The Bayou Belles and Their Beau

Up, Up, & Away

2012-06-02T06:30:00.000-05:00

Yep. Here I go.

Today, I will be on my journey to Northeast England with sleeping pills in tow. We arrive Sunday morning their time.

Funny how the whole world will be watching the celebration of the Queen's Jubilee this week in London, and I'll be nowhere near there at that time. (Believe me, we tried to make if work so that we were there during the party. But, no dice. Sad.)

So, we will travel to London on our last day ... just for the day ... and try and take in the entire city, at least the main things, in one day. We're confident that we can do it.

But, we will actually be staying in Leeds. I'm looking forward to seeing some beautiful green English countryside and random sheep. Isn't that what England looks like?

My main dilemma at this point is whether or not I pack running shoes. Still debating that one.

Do I risk humiliation from my much-thinner friend? Do I risk a 5-8 lb weight gain from not running or working out? Do I risk depression and feelings of failure from packing said running shoes and workout clothes and not using them at all? Do I really want to wake up early to run or work out?

Ridiculous.

But, if you run at all, you know one week without running equals death the following week when you attempt to run again.

So, I think I've just convinced myself to run only two times next week because I have some very busy days and need to be realistic about how tired I'll be and what my desire to run will actually be like. Nil.

There it is. I will run 2 times in about a week. Not great, but at least something.

I may actually lose weight after reading about English food. I lost my appetite when I found out what black pudding was ... you mean you don't know? Well ... it's just an oatmeal mixed with pork fat and cooked in pig's blood. Uh. Gross.

But, I will have fish and chips. Can't go wrong there.

Well ... pray for me.

I'm looking forward to a great conference and a wonderful experience!

It's a humbling thing ...

2012-05-31T10:42:00.000-05:00

... to ask people to like you.

You know what I'm talking about.

I've received and written such notes:

Not recently, mind you. That would be awkward.

But, since putting up my blog Facebook page, I've pretty much done the same thing through the web ... an internet "Do you like me?" note.

I remember giving this note one time in 5th grade, heart beating out of my chest, murmuring "please, like me, please, like me" under my breath.

(I'll end the suspense for you. He did. I've written about such boy here and how he broke my little 6th-grade heart & now is the drummer for Blake Shelton. Thank you to "The Voice" for finally helping me to know who that even is. Me and country music ... not a match.)

Going on ...

I do have a point here.

It's simple.

Everyone wants to be liked. Everyone wants to be loved.

Pure and simple.

Not many people I know are happy about other people not liking them. Umm ... OK ... maybe a few. But, not normally.

Will you always like everyone? No. But, I think we're supposed to try. That's the hard part.

Don't think I'm deceived into believing that everyone likes me. I know there are lots that don't. I'm sorry for that. I try. (most of the time)

We all know we're commanded to love one another. We HAVE to. It's not a request.

It just gets difficult when we're supposed to be a cheerleader for those that we're commanded to love, but really don't care for them that much as a person. But, I want to do this. I want to be more of a cheerleader (I have true-life experience from 1986-1989. Uh ... wow ... that sounds old.). So, I should be able to do this easily.

I want to cheer people on in their dreams and goals.

I don't want to be that Negative Nancy that ruins everyone's mood and brings everyone down. I don't want to be a nay-sayer. (Struggle ensues somewhere between being a realist and negative ... balance and common ground need to be found.)

One of the most encouraging and important things in someone's life is having a person to cheer them on, to encourage them, to support them. It's so important.

I've had some great people in my life to encourage me. I dare say I would not have done lots of things I have done and am doing if it had not been for them saying, "You can do it!"

I hope you have those same people. And, I hope you'll join with me in trying harder to be that person for more people.

And ... would you mind going over to the right there on my sidebar and clicking "Like"? Please, like me. Please, like me. :)

My mind is consumed.

2012-05-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

This Saturday, a dream of mine is coming true. I feel so blessed!

Wanna know what it is?

Sure you do.

I'm getting on a plane and flying over the ocean to the beautiful country of England.

Yippee!

I'm going to Leeds/Bradford area, which is northern England. Think countryside (Pride & Prejudice, home of Emily Bronte, you know the area ...).

Why am I going, you ask?

Well ... remember my new friend I told you about? Charlotte Gambill?

I told you how fabulous she is!

More than just being fabulous, this woman hears from God and preaches the Word in a powerful, no-holds-barred way. That's my kinda preachin'!

When she was here for our conference in April, she mentioned several times to me about how I needed to come to her conference this June. Yeah. Right. Is what I thought.

I immediately dismissed this in my mind, knowing full well that this was not likely. I mean, it's England. It's not like heading to Texas. It's quite a little trek and costs quite a bit of pounds, if you know what I mean. Oh, but how I wanted to go!

I prayed about it like this ... "God, I know you have bigger fish to fry, but could you possibly do this itty-bitty, tiny little thing for me? Could you make a way? And, if not, I understand."

How cool is it that God heard me and did exactly that!

