Bliss is having your house painted! (imported from Myspace)

Ahhh.......I am reveling in the pleasure that being able to post a blog with this title brings. After having an unpainted house for 1 1/2 years, and then a half painted house since August, I am THRILLED to report that my house is FINALLY DONE!! Woo hoo. Believe me, I have learned my lesson. Never again will I depend on my husband to complete a job that I know he hates. I think one of the best things about being financially semi-secure is being able to pay people to do things you don't want to do.

Also, some of you know that I have had a beast of a time getting my garage painted. I bought all of these wonderful organizers while Andy was gone on tour (nearly two months ago) and a friend of mine was going to help me clean up/paint/organize my garage. Well - the ceiling was painted and due to circumstances beyond his control, he had to stop working on it. So, in this process we had moved everythign to the middle of the garage - so I couldn't even park in it........again. It's been like that for a good while now, so these nice folks that painted my house agreed to paint the garage too. Plus, they made a color out of the paint I already had so I didn't have to go spend a bunch of money on new paint. It was kind of fun making a color and not knowing what it would turn out like. Well, it turned out a nice cashew color - a brownish color. I like it a lot. So, now, I STILL can't park in the garage because everything is STILL in the middle, but progress is progress and before I go back to work, it WILL be completed.

Okay, this is really boring - sorry for that, but I am so terribly excited!

Dinner Theater is over! (imported from Myspace)

Well, the dinner theater is over. Whew! What a relief. Frankly, I can't believe how well it went. It was so unbelieveably smooth compared to the two previous years. Yeah, we had some typical Baptist griping from one or two women, but really, even that was minor. Very happy time for our church family, I think.

Overall I would consider the whole thing a big success. The sets were the best yet, the choir did exceptionally well (the addition of a couple of powerhouse vocalists did help), the actors did well, the food was great, the turnout was high.....what more can we ask for?

It was really cute to watch two of the little boy actors - you know how kids are......they forget they are wearing countryman (Garth Brooks-style) microphones. One boy says the other boy's line and he doesn't appreciate it so he proceeds to tell him so right there for the audience to hear! So cute. You should have heard them sing "Silent Night" accapella also. Hilarious. One little boy was pretty good with the tune, but couldn't remember the words. The other couldn't/wouldn't sing the tune (he spoke it) and remembered the words fine. Great combination.

Overall Christmas has been really nice and un-stressful thus far. I am pleased. I want to go to Ariton and see their "Christmas City" this weekend. But otherwise, I just hope to stay home as much as possible, play our Wii and chill out.

No other news really. I am very, very excited that my house might get finished painted this weekend. One of clients who is a painter is going to come over and try to finish it (providing it doesn't rain). If she does a good job then she will have a lot more work from me. I want my garage finished, my small bathroom redone and my office repainted. We are going to move some furniture around after the tree comes down and move our piano into our grand room, so that we can actually USE it with guests, so that will be nice, but moving it will be a beast. Seems like I am always looking for a new thing to do at home. Maybe that is part of being female. The latest addition to my list is that I need/want a new living suite. I want leather - they say that leather is truly the best for pets and small children (providing you buy quality). We have pretty fabric couches, but fabric is NOT the best for animals and our look terrible already. I was saddened (sort of) to discover a hole in one of the cushions already and they aren't even three years old!! But this does give me an excuse to start shopping. If anyone has any input on leather furniture, please let me know.

Okay, well I'll try to work now. It's been kind of a tough day, tough week, whatever. I can make myself feel better and start looking forward to our next trip now though......I think we are going to Yosemite and touring California in August! Woo hoo!

Birthday/Wii/Dinner Theater (imported from Myspace)

Saturday was my birthday and it was a great day. We didn't do anything oh-so-grand, but just enjoyed having a day to ourselves. We were antisocial and did not attend either one of the two church Christmas parties. (Sometimes you just need to stay home...) We got up early (for us) and went to the mall to pick up our Nintendo Wii (more on that fiasco later) and then came home and fiddled with that all day. It's really cool. Later in the day we went out to dinner with some friends. It was an uneventful day, but very enjoyable all the same. I had originally made this grand plan for us to go to Atlanta to the new Georgia Aquarium and eat tapas (yummy!), but then I read all these reviews online griping about how packed it was and advising visitors NEVER to go on a Saturday. So, that made my decision for me. I hate crowds. (Probably why I despise theme parks in the summertime.)

Fun day all the same. We really like our Nintendo Wii. We looked at the three new game systems and decided that we wanted a "fun" system - which the Wii was reported to be. And it is! The new remote (that I had such reservations about) is really cool and easy to use. Also, you can download old NES, SNES games off the internet for a minimal charge. We decided to buy the stupid thing on Friday night, so I call Walmart, Kmart and Circuit City - they are all sold out. Found out that Electronics Boutique had a couple left so we drove up there and get up to the counter to pay for it and MY CARD WON'T GO THROUGH. Okay, so maybe Rhonda is the last person on the planet to realize that if you deposit your paycheck before 2:00 on Friday - it STILL won't be available until the next day. (Oh, how spoiled I have been by Vystar Credit Union....) So here we are at the checkout with no way to pay. By this time, Andy is HOT. He was disappointed not to get the game system and infuriated with me for not being cognitive of our having-no-money predicament PRIOR to checkout. (He was embarrassed....heehee.) Well, I was embarrassed too, but being the reasonable female I just suggest that I go sweet-talk the manager into holding it for us. He rants about how they aren't going to do that, there are ten people for every one Wii, yadda yadda yadda......So I go back inside to collect our cash (we put $50 down to go try to get another card, which we didn't have with us...). Get inside and explained the situation that I DID have money, but that it wasn't available right at the moment to the store manager, who ever so kindly agreed to HOLD the Wii until tomorrow. ::sigh of pleasure at being right:: Andy was shocked and I relished in the moment.

I can tell this story because it is one of those very distant events where it was NOT fun (or funny) at that moment, but is very funny later because of how ridiculous it all was!

We have our dinner theater this weekend. Please pray that it will go well. I am really excited about it. The set looks great and I believe that the music end is prepared. Even the small child actors have almost learned their lines (which is really something considering they can't read). I hope for a good turnout - to God be the glory.

Short update on week (imported from Myspace)

No big news to report. This work week has been the week from Hades, but hey, that happens sometimes, right? I just wish that the causes for it would work themselves out, but unfortunately it is always the same problems, back and ready to revisit every six weeks.

I have decided (FINALLY) to go back to school next semester part-time. I destest going to school part-time. Always have. I am an all-the-way, taking 18 hours, kind of girl. NOT a one class at a time kind of girl. But, alas, I am going to FORCE myself to take one class, just to get back in the swing of things. I am switching to complete eCampus, which appears to be the only way that I can get through this before I am 30. Hopefully, come summer I can make some huge life changes and be back to my normal 18-hour self for a couple of semesters and then onward......to what, I know not. (All this would be SO much easier if I were just career ambitious......)

I am thrilled the weekend is here even though we are B-R-O-K-E. I had to pay the remainder of Andy's trip to Guatemala today and praise God we did have one more donation, so that was fabulous. But it still left us pitifully broke. I am thankful we can come up with that kind of money now though......I remember when I couldn't buy the most darling pair of Mary Jane's at Parisian because they were $50.........(the reprehensible side of having one-income and a full-time student husband). We are definitely very, very blessed now. Especially to still be in college. I am so thankful.
Had a crazy thing happen at the Graceville house today - some inmate mowers were doing the lawn across the street and they spewed a rock that shattered our front window. (I am sure that looks completely white-trashy.) Our renters handled it so beautifully. I was really quite proud and appreciative. Mike talked to the folks, the supervisor admitted it readily to be their fault, we contacted the City and within an hour the whole thing has been setup to be completely repaired at their cost. No deductibles, no real hassle for me, no upfront costs. This is a God thing. He is so good to me. Maybe that was what he was trying to show me....."look - stop stressing about Guatemala - I can handle this, that means I can handle Guatemala too. Money is no object." However, I *like* to worry it seems........(well, not really, but I definitely have a propensity to worry over money.)
Andy leaves the 28th of December for Guatemala. Please pray for him. He is so excited.
Took the youth to Graceville last night to see the BCF Christmas Concert. It was good. Andy said it would be mediocre, but I really enjoyed it. They had the four "dueling" pianos, which was awesome. Plus, the guitar professor played, which was a real treat. (My youth think she is awesome, and cute too! They are so funny.....) Overall, it was a real treat. Which, I always enjoy that stuff. And I love taking the kids to see it. They are so sheltered and so rarely attend anything with any real cultural value, so this is the closest I can get to exposing them. Would you believe one girl actually asked another boy why she had to clap in between each performer!!???? That showed me exactly why we needed to keep coming to events!!

No big news here. Gotta do major housecleaning this weekend - maybe we'll put up our new 9 1/2 foot Christmas tree - that is, IF I can find enough decorations to cover it without spending money!! Good luck to me.

My trip with Andy to Washington, D.C. (imported from Myspace)

:::sigh:::: So I am back at work after a glorious week of vacation! Andy and I had a BALL in Washington, DC. Couldn't have asked for a better trip. I could write a book, but I will keep it as short as is possible for Rhonda.

MONDAY: Flew out early from Dothan. Boy, was it great to fly out of town versus having to drive a couple hours – THEN get on a plane. Our plane to DC was delayed out of Atlanta, so we were a little later than we planned. By the time we got to our hotel (via a CAB – my first!) it was around 3:00 p.m. So, we jumped on the metro and went to the Smithsonian area. I was just so excited to be in the middle of everything. We went through the Museum of Natural History, which was great. I hadn't seen a good dinosaur exhibit since kindergarten. (I have a wild picture of me with another little boy that died in the fifth grade in front of a T-Rex skeleton.) I LOVED the dinosaur stuff. And, of course, since it was the Smithsonian, it was a great exhibit – they had everything, brontosauruses, T-Rex, stegosaurus, mammoth, triceratops, pterodactyls (sp?), etc. (Better stop before I can't spell them anymore!) So much fun. Then we went into the Chinatown/Gallery area on accident and ate at a great place called Clyde's. Andy got some crabcakes that he said were to die for, and I got a good steak (took a small break from weight watchers! Haha)

TUESDAY: Got up later than planned and dawdled getting to Union Station to take the Old Town Trolley Tour. By the time we got there, we realized we wouldn't have as much time on the tour as we wanted so we decided to postpone the tour. Instead we walked toward the Capital and toured the Supreme Court (very cool). They did a nice talk about the history of the building and justices. I didn't realize that President Taft later became Associate Justice Taft. They told a funny joke about Taft making fun of his own weight saying that one time he got out of his bus seat and three ladies sat down.

