http://snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp
Just read it. I'm appalled.
For the first time in my life, I want to stand with a picket sign outside of a theater!
Friday, November 09, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Whew...busy summer!
I know I'm horrible about updating, but it has been a really busy summer so far. We've had a ton of rain, and the lake level is so high that most of our dock is underwater!
We had our annual BBQ on June 30, and it was a blast. We had about 60 people...the food was excellent, the weather held out, and all in all, it was wonderful!
My weight loss surgery was five months ago, as of yesterday. I've lost 54.5 lbs, and seem to be holding there. I'd love to lose another 25, but I'm ok with where I am.
Everybody is doing well here...Shannon's having a great time living at the lake. She's been working full-time, babysitting. She's been saving some money, tithing some, and spending some...as it should be :)
Scott is, of course, in his element, smoking and grilling meat all the time, fishing, taking care of the yards (a full-time job!), and having a blast enjoying the summer.
So, we're doing great!
We had our annual BBQ on June 30, and it was a blast. We had about 60 people...the food was excellent, the weather held out, and all in all, it was wonderful!
My weight loss surgery was five months ago, as of yesterday. I've lost 54.5 lbs, and seem to be holding there. I'd love to lose another 25, but I'm ok with where I am.
Everybody is doing well here...Shannon's having a great time living at the lake. She's been working full-time, babysitting. She's been saving some money, tithing some, and spending some...as it should be :)
Scott is, of course, in his element, smoking and grilling meat all the time, fishing, taking care of the yards (a full-time job!), and having a blast enjoying the summer.
So, we're doing great!
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
And today's word is...
Main Entry: hy·poc·ri·sy 
Pronunciation: hi-'pä-kr&-sE also hI-
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -sies
Etymology: Middle English ypocrisie, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin hypocrisis, from Greek hypokrisis act of playing a part on the stage, hypocrisy, from hypokrinesthai to answer, act on the stage, from hypo- + krinein to decide -- more at CERTAIN
1 : a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not; especially : the false assumption of an appearance of virtue or religion
2 : an act or instance of hypocrisy
If the word fits....
Pronunciation: hi-'pä-kr&-sE also hI-
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -sies
Etymology: Middle English ypocrisie, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin hypocrisis, from Greek hypokrisis act of playing a part on the stage, hypocrisy, from hypokrinesthai to answer, act on the stage, from hypo- + krinein to decide -- more at CERTAIN
1 : a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not; especially : the false assumption of an appearance of virtue or religion
2 : an act or instance of hypocrisy
If the word fits....
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Rusty
Our puppy, Rusty, has grown into quite a handsome dog. He's very good...well, all except for digging in the front yard, for which he may die, if Scott ever catches him at it! :X
He's pretty smart too, except for the aforementioned, and has learned sit, stay, down, leave it, and is now learning to catch his toys in mid-air, so I shot some pics tonight.
By the way, if you ever see him riding around in the golf cart, don't laugh...it's his favorite pasttime ;)
Oops! Missed!
I can catch it in my paws - does that count?
Success!
And again!
What goes up...
He's pretty smart too, except for the aforementioned, and has learned sit, stay, down, leave it, and is now learning to catch his toys in mid-air, so I shot some pics tonight.
By the way, if you ever see him riding around in the golf cart, don't laugh...it's his favorite pasttime ;)
Oops! Missed!
I can catch it in my paws - does that count?
Success!
And again!
What goes up...
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Sheesh!
Well, our golf cart got stolen in the middle of the night Friday/Saturday, and Scott spent yesterday trying to find it, and while I was trying to get Shannon ready for her prom and attending our HOA meeting (oh, you're looking at the new Secretary - not quite sure how that happened!).
Scott was able to discover that our cart had been stolen. They left it down the road about 2:15 when it ran out of battery, and 45 minutes later, it was gone, so we think someone saw it, trailered it, and took off. Kind of funny...while Scott was out looking for our cart, he found two other ones that had been stolen too. We know that two girls had stolen one girl's grandmother's car, and it was two girls that stole our cart, so we think it's the same ones. One girl got caught and is in custody. If they admit to it, I'll be going after her parents for the return of the money our cart was worth.
