Not Me! Monday

Once again I find myself at the mercy of my blog....drat, time to confess again. Oh wait...I didn't do any of these things....

Contemplate changing my new blog background because the Not Me! Monday button doesn't match.

Nope

Almost fall on the floor instead of sitting on the toilet (my toilet at home is really high and my great aunt's is a normal toilet)

Key word being almost

Actually get my butt derriere (thank you to ArizonaMama, a new bloggy friend, for introducing me to this euphemism!) in gear on Thanksgiving morning to go out for a jog...it was not in anticipation of all the food I knew I would consume. I did not have to change pants after dinner because I was so full...

Not this chubs!

Eat ham instead of turkey on Thanksgiving. Isn't that a sin? Un-American? Un-Human?

Not me-100% human here!

Receive a text from my cousin letting me know Jillian Michaels was in the Macy*s day parade...I do not talk about Jill like we are as tight as my pants on Thanksgiving night.

Never

Not eat very many veggies on Thanksgiving because most of them were full of bell peppers. That's not allergy city for me!

Not this health addict

Finally, I am not totally and COMPLETELY SCARRED for life from a certain extended family member (uncle I see and talk to once a year). As I was walking up the stairs to bed, at my great Aunt's house, he was not walking down the stairs....in his TIGHTY WHITIES?! Who DOES THAT?!

Head over to MckMama's blog to read the rules and create your own!

I'll just be over here trying to get this awful mental imagine out of my head.

Pants anyone?

Thankful....

I don't know how I could possibly even begin this type of post. I am just such a blessed girl. Here are just a few things for which I am thankful....

I have such an amazing family that has supported me through every decision I have made. I have made some rather big choices in the last few years concerning work and school, and my family has always, always backed me up! Not all children can say that about their families. For my family, I am thankful.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have so many wonderful memories from childhood- ones that I believe will always be some of my all-time favorite memories! My parents struggled with three kids, having a middle son with multiple disabilities, but we never suffered for it. They always relied on the Lord for strength. For my childhood, I am thankful.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have wonderful friends who love me, "get" my sense of humor :) and support me despite my weaknesses. They are forgiving and loving all the same. They push me to become a better person and hold me accountable to my commitments. For them, I am thankful.

IRL* Friends such as this girl!

And this one:


And this one: If you don't know the story behind the picture below, click here

And this one: (sorry, Sarah, I don't have a picture of us together...unless I dig out an old picture from 8th grade soccer...enough said)

Of course I have many more, but they aren't bloggers. :)

* in real life

1 Thessalonians 1:2-3
"We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have an education and the chance to continue on, pursuing a master's degree. The Lord has blessed me with the ability to work hard, be diligent in study, and discipline myself to succeed. For current and future education, I am thankful. (I am also thankful for Sallie Mae!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This little miracle boy is a reason for all to be thankful this year. If you are having a difficult time thinking of reasons to be thankful, well, you can be thankful for this little face. A miracle face!

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I have a Lord and Savior who loves me beyond all I can imagine. For His sacrifice, I am so grateful!

For ALL these things and people, I am thankful to Him!

Psalm 95:1-7a

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before Him with thanksgiving
and extol Him with music and song.

For the LORD is the great God,
the great King above all gods.

In His hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to Him.

The sea is His, for He made it,
and His hands formed the dry land.

Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;

for He is our God
and we are the people of His pasture,
the flock under His care.

Not Me! Monday~ Travel Style

So last week, just for the heck of it, I went back to read the rules of NM!M. Good thing I did because I had been breaking a rule for the last few weeks. I am doing it correctly this week and only linking to my NM!M post, not my whole blog.

Stellan's wonderful Mama, MckMama, started this fun carnival, so head on over and create your own, but please, for goodness sake, read the rules!

On my way to the airport on Thursday morning, I did not see the sunrise for the second time in five months....I am always rising and shining bright and early- every morning...as long as you consider a silent bear something that rises and shines. Ahem

On the same bus, I was not the girl who sat next to the window and placed her carry on item in the seat next to her...*warning* bear sits here. Do not ask to sit next to and chat.

