Date Update

Rocketman.

Let me begin by saying Rocketman was very nice. I can honestly say I had a very nice time and I am pleased that I put my foot in the door in the online dating world.

Next, let me say that I will likely not have a second date with Rocketman. While he was very nice and pleasant, I can't say I was all that enthralled with what he had to say. Sadly, I was a little bored. Therefore, I must move on...

I thought we were on the same page because a second date was not requested. However, when I got home he texted me and said he had had a nice time and wanted to know if it was okay if he called me this week. A very nice and gentlemanly thing to say. Too bad I hope he doesn't call. Which leads me to the part I hate the most about dating...rejection. How do I do it in a way that is nice and respectful? I'm still learning that process. I don't think I will ever master it, quite frankly.

I realize that in this adventure called online dating, it will inevitably go both ways and I will feel the sting of rejection; but for now I regret being the one to be doing the rejecting.

Rocketman

Date #1

Tomorrow I am meeting Rocketman for a drink at 8:30. I know it's kind of late, but he doesn't get off work until 7, so 8:30 it is. Rocketman works at the airport. He's 33, never been married and has no children.

Rocketman wanted to meet for coffee last week, but I just wasn't quite ready for that at the time. So, I told him I was going to be pretty busy with school starting the next few days and that perhaps we could wait until things settled down a bit. He was very nice and said we should talk on the phone when I was ready. After I sent him my number and then after some further thought, I decided I'd rather just meet him in person. So, on Thursday when he texted me asking me if he could call that evening, I said said I wasn't available, but that perhaps we could meet this next week. Monday was the day we decided upon.

I have come to realize in my 33 years of life that I tend to get emotionally connected quite easily and it always leads to heartache, so, I'd rather just meet in person and see if there is any reason to keep talking. I wouldn't say I'm nervous, necessarily, I can talk to anyone, but there are times when my social anxiety kicks in and I just want to bring out the autism in me and sit in a dark room and rock back and forth. Maybe I'll do that from 7-8 tomorrow evening. But then again, maybe not.

Mundanely Speaking...

I'm not sure why it's a daunting task for me to keep up with my new online venture. Somehow, though, it always seems to be the case. I promised I would write about it so here goes.

So far I've got email from a pilot, a history professor, an IT person, an airport ramp guy and a cancer survivor. I am trying to keep an open mind, and to be quite honest they all seem to be very nice. We'll see, I suppose...

They all seem to like my profile(I know this because they tell me so) and for the life of me I can't figure out what it is about my profile that they like. It seems prety mundane to me, except that I spell out the fact that they probably shouldn't bother if they don't have a personal relationship with Jesus. It makes me wonder if they view me as the "good" girl they should pursue. Which, vulnerably speaking, makes me wonder why it is that the men that I shouldn't date are interested in me, but the men I should be (and usually am) interested in don't seem to reciprocate. I don't mean to start a pity party, I just am truly trying to figure it out.

A New, Yet Old, Familiar Venture

Several years ago I entered the world of online dating. It didn't work out so well and it ended up putting a slightly bitter taste in my mouth. I swore I would never do it again, and I didn't for about 3 years.

A couple of months ago a friend urged me to try again. Then a few weeks ago 2 more friends urged me to try again. So, here I am, in front of my computer screen, again, waiting for Mr. Right to reply to my wink.

I'm sure you are asking why I would venture to do this again when it hasn't worked for me in the past; well, quite frankly, I still don't think it will work. I just figure it is a good way to pass the time and it makes for some very funny and perhaps intriguing stories of which I will share with my bloggy friends.

Perhaps you all can venture with me and help me weed out the good, the bad and the ugly of the online dating world (Jaime, I know you are especially excited).

I'm back!

Hello friends,

It has been a while, but here I am again. In 2010 I had 2 goals: a)buy a car; and b)buy a house. I didn't realize that the two would be so close together. I bought my car in Februray and my house in April.

