Well, I had high hopes for this post sometime on Thursday. In my mind we would come home from our much anticipated camping trip this weekend, and I would post pictures of a wonderful time with the kids and the several other families that came with us.
I guess I could still do that, because those things did end up happening, but a much more serious and sad thing occurred that will far overshadow this trip in our memories in the years to come.
We took both of our dogs with us when we departed this Friday, which is a standard practice for us everytime we go. Everything was fine as we were setting up camp around 10 a.m., and as the day went on, we were grateful for beautiful, breezy weather. However, our dog Millie, seemed to be a little antsy. We made sure that she (and our other dog, Oreo) had plenty of cool water, and they were both in the shade, but she was still restless. I went ahead and unleashed her, knowing that she would probably do better being free, and that she would never get away from us. She seemed to calm down some, so honestly, we went on about our business.
About an hour later, Mark and I were at the campsite next to ours when Jacob yelled for us because Millie wasn't breathing well. I ran to her and sure enough, her breathing was terribly labored and she was struggling. We scooped her up immediately and rushed her to the animal hospital that was only about a half an hour away, but we didn't make it. We lost her.
I never, never, never would have taken her out of this house if I would have known that something was wrong with her. We are still so completely baffled about what happened to her. Even the vet couldn't figure it out.
We are just so stunned and hurting right now. It is so hard to lose a deeply loved pet, because they are such a part of your day to day life. Even my footsteps are lonely today because I never took them without a furry, sweet and loyal companion right behind me.
I would love to post a picture of my sweet girl for you to see, but I don't think that my heart could stand to see it right now. If you want to do some fishing, I know that I posted about them with pictures recently under the title Precious Pups. And that she was, indeed.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
Tofu, anyone?
So you have probably correctly deduced from my last post that one of my fave things in the world to do is chow down. Well, girls....it is catching up with me. Right about the time I turned 30, my metabolism decided that she was sick of me and that she was going to kick up her heels and take a long overdue nap.
In the meantime, I went to the Dr. to get a random check-up, due to the fact I hadn't done that (apart from childbearing) since I was like, say, 6. I received a phone call about a week later telling me that my cholesterol was significantly higher than it ought to be and that they wanted me to alter my diet and c'mon back in in about a month. Thank you v'much, bye.
Great.
I am only 32 and I am only about 10 pounds heavier than usual, since my girl decided to fall asleep. But seriously, my diet isn't horrible. I don't eat unhealthy foods, but when I do eat, I eat alot....and at the worst time....late at night. I could go most of the day without eating, but when suppertime rolls around, Gayle puts on the feedbag and doesn't stop until right before bedtime.
So all of that may explain the extra weight, but the cholesterol? I couldn't figure out why in the world it was so high. In the end, I found out that it doesn't really matter how thin you are, if you have rotten genes, your goin' down (or up, in this case).
So guess what? I get to start my very first diet ever on Monday. I have read the book South Beach Diet which was written by a cardiologist for this very reason (heart health), and both Mark and I are going to give it a go. One thing is that I am a HUGE carb freak, and I kinda love sugar, so this is going to be hard. Here is a little tidbit for the equally naive, white potatoes contain more sugar in the end than if you had sat down and just ate straight table sugar....OH!! THE INHUMANITY!!! I super-dee-love my mashed potatoes. However, I am not willing to DIE for them, so I will get over it.
The only reason we aren't starting until Monday, is purely logistical...we have no groceries. So tonight, I am going to a Mom's Night Out, and I am throwin' back, y'all. I am going to kill me some cheesecake and bread like I will never behold the tastes again, and then walk, with my cheeks bulging out and my head held high, down the pathway of Cheerios and fish.
I'll let you know how it goes...:)
In the meantime, I went to the Dr. to get a random check-up, due to the fact I hadn't done that (apart from childbearing) since I was like, say, 6. I received a phone call about a week later telling me that my cholesterol was significantly higher than it ought to be and that they wanted me to alter my diet and c'mon back in in about a month. Thank you v'much, bye.
Great.
