Church dodgers

This past Sunday....yep we layed out of church! I know, I know what you might be thinking...we are Heathens....or are we really??? According to my beautiful seven year old that is hugely wise beyond her years...we most certainly ARE NOT! And let me say this: If the only thing in life that I ever teach my children, it what Lila had to say...then I have done an incredible job!
Sunday, instead of going to church, we went over to our neighbors house (along with a few other of our neighbors...what awesome souls they are!!) and helped clean up several fallen trees in our neighbor's yard. If you have ever had a tree cut down by a tree service, you know that they charge hundreds of dollars to come out. Well, I don't know about you, but we don't have hundreds of nothing just lying around...except maybe bills and fire ants!
Anyway, not trying to brag or anything but when we got those trees cut up and burned...her backyard was a vision! She was so proud and so grateful! She of course said that she would do anything in the world for all of us to repay us...but the truth is...there is no debt to be paid!
Well, after me telling a certain person that I may be married to...who will go nameless in THIS BLOG....that we were going to be doing this clearing on Sunday...this person said that it sounded too much like WORKING on Sunday..and we aren't supposed to WORK ON SUNDAY!! Protest as this person may...this person had to get the chainsaw and GET TO WORK!!! So I told Lila to repeat what she said to me to this person...that might be related to her and resemble her very own dad...AND THIS IS WHAT SHE SAID (Remember please that she is 7):

Daddy, its ok that we aren't going to church today to learn about God...we are going to go help someone and do what God really wants us to do...by helping others!

And what can a person say against that? God does not live within the four walls of the church. He tells us to "Love our neighbor." And unfortunately Sunday was the only day that all of us could get together to help out.

Does this mean that every Sunday we will do this...no. But since Pete and I can't help people financially or fix their cars for them or file their taxes for them...whatever...this is what we CAN DO. We had the time, the chainsaws and the physical strength to do it. Unfortunately for our neighbor, she wasn't physically able to handle this type of job and didn't have the tools to do it.

I'm so glad that we got to help out. I find tasks like this to be very gratifying. I know that this "good deed" isn't going to move me up a few notches en route to Heaven. I relish in the thought that I don't have to do good deeds to get to Heaven, Jesus has already paid the price for me to get in! But I do feel so good helping others, loving others and being able to SEE the fruits of our labor!

You know, I always have really appreciated random acts of kindness. Our neighbor never asked us to help her...we volunteered! We called and told her that we were going to and she accepted! :) We knew she had a need. I would love to challenge anyone that if you know of a need and it's within your means or capability....just do it! There is nothing more personally rewarding! And I know that's selfish thinking...but it just tickles me to death to think that we were able to lessen her burden!! Would we not want someone to come along and help us carry our burdens, randomly without having to ask? or beg?

Hold a door for someone, pay a tab or bill, pick up dropped papers, cut someone's grass, offer to walk a person's dog, cook a meal, paint a picture or just stop by and say hi....random acts of kindness can change a person's outlook on their day or on their whole life. I have heard stories of people, teetering on the edge of life...planning to take their life...and some person shows them just a bit of kindness and the hopeless person sees that their life is worth living and that they are worth being here on this Earth!

Pay it forward please!

What a truck load!