It's hard to believe that I have entered a world of figuring out how and when I'm going to water the lawn, mow the lawn, plant flowers, kill weeds, and many other things that come with home ownership. I suppose I always figured buying a house is something that you do when you are married. Clearly, that is not happening anytime soon, so I figured now was as good a time as any. There are times when I need help from my friends who know what they're doing, like fix a leaky faucet (who knew teflon was such a great invention), install ceiling fans, hook up a washer and a dryer, and paint. Thankfully, I have learned to put away my pride and ask for help when needed. Yes, even in buying a home, God is growing me.

Now that it has been 3 months, I will finally post some pictures of my home. Sadly, I think they are all pre-moved in, though. So, maybe I'll add some more at a later date.













Not really sure why I don't have a picture of the front of my house, but picture a brick house (I know that's hard to do in North Texas) with white siding and a brick planter in front of a concrete porch. :)

The red kitchen and dining area is my favorite part of the house. Thank you, Jaime, for helping me paint. Believe me when I say it was a bear to paint above the white cabinets!

Much love,
Marci

Oh Henry!

I was terrified to buy a new car, not because I was so attached to the little Saturn, but because I was scared of budgeting a car payment into my very expensive lifestyle (that was a joke). But with the check from the insurance company, due to an unfortunate-for-her-fortunate-for-me rear fender bender and the fact that the little Saturn had a hole in the water pump, I figured it was time. So my search began...

This is what I learned while shopping for the perfect car...

1. Carmax is kind of like Best Buy for cars...you can get a good deal, but if you are wanting information about particular cars, they probably don't have it. Go to the actual dealership of the model you are looking at for specifics.

2. Never bring the car you are intending to trade-in until you have negotiated everything else already. You just might leave with a new car, when you were still planning on shopping some more.

3. Car salesman really want a sale, and they will try to keep you in the building until they wear you down and they get their sale. It's okay to say no and walk away. Don't feel sorry them, it happens all the time.

4. They really don't want you to shop at another dealership....really!

5. After you have negotiated what you think is a good price and they have taken off all of the anti-theft insurance and tire treatments that they automatically add in to the price...it's not quite done because they will try to wear you down again in the financing stage. The financial guy even made an excuse to leave so that his boss could come in and try to wear me down some more. Here's a hint...just say "no!" None of that stuff is worth it, seriously people, what are the odds that your car will be stolen? Slim to none! And Discount Tires is pretty good about getting nails out of tires... Jaime said that she could see the guys computer screen when he was looking up the numbers and if I were to buy all that stuff, for the prices they were quoting me they would have profited by 50%. Shady.....

All in all, I am very pleased with my car! I feel like a got a really good deal and I would buy that car all over again! However, I am very thankful that I will not be in the car market for another 10 years.

Henry Hank

Poor little Saturn. She was on her way out...

I had to add water and/or engine coolant twice a day in the end...

Sad as it was, I signed the paperwork to buy a new car...

Thanks to Elbert, the Hyundai sales guy, he helped me find....

Henry Hank!!

Double Trouble

Spring is in the air, which means, it's that time of year when spring sports begin to dominate everyone's Saturday. Soccer...baseball...and tennis?? Yes, Tennis! It is by far my favorite sport ever! I love to watch it, play it and talk about it! For years, one of the coaches at the tennis center where I play has asked Jaime and I to join one of his tennis teams. Until now, we've always had an excuse as to why we can't make such a commitment. This year, after a wonderful trip to New York to watch the U.S. Open, Jaime and I decided we were ready to join a team. When we announced our plan to our coach, his eyes lit up and told us to come join his team the following week for a "try out." I suppose the try out went well, because 3 months later we are still practicing with the team and yesterday we played our first match of the season!

I went in with some nerves, being unsure of how this would work. Especially since Jaime and I were not playing together, so I am still feeling out my new partner a bit. I thought this would be pretty easy because it was a placement match so the league could determine where our team, "Double Trouble," belongs within the league. Let's just say, we belong at the bottom of the barrel. My partner and I lost 0-6, 0-6 while Jaime and her partner didn't fare much better at 1-6, 2-6. This could be a really long season...but at least we're out there playing our favorite sport!

We Don't Need No Education!

Today my student came into my office and asked me why the Vikings lost the football game last night. I then informed him that the Vikings lost because they scored less points than the Saints. Thankfully, that seemed to satisfy him because I certainly did not want to get into a debate with him about fumbles, passing and running yards or interception percentages.