Of course, with the BBQ coming up, and the fact that we really enjoyed owning one, it was imperative that we replace it immediately. So we have a new (used) one. This one has a windshield, new seat covers, and it has a "truck bed", so we can haul small things with it. It's also gas powered instead of battery powered, so that's a nice change. It cost more than I wanted to spend, but from what Scott has been able to research on them, we actually got it for about $1000 less than they normally go for. I'll post pictures after the seats are done, and Scott has
Shannon looked utterly gorgeous for her prom. She's still asleep, so no idea how it went, but from the pictures on my camera, it looks like she had a great time.
This picture was taken just before her boyfriend picked her up:
Scott was able to discover that our cart had been stolen. They left it down the road about 2:15 when it ran out of battery, and 45 minutes later, it was gone, so we think someone saw it, trailered it, and took off. Kind of funny...while Scott was out looking for our cart, he found two other ones that had been stolen too. We know that two girls had stolen one girl's grandmother's car, and it was two girls that stole our cart, so we think it's the same ones. One girl got caught and is in custody. If they admit to it, I'll be going after her parents for the return of the money our cart was worth.
Of course, with the BBQ coming up, and the fact that we really enjoyed owning one, it was imperative that we replace it immediately. So we have a new (used) one. This one has a windshield, new seat covers, and it has a "truck bed", so we can haul small things with it. It's also gas powered instead of battery powered, so that's a nice change. It cost more than I wanted to spend, but from what Scott has been able to research on them, we actually got it for about $1000 less than they normally go for. I'll post pictures after the seats are done, and Scott has
Shannon looked utterly gorgeous for her prom. She's still asleep, so no idea how it went, but from the pictures on my camera, it looks like she had a great time.
This picture was taken just before her boyfriend picked her up:
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Well, that was interesting!
We had a nasty old storm come through the DFW metroplex yesterday, leaving tornadoes all over the place, killing two and hurting five others.
It came right for us out here in Quinlan, but the oddness of living on the lake continues - the seriously bad stuff went around us.
We got an inch of rain in about 10 minutes, a little hail, lots of wind, thunder and lightening, but no tornado, and it was over faster than it took to get here.
But you have to prepare for the worst, so the high school was opened to those who wanted to evacuate. All we could do was put the dog and cat in the bathroom, and the birds in the closet. We stood at the front door listening and watching. It was a helluva storm, that's for sure!
It's been cold, windy and overcast all day...definitely an odd Spring!
It came right for us out here in Quinlan, but the oddness of living on the lake continues - the seriously bad stuff went around us.
We got an inch of rain in about 10 minutes, a little hail, lots of wind, thunder and lightening, but no tornado, and it was over faster than it took to get here.
But you have to prepare for the worst, so the high school was opened to those who wanted to evacuate. All we could do was put the dog and cat in the bathroom, and the birds in the closet. We stood at the front door listening and watching. It was a helluva storm, that's for sure!
It's been cold, windy and overcast all day...definitely an odd Spring!
Sunday, April 01, 2007
We got rain!
We finally got some great rainfall - 6.45"! We're getting lots of run-off from the creeks and pastures around here, and the water is touching the dock. It's also supposed to rain again next week, but I doubt if it will be as much as we got the other day.
The house is all repaired from the fire damage, except for the storm windows in our bedroom, but they did get the inside windows put in. The AC unit is in, thank God, because it's been in the high 70s and low 80s for the past week.
Scott's been busy working on getting the lawns in shape, and Shannon decided to repair the kettle in our front yard to a darker green, with a white border. She hasn't gotten the border on yet, but when she does, I'll get pictures.
Kristi and her family were here the past two weeks, but I didn't get to see very much of them - as it usually is when they come. But I did get to spend a little time with her and the kids. I'll fly up there later this summer (since I still have a ticket out there in cyberspace, due to canceling my trip right after my surgery).
It's been pretty uneventful around here, for which I'm glad. We go to work, Shannon goes to school, we hang out in the evenings, church on Sunday. We did go to a wedding last night (utterly and totally beautiful service and reception), but that's been pretty much it for social outings lately.
I'm having issues with my camera...not sure if it needs to be replaced or if it can be repaired, but a decision needs to be made soon on it...I'm not thrilled having no camera!
