As I have recently reconnected with friends from elementary school, junior high , and high school on Facebook, it really got me thinking. I am SO glad that God helps us grow and mature after high school. I don't know about you , but I am not even remotely the same person I was was when I graduated!
My "old" friends have a hard time believing that I homeschool because I was not a big fan of school back in the day! That is actually part of the reason I do homeschool. I want my kids to enjoy learning! I also want to be able to spend extra time, if needed, to be sure they really "get" the information and I want them to be able to fly through material that they have a good grasp on.
It is so cool to reconnect because I get to see the kinds of people my friends have grown up to be. It helps me realize how much I have changed and that God keeps forgiving me as I mess up and then He lets me start again with a clean slate!
So, thanks to all of my Facebook friends who were my friends back then and still wanted to be my friends now!
Showing posts with label Misc.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Misc.. Show all posts
Friday, March 26, 2010
Monday, December 21, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
New Tradition
This year we have started a new Christmas tradition at our house. We bought a small pre-lit tree and put some very special ornaments on it. All of these ornaments belonged to either my maternal grandmother, my paternal grandmother, or Joe's maternal grandmother. As we hang the ornaments on the tree we tell the girls about our grandparents and other Christmas memories we have from our childhood. It was a lot of fun and it was cool to see that our grandmothers had some very similar ornaments. The girls enjoyed it this year and we hope this is a tradition that they can continue when they have children of their own!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
New Chapter
Well, we have entered a new phase in our lives. Our oldest daughter now has a cell phone.
We wanted her to have one for emergencies and found that it was cheaper to add a phone to our account than it would be to get a pre-paid phone, which we had originally considered. Now that she is a middle-schooler and is doing more things on her own we felt it was finally time.
We are approaching it as a test for her. As long as she is responsible and follows our rules, (actually we are going to write up a contract) she will continue to earn more responsibilities. She is only allowed to call the people WE have programmed into the phone and is not allowed to send or receive any text messages. We are thinking of it as a rite of passage for her good behavior, good grades, and general helpfulness lately.
We think she is ready and feel comfortable with the boundaries we have set. Still a little nervous about it though!
I will keep you posted!
We wanted her to have one for emergencies and found that it was cheaper to add a phone to our account than it would be to get a pre-paid phone, which we had originally considered. Now that she is a middle-schooler and is doing more things on her own we felt it was finally time.
We are approaching it as a test for her. As long as she is responsible and follows our rules, (actually we are going to write up a contract) she will continue to earn more responsibilities. She is only allowed to call the people WE have programmed into the phone and is not allowed to send or receive any text messages. We are thinking of it as a rite of passage for her good behavior, good grades, and general helpfulness lately.
We think she is ready and feel comfortable with the boundaries we have set. Still a little nervous about it though!
I will keep you posted!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Jungle Flight
"A harrowing near-crash at a remote airstrip, a deep-jungle rescue mission, a jaguar attack, spiritual warfare, terrorist attack, a mass evacuation in the face of a militant uprising. Who says being a missionary is boring?!? "Jungle Flight was written by the Pastor of our church in Virginia and is based on a personal trip to the jungles of Southeast Asia and private interviews with the pilots and technicians of JAARS (originally, Jungle Aviation and Radio Service).
I am so excited to let you all know about it and I hope you will enjoy it!
"Jungle Flight will ignite your imagination and inspire your heart to read about survival and rescue missions made possible by the miracle work of Jesus Christ, the Pilot of our souls.
This collection of short stories will allow you to peer into the cockpits of airplanes set apart for missionary service in the Name of the Lord and learn how aviation has contributed to carrying out the Great Commission. As a pilot myself, I have been amazed at how God has used planes and helicopters as effective tools to elevate Bible translation for the purpose of evangelism in the most remote parts of the world." Franklin Graham President and CEO,
Samaritan's Purse and The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
Jungle Flight is the gritty reality and harrowing adventures of JAARS mission aviators and technicians living and working on the edge of the civilized world come to life in this new book by Dane Skelton. , this book tells it like it is, taking the reader inside the cockpit and into harms way with men and women of deep faith and profound commitment to service through professional excellence.
