I haven't done a random post in a while...seems like time....

Birthday Related:

So my Bio-Father called me to wish me a Happy Birthday on January 20th.  My birthday is... (let's say it together)  January 30th!  Funny.  He swears that I told him that I told him that my birthday was on the 20th.  Funnier.  I thanked him for the call.  It was nice of him to think of me....but it IS funny.

Ron got a birthday card from our church for MY birthday.  His birthday is in April.  (about this time I checked the calendar)

On a MUCH better note, I got some YUMMY cookies in the mail from my dear MIL, which she made for me even though she was in the midst of catering a huge wedding reception.  VERY sweet... (cookies...sweet...ha)

Other Topics:

So I took the dive and started a Facebook account...  So now I have Xanga, MySpace and FaceBook.  It is tough to stay relevant   And even with all of that I still have my doubts as to whether or not I am keeping up. 

I was visiting with Tyler a weekend or so ago and he wanted me to give him something...  I said how do you ask?  He wasn't saying anything so I said "Say: May I please have the coloring book my most beautiful Aunt Pam?"  He looked at me very seriously and said:  "No, that's not how I ask" 

Another Tylerism.  Tyler was helping to make cookies, and he had to dip the cookies into the chocolate, then into the sugar.  One cookie, he dipped into the sugar, then into the chocolate.  When his Mom pointed out what he had done, he said...  "Oh man, what am I doing?  I must be losing my mind!"

I think that is all I have....I thought I had a bunch of stuff to talk about, but now I can't remember any of it.  I guess old age does that to you

Oh, pray for my FIL, he is in the hospital with complications from kidney stones.  He is pretty sick and is in quite a bit of pain, so please remember he and my MIL in your prayers please....for strength and healing.

peace....

 

Ron and I were kind of moaning and complaining about  some things the other day.  We are struggling with a few things...  we need some things for the house...  we have lots of things we need to do and don't have the money to do it.  We have bills to pay and have gotten ourselves in a bit over our heads (yeah, that happens, right?)....  And we were both frustrated with a situation that had just happened at a church meeting....  So we were in the car kind of venting and complaining...blah blah blah...kind of childishly....not yelling at each other, but feeding off of each other and having a self righteous pity party.... As we were driving toward home, we saw a column of thick, dark smoke coming up from the direction of our neighborhood.  We drove closer, hoping that it would prove to be in a different direction (you know how that works sometimes), but it didn't...so our hearts kind of started pounding, even though we pretended that they weren't....  As we pulled into our street, we were relieved to see that the smoke was not from our home, but was very close.  By this time, our conversation had completely changed from our problems to concern for our neighbors...we drove toward the column of smoke, feeling a bit like the Israelites in the desert, and this is what we found.... http://www.wlhvfd.com/  (hopefully this link remains current....scroll down about halfway to see 7401 Lake Ora Dr)  We didn't pull into the street, but we could see the house from across the lake.  We got there just as the first fire trucks were pulling up...so we saw the smoke as it is shown in the first picture and the fire as it is shown in the second picture...  I can't imagine what these people went through in losing their home....  But as we God showed us that our problems are trivial...and that as long as it takes to build up our treasures here on earth...they can all be taken in an instant....

Ron and I didn't really talk about much for the rest of the evening...we both felt so drained and impacted by what we had seen...and guilty for wallowing in our self pity....but before we went to sleep, I grabbed his hand and in the darkness said....well...at least our house didn't burn down today....  and he said...yup.  And somehow that said it all. 

peace...

Because of this crazy writer's strike, I am missing some of my favorite shows on TV.  I figured I would share some of my favorite Dwight Shrute quotes today from the "Office".  He just cracks me up! 

Why tip someone for a job I'm capable of doing myself? I can deliver food. I can drive a taxi. I can, and do, cut my own hair. I did, however, tip my urologist, because I am unable to pulverize my own kidney stones.”

A 30-year mortgage at Michael’s age essentially means that he’s buying a coffin. If I were buying my coffin, I would get one with thicker walls so you couldn’t hear the other dead people.

Yes I have acted before. I was in a production of "Oklahoma!" in the 7th grade. I played the part of Mutey the Mailman. They had too many kids so they made up roles like that. I was good.

Women are like wolves. If you want a wolf, you have to trap it. Snare it. Then to keep it happy, you have to tame it. Feed it, care for it. Lovingly. The way an animal deserves. And my animal deserves a lot of loving.

I like the people that I work with, generally. With four exceptions.

Ever since Michael dumped Jan for Carol, Jan’s been mean to him. Reject a woman, and she will never let it go. One of the many defects of their kind. Also, weak arms.

