It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!

This morning here in good ole' Nashville is a cloudy 66 degree day. It's gorgeous. The leaves are changing colors and the clouds will move out later today and it will warm up to a balmy 75. :) Like I said before I love this weather so I am in heaven. You know what I find so amazing about the Lord is how great an artist He is. Let's talk leaves for second. I love the changing of the leaves. I love the deep reds, golds, oranges. They are beautiful. But have you noticed that no matter what color the sky is they all match it? If the sky is a deep blue the oranges and reds blend with it so well. If the sky is a gloomy gray the leaves match the grays. Only God can make that happen. He is so amazing. I love the Lord more and more each day and I'm learning more and more each day how I need to depend on Him in every aspect of my life. He is the One who is with me every day and knows my thoughts and knows my heart and my intentions.

Last night we had Ladies Prayer Group at church. I believe the Lord was really working in our meeting. I was excited about it. It was all about prayer. I believe that most Christians don't spend enough time in prayer, me included. I felt like people don't have the compassion and love that we need for each other. I feel like we don't pray enough for each other. I want our LPG to be a close group of girls. I want us all to love the Lord and serve Him in our daily lives with all that we have. I want us to love each other, care for each other and have compassion for each other...to be real friends...sisters. After we read verses on prayer and had a few words we broke up into small groups and shared prayer requests about ourselves. I know in my group the Lord was there. We shared, cried and we prayed together. I could see the Lord working. But just as fast I could see the devil working just as hard. Like I said before I am burdened or concerned about a few things concerning this group of women and the devil knew it and worked it to his advantage. But what I know without a doubt is that the Lord will win this spiritual battle that is going on one way or another.

I talked to my friend from GA last night and she gave me her plans for them coming up this weekend. She is married and has a two year old daughter. They were part of the old gang that used to live here and are some of my very best friends. They are coming up this weekend for the Fall Festival along with my brother and his family. Them all coming up couldn't have come at a better time for me. These are what real friends are all about and I'm so thankful they are in my life and that we have all remained close. We are planning on taking the kids to a pumpkin patch farm not too far from here. It will be alot of fun this weekend.

I also talked to my niece last night. She is 2 1/2 years old and incredibly funny. She was telling me that she was coming to my house this weekend and that she gets to see Butler (our Yorkie). She then said she had to go to because she had to take a bath and get ready for church. She said it plain as day. She is growing so fast...too fast! I can't wait to see her and my nephew. I can't wait to hug and kiss and play with them. I miss them so much!

Tonight I'm packing for my vacation. I leave a week from today. I know it's early to pack but I'll be staying at my parents house this weekend along with everybody else so I need to pack early. I'm really hoping I can get everything into one suitcase. I'll let you know how it goes.

Enjoy the beautiful day in your neighborhood.

Just Another Manic Monday!

Mondays really are not my favorite day of the week. Is it really anybody's? They are always so hard on me. It's hard to get up on Mondays and then work is always so busy on this day for me. I'm also working double time to get everything all caught up and ahead a little as well. I'm only working four days this week and then again next Monday and then I'll be gone from work for two weeks. I'm excited about that though because it is a much needed break.

This Fall Festival is going to be the death of me, I think. It's on Saturday and I'm really starting to feel the stress of it. At this point, I feel like it's not coming together that great but I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised come Saturday. I need so many volunteers and right now and I have more booths than workers so I pray that workers show up on Saturday and I can assign them a spot. So I'm completely stressed about it then I have Ladies Prayer Group tonight. I feel partially ready for this. I shouldn't have had the Fall Festival so close to the LPG meeting. It's almost been too much. So with both of those and then trying to tie up loose ends at work and get ready for my vacation, I feel an ulcer coming on. But it's all good. I guess not everything has to be perfect like I want it. But let me just say that I 'm so glad that a big whopping vacation is coming after this weekend. It's going to wear me out!

This weekend was really good. Saturday my mom and I went shopping together to get things for my trip and for the things we needed for Fall Festival. While out, I found the best new Fall candy. It's a Hershey's Kiss Pumpkin Spice flavored. It tastes really good. It taste just like pumpkin pie. I bought them to put in my candy dish at work and I know I'll have them all eaten before the day is over. Which is not good since I'm going to sit on a beach for the next week. I hope my bathing suit still fits.

Saturday night we had game night at church. Now it was for all church members but our youth director planned it for the kids as well. So what he planned for them was a photo scavenger hunt. It was alot of fun. We broke the kids into 3 teams. I was one of the drivers. We had a list of things that we had to get pictures of and of the kids doing. The best was two our kids in my group were handcuffed by the police. But let me just say that I don't recommend taking 5 kids under the age of 10 to the mall. It was crazy! We got alot accomplished on the list at the mall but then we had to go to several other places around town and 3 of the kids in my group had not eaten supper yet so by the time it was over I had some grumpy kids. I don't blame them since the time frame was 2 1/2 hours, which we used every second of it. But I think they had a good time though. I know that I did.

