"Blessed is the man who hears Me, watching daily at My gates, waiting at the posts of My doors" (Proverbs 8:34).

Oh, how true. Anyone who truly hears the gospel is so blessed. It’s funny but, used to, when I would read a bible passage that says ‘blessed is,’ I thought it meant IF we do such ‘n such (whatever the specific verse is referring to), we WILL be blessed or rewarded somehow. So I thought the ‘blessed’ verses were telling us something we need to go do in order to be blessed. Now I see that they are saying we are blessed already, if we are able to do whatever the verse is referring to. If we are able to hear the gospel, we have been blessed already.

I love this verse:

And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. Matt 16:17

The Lord Jesus had just asked, ‘Whom do men say that I, the son of man, am?’ Simon Peter answered and said, ‘Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God.’ That’s when Jesus replied by saying, ’Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.’ The Lord Jesus was telling Simon Peter that he is truly blessed already because he is able to SEE Christ and know he is the son of the living God. The blessing is that he can see Christ, because on his own, he would not be able to.

The beatitudes in Matthew 5 use the word blessed many times. Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are they that mourn, blessed the meek, blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, blessed are the merciful, blessed are the pure in heart, blessed are the peacemakers….. Are these verses telling us we need to muster up these qualities, and when we do we will be blessed or rewarded in some way? ---If so, I am surely in trouble. I can’t seem to muster up anything good within myself, much less these qualities. There is no way I can be blessed then.

I no longer believe we are to DO to be blessed. I believe we already ARE blessed if we are able to do any of these virtuous things ever, (and probably won't even know when we do them) because the only way we CAN is if Christ is working in us. And oh, what a blessing that is! It means that Christ has saved us and is working in us. What greater blessing or reward could there be? ---Praise his wonderful name.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

We had a wonderful Christmas day yesterday. I cooked all morning and everything turned out delicious, if I do say so myself. The buttermilk pie was exceptionally good! Jocelyne, Cody & Jenny, Whitney, & Corbin were here with Bo, Mason & I. We ate lunch, then opened presents. We didn't do alot of presents this year, but it was no big deal. Corbin got a Nerf gun that everybody had fun playing with. Cody, Jenny & Corbin had to leave after a while to go to Dalhart to visit Jenny's family, so Bo, Jocelyne, Whitney, Mason & I went bowling. That was lots of fun. Bo was really hot yesterday! He bowled a 183. I started out really bad and had of score of around 50 the first game, but ended up improving and doing OK with a score of 130 in the second game. Mason did great the first game but petered out in the second. Whitney did pretty good in the first and bad in the second and Jocelyne stunk in both games. You just need to work on your moves Jocelyne! LOL. One, two, three, four, slide.

Anyway, Jocelyne left for Austin this morning, and Bo went to Gruver, so it's just back to Mason & I. We took the day off from school, but will start back tomorrow.

Hope you had a good Christmas!

I really enjoy Christmas time. I love the getting together with family and fellowship, all the good food, the pretty lights, the trees and such. It’s just a special time, I think. I must say though that I don’t especially associate Christ with Christmas time anymore than I associate Christ with Valentine’s Day or any other holiday. I mean it’s hard to not think about it with all the nativity scenes and things you read and hear people say about it being Christ’s birthday and such, but I do feel like the Christ that’s being talked about by so many, is not the same Christ that I worship anyway. I worship a Christ that totally and completely accomplished salvation for his people. Nothing needs to be added to it. He did it all and every single person he died for WILL be saved. To say that we must add something to his death on the cross is robbing Christ of his glory, I believe, and God will not stand for that. And why should he? Everything that we do is tainted with sin. God is perfect and holy and just. He cannot and will not look upon sin. We need a perfect substitute and we have one in Christ, but it will and must be ALL Christ’s work and absolutely none of ours. It seems that in most religions today, we are told that we must make a decision, pray a prayer, DO SOMETHING in order to be saved. Not so! Christ, on the cross said, "It is finished." The work is done. All God's people are saved already. Praise his holy name. There is nothing we need to do.

No where in the bible are we told to celebrate Christ’s birthday, and we really don’t even know what day he was born. I don’t like seeing all the images men make to represent Christ at Christmas time and all year long, for that matter. (Are we to even make images of Christ?) How in the world could any doll or picture or even a real baby represent the glory and wonderfulness of Christ, our savior? I really find all the nativity scenes at Christmas time offensive.

I’m not against having a holiday called Christmas. It’s fine with me as a day of getting together with family and friends and such, and as I said, I really enjoy the holiday, but I don’t agree with setting the day aside as being more special than any other as far as remembering Christ. Christ’s birth and death should be celebrated in our hearts everyday.

So…… Merry Christmas to you or Happy Holidays or WHATEVER! May you have a wonderful holiday.

It rained all day yesterday and then snowed last night, so we have ice covered with snow. There are lots of broken tree limbs all over the city because of the heavy ice. The trees look so pretty all covered with ice, but the broken limbs look pretty sad. And it's cold outside!


Mason helped me in the kitchen yesterday make some Christmas candy and cookies.

Congratulations Jenny! Last night Jenny, my daughter-in-law graduated with honors with her bachelor's degree from WTAMU. She has worked very hard and I know it took alot of effort with a husband and son to take care of while going to school, so I am very proud of her.

