Vertigo has come to visit (Not U2 version)

I had a horrible morning with dizziness accompanied with nausea. I won't even get into the other gorry details. I guess it could be inner ear related or a tummy bug. Either way, after 5 hours of complete helplessness, I am feeling a lot better. My hubby brought me soup and crackers and I have been sipping on 7up. I have to feel better quick because I am taking my girls to the Cheetah Girls concert tonight. Hope no one else is feeling lousy today. I did just happen to study a lot about fasting in my bible study and I opted for something other than food. Maybe God is trying to tell me something. Hum? Have a blessed day everyone!

My Week in Review

This picture sums up my Thanksgiving week. It was relaxing and peaceful. I loved visiting with all the relatives and stuffing myself for a solid two days. Isn't God good to create such delicious foods? I knew I had to stop when I found myself slicing into the pumpkin and the cherry pie for breakfast on Friday morning. I think this year I was very reflective about the blessings we have been given. When I have had an emotionally and physically tough year, I tend to grow the most spiritually. I am so thankful for many reasons, but especially for the good health Skip has experienced since his surgery. I know God never left our sides during the fearful and uncertain times. Skip is still experiencing some minor aches and pains, but he is doing fabulous in my book. He is an amazing man and I have seen him reach out to God for strength and wisdom so much lately. I just love him to pieces! I am also thankful for my children and the blessings that each of them are to me. Each child is so unique and talented in their own special way. I am so thankful for my church and church family. I think God has used BAF to impact this city in so many ways, and it seems to be just the beginning. I can't wait to post about our Grand Opening of the new building in a couple of months. Just watch out for all God is going to do through his people. I am thankful for my local friends, my email buddies, and my blog friends. All the encouragement, prayers, and love I've received is unbelievable. May God bless you all! My resting time is over as I am now going to go back to getting this house ready for sale this week. I decorated for Christmas early last week, so I can now just concentrate on the nitty gritty of making this house shine!

Happy Birthday Sis!

My big sis is celebrating her birthday today. I just wanted to wish her a day filled with blessings and happy memories. She and I are exactly two years, one month and 6 days apart. You can imagine how two girls that close together in age probably had their fair share of squabbling. We did, of course, but now we are very close and laugh at the silly experiences of our childhood. One thing about sisters is that they truly know you at your best and your worst. I want to personally take a moment to tell Debbie how much I love and appreciate her. She has been there for me in so many ways. She stood by my side at my wedding to Skip, and as I gave birth to all three of my children. She was praying with me and comforting me through all of Seth's surgeries when he was a baby, and even came late at night during Skip's emergency surgery this summer. She didn't leave until she knew I was emotionally okay to be on my own. She has always felt a certain responsibility to look after me which I guess first borns tend to do. I am so glad she is a Christian friend to me, too. We are always calling each other with our prayer needs, knowing that they are safe and secret. One of the most admirable traits she possesses is her lack of fear to try new things. I have always wanted to be more like her in that respect. She also makes everyone feel at ease the moment they meet her. People enjoy being around her because she's so much fun. Debbie is also crazy about her husband of over 21 years, and has an 18 yr old daughter, and a 16 yr old son.
*The picture above is me on the left, and Debbie on the right. I love this picture because it shows her little spunky attitude. This was taken by our parents when they had just returned home from a trip to Vegas. We got little purses for a souvenir.

Rejoicing in the Madness

I haven't had many moments to blog lately, as we are trying to put the house up for sale very soon. I need to do a lot of touch ups, and straightening. I am praying relentlessly that I will not get stressed and frustrated because I know how I get trying to make things look just right. I miss writing so much. I guess I use it for my relaxation time instead of tv. God is just amazing me everyday with things he is showing me about myself. Some are good and I praise him for those. Others are not so good, but he is there to help me change. Thank you to all of you who encourage me with your words of wisdom and humor each day. I am so sorry I haven't been keeping up with all of you like I'd like to.

Ashley is getting along on her crutches much better. It was rough that first week. I told her to look on the bright side, "It's not often you get everyone to wait on you hand and foot at home and at school." She needs to enjoy it while it lasts.

Skip is having a birthday on Saturday. If you get a chance to wish him a Happy Birthday, that would be great! He is having his 39th, so I have one more year before I really embarrass him and have the blowout party of the century. He already received the coolest gift from his friend Kirby. He gave him an autographed cd with a dvd of the new Newboys Album. The picture above is Skip as a little boy. He looks like he could be Annie's twin.

That's it for now. Have a blessed week, and may you rejoice in the madness too!