After the Supreme Court we walked through the mall area and looked at things. We went to the Nat'l Botanical Garden Conservatory and took some great pictures. They had a neat exhibit of miniature replicas of all the major buildings in the Capital area made from plant materials. (Imagine the columns on the buildings as small brances, and you will get the idea.) We ate lunch at Bullfeathers – a restaurant inspired by Teddy Roosevelt. The story is that since Teddy knew that he couldn't say Bull____ in civilized company, that he would instead say "Bullfeathers!" After lunch we went to the Nat'l Air and Space Museum – Andy had been anxious to do that, but was disappointed to find that the flight simulator was unavailable at that time. I don't know why. But we saw a bunch of other neat things there and got some cool pictures. That night we walked through the sculpture garden and planned to go ice skating Wednesday, but it ended up raining.

WEDNESDAY: Alas, did it ever rain! It was COLD and WET and NASTY on Wednesday. Had we had more time we would have stayed in the hotel. It was awful outside. We went downtown anyway, since our tour of the White House and Capital was scheduled. We toured the White House, which was fun, even though they wouldn't let you take pictures. (I downloaded mine off the internet.) The rooms were very elegant. So much so, that I wondered if the house could possibly be a comfortable place to live. But maybe upstairs is different. Who knows….

We ate our lunch at the Old Ebbitt Grill. Yum!! But we had to eat so fast that we really couldn't enjoy the atmosphere, so we ended up going back. They had an AWESOME clam chowder.

After the White House we went to Capital Building. We actually met our tour guide, a staffer for our representative, Terry Everett, at the Rayburn Building. Then we got to walk underground to the Capital Building. Turns out that all the Senate/House buildings are linked via an underground tunnel system to the Capital Building. That was cool. The Capital was really something to see. There is a Crypt underneath that they planned as a tomb for Washington, but his heirs refused to disturb his gravesite, so now it is just a place to learn more about the architecture of the building itself. The Rotunda is really something too – absolutely gorgeous. (BTW, this was where Ronald Reagon laid in state.) The ceiling of the Rotunda - - WOW. Probably the most striking thing I saw all week, and that is REALLY saying something.

After the Capital we went to the Nat'l Archives and saw the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, along with other historical documents. Andy had to make sure that the gift shop, was indeed the same gift shop shown in the movie National Treasure (with Nicholas Cage). He says it is. I can't remember, which is par for the course with my memory. They had a really nice exhibit called "Eyewitness" that details information about eyewitnesses to history. One of the coolest (but saddest) exhibits showed the video of a POW during Vietnam that was being forced to make a tape condemning the actions of the US government and stating that he was being treated humanely. (It was obvious that this was NOT true.) He stated everything that he was told to, all the while, he was BLINKING the word "T-O-R-T-U-R-E" in morse code with his eyes!!! Unbelievable. Short video, but very, very powerful.

Wednesday night we had tapas for dinner. It is a Spanish appetizer, basically. You order several of them among a group and share. I ordered some pork spare ribs and some potatoes with a tomato sauce and garlic mayonnaise (sounds gross – but ohhhh – SO good!). Andy got a Spanish-style shrimp scampi, which I ended up liking better than my stuff! He also got a cold shrimp dish with an avocado puree. For dessert we got a simple strawberry ice cream with fresh strawberries on top, but it was anything from simple-----absolutely DELICIOUS. I don't know what was in it, but it was definitely something than we usually have in strawberry ice cream! This was definitely our favorite meal of the week. Unfortunately there are only four locations in the US and all are near DC. L

THURSDAY: Thursday was just as nasty as Wednesday, if not colder. We got on the metro to go to Mount Vernon, like we had planned all week and everything was fine until we tried to catch the bus. The metro bus system sucks. You can't figure out anything and you have to be absolutely brilliant to discover how to get where you are going! Evidently we were not brilliant. Following the direction of TWO DC natives, we got on the WRONG bus and it took us 3 hours to make a 35 minute trek to Mount Vernon. I eventually started to cry when I realized that another bus would not come for an hour and it was raining and we STILL didn't know how to get to Mount Vernon. (Yes, I know, I am a baby.) So, Andy called a cab. I have never been so thrilled to see a cab. I would have paid him $100 to come get us on Thanksgiving. Thankfully, it only cost us $12, considering that we weren't but ten minutes away, tops.

Once we got to Mount Vernon, we really enjoyed it. Neat place to visit. Probably one of the best historical homes I have been to. Didn't get to see much of the grounds though, because of the weather. The tour definitely gave you a better understanding of George Washington, the man, however. They showed the sweet relationship that he and Martha shared as well.

Unfortunately we could not get in to the Mount Vernon Inn for Thanksgiving Lunch. We what fine fare did we enjoy???? A personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut. Usually one of my favorite things, but NOT ON THANKSGIVING. So we thought, we will eat something nice later. By then, however, everything was closed and we had to order take-out Chinese. I learned that even though it is not mandatory that you eat turkey on Thanksgiving, it sure doesn't feel like Thanksgiving if you don't!!! We ordered "Click" on pay-per-view at the hotel and chilled out.

FRIDAY: Beautiful weather, and boy, were we ready for it! We knew this was our last day so we really hit it full speed first thing. We went immediately to Union Station and joined up with the Old Town Trolley Tours. We visited the Jefferson Memorial, looked at the Washington Memorial and briefly viewed the Lincoln Memorial (VERY VERY busy since it was the day after Thanksgiving). We visited Arlington Nat'l Cemetary and the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Saw JFK and Jackie's gravesite with the eternal flame and the cityscape located nearby. The coolest part of Arlington, by far, was the Arlington House. The Arlington House was originally owned by General Robert E. Lee. He, obviously, decided to serve the south and his wife came upon hard times and could not pay the taxes on the house. It was taken by the Union and, for spite was turned into a Union cemetery. After the war was over, he wanted to come back to it, but out of respect for the thousands of graves already established, he allowed it to be kept by the government. Believe it or not, the house is now a memorial to Robert E. Lee and his work, post-Civil War, to reestablish a unified government and to reintegrate the South back into the Union. I never knew any of this.

We ate again at the Old Ebbitt Grill, which was good for the second time. We also toured the National Cathedral, which was splendid – I love Cathedrals. This one wasn't as breathtaking as the ones in Savannah or New Orleans, but you can't help but have some awe in that kind of sanctuary. They had an unusual stained glass window that was patriotic – showing scenes from American history, i.e., George Washington, Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation, etc.
OH – we saw something extra unusual AFTER the cathedral. A BLACK squirrel. I have never seen one before. Nobody I have spoken with had ever seen one either. And boy, was he bold. He walked right up to Andy. (Andy said he was a little afraid the joker was going to attack him. haha)

The touring trolley was great though – we got to ride through Georgetown and Embassy row and look at the beautiful architecture and scenery. The funniest sight was a 7 FOOT WIDE home in Georgetown that sold in the last couple of years for $450,000. They say that Georgetown is very exclusive and I surely believe that now.

Friday night my old youth pastor and dear friend Adam Osborne picked us up at our hotel and took us to his home in southern Maryland for the night. His wife Karen fixed Thanksgiving, which, believe me, we were VERY thankful for!! We got to see two of his daughters and do some catching up, which was great fun. Then Saturday they took us over to Dulles to fly out of Washington.

Okay, well that's enough. There's lots more of course, but these are the highlights. I am going to post a bunch of pictures too. I hope everyone else had a nice Thanksgiving. We are now officially into the holiday season!

P.S. Looks like I wrote a book anyway!

7 days 'til Washington! (imported from Myspace)

Just reminding myself that I am going out of town in a week. I need to remember that today. Can't wait. We finally got approved to tour the White House and they cleared us through security (making sure we weren't terrorists). We are very, very excited.
Andy is off on Male Chorale tour. He is having fun. I think he liked seeing his old buds, David Trowbridge and Bill Clayton on Saturday. We miss our old friends. He won't be back for a few more days though.
While he is gone I am redoing my garage. I have a good friend helping me. Can't wait for it to be finished. When we bought the house there was a LONG list from the home inspector of repairs to be completed. I am proud to say that nearly all of the items are finished! This is one of the last remaining ones......the previous owner stepped through the attic into the garage and did the worst ceiling patch job ever. Our friend, Chuck Buckland, fixed the patch last winter, but we haven't been able to do the paintwork since. So, we are painting the ceiling and walls and I am doing some major discarding of junk. I am tired of looking at it. Also, I am getting rid of temporary storage solutions that look tacky. The bookshelf is leaving, along with plastic drawer, etc. If I haven't touched it since we moved in two years ago, evidently it is NOT indispensable.
I do love my house though. Anytime Andy talks about moving, I just dread the thought. I just don't think that I can get a house with as much character in a lot of other places. We just wouldn't be able to afford it. Ours still needs work, but boy the list is getting much shorter. Need new flooring in the living room/hallway and I need to redo the office (preferably with some built-in bookcases - ours are overflowing!). There are, of course, many other dreams - but they are just that - dreams.