Upon arriving at my final destination, the west Midwest, I did not find out, once again, that my luggage did not make it. The night before I weighed my bag and it wasn't 51.9 pounds. After a little adjusting, the final weigh-in wasn't 48.7 at check-in. A friend didn't suggest the airport might not approve of my inability to pack light, thus "losing" my luggage. (I'm here for TWO weeks, what do they want?!)

I also did not spend a significant amount of time on my first flight trying to figure out the pattern in the carpet.

I did not almost turn around and tell the man behind me to cover his mouth when coughing, and I most certainly did not find great amusement in looking through the Sky Mall magazine. I am totally not buying *this*. I may not live in the frozen tundra, but goshdarnit, NE doesn't get WAY TOO MUCH SNOW!

I'm sure I won't have more "not me's" regarding my travels next week!

Now, go write your own....please!

Five Question Friday

Be still my heart! TWO posts in one day!

I love this week's questions. Create your own and link up with Mama M!



1. Are you a Black Friday shopper?

I went to Kohls ONCE on a black friday, and I vowed to never do it again! I can't handle all the rude people. I enjoy the holiday shopping when people are happy and joyful, when people aren't parking in "non parking spots", and the Christmas cheer is actually in the air. Perhaps the only time I would be willing to go shopping on Black Friday is if I wanted something large, like a TV, and could save a massive amount of $$.

2. What was your favorite childhood toy? (Think Easy Bake Oven, Cabbage Patch Kid, Shrinky Dinks, etc.)

I played with my barbies for WAY too long! I just loved dressing them and doing their hair. I had the pink convertible and the hair salon. I was big into Polly Pocket as well.

However, NOTHING tops my most favorite toy. I had many Cabbage Patch kids. Loved them! My most favorite one was the infant Cabbage Patch. She was the cutest little thing! Bald and always wore a pink jammie outfit. She is still in my attic in case I have a little girl one day. :)

3. Favorite Christmas movie?

Mama M and myself are very similar here. I LOVE Elf. Typically I do not like Will Ferrell, but he's brilliant in this movie.

and.......go ahead and start laughing now....

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.

I love the scene when the bandits come in the house and slip on paint, gets bricks thrown at them, get stapled, etc...cracks me up!

4. What is the "must have" item on your Christmas list this year?

Nothing major. I do need new sneaks. I have a hole in the top of my Asics.

5. Do you go all out with decorations or do you keep it simple and classy?

We tend to do simple. Our tree usually have gold ribbon, white lights, and gold and silver ornaments.

Show Us Your Pets- Culturally Diverse

I've been waiting for this week forever! Head over to: Kelly's Korner to see more pets! :)

If you know me, you know I love animals! My dad is a veterinarian (not to be confused with a vet...ahem, Shauna) and I worked for him for several years. We have ALWAYS had lots of animals in our house.

I laugh at the current "array" of animals I have. We are a culturally diverse family...

Griffen: African Ridgeback


Brooklyn: German Shepherd (aka The German Queen)



Mosey Moe: Asian (1/2 Siamese)


He is always into everything...and NOT supposed to be outside!



Can you see the second cat in the picture below? :)





Lilie: The little white thing. :) Poor Lilie was caught in a snow plow and dropped off at the hospital. My dad had to remove one of her back legs and 1/2 her tail.

Go West Midwest, Young Man Woman

I made it to the Midwest! Now, if the airline would just locate my bags...

I'm here to sees these faces:

We are not related...what's that? No, really, we don't look a thing alike! It's your imagination.

Naughty Nillie (Sister's dog) and Me. Love that dog!