I feel a little sad today. Paul Newman died over the weekend. I don't why I feel sad about it. I haven't really watched any of his movies. But who doesn't know Paul Newman? My first thoughts when he died was, "I wonder if he was a Christian?" See, I have a burden for Hollywood. Some people think I'm weird when I say that and kind of dismiss and I've only truly told how I really feel about it to one other person. I love movies and television. I've already stated that. I feel a connection to these people. I know most people feel burdened about their lost family and friends and the people in their community and I do too but my big burden is for celebrities. It may be because there are so many religions that just are lies and cults and some of these celebrities get caught up in them. Then I worry because they have such influential power over everyone else and if they get messed up in the wrong religion or faith then they can pull someone who is so vulnerable and who really needs the Lord in the wrong direction.

There are some really nice celebrities out there. You can tell when someone, celebrity or not, if they are truly genuine and I worry about their spiritual condition. When Owen Wilson tried to commit suicide last year that bothered me for weeks. I mean, he felt so low that he tried to take his own life. Did any one tell him that he is loved? Not just loved by his family, friends and his fans but loved by Someone who would never leave him and love him no matter what he did? Tell anyone tell him that he is worth something especially to the One who created him? Was there anyone bold enough to tell him that Someone already died for him so he didn't have to?

The former drummer for Blink-182, Travis Barker, and DJ AM (Adam Goldstein) were in a tragic airplane crash a few weeks ago. They were the only two survivors in the crash and both were badly burned. I don't know their spiritual condition but has anyone told them that God was the One who saved them from that crash? Has anyone told them that maybe God spared them because He has awesome plans for them if they turn to Him? Have they thought that maybe, just maybe, God allowed (not caused) this to happen to get their attention? Has anyone told them that they are loved so much by God and that He died just for them and He is waiting with open arms to embrace them?

I look at some of my favorite TV shows, past and present, and I look at the actors. They have it all...fame, fortune and power. But you can tell in their eyes sometimes that something is missing. I've even seen interviews with the stars where they mention that they had it all but that there was a void. I wonder if anyone has ever said, "I know what that void is and here is how you can fill it if you are willing to accept it?" Sometimes I see them on the TV or movie screen and I think, "I don't want them to go to Hell. Has anyone told them about Jesus?" Can you imagine the influence they can have on people and what all they could do for Christ? My problem is that I don't know what to do with this burden. Right now I do all that I know to do and that is to pray for them. Pray that the Lord will send someone in their life who is genuine and will be the best witness for Him and in turn they give their life to Him. I didn't mean to go on and on about this subject but I always feel this way after something has happened to a celebrity. So if you will, join me in praying for Hollywood and everyone associated with it. They need the Lord so badly.

Have a great week!

Wicka-Wicka-Wicka-What!!

The Office was so good last night. So incredibly funny. I'm going to have to watch it again to catch everything. I think them having Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone) guest starring on this show was a smart move. She is hilarious and I love her scenes with Steve Carell. They are hilarious! I wish she was made a permanent cast member. And John Krasinski...so dreamy and charming. He is so cute. He has the best smile. (I'm not to proud or ashamed to admit my celebrity crushes, which by the way also include Steve Carell...if you are nice and funny, then you are aces in my book.) I loved all his scenes of course. Oh, and to be kissed the way that Jim kissed Pam last night? Sweet. The whole show was too funny and so great. Tammy, you need to check it out. (I'll let you borrow my DVD's but that will have to wait until after Hawaii...I'm taking them with me.)

Survivor was also really good. The scenery was gorgeous. I'll admit that I've never heard of Gabon (Africa) where this one takes place. They called it the last Garden of Eden. It is beautiful. The wild animals just roam around free. The first night one of the teams had an elephant walk through through camp!! Oh, and the men. Holy cow! Could they have picked any cuter men to be in this season? I'm just watching the show for the eye candy. :) But the show was really good too. It will be an interesting season.

Work is really slow today. There's only 3 of us in the office today and I'm the only one up front today so it will be a little slow and boring. I'm sure I'll find something to do though. :) I don't have any plans this weekend other than a church game night tomorrow night and a little shopping. I have a few more things to get for my trip and then I have so many things to get for Fall Festival. I also have to get ready for our Ladies Prayer Group meeting which will be held this Monday at the church. I'm excited about this meeting. We just finished a study on Women of the Bible and won't start a new one until after the first of the year so I've got something special prepared and I'm really excited. I've been burdened about some things concerning certain people and this prompted me to do this special edition of Ladies Prayer Group. We always have food there because what kind of Free Will Baptist function doesn't entail food? I tried to be creative this year on the food. Instead of having everyone just bring something like a potluck I've tried to make themes for the food. For instance, in January I had them all bring something that started with the letter "J". I thought I was going to be burned at the stake for that one because it was hard to come up with something. There aren't too many foods out there that start with the letter "J". Then after that each month I would draw someones name and then they would choose the theme. We've had foods that are green, red, appetizers only, our favorite childhood food, salad and baked potatoes and this month we are having Mexican, yummy. It's a great group. It's the biggest group we've ever had for it and the ladies seem to really enjoy it. So I'm really looking forward to Monday night.

