DWTS - The Results are in!

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

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

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

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

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!!

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?

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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......

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

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

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

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.
:-)

Some of my favorite pics

Pictures from our recent trip to Disneyland
I've always loved the picture of Walt and Mickey Mouse that stand just in front of Cinderella's cancel. The gentleman picture with me and Troy is a legendary jazz singer who is the only surviving foundation member of the jazz group Walt hired to play in Orleans Square. It was a pleasure and a privilage to meet this amazing man who is still doing what he loves.



Some cheesy pictures of me and Troy. As dusk hit, the lights of the castle came on and it was truely magical!



When the lights go down, the fireworks come out and it's quite a spectacle. I was lucky to catch some decent shots.





And Knotts Berry Farm for New Years Eve.
Troy and I take a picture in a Christmas sleigh. Our friend's Larrin and Christina hug a tree. Inside joke but it was so cute! Larrin celebrated his 21st birthday with us that day.



We got to see our dear friend's, Becca, Alyssa and Lauren Barlow of BarlowGirl (along with their wonderful parents)!! We were blessed to celebrate the end of 2006 and the beginning of 2006 with them at this incredible event (which we DID NOT have to work!!) As we clicked down the clock to 2007, those gathered worshiped and prayed for God's Will in the new year!



A fun time was had by all and I'm hoping to make it a tradition to go back to Disneyland every year for the holidays. The lights were amazing and beautiful!

Ringing in the New Year

Welcome to January 1, 2007!!
We had a wonderful New Years Eve and hope that you had a safe a fun one as well!

Troy and I spent five days in L.A. going to Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm. The reason for the trip, besides to get away, is because Knotts Berry Farm hosts a praise night every year on new years eve to ring in the new year with some great Christian acts. This year, my dear friends, BarlowGirl, were performing so we wanted to go see them and the other awesome acts that performed (Telecast, Stellar Kart, Sanctus Real, Aaron Shust and Tree 63). We took advantage of my week off of work and school to go on a much needed vacation... without having to work the concert.

We first went to go see the Barlow family as the girls got set to go on stage. It was a wonderful reunion and they all looked great! The show was awesome and we spent a bit of time back stage catching up... then off to see the park and check out the other bands. We ended the night with Tree63 and an awesome time of worship. We closed out 2006 singing 'Blessed Be the Name of the Lord' and started 2007 in prayer together in hopes that God will do great things with us this year. It was an amazing time and I can't imagine a better way to spend New Years Eve. We may need to begin a tradition of going every year.

We stayed at the Knotts Berry Resort, which made it convenient since we'd be out late. The resort offered shuttle service back & forth to Disneyland as well so we spent 2 long days at Disneyland and California Adventure. This was the first time we'd been in CA Adventure and sadly wasn't too impressed, although there was a few neat things we did like. The Aladdin show is a must-see (the genie is hilarious!!) and we (mostly me) practiced our cartooning talents as we took character drawing lessons from a real Disney cartoonist. We drew Minnie Mouse and mine wasn't half bad.... Troy's was... well... we know drawing isn't a strong point of his. ;-) One of the days in Disneyland, we took the 'Walk in Walt's Footsteps' tour, which was 3 hours of interesting facts about Walt Disney and his dream for the park. There was so many facts that we had never known and had were very fortunate to be able to ride in the Dineyland train's special VIP car, which is never done with tour group. We went to places where most visitors can't see. We enjoyed the tour, had a great tour guide and they provided a most delicious lunch.

The parks were decorated for the holidays and everything looked so beautiful. Main Street was aligned with garland stringing from one storefront across to another. Once the sun goes down and the lights go on, the view from the big Christmas Tree down to the castle was just magical. What else would you epect from Disneyland!!

One highlight of the trip was the fact that we only had to wait about 20 minutes in line for the Pirates of the Carribean ride. For anyone that has been there recently, you know that that the newly remodeled ride to incorporate the movie (including the deliciously gorgeous Mr. Depp) usually has an hour or 2 hour long line.

Pictures will follow once I download them (there's a lot to download!!)

Merry Christmas!

May the Lord Bless You and

Keep You This Holiday Season!