A Funny Thing Happened....

Last night I had to stop at the grocery store on my way home from the gym. I had picked up my nephew on my way there. We went into the store and got the items we needed and headed back to the parking lot. As we were walking to the car, we were talking about how nice it was going to be to get home and eat dinner because we were all STARVING! My son got to the car first and started to get in. My nephew opened the back door and I handed him the bag of groceries. As I handed them to him, I had the strangest feeling that something wasn't quite right. I couldn't figure out what it was though. I took a look at my car again and it hit me! My son and I said at the same time  "Oh my gosh...this isn't our car!!!" My nephew looked quite shocked and immediately started to walk away from the car, leaving the door wide open! We were all laughing and I said "You need to shut the door!" He ran back, shut the door and within the blink of an eye, were were two cars down and safely in OUR car! My son said that he figured it out when he saw the manual window handle and that it smelled like cigarettes. Thankfully, the cars' owner wasn't coming out of the store behind us! That would have made an embarrassing situation worse!!

I Know Mom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are just a few things in my life that simply annoy me! One of those things is seeing lights on in a room or area that no one is in. Obviously, it is a waste of energy and money. I just found the hall light on and I tell my daughter (for the "umteenth" time) "If you are not in the hallway, do not leave the light on!" Her response...."I know mom!" I say "Well, if you know, then why is it still on?"  She says "I don't know?!" Then I say, "Well, I want it shut off from now on!" Again she says "I know, mom!"  UGH!!! It's a neverending circle with her!!!

So, that being said, my solution to this little problem will be to remove the lightbulb. That may seem silly since she could just replace the lightbuld, however, I don't see her doing that. I guess time will tell on that one. Now, does anyone have a suggestion for my husband putting his garbage on the counter above the garbage can......**SIGH**!!!!!

What a Night!! What a Peaceful Night!

Tonight, my house has been unusually quiet. My husband is at band practice and my kids, amazingly, are not fighting!

It has been a wonderful evening that actually started as soon as I got home. I kind of like it that he is getting off work at 1:00 pm now. He had dinner ready as soon as I got home. It wasn't an extravagant meal, but it was so nice to not have to cook. So, we ate a quick meal and he ran out the door for band practice. The kids went into their rooms and I came downstairs to start on the mound of laundry that needed to be folded. I expected the kids to be fighting all night, but that didn't happen. I thought..."WOW, it's too quiet. I think I'll put in a movie". I was actually able to watch the entire show without interruption while folding laundry.

Maybe this means that my kids are turning a corner and will start getting along better! I sure hope so! :)

***UPDATE***
Well, 10 minutes passed after I finished this post and the kids are back at it. Will it ever end? Will they ever get along? I long for that day!  **SIGH**  Where are my earplugs?

My Daughter

My daughter and I have had a rough 2010. We fought all the time. It was to the point that we barely spoke to each other. At the beginning of December, my boss mentioned to me that he wanted to hire another Customer Service Representative at the office and he was thinking that he wanted to hire my daughter. At first, I was really nervous about it. I was worried that we would fight all the time and it would make the afternoon miserable for everyone. Before she actually started working there, I told her that if this was something she really wanted to do, then she would have to be professional. She agreed and started her first job at an insurance agency at the age of 14. (15 next month) So far, I am happy to report that it has been great! She has picked up on the job so quickly! She is such a smart girl. She got her first paycheck today. Boy was she excited about that! I am so proud of her. She has grown into such a beautiful young lady.

Random Moments of Silliness

Have you ever witnessed someone doing something so random that you just can't help but laugh at them? I have to tell you about this one.