"The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him; to the one who seeks him." Lamentations 3:25

Under Attack: At Least Our Feet Are

What you are about to read is completely true though it may seem a little made up. On Sunday night Annie, was hopping and running around as she usually does before bed, and not looking where she was going. She tripped right over her sister's tennis shoe and sprained her ankle. Not to hurt Ashley's feelings, but that girl of mine has some big shoes. We took her into the doctor on Monday and had it x-rayed. It wasn't broken. Praise God! She had it wrapped in a splint and ace bandage and went to school the next day. Well, last night Ashley went to ballet class. As I was waiting outside to pick her up, I saw her hopping towards me on one foot. She was crying and said that she heard her foot snap when she did a turn. I thought to myself, "Are you kidding me? " Then I said to her, "I'm sure you just twisted it and it will be fine." We put ice on it and had her rest, but I knew by the way she was crying we would probably need to take her in the next day. Well, Skip took her to the doc today and sure enough, it's broken. The break is about 1 inch under her pinky toe and they put her in a special shoe to wear for 4-6 weeks. They can't do a cast because of where the break occured. She is on crutches and staying home for the day. I thought she might as well get one day off for the pain she endured. This sure sounds like an attack on the feet to me. I prayed for Seth before he went to school today and told him, "Be careful!" Is this weird or what?

A Cool Devotional Blog (If I do say so myself)

Okay, I know you have umpteen blogs to read each day, but I had to highlight a new one that my writer's group at church is doing. We have over a dozen ladies writing devotionals that we have made into a soft cover booklet and it is awesome. None of us are professional writers, but we all have God experiences to share. Check it out if you get a chance. You will be blessed in the process, I promise. What you will see are just samples of the many wonderful devotionals.

Pictures from my LA Trip

I thought for a fun post I would show a few of my LA pictures. I am starting with the picture of my sister, my nephew, me and my niece on the couch at the Central Perk from the"Friends" set at Warner Bros. Studios.

The second picture is me next to Johnny Depp's hand and footprints. I loved him in all of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Benny and Joon, Finding Neverland, and Edward Scissorhands.

The third picture is of Oliver from Hannah Montana. His real name is Mitchel Musso and he is best buddies with my nephew Matt. He is a great kid and so funny.

The fourth pic is my nephew and I in front of the Kodak Theatre. It is where the Academy Awards take place. The coffee in my hand was the best vanilla latte I have ever had. It was from the Coffee Bean which we don't have in Corpus.

Next is the 50 cent picture. He is a famous rapper. Please know that I do not listen to him or endorse him(his lyrics are rated R). He was just the only famous person I saw, and I knew that Skip would crack up that I met him. I am such a goofy Christian mom. I actually said this to him, "What a blessing to meet you. We just came from church." I am not kidding. I actually said this to 50 cent. I guess I panicked under pressure.

The last pic is my sister and I in front of the Grumman's Chinese Theatre. It was so crowded with tourists.

A Penny For Your Thoughts, Please!

A simple picture request has thrown me into a total frinzy. My Marked Writer's group at church has just started a blog and all the contributing writers have been asked to send in a picture of themselves. No biggy, right? Well, I had Skip just snap a few shots yesterday and then I downloaded them on the computer. When I opened the picture in full screen format, I was literally shocked at what I saw. No one, not one person has told me that old age has crept in. I mean full force wrinkles. We are not talking a few crow's feet around the eyes. I mean even the wrinkles on the forehead. When did I change? Did it really happen overnight? I took a few deep breaths and looked again and nope, the same thing was staring at me. Now, you must understand, that I could write a book on telling others how God looks at your inner beauty. I know every scripture on beauty and have read every Christian book to tell me how captivating I am. However, somehow those pictures threw all my truths out the window. What I want to know from you fellow beautiful over 35 bloggers is this: When did you start to feel good about your age, your skin, your weight, and your overall appearance? Is it still a daily struggle? Did you just give up and start being satisfied with God's design? I know this is kind of a superficial sounding post, and there are many more important matters in this universe, but any input you have would be helpful. I can't believe I'm sharing this. Hopefully, you will not be judgemental, but respond in love. Maybe, I just have PMS and everything will look better tomorrow.

Almost Perfect Weekend

Well, other than the Cowboys loss today; it was almost a perfect weekend. Bill Bates was awesome! He spoke at all 6 of our weekend services, and did an outstanding job. Skip picked him up from the airport yesterday and had the pleasure of getting some one-on-one time with this amazing Christian man. For Skip, getting to talk to a former Dallas Cowboy was a treasure he will never forget. I even got to ride with him as we drove him to his hotel last night after church. He was too tired to go out, so some of our friends set him up with the best prime rib in town from Katz. Seth, my son, had the opportunity to ride with Skip and Mr. Bates this morning on the way to church. Seth said that they talked about college football games that were played yesterday. Seth was pretty bummed that the Aggies lost by one point. If you want to see the service (minus music because of copyright laws), you can go to our BAF website Monday and it should be up. We probably had almost 1000 visitors and a total of 5000 people attend this weekend. It was amazing to see so many people there that love the Cowboys, and then receive the message of Jesus Christ. I can't wait to see how many salvations occurred. My in-laws drove in for church along with my brother-in-law, his wife, and the kids. It was so fun! After church I took the kids to Applebees where we watched part of the Cowboy games (before they lost).
*The picture above is the kids with Bill Bates. Ashley is in some sort of trance it seems. There was about 100 people in line behind me, so I didn't get a picture with him. He signed each of their shirts, a Cowboy cap, and a picture. Everyone I talked to this weekend was quite impressed with how friendly he was. FYI- He now lives in Jacksonville, Florida where he helps coach his 3 sons in football. Their high school is Nease High School and is 10 and 0 this year. Last year they were 4A state champs. I guess so if you have Bates boys on the team.
*One more thing, this is probably the last football post you will ever see me do. It really hurts my brain to think in this foreign world of men.