Additionally, I have figured out what is wrong with our current education system. It's the people writing the textbooks that don't know what they are talking about. I was working with some students last week on a following directions activity from a book I have at school. They needed to listen to my instruction and through the process of elimination figure out which title was the title for the book of the week.

Now, I'm fairly certain I have referred to my weakness of flying by the seat of my pants when it comes to therapy and this particular activity was no different. I had previously just taken a glance at it and thought it was a great activity and trusted the publishers enough to not look too closely. So, one of the statements was, "The book of the week is NOT the one with the name of a country in the title." Now I am confident I have a pretty good knowledge of world geography and nowhere in my many years of education did I learn that Africa was a country. Please don't think I am bragging when I tell you that I am absolutely positive it is the name of continent!

Community

I pride myself in being independent. I make a decent living for myself, make big purchases by myself, take long road trips by myself, go to church by myself, etc. When there is something that I need to take care of, I usually like to do it on my own and don't like to bother people too much with my problems.

However, when it comes to carpentry, I know absolutely nothing, and to be quite honest, have no desire to learn. So...when one of my dining room table legs decided to detach itself from the tabletop, I knew I needed to bring in some reinforcements.

I swallowed my pride (there's that nasty word again) and called my friend and asked her if I could borrow her husband (I knew he had tools) and his friend (who also happens to be my friend) for an evening of fun with tools. I bribed them all with pizza so they very kindly agreed.

After dinner and one trip to Wal-Mart later, my table is fixed and ready to play games upon---and eat upon. Now that, friends, is community! Serving God, by serving people! Thank you Mark and Gary, for spending an evening with tools, for me! I am quite thankful for my friends who were so willing to take precious time to help me out!

Silence

I'm sure that some of you may agree that silence is often a wonderful thing. Our world is so full of sounds that when you begin to listen and hear nothing it can be glorious.

Today, I think the silence is deafening. But it's a different kind of silence. I look at my phone and I hear crickets (no, it's not my ringtone, which happens to be crickets), but the crickets I hear are in my head (yes, I may be crazy). I sent a text message to a friend today about a scripture verse I had just read. I was looking for the meaning of a particular word within the context. I received a response that confirmed what I had originally thought, although I must admit I've been feeling particularly skeptical today, so I responded with the suggestion that perhaps Paul's words (which are actually God's words, as it is in God's Word) would hurt people struggling with pride, not help them.

I immediately sent a new text saying not to worry about me, but I can see how many people might not be altruistic (altruism should be a topic for another day) in the way they put these words into action. And then there was silence. The silence is driving me crazy! Even now, my eyes keep darting over towards my phone. Marci, get a grip and let it go. But I can't because I just want to explain myself a little bit more. Perhaps one more text would put me in a better light. Why am I so worried about what people think of me? Perhaps if I got it into my thick skull that the world does not revolve around me, I wouldn't struggle with pride so much. :)

The particular scripture I was meditating on today was 1 Cor. 9: 24-27, which says:
Do you know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessley; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

P.S For more motivational pictures like the one posted above, check them out at www.despair.com

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Tomorrow is my last day of Christmas vacation. I realize that I am very blessed to have a two week break, so I will not complain about that. But, I still have to prepare myself for the second half of the school year. I figure, what better way to do that than to remember some great verbal gems from the first semester and look forward to the verbal gems I will undoubtedly hear in the second.

One of my students and I were playing a game similar to 25,000 dollar pyramid. My young friend was trying to describe countries in Africa and Asia. Her clue: "It's a place where they have black hair." Hmm...what country in Asia and Africa do they have black hair? "Oh," she said next, "they also eat a lot of rice."

One of my young friends was upset about a test score and during our group session, he commented about his test and then said he was the "stupidest" kid in his class. Another young friend, in trying to make him feel better said, "That's not true, I know someone stupider than you."

On another occassion, a young friend of mine reported to the group that she was going to go visit her sister at Texas Tech. Well, someone in the room told the group that Tech's mascot is the Red Raider, while another said Texas Tech is TT for short. I asked my young friends what the Red Raiders say at football games, I made the hand signal and started the phrase "get your...." Well, one young friend, taking a stab at it said, "Get your TT."

