sad stories, answered prayers, and happy Easter!

I was just looking through some of the other blogs an noticed one where someone is struggling with their family. I can so relate, but it makes me sad to know that there is some one else who is going through the stress and sadness of a situation like that. It sucks when you can't talk to your family. You can only listen and pray.

Speaking of prayers, mine have been answered as of late. The little girl who's mom was struggling with drugs, and who was living with her sick grandmother is back with her mom, and her mom is totally different these days. Clean, sober and taking great care of her children.

I've started to go for a walk every day, about three and one half miles. I wake up at around 5:30am and take the dog. She drags me the first mile or so, and then I end up dragging her the last mile. It has been good, but my shoes are bad, so I have blisters. How sad is that, blisters from just walking. I am hoping to end my struggles with my weight and turn into a vegetarian at the same time. If any of you have some pointers, comment them my way. So far I have learned how to make some Portabello wraps that are very tasty. And stir fry is very good with out meat. Oh, and I started making these blueberry protein shakes that are very good as well.

Hope you all had a great Easter weekend. I found it very awesome to sit with my kids and teach them the actual reason for Easter. We read from the Bible and they had some good questions. Does anyone know if we have to live forever in Heaven? MacKenzie isn't sure she wants to.

sad stories, answered prayers, and happy Easter!

I was just looking through some of the other blogs an noticed one where someone is struggling with their family. I can so relate, but it makes me sad to know that there is some one else who is going through the stress and sadness of a situation like that. It sucks when you can't talk to your family. You can only listen and pray.

Speaking of prayers, mine have been answered as of late. The little girl who's mom was struggling with drugs, and who was living with her sick grandmother is back with her mom, and her mom is totally different these days. Clean, sober and taking great care of her children.

I've started to go for a walk every day, about three and one half miles. I wake up at around 5:30am and take the dog. She drags me the first mile or so, and then I end up dragging her the last mile. It has been good, but my shoes are bad, so I have blisters. How sad is that, blisters from just walking. I am hoping to end my struggles with my weight and turn into a vegetarian at the same time. If any of you have some pointers, comment them my way. So far I have learned how to make some Portabello wraps that are very tasty. And stir fry is very good with out meat. Oh, and I started making these blueberry protein shakes that are very good as well.

Hope you all had a great Easter weekend. I found it very awesome to sit with my kids and teach them the actual reason for Easter. We read from the Bible and they had some good questions. Does anyone know if we have to live forever in Heaven? MacKenzie isn't sure she wants to.

So sometimes my mouth opens and stupid shit comes out. I am human.

Just got back from south of the border. It was nice to get away for a weekend, but weird. I don't think I have ever hung out with my dad alone before. There was always someone with us all of the times before.

I found it awkward and difficult to talk to him. I felt like a little kid. And it never fails, he always finds a way to say something rude or inappropriate to me that totally pisses me off. But I always bit my tongue and keep it to my self. What is the point in arguing? I just won't go there.

While I was there, I was thinking about how he was with a woman before my mom, and this woman had a child. (My half sister) If God really wants people to be together until death do they part, then he should have been with her and her mom, not my mom. So what does that make us? Perhaps that is why it never was to be with them, because he was supposed to be with Mary Jane. So then what was the purpose of God having him meet my mother and her having me and my brother? Yes, I think about these things and I can't talk to my dad about them or my mom, so I am left to wonder. Not that they could give me the answers anyway. And I am 33!!!!!!

I guess I should stop thinking and start working.

Hey Michele, homeschooling allows for a closer relationship between you and your children among other things. I truly feel that all parents should be responsible for their children's education. You have been teaching them from day one, so why stop now? God gave them to you because he knew you were the perfect teacher and mother for them.

Just a thought. I'll stop thinking now.

READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!

Wow! What a read! I am so thankful for God leading me to this book. What an amazing story and oh how it allows a person stir inside. I want to say thank you to Hidi for stepping out of her comfort zone (wink, wink) and braving the elements to spend time talking about this book. It was awesome just hanging out with you and listening to the way this book touched you. I can't wait till next month!

Well folks, this is your chance to get the book and read because we decided that we will make Reading Lolita In Tehran the book of the month again. I have also been re-evaluating and decided that we will meet towards the end of April. My goal is to allow the reader ample time to read and chew on the book. (No, do not eat your book, just chew gently.) This is because there are so many great things here to chew over and I want to make sure you get time to do it.