Is is the end of October already? (imported from Myspace)

I cannot believe that it is almost November (and as such, the unofficial beginning of the holiday season). This year has flown. It's been a good year. Looks like the end of the year promises to be exciting too.
Today Andy had an unexpected opportunity offered to him. A friend of his called and said that Camp Kirkland needed a 4th trumpet for his jazz band for a mission trip to Guatemala. (Friend is also playing trumpet in the band.) Okay, so that sounds like fun - when is it??? December! I was shocked to learn that we needed to come up with two grand by December 28th and half was due TODAY. Wild. But this is a great opportunity and I am hoping to garner some financial support from our previous churches. Lord knows I wasn't planning on spending that kind of money right now. I am still in "get-out-of-debt-asap" mode. (And it is working!) But this will be great for Andy. For those of you who don't know Camp Kirkland, he is huge in Christian church music circles. He started the instrumental program at First Baptist Jacksonville back in the 70's. Writes a ton of choral literature. Very, very famous in church music. Andy was so excited - he calls me and says, YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE WHO I JUST GOT OFF THE PHONE WITH!! Of course he was speaking of Mr. Kirkland. But he is thrilled and I am thrilled for him. The idea of being able to go on a large-scale mission trip (which he loves) and be able to have the opportunity to observe someone who has spent their lives in church music composition and orchestration is really something. BTW - if anyone wishes to make a tax-deductible donation towards the trip - let me know. ;)
Otherwise, looks like my parents are coming in town this weekend to entertain me while Andy goes to Halloween Horror Night at Universal Studios with Matt. It'll be a great weekend. Last weekend was great too. Andy had a nice visit with his folks (yay! Finally!) I watched the entire Season three of Frasier. I just love that show.

Fun, fun, fun! (imported from Myspace)

Wow. Besides working so much, I have had a VERY fun past week and a half or so!
Last weekend we went to Gulf Shores with my aunt and family. It was beautiful weather and since I haven't ever actually been to Gulf Shores before, it was a neat experience. Overall, I think I still like Destin better - more to do. The condo was great though. Really, really nice. I think Andy and I may rent one sometime again. Since we were so close, we drove over to Mobile and ate at Moe's Southwest Grille (YUM!) and went to the Gulf Coast Exploreum. We watched an awesome show about the Mars Rover, which was just amazing. I can't believe how smart some people are.....The moved showed what the Mars Rover had to do to land - and I guess I had never realized that since it was unmanned, it had to LAND ITSELF!! Wow. So smart. But this was my first IMAX experience, and I just loved it. (Even though I did get seasick a couple of times!)
Last night we went to see the SEACT (Southeast Alabama Community Theater) production of Beauty and the Beast, which was just really great. I enjoyed it so much. Made me miss Jacksonville just a little less, getting to go see a show here! I think we may get on the mailing list for SEACT and start trying to attend their shows. It was well worth it. The costuming was really astounding. They had a wardrobe character, and they had built her a fully functional wardrobe costume with doors and drawer and all. SO COOL. Also, the mop and broom were hilarious (once I figured out what they were)! But the whole thing was just really well done. Andy and I agreed that the guy who played Lafue, Gaston's little henchman, did the best job of all the characters, save Belle (who had a tremendous voice!). Lafue just really sold out to his stupid character and that made it all the more fun.
This weekend I am going to Jacksonville. I am looking forward to it. Haven't been over since July. (Boy it doesn't seem like that long.) I wish I would have more time to spend this weekend with some other friends who will be in town (Vickie, in particular!), but my weekend is so crammed full already that it would be impossible. I am excited about getting to see Carrie though! Haven't seen her in a year now, since I met her in Phenix City. Considering I barely keep up with anyone from high school, it is mucho importante to me to get to see her this weekend! Someday I hope to get to go visit Leah in Cape Canaveral, but boy, that is SUCH a long drive!!
So, all is well here. I am still working through what to do with my girls bible study. I am just not into what we are studying and neither are they. They want to redo a study that I actually wrote and printed up. I don't know if I want to do that or not. Part of me does, but part of me wants to go ahead and write something brand new. We will see. I am really drawn right now to studying the character traits that God hates......lots to learn there....
But I do have a new (for the moment) favorite song - Avalon's version of "In Christ Alone." (The praise song, not the Michael English song.) I think it is a poignant and theologically sound as any hymn. I get so tired of people griping about "new" church music/praise and worship. Oh, shut up about it already. You cannot argue with the lyrics of this song. Love the line that says "No guilt in life, no fear in death, this is the power of Christ in me. From life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny." then goes on...."No power of hell, no scheme of men can ever pluck me from His hand. 'Til he returns or call me home, here in the Power of Christ I'll stand." You know, I think I'll post these lyrics, just like my friend Sarah does. (BTW - you post some great stuff, Sarah!)

Being faithful where God has placed me. (imported from Myspace)

I never cease to be amazed at how God works in my life.
This is small, but encouraging to me. Last night we had somewhere around 35 kids in youth. This is GREAT for us! But I find myself disappointed in how severely UNSPIRITUAL some of them are. Not the brand new ones, but ones that have been around and ought to have grown. Then of course, girls seem to think that everytime another girl says something semi-derogatory about our group that I need to know. (Like, what am I going to do about it??) This does little but discourage me. Last night was just one occurrence of this. I was told by a good source that one of our girls was asked by her little visitor friend why she goes to girls bible study and she replied that she didn't know but that it "wasn't a big deal" and she didn't have to come if her little visitor friend didn't want to. I mean, our girl is in 7th grade......she doesn't know which end is up right now and I am not going to put a lot of stock in the offbeat comments she makes to look cool to her (also 7th grade) buddy. But I still get discouraged. I throw my heart and soul into that group and it seems like the fruit isn't there like I would like. Now we have had plenty of growth, but numerical growth has NEVER been my goal.
So, to make a short story longer, I was kind of down, even though our numbers were so good last night. I felt (and still feel) like I'm not having the impact that I want.. I want these kids to really experience God, and I don't know that that is happening. We are doing our best and giving it our all, but sometimes all just doesn't seem to be enough when there is so much pressure on them from the outside.
But this morning, I turned to my devotional and it was titled "Doing what we can." Applicable. It used 1 Corinthians 3:5-15 as the scripture reference ("He who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward.....") But it just encouraged the reader to remember that we cannot look in our limited understanding and see what effect we are or are not having in our ministry. God knows and will work it all out for His glory. There was a quote in the reading that from an unnamed clergyman that read "We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development.....We cannot do everything, and there's a sense of liberation in realizing that."
How great to remind myself that I CAN'T do everything. God is working out HIS plan in each of these teenager's lives. They have a free will at work as well. But God is placing people in their lives, me and Andy, their parents, other mentors and through us working as a team, God will work out His plan for their lives. I can see that in my own life. God placed several people in my life, one after another, to allow me to see God in their lives. Even my youth pastors - their teachings I have long forgotten, but how they conducted themselves and the lives that they lead taught me how to follow Jesus in a very practical way.
The devotion ended with: "You are a succes in God's kingdom if you are faithful where He has placed you."
My prayer of response is that I would TRULY BE faithful in everything that he has entrusted to me and where he has placed me.

I'm going to Gulf Shores!! Yeah!! (imported from Myspace)

Typical Monday morning. Lots to do. And I feel like doing very little. :)
We had a nice weekend - stayed at home nearly all day Saturday, but boy did I work my duff off. I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. Then I painted outside for a while. I don't know when I will be able to finish that painting. What a chore. I hate it. But my house is clean now, so I can finally relax since the chaos is gone. I even ironed!! That is major for me......Rhonda DOES NOT iron. (Well, only about twice a year, if that.) We did watch a fantastic movie on Saturday - Glory Road. Really liked it.
Work is work. Nothing new to report here.
My mom is contemplating joining myspace. I have been after her for several months - she needs to hurry up! Everybody's else's mom is on! ;)
We went back to our Sanctuary yesterday. We have been holding church services in our gigantic Family Life Center, but alas, yesterday we returned to "high church." This thrilled some, depressed others, but as for me, the verdict is still out. I cannot stand not to be able to use the gym area at all - limits us greatly, but I really like the casual feel of the gym. I really am anti-dressing up, aren't I? The sanctuary is kind of cramped, but it is a nice Sanctuary. It could be much much worse. I mean, at least we have the projector and screen installed now. That makes a HUGE difference. (thank the Lord for private donors!) But this puts to an end (albeit temporary) to the fussing over being in the family life center. Talk about whining.....we have heard it all. I don't care. I can worship where ever I need to. Just hate to hear people get so bent out of shape over nothing. Makes me ill.
We're going out of town soon! Gulf Shores bound. I cannot wait. I think even Andy is excited. Going to take our bikes and meet my aunt, uncle and family at a condo down there. It should be great.
Otherwise, we are mucho busy-o. Believe it or not, only 90 days until 2007. So hard to believe.......and I will be 26.....AAAHHH!! What happened. I was 22 and blinked! (Watch out guys, blinking will get you every time!) haha.

Teenage romance.....boy am I glad that I am past that and happily married!! (imported from Myspace)