Whitney & I went to the graduation and afterwards Jenny's dad took us all out to the Amarillo Club, a very nice restaurant on the 31st floor of a tall building in Amarillo. (Bo didnt get to go because his company had their Christmas party last night). It was such a nice place. The food was great and the view was spectacular!

I enjoyed it so much, just spending time with my kids.













I even got to have a dance with my son!

Well, I just thought I was on the mend. I woke up Saturday morning and the whole thing started all over again. Ugh. I have been so sick the last 3 1/2 days. Today I am out of bed (and in my chair). I am feeling a little better, but still weak and tired. Hopefully, the worst is over. The nausea is better and that's been the worst of it, I think. I was planning to work tomorrow, but don't know if I'll be able to. One good thing is that feeling so bad makes you really appreciate feeling good, which I tend to take for granted. I have been thinking about my mother while I've been sick because she has been taking chemotherapy and she feels this way most of the time. How miserable that must be. Yesterday was her birthday. She turned 77. She has decided to stop the chemotherapy. It just makes her feel too bad and it's something she would have to continue the rest of her life. Odd, the very treatment you need to keep you alive keeps you in misery while you're alive. ---Or as in the case of my Adam, the chemotherapy itself kills you.

Sometimes this life is hard, but it sure makes heaven look good.

We made it back from Las Vegas and had a good time there. We went to the National Rodeo Finals two nights, which was really good. We also ate at some very nice restaurants. One was called Lawry's. (Yes, the same Lawry's that makes the seasoning in the grocery store). We had prime rib which was outstanding, but I wouldn't say it was quite as good as what it cost though. My goodness, it was expensive. Thankfully we weren't paying for it, but the company that took us out there. An animal health company that Bo's company buys medicine from. And that sure was NICE of them! There was a girl with our group that got sick while we were there. A stomach flu or virus or something. She stayed in her room most of the time. Then yesterday around noon (after we were home), I started feeling sick at my stomach and proceeded to get worse and worse. Ugh, I had an awful night and have been weak and still feeling bad all day today. I am keeping food down now though, so hopefully I am on the mend.

Bo is taking a group of work associates pheasant hunting tomorrow and Sunday. Guess I'll just be hanging out around the house. Hope you have a good weekend!

Is anybody even reading this?

Bo & I are leaving for Las Vegas tomorrow and will be there until Wednesday. We're going for the National Rodeo Finals. It should be fun even though Las Vegas isnt one of my favorite places to go, it is very interesting and I know we'll have a good time. We are staying at the Treasure Island Hotel on the strip. I just like to walk around looking at all the fancy hotels and casinos. They are so spectacular and something to see! So... I'll talk to you when we get back.

Here's a picture taken while we were in Tyler for Thanksgiving.





In the back from left to right is sister Mary, sister Glenda, Me & brother Buster. The front: My daddy, stepmom Dorothy, stepdad Fred, & my mother.



Here's a picture of the whole group:















And here's Bo, Mason & I:

Corbin, aka Sparrow

I picked Corbin up at school today and he was dressed like an indian. He told me his indian name is Sparrow, so I took his picture and here he is. I think he is a fine looking indian. If you look hard, you will see the indian necklace he is wearing. According to Corbin, indians used to trade necklaces and other sorts of things. Thanks Corbin for helping me write today's blog entry!

We had a great thanksgiving visit to Tyler and got home last night. We had such good food and enjoyed our visit very much. Here are Mason & Whitney making a cheese ball.
Hope you had a good Thanksgiving too!

November Thankfulness: the Internet

I'm getting packed tonight. I am flying to Tyler tomorrow to visit my family for Thanksgiving. Whitney will take me to the airport in the morning as she is leaving for Gruver to spend Thanksgiving with her grandparents. Bo & Mason left this afternoon for Dallas. They will spend the night there tonight and go to the Cowboys game tomorrow. After the game they will drive on over to Tyler, we will stay there for a couple of days and all come home together on Sunday. I'm really looking forward to spending time with my family and am thankful for each and everyone of them. Today was a gorgeous day. I worked until about 3:00, then came home and rode my bike for an hour. It was great! No wind and warm temperatures. I usually ride or walk over by the house being built by the people whose old house we will be buying. (Did that make sense?) It is coming right along and looks to me like it should be finished in a couple of months or so. Then we will be moving AGAIN. Ugh. I don't like moving, but I am glad to be getting into a house with a yard. I miss sitting out on my porch and just being outside. This townhouse we are in is very nice and has been great though.

Today I am thankful for my computer and the internet. I probably spend too much time on it, but I really enjoy all the things I do with it. I know there is lots of bad stuff on the internet, but there is lots of good stuff too. I found my favorite preacher, Henry Mahan on the internet and many others that I really like to listen to. Also, I've learned so much thru good articles by great old (and new) religious writers and have been so blessed by them. And I like to blog and read other blogs and visit discussion forums.

Well, I've got to get packed. You have a great Thanksgiving!

November Thankfulness: Bathroom Cleaners

Have you seen and used all the convenient cleaning supplies that are out these days? I cleaned my bathroom this morning and well.... I am appreciative for all the modern cleaners that make the job so much easier. I hate cleaning the bathroom. In fact, I am a borderline germophobe, so cleaning the bathroom is not at the top of my 'fun things to do' list. But with the little throw away toilet scrubby things, the disinfecting wipes, windex wipes, long handle bathtub scrubber, and such, cleaning the bathroom really isnt that bad. And have you ever tried the purple cleaner called Fabuloso? I just love that stuff, it smells so good and fresh.