This past weekend, Pete and I went and looked at trucks. He drives a smaller truck that has a V8..which is fine for pulling our camper....BUT a larger full size truck would pull our camper much smoother and with less effort! So we went to 2 different places looking. We compared to two largest competing American made trucks. We were really liking both makes pretty well!
But then when it came down to the money issue....We fell in love with the moderately priced version of one truck....til it all came down to the payments.
The sales man, after coming up with the payment figure kind of seemed to hesitate for a minute or two, trying to find the best delivery for what he had to say......
"I'm thinking that it would come out about, maybe it would be about, its looking like..."
WAIT FOR IT>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"7 and a quarter a month!" HUH? I think I yelled out "STANK!!!!" Pete's face took on the most contorted sort of expression I have ever seen! I had to actually laugh out loud! There was no poker face to be found in the room!!! SEVEN HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE FREAKIN DOLLARS A MONTH! And that was a rough estimate! Maybe about 400 too rough! *sigh* We would be leaving that beauty in the lot!
Pete said once we got back in his truck...that after $725 a month, his little ole truck didn't seem so terrible after all! It pulled the camper fine, drove fine and was just generally fine over all!
Our first house payment in Milledgeville wasn't even that much!! And as far as I saw, there wasn't any indoor plumbing in that truck!!!
So which brings to mind something.....
Take a good look next time you are riding down the road! How many big old pick up trucks do you see? THOUSANDS around this town! And lots of them are brand spanking new! How do people afford those things? I realize that business owners use them to haul and such....But the average Joe? How does he feed his kids, have a mortgage and drive a big truck? And Im not talking the used trucks! I realize that you can get a pretty good deal on a middle decade truck with some mileage on it. Im talking about 2009 or 2010 CREW CAB, full bed pickups.
Anyway, we will have to wait on that! Hopefully little ole Blue will hang in there for us! All of our neighbors say that they know when Pete is coming and going! Our neighbor across the street said that she used to judge what time she needed to have her child ready for school by when she heard his truck!!! OH ITS LOUD! AND NOT BY OUR CHOICE! Someone thought it would be a good idea to put loud mufflers on it...I guess if they couldnt have a big truck, they would at least make it sound like a big truck!

Super Highway Vacation

I survived ONE entire week without FACEBOOK or the Internet! I know it sounds pathetic!! But my life and my connectedness is directly related to how much time I get to spend checking my email or cruising FB. It is sad, I know! But its about like someone not having a cell phone and texting. I don't get to talk to my friends via the phone very often...Pete may argue this point....but the truth is that I do not get to talk to people much face to face, via phone or otherwise. Most of my communication has been limited to FB and emails. We all have such busy lives.
Recently a friend of mine was a little miffed that I had not been the best of friends and had not actively been in touch. I also had not set up any sort of socialization outside of Church and work. As I explained to her VIA FB, I don't have a life! I don't socialize and I don't get to go and do lots of fun things. I am about as exciting as a slug. Much to my friend Sherrie's dismay, I was ready to go to bed by 9:30PM the whole time we were at the Women of Joy conference!! Yeah, I know....I went a little over board!! I stayed up until 10PM. WOOOHOOO!!! But truthfully, that was only because Sherrie just kept wanting to talk and hang out. I begged her to let me go to sleep!!
Anyway, this past week, Pete, the girls and I went camping at Unicoi State park near Helen, GA. We had a great time. Iris the dog came with us. We didn't have such a great time in the truck on the way up or back...with the girls fighting constantly in the back seat! But the rest of the time was pretty stinking fun! We swam at the "beach" (the lake water was so clear there that we could SEE the fish swimming around us!!). We hiked the Appalachian trail. What a magnificent example of God's creation! We went tubing down the river in Helen! I really, really enjoyed that! We just generally had a great time! And it did not even rain on us until the last night!! What a miracle for us!
As we were hiking up the Appalachian trail, Pete and I talked about how we wished that we had lived our lives differently. Why when we were single folk, didn't we spend more time hiking and camping with friends or some such thing? We really enjoyed hiking a lot. We talked about going hiking some weekend with out the girls, up the trail. I love to camp and I think that Pete and I would have a great time. Maybe we could hike about 10miles or so a day, camp and hike some more. I really need to put my mind to that and make it happen...and not just talk about it. There really isn't a good reason why we shouldn't or can't do it. Well, other than needing to find someone to watch the girls for the weekend. We are both in good health and CAN DO IT! Of course, we both had the Jello legs after having to switch off back and forth carrying Lyndi up and down the mountain! WHEW! 2 year olds aren't the best hikers in the world! For that matter, 7 yr olds aren't the greatest of hikers at a certain point. If they don't have a set end point...just hiking up some dumb old trail doesn't make a lot of sense...especially when its rough terrain and they could be playing at the beach or something!!!
This week, I spent lots of time with Joyce Meyer! I can't think of the name of the book, but it deals with finding PEACE and JOY in our lives! She is such a wonderful writer and minister of God's Word. I really appreciated what she had to say! What wonderful timing too! We all have stress and some form of conflict in our lives. It is so wonderful to have a reminder that we should focus on God and live for TODAY. Our past and the future are not the here and now. We have no control over either. We can't change the past or the future. And worry gets us NO WHERE!!
All week, I kept wishing that I had access to my blog or even a notebook to write in! There were so many things I wanted to share from the week! I guess it wouldn't be much of a vacation if I was still PLUGGED IN though!
This week, I got to spend a lot of quality time with the girls. I got to love on them and play with them more than I have in a long time. I have two very special, beautiful girls! The world we live in, nature, is absolutely mind blowing! I saw so many amazing species of plants and flowers that I have never seen before. God really went all out! The girls and I even stood about 15 feet away from a young deer and watched it feed. It walked almost right up to us! Lyndi hollering and Iris whining did not even make it run off.
After we returned home, I got to thinking that there are many things that we don't do...like just randomly going hiking or whatever. I don't do many things for FUN! I hope that I won't keep on that same path. Life is racing by...I don't want to miss out on living it!