More later :)
The house is all repaired from the fire damage, except for the storm windows in our bedroom, but they did get the inside windows put in. The AC unit is in, thank God, because it's been in the high 70s and low 80s for the past week.
Scott's been busy working on getting the lawns in shape, and Shannon decided to repair the kettle in our front yard to a darker green, with a white border. She hasn't gotten the border on yet, but when she does, I'll get pictures.
Kristi and her family were here the past two weeks, but I didn't get to see very much of them - as it usually is when they come. But I did get to spend a little time with her and the kids. I'll fly up there later this summer (since I still have a ticket out there in cyberspace, due to canceling my trip right after my surgery).
It's been pretty uneventful around here, for which I'm glad. We go to work, Shannon goes to school, we hang out in the evenings, church on Sunday. We did go to a wedding last night (utterly and totally beautiful service and reception), but that's been pretty much it for social outings lately.
I'm having issues with my camera...not sure if it needs to be replaced or if it can be repaired, but a decision needs to be made soon on it...I'm not thrilled having no camera!
More later :)
Monday, March 05, 2007
A few pics
Photobucket wasn't cooperating with me last night, so I threw a couple of pictures up on Flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7226099@N06/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7226099@N06/
Saturday, March 03, 2007
This wasn't how I planned to spend my day...
Since Scott and Shannon had gone to Oklahoma for the weekend, I had planned to take a little nap and then get up and go to Walmart to stock up on groceries. Little did I know that my day was not going to go quite that way.
About 11:00 this morning, I'm laying in bed dozing, and I hear some rustling between our house and the one next door. Since it's pretty windy, I don't think much about it, and didn't think much about it when I smelled smoke - just opened my eyes and didn't see smoke in the room, so I just figured that because it was windy, I was smelling the fireplace, and I dozed back off. A few minutes later, I'm smelling smoke again and just about the time I decide I better get up and check it out, Rusty starts barking and there's serious pounding on the door. I threw on my robe and went to the door and our neighbor from two doors south of us said "I think the house next door is on fire!!!" I look over to the north, and sure enough, I see smoke and flames and so I tore back in the house, threw on clothes, let Rusty out of his crate, tried to grab the cat, grabbed the birds instead, grabbed my purse and keys and got the hell out of Dodge. Linda had already called 911, but we didn't have any trucks coming, and the fire department is only 5 miles down the road.
One of the guys from down the street realized that the flames were headed for my propane tank, so he ran over and turned it off, then grabbed a hose and started watering down the side of our house, and the grass and trees between the two houses.
By the time the first truck got here, the house next door was 70% engulfed in some very serious flame and it was apparent that there was no putting it out, so they started focusing on saving our house. We have a metal roof, so they had to pry the roof up, because the eaves were on fire. Watching this made me wince, but I'd rather they did it than not!! Then they turned their attention to the woods behind us; which were developing small fires here and there. After they had dragged every available hose up the hill and connected them, it became apparent to me that they weren't aware of the access road behind the hill, so I told them about it and they went up there to shoot water down the hill, instead of trying to shoot it UP the hill.
After it was all over but a few hot spots, which they are still working on at this time, the house next door is completely gone, our house has two broken windows, four sets of melted mini-blinds, a busted up roof and edge piece, and some water and smoke damage. The siding will need to be painted. We lost the wood privacy fence, and a few trees probably will not survive the damage...but our house is standing and in good enough condition to sleep in!!
Sadly, the house north of the house next door took more significant damage than we did. They lost a two story apartment behind their house, and the siding on their main house pretty much melted, but the house was saved. I don't know how much internal damage it received, but it's pretty ugly on the outside now.
I have to tell you - all of the fire departments around here are volunteer fire departments....and these guys were AWESOME. A couple of them, before they got too insane with the water, ran in the house, disconnected my computer and moved everything into the living room...my desk and everything on it, my filing cabinets, my printer, my computer and monitor...everything they could get their hands on and move, so that they didn't get water damaged. How freaking awesome is that?!? I want to thank the Quinlan, Kaufman, Terrell, South Tawakoni, Able Springs, Elmo and Lone Oak Volunteer Fire Departments for doing such an incredible job and saving my house!!
