Root's Ramblings

My little Tigger

2008-11-13T12:33:00.000-08:00

Some pictures from Halloween. We didn't go trick-or-treating but did dress him up and went to go see the grandparents, and Aunti Trina. He looked so cute!! :-)

Tyler turns 1!!

2008-10-30T10:01:00.000-07:00

So, I know its a little late but wanted to post an update on my (not so little) baby boy turning 1 year old! We had such a jam-packed weekend!

Saturday was his birthday, which we spent the day running some last minute errands for his birthday party on Sunday. We took Ty to a pumpkin patch and animal farm that afternoon. We got a couple of cute pictures at the pumpkin patch but he didn't seem too enthused with the animals. He was getting sleepy and cranky. They had a corn maze as well but didn't go through since he was getting cranky didn't seem too interested.

Sunday began with him being dedicated at church (not a baptism but just a public confirmation that we as parents will dedicate ourselves to raising Tyler up with love and Christian values), and then the party afterwards with family and a few close friends. To Troy and me, the dedication was very special since Tyler was such a special and much prayed for gift.

The party was Mickey Mouse themed (of course) and everything went well. He got a lot of cute toys and clothes. One very fun one that Ty just loves is his new Elmo (the Elmo Live doll) that talks and sings, and moves! My mom made him a cake to dig into, which he loved... even got some in his ear, which I found Monday morning. Priceless moment!!

Some milestones with turning 1:

(1.) He has now switched from the bottle to a sippy cup

(2.) He is now drinking whole milk, instead of formula

(3.) He now sits frontwards in his car seat (and loves looking around)

and most recent (4) he now can scoot out of his walker by himself!! (I found this one out this morning!!)

Here's some other cute photos.

The birthday boy his 9 mth picture

Wow, it's October!!

2008-10-06T12:38:00.001-07:00

Time does fly when you're having fun. It's October and I haven't been on here in so long! Fall is in the air, it's starting to cool of here (just a bit) and I am preparing for a 1 year olds birthday party. HOLY COW, TYLER'S TURNING 1!!!! My, has this been an interesting year!
Everytime I had inspiration to ramble, I got distracted by my dear, sweet baby boy.

He's getting so big - and is definately ALL BOY! He's weighing about 30 lbs now but we'll get a more accurate weight when we go to his 1 year checkup just after his birthday. He's been Mr. Activity lately and is SO close to walking. He does walk around the coffee table and has a little moving piano that he walks with - but only a few steps. He's into everything now, and knows when he's not suppose to go somewhere. He'll stop, turn around, give me that cute little angel smile and giggle before I go and direct him towards his play area. He's a little monkey and loves to climb on anything/everything around the house. He's nearly crawled out of his walker a few times.

Oh boy, will I have my hands full when he does begin to walk.
Just a few more weeks til that wonderful day - he turns one, and turns mommy & daddy into crazy parents. :-) We're also having him dedicated at church on the 19th , which will be the official start for Troy and I starting his path toward knowing Jesus and prayerfully leading him toward a relationship with God!

Here's a few pictures, I need to download the rest from my camera. Bathtime is beginning to be such fun with him. He loves the water. He was playing in Auntie Trina's chair when we went to take care of some legal paperwork before I trip to D.C.

BTW - Congrats to my dearest friend Jennifer in marrying her wonderful new husband, Mike. I was in the wedding in Arlington, VA (she got ME to wear a dress!!). It was fun to go back to DC again after a few years, and seeing (almost) everyone.

September already??

2008-09-04T15:56:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it’s September already??
We’re finishing up on the 2nd week of school and it’s been mere chaos around campus.
I nearly got into 2 accidents the first day! Partly because of the idiotic round-about that some genius designer thought up for the intersection of Barstow and Chestnut. It’s a heavy traffic area for those coming onto campus, and instead of improving the traffic flow, it actually has backed things up even more for those on Chestnut trying to cross Barstow. It’s been a traffic nightmare!
But I digress…..
The beginning of September also means that we’ll be heading to D.C. soon for my dear friend, Jennifer’s wedding. I’m excited about going but also dreading it too because we’re leaving our little Tyler (aka Ty-Ty) home with grandma & grandpa (who themselves will be returning soon from 3 weeks in Europe –MUST BE NICE!!). Besides visiting good friends, being in the wedding and being in D.C. in the Fall (instead of the dead heat of summer), it’ll be some good time away for me and Troy.
The most recent news from me is that I am an official owner of the iPhone! Yes, that’s right, I’m crossed over to the ‘dark side’ as some people put it. Although I love it so far… now that I’m starting to get a handle on it. It’s so much fun once you get used to it. I can now get full internet sites on my phone, as well as check my Facebook page. J Yes, I do have to confess….
“My name is Sheryl, and I’m a Facebook addict.” J But most of you already know that. J

My, how time flies

2008-08-31T20:43:00.000-07:00

Wow, I've been off here for a LONG time!
There's been a lot going on and Tyler's growing like a weed. He's now crawling, pulling himself up and so close to walking. He's keeping us on our toes and very busy.

Like most people, I spend most of my time of those blasted networking sites! More-so on Facebook (yes, I'm an addict and I know it), not so much on Myspace anymore.
You can catch me on there if you want to know what's going on with us and see recent photos of the baby-boy, as he grows into the cute little man he is now.

Those that I know that look at this site, I've already been keeping in contact more via Facebook. If you're not on it yet, it's a great site without having all the 'junk' and young fan-base as Myspace.

Blessings to all of you!!

It's HOT in the Valley!!

2008-07-08T11:37:00.000-07:00

It's been extremely HOT here in the Valley lately. I so wish I could be on a beach somewhere, enjoying a cool coastal breeze and soaking up the sun the right way!!

FRESNO STATE WINS COLLEGE WORLD SERIES!

2008-06-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

Fresno State 6 Georgia State 1

Holy Cow!! We Did It!!

The Fresno State Bulldogs WON the College World Series beating Georgia State in Game 3.

We are sooooooooooooooo proud of our Bulldogs!!

Can't wait til they get back! They'll be welomed with such a great congratuations!!

Fresno Bee

FresnoStateNews

CWS Website

Fresno State 19 Georgia State 10

2008-06-24T20:42:00.000-07:00

OH MY! OH MY! OH MY!

What a fabulous game! Fresno fans are known to say "Who Let the Dogs Out!!"

The 'Dogs really came out barking in Game 2 of the College World Series!

They had a slow start but by the end of the 3rd inning, something sparked in our Bulldogs and they came out swinging! We kept swinging... and swinging!!

Jordan had some great playing tonight, as did the whole team!!

Now its 1-1 an it comes down to Game 3 tomorrow night!

Fresno Bee

ESPN

Wow!!

Bulldogs vs. Bulldogs

2008-06-23T12:17:00.000-07:00

Update
ok, it was a really close game but unfortunately we lost 7-6. I was excited to see that Jordan Ribera (our pastor's son) did hit a homerun. Wooohooo!! Yah Jordan!!
Georgia came back in the 8th inning for the go ahead run. The FS Bulldogs had a good showing and proved once again that we may be underdogs but still have the will, and talent to win.
Next up.... Game 2 tomorrow (Tuesday) night.

On a side-note, Mitch (our pastor) had to come home over the weekend to do a wedding. He spoke Sunday morning but made several jokes about his brain being in Omaha, where the CWS is being played. He also joked that until this year, he couldn't care less about college baseball. Now... he's living and breathing college baseball. Since FS won their game against NC to make the finals, Mitch flew back to Omaha Monday morning, to be able to watch game 1. I'm sure he's one proud papa!!
Stay tuned!!

--------------------------------------------------------

Wow! Another incredible game!!
The FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS are now in the College World Series Finals!!
Yes, my Bulldogs made the finals, beating North Carolina 6-1.
Our Cinderella story continues on!!

We now go up against the Georgia Bulldogs today (Monday) for the first of three games in the Finals. We are soooo excited!!

FresnoStateNews
ESPN

Go Dogs, Fresno State Bulldogs,
that is!!

Fresno State 5 - North Carolina 3

2008-06-18T09:16:00.000-07:00

-- Update 6.20.08 --
Due to the rain-out of the game between NC and Louisiana St., they will play their elimination game tonight (Friday), and the winner of that game will play Fresno State on Saturday.
----------------------------

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!!
The Bulldogs are WONDERDOGS!!! They beat the No. 2 team, the North Carolina Tar Heels, in last night's CWS game. WOW!!!! I am speechless and was truely in tears last night when they got the 3rd out to wrap up the game. There was some nail-biting times off and on through out the game with their chance of going ahead... but our power defense prevailed and WE WON!!!!

People used to say "Fresno??? Who are they??" Now they are shocked and amazed that these little home-town boys from California are up there with the big boys like North Carolina and Miami. The loser of that game will be eliminated.

The Bulldogs have a chance to rest before their game on Friday with either NC again, or Louisiana St. The Bulldogs and University of Georgia - Atlanta are the only ones in the series that are still undefeated.

With all the negative publicity our athletics program has gotten the past fews, its really great to see a bright spot to bring pride back to our school! All Bulldogs (and friends) should be so proud of these guys! They're playing hard and doing a great job!!
All I can say is WOW!! Our boys are HOT!!!

ESPN coverage
CWS brackets
Fresno Bee
Fresno State News

Oh yah, and the Celtics finally won the NBA finals. Yah!! for the Celtics! ;-)

UnderDOGS to WonderDOGS!!!

2008-06-16T12:29:00.000-07:00

2008 College World Series

Omaha, NE

Rice - 5 Fresno State - 17

In a remarkable beginning, my dear Fresno State Bulldogs beat No. 5 Rice 17-5 in the College Baseball World Series. I was so excited, just as many Bulldog fans in Fresno and around the US (yes, there are fans outside of the Fresno area.) Ironically, all of the 'favored' teams lost on Saturday and Sunday.

I was especially excited to see Jordan (my pastor's son - #19 second from right) actually got to play... AND he even hit a home run to bring in 2 other runners besides himself. WAY TO GO JORDAN!!!

The Bulldogs now meet the North Carolina Tar Heels on Tuesday.

I'll be glued to the set that night!!

College World Series Recap

Fresno Bee story

FresnoStateNews.com

Lakers, Celtics and the Bulldogs!!

2008-06-10T20:44:00.000-07:00

I've come to be quite a sports fan the last few weeks.
For some reason, I am finding myself watching the NBA Finals between the L.A. Lakers and the Boston Celtics. This historic rivalry used to be quite a game to watch when the game was still about basketball. Today's rivalry between the two teams is more about the 'superstars' (who shall remain nameless). There has been some razzing in my office between myself and a few others about who will win - the Lakers or the Celtics. After tonight's game, the Celtics lead 2 games to 1. Now, considering I'm from California, you would think that I would be a die-hard Laker fan. Actually, I'm kind of hoping the Celtics take it. (1) Because it has been a long time since they won the NBA Finals; and (2) they seem to be more of a co-hesive unit and there is no ONE standout 'star'.

On the other side of the spectrum is the NCAA Baseball World Series, which my Fresno State Bulldogs have made it into! Gooooooo BULLDOGS!! After 3 hard games against Arizona State, Fresno State was victorious with a 12-9 win on Sunday night. What made this even more exciting is that our pastor's son, Jordan, is on the team and got to play for a little bit during game 3. He's a freshman so he doesn't get much playing time but what an exciting experience for him to be apart of such a memorable moment!

Now, the Bulldogs will face Rice on Sunday in the College Baseball World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. The last time they made it this far was in 1991.

GO DOGS!!

Some pictures

2008-06-02T16:56:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've posted any updates on Tyler, so here ya go.

His first bath, a day at grandmas, his first trip to Great America, his first pool experience... and he loved it!

My First Official Mother's Day

2008-05-12T11:06:00.000-07:00

It still seems a little surreal that I am not a mom.
I officially celebrated my first Mother's Day this weekend.
It started out with an overnight trip to Santa Cruz, and a day at Great America for Spring Celebration, the day long music festival, and walking around the park with some dear friends of ours and their kids. The trip to Santa Cruz was Tyler's first trip to the coast house. It was quite an adventure to pack for us and him. Eventhouh it was only an overnight trip, we had SO much stuff... his portable crib, stroller, our suitcases, blankets, a change of clothes for when it gets cold at the park, a blanket and toys for Tyler to play with on the long 2 1/2 hour drive there and back. My son is such a good baby - he slept most of the way there and home.
We had to come home Saturday night due to Troy needing to be at church Sunday for our special Mother's Day service. So the boys slept, while I drove.
Sunday was a long, tiring day. Since Troy leaves early for church on Sunday's, he put a little Mother's Day card from Tyler in his carseat so when I went to put him in it, I found the card. Then after church, we went to my sister's house for a BBQ with my family. Troy's mom, step-dad and sister also came out. We all had a lot of fun, and of course, Tyler was the main center of attraction.
He's coming up on his 7 month birthday. He's doing well with eating his cereal and veggies. He has two teeth coming in and he's ALMOST to the point where he can sit by himself without falling over. He still needs a little help but can mostly sit on his own.
I can't believe how quick he's growing. I finally downloaded all the pictures I had on my camera and I'll get some pictures posted soon, including some from this weekend.
I hope all my special mom friends had a wonderfully blessed Mother's Day!

VT Memorial Garden photos

2008-04-23T10:49:00.001-07:00

In Honor of All Hokies!

2008-04-16T08:31:00.000-07:00

Today is the anniversary of the tragic shooting at Virginia Tech University. Eventhough I am in California I was deeply effected as I have a few friends that are alumni of VT.
Also, since I work on a college campus, we were very effected as a university community. We developed a memorial garden in honor of those Hokies that lost their lives on that dreadful day.
Today on campus, there is a special ceremony to commemorate the 1st anniversary, which I plan on taking part in to honor those lost and all my Hokie friends!

May their memory live on in our hearts and minds!

See what Virginia Tech is doing today.

Croup is a scary thing

2008-04-09T19:16:00.000-07:00

What in the world is croup? For new parents, it is a scary thing! Especially at 2 am in the morning.

According to webMd, Croup is a common respiratory problem in young children that has a harsh, "barking" cough. Croup causes swelling and narrowing in the voice box, windpipe, and breathing tubes that lead to the lungs.

I never heard of such a thing until it happened to us. Tyler got croup and we had to rush him to emergency on Friday morning. They did some breathing treatments on him and decided to transfer him to Valley Childrens Hospital (Children's Hospital of Central California). We are lucky to have one of the top children's hospitals so close by. We stayed overnight at the hospital and they treated us so well! After a few steroid treatments (that relaxes the muscles in the air passage and helps him breath better), they released us on Saturday mid morning. The doctor said that the coughing would persist for a few days but would decrease as time went on.

It was hard to see our happy baby boy so miserable and not feeling well. He still has a slight cough that lingers on and is fianlly getting his appetite back. We had many people praying for him and his recovery. God answered our prayers!

He's starting to show signs of his normal, happy self again so he's on the way to recovery.

Happy Easter

2008-03-21T13:20:00.000-07:00

Have a wonderfully blessed Easter!!

From the Root Family

This year is an especially blessed Easter. I precious baby boy gets to have his first Easter, and eventhough he's too young to know what its all about yet, we will soon be able to share the incredible story of God's love with him and begin directing his spiritual path.

This year also begins the ongoing picture taking at each holiday. We had these pictures taken at a local studio (yes, that is a real lamb!!) and he was just a good baby, and he smiled and laughed so easily. We are blessed to have such a happy baby!

I found it very inspiring and divine that his first professional picture was for Easter and featured a lamb. It made be reflect on what Jesus did for us, as the 'Lamb' of God, and the "lamb led to the slaughter" to cleanse all of us unworthy humans of our sins.

This Easter will be a blessed time of remembrance, thankfulness and praise!

Happy Easter!!

May God reign blessings upon all of you!

I'm Officially DONE...

