25 Random Things About Me

I've fallen victim to the 25 Random Things About Me so here goes.............

1. I have a wonderful husband, daughter and 2 step-children that I love more than anything else on this earth.
2. I’m addicted to Diet Coke, I would gladly give up every other beverage in the world to keep my diet cokes.
3. I hate exercise with a passion but wish I was addicted to it.
4. No matter what I weigh, I think it’s too much.
5. I’ve made mistakes in my life that I wish I could change and I would if given the opportunity.
6. I sleep curled up in a ball on my left side, always.
7. I have an addicted personality except when it comes to exercise.
8. My daughter has this ability to push every button I have in a matter of minutes.
9. The first night I met Ken I knew I would be with him forever.
10. I can only recall a few times my daddy has told me he loves me but for some reason it doesn’t bother me because I know he does.
11. When I was little I just knew I would be a school teacher.
12. When I was in school I hated it and never want to go back, kind of put an end to no. 11.
13. I am a night owl therefore I love to sleep in.
14. Reese’s Peanutbutter Cups and Chocolate Covered Cheeries are my all time favorite candy.
15. Tulips and white roses are my favorite flowers.
16. I wish I would volunteer more with charities, school, etc. but I cannot bring myself to give up any time with Ken and the kids.
17. I went to college for one semester and regret not staying but then I think about no. 12.
18. I pray all the time Mackenzie will change her ways which makes me feel like a bad mommy for doing it but I want her to be smart, funny and go far in life and she just doesn’t seem to care.
19. I speed, talk on the phone and text way too much while driving.
20. I liked my previous job better but I like the pay I make with this job although I secretly wish I could stay home and have babies.
21. I can’t keep a secret from Ken so if you don’t want Ken to know, don’t tell me.
22. I love HGTV and the Food Network.
23. I can’t live without my cell phone and freak out if I miss place it.
24. I’m a list queen – I make a check list for everything.
25. I don’t like complete silence, I have to have background noise whether I’m at home, work or in the car.

Just what I needed today

Do you ever have one of those days when you feel out of sorts, you don't know why but something's just not right. Well, today was one of those days for me until I read the following email from my cousin. It made me think about all the things I'm thankful for in my life and not to concentrate so much on the things I don't have. There are lots of things I want, one in particular I long for but probably will not ever have so when I find something that makes me appreciate all the wonderful things in my life, I like to share it.......

Rick Warren (REMEMBER HE WROTE "PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE" & gave the invocation at President Obama's inauguration) You will enjoy the new insights that Rick Warren has, with his wife now having cancer and him having "wealth" from the book sales. This is an absolutely incredible short interview with Rick Warren, "Purpose Driven Life " author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California. In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said: People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven. One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me. I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense. Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness. This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer. I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore. Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life. No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for. You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which is my problem, my issues, my pain." But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others. We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her. It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people. You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy. It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease. So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72 First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases. Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church. Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation. Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free. We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)? When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.
NOW, PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Nine Words Women Use

I found this on another's blog and thought it was too funny! Hope you enjoy!

(1) Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

(2) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

(3) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

(4) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

(5) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing.

(Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)

(6) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

(7) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true, unless she says 'Thanks a lot' - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say 'you're welcome' . That will bring on a 'whatever').

(8) Whatever: Is a woman's way of saying F-- YOU!

(9) Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has asked a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response refer to # 3.

Copy this and give to the men you know, to warn them about arguments they can avoid if they remember the terminology.

Our Story

If you're following my blog or just stopping by I thought I would continue mine and Ken's story. I've already wrote how we met now onto dating. We had our first date Tuesday, July 31 followed by many, many more. Actually we've been pretty much unseperatable ever since. After a few weeks we knew it was getting serious so it was time to meet the kids. We thought it was best I would meet his first then introduce the 3 of them. I met Ken, R and E at the bowling ally one Satuday. I immediatly knew they were wonderful kids. Very nice and respectable. The intro went great. Now it was time for the 3 kids to meet. My parents were having a Labor Day cookout, perfect meet and greet opp. It was great! The girls hit it off, R was 9 and M was 8, perfect. E hang right in with everyone. That was September, in October we got brave, we took a trip to the beach, all 5 of us. Once again everything went well. We're off to a great start. November rolls around...Ken and I decide we need some time alone, more than just a night here and there. We plan a cruise for the end of March beginning of April. I had never been on a cruise so you can imagine my excitement. Thanksgiving was good and Christmas was on the way. That was my first Christmas waking up without M, she spent it with her dad. That was probably the worst and best Christmas ever. I got M shortly after lunch and R and E later that afternoon, Ken worked till 7pm. I met him at his apartment with the kids so they could have Santa. It was so much fun having Christmas with 3 kids. Ken made my Christmas great, out first Christmas together. We spent New Year's together. We didn't have the kids so we had a party at my parent's house. It was by far the best New Year's Eve and New Year's I've ever had. We ended 2007 together and started 2008 together - yes 2008 was going to be the best year ever! I'll continue 2008 in another blog.

