What a freak I am....

Have you ever watched the Antiques Roadshow? When I lived in Detroit - for many months I didn't have cable - and so my favorite channel became PBS. Well the two shows I'd watch were History Detectives and Antiques Roadshow. Come to think of it - I didn't have cable in Colorado Springs, either...Dara and I used to watch Antiques Roadshow (we loved Leigh and Leslie Keno!). We loved it when someone who brought in something that I'd never even think to bring in...and the appraiser is like, "Well, the good thing about this piece is that even though it looks fake, I can tell its not..." You can see the owner going "cha-ching!" Or when the owner is all excited about some expensive piece that they bought and the appraiser goes, "Well, I see a few problems here in the dove tails...." or something like that. (okay, we didn't really enjoy watching peoples items turn out being fake or something...)

So, I'm at a garage sale a few weeks ago, and it was one of the last ones we were going to go to that morning, and I come across some paintings. I really liked them, the detail was incredible. I asked the lady how much she wanted for them - she wanted $50. I've never paid $50 for something that wasn't a gadget or something I could eat....but I really like these paintings. I talked her down to $40 for the paintings and I bought them! She had said they bought them in the 1970's in the Netherlands. Cool.

They are, I believe Oil on Board, and are signed by P.C. Steenhouwer. All I can find on the artist is that he was a Dutch painter that passed away in 1972. I thought I'd bring this all to your attention for one very important reason - they are filming Antiques Roadshow in Palm Springs in June and I have signed up for tickets. According to Google, Palm Springs is only 4 hours away. I'm such a freak. Mostly, I just want to go to see the Keno brothers....but it would be cool too learn more about these paintings. I won't know if I will get tickets until May. It does give me something to look forward to, at least. You too - I may be one of those people on the show where the appraiser says, "Well, unfortunately, there are some condition problems......"

Week 4

Hey all - I realized (thanks to Becca) that my update for this week hasn't been posted yet. There is a good reason for it - really, there is. The reason is.......I didn't go for my weigh in this week. Now before you comment on how big a loser I am - let me tell you why:

This past weekend I was in Colorado Springs. (I didn't get to see everyone I wanted, but I knew I'd be going back in a month or so anyway, and I would see those of you I didn't see this time, then...) It was sort of a whirlwind trip flying in on Friday evening, staying the weekend with my wonderful hosts Greg and Elaina Gipson and spending Monday at Compassion and flying home Monday evening.

So, after an awesome day at Compassion we left and headed for the airport. One of my many little quirks is that I like to be at the airport at least 2 hours before my flight leaves, so I was there pretty early. I've also been sick, and so before I went through security I went into the gift shop to buy some cough drops. I'm in the gift shop, looking around when I hear a message over the intercom. I couldn't quite make it out, but I did hear something about a flight being cancelled. Ha ha ha, I thought, suckers! I continue browsing through the store when I hear the announcement again, only this time more clearly: US Airways flight 2725 to Phoenix has been cancelled... I thought, weird, that flight number sounds familiar. Sure enough, when I pulled out my ticket I was on flight 2725. Panicked, I ran out of the gift store and toward the ticket counter. It wasn't until I was about halfway to the ticket counter that I realized that I still had the cough drops in my hand...and I hadn't paid for them. I raced back to the shop - paid for my stolen cough drops and got to the ticket counter, which by now had many people there trying to get other flights out. There were no other flights out. Colorado Springs is not a huge airport, and so I was stuck. While in the non-moving line, I decide to just call US Airways...get the lady on the phone and she's telling me they can't get me back to Phoenix until Wednesday. No, that wouldn't do. By then, I was next in line, and the ticket counter lady gave me my options...I could wait until Wednesday and get a flight out from the Springs, or I could wait until Tuesday the next day) and catch a flight from Denver. Mind you - she was not offering me a connecting flight to Denver...she was offering me a cab ride to Denver, and then my flight. Whatever...I took it. I took the cab. It was free (except for the $36 tip I gave the driver for driving me all that way...) I finally got back Tuesday evening.... and missed my weigh in. Which is probably a good thing. Its hard to stay on the Weight Watchers plan when you're on vacation...