He made a way when I thought this could not be possible.

I'm pumped about, not only traveling to a place I've always wanted to go, but to spend these days getting more from God. I'm going ready to gain some wisdom, draw closer to God, and learn all about the ins & outs of their conference. So excited!! I'm already beginning to prepare my heart for something incredible!

I'm also excited that I get to share this experience with one of my very best friends and supporters! This girlie right here ... my friend, Sonia. Yeah, she's gorgeous.

She is one of the girls who has been with me from the beginning of this whole women's ministry journey and is definitely one of my right-hand girls. I wish I could have brought my whole team SO MUCH. I have a great team of girls that help me pull off some pretty incredible things. I'm nothing without them. I love you, girls. You know who you are!

Keep me in your prayers! I'm not the best at long plane rides.

This. Keeps. Happening.

2012-05-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure if it's me or not.

But, this thing happens to me. It goes like this:

I make a friend.

We become good friends.

I'm happy.

I'm content.

Yay! Friends for life!

They move. Or I move.

It's happened with pretty much every one of my good friends in the past.

Yeah. It's happening again.

See this little family right here ...

I just love these guys. We've gotten to be good friends over these last few years.

Yep, you guessed it. They're moving. To Colorado.

It's for a great reason (they're going to help plant one of our churches), but I can't help but be a little sad because I'll miss them so much. I know God's going to do some GREAT things there!

OK. That was couple #1.

Here's couple #2.

These guys have done this twice. Grrr ...

We became great friends years ago (they were "probably our best friends" ;) ... ), then they moved after their first little one was born. Look how old she is in the picture above. Well, they moved back a little over a year ago. I love friendships where you can pick right back up where you left off. But, I knew that this would be a temporary residence thing. Because this summer ...

Yep. They're moving. To do the same as the couple above. But, on a good note, they'll only be a little over 2 hours away.

I'm gonna miss these guys somethin' fierce!

I know that God has something awesome planned for each of these couples.!

To all my remaining friends ... stay put for now, please.

Boy, have I got her fooled?

2012-05-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

In another one of our heart-to-heart conversations last night (which have been happening more and more frequently lately ... I blame middle school.), La Petite Belle made a fascinating statement to me.

I was going on, as I usually do, about obedience being better than sacrifice, loving people and being kind to them is what Jesus commanded us to do, and lying being the most reprehensible thing ever, and so on, and so forth ... I pretty much covered the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, even talking about the sacrifices of the Old Testament. I was on a roll.

La Petite Belle said this, "But it's so easy for you."

She meant living for God and being obedient.

I did a double-take.

Huh?

I said, "No, baby. It's not easy. It's not easy for anyone. Jesus never promised us that it was going to be easy to live for Him and always do the right thing."

La Petite Belle said, "But, you make it look so easy."

Well .... Hallelujah. At least I've got one person fooled.

And, I thought for a moment that I must be doing something right for my child to think living a godly life and being an obedient child of God is easy.

Because, honestly, it's not easy for me to do everything God wants me to do all the time.

I do it. Sometimes reluctantly, but I do it because I trust Him.

Wow. I trust Him.

I really do.

There are multiple times I have written blog posts about not trusting and how hard it is for me to trust. I guess over the past years, I've learned some things.

I really do trust Him. I trust Him so much that I do things I never thought I could do. I do things totally afraid and terrified.

I guess I'm finally growing up.

It's about time.

He really is trustworthy despite anything you've experienced in this world. He's the only One that will never fail you. Trust Him.

I'm not as adventuresome as I used to be.

2012-05-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

When I was younger, I was fun.

Really fun.

There was never a dull moment in my life or anyone else's life that was around me. I was always doing something or involved in some sort of activity. In those days, I went out with friends almost every day or night. Staying home was never an option.

I liked to live on the edge, sometimes doing all kinds of daredevil things. A lot of dumb stuff too.

Now, my idea of a good time, includes a recliner and a snack.

I've come to the realization that I've become quite boring.

And, I think I'm OK with that.

Hanging out with friends is still something I enjoy, but no major activities occur except for eating and talking. I like that.

Lately, all I want to do in my downtime is sit.

Just. Sit.

I like to sit.

I like to sit and talk. I like to sit and eat. I like to sit and relax. I just plain ol' like to sit.

So ... This Mother's Day weekend, that's precisely what I did. I sat a lot while my little family did all the work. It was an awesome weekend.

Mother's Day weekend for me looked like this:

Saturday -

Slept until 9:30 AM Saturday morning (Yay me!)

Went to the gym

Went to Target & bought myself 2 pair of sandals for Mother's Day

Came back from shopping to this little set-up La Petite Belle created for me

Enjoyed La Petite Belle fixing my hair and giving me a massage before a nap (Yep! A nap!)

Enjoyed a lovely dinner cooked by Beau

Started a brand new season of "24"

Sunday -

Slept late again! (Well ... only until 7:30 AM, but better than the norm.)

