Vacation....

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"My Presence will go with you,
and I will give you rest."
-Exodus 33:14

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...leaving for vacation in ten minutes -
headed for the mountains of eastern Pennsylvania -
Pennsylvania's little Niagra Falls.
NYC for a day trip - Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero,
Tickets to THE LION KING! and anything else we can
cram into that day!

We'll be doing some geocaching and relaxing
and just enjoying some quality family time!

I'll miss reading your blogs!
...praying you all have a blessed week!

What are you doing?

Right now - as I type this - I'm eating the last bite of a Dark Chocolate Easter Bunny I bought (last Easter), surfing the internet, and successfully avoiding packing for vacation.

What are YOU doing?!?

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Whatever your hand finds to do,
do it with all your might,
for in the grave,
where you are going,
there is neither working
nor planning
nor knowledge
nor wisdom.
-Ecclesiastes 9:10

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Brand NEW Thought

....wondering how much hiking we'll be doing in the mountains of Eastern Pennsylvania and the streets of New York City while on vacation next week since Brillo Man just BROKE HIS TOE!!! (again - ask me about the Chauncy poop incident later....) UGH.



Note: This is not a cartoon of Brillo Man. This cartoon man has way too much hair - on his head - and not enough anywhere else.

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For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a (chair) stone.
Psalm 91:11,12

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Things I Thought Today

1) Remembered how much I loved my husband when he secretly scraped the dead cardinal I hit out of the car's front grill when we stopped to eat at Cracker Barrel while driving somewhere on our honeymoon...at least he thought he was doing it secretly. ...don't know if he knows that I knew...he didn't want me to feel badly because I murdered the bird...

2) Thought how crummy it is that I'm going to be getting together with an old friend tomorrow who I haven't seen in over a year. Why is it crummy? Because I am getting over a bad cold and have been blowing my nose with cheap kleenex (which are not actually kleenex because had they been kleenex, I wouldn't be having the problem which I'm about to share...). My nose is all scabby and gross and starting to peel. There's a mental image for you. Not a fun face to show an old friend.

3) If I don't stop eating all this junk food, I'm going to rapidly gain back the 24 pounds that I just lost. (As I type this, I'm reaching for a Big Hunk which I know I have stashed somewhere...and YES, Pat, it’s the candy that you sent me. I STILL have a little left! - and it's still good --which makes me wonder how many years it would last in a landfill...)

4) Wondered if I put resin on a booger and glued it to a paper and called it art - would someone buy it. Yes - I thought this today. Don't ask why. Andy Warhol said that art is anything you can get away with....and he was right. It's amazing what people will buy from my website. Earrings made from cheezit crackers....

5) I thought that my friend running over a chipmunk while riding her bike was a lot worse than me hitting a cardinal with our car.

6) 30 years old is way too young for the woman in CCU to be having a heart attack. But she was. As I reach for another Big Hunk.... (What is wrong with me?!)

7) I decided that going to midnight shift at work is going to be great in more ways than one. One of which being that I will no longer be as tempted to be sucked into the gossip ring that I’ve managed to allow myself to be sucked into. Why is it that we often think we “fit in” better if we’re mutually complaining about others? Who wrote that rule?

8) I decided that ketchup is the new red.

9) I thought that if I looked through the lens of the microscope AFTER I cleaned my glasses, the cells would look less like the surface of the moon.

10) I thought Bailey would be a good name for a dog. Bailey also happens to be my grandmother’s maiden name. Which is NOT one of those secret questions that websites ask you in order to protect your password security.

11) I thought that it might be fun if giraffes were purple. Gotta work on that one.

I've Just Been to Church - Twice

Yes. Church. That place where we all congregate to worship. Amazingly, tonight we talked about communion. Communion not only a time to remember the Lord's sacrifice but also to remember that we are to commune with one another. That as Christians, we are called to minister, share, give, serve, help, uplift and encourage one another. We are the body of Christ. Each one of us with an important job to do. Each one loving and serving our King through all that we do.

Then I came home from church and read one of my favorite blogs before going to bed. God is incredible in how He orchestrates and orders things in our lives. Sara couldn't have said it better.

If you haven't yet, come join us in communion. I didn't have any wine or grape juice handy. Iced tea worked just as well.

I have prayed for you all --and cried a river.

Now - I'm going to bed!

Blessings all!

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So in Christ
we who are many form one body,
and each member belongs to all the others.
-Romans 12:5

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Things I Did...

...while the power was out for THREE days! (yes, mrs. mac, because of Ike!)

1) Read my Bible more
2) Took sponge baths in ICY COLD artesian spring water from our well! (THAT will wake you up!)
3) Curled my hair at work
4) Ate less
5) Burned more candles
6) Prayed more
7) Cried me a river...
8) Played Scrabble with Brillo Man (and LOST - because he is now the KING of Scrabble since he plays CONSTANTLY on the computer.)
9) Found myself eager to get to work, knowing that there were LIGHTS there!

10) Spent a lot of time missing my computer!

The Little Lady

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After church on Sunday.
She is growing way too fast!

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Be imitators of God,
therefore, as dearly loved children.
-Ephesians 5:1

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Let Me Tell You...

....about how great God is...(in case you don't know!)

As you do know, I've returned to work full-time for what I thought would be a short season of time. God provided the job - opened the door whenever I thought the door was shut.

As much as I love working as a Medical Technologist and being part of a great health care team, saving lives and providing the test results which allow the physicians to better care for their patients, I have to admit that being a stay-at-home Mom is a job I enjoy more.

And I have been scheduled to work primarily afternoon shift which means I have very little time to spend with Olivia. We have 45 minutes in the morning while she gets ready to get on the bus and that's it for school days when I work. For several weeks now, I have threatened to quit my job...but have been hesitant because I believe that I am to remain in this position. I just have not had a peace about leaving the workplace behind. But I will not miss my daughter's childhood either.

Enter God.

Two days ago I learned that the technologist who works full time midnight shift has resigned. Guess what? No one else (thus far) wants the position. Guess who's bidding on it? And...what's even more remarkable is that it's 10 hour shifts (yeah!!). Presently, I work eight hour shifts. The longer shifts will mean less days worked --which will allow for longer stretches off --which will mean that every third week I will have six days off in a row - without having to use any of my vacation time! In those six days, I will be able to work on my art --which is another great passion of mine.

God is good.

I will have no trouble sleeping during the day while Olivia is in school and will then have all evening to spend with she and Brillo Man before I head off to work at 9:30pm.

God is good.
All the time.
He knows our needs and supplies every one!

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Many, O LORD my God,
are Your wonderful works
which You have done;
and Your thoughts toward us
cannot be recounted to You in order;
if I would declare and speak of them,
they are more than can be numbered.
Psalm 40:5

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