My next weigh in will be this coming Tuesday, and I'll let you know how I'm doing then!

I'll take what I can get...

Thats what I said last week about my weight loss when I only lost 1.6 pounds. "I'll take what I can get." Well, this week I only lost 0.6 pounds...I want what I took last week! Ha ha ha - no, I slacked this week, I'll admit it. PLUS - they had a membership class at my church where they served an awesome lunch...I had to eat it - I didn't want to be RUDE! :) This weekend I'm on vacation - so who knows where I'll be next week, weight wise!!

Okay, well I better go, I'm a little under the weather and my mom hooked me up with some awesome cough syrup that I think is making me drowsy........................*snore*

Another week

So another week has passed, thought I'd give you an update on my weigh in last night...ready? Drum roll please: 1.6 pounds lost for a total of 11.2 pounds in 3 weeks. I'd like for it to be coming off faster, but I'll take what I can get!!

Also I have my bible study tomorrow night. We're going through 2 Peter 2, and I came across this verse that really made me think: "But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens exsisted and the earth was formed out of water and by water." (2 Pet 2:5) Perhaps not as striking a verse as others, but this one really got me thinking. It says that 'they deliberately forget' God's word and that He is the one who created the world. (Who are "They"? "They" are the scoffers and mockers who doubt God, and speak against his coming.) Anyway - someone who deliberately forgets something doesn't forget it on accident. They make a decision that they are no longer going to believe something, and they forget the things they used to believe. In this case, man had to come up with something to explain away God's account of the creation of the world. What did man come up with? Evolution. These people deliberately forgot what God's word said and how God said HE created the world in 7 days, and they came up with their own explanation of how things came to be...and now - evolution is being taught as fact. Oh, they say its a theory of evolution, but most people today believe that it is fact. That you and I evolved from monkeys and that the biblical story of creation is just that. A story.

There was a lot more in those few little verses...I'll share more that I got from them later! :)

Compassion International

Okay, well, many of you that read this are either current or former Compassion employees. But I know there are those of you out there who are not as familiar with the ministry of Compassion International...this post is for you.

This month a group of bloggers are heading to Uganda to see first hand Compassion's work in that country. I myself have experienced first (and second) hand Compassion's ministry. I worked for Compassion for 4.5 years before leaving in 2005. It was the best job I ever had. Not only that, I have sponsored three children through my years at Compassion: Cleiton from Brazil, Franci Valdo from Brazil and Lesvia from Guatemala. I have had the incredible opportunity to meet each of these young people in person in their own countries.

My last trip was to Guatemala in 2006. That was an incredible trip!! We got to visit several Compassion projects, and it just reminded me how much I take for granted everything I have. One home we visited was little more than one room that was divided by a partition with a 'crib' for the babies in the 'living room'. The crib was literally an old crate. The baby was playing with a strip of cloth. That was her toy. I was heart broken. But I also know that Compassion is doing a work in that family. The father used to be an alcoholic and with the church and Compassion's help, he is now working and making an income for this family.

I was also fortunate enough to meet Lesvia, my sponsor child and her father on this trip. We spent the day at the Guatemala Zoo. I think the part that broke my heart most was when she was telling me how nervous she was about meeting me, and how she wondered if I would like her. I told her I wondered the very same thing!!

If you are at all interested in sponsoring a child, please click the Compassion banner at the top of this page, or simply click here.

Like I said, I worked at Compassion for almost 5 years, and I know the 'inner workings.' Not only that, I've seen the ministry Compassion does overseas and it is Awesome. God has placed his hand upon Compassion, he really has. Besides I was this closed to being the Co-President of Compassion, so I mean, come on!! ;)

Here are some more pictures from the Guatemala trip in 2006. Enjoy! SPONSOR A CHILD!!

Loser

Yeah, I'm a loser. I lost 1.6 pounds this week for a total loss (in 2 weeks) of 9.6 pounds. Why is it so much harder for the weight to come off than it was going on?