Simple Advice for 2009

Read books that you enjoy...

Play with simple things...

Do whatever you want whenever you want...

Look for affection when you need it...

Get serious once in a while...

Forget about diets...

Show some affection Get angry once in a while...

Change your look...

Above all, BE HAPPY!! regardless what your challenges may be.

Have a great 2009!

Live simply.

Love generously.

Care deeply.

Speak kindly.

Leave the rest to God!

'Be kinder than necessary,

for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.'

*Snow Week*

Yes it snowed here. In all we got about 6 inches! I was like a kid Monday night in anticipation of the snow starting sometime after midnight so when I woke at 2 am to find it snowing I had to wake Ken and tell him our first layer was here. We checked the news, we checked the county school's website still no word on school, we went back to sleep. I woke again at 4 am to find even more snow, to be sure they have delayed school - nope. Ken woke at 6 am, I followed him to the living room, it was snowing like crazy so of course I knew school would be cancelled, they were predicting it to snow all day - nope - we're on a 2 hour delay - come on you expect the kids to actually pay attention with it snowing like this. The last time these kids had snow like this was January of 2000, M was just 6 months old. We found out at 7 am Ken's kids, R and E's school was cancelled. Then finally at 8 am we got the call M's school would be closed and I got the call from work to stay home as well. In anticipation I had brought home some work so I was prepared. Ken already had the day off, we were all set to have fun in the snow. The girls (E had stayed at his mom's), Ken and I had a blast. Snow cream and a warm fire all day! Along comes Wednesday, we figured school would once again be cancelled and it was. R had gone to her mom's and M was staying with her dad for the day. Then comes Thursday and another snow day for M...by this point I'm getting a little upset. 3 days, yes I know M loved it but now she has to make up 3 days! She had just got back from winter intersession (she's in year-round school). Another day at her dad's, he did drop her off at my office so I could take her out to lunch. The worst part isn't they were out 4 days this week (holiday and 3 snow days) but that they had their science fair and book fair this week so both of those have been post poned. I just got a call from the school system - SCHOOL IS IN TOMORROW and on time. Thank goodness!!

PS: I wanted the photos at the bottom here but being all new at this I couldn't figure it out. Feel free to let me know how to do it - thanks =)

Our Beginning..

I thought I would share a little background on Ken and myself...of course our journey through life began many years ago but it wasn't till July 2007 that we began "our" journey together. We both had been married before, him with 2 children, me with one. We both knew of one another prior to meeting so it was no surprise when we did meet. Ken worked with my brother and a very close friend here in Pinehurst know him as well. We chatted a few times on myspace then one weekend when I was in Lumberton I decided to ask my brother for his number. I called Ken and it just so happened he was working in my parents neighborhood and rode by while we were on the phone, I walked out and he stopped. We talked for a few minutes then he got a call around the corner, a water main had broke, well my mom and I thought we would take the dog for a walk *wink* *wink*. Ken and I talked out there for a long while, even while the fire ants were biting me (those bites didn't go away for a year, thank goodness I wasn't allergic and benedryl works wonders). We continued to talk and text most of the night. The next day we talked for hours again, that was a Sunday. The following Tuesday we had a our first date. I really never belived in love at first sight and really don't now but after that first meeting I knew something about Ken was different and I liked it. I was young when I met my first husband and young when I got married. This time around I was an adult and knew what I wanted and needed in a man and partner. I figured out very quickly I had found it in Ken. As we sit here on the couch, me typing, him doozing after working a 12 hour shift today, I'm so thankful to that Saturday night in July 2007! This was our beginning........

My First Blog

As we go through the Journey of Life, there are ups and downs which one has to go through. We will experience the feelings of love, hate, happiness, unhappiness, worry, joy, and sorrow at some point in our lives. Through this blog I hope to share my new family's experiences through the walk of life. Maybe we'll learn something, maybe you'll learn something, either way we'll make the journey together.