I am only 32 and I am only about 10 pounds heavier than usual, since my girl decided to fall asleep. But seriously, my diet isn't horrible. I don't eat unhealthy foods, but when I do eat, I eat alot....and at the worst time....late at night. I could go most of the day without eating, but when suppertime rolls around, Gayle puts on the feedbag and doesn't stop until right before bedtime.
So all of that may explain the extra weight, but the cholesterol? I couldn't figure out why in the world it was so high. In the end, I found out that it doesn't really matter how thin you are, if you have rotten genes, your goin' down (or up, in this case).
So guess what? I get to start my very first diet ever on Monday. I have read the book South Beach Diet which was written by a cardiologist for this very reason (heart health), and both Mark and I are going to give it a go. One thing is that I am a HUGE carb freak, and I kinda love sugar, so this is going to be hard. Here is a little tidbit for the equally naive, white potatoes contain more sugar in the end than if you had sat down and just ate straight table sugar....OH!! THE INHUMANITY!!! I super-dee-love my mashed potatoes. However, I am not willing to DIE for them, so I will get over it.
The only reason we aren't starting until Monday, is purely logistical...we have no groceries. So tonight, I am going to a Mom's Night Out, and I am throwin' back, y'all. I am going to kill me some cheesecake and bread like I will never behold the tastes again, and then walk, with my cheeks bulging out and my head held high, down the pathway of Cheerios and fish.
I'll let you know how it goes...:)
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Top Chef - Olive Garden
Hey y'all! I am still alive... just very busy! We started school back and all is going very well~Praise the Lord. :) It's amazing how long it can take you to get back into your groove, though. We made some pretty big changes this year, so while I won't bore you with the details, suffice it to say, our previous schedule flew the coop in a big way.
That first week was t-o-u-g-h with trying to get us a workable thing going! BUT, by George, I think we have it now.
Last night Mark and I went out on a rare, spur-of-the-moment "date". It was completely wonderful and very much needed. Just to show you how huge our gooberness is, I will tell you that we adore shows like Iron Chef and Hell's Kitchen and we love us some Top Chef, too. You know, reality meets food...does it get any better? No.
So, we are always sitting on our respective couches drooling and wishing that we could be the ones tasting that super yummy food that is up for judgement on these shows while we knaw on our dry, slightly stale pretzels. How does one go about getting a cushy job like that anyway? Well, last night we decided to take matters into our own hands. Watch out Olive Garden.
We sat down to dinner and instantly transformed into Padma (if only) and Tom (who is super-cute in a bald, knows-how-to-cook-some-serious-grub sort of way). Anyway, here is our report: First strike was our waitress. She gets a big fat F. Right after we were seated, she looked at us, and then proceeded to carry on a conversation with her friends about football for a full 10 minutes before she came to get our drink orders, which she turned around and messed up. She messed up THE DRINKS! How hard is that?! Padma almost spazzed at that point, but maintained composure. (It was 8:00 p.m. and I was starving, so I was a little edgy, what can I say?).
Strike 2 was the gloppy appetizer (that is normally very good) called Smoked Fonduta something or other. Anyway, it's supposed to be this smooth cheese dip served with fresh tomatoes and basil on top with a side of toasted baguette. Well, for us it was none of the above. I wish I would have taken a picture, but Tom simply couldn't be photographed with such atrocities. It wasn't even melted completely and we had, like, 5 or 6 little dices of tomato on top with nary a basil leaf in sight. The bread wasn't even toasted and there flat-out wasn't enough of it (the bread, I mean...certainly not the fonduta). The real Tom and Padma would have deemed this almost inedible, but hey, we are Mark and Gayle, so unless there is something funky growing on it, we'll wolf it down anyway.
The restaurant redeemed itself nicely with Tom's entree: Steak Gorgonzola with Alfredo. The beef was beautifully prepared and had a flavor that was out of this world. It was so tender and juicy, that it practically melted in your mouth. It had spinach tossed in with the pasta which added a nice flavor along with color that made the presentation visually appealing. I would have wanted his dish, but I couldn't get past the funky gorgonzola, which, in my world, tastes distinctively like feet. Not that I go around tasting feet, but if I did, that is what they would taste like, for sure. He loved it, though, and for that, it gets a nice ~thumbs up~
My entree was Ravioli di Portabello, which is, pretty simply, ravioli stuffed with chopped portabello mushrooms covered in an insanely yummy tomato alfredo sauce. They put fresh diced tomato and basil along with chopped sun-dried tomato on top of that to make a mouth-watering dish with a great balance of flavor. This dish, too, gets a hearty ~thumbs up~.
