Mary's Notes

#110 posting

2009-09-14T21:30:00.001-07:00

Hello! Just thought I would share this creepy cool thing with you all. After I had posted last Wednesday (Sept. 9), I realized that it was posting number 109 on my blog. 109! on September 9, 2009...boy, that is just creepy cool...yes, that is a phrase that one of my friends and I use. It is very true about this ironic event on my blog.
Hope you all had a good weekend and a good start of the week. Since we are on 9s, why don't you all read Psalm 109? Just a suggestion...I may read it myself.
Okay, enough with the nine's now. This is posting #110. So, my niece had her second v-ball game today and they won their match. Our Mosaic group at church met for the first time this school year to discuss what we may want to study (or more importantly what He wants us to learn) this fall. A good idea brought up was to do subject studies, or as I called it, word studies. You all know, or do know now I do love word studies!
I happened to glance at the calendar on the wall since it is by the computer and realized something. Today is the 195th anniversary of the national anthem being written (1814) by Francis Scott Key. That means that five years from today I will hold a patriotic party since I am such a patriotic gal.

Shine on 09/09/09

2009-09-09T22:57:00.000-07:00

Hello! Hope you all are doing well. Just had to post on this special day, the ninth day of the ninth month of the two thousandth ninth year. Hmm...that is just like reading something that happened on the third day of the third month or the tenth day of the first month. Maybe I should do a 'number' study in the Bible and see what I find and let you know what I come across. That might be a very complex study considering ALL the things/events that happened on specified days made known to us in the Word. I especially like this day as the Chinese people like the number 9 as it brings long life and success. It means the complete opposite or close to it for the Japanese...they do not like the number 9. At least that is what I think I heard on the radio. The next day to happen with this series is January 1, 2101 and also the next century January 1, 3001 but I doubt that most of us will still be here on the latter date.
You know how you will hear a song more than once on a day within hours and it gets in your head? Well it happened to me today. This morning I heard the new song from TobyMac called City on our knees TWICE and then coming home I heard it AGAIN. I really LOVE that song and have to wait until his new CD comes out next February. Yep, that is right...February 2010. Patience is a virtue and a fruit of the Spirit, right? Right. The next time you hear that song, listen to the words. Times we are in right now is a good time to be on our knees to the Lord and pray for guidance and wisdom and to come together as a family. (the song is going through my head RIGHT NOW).

Sightseeing and camping in August

2009-08-31T22:08:00.000-07:00

Hiya! Hope you have all had a good August! The answer to my last post title is, no, I was not in Arizona...it just felt like it because of the heat. I started mine with a trip to Ireland/Wales/England and flew into Belfast and my family met me there. I will share more about it later, but I wanted to get a post in while I still have 1 hour and 50 minutes left of the month.
Work has been going alright. Not much new in this area other than we expanded with another office/branch about two months ago. It's good in that way that the company is growing, in this economy.
Last weekend I went on a camping trip with my friends from church. It was nice to get away from town in that environment. I think that would be our third annual camping trip...I did not make the first (I was on a mission trip I believe during that time). We all enjoyed the time together and seeing God's creation in wildlife. Deer, birds, plants, and squirrels oh my! I am already looking forward to next year's time! OH! On the way there, I was riding with my friend...we had just left the store to get ice and we heard a strange sound. We pulled over to the side of the road and discovered we had a flat tire. No longer than a minute a car pulled over in front of us and it was Peri and her husband from church. Her husband was kind enough to fix it for us and put the 'donut' spare on. They had just left Starbucks and boy, what timing! God is SO GOOD!!! My friend and I were like speechless afterwards and eventually got to the campground around 8pm. They wondered what happened to us and we told them. We got settled in and had dinner and started in on our fellowship. God was definitely there with us as a couple other things fellowship times and peaceful times (such as reading in Numbers 33-34 where the children of Israel went camping at several places and how cool is that when I was camping the same time I read that?!) happened.
Just this weekend I went with my family (got Friday off) to the coast and the weather was actually quite nice. It was my first time back since before the trip.
Well, hope you all have a good first part of September. It's amazing how fast summer has gone. It will be over in about 21 days (Sept. 22 is the first day of Autumn).

Am I in Arizona?

2009-07-29T22:25:00.000-07:00

No, I am not but it sure feels like it with this HEAT! My goodness...temperatures of over 100 degrees for 4 days now. That is just ludicrous!! At least it will cool down to 100 tomorrow and gradually cool down back to the 80s by the weekend but we have to wait until then for it to be 'normal'.
Hope all is/has been well with you all. I am about to go on vacation and am looking forward to going to a place where I don't have to worry about my glasses slipping off my nose because of the sweat. Ahh! I will blog again after I get back to let you know how it all went. Please pray for safety and for wisdom for me.
I am glad it will be getting cooler as it will be good on the pets we have and the flowers that are close to dead because of the scorching heat. I have been watering them every day but it probably isn't helping a great deal.
Switching subjects briefly...The Blazers signed guard Andre Miller to the team. He came into Portland yesterday was officially announced at Nate's summer basketball camp. It will be interesting how he welds with the team. I think he will fit in pretty well with the players.
I will pray for you all and hope you all continue to have a good summer. Take care!
Remember to drink lots of water (I am guilty of not drinking enough myself but am working on that)!

07/08/09

2009-07-09T20:49:00.000-07:00

Greetings! Yes, I know today is not the 8th day of July but there is significance in that date. It only happens once every 1K years or century. At 4:05 and six seconds AM yesterday it would have been 04:05:06 on 07/08/09. Also I was thinking that you could have 10:11:12 on 07/08/09. The two would just be 'backwards' if you get my gist.
Today could also be a significant day as well. 07/09/09. Wasn't there a seven of nine on Star Trek? Ooh, I think there was on ST:The Next Generation. I used to watch that show with my dad...I think that was my favorite out of all the series. We also like Babylon 5. My favorite character on TNG was Deanna Troi.
Okay, well then...it is supposed to get hot this weekend...in the mid-80s. I took the dog for a walk tonight...on our longer version in the neighborhood. Then I played with her for a few minutes after...wonder how she gets all that energy!
Hope you all had a good 4th of July! I spent it at the coast with the family and the dog and we had a good time. We played a couple games, watched a couple movies, ate dinner at Mo's, and went to a glass-blowing shop. The weather was really nice too which was amazing!
Oh, and I played in the orchestra (and my sister did as well) for our patriotic services at church the weekend before the 4th. I always look forward to them knowing that the 4th is coming soon. I am such a patriotic girl! We honored the servicemen from our church that serve in the various military groups plus all veterans. We also had a retired General speak and it was really interesting to hear the stories he told. It was a great weekend!
That be it for now. Hope you stay cool this weekend!

June 30th already?!!

2009-06-30T23:11:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Boy, it's the end of June already. I thought I should post before it ends in 48 minutes. Hope your June was a good one and here is to July. I am so looking forward to the 4th of July!!!!! It is my favorite holiday besides Christmas, celebrating the country's birthday and all the fireworks and spending time with family. If I don't blog again before then, have a good and safe 4th!

Free as a Bird!

2009-05-31T22:31:00.000-07:00

Hello all! Yes, I realize it has been quite a while since I posted and that is why or at least part of the reason I am posting now. I just got back from the beach within the last hour with a friend. We had a great time and did such things as go antiquing, playing, watching basketball, among other things. It was a nice trip to get away from town and reality for a couple days. We both look forward to and anticipate going every year (this was her third year going with me as we figured out) and just have a ball together. And of course we both got in the Word too and had our own worship session. It was funny when we went across bridges and saw any Burger Kings (inside jokes).
Boy, I was so ready to go on Friday to get out of town with her as it was just my coworker and I at work as my supervisor took the day off and my other coworker was still on her honeymoon. It will be nice to see her back tomorrow. I did go to her wedding last week which was very nice. It's also payroll day tomorrow and not that this is on the subject but I also have orchestra rehearsal for our church patriotic services this Tuesday night. Wonder who all is playing this time???
Well, I may give an update on more things that I have done in the month of May and April since I last posted later. Hope you all had a good weekend, to a point! I heard it was really hot in town and hope you have a cool week ahead.

April 15th, 2009

2009-04-15T18:42:00.000-07:00

Greetings on this partly sunny but cold Tax Day! Hope you all got your taxes in and done. I am cold as I just took the dog for a walk. Sometimes I think she is taking me for a walk. Anyway...it seems I have a lot to catch up on since my last post. I'll do the best I can.
You probably want to know about the work thing. Well, I have been told I am granted another three months. That would be until June if you're wondering. I am thankful for what I have been given. I hope that I can be more efficient these next couple months, not that I am not already.
Bible study is going well. This week we went over Romans 14 about food and how some is sacrificed to idols. It also talked how strong believers should treat the weak believers. Last summer I had read through Romans and I found some notes that I had written on this chapter. It was interesting to me how it mentioned vegetables in relation to what Paul was speaking of. Why eat only vegetables and receive only part of God's blessings and offerings when you could eat all food and receive all the gifts He blesses you? Looking at it more, meat is unclean and God does not want us to eat unclean food and not food that is sacrificed to idols. I think this lesson is one of my two favorites this year that we have done, and it's sad that we only have three lessons left of Romans. It's been a good year of study, though.
I can see more clearly, now that I have my NEW glasses!!! They are rather cool and new since I was the first one to try them on when I was picking out frames. My eyes have not changed that much, just that I am near-sided still.
The concert that my friend and I went to was WAY COOL!!! We had a great time in worship among 11K other brothers and sisters in Christ. Events like that are so encouraging and heart warming.
Things at home are quite a buzz. Spring is a busy time for my family. My niece is in drama with the school play, track and YMCA basketball. She happened to do a new personal record on her event, the high jump last Thursday at 4'5"...yea!!!
Oh, tonight is the last regular season game for the Blazers, against the Denver Nuggets. If we win tonight and Phoenix and San Antonio lose we go to third place in the conference and home court advantage in the playoffs. Go Blazers! My last game of the season of going to the games was when we played Phoenix during Spring break and that was exciting!!! I am so excited and looking forward to the playoffs!!!!!
Hope you all had a nice Easter and enjoy the sunshine this weekend.

Wild woman waiting for road signs

2009-03-20T22:37:00.000-07:00

I wrote my last post on March 4th which was a good day for musicians. If you think about it, you will get it. Hope all has been well with you all. I was just checking my friends' blogs to try to catch up on their lives. I thought I would give you a quick update on mine.
Work is going fine, I guess. My 'temporary' job is up at the end of the month but I have been trusting the Lord that He knows what will happen and that it is His will for me. I think the Lord is also testing my patience too in this situation. It's good to have your patience tested once in a while. I wasn't going to ask my supervisor if she had heard anything yet but she asked me about vacation days that I wanted to take and I decided to bring up the subject of my job. This happened on Wednesday this week. She said no but as far as she is concerned I have a full time job. We'll just wait and see if anything comes up between now and 11 days from now. Thanks for your prayers in this, too.
You may be wondering about the title of this post. I had asked a manager at work for his mileage log for the month and if I didn't get it he would be taxed on his allowance. He comes to me and asks if I have a wild streak in me and wonders if I go out of control. Me? Out of control? Wild streak? That would be a rare sighting! He asked my coworkers about that and they laughed. Maybe it was a moment you had to be there. On the 'waiting for road signs', I went in and got my eyes checked last week. It had been a long time since I last got them checked. I always LOOK forward to getting them checked because it's exciting. A new pair of glasses were to be in order and they are in...I have to wait until next week to get them as it will be payroll again on Monday.
Bible study has been great the last couple weeks. We were in the last part of Romans 11 with the doxology and the first part of Romans 12 where it talks about living sacrifices and spiritual gifts. They both had a word study each lesson and I was happy to GET to do them!
Well, this 'wild' woman is excited to go to a concert on Sunday with a dear friend and she is LOOKing forward to it!!!

Math lover's Day

2009-03-04T18:28:00.000-08:00

Howdy! I know it's been a while since I have posted but thought I should share this with everyone. Yesterday, March 3, 2009 was 'Square Root Day'. Think about it for a minute. Ok...it's called that because three is the square root of nine. 3/3/09. This day only happens about nine times in a century so hope you all enjoyed it! Me being a numbers person did. It was quite cool when in Bible study we studied about the root and branches in Romans 11:16-24. Hmm, after going to get my Bible, I should do a word study on the word, root. Stay tuned...
Meanwhile, here is a part of the Romans passage.
"For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree. were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you." Romans 11:16-18 NKJV

Okay, I am going to do the word study now!

"And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people, for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious." Is 11:10 Ooh, I just read verse 11 and it talks of the remnant that He will recover. We talked also of the remnant that God chose by grace in Romans 11. Here is verse 11 of Is 11:
"It shall come to pass in that day that the LORD shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left, From Assyria and Egypt, From Pathros and Cush, From Elam and Shinar, From Hamath and the islands of the sea. He will set up a banner for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth." Yes, so I went on to verse 12. God dispersed the Jews because they were not obedient to Him. Then after a period of time, He brought them back together again.
"But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away." Matthew 13:6 This was in the story of the sower that Jesus told.
"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." 1 Timothy 6:10 This reminds me of the verse where it says you can only serve one master, and that better not be money!
"As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving." Col 2:6-7 I like this verse.
"I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things as the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star." Revelation 22:16

Hope you enjoyed the Root study! Have a great and blessed rest of the week!

Seize the Hope in the Fog

2009-01-20T23:08:00.001-08:00

...is it STILL windy?? Golly! This last weekend the wind gusted quite a bit and I thought...is it ever going to end?? We had some wild wind gusts this weekend. In fact, last week it took off a 'corner' board off from the front of our house after it had been dangling back and forth in front of my sister's window. It landed on the porch roof and was found the next day on the ground on the side of the house. This winter has been WILD in weather. First, we had the snow and ice, next was all the flooding in the region ( I think WA residents are still cleaning up after that), and now this wind that has knocked down trees and carports have fallen in all over the place. I just hope that no one has gotten hurt in all this.
Oh, last week, it was also FOGgy. I could not believe how foggy it was last Tuesday night when I was coming home from Bible Study. An analogy was made at study about knowing that Jesus, who is our Hope, is there and will always be there where we know He will be. We're on the highway and we know where the church is off the highway but we can't see it because it is so foggy BUT we know it's there. That's how we should think about Jesus...He's always there.
Someone close to me thought she was dreaming when she was taken by ambulance to the ER last week. She had had a seizure in the store. Thank the Lord she was there and not in the car driving!!! She is okay now but sore from how she fell and goes in tomorrow for an EEG and Thursday for a MRI. I have been taking her to work in the mornings until she is allowed to drive again.
Work has been going okay. Payroll was last week and we sent if off Tuesday about 4ish which I think is the earliest we have sent it since the merger. Bible study has been good the last couple weeks...especially last week when it was on Romans 5. I really liked that lesson. The sermon this weekend was on 2 Cor 6 and then in Mosaic we had a planning meeting of what we want to do this year in our group. We at least figured out the first three months or so. Alyssa's team won their game yesterday, 45-29.
Last but not least for today was a historical day for the country. Inauguration Day for President-elect Obama was sworn into Presidency as the 44th President of the USA. I just saw his speech as they showed it on the 10 o'clock news again. He and the other leaders of the country are going to need lots of prayers during their time in office.

11 Days

2009-01-11T20:25:00.000-08:00

Hello! Happy New Year! Can you believe it is 2009??!!! My title states how many days of the year have gone by already. Hope you have had a good first 11 days of 2009.
As of January first, the other two branches of the 'old' company joined up and so now we are one BIG happy family. I have not heard yet of anything that has gone awry but hopefully there will not be. We have payroll again this week and that will be their first payroll under the new company as we did their last and final payroll under old company last week.
It was great to get back to church on Dec. 27 after all that snow we had. New year's weekend we went to the coast. My sister and I had that Friday off so we left on the morning of the first and came back Sunday night. It was a good time and nice to get away for a few days. Plus we got to see some family members while we were over there. One of them is my great aunt which I only get to see about once a year, maybe twice a year if I am lucky. It was really nice to see her!
Women's Bible Study started back up this last week and we had fellowship night at one of our leader's homes. It was nice to see everyone again after a long holiday break and catch up. We had some good soup and did a neat craft. I worked on my lesson for this week this weekend and so far it has been a really good lesson. A couple verses have already spoken to me and so I am going to share them this week at study.
Church was really good this weekend. It was our annual Sanctity of Life weekend and we had a special guest speaker who mentioned quite a few times that she is 'God's girl'! She is really happy about that fact and shows it to the people she meets and talks to. There was a reason God spared her life when her mom was aborting her at 7 1/2 months along in the pregnancy and survived! What an amazing woman! And she has cerebral palsy because of that but it doesn't seem to bother her much, knowing that God loves her and is in control of her life.
Oh, I was able to go see my niece play in her basketball game this past Friday night. Her team won 39-29! It was quite exciting to see those jr. high girls play...they get physical in their playing but to a point, that's good. I hope to get to more of her games this season.
Last night Mosaic had our Christmas party that got postponed from the snow we had. Today we had my aunt and cousin over, plus my brother and sister-in-law for Christmas. It was nice to see them but strange to have Christmas in January.
I will end this post with a verse from this week's lesson that spoke to me. Hope you have a good week!
"and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." Rev 1:5-6

December 31st, 2008

2008-12-31T22:08:00.000-08:00

Greetings! Hope you all enjoyed the snow/ice/freezing rain/more snow/rain we've had in the last week or so and survived the cabin fever if you were snowed in. Even if you were not snowed in, unlike me, hopefully you still enjoyed the snow and were kept safe. It was really interesting watching people in their cars trying to attempt to drive up our hilly street in the snow and ice, thinking they could make it up. A lot of them only made it up to the first street and went down that street instead of going backwards or continuing up. I, along with my sister, with my dad's help, made it out of our neighborhood Friday and took us to work. I also worked a few hours on Saturday before going to the Blazer game with my sister and niece that night, which we won 102-89 against Toronto. Sunday I went to church where a good message was spoken by one of our younger pastors in 2 Corinthians 5. It was nice to be at church again since the last two services had been cancelled because of the weather. I am hoping that what they had planned for this Christmas Eve service they will do next year. Oh, I also went in to work a few hours on Sunday afternoon as we had to get ready to transmit payroll on Monday. Because of the holiday tomorrow, we had one less day to get payroll in and done.
I bet you want to know how Christmas went. 2000 years ago, a baby was born to Mary and Joseph, to be named Jesus, Son of God. He would be the one to save the world and be known as the Messiah. Now, the present...we had our own family Christmas as we always do on Christmas Eve evening, only after watching the movie, The Nativity Story. We decided to watch that rather the read aloud the story from the Bible as that would be of more greater detail and visual of how it came to be. Christmas Day we had probably 10 different plans of how the day was going to go. It finally ended up as my brother and sister-in-law came as far as about three blocks away and then walked up to the house. Celebrating with my aunt and cousin will happen in January. A nice time was had by all that afternoon, and then we watched the Blazers lose to Dallas on tv. Hope you had a nice and blessed Christmas.
Work was crazy on Monday as we scurried to get all the branches done and ready to be sent. Last night, dad, my sister and I went to the Blazer game where we played the world champs Boston Celtics. Now, the first half, I don't think the refs liked the Blazers, although I don't think they really are to like any one team. Plus there was a lot of cheering and screaming at this game. Second half got really exciting and close. Guess what???!!!! The Blazers win, the Blazers win!!!!! You heard it correctly! Final score 91-86. You also know what? They won without Brandon Roy...he had an injury and didn't feel good enough to play. I must commend the Blazers for their teamwork, AND we outrebounded them 42-29.
Last, but not least, it is what it is! The Blazers are now 19-12 heading into 2009 with a win. Hope you all have a good and safe New Years!!!