2008-03-16T20:51:00.001-07:00

With school!!!! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!!!
I am finally done with my online schooling for my Bachelors.
Although actual graduation doesn't happen until the end of the month, I have not finished posting my last assignment and await my final grades.
If all goes well, I will finish with an A in this class, and finish my schooling with a 3.87 GPA, graduating Magna Cum Laude.
I will officially have my BFA (Bachelors of Fine Arts) in Graphic Design and will now challenge myself with getting a job in my new field.
Please check out my new website Sheryl Root Designs, and let me know what you think.
Also, if you have an type of design project you need help with, please feel free to let me know.

Blessings to you all!!

a new stage - rice cereal

2008-03-01T21:59:00.000-08:00

now that my baby boy is 4 months old, we got the ok from our doctor to start tyler on rice cereal with his formula twice a day. after starting off VERY messy, we finally got the right consistency with the formula and tyler is getting used to the different texture.
for awhile, we were using a specialized bottle that we put the cereal in that was suppose to help with the transition. it ended up being very messy and not really worth the headache... although it did help tyler get used to eating and swallowing. we used a combo of the new bottle with cereal, spoon-feeding, and the regular bottle with the formula.
he's getting the hang of it now and its so cute to watch him eat.
i have pictures in my camera that i will post soon.

4 Months and Growing

2008-02-18T19:27:00.001-08:00

Today is Tyler's 4 month birthday!

Happy Birthday, my precious baby boy!!

He's grown so much and is becoming a little man with each passing week. Some milestones this month were:

He now weights 15 lbs and is 25 in long (he goes in for his 4 month shots on Friday).
He's quickly groing out of his 0-3 mth clothes.
He's now sleeping in his crib every night. He sleeps through the night (and has been since about 2 mths). Depending on how early he goes to sleep and how early/late he has his last feeding, will determine what time he wakes up in the morning. Anywhere between 3 am and 5 am. He also dreams and makes noises in his sleep.
Tyler now holds his head up by himself.
He loves to laugh and smile alot.
He has strength in his legs to stand up, with a little help. He's so wanting to walk already.
He's now eating nearly 40 oz a day (8 oz per feeding, 5 feedings a day) and is closely getting ready for the transition to baby food.
He gets mesmorized by the tv. Whether its Mythbusters (there's a story about this for another time), or any funny cartoon we have on for him, we watches intently. (I wonder where he gets that from?? Uh, maybe his two couch potato parents?? LOL) He's definately going to be a visual learner like me.
He's not teething yet but he's very close. You can see the white caps almost close to coming through his gums and they are very sensitive. He's drooling alot more and loves to bite on a teething ring (or my finger).
His hand/eye coordination is coming along slowly. We're also working on his ability (or should I say desire) to reach for things. He loves lights and sounds.
He's still getting used to his tummy time but does pretty well at pulling himself up. He can roll himself over with a little help.

I'm so proud of my little baby boy. I can't wait to see what he learns in this next month!

Another University loss

2008-02-15T08:11:00.000-08:00

Tragedy struck again on another university campus... this time it was Northern Illinois University. More lives lost at the hand of a very unhappy and disturbed person. I listened to updates yesterday on the developing story and was just saddened by the grief and shock of the students and faculty members on that campus.

This morning on my way to work, I was listening to KLOVE (as I always do) and after a news update about the tradgedy, they played "I Will Be Here" by Steven Curtis Chapman. Usually this is a great wedding song but today it hit me in a different way. The lyrics made me think of how precious life is and how we can be gone in a single second. We can face tragedy of all types, but we are to take comfort in the thought that God is always there with us every step of the way. He never leaves us, never forsakes us.

My heart and my prayers go out to those effected by the events at NIU. I just hope and pray that they can feel the love of God surround them and that they can draw near to God instead of push him away at this time.

Here are the lyrics to "I Will Be Here"
by Steven Curtis Chapman
Tomorrow morning if you wake up
and the sun does not appear
I will be here
If in the dark, we lose sight of love
Hold my hand, and have no fear
'Cause I will be here I will be here

When you feel like being quiet
When you need to speak your mind
I will listen
And I will be here

When the laughter turns to cryin'
Through the winning, losing and trying
We'll be together
I will be here

Tomorrow morning, if you wake up
And the future is unclear
I will be here
Just as sure as seasons were made for change
Our lifetimes were made for these years
So I will be here

I will be here
And you can cry on my shoulder
When the mirror tells us we're older
I will hold you
And I will be here
To watch you grow in beauty
And tell you all the things you are to me
I will be here

I will be true to the promise
I have made
To you and to the One who gave you to me

Tomorrow morning, if you wake up
And the sun does not appear
I will be here
Oh, I will be here

Happy Valentines Day!

2008-02-14T08:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day to my dear friends!

Not only do I love you and hold you all dear in my hearts, be comforted that you are also

LOVED by our Heavenly Father - so much more then we can even imagine!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Be Blessed!!

3 Months

2008-01-18T10:19:00.000-08:00

Today, my baby boy is 3 months old.
It's hard to believe that it's been 3 months - time has flown by. He's now weighing about 12 lbs, and eats like a little piggy. Grandmas tend to want to overfeed him (the poor thing is starving to death!) It's the grandma way. LOL Obviously since he's 12 lbs, he's not lacking in food.
He's been such a joy to our lives.
He's already sleeping through the night (has been for about a month), smiling alot, even giggles from time to time and he had his first over-night stay at grandma Judy and grandpa Jim's house. Troy and I went to go see the Blue Man Group (3 guys painted in blue that have an intersting musical show with strange instruments. it was very cool!!) so they watched him while we went. It was a bit strange not having him with us when we got home, and waking up the next morning without him there. Judy dropped him off back at my mom's house the next morning so I rushed over there at lunch to go see him.
I went 24 hours without seeing my little guy! OMG, I can't tell you how much I missed him.
:-)

His 3 month pictures to follow soon. We've been so bad and haven't taken any since Christmas!!

Back at work

2008-01-10T20:25:00.000-08:00

This week was my first week back at work after being off for 2 months with my baby boy. No tears have been shed, although I have found that I do miss him during the day.
Surprisingly, it hasn't been too tough, since my mom is watching him and she only lives 5 minutes away from campus. I go over to the house every day for lunch to see my little man. He's usually sleeping.
The days seem LONGER and I find myself spacing out a lot at my desk. I have a lot of distractions, including my adorable little pictures I have as my desktop wallpaper. This week was a bit quiet since classes are still on their winter break.
School starts back up this next week so the campus should get a lot more active and hopefully, the work day should start seeming shorter. This also means it will be harder to find a decent place to eat on campus without a long line.
New this semester is the opening of a Chick-fil-a on our campus. I still haven't been down there to taste the food but their reputation is for great Chicken! We'll see.
It's been a long, busy week. I'm pooped. I totally understand how new moms can suddenly change their mind and remain stay-at-home moms instead of returning to work. If it were financially possible and I could keep myself from staying in my PJ's all day every day, I might consider it.
I applaude all you SAH moms!! You're my hero!!

Here's some pics from Christmas:

A New Year - New Beginnings

2008-01-02T18:54:00.000-08:00

The new year brings many new beginnings for us.
Not only are we new parents but I also am getting to experience the emptyness of going back to work and leaving my precious baby with a sitter.
In our case, the sitter is grandma (my mom) but being away from him all day when I've spent the last 2 1/2 months with him constantly is a bit rough. Today was my first day back at work after being on maternity leave.
I checked on him on my lunch break. He had been cranky that morning but was fine when I got there. He was fighting going to sleep so I rocked him to sleep before I left. He slept the whole afternoon until I went to go pick him up after work.
I thought I'd be a little more emotional but no tears were shed. I did miss my little man but knew he was in very good hands. My parents only live about 5 minutes away from work so I can run over there if there's a problem.
One good thing about going back to work today was that this week is a short week. Yah!! The campus was closed the week between Christmas and New Years so there are a lot of people still on vacation. Because many are still on vacation, the office was pretty quiet. I got caught up on emails and updated my system. I got a little work done this afternoon but it was hard to get motivated. Luckily, the afternoon went by fast.
Me being away from Tyler during the day makes having time with him at night extra special. I know its an adjustment and everything will be fine.

Happy New Year

2007-12-31T11:16:00.000-08:00

This year is almost gone...

a new year is on its way,

Time to put the past behind us

and look forward to a promising year ahead!

My, has this been a crazy year for us. A huge prayer answered ending with our little blessing and early Christmas present! We had a lot to be thankful for this year. We look forward to an exciting future with our son!

May God bless you all with a promising new year!

Tyler's First Christmas

2007-12-27T19:38:00.000-08:00

We survived Tyler's first Christmas.

We had so much to be thankful for this year - especially our special Christmas present. ;-)

The holidays started out with our traditional Christmas Eve with family from Troy's dad's side. It's a traditional going back 3 generations where we get together and have chilli and cornbread. We usually go to Trina's (Troy's sister) house but this year, it was at our house. That meant that I had to get all my Christmas decorations ou and put up the tree. We hadn't decorated for the last few years as we're hardly home because of Christmas rehearsals and such. We didn't have a big production this year, and we now have a reason to decorate.

Christmas day was a busy one, as most holidays are. In the afternoon, we went to my sister's house up in the mountains, and then came down and went to Troy's mom's (Judy's) house that evening. It was quite a day and Tyler was awake through most of it. He got a little cranky at Judy's house, I'm thinking because there was a lot of people there.

We had 3 different 'Baby's first Christmas' outfits that we put Tyler in for the holidays including a Santa hat that was unfortunately too big on him. He looked so cute in them. We found one onesey that said, "Who needs Santa when I have Grandma." That's especially true for Tyler since grandma Judy is already spoiling him. We saved that one for Christmas day so we could show the grandmas.

Among Tyler's gifts were clothes, toys, and a cute little overnight backpack with Mickey Mouse on it. It was way cute and I was tempted to keep it for myself. One special gift we gave to all the grandparents was a double picture frame. On one side, it had a cute picture of Tyler smiling. On the other, was his footprint imprinted in a clay-like substance that turned rubbery when dried. It was specifically designed to hold a footprint image on one side. It was quite a chore to get his footprint, but based on their reaction, it was worth it.

I took a few pictures, but not many. You would think I'd be going picture crazy since this was Tyler's first Christmas. It'll be more fun next year when he's able to open his gifts on his own. Tyler's is growing so quick. He turned 2 months old on December 18th. According to the last doctor's appointment he's now weighing 11 lbs, 5 oz. Believe it or not, that's just one ounce more then I weighed when I was born (I was a month overdue).

With the new year right around the corner, that means I'll be back at work soon too. I've gotten used to staying at home with him, but actually look forward to getting back into the swing of things. My mom will watch Tyler while I'm at work. They live close to campus so I can go check on Tyler during lunch and it's on my way to and from work.

I'll post pictures soon, when I get them downloaded.

Until then, Happy New Year to everyone!

May God Bless each and every one of you for 2008!

A new adventure

2007-12-16T16:17:00.000-08:00

A new adventure began today... our first service in our new building.
For the past 6 years, New Harvest Church has met and worshipped in a high school cafeteria. Four years ago, we purchased an old citrus packing plant and TODAY

WE HAD OUR FIRST SERVICE IN OUR NEW HOME!

We have done Christmas and Easter productions over there but it has never felt the way it felt today. Allbeit, there were a few first day hickups but overall, everything ran well and the music was awesome! Our pastor, Mitch, was nearly in tears talking about how much he's prayed for this day and thanked all of us who have helped to make it come true.

The 'plant', as we called it, has a lot more to come (a huge event/main worship center to seat 3,000 and a fully functional commercial kitchen for catering) to come in the next few years. In the next year or so, we will have a fully-staffed child care center on site for our members and open to the public.

One dream of mine will soon come true as well. Now that we've moved in to the 'plant', I can start marketing the facility for concerts and events. It has always been a desire of mine to bring more Christian talent to the Fresno area. Once the event center is complete, I plan on bringing some full-on concerts in. Until that's complete, I have our smaller worship center that seats an estimated 800 people.

I just have to continue to be patient and prayerful on what God wants me to do in our new building.

The Future is Looking Bright!

2 months

2007-12-13T20:47:00.000-08:00

My baby is 8 weeks old today. In my eyes, it's been 2 months eventhough he doesn't technically turn 2 months until the 18th. Went to the doctor the other day and he is now weighing 11 lbs, 3.5 oz. Ironically, that is how much I weighed when I was born and I was a month late.

We are looking forward to Tyler's first Christmas. Eventhough he won't remember it, this Christmas will be very memorable because we thank God every day for our precious baby.
Grandma Judy has already went nuts on presents... and Troy and I have even gotten him a few things already. :-)

He's beginning to smile, which is so cute when we talk to him. We can see when he reacts to us now. He also is almost sleeping through the night. He's sleeping about 6 hours at night and taking short naps during the day. This makes us VERY happy!!!!

We can't help but say again that we are so blessed with this child!!! He is sooo good.
He hardly cries, he sleeps REALLY well, he is a healthy eater and can sit still and be content by just staring at the ceiling or looking at lights.

We love our precious one!!!

Our First Family pic

2007-11-23T15:34:00.000-08:00

Here's our first family photo.

Just wish Tyler had his eyes open!

Here's some new pics of Tyler by himself. He's just so adorable, I love taking his picture. So sue me, I'm a proud mom! :-)

The boy LOVES to sleep!

Very Thankful

2007-11-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!

This year, we have so much to be thankful for. Every year we are thankful for the many blessings God has bestowed upon us, for taking care of us and providing for our needs.

This year, we have a very special reason to be thankful. God has given us the wonderful opportunity and duty of raising a child.... HIS child! And a precious one his is too! I am incredible humbled everyday on how our faith, patience and trust in God's timing has brought us what we've been praying for for so long! A son!

We started the year still discouraged about not being able to conceive, and a few months later... I was carrying a precious bundle of joy. This will be Tyler's first Thanksgiving and we are very thankful that he is here with us.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Eat, Drink and Be Blessed!

One Month Today

2007-11-18T16:06:00.000-08:00

One month today, my baby was born.
A lot has changed in one month!
Coming off a good pregnancy (except for the minor back pain the last few months) I had a good delivery. God bless epidurals!! :-)
Eventhough I had issues after the delivery, I have a precious baby boy to show for it now.
Even being a few week early, he was a good 7 pounds, 7 ounces.
He's grown so much already!
Can't wait til his personality starts to appear. Right now he just still eats, sleeps and poops. I can tell he's starting to get ticklish when I touch his feet and he smiles slightly (mostly from passing gas).
My little man is growing up!
New photos coming soon.

Happy Birthday Tyler!!

1st pediatric appt

2007-11-09T11:42:00.000-08:00

Tyler had his first appointment with the pediatrician on Thursday. .. his 3 week birthday.

Everything checked out well. He's now weighing close to his birth weight - now at 7 lbs, 8 oz. (He had lost some weight being in the nursery for a week.) He's now an inch longer at 22 in. long and we can now feed him when he wakes up (provided it's not longer then every 4 hours). That means Troy and I (mostly ME!) get a little more sleep. He also now eating double the amount he was before. This child is a little piggy when he eats (more like inhales) his formula. :-)

The doctor has given us the ok to take him off all his prescription medication given by the hospital - 3 medicated creams for his rash, and 1 for his acid reflux. The acid reflux medicine was actually making Tyler spit up more then without it anyways. He's been doing much better without it. He also got his circumcision done. He slept right through that. This boy can sleep through anything.

We've started taking him out more, and he made his grand appearance at church last Sunday. He slept through the whole worship set. Like I said, this boy can sleep! Many people at church were thrilled to see us up & around, and also loved to see how well Tyler was doing. We had a lot of people praying for us and for him during my pregnancy and his time in the nursery.

Every day, he grows and every day he becomes more precious!!
I thank God every day for my precious baby boy!!
He is truely a miracle and blessing from God!

He's Home!

2007-10-30T11:19:00.000-07:00

Our sweet baby is finally home. He's one week and 5 days old.
After waiting all day, we were able to finally take Tyler home yesterday. It was a bit surreal having him home, and I didn't get much sleep last night being overly cautious about his every sound.