BEGINNING AUGUST 1st YOU MAY ORDER BY CALLING - The JAARS Gift Shop at 704-843-6104.
JAARS will get a portion of the proceeds if you order directly from them.
For bulk orders leave me a comment and I will get you the information.
What others are saying:
"JUNGLE FLIGHT is a compilation of real stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things in service to God. I couldn't put it down. Read it for heart-soaring adventure as well as soul-stirring inspiration.", Professor and Pastor, Dr. Max Anders, author of 30 Days to Understanding the Bible
"After 40 years of serving the US space program, I find myself awed by what the men and women of JAARS have done to impact the global ministry of Bible translation. What they do each day requires more than just being made of the right stuff: it takes extraordinary faith in the One who created the mountains they fly over, the people they serve, the One who's guiding their flight from start to finish." Tom Overton, Multiflow Integration Manager, PH-O Kennedy Space Center, FL
Dane Skelton is a pastor, an aviation nut, a motorcyclist, and is interested in anything that rolls, floats or flies. Dane has been married to Krista for 25 years and they have three daughters.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Missing Moms on TV & in Movies
A friend of mine recently brought to my attention that many of the "princesses" in Disney movies do not have a mom. I then started thinking about missing moms in other movies and on tv. I do not know what the significance is, but it sure is interesting! Please comment and add any you think of!
Cinderella
Snow White
Ariel (Little Mermaid)
Jasmine (Aladdin)
Bambie
Pinocchio
Ella Enchanted
Kung Fu Panda
Nemo
Belle (Beauty & the Beast)
Opie Taylor (Andy Griffith)
Jonny Quest
Full House (one father plus one uncle and one other single guy)
Punky Brewster (Technically no mom OR dad, but lives with single father figure)
Buffy & Jody (Family Affair - again no parents, but live with Uncle Bill)
Dukes of Hazzard (3 cousins with no parents? Living with Uncle Jesse, who I assume is a great-uncle)
Diff'rent Strokes (raised by single father figure)
Nancy Drew
Main character in Herbie Fully Loaded
Land of the Lost (Was there a mom? I only remember a dad)
Sound of Music
And these, which are more recent and on Disney Channel
Cory in the House (there is a mom, I guess, but she lives in another country?)
Naked Brothers Band
Hannah Montana
I am sure there are more! Would love to keep adding to the list and let me know what reasons you see for so many shows and movies without mothers!
Cinderella
Snow White
Ariel (Little Mermaid)
Jasmine (Aladdin)
Bambie
Pinocchio
Ella Enchanted
Kung Fu Panda
Nemo
Belle (Beauty & the Beast)
Opie Taylor (Andy Griffith)
Jonny Quest
Full House (one father plus one uncle and one other single guy)
Punky Brewster (Technically no mom OR dad, but lives with single father figure)
Buffy & Jody (Family Affair - again no parents, but live with Uncle Bill)
Dukes of Hazzard (3 cousins with no parents? Living with Uncle Jesse, who I assume is a great-uncle)
Diff'rent Strokes (raised by single father figure)
Nancy Drew
Main character in Herbie Fully Loaded
Land of the Lost (Was there a mom? I only remember a dad)
Sound of Music
And these, which are more recent and on Disney Channel
Cory in the House (there is a mom, I guess, but she lives in another country?)
Naked Brothers Band
Hannah Montana
I am sure there are more! Would love to keep adding to the list and let me know what reasons you see for so many shows and movies without mothers!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Guest Writer
My husband posted a funny story on Facebook and I thought I would share it here as well.
Enjoy.
Starlings and the Dryer Vent Love Shack - or - Bye, Bye, Birdies... (Your choice, but personally I like the first one.)
