bye bye curls :(

There is a fascinating article in the The Washington Times today about one of their headlines from 1922: "Arctic Ocean Getting Warm; Seals Vanish and Icebergs Melt." It discusses the fact that four of the ten hottest years on record in the U.S. were in the 1930s, with 1934 being the hottest.

With global warming being such a hot topic these days (no pun intended), it's always good to try and look for perspective. Here's my favorite quote of the article, from Marcus Aurelius:

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."

In fact, this might be my new favorite quote, period. I think I'll use it.

Those Romans were pretty smart dudes.

Beach Pics 2007

Never fun to take, but a joy to have!

Getting to take a goofy picture is a great reward for a job well done. These are a few of my favorites...

Apparently in 3rd grade, it's no longer cool for your mom to take your picture on the first day of school. Oh, well. Bailey starts next week.

Yesterday was also my parents' anniversary. It was their 40th!

Congratulations, Mom and Dad. You two showed me how it's done, and I'm forever grateful for the example. Love you bunches!

Twelve years ago...

... today, I married the man of my dreams.

I love you, Babe.

Please, God, let this be the last time he sports this hairdo.

Check this out. Great job, Tyler!

Greetings from Panama City Beach, FL! We've been here since Saturday afternoon and we're having a wonderful time. The beach has to be one of number one favorite things that God created. There is just something about sitting by the ocean and watching the waves roll that rejuvenates my spirit like few things can. I simply love it.

So far, Bryant seems to be enjoying it too. He's not so sure about the sand, and particularly doesn't like the way it tastes. But after a tutorial by Daddy and Poppa G, he has learned to like the waves. He likes to sit on the sand right at the water's edge and let the waves rush over his legs. It's been so fun to listen to him squeal each time.

This year Bradley has learned how to boogy board. He had a ton of fun and spent over an hour doing it a few days ago. His Aunt Gigi was out there with him for part of the time. I was impressed! The problem is that the sand and salt between his belly and the board rubbed his little stomach raw. He tried doing it the next day with a shirt on, but it didn't help much. It's apparently a rougher sport than it looks. But he really loved riding the waves and I'm sure he'll be back at it before the week's over.

Yesterday the men rented a pontoon boat for the day and spent the morning fishing. We met them at St. Andrew's Park around 11:30 and rode out to Shell Island. The guys grilled some amazing kabobs, and the kids had fun searching for shells and feeding the seagulls. It was a pretty fun way to spend my 34th birthday!

Bryant LOVED his life jacket. Whenever we tried to take it off of him he would start screaming and running away from us. Who knew?

On the way back to the park, we stopped in the bay so the kids could fish. Brad and Bailey caught something right off the bat. Here Bradley is using Carrie Beth's princess fishing pole. He ended up staying the rest of the afternoon with his daddy, uncle and granddaddy and got to use a more manly pole. He told me that at one point they were almost out of bait, and he saved the day by catching a sandcat. He felt like the king of the world!

Last night Jeff took me to Bonefish with my brother and sister-in-law and we had a great time. Bryant is such a pill to take out to dinner these days, getting to eat out with only adults is heaven! The waiter bought me dessert since it was my birthday. (So, Cheryl, I DID have some key lime pie for you!) We topped off the evening with a trip to Alvin's Island, the big one with the alligators and sharks.

After we got home, Jeff and I walked down to the beach and spent some time talking by the water's edge. It was a really great day. If I have to turn 34, I guess the beach is a pretty good consolation prize. :)

Hear it's pretty hot at home. Sorry friends! I'd have brought you all with me if I could have, really!

I received my Mandisa CD in the mail this week. It is AWESOME!! I love it, and I think my children do too. I just heard Bailey singing "Only the World" in her room this afternoon. There are some very hip-hop type tunes on there, as well as two beautiful slower songs with amazing lyrics. All of them in complete praise to the Father. I highly recommend the purchase.

It's funny, because a few weeks ago I got the Katherine McPhee CD. If you aren't a fan of American Idol (which I can't really claim to be anymore) you may not know that these two were both contestants last year. Both lost to Taylor Hicks, which is completely unexplainable.