Okay, this blog is for Rhonda. I find myself in a better state of mind after I write these ramblings, regardless of whether they have a point or not. Isn't that strange?
Had some stress the past few days over a couple of people that I really care about. They've been together for quite some time (for teenagers) and things have kind of hit a rough spell. You know, really I don't care whether they get back together or not - that isn't my business. But I do care about their individual well-being and when they are hurting, it hurts me. It does remind me though how much they (not just these two, but all teens) are learning about building relationships and how to interact in a romantic relationship. You know, a lot of bad habits can be formed during those years. I see some of them doing things that are not good for them and will not lead them to any success in real, intimate relationships. Some of it is just kid stuff, but some of it is habitual and unhealthy. For instance: perfect example - I see the girs, many of whom have not been raised in a happy two-parent household, try so hard to be a dictator in a relationship. They think it is cute to make the guy do whatever they want. Gives them a feeling of control. Then they think that if the guy doesn't want to, or won't, that they don't care about her. Stupid reasoning. I mean, we had one guy put salt in a cut on his arm. Talk about retarded. Retarded for whoever asked and retarded for whoever did it. That is not the stuff of good relationships. I make you look stupid for my pleasure. Additionally, I really believe in equality of the sexes, however, I fully support the biblical view of gender roles. I believe that my makeup is totally different from Andy's, which lends itself to my desiring to make a home and care for my family. Probably has something to do with my slight lack of ambition. Now, that is just me. But I think that most, if not all, women and men have some predisposition towards the traditional gender roles.....even in teenagehood. Christian girls need to learn to be responders - to let the guy learn to lead. Not to try to control everything (even though that is our tendency at times) and also to learn to actively care for others over ourselves. But it is a two-way street. But there is harmony where there is obedience to God's commands and plan. Guys must learn to treat girls like they are cherished, to learn to take responsibility for the people that they care for and to learn to lead others into a deeper relationship with Christ.
I do not desire these teenagers to rush to be adults right now. I'm not wanting (or expecting) them to make adult decisions. They won't. They are going to chase the opposite sex and go after stupid people and do all the things that I did. Those mistakes are normal. But as they start to develop and become involved on a one-on-one basis, I wish that they would set out to view this person as a potential life partner. I mean, isn't that the point of dating? I mean, if you just want to go have fun - GO HAVE FUN! It's much more fun not having to answer to one person if fun is the goal. But if the ultimate goal is lifelong companionship, then we should approach this whole thing differently. And part of the blame is on society in general.
Now I move to my soapbox......ahem.....how can teenagers make good decisions? Well, one part is by not starting to date at 11 YEARS OLD. What is up with this? What are their parents smoking? I mean, there is NOTHING positive that is going to come from one-on-one dating at that age. And you know what......almost every kid in our group started young like that. They are children then, and children do not need to have the cares and concerns associated with dating for several more years. Additionally, since I am a youth pastor's wife, and since I hope that our kids are Christians (there are many that I am praying for), I cannot stress enough the value of dating like-minded people. And I was guilty of this when I was very young - saying, "well, he goes to church" and what that really translated to was that he went on major church holidays and when his grandma was in town. Unacceptable. It obviously didn't kill me, but it is peculiar that I have NO positive memories from those people and my relationships with them. I try to explain to my girls that you never know when you are going to fall in love so you must set standards high. You must not allow people to have full access to your heart that are not potentially good husbands/wives. And potentially good husbands and looking for potentially good wives. I never cease to be amazed by one person that I know and care about. Good girl. I like her a lot. But she has kind of dove headlong off the deep end and took up the whole party scene. That's fine - her life, not mine......BUT.......she still wants the whole godly, romantic, loving husband to come along and sweep her off her feet. Great expectation, but why is she looking in the gutter. AND doesn't she understand that that godly husband-to-be won't be looking in the gutter either?? Makes no sense. And I care about this person. I long for her to find happiness and contentedness and to stop running from whatever it is that she is running from.
So that is my diatribe. I hope that my friends work out their issues. I want them to be happy, whether that is together or not is up to them. I will love them either way. But if they are going to be together, then I hope that they will start this thing off on the right foot, recognizing that neither are perfect and that some changes need to be made from how this thing was going previously. Some equality needs to be restored.
Whew....I feel better. Now, if they could.....

Celebrity look-a-like cannot be posted by Rhonda.....::sigh:: (imported from Myspace)

Okay, I wanted to post this super cute Celebrity Look-a-Like thing, but alas, it is not meant to be. Even the brilliant Kristin was unable to educate me properly. Thought it would be easy.....unfortunately it was not. Anyway, it a nice idea.
Sorry for those who looked at defunct blog #1 from today.....Andy was rushing me so I accidentally posted it and now it won't let me look at my blog. Hope that it fixes itself.
Made my first Tarheel Pie tonight. It makes a cool chocolate "crust" on top. I hadn't seen anything like it before (you can tell that I don't bake often...) It is for my boss' birthday party tomorrow.
Wish me luck....tomorrow I am going to mediation with my boss and a divorce client. However, it at my old office with my old co-workers. I always feel a little insecure when I see them. I guess because my previous boss was such a jerk I let that affect my self-esteem. So I will definitely be dressing well tomorrow!! If you look good you should feel good, right? Not that it matters. Those guys all think they are the cat's meow so they probably won't notice that I am there - which is for the best......but I will need to be all smiles, nonetheless. Put on a happy (and confident!) face.....At least I know my new boss likes me......that helps. (Plus he beat one of these other lawyers up when they were kids! haha. j/k)
I was prophesied over yesterday. Weird experience. I am such a skeptic, being raised Southern Baptist and all. I don't doubt that God CAN speak through other people to me directly, I just don't necessarily see the need - I mean, he can talk to me directly, so why the interloper? But this lady asked if she could prophesy to me, so what the heck? It is funny to me that I have never been prophesied over in my life and then it happens twice in three months. Boy, our clientele at work never ceases to amaze me! Yes - this happened at work!! But this lady is a good woman and what she said was true of me, so I am going to leave it at that and ponder these things in my heart.....
Ordered dance shoes today. So excited! Thankfully they do not look like dance shoes, so that will be cool. They will be so much more comfortable and should help me tremendously in some of the steps. We missed our dance lesson on Tuesday - Andy had way too much homework. Such is life with a full-time job and 17 credit hours this semester.
Had a phenomenal meal with my friend Kim tonght. Andy grilled some country-style ribs that Kim marinated. She made baked beans (not canned like mine) and potato salad (which I hate, but love hers - go figure). I ate enough for three people and I wonder why I can't shed the pounds. And to think I fancy myself a logical being.....
Oh, a huge party at Rhonda's house - we bought Season Seven of Star Trek: The Next Generation. This completes our collection. I am so pumped! So for the next couple of weeks (or less) we will be watching every night. (yes, me and hubby are dorks - but at least we are COMPATIBLE dorks!!)
Otherwise, all is well. Love to all. I think I am going to go buy another Donald Miller book and watch some Star Trek.

Why does pizza always make me feel fat? (imported from Myspace)

Okay, so, I go to Pizza Hut like once a month. Why is it that every time I go I come away feeling ten pounds heavier?? Of course, it couldn't have anything to do with the fact that I visit the bar multiple times. When will power is "on" I do not eat pizza, mainly because I can't stop. My girls at my bible study can vouch for this. I have not always been like this, but since me and Andy got married, I LOVE pizza. Maybe because when we first got married and were BROKE we would sometimes "splurge" and get a $4.69 Hungry Howie's pizza on Wednesdays. Those were special times..... :) Anyway, didn't blog to write about pizza, but I ate there today with my 2nd mom/friend Kim and ate enough for both of us. It's pathetic. What makes it even worse is that I have been attempting to watch what I eat and limit my portions!! AARGH! Ah, well, back on the wagon tomorrow.
I got an email from Leah - my all-time best friend. We are both terrible at keeping up with each other, so I was really excited. I had emailed her a couple of days ago, and got a new email today. Woo hoo!
Something else that was important to me that happened recently is that I wrote notes to two separate people that I feel (and have felt for a while) that I had wronged. My personality doesn't lend itself to excessive guilt and I am extremely good at rationalizing situations to my benefit. (I am not excusing this behavior, however.) This is one of my personality flaws. We had revival a couple of weeks ago and God convicted me that I had unfinished business with these two folks, so I FINALLY got around to writing to them. I hope that they both understand that I am sorry for the hurt I may have caused them. Regardless, I do feel better having apologized. I definitely feel more at peace having attempted to make things right. That's a good thing in itself.....

DC - here we come! (imported from Myspace)

Woo hoo!! We just booked our first "real" trip by ourselves since our honeymoon! We went to Montana last year with the grandparents, but they handled everything and made all the arrangements. I just finished booking our Thanksgiving trip to Washington DC. I am so pumped!
Not to mention that we are spending a few days in Gulf Shores with my aunt and her family in October. What a great year-ending. Survive September - then I visit Jax first weekend in October, go to Gulf Shores second weekend in October. Three/four weeks pass then we fly to Washington! Yeah!
By the way, we will figure out how good I am at this travel agent thing when we get there. I always have an inside fear that I will pick a nasty hotel - which hasn't happened, and I don't think it will this time either, but I am always scared of that.....
Woo hoo!!

Happiness is having Olive Garden in Dothan.... (imported from Myspace)

Happiness is having Olive Garden in Dothan. Woo hoo!! My wonderful husband calls me out of the blue today and asks me to meet him and a friend for lunch. It was good. I didn't realize how much better their spaghetti is WITH meatballs versus without. Makes a huge difference. (Cher needs to disregard this blog.....as do I, but my will power is lacking at present) So we proceeded to enjoy our SECOND dining experience at the new Olive Garden. I am so pleased. When we moved here we said that Dothan was missing two major things - a Target and ANY kind of decent italian joint. Well, Olive Garden opened on the 28th and Target opens in the spring. Yeah! So now we can move on to the smaller, more cultural wishes.....
Andy bought Microsoft Money 2007 for me. Now I can upgrade from 2004. I wonder if this will create more money for me to work with.....
Had an interesting morning at preliminary hearings with our new robbery client. He has three charges and says he is innocent. My boss believes him, and he really does seem like a nice, decent fellow. But the evidence looks kind of yuck. There isn't much that I hate like I hate not knowing if our clients are guilty or not. We also got a chance to talk with our client's wife, a cute-as-a-button little white girl (our client is black and about 30 years old) who is having a tremendously difficult time kicking her drug habit. She has a horrendous past, but has really come out of all that now, but is having a hard time breaking this last habit. She's kicked all the "hard" stuff - but living alone in "crack rock city" (as Pat calls it) doesn't help her maintain discipline. She is just pitiful. Very sweet mostly, but very very independent - too independent really - she doesn't see that she needs a little helping along. (Just like we all did at 19 years old). She can be very stubborn . Please pray for her. Pat was wonderful with her, he was able to talk with her about her hangups from the standpoint of someone who has fought some of those battles. I was so glad, because I was starting to fume. Since I haven't been where she is - haven't even been close - I just want to say, "get it together! Go get a GED and get in school, how hard is that when you don't work and the government will give you Pell grants all day long!!" Need to pray for patience with her....I have real issues with non-working healthy people who aren't in school. I hate supporting society.
On another note...
Latin dance class was FUN on Tuesday night. What was great is that since this is our second set of classes, we have learned how to stand and where your arms go and so forth - so now we can actually focus on learning the steps. It was fun. We started learning the rumba. I need some shoes though......
Looking forward to the weekend. We may go to a football game tonight, not sure yet though. Andy and I are both totally exhausted and need to have some "down time." Also, my house is disgusting - I would be mortified if any of you were to see it. I will rectify that situation tonight probably as well.
If anyone is actually reading this, so sorry. Consider this the droll ramblings of a person extremely ready to start the weekend.