When my mother was pregnant with me, they did an ultrasound and found she was having twins. When they did another ultrasound a few weeks later, they discovered, that I had resorbed the other fetus. Do I regret this? No, I believe his tissue has made me stronger. I now have the strength of a grown man and a little baby.

 [bringing in a dead goose] I accidentally ran over it. It's a Christmas miracle!

I don't have a lot of experience with vampires, but I have hunted werewolves. I shot one once, but by the time I got to it, it had turned back into my neighbor's dog.

Did you know that the human thumb is formed by 15 interchangeable joints? Wrong. Don’t believe everything that people on television tell you.

Hey! Who put my stapler in jello again?

''That's a terrible idea...Them, [the women] in there all together. They stay in there too long, they're gonna get on the same cycle...Wreak havoc on our plumbing.''

and a couple of Michael Scott quotes:

I’m an early bird and a night owl. So I’m wise and I have worms.

Yes, I was the first one out. And yes, I’ve heard "women and children first". But, we do not employ children. We are not a sweatshop, thankfully. And women are equal in the workplace by law. So if I let them out first, I have a lawsuit on my hands.

You may look around and see two groups here; white collar, blue collar. But I don't see it that way, and you know why not? Because I am collar-blind.

New York, New York. The city so nice, they named it twice. Manhattan is the other name.

I'm very sorry, I did not know you were wearing a hearing aid. I thought you were just speaking abnormally.

Yes. It is true. I, Michael Scott, am signing up with an online dating service. Thousands of people have done it, and I am going to do it. I need a username, and... I have a great one. [types something] 'Little Kid Lover'. That way people will know exactly where my priorities are at.  (he wants a wife and kids)

Well apparently in the medicine community, negative means 'good.' Which makes absolutely no sense. In the real world community that would be chaos.

Society teaches us that, having feelings and crying is bad and wrong. Well, that's baloney, because grief isn't wrong. There's such a thing as good grief. Just ask Charlie Brown.

they make me laugh

peace

 

 

We had a nice weekend...  We didn't do much, but we spent it together.  We took our time getting up on Saturday morning, and got some things done around the house.  My sweet husband vacuumed the floors and cleaned the bird cages while I cleaned up the kitchen and picked up the family room.  It is nice working together...makes it seem like it is not so much "work"...then we went and got lunch on Saturday...something that we enjoy doing...then just ran a few errands and putzed around, ending up with coffee from Starbucks before coming home to finalize stuff for Sunday.  On Sunday, we had a good morning at church, then went and tried out a new restaurant and stopped at the grocery store on the way home to get the makings for chili.  When we got home, we chilled for a bit, then worked together on making a pot of chili....  Ron doesnt mind chopping the onions, where it makes my eyes swell for hours, so he sweetly does that.  Once we got that all together and simmering on the stove, we got a huge quilt, and settled on the couch to watch the Giants and the Packers play....   all of the dogs gathered and snuggled with us, because it was so cold.... 

At one point in the middle of the game, Ron had gotten up sat down with his mouth full of something...  I said...  "Are you eating chili?!?!?!"  Because I KNEW it couldnt be good yet ('cause it takes hours to taste REALLY good)  Ron said "No?" with Chili juice dribbling down his face.  Made me laugh...

Not an eventful weekend, but it was so peaceful, it was just what I needed. 

Now I have some very dear friends and family who were, I am sure, crushed by the outcome of the game, and my condolences go out to them.  I was kind of in the position of being an objective observer this time, because the only preference I have for the team is because of Ron's side of the family and their great love for the Packers.  I know that they care as deeply for the Packers as my side of the family cares for the Redskins, so, because of that, I root for the Packers....and I felt badly that they lost, but it was interesting to watch a game semi-objectively for once....  I never do that....because I never watch a game if my team isn't playing   I must say that my company is based in New York, so I do work with people who are very happy about the outcome....so....  I walk the line

I just enjoyed the time on the couch with my hubby and my critters....

a great weekend....and I love my hubby....

I have been quiet....

The last few weeks it seemed like I had concentric circles on my back.... 

I took a big blow at work...nothing personal, just a customer thing, but big, none the less....it felt like every time I turned around I was making someone mad here, so I just buried my head and stayed out of people's way....I had a horrible cold....buried at church with work that I had to do and just a lot of other stuff...  Sometimes it seems like a pile on, ya know?

But this is a new week, and that means a fresh start, right?