I want to ask that those of you who have read it or are reading it, please write down some things that stand out as you go. Ask questions, put down how you feel. How is it stirring you, or maybe it isn't, so why? The meeting time and place will be announced later in the month.

GET THE BOOK and ENJOY!!!!

Life goes on

Just a reminder that the book club will meet this Saturday afternoon at Moutain Crest Park at one in the afternoon. Bring a blanket or bring a lunch. It should be a great day to get outside and injoy the fresh air.

If you didn't get to read the book, come anyway so you can get the heads up on the next! See you there!

Okay, we will meet at Mountain Crest Park (thanks Hidi) on Durango and Lone Mountain on the 5th of March around one. If you would like to, bring the kids, and if the day is yucky, we will go some place else.

If you plan on going, please have a book in mind for next month as I would like to have us all take turns in picking a book to read.

On other news, there are some cool things going on at my web site for my Mary Kay.
www.marykay.com/happy2b Check it out if you like.

By the way, mom is doing fine. She is back home and back to her old self. And dad has invited me to visit him next month. That could be interesting. I was taught how to hit golf balls at the driving range last Tuesday. My brother invited me, and he taught me how. It is kind of cool, I always thought golf was boring, but it's fun. And, I'm not bad (so my brother says) so maybe I will keep going.

Prayers for Jeremy, Joe, the whole Carder family, cousin Chuck, Tara, Kristy, Joan, and well, my list could go on. Guess I will just leave it at that.

Thanks for joining in Hidi!

The book is for us to read this month, and we will be getting together on March 5, 2005 at one in the afternoon at the park on Durango and Craig. I will have the actual name posted later today and will have better directions. I checked the library web site for the book and most of them had them checked out. I will be checking at a couple of other places to see if I can just pick up a couple of copies. Let me know if you need one!

I was thinking about taking notes from our book discussions and posting them here on my blog. Just a thought, so we shall see.

Happy reading!

Football is over!!!

Okay, so the book to read this month is called Reading Lolita In Tehran by Azar Nafishi.
I am hoping you all can find it at the library, but if not, let me know, perhaps I might have one you can borrow. The meeting day and time will be announced this week.

Thanks Michelle for meeting with me. I had a fun time. I hope you and your family feel better soon.

I have had a good weekend, up until we sat down to do bills. :(

Time for ice cream!

Mom gets out of the hospital soon. You would think that she might have learned from this trip, but sadly I fear not. The good news is that God is in control, not me.

The wind is blowing a lot these days. It reminds me that God is real.

Don't forget that the book club is meeting this Saturday at the Macaroni Grill at 1pm. I hope to see someone there, but will enjoy a nice lunch if even by myself. I even have a back up book for next month that is really great.

My mother is in the hospital with pneumonia. My cousin, his wife and baby were evicted and are now living in a weekly place. The little girl who lives with her grandmother (because her mother is a drug addict) is not getting the counseling she needs, and her grandmother is not taking her medicine and still smoking like a chimney. Life, it is sometimes ugly. It is sometimes hard. Sometimes I wish I had millions of dollars so I cold help ease the pain of hurting people. Take the people in all of the tsunami areas. People with no food or water, not to mention a place to live. But would money really make it all better? Would it ease the pain of the children who have lost their mothers and fathers? Is money going to get that little girl's mother to stop taking drugs? No.

I am just rambling. Thoughts fill my head, I let them slip with no real destination. It's all good.
Sometimes I sit here looking out my window wondering why so many of us are just sitting here looking out our windows. My heart wants to help hurting people, but I feel as though I am limited as to what I can do. And while all of these people in the world are suffering, I sit here being too lazy to get my house clean and my work done. I feel like what I do sometimes isn't enough. Like I should be doing more for Him. I know I should be doing more. How sad it is that bad things have to happen to make us open our eyes and minds to the more important things in life. And funny it is that the only important thing is Him and our love for Him. Why do we make everything so complicated all of the time?

So these pigeons just walked up to my front door to take a bath in the water that is falling from my roof. One is just tooting around in the rocks doing the chicken neck thing. That was weird.

Did I say my life was boring?

I am so wrong! Life always gets interesting when you think it is boring.

So I hope to see lots of people at the Carder Ranch tonight. Hope you all can make it.

Crap! Time to go run around like a chicken!

Congrats to Joe. Nice to hear things are going so well for you. (assuming you read my blog)

I currently have nothing of real interest to blog about. Life is nice and boring.

