1) Sunday was a day filled with complete joy for two families - mine and my sister-in-law Cindy's. Her family and friends and my family with friends all attended her baby shower and it was a fabulous time.

All the guests at the shower took dibs on whether it was a boy or girl, exactly the day he/she would be born, and how much the baby would weigh when it decided to appear.

We don't have a winning prize, but one guest stated that getting first dibs on babysitting would be a great prize.

We have it in writing - so we'll let the winner know as soon as we know.


2) Lots of friends have taken my test (see below) and I have one friend who has answered all the questions correct. She is my bestest friend - one that I have known since I was in the sixth grade. We don't get to spend a lot of time together now - but she is definitely a true blue. If you haven't tried my test - do it soon. I'm posting the answers tomorrow.

3) My good friend and co-worker Janna had a darling little baby girl last week. Her name is Reese Irene and she is a keeper. Here she is with her big sister Maya Jo. I didn't get to hold her in the hosital, so I will need to go and visit her soon. I need my baby fix.

4) A terrible tragedy happened in our neighborhood just a few days ago. A fifth-grader at my son's school took his own life. I have no other information, but I've been very upset about this. It has been hard thinking about his parents, his siblings, his family. I just don't know how I would go on. Please pray for this young boy's family this week. And hug your children even closer to you.

5) Getting ready for Spring Break - coming soon our way.

Labels: family

Please sign in and take my quiz - I'd love to know how much you think you know me... or how much you really do know me.

If you don't take my quiz, please let me know you stopped by - a girl needs to know that somebody's there.


Create your own Friend Quiz here

UPDATE: I don't know what it says after you finish the test - it may say that you don't know me - but for those who are missing only 1 or 2 out of the 8 questions so far - I think you are doing great! If you receive a perfect score, I'm going to send you a little surprise in the mail.
I do have one (or possibly two) tricky questions in there! Good luck to you all and thanks for taking my quiz!

I'll post more next week and I'll also give you the answers to my quiz!

Labels: fun

I thought this was kinda cute - especially since I just posted on how I wish I was young again. After reading these, I guess I can still feel a bit young (or at least in the present) knowing that I do the majority of these below.

YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2007 when...

1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.

2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.

3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three... so true

4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you... do it all the time - and I wonder why my tush has spread

5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.... or I can't find their email address

6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries... or if they have already been to the mailbox - otherwise I'll need to put my car in reverse to back it up the 3 houses down I must go to get the mail

7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.

8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it... and have done this several times!

10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee... or brushing your teeth, or taking a shower for that matter

11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )

12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing... oh so very much!

13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message... my mom!

14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list... yup, didn't notice.

15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list... yup, did that too.

And now you are laughing at yourself!!

I have a post that I would like to publish - but it is a post that involves questions from the heart. Do you think it is a good idea to post honest emotions? Should I post them to release my brain, should I pray about them and leave them in my heart, or should I go see a therapist? I really want your honest opinions on this so if you read me and care to comment, I would really appreciate it.

Labels: fun

Today is about my friend Rachael. I have known her for what seems like a lifetime, but really maybe only several years. She was a senior in the youth group at the church we attended as I was dating Phil. We did not know each other at all, but I knew her mother and sister as her older sister and I were closer in age.

Fast forward a few years, and I am sitting in the nursery, rocking a baby while her mother caught up with all of the workers in the nursery. Her mother asks me where I work and then proceeds to beg me (and I do emphasize beg) to help Rachael find a job at the ad agency where I clock in a few days a week. She has just graduated from college with a degree in marketing and “she just has to get a job. I can’t have her living with me forever.”

Her mom is the lovely lady to the left in the picture above - Rachael is the young one on the right.

I explain to her mother that I don't have that much popularity prestige at work, but I’ll do my best.

Lucky for Rach, a job opened up just in time – and she would be perfect for it. I tell the two department heads about her and that she goes to church with me. Guys, it’s time to straighten your ways because I think you need to hire her. And they did. And yes, I did want her to work for them to appease her mother, but I'll admit it... I was also in it for the money. The $250 referral fee they pay employees here is a nice chunk of change.