Heard a great message at church and even got K Belle to sit with me

Enjoyed lunch cooked again by Beau & La Petite Belle

Had a lovely visit with my mom & dad, which included bread pudding & coffee (Yum!)

Sat inside and read the paper & drank a cup of tea while Beau & both girls washed my truck

Sat in the recliner and watched some of my favorite shows

My family did a great job of treating me like a queen all weekend. I loved it!

Thanks to my sweet girls & sweet husband for letting me relax. I love you!

Filters are my best friend.

2012-05-10T08:16:00.000-05:00

Instagram has really changed my life. Pretty much everything looks better when you put it through a filter, especially me. Did I say how much I love Instagram? I LOVE INSTAGRAM!

Here's a look at our recent "vacation" through the filters of Instagram.

DAY 1: Boarding our flight.

Landed in NYC.

Took train to NJ.

Dinner & lovely time with friends (whom I can't believe I didn't take one picture of).

DAY 2:

Took train to NYC.

Pastrami at Katz's. Great conversation about faith with 87-year-old retired Jewish banker.

Chinatown/Little Italy

Cappuccino & Tiramisu at Ferrara.

This guy is quite entertaining on the subway.

Train back to NJ.

DAY 3: Driving into NYC, Times Square

Lunch at my favorite Peanut Butter & Co.

(Tony Luke's came the next day on the ride home through Philly where we ate the famous Philly cheesesteak for lunch.)

Waiting outside the jazz club, The Blue Note, for the highlight of the trip for Beau ... getting to hear & meet his music idol, John Patitucci. What a great night!

DAY 4: DRIVING from NYC to Asheville, NC - 11 hours

DAY 5: Biltmore Estate & downtown Asheville

The whole reason we went on this trip - Beau's new car.

DAY 6: Drive from Asheville, NC to Birmingham AL - 6 hours

Dinner & time with more great friends.

DAY 7: Drive from Birmingham, AL to Cajun Country - 6 hours.

Done. And, a great time was had by all!

"Vacation"

2012-04-30T10:55:00.001-05:00

Beau and I are taking a trip.

Everyone seems to be calling it a vacation, but, for some reason, I see it differently.

You see, Beau bought a car.

It's in New Jersey.

We live in Louisiana.

Hence, our "vacation" is driving said car from New Jersey to Louisiana.

That's the "vacation."

Don't get me wrong. I'm going to have a good time because pretty much wherever I am there is a party to be had. However ...

I don't mean to sound like a complainer, but ...

I absolutely loathe long car rides. Loathe.

So, that's about three-fourths of our trip. I wasn't about to let old wheel-sleeper take the trip by himself even though he offered. I feared for his life. I've gone on long trips with him. Two hours into the trip and we are driving in the wrong lane. (OK ... just a little exaggerated, but you understand.)

Now, while the driving part won't be my favorite part, the 2 days in NYC, 1 day at the Biltmore, and the visiting with old friends will be fantastic!

Here's how this trek is going to work:

Wednesday - Fly to NYC, stay in New Jersey

Thursday - Spend day in the city, stay in New Jersey

Friday - Drive into the NYC & spend the night

Saturday - 11-hour drive to Asheville, NC, stay the night

Sunday - Spend day at the Biltmore, stay the night

Monday - 6-hour drive to Birmingham, AL, stay with friends

Tuesday - 6-hour drive home, pick up girls at school

Done. Whew.

See what I mean? We will be on the move!

I've got Netflix & Hulu Plus added to my phone. I'll finally be able to watch "Downton Abbey" and maybe even a few more episodes of "24". And, I guess I'll break down and read "The Hunger Games" to see what all the fuss is about. That should keep me entertained while Beau sings Journey's greatest hits at the top of his lungs.

Hoping to have lots of great pics & stories from the road!

Dreams Fulfilled

2012-04-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

Well ... my big weekend is over.

Joie de Vivre was a huge success. We had almost 1200 women in attendance!

When God birthed this dream in me almost 5 years ago, I had no idea what He had planned. All I knew was that I had this vision of a building filled with women, all with lifted hands worshiping God ... women joined together in community, cheering each other on! I had a vision of a time where women would come together and grow in God's Word while being challenged and inspired to change their life and the lives of those around them.

I think this weekend I got to see this dream become reality. I saw a glimpse of what God wants to do through the women of our church and community. And, I say a "glimpse" because I think God has so much more planned.

Dream One Realized & Fulfilled!

On to Dream Two ...

About 3 years ago, I heard a phenomenal woman of God speak at a nearby conference. She really spoke to my heart and to the hearts of the women I had brought with me.

I thought ... The women of our church need to hear her. Our church needs to hear her.

Her name is Charlotte Gambill.

It was a dream for me to be able to bring her to our church this past weekend. It was a dream just to spend time with her and gain wisdom from her. She is simply amazing! And, I hope to be able to bring her back again soon and visit her conference in the UK this summer (pray for me).

If you ever have a chance to hear this lady, DO IT!

Dream Two Realized & Fulfilled!