But my personal favorite was when we were interviewing a 16 year old who clearly did not want to be talking to a roomful of adults(who could blame him?). Anyway, he would consistently provide us with one word answers, even when asked open ended questions about topics he enjoyed, such as 80's and 90's rock. So, finally, in desperation, after he was asked a question and he just kept staring at the ground, one adult asked him, "What would Kurt Cobain do?(WWKCD)" Not exactly sure I want my 16 year old basing their actions on Kurt Cobain, but sometimes we'll do anything for a response. I realize that this is a verbal gem from an adult friend, but we're all kids at heart, right?

A Not So Grand Entrance

I love a good fairy tale. What little girl (or big girl) doesn't dream of Prince Charming coming to take her away on his white stallion to live happily ever after in a castle far away? Have you ever noticed that all the good fairy tales are about some faraway kingdom ruled by Kings and Queens and Princesses and Princes? I love that scene in Aladdin where he is entering the city gates. He is accompanied by numerous maids and servants and attendants singing, "Make way for Prince Ali." All of the lowly people in the city gather around to watch the procession. Now that , friends, is a grand entrance!

In real life, people want someone to rally around, as well. Whether it be President Obama, or Sarah Palin, or whomever is the political hero of the hour. Who can forget the speech that President Obama made at the Democratic National Convention when it seemed like the whole world, save for a few conservatives, all believed that Barack Obama was going to be the one to save us all from recession, war, or poor healthcare.

It seems to me that everyone wants a Savior. Someone who will carry our burdens and extend grace and compassion toward us when needed, but also someone who will convict and rebuke us when we are wrong. My Savior did not come into the world as the Mighty King that He is. He did not make His entrance with the grandeur that He deserved. Instead, God chose to send His Son into the world as a tiny baby, born to a terrified teenage girl in a lowly stable with smelly animals. He lived on this earth for 33 years until He fulfilled His Father's purpose, to be killed on a cross for crimes or sins He did not commit, but for the sins of the people of the world, then to be raised from the dead 3 days later, so that the ones who choose Him as their Savior might spend eternity with Him in heaven. I suppose this not so grand entrance is all part of what it is to have faith. But one day, my King will make His grand entrance on that white stallion. There is coming a day when the ones who know Him will be whisked away to a place where there will be no more sorrow, or suffering, or pain. Oh what a glorious day that will be!

My prayer, this Christmas, is that you all share this same faith and have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the King of all. You too, can experience the Peace of Christ that indwells me, if you choose Him as the Lord of your life, repent of your sin, and never look back.

Luke 2:1-20
The Birth of Jesus Christ
1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when [1] Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, [2] who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those
with whom he is pleased!”

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.


Merry Christmas, dear friends!

Justice

I have always wanted to spend time in a courtroom as a spectator. Today, I decided to check that off my list. My friend, who is a prosecuting attorney for Denton county, informed me that there was a murder trial beginning this week so I decided that this is where I would spend my afternoon.

I suppose television courtoom dramas have provided me with grandiose ideas on how the trials should be: lawyers with eloquent speeches, witnesses who know exactly what to say and when to say it, mean Bailiffs named "Bull," and judges who appear attentive and can interject their opinions anytime they want. Today, I saw lawyers with tons of notes, brief stops during their questions as they quickly decided what questions to ask next, a couple of recesses in order to work on sound equipment and much to my dismay, the bailiff was NOT named "Bull."

As I sat in the courtoom (which was smaller than I had expected), I watched the defendant and his family. I thought about how, perhaps, television has desensitized me. Here I was excited to see the court proceedings and ready to be entertained; while the victim's family is facing reality by still grieving the loss of a daughter, sister and mother, and the defendant's family worry about the fate of a brother, son, father and husband. It hit me that this man, who may or may not be guilty, is relying on his peers to decide the path of the rest of his life.

So, as I write this, I'm a bit more reflective of the situation than I was before my afternoon began. I hope and pray that this man gets whatever justice his actions have warranted. While our justice system is sure to fail us from time to time, my little visit to the courtroom left me a little bit more grateful for this wonderful country and its justice system that our forefathers created so long ago!

For Every Good Man....