And apparently I don't have a good pic of my BIL...oops. Well, I am seeing his face here, too.

i FEEEEEEEL nice

Like sugar and spice


So nice



So nice



I got you:

:) Just a couple pics from my celebratory graduation dinner at my fav restaurant, Cheesecake Factory

A Little Announcement

Well, Peeps, I was given a suggestion by Confessions Of A Working Mom, so I am taking her idea....


Here is my announcement........


























Did you have to scroll down? That was my intention .



This chick...

Yeah, that's me...





has




FINALLY



finished




her















DEGREE!!!




THAT'S RIGHT!



IFINALLYGRADUATEDAFTERGOINGFULLTIMEFORFIVEANDAHALFYEARS!!


Yeah, I know, I already made an announcement in my Not Me! Monday post, but just in case you missed it! Don't worry, if you already congratulated me, you don't have to do it a second time.

Future Plans: Grad school starts in January. What can I say? I am a professional student, and I owe my firstborn to Sallie Mae!

Not Me! Monday!

Alright! Back to NMM! Woozah!



She's baaaaaack! So git over there, write your own post, and link on up!


SOOO on Saturday night I did not spent about 45 minutes in my closet trying to figure out what to wear to church in the morning....(I ended up wearing something I didn't even try on) and my closet does not look like a bomb of clothes exploded.

I also did not spent all day Saturday in my pjs. It was pouring rain, I had nothing to do other than stay home with my brother. By Saturday night I didn't decide I better put on different pjs for the night since I had not been wearing mine for 24 hours at that point.

This little bugger

did not sneeze nasty nose junk all over my bed. Good thing I keep a blanket over my duvet cover to protect it from the little furry white stinkers. AND if this did happen, I would not have taken a picture just for today.

I know it's a bad picture. If you get the angle of your screen just right, you can see it pretty well...
but I was not about to waste my time trying to figure out how to draw an arrow in photoshop on such a nasty picture (that I did not take!)
DID NOT DID NOT DID NOT DID NOT!!!!

DID NOT!

My Jillian Michael's DVD is not sitting on my desk, staring at me, wondering where I have been for the last week two weeks.

I am not totally psyched that I am singing in Advent Choir this year!

and just one more little thing....dun dun DUN...

I did not FIIIINALLY graduate college this past week!

Happy confessing!

Answered Prayer

I have been thinking a lot about prayer lately. MckMama wrote a wonderful post about the same topic a short while ago, and I wholeheartedly agree with her words.

I think a lot people struggle with this topic. People believe some have a direct connection to God. Some believe God does not hear their prayers.

The truth of the matter is God does hear us, and He does answer us. It is when we do not receive the outcome we hoped for that we begin to think God didn't answer. People become angry with God, bitter towards Him for doing the opposite of which they asked.

I know a few people who believe asking a certain person to pray over a situation will result in what is desired. The truth is God does not pick and choose whose prayers He wants to answer. Because God can see the whole picture, He knows what the best outcome is. Asking a certain person to pray is false hope. However, people who are following the will of God and trusting Him will desire what God wants. Therefore, if your desires are the same as God desires, then it will appear that God is answering your prayer. It is a matter of aligning with God's desires. If you ask the Lord to give you His same desires, you will lead a life full of His direction, and you will receive the desires of your heart because you are walking in His way, wanting what He wants.

Psalm 37:4
"Delight yourself in the LORD
and He will give you the desires of your heart."

It's not an easy topic. At times I wonder what the point of praying is when God already knows the outcome. Prayer brings us closer to God. It brings us into communication with Him, allowing us to align with His desires.

If you believe God does not hear your prayers, you are mistaken. God always answers, but we do not always receive the answer we want. If that is the case, we (myself included) have to take a step back and make sure we really want what the Lord wants. He does want us to be happy and live a life full of joy, but we have to remain in Him if we want to desire what He desires for us.

I am still learning this on a daily basis. So many times I just want what I want, not refocusing and saying "Lord, I desire Your will for this situation". It's hard to relinquish control. This is a daily struggle.

We are all free to speak with God anytime we want. We just have to focus on His will and His plan instead of believing He is not listening or doesn't care.

