Life is not All black and white...there is a lot of gray!

Well, this week has been long and somewhat draining, but we got through it! We came away with good results in regards to Jay's situation! Glory to God! I cannot blog or talk enough about the abundance of blessings God has showered on me and my family in the past couple of months. Perhaps the trauma and heartache that I experienced in the previous four years make it so much bigger to me, but the bottom line is that God is good. The experiences that we have had this year have ALL been so closely touched by God. I am in aw! Anytime, we have reached something tough, provisions have been made. I faced some hurdles in trying to go back to school, but the right doors were opened and the right people were placed in my path. Jay turned a corner in his life, and has become a man of great character, and is healthy and happy! The road to his current happiness has been full of bumps and turns, but God has placed the right people, money, and circumstances in his life. Drug addiction is a terrible and heart wrenching thing for everyone involved. There is no logic and there is no quick fix. But, it is not impossible. Relationships within my family that have been strained and tarnished over time have regained their strength, through natural progression. Life is not black and white, there is so much gray. If you will embrace the gray, and cry out to God, it becomes so colorful and beautiful.

We got the DNA results back on Guinea. She is indeed a pit bull. There is so much negative stigma associated with that breed. A few people have warned us and said "Oh no, you better get rid of her" or "Pit Bulls are so dangerous". In researching her breed, and speaking with the vet and others who are knowledgable, we found that: yes, pit bulls (unfortunately) have been used to fight over the years, and can get aggressive. Howevever, that is the black and white part. The rest of the story is that pit bulls are extremely loyal to their owners. They do get aggressive if they sense that their owner is in danger. I personally would not have a problem with Guinea getting aggressive if I was home alone in the country and someone came after me. Again...the gray area.

Perhaps the silver lining in things lies in the gray areas! Look for the good, because there always is some!

Vote For Zeus!! ....and I have had the flu

Things have been pretty yuck at our house this week. Last Saturday, I got a little bit of a sore throat and cough. I pretty much blamed it on our roller coaster weather. I generally get a croupy cough when the weather does this hot and cold stuff. Monday morning, I woke up feeling absolutely horrible. My temperature was 101 so we headed to the dr. We had to stop on the side of the road, because I got so sick. Then, when we got there I couldn't sit up in the chair. My temperature was 102.2. I was miserable! They gave me a shot, and tested me and you guessed it! THE FLU! Dum da dum dum! Pig, cow, chicken, whatever, the flu flat out sucks! Turns out Roger had it too. His symptoms were just not as apparent yet. Jay went to the doctor yesterday, and he has it too, so he is in bed! This is the first time I have been up and around since Monday. I still feel rough, but am back in the land of the living! I am very thankful for tamiflu, tylenol, and phenergen!!

On another note, please vote for Zeus in this contest. I would donate the money to the Lowndes County Humane Society. They run a great shelter, and have horrible facilities!
http://mvp.bissell.com/mvp_PetDetail.aspx?id=8589951028

The Sn Will Come Out Tomorow

Me and Jennifer went to see "Annie" last night in Tupelo, and had an absolutely wonderful time! We left right after she got off work at 5, and zipped to Tupelo. We ate at Park Heights http://www.eatwithus.com/parkheights/ in downtown Tupelo. It was WONDERFUL! It was pretty fancy, and a bit on the pricey side, but it was wonderful!! Plus, it was right by the Bancorp South Arena, which is where we went for the play.

I have to make the observation that watching this particular play as an adult was completely different than watching it )or the movie) when I was a kid. I had no idea how historically accurate and perhaps significant it was. As a child, I saw a cute red headed kid with a dog. As an adult, I realized that Annie was one of the many children who were dropped off at orphanages during the Great Depression by parents who simply could not afford to feed them. Imagine the pain and heartache of those parents! I was also mortified by the officer who ran the homeless group out of the Hooverville. Just imagine that lifestyle by people who were not accustomed to it at all. I, like my mother have a great appreciation and interest in FDR, so I enjoyed his role in the story. Great story! There were a lot of little girls at the performance. It was interesting to observe because they were all so excited at the beginning, there were a lot of tears at intermission when mothers were telling their girls that they would not buy them a twenty dollar Sandy beany baby, and there were lots of mothers carring their children out asleep at the end. It was almost ten thirty when we got out of there, and after midnight when I got home. I was exhausted this morning, so I know that there were several little girls sleeping through school today!

