Bittersweet Symphony...

So this Friday was the final shower I will be throwing for 2008 (and if I am lucky 2009). I must say I am pleased to share this information with you, however now that all the shower planning is over, what will I possibly do with my time?

There are no more party games to find on the internet.

No more favors to dream up...and I must say, I created some pretty good favors.

• I made flower pens that were displayed in terra cotta pots that were decorated with ribbon to match the shower for one. And for the other I purchased several types of candy bars and wrapped them with zebra printed paper and then tied a red ribbon around them and placed a little circle on them that simply stated "thanks"...

No more invitations to dream up, make, and send out (that one my friends I am not in the least sad about)...I spent way too many hours just simply making the invites for 3 different showers...not for a long time will I do that again.

No more cakes to think of what to put on them "Congratulations (insert name)" or whatever else was placed on the cakes.

No more present buying...and of course right along with that wrapping of presents.

No more having to put on my "happy face" in order to greet guests and gladly take their presents in order to put them on a table. And then about 30 minutes later have them ripped into and the trash pile up.

No more ribbons to save.

No more (almost) fake bouquets to make out of all the ribbons that were torn off the packages, and hopefully not broken because that would just mean how many children are in the future.

Now that you have my list of things I don't have to do for a while, here are the things that I will miss...

Hanging out with friends, new and old and sharing fond memories of the happy couple.

Quite honestly, the stress of it all. What could possibly fill my weekends now. (

and really I think that is all I will miss about throwing showers...I will go to them, don't get me wrong, but throwing them is just entirely overrated!!!

Christmas shoes...

If you have at all been listening to the radio (94.9 in Dallas/Ft. Worth), you have probably heard the song "Christmas Shoes"--or at least that is what I think the name is.

Well...I was getting ready to leave the house this morning and that song happened to come on the radio, let me just tell you, I had to get a napkin from the napkin holder in the kitchen I was crying so hard. I was trying to make my peanut butter sandwich for lunch, and tears were just streaming down my face. I am not sure why this particular time of hearing the song made me so emotional, but it did. I had to walk out of the house with the damp napkin still in my hand, because there were still a few lingering tears...

Now if you know me at all...this is totally uncharacteristic, so I don't know if me getting older has brought out an emotional side to me or if it just because I am a woman...

Are there any songs that make you cry?

And just in case you haven't heard the song...here are the lyrics for you...

It was almost Christmas time T
here I stood in another line
Trying to buy that last gift or two
I'm really in the Christmas mood
Standing right in front of me
Was a little boy waiting anxiously
Pacing around like little boys do
And in his hands he held
A pair of shoes
And his clothes were worn and old
He was dirty from head to toe
And when it came his time to pay
I couldn't believe what I heard him say

Sir I wanna buy these shoes for my Momma please
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry Sir?
Daddy says there's not much time
You see, she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes will make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful
If Momma meets Jesus, tonight

They counted pennies for what seem like years
And cashier says son there's not enough here
He searches is pockets franticly
And he turned and he looked at me
And he said Momma made Christmas good at our house
Most years she just did without
Tell me Sir
What am I gonna do?
Some how I've got to buy her these Christmas shoes
So I laid the money down
I just had to help him out
And I'll never forget
The look on his face
When he said Momma's gonna look so great.

Sir I wanna buy these shoes, for my Momma please
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry Sir?
Daddy says there's not much time
You see, she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes will make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful,
If Momma meets Jesus tonight

I knew I caught a glimpse of heavens love as he thanked me and ran out.
I know that God had sent that little boy to remind me
What Christmas is all about
Sir I wanna buy these shoes for my Momma please
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry Sir?
Daddy says there's not much time
You see she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes will make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful
If Momma meets Jesus tonight I want her to look beautiful
If Momma meets Jesus tonight

Do you ever feel...

Like you have so much to say, and just don't even know where to begin?

What does it mean to have a "best friend"? What qualities does your best friend possess that you love about them?

How many people are in your life that truly KNOW you? How much of yourself do you reveal to others?

These are just some thoughts in my brain...if you know me, you know that there are many others just rolling around in there as well. Just stick around, they may just come out at any given moment...watch out!

I really am alive...

Ok, so apparently I am just trying to see if I can be the worst blogger possible, and I may just have accomplished that. To all like 4 of you, let me apologize for not filling you in on my life for the last month and a half. There has just been so much going on...

1. School started. I really don't know that there is much more that can be said on that topic other than this year has really been one of my toughest yet. Both with my students and with co-workers. I don't know what it is. I started the year with 182 students...that may have a little something to do with it. But no worries ya'll...it is now down to only 168...

2. Weddings, weddings, and more weddings...Seriously folks...do we all have to get married at the same time?!!?!?! My dear friend Angela is getting married in a month and 3 days, so this past weekend we had the showers (yes, that was and is supposed to be plural). We had the lingerie shower on Friday night and the real shower on Saturday night. it was a great time had by all, but I was tired. This weekend is the shower for my dear friend Rebekah who is getting married the weekend after Christmas. 2009 should be a relativly calm year, lets just hope they don't all start having babies.

3. Life...Life just has a way of happening whether you want it to or not. I just don't know where in the world the past couple of weeks have gone, but maybe one day i can find them.

I hope all is going well for each and every one of you...please don't hold it against me that I am the worst blogger in the world...you know it is bad when your friends who went through a hurricane have blogged more than you...

American Idols Live...