Lucky for me that referral brought a friendship with it also.

It’s been a couple years since Rachael and I have worked together at the agency… she’s gone on to bigger and brighter pastures, but she has remained such a good friend to me. I was honored to help in the preparations of her wedding, as well as coordinate all the necessary details for the rehearsal and the wedding day. We scrapbook together, go to chick flicks on occasion, and compare HOTY's. Hers is winning right now... he is sending her to Florida for her birthday. But the year’s still young, girl!

She turns the big 3-0 today!

Happy Birthday Friend – enjoy your day and may all your years be as happy as the past 29!
Rachael and friends at her surprise 30th birthday party.

A Friend Is Like A Good Bra...
Hard to Find
Supportive
Comfortable
Always Lifts You Up
Never Lets You Down or Leaves You Hanging
And Is Always Close To Your Heart!

Labels: friends

I love the excitement of a child... especially ours.

Last night Perry had a hard time falling asleep. He sleeps like a rock once he is finally asleep, but going to sleep can be a feat in and of itself. And last night was no exception. And when he can't sleep, he gets very upset and has even a harder time trying to get to dreamland. He sobbed in his bed last night for fear that he would never get to sleep. I laid down next to him rubbing his back, soothing him down, whispering his songs to him that were playing on his CD player.

This morning he comes running into our bedroom, all smiles and beams as he yells...

"Happy Valentine's Day! Finally! I was so excited about it last night, that's why I couldn't sleep."

So excited for Valentine's Day that he couldn't sleep. He makes our heart explode.

Phil - my best friend and love forever - thank you for being my teammate in the game of our life.

I found this on a couple blogs that I browse and I just had to play along with Perry - my 8 year old wonder boy.

1. What is love?

“Man – I knew it but just forgot. Okay, okay... love is when like people hug each other and stuff – that’s love."

2. Why do we celebrate Valentine’s Day?

“To have a big day of loving.”

3. How do we celebrate Valentine’s Day?

“By doing some Valentine’s Day parties”

4. What are Valentines?

"Cards that you give people to show them that you love them."

5. How many valentines can you have at one time?

"30" What do you mean by 30? "Because I can hold 30 in a hand." I'm thinking he means cards here!

6. Who do you love?

"My family."

Thanks Perry for giving me your answers to these questions.

Now I wish for all of you a big day of loving!

Labels: family fun

Those are the exact words I overheard tonight as I was watching Access Hollywood my friend's kids tonight while she was at a PTA meeting. No, I don't go to PTA. I have much better things to do with my time like watching Grey's Anatomy or catching up on reading the latest best-seller... oh, forget crossing any of those out. I really have nothing else better to do, I just don't go.

Anyway, while my good friend C was at her PTA meeting being extremely interested in all things PTA, her boys were over here entertaining my son. Which is exactly how I see it. When any one of Perry's friends hangs out at my house - I score free entertainment for him... and more time for me.

I heart Perry's friends.

Oh don't worry, I do hang out a little while with them...I feed them donuts... I go downstairs and talk until they look at me all weird like. And then look at Perry like why is your mom hanging out with us downstairs while we play pokemon? Then I go back up to my free time.

So, getting back to my spying, I overhear that Perry doesn't have the coveted Pokemon card. I'm not sure which one it is - but he doesn't have it. His friend G has it, and is willing to trade it to Perry, except his older, all-knowing brother E stated in a direct manner, and I do mean direct, that "mom will NOT let you trade ANY cards." Seems as if the trading of cards has caused a problem before.

"Okay Perry, this is what I'll do. I will pray really hard tonight. My mom lets me pray every night and tonight I will definitely pray for that card for you in your next pack."

That boy G - preacher to be.

He's the cutie on the left.

A boy can never have enough praying friends.

Labels: fun

Here at the ad agency where I tend to catch up on blogs work very hard, birthdays are celebrated with food - nothing else - just food. They place all the goodies on a table right in front of their office and everyone stops by, wishes the birthday recipient a good day and then digs in. The majority of the time, co-workers will bring the ol' standy-by... krispy kremes, rice crispy treats, or chips and salsa. All of them easy to grab on your way to work. Depending on the person, or the age of the birthday being celebrated, one of us may go all out and bake some warm brownies and cookies, or mix up a batch of corn dip or even a seven layer bean thingy.