My husband is a gum chewer. When the gum get old and gross, he tends to stick it somewhere. That little habit annoys me like no other!! Usually, I will find it on the bedside table or stuck to the plate he used at dinner. Well, tonight, I looked up from the computer. He was laying on the couch watching the Jets/Colts football game. I noticed something stuck to his head. YES...it was his gum!!! I told him that he was a goober, and I went on about my business. Next thing I know, he was hitting himself in the head, so again, I looked up at him. He had decided that the gum wasn't stuck well enough to his head, so he was hitting it to make it stick better. At this point, I just couldn't help but laugh out loud.  I started writing this post and got about halfway done with it when I looked back up at him and he had it stuck to his nose. Oh my goodness....where did I find this man?!?!?! 

Never a dull moment in my house, that's for sure. (By the way, I tried to get a picture of him, but as soon as he saw the camera come out, he took the gum off of his face and said, "No way...you'll post it on Facebook or something" He knows me so well!! Hahaha!)

Just Bragging

So, I was sitting here at the computer trying to decide what to blog about. My husband and our son were playing their guitars across the room from me. I was watching them and thinking of how proud I am of both of them. My husband is a self taught guitar player. Literally, he woke up one day and went to a music store and bought a guitar. He started getting online to learn how to play and he also found an On Demand guitar lesson. He is really good now. Our son just recently started playing the guitar. The school that he goes to has a guitar class. He started getting bored with the songs they were learning, so he started playing different songs at home. His teacher has said that he is playing at a third year guitar level.

Currently, we have six guitars in our basement....three each (Not a single one of them have dust on them, so they do get played quite often) My son just bought himself his first electric guitar at Christmas and he is very proud of that guitar!

So anyway....just thought I should brag about my two favorite guys!  :)

Spotlight on Someone Special! ♥

When you have someone in your life that is always there for you, you may feel that it is important to shine the spotlight on them for a day. Today, I am going to do just that! This post is for my sister, Corrie!!! Corrie is a wonderful sister (even though we had our "battles" growing up) and a great friend! She is always there for me when I need her. She has always helped me up when I was feeling down. She is a wonderful listener and always gives great advice! She is so smart. She always helps me with my "Excel Problems" and never gets upset about it! I could go on and on...she is simply amazing and I love her with all my heart. ♥ ♥ ♥

Corrie has several businesses that she runs. She is a Virtual Assistant, a Ghostwriter and she and her husband make cross necklaces and key chains. She also has several blogs that she manages.  As a Virtual Assistant, she does many things for busy business owners such as researching and submitting articles to various websites and managing emails. In her Ghostwriting business, she writes articles and blog posts for business owners. She also re-writes PLR articles. Speaking of PLR articles, she also runs PLR for Christians.

As I said above, Corrie and her husband make cross necklaces. You have to see these, they are amazing! They are called "The Disciples Cross". The simulated leather cord represents the straps that were used to beat our Savior; the wrapped wire represents the thorn branches that were twisted into a crown to mock the King of Kings; and the nails represent the large spikes that were driven into the hands and feet of the Lord of Lords.


You can check out Corrie's websites by clicking on the following links.
http://www.ghostwritertotherescue.com/
http://virtualfreedom4you.com/
http://heavenlycrosses.com/
http://plrforchristians.com/
http://wahm-articles.com/blog/
 
♥ ♥ Corrie, I just want you to know how much I love you! You are amazing and I am now, and I always will be proud to call you my sister and my friend!  I love you!!! ♥ ♥

Happy New Year ~*2011*~

Well, here we are. It is 2011. Oh my gosh! It is so hard to believe how fast 2010 went. There were several significant things in my life in 2010.

The first one was that my amazing husband and I celebrated 15 years of marriage!! We started our lives together on September 16, 1995. We were both very young. He was 18 and I was 19. We had people tell us that we would not make it. That was a very hard thing to hear when you are so young, but I am happy to say that even though we have been through some tough times, we are as happy and in love now as we were in 1995 and I believe that with God's help, we will have many more anniversary's to come!

The second event I am going to tell you about is that our youngest child became a teenager! WOW! It was hard for me to imagine having two teenagers in the house, and on June 25, 2010, it happened. Caalab is a wonderful kid. He is very helpful and rarely gets angry! I hope that he remains that way in the years to come!

