Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Pain in the Congo




In this Nov. 6, 2008 file photo, Protegee carries her niece, Response, left, as she looks for her parents in the village Kiwanja, 90 kms north of Goma, eastern Congo. When photographed on Nov. 6, Protegee was in a crowd of thousands in the town of Kiwanja, having walked for three days by herself after being separated from her mother as they fled on foot from her town about 12 miles (20 kilometers) away. Protegee finally found her mother, Esperance Nirakagori, in Kiwanja at a makeshift refugee camp six days after they were separated.

Please click on the link below for the rest of the story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081118/ap_on_re_af/congo_girls_in_the_photo_1


The picture above breaks my heart. Hundreds of children in the Congo are separated from their families. Can you imagine being separated from your children & not knowing where they are? I have not been blessed with children yet, but even the thought of not knowing where these children are puts completely fear in me.

Heavenly Father, Please protect & guide these children. Bless them as they find their way to their families. Give peace & comfort to their families during this difficult time. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.



Thankful for....

I am Thankful for.....

God

my comfy bed

my 2 sweet pups

loving Parents

my new fleur de lis tee-shirt (it's really CUTE)

my Pokeno Group

gas prices decreasing

my job

Christian Friends

Coffee (without coffee you would not want to be around me in the morning)

my car

my home

working out

cooler weather

the NEW Chuy's in Plano (YUM!)

Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshall's, Home Goods

the Holiday Season

my Secret Sisters (I have 2)

my love of cooking

Jesus Christ

Monday, November 10, 2008

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL.

On Friday night, I went to my 1st High School Football Game since I graduated high school. In high school, I went to about 20 games my entire career as a student. Games were not really my "thing" back then. I graduated 16 years ago in a small city in Louisiana. Simply saying Football is HUGE in my hometown is an understatement.....FOOTBALL. IS. HUGE. GO LIONS!

Before I moved to the East side of town, I lived on the West side of town. Living on the West side of town, I never experienced any footballness! Since I have moved to the East side of town, it seems the football stadium is my back yard. During games, I always hear the band and fans! The band ROCKS. My Niece, Stephanie, is a Color Guard. I was the proud little Aunt watching Steph throw her flag up in the air!

The High School Team I was shouting for won the game. The game was good. The excitement was wonderful. I was fast asleep on the sofa at 11:15pm. Sixteen years make a huge difference......In high school, I would have been too hyper from the game to go to bed so "early" at 11:15pm. Now, I'm old. I was praying for sleep before I left the excitement of the game.

I'm the Pet Parent.

When I go on vacation (and I can not take my dogs), I start to stress out. I usually start planning months and months in advance on what boarding place my Girls will stay. The last time I boarded was in March 2008. It was a HORRIBLE experience. Phoebe was extremely sick, and they were both covered in their own nastiness.
My friend, Karla, would keep Abby when it was just Abby, but now that I have Phoebe and Karla had her 2nd set of twins (her name in my blog roll is Superwoman). It's way too much for Karla to keep with her family and then my 2 dogs. My friends Deb and Robert normally would keep them when it's a weekend trip. During Thanksgiving, I am going on vacation and I can not take my dogs. I have been stressing since my last Thanksgiving vacation over this year's vacation. I. know. it's. very. SAD!
I have a co-worker who just starting her pet in-home dog sitting service. Abby and Phoebe are her first clients. The girls and I are planning on visiting this coming weekend to see how her dog and my girls do. More than likely, everything will go good. I'm praying.

When you board your pets, where do you board them?

Gumbo Cooking Weather.

I can not believe 2008 is almost over. 2009 is knocking on our door. It seem like yesterday was Jan. 1, 2008. Since I live in Texas, the weather is so unpredictable. I'm ready for a true cold winter. I want to wear sweaters, socks, and my coats! I want to make hearty wintry foods! I want to NOT have to turn on the air conditioner in November.

On Saturday, I went to my friends, Michelle and Don's, house. I made gumbo for the first time in 2 years. It was pretty warm outside, but we planned a gumbo making day weeks ago. The gumbo was pretty amazing (except Michelle did not want okra in the gumbo---imagine gumbo without okra?!). The gumbo did not have okrain it, but it was still very good. I'm not a typical Cajun. I make my roux after I have sauteed all the veggies/meat....and then I add the finished roux mixed with broth to the both with the veggies and meat. I have tried making the roux and then adding all the other ingredients but I ALWAYS burn the roux when I do it this way. The smell of burned roux makes me queasy. So, I continue to make gumbo "backwards".