I am still feeling a little overwhelmed by the beginning of classes this semester, but I know that I can handle it. I just gotta remember to take a little bit at a time. It was interesting, we were asked to bring an object or picture of an object that symbolized who we are for one of my classes. The instructor suggested asking friends and family! I asked around, and my sister said a flower, because I sometimes wilt on the dark days, spring up on the good days, but always come back in full beautiful bloom. I thought that was quite a compliment! Roger said that I was like a river in that sometimes I am tumultous and sometimes calm, but always keep flowing. I liked these because they came from two very different people, but were similar in characteristics. In the end, I took a picture of a dog with boxing gloves to symbolize that I am a fighter! I have faced a lot of adversity in the past several years, but I fought it and won! I also love animals, and that is a huge part of who I am! Fun times!

Happy Hump Day Everybody!!!

Annie, Oprah, and Dancercize

Well it is 2010, and that means a new year and resolutions! I know that I am about 12 days late, but I did indeed make some resolutions. I won't post them all on here, but being American, of course one of them is to lose a few pounds....again. I find myself to be similar to Oprah in that my weight goes up and down constantly! It is exhausting, but I can't seem to get off the roller coaster. That would be one of my resolutions! It includes weight watchers, the gym, and dancercize class!! Hoo Hoo!! Yes...dancercize! First, I must say that I do indeed acknowledge that I am very uncoordinated, and very "white" in my dancing! But, that does not stop me from loving it, and it is actually pretty good excercise! Jennifer got me interested in it! It is a class at the new sportsplex building in Starkville. It only costs $2 a class, no membership fees, and it is offered M-Th! I am cranked up!!

Tonight, however, there is no dancing in my evening plans! Nope, even better! Me and Jennifer are going to see the broadway play "Annie" in Tupelo! I am so so excited! I bought the tickets a month ago, and have been counting down the days! THE SUN WILL COME OUT TOMMORROW.....BET CHA BOTTOM DOLLAR THAT TOMMMMMMORRRRROW, THERE'LL BE SUNSHINE!!!

We are back into the swing of things. Rog is doing the ING thing, and I am doing the college classes thing. I will need plenty of prayers and encouragement this semester, as it is going to be a tough one!

All my babies are doing great! The kittens are growing up! Zeus and Boss are both about half crazy and very spoiled 80 pound labradors! Guinea is getting to be a big girl! And Chonga.....well he is still a little broken hearted about Teetzi, and fills the void in his heart with food so he is HUGE!!

Happy Tuesday everybody!!

A Great Christmas

Well, we had a delightful Christmas at home with Jay and the puppies! This is the first holiday that Jay has been healthy and whole in ten years! Praise God! He has blessed my family SO MUCH this year! We started the morning with fried duck, homeade biscuits with apple butter, and scrambled eggs! We decided not to exchange gifts, but did stockings instead. We had a great time this morning opening our stockings one piece at a time! We all three did a great job of combining gag gifts and real gifts. I got a Browning Buck decal (GAG gift), some cute book marks ( I am the worst about dog earring books), mase spray, some cool new paint brushes, an awesome oil frangrance burner, some super great lotion, and a few other neat little odds and ends. Pretty much the most important thing in my stocking was a glow in the dark compass! For those of you who heard the story of my after dark four wheeler adventure, this was a big plus! Roger and Jay got lots of fishing lures, batteries, deodorant....things that men like or need! I wish I had taken pictures, but I didn't! We are not one of those families that looks all coordinated and styling early on Christmas morning! We spent the day just being kinda lazy! I watched The Christmas Story which is a classic in my book! Roger has been out in the wood shop playing with his new toys! I found an awesome deal on a jointer and planer in the classifeds last week, called the guy and made a deal, and Rog picked the equipment up yesterday afternoon! Jay went over to Jonathan and Courtney's house this afternoon for a few hours! He really enjoyed it! They have been such a HUGE blessing to Jay and to me and Roger the past few months! God knows what to do, and placing Jonathan in our lives when he did leaves me without words! I appreciate Jonathan and Courtney and their kindness so much!

I have a turkey cooking, mashed potatoes, asparagus, pineapple and cheese casserole, rolls, and cranberry sauce getting ready for the three of us to enjoy christmas dinner together tonight! I absolutely love my life and the people in it! I will be American, and make a list of resolutions next week, but the two words that I am can best use to describe 2009 would have to be "Growth" and "Gratitude". I have grown so much as a person, in all of my relationships, and in my walk with God this year. I am grateful or the abundance of blessings that have been showered on us! God is good!