Yesterday upon arriving home from my dungeon of a dead end job my girls said, "there's something making weird noises in the laundry room." The Dad Man (that's me) springs into action. I walked into the laundry room expecting nothing and thinking that they were hearing things. To my surprise I did hear a faint scratching in the vent. I left Casey in the laundry room with instructions to turn on the dryer on my command. I went outside and raised up the little door on the dryer exhaust vent to told her to turn on the dryer. Immediately I was plastered in the face with a wad of freshly cut grass. Beautiful... at least I have learned to keep my mouth closed while looking up! After wiping all the grass off my face, blowing the dirt of my glasses, and reminding myself to control my tongue I stomped back inside to the laundry room. After a brief moment of dragging all the laundry room stuff into the hall I wrestled with the dryer. It lost, and inside of five minutes I was headed back out the door with the dryer vent hose in hand. Back inside two little girls were pouting and saying, "what about the baby birds Dad?" I stomped my way across the back yard and out the back gate all the while muttering to myself, "no darn Starling nest is gonna cause my house to catch on fire no matter what!" (Before everyone gets fired up about baby birds... Starlings were not native to North American and were imported by an European immigrant. I'm not a fan of non-native avian species.) (OK, everyone breath now and stop looking up the number to PETA.) I proceeded to dump the rest of the grass, that did not land smack in my face, out of the vent hose. To my girls delight, no babies and no eggs. Apparently my sacred dryer vent was just a tunnel of love at that point. Well, one thing lead to another and I ended up getting everything back together. All was well and the Love Shack was closed.
Yea, right... My dear wife of almost 17 years calls me at 7:15am. She had been bounced out of bed at 6:15am to a horrendous noise. Needless to say no one at my house was singing "Kum-ba-Ya" early this morning. The Love Shack was open and the band was rockin'. Apparently this one went up to 11! (Shameless Spinal Tap reference.) She ran Mr. and Mrs. Starling out of the vent pipe and then proceeded to tape the little flappy door shut with electrical tape. (Yup, that's my girl. She sure showed those amorous avians.)
Yet, The Dad Man's job is never done... So again, I spring into action. With 1/2" expanded metal, a plasma cutter, two vise grip clamps, a piece of angle iron, two different hammers, a wire feed welder, and a little galvanizing spray paint the permanent closure sign was posted on the front door of the Love Shack.
Now we can sing "Kum-ba-Ya". Mr. & Mrs. Starling were pretty torqued, but I'm sure that found someone else's dryer vent. I'm feeling good that my drier vent hose won't be catching on fire anytime soon. The girls were glad that, "no animals were harmed in the making of this story". And hopefully my Mrs. will get to sleep a little longer in the morning.
Enjoy.
Starlings and the Dryer Vent Love Shack - or - Bye, Bye, Birdies... (Your choice, but personally I like the first one.)
Yesterday upon arriving home from my dungeon of a dead end job my girls said, "there's something making weird noises in the laundry room." The Dad Man (that's me) springs into action. I walked into the laundry room expecting nothing and thinking that they were hearing things. To my surprise I did hear a faint scratching in the vent. I left Casey in the laundry room with instructions to turn on the dryer on my command. I went outside and raised up the little door on the dryer exhaust vent to told her to turn on the dryer. Immediately I was plastered in the face with a wad of freshly cut grass. Beautiful... at least I have learned to keep my mouth closed while looking up! After wiping all the grass off my face, blowing the dirt of my glasses, and reminding myself to control my tongue I stomped back inside to the laundry room. After a brief moment of dragging all the laundry room stuff into the hall I wrestled with the dryer. It lost, and inside of five minutes I was headed back out the door with the dryer vent hose in hand. Back inside two little girls were pouting and saying, "what about the baby birds Dad?" I stomped my way across the back yard and out the back gate all the while muttering to myself, "no darn Starling nest is gonna cause my house to catch on fire no matter what!" (Before everyone gets fired up about baby birds... Starlings were not native to North American and were imported by an European immigrant. I'm not a fan of non-native avian species.) (OK, everyone breath now and stop looking up the number to PETA.) I proceeded to dump the rest of the grass, that did not land smack in my face, out of the vent hose. To my girls delight, no babies and no eggs. Apparently my sacred dryer vent was just a tunnel of love at that point. Well, one thing lead to another and I ended up getting everything back together. All was well and the Love Shack was closed.
Yea, right... My dear wife of almost 17 years calls me at 7:15am. She had been bounced out of bed at 6:15am to a horrendous noise. Needless to say no one at my house was singing "Kum-ba-Ya" early this morning. The Love Shack was open and the band was rockin'. Apparently this one went up to 11! (Shameless Spinal Tap reference.) She ran Mr. and Mrs. Starling out of the vent pipe and then proceeded to tape the little flappy door shut with electrical tape. (Yup, that's my girl. She sure showed those amorous avians.)
