Bucs Game

My friends Lisa and Nick gave me two tickets to the Bucs game today. I invited my older brother and we were treated to a parking pass and 2 great club seats. It was amazing being able to go to a Bucs game and have such an awesome view. I feel spoiled!

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ICE exhibit in Orlando

Saturday Sara and I drove over to Orlando to go to the ICE exhibit. It was beautiful and so much fun! We waited in a long line and listened to a cheesey guy play his guitar and sing Christmas songs, but it was well worth it! They give you big blue parkas to wear because the temperature is only 9 degrees inside. I got to go down an ice slide and act like a little kid in the candy house. I loved every minute of it!

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Happy Birthday Sara!!

I just wanted to take a minute to wish my little sister a happy birthday. She is 27 today!!! I love you nay nay.

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A new Tree Topper

Well, we had an angel on top of the tree but My sister and I decided we needed something with a little more Christmas cheer. Who offers more joy and cheer then a Santa Mr. Potato Head? We only wish he were a little bigger.

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Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Christmas Survey-Finish these sentences...

1. Christmas is...the most magical time of the year

2. Christmas trees...make me smile

3. Christmas cheer...is spread by singing loud for all to hear

4. Christmas gifts...shouldn't be such a big deal

5. Christmas dinner...is best when it involves mashed potatoes and gravy

6. Christmas traditions...are meant to be shared with people you love

7. Christmas music...starts too early

8. Christmas sweets...put me in a sugar coma

9. Christmas lights...put me in a good mood

10. Christmas parties...stress me out

11. Christmas travel...is gonna bring Mike, my brother in-law, home!!!!!

12. Christmas cards...should be home made and always involve glitter

13. Christmas weather...in Florida makes me sad

14. Christmas movies...crack me up

15. Christmas clean-up...stinks

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Christmas Survey

1. Fresh Tree/Fake Tree? Fake, I have never had a real tree

2. Favorite Ornament? One I made as a kid, it is a ceramic oval shaped ornament with a leaf imprint on it. It doesn't even look Christmasy

3. Favorite Christmas Song? O Come Emmanuel or Feliz Navidad, so I can dance

4. Favorite Tradition? Probably watching Christmas movies with my family

5. Favorite Gift Ever Received? A bike when I was in middle school

6. Favorite Christmas Meal? Turkey or Ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, fresh bread, pie

7. Favorite Christmas Cookie? Sugar cookies with icing or hot out of the oven chocolate chip cookies

8. Favorite Place to be? I am always in Florida for Christmas

9. Favorite Memory? Going over to Grandma's and Grandpa's as a kid and running down to the basement to see what was under the tree... my favorite was the Big Wheel each of us got

10. Favorite Christmas Movie? Elf, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

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I wait...

Psalm 140:5-8

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel.

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I joined a gang along with my sister. Don't mess with us.

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Please Pray

My sister, Sara, is coming back to Florida on Saturday to live with us because my brother-in-law, Mike, is going over to Iraq to serve our country. He could be gone up to 14 months and I know this is going to be very hard on both of them. Please pray for Mike's safety and also pray that God would be with both of them as they are apart from each other. I am excited to be near my sister again, I just hate that it is because Mike will be out of the country for so long. Sara and I are gong to be sharing a room again. This will be fun! I love you Sara and Mike and I am very proud of both of you!

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Last night

I went with a group from my church to a place down in St. Pete to serve dinner to a group of 200 homeless people. It was a very sobering night. I will be the first to admit that I have become calloused and indifferent from seeing people on the streets holding up signs for money or food. I casually pass them by without giving them much thought most of the time. Last night I talked with a guy named Ray for a little while and was convicted by the Holy Spirit that my heart is hard. This guy had a hungry stomach, no where to sleep that night, and only had on shorts and a t-shirt. His face was so hopeless and his heart was sad. I could tell this just by looking at him. He sat alone and kept to himself but was friendly enough to talk to me for a few minutes. I served him his meal and gave him information on where he could sleep for the next 21 days. He went to the back of the room and got some clothes that would keep him warmer than what he had on. I am pretty sure Jesus was serious when He told the disciples to clothe, feed and look after those in need. I am also pretty sure He wants us to do the same thing. A lot of us want social justice and we want to make this world a better place, we don't have to look very far to see a place where we can make that difference.

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A new love

Fall is here and I guess that is a perfect time to find a new love. I have discovered that I love to kayak. A new friend of mine introduced me to this new adventure about a week ago. Well, this weekend we took a trip down south to the Everglades and went on a 15 mile kayak trip through the swampy, alligator infested, mangrove lined, murky waters. The weather was ideal and we had a great time taking in the beautiful sights. We went on a guided trip that took 6 hours. I will be honest and tell you that I was not prepared for what I had signed up for. I was expecting a leisurely paddle through the Everglades and expected to spot a gator or two. There were parts of the river that were so narrow and tight you couldn't use a paddle to move your kayak. We were in a mangrove tunnel that was at least a mile long and we had to pull ourselves through by using the branches of the mangrove tree ducking as we moved so we didn't knock ourselves out. It was awesome. Sure we saw alligators but the thing that scared me the most was when our guide mentioned pythons and rattle snakes. I wouldn't be writing this now if I had seen one because I would have died of a heart attack. That trip was incredible and I am so glad my friend Charley had the bright idea to go on such an adventurous trip. Who knows where she will have me kayaking to next.