Overall, our experience was a good one, and we would certainly go back again despite that shotty service and the lame appetizer...but, our standards wouldn't be above McDonald's if it means we can get away for a few hours.
After we left, we morphed back into our own flabby selves and drove to Starbucks for a decaf toffee nut latte with whip, and then on to Walmart for a few odds and ends. (Can we ever escape that place?!) It was a great date. ~sigh~
Tonight, we are heading to another competition: Iron Chef Boy Scouts! Hee-hee...no joke! Ty's Troop hosts a cooking competition every year where the scouts cook and the families judge. I am completely thrilled about this, especially because I don't have to cook for the second night in a row. Good times.
Have a great day everyone...off to catch up with all of you....
That first week was t-o-u-g-h with trying to get us a workable thing going! BUT, by George, I think we have it now.
Last night Mark and I went out on a rare, spur-of-the-moment "date". It was completely wonderful and very much needed. Just to show you how huge our gooberness is, I will tell you that we adore shows like Iron Chef and Hell's Kitchen and we love us some Top Chef, too. You know, reality meets food...does it get any better? No.
So, we are always sitting on our respective couches drooling and wishing that we could be the ones tasting that super yummy food that is up for judgement on these shows while we knaw on our dry, slightly stale pretzels. How does one go about getting a cushy job like that anyway? Well, last night we decided to take matters into our own hands. Watch out Olive Garden.
We sat down to dinner and instantly transformed into Padma (if only) and Tom (who is super-cute in a bald, knows-how-to-cook-some-serious-grub sort of way). Anyway, here is our report: First strike was our waitress. She gets a big fat F. Right after we were seated, she looked at us, and then proceeded to carry on a conversation with her friends about football for a full 10 minutes before she came to get our drink orders, which she turned around and messed up. She messed up THE DRINKS! How hard is that?! Padma almost spazzed at that point, but maintained composure. (It was 8:00 p.m. and I was starving, so I was a little edgy, what can I say?).
Strike 2 was the gloppy appetizer (that is normally very good) called Smoked Fonduta something or other. Anyway, it's supposed to be this smooth cheese dip served with fresh tomatoes and basil on top with a side of toasted baguette. Well, for us it was none of the above. I wish I would have taken a picture, but Tom simply couldn't be photographed with such atrocities. It wasn't even melted completely and we had, like, 5 or 6 little dices of tomato on top with nary a basil leaf in sight. The bread wasn't even toasted and there flat-out wasn't enough of it (the bread, I mean...certainly not the fonduta). The real Tom and Padma would have deemed this almost inedible, but hey, we are Mark and Gayle, so unless there is something funky growing on it, we'll wolf it down anyway.
The restaurant redeemed itself nicely with Tom's entree: Steak Gorgonzola with Alfredo. The beef was beautifully prepared and had a flavor that was out of this world. It was so tender and juicy, that it practically melted in your mouth. It had spinach tossed in with the pasta which added a nice flavor along with color that made the presentation visually appealing. I would have wanted his dish, but I couldn't get past the funky gorgonzola, which, in my world, tastes distinctively like feet. Not that I go around tasting feet, but if I did, that is what they would taste like, for sure. He loved it, though, and for that, it gets a nice ~thumbs up~
My entree was Ravioli di Portabello, which is, pretty simply, ravioli stuffed with chopped portabello mushrooms covered in an insanely yummy tomato alfredo sauce. They put fresh diced tomato and basil along with chopped sun-dried tomato on top of that to make a mouth-watering dish with a great balance of flavor. This dish, too, gets a hearty ~thumbs up~.
Overall, our experience was a good one, and we would certainly go back again despite that shotty service and the lame appetizer...but, our standards wouldn't be above McDonald's if it means we can get away for a few hours.