Does this mean we should stop asking God for specific things? Nope! Praying for Stellan, for example, is an act of love and support. It is an act of carrying one another's burdens.

Galatians 6:2
"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."

I am always encouraged when I know others have been praying for me.

Additionally, I think there is something to be said about when we do desire as God desires and the outcome is not what we wanted. Again, God sees the whole picture. At the same time, God teaches us and allows us to grow through these situations. We can only think and desire His will to a certain extent because we are humans and have a sinful nature. God is going to do what will bring Himself glory, and sometimes that means pain and suffering.

I am not an expert on prayer, but these are my thoughts and what I believe to be true. God is God. He was, and is, and is to come. He knows the beginning from the end. He is concerned with the details of my life and yours. He cares about the big and little things. So don't cease your prayers. Ask God to give you His desires.

I am determined to not do this a day late...so I have 10 minutes to git er done

Head to Mama M's site for more fun! She also has some great 'healthy through the holidays' tips you should check out!



1. What is your favorite "eat" on Thanksgiving?
Oh boy...I love the stuffing and the sweet potatoes and the string beans and the turkey and the mashed potatoes and the barley thing....favorite? Can I just say everything except the beets?

2. What is the name your best girl friend and the best trait about her or how you met (or heck, both!!)
I think my sister and I are as close as they come. She moved 14 hours away 2 years ago, but we still pick up right where we left off, as if there was no time in between. When did we meet? August 14, 1985. :)

3. What would you say is one of your "weirdest" quirks?
Oh shoot only 7 minutes...
ummmm oh my....Can't wear socks to bed
Have to be covered when I am sleeping
Have to sleep on the side farthest from the door
Can you tell I have sleep on the brain?

4. What is your favorite genre of music? (Hip hop? Classical? Rock? etc.)
Oh goodness, I love so many! It would be easier to list my favorite artists.

I love me some country sometimes, jazz, 40's, alternative (although what does that really entail?), worship, Jason Mraz is "pop"? I am just looking what my itunes has labeled my fav artists as...

5. Are you a Night Owl...or an Early Bird?

I would love to answer this with neither. I love sleep! :) But really I am a night owl. I have NEVER been an early bird and I hate people who are....well, not hate... I just hate it when they try to make me one.

phew 11:59! Made it!

wow, the blog clock is 10 minutes slow! I could have typed more...which I am clearly doing now!

Time for this owl to hit the sack!

Healed

Guess who is going home? That's right. STELLAN IS GOING HOME! He has been healed- HEALED! Absolutely amazing! I am so happy Jennifer is going to be hopping on a plane back home with her sweet little boy-a healed little boy!


Pictures taken from MckMama's site

Thank you, Lord, for healing Stellan! May his story of healing be one told for years to come for GREAT and AWESOME is our God!

And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of His glory."
Isaiah 6:3

Stellan

** EDIT** HE MADE IT! HE MADE IT! HE MADE IT! HE MADE IT!!!!! AND the surgery was a SUCCESS!!! Thank you, FATHER!!

**Edit: Stellan is currently in surgery. He was not very stable going in, but there was little choice in the matter. Keep praying!!

It is so hard to believe that the little boy I was holding and chasing after less than 48 hours ago is now hooked up to multiple monitors with several arterial lines in, sedated, and intubated. His heart stopped this morning and had to have the paddles to get his heart going.

Please pray for this baby boy. He is not stable enough right now for surgery.




Lord, I know Your hand is upon Stellan, MckMama, and his doctors. I know you already know the outcome of this whole situation. Please calm MckMama's spirit, giving her a peace that passes all understanding. Be with the pilot's hands, eyes, and mind so that her husband arrives safely at MckMama and Stellan's side. I ask that you would guide Stellan's doctors' hands, that their minds would be clear of everything else.


Psalm 29:11
"The LORD gives strength to His people; the LORD blesses His people with peace."