Ooops

Okay, so...I have a friend who thinks I'm 'quirky.' I'll admit it - I am. There are certain things I like and certain things I don't like. For instance, when I'm at church I like to sit in the middle of the row that I'm in. This way, if more people come in, they don't have to sit right next to me. Today, though, I hadn't thought it through, and I sat the third seat in from the aisle. Now, ANYONE knows, that if you sit the third seat in from the aisle, then some couple is going to sit down next to you. Right. So, the wife gets there first, and I thought she was alone, so there was still a seat in between us. Phew. Then her husband comes in, and she scoots over right next to me. I'm sitting by a friend of mine, otherwise I would have moved over to have that all important empty seat next to me. Ohay, whatever, I'll remember next time - at least FOUR seats in... So, this morning I'm really feeling the worship and I actually lifted my hands during service. I'm also known for singing with my eyes closed. When I opened my eyes, my neighbor couple was gone...cool. What a great day this is turning out to be. I later realized why the couple left...in my rush to get to church on time, I neglected one very important step before leaving the house this morning - deodorant! It wasn't until I got in my car that I realized I had the dreaded 'funky pit' going on. Another reason to always sit in the middle of the row...

p.s. I'm not really THAT weird for not wanting to have someone I don't know sit next to me, am I?

Weight Watchers...

Okay, so I've been saying for months (or years) that I need to lose weight. This fall I had an experience that made me say, Okay, I really do need to lose weight. So you know those old country pumpkin patches that you used to go to as a kid? Well this year my family went, and took Noelle to Schnepps farm here in Gilbert. It was a really cool place. They had a pumpkin patch and a train and lots of little carnival type rides. Noelle was so excited to go and ride all the rides, but as soon as we got there, she didn't want to ride on anything. So me, being the best aunt in the world that I am, decided I would ride the giant swing to show Noelle how much fun it is. I got on the swing, a bit of a squeeze, I might add, but that wasn't the problem. As I was getting off the swing at the end of the ride, I stood up, and the swing seat was firmly stuck to my rump. It was like one of those cartoons where I big kid sits in a baby seat and the baby seat gets stuck to the big kids butt. You might be thinking to yourself, Oh my goodness how embarassing. And you'd be right. It sucked. But that was the straw that broke tha camels back, I guess.

So I decided at the first of the year that I would join Weight Watchers. And I did. My initial weigh was a huge suprise. I didn't know I weighed that much. I had always hovered around 220 lbs. or so, this was a bit more than that. In fact, I weighed the most I've ever weighed in my life. But that is why I was there in the first place. The first week was okay on the program was not too bad. So, last Tuesday night was my first weigh in. Want to know the results? I went in praying I hadn't gained anything. I couldn't imagine I had lost anything because of all I had eaten. I did lose though. I lost 8 pounds. I demanded a recount. I couldn't believe it. I'll keep you posted. I have a big goal - I want to lose 75 pounds. (according to their little calculations, I need to lose over 100 pounds to be in "normal" range, but when have I ever been normal. So, I'll keep you up to date. I told myself that once I get under 200 I'll join softball again. I love playing softball! And Its great exercise! Okay, i've rambled on long enough! Let me know how you're doing!

2 Peter 1:3

So I was laying in bed this morning unable to go back to sleep and was thinking about God (and I wasn't even mad at him that it happened to be at 4:45 in the morning!) In my bible study this past week, we were in 2 Peter 1, and a verse really kind of stuck out to me, and I thought I'd share it with you.

2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who caled us by his own glory and goodness.

I think my favorite part are the first three words, "His divine power." Its not by my power or my strength that I can be godly, only his power can do that. How many times have I heard that I can't live a life that holy and pleasing to him in my own strength, and how many times do I still try to do it. And then get upset at myself when I fail. I tell you - what I really need is for God's word to get all up in me, and for me to draw upon the strength it provides rather than try to do it on my own strength.

I know there is another verse about that somewhere, but its still really early, and just because I'm not mad at God for waking me up this early doesn't mean I'm real happy about it either...

:)

Happy Belated New Year

Hey everyone! Happy belated New Year! Make any New Years Resolutions? I hate those things. Its like you pick a fault that you have - and January 1 you start working on it. If you're like me by Feb or March (or Jan 4th, in some cases) you've already messed up your resolution. So now you have this fault, and the wonderful thought knowing that you can't change it. Ha ha ha.

Short post - don't have much else going on right now. Hope all is going well for you!