And THIS week started out with Dallas losing, which is always a good way for a week to start for me   Oh, and wait....I think another team lost this weekend too, didn't it?  The Seahawks?  I think for some reason that I still can't fathom, one of my friends from Nebraska is a SHawks fan...

Here are some great reminders from Lamentations3:

19-21I'll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,
   the taste of ashes, the poison I've swallowed.
I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—
   the feeling of hitting the bottom.
But there's one other thing I remember,
   and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:

 22-24God's loyal love couldn't have run out,
   his merciful love couldn't have dried up.
They're created new every morning.
   How great your faithfulness!
I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over).
   He's all I've got left.

 25-27God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
   to the woman who diligently seeks.
It's a good thing to quietly hope,
   quietly hope for help from God.
It's a good thing when you're young
   to stick it out through the hard times.

 28-30When life is heavy and hard to take,
   go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions:
   Wait for hope to appear.
Don't run from trouble. Take it full-face.
   The "worst" is never the worst.

 31Why? Because the Master won't ever
   walk out and fail to return.

Good Stuff!

peace....

Joe Gibbs To Resign From Redskins

WASHINGTON -- Joe Gibbs resigned as coach and team president of the Washington Redskins on Tuesday, three days after his team's playoff loss concluded a season marked by the killing of safety Sean Taylor.

Gibbs went 31-36, including 1-2 in the playoffs, after emerging from NFL retirement and his NASCAR career to sign a five-year, $27.5 million contract in 2004. He had always maintained that he intended to fulfill the contract, but the 67-year-old coach wavered from that stance Monday when asked if he would return for the final year of his deal.

Gibbs' resignation brings an apparent end to a Hall of Fame coaching career in which he twice raised the Redskins from mediocrity into a playoff team, although he failed in his goal of bringing the team back to the Super Bowl during his second stint in Washington. Gibbs won three NFL titles during his first tenure from 1981-92; the second time around he took the team to the postseason in two of his four seasons.

It also follows one of the best coaching performances of his career, his leadership helping the Redskins focus after Taylor's death on Nov. 27. Washington won its final four regular season games after Taylor's funeral, going from 5-7 to 9-7 to claim the final playoff berth in the NFC.

The emotional run ended Saturday, when the Redskins lost 35-14 at Seattle in the wild-card playoffs.

"It was the toughest (season) for me," Gibbs said Monday. "When you go through a season like that, for a while it's kind of hard to re-grasp reality."

Gibbs has also endured a personal crisis for a year. One of his grandsons, Taylor, was diagnosed with leukemia last January at the age of 2. Gibbs frequently talks lovingly about his "grandbabies," and he made an overnight to North Carolina on Sunday to be with his family, interrupting the postseason routine of meetings that usually follow the final game of the season.

_____________________________________________________________

While the article goes on, the only thing that I can say is that our loss is his family's gain.  I think that Joe Gibbs got the team through this very tough year.  He is a man of great faith, who helped the guys deal with Sean Taylor's death.  He helped them to stabilize through that, and to also deal with a lot of other losses due to injuries, and showed them that they could play.  And now, he is going to take care of himself and his own family....and I think that is okay, and is actually best for him.  I KNOW that he is not being forced out.  As a matter of fact, the owner of the team offered him a contract extension, and he is staying on as a consultant.  So....  God puts the right people in the right place at the right time...even in football.  Anyway....I am sad today.... 

Here is an interesting site, if you are interested.... http://www.joegibbsonline.com  Joe Gibbs has a website where he broadcasts a weekly devotional.  You can get it in audio or print, or even in itunes versions.  He hasn't started them up for 2008, but you can get the archives for 2006 and 2007. 

peace....

Washington DC Weather

Monday January 7, 2008

Current Conditions:

Sunny

 70 degrees

Wacky

peace....

Well, so we didn't win....  But it was fun while it lasted, and we had a good run.

Congrats to the Seahawks and to all of those who were rooting for them, which, if you listen to SOME people, would include everyone in the whole world except for me.  (I know that isn't true, by the way)

We Redskins peeps been through a lot this year, so, while it would have been great to win this game, it would not have changed the way we feel about our team.... 

We love them, almost as much as we love our Coach....

there is always next year.....

peace...

21

An interesting tidbit....  The Redskins beat Dallas by 21 points.

Sean Taylor, the murdered Redskin's Jersey number:  21

Coincidence?

Nobody in Washington thinks so

Hail to my Redskins!

peace....

The good news....

I got rid of my cold in time for Christmas  

The bad news... 

somebody apparently gave me a new one

isn't it someone else's turn?

<sniff>

<sneeze>

<snort>

peace