The creating of blue ribbon recipes only coincides with brown-nosing or kissing of tushes... you should see the spread for the owner of the company. My boss' birthday coincidentally turns up right before yearly review. And my prized secret tollhouse chocolate chip cookies also seem to show up on his birthday - and only for his birthday. I know they are his favorite - and he always gets them.

But today, these showed up at a birthday extravaganza...

They were a delight to my taste buds. The combination of sweet (the granola clusters) and the salty (chex) just made my day. I started with a handful, and then grabbed another handful, and then ran quickly to the office kitchen to grab a syrofoam coffee cup and snarf up even more at my desk. I personally wanted to devour the entire bag.

What didn't occur to me was that I should be counting the points on this... mmm yeah, um kinda forgot.

But I was told that points didn't have to be counted if you were standing at the table munching.

Gotta run - gotta get back to that birthday table.

Labels: work

I'm sitting here with hubs and Perry watching the Big Game (yes, by ourselves - the only way to watch this once-a-year telecast without interruptions!) and I thought I might jot down our favorite commercials of the game... the ones that actually evoked out-loud laughter from the peanut gallery here. I think it would be cool to look back on this next year and try to see if we can remember the commercials or not... I don't think we remember any from last year.

First of all - how much more can you LOVE Billy Joel playing on his piano, singing the National Anthem so beautifully, in the rain! I've seen Billy Joel in concert and he is still my all-time favorite musical artist. He was here in the city many years ago with Elton John. It was the absolute best concert I had ever seen. There's just something about a man tickling the ivories, with the best voice to boot. Hubs and I have also seen Movin' Out in NYC, as well as the traveling version here in KC. Mr. Joel is simply unbelievable. Did I mention that he sang and played the anthem beautifully tonight in the rain?!

Favorite commercial during the First Quarter... bud light auction wedding - we've actually been to a wedding that was just about that short - not performed by an auctioneer. I always wondered why they even spent the money (on the wedding). We also snickered (oh yes, I said that!) at the Snickers kissing men commercial.

Second Quarter: Budweiser spotted dog commercial... sweet and funny. We also loved the Doritos cashier commercial. We heard that this commercial was actually created by a real-live consumer and not an advertising exec... love it even more for that.


Here he is after he changes into his pajamas... the Manning jersey on over the pajamas. Yes, he IS just like his Daddy.

Fourth Quarter: The NFL commercial - looking back on the season.

Tony Dungy professed after the game that not only is he and Coach Smith the first African American coaches to be in the big game, but also being Christians, they really feel as if the Lord placed them right where He wanted them to be.

I knew it! Jesus really is interested in football!

I turned to Perry and told him he could and should continue to pray for Chiefs wins (after Phil told him that God really didn't care too much about football when he would pray for each game on a football Sunday). Let's keep on praying!

Only 160 more days until football season!

I've been following the extraordinary story of a beautiful young woman and her fight with cancer for the past year. The family is a close personal friend of my son's former kindergarten teacher. We have spoken of her several times and I have actually met this couple's beautiful daughters one evening at Perry's school. Although I have never met this woman, Jennifer, I feel as if she is a close friend from reading their blog.

If you have some time in the next few days, pull up some of her archives of this fight, starting with the very first post. Her husband started this blog from day one and it is an absolute testament to her strength, fight and love that she has for her family. And it is also an incredible love story for their young girls to read as they grow older for they will always have this journal to remember their mother.

As of this past week, Jennifer is taking her last breaths - and her family is counting them - not wanting her to pass over to heaven, but hopeful that she does not suffer. And I pray that for them too right now.

Take the time to squeeze your spouse a little tighter and hug your children a little closer today. I know that with every thought I have of Jennifer today and this weekend, those thoughts will turn to being a better mother, daughter, and friend... for that is what she has embodied the most during her fight.

Update: Jennifer passed away around 2:40am Sunday, February 4, 2007.

Labels: prayer