kelly"-a woman from 7 mile who loves Zoe and pictures and God. Where's Trina? :)

It just made me think about how awesome it would be if we could befriend our fellowship. Kanisha J. and i had a funny conversation about how in the coc we tend to seclude ourselves and murmer and complain about EaCh OtHeR...silly. She grew up under a different "umbrella" of beliefs and you guys know her light-hearted nature, she laughs at us. I have to laugh or i'll cry.

I wish things were different. I like to sit around and think-it's not me who has so much trouble with this, it's the other churches...but its me too. I am used to our style of everything, i am looking forward to changes...ok, enough-

It just all circles back around to my attitude. I want the right one, the attitude that sees the big picture and see's us all at a place of learning and figuring out. Not one person is up here because of this and down here because of that. AHHHH! Please pray for mine. God is AlWaYs working on it.

So let's worship tomorrow. Think about GOD. His nature, His power. How He delivers and rescues and disciplines all rolled into One. He rocks. Clear your head. Clear your mind of all the junk that makes you critical and gross. I know i will have to- now I can't wait...

cell from hell

has everyone seen the phone i have been carrying around? it's cracked, we heard about that and now the little "pad" on the back has fallen off, slowly, leaving a sticky mess on my hands-
so i have been doing a little research and discovered this really cool phone that i am now craving...chocolate- today i found out it can Be MiNe...for a fraction of the retail price (heard that promise before?)
The cell phone world makes me laugh- you can actually get PaId to own their phones when you do the rebate thing- so hopefully on Monday (some contract has to run out) i can own me some chocolate. (and maybe by Christmas i can save up the $ to buy the gadgets that make it super cool)

LG KG800 Chocolate video 1

everybody loves chocolate

Holy

1 Peter 1:13

Be alert and think straight. Put all your hope in how kind God will be to you when Jesus Christ appears.
14Behave like obedient children. Don't let your lives be controlled by your desires, as they used to be.

15Always live as God's holy people should, because God is the one who chose you, and he is holy. 16That's why the Scriptures say,
"I am the holy God, and you must be holy too."

-a group of us went to Athens last night to worship with the Zoe group. How sad is it that i craved, hungered for this worship? Assuming to myself i would do this any given Saturday night if given the opportunity. Why is that not an option? This is God we are talking about here.

...you know i am a fan of entertainment and my recent rompt thru Ecc. has only confirmed me more that it's ok to live a life that we enjoy and i soo enjoy a good movie (and a little JD)- but if i could be doing what i did Sat. night...it just made sense to me. I live for Him, i try to at least- it's natural to express my love for Him. Can we do something about our (my) complacency about worship?!

Scrubs My Way Home 5x07 Part 1/3

my vbs inspiration

scrubs

the song i can't find!

Turk: Who are these guys?

J.D.: These are the last eight guys in the hospital that don't realize I suck at basketball. So here's what gonna happen: I finally mastered my running hook shot so when we go to pick teams I'm gonna hit that shot. Then you say I'll pick that guy at which point Carla is gonna page me and I'll say "*Crap*, I've gotta go." And you'll go "*D***, we just lost the best player out here." And then there will be eight guys in the hospital who think I'm good at sports and word will spread.
Turk: When do you find time to see your patients?
J.D.: Between these thoughts.

If you haven't caught Scrubs yet you should. It rocks. There's always some great message at the end of the show- the writing is awesome. JD is a real person to me. I love him. His mind is always in some other world, planning, scheming, dreaming but he is brilliant at what he does...maybe that's just tv...but i think it can be done-
come on...be shallow, watch tv and enjoy scrubs...it's okay
i read ecc. the other night. all of it b/c i kept thinking "is Solomon really suggesting this"

Read this: Ecc. 2:24
The best you can do with your life is have a good time and get by the best you can. The way I see it, that's it—divine fate. Whether we feast or fast, it's up to God. (msg.) from context click here

b'ham babes

i so happened to have just a minute this morning and to answer your question amy f...ms idol had a blast, but i might have to give that title to amy b- she has plenty of pics, one of taylor hicks in which i hope makes the blog cut... taylor...- he just has that thing that makes you want to know him and then you feel like you do even when you don't-i found this pic of him and a guitar...ahhhhhhhh! A nice surprise was Lisa singing Elton's "your song" and chris, elliot, ace and bucky singing "Patience", a song i had forgotten about. Awesome words.