When I think of how much more work cleaning the bathroom used to be before all these neato products were out, I can honestly say I am thankful for bathroom cleaners. Heck, you don't even have to wash a dirty rag afterwards. ----(If you've never had to clean a bathroom regularly, you probably won't understand)

And no, this isnt a commercial.

PS. Oh, and turn up your volume. I added some blog-reading music! What do you think?

November Thankfulness: Feeling thankful

Today I am thankful for my experience this month, of looking for things to be thankful for. It's funny, but I am realizing that I SEE what I am looking for. You know, often I hear of some new place, or a name of something that I hadn't heard of before, think about it, and then before the week is out, I will hear it several more times. It seems that where we place our attention is where things show up. If I am looking for something to gripe about, I will find it. If I am looking for something to be thankful for, I find it. And I have so many things to be thankful for in my life, I don't have to look very far.

It just feels better to be in a grateful state of mind than in a critical, disagreeable one. Soooooo, I hope I can continue to be thankful long after November is past.

"Dear Lord, I'm so grateful I'm still loved" --Vivian Leigh
(Isn't that the truth?)

November Thankfulness: Dreams

Today I'm thankful for dreams. I had a terrible dream last night that Bo was secretly engaged to be married to another woman (yes, while he was still married to me). Also, in this dream I found out that he had been married to three other women before me, ---all at the same time! It sounds funny, but in the dream I was really upset, and when I woke up, I was so relieved that it was just a dream. For some reason, the feeling I had in the dream stayed with me a long time today. Do you know what I mean? Do you ever get a certain feeling in a dream and it stays with you for a while? Good dreams with good feelings are great, but bad ones can be nice too, in that there is such a great sense of relief when you wake up and a sense of appreciation for what you really do have. I felt that way today. I kept looking at Bo and feeling so glad that he is a faithful husband.

Judge of your natural character by what you do in your dreams. ---Ralph Waldo Emerson

(That's kind of scarey)

Tags: dreams, sleep

November Thankfulness: A good yardman

Today I'm thankful for a good helper to help me get those limbs in the picture trimmed. It was pretty bushy and with lots of long stems, but Mason trimmed them off. He has been my yard man for several years now and that's been a great help. Now if I could just get his mouthing back at me trimmed back, we'd be in good shape. LOL.

November Thankfulness: Pretty thankful video

Take a look: http://inspiringthots.net/movie/be-thankful.php

Funny picture (which has nothing to do with the thankful video above).

November Thankfulness: Heat

Last night Bo, Mason & I drove to Adrian (a little town about an hour from Amarillo) for Mason's basketball game. The wind was blowing about 40 mph with 60 mph gusts. Wow. The tumbleweeds were flying across the road like crazy. This morning it was still blowing and the temperature was in the 30's. Brrr. As we drove along last night, I was thinking of how nice it was to be in the truck all comfortable and cozy with the heater on. Of course, driving was a little challenging in the wind, but nevertheless we were nice and comfortable. It's nice and warm in my house now and cold outside. I'm thankful for the heat and shelter of my house.


Mason's game was pretty sad last night. They got beat by 60 points. Man, those boys in Adrian were good. They chewed up our team and spit them out. Funny because the game before, our team beat the other team by 40 points. Our team was feeling pretty good, and them wham! ....Talk about getting a helping of humble pie. Oh well, it was good experience for them and well, winning isnt everything.

Tags: humble pie

November Thankfulness: My Salvation

Today I am thankful, oh so thankful for my salvation. I did absolutely nothing to earn it. I do not deserve it. I deserve death and hell. I am nothing but a dead dog sinner, but I believe the Lord Jesus died for me and because he did, my sins are paid for and I can go to heaven. All of the dirty, rotten, things I have done and said and thought in my life were imputed to my savior, Jesus Christ, and his perfect life was imputed to me. When God looks at me, he doesn't see my sins. He only sees his perfect son. I can go boldly before his throne. All of my awful sins are covered by his blood. --Now that's something to be happy about and thankful for! Hallelujah, What a Savior!!

November Thankfulness: My washer & Dryer

Today I'm thankful for my washer and dryer. I've been doing laundry all afternoon, and I was thinking, 'what if I had to do all this by hand like in the days before washers and dryers?' Oh my, that would be a lot of work. Or I could have to load everything in the car and take it all to the laundromat. I had to do that many years ago when I was young, load up laundry for three people and go to the laundromat with a one year old in tow. Even though I have some cute memories of being in the laundromat chasing Cody around while trying to fold clothes, I think I prefer having a washer and dryer at home.

November Thankfulness: My husband

Yesterday was my 11th wedding anniversary. Hard to believe Bo & I have been married 11 years, then again sometimes it seems like 22 years! LOL. (Just kidding) Bo is a very hardworking man and such a good provider. I am very blessed to have him. He is very kind and caring and I am thankful for him. He told me earlier in the week that he would have to spend the night in Gruver last night and get some work done this (Saturday) morning, so I just figured he had forgotten about our anniversary. I rented an old movie to watch. (I just hate picking out movies at the movie store. There is just not much I'm interested in seeing) Then about 5:00 Bo called and told me Happy Anniversary! He was on his way home to surprise me and take me out to dinner, but knowing me, he decided he better call ahead or I would have already eaten by the time he got home. I usually eat supper about 5:30 or 6:00. Anyway, he got home and we went to a nice steak restaurant called Lincoln's. It was very good and we enjoyed it very much. Afterward we drove around the city for a while, stopped and had a yogurt at TCBY, and then came home and watched my movie. It was a very nice night!

