Oh Four-Wheeler how I love you,
You make shoveling an easy task to do.
Instead of causing my arms and back to ache.
I save time and can go skate on the lake.
Those eight inches of new snow are nice,
And I really do like the pretty way it shines.
But the best part of all for John and me,
Is that we don't have to hurt and get the job doneie. ( or something)
Yay for John and his decision to buy the four wheeler with the plow - now that I know how to drive it, the driveway is a cinch to plow and we're done in no time. Plus it's a great excuse to snuggle!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Black Friday
The Longs = 0
Wal Mart = 500
wow - I'm pretty sure I came, I saw and I never again will be at Wal-Mart at 5:00 a.m. on Black Friday.
Wal Mart = 500
wow - I'm pretty sure I came, I saw and I never again will be at Wal-Mart at 5:00 a.m. on Black Friday.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Corrie ten Boom
In May 1942, a well-dressed woman came to the Ten Boom door with a suitcase in hand. Nervously, she told Ten Boom that she was a Jew and that her husband had been arrested several months before, and her son had gone into hiding. Occupation authorities had recently visited her, and she was too fearful to return home. After hearing about how they had helped the Weils, she asked if she might stay with them, and Corrie ten Boom's father readily agreed. A devoted reader of the Old Testament, Casper ten Boom believed Jews were indeed "the chosen," and told the woman, "In this household, God's people are always welcome."
Thus began "the hiding place", or "de schuilplaats", as it was known in Dutch (also known as "de BéJé", with BéJé being derived from the name of the street the house was in, the Barteljorisstraat). Ten Boom and her sister began taking in refugees, some of whom were Jews, others members of the resistance movement sought by the Gestapo and its Dutch counterpart. There were several extra rooms in their house, but food was scarce due to wartime shortages. Every non-Jewish Dutch person had received a ration card with which they could procure weekly coupons to buy food.
Corrie knew many in Haarlem, thanks to her charitable work, and remembered a couple who had a developmentally disabled daughter. For about twenty years, Corrie ten Boom had run a special church service program for such children, and knew the family. The father was a civil servant who was by then in charge of the local ration-card office. She went to his house unannounced one evening, and he seemed to know why. When he asked how many ration cards she needed, "I opened my mouth to say, 'Five,'" Ten Boom wrote in The Hiding Place. "But the number that unexpectedly and astonishingly came out instead was. 'One hundred.'"
The Germans arrested the entire Ten Boom family on February 28, 1944 at around 12:30 with the help of a Dutch informant. They were sent first to Scheveningen prison (where her father died ten days after his capture), then to the Vught political concentration camp (both in the Netherlands), and finally to the notorious Ravensbrück concentration camp in Germany in September 1944, where Corrie's sister Betsie died. Before she died she told Corrie, "There is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still." Corrie was released on Christmas Day of December 1944.[2] In the movie The Hiding Place, Ten Boom narrates the section on her release from camp, saying that she later learned that her release had been a clerical error. The women prisoners her age in the camp were killed the week following her release. She said, "God does not have problems. Only plans."
Awana Fun
Last night was the carnival at Awana - I was in charge of the ring toss, and John got the pleasure of having little kids throw wet sponges... at his face...fun for him! The kids would come over and tell me that they got to throw the sponges at him, and I was a bit jealous! :)
We had a great time - the Cubbies (3-5 yr olds) are hilarious and quickly figured out that didn't have to "toss" the ring, they could just walk right up to the post and drop them on. I wasn't too bossy about it - we were there to have fun. I laughed pretty hard though when they'd rejoice over all of the rings landing on the post!
We got away pretty easy last night - only one casualty - a tooth!
We had a great time - the Cubbies (3-5 yr olds) are hilarious and quickly figured out that didn't have to "toss" the ring, they could just walk right up to the post and drop them on. I wasn't too bossy about it - we were there to have fun. I laughed pretty hard though when they'd rejoice over all of the rings landing on the post!
We got away pretty easy last night - only one casualty - a tooth!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Oops...
Oops is right.
Once again I was in a hurry and got things all messed up and didn’t realize how bad it was until I was far enough away from the situation that going back would be a pain.
I am the “voice” of my work. I am the person that greets you when you call, lists all the people and extensions and invites you to leave a message at the tone. Today I changed the message because of office closings coming up. I was reading my script (that I have mostly memorized) and got almost to the end and said “if you know the extension of the person you are cleaning for…cleaning for?...oh crap” and then I rerecorded a message without the “crap” and went about my merry way.