The third thing that was a big change in my life was that I became a licensed insurance agent. I started working for The Stengel Agency in November of 2009 and almost a year to the day later, in November of 2010, I took the exam and passed it on the first try. What an accomplishment!! I was a nervous wreck for a week leading up to the test! I am happy with my new career! It has been a big change, but I love it! Best of all, I work in a Christian office with Christian people! Praise the Lord!!

I am ready to go forward and see what 2011 has in store. I usually don't make New Year's Resolutions, so I will just call this a goal. My goal for 2011 is to try to document my life better, good or bad. That is the reason I started this blog in the first place, and I got too busy to do it.

Here's to 2011!!!

❤♫❤♫❤.•*¨`*•..¸♥☼♥ ¸.•*¨`*•.♫❤♫❤♫❤


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Veteran's Day - A Special Thanks To The United States Military

Today is Veterans Day. It is a day that we remember those men and women who served or are currently serving their country and in some cases died for their country.

(I hope I have acurate information on the following people)
The people that I remember today are:

George Byer - U.S. Army - WWI
George Byer was my Great Grandpa. He was building bridges when he and a group of men were asked if they would like to be a cook in the Army. No one else volunteered so he said that he would do it. He joined in June of 1917, 10 days before his 24th birthday and he spent time in England and France.
Thank You, Grandpa!!





Allen L Spencer - Sergeant U.S. Army Air Force - WWII
Allen Spencer is my grandpa. At 17, he joined the United States Army Air Force and fought in WWII in the European Theatre. He served as a flight engineer and the top turret gunner on a B-17 Bomber. He participated in 35 bombing missions, and was accredited with shooting down 4 German planes and he provided air cover over the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, and an Air Medal with 4 oak leaf clusters, one for each plane he shot down, and two gold stars signifying that he had taken part in two major aerial engagements.
Thank You, Grandpa!!

Ronald Schulenberg - Private U.S. Army - Operation Desert Storm
Ron Schulenberg is my uncle. He had served for 3 years, his full enlistment, and then was recalled for Operation Desert Storm. He spent 3 months fighting in the war.
Thank You, Ron!

Robert Masterson - Private U.S. Army
Robert Masterson is my cousin. He served as airborne infantry until he was injured, and then he reclassed as a mechanic. He served for three and a half years.
Thank You, Robbie!

Allen Beach - Corpsman U.S. Navy
Allen Beach is my cousin. He is currently serving in the U.S. Navy, and is a Hospital Corps A School Graduate - Class 125 Alpha/Bravo.
Thank You, Allen!

Burt Fowler - U.S. Army National Guard - Operation Iraqi Freedom
Burt is a close friend of my husbands and has done 2 tours in the Middle East.
Thank You, Burt!

Warren Beach - CPO U.S. Navy - Gulf War
Warren is my uncle. He is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and served on the USS Saratoga in the Persian Gulf during the Gulf War. He retired after twenty years in the Navy at the rank of Chief Petty Officer.
Thank You, Warren!

Victoria Forbord - PFC U.S. Army
Victoria is one of my closest friends. She was honorably discharged as a PFC. She served from June 2001 to May 2004, and was inactive reserves until 2008. She went to basic training at Ft Jackson SC and attended AIT in Ft Gordon GA, in the field of Telecommunications.
Thank You, Victoria!

Cameron Cardinal - U.S. Army - Operation Iraqi Freedom
Cameron is a very close friend of my family. He joined the military in November of 2008 and he just returned from a tour in Iraq fighting as a Gunner for the U.S. Army. He is preparing for another tour next year.
Thank You, Cameron!

Steve Spethman - U.S.M.C
Steve is my cousin. He joined the Marines in 1990 and served for about 9 months before he was injured and received a medical release.
Thank You, Steve!