Tags: husband, anniversary

November Thankfulness: Indian Summers

Today was another beautiful, warm day and not a cloud in the sky. An Indian Summer day. I just hate to sit in the house on such a day. I feel like I'm wasting it. I gotta get outside. So I decided to head out to Palo Duro Canyon and walk down to the Light House. I gathered up my audio book, sunglasses, hat, some water and headed out. The six mile walk took about two hours, and I enjoyed it very much.









It's a good thing I took advantage of the great weather today because there's a cold front coming in tonight. Ugh.

November Thankfulness: God's Sovereignty

Today, the day after election day, I'm so thankful that God is sovereign and in control of every little thing that happens. I could get really worried wondering what is going to happen next, but I can remind myself and know that nothing, absolutely nothing happens beyond God's control. And I know that all things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to his purpose. What a comfort that is. I've had some pretty 'tough to deal with' things happen along the way in my life. I don't understand why, but I can know and rest in the fact that they were for my good.

November Thankfulness: Food

I'm thankful that we have plenty of food to eat. There's not a day in my life that I can remember going hungry (unless I'm dieting). But dieting is voluntary. I've never had to go without food because there was none. Ever. There were a few slim days back when I was single and raising two kids, but really, even then we had plenty. And that's good because I love food!

I worked today for a few hours. Bo flew to Alabama to visit a customer and will be back tomorrow sometime. I went for a bike ride after work and that was nice. I'm listening to a new audio book called 'A Garden to Keep.' It's pretty good, but the author really goes into ALOT of detail. I had let my Audible membership run out, but I really missed listening to books as I walk or ride my bike, so I renewed it the other day.

That's it for me today.

November Thankfulness: My family

Today I am thankful for my family. Everyone of them. Where would I be without them all? My experience with each one has molded and shaped me somehow. I know that God placed each one in my life with a special purpose, and me in theirs.

November Thankfulness: Beauty of Nature

Today I'm thankful for the beauty of nature. The changing of leaves in the fall is so pretty. It makes the metamorphosis from summer to winter much better. I rode my bike today and just took in the beauty. It was great.

November Thankfulness: Bicycles

Today I am thankful for bicycles. It was a beautiful day today. 70 degrees and the wind was 7 mph. Perfect bicycle riding weather. I rode by myself for about six miles, then when Corbin got here he rode with me for another four miles. We rode down to Sonic to meet Mason as he was leaving from work, but they said he had already left, so we just got a strawberry slushee and shared it on the way home. We both got a couple of brain freezes as we drank it, but it was good anyway. Corbin rode thru a few puddles and someone's water sprinkler, even though I told him he shouldn't because he would get wet and cold. He thought it was fun though. Imagine that. We rode by a fire station and Corbin told me how his class had visited there this week and took cookies to the firemen. He wanted us to go in and ask for a tour but I thought we better not today, so we headed on home. When we got home, Mason was here. We had missed him somehow on the way over.

November Thankfulness: My Health

Today I am so thankful for my health. I feel good, I don't hurt anywhere at the moment. That is such a blessing, and one I tend to take for granted, that is until I do get sick or hurt. Then I long for my good health again. Today I have it. And that's great!

Bo went to Austin to take Jocelyne her furniture. It has been in storage for two years while she traveled, but now that she has settled down, she needs it. So I have the weekend pretty much by myself. Mason works tomorrow and Sunday. Oh, but Corbin is coming over to spend the night on Saturday night. That's good.

Here's a picture of Corbin and my neighbor's grandson playing this afternoon after school:









I'm off to run Mason to basketball practice, so ....later!

November Thankfulness: My Job

Every day or at least every few days in November I'm going to try to post something I'm thankful for. I invite your participation, in the comments, to tell what you're thankful for.

I worked today and yesterday, --so today I am thankful for my job. I only work one or two days a week, but I really enjoy it (most days). It gets me out of the house and gives me some extra money. I have a very flexible schedule and I work for a really nice guy. I like doing bookkeeping. I know, most people hate it, but for me, it gives me a sense of accomplishment when I get everything all posted and up to date. I tend to be very structured and like everything in it's proper place, so keeping books is a good job for me!

Happy Reformation Day

On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of The Castle Church in Whittenberg, Germany. The theses was a challenge to the Roman Catholic Church on the power of the pope to grant indulgences for the forgiveness of sins. Luther took his stand on the Word of God, and though all the powers of the Roman Catholic Church stood against him, it was they that stumbled and fell back, and the course of Western Civilization was changed. What a brave man Luther was, --thru the power of the Holy Spirit. Later at the 'Diet of Worms' when asked if he wanted to recant, he replied:

"Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Unless I am convicted by scripture and plain reason - I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other - my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen."