Things for the Fall Festival is coming along nicely but I am a little concerned. I'm more stressed putting it together this year. I don't fell as organized as I did last year. It will probably all come together but I'm a little nervous about it. I think it's just because I have so much to think about to get ready for it and to get ready for my vacation which I leave for three days after the festival. Plus my brother and his family and some friends of ours from Georgia are coming up the same weekend as the festival so I've got a lot going on right now. I'm sure it will all be great but right now it's a little hectic and stressful. It's busy but will be so much fun so I don't want to sound like I'm complaining. I like the hecticness of life. Is hecticness a word? No? Well it is now. :) I should start a dictionary of Janiceisms. Next week will be busy too with trying to tie up loose ends at work (I'm only working 4 days next week), packing for the trip, Fall Festival, etc. I'm tired already. I can't wait.

Have a spectacular weekend! Wicka-Wicka-Wicka-What!!

The Music is Gonna Get You

I love music. I always have. I'm not that musically talented. I do sing in our praise team at church and do specials now and then. I sang in choirs in high school and college. So I can carry a tune but I'm not great. I don't play any musical instruments. I did take 2 years of piano when I was younger so I know the notes and can play with my right hand. But that's about it although in my younger days I could play a mean kazoo! :)

When I have to sing in front of people I get so nervous. You can tell it in my voice. It shakes and cracks so badly when I sing. It's so embarrassing. I don't know how to control it. My voice isn't that smooth. I wish that I was like those people who can just get up there and sing the mess out of a song. Like my brother. He makes me sick on how good he is. He is, in my opinion, the best singer to ever grace this earth. He doesn't think so but he truly is. He has a range on him and he just knows music. He plays the piano beautifully as well. He basically taught himself to play the piano. He can just sit down at the piano after hearing a song and play just like the song. He is so unbelievably talented. He definitely got the music genes in our family. I wish it was distributed more evenly but I'm okay with him getting it all. Here is a cute picture that I took of him and his daughter the last time I was down there in August. I hope she's as musically talented as Chad is.

Anyway, even though I'm not that great I love to listen to music. I listen to it all day at work and in the car and I turn it on when I'm at home cooking or cleaning my house. I listen to all kinds really...except for rap. I grew up listening to Southern Gospel only. I never listened to rock or pop or country. The older I got the more I did. New Kids on the Block was the first tape that I ever bought. Funny right?!? Anyway, now I listen to everything. I listen to this website called Pandora. It's so great. You can create your own radio stations. I have a country station, pop/rock, 70's & 80's, Christian, Christmas, and Oldies. It's so great. They put such a variety of music on there. One minute they are playing a Frank Sinatra song and the next they are playing Beyonce. For example, I'm listening to it right now and they just finished a Mariah Carey song and now they are playing The Osmond's "One Bad Apple". So funny. If you want to take a look at it go to http://www.pandora.com/.

I love how music can speak to your heart. It can be a soothing balm when you are hurting. Yesterday I was talking about how I have been dealing with some issues and a friend emailed me a song that she thought might help. This person actually knows the things I'm dealing with so she knew exactly the kind of song I needed to hear. I loved it! It really spoke to my heart and was very encouraging to me. Now you may be wondering what kind of slow Christian song she sent me. It wasn't that all. It was a get up and move type song by Madonna but the words were so good that it was really encouraging!

One my favorite songs is by the Southern Gospel group LordSong. The song is called "Such a Time as This". Its a song explaining why you go through valleys or low times in your life. It's because one day someone may be going through the exact thing as you and you may be the one to help them get through it. The chorus of the song says, "I can kneel with a brother who is bearing the burden and say, 'I know just what you're going through.' I can pray with a sister in the midst of her sorrow and say, 'I know because I've been there too.' I can put my arms around someone who is down and tell them to have faith and confidence. What in pain I could not see I now fully believe God prepared me for such a time as this." I love that so much! There are so many things that we all go through that we don't understand but I truly believe that we go through to be stronger and in turn help someone down the road. Who knows, that person may be a lost person and because you went through the same thing you may be to help them and witness to them and in turn they give their heart to the Lord. Isn't that exciting?!

But I also love songs that are just fun. I admit when I'm home alone listening to music and a fast paced song comes on, I move a little. Now, I am as white as can be so I have no rhythm whatsoever but I do like to bust a move now and then in the privacy of my home where no one can see me. :) It's good for the soul. It makes me feel better and happier. I encourage you to try it sometime.

Now I'm completely changing subjects because I cannot end this today without mentioning Dancing with the Stars. What is wrong with America?!?! Why is Cloris Leachman still on there? How in the world did she not get voted off last night?! There is something seriously wrong. That's all I have to say about that!!

My plans for tonight is to watch Survivor and The Office. They premiere tonight so I'm not going anywhere but my couch tonight!! Oh, The Office has great theme music too. I love to listen to it! Put in a great song and bust a move...it's good for you.