Next Thursday will make 2 years since my sweet Mama went to be with Jesus. It seems like yesterday in a lot of ways! I miss her and Gary so much, but am filled with gratitude and wonderful memories! I wish that they had lived long enough to share in the joys that me and Jay are experiencing in our lives, but my heart is full of happines and I will dwell on that!

Erin Elizabeth!

I am going to go ahead and warn you! This post is crammed full of pictures! My sweet and beautiful neice Erin has been visiting us, and I am just in aw of her talent and beauty! I have been really blessed this past year to get closer to my family! We have had a great time with Erin! I love painting canvases, and she decided she wanted to get in the action! She painted some super cute stuff! I am impressed with her artistic talent! Roger has gotten into woodworking, and she got in on that action too! She and Rog made a really pretty blanket chest for her to take home with her! She was a pro with the power tools! Last night, we hit up Old Venice for great italian food, and hit up a few neighborhoods for Christmas lights afterword! In the truck, she told Roger that she had never shot a pistol, so he got her some ear muffs, a pistol, a target, and a gun safety lessson, and she rocked it! Her first time, all of her shots were on the target, and two were in the black. Her second round, she hit a near perfect bulls eye! Maybe we can turn her into a country girl!! Today, I blow dried and curled her hair, and took her out to MSU where we took some super cute shots of her! She is SO photogenic!! The plan for tomorrow is a girls day with mani/pedi's, hair extensions, lunch, and pictures of her taken out at the Refuge! Tuesday, we are going to paint pottery, and will hit up the mall before she goes home!
Erin with a picture she painted for her teacher!

Jay and Erin. She looks SO grown up!

Pretty Girl!

Erin can work the power tools!

And Shoot a pistol!

America's Next Top Model@

Santa Clause is coming to town!!

"I stopped believing in Santa Clause when I was nine. Mother took me to see him in a department store, and he asked for my autograph.." Shirley Temple

I came across this quote this morning, and had to laugh out loud. Me and Tracy were talking about Santa Clause yesterday and how all kids are scared of him at the mall. Wyatt screams! I get it! He usually is some creepy old man who smells like Old Spice and stale cigerettes.

I don't remember believing in Santa Clause all that much. My sisters were 9 and 11 years older than me, so they were pretty much over it by the time I came along. I just always thought of it as a funnny game that my mom played with us. I mean I knew that my mom was way too classy to be kissing on some fat old man in a silly red suit!

I had my mini break down for the holidays last night, and hopefully got it out of my system. I don't think that a Christmas will ever come and go without a moment of nostalgia when I miss my parents. We had so many really great christmases, and for that I am grateful! Speaking of Santa Clause, my step dad was really goofy and dramatic. I remember one time when me and Jay were little, we thought it would be fun to leave cookies and carrots and milk for him. Obviously, we knew it was for Gary and Mama, but for whatever reason we did. Ants came in through the fire place and were on the cookies. It was dark, and Gary just grabbed a cookie to take a bite so it would look like Santa Clause did. Ants bit him on him mouth. He was deathly allergic and his whole face swole up. He was screaming and carrying on which woke us up. Christmas was on a Sunday that year, and we went to church with him swollen up looking like Mama had gone after him with a frying pan. After that, we put the Santa Clause game to rest!

My mom always made Christmas a magic time, but made sure to keep it in check. One year, when her and Gary were first married and had no money, we did not have enought ornaments for our tree. We went out in the yard and picked up pine cones, dipped them in white paint and glitter, tied a red ribbon on them, and hung them on the tree with dental floss. It was beautiful, and such a great memory! She always gave everybody calendars, and we all joked as if we didn't know what was in the thin rectangular package! We got socks and underwear in our stockings. We always got a new pair of sweats or pajamas. And, we always got one frivilous gift. I never felt like christmas was no good. I never thought that I got shorted. We made homeade cookies, and spiced tea. Me and Gary watched "Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Clause" and "It's a Wonderful Life" every year. We usually watched "A Christmas Story" as a family. We had a small traditions, but it was comfortable and cozy!

I am starting my own traditions with my small non traditional family. This year in our stocking, I asked Roger to get an ornament that reminds him of something fun we did this year. We will start to build our personal tree! Last year, we ate fried duck with biscuits and apple butter for Christmas brunch, and we plan to do it again this year!

Merry Christmas everybody! Love on your families!