I’d been at lunch for about 10 minutes when my cell phone started to ring. My friend Marlene from work called and said that I should call and listen to the voice mail at work. I knew immediately what had happened…I hadn’t pushed the “1 for ‘yes’ I would like to save the message I’d just recorded.”
The funny thing is that in the afternoons our phone hardly rings…but in the 30 minutes that the “crap” message was on the phone we had 4 messages telling us all about how shocked these people were to hear that on a message.
Oops…
Once again I was in a hurry and got things all messed up and didn’t realize how bad it was until I was far enough away from the situation that going back would be a pain.
I am the “voice” of my work. I am the person that greets you when you call, lists all the people and extensions and invites you to leave a message at the tone. Today I changed the message because of office closings coming up. I was reading my script (that I have mostly memorized) and got almost to the end and said “if you know the extension of the person you are cleaning for…cleaning for?...oh crap” and then I rerecorded a message without the “crap” and went about my merry way.
I’d been at lunch for about 10 minutes when my cell phone started to ring. My friend Marlene from work called and said that I should call and listen to the voice mail at work. I knew immediately what had happened…I hadn’t pushed the “1 for ‘yes’ I would like to save the message I’d just recorded.”
The funny thing is that in the afternoons our phone hardly rings…but in the 30 minutes that the “crap” message was on the phone we had 4 messages telling us all about how shocked these people were to hear that on a message.
Oops…
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Letter of Life
Dear Friends:
I had an experience recently that really made me thankful that I know my savior and that my future is cemented in Him. How thankful I am for that hope that rests for me apart from this world, and apart from any man.
I was in a meeting for a bunch of non – profits a couple of weeks ago. I have been to many of these and have heard from organizations that I would never support but understand that they are also a non-profit and struggle with the same things that the non-profit I work for does. There are many organizations out there fighting for things I can never support, and I have grown accustomed to seeing them here and there at events/meetings I attend. I would not have categorized myself as being naïve to their existence.
Until today.
At the meeting, we did an intro and announcement time where you introduced yourself and announced anything you wanted to. A person from Planned Parenthood introduced herself and announced that their chapter received $40,000 in donations from people giving on “behalf” of Sarah Palin. She also said that their national organization received over $2 mill. It gets worse. When she said that PP sent Sarah “thank yours” for the donations, I felt sick to my stomach – and people in the room laughed.
People laughed at their clever idea to throw in Sarah’s face that they have the “choice” to kill babies. Is it a laughing matter?
I was so shocked at this display of sin in our city – and in our nation. I think for the first time in my life I popped out of Christian bubble long enough to be slapped in the face with the hardness of people’s hearts. I should not be surprised – our fight is not against flesh and blood. These people whose hearts are so calloused that they laughed at such a sad, sad thing are an indication of what our country believes in.
I am broken over this – I have cried many tears of shame that I did not speak out, and in sorrow for the hearts of these people who do not know their Creator and who put their hope in this earth and other people. I am not angry with them (anymore), I am angry that I have lost sight of the true fight – it happens on our knees.
I was in such shock at the meeting, that I didn't do what I should have done - I should have stood up and said something. I didn't stand up in that meeting, but I am going to make a donation to the Crisis Pregnancy Center in honor of Sarah Palin and the guts it took for her to stand for life in front of America. And I’m going to ask my friends to do the same!
I did some research on the donations that were given to Planned Parenthood in "honor" of Sarah Palin, and found out that the whole campaign was begun by an email. Why can't we start an email campaign and combat those donations by giving to an organization that fights for life?
John and I have struggled with whether or not we should disclose how much we are planning to give. In the end we decided to tell our friends and family that we are giving $1,000 to our local CPC, I'm telling you the amount we're giving, because it stretches our budget, and I'm asking you to stretch yours. We need 79 people to join us in Alaska at this giving level to double what the enemy raised for Planned Parenthood. I know that not everyone can do this, and that this issue is not everyone’s passion. $1,000 spread over a year is less than $20 a week. If 800 people can give $100 we can still double the amount!
I have mentioned the walk-a-thon our local CPC is having to many of you – and for me, this is above and beyond that fundraiser. For me, this is personal now, and should have been all along.