I'm sure there are many other veteren's in my life that I may have missed, so I want to say Thanks to them as well. Because of you and the ones listed above, I am free. Free to be who I am...free to believe the way I want! Because of you, I feel safe and protected! Thank you...a million times, thank you!!

Family

What is family to you?

To me, family are the people who you should feel safe with. You should be able to have conversations with them without feeling attacked. You should love them and feel loved by them. They are the ones that should be there, first in line, to help you through a situation. And yet, it sometimes seems as though they are just the opposite of that. They are there to attack your opinion of something or someone. They are right there making hurtful comments about you without regard as to who else might be listening or reading.

Why is it that "We hurt the ones we love"?

Is it really so hard to show love to those that God chose to be the closest in our lives? Is it that we know that no matter what, they are family and they "will get over it"? I know that no family is perfect. We all have different opinions, religions, or political views, but I feel it is important to respect each other enough to listen and talk about those differences without personally attacking one another. So, how can that happen? What can we change in our lives to make this possible?  I don't know the answer, so I guess I am hoping for some help with this one! Any comments are welcome!

I Love Days Like This!!

~Psalm 118:24

This is the day which the LORD hath made;

we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Today was a wonderful day and I just have to tell everyone about it!! I have to first off say that it didn't start out that way! I had most of the day off, but it was spent studying and testing. I woke up at 6:45 this morning and went straight to the computer to read as much as about the history of insurance as I could. I have been studying since July, so it wasn't like I was cramming for this test, but I was hoping that I wouldn't forget anything if I had just read it. So, 10:15 came around (quite fast, I might add) and it was time for me to leave for the test. I got to the place where I thought I was supposed to be only to find out that I was not at the right address. Thankfully, it was just across the street so I wasn't late. I got to where I needed to be and I felt like I was trying to board an airplane. I had to turn my pockets inside out, pull up the sleeves of my sweatshirt, and show them behind my ears. (That was the strangest part of my day) So, then I finally get seated to take my test, and for the most part, I felt really good about it. When I had answered all the questions, and decided to review my answers, I started getting worried. Finally, I decided to go ahead and let them know I was done. I told the guy that I didn't want to know the results. I didn't want to cry in front of him if I failed. He handed me my results, and my ID's and I began heading over to the locker where I had all my personal belongings stored. As I put the key in, he said, "Oh...Congratulations!!" I turned and looked at him and he was just grinning at me! It was all I could do not to jump up and down!

The last part of my day was spent at my daughters school for parent teacher conferences. She called me this afternoon and sounded like she really didn't want me to go. Of course, that sounded my "Mom Alarm" and I made sure I was there!  I was pleasantly surprised! All of her teachers said that she was a joy to have in class. They of course said she was very "social", but I have been hearing that since she was in kindergarten. I am very proud of both of my kids. They have been working very hard this year to keep their grades up, and I thank God everyday for them!

The Payphone

I have to tell you a funny story that just goes to show how old I am. (Not that I think 34 is old!!!) My son and I went to the public library a few months ago and as we were walking in, he just stopped. I couldn't figure out what was wrong and why he wouldn't go into the library. At first, I was a little annoyed because I just wanted to find the books I was looking for and go home. Finally, he pointed to a payphone.....YES, a payphone! He was so excited about that. He said "Mom, I don't think I have ever actually seen a payphone up close" I couldn't help but laugh out loud.   It was too bad that I hadn't brought any change with me. Can you imagine how excited he would have been to actually use one?

This story popped into my head for some reason last night as I was trying to go to sleep. I realized just how many things have changed since I was his age. Sure, we had a phone, but it was attached to the wall. We didn't call our friends and family that were out of town very much because it was expensive to call long distance, so we wrote letters to them. I remember writing countless letters to my uncle who was in the navy. These days, of course, you see people driving down the street talking on the phone. Most cell phone companies offer free long distance, and letter writing has all but ceased. It is so much faster to just text. My father in law is in New Zealand for a few months and I had a full conversation with him through text messaging last night.