Once upon a time I had a government teacher who said to my class, "for every good man there is a good woman behind him." I remember I was assigned to the last row that year and as I looked ahead of me I saw 3 good male friends at the desks in front of me. I responded (quite loudly, as I recall), "Wow, Mr. Burke, I must be amazing!"

I'm fairly certain that the people we choose to be our friends and our role models play a big role in defining who we are as people. I am quite certain that I have developed mannerisms, vocabulary and perhaps even some character traits from the people with whom I have chosen to walk through life.

VP candidate, Senator Joe Biden, had probably wished he had chosen a staff member better after this particular incident. The poor man or woman probably lost their job after this gaff. Watch and enjoy! And don't forget to "stand up for chuck."

Have You Had Your Laugh Today?

This past weekend, I was able to watch a dear friend get married. At the reception she had everyone fill out a page to a memory book that she will put together. One of the requests was to write down some advice for the bride and groom. I noticed that the advice of the person next to me read, "Laugh often." So simple, yet probably the best advice, in my opinion.

I truly believe that there is nothing better in life than a good laugh! There is no better sound in the world than laughter. Perhaps the sweetest is a baby's little giggle. When I was younger a friend and I would laugh by changing the vowels, which would make us laugh even harder. So, we would try the whole spectrum of "Ha's." (ie: "Ha, Hee, Ho, Hoo") Try this next time you feel like laughing, I guarantee it will provide several more minutes of entertainment.

Recently, I received an email that was similar to Jay Leno's "Headlines" bit. Here are a few of my favorites with brief commentary from yours truly:

I too, dress up when I go to the Wal-Mart.

Phew! The cat got what it deserved!

Umm...Great! Good for you!

They'd better be a good bargain!

I wonder how that conversation went...

"We had no idea anyone was buried there." Umm...it's a mausoleum!

This just may be my new worst fear. Isn't it public record?

That would be my first thought, too! Surely, they were stolen! On the bright side, at least they didn't steal her new credit card.

"Oh where, oh where can it be..."

25, huh?

Who said there's no such thing as a stupid question?

My mind is blank or my brain is empty, whichever is worse.

Since I thought these were so funny, I decided to search the web for things that make me laugh. I had remembered a website I used to frequent several years ago called http://www.engrish.com/ where I found this picture: http://www.engrish.com/2009/03/its-around-here-somewhere/

Then I remembered how church bulletins have a way of making me laugh as well, so I decided to search for some. Here are a few little gems:

Thursday at 5:00 PM, there will be a meeting of the Little Mothers Club. All ladies wishing to be "Little Mothers" will meet with the Pastor in his private study.

At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What is hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.

The ladies of the church have cast off clothing of every kind. They can be seen in the church basement Saturday.

Tuesday at 4 p.m. there will be an ice cream social. All ladies giving milk will please come early.

Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B.S. is done.

The church is glad to have with us today as our guest minister the Rev. Shirley Green, who has Mrs. Green with him. After the service we request that all remain in the sanctuary for the Hanging of the Greens.

Missionary from Africa speaking at Calvary Memorial Church in Racine. Name: Bertha Belch. Announcement: Come tonight and hear Bertha Belch all the way from Africa".

The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: "I upped My Pledge----Up Yours."

"Wise Up, O Men of God". Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say "hell" to someone who doesn't care much about you.

Finally, I have decided to post my Youtube Funny Of The Day. This is a video that just makes me happy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsWrY77o77o

Enjoy and laugh often!

The Angry Blogger

This weekend I had a nice discussion with sweet friends about my poor blogging of late. I informed my friends that I had to take a break from the blogging world because it hit me that everytime I blogged it was out of anger. In fact, we discussed the possibility of changing the name of my blog to "The Angry Blogger." While I think this new title would be hysterical, it hit me later that I really don't want to be known as angry. Furthermore, what would I do when I just wanted to relate a funny story? So, I will forever remain "Marci's Musings" and include a spattering of funny and angry posts. I promise to try and be a better blogger (Girl Scout's Honor).

Something to be angry about....

• road construction--there is a stretch of road in Highland Village, TX that has been under construction for at least 2 years! It is so frustrating when all I want is to go to TJ Maxx and Hobby Lobby without too much effort. It has turned in a 15 minute drive into a 30 minute drive (no joke).