Oh ... and there was this other little lady there ... just Natalie Grant. No big deal. Just pure amazement!

And she REALLY is the sweetest thing! I pretty much love her!

If there is a Dare to Be night near you, don't miss out! GO!

My children never cease to surprise me.

2012-04-05T06:00:00.002-05:00

I found out last night that K Belle can beatbox. Just out of the blue she decides to help out a friend who's doing a rap for a Fine Arts competition Friday night. K Belle has no fear obviously.

Here's a sample.

But, even better here's the beginning of the song she wrote that she's entering into the songwriting competition. It's quite good!

So proud of this talented girl!

Add to this joy one other little girl who is receiving athletic awards tonight! Yep. We will be attending La Petite Belle's athletic banquet tonight. She's had quite a year filled with sports ... soccer, volleyball, and cheerleading. Next year, we'll be adding basketball to that list.

La Petite Belle made the all-star soccer team and their team won the all-star game. Great job!

And, I can't forget to mention honor roll for this little one.

She is on fire!!

I love how God has gifted both my girls differently. It's so neat to watch what He's doing in their lives. Makes me anxious to see the plans He has for them lived out!

I'm one proud mama.

Expectations

2012-04-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

They can be both good and bad.

It's good to expect things from God because it shows that you believe Him ... you trust Him. Expecting good things is healthy! It's positive and optimistic!

But, there are also expectations that can be bad. It's the kind of expectations that other people may have of you. These are the hardest to fulfill. These expectations can be unattainable, unrealistic, and just plain ridiculous.

Expectations can also lead to quite a bit of disappointment. Bummer for both sides. The expertor & the expectee (yeah, those aren't real words, but you get my point). Both sides can be equally disappointed.

But, to be a Christ-follower and to live for Him means we are not disappointments. He loves us just the way we are. He created us and knows every bit of our make-up. He designed us. He has plans just for us.

It's important to put our hope and trust in God to meet our expectations and not people. People will fail us every time. We're all human.

And, it's equally important to recognize when we've disappointed someone ourselves, no matter whether it be intentional or not. At that point, the only thing to do is share your heart with that person & pray that true intentions are seen & understood.

No matter how many times we are misunderstood (and believe me, for some of us it's more than we'd like), it's comforting to know that God sees. He knows our every motive and intention. He sees our heart & sometimes He's the only One that can comfort us.

“O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.” (Psalm 139:1-4)

Sometimes ... actually ... all the time ... He knows us even better than we know ourselves. Wow. Whew. How that takes the pressure off of us to try and understand a lot of why we do things. We don't have to always figure it out. He knows.

It's like we're living in the 19th century.

2012-03-27T06:00:00.001-05:00

I'm pretty sure my time will now be filled with such images as above ... slicing apples, darning socks, and spending time with the girls playing cricket.

We'll have more time on our hands now that we've cut out cable. Now, granted, we did keep just the basic channels to keep network television and local stations, but the rest is gone. Yep. Gone!

I do feel like a lot of our time will be spent more productively. Maybe.

We got a Roku box and now just subscribe to Netflix & Hulu Plus, which allows us to watch TV series and lots of movies.

Basically, the box costs about $70 and that's it. We've cut our cable bill from $130 a month to $44 (which includes internet, add another $15 for Netflix & Hulu equally a total of about $60 a month). Pretty impressive.

We've all had to sacrifice a few things ... no DVR, no Disney, no Nickelodeon, no Fox News, no HGTV, no AMC (my choice). But there are so many of the shows that run on these stations that we can get through the Roku or online.

So since this big life-altering decision was made, Beau and I decided to start watching "24" ... all 193 episodes. We should be busy for a while.

The only problem is that we watch these episodes right before bed and Beau and I are realizing it could be the reason we have insomnia. I have serious heart palpitations while watching this show. I literally in my half-sleep state last night envisioned someone sneaking up my stairs and standing right outside my bedroom door with a gun.

(Only it wasn't Jack, because he would only be out there to protect me. Clearly, he would never harm me.)

Then I was jolted into reality by one of my jumps.

Wish us luck on this switch. Off to watch some more "24."

Look what's coming up, you, out-of-towners!

2012-03-26T07:13:00.000-05:00

For my readers that don't live around this area, we'd love to have you for this awesome weekend!

Check it out!

And, I'm posting even more about it at Joli today!

When I was your age, I walked through 10 inches of floodwater to get to school.

2012-03-21T14:12:00.000-05:00

Well ... not really. But, I do remember wading through quite a bit on my college campus in torrential downpours and hurricanes.

But, our schools were closed today.

Yep. Both my kids are home.

And, judging from the weather forecasts, I worked from home in the event that my children might be home alone amidst a tornado, storm, no electricity, or flooding waters which may have left them abandoned at our home and me not able to get back to them from work.

Well ... the rain we've seen is minimal. There were thunderstorms, but we've seen much worse down here. Oh wait ... our electricity flickered for exactly one second.

I think the fear from last week's flooding caused this scare, with the water still not having fully subsided.