Latin Dance.... (imported from Myspace)

I am wearing a red shirt and a clip with a red rose on it in my hair today. This is purely to celebrate that we start taking latin dance classes tonight! Woo hoo! I didn't think we were going to be able to take any ballroom this semester, but we are! Wish us luck. Andy did great leading in the intro class, but I think latin will be a whole new animal. I am excited! Now we just have to make time to practice so we can actually go to a dance!
Watched Elizabethtown this weekend. I am still rolling it around in my head, trying to decide what I think about it. I enjoyed it, but it was a very unusual movie. I know I like it, but it challenges me to contemplate anew the value of the "simple life." This has been a theme in my thoughts for a good while now. I think that a couple of keys to happiness (other than a deep, abiding relationship with Christ) are contentedness and simplicity......Simple pleasures. Being excited over the little things. Andy laughs at me for this. I just figure that the little things come a lot more often than the big things and I don't want to have to wait for the big things to get excited! Anyway - if you haven't seen Elizabethtown, see it! And if you have, let me know what your thoughts are on it.
Also watched Must Love Dogs this weekend.....disappointment. Not recommended. I know a lot of people liked it, but I didn't.
I am exhausted after a three-day weekend. What is wrong with this picture? Andy's grandparents were in town, which I enjoyed, but I am so drained from having company. Then we ran around town all day yesterday with folks. Fun, but tiring. I need another weekend! :)

Onward and upward... (imported from Myspace)

So here we are, another year spent and the 7th graders are moving up (or taking over, whichever way you want to look at it! :) ) For those non-Cowarts friends of mine, our group is mid-size, usually running around twenty/twenty-five. We had thirty-four Wednesday night! Yeah! Considering we started with about ten, that's great! I am so pleased. But last night we had a get-together with the 7th graders coming up and boy - they terrify me. It has been a LONG time since I was that age and I confess that I do not remember ever being that loud. Oh, my. But it is fun all the same. I just hope that they will mesh and blend into our group and not create two separate cliques: the older and the younger. I want to prevent that at all costs. I consider the "family" atmosphere something unique about our group. I have loved that about them for a long time. But I don't want our growth, and the growing up of some of our kids to alter that oneness. This is something I am praying about long term.
Something else that has been on my mind lately has been a reminder of a lesson I first grasped when I read "Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire" by Jim Cymbala from the Brooklyn Tabernacle in NY - NOTHING I can do can draw people to God. The Holy Spirit does all drawing the drawing work, so prayer is the key. I need to remember that I can do nothing apart from the vine - I am just a branch. Andy is just a branch. Even if you throw a bunch of money at your youth ministry and attract a huge number, the real lasting change will come from God and him drawing these kids to himself. That is the kicker. That is what I need to be reminded of when I get a little jealous of the resources that other churches offer, or down about our lack of funds. I want God to do His work in this arena. I need to spend much more time dedicating myself to prayer - and even fasting - about this issue. Not only that, I need to be impressing on my students that their prayers make a difference in their friends' lives in the same way.
Andy's grandparents are coming this weekend. Yeah! But my house isn't clean still, oh well. Only so much time in the day, and most of my time is spoken for.
McDonald's went up on their prices today. My $3.43 breakfast meal is now $3.54. Cost of living rises, but Rhonda gets no cost of living raise.....::sigh::
Andy and I had a wonderful lunch together today. Tried a new little homegrown place called "Mildred's Restaurant & Tea Room." Great! Andy is really unique among guys in that he LIKES these little girly atmospheric joints! He enjoys going somewhere that is nice and has nice food even if it is a little pricier than average. I love that about him. We did the coolest things when we were dating as teenagers. Our friends would go to Burger King and a movie and we were going to the Alhambra Dinner Theater and eating at the Sea Turtle Inn. It was great. But we miss a lot of that living in Dothan. It's an hour and a half to any city of good size - Tallahassee, Montgomery or Panama City. Three hours to any big city - Atlanta, Birmingham, or Jax. Guess it makes it all the more special when we get to do it.

I like to blather.... (imported from Myspace)

Blather - : to talk foolishly at length.
Blogging is fun. I forget that when I don't do it for a while. Maybe it is fun because I am such a wordy (oops! almost put worldly! :) hee hee).....WORDY person. I like words and I like written communication. Of course, not exclusively, but I do feel more comfortable expressing my thoughts and opinions on paper than verbally many times. Possibly for two reasons: 1) Nobody can interrupt me and I get terribly off track when I am interrupted; and 2) I am a chicken. I have a hard time telling people exactly what I think about many things. Either I don't want to hurt their feelings or I don't want to cry. I cry when I get mad, sad or frustrated. Negative emotions trigger tears for me and I HATE that. Especially if I am mad.
Okay, well, I had a point, but evidently my point was that I like to blog......check mark beside same - we have established that.
ANYWAYS - (as all the teenagers say - can't convince them that it doesn't have an "s" on the end)...
Had a fantastic girls bible study meeting last night. Which was totally a God-thing because I was not up for it frankly. I was tired, still minimally sick and very discouraged. But I even told God that I wasn't up for it and that He would have to show up if it were to be anything beyond blah. He did. We had a great discussion about passion in our walk with God and maybe the teacher needed to hear it as much as the students. We talked at length about "Brother Bill" (Andy's youth pastor from Lake Asbury - same guy that married us). Bill met us at youth camp this year and was our guest speaker. The kids fell in love with him, which we knew would happen - happened to us long ago when we were youth! The thing with Bill, which is so rare among Christians, is that he is truly "salty." He makes you thirsty for whatever it is that he has. Anytime you are with him, even briefly, you know you have been in the presence of a man of God. Not meaning to imply that he is stuffy - he is the opposite. But using him as a very obvious illustration of the passion that is so missing from most Christian folks. Bill served as a great real-life example of what is missing in the people around us (and within ourselves many times). No wonder folks aren't interested in Jesus. Look at the way we act! But we analyzed what makes Bill different from the "regular guy." Narrowed it to three main things: 1) Love: He loves people - good people, bad people, lost people - it doesn't matter. He makes everyone who comes in contact with him feel special and valued - NOT judged. He manages to show complete acceptance of the individual without ever accepting the bad things they might have do or have done; 2) Sincerity: He is "real". Completely sold-out and sincere. What you see is what you get. Always. Same passionate Bill at church that we see at the grocery store or at the move theater; and 3) Sold out: He is sold out in his relationship with Jesus. No shame there. He is abiding in the vine and it shows. Since we only have power from above - he is faithful in his study of the Word and in prayer. How many times have I failed in that area. How can I expect to overcome the obstacles in my life if I never ask for wisdom from above? Why do I wonder why I lack joy if I do not saturate myself in God and find my true joy and completeness in Him? I can look good on the outside, but that will not attract people to Jesus - somehow we can see through that, can't we? (just rhetorical - the answer is a resounding YES!)
So, the lesson was for me as much for them. I need to strive to be more than I am. And you know, I really do want to be "real." I want people to want whatever it is that I have. But the stressed out, frustrated, strung-out Rhonda does little but repel anyone. Need to do better in this area.
On another note: MUST CLEAN HOUSE. The cleanest woman alive (namely Andy's grandmother, Betty) is coming to visit this weekend. AAAAHH!! My house is terrible! I was sick - then he was sick - then we had girls over. It is bad and I am not kidding. If I wasn't broke I would hire a maid! :)
Really excited about Wednesday night - Hannah is teaching youth. Very proud for her. I hope she won't be too nervous.
Myspace is so much fun sometimes - I got an email from an old friend from Florida - probably one of the best friends I had in junior high. She moved to TX right before I met Andy and we lost contact as people do, but I just had such good times with her. Now if I could only find one more person that is still missing.....and if LEAH would hurry up and get a myspace. Memo to self: - must email her re: that....

Back to work... (imported from Myspace)

It's Monday and I am back to work. I haven't blogged in a long time. Sometimes I think I have to have something profound to say to make taking the time to write worthwhile. Then I remember how much I enjoy reading my friends' blogs - even when it is just an "update" on the normalcy of their existence! (I guess it makes me feel better that other people have similiarly uneventful lives!)
Anyway - on to the update. Mom came to visit me this weekend, which was nice. I am always glad to get to see her. We didn't do much, just went shopping. Andy says I get spoiled when she comes - he is probably right. BUT - he gets spoiled too! She bought me a pair of crocs - Mary Jane style. I was glad. They are ugly, no doubt, but SO comfortable! These are at least a little cuter!
Had church all day yesterday, which always makes me exhausted and look forward to a time in my life when I might not work full-time anymore. We had good services though. I did get chewed on by a church member, albeit a well-meaning one, so that severely dampened my spirits. Andy is so much better with conflict than I am. I didn't like the impression that this had on some of our youth - a couple of them are still young yet and haven't had time to recognize that we follow Christ - not church members. What I mean, is that they let how other people act determine how they feel about church. Which is a common problem among adults also, but I want them to understand that just because people are Christians, does not mean that they are automatically perfect. We all mess up, and we can't let how others act affect our attitude towards the body of Christ as a whole. That's what I need to explain more fully to one of my sweet youth girls. She says, "But Ms. Rhonda - don't you see - this is why I didn't want to come to church - they judge us." I responded, but not the way I would have had I more time to contemplate my answer. I intend to discuss this issue with her more deeply later - I need to remind her that we are not responsible for how others act - only how we respond. Jesus doesn't condone every action that a person takes just because they are Christians. And this sweet lady has been more than helpful towards the youth on MULTIPLE occasions. She would not hurt any of them (or me and Andy) purposefully. She is stressed in her own areas of ministry and just needed to blow off steam. I do have to help my "kids" understand this though. I remember vividly the "black and white" attitudes about morality and behavior from teenagehood. So many young people (or maybe it is more prevalent among girls-I don't know) have such a tendency towards legalism and rules at that age. I remember thinking that way. As we age it seems like we are able to comprehend more the flawed nature of people - even Christians and give a little leeway (sp?). I know that I need leeway from time to time. Not that I am condoning bad behavior, but I do believe we should love people even when they mess up and not over-dramatize everything. If we did that as a ministry family we would stay mad or hurt all the time! Anyway. Very long diatribe about something that I still haven't fully thought through.
I need something interesting to read. Somebody needs to suggest something to me.
Andy's grandparents are coming this weekend. Yeah! However, that does mean that I have a LOT of cleaning to do between now and then!
Better get back to work. I have some stuff to do. Be praying with me about my job situation. I am having a hard time. Love the boss, but really need a change in situation as far as getting things ACCOMPLISHED! And if we aren't going to finish things, then I at least want to move to the four day work-week thing. I don't want to be here all day if I can't get anything done. I need to know how to communicate this to him so that he will understand!