Yet, The Dad Man's job is never done... So again, I spring into action. With 1/2" expanded metal, a plasma cutter, two vise grip clamps, a piece of angle iron, two different hammers, a wire feed welder, and a little galvanizing spray paint the permanent closure sign was posted on the front door of the Love Shack.
Now we can sing "Kum-ba-Ya". Mr. & Mrs. Starling were pretty torqued, but I'm sure that found someone else's dryer vent. I'm feeling good that my drier vent hose won't be catching on fire anytime soon. The girls were glad that, "no animals were harmed in the making of this story". And hopefully my Mrs. will get to sleep a little longer in the morning.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
16 Random Things
Evidently the "cool" thing to do on your blog is to post 16 random things about yourself. Since I told my husband last night that I needed to update my blog but was not sure what to write I am going with the 16.
1. I have lived in 6 states (Louisiana, Colorado, Texas, Arkansas, Virginia & Tennessee). 3 of them more than once.
2. I have been a vegetarian for just over a year.
3. I know how to drive a forklift.
4. My first car was a 1978 Firebird. Yes, it was cool.
5. I like the Beatles, not the Stones.
6. I once was attacked by a swarm of bees.
7. I think it would be cool to be a twin.
8. I love homeschooling my girls!
9. I am a mild to moderate germaphobe.
10. I want to learn how to scuba dive.
11. I have an awesome family: husband, kids, parents, in-laws, brother, sister-in-law, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles & cousins.
12. I don't know if I can come up with 16 random things about myself.
13. I can tell you "Merry Christmas & Happy New Year" in Hawaiian.
14. I like Coke, not Pepsi.
16. My grandfather was an Olympic gold and silver medalist (hurdles).
Hope you got to know me a little better today!
1. I have lived in 6 states (Louisiana, Colorado, Texas, Arkansas, Virginia & Tennessee). 3 of them more than once.
2. I have been a vegetarian for just over a year.
3. I know how to drive a forklift.
4. My first car was a 1978 Firebird. Yes, it was cool.
5. I like the Beatles, not the Stones.
6. I once was attacked by a swarm of bees.
7. I think it would be cool to be a twin.
8. I love homeschooling my girls!
9. I am a mild to moderate germaphobe.
10. I want to learn how to scuba dive.
11. I have an awesome family: husband, kids, parents, in-laws, brother, sister-in-law, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles & cousins.
12. I don't know if I can come up with 16 random things about myself.
13. I can tell you "Merry Christmas & Happy New Year" in Hawaiian.
14. I like Coke, not Pepsi.
16. My grandfather was an Olympic gold and silver medalist (hurdles).
Hope you got to know me a little better today!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Stalker
(This is dedicated to KSue, but you can read it too!)
So, I am at Target yesterday and I see this guy, Travis http://www.traviscottrell.com. He is a Christian artist who lives around here somewhere. As it happens, I follow him out the doors and to our cars (parked a few feet away from each other). I pull out of my space and am, again, right behind him. Since I am on my way to take Casey to piano lessons and only know one way to get there from where I am, I end up having no choice but to continue following him. Out of the parking lot, turn left, turn right at the light. Continue down the road, left by the church, right into a neighborhood. I am nervous that he thinks I am stalking him so I turn off and go a slightly different way to piano lessons.
I am not a stalker, I promise. It was kind of weird though.
So, I am at Target yesterday and I see this guy, Travis http://www.traviscottrell.com. He is a Christian artist who lives around here somewhere. As it happens, I follow him out the doors and to our cars (parked a few feet away from each other). I pull out of my space and am, again, right behind him. Since I am on my way to take Casey to piano lessons and only know one way to get there from where I am, I end up having no choice but to continue following him. Out of the parking lot, turn left, turn right at the light. Continue down the road, left by the church, right into a neighborhood. I am nervous that he thinks I am stalking him so I turn off and go a slightly different way to piano lessons.
I am not a stalker, I promise. It was kind of weird though.
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