I would say 'White as Snow'

2008-12-20T13:03:00.000-08:00

I say that because of what the weather has done this week and right now as I am typing this post. It is snowing and has been off and on all this week. Last weekend when we were having our Christmas choir/orchestra weekend at church, I was standing by the door looking at the snowfall. There were a couple of guys also looking and one of them said, 'He washed us white as snow' referring to how Jesus died on the cross to take away our sins and make us white as snow. To see that beautiful white stuff falling from the sky and hearing that comment, it really spoke truth. I am so glad that we had that celebration last weekend as we just found out that they canceled church service tonight and 1st service in the morning.
Speaking of choir and orchestra, as I mentioned before, we did Send the Messiah again this year. Saturday when we rehearsed it, it didn't go too well, and I had said a prayer that we would do better in service. Well, it was almost fine Saturday service and then we went through it Sunday morning before service and did a lot better. I hope everyone enjoyed the services that came and celebrated the season with us. The pastor told a Christmas story using a stuffed lion and lamb which I thought was cute for visual aids.
Two Saturdays ago, I went to my great-great aunt's 90th birthday party in Canby. She is on my mom's side of the family and I got to wish her a happy birthday, and she looks really good for being 90 years old. Actually, her birthday is right after Christmas and they figured that would probably not be a good time to get everyone together. On that same day was my great-aunt's birthday so it was like a double birthday celebration. There were a lot of people there I did not know at the party but there were people on the 'other' side of her family that we hadn't met. So, after the party, I left with Alyssa and went to the Woodburn outlets to do a little Christmas shopping. That was fun as we don't get to do a whole lot together just the two of us. I treated ourselves to pretzels before we left, which were really good. Once we got out of the parking lot and out of the traffic and taking a detour because of an accident, we got to church late. Service was good though and we had group afterwards. I taught in our group last weekend and I thought it went pretty good.
Well, I hope you enjoy the snow and be safe and warm these next couple days. I do have to thank the Lord as He kept my sister and I safe getting to/from work each day this week. Some days were not full days but I think our bosses were happy we made the effort to get in. Bad timing though as it was a payroll week at my work, but managed to get it done.

Winter is soon upon us

2008-12-10T22:38:00.001-08:00

Wishing you December greetings! Here's a 'freaky cool' thing that happened. In my last post, I did my word study on manifest. In services at church the next day, the pastor talked about being manifested in the word and what it meant (to set open, understand). It's so cool how God works in that way. For instance, at the last Women's Bible study meeting, one of the ladies shared of when she was in Chicago visiting family. The church service that weekend studied the same passage from Romans that we were studying here!
'Tis the season for preparing the house for Christmas with decorations. We have been doing that since the weekend after Thanksgiving, and we got our live tree to go in the living room just this Monday. It's looking more and more like Christmas around here. Especially with what the weathermen are forecasting for this coming weekend with the super cold air coming in and more than possible snow showers. Winter is definitely around the corner! Speaking of this weekend, it's the annual Christmas choir/orchestra services. We had another rehearsal last night and it went well and at a faster pace as we had to get through all of the songs. Also this Saturday is the Tuba Christmas downtown which of course Dad will be there playing, so please pray for everyone's safety and health.
A couple weeks ago, my niece's school did a fundraiser/Christmas caroling event at a major bookstore in town. The family went and listened to the two ensembles play familiar carols and we sang along to them. It did make me get a bit teary eyed...I think because some of the words spoke to me and brought back the memory of when my family played carols at the center where my grandparents lived a couple years ago. The kids all did a great job, and there were other groups from the school as well.
Speaking of my niece, she has started basketball practice with the school team. I just found out that she will be a point guard on the team which will be a good challenge for her. I have enjoyed watching her play basketball in the past so any games I can go to this year will be exciting.

Manifest

2008-11-28T22:45:00.000-08:00

Happy (black) Friday! Hope you were all safe if you went out shopping today. I am going to share with you now a word study on 'manifest'.

Manifest
1. readily perceived by the senses and especially by the sight 2. easily understood or recognized by the mind...obvious 3. a list of passengers or an invoice of cargo for a ship or plane. (courtesy of Webster's Dictionary).

John 14:21 'He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.' Another meaning to manifest in this verse is to reveal, which makes sense after knowing the definition of the word. I looked at the cross-reference in this verse and I have to include it since it is 1 John 2:5 and we have been studying 1 John in our group, Mosaic. 1 John 2:5 says, 'But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected (has been completed) in him, By this we know that we are in Him.' If you didn't love God, you wouldn't keep His word.

1 Cor 12:7 'But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:' The next three verses following tell of what is given by the same Spirit, such as the word of knowledge.

John 17:6 'I have manifested (revealed) Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept your word.' Hmm, another verse about those who are His, keeping God's word. I begin to see a theme here.
Okay, I looked at a cross reference to this verse in John 17 and it mentions John 6:37 which is where Jesus is telling the people He is the Bread of Life...'All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.'

1 Tim 3:16 (aww...a 3:16 verse!) 'And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory.' I remember having this verse in a recent Women's Bible study lesson. Any verse that describes God is awesome!

Heb 9:8 'the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing.' This verse was not listed in the concordance but I found it as I am currently reading through Hebrews. That's a bit odd it's not in the list under manifest.

To give a summary statement, like we do in Women's Bible study, let me think for a second. Okay...God makes His word manifested in us who keep His word and loves those who were given to Him by the Father to love and obey.

Soon to be Turkey Day!

2008-11-25T22:03:00.000-08:00

Hi Folks! Hope your week(s) have gone well so far since I last posted. I will indeed get that post out of my word study on 'manifest' this weekend. Work has gone about normal. I have news about work but I will leave that for a 'special' post later this week.
Church was good last weekend as it was Global Outreach time of the year. Afterwards, the group had game night and we played Sequence. I had not played it before but turns out to be a pretty fun game. There was only four of us then another showed up that we had not seen in a while. We went out to Applebees for dinner and had a nice talk.
We have had two rehearsals now for Christmas services. Both have gone fairly well, I think. Someone will be happy to know that...yes, we are doing 'Send the Messiah' again. Yes, you may jump up for joy now!
May you have a lovely time on Thursday with your family members/friends.

Pre-thanks givings

2008-11-18T22:41:00.001-08:00

Greetings! Hope this post finds you well. After I wrote my last post, I remembered a couple of things that I forgot to mention. For instance, on my niece's birthday we , along with my brother and sister-in-law, went out to lunch at Chang's which I think...no, that is her favorite place to eat. Meat. Yep, that is all she gets there, and the only sauces/liquids she puts in the bowl is lime juice. She loves lime with her meat!!! Silly girl!
On the 9th, I went with my sister to her friend's house who was hosting a jewelry party. It was neat to see my sister's friend again as it is not very often that my sister and her see each other. It was a good and interesting time. That morning we had gone to second service at church because we had gone to the Blazer game the night before. The Blazers played the Minnesota T'wolves and we won, mind I forget the score. It was a good game, though. So was church, too!
Well, work is going about the same. We transmitted payroll today and got it sent a little earlier than last time but didn't get some of the processes done. I guess we can do some after we have sent it off. We've been getting more new hires come in, I think from the acquisition we made. Each time we do this process of payroll under the new company, I suppose things will ????? (can't think of the word, phrase again) under our belt.
Lately, in Mosaic, we have been studying 1 John. I have been noticing that the word, 'manifest' is mentioned a few times. I plan to do a word study on that this week so stay tuned. Speaking of study, I missed Women's Bible study tonight because of rehearsal which went fine. I hope WBS went well, and look forward to hearing about what was taught in the message.
This last weekend, I was home by myself as my family had gone to the coast. I watched the Lakers/Pistons game Friday night and 'twas fun watching the Pistons beat the Lakers...oh yeah!! Oh, and thank you Lord for watching over me on my way home from work Friday night, too!!! I can't say that enough...how great is our God!!! Saturday, I spent an hour and a half at the car dealership waiting to get an oil change done on my car. I ended up getting the brake flush, too, as it was one of two services needed at the # of miles I had driven on the car. Then I went and got my hair cut. I had thought about it for a while and just couldn't get in because of working, etc. Oregon State was playing CA in College football in the afternoon and I watched some of it...Go Beavers!!! Saturday night I went to church where a good message was spoken and then went to group. Sunday, I slept in and went shopping in the afternoon, after I went to hear a good friend do a presentation about where she has been a missionary in Africa. Good to see her and the work that she is doing down there, with God's help!
Here is Phil 3:9 which is what I mentioned in my last blog but didn't have my Bible by me to quote it.
"and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, byt that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness whichs is from God by faith;" NKJV

Reminiscing Chocolate

2008-11-10T20:17:00.000-08:00

Happy November! First of all, let me reply to a recent comment made that Jesus is the one True Perfect being. There are some things that some of us think are perfect...it would depend on one's perspective of it. Let's see...
The last time I posted, I mentioned I had a free weekend. On that Sunday, I went out shopping for a bit and then got a call from Carrie to go have some much needed chick time with her. I gladly accepted her offer of chick time and we went to a few stores, ate a good dinner at Elmer's, and just enjoyed each other's fellowship. The night before, we were at her house with our Mosaic group, carving pumpkins getting ready for 'that' day. It was good to see those that came!
Monday the 27th my sister and I had tickets to go see Amy Grant do a concert at RHCC. It was her 20th anniversary tour of one of her albums, Lead Me On, which came out in 1988 (hence the 20 years). She, along with Michael W. Smith were the first Christian artists I grew up listening to. It was a great concert, but we noticed that things have changed. Back in the '80s, when people went to concerts, they stood up the whole time and clapped or when it was a slow song, they still stood up or sat down, depending on the mood. Of course, those concerts I believe were in a non-church arena so we were more 'free' if that is the right word, to stand up and make noise and dance. This concert we were sitting most of the time, until the last two or three songs. It could be that because we were in a church setting this time that we should be more respectful (is that the right word?) of the surroundings. There was this one group of young ones, around my age I think, and they were sitting, or shall I say standing, in the middle of the auditorium, clapping their hands and dancing and having a good ol' time! Eventually they made it up close to the stage and were still dancing away to her music. She asked us to get up for one song for some audience participation which was reminiscent of the concert from that tour in '88. Oh, and she had conjured up her original band members from that time, some who now play with some major music stars such as Faith Hill, Keith Urban, and Trisha Yearwood. All in all, it was a great time, getting to hear those songs again and remembering the words to some of them, and singing along. Ahh...
Work has been quite busy still but has slightly calmed down. We transmitted our second payroll last week, which I think went a little better than the first but still some 'hiccups' getting it ready to go. In all of this merging business, we are acquiring another company of about 300 employees. That brings the total to somewhere around 2600 employees.
Bible study has been good, even though I come straight from work and get in late. I still enjoy being with the group and having that fellowship. Next week, we start orchestra rehearsals for Christmas services so I will miss Bible study next week but will still do my lesson. I have enjoyed this week's lesson as it talks on justification in Romans chapter 3.
Another big election day has come and gone, and we have a new president, and also a new Senator from our state. I was listening to Pres-elect Obama's acceptance speech in the car on the way home from Bible study last week. Even if we may not like those that get elected, we must remember that God is always in control!
OH! I must mention the chocolate part of my title. My niece had a birthday recently and guess what kind of dessert she wanted?? Dark chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and chocolate ice cream! Is that enough chocolate for you??! That's almost too much for me! She had a great birthday, with her uncle and aunt-in-law over to help celebrate it. And what's amazing, is that she liked all of her presents she received.
So, now you are caught up with what I can remember of the last couple weeks. Hope you have a great rest of the week!
(please read Phil 3:9)

Is anything perfect?

2008-10-24T19:48:00.000-07:00

Hi! Hope you have made it through another week of time. I just thought I would say time since my last post I talked about time. It was another busy/crazy week, but we did what we could in the time that we had to get payroll prepped for payday today. As one of my Bible study group leaders told me on Tuesday night, she prays and asks God to multiply her time to get things done. I don't think I had ever thought of that, or at least it's been a while since I have done so. I'll have to keep that in mind for future. All four of us in payroll were given the order to have this weekend off (after having worked so many hours the last couple weeks), so I am up to my ears in free time. Okay, maybe not that much. I'll find things to do, I'm sure.
Oh, today was payday and this morning went by SO FAST! We were all busy getting phone calls and emails from people who were saying their checks were not right, missing hours, charged for something they don't have (blackberries...not the ones you eat), the location of their check, and so on and so forth. It is good to have an evening at home, and I am looking forward to having a good weekend.
I had mentioned in my last post, last Saturday I went to a good sister-in-Christ's house and had breakfast with her and about four other sisters-in-Christ from our Bible study group last year. It was nice to chat and catch up somewhat, and she had made a casserole that she was testing on us she'd never made before. Then after leaving there, I went to my niece's v-ball tourney closeby and got to see her team play two rounds worth. They had lost the first round in the morning but won the second round. In the afternoon, they won their first round, and played the second round right away (after some warm-up). They lost the second round but played well.
One last thing to share before I blog off. I was listening to KLOVE on my way home last night from work. They have been having their fall pledge drive. One caller called in with a matching gift of up to $10K and for everyone that called in, they would match it for the whole year. Usually on things like that, it's just for the first month. One song had played (I think it was MercyMe, God with us) and they said that they had reached that mark. In just ONE song, enough callers had called in with pledges to reach the $10K!! WOW! OH! They were going to end the drive at 6:00 but they had decided with the number of calls coming in, they would go into OT for 24 hours. God is amazing and to think that He called upon people to pledge to a good radio station that changes lives for Him. Just thought I would share that encouraging word.
Oh, about my title, I thought I would have that, as this was the first payroll and it was not perfect. Of course, many things on the first try are not perfect. There is one and only one thing that I can think of that IS perfect...
"Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." 1 Jn 4:17-18

Gone Military!

2008-10-17T22:36:00.000-07:00

Hello ladies and gents. Boy it has been a long week! Being in this process of merging, one of the changes is keeping track of time. Goodbye civilian time...hello military time. Yes, you heard right...we now are going by military time on our hours. That makes us think even more, for those that may not know the transfer (for lack of brainpower of the 'right' word) of hours. For instance, right now I am blogging in civilian time at 10:40pm (at least that's what it says on the computer now). That would transfer to being 2240 in military time.
We have had a couple of temps in helping us get payroll gone through and validated and checked and verified and changed. I could go on and on...There is so MUCH information that has to be entered and downloaded and not everything is getting loaded as it should so we are having to go person by person. I guess that's what we get for merging three companies into one. We have to get done as much as we can by Tuesday as we transmit our first payroll on Tuesday.
Speaking of Tuesday (the one this week) it was nice to get off of work at 1830 and go to Bible study to finish up the first chapter of Romans and to see the ladies again in the group. Every week we are getting to know each other more and get more acquainted. It was good that we started off in prayer in mini small groups to pray for each other. I am looking forward to tomorrow...going to a friend's house to chat among sisters in Christ, next to my niece's v-ball tourney, and then later to church. It will be nice to have a break from work.

At ease...

(Insert here a verse from Scripture on time...I'm thinking of Ecclesiastes)

As the craziness continues...