Happy Birthday to You, You Live in a Zoo.... (imported from Myspace)

I have a peaceful life. Me, Andy and two dogs. Great dogs. Potty-trained, likeable, don't-bark-in-the-middle-of-the-night dogs. But when you combine my two very pleasant pups with two more very pleasant pups life gets very interesting. Suddenly instead of two dogs following you around, there are four. Andy and I are dogsitting for a friend who has gone out of town. She has two chihuahas. I have really enjoyed watching them all encounter each other. Each of us has one dog who is laid back and cool and one dog that is a little.....well......different. (I think that maybe Joey isn't quite as different as Katie though---she is VERY different.) Anyway, Joey and Katie follow each other around everywhere. Joey is almost scared of her, like she isn't a dog or something since she is so small. He is SO curious about her. Walker does not seem to be impressed. Anyway, it is very different with four dogs than two.
Andy is starting back to school. I am excited for him. Wish I was too, but all in good time.
Read a great book last week. Blue like Jazz by Donald Miller. It was recommended to me from a myspace friend. I enjoyed it immensely. Presents faith and grace in such easily understood terms. Used some great analogies that made you really think about the Christian life. He even had the audacity to criticize the institutional church for some of its pitfalls - i.e, kicking the wounded, conditional love, biased approach towards sin - treating some sins as more "sinful" than others, etc. All of which I consider to be valid problems with the church as a whole. Don't get me wrong, I suppport the church as the body of Christ unequivically, however, we must look at church through an objective lens and continue striving to be what we are intended to be. Anyway, read Blue Like Jazz. You may think it will be heresy at first - but I promise it isn't.

Halfway through the week - woo hoo! (imported from Myspace)

Glad to be home from my recent trip to Jacksonville. As much as I love going to see my parents, I always miss Andy when I go. Which is funny to me considering that we have been married nearly four years. Seems like a weekend away wouldn't bother me every now and then - would actually be pleasant. And it really is (for the most part). But for some strange reason, anytime I "get away" I think he needs to be around for it to be "right." But I had a nice trip, but was glad to get back to "my" house in Ashford. Didn't do very much in Jax, some shopping, some eating, etc. But it was great to visit with the 'rents (as they say.......I know not to whom "they" refers...)
SO EXCITED!! My carpenter just finished repairing the side of our house, so guess what we get to do this weekend!?? PAINT our house! Yeah! Anyone who knows how long this has gone on will understand. I have this house I love with a SEVERE need for a new coat of paint. Our house was in major neglect when we bought it and we have nearly finished the entire list of projects......except for this. I cannot wait to see a fresh coat of paint. Even if I do have to suffer heat stroke to accomplish it this weekend. Wish me well. If anyone is bored this weekend, feel free to call.
Really struggling over how to proceed in the Spring. I know that I need to get back to school and by the end of the year we will be totally out of debt (other than mortgage)! PRAISE THE LORD. So in theory I could totally quit my job and finish school up very quickly. But then what. Andy would like me to consider law school, and I think I would enjoy that, but I would finish just in time to have babies and pay back the student loans. Don't know whether that is smart or not. Also know that I might enjoy teaching, but I might HATE it (all dependent on the students and environment). I don't want to limit myself educationally and I know going back to school will be EXTREMELY difficult post-children. I hate to jump out of this job so quickly though. Good jobs are hard to find, and though I am not paid well, I have a WONDERFUL boss who is a great guy. We are friends and that is invaluable. So maybe I should just cut back to part-time and go to school full-time and then see where I end up in six months or so. That's probably what will happen. The extra income would help also since I have so many needs (i.e., new flooring, couches, area rugs, swimming pool, etc.!).
Must clean house today have overnight guests tonight.

What a nice weekend! (imported from Myspace)

Sigh.....weekend passed WAY too quickly. Had a good one though. Really enjoyed myself. Friday night we played board games with some friends. I am a huge board game fan (except for anything requiring bluffing and/or bargaining skills, i.e., monopoly, balderdash, etc.). We attempted to play Trivial Pursuit. I thought that I had bought the "no-brain-surgery-experience-required" version. Evidently I bought the "you-have-to-be-kidding-me/why-would-anyone-know-this-useless-information" version. Needless to say, we made it through only two rounds before figuring it was a waste of time. Then we played Party Pictionary (SO much more fun than traditional Pictionary). It was great. The girls should have won, but, alas the guys cheated.
Saturday I cleaned house and reordered my chaotic world. I am now at peace with the universe again (for the present time.....give Andy a couple of hours). Andy went to the driving range. I have to say that I felt special - he invited me to go along. Too bad that it was 300 degrees outside. I opted out. After we got home, we went to see Pirates of the Caribbean, which I really enjoyed. Hated the ending. I hate cliffhangers. Had the same angry rush that I experienced at the end of the first Lord of the Rings movie. (Same feeling which kept me from going to see the second LOTR in the theater.) I really do like the adventure flick genre though. What's sad is that there are so few made! What happened to Indiana Jones-esque movies anyway?
We went to dinner at McLin's Steakhouse with our "supper club" from church. Andy and I always enjoy trying new restaurants. My steak was awesome, but his seafood was lacking.
After dinner we went to another couple's house and played a game I hadn't played before: Battle of the Sexes. It was fun. Highly recommend it .
Had a good day at church Sunday. Have five people join our church yesterday, which was a good "shot in the arm" of encouragement to our pastor and Andy. We have moved our services from our Sanctuary to our new Family Life Center for the summer (hopefully forever, if we young folks have our druthers) and it has been really nice. Being over there gives our services more of a casual feel, which I love. Now, if we could just move to a casual dress.....one thing at a time! :) But I dress casual already, so I can't complain. I am very thankful for the progress that I am seeing at the church though. When your world revolves around ministry, it feels great to see progress.
Okay, I feel better now.

Superman, Ballroom Dancing, etc. (imported from Myspace)

So, haven't blogged in a long time....must mean that not much is going on to stimulate my brain.....
Saw Superman Returns Saturday. Very pleased overall. Thought that it was much better than the originals. (Could be because I was never all that into Christopher Reeve. Too stiff.) Maybe it was the effects that I liked. Or maybe it was just Kevin Spacey - he's great. Not sure what I think about Kate Bosworth. I agree with Vicki - she wasn't quite right. I think maybe she didn't have enough spunk. Seemed too much "damsel in distress" and not enough "bulldog reporter". Especially when you add in that she is supposed to be a pulitzer prize winner. Maybe just too cute. Plus, her character is just such a jerk for the first 3/4 of the movie.
On another subject. Finished up our last ballroom dancing class for this session. Boy, was that a blast. We have had such a good time. We want to take another class in the Fall. They offer another beginning class as well as an intensive on the Waltz. I think we may need the beginner class again! I can tell some improvement, though we do need much practice.
Still haven't seen Cars. Argh.
Did buy another season of Star Trek: TNG. Season five this time. I love owning TV shows on DVD. It's great.
Computer is driving me insane. Internet is down AGAIN. Gotta get a computer repairman to come to the house this time to fix the internet. (It's not the provider - it's the cables.) I HATE it when things don't work properly. Which makes me tempted to retell my camcorder saga, but I will restrain myself. (For selfish reasons- it makes my blood pressure rise significantly.)
Oh, and yes, we have been playing Super Mario 2. You can't ever top the old games. We can't seem to beat 7-2 though. Frustrating. I wonder how I did it when I was a kid.....hmmmm??? (I am very impressed that I remember all the warps.)

AAAAHHHH!!!! (imported from Myspace)

I am so frustrated!! I just found out that there was an extra scene at the end of X3! Had to go mad internet-surfing to get the spoilers!!!!! If you haven't seen it yet, DON'T LEAVE BEFORE THE CREDITS ARE OVER!!

I'm learning something new! Yeah! (imported from Myspace)

I am so excited! Well, for one, my wonderful boss is gone away to Japan on a mission trip for twelve days. And even though he's the greatest, I will still enjoy the time to get everything caught up here at the office and de-stress a little before youth camp.
If anyone knows (i.e., Vickie) - how long do blog entries stay "active." Or do they float away into cyber-nothingness after 30 days or so? Can you look at an archived list of someone's blogs, or only recent ones?
Andy and I started taking Ballroom Dance and Swing Dance lessons last night with two other couples from the college (I am the only non-pregnant female - thank the Lord!) We had an absolute ball! The Ballroom class was tremendously easier than the Swing though. They started with the Foxtrot, which is supposed to be easy, and it was. I was pleased. I am glad we started there, rather than starting with the swing, or else we might have gotten discouraged! But we'll get it and then have something fun to do instead of JUST GOING TO DINNER AND A MOVIE! yeah! I mean, Dothan is not exactly chock full of exciting new cultural experiences, if ya know what I mean. haha. But it was loads of fun, and I couldn't ask for a better person to try to learn something new with than Andy. It was great to watch his reaction. Being a musician, the timing thing is a BIG deal to him. I mean, I play an instrument also, but nothing like him. He found comfort, I think, in the beats and counting the steps. I think that is why we found the ballroom class so much easier. It was very specific - very precise - on where and how to step. Swing had a lot more personality and seemed looser on rules. But the nice thing is to know that we have five more weeks to "get it." And I actually think that we can do this! Yeah! (It is SO great to expand yourself and learn something new! I miss that!)
Oh, if anyone has seen X-Men: The Last Stand I would love to hear comments. I was left with a very mixed reaction and I would like to hear how other people viewed the movie.
Otherwise, all is well in the world of Rhonda. Youth camp in two weeks. Can't wait.