Oh, well. We've stayed indoors and occupied our time like most people, watching movies and the most adorable kid videos on the internet. Wait ... you're telling me you don't do that? Because you know, you just have to watch one and a million more come up and it becomes addictive. Or maybe I just have baby fever that will never be satisfied until grandchildren. WHAT?! Me? A grandmother? What a ridiculous thought! I'm way too young for that.

But, if someone would want to just give me an Asian baby, I would be extremely happy & grateful!

Here are our top 6 most adorable kid/baby internet videos:

#1 - This little 2-year-old singing "Someone Like You" - Watch until the chorus. That's where she kicks up the emotion!

#2 - I like this 5-year-old's thinking. Job first,then marriage.

#3 - K Belle and I watched this several times and laughed hysterically.

#4 - The most sincere reaction to going to Disney. So precious.

#5 - This baby only has to wake up and immediately fall back to sleep to be adorable.

#6 - Just the cutest little conversation between twins ever! Still can't stop watching it.

I'm a better patient than caregiver.

2012-03-15T06:00:00.001-05:00

Sad. But, true.

I have always been the patient. My mom or Beau have been my caregivers. They always do an excellent job. However, I don't mean to brag, but I'm a REALLY good patient and recover pretty quickly. Yes, I have the typical side effects and barf my guts up every time. But, as a whole, the next day, I feel pretty good. Plus ... I totally don't hate being waited on. That should happen more often.

I've had a total of 5 surgeries. I have had a little experience in this area.

However, Beau had had absolutely no surgeries until yesterday. It was his first surgery in 44 years. Wow.

He had knee surgery to repair his torn meniscus. The good news is that it's repaired. The bad news is he had way more damage than the doctor expected, including a hole in part of the bone on the inside of his knee and pretty much no cartilage left in those same areas.

Beau was very slow to wake up and we ended up spending 4 hours just in recovery, which included a major drop in blood pressure and a shot of ephedrine. He suffered quite a bit with all the side effects and struggled all day and night yesterday. Praying today will be better.

I'm sure he didn't appreciate my comments throughout our time in recovery, like, "You do know 4 people have come and gone in the room next to us since we've been in here?" or "Toddlers and babies are skipping out of here after their surgery," or "I think the nurse would like to get off her shift." I held my tongue as we were leaving and all the nurses stood around watching because I honestly thought they were going to break into applause.

Poor baby.

He was hurtin' bad.

Now, that we're home I'm pretty much like Florence Nightingale ... helping him to get to the bathroom, bringing him crackers and water, propping his leg up, putting ice packs on his knee, fluffing his pillows, and continuously asking, "Do you need anything?"

I'll be playing nurse the rest of the week and through the weekend.

I've always had a problem with Solomon.

2012-03-12T06:00:00.001-05:00

Always.

I've posted about it here before.

In my Bible reading yesterday, that same passage came up again. You know the one ... "King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women ... " yada, yada, yada. God said "you must not intermarry." And, "nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love." He had 700 wives & 300 concubines.

Then, lo and behold, his wives led him astray. Surprise, surprise.

I don't get it.

This man was supposed to be the wisest man ever alive.

But, he made such an un-wise decision. Actually, it was quite stupid.

If he was the wisest man and this was his choice, what does that say about the rest of us? Does that mean there's no hope for us?

I'd like to think that the men I know now, would have never made such a choice. I'd like to think that I would have never made such a choice (with men obviously).

This reading comes on the heels of this reading:

Ecclesiastes 7:26-27

One discovery: A woman can be a bitter pill to swallow, full of seductive scheming and grasping. The lucky escape her; the undiscerning get caught. At least this is my experience—what I, the Quester, have pieced together as I've tried to make sense of life. But the wisdom I've looked for I haven't found. I didn't find one man or woman in a thousand worth my while.

The NIV says,

"I found one upright man among a thousand, but not one upright woman among them all."

That's the discovery that was made. Depressing.

Women cannot be the cause of the downfall of men, even the wisest man.

That's not why we were created.

It frustrates me to read it. REALLY FRUSTRATES ME.

Why? Because I, along with thousands of other women in this world, strive to live a life that's pleasing to God. REALLY STRIVE.

But, we still get lumped into that same group of women being described above.

So, I do as Solomon says, seek wisdom. I want MORE wisdom than Solomon himself.

But, most of all ... can I please be that one out of a thousand that could be upright? Come on, women. Let's be found there! Let's be found upright!

Some days this seems impossible. Actually, most every day, this seems impossible.

The only hope we have is in the last verse ...

Ecclesiastes 7:29:

This only have I found:
God created mankind upright,
but they have gone in search of many schemes.

God created us upright.

It's in us.

We're the ones who choose. We have to choose to be upright. That's the hard choice. Not hard in our desire to be upright, hard in our carry-out of this desire. But, this last verse says it is possible.

If my story was written in a book, like Solomon's, I want to have minimal "however"s & "nevertheless"es. It's in those words, where our downfalls come.