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Guess what I did today?

Today I met a new friend for coffee and some how we ended up in the lake behind her house kayaking. I have never been before so I was excited to try it out. It wasn't exactly the ideal day weather wise to go, but that didn't stop up us. It was a very windy day and I wasn't in the best kayaking clothes, but I had a great time on my first excusion. I think I might be ready for class 5 rapids on my next trip. You wake up on a Friday morning thinking your day will be on the routine side of life until you start talking to someone who has two kayaks sitting in their garage. What else were we supposed to do? I did learn one thing, you can get pretty wet when you are kayaking in the wind. I was drenched but loved every minute of it. Well, all of it except the herd of spiders that decided they wanted a fun Friday kayaking adventure as well. Next time I am leaving them on land. Here is a picture of the shoes I wore.

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Coolest Cookies Ever!!

Yesterday some friends of mine had the coolest gift for me to open. I love getting gifts and I especially love them when they are meaningful! Here is a picture of what I saw when I opened the box.

Needless to say, I love these cookies. The Rays won last night so it made the night even better. Thanks Kimberly, Bill, & Reese!

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Heart Signs

Sometimes I have these signs posted on the door to my heart. I know the Bible says that God knocks on the the door of our heart and I wonder how many times He has found these signs plastered up telling Him to back off? Or maybe I post those signs to people who are trying to speak into my life or trying to encourage me and get to know me. Maybe people see these signs and they don't even bother knocking because they don't want to get yelled at or get kicked off the porch. I need to be more mindful of how I treat people and how I am receptive of people. I often pray for good friends and pray for strength, wisdom, or comfort. Today I wonder if maybe God tried to use people to provide these things but maybe I flashed my signs and kicked them out. With God, the good thing is, He won't back off. He won't force me to do anything, but He will continue to knock and continue to love me until I take those signs down. I love that about God.

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Look up

Psalm 121:1,2
I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!



More and more I am realizing that my help and my answers do come from the Lord, at least they are there if I want them. I can only accomplish so much on my own, with my own strength, my own talent, my own skills. I might get by but I will be so nervous, miserable and hopeless trying to figure it out and execute things on my own. I can't do it! I often struggle with that thinking that "if only.... " You can fill those dots in with whatever you want. Security, a better job, a different past, more time, more money, if I were smarter, and the list goes on. These aren't the solutions. I spend so much time worrying and trying to solve all the issues of life in my head. It's not that I don't pray or ask God for help because I do. Sometimes I think it would help me to know the He is what I need. He is my help when I don't have it all together and polished. He is my source when I my resources look like they won't measure up. He is my strength when I wonder how I will make it. I can look to the things in life and think they will help me or make things better, or I can look to the One who created this world and all that is in it and realize He holds it all. Nothing takes God by surprise. Nothing I encounter, nothing I have done, nothing I will face is something He isn't already the answer to. God didn't put us on this planet to try and figure it all out on our own. He came here to live with us and walk with us. He wants to be our answer. No person can fix what is wrong in our hearts. No amount of money can buy what our heart longs for.

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We won!!!!!!!!!!!

Today I got a phone call from friends at church wanting to know if I wanted to go to the last playoff game tonight. What do I say? No I don't want to go because if we lose I might not snap out of it, or yes I want to go and celebrate with a 40,000 person crowd. I chose to go to the game and I am so glad I had the opportunity to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was amazing. I have never been to anything like it. The dome was so loud and so energized I couldn't get over it. I even cried when we won!!!!! I am so happy. If we don't win the world series you may not hear from me for a while. I can't handle the let down.

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I want to go back

Last Saturday I went to Yates Cider Mill with my awesome friends. I sure wish we were all together going to the cider mill again today. It was so pretty there and we had fun together. Why do I live so far away? I want to go back.

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I want to play

I think I should try a hand at this baseball thing. I mean, how hard can it really be? I played Little League as a kid and softball in high school. Sign me up!

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I am mad at Maddon!

Joe Maddon is the coach of the Rays and I am beyond ticked at him. How do you blow a 7 run lead? I tell you how... let a bullpen pitcher stay in the game like he let Wheeler stay in. That is how. Oh well, we have another chance on Saturday to beat Boston. One more win and we are headed for the world series. Come on Rays!!!!! I know, I need to be more like Jesus and not be so angry and upset. I told you I have a problem with sports. Help me.

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My heart cries

I spent the last week in Michigan spending time with two of the most precious kids on this planet. I have to admit that I was very sad this morning when I woke up and there was no sweet little boy to play soccer with in the back yard and no baby girl to hold in my arms. I want to go back!!!! We did a ton and I had so much fun. It was great to visit with my friends and to get to know my two new best friends.

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Incoming!

We took 16 5th & 6th graders out for a night of miniature golfing and ice cream. Who knew you could have as much fun as we did on a Friday night?

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