I have been thinking for a while about taking tennis lessons. We live just next door to the Amarillo Tennis Center and I saw where they offered Women's DROP-IN beginning tennis lessons on Tuesday and Thursday nights for $5. Hey, you can't beat that, so last Thursday night I went. Well, I was the only person there, so I got a private lesson. Wow. That was cool. I really enjoyed it (even though I was sore all over for a few days.) LOL. I got ready and went back again tonight. There was only one other lady there. We waited for the instructor to finish with a group of kids before us. When it was time for our lesson, the instructor came over and began to tell us how he wouldn't give us a lesson unless there was a minimum of four people there. He said he had been playing tennis for 40 years and just couldn't give lessons to one or two people at $5.00 each, like he did for me the week before. Well heck, I only went because THEY advertised $5 drop-in lessons. I didn't ask the guy with 40 years experience to give me a private or semi-private lesson. And I only live next door, but the other lady had driven from Canyon, 15 or 20 miles away. I think the better thing to do would have been to go ahead and give the lesson tonight, explaining that they couldn't do it in the future, and then either stop advertising or specify that there must be at least four people there for the lesson. I'm wondering how people that don't even know each other are supposed to know if three other people are planning to attend anyway. --Drive over there each Tuesday and Thursday just hoping three others show up, and turn around and go home if they don't?? That is just goofy. Why not make people sign up for a set number of weeks or something, and forget the drop-in thing altogether. I don't know, but I think that's the end of my tennis lessons for now. Maybe I'll try again next summer. It was pretty chilly in there tonight anyway.

Happy Birthday Cody!

My boy is 27 years old today. 27 YEARS OLD??! So hard to believe. Where did all the years go? Seems like only yesterday he was such a precious little boy just like Corbin. Cody has brought me so much joy thru the years and I thank the Lord for him. What a wonderful blessing.

I just havent been in the mood to blog lately, and also there's really not been much going on in my life to blog about. I'm not complaining though. Having something to blog about doesnt always mean nothing good is happening. Just the abscence of bad and problems is good, ....just not very interesting to write about. But then again, what we call 'bad' may really be good. Good for us, if we learn and grow from it, even though it doesnt feel good to go thru. Anyway.......

I went to Tyler this past weekend to visit my family and see about my mother. She hasnt been feeling very well. She's having to take chemotherapy and that can be so miserable. My heart goes out to her. I enjoyed my visit though, even though it was a short visit. I saw most of my family and enjoyed visiting with them. Here's a picture of me and Gendy, my younger sister.














I spent Saturday afternoon helping my older sister paint the living room of the house her and hubby have bought and will be moving into soon. She did a great job of picking out colors, by the way. It looks very nice. While we were inside painting, my 80 year old daddy was out back cutting down a tree. At one point, I heard Mary Ellen let out a yell from the kitchen. She was looking out the window and saw our Daddy high up in the tree cutting limbs with a chain saw. Eeeiiii! That was scarey!

Here's a picture of Mary Ellen & John outside their house:













I got home late Sunday night. Boy, that's a long drive.

Mason was in the TriState Fair parade this morning (which was honoring our local firefighters) with the Panhandle Christian Home Educators Association. Bo, Corbin & I went to watch.

It is a rainy Sunday afternoon and not much going on. Mason & I went to the mall to do some shopping for fall & winter clothes for him. Yesterday the temperature didnt get out of the 50's and today, it's in the 60's, so I figured we better get him some warmer clothes since all his jeans from last year are too short. Bo went to Albuquerque for the weekend to see Jocelyne for her TWENTY-NINETH birthday. 29 years old! Holy Cow, how the years have flown by. Seems like only yesterday she was just a baby. LOL. Well, actually I didn't know her when she was a baby, but...... I still can't believe she is 29.

Mason will be flying to Albuquerque next weekend to see Jocelyne. He has been thinking he MAY want to go into the medical field when he starts college next fall, so Jocelyne is going to take him into surgery with her to watch and get a feel for that type of environment. I think it will be a great experience for him. Hopefully, he won't faint in the middle of surgery. LOL. Either way, it should be a memorable event in his life.

Well, guess I'll start putting some supper together. Have a great Sunday!

Happy Birthday Jocelyne! My stepdaughter, my friend. You are very special to me. Hope you have a great day today.

Funny (But not really)

I took this picture yesterday on my bike ride in the neighborhood that I really like to ride in. I like this house alot, mostly because of the porch. It's such a nice big porch, and I just really love to sit out on the porch in a porch swing. As I was growing up, most houses had big porches. Seems people used to sit out on their porches alot and visit. I miss that.

I have good memories of the porch as I was growing up and then when my first set of kids were little. Sunday afternoons or holidays after lunch at my parent's house with my sisters and brother there and all their and my kids running around.

Porches are nice, I think.

Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom!

What a great verse. Job 33:24.

Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.

We deserve to go down to the pit (to hell). We are so full of sin inside and out. God is so holy and pure, he cannot look upon such sinful beings. Sin must be paid for and we can't pay the price. --Sounds pretty hopeless, doesn't it? But wait. God says 'Deliver him from going down to the pit. I have found a ransom.' What wonderful news! God has found a ransom. He has provided a ransom for his people. The Lord Jesus Christ went to the cross to pay the ransom for his people.

Hallelujeh! What a savior!