Let's have words like "additionally" and "over and above."

God, give us true, godly wisdom.

I won't give up.

2012-03-07T06:00:00.001-06:00

Well ... after my ridiculous week last week, it's not a wonder why I didn't lose any weight. Beau lost 9 pounds. NINE. In one week. That makes 14 total for him and about 2 for me. Figures.

My excuses:

We were a one-car family last week. (This one excuse accounted for most of my non-workouts.)

The weather was rainy every time I could go run.

My earphones to my iPod broke.

That's it.

I lost 0 pounds, gained 0 pounds.

Such a disappointment.

Additionally, Beau will be having knee surgery on Wednesday. This will result in him being off his feet for about a week and then on crutches for 6-8 weeks. This comes at the busiest time at work. So, basically, I guess I'll have to do more work, not only at work, but at home since I'm sure he'll be needing me to wait on him hand and foot.

I don't want that to be another excuse for me not to be able to exercise.

I'm hoping for the best for this week

(even though I cheated Sunday and ate a bowl of cereal, a banana, & Biscoff spread {the most amazing new food I've discovered} because of the massive headache I had ... yep, that cured the headache.).

I'll definitely be upset if I lose no weight since I ate turkey bacon and edamame for lunch yesterday (barf) and ran 3 miles.

I will definitely not quit.

At least, not yet. I'll give it another week for sure.

What I Learned from 5th Grade History

2012-03-01T06:00:00.001-06:00

I quizzed La Petite Belle for her history quiz yesterday.

When I got to the very last part of what she was supposed to study, I began to question my history knowledge.

How did someone pinpoint that John Cabot held the first baby squirrel in Africa?

I actually asked her, "Who was the first man to hold a baby squirrel in Africa?" Then, said ... "WAit ... What?"

Afterwards, I proceeded to crack up laughing. La Petite Belle joined in on the laughter. And, Beau as well.

Through the tearful laughter, I attempted to scold her over this.

So ... as far as teaching my child that she can't just write down random crazy answers in her schoolwork, I may have failed.

Because I just couldn't stop laughing.

Mama said there'd be days like this.

2012-02-29T06:00:00.000-06:00

Yep.

And, ain't it the truth! We all have those days.

Admitting that the day wasn't the greatest doesn't mean you doubt your faith or you don't think God's on your side. It's just reality, people. There are going to be those days ... good and bad.

The important thing is remembering that God is for you right in the middle of that stinky, no-good day.

1. A smoking car

I should have known I was off to a rough start when I was driving to work and as I stopped our car at a stoplight, smoke began to billow out from under the hood and into the car. I thought the car might blow up at any minute, but I made it to work successfully.

2. A busy day at work with no time for bathroom breaks

When I got to work, I hit the ground running. Very. Busy. Day. I was swamped.

3. Taking care of the lame

Beau hurt his knee very badly sometime within the last month or so. It has progressively gotten worse. He went to the doctor last week and has been taken meds for it. However, the pain has become overwhelming and his knee is super-swollen. The guy can barely walk. So ... He hobbled on over to get an MRI yesterday. We get the results today. (On a good note ... I'm sure me giving him extra attention and care is quite pleasant for him. Just the other night, I had to stinkin' get out of my comfy chair to pick up the battery that fell out of the remote for him. What's next?)

4. A dead car

After Beau left his MRI appointment, he had to pick up everyone's favorite friend when they're sick ... Mr. Cortisone. He was heading home, when that same car died.

5. A lame guy pushing a dead car

Yep. Visualize that, will you? I offered to let him sit and steer while I got out and pushed the car in my high-heeled boots, but he seriously doubted my strength. Hey ... I was willing to try. Luckily, someone stopped to help.

6. A towed car

Mm hm. We had to have the car towed. Ugh. More money out of our pocket.

7. A broken car that needs to be fixed

Add in some more money out of our pocket.

8. A family of four with one car

One word: Miserable. We did it for almost two years, so I can say that.

9. Forgetting that I still had work errands to run at 7:00 p.m.

Grrrrrrrr.

10. Ending the day once again hungry for bread or ice cream or candy

My diet is still in full effect. One week and two days complete. I'm embarrassed to tell you that I forgot to weigh myself the day I started the diet. Ridiculously dumb. I think I lost 2-3 pounds, but not totally sure. Beau lost 5 pounds last week. (But, I still want carbs.)

Tomorrow ... will be a better day. (with one car or two; with one knee or two) Because in the words of Scarlett, "tomorrow is another day."

I will choose to be thankful in every day ... even the bad ones.

Obviously I needed to be a part of this study.

2012-02-23T11:27:00.001-06:00

I watched this report today about how the majority of women are afraid to speak up in small group settings or meetings. Fascinating.

I must admit that it did make me chuckle a bit because I am one of the few that this study does not apply to.

I think it's quite difficult to get a word in edge-wise with a roomful of men. (And, they say we talk too much ... Sheesh ... I wish they could hear themselves.) I find that men need women in meetings just to keep them on track. Let's face it ... They need us just as much as we need them. Hence ... the creation of Eve. God knew what He was doing.