Sleepless in Nashville

I haven't been sleeping well lately. Maybe it's because a man in my building works evenings and leaves around 12:30 each night. How do I know this? Because he revs his engine every night at this time. Every night. It is ridiculous. Since he parks right under my bedroom window, he wakes me up every night. It's getting annoying. But I've been having trouble getting to sleep most nights. Once I get to sleep, I'm fine but I can't shut my mind off long enough to actually get to sleep. I have so many issues that I worry over that I can't stop thinking about them. I try to give them over to God but it's so hard sometimes. I can't stand it when people tell me to just give it to God and don't worry about it. Well, that's a lot easier said than done. Not that I don't mind giving it over to God...it's just hard to let go or forget about it. Maybe I have trust and faith issues. I keep thinking of what I need to do next and how to fix it. I did hear a saying once in Sunday School a few years go to work like it's all up to you and pray like it's all up to God. I like that. Because I know that I need to pray and give everything over to God but I also need to do something about it also.

I have a few decisions to make over the next few months. Some of them will be life changing..but for the better. My problem is accepting change and getting the courage to act on it. If I make a certain decision that I've been contemplating for awhile it will make another issue or problem that I'm dealing with a little better. The other issues I just need to accept facts. It's hard especially when you are looking ahead into the future. I know that my personality has changed somewhat because of all that is on my mind. I'm a little more distant with people. I'm aware of it. So if anyone has any advice on how to deal with issues and sleep at the same time, I will gladly hear it...I may not take it...but I'll listen. :) If you have no advice or scripture to give me...just pray for me. I need it.

Now, on to a lighter subject...Dancing with the Stars. Let me say that there are way too many couples and I'm so glad that they eliminated one couple last night and one tonight. I'm still not too impressed with this cast and I'm praying that Cloris Leachman gets kicked off tonight because she cannot dance. I know she's 82 and has tons of health issues but she's only on there for entertainment purposes and when she is talking nonstop and cussing out the judges because she doesn't like their scores, it's a little much. I mean little kids are watching this and she is getting bleeped out. It's a family show! But I think my favorite is Brooke Burke. She has natural talent and she's doing very well. And man, if I look like that after 4 kids....wow!! She looks great! I like a few others as well. I'm mainly watching this show this season out of loyalty. I've watched it since the first season. The only reason I started watching it was I had seen that Joey McIntyre from NKOTB would be on there and I loved NKOTB when I was younger. On a side note...I know that they reunited and I did by their new CD. I wish I had bought their greatest hits instead. Their new CD is okay. All the songs sound the same but I sure do love watching them on TV. :) I do remember when a couple of years ago the Dancing with the Stars tour came to Nashville my mom and I went to go see them. Joey McIntyre was there. I was so excited because I finally got to see Joey McIntyre perform in person! He sang a few numbers and danced and oh it brought back memories of when I was 14. Drew Lachey, Jerry Springer, and Joey Lawrence were all there too. Good times! Anyway, we will see how this season of Dancing with the Stars plays out.

NCIS last night was phenomenal. It was one of the best episodes I've seen them do. It was really great. I say again...please check this show out! It's the best one out there. And I just want to mention again that I love DVR. I went to our church's softball game last night (we lost) and then out to eat with some friends so I didn't watch my shows in real time. I watched them all when I got home and I love DVR. If I knew who created it I would kiss them. It's the best invention. You never have to worry about programming your shows or finding a tape to use. I don't even know what a commercial is anymore. :)

Tonight I have church and then home to watch the results show for DWTS. Please let it be Cloris Leachman. Please!! Tomorrow will be a good night. I'll actually get to stay home and relax. Survivor and The Office come on tomorrow so it'll be a good night.

I'm also starting to get things together for my trip. I'm so excited about that. I'm sure I haven't mentioned that before. :) I have just a few more things to get for it then I'll be ready to start packing. I have no idea how to pack for this. Unless I want to pay for two bags I have to try and cram everything into one suitcase. I'm trying to come up with a clever way to pack and save room for souvenirs. I'll make it happen somehow. I'm going to Hawaii!!!

I'll close for now. This one was kind of long and rambly. Is rambly a word? I'll make it a word. I know I rambled alot on this one. Sorry about that. I also ask that you pray for a friend of mine's father. I talked with her this morning and the doctors said that her father either has mono or a form of stomach cancer. But they can't run tests until Monday. Please pray for them. I know they would apprecaite it. He's only 50. I hope you all are getting a better and more peaceful sleep than I am.

National Stay at Home Week & Gas Issues

I'm so excited! It's National Stay at Home Week. Which means that all my favorite shows are starting back up this week. Dancing with the Stars kicks it off tonight and though I'm not particularly excited about this cast, I'm still going to watch it. Maks will be back this season!! Woo Hoo!! I'm really excited about my favorite show coming on tomorrow night. NCIS is the best show. People compare it to all the CSI's but it really isn't like those shows. They only handle military crimes. I've watched some of the CSI's and they are very good but I just love NCIS! Mark Harmon is the star of it and he is a beautiful silver fox! He's so good looking and has the best smile. All the actors in this show are extremely underrated! Why this show and its actors don't get nominated for awards is beyond me. They are very talented. The show isn't all about the crimes either. They delve into the characters and their relationships. It has everything too, comedy, drama, action, and a goth forensic scientist. It's just a good all around show. I highly recommend you check it out. I was telling a friend about it and she borrowed my DVDs of the show and was hooked. She's added it to her list of shows. It's the best!