After we left, we morphed back into our own flabby selves and drove to Starbucks for a decaf toffee nut latte with whip, and then on to Walmart for a few odds and ends. (Can we ever escape that place?!) It was a great date. ~sigh~
Tonight, we are heading to another competition: Iron Chef Boy Scouts! Hee-hee...no joke! Ty's Troop hosts a cooking competition every year where the scouts cook and the families judge. I am completely thrilled about this, especially because I don't have to cook for the second night in a row. Good times.
Have a great day everyone...off to catch up with all of you....
Monday, September 3, 2007
Back to School...
Well, I certainly have been M.I.A. around here lately. Sadly, I still can't promise that things are going to be much better in the near future, either. Bummer, because I love to keep up with y'all, but tomorrow starts our school year back and that needs to be my focus.
We have been seriously busy over the last week or so with a very successful Back to School Bash for our support group families, an amazing Labor Day weekend blowout, and just flat getting ready for school. I am pretty panicked about the latter because I STILL don't feel ready for it. Oddly enough, this is the first year where I haven't been all gung-ho to get us started.
I am not going to go into too much detail here, simply because it is almost 9:30 and I have to get up kinda earlyish tomorrow, but I will say this....If you are doing what God has called you to do, than you can bank on the fact that the enemy will pull out all the stops to destroy it, or you.
I am recognizing a bunch of his rotten lies, lately, yet I will confess, I have a little fear going back into a place where he LOVES to nail me. Not a huge deal, but if you think about it on Tuesday, say a little prayer for me and the Crew. Thanks! <3
I seriously cannot believe it is already September! Wow, how time flies! I love the Fall and the Spring equally. What are your favorite seasons of the year?
OH YEAH!! Are any of y'all planning to go to the Siesta Fiesta with Beth Moore next August? Laugh if you will, but I am seriously wanting to go, so if any of you are thinking about it, let me know...wouldn't that be the COOLEST thing for all of us to get together to hang out and worship?!
We have been seriously busy over the last week or so with a very successful Back to School Bash for our support group families, an amazing Labor Day weekend blowout, and just flat getting ready for school. I am pretty panicked about the latter because I STILL don't feel ready for it. Oddly enough, this is the first year where I haven't been all gung-ho to get us started.
I am not going to go into too much detail here, simply because it is almost 9:30 and I have to get up kinda earlyish tomorrow, but I will say this....If you are doing what God has called you to do, than you can bank on the fact that the enemy will pull out all the stops to destroy it, or you.
I am recognizing a bunch of his rotten lies, lately, yet I will confess, I have a little fear going back into a place where he LOVES to nail me. Not a huge deal, but if you think about it on Tuesday, say a little prayer for me and the Crew. Thanks! <3
I seriously cannot believe it is already September! Wow, how time flies! I love the Fall and the Spring equally. What are your favorite seasons of the year?
OH YEAH!! Are any of y'all planning to go to the Siesta Fiesta with Beth Moore next August? Laugh if you will, but I am seriously wanting to go, so if any of you are thinking about it, let me know...wouldn't that be the COOLEST thing for all of us to get together to hang out and worship?!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Let it go
Andrew bit the stew out of Julianna today. I mean he bit her HARD, right on the rear-end of all places. Naturally she screamed bloody murder and and cried heavily because he really hurt her. They had been playing along nicely all morning and then WHAM-O! He nailed her right out of the blue. He bit her so hard that it turned purple, for goodness sake.
Now this is where some of you may think that I am a terrible mother or whatever, but biting in this house (especially when you are 4 years old) is gonna get your heiny warmed. I gave him a stern reprimand about why we never-ever bite and then gave him a spanking. After a few minutes to think about it, he went in to his sister to tell her that he was sorry without my prompting.
But, because she was still nursing her stinging wound, she would have none of it and slammed the bedroom door in his face.
He walked out to find me and once he did he burst into tears. He was not angry, but genuinely hurt that she wouldn't accept his apologies. I told him that maybe she was having a hard time wanting to forgive him because he really hurt her. A few minutes after that, she came hobbling out only to see me holding a crying Andrew.
"Why is he crying?" she asked me.
"Because he hurt you and he wants to tell you that he is sorry, but you won't hear him" I told her.
"But, Momma, my bum is still hurting and that bruise is going to be there for a long time" she welled up again.