I did hate to wake him up for his feedings, he seemed to be sleeping so peacefully.
He is quite an eater and gets a little acid reflux from the formula. At the moment, I'm combining breast milk and the formula because he doesn't seem to get enough just with my milk alone.

I'm sure we'll get into a routine after he's home for awhile.

New pictures

2007-10-26T14:18:00.000-07:00

We should be able to bring Tyler home soon, provided his next round of tests come out good.

Here's some new pics.

daddy feeding tyler. he tends to fall asleep alot while feeding. poor guy gets exhausted by all the nurses proding prior to his feedings.

me holding my precious baby boy! he's actually awake.

closer picture of tyler. he likes to look around aloot when he's awake. they call that a reflective personality. both troy and i are that way.

OH, SO CUTE

YOU ARE!!

Tyler is Here!

2007-10-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in posting our son's blessed arrival. It's been quite an interesting few days.

Tyler Steven Root

born Thursday, October 18, 2007

at 6:52 am

Weight: 7 lb, 7 oz

Height: 20 1/2 in. long

The inducement period was LONG, and delivery went somewhat smoothly. Was given the epidural (thank you God for drugs!!) but had to have an episiotamy to help get Tyler out. I'm doing much better now and I was discharged from the hospital yesterday. I suffered from a minor headache which is a side effect of the epidural but am doing better now.

Tyler remains in the nursery, although he's just fine. He still had a bit of fluid in his lungs and was having problems breathing on his own with he first came out. He was also suffering from a bit of jaundas. He was on oxygen and was being fed introveniously for the first couple days but is now now eating a small bit of formula and is breathing on his own.

Troy has contstantly looked in on him and given me updates, as I have only been able to see him a few times due to my issues. Now that I'm feeling better, I can go try to see him tomorrow.

He is growing stronger day by day and we pray that we can bring him home soon!
Please pray for his continued strength and that we can hold him in our arms ASAP!

He is in good hands withthe nurses in the nursery and we both know God is caring for this little blessing every step of the way!

28 days turning into 7 days

2007-10-11T10:46:00.000-07:00

Because of the pain in my back, my 28 days is now turning into 7 days.
There is NO way I could make a whole month with dealing with this pain in my back. As of Sunday, Tyler is full term so we scheduled to induce labor on Wednesday, Oct 17.

He's still very healthy and active so delivery early shouldn't be a problem for him... and hopefully relieve the pressure in my back.

Troy is rushing about getting last minute things for Tyler's room and he's getting a bit nervous as it coming closer. That's a new dad for you. :-)

Pray for us on Wednesday, as I'm sure it will be grueling experience (although the epidural will help tremendously). Stay tuned!

At 36 weeks - Now on Maternity Leave

2007-10-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

I'm officially at 36 weeks - about 28 days to go until my due date.

I am officially on maternity leave, 2 weeks earlier then expected thanks to a pinched sciatic nerve in my back that the baby is pressing against.

I had an overnight stay in the birthing center at Kaiser and they took great care of me. The baby is doing well, I was just in severe pain. I'm doing better now and the pain is more like a stretch muscle. It will make the next few weeks very painful and uncomfortable.

Along with some other issues (I won't go into due to TMI) I actually hope little Tyler comes earlier, eventhough I did say I didn't way an Oct. baby.God is in control and he knows just the right time for him to come.

Please keep me, Troy and Tyler in your prayers as we get closer to the birth. School will be tremendously difficult as the time goes on as I still need to try to get my assignments done through all this.
I'll keep you updated as I can.

Blessings,
Sheryl

Baby Shower pictures

2007-09-18T21:19:00.000-07:00

The shower was quite an event. The theme was classic Disney characters. The table centerpieces was each of the 5 main characters on Ryder wagons. The favors were little stuffed characters with a candied apple attached.

I had quite a bit of gifts to open since there were nearly 90 people there. We broke up the opening with games every dozen gifts or so. You can get an idea of how many gifts I have from these pictures.

Surprisingly, I didn't get any pictures showing off how big my belly is getting (my niece took the pictures) but you might be able to tell from these. The last picture is of me and my cousin, Lisa. We were always told we looked like twins.

33 weeks down and I'm so ready! It's getting harder to move, sleep and work. I going to try to work up until the end of October, if I can last that long.

The light at the end of the tunnel

2007-09-03T16:41:00.000-07:00

There's a light at the end of the tunnel...
In just about two months, my life will change as I know it.

I'll be able to sleep on my back and stomach again.
I'll work at getting my girlish figure back.

and I'll be able to move, stretch and do things I was able to before.

Our little Tyler is growing strong and starting to stretch out more as he's getting confined in his small little sack. He is moving more and presses against my sides. We got our 3-D ultrasound done last week. If you know of someone who is pregnant, this is a must-do as it is an incredible exprience and the pictures are so real.

His room is almost done - getting painted in a few day. My shower is this next weekend and soon the room will be showered with gifts and supplies to get us through the first year and beyond. I have no idea where I'll put it all.

Where am I??

2007-08-30T09:06:00.000-07:00

A summer thunder storm has hit the Valley and its making me think I'm on the East coast.

Beside the fact that its been really hot and humid in the Fresno area for the last couple of week, last night, we were surprised with a huge thunderstorm, along with a very bright lightning storm.

Although we need the rain desperate in the drouted San Joaquin Valley, the lightning usually causes havic for our firefighters, causing at least a hand full of fires.

It was my wake-up call at 3:30 AM this morning. Actually, I was already awake thanks to all my tossing & turning. I think it went on for a good hour and a half watching the lightning show for our bedroom window, watching the trees sway in the wind and counting the distance between the lightning and thunder.

Reminding me of my dear summers in Virginia, I wondered.... am I in California?? Or Virginia??

Gone Where Most Women Don't Dare To Go

2007-08-26T15:10:00.000-07:00

Very few women have gone... a place where definately too much testosterone flying around.

Promise Keepers!

The weekend conference more men was held in Fresno this weekend and I attended, helping out at the KLOVE booth. Well actually, just attended Friday night, not on Saturday due to having a lot of homework to finish up. Even going for the few hours on Friday night, I saw plenty displays of machoism.

Being at the KLOVE booth, we were near the Army booth. The challenged men who pass by to do 50 push-ups to get a free T-shirt. I saw hords of younger, and older men do the push-up challenge. It was actually quite comical.

Overall, Promise Keepers is a wonderful tool to forge male bonding experiences, encouraging them to be better men, husbands and fathers. No other place can a grown man wheep hysterically and be comforted by the loving men around them.

If Promise Keepers is coming to your area, I strongly encourage all men to go experience the incredible feeling they'll receive from Promise Keepers conferences.

SLC pictures - FINALLY

2007-08-25T11:13:00.000-07:00

Here's a few shots from my trip to Salt Lake City and the tour of the Temple Square. Unfortunately, since I'm the one with a camera (acutally had to use my cell phone camera for these shots) they are only scenic ones.

First, this is a picture of the temple from the convention center roof.
Second is from inside the tabernacle, where the famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir rehearses and performs. Although the photo can't show, the roof is dome shaped which makes the accoustics in the room incredible. From the back of the room, you can hear paper tearing, and a pin drop from the front podium.

These two pictures are from the SLC Convention Center which is across the street to the Temple Square. This convention center is specifical used for the major conventions of the Later Day Saints (aka Mormons) and is incredible HUGE. From the first picture you can tell that it seats a number of people. From the second picture, it shows that the front is similar to the tabernacle but larger.

Here is the views of the balconys. There are three levels of seating, none of which has abstructed view. Above the seating is two rows of lighting. The photos don't do this place justice - it is HUGE!

Back from SLC

2007-08-22T19:55:00.000-07:00

I made it back from Salt Lake City fine and very tired. It was a very interesting experience.
The conference was very informative and I brought back a lot of info on how to improve our database and the security of the information we handle.

While I was there, me and one of the guys took a tour of the Temple Courtyard, which includes the tabernacle (where the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sings) and their very huge convention center. Yes, the mormon's have their own convention center! The tabernacle was very catholic church-like and had a huge pipe organ behind the choir loft. The convention center was HUGE and was constructed so that wherever someone sits in there, it's a good seat and not obstructed. Huge is actually an understatement for how big this thing is. It also features a stage with choir loft and a big pipe organ. It's very unique as it has a park on the roof. Although the grass was a little brown and the flowers weren't in bloom, it was cool to see and from pictures I saw, it's gorgeous when in season. Of course, we couldn't go into the temple, as it is reserved for LDS only and there was a wedding going on that day.

Trying to stay respectful to the tour guides and their beliefs, I kept my mouth shut about debating my beliefs vs. theirs. I'm knowledgeable but not nearly qualified enough to disprove their strong beliefs. Although we couldn't help but discuss the obvious misinterpretations on the way back to the hotel. Out of curiousity, I did ask one of the very nice tour guides if they believe in the holiness of the Bible as well as their Book of Mormon, why is it that they don't carry the Bible along with their 'other book'. I noticed that all the missionaries that work at the courtyard, and do the tours, held snugly to their B.O.M.

I took lots of pictures, although they were on my phone (I forgot to take my digital on the tour). I'll download them soon and post them.

Flying while pregnant

2007-08-21T14:53:00.000-07:00

This week, I'm in Salt Lake City, UT at a conference for work.
I had to make preparation with my OB to get an 'ok to fly' note for the airlines. I'm at 29 weeks and it wasn't an intersting experience flying with a baby inside. Although the most of the flight was the same as the many others I've taken, When there was turbulunce or a slight altitude change, I was more sensitive to it - and so was Tyler. Luckily, the flight from Fresno to Salt Lake City was only about an hour and a 1/2 long (if even that) so it wasn't too bad.

I'm here with three other guys from work. It's been an interesting experience being with 'the boys' but it did guarantee that I got my own room. No worries with the guys, as two are very happily married (as am I) and the other is seriously dating someone. No temptation here. It's been a great experience so far, although being in SLC wasn't necessarily my top choice to come to a work conference. I've met some great people and have taken some very informative notes to take back to the office and hope to initiate with our group there.

Salt Lake City is an interesting city. From my hotel room, I have a unique view of the Mormon temple, and through the steeples, I see the capitol building. Eventhough we can't go into the temple, the mormon church where the Mormon Tabernacle Choir rehearses and sings, has tours for the public. We're within a block away from it so I plan on walking down there and checking it out. I've heard the accoustics in there are incredible.

The conference ends tomorrow, and we'll fly back to Fresno.
I am looking forward to going home, but on the other hand, I know there will be much to do.
One good thing is that summer hours at work have ended and we're back to an 8-5 schedule. Sleeping in an extra hour will be nice but working til 5 will be tough, as I barely made it to 3:30 during the summer. The weather has been nice here - warm with a slight breeze. Not looking forward to going back to the Valley heat.

Are YOU Ready for some FOOTBALL???

2007-08-11T17:58:00.000-07:00

Are YOU ready for some football?? The preseason has begun! Wooohoooo!!!

Although my team is no long the Houston Texans since they released my dearest David Carr, I harbor no ill-will toward them and wish them a good season. I hope they can do better with their new QB (I doubt it).

Since David now plays for the Carolina Panthers, I'll be watching how they perform, although David probably won't get much play time this season unless the lead QB gets injured. I'll also be keeping my eye on the incredible Trent Dilfer, who is backup QB for the 49ers. Both are alumni of Fresno State and veterans in the NFL now.

Keep an eye one new rookies who will most asuredly make thier mark in the NFL - Dwayne Wright, a running back for the Buffalo Bills. This guy was amazing for the Bulldogs and with his talent and speed, will be a star - GUARANTEED!!

Let's get ready to Rock! Let's get ready for some FOOTBALL!!!!

SWC - Saturday update

2007-08-05T09:12:00.000-07:00

Saturay: Saturday was a brand new day. We had the late shift again, and didn't need to be here until 1. It's hard to work on homework when there is so much I want to see and do. I did a little bit of homework once I got there, and then finished up later that night.

It was cold and overcast yesterday. I was glad I decided to wear jeans instead of my shorts. Good Call!! We had a lot of traffic at the booth, since it was the last day of the festival. One of the things we got while there was a personalized sing-a-long Veggie Tales CD. It was so cute! What they do is digitally put in the kids name and the Veggie Tales characters pretend like they are actually there with you, singing children's songs and introducing the child to other characters on the CD. We was so cute, we had to get one for Tyler. Since it's songs that I would know, I could sing them to him until he can sing along with me. I'll have V.T. DVDs so he'll know who the characters are. Besides 2 CDs (BarlowGirl and Todd Agnew's newest ones) that's all we purchased - besides all the good food!

We left around 11ish since we had a long drive and it was foggy. Staff & crew stuck around to tear everything down so we didn't have to stay long after the last concert ended. Good thing because I was really tired and was so sore.

Another year is almost gone. It's been fun and definately a different experience then past years. Next year will be quite an adventure will a baby on my arm. We're blessed to be working with KLOVE/Air 1 and the fabulous staff with SWC. They treat us well! We are definately blessed to be working with people who have the same desire we do - to reach lost souls for Christ through the influnce of music... and I must say, Christian music has some awesome representatives out there preaching the gospel through their music!

Spirit West Coast 2007

2007-08-04T15:11:00.000-07:00

Another year, another music festival is just about over. On the last day of Spirit West Coast 2007 (SWC) in Monterey, I finally am able to sit down and reflect on my time here. It's been a busy week and boy, am I tired.

To sum up the fun:

Wednesday: We left Wednesday afternoon and drove to Santa Cruz (from Fresno) which is about a 2 1/2 hour drive. We stayed in Santa Cruz, since we have a rent-free vacation house there compliments of Troy's family. :-) Troy, myself and our friend Larrin kicked back with a pleasant evening at the house before starting our long day on Thursday. We grabbed some pizza, I worked on some homework and enjoyed the time together.

Thursday: We started our day early by having to get up at 6 am to get ready and head to Monterey. Of course, coffee was an absolute NEED!! Don't worry, mine was decaf. :-) We started our shift at the KLOVE/Air 1 booth at 9 and once the gates were open, hords of people from every direction kept running past, trying to find the best plae to plop their 'territory' for the day's concerts on the main stage. We had a lot of people stop by the booth, signing up for our contests and playing that dance revolution game that is all the crace with kids nowadays. One catch with this game though - they danced to Christian music. It was pretty cool. I might see if I can get that program for the house. No better way to dance off all the baby pounds but to dance to the best kind of music every written.

After our shift at the booth, we walked around alot, just checking things out. My body is definately telling me that I can't do all I used to do. Tyler takes a lot of out me - more then I thought he would. I guess this is just the beginning. I'm not letting him stop me from serving in my God-callen ministry though. In fact, next year, I'll be toting a 9-month old around, while I work. He will become very well accustomed to what mom & dad do, and will learn to love Christian music and love ministry as much as we do. We stayed until about 10ish that night then went back to the house. I was exhausted and my legs and feet were so sore.

Friday: Another long day, although we did get to sleep in a little bit. We got to SWC about 11:30 that morning in anxious anticipation of seeing my ultimate favorite band BarlowGirl and their wonderful family. We've become friends with them the last few years, since they did a concert in Fresno and Troy and I went above and beyond to make their stay a great and memorable one. We got to talk with them briefly and break the exciting news about my pregnancy. They were thrilled and excited for us... and I promised that I would call them once Tyler is born to let them know. We wanted to try to hook up with them before they left to catch their plane but wasn't able to. Their schedule while they are here is always so hectic, it's hard to get a moment with them. That' the life of rock stars. :-)

The rest of the afternoon, we did a lot of walking around. I tried to sit still and put my feet up every now and then but it's just too difficult to sit still in this environment. Concerts going on all-day, seeing people we know and visiting with other vendors we see every year. We found a cool vendor that was selling personalized Veggie Tales Cds. We tried it out with Tyler's name and it was very cute. One CD was full of silly songs that are familiar from Veggie Tales videos and the other was a sing-a-along CD with more familiar kids songs that he can learn to sing when he gets older. Knowing us, we'll probably get both. :-)

We had the late shift at the booth so we were on-site until about 11ish. Didn't get back to Santa Cruz until about midnight. I was really starting to feel the sorenes in my legs and my feet so I sat a lot during the shift (which I had permission to do - if I needed to). Traffic through the booth died down once the everyone started making their way to mainstage for the evening headliner concert - Third Day. There was an off-and-on crowd after that so it was an easy shift for me.