I also can't wait for The Office to come back. I got into this last year which was their fourth season. When the show first came on four years ago, I didn't like it. I just didn't get the humor. But my brother loved and kept telling me to give it a chance. Well, I started watching movies with Steve Carell and John Krasinski in them and thought they were hilarious so I thought I would give it another chance and fell in love with the show. So I got caught up on the past seasons and now I'm ready for the new season to start. I have so many other shows that I'm excited about as well, but they are too many to mention. It may sound like I watch a lot of TV but I really don't. I also don't have a husband or kids to occupy my time in the evenings and I do read books during commercials (and sometimes the shows if they aren't holding my attention) and I do other things whilst watching my shows so it's not like I'm a couch potato. I stay busy and productive. So back off! :)

Anyway, it's a great week and I've been looking forward to it all summer. It's seems like forever since the shows have been on and that may be because the seasons were cut short because of the writer's strike. They owe us big time this season!

Oh! The Emmy's were on last night...BORING!!! Having five hosts was the worst decision that the Emmy people could have made. They were so boring and talked so long and just weren't funny. The best part of the night was Josh Grobin singing 30 themes songs from shows of the past 60 years! It was awesome and he is my new favorite performer. So dreamy!! :) Also, on a side note...The Office was robbed...and Michael Emerson from LOST. He's so underrated. He's my favorite bad guy. Which I don't consider him a bad guy anymore. If you watch LOST then you will understand what I'm saying.

It's probably good that it's National Stay at Home Week this week, at least in Nashville, because we have no gas here! That's right. Nashville ran out of gas this weekend and if you find gas you are one of the few lucky people. It's been crazy. I'm so thankful that I wasn't part of it. Let's see if I can start from the beginning. The night before Hurricane Ike hit Texas I filled up my car with gas because the price was really low and I was on empty anyway. Fast forward to this past Friday. At this time, I was just above a half tank. (I only work about 2 miles from my home so I don't use up a lot of gas. I can go 2 weeks before filling my car up.) So I had no plans to fill up. Anyway, a rumor went out in Nashville that we were about to run out of gas so the entire city panicked!! It's like the night before it snows (flurries) here. You know, they all run to the store for bread and milk. Which, why bread and milk? They both spoil after a week or two...wouldn't you get something that will last for a few more weeks than that? I'm just saying. Anyway, Friday was just like that. It started in the morning and progressively got worse. At most pumps people were waiting in line for over 2 hours to get gas. Then those people would fill up and fill up several gas cans. It's ridiculous. By Saturday almost every single gas station was out of gas! Then when the stations would get gas they would be bombarded with cars and be out of gas in two hours! Cars were running out of gas, people were getting in fights, getting arrested for getting into fights. It was crazy! I'm so glad that I didn't have to get in the middle of all that mess. If people hadn't of panicked and only got what they needed instead of topping off and hoarding the gas, we wouldn't have had these problems. Outsiders are making fun of Nashville for their stupidity. It's almost deserved.

Don't get me wrong. I love this beautiful city. It's just that they panic so easily and they cause bigger problems like that they did this weekend. Mountains out of molehills...that's what I should have titled this entry. :) I know that when the hurricane did hit that the gas pipeline that runs to Nashville from Houston was shut down for a few days but it's been back up and running with short interruptions. They are reporting that by the end of the week things will be back to normal. I really hope so because I know by then I'll have to fill up. I've never seen anything like this before. It's crazy, but if missing work will help conserve my gas, I'll gladly sacrifice that. :)

Happy National Stay at Home Week to you!!

Sisters...Sisters...There Were Never Such Devoted Sisters...

Today is my sister-in-laws 29th birthday. I actually thought she was 28 today. How did I miss an entire year?! She should love me for making her a year younger. :) Anyway, today is going to be celebrating her. I don't get to see her too often anymore. Two and half years ago, my brother and sister in law moved from Nashville, TN to Northport, AL. He took the youth and music position at a church there. When they left it was really hard my family. First of all they were pregnant with their first child and the first grandchild for my parents. I believe that she was six months pregnant with my niece when they moved. It was hard on my dad because he and my brother are best friends. They are very close. It was hard on me because I'm really close with my sister in law. In fact, I don't really think of her as an in-law as I do a real sister. I never buy sister-in-law birthday cards. They are always sister cards.

My dad and my sister-in-law's dad got my brother and her together. Dad had met her when he was doing services down there and picked her for my brother a long time ago. They were both dating other people at the time. Finally the two had broken up with their "others" and my brother after much urging from dad, called her on the phone. They talked for five hours!! Five hours!! Then her and her family came to Nashville for the weekend and that is when we got to "officially" meet her. I already knew who she was because she had attended the Bible College for a semester while I was there. All I knew was that she was a sweet and beautiful person. She ended up staying at our house that weekend and my brother came out the next morning and said to us (while she was still sleeping...she's a later sleeper...still is), "She's the one." That's all he said. Three months later they were engaged and six months later they were married. I guess when you know, you know.