"Well, Julianna, what else do you want him to do?" I asked her. "He has already been punished, and he is trying to tell you that he is sorry, what is it going to take for you to forgive him?"
She sat and thought about it for a second as I watched different forms of torture playing out in her mind for her brother. I finally told her, "You know, Julianna, God wants you to forgive him. He can't take back what he did to you and the longer you withhold your forgiveness of him, the more you are going to be the one in sin." She accepted that and allowed her brother to apologize to her. They each hugged and moved on.
As I sat there, I was reminded of the times that God had to take me down that same path.
I have been on both sides of it, either as the offender who needs the release of being forgiven (don't we all?) or as the hurt one whose bruises will be there forever.
One thing that I know for sure, is that refusing to release the repentant offender winds up putting a wedge between you and God, and it is so not worth it.
God has this way of reminding us, when we harbor unforgiveness, just where we came from ourselves, along with all of the grace that we so desperately need on a daily basis. I don't mean condemnation, mind you, because that's the enemy's way of doing things, but rather, a gentle reminder that His only Son had to die for our sin just as much as He had to for the person who has hurt us.
I remember driving down the road one afternoon, deep in bitterness about a person who had hurt me so very badly. This person had asked me for my forgiveness, but the truth was, in my mind, this person hadn't paid for it enough to suit me. I ended up rehashing the facts with God: "But Father! Don't you remember when THIS happened?" "Or what about THAT?!"
As quickly as I can tell you, an image of this person's face on the body of Christ hanging on the cross flashed in my mind. "Was this enough payment for you, child?".... "Yes, of course, Father."
I broke that day. I released so much anger and hatred and bitterness. I cannot tell you the freedom that I felt when I finally let it go.
My prayer for you on this day, friend, is that if you are holding on tightly to a past hurt, and haven't allowed to love of God to flow through you for the offender, if you haven't truly released all of the dark and binding feelings toward that person, that you will just give it to God. Give it to Him so that you can relax and experience the fullness of His joy once again. You will be so glad that you did.
Now this is where some of you may think that I am a terrible mother or whatever, but biting in this house (especially when you are 4 years old) is gonna get your heiny warmed. I gave him a stern reprimand about why we never-ever bite and then gave him a spanking. After a few minutes to think about it, he went in to his sister to tell her that he was sorry without my prompting.
But, because she was still nursing her stinging wound, she would have none of it and slammed the bedroom door in his face.
He walked out to find me and once he did he burst into tears. He was not angry, but genuinely hurt that she wouldn't accept his apologies. I told him that maybe she was having a hard time wanting to forgive him because he really hurt her. A few minutes after that, she came hobbling out only to see me holding a crying Andrew.
"Why is he crying?" she asked me.
"Because he hurt you and he wants to tell you that he is sorry, but you won't hear him" I told her.
"But, Momma, my bum is still hurting and that bruise is going to be there for a long time" she welled up again.
"Well, Julianna, what else do you want him to do?" I asked her. "He has already been punished, and he is trying to tell you that he is sorry, what is it going to take for you to forgive him?"
She sat and thought about it for a second as I watched different forms of torture playing out in her mind for her brother. I finally told her, "You know, Julianna, God wants you to forgive him. He can't take back what he did to you and the longer you withhold your forgiveness of him, the more you are going to be the one in sin." She accepted that and allowed her brother to apologize to her. They each hugged and moved on.
As I sat there, I was reminded of the times that God had to take me down that same path.
I have been on both sides of it, either as the offender who needs the release of being forgiven (don't we all?) or as the hurt one whose bruises will be there forever.
One thing that I know for sure, is that refusing to release the repentant offender winds up putting a wedge between you and God, and it is so not worth it.
God has this way of reminding us, when we harbor unforgiveness, just where we came from ourselves, along with all of the grace that we so desperately need on a daily basis. I don't mean condemnation, mind you, because that's the enemy's way of doing things, but rather, a gentle reminder that His only Son had to die for our sin just as much as He had to for the person who has hurt us.