The neighbors are all aware I had surgery two weeks ago, so they were likewise incredible - feeding me, helping me up and down the hill (after the 2nd trip, I was wiped out), and putting plastic over the broken windows. We are truly blessed for the friends we have made in this community.
Pictures will come when my computer is set back up and I find the connector cable for my camera.
*yawn*
All in all...I'd rather have had a nap!
About 11:00 this morning, I'm laying in bed dozing, and I hear some rustling between our house and the one next door. Since it's pretty windy, I don't think much about it, and didn't think much about it when I smelled smoke - just opened my eyes and didn't see smoke in the room, so I just figured that because it was windy, I was smelling the fireplace, and I dozed back off. A few minutes later, I'm smelling smoke again and just about the time I decide I better get up and check it out, Rusty starts barking and there's serious pounding on the door. I threw on my robe and went to the door and our neighbor from two doors south of us said "I think the house next door is on fire!!!" I look over to the north, and sure enough, I see smoke and flames and so I tore back in the house, threw on clothes, let Rusty out of his crate, tried to grab the cat, grabbed the birds instead, grabbed my purse and keys and got the hell out of Dodge. Linda had already called 911, but we didn't have any trucks coming, and the fire department is only 5 miles down the road.
One of the guys from down the street realized that the flames were headed for my propane tank, so he ran over and turned it off, then grabbed a hose and started watering down the side of our house, and the grass and trees between the two houses.
By the time the first truck got here, the house next door was 70% engulfed in some very serious flame and it was apparent that there was no putting it out, so they started focusing on saving our house. We have a metal roof, so they had to pry the roof up, because the eaves were on fire. Watching this made me wince, but I'd rather they did it than not!! Then they turned their attention to the woods behind us; which were developing small fires here and there. After they had dragged every available hose up the hill and connected them, it became apparent to me that they weren't aware of the access road behind the hill, so I told them about it and they went up there to shoot water down the hill, instead of trying to shoot it UP the hill.
After it was all over but a few hot spots, which they are still working on at this time, the house next door is completely gone, our house has two broken windows, four sets of melted mini-blinds, a busted up roof and edge piece, and some water and smoke damage. The siding will need to be painted. We lost the wood privacy fence, and a few trees probably will not survive the damage...but our house is standing and in good enough condition to sleep in!!
Sadly, the house north of the house next door took more significant damage than we did. They lost a two story apartment behind their house, and the siding on their main house pretty much melted, but the house was saved. I don't know how much internal damage it received, but it's pretty ugly on the outside now.
I have to tell you - all of the fire departments around here are volunteer fire departments....and these guys were AWESOME. A couple of them, before they got too insane with the water, ran in the house, disconnected my computer and moved everything into the living room...my desk and everything on it, my filing cabinets, my printer, my computer and monitor...everything they could get their hands on and move, so that they didn't get water damaged. How freaking awesome is that?!? I want to thank the Quinlan, Kaufman, Terrell, South Tawakoni, Able Springs, Elmo and Lone Oak Volunteer Fire Departments for doing such an incredible job and saving my house!!
The neighbors are all aware I had surgery two weeks ago, so they were likewise incredible - feeding me, helping me up and down the hill (after the 2nd trip, I was wiped out), and putting plastic over the broken windows. We are truly blessed for the friends we have made in this community.
Pictures will come when my computer is set back up and I find the connector cable for my camera.
*yawn*
All in all...I'd rather have had a nap!
Friday, February 16, 2007
Life is great!
I had my lapband surgery on Valentine's Day. If you want to read more about that, head on over to Life in Texas, because that's where I'll be posting about my journey.
It's been great around here lately. Scott's daughter is living with us now, and she's a joy to have around. She's helpful, cooperative, funny, and just a great kid...we're delighted to have her with us.
Scott's been sober since December, and that is likewise a joy and a blessing :)
We're still praying for rain, because the lake isn't up nearly enough. I'm positive we'll get it though! (Faith...whew!)