2008-10-12T22:25:00.000-07:00

Howdy! Thank goodness that I, along with my coworkers, have gotten through these last couple weeks. It will continue to be busy and crazy for a while yet, I'm sure. Lots went on last week with payroll, and in other parts of the company. It is so weird, thinking myself as a employee of this 'new' company. I think though that I will try to continue being a 'old' company employee. Although, that could be still true considering that we still have two branches up in WA that are 'old' company. If I am confusing any of you, I understand. Anyway, I decided not to work this weekend, albeit I'm sure my supervisor would have liked me to come in.
Yesterday, I went with my sister to the Christian bookstore to look around as they were having a sale. We each got a couple of things there, including birthday gifts for someone in the family. I went to service last night, which was a good message and met up with my friends of Mosaic for the first time this fall. We decided on where we want this group to go this year...okay, at least until Thanksgiving. I'm sure the Lord will direct our group in the right direction. Afterwards, we went out to Applebees (Sean and Amy..where were you? :) ) to eat some supper and some good fellowship. Today I spent at home watching the Bears/Falcons game (I so thought the Bears were going to win, but the Falcons got a field goal right at the very end to win), doing laundry, took the dog for a walk, and studied Romans chapter one.

Is this the 24-hour payroll dept?

2008-10-06T23:09:00.000-07:00

Hello! My oh my what craziness at work!!! Thank you to those who have been praying for my work situation! Final checks went out later than expected on Friday because of errors found in the payroll, which had to be completely voided and re-ran. The second batch came mid-afternoon and found more errors (the one previous had been fixed). After some verification, only two employees were going to need corrections. It was a mighty fine crazy day on Friday...people had kept coming up to ask us about their checks. We wanted to put up the yellow caution tape by our desks and say, 'enter at your own risk'.
My mom's sister came up from the coast last Thursday and went back home yesterday. This was the first 'official' time spent here since we have moved here. I think she enjoyed her time, even though I was working a lot of the time but did some things with my mom. She and I did get to watch the last part of the Nebraska / Mizzou football game Sat. night and us girls played a game of Scrabble that night, too. She went to church with us Sunday morning, so she got a taste of this branch of His church. It was nice to have her here with us for a few days.
Hope you all have a good rest of the week. Tomorrow I get to go to the first pre-season game of the Blazers; it should be exciting to see what's become from training camp and summer league. Oh, I have also watched bits of the Red Sox/Angels series.
OH! I cannot forget to mention that Alyssa and her v-ball team participated in a v-ball tourney last Saturday and I got to see her play in a couple games. She was tired by the afternoon as she had played ALL three games in the morning. It was great to see them make it to the finals, though, and see other teams play. We also celebrated my dad's birthday last weekend and had my brother and sister-in-law over.

PS: After my last post, I was getting ready for bed and I heard, 'Mighty to Save' play on the radio. Go figure! It was really nice to hear again and I really focused on the words of the song.

Let the whole world see...

2008-09-28T22:35:00.000-07:00

Greetings! On Sept. 20, I attended a conference called the Next Mile at my church. It was an all-day conference filled with worship, messages, Scripture, and seminars (oh, and lunch). It was for those people who have gone on STMs, team leaders, and for team organizers wanting to know what the 'next mile' is to be. After starting out with worship and a message, we went to our first seminar (choice of five, and yes, I did make a decision). The morning one I went to was called 'The Next Mile: STM for the Long Haul'. The main theme in that was about follow-through, not just after you've gone on a team but even before you go and while you are gone. It was very interesting and the guy that was speaking started it out with a couple funny video clips, and he seemed like he had a passion for people who go on STMs and seeing the Gospel spread throughout the world.
After the morning seminar, they served us lunch which was a choice of sandwiches plus other lunch fixins. Once the food was all digested, we went to the next seminar (again, I had to make a choice and after a couple minutes, decided). I went to the seminar called 'Gift-based ministry: serving in your SHAPE'. It was the only one of the four that I thought really applied to me. The guy that spoke in this one I think goes to GSCC and wanted us to know more about how to find our individual shape and how to go about doing so. He gave us handouts of certain tests that we can do ourselves to help us figure out who we are and what gifts we have. (Feel free to inquire me of them if you are interested). I myself am very much going to do at least one of those tests, if not more. That was also very interesting.
Then we had a focus group time and I went to one about 'post ministry-real life'. We talked about being home after gone on a STM and how we were going to keep the fire for Jesus alive. I even spoke up at least once and shared. We ended the day with more worship and message. During our last song, Here I am to Worship, we had a chance to go up and write down on pieces of fabric something we learned or that changed us during that day and sign it. Then a lady is going to make a quilt of all of them. It was very neat to do that. All in all, it was a very COOL day! I am glad that I went, and I also got to see two good brothers in Christ that I hadn't seen in a while and went out to dinner with them afterward at La Caretta.
I did go to church Sunday morning, and one of the songs we sang spoke to me and it was in my head ALL day long. I would like to share it with you now:

Mighty to Save

Everyone needs compassion
Love that's never failing
Let mercy fall on me.

Everyone needs forgiveness
The kindness of a Savior
The Hope of nations.

Savior, He can move the mountains.
My God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save.
Forever, Author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave.

So take me as You find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again

I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender...

Savior, He can move the mountains,
My God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save.
Forever, Author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave.

Shine your light and let the whole world see...
we're singing for the glory for the risen King...

I must mention this...on my way home from work on Monday, I was listening to the Fish and Dave said that he loves this one song that he was going to play and that he had sung it at his church yesterday. The song was...Mighty to save! I'm like...we sung it too and it was in my head all day long. I almost wanted to email him and let him know that! Oh, and if you want to know, it has been in my head off and on all this last week, and then I went to church this morning and guess what...we sang it again!!

I leave you this day with a verse from the second seminar that was said (and I knew it right away):
'But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.' 1 Cor 12:18

PS STM stands for Short Term Mission.

Time to catch up

2008-09-19T20:10:00.000-07:00

Greetings! Sorry it's been two weeks since my last post. Things have been pretty busy around here. Let me start with the family. Dad started back into school the last week of August, teaching at WPC. He is also teaching at where Alyssa is going to school and just started a jazz band there this week on Monday mornings @7:30am. Alyssa is playing trumpet and I think that may be one of her favorite classes this year, considering she loves jazz. She likes to listen to 89.1 (the jazz station) in the car. Speaking of Alyssa, she has come down with a cold or something. Please pray that she will get over this soon. She is a good player on the volleyball team at school. They lost the first game (she played most of the time), lost the second game on Tuesday, but won their match today. She is getting a lot of playing time, which is good and helps her improve more in her skills.
Mom started teaching her piano students again after school started and my sister is doing pretty well.
Work has been busy...last week was month-end, then this week was payroll. I have done all the branches this week as my coworker has been busy getting final checks done for those that resign or leave early, incentives, etc. It seems like almost every time we turn around, someone else is leaving. Next week will only be busier as we start calculating those checks who are not continuing on to the new company. We will have a little bit of help, though from the HR recruiter which will come in very handy.
As far as my standings in the company, I was finally offered a position. I had been awaiting to hear something and on Friday the 12th, I heard. Temporary. Temporary?? Okay, at least it will be until the end of the year, helping out with the transition. See, there are only two spots for payroll employees under the p/r supervisor and I am not one of them. My supervisor did tell me that after it slows down (Nov/Dec) that she would try to convince them that she needs another person to help. I am going to keep my options open and look for any positions that I could apply for in the next few months. I did have an interview at the church for an open accounting position this week. The Lord didn't want me there, and I am okay with that. As long as He knows where I am to be, I will follow wherever He leads me.
Oh, and Women's Bible study started this week. I was a bit undecided as where to sit down, but then I started headed towards the front and noticed the numbers on the tables. (A light just came on) I was supposed to sit with the number of my small group's table. It's cool that it's starting up again and I am already looking forward to doing my beloved word studies again. Care and I got to see each other after three weeks and went to Fred's afterwards to catch up on life.
Have a great weekend!

Operatic Notes

2008-09-07T21:52:00.000-07:00

Hi. Just thought I would do a quick post. Thursday night, I went with my family to go see Phantom of the Opera. My sister wanted Alyssa to see it and thought she would like it, and.....she did. She knew two songs of it and was singing one on the way home and one at school the next day. It was quite well done production...my second time seeing it and my sister's third time (she likes it a lot). I am glad that Alyssa did like it.
This weekend was low-key but somewhat nice as this week will be busy for me at work as it is month-end and there is a good chance I may get a job offer. I went to church with my sister and Alyssa last night and listened to an awesome message on worship and church. Afterwards, I signed up for Women's Bible Study then we went to and ordered pizza for dinner from Papa Murphy's and took it home to eat. Today was spent cleaning house for most of the day.
Alyssa made it through her first two and a half days of 7th grade. Pray that she gets through her first full week of it as I don't know if you can fathom this but she is now in a group of 7-12 graders instead of k-6 graders. That's a whole new group of students and school stuff.
I am trying not to anticipate this merger/job offer thing too much. I remember in our last dept meeting that we were told to just continue work as normal. That was about two months ago, but it is getting harder to do this as the date is getting closer and sooner or later you are going to have to start prepping for what's to come. In fact, in some cases, some of us have already started that preparation. Considering the size of the new company, there are plenty positions to be filled and I really shouldn't be that worried about it. I guess it's just a matter of knowing if He still wants me there or not. I know that God has things in control and under His control...it's a matter of trusting Him that He will have me where He wants me to be doing what He wants me to do. Please pray that things will go according to His will and that I will continue to trust in Him on this.
Hope you have a good week.
"Therefore, do now worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Matthew 6:34

Happy September!

2008-09-03T19:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday! Well, it's payroll time at work again. I always look forward to payroll time. I heard that, this month of September, is not going to be a 'pretty' month to do payroll or in the accounting dept, but we (my coworkers and I) will get through it. The reason I say this is that the projected goal of closing is October 1, so it's getting closer each day.
Now, about the weekend. Hope you had a nice and safe Labor Day weekend. Friday night we stayed home. Saturday afternoon we left and picked up my sister from work and headed to the coast, making a couple of stops along the way so the dog could stretch her legs and we could get some dinner. We got to the cabin and watched the Oregon Duck game on tv. We also kept tabs on Hurricane Gustav on the news...thank goodness it wasn't as bad as Katrina. Now, it might be Ike that they have to prepare for. Sunday, we stayed around the cabin and played games and went to the neighborhood barbecue in mid-afternoon. There was a lot of good food there. My aunt and uncle came to the barbecue and their recently acquired puppy, Ginger. Monday, we were able to go to the beach, just for about 1/2 hour and the weather was beautiful. The dog enjoyed walking on the beach and used the streams of water as paths. We came back home Monday night, after having a good time at the cabin.
I believe in my last post, that I said Alyssa starts school on Tuesday. Well, I thought it was Tuesday. She didn't start until today, Wednesday and it was a half-day at that. She did have volleyball practice yesterday, though.
Hope you have a good rest of the week.

Boy, am I glad it's over!?!

2008-08-29T18:28:00.000-07:00

If you're looking at the title and thinking I am relating that to the Olympics, you're incorrect. I am sad they are over, yes, I am saying so now. I am relating the title to this week. It was s-l-o-w at work...I am not complaining, but I am glad that next week is back into payroll again. YAHOO! Did I just say that?? I did but I am looking forward to that since I do love doing payroll. I do suppose that it is good to have days that are slow to break up the days that are busy and fast.
The family is doing well. Alyssa starts school again on Tuesday...7th grade!!! OH MY! She and her mom have been checking to see if she has all she needs for the school year. I think she is looking forward to seeing all her friends again, as any kid would, I think. She has started volleyball (v-ball for short) this week already, and there is a new girl (Joy) in her class that is also playing v-ball so I hope she and Alyssa get to be good friends.
This weekend, we are going to the coast. Many I am sure are going to the coast this weekend to enjoy the last bit of summer. Guess what? we get to take the dog with us as I just found out. That should be interesting.
Well, hope you have a nice weekend!
"And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist." Col 1:17

More than One Friend

2008-08-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I am not going to talk about the Olympics much this post, because, in my mind, they are not over yet. But stay tuned for a top 'undetermined number' list of Mare's highlights of the games.
First, for a work update. Regarding the merger, the closing date has now been pushed back to October 1. The goal is to have job offers out to those who applied for the new company by September 12. Then I got an email from the boss of the dept on Friday saying that they are working on the next level of positions and the chart should be out this week. It also said that, at this point, she could assure all of us that we would get job offers for those that applied, but not necessarily for what we are currently doing right now. There was one day last week that my coworker cut seven or eight finals, all in one day. We both decided that people are dropping like flies. It's only going to get worse, most likely, as far as cutting finals. This is a big trusting in God 'thing' so I will do my best to do so. Also it was a bittersweet day in that it was one of my friends' last day and another friend had come back from maternity leave. She is leaving though in a week to be a stay-at-home mom, but my friend that left, she told me that I was the one person that she wanted to find to say goodbye to the most. The good thing is that she wants to stay in contact (as do I) so we exchanged phone numbers.
Speaking of friends, I chilled out with a dear friend (Care) last night. We went out, did a little shopping, went to Powell's (both of us got to use our gift cards that we've had for a while), ate some late dinner (my meal was QUITE good) and had some VERY nice fellowship time. I appreciate her friendship very much! Thank the Lord for keeping us safe...
Saturday night I went out to meet some friends at a pizza place. We talked about the Olympics and other things. Among those things, I shared my epiphany I had the night before. I had the song, 'one is the loneliest number' in my head while I was out walking the dog. While I was in Mexico, there was a kid named Juan at the rancho and someone (who shall remain nameless) started singing that song. It made me think of the Lord and how He is One. Then I was thinking, 'wait!'...He is really THREE in One...Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. How do you say that one is the 'loneliest number', then?
I would end with a verse, but since I don't have my Bible in front of me, I know there is a verse that says, "The Lord God is One." (I am still baffled over this one).

Safety in, through, and after the storm

2008-08-21T21:26:00.000-07:00

Lightning and thunder came through town on Sunday night/Monday morning. I saw lightning on my way to work Monday morning, and heard thunder after I got to work. Monday night, I went over to Care's house and got to meet her uncle from Texas. Howdy! We watched our movie, Clue, again and I noticed things that I hadn't noticed before. On the way home on the main road, there was a tree down, blocking the road. The car in front of me went around and when it was safe, I went around it too. I am glad that no one was hurt by the tree. I hope they were able to get it off the road okay.
Tuesday night came another storm. I was sitting in my room on my bed reading in the Word and a big wind gust came up, shaking the walls. Whoa!
Wednesday night, I went to the airport to pick up my parents. They were coming back from Florida/Georgia on vacation. If you have been watching the news, you know about Tropical Storm Fay. It was making its way toward the Floridian/Georgian coastline. Just as they were getting on the plane, the person taking the tickets said, 'oh, you're not going to stay for the hurricane party?'. It sounded like they were going to have a 'lovely' time at the airport (from what ma and pa told me). Yes, my parents made it home safe and sound. (My sis and niece came back tonight from the coast). In fact, we watched the weather channel tonight about their discussion of the storm. It is right now, where my parents were, and about 20-25 inches of rain have already fallen in the area. I hope and pray that the people down there would be kept safe and secure from the storm.
Well, it was nice to have the house to myself for a few days, but then it's nice to have family back home.
Work this week was busy the first couple of days (payroll) and has slowed down. Hope you all have a good rest of the week and weekend.
"For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." Matthew 24:27

Eight grasshoppers

2008-08-16T15:17:00.000-07:00

Happy August 16! Friday, I was on my way home from work, listening to the Fish on the radio. They had not yet played the Fish money song and then a few minutes later, a song came on. "Oh, that's the song!' I thought to myself. I got my phone out and went down to the Fish and called just after it had started playing. I heard, after a short pause, 'caller...8'. I quickly called again and got a busy signal. See, they take caller ten as the winner. I was SO CLOSE! That was the first time I had gotten through. Oh, the song was Shackles by Mary Mary (hence I thought it would have been cool if I won). The 10th caller was Marina who was very glad to get the money as she is getting married next weekend. So I am glad it wasn't me who was the 10th caller as she sounded like she could definitely use the money.
So, on my walks with the dog this week, I have been noticing grasshoppers. They have been on the sidewalk as I am walking down or up the street. I think I have mentioned them before in a previous posting. God was very clever when He made grasshoppers.
The Olympics are still going, just to let you know. It has been fun watching the girls gymnastics all-around final on Thursday night as I watched until 1:30 in the morning. I amazingly was not all that tired at work on Friday from staying up late. Nastia Liukin deserved the gold, I think. She did a great job in every event, and not to count Shawn Johnson out. She got the silver so it was cool that we got gold and silver. A Chinese gal got the bronze.
Misti May and Kerri Walsh played again on Thursday versus Norway (if I remember correctly). They were tied 1-1 after the second set and they won the third and final set (which only goes to 15, not 21). Hoorah!!! They are really fun to watch!
Well, my family is away on vacation as of today so I hope they all have a good time.
'But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption--that, as it is written, 'he who glories, let him glory in the Lord'. 1 Cor 1:30-31

Red and Yellow (where's blue?)