I just wanted to inform all of you that I did attend American Idols live last night and it was amazing. I got to see Michael Johns sing "We are the Champions" and "We will rock you"---which was AMAZING. I got to see David Cook live...that was truly the icing on the cake. The others were good and I must say they have all improved since the season. It really was a great expericence and I will post pictures later...once I find the cord to attach my camera to my laptop...

some things are just too good...

Ok, I know that in my life there are random things that I see. I hope you have come to realize this in that last few blogs, and I am going to give you a few more random things that I have experienced and a few random things that are too good to be left unsaid.

First...
I know that my blog is not read by hundreds and hundreds of people, it is really more like thousands I know. No, seriously...it is about 7 people, but hey whatever. Now, to those faithful seven, actually six because this is about Debra, so she already knows it.
My dear friend Debra is having a ring give away on her blog. I could try and explain all the details, but I will just give you the link and let you read for yourself...she is much better at words than myself. The website is http://www.debraparkerdesign.com/

Second...
At the beginning of the church service there is a video that plays every week that tells what is going on. The next sermon series is titled "David" and just to make sure that everyone knew it was David from the Bible, they played a clip of a David Hasselhoff video just to clear up any confusion...in case you thought it was David Hasselhoff that the sermon series was over. It was a pretty strange sight to see David Hasselhoff singing and preforming in a cheesy video at church. But I guess it got everyones attention...it certainly got mine.

Third...
Random sighting...and this is going on here because some one who will remain nameless (his name starts with a D and ends with ave) keeps having someone ask if it is on the blog yet. As me and some of my friends were headed to purchase a tasty snow cone (because it is Texas and it is HOTTTTT) we pulled up behind a car that had a piece of furniture in it's trunk. Now any normal person would get a bungee cord, string, or something to that affect to tie the trunk down with but this person was not a normal person apparently. Because in order to hold the trunk down they had...are you ready for this...suspenders!!!!! And not just ordinary suspenders my friend, red, white and blue suspenders. It was pretty much the most awesome thing I saw all day!

Forth...
Last night some friends of mine and myself went on a little trip to Sonic...they have the best drinks EVER!!! I don't know what it is about a sonic drink...it is just awesome. Now there are five of us in the car. We pull up to the (for lack of a better term) "stall" and 3 of the 5 people in the car can see inside the sonic. (I was not fortunate enough to have a seat that enabled me to see this spectacle). Inside the sonic was one of the workers apparently listening to music (and for the sake of the story I hope there was music playing) and not caring that anyone was watching was dancing. Those able to see this started laughing. We then ordered, and he continued dancing. Then while our beverage choices were being made he decided to have a conversation with us over the speaker. Once that conversation was over, the driver of the vehicle that we were in decided to back up so those of us without a view could actually see the dancing. The dancer then came out to the vehicle and wanted to know if we ordered drinks. At this time our beverages were done so the lady came to deliver them. We passed out the beverages and proceeded to leave, because we had a game of cranium to play. As we are pulling off, he dances some more and then proceeds to start taking his shirt off. I am glad we got out of there when we did, because who knows what else may have been taken off.
(side note: there is now a group on facebook called "I have witnessed a striptease at sonic")

my whale...

On Sunday evenings, the single women at my church have been doing a Bible study. Currently we are using "Captivating" by John and Stasi Eldredge. I will admit, I loved the book at first and then there were a few chapters kinda in the middle that were just hard to deal with, and I was really hoping that there was a light at the end of the tunnel, and then chapter 7 came along. It was a breath of fresh air, the light at the end of the tunnel. This chapter was simply titled "romanced".

Now what girl does not want to read a chapter titled "romanced"? That is something that every girl longs for, even if they don't want to admit it. They all long for a man to come along and sweep them off their feet and to tell them things that make them feel special and give them things that make them feel special. Come on girls...just admit it, you know I am tugging at some heart strings.

This chapter however was not a true story about how John romanced Staci or how any one man here on Earth romanced some women. If you want that kinda thing, I can recommend some movies to you, just let me know. This chapter was about how God, creator of the universe, longs to romance you (us, His creation).

Now as a science minded person, I usually look at the world with those eyes. I see details. I notice little things that make things special. I appreciate beauty in the world around me, but there was a part of the chapter that was just so special and meaningful to me...

"Every song you love, every memory you cherish, every moment that has moved you to holy tears has been given to you from the One who has been pursuing you from your first breath in order to win your heart. God's version of flowers and chocolates and candlelight dinners comes in the form of sunsets and falling stars, moonlight on lakes and cricket symphonies; warm wind, swaying trees, lush gardens, and fierce devotion."

Now isn't that something...I just loved that. They then proceeded to talk about how they had gone on vacation and John was sitting on the beach and saw a great whale just swimming through the water and when he came back and told Staci about it, she went to the beach the next evening praying that she would see a whale too. She never did, but she did see a beach full of starfish in all different colors and that was so special to her. God did not give her a whale, but He gave her something that she would love. Since then, I have not been praying for a whale (I am obviously in DFW and there are no whales in this area so that would just be ridiculous) but I have been praying that God would show me something that was meaningful to me...like the whale.

I went on a trip to Springfield, MO with my dear friend Rebekah this week and one evening while we were driving, I was looking out the car window and I saw fire flies. I immediately knew....that was my whale. They were so special. A curious (to us), tiny little BUG, and yet it meant so much to me to be able to see them the whole way back to her parents house.

I pray that all of this made sense...it was just on my heart. I also pray that if you are reading this and have never had a whale experience that you would pray for God to give you one. If you have had a whale experience please share it with me, I would love to hear (or read) about it.