i had so much fun with my girls amy, trina, bridgett, meredith, shannan, scarlett and cortney b. but i must say the concert on the way home was worth as much to me as the $60 a.i. one...being serenaded by our praise team, singing, laughing- it will be one of my best memories from the trip. i love you guys! OK, gotta get going- today i meet "Ray Renoylds"woo hoo :)

cotten eyed joe

"We could sing Cotten Eyed Joe"
...a suggestion Sadie made in her Wed. night Bible class
Thanks to Amy R. for sharing the fun things they say. Prayer Request: i am back to the "get over myself" place i need to apparently stay in...
one day at a time, one foot in front of the other, one task, one meeting, one morning i will wake up and not have a whole lot to do-right? and wish for just some of this back on my plate. ..?

i get so overwhelmed with what i need to do- pray i will check my attitude out and get all these things done with a cheerful heart. Didn't M Blueberry say a thankful heart is a cheerful one? Where is she?

Riley went to bed crying saying he's going to miss me tomorrow. what do you say to your child when all you want to do is cry and say -i'll miss you too... in a huge way. Is it ok to say i think i have the most awesome kids ever? I love to hang out with them and tomorrow and the next however many months they are busy...i am sad. and sadly busy too.

is this how it's supposed to be?

Rest Assured...?

my latest discovery is that i am thinking i can be a better person by simply being more simple.
i think...

oh my word, i can hardly admit this but...mom...has always said, "slow down gena", and bigger still the Lord has always said "be still gena, know i have you"

and still i keep going like the energizer bunny, except for this week...nothing.
everyday its been get up,
shave my legs (maybe),
put on a hat
and go sit by my in-laws pool.
and be still.
and swim some because my kids make fun of me and gracious it's 100 degrees...

i have so much gain from this stillness. ..

-my new close friend, my sister in-law in which we have sadly never taken this much quality time together.

-my kids are great swimmers and they are digging their cousins. that's good for the fam.

-i am more at peace than i have been in soooo long. i am not sure that's from the pool or the stillness. i am betting the stillness. God is good. i am not worthy.

-lastly, lets not forget my vanity...my tan. it's not much seeing as i am freckely and all but there is sadly some peace coming from it. ahh, still working on that.

i will soooo miss my stillness.
just tonight we had orientation and i see i have my work cut out for me. here we go...
i do better when i have more to do...i have always worked that way.
i have accomplished little in my stillness but i have gotten closer to God than i have been in some time.
- PrIcEleSs...now what to do?
Pull-up the bootstraps and get moving and be the room mom, student minister, mother of 3 i chose to be or StoP................and sit and think and pray and consider this lifestyle one more time...
i need wisdom.
seriously.
what are your opinions on this picking back up the pace?
healthy? unhealthy?

consider these verses before you decide:

1. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." Ex. 14:14
2. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways. Ps. 37:7a
3. James 3:1...Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

4. James 2:18But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
   Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 20You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?

Does anyone see what is going on in my head?
be still,
be better at what you do,
be still,
do something worthwhile...show your faith...ahhhh!

i am not confused. i am needing balance.
i am just at a loss where that balance is supposed to stay for me.

(and amy's, i can't get that crazy im to work, so you will know. maybe it has something to do with all this...?)

a tribute to the Shepherds...
they left out this morning for their 24 hour journey to
Austrailia
to set up home indefinately.
you will be missed. from our family to yours...

tune: Yellow Brick Road, Elton John
When are you gonna come down?
When are you going to land?
should we have paid you more?
should we listen to the Big Man?

You know you can hold Crosspoint forever
They would have signed up with you-
Now you're a present for Austrailia to open
America's left singing the blues

So goodbye our Shepherd friends
Where is the plane right now?
You can plant us in your memory
We're going back to our house...

Back to the walls and floors made of wood
Hunting the games you left us
Oh I've finally decided just take them all...
the aussies made such a fuss

What are you doing right now?
Has Rebecca shot down the plane?
It'll take you a couple of vodka and tonics
To set you on your feet again

Maybe you'll get a replacement
There's few like them to be found
we'll miss you like crazy our best friends
let us know when your planes on the ground