2008-08-12T18:25:00.000-07:00

The games have begun! The Olympic games, that is. It is the 4th day of the games, and already a lot has happened. I watched our US women's volleyball team beat Japan's team on Saturday, three games to one... the third game was neck and neck...quite exciting! Kerri Walsh and Misti May-Treanor were great as always beating Japan on Saturday and Cuba on Monday (2-0 versus Cuba). Wahoo! I saw a little bit of rowing too on Saturday which is interesting. Swimming has been fun to watch as well. Phelps has three golds so far in this Olympics. Natalie Coughlin won the gold in the 200 free last night and another US teammate won the bronze in that race. They have started the gymnastics too. It's good to see how the US men's team is doing considering Paul Hamm had to pull out because of an injury. Let's hope they all do well. The ladies team final is tonight so hope our ladies do well too. I also have watched a little badminton, which I think I forgot was an Olympic sport.
Hope you got to see at least a little bit of the opening ceremonies on Friday night. The reason for my title is that, in my opinion, the fireworks they had, especially at the end, were all red and yellow which you all know of course are China's colors. They were pretty, though. And everything else that I saw was pretty neat.
Church service was quite cool this last weekend as we had communion, a little differently. I think maybe we should do it that way more often. Psalm 139 was spoken on which was cool as I remember that from Women's Bible study.
Work this week is busy with month-end. I won't go into Monday (yesterday) as it was totally a Monday ( it did start out well, though). Today was a lot better. Month-end isn't 'yucky' unless you are working on a report frustrated because it doesn't balance the way it should, or you are just doing something that you don't look forward to doing that isn't all fun. Work is supposed to be work, though. (Profound, I know.)
Oh, and one more thing! I went out with Care on Sunday late afternoon/evening. We went to a few places and ate dinner at a nicer place (thanks Care for offering the 'loop'). It was another 'loverly' time with a dear friend!
Okay, I hope you have a good rest of the week.
"Do all things without complaining or disputing." Philippians 2:14

Countdown to the Olympics!!!

2008-08-06T21:53:00.000-07:00

Happy August to you, first of all! I must say that there is less than 48 hours until the start of the 2008 Olympics!!! I look forward to watching the Olympics when they come every four years. I don't watch every event but I watch what I can...maybe I will get interested in a new event this time. The opening ceremonies begin in 42 hours and 47 minutes. They should be neat to watch as all the athletes come in from all the countries participating in the grandiose event.
My niece came home from camp on Saturday, exhausted. It sounds like she had a good time, but not a great time. I am glad she had the experience, though. I think she turned into a cheese cracker...she ate at least two bowls of cheez-its that day. She does love cheese! This week she is attending a basketball thing at her school which I heard is a bit challenging for her.
Work was slow last week as I thought it was the calm before the storm. Last Wednesday I took the time to fill out my application for my job. Now it is time to wait and trust that the Lord will put me where He wants me to be. If He wants me to be with the newly-formed company or go somewhere else. This week was payroll and it is going well so far, I think. Oh, one of the ladies at work who was pregnant welcomed her baby girl into the world today...yahoo!!!
I am looking forward to the weekend. I will be getting an oil change on my car on Saturday (it's first one since I bought the car), and then go to church in the evening. Sunday, I plan to chill out with my dear friend in the afternoon.
"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Romans 10:17

No video game playing this week

2008-07-29T23:08:00.000-07:00

Good evening all. Hope you are having a good week so far. Thank you to those who enjoyed my last post! Last weekend was interesting. The folks went to the coast as my sis and I played with my niece Friday night. Saturday, I did some stuff around the house, walked the dog, watered the plants outside. Oh, I did get to go out for coffee with a friend and catch up a little bit. We had a really nice time talking and catching up on things! Church service was good, then I went to hear the Marseille team report. I had three people that I know on that team, so it was interesting to hear all their stories and things they shared. It's so cool to hear how another team that went out to serve was impacted and to see God at work in them during that time!
Sunday, we went out to lunch at Wendy's then home to pack, water the plants and walk the dog. In the late afternoon, I went with my sis to take Alyssa to camp where she would be at for a whole week. This house is quiet without her here. We are all praying she will have a good experience at this camp and make some new friends. This is a new camp for her and the last camp she was at, she did not have a good experience.
Work this week has been slow, but I am thinking this may be 'the calm before the storm' as they say. Applications are now ready to be filled out as we have to reapply for our jobs. The deadline to get them in is next week. Friday starts the payroll cycle again.

Siesta Fiesta!

2008-07-26T22:22:00.000-07:00

Here's a Mexico story for ya! We were down in Mexico last month during Father's Day. We had found out that there would be a siesta that night, close by the rancho. To give you a little info on what a siesta is, here ya go. A siesta is a short nap in the early afternoon, often after the midday meal. Families would have a large meal at midday, and, being the hottest part of the day, a nap was a great sounding idea after a big meal. Those who worked would come home for a couple hours to spend time with family and friends, take a nap, and then go back to work until around 8 in the evening. I am sure if you want to know more about siestas, you can search it on the web.
Getting back to our siesta...
That meant there would be lots of noise (aka LOUD music) playing, possibly into the early morning hours. It's been said that times before, the music has played until like 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning. That also meant that we would have a little 'siesta' of our own. We decided that we would have a game night and stay up late. If we didn't go to bed late, the music would keep us awake. So, most of us got out the games and started playing after dinner. The rest of us just sat and talked. I remember cars going up and down the street for the majority of the day. Pickups drove by with big speakers in the cab. Most of us ladies played a dice game called 10,000 while others played chess or a game involving pigs (not real ones of course). I believe that we stayed up until about midnight or so. The music was still going. I had gone to bed about 12:30 and was lying in bed waiting until the music stopped (it could have gone on for another couple hours). The music had stopped just before 1:00 in the morning.
During that fun time that night, Cathy had asked who wanted to lead devotions in the morning. I was volunteered by her before a word came out of my mouth. So, I spent a few minutes that night preparing for what I was going to teach the next morning. The theme for our devotions was to be on the 'fruits of the Spirit' and I had started my study before the trip but it wasn't completely done. I had left the copy of the chapter at home but had what I had written down in my notebook. I used that plus the words to a song by Avalon that spoke to me before the trip. I thought it went along with what I was going to teach on (living at peace with others). The devotional time went well the next morning, and then we were off to another day's work!
"Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath, for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord. Therefore 'if your enemy hungers, feed him; If he thirsts, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:17-21

Fish Down!!!

2008-07-20T21:46:00.000-07:00

Hi! Since it has been a little while since I last posted, I will post some highlights and lowlights from the last couple weeks (otherwise, this would be a LONG post).

We'll start with the 4th of July weekend:
highlight: I got to spend some time with just my mother. We played five games of Scrabble (five only because we each won two games and had a tiebreaker which I won by a narrow margin). The rest of the family came Saturday.
lowlight: Mom and I drove into town on the 4th to watch the fireworks live at the beach. NO ONE was there. Okay, we were there, but we were the only ones there. We went back to the cabin and watched the fireworks on tv (the ones at Ft Vancouver).
highlight: Dad, my niece and I went on a boat ride. lowlight: the engine kept stuttering and dying on us on the river about a dozen times. highlight: we made it back to the dock safely.

Last weekend:
highlight: I went camping with my church group at Oxbow Park. It was such a blast! It had been a long time since I went camping, and I want to go again. The reason of my post title is that I had sat down, eating some snacks (which had some goldfish crackers in it), I accidently threw one on the ground...there ya have it...fish down!
highlight: my Mexico team report was that Sat night. It went well, although I was looking forward to doing our skit but not everyone was there and we were missing some of the props. It was good to see the teammates again! I hope to keep in touch with everyone.
highlight: I learned how to play a new game, which I hope to find at a store and buy it. I enjoyed the fellowship that was had the whole weekend and roasting smores.
highlight: I got the chance to go sailing with my brother and sister-in-law Sunday late afternoon/evening. I did not know we were going sailing, just having a barbecue. It was quite the experience!! The scenery was beautiful and the weather was perfect for sailing. Oh, and I saw a not-so-alive fish on top of the river as we sailed by.

Work is work. We got through month-end and payroll.

Thursday night I got to spend time with Care at her house. We grabbed a bite to eat and watched some tv and played a game. Today also I got to spend more time with her after lunch. We did a little bit of shopping and fellowship. We went to hear the Serbia team report during second service which was neat to hear how God worked among our team and the Serb-Christians there.

"I call to rememberance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart, and my spirit makes diligent search." Psalm 77:6 NKJV

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-02T22:55:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July, happy 4th of July, Happy 4th to you, happy 4th of July!!!! And many more!!!!

Yes, it is just 25 hours away from being the 4th of July, America's Birthday! We are turning a whopping 232 years old...wahoo!!!!

Hope you are all safe and warm and have a happy 4th with whomever you wish to spend it.

Pre-4th celebrations!

2008-06-30T22:20:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Hope you had a great weekend! I was celebrating the 4th of July early as I do just about every year. I LOVE the 4th of July so much that I guess I can't wait until the actual day to celebrate. I just had a thought that this holiday is one that you should celebrate everyday. I am proud to be an American! But, on the other hand, what makes the 4th so spectacular is that it does only happen once a year, and the fireworks are just that and more spectacular! Getting back to the pre-celebrations, I played a part in the orchestra for our annual patriotic services held the weekend before the actual holiday. We do this to honor and celebrate those who have served this country and are serving currently around the world. The song that I have had in my head since is Battle Hymn of the Republic. We ended each service with that hymn and confetti coming out of two pipes on either side of the stage (I being right by two of them). It is always good to see those men in uniform and the presentation of our American flag and say the pledge of allegiance.
Mosaic on Saturday was spent with Mure and I talking about our trip to Mexico and how we were stretched by God. We finished up by talking about our upcoming camping trip...oh and we had a couple 'newbies' come to our group which is good as we could have more people in the group. We went out to Wong Kings for dinner, which was pretty good.
Sunday afternoon I picked up Care and we went bowling for an hour. My work was having a bowlathon/fundraiser to raise money to send teens to leadership training. We both had a good time bowling, and then went out afterwards to a couple places and I also showed her where I work. It was good to spend time with her after not seeing each other for three weeks.

It's NBA Draft Day!

2008-06-26T19:58:00.000-07:00

Hola! I'm home! Yes, I have arrived safe and sound from the depths of Mexico. All in all, it was a good trip. Don't worry, I will have a post featuring just things about the trip before the month is up (hopefully).
Today is Draft day in the NBA. Being an avid TrailBlazer fan (and basketball fan), I am excited when this day comes around. So, I apologize for breaking news if you haven't heard yet. At our pick #13, we selected Brandon Rush who we all assumed was going to go to Charlotte as we had acquired their #9 pick of DJ Augustine. That was for sure who we thought we were getting, then it turns out that no, that's not the case. Mr. GM said that no, we are getting Indiana's #11 pick of Jared Bayless, who is who Portland wanted. So we are sending Jarrett Jack and possible Josh McRoberts to Indiana for him. All has not been confirmed yet, but I am sure we shall hear soon. Oh, then our next pick was #27 (I had missed something when New Orleans picked at 27 with Darrell Arthur who was sitting in the green room by himself waiting to get picked up). He possibly could be a Trail Blazer also, and then our next pick was #33 with Joey Dorsey from Memphis.
Feel free to make comments on your thoughts on the Blazers' picks and what you think will take place. I already thought that either Sergio, Jarrett, or Steve was going to go somewhere else. So now that it's Jarrett that's leaving, I may still cheer for him as he is one of my favorite Blazers. It's sad (most of the time) to see someone traded to another team, but it's usually to better the team (at least, that is the goal).

Destination: Mexico

2008-06-12T23:52:00.000-07:00

Hola! Hope you have had a good week. My week was busy while it was month-end at work. I got there a little bit early each day so I could make sure I get my work done and I stayed late a little each day too. I am ready for a vacation. Oh, how nice...I do get to go on vacation to Mexico...tomorrow! Actually in just a few SHORT hours, I will be getting on a plane with 14 others (the 15th is coming later) to Mazatlan. Oh, and it's not really a vacation...it's a mission to serve God and His children at an orphanage. I appreciate all your prayers as we are down there. Please pray for safety, good health, Godly wisdom, and endurance, plus whatever else you can think of.
Hope you have a good weekend and a week ahead. It will be a few days 'til I blog again, but I'll have stories to share. Until then, God bless!

His Providence is Apparent

2008-06-06T22:37:00.000-07:00

Hola! It's been a week full of busyness, news, blessings, and service. Let it be known that in less than 7 days I leave for Mexico!! WOW! That translates into some 150 hours until I get on a plane headed south. Tonight, I went over to a house where we prepped for a garage sale that is happening tomorrow. We are raising funds for the orphanage that we will be working at down there. We hope for good weather and a good turnout. I went with a teammate tonight and helped put out signs for the sale. You can just call me the 'arrow gal' as I put well-seen arrows on the signs. I typed up the songs we are going to be singing down there last night as well as our team song...which I had in my head tonight. I think we are all getting very excited...at least I hope we are, anyways. Oh, I got word over email that our team has just over three-fourths of our support raised...wahoo!!!
Tuesday night was our first orchestra rehearsal for patriotic services for church. I am a bit amazed at how well I played that night, considering I am a little out of shape. I am once again, playing my clarinet and look forward to that weekend. The choir has been practicing now for almost a month but they have to have their words and notes memorized. I always look forward to the 4th of July as it is one of my favorite holidays. (I know I will say this again when it gets closer to the day).
Saturday I had the privilege to go to a wedding of a good friend of mine (Cheryl) that I had somewhat lost contact with. Everything about and in the wedding was beautiful, including the bride and groom. It was so good that we got to see and talk to each other, and almost make the other cry because of a good thing!!
Work has been busy as it was a payroll week and the first couple days I spent catching up on my filing that was getting piled up. On Monday, a meeting was held after work with some big news being announced. None of us knew (we thought) what the news was going to be. (Drum roll, please!) There will be a merger between the company I work for with two other companies. They hope to have the deal closed by September, and we have to get approval from suppliers to close it. They could only tell us what they know thus far at the meeting...hmm, very profound. There are still lots of unknowns yet, but there was a little blurb on it in the paper on Tuesday and then a bigger article in Wednesday's paper. I am shocked, but I think it's going to be a good move.
Hope you all have a great weekend!
"For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,' Eph 2:14

Playing and Praying at the Beach

2008-05-30T23:03:00.000-07:00

Greetings! Hope you all had a cool week! And a nice Memorial Day weekend last weekend. I did a little bit of shopping for my trip to Mexico (that's in just a few 13 days, give or take a few hours). I did spend a little bit of time remembering those who need not be forgotten. Oh, I had another Mexico meeting last Saturday where we worked on one of the skits we will be doing there. I just read in my email that we will work on it again at our potluck we are having so our families that come will be our audience. How nice!
This time of the month can be slow at work, so I was able to take a couple days off this week to go to the coast with my close dear friend, Care. We met Tuesday after my day at work and drove down to the coast where my family has a cabin. We stopped in Albany for dinner and saw some ducks, which made me think of my grandpa and I when we went to feed the ducks at the lake. It was quite interesting watching them as we were eating in the food place. Off we went again and got to the cabin after 9:00, and watched the movie, Clue. It is such a good movie...I think that is my third time watching it but I could watch it at least 100 times maybe but not in a row and still enjoy it. Wednesday, we went into town and into a couple antique malls as we both like to go antique shopping. It is very fun to see what there might be in the malls, just to look at. I took Care to the bayfront where there were little shops and ate lunch at Mo's. No, I did not get my halibut but had a good tuna sandwich with clam chowder and Care had her fish 'n chips. On the way back we stopped for ice cream, of course!! One cannot go to the beach and not have ice cream! In the evening, we played the Bible game on video and some other games. That was after we watched most of the second half of the Boston-Detroit game and Boston won, 106-102.
Thursday, we spent some time in the Word, played more video games, went to the beach, ate at a '60s style restaurant, saw some sea lions, and got some taffy. All said and done, we finally got back home a little after 9:00 in the evening. I know that we both enjoyed ourselves and that we grew in our friendship and in our relationship with the Lord as well.
"So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing. (Note: Paul is in Ephesus) Now after these things were finished, Paul purposed in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, 'After I have been there, I must also see Rome.' And having sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while." Acts 19:20-22

Devoted to service

2008-05-21T22:14:00.000-07:00

Hola! I spent this last weekend at my team retreat, getting ready for the trip to Mexico. I heard we were the last team to take our retreat, but it was also team commissioning at church this weekend. It was a double-good weekend to be had. I picked up my brother-in-Christ on the way to the house where we would be retreating. Ed was there that night to talk more about the culture and what exactly we would be doing at the orphanage. After that, my brother (in Christ) and I went on a run to get some dinner and brought it back to the house to eat. We stayed up with most everyone just chatting and having fellowship that night. Saturday morning after breakfast we went and did a community service project at the Good News clinic in Rockwood. What we did was pull up weeds, put down two loads of bark dust and planted fresh new flowers in the front. I think we all felt really good about doing something to help the community. I bet God was happy with His children, seeing them work like that to make something look beautiful.
When we were done, we went back to the house for lunch. We were all hungry after doing all that work. Later on, we left to go to the church to get ready for service in which all the short-term teams would be commissioned. Since we were having our retreat that weeekend, we worked it out and did not have to stay and help with the barbecue. We ate some dinner and worked on some children's praise songs in Spanish. Sunday morning we were back off to church again to be commissioned two more times. The Russia team left today so pray that they have a safe trip and that they would be devoted to serving the One who called them to go. We stayed after 2nd service to help set up and serve at the barbecue...I was the official 'ice sculpture guard'. There was this very nice 2-dimensional sculpture of the world, made of ice. It was very 'cool' looking! Both barbecues were a success and I am sure that everyone that helped felt good and appreciated all that came to eat.
Today I served the state I live in, and it was actually pretty cool. Service of any kind is neat because you are doing it ultimately for the One who made you, then to the community, to the team. I hope that we all can do more service this summer, not just individually but also in groups. God will get the glory for it all!
"and they spoke to Moses, saying ' The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work in which the LORD commanded us to do' " Exodus 36:5