Anyway, I enjoy Katherine McPhee's CD, but in a much different way. Her songs all reflect her search to find happiness, mostly through relationships with men. There are some really fun tunes, but some really empty ones as well. Bailey loves "Open Toes" because it has a fantastic beat and is fun to sing and dance to. But it's all about stuff. It's about her fascination with open-toed shoes (Never too many open toes; a girl needs plenty open toes.) The bridge says, "Nothing feels better than spending my treasure on me. Finally, I'm where I want to be." That's just a pretty hollow sentiment. (I must admit, though, I totally dig the second track, "Over It." It's a great song, even if it is about breaking up.)

But when you compare the two CDs, Mandisa's is way ahead in my book. She also sings about seeking happiness and fullfillment. But she's looking in a different place. And she's found it. She is a true beauty.

Reflecting that, her second track is called "True Beauty." It's about the difference in the way God sees beauty versus man. Part of the chorus goes, "What's inside of you; what's inside of me; The hands that made the moon and stars, the mountains and the seas; made you wonderful, beautiful, marvelously..."

Bradley is in the backseat playing his gameboy. He says, ever so nonchalantly, "I don't want to see what's inside either one of us."

The kid makes me LAUGH!!!

As many of you know, when I was in Thailand back in June, I "bumped" into someone that I used to teach school with back in the '90s in Birmingham, AL. She lives in South Korea, but is assigned to the whole Pacific Rim as an education specialist. She travels around and visits with the Ms and offers any assistance she can with their children's schooling.

Anyway, she put me on her newsletter distribution. This morning I got an e-mail from her that I wanted to pass on because it's very thought-provoking. Please say a special prayer for our sister serving on the front lines today.
--------------
Dear Family and Friends,

As most of you know, twenty-three South Koreans were taken hostage recently in Afghanistan. These were people in their 20s and 30s from a Christian church here in Korea. They went to Afghanistan on a medical project to help the Afghani people, but the Taliban stopped their bus and took all 23 of them hostage. When this first happened, I said to a friend, “Oh, the Taliban will not kill any of them. It’s just a tactic.” The very next day the pastor accompanying the group was killed. I was shocked. I had been naïve to believe that they would not be killed, but I continued to believe that the crisis would be over quickly. Then they killed another male hostage and left his body on the side of the road to be found, and once again I was shocked. It’s an on-going crisis with no end in sight, and I have watched the family members of the hostages on Korean television begging for anyone and everyone to help…the Korean government, the Afghani government, the US government, the Taliban. It is heart wrenching to watch.

I have wondered if the hostages are able to be brave – reportedly, eighteen of them are women. I have wondered if they are scared or if they are resting in God’s amazing peace. I have wondered why?

I have given this a lot of thought. I’m not sure why this particular incident has given me so much to think about. I’m not sure what I am supposed to be learning thru this, but one thing keeps coming to mind…Do we count the costs? Do we think going on a short-term, one-week project just costs us a few vacation days and the costs of a plane ticket? When I went on those five one-week medical and dental mission trips to Honduras between 1987 and 1990, did I count the costs? Did I have a clue? How do we count the costs when we may not even know what it will cost us? What if it costs everything?

Lesson learned – I’m not sure what it is…still thinking…and pondering.

Have a blessed day!

P

For those of you living in the area, there is a brand new restaurant we found last night I have to tell you about. I'm going to refrain from using names or giving precise locations because I try to be a little cautious about putting information on here that would make it easy for a cyberpsycho to pinpoint where we live, since I do frequently post pics of my adorable kids. So think of it as an adventure. But if you know me and want to shoot me an e-mail, I'll tell you its name. ;)

Anyway, there is a new meat and three at the end of the strip mall that is anchored on the other end by a new Japanese steakhouse. (Right behind Walgreen's) Meat and 1 is $6.99, 2 is $7.99 and 3 is $8.99. This includes your bread and drink, so it's a great deal. But the super best part is that kids' meals are only 99 cents! That includes a drink, roll, 1/2 portion of meat and one side. Bailey got a chicken leg and mashed potatoes, roll and chocolate milk, and it was only a buck. You can't beat that unless you go to Applebee's on kids eat free night. And this was MUCH easier to get in and out of, and the food was delicious. We will definitely be frequenting this place.

As for the rest of you, if you are wondering why I haven't been writing about politics lately, it's because I've decided to ignore them for a while and see if they'll quit acting like a bunch of babies. Sometimes that works with my kids.

