100 Things...the first half

I've been tagged by Mash to give 100 Factual Things about myself...Here we go...
1. I'm ever so thankful that I was born a girl---had I been male, my Father was going to name me Hank.
2. I have one sister, Dana, who is 17 months older than me...I am about to gain 3 other siblings on June 21st...Brittany, 18, Ashley, 16, and Billy, 9.
3. My favorite toy as a child was a rubber Incredible Hulk. I slept with him every night. Due to the incredible amount of love I had for the little green guy, my father was forced to operate several times... I believe all appendages, including the head, fell off of his body at some point in time and had to be melted back together.
4. My sister and I were very violent to one another. She stuck a thumbtack in my neck and I stuck an ink pen in her wrist.
5. As we grew older, we decided it was time to call a truce. We started making "Best Sister Awards" for each other by late elementary.
6. I still have one of my awards! It's a little piece of a post that my sister said was a totem pole...she wood-burned Best Sister on it.
7. By Junior High, we didn't like each other again!
8. Now that we're both adults, we like each other and actually plan to keep it that way!
9. I was very sick in elementary school. I kept strep throat all the time, at one point I was a border-line diabetic, and then I was diagnosed with Histoplasmosis in 6th grade...they had to do emergency eye surgery that day (hence the blindness in my right eye). I am very blessed because all the spots on my lungs are calcified.
10. I fell in love for the first time when I was 13. He was red-headed and named Ken ( so glad my name's not Barbie!)
11. He was a junior at the time and I was in eighth grade...we were together a wopping 6 months and I still have the love notes he wrote me somewhere...I'm saving them in case Rachael gets heartbroken one day...in hopes that she will believe her life will go on as did mine!
12. I finally got over Ken when I was a junior.
13. Then, we had a short-lived resurgence again when I was in college ( i can't let go of people, can you tell?)
14. I started asking questions about being saved when I was 6.
15. When I was 8 I got baptized, but always had doubts about whether or not I was really saved.
15. Because of #14 I claim my salvation date as March 24th, 1993, when I was 15, because then I knew, that I knew, that I knew I was the Lord's child.
16. Life got harder after I got saved, contrary to popular belief.
17. Even though it got harder, it has been so much better! Following Christ is the best decision I ever made.
18. One of the desires of my heart is to stand beside the person who sexually abused me as a child and for both of us to share our testimony of what God has done in our lives...for every child that has been abused, there's an abuser out there who is equally loved by God.
19. Choosing to forgive my abuser was one of the best decisions I've ever made.
20. Every time I've done a Beth Moore Bible study, my life has been altered permanently ( for the better!)
21. I was forced to have my nipple pierced...yes, it's true...at the dentist's office while having a cavity filled, he accidentally hooked me with that big curved loop he uses to scrape stuff off your teeth...it left a big hole and bled a lot.
22. When I was in Junior high and High School, I had a list of women written in my journal which I referred to as my "Awesome Category". When people asked me who I wanted to be like, the person who came to mind was a big conglomeration of the best qualities from each of these women. For those of you who may know some of these folks, here are a few from the list: Jackie Earnest, Winni Carlisle, Margaret Smith, Celeste Tilley, and Lisa Green...oddly enough 5 for 5 of those ladies were my teachers!
23. The ladies named in #22 will always hold a special place in my heart, and my life has been modeled greatly after their example.
24. I used to have collection of houseshoes in High School. I had Bulldogs ( mascot of our school), a pair of cows that mooed if you touched the ear, and my favorite, bananas! I actually wore each of these to school at least a few times during my teen years. I even wore the bananas to my class' Baccalaureate service...the school colors were green, white and gold...yellow can be considered gold, right?! :)
25. Another of my great decisions in life was going to Judson College! I chose it for the fabulous alma mater..."Mother Judson, Alma Mater, We have seen thy glorious light1 Like a beacon on a hilltop burning brightly through the night! La da da da da da da d a....water...mel...on....Mother Judson...water melon...water, water....melon!"...ha, ha, ha! :)
26. I don't like sleeping in my own bed when napping...the big green couch is the only way to go!
27. My hubby and I shared our first kiss on our wedding day.
28. The new Iced Frappe things from Sonic are my new favorite sinful treat.
29. I teach pottery and LOVE it!
30. I think part of the reason I love it is because when I first started I thought I would never be able to learn how! (It took me somewhere around nine straight hours to make my first pot!)
31. The good thing about having such a hard time with it is I can pretty much assure them if I can make a pot, I KNOW you can too!
32. I've learned way more about God than pottery while teaching it!
33. Since becoming a mother, I have successfully mastered the skill of taking a nap with two 45-pound children bouncing on top of me.
34. I'm seriously thinking about becoming a real estate agent.
35. I have a hard time picking a career field because the thing I am most passionate about is people...and you work with them in any field!
36. When answering the phone, my voice apparently mutates according to who is at the other end of the line...I've been told this several times by the husband and a few close friends.
37. My nose swells at night...Claire says I have more physical oddities than anyone else she knows...I also have 5 baby teeth that have no permanent teeth underneath (maybe that should have gotten its own number!
38. My friends are all so different it would be completely awkward to have more than 2 or3 of them together at once.
39. I love meeting and getting to know weird people...they are so much fun! And far less likely to be judgemental than people who tend to "fit in".
40. I used to be able to sing "Camptown Races" in burp...one of my lesser known talents!
41. Almost all of my best friends I met at Judson. (Ashley, Claire, Myra...thanks for loving me!)
42. After Judson I was going to go to the 10/40 window as a missionary, but my eye disease came back and after much prayer and deliberation, I stayed here.
43. I went through somewhat of a depression after that, but then God gave me a mission field in my own backyard working with mentally retarded adults.
44. I grew to love the Lord in a whole new way while working there and also learned that maybe they're normal and the rest of us aren't! After all, God doesn't make mistakes...we just assume there's something wrong with people who have different physical and mental capabilities than we do.
45. I changed my first adult diaper while working there. I'm so thankful God allowed me to grow up there...it's been a real honor and joy to help take care of other family members who needed that kind of help since then.
46. The "Princess Diaries" will always be one of my very favorite movies.
47. Number 46 is something my husband will never truly be able to comprehend!
48. For all the good, and in spite of, all the bad and the ugly things we have shared, I still fall more in love with my husband everyday. He is the love of my life and has my heart completely.
49. Our pet name for each other is "you weirdo!"...ahh, true love is a mystery! :)
50. Why are you surprised? I told you I like weird people?! (Not sure what this says about you, Myra, Ashley, and Claire!)

