One of the great things about this summer has been all the different friends I have been able to spend time with. It seems like it has been parties, showers, and get-togethers galore. Because I will be gone on the day of Deb's shower, Jer and I went out and spent time with her last night in Hanford. She is so CUTE! I can't wait to meet the girls, yes girlS(!), and the other new baby additions to the ADX family such as Mandy's new baby boy, Virginia's new baby boy, and Leanna's new baby boy, whom I still have yet to meet!

I leave for the cruise tomorrow morning and do not get back until August 5. I heard that internet is not free (and somewhat pricey) on the cruise so you probably won't be hearing from me via the blog-world until I am back in Kingsburg. I'm sure I will have lots of fun stories to tell you when I return!

I am stealing no, borrowing, this blog insert from a male Christian friend I know from the EC. I was blown away with what he wrote and it really inspired me about the very special role women/mothers can have in the lives of others. Apparently he was impacted by it as well. If only I can be half of what these ladies are... Thanks K for sharing!

"The Hottest Girls to have ever lived on Earth." (Hot because she belongs to God.)

--Elisabeth Elliot--

If you have never heard of her, check out the End of the Spear movie and documentary. Here is a fine women of God. She supported her husband and family in Ecuador while ministering to the Waodani tribe. When her husband was killed by the Waodani, she continued on the same mission with her friends and family. She denied all material wealth and (with her children) lived with the Waodani tribe while curing them of polio. She continued as a missionary there.

--Susanna Wesley--

Examine the way she brought up her children i.e. “ …although she never preached a sermon or published a book or founded a church, she is known as the Mother of Methodism. Why? Because two of her sons, John Wesley and Charles Wesley, as children consciously or unconsciously will, applied the example and teachings and circumstances of their home life.” (Pellowe) She had 10 children, all who learned Greek, Latin, and Hebrew before the age of 10. She met with each of her children twice a week for an hour to examine their spiritual lives. The Methodist revival was a result of one of the most perfect images of parenting available.

--Sarah Edwards--

The wife of Jonathon Edwards; together created one of the best examples of what Christian marriage should look like. He chose her because of her spiritual enthusiasm and "nun-like" love for God. She was a spiritual influence on Edwards his whole life.

--Susan Fitkin--

Early Nazarene who answered God's call to "preach full salvation to every creature." She worked as an evangelist with her husband for many years before receiving ordination. After the death of her husband, she began many foreign missions to Swaziland, Mexico, Barbados, Trinidad, Hawaii, Panama, Central America, Japan, China, Korea, and Argentina. She is now considered the mother of Nazarene missions.

Alena's Party
My friend (from high school) Alena turned 30 and had a dinner party at Sal's in Fresno. I didn't know that they had a patio area (which made for a great and cozy location) and we had a very nice time celebrating with her. Janell came as well and we took a couple of cute pictures.

Here we are in high school...I guess we are friends for life!! :-)

Jerelyn's Party
Jerelyn turned 31 last week and last night we had a birthday dinner for her at BJ's in Fresno. It was fun and I hope she had a blast. She got a free pizzookie so that alone is worth turning 31. Here are some pics...

My Party
My 30th birthday is right around the corner. Because I am feeling depressed about it already (seriously, already cried about it a couple of times) I thought the best thing to do would be face it with all my loved ones. If I have to face 30 I want to face it with as many family and friends as possible. Therefore - please save the date of Sept. 6. I am planning on having a lunch party at the Golf Course in Kingsburg. Invitations to follow... Also, if you have any suggestions on how to feel better about turning 30 please pass them along!!
Deborah's Party
My friend Deborah (ADX sister) is having twin baby girls and Jer and I made the cutest gift for her (Jen and Kristin helped contribute too). It is a "diaper cake." Jer had the idea and it is something I will definitely make and give again. We were so proud of ourselves about being creative!! Two other sisters are also expecting and we are in the works of gifts for them too!:-)

Ikea
A couple of weeks ago Jerelyn and I went to the Bay Area for the day. We went to Ikea and visited Jerelyn's friend, Brad, in Alameda. Jerelyn said my thoughts (exactly!) aloud when she said, "I love me-a some Ikea!" (Or something along those lines.:-)) I got some great stuff and want to go back when they get their holiday/seasonal merchandise in. The weather was great and walking by the water made our time even better.

Cruise...oh yeah!
I leave for my family's 11-day-cruise to B.C. and Alaska on Saturday. I cannot wait! I have a lot to get done this week in preparation and I am trying not to stress out. I have been cleaning my house in sections so Julie won't be staying in filth. (Yes, I did find a house sitter. Thanks, Julie!!) I also need to wash clothes and pack. I need to go buy cat food and a new collar with tag (who knows where he left his other one - came home w/o it) so Jersey will be taken care of. I have to go grocery shopping for Julie. I have to make sure all my work is done and my office is clean and organized for the social worker covering for me. I know that I will sigh a big sigh of relief on Saturday morning when I am headed towards a week-and-a-half of relaxation and adventure. I have never been on a cruise before!!
Shots = done!
I finished my 10 weeks of shots (3 shots a week) at the clinic for weight loss. I am now on my own. I am so glad to be done. While I probably would have done a new cycle had I had the money, my arms are so glad not to be poked anymore (I had constant bruises). So far I have lost close to 30 pounds and I am hoping to not gain any on the cruise (will be watching most of what I eat and still planning on walking a bunch each day) and get back to dropping pounds when I get back.
Work
Last Monday I get a call at 10:30 PM telling me that a foster kid had run away. This kid was also on probation. Long story short I had to go meet with a sheriff at 12:30 AM in Traver to make a report (was told it had to be done in person) and spent the rest of the night on the phone with different people and awaiting any word. To this day he has not been found. We do now know that the person he took off with was probably his girlfriend. There is now a warrant out for his arrest. That kid was just offered a job (full-time with benefits) at a local school as a janitor and was almost done with probation. He also had recently become a Believer and was one of the most easy going kids I had met. I would have never thought he would make such a poor decision. Please pray that D will come to his senses and make good decisions and turn himself in.