I'll post Saturday's review tomorrow, once the day passes and there is more to write about. I'll also post pictures soon.

To Be Young Again

2007-07-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

I long for those younger years where we were excited about birthdays. The cakes, the parties, the family vacations.

As a kid, I'd usually spend my birthdays in Yosemite with my family and friends from church. My mom would cook me a home-made chocolate cake and we'd have a mini party right there in the campground. So much fun! Then, as I got older, I'd spend my birthdays in VA at my dear Camp WaMaVa with friends and co-counselors. A few times it was a disappointed day for me, but others would make up for it!

Those were the good ole days when we looked forward to birthdays!!

Yesterday, I turned 35, and it there was hardly a commotion. Believe me, I'm not complaining though... I wanted it that way. I tried to keep it quiet in the office but a few people found out and made a big spectacle. My parents were out of town (but we celebrated before they left); my sister Sherry was out of town with my brother-in-law and nephew (but she called me last night); and I got an e-card from my sister Sandy, in NY.
From Troy's side of the family, his mom & dad, and aunt called to wish me a happy birthday. They all sang to me (some better then others)... it was cute. I got many emails and text messages from friends that remembered!! I am greatful to my friends. I don't have many, but the ones I have are AWESOME!!

When I got home the little dork himself (Troy) had gotten me a musical card and some flowers.
The card played 'Always and Forever' which was appropriate for us... although that would've fit more with our anniversary but its the thought that counts. At least he went out to purchase something. :-) We went out to a nice dinner, just the two of us last night, and we're going out with his mom & step-dad tonight.

Instead of celebrating, we'd rather stay home, and work on getting Tyler's room ready (it's getting closer) but still have a lot to go so we can start painting.

All in all, it was a good birthday, and life goes on.
O-Bla-Dee, O-Bla-Dah.... La, la, la, la.... Life Goes On!

12 years

2007-07-23T13:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Troy and my 12 year anniversary. It's hard to believe that it's been 12 years since we got married, and 15 years since we first dated. Time does fly when you're having fun.
We have faced struggles in our marriage, but God gave us both patience and understanding through the years. This has been a big year for us. I finally got my AA degree (now working on my BA), work is began to pick up for Troy and bring in some really good employees that are actively producing good loans, and the biggest and best of all - we'll have a child this year. After so many years of trying, God has blessed us with a great joy.

We must be getting to be an old married couple because we didn't do much yesterday. We didn't give each other cards or gifts (well, actually I did get him a gift but haven't given it to him. It's actually a late Father's Day present). Troy took the Sunday off from church and we visited one of the other local congregations nearby. It was a nice feeling to be able to worship together, without him thinking about lighting cues, or me focusing on musical notes.

We went to lunch after church with Troy's mom & stepdad. I can tell our dear, sweet baby-boy is getting an appetite because we ate BBQ and I ate nearly everything on my plate, which would have been impossible with me eating on my own. It was GOOD BBQ!! After lunch, we went to go see Evan Almight. We had been wanting to see it, but hadn't gotten to the movies in awhile.

I have got to say it was very funny, and connected the scriptural story with modern-day times. It definatley held a great message. Coming out of the theatre, Troy and I agreed we liked this one much more then the first. It was more direct with trusing in God's plan instead of our own, in spite of the ridicule and rejection you will face by people around you, including family and friends. I give it an A+!

So, why hasn't it do well in the box office?? It's been out for quite awhile and still gets a packed theatre. Ours, at least, was packed. Did Christian movie-goers give it a chance?? We, as a Chrisian community should reach out and really make a statement to Hollywood that we need more family-friendly and Christian-based movies. Do we need to disguise the true story with an imagination fantasy, as CS Lewis did with Chronicles of Narnia? I loved them both!!
Jesus taught the people in parables, that's a great way to connect with a society that does not know Him. The Bible itself have great stories, such as Noah and the Ark and Joseph with his amazing 'technicolor dreamcoat'. There's a common ground we can find between them both to entertain and teach.

Things to Know

2007-07-20T14:12:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you moms out there might already know some of these. How many of these have you actually done?

THINGS TO KNOW

1. Budweiser beer conditions the hair.
2. Pam cooking spray will dry finger nail polish
3. Cool whip will condition your hair in 15 minutes
4. Mayonnaise will KILL LICE, it will also condition your hair
5. Elmer's Glue - paint on your face, allow it to dry, peel off and see the dead skin and blackheads if any
-- I've actually tried this when I was younger, but on my hand, not my face. I didn't necessarily see any dead skin but it did feel fresher and was fun to do!

6. Shiny Hair - use brewed Lipton Tea
7. Sunburn - empty a large size Nestea into your bath water
-- I've actually used Noxema to help soothe a sunburn.
8. Minor burn - Colgate or Crest toothpaste
9. Burn your tongue? Put sugar on it!
-- What about when you burn the roof of your mouth?

10. Arthritis WD-40 Spray and rub in, kill insect stings too
11. Bee stings - meat tenderizer
12. Chigger bite - Preparation H
-- don't think we have chiggers here in CA, do we?
13. Puffy eyes - Preparation H
14. Paper cut - crazy glue or Chap Stick (glue is used instead of sutures at most hospitals)
-- gotta try this one, I get paper cuts all the time?
15. Stinky feet - Jello!
16. Athletes feet - cornstarch
17. Fungus on toenails or fingernails - Vicks vapor rub
-- I've actually heard of this one but haven't tried it before.
18. Kool aid to clean dishwasher pipes. Just put in the detergent section and run a cycle, it will also clean a toilet. (Wow, and we drink this stuff)
19. Kool Aid can be used as a dye in paint also Kool Aid in Dannon plain yogurt as a finger paint, your kids will love it and it won't hurt them if they eat it!
20. Peanut butter - will get scratches out of CD's! Wipe off with a coffee filter paper
-- Cool!!
21. Sticking bicycle chain - Pam no-stick cooking spray
22. Pam will also remove paint, and grease from your hands!? Keep a can in your garage for your hubby
23. Peanut butter will remove ink from the face of dolls
24. When the doll clothes are hard to put on, sprinkle with corn starch and watch them slide on
25. Heavy dandruff - pour on the vinegar!
26. Body paint - Crisco mixed with food coloring. Heat the Crisco in the microwave, pour in to an empty film container and mix with the food color of your choice!
27. Tie Dye T-shirt - mix a solution of Kool Aid in a container, tie a rubber band around a section of the T-shirt and soak
28. Preserving a newspaper clipping - large bottle of club soda and cup of milk of magnesia, soak for 20 min. and let dry, will last for many years!
29. A Slinky will hold toast and CD's!
-- a good use for a fun toy
30. To keep goggles and glasses from fogging, coat with Colgate toothpaste
-- but how can we see through the toothpaste?? :-)
31. Wine stains, pour on the Morton salt and watch it absorb into the salt.
32. To remove wax - Take a paper towel and iron it over the wax stain, it will absorb into the towel.
33. Remove labels off glassware etc. rub with Peanut butter!
34. Baked on food - fill container with water, get a Bounce paper softener and the static from the Bounce towel will cause the baked on food to adhere to it.? Soak overnight. Also; you can use 2 Efferdent tablets, soak overnight!
35. Crayon on the wall - Colgate toothpaste and brush it!
36. Dirty grout - Listerine
37. Stains on clothes - Colgate
38. Grass stains - Karo Syrup
39. Grease Stains - Coca Cola, it will also remove grease stains from the driveway overnight. We know it will take corrosion from car batteries!
40. Fleas in your carpet 20 Mule Team Borax- sprinkle and let stand for 24 hours. Maybe this will work if you get them back again.
41. To keep FRESH FLOWERS longer Add a little Clorox, or Bayer aspirin, or just use 7-up instead of water.

And this one is a very interesting fact:

42. When you go to buy bread in the grocery store, have you ever wondered which is the freshest, so you "squeeze" for freshness or softness Did you know that bread is delivered fresh to the stores five days a week Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Each day has different color twist tie. They are: Monday: Blue, Tuesday: Green, Thursday: Red, Friday: White, and Saturday: Yellow. So if today was Thursday, you would want red twist tie; not white which is Fridays (almost a week old)!

The colors go alphabetically by color Blue, Green, Red, White, and Yellow, Monday through Saturday. Very easy to remember. I thought this was interesting. I looked in the grocery store and the bread wrappers DO have different twist ties, and even the ones with the plastic clips have different colors. You learn something new everyday!
Enjoy fresh bread when you buy bread with the right color on the day you are shopping.

It's HOT, HOT, HOT!!!

2007-07-07T11:22:00.000-07:00

We're having a heat wave here in the Valley. Wow, it's warm. I thought I'd be ok with a mild summer but with the temps above 100 degrees, it'll be a scorcher of a summer for me and baby Tyler.

It was roughly about 110 yesterday so it's a bit cooler then yesterday.

God Bless America - Lee Greenwood

2007-07-04T10:03:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite patriotic songs would be Lee Greenwood's version of "God Bless America".

Who doesn't love this song? It still makes me cry!

In honor of 4th of July, here is a reminder of this beloved song.

If tomorrow all the things were gone

I'd worked for all my life,

And I had to start again

with just my children and my wife,

I'd thank my lucky stars

to be living here today,

'Cause the flag still stands for freedom

and they can't take that away.

I'm proud to be an American

where at least I know I'm free,

And I won't forget the men who died

who gave that right to me,

And I gladly stand up next to you

and defend her still today,

'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land

God Bless the U.S.A.

From the lakes of Minnesota

to the hills of Tennessee,

Across the plains of Texas

from sea to shining sea.

From Detroit down to Houston

and New York to L.A.,

There's pride in every American heart

and it's time we stand and say:

I'm proud to be an American

where at least I know I'm free,

And I won't forget the men who died

who gave that right to me,

And I gladly stand up next to you

and defend her still today,

'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land

God Bless the U.S.A.

Lyrics found at Patriotic Songs & Hymns

What is true freedom?

2007-07-02T15:05:00.000-07:00

What comes to find when you think of freedom?
4th of July, patriotic songs, fireworks, barbeque, picnics.... and the list goes on and on.
On this celebration of our country's independence, I pray for those service men and women fighting to protect our freedom and bring freedom to others around the world.

Here's some 4th of July Trivia for you....

1. The members of the Continental Congress ratified the Declaration of Independence, forming the United States as a new republic on July 4th, but did you know....
The group actually declared independence two days earlier.

2. The average fire works show only lasts approximately 20 minutes.
Mark Silveira, a show producer for Pyro Spectaculars by Souza, says "People get bored. If it goes longer than 20 minutes, people are saying, 'OK, that's nice. Where's the finale? Let's go home.' "
He says post-race NASCAR shows last 10 minutes, Las Vegas New Year's Eve shows maybe 13. "Fireworks don't last that long -- but it feels like they do," Silveira says. "I could shoot a 20-minute show, and people will swear it was an hour. People love the colors, and it mesmerizes them."

3. Rumor syas that a U.S. flag needs to be destroyed if it touches the ground.
Actually, that's is false. The flag code (which can be found at www.usflag.org) includes a couple of instructions that people often conflate into this myth: You should do everything possible to prevent the flag from touching the ground, and a flag no longer suitable for display should be destroyed, preferably by burning in a dignified manner.
If a flag accidentally touches the ground but remains in good condition, it should simply be raised so that it doesn't rest on anything.

4. How many Presidents were born on 4th of July?
Only one: Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president, in 1872. The next closest is the George W. Bush, who was born July 6, 1946.
BUT DID YOU KNOW: Three of the first five U.S. presidents -- John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe -- died on July 4. Monroe was the last to do so, in 1851.

5. What's the highest-grossing American movie related to the Fourth of July?
According to www.boxofficemojo.com,
1. "Independence Day" is the 23rd-highest domestic box-office success of all-time, pulling in
more than $306 million.
2. "The Patriot" (No. 279, $113 million);
3. "American Pie" (a stretch, but No. 335, $102 million); and
4. "Born on the Fourth of July" (No. 613, $70 million).

Have a wonderful and safe 4th of July!!

God Bless America!!

Source: The Why of Fourth of July, found at Fresnobee.com.

The I-phone cometh!

2007-07-01T17:17:00.000-07:00

The I-Phone has arrived!!
So much commotion over a phone. On Friday, the much anticipated I-phone (from Mac) was available in store. Depending on where you go, some stores sold out in a matter of a few hours.

Is it really worth it get up at 0-dark thirty, and get in line at a local Apple or A.T. & T. stores for a phone that costs $500+ . I know of 3 people that were in those lines (although not quite that early) and got the phones on the first day out. Some claim they had issues with activation, while others were up & running in about an hour. And those who have wireless services other then A.T. & T are out of luck if they want to keep their original service. The I-phones won't work on anything but A.T. & T.

At first glance these phones look very neat, like a mini-computer (which most phones are leaning towad nowadays) and has a touch screen instead of a normal keypad. You have your regular phone features plus music, video and internet - all in one.

It's a neat little gadget - BUT.....

I think we'll wait til the price goes down a little AND all the little bugs that come with new technology are all fixed. Being I'll probably be using a Mac in my chosen field (once I graduate), it's probably inevitable that I'll get one - EVENTUALLY.

A precious gift

2007-06-25T19:40:00.000-07:00

I just a received a special gift from my dear friend, Malia! I was pleasantly surprised to fin a special angel that was passed down to her from her dear frend prior to the birth of her son. She was inspired to pass on the blessing to me, as I continue my pregnancy and prepare for the birth of my son.

My son... that's still so hard to fathom!! I'm going to be a mother! And Troy is going to be a dad! I have no doubt that we'll be loving parents, I just hope and pray that we direct our son's life to be a servant of God, as Troy and I are.

Malia was very poetic in her words (she's always had a way with words, which is why she's such a great blogger) and her words brought tears to my eyes. Must be the hormones, since I'm not the emotional type. LOL

Malia and I met through camp many, many, MANY years ago. Eventhough we live so far away, she is still one of my most cherished friends. Our anniversaries are one week apart, and if it weren't for that, we would've been in each other's weddings. It's ironic that the gift comes this week, as I happened to notice that this is the first week of camp at WaMaVa.

My dear sweet friend thought of me and I will uphold the tradition after my son is born, but passing it on to another cherished soul!

Thank you so much, Malia! You mean so much to me!!!

New CA Driving Laws - effective 7/1/07

2007-06-20T14:29:00.001-07:00

Not sure if it's just in CA, but all over that this will take into effect, but here's a few things to consider. The Police Dept will be on serious lookout!! Just wanted to make you aware!!!

New Driving Fines for 2007

1. Carpool lane - 1st time $1068.50 starting 7/1/07 (The $271 postedon the highway is old). Don't do it again because 2nd time is going to bedouble. 3rd time triple, and 4th time license suspended.
I see this alot when we're driving in the San Jose/San Francisco area. We don't have car pool lanes around Fresno.

2. Incorrect lane change - $380. Don't cross the lane on solid lines or intersections.
This happens all the time around here, too many people in a hurry and will pass on anything. Very dangerous and stupid on our country roads. Unfortunately, there's never a cop around to bust them when it happens.

3. Block intersection - $485
Too many people trying to get through the intersection during rush hour or conjested times. What people will do just to not sit at a red light.

4. Driving on the shoulder - $450

5. Cell phone use in the construction zone. - Double fine as of 07/01/07. Cell phone use must be "hands free" while driving. (Also see # 9)

6. Passengers over 18 not in their seatbelts - both passengers and drivers get tickets .

7. Speeders can only drive 3 miles above the limit.
Oh, come on!! This one is a bit ridiculous!! 3 miles over?? That's being a bit nit-picky in my opinion. The buffer is usually 5-10 mph over. I think that's good enough.