Today is FRIDAY. THANK THE LORD! (imported from Myspace)

Okay, I haven't blogged in a long time. Not that anyone but me notices. ;)
I am kind of tired, which seems to be a constant state. I am SOOOO looking forward to the long weekend. Also, we have been getting a lot of things done at the house. Flowerbeds, projects and cleaning. Always makes me feel much better. Now if we could get the house painted (hopefully next weekend) and get the shrubs trimmed......
Getting ready for youth camp coming up. Looking forward to it a lot. Got a lot more kids going than last year. Actually double.
Really been enjoying reading my friends' blogs. One girl, I barely know, just know through an acquaintance, has the most interesting and uplifting blogs. Makes me wish I knew her.
Yes, Andy and I watched "Singin' in the Rain" for the FIRST time last night. I realized anew how much I love old, happy movies. Movies for me are STRICTLY an escape. I don't want to cry unless it is absolutely necessary. I want to laugh, be happy, be entertained...mainly, just be transported from the dul-drums (sp?) of everyday life. Singin' in the Rain was GREAT for that purpose. I really enjoyed it. Not the best musical ever made, but definitely worth watching.
Going to see X-Men 3 this weekend. Hearing mixed reviews. I am not optimistic since they say three main characters die. That is never a good sign....

Life is expensive! (imported from Myspace)

Argh. Work all the time and then you have to spend all the time. Long story made short, had to buy new cell phones for both me and Andy. So we did the research and checked the promotions and decided to go with Alltel. Let's just say that the salesman, Trey, had a good sales night off us. But we both got the new Razr phones and covers. They are cool. But we do have new numbers, so if anyone has the old number - ask for our new ones because the old ones will be turned off by Monday.
Otherwise, we have spent on tires, clothes, travel, cars and everything else imaginable lately. But I get my new camcorder on Tuesday! I am SO excited. Had to order it now, so that I would have it before camp AND have time to learn how to use it.
Hope everyone is doing well.

Mini Beach Vacation (imported from Myspace)

I had an AWESOME weekend. I have been needing to get away for quite some time now. Getting very tired and constantly stressed. Well, my mother in her sweet concern decided that we would go to the beach for the weekend. So we both took Monday off and went last weekend while Andy was gone on tour with the Male Chorale.
The weather was beautiful. On Saturday it stormed early, which was so cool on the beach. But it cleared up well in time for us to have all day to go to the beach and lay out. Otherwise, it was clear as a bell and there was a wonderful breeze.
We did a little shopping, watched a movie on television and really just bummed around. It was great. I haven't had that much down time in forever. I would like to do it more often. Definitely helps the morale.
We did eat at this neat little place on the water named "Harpoon Harry's". Just a little seaside cafe, but it was cool. Mom got some Chili-Cheese Nachos and the serving was enough for about three people.
I posted a couple of pictures. The sunset was awesome. I was really surprised to get as good of a picture as we did. (I love mom's new camera.)
Oh, by the way - today is "Administrative Assistant's Day" and we are going to Longhorn on the guys' bill! Yeah! I get dessert! (So much for the diet that was inspired by the weekend bathing suit shopping!)

Weekly update (imported from Myspace)

Just feel the need to blog. Not a lot going on.
I haven't been able to talk hardly any this week, which is a good exercise for me. I tend to talk to make myself comfortable in a group. I like to converse - but listening is a habit I need to work on. We can always improve in this area. Having laryngitis has reminded me how much I enjoy talking and singing (however badly). I would seriously miss being able to do either.
Had a busy week at work. I have such a great boss. He has been in an extra-good mood the past two days, which makes it fun. He uses different accents when reading through things (i.e, if he is reading a case where the blueblood lawyers are talking, he will use an old Southern gentleman's drawl--it can get hilarious!). Plus, he talks with his eyes and mannerisms a lot - you just have to know Pat. Andy can testify - he was shocked the first time he met him, he noticed that Pat will be telling a story at normal volume and THEN HE WILL START YELLING AT THE IMPORTANT POINT and then he will be quiet again. This can shock the listener if they aren't accustomed to it, but if you are, then it is great! I am very thankful to work with him. I just wish I could do a better job in some areas.
Andy is getting ready for tour. His voice still isn't back like I would hope, but he is improving every day.
I love our youth. We had a great time at Six Flags. Andy and I ended up with no kids in our group, so it felt like we were dating again. They did really well overall. I heard a couple of things that I was unhappy about, but as a whole, it was great. I think they enjoyed it. I have to admit, even though I hate theme parks (ESPECIALLY on Saturday), I had a good time too. (Which, that flash pass REALLY helped - I am TOO old to stand in three hour lines!) They really are great kids.
However, Sunday night, we went out to dinner with a few of the youth and I had almost as much of a blast there as I did at Six Flags! Best memory of the week: Imagine this, the pickiest eater in the world (Dustin!) is chowing down on something friend at Red Lobster. I don't know what he thought it was, but I can guarantee that he didn't think Calamari is what Calamari is! Of course, Andy and I let him eat it until it was all gone until we informed him that it was fried squid! Classic moment. Wouldn't trade it for the world! :) I mean, this is the guy that wouldn't eat buffalo wings until we explained to him that it was really CHICKEN! :) So funny.

Murphy's Law... (imported from Myspace)

I tell you - when you think things can't get worse.....they sure do. I was beyond emotionally drained last week from the death of that young man from Ashford. So I looked forward to a nice relaxing weekend. Well, Friday night we planned to go try out a new restaurant in the area with several friends from church. Had a good time visiting with everyone, but the food was pitiful. I could've grilled a better steak (which isn't saying much - I can't grill worth a flip). But we had a nice time, but Andy consistently said that he was feeling bad. He thought he had over-sang at his Messiah concert the night before. By Saturday he was still hurting, though he was able to handle the youth car wash. By Saturday night he needed to go to the doctor and, of course, everyone was closed. So off we go to the emergency room. Determined that it was probably acid reflux and that he had "burnt" his esophagus. We of course, stayed there forever and then the doctor says he is going to give him a "shake" to relieve the pain. But when the nurse comes back she only gives us a prescription for Lidocaine. Off to Walgreens across town we go (only 24 hour pharmacy in Dothan) to fill the prescription and when we get it the instructions say "swish and spit". Well, he's hurting deep in his throat, almost to his chest for crying out loud!!! What good is swishing going to do. It did no good. So all that was wasted. The money, the trip to the emergency room, the trip to the pharmacy. All wasted for nothing. Sunday he can't talk or sing, so he asks someone to lead worship for him at church. I called his family doctor and spoke with the doctor on call who prescribed something else that didn't do anything either. Another wasted trip to CVS and money for the prescription. Thank the Lord some friends of ours had some prescription pain medicine and sleeping medicine. (Yes, I know that counts as unlawful possesssion of a controlled substance! haha) That medicine is the only thing that has given him any relief whatsoever. He slept last night, thank the Lord. He spoke with Dr. Moon at the school and she gave him some advice, so I am hoping that it will all clear up within a couple of days. Especially since he can't get an appointment with a Gastroenterologist until tomorrow afternoon. But what has hurt my heart is the griping from a few of the church folks. I know people are people and they don't mean to hurt you, but boy, if they would've called to check on him, it sure would've made me feel a lot better. Especially after they were informed that he was really hurting. You know, this is exactly why the youth ministry is so much more rewarding than the music side. There are a lot of great people at our church (including some of the people who were griping), but for the most part, the adults in our church have never been as loving and supporting as those kids. The kids appreciate just about everything that you do for them. Which makes a grand circle and makes you WANT to do MORE for them. Opposite effect with the adults. They gripe, which makes you want to be with them less. But, really, I could handle the griping a little better if it was coupled wiht concern for Andy's well-being. We went to lunch with two of our three closest "couple-friends". Then the third called after church to check on him. Other than those folks, nobody called to check on him. Which really wouldn't have bothered me at all if they hadn't griped so badly. And finally, don't complain about us behind our backs. Not like we asked for this. I would much rather have the money in my pocket and been at church yesterday. So much for others knowing us "by our love one for another" as they say. We have so far to go in knowing how to care for each other.And while I am rambling, let me say, two of our friends, have gone over and above the call of duty and have showed me anew what true friendship looks like. They called Saturday to check on him after he was hurting on Friday, insisted on going with us to the emergency room to be company for us, asked about him at church, took us to lunch, encouraged Andy to eat, brought us prescription medicine (), handled choir practice, discipleship training and getting someone to lead music Sunday night, came to our house to check on Andy again, and then called this morning. Whew! What concern they have shown and how appreciated it has been. When you live away from home, you recognize how hard it is to make those really close friends. It's easy to be friends with folks you went to school with your whole life. It's much more difficult to build those relationship as an adult. At least for me. Which, I have always been a close friend kind of girl. Rather have five close, true friends than one hundred acquaintances. But, I know that God only gives you as much as you can handle - so I know he will see me through this difficulty the same as he has any other. But it sure does make me want to run away and tuck my tail. If it weren't for those sweet kids, I don't know if I could deal with it all sometimes. Anyway, this blog was really more for me than for anyone else. If you have suffered through this - I am sorry for the rambling.