Give and Take

2008-05-12T22:33:00.000-07:00

Hi y'all. Hope you had a lovely weekend. Happy Belated Mother's Day to all the Mothers I know out there. Sunday, we were all available to go out for dinner. It was that dinner that was supposed to happen last Sunday or my birthday, my sister's birthday and Mother's Day. We went to Gustav's for the early dinner, which was nice considering I think my sister had not been there and I know I had not been there before. My brother and sister-in-law were able to dine with us as well. Dinner was quite good (yes, Care, I had my HALIBUT). lol! OH, and our power went out for about three hours on Sunday too. We don't know the reason why but I bet there were some daughters and/or mothers that were upset when it had gone out at lunch time. The power had come back on before we got home from dinner, so hopefully people were able to have their nice lunches/dinners for the special day.
Saturday, I went to Alyssa's basketball game in the morning. She was not awake and did not do much in the game but I know she enjoys playing and having fun. Then in the afternoon I finished preparing myself for Mosaic that night as I would be teaching. After some prayer earlier in the week, I was led to teach about the temple and the story of the den of robbers and how when you do something such as singing in the church choir, you are doing it for God above all. Some people will do things for the church just for the church and their hearts are not in it to serve God. They want to please the church...they would be people-pleasers. God calls us to be God-pleasers. I thought the teaching went quite well. Prayer time can sometimes be interesting and this was one of those times. I was glad to see that my brother-in-Christ made it back safely from Europe.
"But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you." Jeremiah 7:23

Doing your best

2008-05-07T22:33:00.000-07:00

Well, it is another Wednesday. Work has been busy as the last few days have been payroll and now we are getting into month-end for April. I am hoping that month-end will go okay, since I have an added project that needs to get done by next week.
Saturday morning was busy but good. I woke up at 8:00 and got ready to go to Alyssa's first track meet of the season that she has been able to go to. She finally was able to get some help on high jump. By the time I got there, she had already done high jump and shot put. She tied her season best on high jump and did pretty good on shot put. I did get to see her run the 100m dash. After that, we got in the car and ran home so she could get her basketball shirt and shoes and we headed off to her game that had started at 10am. We were hoping that she could get there in time to play in the first half if we were lucky. Well, we got there and there was over 11 minutes to go in the first half! She got to be there for 3/4 of the game. Her team won, 25-21...the other team was playing rough as I think the teams know that this team is the team to beat. We came home after the game and relaxed for a bit.
Saturday afternoon was my Mexico meeting where for part of it we got to play charades. Yep, charades is another language you can use in another country, such as Mexico to explain something to a native when you don't know their speaking language. We each acted out a sentence that we had drawn. My charade was...'there was an iguana in my bed'! That was fun to act out. I hadn't thought of doing charades in another country when you don't know the native's language.
In church we started a new series on the Law. Sean finished up his teaching on studying the Word in Mosaic. Sunday we did not go to birthday lunch as not all of us were available. It has been postponed. Tuesday night was our last lesson for Women's Bible study this year. I am sad but I enjoyed playing my clarinet again even though most of the songs I had four or five sharps (I opted out of a couple and just sang along on those). Next week will be the spring banquet which should be a good time.

A Birthday Post!

2008-04-30T18:23:00.000-07:00

Well...it has been an interesting few days since my last post. Hope you are doing well. That someone's birthday I mentioned in my last post, they...okay, it's me...had a good time. Saturday I went to Alyssa's basketball game where her team won, 38-14. I felt bad for the other team as they only had six girls to our 10 that were there. After the game, I headed over to the bowling alley to meet up with friends from Mosaic to bowl. Yay!!! I was hoping to get a 105 on a game since the last time I went bowling my highest was 104. My first game I got a 101...I SO could have put down the last few pins on the last frame but the ball went the other side. Oh well. We shall not talk about my second game. Anyway, all who were there, had a good time, I think. We went out to lunch at McD's (I had a vanilla milkshake...mmm) which was fine since I had not been there in a while.
After taking a couple friends home, I got in contact with Amy and Sean and went to their place for a bit before I had to be at church for my Mexico meeting. I enjoyed being there and getting to catch up with them. The meeting went well and so was church. We ended our series on 2 Timothy, and then headed off to Mosaic where Sean led us in review of what we learned last week at Nate's place. It was a good refresher and we all learned a lot. I got to choose where we went for dinner, and I chose Shari's, to be different from our regular spots.
Sunday, I stayed home with the fam and took the dog for a walk plus we got to play a fave game...Pit. It's quite fun and can get loud!!
Today at work, my boss took the dept out for a birthday lunch for my coworker and I since it was her birthday too. We both wanted Chinese food, and not knowing what was around in the area, I looked on the internet and found a place. It was quiet and we were about the only people there. The food was alright...I felt bad for the gal sitting next to me as her food was not to her liking. That happens sometimes, when you order something you like and it's done differently than you like it.
To 'end' the birthday post, the fam is going out to lunch this weekend to celebrate Mother's Day, my sister's bday and my bday all at the same time.

Untitled for now...please hold.

2008-04-25T22:23:00.000-07:00

I am glad it's Friday! This week was somewhat more busier than I expected at work but that is good. At least I wasn't bored. Bible study was good Tuesday night as we are getting closer to finishing for the year. I took Care out for ice cream afterwards for goodness sake. My coworker's son is doing much better after having that surgery last weekend.
The weekend should be a great one since I know of someone's birthday being this weekend and I think we are going bowling to celebrate. I am going to Alyssa's basketball game in the morning so I wonder if our team will hold the opposing team to, once again, just 18 points. We shall see, we shall see...
I had a relative pass away last week and their service was recently held. I also know two ladies that gave birth to baby girls this week, so congrats to them both!!!
Here's a bit of business news for ya. The owner of Arby's, after getting rejected twice for the possible deal, bought out Wendy's food chain. He paid a hefty $2.34 billion to get the food chain. I love eating at Arby's (I enjoy eating at Wendy's too) because I LOVE the roast beef they serve in sandwiches, and I bet they would taste great with a vanilla frosty (trying to connect the two together). I hope the chocolate frosties still continue, and as much as I like the chocolate frosties, I like the vanilla ones too that they came out with fairly recently. Although I do have to say they taste very much like a vanilla milkshake. I would take a vanilla milkshake over a chocolate milkshake most any time.
Have a great weekend!

Maybe the ducks are running a race, too.

2008-04-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

Greetings! Hope you have had a good start of the week. And your weekend as well! My weekend went like this...
Friday I worked late because my co-worker wasn't there. Her son had not been feeling well and she took him to the ER and, as I found out today, he had surgery on Sunday. It went pretty well, she said. Nothing too major but now he is on the road to recovery. I stayed home Friday night. Saturday, in the morning I went to Alyssa's basketball game where her team won...52-18. I am seeing a bit of a pattern here. Last week, the score was 36-18, this week was 52-18. 18 seems to be a repetitive number here, for some odd reason. She played pretty well, too...she did not score as many as last week but still was a good game. Then, from there, we went to a middle school where a junior high solo / ensemble instrumental contest was going on. She played with three of her classmates a song called Fanfare and Air. They did pretty well for it being their first time. The person judging them was helpful, and had told Alyssa to play louder as she was the only one with melody. Afterwards, one of her classmates said that no one has told her to play louder. We also listened to a clarinet quintet and a couple others. Chinese food was what we ate for lunch as we went out to eat.
My Mexico meeting was good as usual, and then went in to service. The message was really good as the pastor talked about the Christian walk and how we are to run the race, fight the good fight, and keep the faith. After it had stopped snowing (in April???? goodness!!!), we finally decided it was okay to go up to my friend's place across the river where we had dinner and watched a video on hermeneutics. It was quite interesting and a lot of information to take in. All good!
Sunday, I didn't do a whole lot other than the usual. Today at work was again quite busy as I had to finish the payroll that I started Friday and other things. The week should slow down a bit, though.
"in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing." 2 Timothy 4:8

Where did the ducks go?

2008-04-16T22:44:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right. I saw two ducks this morning when I got to work. One was sitting under a coworker's car, and the mallard was standing about in the middle of the parking lot. I'm not kidding! I don't know how or why they got their in the first place, but I hope that they got back to where they belong.
This last week has been a busy but good week. The weekend was filled with such things as going to respite night at church, bowling, basketball, church, Mexico meeting, fellowship, and more fellowship. It was a little weird being at respite at church since it had been a while since I had gone. It was good though to be back. Afterwards, I got invited to go cosmic bowling with three brothers in Christ. We got three games in...my first one I scored 86, second game I scored 85 and the third game I topped it off with a 104. It was very fun! Saturday morning I went to my niece's basketball game where her team won 36-18. In the afternoon, I went to my Mexico meeting where, for part of it, we played a game where we had to trust the other to guide us as one of us was blindfolded. Church was good as always and then Carrie lead our group in Mosaic. I thought she did a very good job. I lead the prayer time then we went out to Red Robin (or Blue Bird as one may call it). Sunday I did some work around the house then Carrie and I got together in the mid-afternoon and had some nice chick time.
Oh, and I heard Sunday that my friend, Heather, had had her baby on Saturday. Hoorah!

Mystery of food, it's a good thing!

2008-04-09T22:30:00.000-07:00

Good evening. Hope you are having a good week thus far. My week has gone fairly busy at work since it is month-end for March. Church was good again last weekend as the pastor spoke on how the Word is all sufficient for all our needs (see 2 Cor 12:9). Oh wait, that verse says 'My grace is sufficient for you...'. Well, it is sufficient for us. I loved the song choice too as I loved all the songs we sang!!! There was an opportunity to share a favorite verse or a verse that was on your heart, and a few people spoke up. This will shock you...I was one of those people. Yes, I stood up and read John 6:33-35. I felt it was on my heart to say so I got up and said it! It can be powerful when you hear the Word being read and spoken!! Also, in my Mexico meeting beforehand, we were talking about our life stories and I had mentioned how, in mine, I start out with feeding the ducks with my grandpa, and if you read that passage in John 6, it says that Jesus is the 'Bread of Life'. We also had a good time in Mosaic where we talked more about the group and going over the Scripture from service.
Earlier that day (Saturday), I got to spend some time with my niece which I don't get to do too often when it's just her and I. I had to get my snow tires off since that was the last day you could have them on. We went to Wendy's for lunch, and then back to Schwab's and she read in her book as I worked on my story for the meeting. My car got done sooner than expected so I took her to Starbucks. We picked up Care on the way to church, then I went off to my meeting.
Bible study was good last night as it always is. The word study was quite amazing as it was a 'mystery' looking up those NT verses. I think it clicked for a lot of us that we only have like four weeks left of it this year. Care and I spent some time afterwards, getting a bite to eat and stopping at the store. It's always good when friends can spend some time together.

The Sword of Truth

2008-04-04T18:01:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Hope you have had a good week. Sorry it has been a bit since I have blogged. I was thinking a couple days ago that when I blog next time (which is now) that I should talk about the message that was spoken at church last weekend. It was such a great message! So here ya go!

'You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings - what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,' 2 Timothy 3:10-12

Paul is telling Timothy about how (Timothy) knows Paul and what he has gone through in his life. I bet he has endured his sufferings with the fruits of the Spirit. It mentions a couple of them (love, patience) in this passage. There are lots of things in this life that need love and patience by each of us. Trials and tribulations, and missions just to name a few. Paul is telling Timothy that through it all, the Lord saved him from all the persecutions. I do think that still we need to endure through them and have the perseverance to get to the 'light at the end of the tunnel'. With His help, we can get to that light. He is the Light of the world and we should shine it from within us especially during these times.

Here is an example. I am going on a mission trip to Mexico this summer as you may know. It is hot down there plus you have the humidity with the heat. I may have to suffer through the heat and humidness (is that a word? if not, I just made it up and I like it) plus whatever else I encounter while I am down there. It does help, however, that I have been there before so I know somewhat what to expect.

In verse 12 of 2 Timothy 3, it says that whoever wants to live for God will endure persecutions. A question that was brought up by the pastor was, 'why aren't we persecuted?' We talked about this in Mosaic after service a bit and it was quite interesting. I was personally asked this question about if I hug the beam or walk on it when I am being persecuted. As I am one who has to process things before I can speak, I was not quick to answer. My thought is that, at first, I may hug the beam because I may not be bold enough to speak up. If I pray and ask Him to give me my words, then I can get up off the beam and walk on it. I know He is with me all the way. It would be good if I carried the 'sword of Truth' with me so I will be ready if/when the opportunity knocks. We should all carry that sword of Truth with us so we will be ready.

A rewarding and pleasing service

2008-03-26T22:59:00.001-07:00

Hey all! Hope you had a great Easter weekend! Mine was filled with dress rehearsal Friday night, then spending five hours at church Saturday with two services and warm-up beforehand. I had some good fellowship time with a few brothers and sisters . Oh, Saturday morning I colored eggs with my niece and my sister. That was a good time. I like to write on the eggs before I dip them. A couple I wrote on mine this year were: 'Jesus is Lord', 'God is love' 1 Jn 4:7-8, and 'Mexico '08'. Hope you had a chance to color some eggs this Easter. Sunday morning He arose...and I spent four.five hours at church with two more services praising Him on that glorious day! I admired how beautiful Mt. Hood looks as there is a ton of snow on it, on the way to church! It is so good to hear a choir and orchestra praising the God of all wonders on such a weekend!
Getting to play in the orhestra at church for a special holiday or time is always rewarding. It feels like you have been at a retreat somewhere and then Monday morning comes and you realize you have to go to work. I will always enjoy playing my clarinet or bass clarinet for church, whatever the occasion may be.
This week at work has been fairly slow, but I am glad that it is getting close to the weekend. I have a Mexico meeting on Saturday before church that I am looking forward to, and then going to church and seeing all my brothers and sisters that I have not seen or talked to in a couple weeks. Hope you have a good rest of the week.
"Behold, bless the LORD, all servants of the LORD, who serve by night in the house of the LORD! Lift up your hands to the sanctuary and bless the LORD. May the LORD bless you from Zion, He who made heaven and earth." Psalm 134

Just hours until the Third Day

2008-03-22T22:53:00.000-07:00

Good evening! I hope you have had a good week. Can you believe it's Easter weekend already?! I just heard that how they decide when the holiday comes is, after the vernal equinox (first day of spring), the first full moon, comes Easter. This is the earliest Easter we have had since about 1913 (so I heard), almost 100 years ago.
Choir and the orchestra have been preparing for a while for this weekend. We had two rehearsals this week...one was on Tuesday and the dress one on (Good) Friday. The dress rehearsal went rather well. Two services are done so far, and there is two more in the morning. These songs that we are doing have grown on me and have made me tremble. This is a special weekend where we should all tremble at one point or more. The meaning of Easter is Jesus rising up on the third day to give us life and a Hope forever!!
"So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, 'certainly this was a righteous Man!" Luke 23:47

Study on Tremble, take two

2008-03-14T21:34:00.000-07:00

Tremble: to shake involuntarily with quick, short movements, as from fear, excitement, or cold; quake, quiver. (Webster's Dictionary)

Wow, I just read what I just typed and I am in awe already. Here are some verses I have found in the Word with 'tremble' for you.

Is 64:2 'As fire burns brushwood, as fire causes water to boil- to make Your name known to your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at your presence!'

Ezra 9:4 'Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel assembled to me, because of the transgression of those who had been carried away captive, and I sat astonished until the evening sacrifice.'

Psalm 18:7 'Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken, because He was angry.'

Ezra 10:3 'Now therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and those who have been born to them, according to the advice of my master and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.'

Is 66:2 'For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist,' says the LORD. 'But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.' (side note: 'And God said...and it was so')!!! (quote from Genesis)

1 Cor 2:3 'I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.'

2 Cor 7:15 'And his affections are greater for you as he remembers the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him.'

Eph 6:5 'Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ,'

Is 66:5 'Hear the word of the LORD, you who tremble at His word: your brethren who hated you, who cast you out for My name's sake, said, 'let the LORD be glorified, that we may see your joy, but they shall be ashamed.'

Wow!!! I also could think of two songs that have the word, tremble, in them. One is 'All the Earth' (the line goes 'I tremble in your holy presence'). That is one of my favorite worship songs! The other one is 'Did you feel the mountains tremble?'. It's even in the song title! That's also a really cool praise song.

The reason that I got on this whole 'tremble' thing is that last week, I was on my way to pick up Alyssa from church and I saw a bumper sticker that said, 'fish tremble at the sound of my name'. I related that in the biblical sense as well. God calls us to be fishers of men, and I like to think that we do tremble when we hear His name. Another thing is that I was listening to one of the songs we are doing for Easter services, called End of the Beginning, and I was shaking by the end of the song. I didn't know it until I had gotten to church. The words of that song get to me and the music as well. I hope that something touched you in this study and that you will be trembled this next week as we near Good Friday and Easter.

Study on Tremble, take one.

2008-03-10T23:22:00.000-07:00

The baby shower on Friday night I went to was fun. The mother-to-be was very appreciative of the gifts and friends that were there. Saturday I took Alyssa to her game, which they won 26-24. Our team was short two girls so the girls that were there played more than usual. That team has improved so much since the first game of the season...it has been cool to watch them! She and I hung around at home until it was time for church. (Oops, I was about to call Mosaic 1.3. I guess it may take a while for me to get used to it being Mosaic again). Mosaic was cool as we had a couple new people come. We had a good time of fellowship and we shared a favorite Easter time. Sunday I stayed home other than going to my first team meeting. After the meeting, I went out for an early dinner of Mexican food with a couple brothers in Christ. I enjoyed my title for my last post ('preparations') as it really was this weekend. Orchestra rehearsals started for Easter...the choir has been preparing also for the services...my friend, the mom-to-be has been preparing with her husband for their new life that is coming soon...I had my first team meeting for Mexico. Oh, and my brother and sister-in-law came over Sunday night for a bit to visit.
This next bit is what has been on my heart since last Thursday. I have done a word study on Tremble. Since it is late (and I am tired), I will share one verse with you I found, and then my next post I will continue the study. Jeremiah 33:9 says, 'Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.' NIV Wouldn't that be a cool thing to see?! A whole city in awe and trembling before the Lord!