I'm disgusted by the whole entire thing, from the Congress to the White House to the media machine. I'm nauseated by the panting wolves outside John Roberts' hospital waiting with gleeful anticipation as to what could have caused him to have a seizure this week. How does it feel, Justice Roberts, to have hundreds of thousands of people, if they are generous, hoping that you will have a disease just debilitating enough to remove you from the Court? It reminds me of last year when Senator Tim Johnson had brain surgery and the Hill was abuzz with speculation over whether this would cause him to leave his Senate seat and upset the delicate Rep/Dem balance. There is nothing delicate about anything in Congress. Carnivores drooling at the mouth over any crumb of power they can snatch from anyone else's fingers.

While we constantly hear of President Bush's low approval ratings, currently hovering in the 30s, and we are led to believe that this should somehow make him bend over and do whatever Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid demand of him, we almost never hear that the approval rating of Congress is no better, equal to, if not lower, than that of the President's. Americans are fed up with all of them. At least this American is.

So this is me ignoring politics for a little while. Although the cat fight going on between Clinton, Obama and Edwards can be somewhat entertaining. But if they ever do another story about Hillary's cleavage, I may have to quit the news altogether.

"I Have Breast Cancer"

Robin Roberts announced this morning on GMA that she has breast cancer and will be seeking treatment immediately. You can read her blog here, or you can listen to her announce it by clicking on the video link to the right. What a strong woman she is. She's in the early stages and has a great prognosis. But I'm still so sad to hear that she has to go through this.

Praying for you today, Robin!

Last week was crazy busy. This week isn't looking like it's going to be much better, but I'm hoping for a break here and there. When I went to Atlanta on Wednesday, my kids stayed with their aunt and cousin to swim for the day in West Georgia. On the way there we decided to ask if their cousin could come back with us for a few days. So there was an extra child here until yesterday, which was a very fun time for us to be together, but kicked our normally crazy life up an extra notch.

This is our last week at home before school begins, since we will be at the beach all next week. I can't believe that summer is almost over. We're only two weeks away from the first Titans pre-season game, and only about a month away from real football (college, of course ;)) While I've enjoyed the time with my kids this summer so much, I must confess there is a teensy part of me that is REALLY looking forward to school days returning. I hope that doesn't make me a bad mom.

As a follow-up to my summer reading list, I have finished both The Husband and 90 Minutes in Heaven. Both were great in completely different ways. The Husband is just a fun suspense story. 90 Minutes is a fascinating look into the life of a man who died and came back to tell about it. He knows people will be skeptical, and for several years didn't talk to anybody about his experience until a friend encouraged him that perhaps the reason this happened to him was so he would share his experience as an encouragement to others. It's a very fast read, and worth it even if you just read the first few chapters about what he saw, heard and felt in Heaven. It's very compelling.

I just got confirmation that Idol Eyes shipped on Saturday, so I plan to take it to the beach with me. I'm really looking forward to it.

I've also picked up a new one, which may surprise you. I've started reading Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion. This is a tough read, not only because he is an atheist trying to persuade the reader to become an atheist, but because he is a British scientist and writes like one. I'm not sure I'm intelligent enough to follow his verbose nature. (Not to in any way imply that I'm too stupid to be an atheist. He just uses really big words.)

But the general feeling I can't help but get from reading this is sadness for this man. He is so sure that there is no god, because you can't prove that he exists. To Dawkins it is madness that so many people in the world are convinced there is something out there bigger than us. Faith in something you can't prove is ridiculous (even though he wholeheartedly believes in evolution.) But I find myself stopping to pray for him as I'm reading that God will reveal himself to Richard Dawkins in a way that will blow his mind. I think at one point in my life I would have thought, "Well, he'll find out one day and that will serve him right!" But I guess I've come face to face with God's grace in my life enough times to know that I deserve no better than Mr. Dawkins. Without the blood of Christ covering my sins, I would be just as hellbound.

I'm a couple days behind in The Chronological Bible, so last night it was time to read Isaiah 53. I was struck by this familiar but beautiful passage describing "the servant."

"Who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

"Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

"We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

"He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.
He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

"Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

"After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."