God's Sovereignty & Man's Repsonsibility

I struggle sometimes with how God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility can both be true. I know, mind you, that they both are, but nevertheless my finite mind, which wants to figure everything out and file it away as ‘understood’ has a hard time reconciling the two. How can God be completely sovereign over everything that happens, but at the same time, man is responsible for his actions? I can’t explain it, but it’s true. Here is a passage of scripture that shows the two very clearly, I think.

Isaiah 10:5-16
5. O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.

6. I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

7. Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few.

8. For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings?

9. Is not Calno as Carchemish? Is not Hamath as Arpad? Is not Samaria as Damascus?

10. As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria;

11. Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?

12. Wherefore it shall come to pass, [that] when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.

13. For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done [it], and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man:

14. And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.

15. Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood.

16. Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.

In this story, God is going to send Assyria up against the hypocritical nation of Israel to punish her. Assyria is going to be an instrument in God's hands--the "rod of mine anger". And when God is finished, he is going to punish the king and the kingdom of Assyria for what they have done.

God is going to be sovereign in all that is done, for the king of Assyria will be doing what God is planning for him to do; and yet, the king and kingdom of Assyria will be held responsible for their acts. In this passage, the coexistence of God's absolute sovereignty and human responsibility is clearly displayed for us. We may have a hard time understanding how they can coexist, but here they are, side by side in the same passage of scripture, and side by side in regards to one single event.

Verse 7 tells us that the king’s intentions were not the same as the Lord’s. The king thought he was acting of his own power and will. His intention was not to punish and correct the people of the Jews, but to utterly destroy them, and not them only, but many other nations. In verses 8-11, the Assyrian king talks of the kings he had conquered in the past and how easily he did it. In verse 12, Isaiah tells us that indeed God will use the Assyrian king to punish his people, and afterwards he will punish the king for his wicked actions and pride-filled heart. In verses 13-14, Isaiah tells how the kings goes on with his boasting of what he will do and how easy it will be for him. I love verses 15 & 16 where Isaiah asks, shall the axe boast that it did the work instead of the person swinging it, or the saw boast of doing the cutting instead of the person pushing it back and forth? The king was only an axe or a saw in the hand of the Lord! --As are we.

What a great passage of scripture. The Lord is sovereign & at the same time, we are responsible for our actions. Understand it or not, it is true. The bible tells us so!

Isn't this a cool old picture. I came across it today while surfing the web. It was taken in the 1880's by a man named Solomon Butcher. And don't we live quite a different life these days?

I like the cow standing on the hill in the back. Funny.

Bo & I went just got back from a 19 mile bicycle ride around the city. Whew! I'm tired. I've been riding quite a bit this week on my new bicycle and have increased my speed somewhat. I was averaging 9 mph and the last few days I've averaged 11 mph. My stamina seems to be increasing too. It's cool how your body does that, but I know you have to keep at it or you will loose that stamina. We'll see how it goes. We stopped and had a cool drink and rested for a bit about half way. There is a block party going on downtown today with lots of bands playing and food to eat and we passed by there.

Bo also went for a 5 mile run this morning, so he is worn out and is getting a little R & R as you can see.

We're going out to dinner tonight with the people whose house we will be buying, but not until January or February. They are building a house and it should be finished around then. We are going to go ahead and sign a contract on the house though. It really hasnt been bad at all living in here in our rented townhouse. The only real drawback for me is that there is no yard and I like to go outside, so I get kind of stircrazy sometimes.

Well, today is my brother-in-law John's retirement party in Houston. He is retiring from the Police Dept. I hate that we are so far away and couldn't make it, but I hope you guys are having a good time. Happy Retirement John!

Snakes On A Plane

Negativity Bias

I was reading today about something called the ‘negativity bias.’ The article said it is a well-recognized psychological phenomenon and goes like this: People react to the bad more strongly and persistently than to the comparable good, and anxious or angry thoughts capture our attention more effectively than happier thoughts.

For example, the pain of losing a certain amount of money is greater than the pleasure of gaining that same sum. In a marriage, it takes at least five good acts to repair the damage of one critical or destructive act.

I know from my own experience, I seem to be more bothered & remember it longer when someone says something ugly to me or about me, than happy when someone says something nice to me or about me.

Also research shows that one consequence of the negativity bias is that when people’s thoughts are wandering or unoccupied, people tend to begin to brood.

Funny, this 'psychological phenomenon' goes right along with what the bible says:

And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Genesis 6:5

Only by the Holy Spirit working in us can we do or think differently.

I put a Bible Trivia Quiz on my blog if you look to the right and scroll down to just under the 'Archives' section. There should be a new quiz every day. Might be kinda fun to try. I actually made a 100 on today's quiz (without having to go search for the answers). Yea! Yesterday I had to go find and read the verses pertaining to the quiz to get the answers. A good way to refresh my memory and learn new things though.

Isn't she a beauty?! (The bicycle, that is)

I got a new bicycle today!! I'm so excited. My old one has been having problems lately. The gears were messing up and the chain kept coming off. And no wonder, it was not a very expensive bicycle to begin with and it had over 1,200 miles on it. I'd say I got my money's worth out of it. So anyway, my wonderful husband decided we should get me a new one today. We went down to Hills Sport Shop and got this nice new black one. It's a 2007 Expedition Sport and it rides like a dream! The wind is blowing 24 mph now, but I'm going to take it out in a little while anyway. I'll let you know how I make out. Later....