8. DUI = JAIL (Stays on your driving record for 10 years!)
Yah baby!! They need serious jail time!! And a fine, and counseling, and rehab, and AA. Anything to get them to realize that driving while intoxicated (even a buzz) is dangerous and stupid! This one is a hot-button for me.

9. As of 07/01/07 cell phone use must be "hands free" while driving. Ticket is $285. They will be looking for this like crazy - easy money for police department.
I agree that cell phone use can distract a driver while driving (especially on the freeway) but a fine of $285 is a bit much. I know the police dept will start raking in the money of this one, as just about everyone I pass by coming & going from work is on their cell. Us Californian's can't seem to live without our cell phones. I do put myself in that category as well, but I am not nearly as hooked to my cell as some people are. It is my only way of communication, and is a good tool... but MUST we be on it 24/7??? Believe it or not I even see people at church that have their hands-free ear-pieces in during service. And many of the young people texting during service instead of listening.

10. Ok, I'm adding one more that SHOULD be a law!!
I think there should be a fine for motorcycles that 'share the lane' with cars. This is when a motorcycle driver feels the need to rush past all of the cars in between lanes. I've heard it is actually lawful to do this if the traffic is not moving, but it's dangerous and a pet-peave of mine. I have seen many motorcycles speed past even as we're moving. I can understand if traffic is backed up, and we're all at a standstill but when it's the normal flow of busy traffic, they need to wait like the rest of us. :-) Just my thoughts.

Ok, I've vented. I feel better now! :-)

Happy Father's Day to the new daddy

2007-06-17T09:40:00.000-07:00

Although he doesn't see this, I wanted to express my deepest Happy Father's Day to my dearest husband. This is his first father's day with our expectant child.

Ironically, both this weekend and Mother's Day weekend, we spent together in Santa Cruz (just off the Central CA coast for those not familiar with CA). Eventhough I am technically a mother now, I don't feel the real job begins til next year.

I know how excited Troy is to become a daddy and how long we've been waiting for this so I wish him the happiest Father's Day. Next year will be quite a year!

Passing of a pastor's wife

2007-06-14T16:50:00.000-07:00

Billy Graham's Wife, Ruth dies at 87.

By MIKE BAKER
Associated Press Writer

MONTREAT, N.C. (AP) -- Ruth Graham, who surrendered dreams of missionary work in Tibet to marry a suitor who became the world's most renowned evangelist, died Thursday. She was 87. Graham died at 5:05 p.m. at her home at Little Piney Cove, surrounded by her husband and all five of their children, said a statement released by Larry Ross, Billy Graham's spokesman.
"Ruth was my life partner, and we were called by God as a team," Billy Graham said in a statement. "No one else could have borne the load that she carried. She was a vital and integral part of our ministry, and my work through the years would have been impossible without her encouragement and support.
"I am so grateful to the Lord that He gave me Ruth, and especially for these last few years we've had in the mountains together. We've rekindled the romance of our youth, and my love for her continued to grow deeper every day. I will miss her terribly, and look forward even more to the day I can join her in Heaven."
Ruth Graham had been bedridden for months with degenerative osteoarthritis of the back and neck - the result of a serious fall from a tree in 1974 while fixing a swing for grandchildren - and underwent treatment for pneumonia two weeks ago. At her request, and in consultation with her family, she had stopped receiving nutrients through a feeding tube for the last few days, Ross said.
A public memorial service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at the Montreat Conference Center. A private interment service will be held the next day in Charlotte.
As Mrs. Billy Graham, Ruth Graham could lay claim to being the first lady of evangelical Protestantism, but neither exploited that unique status nor lusted for the limelight.
Behind the scenes, however, she was considered her husband's closest confidant during his spectacular global career - one rivaled only by her father, L. Nelson Bell, until his death in 1973.
"She would help my father prepare his messages, listening with an attentive ear, and if she saw something that wasn't right or heard something that she felt wasn't as strong as it could be, she was a voice to strengthen this or eliminate that," said her son, Franklin, who is now the head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
"Every person needs that kind of input in their life and she was that to my father."
Bell, a missionary doctor, headed the Presbyterian hospital in Qingjiang, China, that had been founded by the father of author Pearl Buck. Ruth grew up there and spent three high school years in what's now North Korea.
"What she witnessed in her family home, she practiced for herself - dependence on God in every circumstance, love for his word, concern for others above self, and an indomitable spirit displayed with a smile," said the Grahams' youngest daughter, also named Ruth.
Despite her reluctance to be a public personality herself, Ruth Graham met many of the powerful and famous through her husband - who was a spiritual adviser to presidents for decades. President Bush and first lady Laura Bush called her a "remarkable woman of faith" who "inspired people around the world with her humor, intelligence, elegance, and kindness."
She met Billy Graham at Wheaton College in Illinois. He recalled in 1997 memoirs, "If I had not been smitten with love at first sight of Ruth Bell I would certainly have been the exception. Many of the men at Wheaton thought she was stunning."
Billy Graham courted her, managing to coax her away from the foreign missions calling and into marriage after both graduated in 1943. In 1945, after a brief stint pastoring a suburban Chicago congregation, he became a roving speaker for the fledgling Youth for Christ organization.
From that point onward she had to endure her husband's frequent absences, remarking, "I'd rather have a little of Bill than a lot of any other man."
Ruth Graham moved the couple into her parents' home in Montreat, where they had relocated after fleeing wartime China. She stayed in western North Carolina mountain town the rest of her life.
The young couple later bought their own house across the street from the Bells. Then in 1956, needing protection from gawkers, the Grahams moved into Little Piney Cove, a comfortably rustic mountainside home she designed using logs from abandoned cabins. It became Billy's retreat between evangelistic forays.
Though the wife of a famous Baptist minister, the independent-minded Ruth Graham declined to undergo baptism by immersion and remained a loyal, lifelong Presbyterian. When in Montreat, a town built around a Presbyterian conference center, Billy Graham would attend the local Presbyterian church where his wife often taught the college-age Sunday School class.
Due to her husband's travels, she bore major responsibility for raising the couple's five children: Franklin (William Franklin III), Nelson, Virginia, Anne and Ruth.
Ruth Graham was the author or co-author of 14 books, including collections of poetry and the autobiographical scrapbook "Footprints of a Pilgrim."
In 1996, the Grahams were each awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for "outstanding and lasting contributions to morality, racial equality, family, philanthropy, and religion."
Crime novelist Patricia Cornwell began her writing career with a Ruth Graham biography that depicted many deeds of personal charity. Cornwell said as a youth in Montreat she thought Ruth Graham "was the loveliest, kindest person ever born. I still do."
She helped establish the Ruth and Billy Graham Children's Health Center in Asheville, and the Billy Graham Training Center near Montreat.
Ruth Graham will be buried at the new Billy Graham Library in Charlotte - a source of apparent discord within the family last year. This week, Billy Graham said he and Ruth had decided "after much prayer and discussion" they would be laid to rest at the foot of a cross-shaped walkway in the library's prayer garden.

Today is the day

2007-06-11T16:00:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: IT'S A BOY!

Today is the day that I find out if I'm having a boy or girl. I'm kinda nervous, and excited all in one. It's starting to really hit me that I'm going to be a mom, and my stomach grows bigger and I start feeling the changes going on within me. This is a defining moment.

It's been really sweet (and sometimes annoying) to see how excited Troy is. He's really look forward today and has been on me constantly to eat better, make sure I drink enough water and get a lot of rest, etc. He's going to make a good daddy, although it will be a growth experience for the both of us. I think especially for him.

Troy and I have been working on the baby's room and still have so much to do. We've made some headway getting all the junk out. Have gone through momory lane with old pictures, and momentos of our youth. I came across camp pictures that really took me back. Some really good memories!!

After this afternoon, we start really getting into gear turning our 'storage' room into a fine looking baby's room. We're going with a Disney theme for the room. Baby Disney for a boy (with more blues and browns) and Disney Princess for a girl (with more pinks).

Now, if we could decide on a name. I have a few ideas but nothing conclusive yet - as long as it begins with a T. Middle names are already decided, just trying to figure out a good first name.

For a boy: Tyler, Trey (although too close to 'Troy') Tristan, Trent, Trevor
For a girl: Talia, Taylor, Tricia, Tia

What are your thoughts?

Vanishing Act

2007-06-08T10:26:00.000-07:00

From USA Today. Looking at items from the past 25 years that have seemed to vanish. I thought it was cute.

Times have changed for Michael Jackson (No. 24 below) and vinyl records (No. 5) since he released Thriller 25 years ago. Today, we look back at 25 years of other changes in our lives. Some things are still around (No. 4), some not (No. 6).

1 Indoor smoking
The workplace once had clouds of secondhand smoke and first-rate smokers. You could even puff away in the rear of jets. Attitudes have changed, forcing smokers outside, rain or shine.

2 Service stations
It's easier to find chips and a hot dog than free air or somebody to clean your windshield as service has transformed into convenience shopping and self-serve fill-ups. Want fries with that?

3 The Soviet threat
The United States' Cold War rival ended with the stroke of a pen in December 1991. The "evil empire" was undone by internal changes, the desire for independence by its satellites and economic pressures.

4 Typewriters
The computer keyboard on your desk used to be a thundering, hulking device. The electric model sank the manual, only to be trumped by a revolution in technology that continues to this day.

5 Vinyl records
Music used to be big. Literally. Before palm-sized CDs took over, songs were embedded in vinyl platters the size of hubcaps. And then there were 8-tracks and cassettes. But that's another story.

6 New Coke
Introduced in 1985 as a replacement for Coca-Cola's flagship brand, New Coke is considered one of marketing's all-time duds. New Coke evolved into Coca-Cola II before being discontinued in 2002.

7 Carbon paper
If you worked with typewriters, you're familiar with the flimsy, filthy filament. To make copies, you'd need a sheet of this purplish-looking stuff. Type "good riddance." In triplicate.

8 Betamax
Betamax was the most popular video format in the early 1980s. By the end of the decade, VHS was king. What happened? Some say Betamax's limited recording time was the culprit.

9 Phone booths
Don't tug on Superman's cape — especially when he's been trying to find a place to ditch his Clark Kent duds. The bulky boxes with a phone inside have gone away for the most part. Sorry, Clark.

10 Leaded gasoline
The EPA phased out leaded gas in the mid-1990s, citing threats to the environment and public health. Lead was blended into gasoline to boost octane levels and enhance engine performance.

11 Rotary dial phones
Imagine your cellphone, only stationary and way bulkier, with a numbered wheel that you had to spin seven to 10 times or more, depending on your call being local or long distance. Oy.

12 Videos on MTV
Before reality shows and the like filled its airtime, MTV forged its identity with wall-to-wall videos and the veejays who loved them. OK, who misses 1984's 99 Luftballoons by Nena? Anyone?

13 Baltimore Colts
One of the NFL's cornerstones ended its stay in Baltimore with a whimper in 1984, hitting the road for Indianapolis. The Colts' Marching Band lived on, even after the Ravens took the field, till 1998.

14 Oldsmobiles
The last Olds rolled off the assembly line in April 2004, signaling a shift in the U.S. auto marketplace and marking the end of a renowned brand. Also deceased: Plymouth (2001) and AMC (1987).

15 Civility
It can be rough out there — whether on TV, radio, the Web or at sporting arenas. Today’s discourse has plenty of “dis,” and it can be pretty “coarse,” too. And whatever happened to thank-you notes? We could go on.

16 'American Bandstand'
The TV dance show, a sensation in Philadelphia in the 1950s before going national on ABC, survived countless shifts in musical tastes. Bandstand ended its run in 1989.

17 Beverage pull tabs
Once, to open a beverage can, you'd pull a metal ring from a can, creating a tiny blade you'd rediscover walking barefoot. Tabs that stay attached to the can did away with pull-tabs.

18 West African black rhino
At 12 feet long and 3,000 pounds, the rhino might appear indestructible. Last summer, it was "tentatively declared as extinct" by the World Conservation Union. Blame illegal poaching.

19 Hand-crank car windows
Before your car was controlled by electronics, you could get a brisk workout just opening the window for a little air. No fingertip controls here, thank you. Crank, two, three. Repeat.

20 Home run kings
Roger Maris got a record and an asterisk in 1961 when he passed Babe Ruth's season record. He's been passed by Mark McGwire (70) in 1998 and Barry Bonds (73) in 2001. More asterisks to come?

21 Hair bands
The music: bad. The hair: worse. In the late '80s and early '90s, the mix was magical for bands such as Poison, Ratt and Cinderella. Some continue to tour, testing the endurance of leather pants.

22 The afternoon newspaper
Remember the kid on the bike who never quite reached the porch with your afternoon daily? He moved on, as did lifestyles and the media world. City afternoons became lonelier for newspaper readers.

23 Transistor radios
Before iPods, the handheld music-delivery system of choice was the transistor radio. The transistor tuned in to whatever your local radio station was dishing out. It's the very definition of "quaint."

24 Michael Jackson

The Jackson 5's lead singer evolved into, well, the "King of Pop," selling gazillion of copies of 1982's Thriller. Sales slowed as various accusations and trials came. Today, he is believed to reside in Bahrain.

25 Checker cabs
The iconic yellow Marathon cab — you know, like the ones in the movie Taxi Driver — stopped being produced in the early 1980s. The last Checker cab in New York City was retired in 1999. So it goes.

And the winner is....

2007-05-23T08:05:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: AND THE WINNER OF DWTS IS: APOLO!!!
Yah Apolo!! It was really close!! I wish him and Joey could both take home the trophy. Maybe they can share it!! :-)

Details on the battle between Jordan and Blake tonight!

On DWTS, it comes down to three!
On AI, it's down to two.
Tonight will be a hot night for tv.

First, DWTS:
If you've kept up with my ramblings, you know that I'm a fantatic about DWTS now. The final results of DWTS is tonight and the winner will be either Apolo, Joey or Laila. They've all done exceptionally well and it's still anyone's guess as to who is going to walk away with the coveted dancing ball.

Last night's dances didn't impress the judges to grant a lot of 10s, but I thought they were fabulous... especially their free-style.

Apolo and Julianne did a hip-hop, breakdancing type dance and wowed the crowd! Didn't think they were able to do it but it worked well and were totally in step with each other. They even surprised everyone with doing a few moves blind-folded.

Joey & Kym began their dance with slow, elegant choreography. At first, I was like "What in the world is HE doing???" No more then I could get out the words, and they both stripped off their formal wear to show a more dazzling glittery outfits. I should've known better with Joey. He's full of surprises. I loved their dancing and did a lot of great moves - even incorporating some of the techniques he learned throughout the season. It was fantastic!!

Laila and Maxim did ok. They had a lot of good moves but it wasn't anything too 'wow'. She's been rockin' the dance floor, which has led her to get to this point... which is a first for a female dancer.

Eventhough it would be nice to see her win, I think it's in the bag for one of the guys. They're better performers and really know how to shack it.

Now, AI:

Tonight is the finals between Jordan and Blake. My bet is with Jordan all the way!! She's been my favorite, eventhough I haven't paid attention to watching it. I've just made sure she's continued on. We'll see how they sing tonight.

Great news on the Music Front

2007-05-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share this news to anyone who views my blog!!
I found out some great news about my church's worship leader and good friend, Jon Shabaglian.
He is currently pursuing a music career and has made some major strides.

He recently won 2nd place in a Battle of the Bands (he lost to some guys in helmets...). From that win, he and his band will be performing at a music festival up in Sacramento in June.

And the BIGGEST NEWS: Jon and the band has won the grand price in an Indie artist competition called Artist Ovations. The grand prize is the opportunity to perform at Spirit West Coast in Del Mar, California (near San Diego) and will be traveling to Nashville in November to meet with well known producer Otto Price, from Word Records, for a possible record deal.

SWC is the biggest and best music festival on the West coast and is such a great thrill and opportunity. He'll be able to have thousands of people listen to his incredible music, and also get connected with other artists already in the industry. Meeting with Otto Price, who has launched the careers of many new Christian musicians, is an incredible experience and opportunity to finally get noticed in the 'big world' of music.