What makes this so fascinating is that it was written almost 700 years before Christ arrived on this earth, yet it describes his experience to the fullest. Isaiah is full of bad news about the coming judgement of Israel. Yet throughout the book are sprinkled words of hope, of both the first and second coming of Christ. Read it carefully, and God's character is revealed in an amazing way.

I do believe in God. I know that makes me a fool in the eyes of some. But it goes both ways.

"The fool says in his heart, 'There is no god.'" Psalm 14:1

I'd rather be a fool for him than against him.

I just threw up in my mouth a little bit. Please tell me that our tax dollars do not pay to publish The Hill. If it were a joke, I could handle it. But I think they're serious.

You can bet this ticked Hillary off something fierce.

Just preparing to go to the beach in a couple of weeks. Bryant is so in love with the water he can't stand it. Fearless, daredevilish and so stinkin' adorable!

If you are a golf fan or watch Fox News, chances are that you have seen commercials for The Villages. It's an enormous retirement complex - actually, a small city - smack dab in the middle of Florida, about an hour north of Orlando. This is where my in-laws live. It is truly one of my favorite places on this earth.

There are golf courses galore, so the landscaping everywhere is beautiful. The above picture is looking across Lake Sumter at the newest town square, the second of three that are planned. Jeff's parents live pretty equidistant from both of them, and it's so much fun to just hop on the golf cart and drive around. They have a new Wal-Mart that is accessible by golf cart since I was here at Christmas. Yes, it might take longer to get there in a golf cart. Yes, you might have to be creative in how you get the groceries home, but it's just fun.

I've spent a lot of time over the past few days with B&B on the golf cart. With no TV and no gameboy and plenty of open road, we've had some really fun talks.

Like when Bailey said, "Mom, I think Florida smells like the beach."

"You do? That's probably because Florida is surrounded by beach. Florida is a peninsula, which means a body of land almost completely surrounded by water."

Taking it one step further, I asked her, "Do you know what a body of land that is completely surrounded by water is called?"

"Uh-huh. A flood."

She had me there. :)

Checking the Mail Villages Style

Where else can you ride the golf cart to check the mail? You have to love this place.

Flying Solo with Three Kids in a Post 9-11 World

Hello again. We've been in Florida since Monday, and I haven't been able to hook up my Internet, so I've been separated from my alter ego for almost a week. Probably not a bad thing.

Monday was one of the most stressful days I've experienced as a mom of three. A few months ago, Jeff called me and told me there were $49 flights to Orlando in July and would I rather fly than drive all three kids down here with his mom. Sounded like a great idea at the time, but now I'm not so sure.

First of all, it's extremely difficult to pack everything you need for three kids, one of whom is 16 months old, in 2 suitcases and a carry-on. We also had to make arrangements to have car seats and all the big baby things down here waiting for us.

But the worst part was definitely the stress of just getting everybody through the airport and to the gate. Obviously I have no pictures of this airport experience. When in the name of all that is good in the world would I have had time to take a picture?

We arrived at the airport almost an hour and a half before our flight, which proved to be divine favor. Jeff was with me as we checked our bags at the curb. No problem. We moved quickly through and on to security.

At the front of the line when the lady checks boarding passes, she sweetly looks at me and says, "Honey, you're going to hate me, but you are supposed to have a sticker on your boarding pass that designates you have a lap baby." She was very nice, and sent me out the side of the line and told me to come right back there as soon as I had my sticker.

So as Jeff is ready to leave, he sees me coming back out of the security line and is wondering what is going on. I leave the big kids with him and race over to the Southwest counter to get my sticker. Again, a line. Once I got to the front, I tell the lady what I need.

She says, "No problem. Can I please see his birth certificate?" Whoops. I don't have a birth certificate. Any thing that proves his age? Nope. My heart rate is way over aerobic activity at this point. I call Jeff and ask where Bryant's birth certificate is. We didn't bring one. You see, back in June when I flew the big kids, I brought both birth certificates and no one ever asked for them. Apparently the only reason they need one is to prove a child is under 2. This would have been good to think through before arriving at the airport.

So the Southwest lady doesn't panic. Which, can I say, would have been a completely different experience had we been flying United. I'm quite sure they would have sweetly told me that I was screwed and to have a nice day. But this kind lady asks me where he was born. Somehow she gets through to Baptist Hospital and gets proof of his age. It was unbelievable. I am so grateful for this woman. So I got my little sticker and raced back to security.