I rode my bicycle 14 miles this morning. It was such a beautiful morning and I enjoyed it so much. I listened to a sermon by Henry Mahan as I rode along and it was so good. The name of the sermon was 'Why Men Hate Free Grace." I liked it alot so I put it on our website The Gospel Of Grace Online. A link going directly to the sermon is here. Gosh, how often I forget what a dreadful sinner I am and how wonderful and merciful God is. Oh, how much I like to elevate myself and try to bring glory to myself. As much as I hate it, I still do it. I need to hear sermons like that to remind me of my place and of Christ's place. He is my only hope. Praise his wonderful, Holy name!!

Before
After




Yikes! This is what my old house looks like now. The new owners cut down the big willow tree in the front yard and got rid of two lilac bushes that were between the front windows, and they squared off the shrubbery. It looks so bare now. I loved that willow tree. Makes me sad, even though it's no longer our house. It's their house and they can do whatever they please with it. Jenny told me last week after a visit to Dalhart, they were cutting the tree down, so this weekend while Jocelyne was there visiting friends, I asked her to take a picture for me. .....Gasp, it hurts to look at it.

Happy Birthday Whitney! 24 years old today. Whitney & I met when she was 12 years old, and I became her mean, old wicked stepmother. We've been thru many ups & downs since then, and I've watched her grow into a beautiful, sweet, young woman.

Have a great day today on your birthday, Whitney!!

I had a dream last night about Adam and haven't been able to stop thinking about it today. I dream of him every so often and I'm so glad I do because I usually wake up feeling like I've had a visit with him. Usually in my dreams though, he is sick or I know he is going to die and won't be around for long, so I just want to hug and kiss him over and over. Last night I dreamed he was in some kind of institution and had been there for a long time. I went to visit him. I was feeling very bad for leaving him there for so long. (I think that long time represented the time that he has been gone from the earth). When I saw him, he was just laying in bed and was incoherent and I remember thinking his health was deteriorating and how could I have left him there for so long. I picked him up and hugged him for a long time. He was very soft and it felt so good to hug him, but I knew he was going to die soon. I decided to take him home with me to live and I still couldn't figure out why I had left him there, and I felt so awful for having done that. I loved him and missed him so. Why did I leave him in an institution? Why did I waste precious time of being with him that way? I just sat and held him at home. He felt so good and so sweet and he was so soft. But it was bittersweet because of my sorrow for wasting time and also that he was going to die. It seemed like the dream just went on and on that way and finally I woke up.

I really miss Adam today. Sure wish I could talk to him. It would be SO wonderful if I could.

I had lunch yesterday with an old friend that I havent seen in a while. She only lives about 1.5 hours away, but that's only since we've moved to Amarillo. It used to be 2.5 or so hours away. Funny how we get so busy with our lives and loose touch with people we love and care about. I have known my friend, Amy for about 13 years. I met her while working at TCFA before Bo & I married, and just after Adam died. I think that God put her in my life at that time because I needed just such a friend. She listened to me talk about Adam for many hours and was always there for me as a true friend. I was at such a weird point in my life, really so lost and just searching for something, anything to relieve my pain and give me fullfillment. Unfortunately, I was looking in all the wrong places, but you know, we all do dumb things in our lives. I think that Amy was somewhat of an anchor for me during that time. Funny, she is 15 years younger than me, but when I look back, she seemed to be the older, wiser one. ---Anyway, I enjoyed our lunch and was so glad to see her again.

We had a nice weekend. Bo & I took a spur-of-the-moment trip to Red River, NM on the motorcycle. Mason went to his Aunt Lana's on Saturday morning and will be there until Wednesday, so Bo suggested we ride up to Red River and spend the night. We left Saturday morning about 9:30, dropped Mason off in Channing (I drove the truck to Channing with Mason while Bo followed on the motorcycle), we left the truck at Lana's and took off for Red River. The weather was very nice on the way up with a temperature in the mid 80's. I did get sunburned though. When we got to Cimarron, NM, it started to sprinkle a little bit and sprinkled on us all the way thru the mountains to Red River. Thankfully we had rain gear so it wasnt bad and really didnt rain that hard. It was cloudy in Red River, but had pretty much stopped raining. There were alot of people there for some reason, which we never really figured out. Most of the hotels had 'no vacancy' signs on, so we stopped at the first one that said 'vacancy.' It was Lifts West, which used to be pretty nice, but we got a very crummy room this time, very small and just not nice at all, with no amenities, just one little bar of soap. Bo was sleepy from the drive so he decided to take a nap, while I set out to mill around town. I came back to the hotel in an hour or so and we went to eat at a good Mexican restaurant there. Afterwards we walked around some more, then stopped by the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for some dessert. It was very good. I had my favorite, Haystacks which I love and don't allow myself to indulge in very often. We sat out on a bench and enjoyed our chocolate along with a beautiful view. Afterwards we headed back to the hotel and sat out on our balcony for a while, reading. Well, actually I was listening to my book while Bo read. I am listening to a book called 'The Life of Pi.' It's very interesting, but I must say sometimes a little too descriptive for my taste about really gross things, like dismembering and eating and drinking the blood of a turtle. Ugh. The book is about a 16 year old boy who is stranded at sea on a lifeboat for 227 days with a Bengal tiger. Yes, just him and a Bengal tiger on a life boat! It really is a good book though and I'm enjoying it alot. Anyway.... after a while of reading (and listening) we went in and went to bed. I was tired after the long drive, but I didn't sleep very well. The next morning we got up around 6:00, Bo went for a run, while I got ready for the day, then we both went for some coffee and a long walk around town. It was pretty chilly at first (probably in the 40's), but warmed up after a bit. We had some breakfast and got ready for the drive home. We had to bundle up pretty good because it can get pretty chilly on a motorcycle if the temperature is low, and it was until we got thru the mountains. Once we got past the mountains though, it warmed up pretty fast. We pulled over and started shedding clothes. I had to keep my jacket on though because of my sunburn from the previous day. I didn't want it to get any worse, and I'm glad I kept the jacket on now, because the sunburn has been pretty uncomfortable. The temperature got into the mid 90's on the way home and whew, we were cooking by the time we got to Channing. I got to change vehicles then and ride the rest of the way home in the air conditioned truck, while poor Bo had to ride in the heat for 50-60 more miles. He survived though and we got home around 5:00. We just vegged out and relaxed the rest of the night.