Check out Jon's music and his debut CD, "Stay Near" at: www.myspace.com/jonshabaglian

Yah Jon!!!! I'm so proud of him!!!

American Idol shocker

2007-05-17T12:02:00.000-07:00

I'm not usually one to watch American Idol anymore as it has become more of a popularity contest then a search for talent.

I've been watching the finals off and on for the fact that I'm interested in seeing if 17-year-old Jordan Sparks makes it to become the 2007 "American Idol." The fact that she's only 17, and has made it this far, makes her already a winner- win or lose.

I seriously thought Melinda Dolittle would make it to the final two and ultimately become the winner. I was shocked to see last night that Melinda got voted off, much to Simon's disgust. Through Simon's half-sincere congratulations to Jordan and Blake, anyone who has watched a minute of the show this season has seen how Simon has totally favored Melinda.

Despite the turnout, I truly believe all three of them will get signed to some sort of contract and will become great artists. Whether they have great success such as Kelly and Carrie, or they're shadowed in the woodwork with little high publicity, they'll be doing what they love, and what they do best. Already, Melinda and Jordan have had great success in the industry as backup singers. Now is their time to shine!

I'm reminded of another now famous Christian artist who began as a backup singer and keyboardist. The legendary Michael W. Smith, who actually is close with Jordan and her family, began as backup for Amy Grant many decades ago. He eventually stepped out from behind the piano and became a household name in his own right. He's still doing what he loves - making music and honoring the name of Christ in his music! How much better could it get??

DWTS finals

2007-05-16T11:52:00.000-07:00

It's down to the final 3.

Sadly, Ms. Cheryl won't get her 3-peat. Her and Ian were voted off last night. I was sad to see Ian go, especially after he finally got his perfect 10s.

So, going to the finals are Joey & Kym, Apolo and Julianne and Laila and Maxim!!
It's exciting to see that Laila is still in this!!
You go girl!!

Next week should be excited!! Stay tuned dance fans!!

DWTS - Semi-Finals

2007-05-15T12:09:00.000-07:00

The Heat is ON!!
The dancers are steppin' up and all I can say about this week's dances was WOW!!!!!
Four remaining couples fight for the chance to win the coveted disco ball. With a nearly perfect 60s across the board for all the couples, the judges scores were:
Laila & Maxim - perfect 60
Joey & Kym - perfect 60
Apolo & Julianne - 59
Ian & Cheryl - 58

Everyone did such a great job, I can't pinpoint an exact favorite. Joey & Kym and Apolo & Julianne just did a fabulous job with their choreography... I loved it! Maybe the best moment was when Ian, who channeled Elvis for the 2nd dance, got his first perfect score of 30. That shows he's not ready to go home yet.

Tonight, we'll see who's fighting for that trophy!

DWTS - Week 7

2007-05-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

It's down to the last five couples, and one more is going home tonight.

Ian & Cheryl did a wonderful job with their dances, although yet again, Ian seemed to fall short of impressing the judges.

Joey & Kym are always a favorite. Their first dance was well done but Joey really shined with with his 'razzle dazzle' with their Latin dance. They had a lot of fun with the dance, which is where Joey really shines.

Billy Ray yet again tried his very best with dancing. He definatately has the determination. He tooks some rude comments from the judges in stride

Laila's waltz was truly inspriring and was very sentimental. Her dad, legendary boxer Muhammad Ali was in the audience and the dance was dediated to him. This was the first time he was able to make a show.
One of the great moments was when Billy Ray danced and went over to Mohammad, shook his hand and was air boxing with him. It was very cute, and an honor for Billy Ray.

By far, the hottest dancing of the night was, no surprise, Apolo & Julianne. They were the only couple to get a perfect 30!

So, for tonights results, the list from top to bottom are: Apolo & Julianne, Joey & Kym, Laila & Maxim, Ian & Cheryl, and Billy Ray & Karina.

In the bottom two this week: Billy Ray & Karina and Joey & Kym

Going home this week: Billy Ray & Karina

Anger over a video game

2007-05-08T11:19:00.000-07:00

It's unbelievable what people will do for their video games.

We had a shotting near campus last night, in a nearby student apartment complex. The shooter, a criminology major of all things, shot one person, and injured 2 others over a PS2 video game!!
OVER A VIDEO GAME!!!

As I drove to work this morning, I drove by the scene, unaware of what was going on. The street was blocked off, the news media and SWAT team was out in force, so I knew something major had gone down.

The victim shot to death was a former Fresno State student, according to news reports, and was only a acquaintance of the suspect. The other two injured victims have not been identified but are also believed to be FS students as well.

The suspect was suppose to give himself up earlier this morning but some how vanished from the apartment complex. The police are searching for him now.

What is this world coming to, when someone gets so upset, he has to shoot people over a stupid video game!!

National Day of Prayer - TODAY

2007-05-03T11:48:00.000-07:00

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humbles themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and will heal their land." -- 2 Chronicles 7:14

Please remember to pray for our nation and our leaders today, as we celebrate the National Day of Prayer .

I pray for you, I pray for your community, our nation, our governmental leaders, our military, our church's, our children, our families, our friends and I definately thank God in prayer for giving us another day to live and to praise Him!

If you so choose, I would also recommend that you listen to this special song written especially for the National Day of Pray. "We Pray" sung by 2007 Youth Ambassadors BarlowGirl, along with Rebecca St. James and several others sing on this wonderful song. Also on the link is the lyrics that are incredibly written. I hope your blessed by it.

If you participated in your area NDP events, let me know how they turned out.
May God Bless you all today!!

A special prayer written by author/speaker Chuck Swindoll. Think & pray on these things. You can also check out more on the National Day of Prayer website.

2007 Prayer for Our Nation
Written by Dr. Charles R. Swindoll

Almighty God, we pause to reflect on Your character as we seek wisdom for such a time as this.
In these unsafe days, You remain all-powerful and able to protect;
In these uncertain times, You remain all-knowing, leading us aright;
In the unprecedented events we're facing, You remain absolutely sovereign.
Our times are in Your hands.
Therefore, our dependence on You, is total, not partial
. . . our need for Your forgiveness is constant
. . . our gratitude for Your grace is profound
. . . our love for You is deep.
We ask that You guard and guide our Presidentand all who serve the people of these United States. May uncompromising integrity mark their lives.
We also ask that You unite us as truly "One Nation, Under God."
May genuine humility return to our ranks.
And may that blend of integrity and humility heal our land.

In our Lord's name we pray,
Amen.

DWTS results

2007-05-02T13:44:00.000-07:00

I didn't get to see the results show due to a concert that Troy and I went to, but this week, we bid a fond farewell to John Ratzenberger and his partner Edyta. I was bummed to hear the news that John was voted off... I was hoping it would be Billy Ray. I guess nostalgic fans of his 'Achy Breaky' days and fans of new Disney show "Hannah Montana" featuring his daugher, have kept the votes comin' in.

I'm sure he's not far behind though. The competition is heating up, and it's down the major contenders:
Apolo and Julianne
Joey & Kym
Ian and Cheryl and
Layla & Maxim

It's a tough race and everyone is steppin' up their dancing. We'll see what happens next week.

DWTS - Week 6

2007-04-30T20:07:00.000-07:00

Tonight, the couples have 2 dances to learn. They all have to step up their game this week to be able to advance.

The last female remaining in the competition, Laila, did a fabulous footwork tonight. Her and Maxim did a little bit of fancy footwork and received 2 10's from the judges. For their samba, it definately had a little Latin feel to it. Laila really showed why she's still in this competition. She was Hot! Hot! Hot!! I wasn't too sure about the song they chose, but the dance was great! They even got good thoughts from Mr. negative tonight, Len. They got all 10's for their samba! Whooo hoo!!! You go girl!!

John & Edyta didn't wow the judges last week. This week, they did glide around the floor in their foxtrot, however it was Edyta that did most of the moving. John was very suave & elegant though. Lots of compliments from the judges this week. They still scored somewhat low but for them, it was probably the highest they've gotten so far. For John & Edyta's samba, they danced to "Under Pressure" which is a Queen song. the moves weren't really complicated but there was a few sexy moments. John has improved incredibly since the first week.

One of my favs, Apolo and Julianne were next with their foxtrot. I think I'll be using the word 'elegant' a lot tonight. Their performance tonight definately showed elegance. There was a couple of cute moves in there. Eventhough they did a great job at telling a story with their dance, they still didn't impress tough judge, Len. They did a good job but it didn't have the wow-factor as they usually do. In their latin, dance, Apolo and Julianne showed exactly why they are one of the hottest couples this season. The started off on fire, and just got hotter as they went. Julianne picked some interesting footwork and moves that made the routine unique and more challenging. Of course, Len was a downer. Carrie Ann was pleasant and Bruno loved them. Bruno gave them a 10.

Ian and Cheryl were next with what looked like an intense dance. Last week, Cary Ann told Ian to take pointers from Billy Ray in his focus and intensity. Taking her advice, Cheryl actually brought Billy Ray into one rehearsal. Although he didn't learn much technique from Billy Ray, they did have fun and it showed in the dance. Ian had quite a fan base in the audience this week - I saw the majority of his 90210 cast members to root him on. For their latin dance, they did a spicy mambo and Ian is learning to shaek his 'bon bon'. It was obvious that they were having a lot of fun out there. There was great chemistry with them tonight.

Billy Ray & Karina actually had a very romantic and elegant dance this week. They took a chance with showcasing ms. Diva in the beginning but it worked well with the song and told a story. Bruno commented that he was like Vanna White previewing Karina's dancing. The judges did say he needed to step up his dance, which they kinda knew was coming. For their Latin dance, they had fun on the floor and although obviously, he's not the most coordinated guy, he tries and his determination to keep going is evident. He had a few rare moments of 'groove' but not many. Much better then their first dance.

Last but certainly not least, is Joey & Kym. Their dance had a little jazzy feeling at first, but then really stepped it up. Joey channeled a little Fred Astair there at the end. I think they really did well and it showed with the judges comments and scores. They got 10s from 2 judges. For Joey & Kym's 2nd dance, it looked more like a 5os sock hop then a Latin dance. They did some fancy movies and quick footwork, and of course, had a lot of fun! The way Len put it, "it was totally 'n'Sync." Joey definately stepped it up for this one and the judges loved it. They got all 10s!!

Joey made a funny comment during the rehearsal segment. In talking about his quarky & fun loving attitude, Joey said if you get to serious in rehearsal, you turn into Ian Ziering. OOOOhhhh!! Those be fighten' words! :-) Retaliation from last week's 'pretend fight' in the group dance?? Hmmmm. LOL

So, who will be eliminated tomorrow night? It's up to the fans.

Hokey Spirit in Fresno

2007-04-30T18:54:00.000-07:00

Some pictures from the V.T. Memorial held at Fresno State.

A large poster board was put on display for student to share their thoughts and prayers. The board will be shipped to the students and staff at V.T.

Fresno State also planted a memorial garden in honor of those lost from the tragedy... a beautiful garden with yellow and maroon flowers and three trees. Also in the garden is a signed Fresno State hat along with 32 roses lying in mourning.

I have to retake the photos of me in the VT gear. They didn't turn out too well. That will come soon.

Hokey Spirit in CA

2007-04-26T13:47:00.000-07:00

Today, I bought a V.T. hat and T-shirt from the Fresno State Bookstore (they sell MUCH MORE then books). In honor of my friends who are Hokies, and to help raise money for the Hokie Spirit Memoiral Fund, Fresno State is selling some cute t-shirts amd baseball hats with V.T. on it.

The fund will be used to help victims and their families, grief counseling, memorials for the 32 students and staff that lost their lives on April 16th, and any additional help needed to those directly effected by this tragedy.

To learn more, check out the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund website.
I'll have pictures up soon of my new gear, along pictures of the memorial garden F.S. created in memory of the V.T. tragedy.

DWTS Week 5

2007-04-25T10:30:00.000-07:00

Due to being out of town at a conference, I did't watch the Monday night dancing but from what I saw in the recap on Tuesday, there was some pretty good moves and everyone has stepped up their game.

The group dance was unreal! Everyone had so much fun with it and you could tell. That's how they should all be when they're out there on their own. I think one judge even said that. I think the scuffle between Joey & Ian was so funny! All the dancers put their all into that dance, including John and Billy Ray, which was great to see.

With all the excitement of the dancing on Tuesday's show, I almost hated to see someone go home. In the bottom two this week were John & Edyta and Heather & Jonathan. Sadly, Heather received the least amount of votes and parted the show with smiles AND a goodbye speech. Of course, the speech was mainly a joke, starting out "I'd like to thank the academy..." but Heather really had some great words of thanks to Jonathan and rooted on the rest of the gang in the competition.

Everyone is increased their game, so it's still anyone's change. Although, I'm hoping for Apolo and Julianne, I also hope Cheryl & Ian can make it, getting Cheryl the 3-peat she's looking for. I also think Joey could take it, and Laila definately is in the running... although a female star has yet to win. It's tougher on the female stars to make it because they have to work so much harder to compete with the guys. Their routines are more difficult, but if anyone can do it, it's Laila. She's the remaining female left in the star lineup.
You Go Girl!!!

National Day of Mourning

2007-04-20T15:18:00.000-07:00

DWTS Week 4 Results

2007-04-17T09:17:00.000-07:00

The Review:
Ian and Cheryl were the first to dance. They set the stage high with a great performance.

Clyde and Elena continued to be dull and non-energetic. Clyde really isn't putting much to the routine and letting Elena do all the work. He may be going home tonight. They got the lowest score ever - with a 13, from the judges.

Heather and Jonathan continues to be daring with their routines. This time, it cost them a little bit as Heather fell at the end of the routine. Despite the fall, they still did really well and I love their choreography!

Joey and Kym wowed the crowds with their rumba. Eventhough Carrie Ann said that Joey was "a little feminine", he still sizzled with his sexy moves. He didn't play any characters and you could tell from his facial expressions that he was really into the dance. I don't think he was feminine at all! Of course, I thought it was ironic that he happened to be sitting next to Joey's co-N'Sync-er, Lance Bass.

John and Edyta did an excellent job and I loved the song, "Love is in the Air," that they danced to. They had fun with it, you could tell. One judge told John he found his "inner child." The judges loved it, it may even save him from elimination this week. They got an 18 from the judges.

Laila and Maksim were a bit playful this week, when Laila's fiance' snuck into rehearsal to make sure the dance wasn't too sexy. Some playful words followed, which made it light and funny. They seem to really connect with this dance. She's got such a great body and physique that she has some killer moves on the dance floor. Despite a good dance, they only scored a 10.

The highlight of the night was Apolo and Julianne. Eventhough many of the stars have busy traveling schedules, including Apolo, these two seem to perfect their moves and rocked the floor! I think their chemistry is amazing and it shows. They scored a perfect 30 from the judges.

The show should have ended on that high note but they still had Billy Ray and Karina yet to dance. You have to give Billy Ray props for at least trying. I really think that he didn't do so well with the rumba because he was uncomfortable having to be super sexual and romantic with Karina. Being a Christian man, and having his family in the audience, I'm sure it was very uncomfortable for him to do that... despite Karina's attempts to get him to react. He did try, but was uneasy doing so. They received a 17 from the judges.

The Results:

Macy Gray sang, and DWTS alum Lisa Rena performed with an ensemble from the Broadway show Chicago. Lisa is playing the character of Roxie Hart in the Broadway show. Lisa's husband, Harry Hamlin is also in the show.

First to couples to continue to the next round: Laila & Maxim and John & Edyta!!
Also Returning: Apolo & Julianne and Joey & Kym.
Staying another week: Ian & Cheryl and Billy Ray & Karina.

In the bottom two: Clyde & Elena and shockinly, Heather & Jonathan.

Leaving this week: Clyde & Elena!

Dancing seems irrelevant after yesterday

2007-04-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

My DWTS review will be saved for tonight's results show. Although I did watch most of it, my heart just wasn't in it this week due to the happenings at Virginia Tech.