Prayerfully consider this opportunity to bless CPC and stand up for life.Please write a letter to CPC explaining what your donation is for and ask them to send a card to let Sarah Palin know that a donation was given to CPC in her honor. In Anchorage, the address to send a donation is 2902 Boniface Parkway, Suite 200, 99504. You can also donate online at http://cpcanchorage.com/donate.html there is a place to add a note to your donation in the online form.I plan to let our local CPC know that I'm sending this email out and ask them to fill us in on how much is raised. I know we can spread the word and make a positive impact.
Please forward this to friends and family so that we can be sure to pass along this information to everyone who needs to see it.
Sincerely,Stephanie
I had an experience recently that really made me thankful that I know my savior and that my future is cemented in Him. How thankful I am for that hope that rests for me apart from this world, and apart from any man.
I was in a meeting for a bunch of non – profits a couple of weeks ago. I have been to many of these and have heard from organizations that I would never support but understand that they are also a non-profit and struggle with the same things that the non-profit I work for does. There are many organizations out there fighting for things I can never support, and I have grown accustomed to seeing them here and there at events/meetings I attend. I would not have categorized myself as being naïve to their existence.
Until today.
At the meeting, we did an intro and announcement time where you introduced yourself and announced anything you wanted to. A person from Planned Parenthood introduced herself and announced that their chapter received $40,000 in donations from people giving on “behalf” of Sarah Palin. She also said that their national organization received over $2 mill. It gets worse. When she said that PP sent Sarah “thank yours” for the donations, I felt sick to my stomach – and people in the room laughed.
People laughed at their clever idea to throw in Sarah’s face that they have the “choice” to kill babies. Is it a laughing matter?
I was so shocked at this display of sin in our city – and in our nation. I think for the first time in my life I popped out of Christian bubble long enough to be slapped in the face with the hardness of people’s hearts. I should not be surprised – our fight is not against flesh and blood. These people whose hearts are so calloused that they laughed at such a sad, sad thing are an indication of what our country believes in.
I am broken over this – I have cried many tears of shame that I did not speak out, and in sorrow for the hearts of these people who do not know their Creator and who put their hope in this earth and other people. I am not angry with them (anymore), I am angry that I have lost sight of the true fight – it happens on our knees.
I was in such shock at the meeting, that I didn't do what I should have done - I should have stood up and said something. I didn't stand up in that meeting, but I am going to make a donation to the Crisis Pregnancy Center in honor of Sarah Palin and the guts it took for her to stand for life in front of America. And I’m going to ask my friends to do the same!
I did some research on the donations that were given to Planned Parenthood in "honor" of Sarah Palin, and found out that the whole campaign was begun by an email. Why can't we start an email campaign and combat those donations by giving to an organization that fights for life?
John and I have struggled with whether or not we should disclose how much we are planning to give. In the end we decided to tell our friends and family that we are giving $1,000 to our local CPC, I'm telling you the amount we're giving, because it stretches our budget, and I'm asking you to stretch yours. We need 79 people to join us in Alaska at this giving level to double what the enemy raised for Planned Parenthood. I know that not everyone can do this, and that this issue is not everyone’s passion. $1,000 spread over a year is less than $20 a week. If 800 people can give $100 we can still double the amount!
I have mentioned the walk-a-thon our local CPC is having to many of you – and for me, this is above and beyond that fundraiser. For me, this is personal now, and should have been all along.
Prayerfully consider this opportunity to bless CPC and stand up for life.Please write a letter to CPC explaining what your donation is for and ask them to send a card to let Sarah Palin know that a donation was given to CPC in her honor. In Anchorage, the address to send a donation is 2902 Boniface Parkway, Suite 200, 99504. You can also donate online at http://cpcanchorage.com/donate.html there is a place to add a note to your donation in the online form.I plan to let our local CPC know that I'm sending this email out and ask them to fill us in on how much is raised. I know we can spread the word and make a positive impact.
Please forward this to friends and family so that we can be sure to pass along this information to everyone who needs to see it.
Sincerely,Stephanie
Monday, November 17, 2008
Home Again, Home Again, Lickety Split
I made it home late in the night Saturday. The trip home wasn't so bad - I slept all the way from Seattle, and that's always wonderful.
It was so weird walking in the house and not having Pike and Harley there to greet me - but I'm certainly getting used to a cleaner house and less responsibility! :) It is so good to be home with John, I really miss him when we're apart like that, I think that old adage is so true, absense does make the heart grow fonder.