I remember driving down the road one afternoon, deep in bitterness about a person who had hurt me so very badly. This person had asked me for my forgiveness, but the truth was, in my mind, this person hadn't paid for it enough to suit me. I ended up rehashing the facts with God: "But Father! Don't you remember when THIS happened?" "Or what about THAT?!"
As quickly as I can tell you, an image of this person's face on the body of Christ hanging on the cross flashed in my mind. "Was this enough payment for you, child?".... "Yes, of course, Father."
I broke that day. I released so much anger and hatred and bitterness. I cannot tell you the freedom that I felt when I finally let it go.
My prayer for you on this day, friend, is that if you are holding on tightly to a past hurt, and haven't allowed to love of God to flow through you for the offender, if you haven't truly released all of the dark and binding feelings toward that person, that you will just give it to God. Give it to Him so that you can relax and experience the fullness of His joy once again. You will be so glad that you did.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Precious Pups
Amanda, over at the LPM blog, asked us if we would share a picture or of our pets. I realized, to my horror, that I have never posted about our beloved girls on this blog!
First, let me tell you, I am a huge dog-lover. Cats...well, not so much. But I have always had an insane affection for our canine companions. They are just so, I don't know... loyal and sweet. I remember always trying to bring home strays when I was a little girl. No one could ever figure out why they would always come around our house, but I am guessing that it had something to do with hidden stash of food that I gave them. My Grama used to say "If you don't feed them, they will go away." Well that was all fine and good, but I didn't want them to go away, so I logically deduced the opposite to be true, and it worked. Imagine that. Oh, and just to be fair to you cat lovers out there, I fed them too.
This is my Millie:
This dog couldn't simply couldn't be any sweeter. She is just the most precious puppy who stays at my feet at all times. Unfortunately, she was bitten by none other than a neighborhood cat a few months ago, but she's doing fine now.
Did y'all know that cat bites have some funky bacteria in them? One more reason why I don't just adore them.
Anyway, Millie is already 5 years old so we decided to give her a crazy little sister about a year ago. Cuz, you know, we didn't have enough chaos in this house.
This is Oreo...and that is my flip-flop that she is sitting on if that gives you any indication as to her size. She may be small, but....well, let's just say, she ain't like her sister. She is as buck-wild as they come, but she has our hearts nonetheless.
We are an animal loving Crew around here. We have had everything for a pet in this house except for a cat. That isn't because I can't stand them (because truly, I love all animals alot, cats are just not my faves), it is only because Mark is deathly allergic. I mean, throat closing up kind of allergic. Not good.
First, let me tell you, I am a huge dog-lover. Cats...well, not so much. But I have always had an insane affection for our canine companions. They are just so, I don't know... loyal and sweet. I remember always trying to bring home strays when I was a little girl. No one could ever figure out why they would always come around our house, but I am guessing that it had something to do with hidden stash of food that I gave them. My Grama used to say "If you don't feed them, they will go away." Well that was all fine and good, but I didn't want them to go away, so I logically deduced the opposite to be true, and it worked. Imagine that. Oh, and just to be fair to you cat lovers out there, I fed them too.
This is my Millie:
This dog couldn't simply couldn't be any sweeter. She is just the most precious puppy who stays at my feet at all times. Unfortunately, she was bitten by none other than a neighborhood cat a few months ago, but she's doing fine now.Did y'all know that cat bites have some funky bacteria in them? One more reason why I don't just adore them.
Anyway, Millie is already 5 years old so we decided to give her a crazy little sister about a year ago. Cuz, you know, we didn't have enough chaos in this house.
This is Oreo...and that is my flip-flop that she is sitting on if that gives you any indication as to her size. She may be small, but....well, let's just say, she ain't like her sister. She is as buck-wild as they come, but she has our hearts nonetheless.
We are an animal loving Crew around here. We have had everything for a pet in this house except for a cat. That isn't because I can't stand them (because truly, I love all animals alot, cats are just not my faves), it is only because Mark is deathly allergic. I mean, throat closing up kind of allergic. Not good.Soooo what kind of lovies does your family have?
More Grocery Griping
HA! Apparently I am so NOT the only one! Check out this link given to me by my sweet friend Christa: Lot of Pokemon Cards That My Kids Tried To Sneak By Me
This is a funny one!
This is a funny one!
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