The book club meeting is going to be on February 5, 2005 at 1:00pm at the Macaroni Grill on Lake Mead and Rainbow. If you were unable to read the book, but would like to read the next one, please keep a look out for the next announcement. Or if you just want to come hang out for lunch, you are more than welcome. I would like it to be a no kid event, however, if you want to, bring the little people.

Hope your life is nice and boring right now too.

Are you feeling it?

There is so much going on in the world. Have you read the posts at zaydsdad.typepad.com? I think that is the right address. He is living in the middle of some amazing moments. It makes me wonder what I should be doing for the people in my life I tend to ignore. The first people who come into mind are my father and cousins. Oh, my mother would fall into that list as well. I had this thought about going to Mexico for my father's birthday party and trying to be a light to them in some way. I can hear Shad now. "Waist of time and money" and he would probably be right. But maybe, just maybe I could be doing something for someone. It's not like I have my life all figured out, but I could take what I have and share it with someone. I guess my motives would be all wrong. If it is something God wanted, it would happen without my knowledge. It seems like such a fine line figuring that out. When we do something, is it for ourselves or something He wanted us to do?

Is it possible to learn a valuable lesson when your 33 from a book you read to your ten year old? It is called Sahara Special and just be warned, it has some bad language in it, but it is a cool story. Every time I read the next chapter, I get something from it. I hope my kids do too.

Hello

I have a new email address. Now I have to update everyone who cares.

I really would like to live in Ohio Jenn, I really would. Yes, I am insane. It is just different.

Happy day!

Snow in Vegas!

There is just something unique about snow in Vegas. First, it is the desert, and yes, it snows in the desert. Most people seem to forget that. But it doesn't happen all that often, so everyone gets excited. And it is exciting! My neighborhood is slowly being covered with a blanket of white. It is very peaceful to watch. The girls have already been out playing with the dog in it. I went out and looked up and dodged the flakes. That was really cool. Then I made some hot cocoa.

I am hoping that it lasts all day and night because I really love it. Shad thinks I am crazy because I said I would love to live in Ohio where it snows like crazy all of the time. Yes, it would probably get old after a while, but I would live it none the less. Just like I love the heat of the desert. Isn't God awesome?

Third time is a charm

Let's see if this entry will actually be published to my blog this time.

Testing, testing, one, two, three.......Oh, who cares really?

I started the first draft of my first book. Something I have wanted to do for a long time. I am a huge procrastinator, so who really knows if it will ever get finished, but the fact that I started it really has made me feel better. I have taken the first step, so that is something to feel good about.

I learned to ski today, something else to feel good about.

I overcame my fear of heights while on the ski lift. I am on a role!

I have been praying for the suffering. I am just one small voice, but I know He hears me. He listens to us all.

I finished my book for January today. I know, it isn't January yet. It was just such an easy read and I really wanted to keep finding out what was to happen next. I will probably read it again before the meeting in February. I wonder if I will be the only one there? More pasta for me!!

email me for book club info. smatheny1@earthlink.net

Love to all

Whoops!

Sorry but I have to make a change in the book for the month due to cercumstances beyond my control.

Book for January is:

Light On Snow by Anita Shreve

The meeting place and time is the same. Sorry for the mess up.

Hope and blessings for you all.

Happy Birthday

His birthday is right around the corner. What an exciting day! How will you celebrate it?

Book for January is :

Natural Philosophy by Ben Harris

Meeting place is Macaroni Grill on Rainbow and Lake Mead at 1pm.

If you want to, then call me or grab me at the next gathering and we will exchange numbers. I would love to meet with you and hang out together.

Happy Birthday celebrations to all of you!

Oh the weather outside is frightful, but inside it's so delightful.............

But I'm going out anyway. It is time to shop for Shad. Yes, I waited until the last minute. Only because I wanted to make sure I got the perfect gift, although I still am not sure what that is yet.

Things here have been pretty much the same. I am working, teaching, cleaning, shopping, sleeping, eating, exercising, baking, driving, etc....

No rest for the wicked. God has been doing some awesome work in me over the last month. He is so cool like that.

I am working on starting a book club. We would meet once a month, each taking a turn to pick a book, and then picking the meeting spot which could be anywhere. If you might be interested, let me know. I will be announcing the first book next month on Jan 1st and will also let you know where we will meet in February to talk about the book. Hope to hear from you soon.