I went to a friend's birthday party on Sunday morning - we had a great time. It's so good to be with girlfriends who love Jesus and love talking about what he's doing. I feel so blessed to have the friends that I have, we need girlfriends!
We also went to a quartely meeting at church on Sunday night - those are kind of fun. I throw in my two cents here and there about things and our pastor really listens to concerns/ideas and does his best to take into consideration everything people bring up. I love it!
Happy Monday!
It was so weird walking in the house and not having Pike and Harley there to greet me - but I'm certainly getting used to a cleaner house and less responsibility! :) It is so good to be home with John, I really miss him when we're apart like that, I think that old adage is so true, absense does make the heart grow fonder.
I went to a friend's birthday party on Sunday morning - we had a great time. It's so good to be with girlfriends who love Jesus and love talking about what he's doing. I feel so blessed to have the friends that I have, we need girlfriends!
We also went to a quartely meeting at church on Sunday night - those are kind of fun. I throw in my two cents here and there about things and our pastor really listens to concerns/ideas and does his best to take into consideration everything people bring up. I love it!
Happy Monday!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Waiting for Baby
I'm at my sisters house in Virginia. It's a beautiful place to visit and I've had a great time picking apples, seeing homes of our nation's founders and hanging out with family. When I got here the it was over 70 degrees, but quickly returned to more fall-ish weather...bummer. After our less than desirable summer, I thought I'd get a quick one while I was here.
We are, however, still waiting for baby #3 to arrive for my sister and brother-in-law. My poor sister is still very pregnant and now three days overdue - she's ready and so are the rest of us! I have a sneaky feeling I'll miss the birth entirely since I leave in two days...bummer.
P&H are adjusting to life with kids again. There have been a few tears and a lot of stern conversations regarding "personal space" for the dogs. It's hard to understand when you're four that growling is a really good indicator that maybe the dog doesn't want your hands in his blanket that he's borrowed completely under. I'm sure all will adjust just fine and the girls and boys will soon grow used to each other and the fascination will wear off.
I better get going and try to help out doing something around here.
We are, however, still waiting for baby #3 to arrive for my sister and brother-in-law. My poor sister is still very pregnant and now three days overdue - she's ready and so are the rest of us! I have a sneaky feeling I'll miss the birth entirely since I leave in two days...bummer.
P&H are adjusting to life with kids again. There have been a few tears and a lot of stern conversations regarding "personal space" for the dogs. It's hard to understand when you're four that growling is a really good indicator that maybe the dog doesn't want your hands in his blanket that he's borrowed completely under. I'm sure all will adjust just fine and the girls and boys will soon grow used to each other and the fascination will wear off.
I better get going and try to help out doing something around here.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Traveling soon...and other stuff
Tomorrow I'm heading to my sister's house in Virginia to help her with her girls and the arrival of her new baby, and to bring her her long lost dogs.
The boys are all certified and ready to fly. I have to give them baths and pack up all their items tonight when I get home from work. I'll wash all their gear so hopefully they're not too stinky when we arrive. I'm feeling a little nervous about the whole process of getting them checked in and picking them up on the other side, but I'm sure everything will be smooth. John will have to say his goodbyes to them tonight - and I'll have another week with them before I come back home to an empty house. Void of dogs I guess but not really empty.
In the mean time, I've got a lot of packing, cleaning, preparing meals (for my sweet husband to fend for himself) and general stuff to do tonight. Fun.
In other news - I actually made it another quarter with Creative Memories. I struggle to get those orders in because I don't do any shows/parties or anything because I just don't remember to do them...but I like the discount I get, and being a "consultant" has caught me up in scrapping - I'm now in last summer...not too shabby. I rely on girls at work to keep me floating and so far they are doing a decent job - thanks! :) At some point I should try and sell something...what a concept!
The boys are all certified and ready to fly. I have to give them baths and pack up all their items tonight when I get home from work. I'll wash all their gear so hopefully they're not too stinky when we arrive. I'm feeling a little nervous about the whole process of getting them checked in and picking them up on the other side, but I'm sure everything will be smooth. John will have to say his goodbyes to them tonight - and I'll have another week with them before I come back home to an empty house. Void of dogs I guess but not really empty.
In the mean time, I've got a lot of packing, cleaning, preparing meals (for my sweet husband to fend for himself) and general stuff to do tonight. Fun.