Preparations

2008-03-06T19:13:00.000-08:00

Aww, yes! The Lord is also intriguing, although I hope that He was considered when I said the Bible. The Bible is about Him and everything that happened 2000 years ago and how He wants us to live as Christians (thanks, Care). On Tuesday night, we had our first orchestra rehearsal for Easter. The first one (rehearsal) is always interesting. The orchestra is small this time around but I know the Lord put it together and had planned for this special event (Easter weekend).
Work this week has been busy with payroll and start of month-end. It has gone pretty well. Tomorrow is Friday and I will be attending a baby shower that night. She is a good friend who I met through the church about five years ago, I think. Wow...time has flown by!
Have a lovely weekend!
"Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings." Psalm 33:2

Intriguing!

2008-03-02T22:24:00.000-08:00

First and foremost, the Bible! Grandparents. Clouds (esp. those that look like cotton balls). Weather. Cats. Turkey. Fish (namely Shrimp and Halibut), although I suppose I would have to include in that Trout and Steelhead. State Capitals. US History. World History. Family. Certain cars. Food. Ice cream. The Trail Blazers! Basketball. Finding out that a friend is going on the same mission trip you are this summer. The fact that Leap Day only occurs every four years (why is it only four years?).
I was going to post on Friday to wish all a Happy Leap Day, but since I didn't, I am doing it now so happy Leap Day! My Leap Day was happy because I went to the Blazer game with my dad and my niece. The Blazers played the LA Lakers and I thought that we would certainly lose the game. It turned out to be a very good and exciting game. I am glad that Brandon Roy came back to play after being out 2 games because of his ankle and also James Jones came back from missing 12 games. Final score of the game was 119-111. Here are a couple stats for ya: turnovers 6 for Portland and 13 for LA. Rebounds 43 for LA and 35 for Portland. Bench points we outscored LA like 43-20something. YEA!!!!!
Last week was a slow week at work and I am glad it is over. Oh, I got all the files moved to the storage room...praise the Lord!!! It's on to payroll and beginning of month-end this week.
Church was good this week as we had communion in service and our Mosaic meeting was, I'll say interesting. We started a series this week on the Cross. This week the orchestra starts rehearsing for Easter services.
I am sure my list of intriguing things could go on and on. Here's to an intriguing week...

It's a God-Thing!

2008-02-26T22:33:00.000-08:00

Good evening, everyone. I am just going to get to the point (as someone told me earlier). I am going to Mazatlan this summer! Yes, I had been praying about if it would be His will for me to go on a mission trip this summer. I received a call Sunday night from the leader of the Mexico team, saying I was in. I am already looking forward to going as from what he was telling me on the phone, it will be a different experience from when I went last time. I was on the team to Mazatlan in 2005 which was also a God thing, let me tell ya. He also did a mighty thing among a team member and also used each and every one of us during our time there.
I sent an email to my supervisor today asking for that time off work. She replied saying that that would be a hard week to miss since it will be a payroll week. She approved it on the condition that I would get all my work done by that Friday before I leave, and if not, I would have to come in Saturday to finish up. I replied back to her clarifying that the dates for the trip were out of my control, and then she said that if it were during the first week of the month, she would have said no (month-end). I think that is definitely a God thing, considering at first I wanted to go on the Serbia team and they are gone the last week of the month plus the first week of the next month. That obviously says something about His timing being perfect. I think also that what I desire isn't always what He desires exactly or wills for me. He is an omniscient God.

Many Parts but One

2008-02-21T22:35:00.000-08:00

There have been two Scripture verses that have been in my heart since Saturday night at Mosaic. The first one is 1 Corinthians 12:18 (NKJV) which says, 'But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.' I know He has created us as we are and is making us who He wants us to become. There are many gifts that we could choose from to have and share and encourage with others. I'm sure there are some that we would like to have more than others, but we are given the one He wanted us to have. He knows us better than ourselves and the gift He gave us is the best one that 'fits' us as we are. I know that mine is the gift of music and I seem to have a knack for remembering where something is said in the Word and put out the reference. I was reading in my Bible the footnote on this verse in 1 Cor 12, and it says that if we think our gift is more important than others, that would be spiritual pride. I hope that I am not taking any pride in knowing these verses from memory and that it does not show. I should and do give the credit to the One who gave it to me, just as we all should give Him the credit for giving us the gift He gave us.
The second verse is this, which is a reference from the verse in 1 Cor 12: 'For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.' Romans 12:4-5 (NKJV) Again, the footnote in my Bible says that 'Paul uses the concept of the human body to teach how Christians should live and work together. (I love this next line). Just as the parts of the body function under the direction of the brain, so Christians are to work together under the command and authority of Jesus Christ.' If not all the parts are there at the gathering place, then how are we to grow and be complete as in a puzzle? Who said anything about putting together a puzzle fast?

We are 'Made to Love'

2008-02-18T18:20:00.000-08:00

Hello all. How was your weekend? Mine was great. Friday (George Washington's b-day) work was fine. I got off an hour early so I would have time to go meet my friends at their house to head to a concert from there. I got a little lost on the way, but I am glad that my brother-in-Christ called me I think just at the right time to help me get there. The directions I had were not 100% accurate off the computer. We left a little after 5:00 and headed down I-5 to Salem for the concert. "Now playing: Matthew West, Jeremy Camp, and TobyMac". Once in Salem, we all agreed (yea) to eat dinner at Izzy's. It was good since I had not been there in a while. By the time we got parked and inside, Matthew was up on stage already. All three groups did a great job, even though Jeremy said he had had the flu the last couple days and wasn't feeling well. He did say that he was thankful that the Lord brought him through his part of the concert. When TobyMac came on stage, it became quite loud, but I think he brings a good message across (as well as the other two). I think he targets young ones as I could hear young ones screaming during the songs. That is a good sign, though that God is definitely working through him and his group. I was waiting to hear his song, Made to Love, and I think it was one of the last songs they did. After the concert, we headed back up to Portland, and stopped to get gas in the car and a soda to drink. I really enjoyed the fellowship we had in the car both ways and during the concert!
Saturday morning came and I got up before 9:00 to go to Safeway to get a veggie tray for a memorial service they were having at church for a friend of a lady in my bible study group. I got to the church at 10am and saw a couple ladies from my group. About 12 noon I went to go see my niece play her basketball game. It was an exciting and the closest game thus far in the season. We were up 16-5 at halftime and won 26-25. I am proud of the girls for doing a great job!
Saturday night was church. A 'newer' pastor spoke this weekend on enduring in the Truth and I thought it was really good. I think that was the first time I have heard him speak. 1.3 was afterwards, or rather Mosaic now. I thought it went rather well. We had a couple more people come this time, which is always a good thing. We went out to Chinese for dinner, which I was thinking about earlier in the day. Beef broccoli was my entree to be different and boy, was it good! I watched a movie when I got home then went to bed.
Sunday, I stayed home all day and relaxed (and also took the dog for a walk). Hope you were able to watch the exciting All-Star game last night. Brandon Roy was an All-Star and he played well, scoring 18 points and got a few rebounds. It was really cool that there was a Portland Trail Blazer on the All-Star team! Unfortunately, the West lost, 134-128 to the East, but it was a fun game to watch!
Last but not least, I wish you a happy President's Day!

A "Stately" Birthday

2008-02-14T19:17:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear the State of Oregon...
Happy Birthday to you!!!

And many more!!!
Oregon turns 149 years old today...next year will be the sesquintennial...150! I think I will celebrate it within a few weeks or so by eating some halibut at a restaurant with a friend.

Hope you all are having a nice Valentine's Day. It's nice to know that if you don't have someone special to share it with, Jesus is your valentine. He is the best one, ya know! He loves us unconditionally!

From 1.3 to being puzzle pieces

2008-02-12T22:28:00.001-08:00

Hope your Chinese New Year is going grand so far (even though there only has been six days since it started). I heard, I think, on Sunday, that they closed the mountain passes in WA because no one could get through the snow. My oh my! I just heard the weather report and they are forecasting up to 61 degrees this weekend (Sunday to be exact). If it hits 61 on Sunday (would be the first 60 degree day of 2008), that will be the same day, same degree as in 2007. As Care and I say, that would be creepy cool!
Changing subjects to last weekend...
I met up with the lady who is leading the team to Serbia on Saturday before church. I thought it went pretty well. I was on a Jesus high after that for church and afterwards (as some certain people may attest to observing). After service, we had 1.3 where we talked about where our group should go, etc. We have changed the name to Mosaic, which is what it was before it was 1.3. I like the name Mosaic because it's a puzzle and everyone has a part or piece of the puzzle. We all go together to complete the puzzle. That makes me think of where it says in 1 Corinthians 12 I believe where it talks about the different parts of the body and how one part or body cannot function without another part. That is so cool that He has given us each gifts to use to help complete the puzzle.
Tonight was Bible study which is always good. I enjoyed the songs we did in worship as I got to play my clarinet again. Please keep in prayer that God's will be done if I am supposed to go on a summer team. I also hope that the rest of the week would be time spent well at work so I can enjoy the concert I am going to with friends on Friday. :)

Heavy snow comes, bringing in the New Year.

2008-02-07T21:45:00.000-08:00

Yes, you may think it a little odd that I am wishing you a happy New year again. Today, February 7, marks the beginning of a new year in China. 2008 (or whatever year the Chinese are on) is the year of the rat. I've been reading in the paper lately about the really bad snow blizzards they have been having over there, which is making traveling difficult. The trains have been backed up or not even running as people wait in the station to get home to visit their families for the holiday. The article I read in the paper said it is the worst blizzard they have had in five decades.
There much snow we have had in this state and in this region of the country. I have seen on the news lately little towns such as Drain and Idanha. No I had not heard of Idanha before this news report. Evidently they have like 10-14 feet of snow and they have brought in the troops to help shovel the snow out so the residents can get out of their driveways and stores. I guess the snow is going in the lake because that is the only place it can go. The pictures on the news are just amazing.
Speaking of amazing yet scary, four tornadoes touched down in the midwest, killing 55 people (30 of them being in TN alone). That was the last count I heard, as of yesterday. I did hear that a couple firefighters found an infant alive lying in a field but unfortunately his mother did not make it. I hope there is a father or some relative that can take care of him. My heart goes out to the places where there have been hurricanes or tornadoes or tsunamies. I hope they can get some help in recovery efforts (I think they are).
In my last post, I mentioned I was going to meet with the lady leading the Serbia team on Tuesday. That has been postponed until this Saturday afternoon. Hope you have a good rest of the week, and please keep those affected by weather in prayer.

Go team go (again)!

2008-02-04T23:08:00.000-08:00

Here we go again. Friday night at my niece's school, they had a night of midnight madness, which meant that they would play basketball until midnight. Or at least that's the plan. There were three schools there including the home team, and there would be three games played the whole night. Plus, in between the games there would be fun drills and games. The first game was between the two visiting teams...I don't know who won that game as I wasn't there yet. The second game we played against one of the two schools and won 39-21. During the games I went out to the car to check how the Blazers were doing on their game against New York. The third game we played against the other school and won 36-16. I think the girls all had a good time, but the madness only went until about 11:15. Of course there were snacks provided to keep up the kids' energy level when they had a chance to eat.
Oh by the way, the Blazers did end up beating the Knicks in OT 94-88!!!
Saturday morning we got snow! My sister and I went to go see "A" play another game as it was in the afternoon. The girls won and beat the other team 34-25 with "A" getting the last shot. Way to go girls!!!
Saturday night was church and again it was a good message. Afterwards we went to go hear a lady talk about her experiences in Uganda.
Sunday I stayed home. Of course I watched the SuperBowl with my family and rooted for the Giants. Why? I like to root for the underdog. They did win against the Patriots 17-14. Oh, I will say what my favorite commercial was, and that was the one with the Clydesdales and the dog training the one horse that got left out.
Today was a good day at work. Tonight I was at the Blazers game, first one (going to) in 2008 I believe. We played the Blue-jerseyed Denver Nuggets. I hope that we would win since we are chasing them for first place in our division. Sadly, we lost in OT 105-103. Next up is Chicago at home then on to a 4-game road trip.
Oh, I am meeting up with the lady that is leading the team to Serbia tomorrow after work so I pray it will go well.
Hope you have had a good weekend and first part of the week.

Go Team Go!

2008-01-30T20:52:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday night, a rehearsal was held at my niece's school for pep band as we were preparing to play at the girls and boys basketball game on Friday night. Her school has not had a pep band so this would be very exciting. It was composed of kids in both bands from school, a few parents, and a couple teachers. I played my clarinet, my sister played her flute and my niece played her trumpet. That was one of my favorite things I did when I was in high school. Friday night came, and the girls game was up first. We played against City Christian school, and DCS won 37-25. The boys played after the girls, who won also, 44-38. Watching the boys game made me think of someone I know that lives in WI (hi TL). It was a fun night and all the fans there enjoyed the band.
Saturday, I got the opportunity to watch more basketball. My niece is playing in a community basketball league with some girls from DCS, and the coach is one of the parents of the girls. They, however, lost to the other team 38-24. Even though they lost, they played well. The girls on the other team were bigger and a bit older than they were but all in all was still a good game.
Saturday night, I went to church where Keels talked about the Gospel being the greatest treasure. That is so true! Then we had 1.3 where we shared our favorite verses in Scripture to each other. I liked that very much as I like to know where their 'nuggets' are in the Word.
Sunday was low key and I stayed home. This week at work has been not too busy, but I think I am looking forward to Friday when it will be payroll time again. Oh, I also am applying to go on a short-term mission trip this summer with the church and just sent in my application. I am praying that as things are now in His hands, so to speak, that the right people will be chosen for each team.

Enlightening Words

2008-01-24T22:45:00.000-08:00

It's almost the weekend again. This week has been not so busy at work which is somewhat nice. Bible study was good Tuesday night. Hazel talked on 2 Peter 1:1-11 and I think one of the main points was that we need to be in the Word every single day. She mentioned that we should start our day with the Word so that it starts on a positive note. I say a brief prayer in the morning, and then I spend time at night in the Word, doing my devotions, which a lady had asked me if that helps me to have a good restful night's sleep. It does, most of the time, and there are a few times where I will read and I will be thinking about something that happened earlier in the day then I talk to Him. I like how, in each lesson so far, that I have had a verse stick out to me for some reason.
I must mention that the moon this week has been so full and so pretty in the sky. It's the main thing that puts light in the sky at night. The Blazers lost to New Orleans last night so they went 3-4 on their road trip which I will take.
"And Jesus replied, 'I am the Light of the world. He who comes to me shall not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life." John 8:12

A Separated Tire gets replaced

2008-01-21T18:45:00.000-08:00

So, how was your weekend? Mine was a bit interesting. Friday after work, I noticed I had a tire that was really low. So I went back into work to see if I could find someone to pump up my tire for me. In the break room, I found a nice guy who grabbed an air pressure pump and came out to my car with me. After a few minutes of waiting and some small talk, my tire was at about 32 which is about where it should be. I thanked him, said a prayer, and went on my way. I got home, safe and sound, and said a big thank you to the Lord!!! I also listened to the last part of the Blazer game in the car, which we beat the Miami Heat.
Saturday came, I slept in, and hung around the house until about 2:00 or so, then I drove over (after dad pumped it up again as it was flat) to Les Schwab to get my tire fixed. As I was waiting, I was preparing for 1.3 that night and looking at my notes and thinking about them. When I heard my name called, he said there was a separation in the tire. He also said I needed two new tires. Apparently, the right front tire was bad enough it needed replacing as well. I did not know that. I was so focused on the one tire. So anyway I paid for two new tires, then went on my way back home.
I went to church Saturday night where Alan did a great service on 2 TIm 1:8-12. It was hard to sing the worship songs as I was trying not to cough and my voice isn't up to normal yet from my cold. Next, we had 1.3 where we sat and had a discussion about where we want to go from here, as far as the group. I very much think we need to stay together as a group! Sunday, I went with my sis and niece to Michaels to get a couple things for decoration in the house.
Here's an update on the Blazers: They lost to Orlando on Saturday, and played Atlanta today and won in OT 111-109 where Outlaw got the game-winning jumper (again, he had done this once before). They are 3-3 on this road trip and play at New Orleans on Wednesday which I think they will win.

Go Giants and Chargers!

2008-01-17T17:58:00.000-08:00

Hi y'all! Hope you are having a good week. Yes, I still have my cold, but I think I am on the upswing of getting better. At least I hope I am! Yes, I am still eating oranges but not as much celery. Last weekend, I stayed home except for going to church Saturday night. It was a good service and at 1.3 received a surprising announcement. I am hoping more people will show up this weekend so we can talk about how our group will continue, after Sean had said he was stepping down from leading the group. I found my notes from last October when he and Amy were gone on the things we had talked about so I am excited about what more we can discover.
Work this week has been somewhat busy as it is payroll time but we have an 'extra' day to get through it which is not always a good thing. It can be too much time to get payroll done. Bible study was good on Tuesday night as it was our first lesson being back from Christmas break. Care and I got a bite to eat afterwards.
To catch you up on the Blazers, they are on a 7-game road trip right now. They played in Boston last night, played a good first half, but lost the game 100-90. We played Toronto on Monday night and won that game. We are at 23-15 now and play against Shaq and the Miami Heat on Friday. If we are 3-4 or 4-3 on this trip, we will have done well.
Glad it will be Friday tomorrow. Have a nice weekend.