But, seriously, ladies ... our intelligence goes down when we're in these groups. That just ain't right.

I feel like Aibileen needs to get in our face for a minute.

So true.

Yet, we shrink back and go dumb anyway.

Women ... we have good ideas. We are extremely brilliant individuals. Don't sit quietly. (I feel like some old-school church leader is shaking his head right now in disagreement and muttering "women should not be speak." ... You, hush up.)

Anyway ...

What was so interesting about the study to me was that the reason women don't speak up is due to their keen sense of reading social cues. Women are always aware of what's going on in the room. Women also pick up more on body language and think about relationships first before business. We're just more in tune with people honestly. The negative part of this is that a lot of things can be misread and we can create incorrect perceptions about how others feel about us. That's when the not "speaking up" comes into play.

Because women always feel like they're being judged in one way or another, they'd much rather sit quietly. It's just easier. (And, maybe those years of oppression could play a part ... the beatings, the burnings, etc. ... hard stuff.)

Think of how wrong that is.

Think of the things that may not have happened if women would have just sat quietly.

What if Rosa Parks just sat quietly on that bus?

What if Susan B. Anthony decided to just be quiet and not express her opinion on women's rights?

How about Queen Esther? Her speaking-up saved the lives of the Jews.

There are tons of women who have chosen to be outspoken when it comes to the welfare of their country and people. Just look at this list of 300 women who changed the world. They were not silent.

Now's not the time to start shrinking back just because there's a bunch of men in the room. We should be even stronger now. At least we're not getting burned at the stake anymore just for giving our opinion. That's definitely a plus.

This is even more vital in today's world. God has given us able minds and bodies to speak out against injustice and unrighteousness.

So, speak up. Give your opinions. Give your views. Give your ideas. They may not be the best, but give 'em anyway. You never know ... Your idea may be the one that does something great!

Now ... stop feeling dumb and get to work on changing the world.

(In love, of course).

Posting about my thoughts on Ash Wednesday ...

2012-02-22T10:11:00.000-06:00

Over here at Joli!

Come over and share your thoughts.

Well ... here it goes!

2012-02-20T10:53:00.000-06:00

The diet is on. I'm currently on Day 2. So far, so good! Only 28 days left to go!

(Actually, I'm already looking forward to my cheat day on Saturday.)

I kicked off my first day of the diet with the longest-distance run I've ever done ... 9 miles, people. It was quite possibly one of the hardest things I've ever done. I ran with my group of girls & we did have to stop a couple of times due to small injuries that came on like foot cramps and knee pains, but we did it.

This picture pretty much sums it all up.

My body ached afterward, but it wasn't as bad as I thought until I had gotten home.

I took my shoes off and had multiple blisters on my toes. Hurt! But, what was worse was the nausea that suddenly came on after my shower. We all experienced the same nausea. I'm thinking it's from my lack of carbs and my body trying to just go ahead and shut down my organs, thinking "What the heck are you doing, crazy lady?".

But, I stinkin' did it.

I don't even want to think about the run this Saturday, which is supposed to be 10 miles. Gross.

Now ... back to the diet because I promised more details. Here' s the lowdown,

No dairy. No fruit. No grains. No carbs. No sugar at all.

But thank God I can eat meat, veggies, and beans. Woo hoo!

Beans at every meal are supposed to make you feel fuller. No need for snacks because you're always full due to the beans and meat. You can eat as much as you want of those things and veggies (no potatoes, of course ... so sad).

The best part of the diet is that you get one cheat day a week. You can eat whatever you want and as much as you want. The more you eat, the better. This shocks your body into more weight loss the following week. I'll be doing this for 4 weeks. I'll let you know if any weight loss happens. It'd better.

Off to figure out lunch ... Beans, beans, the musical fruit!

It's still happening.

2012-02-15T06:00:00.016-06:00

I posted here a while back on how I was going to share with you what I was going to do to get my booty back in shape.

Yeah.

That didn't happen, did it?

It is though. It really is.

I've been leaning toward the failure side of the scale when it comes to diet and exercise ever since Thanksgiving. Add in all the excuses of Christmas and that dumb surgery, and now, Valentine's Day, and you know I've not been a good girl. Not. At. All.

Yesterday ... I kid you not ... I think I ate over 1000 calories in chocolate and candy alone. I'm thinking I could've hit the 6000-calorie mark. Yay me. Way to go!

It's like I'm bulimic without the purging. The binging part I've got down very well. Is there such a thing as a partial bulimic? Oh yeah ... fatty.

So, as I sit here and drink my detox tea, which is hilarious to me, I'm preparing myself to hit it hard ... starting ... Sunday.

Now, before you judge, here's why: I'm starting this again.

Beau and I did 30 days of this last year. Beau lost almost 20 pounds in 30 days, while I lost about 8. It was the easiest diet I've ever done. I actually enjoyed it. It's basically a slow-carb diet with lots of beans. If you don't like beans, it's not for you. Definitely no sweets, carbs, or dairy, except on your cheat days. I'll give more details as I go through it starting next week.