In other news - I actually made it another quarter with Creative Memories. I struggle to get those orders in because I don't do any shows/parties or anything because I just don't remember to do them...but I like the discount I get, and being a "consultant" has caught me up in scrapping - I'm now in last summer...not too shabby. I rely on girls at work to keep me floating and so far they are doing a decent job - thanks! :) At some point I should try and sell something...what a concept!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Even with Obama as President...
No matter who our president is, all of these will come true!
1. The Bible will still have all the answers.
2. Prayer will still work.
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God anointed preaching.
6. There will still be singing of praise to God.
7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8. There will still be room at the Cross.
9. Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost when they come to Him.
1. The Bible will still have all the answers.
2. Prayer will still work.
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God anointed preaching.
6. There will still be singing of praise to God.
7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8. There will still be room at the Cross.
9. Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost when they come to Him.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Politics
Dear Friend at work:
I hear you right now discussing your opinion about tomorrow's election.
Guess what - I don't agree with you. Could you take your opinion somewhere else? It's very possible that one or two people might agree with me - but rather than start a fight about something we obviously both feel passionate about...why don't you just shup up and we'll call it good?
And I'll keep my opinions to myself as part of the deal.
Love,
Stephanie
I hear you right now discussing your opinion about tomorrow's election.
Guess what - I don't agree with you. Could you take your opinion somewhere else? It's very possible that one or two people might agree with me - but rather than start a fight about something we obviously both feel passionate about...why don't you just shup up and we'll call it good?
And I'll keep my opinions to myself as part of the deal.
Love,
Stephanie
The Boys
This morning in between snoozes...I was feeling sad about Pike and Harley moving on. I thought...wow this is the last Monday that I'll let have to pull Pike out of his ball of blanket and make him go outside....how sad. Pike really wads up in his blanket when he goes to bed for the night. most mornings, Harley runs out of his kennel ready to face the world, and Pike has to be coaxed out of his kennel and loved on a little before he's ready to go outside. I'm sure that once Pike got outside his thought was "wow...this is the last Monday that I'll have to freeze while I try and use this giant snow-covered bathroom."
John and I have gotten a laugh out of how much like Pike and Harley we are. I jump out of bed ready to go in the mornings, I'm truly a morning person. John has to push snooze a bunch of times and eventually makes his way out of the bed - after some coaxing. At night...if we're watching a movie or something, I'm asleep if I blink too long. John is a night person and could stay up until 2 if something interests him.
The boys move to Virginia to live with their "real" family on Friday. We're leaving on a jet plane ... me in the cabin and them underneath. I can just hear Pike crying about it now. We have a vet appointment tomorrow where they'll get their health certificates so that they can fly, and then everything should be in place for us to go. Our plan leaves at 7:30 - so poor John has to get up ultra early on his day off...at least he can go home and take a nap without having to tell the dogs 1000 times to get off the bed.
When I left for work this morning, I could see Pike on the couch under his favorite blanket, sound asleep again. I couldn't find Harley...so I knew exactly where to look...in our room. And I noticed a certain section of our blanket on the bed was breathing. Uh Huh. I touched the breathing section and found Harley, but just didn't have the heart to make him get up and go to the living room...after all - it's his last Monday to sneak into our room and get under the covers.
John and I have gotten a laugh out of how much like Pike and Harley we are. I jump out of bed ready to go in the mornings, I'm truly a morning person. John has to push snooze a bunch of times and eventually makes his way out of the bed - after some coaxing. At night...if we're watching a movie or something, I'm asleep if I blink too long. John is a night person and could stay up until 2 if something interests him.
The boys move to Virginia to live with their "real" family on Friday. We're leaving on a jet plane ... me in the cabin and them underneath. I can just hear Pike crying about it now. We have a vet appointment tomorrow where they'll get their health certificates so that they can fly, and then everything should be in place for us to go. Our plan leaves at 7:30 - so poor John has to get up ultra early on his day off...at least he can go home and take a nap without having to tell the dogs 1000 times to get off the bed.
When I left for work this morning, I could see Pike on the couch under his favorite blanket, sound asleep again. I couldn't find Harley...so I knew exactly where to look...in our room. And I noticed a certain section of our blanket on the bed was breathing. Uh Huh. I touched the breathing section and found Harley, but just didn't have the heart to make him get up and go to the living room...after all - it's his last Monday to sneak into our room and get under the covers.
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