So that was our weekend and boy, did I get longwinded! Hope you didn't get too bored reading.

We had a lovely time at our cookout at the park last night. Everyone was there except Jenny. She was at the hospital with her mom. We cooked hamburgers and Bo & Cody played catch and then Cody & Mason played tennis for a while. The rest of us just sat around and visited. It was a little warm at first, but got cooler as the evening went on. We enjoyed it very much.

Well, Jocelyne made it in last night after a long day of driving from Tempe, AZ. We were so glad to see her. It's been 6 months! Her & Bo went to Gruver today to visit the family over there. Corbin came over this morning because Jenny's mother is having surgery today and he will be spending the night tonight. Mason is going to a homeschool basketball camp this week for 2 hours a day. I worked yesterday instead of today so I could keep Corbin.

Whitney is coming to see us (mostly Jocelyne) tomorrow night and I think maybe we will cook hamburgers in the park with Cody, Jenny & Corbin too, if everyone wants to. That should be fun, if we don't get rained out, like we did last time. A few weeks ago, Cody, Jenny, Corbin, Mason, Bo & I were going to eat in the park. We got all the stuff over there and all of a sudden a big wind came up and it started pouring, so we had to gather everything up and head home and eat.

It sure is hot in Amarillo today!

We had a great 4th of July yesterday. Bo & I went for a really nice bicycle ride around the city. Twenty miles of city! Bo had gotten a new camera that morning for work, so we took it with us and snapped some pictures along the way. Here's Bo on the corner of Kentucky & 6th Street. 6th street is part of Route 66, and in Amarillo, has lots of antique shops.

Here's another shot of Bo visiting with some friendly gentlemen in downtown Amarillo.


There are lots of horse statues around town, so we took some pictures of those. Here's me with an interesting one.

It was a fun afternoon and I enjoyed the (ahem) 'heck' out of it. (excuse my language, please). --I wouldn't want to offend anyone with sensitive ears (or should I say --eyes). LOL


When we got home, Cody, Jenny & Corbin came over to watch fireworks with us. The fireworks' show was in the park right next door to us so it was very convenient. We just sat out in our rock yard. Well actually, we started out there, but had to move down the street because we couldn't see very well over the houses across the street. But once we got situated, we enjoyed it very much. It was a very pretty show. One of our neighbors had a little cassette tape player playing a tape of patriotic songs. And while we were sitting there listening to Lee Greenwood, a car went past with a guy hanging out the window shouting 'God bless America!'

LOL --Hometown America.

How was your 4th of July?

Another Monday morning and it's a beautiful day here. I went for a walk in the park this morning while it was still cool, and that was nice. I really wanted to go for a bicycle ride, but it was a little too windy. I like to ride in 10 mph of wind or less. Over 10 mph and I just don't enjoy it that much. I do want the benefit of the exercise of riding a bike, but I like to really enjoy the scenery and the experience too. This morning the winds are at 15 mph. Saturday morning I rode 20 miles and last night I rode 13 miles. It was great. I am listening to a James Patterson book and it's pretty good. Has a little bit too much foul language in it for my taste, but I'm trying to ignore that. And I probably won't read another one of his books because of it. It's hard to find a good, clean book these days. For some reason, authors seem to think foul language adds to the book, I guess, maybe makes it seem more real life or something. I don't know, but I just hate it. It's offensive to me. I wonder, why do people feel the need to use bad language anyway? What's the point? Maybe it's just a habit they picked up when they were young and thought it was cool??? Maybe they still think it's cool. I don't know... I guess if they like it, it's their business. It's just words afterall. --How the heck did I get on that subject anyway?...... Guess I'll go now.

Mason started his work at his new job this last weekend at the Sonic Drivein! Here he is all dressed and ready to go:


He said it wasnt hard work at all and I think he may have even liked it just a little bit. --Only a little bit though, mind you.

It's been so nice and cool here the last couple of days. I went for a 13.5 mile bicycle ride this morning. It was great. I rode over to a really nice old neighborhood (Wolflin) with lots of big trees and brick streets. I love that neighborhood. Old houses with lots of character. Of course, that's because most of them have been redone and had lots of money spent on them.

Corbin has been coming over each day while Jenny is taking a summer class. He and Mason are busy playing video games this afternoon.









That's about it for my day so far. Hope you have a good one!