I just have to wonder what life will be like for my grandki....kids' kids. (It felt wierd calling them my grandkids)

15 Years!

“I don't pretend to know what love is for everyone, but I can tell you what it is for me; love is knowing all about someone, and still wanting to be with them more than any other person, love is trusting them enough to tell them everything about yourself, including the things you might be ashamed of, love is feeling comfortable and safe with someone, but still getting weak knees when they walk into a room and smile at you.” Unknown Author

On this day, 15 years ago, I was preparing to walk down the aisle and marry my best friend! I am more in love with him now than ever and I am looking forward to the rest of our lives together! I love you Travis!!!!

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23

You try so hard to teach your children right from wrong. You take them to church to ensure they know what the Bible says, and yet, as they turn into teenagers, they begin to rebel. They do things that they know are not right such as sneaking out, drinking, smoking and so on. “Why?” you ask them. The response: “because everyone else is doing it. I just want them to like me.” Frustrating, right?
Peer pressure is extremely difficult to handle as a teenager. Adults have a hard time telling their friends no, but for teenagers, it is worse. So much is changing with them and that is awkward. The only thing they want is to be accepted. Unfortunately, that means they do things they know are wrong. Remember that the Bible says in Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” No one is without sin. You sinned, your parents sinned, and your kids will sin. The important thing is to help them understand what they did was wrong and help them to ask God for forgiveness. Show them that ours is a loving God, who knows our human weaknesses and loved us so much that He made a way for us to escape death and Hell, even before we served Him.

If your teenagers are going through this stage in their lives, pray for them, and help them pray for themselves. Show them in a loving way that what they’re doing is wrong and make sure they understand that you discipline them because you love them and you want to help them. Remind them that their actions will always have consequences good or bad, and you only want the very best for them.

Pray for your child to see the error of his/her ways, and when he/she does, be prepared to pray with him/he for forgiveness. (It’s important to add your child's name where you can, since you are praying a faith prayer over your child.)

Father, I know that what my child did was wrong and I ask your help in showing him/her that. I know that I have to discipline him/her according to your word in Proverbs 13:24. Reach out to my child and show him/her your ways, and help me to be ready to pray with him/her when he/she is ready to receive. Guide me as I go through each day so that I am better prepared to handle the situations that I am faced with concerning my child, in Jesus name. Amen

Memories of Granddaddy

Today would have been my husbands grandfathers 80th birthday. Everyone called him Granddaddy. Sadly, we didn't spend a whole lot of time with him, but earlier in our marriage, we went to the Wyoming Cowboys Football games with him in Laramie. Boy did he love the Pokes! He had season tickets and he loved it when his family went along for the ride!

He had the best laugh! Whenever he laughed, it didn't matter what kind of a mood you were in, you had to laugh with him. It was just contagious! He loved his grandkids and great grandkids dearly.

How Fast Kids Grow Up!

Ok, so just 2 days ago, I was in the hospital holding my newborn baby girl. Yesterday, I was holding my newborn son. OK, so not literally of course. They are 13 and 14 years old!

I remember, not too long ago, taking the day off work on Shai's birthday. We went to the store and bought "A Goofy Movie" I think we watched it about 20 times that day. She was just about able to say the words as it played in the VCR. She was 4 years old and celebrating her 1st birthday. (She is a leap day baby)

It seems like yesterday that my son was at baseball practice. He was struggling getting the ball to hit the bat. As I stood there wondering why he was having such a problem, it dawned on me that he was holding the bat wrong. After practice, I went to his coach and said "He is holding the bat wrong". His coach, of course, said no he's not. I handed his coach the ball and said "Toss it at him". I told Caalab to hold the bat like he does at home. He put his left hand on top of his right faced the other direction. The coach threw the ball, and Caalab hit that ball well over the guys head. You should have seen the look on his face. He came up to me and said "I have never coached a left handed kid before. I am sorry I doubted you".