OKAY---I know this is not the full one hundred, but I am posting the first 50 tonite with promise of more to come!

The Greatest Men I Know

This week a friend of ours passed away suddenly. He was the kind of guy everybody just like immediately...good, honest, reliable, funny, hard-working, loved his kids, still in love with his wife of over 20 years...it's always a wake up call when someone you know suddenly goes to be with the Lord. For me, this man's death prompted a thankful heart for the blessings I've been given. The two men in my life happen to be the greatest men I know. Everyday I love them more, and everyday I'm amazed at the pureness of heart God has put in each of them. They have my lifelong love and devotion, and I pray that my little boy will grow up to be the perfect mix of the two of them. God has given Thomas two incredible role models in these two men and I praise Him for putting them in my life, my Dad and my dear Husband!

Definitely not the Roarin' 20s (aka Poor Max!)

The poor, poor dog! My daughter, considering herself the mother and head of family for Max, decided it was time to feed him last night. Food is not bad in and of itself. But too much is not so good. Too many Milkbones is certainly not good! And three-quarters of a box is most definitely BAD, BAD, BAD! The poor dog! His stomach was as wide as the whole length of his body! He could barely walk! His ribs were sticking out so far it looked like he swallowed a hanger! The results of this episode leave a lot to be desired...as a friend of mine would say, he didn't just have the #@!&@, he had the ROARIN' #@!&@. Well, it's definitely not the roarin' 20s, that's for sure! Within three minutes he'd gone three times...though I will say after that he was finally able to move again. The pictures I am posting are AFTER the initial three expultions! By this morning his stomach was only swollen slightly. I'm just thankful he's still alive! Good intentions...what else can I say?