In reading the Fresno Bee this morning to see the latest developments, I was pleased to see many photos of students embraced in prayer together, trying to find some sort of reasoning for why this happened to them. It's a nature question to ask "Why" when tragedy's happen.
I heard yesterday that there is a church right across the street from the university who has stepped in to help comfort those on campus, and the whole community in dealing with their emotions of grief, anquish and loss.

Many people around the U.S. are praying for everyone at VT at this moment, via a community prayer of Air 1, a Christian radio station that is broadcast throughout the U.S. and the world. We covet all those families in prayer!!

Tragedy at Virginia Tech

2007-04-16T11:02:00.000-07:00

I heard some awful news today about the shootings and many injured at Virginia Tech. My heart goes out to all of those that were effected by this awful tragedy - either by those that died, were injured or those that live on campus. Although I am not an alumni of VT, I know a few people that are and have been effected by this in a huge way.

Please pray for the families of those that were killed, those injured and the students and faculty that were effected by this terrible situation.

Check out Malia's blog for updates and more information.

Week 3 Results

2007-04-10T21:04:00.000-07:00

Another couple goes home tonight.
My guess is going to be Leeza or Clyde.

Special guest artists tonight was Big & Rich. They sang their song, "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy. I was just thinking, "didn't Cheryl & Drew do a dance with this song??" and who comes out of the woodwork but Drew Lachey himself. Whoooo hooo!!! Him & Cheryl did a few twirls around the stage and joined the professional dancers.

Returning for sure next week will be Billy Ray & Karina and Apolo & Julianne.
Also safe for another week: Laila & Maxim and Clyde & Elena.
Moving on to the next round: Joey & Kym, Ian & Cheryl and Heather & Jonathan.

In the bottom two this week: Leeza & Tony and John & Edyta.

Going home this week: Leeza & Tony. :-(

DWTS - Week 3

2007-04-10T11:21:00.001-07:00

What can I say about Week 3?? Many heads could be on the chopping block after last night's competition. The judges expected them all to step up the competition but many failed to impress the judges, and me. This week's dances were either the waltz or the paso doble'.
Some of the music choices didn't match the dances, which could have contributed to be lack of enthusiasm for this week's dances.

I missed top performers Heather Mills and Joey Fatone. From what I saw of the scores at the end of the show, Joey must have wowed the judges and the audience because they received the highest score of the night.

I think Laila and Maksim did better this week and danced well with a paso doble', although the judges thought they still lacked heat and intensity with the dance. Whatever issues they had last week have been resolved. Laila should have excelled at the paso doble' since it's all about the bull figher, and attacking the passion of life.

The show's youngest couple and possible sweethearts, Apolo and Julianne were able to really turn up the heat on this mature dance. One judge called them the "Dream Team," commenting on the potential that these two have to be real winners.

Leeza and Tony seemed to do a hoaky routine for the paso doble'. There was no fire or passion in the dance... just steps. Leeza may still be a little intimidated in bringing out the sexyness within her. For 50, she's still hot and I know she could move, but it doesn't suit her personality. She may be the one to leave this week.

It's looking possible that Ian may be giving Cheryl a 3-peat win! Ian, the constant joker, put all his goofyness aside and found the romantic, serious side for their waltz. According to the judges, they started off really well, but lost a little momentum. I didn't think so. The whole dance looked fabulous.

John & Edyta did ok, but wasn't to exciting. Neither was Clyde & Elena. With their waltz, Clyde looked as if wasn't really trying very hard and the judges saw that. He was doing the steps but had no energy or emotion in his dancing.

Now, Mr. Billy Ray.... he tries hard, which is evident. He doesn't have much rhythm to move but he definately has the desire to keep trying. During rehearsals, I couldn't believe the 'show' the Karina put on. In frustration with Billy Ray on not getting the dance moves, she excused herself to the bathroom where you heard a few whimpers . OMG, I totally knew that was just for the cameras. Poor Karina got stuck with a loser dancer. Actually, I feel pitty for Billy Ray for getting Ms. Drama queen. The poor guy is trying his best and she doesn't feel it's enough. Too bad he can't switch partners.

You can obviously see that Karina is NOT a favorite of mine. Although I wish her off next, it would be sad to see Billy Ray not get a chance to really shine.
My prediction for tonight's elimination - either Leeza or Clyde.

Next to Leave DWTS

2007-04-03T21:05:00.000-07:00

Another couple goes home tonight.

Continuing to the next round are:
Joey & Kym
Apolo and Julianne

Special musical guest Survivor sang 'Eye of the Tiger' while the professional dancers danced the Paso Doble'. It's actually a very good song for this dance.

One of the highlights of the night was when Josh Groban sang as well. I love his voice! Two dancers swayed around the floor to this gorgeous ballad.
He actually has a concert here in Fresno tomorrow night but of course, the tickets are too expensive and probably sold out. :-(

During the show, they showed a video of a numbers person and a clarvoyant talking about all the dancer's ora and light. Although I don't necessarily believe in their reasonings behind what the colors and lights mean, I did find it interesting that they pegged a few of the couples just right. They made their predictions before the beginning of the show when the stars were first announced. Among the top possibilities are Ian and Cheryl, Layla and Maxim and Apolo and Julianne. We'll see if they're predictions are true as we progress through the season.

Staying for another week:
Billy Ray & Karina
Layla and Maxim

In the bottom two to go home:
Shandi & Bryan, aka 'Barbie & Ken'

Going on to next week:
Ian & Cheryl
John & Edyta
Heather & Jonathan
Clyde & Elena

The 2nd couple in the bottom two: Leesa & Tony

Who is going home tonight??
'Barbie & Ken' are going home. :-(
Shandi and Bryan were voted off this week.

DWTS - Week 2

2007-04-03T09:14:00.000-07:00

Monday night, DWTS shined with the tango and the jive. By far, I think the favorite of the night was Heather and her new leg. She was concerned about her ability to do the give with a prostectic leg but she replaced her usual leg with a more bouncy and dancable leg fitted with some nifty looking sneakers as well. Despite her disability, she adds a range of difficulty on her routines that just makes her stand out as a winner! She did great!!

The 2nd favorite of the night would have to be Joey and Kym. The danced the tango to the Star Wars theme. Apparently, Joey is a huge fan, and during rehearsals brought in R2D2 for inspiration. It was a bit gimicky at first but they danced a very serious tango and got rave reviews from the judges!

The 'Barbie & Ken' team of Shandi and Brian did much better this time around. Shandi was a little off but they had a great routine.

John and Edyta did well with their mobster feeling tango. The characterization was there, but they lacked a little 'oomph' in their routine.

Clyde and Elena did a somewhat satisfactory jive. With Clyde's size, he reminded me of last year's winter Emmitt Smith. Clyde needs to step it up a lot to be able to win. I'm thinking that Clyde's height and Elena's short stature, is hindering their dancing.

Laila and Maksim were a bit disappointing. They rocked last week but there was some obvious tension between them this week. They broke a rule of dancing the tango and got slammed by the judges for doing so.

Probably one of the couples who has the best chemistry on the dance floor is Apolo and Julianne. They get along great and work well together in their choreography. It probably does help that Apolo is an athelete and knows how to discipline himself and learn the moves. I definately think they are one of the teams that will be in the finals.

Ian and Cheryl danced the jive to "Hard Headed Woman". Ian channeled the "king" to produce some of the hip swinging moves. During rehearsals, Cheryl took Ian to a male dance club to show him the kind of hip moves that is needed to perform their dance. Ian was a bit embarrised, I think, but had fun with it.

Leeza was told last week to find her inner 'tramp'. This week, she found that and much more in their tango. She even tattooed "tramp" above her left breast, and showed it to the judges and audience. Wow!! Didn't know Leeza had it in her!! Of course, the tattoo was a temporary one but it was still very funny! She brought it and was great!!

Lastly, Billy Ray and Karina danced a tango with a Spanish flair. To help Billy this week, Karina took him horseback riding to find that inner cowboy. They worked hard and was still much better then last week. It is evident that he tries very hard, but I don't think they'll last very long. He just doesn't have the 'Wow' power it takes to continue.

We'll see who goes home tonight!

DWTS - The Results are in!

2007-03-27T20:09:00.000-07:00

Results are in.

Heather & Jonathan will be back next week.
So will Clyde & Elena.

Dionne Warwick "Said a Little Prayer" for the couples tonight. She was good and still has the same fabulous voice she did in her younger years! She also pointed the "Way to San Jose" in case the losing couple wants to run away from their loss.

Next two couples continuing to round 2 are Ian & Cheryl and Laila and Maksim.

Tonight was also the premiere of dancing tips from DWTS pro Jimmie Kimmel (he's not really a pro - he just plays one on tv). This was ridiculous and a sorry excuse for trying to be funny.

First couple to be chosen in the bottom two - Paulina and Alec. They have a 50% chance of leaving tonight.

Joey and Kym are safe, as are Apolo and Julianne. John and Edyta are safe and returning next week. Leesa and Tony are safe; Billy Ray and Karina are safe; Shandi and Bryan are the other couple in the bottom two.

So between Paulina & Alec and Shandi and Bryan, the first to leave is:
Paulina and Alec.

Dancing with the Stars - Night 2

2007-03-26T20:01:00.000-07:00

Everyone's dressed to impress tonight on the 2nd night of the new season of DWTS.
Joey, Laila and Ian hold the top three spots after last week, but that only costs for half of their scores. Last week's scores are combined with tonight's scores and with the audience votes, we'll find out Tuesday who will be the first to go home.

Tonight's dance is the quickstep for the men, and the mambo for the women.

"Has the most potential" Apolo and Julianne were up first. Apolo looked pretty sharp in that suite with a pink tie which matched Julianne's dress. Their footwork was great and seemed to be right on step with each other. Their chemistry was evident! They did a fantastic job... much better then last week! It helps to have more practise time! They recevied a 26 out of 30 from the judges tonight.

"Barbie & Ken" couple, Shandi and Brian were next. Since Shandi is a former Miss USA, she definately knows how to strut her stuff with this sexy dance. I didn't necessarily like the song they danced to but Brian chose some great steps that went well with the rhythm. They don't seem to have great chemistry either, which probably hindered them from being 'sexy' with each other with the dance. They didn't impress the judges tonight. They received a 20 out of 30 this week.

Clyde & Elena are next to dane and they did some pretty fancy footwork. They danced to 'Your Love is Lifting Me Higher" which is a great song to dance quickly to. Their height differences didn't seem to matter at all, and almost worked to their advantage. One judge said it was "David and Goliath again creating history and making music together." Despite the great performance, the judges still found some flaws in their dancing. They scored a 18 out of 3o.

Leeza and Tony are up next. She celebrates her 50th birthday tonght too. Leeza was ready to "shake her groove thang" in this dance of "attitude" Don't know that song, but Leeza seems to be having a lot of fun with it. Both her and Tony's facial expression shows that. They had fun, and that's what counts. They scored a 21 out of 30.

Ian and Cheryl are next. Cheryl has yet again gotten another great partner. Ian's charisma and joyfulness stood out in this fun little quickstep. Ian is quite a bit taller then Cheryl but they moved so well together. Cheryl must have gotten used to a tall partner from last season (Emmitt Smith). LOL They were solid and had fun. They scored a 22 out of 3o.

Paulina and Alec came next and had a lot of work to do after a disappointing first dance. they danced to "La Bamba" which seemed to help with the Latin feel of the dance. Despite that, Paulina was taking the steps half-way and didn't seem to be enjoying herself. She was very stiff in her postioning, which could have been because her natural instinct is to be graceful and elegant - as a model. They scored a 21 out of 30.

Billy Ray and Karina try to make a comeback after last week's disaster. Karina's got her hands full with this joker. In practice he was singing "don't break my frame, my achy breaky frame". LOL. They danced to "Ring of Fire" and Billy did pretty good with keeping up with Karina. He forced it a bit and was too intense with his expressions. His black suit was nice though - he had a glittery guitar on the back and red satin on the lappel and on the pocket. He was voted most improved - but he couldn't do any worse. They scored a 21 out of 3o. A big improvement from last week.

Heather and Jonathan were next. Dancing to "Mambo Italiano", they had fun with this dance. There was a lot of shakin' goin' on and she kept her leg on again! She let lose really took some risks with some of the moves. They got praises from all 3 judges! Their score was 24 out of 30.

John and Edyta are up next. John was surprisingly very good. He looked handsome in his tux with tails. They danced to "The Lady is a Tramp." They put a karate kick in the dance which was quite unique. He moves pretty well for a old guy. They received a 21 out of 30.

Laila and Maksim were next. The girl still has some bicepts! Time to light the dancefloor on fire. Laila had the moves, the attitude and the fancy footwork that made this dance Hot! Hot! Hot! There is some real chemistry with these two and it is evident on the dancefloor! They scored 27 out of 30.

Joey and Kym were last, but certainly not least. Joey looked rather dapper in his tux with tails. His tux tails had his initions on them. He's definately one of the joksters in this competition. They did a bit of acting along with their dancing. They danced to "Tell Her About it". He did some quick footwork but I wasn't sure if he was right on the mark or not. He's a definate fan favorite. It was another strong performance and the judges were pleased. They scored 24 out of 30.

It's going to be a tough competition this season! There a lot of great dancers!
The top three after both nights are Layla, Joey and Apolo.
The scores tomorrow. Stay tuned!

David Carr says goodbye to Texans

2007-03-23T16:34:00.000-07:00

In a not so surprising turn of events, the Houston Texans released QB David Carr today. I'm so sad, I'm in mourning, but am hopefuly in the possibilities that he may be returning to CA. For those that know me, you know that I follow David very closely, as he is a fanominal athlete and also a Fresno State alum.

According to the press release on their website, they acquired former Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Schaub, and giving him starting position, in hopes of turning around the season. Although it's probably a logical move, they have invested so much in David, and he in them. He wasn't given a fair chance to perform to he full capabilities with a front line that could not keep him safe long enough to prove himself.

So, the next chapter of David's NFL career begins. Where he goes, no one knows yet... but I'm hoping and praying its CA. ( just not to Oakland!!) :-) When he finds a new home, I'll have to change the jersey on my bobblehead doll. Just hope its not a Raiders jersey!

Texans Press Release

A New Season of Dancing

2007-03-20T14:11:00.000-07:00

Last night was the premiere of the new season of "Dancing with the Stars." There's quite a range of stars in this season's competition. Here's the rundown:

IAN ZIERING (Bev. Hills 90210 fame) and partner CHERYL BURKE started the night off. Although I missed their opening dance, the scores showed that they wowed the judges and the crowd. Cheryl has won the last two seasons so Ian's got some big shoes to fill!

HEATHER MILLS (the ex. Mrs. Paul McCartney) and partner JONATHAN ROBERTS. She has a prosthetic leg so she should be interesting to watch. She gracefully danced around the floor with ease. Her one suggestion from the judges was not to worry about the leg coming off so much, and that she needs to stay relaxed in her upper body.

Supermodel PAULINA PORIZKOVA is partnered ALEC MAZO.

BILLY RAY CYRUS and partner KARINA SMIRNOFF did a dance to this song "I Want My Mullet Back" which obviously was a gag making fun of Billy Ray's past persona. :-) Karina wore this ugly mullet wig, which Billy Ray was 'suppose to' tear off at the end of the dance. It kinda got stuck to Karina and didn't come fully off. It was quite amusing. I think they got the lowest marks of the night. Doesn't look like Karina will be going to the finals this season. HA, HA!!

TV/radio personality LEEZA GIBBONS danced with partner TONY DOVOLANI. She was elegant and flowed across the dance floor. As with Heather, she danced beautifully but according the the judges, was a little tense in her upper body.

NSYNC member JOEY FATONE and partner KYM JOHNSON got down & boogied with their fox trot last night. It was Saturday Night Fever all over again! :-) They did a great job, and despite Joey's mic pack falling out, they danced very well.