Ummm...

OK, for those of you who are semi-regular readers of my blog you probably know that I am a Conservative when it comes to politics. Does that mean I agree with everything from the Right? No. Do I agree with everything from the Religious Right - even if I am a Republican who also is a Christian? No. (I would even say I vote based on my convictions rather then my party). While I do know that I will be voting for the Republican choice in this election - does it mean I think Senator McCain is a great fit for the presidency? Not necessarily. I will be the first to admit that both candidates have great - and not so great - things about them. In any case, here are two articles that kind of made me feel uneasy. The first was posted in a blog that I copied - therefore I cannot vouch for its authenticity and I am too lazy to research it. The second is a copy from an email I got today from the GOP so it is from a legit source - whether you choose to agree with the mission of the GOP or not.

Obama Explains National Anthem Stance On Sat, 22 Mar 2008 18:48:04 -0400
'LT.Bill Ginn' USAF ret forwarded:
Hot on the heels of his explanation for why he no longer wears a flag pin, presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama was forced to explain why he doesn't follow protocol when the National Anthem is played. According to the United States Code, Title 36, Chapter 10, Sec. 171: During rendition of the national anthem when the flag is displayed, all present except those in uniform are expected to stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. "As I've said about the flag pin, I don't want to be perceived as taking sides," Obama said. "There are a lot of people in the world to whom the American flag is a symbol of oppression. And the anthem itself conveys a war like message. You know, the bombs bursting in air and all. It should be swapped for something less parochial and less bellicose. I like the song I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing. If that were our anthem, then I might salute it."

And: http://www.gopusa.com/theloft/?p=739

Ummmmm.......WHAT?!

Thoughts? Please be respectful to me and both parties in your comments. Do I think that singing the National Anthem and encouraging others to speak Spanish will affect one's ability to rule the country in a certain way? No. But does it tell us more about the character of this man? (And as stated before - both def have issues...as we all do I guess.)

This morning on our usual walk Monica, Janell, and I got onto the subject of funny things we believed as a kid. Janell and Monica shared some funny stories (that I won't share here just because I don't have their permission although I'm sure they wouldn't mind) and when I got home I continued to remember silly things I totally believed when I was little. A couple of those were that the world was black and white (just like the TV shows) but then someone invented color so the world had color and the tv shows were now able to be in color...and that little people (like leprechaun type people) sat in the sensor boxes above doors (that open for you when you walk in buildings) and controlled opening and closing them for people as they entered and exited the stores. I am sitting here laughing also remembering some explanations my parents told me when I was little that I totally bought such as the explanation for homosexuality, etc. Anyway, leave me a comment and tell me some of the bizarre things you believed as a kid.:-) Happy Monday!

I hope you all had a great 4th of July! My day was nice. I slept in a bit and did my typical morning walk with Janell and Monica. I then went to the outlets and Super Target with my mom in Tulare. I came home from that and took a nap (I never get those anymore and it was glorious!) and then went over to my parents' house and baked a sugar-free cake. We then enjoyed a BBQ and fireworks with extended family. The weather was perfect last night, too. This morning I slept in until 9:30 AM (I slept so hard last night - I think I woke up in the same position I fell asleep in) and now I am sitting here (still in my pjs) getting little things done that I have been meaning to do - like post on my blog and send pics from my camera to friends like I promised days (or weeks) ago. Anyway, some of this pics were too fun not to post here. Enjoy - and have a great weekend!:-)

Some pics from June 08

Jersey doing what he does best...sleeping on furniture he is not allowed on!

My dad sent me these beautiful flowers at work. I think they are tiger lilies. They are SO PRETTY! He is very thoughtful. Can you spot JK (Jersey Kitty) in the first pic? I didn't realize he had "snuck" into the shot until I uploaded the pics.

Jerelyn July 08

I was able to go with Jerelyn to pick up her wedding gown. I saw it in person too and she is going to make a beautiful bride! We went to Uno's before David's for dinner - YUM!

Some family pics July 08

Here are some silly pics of my niece (and her papa) at Mimi and Papa's house. One thing she loves to do is go through my purse and play with whatever is in there. As you can see she found my reading glasses - funny girl!

NYC Trip Pics from Memorial Day Weekend

I was trying to explain to my mom how they park cars in NYC (they also do have parking garages but obviously space is limited so this is how they do it in small spots). Crazy, huh?

Hannah and I at...I can't remember the name...Daily News? Anyway, this globe has been in several movies, one of them being Superman. It was very cool! The guy taking this pic for us was sooo excited to be in this building, he was telling us all kinds of interesting facts. ( BTW I can't fit into these pants anymore - they are too big! As of my weigh in last Wed I am down 23.75 pounds!)

Cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery. They were the best cupcakes EVER! I think I have a new tradition for NYC!

Soooo fun to be on the EC once again - in the greatest city in the world!!

Here is Hannah with our favorite dish at our favorite NYC restaurant - Treccolori Tratorria.