Jenny and myself were determined to become close. Neither one of us had a sister so we were excited to be gaining a sister. We have had our bumps in the road when she first came into our family but we were able to work those out and now we have a great time when we are together and we have a great relationship. We talk several times a week. I call her for everything. Besides my mom, she is my best friend. She is a great person and one that I strive to be like. She is so sweet and loves everybody. She's kind, compassionate, hilarious and a great mother. She is so good with her two children. Her and my brother have a two year old girl, and a six months old little boy. The boy looks just like her...dimples and all. He's a cutie. She also loves the Lord with all her heart. Her goal everyday is to be like Him and to serve Him with all she has and to instill that into her children. Her and my brother make a great team and are raising a beautiful family. I'm very proud to be her sister and friend. I love you, Jenny. Happy Birthday.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame...

Last night our church had a double header softball game. We lost both games (we've actually lost all our games but one, I think). We had a great time though. The weather was awesome. I actually had to wear a jacket and I was still a little chilly. It was great. We have a lot of players on our team and we had so many from our church sitting out in the stands. We had a couple of highlights of the evening.

The first was a seeing a man in our church who is battling cancer come to the game. I mean, he just got out of the hospital earlier that day. He was wearing scrubs. So cute. He's an older gentleman who just found out that he has leukemia. He had surgery and then was put in the hospital for chemo treatments. He has no hair on his head right now. He looks really cute that way too. After his hair started falling out he decided to shave it. He had a full head of silver white hair. But this look is becoming on him as well. If a man can look becoming. :) Anyway, he surprised everyone by showing up and stayed for both games. He lifted everyone's spirits. He is a very loved man at our church. He just started coming not even a year ago. Dad and a deacon went to visit him when he wasn't attending church and so when they went to see him, he wouldn't even let them in the house until he found out that my dad rides a Harley. This gentleman owns a Harley and so when he found out he let my dad in the house. Shortly after he and his wife started attending church and they haven't missed a service since. He and dad became fast friends. They were like two little boys riding their motorcycles around town. I believe that if Dad didn't ride a motorcycle this man would not be in church, rededicate his life, and be completely sold out for Jesus. But I think that was all part of God's plan. The Lord knew that this man would be in the fight for his life not even a year later. This gentleman has said over and over since finding out he had cancer that he will still serve the Lord and love Him with all his heart. Our church is praying for a miracle. I believe the Lord still performs them. Please pray for this dear man in our church.

The other highlight of the night is softball related. My friend, Melissa (who is going to Hawaii with me in a few weeks!), was the catcher for our team. She never really played it before this season and has said over and over that she really doesn't know what she is doing. So last night a runner is coming in from third base and our shortstop throws the ball to her and she caught it and tagged the runner out. Well, that might seem like a big deal but it was for her and it was so exciting to see. She starts jumping up and down, the people in the stands jumped up and started cheering. Everyone in the field were cheering like crazy. It was definitely a SportsCenter moment! She was so excited that she told the runner, "I'm sorry I got you out, but I'm so happy I caught the ball!" Then she high-fived the runner she got out. He was a good sport about it. That was hilarious to me! She was definitely the MVP of the night! :) We lost both games but everyone still left in good spirits.

Tonight we have church. Dad is home really sick today so he won't be doing the service tonight. At least I know we will get out early. :)

Rollin' With The Homies

That song was in my head all night last night. Maybe that's because we all kept singing it...and only that line. Last night I hosted our Bunco group at my place. We have three tables of four people and every time you start a new round you yell, "Rollin!" to get everyone started at the same time. So every time some yelled it we all started singing, "Rollin with the homies." And we sang it just like the girl in the movie "Clueless" with the hand movement and all. That's the only place I've heard it. We had a great time last night. We are mostly a group of girls from my church that decided to get together and play once a month. We have prizes for winner's of different categories and I never win. I did get the hostess prize. I was bound to win that anyway because once you win you can't win it again until everyone gets it and we are close to the end of the list. I think it was between me and two other girls. :) It's a lot of fun though. At least I enjoy it. I know others get frustrated because you give $5 each month for prizes and if you never win and others win multiple times, it can get pretty irritating. But I'm involved mainly for the fun and being with my friends. But I won't complain if I win now and then.