Undefeated World Boxing Champion LAILA ALI (daughter of boxing great Mohammad Ali) danced with partner, MAKSIM CHMERKOVSKIY. I didn't pay much attention to their dance, but did notice that Laila is still incredibly built!!

Cheers star JOHN RATZENBERGER partnered with EDYTA SLIWINSKA. He was a last minute replacemnt and had a lot of catching up to do. They did a wonderful job and I think ole John impressed a lot of people with his sleekness and style.

Miss USA 2004 SHANDI FINNESSEY partnered with BRIAN FORTUNA. They danced well, but nothing too impressing.

NBA Hall of Famer CLYDE DREXLER and partner ELENA GRINENKO. This one is an interesting matchup as he is 6ft - something, and she's a tiny 5 foot - something. Despite their height differences, they danced well together.

Last a certainly not least, Olympic speed skating Gold Medalist APOLO ANTON OHNO danced with partner newcomer JULIANNE HOUGH. Apolo is actually in training and recently won a speed skating event in Europe. Julianne traveled with Apolo and tried to get in as much practice time as possible. They did look not fully put together when they danced but they worked well together. Apolo will definately be a favorite as the competition goes on - providing he can get in some more practice time.

There's some good matchups and lots of hilarity for sure. All the couples get 1 more chance to dance next Monday night, before the final votes are tallied and announced.

In God's Time

2007-03-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

The attempt to concieve a child is a sometimes pain-staking and requires a lot of patience.
For the first few years of my marriage, both Troy and I decided to focus on serving and have some good 'couple' time. Little did we know that when we decided to try for a baby, that it would be tough and would take nearly 7 years.
I am now 34 and can thank God in his promise to bring us a child!
I am pregnant!!
Although it's still early, it is such a blessed feeling to have a living being growing inside me.
I'm 6 weeks along, and due sometime in November. I've been feeling ok so far. No morning sickness, thank goodness! I've been more tired then usual, and have been suffering from a minor case of acid reflux which I found is common in pregnancy. I first had no appetite, now I'm starting to get that munchie feeling more often.

Our families were extremely excited, as are we. Although we're still in a little bit of shock, it's starting to sink in that we'll have a little 'Root' soon.

It's been a long time coming, and many people including ourselves has been praying for us for the many years we struggled. I will constantly thank God for His wonderful timing. Eventhough I sometimes don't understand why He plans things at certain times in my life (like now) I trust in Him and am obedient to what He wants for me.

If you have any helpful pregnancy tips, I would love to hear them.

Bright, Sunshiny Day!!

2007-02-22T16:07:00.000-08:00

I can see clearly now,the rain is gone....

It was pouring rain this morning as a huge rain storm passed through CA today, but now it's a beautiful sunny day!

I was just thanking God for the sunshine,and the rain (because CA needs it!!)!

I can only image how beautiful the snow-capped Sierra Mountains are going to look on my drive home. I may have to take a picture if its clear enough.

The rain washes all the dirt away, cleans up air, and makes everything fresh and new. I love the smell after a good rain! So also God cleans us of all our dirty sins, habits and human desires. As the rain cleans and refreshes, so does our God!

He makes ALL THINGS NEW!!

Do I look smarter?

2007-02-20T16:20:00.000-08:00

It's official - I am a college graduate!!
On Saturday, I took part in my online university's graduation ceremonies celebrating those who have graduated with their Associates degree! To top it off, I graduated WITH HONORS!!
I'm so proud of myself and all the hard work I put into it. It wasn't easy but will be well worth it come next year with I go through ceremonies again - but this time for my BA.

We had a great speaker, DeWitt Jones, who is a photographer with National Geographic. He had such insight and brought up some great point.
Point 1: Vision and dreams are every bit as important as our skills. Not the dreams we have when we sleep; but our goals of what we imagine ourselves doing and becoming. Without a dream to work toward, the skills could be meaningless. We must always be inspired by our dreams.
Point 2: In quoting my absolutely favorite movie, Dead Poet's Society, DeWitt spoke of "Carpe' Diem", or Seizing the Day! We must make every moment count, not wait til a better time to accomplish our dreams - for that time may never come.
He had a quote that still stays with me, and was so insightful... "Don't believe it because you see it.. See it because you believe it. "
He also mentioned that we should see problems as opportunities to see something from a different point of view. That's a very intersting concept to me. When you begin to see those problems as opportunties, you "lose your fear of failure and setback."
Wow!! That's a great way to see it!
To sum up his talk, I'll leave you with this one thought, from Mr. Jones:

"See the Extraordinary in the Ordinary."

It opens up a whole other world when you do!
Carpe' Diem, my friends... Carpe' Diem!!

NASCAR

2007-02-20T10:55:00.000-08:00

The Daytona 500 is the first NASCAR race if the season and the Superbowl of racing! Although I'm a fan, it usually doesn't hold my attention during the whole race.. but this one was very exciting!

I especially wanted to see this year's Daytona because of friend of mine, Vincent Strader, is the artist who painted a memorial portrait of the late Bobby Hamilton Sr., which was presented to Bobby Jr. this last week. They didn't show the portrait presentation, but did have a great tributee to Bobby Sr. Bobby Jr. didn't run in the 500, but was on hand to receive the special presentation earlier in the week. Vince's brother, Tommy, is a partner in MotorSports Fine Art that presented it to Bobby Jr.

So, the race was full of exciting turns, and many accidents... including taking fan favs Dale Jr., last year's Daytona winner Jimmie Johnson, and Jeff Gordon out of the race. That wreck, which happened with only 3 laps to go, put Mark Martin in the lead. Kevin Harvick snuck up at the last 1/2 mile and inched his way passed Martin for the win. I was rooting for Martin, but was also glad that Harvick won. Kevin Harvick is Bakersfield born and raised! It's good to see some Valley blood win a big-time NASCAR race!! Way to go Kev!! Another accident had happened in the back, and I think Martin expected the caution to come out, which would mean that he would have won under caution. It looked like he slowed up just a bit, which helped Harvick sneak past him for the win. This would have been Martin's first Daytona win, in the many years that he's been racing.

The whole race, I was on the edge of my seat. Most of the cars going at speed of 140 mph, I couldn't believe how close, almost touching, these cars would get to each other. One false move, and WHAM!! An accident happens, which we saw many times during the race. I thought back to the many times I've seen someone going at high speeds down the freeway, or are so close to hitting my bumper, I start to slow to try to get the person to pass. Of course, we're not going 140 miles per hour, but still... one little bump could send us into a tail spin.

BTW- If you want to check out Vince's art, make sure you check out this pencil drawing he did of my parent's for their 50th wedding anniversary. It was awesome!!

L-O-V-E NEVER FAILS!

2007-02-16T14:00:00.000-08:00

Love never fails!
Nothing more needs to be said.
I fall more and more in love with my husband every day!

Happy Valentine's Day, honey!
I love you!!

L-O-V-E is protective

2007-02-15T16:35:00.000-08:00

Love always:
protects - Troy is my great protector.
trusts - Troy is a very trusting person. We trust each other fully! He's been burned by trusting some people so much, but yet he continues to give people the benefit of the doubt and trusts them. In business, there is always a level of trust... very few businesses trust fully unless they have a written and binding agreement. In our case, that binding agreement was our marriage license, and the sacred vows we took on July 22, 1995, and again in July 22, 2005, ten years later.
hopes - Troy hopes for me, and I hope for him. We want each other to be happy, and we try to please each other in the best ways possible. Sometimes its hard because we are both too easy to please sometimes. We both say, it's a good AND bad thing sometimes.
perseveres - I have never seen anyone persevere more then my dear husband. He's worked hard, and continued through a lot of failures to become the man he is. He still endures a lot of criticism and doubt from others, but he believes in himself, I believe in him, and he KNOWS that he's doing the right thing in his career choices and in life. We may not be the richest financially, but we are rich in love, commitment and in happiness!
I couldn't be prouder of that man of mine!

I love that man of mine!

L-O-V-E harbors no ill-will

2007-02-14T13:30:00.000-08:00

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

Troy is in no way mean spirited! He's a wise-cracking prankster but he does not wish any ill-will on anyone, no matter how much they've hurt him.
He's been hurt a lot, but he forgives and rejoices in the lesson learned from it.

I love that man of mine!!

L-O-V-E is selfless

2007-02-13T20:27:00.000-08:00

Love is:
It is not rude: Troy is definately not rude, unless he's making a joking comment, and usually toward someone who he knows will take it well. He's a teaser, but in no way is he mean with his teasing.
It is not self-seeking: As mentioned before, Troy is always trying to please everyone else. He's a little self-seeking when it comes to the tech toys he wants (like most techies) ... but he rationalizes it and we talk it over first before making any purchases.
It is not easily angered: Troy gets frustrated with situations when they don't go right, but he is not easily angered. It takes a lot to make him angry, which I've only seen a few rare times.
It keeps no record of wrongs: Troy definately forgives... not sure if he really forgets totally though. Who really does? The thing I like about my dear, loving husband is that he doesn't bring up the past mistakes or hurts as a defense.

I Love that man of mine!

L-O-V-E is patient

2007-02-12T10:29:00.000-08:00

As Valentine's Day draws near, I wanted to put m thoughts down about the word 'LOVE'.

There are 484 references to the word "Love" in the Bible. (reference: bibleresources.bible.com)
There are numerous songs written about it.

Perhaps one of the most known scripture about Love is : 1 Corinithians 13:4-8.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails.
I'm going to break up the verses and talk about how my wonderful husband lives by these verses.

Love is patient: In this past year, Troy has been very patient with me. Through my journey in going back to school, he has allowed me the extra time to focus on my schoolwork. It's taken a lot of free time away from us being together, but the way he looks at it, the temporary inconvenience makes us cherish the weekends much more, and will be well worth the wait once I'm done with my degree!
Love is kind: Troy is one of the most kind-hearted people I know. He is always trying to please other people, despite his wants or needs. He's got a some-what generous heart and loves being of service to others.
It does not envy: He is not one to become jealous or envyous of other people. He knows he's been blessed with the life's he's had, and God continues to bless him... and us.
It does not boast: Well, he does boast a bit, but he's proud of what his hard work has accomplished... and so am I!! He boasts in a 'matter of fact' sort of way, not the 'see how great I am' way. He is quick to thank God for allowing him to accomplish what he has.
It is not proud: I guess we are all prideful in some sort of way... Troy does not allow pride and ego to get the best of him. He is proud of the man he has become and He remains humble in knowing he still has a lot to learn. I am very proud of him as well! He has sacrificed a lot, and endured a lot criticism from others. He has stayed faithful, become a stronger man of God, and knows that hard work may not bring total success, but brings satisfaction in the attempt!

I love that man of mine!!

It's raining, it's pouring......

2007-02-07T15:59:00.000-08:00

Ok, it's not exactly pouring, but it is raining.
I'm sitting at my desk at work, looking out my window (not getting anything done-so what's new?) and watching people pass by with umbrellas. It's been gloomy all day and it finally started raining shortly after lunch.

We were beginning to see Spring on the horizon with warming temps, but nope.... false alarm. :-(

Have you ever caught yourself spacing out, watching the little drops of rain hit the cement? I'm catching myself doing that now. I NEED SOME COFFEE!!

I still have an hour left to go before I go home. I guess I should get some work done today.
Hope we have a dryer tomorrow.

Graduation is here

2007-02-01T20:41:00.000-08:00

I officially started back at school on January 1, 2006, after many, MANY years of being out of the college mindset, and in the workforce. I decided to go back to school, allbeit online, to finally accomplish something with my life.

In about 2 weeks, I'll see the first half of that dream come true. Time has surely flown by!! On February 17, 2007, I will graduate with my AA degree in Business Administration and be well on my way to a BA in Graphic Design.

What would've taken me too many years to accomplish the conventional way, I'm doing in 2 years the more technologically-minded way! If you would've asked me when I graduated from high school that I would eventually drop out of community college, then go back years later taking classes online to get my degree, I would've told you you were out of your mind. But, here I am today, finishing my first goal, and well on my way to my second - my B.A.!

It's been a challenging and time-consuming ride, but well worth the effort to say I have a degree. With the help of friends, coworkers and a VERY PATIENT HUSBAND, I have been able to achieve these goals!

I would most definately suggest an online education to anyone who is wanting to get their degree in the shortest amount of time, going back after being out of school for awhile, and still hold down a full time job. It's especially good for stay-at-home-moms and in-home business owners that want to increase their education, or start over. I have enjoyed getting my online education so much better then sitting through classes. I have met some great new friends in my classmates and have learned so much more this way as I would have right out of high school.

At first, I thought that dropping out of college was a failure in my life. I know now that God had a specific plan for me and there was a reason for me to wait on my education. Looking back at it now, I see why. God chooses our path for us, which may not seem right to us... but He is our guide and will turn out to be just another journey to build our faith and our character. He gives us trials and "road blocks" in our life's journey to help us grow as people and as His children. It is through these "road blocks" that we run to Him for guidance and He shows us the way.

I've heard a great analogy that sums it up... Our life is a grand puzzle, and each struggle we face is just a puzzle piece that God sets in place to slowly finish the picture - our lives. We only see each piece as we face it, but God knows what the picture is going to be. I trust Him to keep putting those puzzle pieces in place, I hope and pray that I can be obedient enough to learn from each "road block" He gives me!

"Be Patient... God is Not Done With Me Yet."

A Christian alternative to MySpace

2007-01-16T16:19:00.000-08:00

The thought was good one, but little did the creator of MySpace know what kind of effect it would have on today's society. By the rapid influx of people adding a profile to the MySpace community, it is obvious that people are starved for a connection - even its through text messaging, emails and blogging.

Yes, I am one of the millions who check my site frequently for any emails, bulleting boards and new songs from my favorite artists. I am very picky on who I choose on my Friends list. I have to know them, be an obvious, dedicated believer in Christ, or a Christian music artist now in or trying to get into the industry.

Many people I know in the Christian community have used this ridiculously popular site to minister to people... a few have even gotten hacked once or twice because of their ministry. I use it as another way to keep i touch with my friends and family who I don't see or talk to often.

Finally, there is an alternative way to network with others around the world, keep in touch with friends and family -- and all without the constant berage of Victoria Secret and Singles ads that are displayed on the site. Needless to say, I could do without those, as well as the very provactative pictures on some of the profiles.
ShoutLife.com is a new website that is specifically for the Christian community. Membership grows by the day and you can share openly with other believes and join others in groups with like interests. I've been on ShoutLife for a couple of weeks now and I love it so much better then MySpace. Of course, it hasn't gained a lot of popularity yet, but with a little prayer and word of mouth spreading like a California wildfire, it will grow momentum on that M.S. community and offer an alternative to people who would rather not be subjected to, or tolerate the expicity images that M.S portrays.

ShoutLife.com. Check it out!

It's chilly in them there hills

2007-01-14T18:39:00.000-08:00

You know its cold when the water in the gutters even freeze.
You know its cold when the pipes freeze so much, you lose your water.

This weekend has been the coldest weekend that the San Joaquin Valley has had in many, many years. While the mountains are being pounded with snow, us here in the Valley are just getting the cold air.

While fruit growers are concerned about keeping their crops from freezing, the usual folk like us are trying to stay warm, raising our PG & E bills and hoping that our pipes don't burst.
We actually had one of our pipes outside burst and out came all the water. It was one of our outside faucets which we don't use. Luckily, we were home, it was during the day and we were able to shut off the water and fix the problem in a matter of a few hours. Troy rushed out to OSH, bought a few stoppers, some pipe glue and some pipe cutters. We were a bit challanged trying to open the clue and primer. After some prying, we finally got them open and endured the cold to fix our problem.

It'll be another cold night tonight with a low of 24 degrees. If it were raining, we'd get snow... IN FRESNO!! All we've gotten since I've lived here is just hail and 'slush', no actual snow. If I go up the mountains about a 1/2 hour, it's another story. We'd need snow chains to get up the hill and the land would be covered with a beautiful cover of powdery, white snow!

Needless to say, I'll be bundling up a bit more tonight, and hoping that no more pipes burst.
:-)