Celery and Oranges

2008-01-11T23:16:00.000-08:00

Yes, that is what you eat when you have a cold. Okay, that is what I eat when I have a cold. Yes, I caught a cold last weekend. Most mornings this week I have woken up with almost no voice but I went to work anyway because it is month end and that is not a good time to miss work. At dinners this week, I have craved and ate celery (yes even over carrots...I LOVE carrots). I have also been eating oranges to get some vitamin C in my system and I have been drinking orange juice. I had a (naval) orange in my lunch today which was OH so good as it was cold and juicy. I had another orange tonight but it was not as good as the one at lunch. I do know it takes more calories to digest a celery stick than a carrot. I had a mini orange (those tangerines) at bible study on Tuesday night and it tasted so good to me. I plan to sleep in tomorrow to catch up on my rest.

First weekend of 2008

2008-01-06T22:39:00.000-08:00

How was your first weekend of 2008? Hope it was well. I hope you were not too winded on Friday night when it was real windy here, my goodness! I noticed that the wind knocked over a water fountain on the deck and broke it. I stayed in that night, so at least I did not get blown away.
Saturday night I went to church where I found out we will be studying the book of 2 Timothy through May. I think that will be very cool, as we are studying 1 & 2 Peter and 1 Timothy in Women's Bible Study this year. It's like finishing up Timothy, the other quarter (the first three books each being quarters) of the study, if I may say so. 1.3 was nice as we finished up the study on Piper's book, and it was good to see everyone again.
This morning I spent watching the NY Giants and TB Bucs game on TV. Giants won 24-14 and will now go head to head with the Dallas Cowboys next weekend as I intend to root for the Giants again as I do not like the Cowboys. Oh, and yes, the Blazers did win again yesterday versus the Utah Jazz at home 103-89.
Tonight I got to spend some time with Carrie as we went to a couple stores and grabbed a bite (or two) to eat. I always enjoy the times we get to spend together.

70 hours, 19 minutes and counting...

2008-01-03T22:19:00.000-08:00

Happy 2008 everyone! Yes, in my title is how much of 2008 has gone by so far. (Yes, Carrie, it's me and my numbers, although sometimes it can be me and the halibut). For New Years, I went to the coast with my family for about four days. During that time, I was able to see my great aunt and uncle, and another aunt and uncle. We did not go on the beach as the weather was pretty stormy at times. Okay, we were on our way to Lincoln City on Sunday and noticed the ocean was rough and choppy. That is one of the best times to watch the ocean, I think. We played SkipBo which was a Christmas gift and a very fun game if you've ever played it, and we also played Scrabble and put together a puzzle. For New Years Eve we watched a couple movies, one of them being National Treasure which two of us had already seen. I enjoyed it.
On a side note...hehe...the Blazers win again tonight in Chicago, in double overtime 115-109. I saw from the 4th quarter on and it was intense as each team went back and forth scoring. I was sad, though, to hear that we had lost in Utah over the weekend and broke our streak. But, having won tonight, the Blazers are now 20-13!

73 hours, five minutes and counting...

2007-12-28T22:54:00.000-08:00

Hi folks! Hope you all had a nice and Merry Christmas! I did. I hope you were able to spend time with loved ones. It's a bit hard to believe that 2007 is almost over. Where did it go?? I hope it was good, yet challenging in ways, for you. We all go through trials and tribulations but it is so nice to have a God that will carry us through those hard times. It says in 1 Peter 1:6-8, "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,..."
Do praise Him for all the things He has blessed you with in 2007. May 2008 bring new joys and new challenges, which will bring us closer to Him who will, as I said, carry us through those hard times, as long as we trust in Him.
If you are wondering about the title, that is how much time is left of 2007. Oh, and one more thing...GO BLAZERS!!! We won again tonight, against the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-98. That makes 12 wins in a row!
TTFN until 2008!

The First Noel

2007-12-24T22:26:00.000-08:00

"All returned to their own towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David's ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancee, who was obviously pregnant by this time. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the village inn." Luke 2:3-7
The time has come this year...Love came into the world. That Love came from a baby who would be called Jesus, the Son of God. He was also known as Emmanuel, God with us. I pray that you would have a special time with your family this Christmas, and remember the First Noel, Christ's birth. I wish you a very Merry Christmas!!!

Count it, 10 in a row!!!

2007-12-23T00:18:00.000-08:00

Yes indeed! The Blazers have done it! 10 wins in a row! They beat the Toronto Raptors, 101-96 with Brandon Roy playing a lead part in that win and also Lamarcus Aldridge came back from being out a week with an injury. They win again against those 'shiny' Nuggets, 99-96. It got close towards the end but they pulled it out to win. No I was not at that game but 'watched' the last part on the internet. My coworker was at the game with her sister so I am glad that she got to be at a game where the Blazers won, and even winning their 10th straight game. Go Blazers!!!

Joy and Anticipation

2007-12-17T23:02:00.000-08:00

As anticipated, this weekend was quite lovely. Friday I had the day off work and did some Christmas shopping. I was looking forward to the weekend as it was the Christmas Choir / Orchestra celebration at church. I played my clarinet in the orchestra and did quite well, despite having put a chip in my reed first thing Sunday morning. So I had to switch to a new reed which came with a few low-key squeaks but tried to keep them under control. The music was all for God's glory, anyway. Oh, I just remembered from a previous post that I had said I was a 1/7th a viola. That is because one of the songs we played, my part said clarinet 2 (substitute for viola). I thought I sounded like a viola, too. All who participated did a great job giving Him glory as I am sure He enjoyed every minute of every service. The thing that sticks out to me is how we should keep Christ at the center of Christmas amidst all of the hustle and bustle. The pastor did a very nice message on the song of Simeon.
Oh and also on Saturday morning, I went to my niece's last basketball game of the season where they beat the other team 31-10. She scored a couple baskets and had a nice save so the ball would not go out of bounds.
I know this next couple sentences are off the subject but I must mention it. The blazers win, the blazers win again!!! On Sunday, they played in Denver against the Nuggets and beat them. I was at the game tonight and we beat the Hornets 88-76. Eight wins in a row...how do they do it?? I see that we play the Nuggets again this Friday at home. Wouldn't it be nice if we win on Wednesday night and Friday night...that would be 10 in a row! We'll just have to wait and see.

Playing together as a team

2007-12-13T23:36:00.000-08:00

The Blazers do it again!!! They win 105-95 versus the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night. I happened to be at that game and it was very exciting watching the Blazers play...they were playing as a team, not just relying on 1 or 2 key players to score. LaMarcus is out this week with his right foot, but it's good that he is healing and getting rest. This was a FUN game to watch. Even Joel scored the first seven points of the game and he ended up with a double-double (15 points and 10 rebounds)...way to go Joel!!! Martell only played about 8 minutes in the first quarter as he was having the flu bug...get better Martell! The fans really got into the game...I think that was part of what made it so exciting. Ahh, that win gives us a five-game winning streak. Now, we play the Utah Jazz tomorrow night and if we win that game...whoa! Look out!
Work has been busy this week with month end. I have tomorrow off with which I will do some Christmas shopping. I am looking forward to the weekend as it is Christmas Choir and Orchestra celebration at church. Have a great weekend!

Mary's Song

2007-12-10T22:41:00.000-08:00

'Hark the Herald Angels Sing, glory to the newborn King.
Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled..'

Hmm, I'd like to say that is my song, well, it is my favorite Christmas song!!! There you have it...my favorite Christmas carol. Hmm...I wonder why they are called carols...Anyways, Mary's song is written in Luke chapter 1 which I will quote some for you now...
'My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; for behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For He who is mighty has done great things for me and holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things and the rich He has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel as He spoketo our fathers to abraham and to his seed forever." Luke 1:46-55 NKJV
Okay so I gave you all of the song. One thing I learned from the message this weekend at church was that when Mary found out she would give birth to the Son of God, she went (sanely) crazy in worship to God. If you read and study about her in the Word, you will know that she was a true worshiper of God. I absolutely loved the message this weekend at church. I hope those that went, did also.

Oh, and what do you know, the very last song we sang in service was...Hark the Herald Angels Sing. Creepy cool, I say!!

The Blazers blaze by the Heat

2007-12-07T21:14:00.000-08:00

Perseverance. Drive. Ambition. Teamwork. Control. That's what the Blazers had and felt at their game last night versus the Miami Heat. My dad, sister, and I attended the game which was also on TNT which was after the Denver Nuggets / Dallas Mavericks game. The Nuggets beat the Mavericks. I heard that Iverson had a great game and scored like 36 points to lead the Nuggets. Wait...why am I talking about the Nuggets? I am a TrailBlazers fan!!! Back to the important game. Okay, I'm not just a Trail Blazer fan but an NBA fan. Brandon Roy had 26 points, LaMarcus Aldridge had a good game as well. Travis Outlaw...my oh my! He had 20 points ( a couple of those were dunks). And Martell Webster...this was not a great game for him. The second quarter we went on a 8-0 or 12-0 run and were up by 14 at halftime, 56-42. 49 seconds into the game Shaq went towards the basket and Pryzbilla was guarding him and Shaq got off, elbowed Joel in his nose, and to keep from falling on Pryzbilla, he threw the ball down which hit Pryzbilla's face and he was down for a couple minutes. I was so hoping he would get back up and he did. He went out of the game and came back out to the floor right before halftime. The second half, the Heat caught up to within 1 point but we went on another run and held our lead. We were in control the whole game. Final score was 112-106...yea! Way to go Blazers!!!
On another basketball note (smile), I get to go see my niece play, with her teammates, at a basketball game tomorrow morning. I hear that she has been doing well, scoring, dribbling, rebounding, and some defense as well. Yea!
Hope you all have a nice weekend. TTFN

Happy December!

2007-12-03T21:43:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it is the last month of 2007?!!! Where has the year gone?? I hope you all have a month of December. Tonight was another rehearsal for our Christmas choir/orchestra services at church. It went fine and I learned two things, at least. One, to not always listen to my cohort playing clarinet as we may not always have the same part to a song. Second, I learned that I am 1/7 a viola-ist for this service. More to come later??
The message this weekend at church was really good. MacMurray spoke on the Hope of Israel which is Jesus. I loved the part where he was talking about how little kids are on Christmas morning in anticipation of seeing what Santa Claus may have left for them under the tree and in their stockings. He was saying that we should have that same anticipation for Jesus on Christmas, and not only on Christmas Day, but also in anticipation of when He will be coming back.
Oh, and during 1.3 we talked about what drives our lives? I thought that was a very good thing to think about. It is good when we answer questions briefly and are asked to go into more depth. It gets us thinking deeper more on the subject.
Well, I am having a good start of December as...my Blazers won, on the road at Memphis! Final score 106-105...go Blazers!!!
Oh, and one more thing...I hope you all were safe the last couple days as it has been QUITE stormy here! It is interesting to hear and see all the flooding water on the roadways. Pray for those who have their houses flooded and for all the animals.
TTFN

Soprano or Bass clarinet???

2007-11-28T19:19:00.000-08:00

I had orchestra rehearsal last night for our Christmas services at church. I was on the slate, so to speak, to play bass clarinet as there were two clarinet players joining us. Last night was our second rehearsal and I was asked if I would play (soprano) clarinet instead as the orchestra leader just found out that one of the clarinetists cannot be with us. I, of course, willingly said yes, even though I do very much enjoy playing my bass clarinet (love that low sound). So I had the choice that night to play clarinet parts or my bass clarinet parts. I chose to play my bass clarinet parts. I thought it would be weird to play clarinet parts on bass clarinet considering the ranges and sounds of both instruments. As it was, I could hear most of my bass clarinet parts being covered by the low brass players. I got my clarinet parts today so I am going to enjoy practicing them this week for our next rehearsal.
Hope you all are having a good week so far. TTFN

Turkey and Halibut

2007-11-26T23:12:00.000-08:00

First of all, I hope you all had a nice thanksgiving. I did...we were supposed to have my aunt, cousin, brother and sister-in-law over but my aunt was sick so she didn't come. We did have turkey, potatoes, sweet potatoes (YUMMM!), rolls, and other good stuff to eat.
This weekend I went with my family to the coast. I was looking forward to it since I had not been there since Labor Day weekend. Okay, I went there late September with some friends too, for a day. The weather was nice...we left Friday morning (got Friday off work) and came back Sunday afternoon/early evening. Saturday my sister and I spent some time on the beach looking for rocks and agates and found some nice ones. There was no wind at all which was nice. Sunday was sunny as we spent a little time shopping and ate lunch at Mo's. Here comes the halibut...oh, but unfortunately I decided not to have the halibut and had fish and chips instead. Oh, and we got to see the sea lions which had come back to their 'get-out-of-the-cold-water-and-sleep-in-the-sun-place-on-the-docks'. Some were not sleeping at all and had a conversation...I'm surprised they did not wake up all the sleeping ones. All in all it was a nice weekend to have gotten away for a couple days.

Earth-quaking missions with a passion

2007-11-19T23:07:00.000-08:00

It was a hit!!! My niece was in the school play that was performed this last weekend called The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. If you haven't seen it or read the book, I recommend you do so. I went to the play Thursday night and saw half of it Friday night as I had worked late on Friday. All the kids did a great job and I thought the lady who cast the play did a great job. I enjoyed the costumes the kids wore as they were from the 1970's. One question: do you (a wise man) like ham? Okay, so that wasn't the main point of the play but ham had a part in the play believe it or not. It took the place of frankincense as one of the gifts the three wise men brought to Joseph, Mary and Baby Jesus. I don't think that ham was the wise man's pure and holy passion (see last post). It was nice though that he did bring the ham so J, M, and BJ would have something to eat.
The service was good this weekend in church as it was our annual global outreach weekend. It is very good for us as a church to remember all our brothers and sisters that are out there doing His will by being disciples. It makes me think of a few friends that I know that are out there serving and it gave me that continuing hunger to go on another mission trip next summer. I had already been thinking about it since I went on one three summers ago. It was really neat to hear some stories from a few of our own on how they ended up where they are and what is happening over there.
Here is an odd thing that does not go with the rest of what I just said...there was an earthquake earlier today (?) off the coast, 6 miles deep under the water measuring 5.8 on the scale. Oh, and I just recently read about the cyclone that hit Bangladesh last Thursday and the last number I heard, over 2300 people have been lost. I read that a few countries, including the US, are sending money and supplies over that way to help the ones in need. My heart goes out to them.

Pure and Holy Passion

2007-11-11T21:30:00.000-08:00

Who / what is your pure and holy passion? Well, for me, it would be halibut! No, just kidding!!! To be serious, though, it is Christ the King. Last Tuesday night at Bible study, one of our songs we worshipped to was Pure and Holy Passion. That was one of the weeks I got to play my clarinet with the worship team. I immediately fell in love with the song the first time we sung it in church. Saturday night I was on my way to church, listening to the radio in the car, singing along with what song was playing. I switched stations to find another song that I liked but didn't so I turned off the radio and started singing what came into my head. You guessed it...it was Pure and Holy Passion! I must have sung that the rest of the way to church. During the worship part of the service, the second song we sang, after I had got seated was...Pure and Holy Passion! Isn't it cool how He puts songs in your head for a reason?!!
The message was great as it so reminded me of when I was in Mexico! It was on the passage in Matthew chapter six, a section of the sermon on the mount and this part is on laying your treasures up in heaven and seeking first the kingdom of heaven. While I was in Mexico on my mission trip a couple years ago, we did devotions every morning after breakfast. Those of us that wanted to could volunteer to lead one. Our theme was the sermon on the mount. I chose to do the part on...treasures in heaven and that very same passage. So I was listening close to what Stu was saying about seeking Him and His kingdom over the earthly kingdom.
After we had 1.3 and dinner, I was on the way home and I heard Steven Curtis Chapman's song Magnificent Obsession. Okay, I get it. I love that song, too of course. I will leave you this moment with one verse:
"Whom have I in heaven but you? and earth has nothing I desire besides you." Psalm 73:25
I know that if I desire Him and His kingdom, He will give me what I need. Hmm...that just reminded me of another verse...
"Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart" Psalm 37:4
May He be the desire of your heart.

Colorado Rockies

2007-10-29T18:11:00.000-07:00

Yeah, so the Boston Red Sox won the World Series....again! (sarcastically) They had won it in 2004 also. Hope I am not spoiling the news for anyone that has not heard yet. Yes, I am not much of a baseball fan but I guess I think the world series is somewhat exciting. As you might could tell, I was rooting for the Colorado Rockies...go Rocks!!! This is weird because a few years ago, I was liking the Red Sox (because of their team name), but I think I was rooting for the Rockies, in part, because I didn't want them to be swept away by the Sox and I didn't want them losing on home plate, so to speak. I only got to watch from about the 5th inning on and I did get excited when the Rocks scored or when they had that sweet double play to get two Sox players out in one play in the 7th inning. I really wanted them to win that game last night so it would go to a game 5 so they would have at least won one game in the series. I should be happy, though, that the Rocks made it to the Word Series, and that Jacoby Ellsbury (from Madras) got a championship in his first year in major leagues.
My weekend was good. I went to a recital with my dad on Friday night to hear a friend (she plays the oboe) that I know from church plus another lady that plays the horn. Saturday, I went to Sean and Amy's wedding which I thought was very nicely done. Then I did a little shopping and went to church afterwards. We had 1.3 at Carrie's house...that was a good time. Sunday I enjoyed as I stayed home and did laundry, etc.
TTFN

Just how many Mona Lisa's are there???