Tough week... (imported from Myspace)

What a week. I haven't blogged because blogging would require me to rehash events that I already wish would just move on into the past. Nothing awful - just day to day doldrums combined with a higher than usual stress level. However, last night during our girls bible study, we got news that two boys from a nearby school were in a bad car accident. One of the boys had actually attended our church for a while when we first came. The other was a friend of his. But the wreck was awful and while one boy came out okay, just beat-up, the other passed away this morning. The kids have taken it really hard, as is expected. I am thrilled that hear that both boys are Christian young men, so that gives us eternal hope as far as Corey (the boy who passed) is concerned. What a reminder of the brevity of life. We have no idea how much time we have left. Because I am so committed to the idea of God's sovereignty, I feel confident that God knows and numbers my days and that nobody can touch me until I am "done" with my work here. So, I believe that God took Corey to be with Him and that this was Corey's "time." Doesn't change the fact that it hurts and we don't understand. Especially in one so young. But I guess that's part of the problem with youth - the idea that we are invincible. I know that one of our youth was able to have some very serious spiritual discussions with at least three kids at the hospital-so, praise the Lord, some good has come from this. But my heart breaks for Corey's family and friends---they are the ones who are suffering - NOT Corey. Tonight will be hard in youth, even though the shock has worn off, the kids will be more tender than usual. I am praying that our group will support each other and act like the family that they want so badly to be. I have confidence that they will. What a bummer. But, even though I have dreaded writing anything at all on this subject, I feel better after having "typed through it." Please remember the family of Corey Vann in your prayers.

Andy comes home today! (imported from Myspace)

Yeah! Andy is coming home today! I am TIRED of being alone!! Now, the question is-will we go out to a nice dinner tonight or not? ("Yes" would be the preferred answer!)
I guess if not, I have two new books to read. (I reward myself when he leaves! haha) Or I could always work on my "To-Do" list (BORING!).
Sure am glad that my mom is coming to visit me next time Andy leaves out of town. Being alone is the pits. (At least after the first couple of days!).

Loving kids can hurt! (imported from Myspace)

Had girls bible study tonight. Amazing since I had planned to cancel it and reschedule for next week. I had contacted everyone (so I thought) and yet four girls showed up. So since the four were here, might as well have everyone come. So they did. Things were a little tense tonight at a point - nothing major though. We all kind of joked around some. We watched our video of the girls sleepover from last week. But one of the youngest got me aside and talked to me about something that had happened recently. Hurt my heart. Boy, when you get close to a group, it's amazing how you hurt right along with them. Which is just the way that I want it. Which is also part of the reason that I am thankful that our group is smaller and more close knit. I would rather have twenty or thirty that I can really minister to and "be there for" instead of fifty that I barely know their names. Easy choice. Small and close wins hands down. But that lends itself to a closeness that makes you vulnerable to their hurts. Plus, at their age - so many mistakes are made. So you are let down so often. But at the same time their successes are shared with you as well. Then you get to beam with pride at their progress. Regardless, though, I hate to see them do things that they will ultimately regret. And the hardest part is working with the kids that don't come from backgrounds that encourage right thinking and good decision-making. After all, like Andy reminds me, we get them after they have enjoyed twelve years of life already. That's twelve years of bad habits, or wrong thinking or whatever. (Or of course, the opposite also applies!) No matter what though, it gives me an opportunity to examine myself. It is far more difficult than I ever imagined it would be to explain even basic truths. Tonight though, my job was just to listen. This particular girl knew what she did was wrong (even though she kept trying to excuse her behavior-we all do that!). She did say that she felt badly about what she had been involved in and then we had a nice discussion about David and his sin. Of all things - she was worried about what "Ms. Rhonda" would think of her! Like I told her - it doesn't matter what Ms. Rhonda thinks - Ms. Rhonda is going to love you regardless - her sin wasn't against me. Ultimately, her sin - my sin - is all against God. That is hard for even me to grasp. But I encouraged her to read David's prayer of repentence to God in Psalm 51. "Against You, You only, have I sinned." That always touches me. My prayer is that I will be reminded that my sin is against the Lord. Like most folks - I am good at excusing myself.
Father - please forgive me where I fail you. Help me to see my sin for what it is. Help me to recognize that when I fail - I hurt YOUR heart, just the same as I hurt for my girls. Help me to seek holiness as a lifestyle, not just something to teach and sing about on Wednesday nights. Create in me a clean heart. Show me my hidden sin that I hide (or excuse) even from myself. Give me wisdom to handle the situations that present themselves to me with our youth in the way that you would. Please bless them and protect them even from themselves.

Ravi Zacharias biography was great! (imported from Myspace)

I finished my biography of Ravi Zacharias! It was great! I wanted to drop a couple of lines regarding some things that grabbed my attention. Good food for thought. This book reminded me how much I need to keep myself in the discipline of reading. I have been very lax....
Nonetheless...
"God had been in the shadows all along. Every step of the way-from the beautiful girl I met adn married, to the school where my theology was shaped, to the committed buddies God gave me-everything was being put back together. It was as if all the dismantling I'd done with the first seventeen years of my life was being given back to me, but this time the Lord was putting it together with His unerring hand."
When starting RZIM - Ravi proposed a different name for the new ministry. However, he was advised that "No, Ravi, so much has happened with people in ministry having gone astray. If you give this ministry your name, it will stand up behind your integrity, or fall with the lack of it."
"If the reasoning is sound, the feelings will follow. Feelings follow belief; belief, then, should follow truth."
"What life is about defines how life must be lived."
"Years later I would read an observation by G.K. Chesterton that, to me, summed up Victor's impact. Chesterton says, in essence, that there is a dislocation of humility in our times. We have become more confident in who we are and less in what we believe. Our pride has moved us from the organ of conviction to the organ of ambition, when it is intended to be the other way around. In short, our confidence should be in our message and not in ourselves."
"Our assumptions must be examined."
David Livingstone: "Lord, send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. Sever any ties but the ties that bind me to your service and to your heart."

Beyond the Gates of Splendor (imported from Myspace)

Watched "Beyond the Gates of Splendor" last night. It is a documentary about the five missionaries killed by the Auca Indians in Ecuador in 1956, including Jim Elliott. Andy and I went to see "End of the Spear" when it was in theaters with several friends. I liked it, but this documentary was much better. Could be because I am a documentary junkie and I like the medium better. But anyway, all the widows of the five missionaries (including Elisabeth Elliott!) were interviewed, along with the children and pretty much anyone else who was a direct participant. It will choke you up to see these women tear up after fifty years. What an amazing testimony. What shocks me is their willingness to go and live with the very people who speared their husbands to death. I can safely say that I have not reached that level of spirital maturity yet. It stuns me. But it is a great flick - highly recommended. I am attempting to show it to our youth, but I don't think that they have "gotten" it like I had hoped. But I might not have either at their age. But at least they are exposed to it.

Andy is on vacation without me....poor Rhonda (imported from Myspace)

Boo hoo. Andy is on vacation without me. I couldn't get off of work on such short notice so I sent him on. He is visiting his grandparents, which is great. I am just kidding about feeling sorry for myself. I am the one who wanted him to go. It's good for him to spend time with them - after all, we never know how much time we have left with our loved ones. (Hopefully in this case, we will have many more years.) However, I didn't plan on him touring Savannah and Charleston without me! So I have been cleaning house. Organizing. I have set up my "Bills 2006" book. I have cleaned up the office. I have gone through my junk drawers and reduced it down to one true junk drawer. I have done all the laundry and regular cleaning that I was behind on. I have gone through the closet and organized clothes (still much more to do in that arena). I have cleaned out my car partially. (If you knew what my car looks like, you would know why I have only gotten partially finished! haha!). And I finished a particular project that I have been dreading for MONTHS! Talk about relief! I have a lot that I have not been able to complete though like hanging a new clothes bar in my closet and cleaning my tile floors. Oh, well. Not like he won't be going on male chorale tour in April. I will get another opportunity then, I suppose. I have also done a lot of relaxing - read a good Elizabeth George book and started Ravi Zacharias' biography. Ate dinner with friends. Watched a great documentary. This has been a good week. But boy, am I ready for Andy to come home!! I miss his company!

Chattanooga is great! (imported from Myspace)

nother blog related to my weekend trip to Chattanooga. When I was young, I spent every summer for about six years with my grandparents and relatives in Trenton, GA, which is about thirty minutes away from Chattanooga. I would go up just as soon as school got out and come home just as late before it started as possible. Once, I even had my aunt Vivian take me school clothes shopping to get to stay longer! Anyway, I was always around Chattanooga and it always appeared to me to be significantly inferior to Jacksonville. Never seemed to be as clean or have nearly as much personality. Well, I am here to tell you - the town has been transformed! I got a chance to go into downtown Chattanooga and walk around. Plus we drove around and up onto Lookout Mountain and to Covenant College. The whole area is beautiful. Of course it is already the foothills of the Appalachians, so the backdrop is great. But the downtown is alive and well. Lots of great shops and eating places (non-franchise, which I love!) Got a chance to walk across the "Walking Bridge" over to Coolidge Park where kids were throwing frisbees and playing catch. It borders the Tennessee River. There is an indoor carousel that lights up so big at night. Plus, in the summertime there are statues shaped like wild animals (lions and such) that shoot water from their mouths. We passed the Tennessee Aquarium, which is great fun. I have been there many times, but they have added two new buildings to it since I have been. There is of course the IMAX theater and the Tivoli theater that shows neat movies in an old-time atmosphere. The local Bijou Theater also has shows-I think it places emphasis on the newer movies. We also passed two museums and a center for performing arts that was preparing to begin all-youth cast of Romeo and Juliet. Driving up Lookout Mountain was really peaceful, with its twists and turns and overhanging trees. Then up on top the roadsigns are made to look antique and the area is known as "Fairyland" (I guess this ties in to the theme of Rock City - which is nearby). And that leads into the other thing I was going to mention - the attractions like Rock City, Ruby Falls and the caverns. There are biking trails at the Chickamauga Battlefield and lots of history to explore.The whole trip made me miss the close proximity of a big city. I miss being able to walk downtown and eat at a new restaurant with lots of ambiance. Andy and I did so many neat things while we were dating, more than just seeing movies and eating out. We made so many good memories in downtown Jacksonville. And even though Jacksonville will always be my hometown area - I no longer see it as superior. I think Chattanooga has a very unique feel to it. I didn't get the rushed, overcrowded feeling that I am seeing develop in Orange Park/Jacksonville. The traffic wasn't nearly so bad. When we left Sunday morning, I left feeling like I hadn't had enough time to explore the "new" Chattanooga. I think that Andy and I will have to visit together soon - both to see more of the town and my extended family. Lord knows we don't take time out to visit them often enough!