Almost 5pm on Friday!

Well its Thursday! I've been looking forward to 5PM on Friday. Friday evening begins a long week of vacation for me. I haven't had a vacation in a very long time. Vacation meaning....not working! What all we will do during this time off from work...I don't know and I don't care! Just to have time off is such a peaceful thought! I see camping in our future...more roasted (blackened) marshmallow smores!
What a praise I have to mention! Adam, one of the two young mention that I blogged about a few posts ago, was in church on Sunday! How awesome to have him home. He spent weeks at MCG hospital in Augusta in ICU! His injuries consisted of but were not limited to: a fractured pelvis, tear in his face about 4 inches long extending from his mouth to his cheek, fractures in his face and bruised spleen (and liver I think). He really went through it! But he is back...a little thinner but still looking great! For that we are all grateful! I mentioned that we were praying those boys up (Tyler too!!!)!! God has been so good!
I am asking for prayers for my friend Cutina Pearson. She has been in and out of the hospital for an abscess in her back. Its located under the skin. It has been drained and drainage tubes were placed. Evidently she has scar tissue and infection in the wound. Please pray for her healing. She still remains ever FAITHFUL to our Lord! Cutina is a wonderful child of God!
I am still waiting and listening for instructions from God about work. I can't help but think that the answer was not just to stay where I am at and that's that. I think there is more. I'm not saying that he doesn't want me to stay where I am at. I just think that he is using us as part of a bigger picture. I think that there are pieces to this puzzle that have yet to be placed to achieve a master piece. Are there going to bumps and bruises along the way? I suspect so. Whenever you are dealing with people that don't have the same values and beliefs, there is always the chance that things aren't going to be handled in a Christian way. Too bad for us! :) But God will persevere! I just cant wait to see what happens. Either way...it will be for God's greatest good. I just pray that God will place a stronghold around us and protect us from too many insults and injuries.
I worked with a great patient today. She really made me chuckle! There are some amazing, beautiful people in this world! she really got me tickled when she hopped up and down, trying desperately to work a pair of boa constrictor pantyhose up!! She is a lady in her late 60's with a heavy Spanish accent, going on and on about how awful pantyhose really are ! PRICELESS! What a great woman!
I am still looking forward to 5PM on Friday...hopefully I will be able to enjoy some great patients tomorrow that make me smile. Otherwise Ill have to think of my little lady and her panty hose hop! Is there any wonder really that the work PANTy has the word PANT in it...they sure make you pant like a dog when you are trying to get them on!