Psalm 77: 13& 14
"Your ways, O God, are holy.
What god is so great as our God?
You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the peoples."

Jesus, please heal Stellan in a supernatural way.

IRL* Friends

* In real life

I spend so much of my day on my computer. Writing papers, replying to discussion questions, facebook researching, teamwork for school, etc. My coursework is done working with individuals with whom I have never met. It has become normal to me to feel I know someone well, even if we have never met face to face.

Through my many hours of being on the computer, I have been sucked into the blog world. I had been reading Angie Smith's blog for a while, and she posted about a mom who was pregnant with a little boy who was experiencing heart trouble. I immediately fell in love MckMama, her family, and this little baby she was carrying who was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. I remember being so engulfed in her story, checking her blog every 2 seconds as often as I could, hoping there was a positive update. Those days where Stellan would receive 8,9, 10/10 in the womb, I would be so thankful for the Lord's goodness.

I continued to read MckMama's blog and twitter every day. She is one of those people you feel you know, even though you have never met. Her mothering style, her organic cooking, and her humor were all reasons I was drawn to her blog. Of course Stellan was one of the main reason I kept going back to read; however, I will say this for MckMama: the one thing that draws me the most is her love for the Lord. It's tangible. It's real. It's something she has chosen to share with thousands.

Today I feel SO blessed to say that I was able to meet MckMama and baby Stellan. I am brought to tears writing this. What a miracle it was to hold the little baby I have been praying for for so long. The little boy, whose name hangs on my wall to remind me to pray for him, was crawling around and I got to chase him, play with him, get poked in the eye by him :) There are no words to explain how overwhelmed and blessed I feel today. MckMama was so sweet and kind. I felt as if I had known her forever.

My heart breaks for MckMama, knowing how much unknown is ahead of her and Stellan. Yet, I am comforted in knowing that, although his surgery only has a 20% chance of sucess, God is in the 0.00000000001%. God is in the details. I watch in awe at MckMama's strength and her acknowledgement of the Lord's provision of strength. Keeping one foot infront of the other is all that needs to be done.

Today I met with a woman who loves the Lord, strives to please Him, and who is honest about how difficult it can be to do these things.

IRL Friends :)

Today I held a smiling, laughing, crawling, baby who is already a miracle.

Love you, Stellan! So thankful I was able to play with you and see your smile in person. The Lord has already used you in so many ways, drawing others closer to Himself. I praise and thank him for your life! Thank you for letting me be a part of it!

Psalm 91:4
"He will cover you with His feathers,
and under His wings you will find refuge;
His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart."

Five Question Friday!

A little late hopping on the train this week. Heck, I missed last week, so I'm doing better already! Head to Mama M's site to check out her answers and others'.



1. What is your dream job?
Oh man, I'm not sure I know. I want to work in a hospital one day. Actually, I always wanted to be an OBGYN but I have a little issue with blood. ahem. minor detail. However, I have hope that I can still work in a hospital at the human service level

2. What song could you play over and over?
Anything by Jim Brickman.

How He Loves- DCB or Kim Walker

Be Thou My Vision- Ginny Owens

Dark Waltz -Hayley Westenra

What If You- Joshua Radin

.....Can you tell I am in a quiet, peaceful mood

3. Do you prefer to talk on the phone or text (or email)?
E-mail first, then text...and heaven forbid I should have to talk on the phone! Hate it! I get nervous when the signal is low and I have a hard time hearing the other person.

I will put off making a phone call for hours...ok days...ok, ok-WEEKS! At least I am honest with people when I tell them I am terrible at calling back!

4. What is your must have beauty product?
Hands down Matrix Sleek Look Styling Creme then my Chi to top it off! :)
...and all my Bare Escentuals...my saving grace!

5. What is your favorite Michael Jackson song?
Well considering I only have one song by him on my ipod, I'd have to say Rockin' Robin :)

Eight Person Plane

Despite the fright, I was able to take a few pictures.