My daughter is starting High School this week, and my son is in his last year of middle school. I just can't believe they are old enough for all this! I find myself very nervous for Shai. She can't possibly be "big" enough to walk the halls of NCHS. It's such a big school.

What is in a Word?

She offered to make cookies EVERYTIME we came over, and oh man, were they yummy!!! She loved listening to country music on her record player, and she knew everything there was to know about her favorite singers. She loved to knit. She tried to teach me how to do that, but I was never able to figure it out. Most of all, she was a wonderful woman who loved everybody she knew. She never held a grudge when my cousins or I picked on her. (Oh how I regret that now!) She would turn right around and offer us a cookie and she never said a single hurtful word to us. Never even gave it a second thought.

I bring up this information because of a single word that gets said a lot these days. I will only use it once in this post. That word is "retard(ed)" If you ask a teenager the meaning of that word, chances are, they will say it means someone is dumb. They call their friends or family members that to insult them or to tease them. While they are insulting other people, they are also calling someone with developmental disabilities dumb, but as you have read above, about my aunt, she was capable of doing many things on her own. What if they aren't capable of those things, you might ask. To that, I say that they still deserve respect and love just like anyone else in this world. They are human beings.

~July 9, 1950 - Aug 13, 1989~

She was someones daughter, granddaughter, sister, sister in-law, and MY aunt. I love her and I miss her dearly. My point in this is that when that word is said, it is hurtful, even if it was not directed to them. Please be courteous and speak to people in the way you would want to be spoken to. I can tell you that the "R" word is something you will never hear me say because it is insulting to one of the most wonderful people I have ever had the privilege to know - my aunt Marlyce!

Beartrap Festival Day 2

The family went up to the mountain again this morning for day 2 of The Beartrap Summer Festival. This morning was very cold. Thankfully, we had some sweatshirts in the back of the car. We took the dogs with us this time and they did surprisingly well with all the people and other dogs that were there.

Travis was working the festival today, but he made time in between driving Patty Loveless around to hang out with the family! What a great guy I have!!

Caalab had a great time in the inflatable maze they had there. They were doing races to see who could get through it first. The other kids were younger than Caalab, so he let them win more often then not! He's such a nice kid! These are his feet....he was moving to fast to catch the rest of him! ----------------------->

<---------When my most active child and both dogs fall asleep, that means it is about time to head back home. We had a great time this year at Beartrap and I look forward to next years Festival.

Beartrap Summer Festival

Ahhhh.....Beartrap Summer Festival!!! We got up to the mountain around 10:15 this morning. The weather was perfect. There was a slight breeze that cooled us off just enough when it started getting too warm. We decided to go get some food. There were a variety of different kinds of food, but it was quite pricey! We decided on Frito Pies and Philly Cheese Sandwiches.

We went walking around and Shai decided to get a tattoo. NO!!! It wasn't real. It's called a "Henna Tattoo". It is a paste that temporaraly dyes your skin. It is supposed to last for 2-4 weeks. We'll see!! This is just after she got it done ------------------>

<---------This is after it started peeling off and you were able to see the results. They guy said that it will darken a little bit more than this.

Well, we had a pretty good time. I look like a lobster and I am hoping I won't be in too much pain tomorrow since we will be headed back up there again! I suppose I should go buy some sunscreen, huh?!?!?!

Busy Weekend Coming Up

My family and I have a busy weekend coming up!

Starting on Saturday morning and going through Sunday evening, our family will be going to "The Beartrap Festival". It was started in 1994, and is an annual event held on the mountain for a weekend. They have vendors of all kinds. People that make and sell their crafts and clothing, or businesses who go to advertise their products. There is also a concert that will be held. This year, it is Patty Loveless among others. After that, we will head home, load up our car and head to Sturgis for a week (without the kids)

I am mainly just excited to get out of the house and to spend some time with my husband and kids!