Something to laugh about....

• Friends--I have recently reacquainted myself with this fabulous tv show. My personal favorite episode was when Joey couldn't figure out the timing for the annoying "hand quotes." Finally, when he received praise for finally getting it right he flubs up again by saying "thanks." I love it, I love it, I love it!

Have you ever thought a quote or colloquialism is something other than it really is? I certainly have and have felt the fool when I learned otherwise! Some of my more famous mistakes:


My quote: Rankin File
Actual Quote: Rank and File
My thoughts....Yes, I actually thought a guy named Rankin had a very large file.


My quote: Intensive Purposes
Actual quote: Intents and Purposes
My thoughts: My purposes are very serious.

My quote: Give it or take it
Actual quote: Take it or leave it
My thoughts: Give and take….take it or leave it...hit or miss..Who wouldn't get those confused?


My quote: Life Saber
Actual quote: Light Saber
My thoughts: At least I didn’t call it a "Life Saver."

These are just a few of the many phrases that have made me feel a little bit sheepish when I have learned the true quotes. What are some of yours?

Who I Am

I have not been onto my facebook page in at least a month but have heard ramblings of the latest trend and decided to follow the crowd and create my own list of 25 things about me. I found it was an interesting drill of examining myself and focusing on the positive traits that God has so graciously given me rather than the negative that I am so apt to do! It also helped pass the time while enduring a 6 hour inservice on multicultural issues in children with language impairments. So, in no particular order and without further ado...

1. I am a daughter and sister
2. I love my family--a lot
3. I am everyone's favorite aunt (at least, I like to think I am)
4. I was born in Taiwan, but I'm NOT Chinese
5. I can trace my heritage back to 1685 in Germany (thanks, Doug for doing that)
6. I am a combination of extrovert and introvert-sometimes thriving on meeting new people and other times preferring to regroup at home
7. Most people genuinely like me
8. I am a good, loyal friend
9. I prefer a few good friends over lots of acquaintances
10. I exercise regularly, but don't always enjoy it
11. I watch a lot of TV
12. I have an obsession with talk radio
13. I tend to be moderately conservative
14. I get annoyed with people who must "keep up with the Jones'" (I certainly picked the right place to live :) )
15. I tend to fly by the seat of my pants when it comes to planning therapy
16. It takes me too long to make decisions, especially those involving money
17. I am a very logical, rational person
18. People probably think I'm smarter than I really am because I speak with conviction
19. I absolutely LOVE to laugh
20. I don't take myself too seriously and often tell people of my many blunders
21. I care too much what people think of me
22. I've always been known to my friends as the "good" girl, but they all know I have not always actually been the "good" girl
23. I love a good competition (especially late at night, loaded with caffeine)
24. I'm always dreaming up new inventions but never follow through with them...and finally, I'm not ashamed to admit.....
25. I frequently burst into song in the confines of my own home

The Little Things

A couple of weeks ago I was walking through the cafeteria at my school. I saw one of the ladies who is always quite friendly cleaning up the tables. I said "hi" and asked how she was doing and then noticed that she had something on her ankle! I was about to comment on her pedometer when I thought better of myself. I ended up just walking away. As I thought about it later, I decided that surely it was a pedometer because if she was on house arrest or something she couldn't work in the school.

Well, this morning, thanks to the morning talk show I wake up to, I had an epiphany that it was not a pedometer, or that she was on house arrest. But, I had to thank God, that He encouraged me to shut my big fat mouth as I realized that it was an alcohol monitoring anklet!

My revelation helped me remember again that God really IS good! Well, not that I never thought that before, but it's just amazing how He is always in the little things! My actions that day in the cafeteria, whether or not I embarrassed her and/or myself, were not going to be Earth shattering, but yet His Spirit gently whispered into my ear that the question I was going to ask this woman would be better left unsaid! I know that I haven't always listened to that still small voice in the past, but lately I have wondered if I really do hear from God! I guess this is my answer! He is still there, gently nudging me forward with His encouragement and love! I just have to listen a little bit more carefully! I'm so glad I listened that particular day!