As soon as I can move around good again, and we have some sun, I'll take some pictures of Rusty - he's gotten to be a big boy! He'll be a year old next month - now if he'd just get past this chewing stage! He seems to especially like wood, which concerns me :(
Anyway, life is great! As we move into spring, I'm sure I'll be posting more. When it's winter and you're more or less housebound, there's not a lot to write about ;)
It's been great around here lately. Scott's daughter is living with us now, and she's a joy to have around. She's helpful, cooperative, funny, and just a great kid...we're delighted to have her with us.
Scott's been sober since December, and that is likewise a joy and a blessing :)
We're still praying for rain, because the lake isn't up nearly enough. I'm positive we'll get it though! (Faith...whew!)
As soon as I can move around good again, and we have some sun, I'll take some pictures of Rusty - he's gotten to be a big boy! He'll be a year old next month - now if he'd just get past this chewing stage! He seems to especially like wood, which concerns me :(
Anyway, life is great! As we move into spring, I'm sure I'll be posting more. When it's winter and you're more or less housebound, there's not a lot to write about ;)
Sunday, January 28, 2007
More rain!
The rain we've gotten has helped a LOT, but it's not nearly enough. It brought the lake up to the same point on our beach as it was when we moved in a year ago last month. Actually, I just looked at the pictures from last January, and the water is up higher than it was in some spots.
I'm putting up some pictures, especially for Cathy :)
This time last year, there was no water this close
I'm putting up some pictures, especially for Cathy :)
This time last year, there was no water this close
So yeah, while we're grateful for what we've gotten, we definitely need more! It was last March when we got all the water that lasted through Spring, so we're hopeful!
Saturday, January 20, 2007
What a strange week it's been!
Winter has hit Dallas with a vengence! We've had rain, sleet, snow, and I've spent more hours on the road in drive time in the past week, than I care to think about!
It's pretty unusual to look out our front door and see this:
It's pretty unusual to look out our front door and see this:
Yes, that IS snow down on the beach. I know it's not much, but around here, it's enough to screw up the roads for days...and it did. This picture was taken last Monday (which fortunately, I had off). Last Wednesday, we got more sleet and snow - and it took us 3.5 hours to get to work! It has rained off and on all week, and has been raining slowly and steadily today (just about an inch is all)...but we're hoping the lake will come up another few inches as all the water on the roads and in the creeks makes its way down to the lake.
Counting down the days to my lapband surgery, but I swear, if I hear "but you don't weigh that much!", one more time, I'm going to scream!! If I didn't need the surgery, I sure wouldn't be putting myself through this. (So, if you love me, for God's sake, please don't say that to me!!)
Scott and I are attending church again, and starting 2/1, will be living on a very strict budget. We'd like to have all of our credit card debt paid off within a year, and my truck paid off 2 years after that. We've been reading Dave Ramsey's books, and on February 24th, will be seeing him live in Dallas. We're really excited about the prospect of being out of debt, and spent several hours this morning laying out our budget for February.
There are other things going on with us, but those aren't for publication. Suffice it to say, our lives got suddenly very busy, but this is a good thing!
That's it for now. Until next time...
Counting down the days to my lapband surgery, but I swear, if I hear "but you don't weigh that much!", one more time, I'm going to scream!! If I didn't need the surgery, I sure wouldn't be putting myself through this. (So, if you love me, for God's sake, please don't say that to me!!)
Scott and I are attending church again, and starting 2/1, will be living on a very strict budget. We'd like to have all of our credit card debt paid off within a year, and my truck paid off 2 years after that. We've been reading Dave Ramsey's books, and on February 24th, will be seeing him live in Dallas. We're really excited about the prospect of being out of debt, and spent several hours this morning laying out our budget for February.
There are other things going on with us, but those aren't for publication. Suffice it to say, our lives got suddenly very busy, but this is a good thing!
That's it for now. Until next time...
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Scheduled for surgery!
I've been working towards having lapband surgery since last March, having put back on all the weight I lost on Nutrisystem a couple of years ago. They make you jump through a lot of hoops to have this surgery, but apparently I performed correctly, because I got the insurance approval and will be having surgery on Valentine's Day, of all days.
I'm excited - but also a little scared. I'm determined that this is going to work for me! Hopefully by summer, I'll be wearing bathing suits again!!
I'm excited - but also a little scared. I'm determined that this is going to work for me! Hopefully by summer, I'll be wearing bathing suits again!!
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