At this point, however, Bryant has decided that he doesn't want to be in the stroller. I mean, really doesn't want to be in the stroller. There is nothing I can do about this. I have to get everybody through security, and there is no way that I can either carry him or chase him around. So I had to just let him scream. And scream he did. I love it when people stare at me.

We walked right back up to the front of the line and the lady let us through. The kids' shoes were off and in Brad's backpack. I had one of my ziploc bags with Bradley. Of course I couldn't have anything open in a sippy cup or bottle for Bryant, so I had a can of Pediasure to give to him once we got through. This is a bizarre world that we live in.

My laptop was out. We got our two bins and had everything in them. I sent B&B through and pushed all the bags. Then I start to push my stroller through. Not so much. The security guard stops and tells me I have to take off Bryant's shoes, take him out of the stroller, fold up the stroller and send it through x-ray. I looked at him to be sure he wasn't joking. Bryant's head is spinning around and there is green stuff shooting out of his mouth. He wasn't joking.

So I take Bryant out of the stroller, which does make him stop screaming. After all, this is what he has been begging for. His shoes come off and go in a bin. A security guard helps me fold up the stroller and push it through. There is a line the size of Texas piling up behind me. I can feel the heat from their laser stares into the back of my head. I walk through... and beep. Of course I had forgotten the cell phone in my pocket. So we have to go back for a small bin.

Finally I get through to the other side. Putting Bryant back in the stroller was as fun as you can imagine. I'm trying to grab all of my things and keep up with my children as well. Everything came through except my diaper bag, which they have taken to the special line to search. We were able to move over to the side to wait. Then the security guard brought me my bag, but I could see she had something in her hand. It was my travel bottle of Clorox Anywhere spray. Apparently that's considered HazMat. I had forgotten it was even in my bag. It's now the property of Federal Aviation.

Once we finally got down to our gate, we had to stop for a stroller tag. Then we parked in the pre-board area. Which on a flight to Orlando is usually just as long as the A line for all the families traveling with small children. I had to let Bryant out of the stroller, and then spent the next 20 minutes chasing him around. If I picked him up and tried to hold him he would scream and fight me with all his might. I could again feel the stares. I know what I would have been thinking if I were anyone around me. "Please, God, don't make me sit anywhere near them!"

Once we got on board, we quickly got seated and I began making a bottle. I didn't intend to give it to him until takeoff, but once he saw it there was no getting around it. He drank it while everyone was boarding. Fortunately, he was sleepy enough that he continued to sit on my lap while we were taxiing. He was interested in the way we were moving. I told the kids, "The best thing that can happen to us is for Bryant to go to sleep. Please pray right now!" And they did. And it worked. My baby boy slept from the moment we entered the air until our wheels hit the tarmac. Thank you, Jesus.

Unfortunately, even though we were early, the people at our gate were not. In fact, they were quite late. So we sat. And sat. 20 minutes went by before we could come up to the gate. Unfortunately, Bryant was awake during this 20 minutes. And ready to disembark. And repossessed by some kind of evil spirit.

I called Jeff once we were on the highway with my father-in-law and he asked me if I thought it was worth it to fly. "I'm still thinking," I told him. I'm still not sure.

I think it must have been easier to fly kids before we took terrorism seriously. I'm afraid it's only going to get worse.

But three days later, it's not looking that bad. We didn't have to drive 12 hours, many of which Bryant would have surely screamed through in the car. And I have three more before I attempt it again. This time at least Jeff will be with me. That should improve things quite a bit. :)

New Wheels

We've noticed for a while that Brad's bike was too little for him, so we finally decided to do something about it. Here he is on his brand new 20" bike. He absolutely loves it, because it's a trick bike with a metal stand on the back for him to stand up and ride on. He doesn't know yet that this is so he can do wheelies, and I'm not going to be the one to tell him.

While we were at it we decided that Bryant needed some wheels, too. So he finally has a wagon that he can ride in. Bradley was very helpful in putting it together.

Bryant was checking to make sure no parts were left in the box. Although his Daddy always says if there aren't any parts left over you probably didn't put it together right.

Getting ready for a test drive...

Can I just say how awesome it is to have a big brother in the house?
Happy trails!