As I was playing last night and singing that line over and over I got to thinking about my other "homies". When my parents started our current church my family became close with a group of people. There were about seven couples and me. We were a very tight knit group. We did everything together. After service every Sunday morning we would all go out to eat together and every Sunday night we would go to each other's places and play games, eat, watch movie, and talk. We talked all through the week and basically anything we did, we did as a pack. We were very close. The girls were like the sisters I never had they were my best friends. We all went through so much together. We were together through weddings, birth of babies, graduations, job losses and gains, losing of grandparents and even a baby. We were all there for each other everyday. But as the years went by they all started to move away for jobs and some went to get their masters. It was very hard on me because they all left. I really felt abandoned even though I knew they all did what the Lord wanted them to do. I felt so alone here without them all. I felt like I lost a limb. Church wasn't the same for me at all. It was hard on my parents too because they felt like they were losing their children (and two of them were...my brother and his wife were one of the couples that moved away for a job.) I'm part of a group of friends here at church but it's not the same. I don't think I will ever find the closeness of a group of friends like "the old gang" as we affectionately call ourselves.

I love what Paul writes in Colossians 1:3. It says, "We give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you." I know that that is our group. I know that we are all praying for each other. Last January my dad celebrated 30 years in the ministry and as a surprise I was able to get all them back into Nashville to surprise him. So they all came in and hid in my parents kitchen and the look on his face when he saw them was priceless. That weekend was the best I had had in a long time. It was like old times with everyone. It's just now the group is bigger because they have all had kids. So there were a bunch of young ones running all over the place. It was wonderful! What I love the most about "the old gang" is that we are all still very close. We call each other often. Just this week I've talked to three of them at length. It's nice to talk with people who genuinely care about you and your life and who still miss you like crazy. At least I hope they miss me because I sure miss. We are planning to have another reunion sometime really soon if we can get everyone schedules coordinated. That's the hardest part. But hopefully we can get it organized so we can start "rollin with the homies". I know that was cheesy. :)

The Old Gang

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Okay, so its not Christmastime but this is my favorite time of the year. I have always loved the Fall season. It's the time of the year that God really shows off His handiwork. I love the color of the leaves as they start to change. I love the crispness in the air as the weather starts to change over to winter. I'm the type of person that can't stand really hot weather or really cold weather so jacket or long sleeve weather is perfect to me. I even love the gloomy overcast days. To me an overcast day with the leaves a golden yellow or orange or a deep red color is a perfect beautiful fall day. But a gorgeous day is when there is not one cloud in the sky and the brightest of blue is the backdrop for the leaves. It's so beautiful! As I type this, I'm looking out the window to an overcast sky and the temperature is only in the 70's. Perfect! When I think of Fall I think of camping and bonfires and roasting marshmallows. I always said that if I ever get married, it will be in October. (I won't be having a bonfire and roasting marshmallows at my reception though.) It's my favorite month of the year. You know that song "Isn't It Romantic?" Well, yes it is! The Fall season is so romantic in my opinion.

I love Fall Festivals too. For the past few years our church has thrown a Fall Festival. We mainly use it as an outreach for our community but it's also for our church people. We have tons of games and food for everyone. It's hard work for me because our Ladies Prayer Group at church is in charge of it and since I'm the leader of our Ladies Prayer group I'm essentially in charge of the Fall Festival. It's my favorite thing to do. I love putting it together. All the ladies work very hard to get it all organized. It's scheduled for the first Saturday in October this year so it's coming up quickly. I'm pretty sure we'll be ready. I can't wait. We've added a few more booths year and a flea market. We have games for all ages and a big inflatable jump. We added a dunk tank this year that my dad will be in along with our music and youth director as well. (I haven't asked either of them yet so hopefully they will agree.) :) It's going to be a great day and I can't wait!

My weekend went pretty well. They always go by so fast though. My mom and I didn't get to take my dad out for his birthday. Well, we did in a way. My dad's sister and her husband came down for the weekend so we all ended going out to eat at Olive Garden. It's okay. Not my favorite place to eat but it's still good. Then the next day I met up with them all and we went to OpryMills and walked the entire mall. It was good but I spent way too much money and since I'm headed on a big vacation in a few weeks (just a mere 3 days after the fall festival), I need to really start watching my pennies. Church was really good yesterday. Our music director is doing a great job. I don't always know the songs because he is mainly a contemporary music fan and I was raised on Southern Gospel. I'm learning them though. They are such good songs and when you strip away the music and read the words...they are beautiful. So challenging and uplifting and they get you ready for the preaching. Dad's sermons just get better and better and I always enjoy listening to them. He always steps on my toes.

Tonight should be a fun night. I'm hosting the Bunco group at my place. We'll see if I can squeeze 12 women into my apartment. It's always a fun girls night out! I'll close for now. Be sure to go outside and start enjoying the most wonderful time of the year!

What's In a Title?

So that is my clever attempt to be creative on the title front. Why do they make you put a title on these things? I'm not creative enough for that. I could have just titled it "Friday" but that's really boring. So this one will have to do.

I have been so incredibly busy for the past month it seems. I realized that for at least the past two weeks I have not had a night home by myself. My parents had gone on vacation last week (a cruise to Canada no less...so jealous!) so I had to stay over there to dog sit. They have a Yorkshire terrier named Butler. We got him when I was either a freshman or sophomore in college. He's the cutest thing but he's old and acts like a grumpy old man...but I love him. He's really my dog but I recently got an apartment and unless I wanted to give the rights of my unborn children to the apartment complex, I left him with my parents. He's too old to move him away from his home anyway, so I make sure I go visit him. Anyway, back to point, I had to dog sit over there for a week and it seemed like every night I was out doing something. Then this week our church had revival services. Which, by the way, were so wonderful. I think it was the best revival I've been to in a long . Usually I go to revival because I have to (being the preacher's daughter), but I was looking forward to going to services every night. It was so good and the preacher challenged my heart every night.