Octavius Maximus

We have a new addition to our little family...his name is Octavius Maximus (Max for short) and he is 6 weeks old. Rachael took one look at him and said, "His name is Max!" (Those were the first words out of her mouth, no joke.) Though after getting to know Max a little bit, we realized his small stature did not do him justice. Nooooo...he is indeed large in personality. Hence the addition of further syllables to an otherwise simple name. Aside from the ceaseless howling at night, we have quickly adjusted to having another baby in the home. I must say I'm thankful the human babes came first as the canine babe seems rather easy to care for relatively speaking! But tonight, an Advil PM is already calling my name, and the little dude with the larger than life persona will be enjoying an evening in his luxurious low-rise, one bedroom condominium in the playroom with the door closed... we will also be closing all doors in between, leaving all bathroom fans running and the children's sound machine on full blast. If this does not allow me to rest, tomorrow we shall add all the television sets to that list!

I Love Lucy Kinda 'Hood

Have I mentioned that we live in a fantastic, "too good to be true" type of neighborhood? It's kind of like stepping back into a 1950's era TV sitcom. One Saturday we drove into our cul de sac to find ALL of the kids from every house out side playing kickball with a few of the dads. Every couple of days, our doorbell rings and a skinnier version of Beaver Cleaver asks if Thomas and Rachael can come out to play. And everyone actually waves and smiles as they leave for and return from work. I didn't know this kind of place existed anymore. It's refreshing to know there's still an environment like this for my children to grow up in. The only bad thing is there's not enough empty houses for you all to come and join us! Today, I'm just thanking God for providing us with this blessing. I hope you all can say the same!

Pottery Pics

Okay, here are a couple of my favorite pots. Hope you enjoy!

The Potter's Hand

So I haven't mentioned yet that I am a Potter by trade...amongst several other things...however, teaching Pottery is by far my favorite job that I actually receive monetary benefits from. I have learned so much about how God works in our lives from my successes and many, MANY failures on the potter's wheel. I'm going to try and post some pictures in the near future to describe just what I mean. For those of you in my area, you should come to my studio so I can show you what I mean. (Laura, you should come before the baby does!) In the meantime, what is it the Potter is trying to mold you into? Just a thought for the day...

A Laugh for Today

So is there anyone out there who hasn't seen the YouTube video of the little boy getting baptized? You'll love it! I've posted the link. If you have a minute, you should check it out...it will brighten your day!

So it's time to celebrate! Both of my kids had good reports today at school...no, not report cards, just reports. This may sound silly to some of you who do not have children yet, but trust me, when you have a 3-yr.-old, you'll understand. We've now been in the "threes" for two years (first with Rach and now with tom), and I'm pretty sick of it! I think the day my son turned three, some sort of alien invaded his sweet, precious little body, and out came this monstrous dinosaur of an attitude! He has gotten good reports two days in a row at school now, and that, my friend, is cause to rejoice! Furthermore, there has been no screaming and/or gnashing of teeth between the two of them since we got home, which, yet again, is cause for rejoicing! Ha! I feel like dancing! :)

I Finally Jumped!

Okay, since I know there are so many of you out there waiting to read the dramatic episodic drama I refer to as my life, I decided I should finally just jump in and start to blog! And now, I don't know what to say....
Good news- the short and sweet of it- my Mother FINALLY signed the divorce papers yesterday! HOORAY! It's officially over! Maybe some of the drama will cease now! For those of you who walked through parts of this with me and will actually read at least part of this (namely Mash), you will be proud to know I have been taking some fabulous meds to help me maintain some normalcy in life, and I no longer want to cuss like a sailor every waking minute! More to come when it's not so late!