Amy Downey is the new Kate Spade! Minus the expensive price tag, of course.

Don't laugh at the way these pictures are layed out. I am lucky to get them to even show up. Aren't these the cutest things! I just got my first Amy Downey Bag and I am lovin' it. Amy is the sweetest friend you could ever meet and talented to boot! She recently started designing handbags and her business is booming in the great city of Corpus Christi, Tx. The handbag I chose is very simple yet you can buy extra scarves to dress it up a bit. I love my custom designed t-shirts too. I brought over two inexpensive Target t-shirts to her house and she came up with original hip tees. I am so impressed with this girl and her creativity. She doesn't have a website up yet, but I will let you know when she does. She can barely keep up with the demand as it is. She is so reasonably priced and she can make whatever you want. I am pretty simple, but she does some amazing handbags, coin bags, photo bags, one-of-a-kind t-shirts and too many other things to list. I have been anxiously awaiting a chance to brag on this talented friend. She is an amazing wife to a pilot, mother of 4 precious children under the age of 9, serves at our church, is always making meals for friends and helping out when there's a need, and has a booming new business. I also want to add she is one of the closest things to the Proverbs 31 woman I have ever seen. This girl shines God's love the moment you meet her. I love this gal and her family. I pray for huge blessings on her, and that God will give her an abundance of time and energy to keep up with the orders to come.

*The burgundy shirt is a camo cross with jewels, and the black shirt has green fabric with sparkle accents.

Cowboy Weekend is Here!!!

If you are any kind of Dallas Cowboy fan, you are missing out if you are not at Bay Area Fellowship Church in Corpus Christi this weekend. To say that my husband is excited is the understatement of the year. Bill Bates is speaking at all 6 of our weekend services, and Skip just received a call from him. He is absolutely giddy. Skip loves the cowboys almost as much as he loves me, which I think is a whole lot. Skip insisted that the whole family go out and get new Cowboy's attire even though we already have so many shirts, caps and jerseys from hubby's past fanatic days. The whole church is dressing up this weekend and inviting friends and neighbors to do the same. What a great evangelism tool this is! I love that our church is always finding new ways to bring people in and teach them God's word in a relative, fun way. We are also asking non Cowboy fans to dress up in their favorite teams colors and gear. Some even plan on painting their faces and maybe even wearing cheese heads. My hubby found this neat short video on Youtube that highlights Bill Bates awesome achievement as a Dallas Cowboy just in case you haven't heard of him. Please join me in praying for an amazing God honoring weekend, and that hundreds will give their lives to Christ. Here is the Youtube link for Bill Bates. Oops, just click on his name and it should take you there. It might not work every time because I just tried it and it stopped after a few seconds. I am so computer illiterate!

My Trip to LA

Thirteen Things about my trip to LA

1. I had a great time visiting and catching up with my sis, my neice and my nephew.
2. I literally shopped till I dropped. I didn't know beforehand that it really was a possibility.
3. Mitchel Musso,(Oliver on Hannah Montana) went to dinner with us at P.F. Changs and also talked to each of my kids on the telephone. It made their day. He is a great kid and let me just tell you that teenage boys (actors or not) can only be taken in small doses. I have found this fact to be true even if you are related to them.
4. I went to Mosaic Church on Sunday that meets at Beverly Hills High. I had heard the pastor Erwin McManus twice before and he was awesome. I was surprised to see I was the oldest one there. It is a very young church.
5. I went to the star visited Ivy Restaurant for Sunday brunch and out of any celeb I could have seen, it was rapper 50 cent that I ended up getting a picture with. I do not listen or support gangsta rap, but I thought it would be a bit funny to get a picture with him. My nephew was so excited and it really made the hubby laugh.
6. I found the cutest red purse and a brown one, each under $30. I call that a pretty good find in LA. Okay, if the truth be told I actually found the purses at a Ross in Burbank near my sister's house.
7. I went on the Hollywood Homes Tour and fell in love with the outside of Dr. Phil's house. It is a beautiful Tuscan style home. Remember I just recommended his wife's book which is awesome. It is nice to see they are being blessed.
8. I ate a red velvet cupcake from Sprinkle's. It was the most expensive cupcake I have ever bought, but it tasted heavenly.
9. I got to know LAX very well due to my maintenance delay of 5 and a half hours. I met some very interesting people which made the time go by quicker. God gave me such a peace and I don't think I complained once.
10. I found out that I definitely love my conservative little world in Corpus Christi and wouldn't want to live anywhere else.
11. I toured the Warner Bros. studios and sat on the infamous "Friends" couch. The whole set of Central Perk was the size of my kitchen. It looked so much bigger on tv.
12. I learned that traffic is something I will not miss about LA. One day we were literally in the car for two and a half hours straight.
13. Seeing my hubby and kids waiting for me to come out of the airport at midnight was the best sight in the world. Skip did such a great job taking care of them, even if he dropped them off for a day and a half with his mother. I am so blessed to have him!
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