What's some of your favorite wintry foods?

Monday, November 03, 2008

BREAKING NEWS: It happened AGAIN!

The Bachelorette Star DeAnna Pappas Calls Off Engagement with Jesse Csincsak.

Something Funny on Monday

In Sunday School, I was making a joke about finding a husband (which is something I always do)! My friend, Jennifer, came up to me after class and told me something I could do to help the search for my Husband to be. She told me to put a pair of man's pants at the end of my bed each day & pray over them asking God to fill the pants with the man He chooses for me. A few weeks later a wonderful friend gave me an old pair of his jeans. I am proud to say this........The jeans have been on my bed almost every day. Of course the man does not have to be the exact size of the pants.......I pray God to fill those jeans with a Godly Man filled with the fire of Christ.

Lobsters VS. Monsters Smackdown.

Last night, I went to visit my friends Karla & Kenny (and there 5 children). Kenny made dinner (CHILI), and it was greatness. Thanks Kenny! After Karla and I put the kids to bed, Kaden came out of his room and proceeded to tell us he heard some strange noises and he was scared. The second time Kaden came out of his room he told us the Lobsters were eating his hair. Each time Kaden goes to the grocery store, he wants to go see the Monsters (aka Lobsters). Karla & I thought is was so funny he thought the Lobsters were eating his hair. No telling where Kaden got that from.

I wonder if the Night Time Monster and the Lobster ever had a smackdown who would win. My guess would be the Lobster....their claws are deadly!

Fall Rally.

Two weeks ago, My Old Youth Minister and I took 5 of your High School kids to the Fall Rally Lock-in. We arrived around 7:20p and did not leave until 7a. It. Was. A. Very. Long. Night! I did not sleep the entire night. As soon as I dropped the kids off at home, I made it home, crawled into bed, and slept 7 hours.

I love to stay up LATE on Friday nights. My idea of late between 1am to 2:30ish am. Just the being "allowed" to stay up late on a weekend night makes me smile. I guess it makes me feel like I am getting away with something (maybe I need to stop living my teen years again!). Sleeping in on Saturday morning makes it so much better.

When was the last time you stayed awake ALL night long?

Review Time.

On Saturday, I went to see the new movie "The Secret Life of Bees". It was a very powerful movie about brave women, all from very various backgrounds. The movie made me laugh and cry. Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, Dakota Fanning, and Jennifer Hudson all gave amazing performances. Queen Latifah has always been one of my favorite actors. She truly becomes her character. Alicia Keys was very convincing in this movie. Her character's fear of Love & Romance completely astonished me. Dakota Fanning has an incredible talent for being so young. The character she played in The Secret Life of Bees describes what many young girls still go through today with an unpredictable Parent. Jennifer Hudson's embraced her role with such bravery that I would love to sit down with her to talk about what she thought about the life of her character during the filming of this movie. Jennifer, I am truly sorry for the tragedy you are facing right now. I am prayer for God to lift you and family up!

After the movie, I went to dinner at a new restaurant. It's called the Asian Mint on Forest and 75. The atmosphere was very retro with a great artistic flare. The. Food. Was. INCREDIBLE! The cuisine is Thai. If you want more information, please go to
www.asianmint.com.

Who does Depression hurt?

Everyone! I admit it. I'm a slacker when it comes to blogging. It's called depression. Depression sucks. I finally went to my doctor because I was having some female issues. I have been on the same birth control for 12 years. Did you know being on the same pill for 12 years can really cause depression in someone???? Since we our bodies constantly change, a woman should NOT be on the same pill for 12 years. Over the course of about 2 years, I have been extremely overly-emotional...meaning I cry way to often. Lately, in the 6 months, I cry constantly. I knew I had an issue when I started really crying for no reason watching one of my favorite TV shows named Angel. Angel is about a Vampire who has a soul and trys to destroy all evil in the world. It was weird to cry over a Vampire with a soul! :) I was sleeping too well...tossing and turning at night...having night sweats......not getting up to go work out (which is something I really LOVE).....I still took care of myself, my home and my dogs...just was overly emotional for no reason.....So, I know I really needed help!
I found a NEW incredible OB/GYN Doctor. She ran test....and it seems everything was okay. She changed my birth control. I seem to be slowly coming out of the fog. I am not crying as much now.....Praise God.