I will start exercising again tomorrow. I do exercise pretty regularly, but definitely run every Saturday thanks to a great group of girls I've hooked up with. Even if I don't do all I am supposed to do during the week, I know I have to run on Saturday, which pushes me to try to run during the week. This Saturday is 9 miles. I didn't think I could run past 4 miles until I started running with these girls. Now I can run 6. Attempting the 9 miles this Saturday should be interesting.

Thank you, girls!

My exercise plan will be to run 2-3 times a week, while doing either an "Insanity" workout or gym workout 2 times a week. That equals 4-5 times a week. And, I will not beat myself up if it's 4 times and not 5.

So ... there's the plan. I've laid it out.

The reason I start Sunday and not today is because of the way the diet's laid out. It's complicated, but it'll work better that way.

For now, I'll enjoy my tea and anticipate the cleansing results. Ugh.

Wish me luck.

(I still have half a box of chocolates left, just sitting at the top of the refrigerator. Not to mention, marshmallow pops and lots of cookies. Now I'm wondering if I should just hurry up and eat them all to get them out of the house. Talk about warped thinking.)

I was impressed.

2012-02-13T06:00:00.007-06:00

I watched the interview with Adele last night on "60 Minutes."

I was seriously impressed with her. Being impressed with her voice is a given. It's amazing. But I was more impressed with her thinking and the confidence she expressed in who she is.

The fact that she's sold over 18 million albums in her very short career speaks volumes. She is definitely one talented chick!

But her success also demonstrates that you don't have to look a certain way for people to absolutely love you. It kind of shocks me that there are a lot of people out there that know what real talent is. And there's no disputing that she's got it.

When she was asked, Does she feel pressure to look like a video girl?, she answered: "I don't want to be some skinny mini with my (bleep ... she used another word for breast here) out. And I don't want people confusing what it is that I'm about. I just stand there and sing. And I don't do stunts or anything. If I wanted to do all that, I don't think I'd get away with it."

Watch what she says here. Love it!

That sounds like someone who knows who she is and what she's about (and at such a young age). She seems to have her head on pretty straight.

I wish we were a little more like her in this area. Not allowing anything or anyone influence us in the way we feel about ourselves.

It'd be even greater if we spent our time celebrating who we are and less of our time complaining that we're not like someone else! Thank God we're all different.

Just goes to show, that no matter, what your talent will make room for you. (Prov. 18:16) I guess this applies to the world too. Although the gift He's planted in you and given to you is to be used for His glory. He can use this gift to bring people to Himself. Imagine if all the talent of the superstars & major talents of the world was being used the way it was destined to be used ... Wow. All that together to bring others to the Lord, to shine forth His glory. That would be pretty incredible!

Hm. I just used Adele to prove a spiritual point. Interesting how my mind works.

And for the record, I do think Adele is quite beautiful no matter whether she could sing or not. But, I absolutely love the fact that she can.

Get More: Adele, Set Fire To The Rain (Live At The Royal Albert Hall), Music, More Music Videos

Church Kids

2012-02-09T06:00:00.005-06:00

Kids can be mean, but church kids can be the meanest.

That's so sad to say, but so true.

Ugh. Why?

These kids should be different from the world. We all should.

Just recently, my child was in tears over hurtful things said about her. So hurtful that she no longer wants to go to the service she attends. And the crazy thing is that she's one of the most faithful supporters of this ministry and has even brought multiple unsaved friends from her school to this service.

As a mother, it makes me so angry. The teacher in me wants to head over to the church next week with a paddle.

Seriously?

Why are church kids so mean? So non-accepting?

It all boils down to insecurity. We all know that. When people are insecure, they make themselves look good by putting down others, or making others feel bad about themselves, or even mocking others. That's the way it goes.

Geez. Bullying in the church too. Where will it end?

Most of these kids have grown up together in the church. Yet, as they get older, they quickly decide on who will be "cool" to be friends with and who will not. The non-accepting groups that are formed usually force a lot of kids out from the one place where they should feel most accepted.

My kid is a church kid.

My prayer for both of my girls has always been that they would not grow cold to the church because they've spent so much time there. I pray that their hearts always stay tender toward God, the things of God, and people.

I would be horrified if one of my girls was ever a part of gossip or rumors being spread about another person. I would nip that in the bud right away. But, my girl's not the one doing the gossiping but the one being gossiped about. Heartbreaking!

One person's opinion of another is not truth.

All it takes is one kid saying, "I don't like her" or "She's weird" and then it starts.

What a shame.

It's more of a shame for them that they won't get an awesome opportunity to know the person they have a pre-conceived notion about. Shame on them.

Now ... we're working through this and I know she will be stronger for it. She's pretty strong to begin with and typically doesn't let a whole lot bother her. But, this one stings a bit.

I absolutely love who she is and who she's becoming.