So last night was my first night at home where I could do absolutely nothing but veg out in front of the TV. But did I do that? Of course not. I ended up talking to a friend of mine who lives in GA for about an hour and half. It was so good to talk to her. I miss her. I miss all my friends who moved away. I actually haven't forgiven any of them for leaving me here by myself and forcing me to make new friends, who can never replace those that left. Anyway, (I chase a lot of rabbits, don't I?) after I got off the phone with her I got all settled on my couch with a blanket when my phone rings. It's my mom telling me that they just got off the phone with my brother. He had just been to the gas station where they told him that gas prices were going to increase greatly because of Hurricane Ike. Mom told me that dad was going to Wal-Mart to fill up with gas and that I should fill up too. I hesitated because I was parked in a very good parking space and I didn't want to give it up because more than likely when I got back the space would be gone and I would be forced to park behind the garages. Well, I was almost on empty anyway, so I agreed. I met dad at Wal-mart and the gas station was packed. I mean there were 2-3 cars at each pump. It was crazy! Evidently, these people heard the same thing my brother did. So after I get home a friend of mine from church calls me and we talk for the next hour about our trip to Hawaii. That's right...I'm going to Hawaii!! I'm so excited. More on that later. So it was after 11pm before I actually sat down to relax.

Tonight won't be any better. My mom and I are taking my dad out eat for his birthday that was last Wednesday. Then we will probably watch a movie or something. Then tomorrow I have a busy day with cleaning my place, shopping for Bunco that I'm hosting Monday night and buying food for a fellowship we are having at church on Sunday night. But I'm not complaining in the least. I'd rather be busy than have nothing to do at all. But I do hope that things settle down a little because all the new seasons of my favorite TV shows will be coming on soon and I don't want to miss those. :) Although I do have DVR. God bless the person who came up with that great invention.

I guess I'll close out for today. Remember to pray for all those in the path of Hurricane Ike.

Blogging

Well, I've decided to start blogging. It's really weird too. I never intended to blog...ever. But I've read many of my friends blogs and they are always so interesting. I always said I would never blog because I always thought it was weird to write about everything that happens in your life and also because basically my life isn't that interesting and there is never anything to tell...I'm quite boring. So we will see what happens. The hardest part of starting this blog was coming up with a name. I didn't know it could be so taxing! I thought I would try to come up with something cute to rhyme with my name but seriously...nothing good rhymes with Janice or Donoho. So I racked my brain...for what seemed for ever. I was surfing the internet (something I do quite often) and I stumbled upon Big & Rich's website and on there they are playing snippets of every song off their album. One of those songs is "Lost in This Moment". It's a song about a bride and groom and their wedding day but I loved the concept of the title...to be lost in a moment. Any moment. So I borrowed the concept from them. I hope they don't mind and since I doubt that John Rich and Big Kenny will ever stumbled upon my boring blog I don't think I'll worry about it too much.

I love the idea of getting lost in something whether it's in a book, movie, TV show, song, or the scenery. I can get lost in all those things. I guess you can say that I'm a big media fan. Not media as in news reports and tabloids (although I do subscribe to People), but as in movies, books, tv, music. Sometimes I would rather sit and watch a movie than anything else. If I could get paid just to watch movies, I probably would to that. Movies can be a nice escape from real life sometimes. I love all types of movies but mainly romantic comedies. I had a single friend tell me one time that she doesn't watch romance movies because it reminds her of what she doesn't have and although I do feel that way at times, I love them because it makes me excited for what I could and hope to have one day.

I love to get lost in a good story. Reading is a big passion for me and I read all the time. My favorite author is Karen Kingsbury. She is a Christian author and I've never read books quite like hers. She can really take you places in her books and make you think about your life, relationships and walk with God and want to make them better. I hope and long to be able to write something as wonderful and life changing as her work.

Getting lost in music and scenery goes together for me. I love to sit on my balcony at my apartment and turn on some good country music and just relax. It's so soothing just what I need sometimes after a long day at work. From my apartment I can watch the sun set and it just amazes me reminds everynight just how wonderful God really is! (I also need to get something to sit on.)

I also decided to start blogging as a way to get my thoughts down. I used to write and write quite often. I used to do a children's newsletter with a former co-worker and in there I wrote a one page fictional story about a family. I enjoyed that very much and it is my dream to actually sit down and write a novel. I got out of the habit of writing for many reasons but I thought that this might be a good way to relearn how to pull together ideas and put them down where it's understandable.

So we will see if I have any real thoughts from day to day and we'll see if I actually keep up with this thing. But since today's blog went much longer than I actually thought, I might have something to say...even if it isn't of much importance to anyone but myself.