2007-10-22T23:09:00.000-07:00

Bonjour! Je suis parlez en francais...I am speaking in French...I will have to do some refreshing of the memory. I only wanted to speak in French as the subject in my title is about the Mona Lisa. How many of you have seen the real one? I have, in person, really I have. I have actually seen some prints of her picture, so there are obviously more than one. To answer my question, it may not be answered easily. One may never know how many lovely Mona Lisa paintings there are out there. There should only be the one, in my opinion. This came up very briefly on Saturday night as I was talking with a friend. She started laughing when I remarked, 'which one?'.
Work last week was actually kinda slow since we had a few days to get payroll done which is a few days too long. We are used to getting it done and having only a couple days to go thru it.
Friday night I went to a friend's dinner party and then the bachelorette party. We had a good time although I was a little more quiet than I should have been. All in all, it was a good night.
Saturday night was cool as we were a quite small group in 1.3 and yes, I actually learned something (not that I don't learn anything). It was really cool how we all interacted in the discussion. Then we went out to dinner at a good Chinese restaurant close by.
Hmm, I will leave you with the thought of wondering just how many Mona Lisa's there are in the world. Good thinking!
A tout a'leure (see you later)

Whatnots

2007-10-15T23:08:00.000-07:00

I must mention, from my last post, that I do like football (if you couldn't tell already). I am one of those few gals that like football. I like watching pro more than college but I still watch the college games some. I have watched football since I was a kid, many times with my dad, and still do. Oh, since I am on football, my Chicago Bears lost to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. It was tied up at 31 and Minnesota went for a field goal right at the end and won 34-31. So close!!!
Well, last week was month-end at work for me which I thought went pretty well, at least on my end of things. This week is payroll time. Today was a slow day at work which was nice...it is nice to have slow days every once in a while.
I went to my friend's Bridal shower on Sunday and had a good time. I know she had a good time too. It's getting close to their wedding day, believe it or not!
Tomorrow night is Bible Study which I look forward to, seeing all the ladies again and checking to see how they are doing and getting to know them better. I am going to try and be more open this year, although last year I did pretty well at growing in that area.
Have a great day tomorrow! Oh, and a happy birthday to my nephew!!!!!!!!
TTFN

Where the Buffalo Roam

2007-10-09T22:44:00.000-07:00

The majestic buffalo...well in their own way. And don't forget the bears! Where do they roam? on the home football field in New York, in the city of Buffalo. Population of 279,745 people, according to the 2005 census which I have not been to. Buffalo, the Queen city, lies at the eastern end of Lake Erie, which happens to be one of the Great Lakes. No, really...I am talking about the football team, the Buffalo Bills. I wonder where they came up with that name...may have to do some research on it. To cut to the chase, the reason I am talking about Buffalo is that they were playing against the Dallas Cowboys last night. I happened to watch the last six minutes of the game. Dallas had a total of five interceptions which may have been a record for them. Anyway, the last 30-60 seconds of the game was the most exciting. To make it a not so long 'story, I will just say that Dallas scored a touchdown after being down 24 - 16, went for the 2-pt conversion...did not get that, then went for a 53-yard field goal attempt by a rookie kicker, and won with 2 seconds left 25-24. I feel so bad for the buffalo bills. I think they have become one of my favorite teams. As you might could tell, I am not a fan of the cowboys, the Dallas Cowboys that is.
Oh, I am NOT forgetting about the bears. They 'live' in Chicago...population of 2,833,321 in 2006. So-called the Windy city, which I have been to when I was a young girl. They were playing the Green Bay packers on Sunday night...guess what??!!! the bears won, the bears won!!! 27-20 was the final score and they won it at the very end as the score was tied at 20. The bears have been my favorite team (football) since since I was young.
Ok, there ya have it. I don't think the buffalo will be trapsing around Dallas anytime soon. I do think that maybe bears like cheese. Hmmm...I wonder if buffalo, bears...be it black bears, brown bears, grizzly bears or polar bears, deer, and the antelope play all together? TTFN

Better is One Day

2007-10-03T16:59:00.000-07:00

"For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness" - Psalm 84:10

I think what that verse is saying is that it is better to be up where He is or wherever we are, He is with us. Just spending one day with / in His courts is better than a thousand in our courts, so to speak. One day is enough to spend with God, as one day seems like a thousand years (see 2 Pet 3:8) and vice versa. Wonder how long a day is up in heaven...??? That is FAR better than being in a place where we could not be with God.

I am bringing this verse up Today because as I was on my way to the hospital to see my grandma last week, the song, Better is One Day, was the first one I heard when I turned on the radio. I got to thinking about this everlasting life that we, as believers, have in Christ. His dwelling place must really be lovely and I think we should be excited about what is awaiting us up in heaven. Yes, that lovely inheritance in the midst of Heaven.

TTFN

4-3-2-1--Halibut!

2007-09-25T22:38:00.000-07:00

So I am glad that last week is done. It had been a busy couple weeks at work, with month-end and payroll. I was looking forward to Saturday when I would be going to the beach with some friends from 1.3. I was one of three drivers going which was fine because I like to drive. It was a very good time of fellowship in the car on the way there and on the way back late that night.
One of the main things I was SO excited about was getting to eat my halibut! Of course, I had none to bring with me but I was expecting us to eat at Mo's for dinner and there I would get my halibut! Of course, I had to wait until dinner time to enjoy it. We ended up spending our time at one town on the coast. Scripture was read and we got our eyes fixed on Jesus. How cool it is that He is the creator of the ocean that I love to stand in awe of and just watch for a bit. The weather was beautiful as I was a bit shocked as I had heard there was a chance of showers for the morning. Raining halibut....hmmm...that would be interesting to see.
Anyway, a couple of the guys played a game with another couple of guys that were on the beach and it turns out they were also Christians! I wonder if they like halibut?? Carrie and I went in a little bookstore and looked at the books (I'm sure there was at least one book that mentioned halibut). As time went by, it was close for dinner. YEAH! Time for that halibut! Of course you know what I ordered...halibut fish & chips. Out came a plate with four pieces of halibut and some fries. Before that, I had had some clam chowder which was pretty dang good. I think we all enjoyed our meals and then we walked down to the beach and played catch with a football. Good thing it was a football we were catching and not halibut!
After we watched the pretty sunset over the ocean, we decided it was time to head home. People in my car, including myself, came to the conclusion it would be 'cool' to go eat some Tillamook ice cream. So on the way we stopped at a little store that had some and I ordered caramel butter pecan and it was good. We made it home safely which was very good and I think we all had a very good day.
Yes, I am admitting I have a halibut fetish and yes, I am proud that I shared it with you. So, next time you eat halibut, you now know that there is someone else who loves it just as much as you! TTFN

Not as busy as last week

2007-09-18T23:17:00.000-07:00

Hello! I am glad that last week is over. I worked 11 hour days just about everyday last week because it was month-end and I was doing some of the things my coworker does while she is out sick. This week is not as busy as it was last week but still it is busy. It's payroll time and is going rather well so far. I hope it stays that way for the rest of the week. For those that don't know, I work in payroll at the company I work for. I like numbers a LOT! Don't be surprised to find a lot of numbers in my posts!! I'm sure I can find at least one number about something for every post.
Tonight was the first night of Bible study! I am glad it is starting up again. Time for those Word Studies again!!! Okay we don't do an actual lesson for another week yet, but I am already ecstatic!!! Yes, I love doing those word studies...who knows...I might actually put one on my blog, or more! Anyway, I hope you all have a good rest of the week! TTFN

Shorthanded & Today

2007-09-11T21:43:00.000-07:00

This week has been busy so far as it is month-end (for August) at work. As I mentioned in my last post, I had said I would be working more hours this week. My coworker has been at home trying to get over this sickness she has. I received an email from her, telling me that she has bronchitis too. She will be home for another week, requested by her doctor. I have been working until around 7:30 the last couple days and the rest of the week will probably be the same or close to it. A temp will be coming in, starting tomorrow to help with the filing that I will show her.
Happy Patriot Day. Today is 9/11...it's been six years since the attack. I can believe it's been that long...I still remember the morning. I watched the movie, Flight 93, on tv on Sunday. I just heard on the news that they are doing construction on ground zero and the space should be filled by this time next year. I really like the tribute to the WTC towers with the two lights they have where the towers stood.
Well, I think that does it for now. Hope you have a good week. TTFN

Stars (in the sky)

2007-09-06T23:06:00.000-07:00

Happy September! This month will be a great month for looking in the sky at all the different constellations / stars at night. I just read an article in the paper yesterday about it. I'll have to find it again and let you know of some of the 'highlights'. I am also calling my post this as today's 'thousand dollar thursday' fish money song was the song Stars by the group, Switchfoot. It reminds me of a night when I was at the coast and it was the 4th of July and the stars were so 'vibrant' in the clear sky.
Speaking of the coast, I did have a good time with my family there this last weekend. We did not do a whole lot but did take a walk on the beach on Sunday and went out for a short boat ride on Monday. The weather was very nice! I hope you all had a safe and happy Labor Day weekend. It is nice to get an extra day in the weekend.

Today was an interesting day at work. If you could keep it in prayer, we are just starting month-end and I may be working more hours next week. Please pray for a co-worker of mine as she is trying to get over sickness.
I know I have mentioned to pray for my grandma also, in a previous post. If you could continue to do so, that would be great. She is still lonely and is in the hospital again but should be out and back home in a couple days.

If you have any prayer requests or anything else you would like to say, just mention it! I think that is it for now. TTFN

PS I have not heard that song (in last post) for about a week so I am still working on that verse. I'll let you know when I have it.

Song of the day

2007-08-30T18:29:00.000-07:00

Isn't it cool (creepy cool, by some) how a song gets in your head and you are singing it all day, and then you get in your car, turn on the radio, and THAT song is just starting to play??? Well, that happened to me today. I was singing a song by the group Disciple (they're a new group) called 'After the World' at work. Just as I was leaving work, I turned on the radio and what do you know, THAT song is starting to play!!! So I crank up the radio and sing along! I can't remember all the words right now but there is a line in there that goes like 'I had my eyes on you, since (before?) you were born'. The next time I hear it, I am going to carefully listen to the words and look up Scripture that may tie in with what the song is saying. I think it is so cool how He puts songs in your head for a reason, and it's always at the right time, too! I'll let you know what I find.

Work is slower this week which is nice since the last couple weeks...month...have been very busy with the new HR/Payroll system. It's a nice change of pace. But then, the pace picks up again as next week we lose a day (Monday being Labor Day) of getting thru payroll so please pray that Tuesday would go smooth. It's also the start of month-end too next week.

Tuesday night I got to spend with my good friend Carrie. We got some food to eat, watched Veggie Tales, played Bible game, and of course (I) took the dog for a walk. Thanks Carrie for a fun evening.
That's it for now. TTFN (P.S. THAT song is STILL in my head...:)

Grasshoppers

2007-08-26T21:12:00.000-07:00

So....my sister and I are out taking the dog for a walk this afternoon in the neighborhood. On one of the streets, we start seeing these grasshoppers on the sidewalk every few feet. When we get close to them, they, of course, fly off to across the street. Oh, did I say fly? Do grasshoppers fly? We saw probably about five or six grasshoppers and they flew a pretty good height in the air to their next 'landing' spot. Not once did they land in the grass. One even flew right by my head... :) I just thought that was a bit interesting.
Speaking of grasshoppers, there is a kind of ice cream called grasshopper pie. I am not putting them down or anything, but it is one of my favorite ice creams. It's mint chocolate chip with mini mint chocolate pies...mmm, it is SO good!!! I wonder how they came up with that name anyway??
That's pretty much it for now, other than I went to a friend's open house last night, went to dinner with a few friends, went to church this morning, took my car in for an oil change, and of course, took the dog for a walk. TTFN!

Lots of Water

2007-08-23T20:19:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you have heard the news this week or not but there has been a lot of flooding in the midwest lately. I heard this morning on KLOVE on my way to work. They mentioned Ohio and that it's the worst flooding in their state in the last 100 years. Fortunately, there have been only a few deaths...we would like to hear about no casualties but a few is a lot better than lots!
Also, I heard that Hurricane Dean has hit land a second time in Mexico. This time a category two (??) storm (it did get up to category 5 storm before) and the first time there was a lot of damage but no deaths. Please correct me if I am wrong. I am just fascinated when I hear about storms and different kinds of weather. Hmm...that reminds me of someone I know that may be living in...Wisconsin?!!! I hope there is no flooding there, or very little of it.
Anyway, if you think of it, say a prayer for all those people in the midwest and Mexico for that matter as well. TTFN

Blue OR Red???

2007-08-22T22:26:00.000-07:00

That was the question as my friend Care and I went goodwill shopping this past Sunday afternoon. Every week they have a color tag that is on special and the first store we went into, the color was red. Red happens to be my favorite color! After looking around it, we went to another one. The color at that store was....red again! Apparently Care thinks I did that on purpose (her fave color is blue). Even though I may have admitted it so, it wasn't really me that made it red at both stores. We had gone to eat lunch at KFC before going to Goodwill which was after church. Anyway, Care got a neat set of small plates that look Victorian style...I think they are rather pretty! I got a couple of mugs with pears on them...yes, I got two of the same thing which constitutes a pair (pear) of mugs! :)
Work this week has been busy but not as busy as the last couple weeks. We are still trying to get ready to go 'live' on the new system. It's going to take a while to get used to doing things we've done a little differently.
An update on my great Uncle Jim...he had surgery on Friday of the same week as I had last mentioned. It had got postponed from Wednesday...the surgery went well and he only spent about three or four days at the hospital instead of six days.
Hope you all are having a great week so far! TTFN

'Save the queen'

2007-08-17T23:32:00.000-07:00

You probably want to know what queen I am talking about. It happens to be a ship by the name of Queen Mary. Hmm...nice name! :) Well, I heard on the news this past Tuesday that the ship was put up for sale and it sold for a mesely $43 million dollars. It has been docked down in Long Beach, California for the last 40 years. I went on the web site, www.queenmary.com and the pictures of it looks really nice. They show some pics inside the ship. What better place to be docked than at a beach?!! I am glad that they have 'saved the queen'!
I hope you all survived this week. My week was quite a very busy and long one. We are getting a new system installed and this week we are working at going 'live' with it. I put in long days this week at work, but I am glad it is the weekend now. Hope you have a great weekend! TTFN

Green beans...are they all the same?

2007-08-13T23:11:00.000-07:00

Cookie dough ice cream and chocolate fudge brownie ice cream...italian style green beans and french cut green beans...two seconds ahead and two seconds behind...these pairs all have something in common. They are the same thing. Okay here is my reasoning...cookie dough has chocolate chips in the chunks of cookie dough in the ice cream while chocolate fudge brownie is chunks of chocolate chip brownie pieces in the ice cream. Italian style green beans and french cut green beans are both cut but one is just 'split open' (mmmm...I love those french cut or any green bean for that matter!). I only bring up the green beans because I had a tv dinner today for lunch which included Italian green beans in it. Why is it that we do not have Italian green beans that often??? Okay and the last one (at least for now until I come up with more) is two seconds behind and two second ahead...they are both two seconds and it doesn't really matter what direction they're in.
Hey, I hope you had a good weekend. I enjoyed the church service on Saturday night as a whole. Plus I got to see some of my brothers and sisters in Christ as it had been about three weeks since I had seen or talked to them. Sunday night I got to go have some fun with Carrie as we got some dinner, talked, and did a bit of 'window shopping'.
That's it for now...until next time...ttfn!

The hot and humid South, part one

2007-08-06T22:58:00.000-07:00

Well, hello to ya darlin's! I, including my family, have safely returned late Saturday night from my trip to there yonder south to the state of North Carolina. I would like to thank y'all for praying for our safety during the trip. I would love to take the time to tell you all about it but there it so much to tell, and without any pictures to put up yet, just words would not do justice. I will say that we did go see a plantation that was used in the mid 1700s to the mid 1800s, a Confederate fort, the Atlantic Ocean, and lots of churches! Okay, enough with that Southern accent...once I figure out how to put pics on my blog (with my pc), hopefully I will put a few on so you can see part of the South.
Okay, here is an update on my great uncle I received tonight. He is going to have surgery this Wednesday so please pray that it would go well and for a full recovery. He is getting a hip replacement, I think. He will most likely be spending a few days post-surgery in the hospital.
I think that is it for now. Til next time, see y'all later.
TTFN

N Carolina, here I come!

2007-07-27T23:20:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Hope you have had a good week. Mine has been busy...I put in a lot of hours at work this week since my coworker was on vacation this week. So it was just my supervisor and I and she kept me busy. It has come time for my vacation...we leave for the airport in just a few hours and get on an airplane to North Carolina, with a stop in Texas...yeehaw! I like Texas...even though I have only been in the airport in Dallas. This time we will be stopping in Houston. I am excited about this trip! I had people ask me at work why I am going to North Carolina and they suggest that I have family over there. I do not have family over there but we are just going to see some of the sights. Anyway...please remember these prayer requests...

- Pray for my great uncle (who I mentioned in a recent post). He is having issues with insurance and needs to have surgery. Pray that God's will would be done.
- Pray for safe travels while on airplane and in the car (and everywhere in between) on our trip.

Thank you for praying, and I will be praying for all of you and hope that you will be blessed in some way during the next few days. I will post when I get back to let you know we made it safely back home. Ta ta for now! (TTFN)