Well slap me silly and call me Peacock.

Yes, I was the project for my class this week. They all had a hand in creating my fun new colorful hair. And no, I don't normally where make-up, much less this much! My instructor made me over for a little photoshoot fun!

Rooted in sin, but grew into glory.

So I am not sure how all of you will feel about this post. So feel free to be honest about it. Most of you have heard by now about the song "Healer". It is a powerful song about God's healing power. It was written by a man who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Well, so we thought. It turns out that for 2 years, this man had mislead his church, the world, maybe even his family. He was NOT dying. His was all an act.

After hearing this news, I was surprised how UNaffected I felt. I wasn't really upset or sad or angry. Maybe it's because of the whole Todd Bentley issue, I am learning slowly not to put my hope and faith into people, but rather what God is doing through people in spite of our flaws! Anywho, I wondered alittle bit how it would make me feel next time I went to sing it. And sure enough I got my chance to this past Sunday.

I didn't feel anything other than love and passion for my creator. The truth is the truth. And the truth is, that God IS my healer, he is all I need. More than enough for me.

But it did get me to thinking about some stuff. I think that we as Christians need to face something. That the truth doesn't always come from a "christian" box. It's not always neat and clean. The truth can be found in other things like liberals, democrats, secular music, even a lie. Because I believe that somehow, through God's redemption, truth came from a lie in this case. This song was created in deception, lies, and schemes. But it shouts the truth of God's love and grace. Isn't it interesting? What do ya'll think about this?

I personally think that we can find God's truth in "ungodly" places. I seem to be able to stumble across them anywhere!

Recap of my first week...

So my first week of school went great. I have learned some things about my self... How bout I share?

A. It is not as hard as I thought to wake up early.
B. My least favorite thing to do is wrap perms.
C. I treat my mannequin, Nuni, like a person.
D. I like to be good at things and if I'm not, I don't like it!
E. I am a perfectionist.
F. My least favorite thing to do is wrap perms.
G. I really like to meet fun, different types of people.
H. I love and miss my kiddies.
I. I have to recite the alphabet to remember what letter comes next.
J. I need food at least every 3 hours.
K. The thought of wrapping 63 more perms doesn't make me ultra excited.
L. I like facials and skin care way more than I thought.
M. I like bookwork, who knew?
N. I forgot how hard it is to have a 9-5.
O. Jeez, the perms! Lol...
P. No matter how hard I try, I won't eat the sack lunch I bring from home.
Q. I like Mexican and country style food too much!
R. There are alot of funny jokes you can make while rolling perms!
S. I am learning to keep track of EVERYTHING I do, little and big.
T. Reminder: you can't judge a book by it's cover.
U. I do not like hair on me.
V. Nor in my comb.
W. I have am glad to have some one to go through this with, thanks Ames.
X. I have great friends who will let me experiment on them.
Y. Maybe I should specify, I only hate straight back perms...
Z. I AM REALLY GOING TO LOVE THIS!

P.S. Shout out to my amazingly wonderful sister who completed my first week of school perfectly. She surprised me on Saturday afternoon with flowers and candy! How lucky am I? Thank you Mayhay for making my already great first week even better! I love you...Thank you for inspiring me to do this!

Peace and Bubbles.

Okay, sorry guys. This one is for Tara. Every now and then, I have to do this. And gushy alert: Forewarning of the mushy.

Tara, you have been gone for 47 days. In Alias, this is somehow a significant number. I can't help but see the correlation. Today is the day that I officially miss you. I mean, I have missed you up until now trust me. It was a missing but not the "I broke down because I realized that not only am I going to miss you this minute, but I will continue to have to miss you for the next 10 months" miss you. If THAT could possible make any sense! :)

I just talked to you a few minutes ago. I love talking to you, it makes me feel happy. I got off with you to get in the bath, and preceded to cry. I mean, cry. That blubbery, silent "I don't want anyone to hear me" cry. I am crying right now. I miss you. You bring me joy. I miss your excitement and passion and upliftment. Is that even a word? Lol... And for those of you reading this not Tara, I know that everything is as it should be, I know that we are both were we are supposed to be and I know that God has something to teach me in all of this. I am not looking for an answer or solution or anything....I just miss my best friend.

I feel so lucky, most people are not this lucky. I not only have a husband who is my best friend and partner. But I have you, my counter part and kindred spirit. I love you and am so happy that you are living your dream. But.....I am aching. I wish I could call you and tell you about the funny thing that happened to me, the old ladies that asked me to have lunch with them today, school, the kids, things I don't understand. I miss you. I love you and miss you...it sounds so stupid saying it this many times. I wish there were other words to say it. How can 3 short little words mean so much? It's not dramatic enough for me. :) And you know that I love the dramatic. Trust me, I look dramatic right now....sitting at the computer crying.

I love you, and think about you a gazillion times a day. I am praying for you and with I could see you soon. Maybe next time it's raining I'll pretend to walk with you in the rain....well, there go the waterworks again! BLAH!

You are my sunshine.
Peace and Bubbles.

Who do YOU look to?

So I found out some sad information today. For those of you who know me well, know that I have followed, watched, and attended the Lakeland revival. There has been relentless criticism of the revival and of Todd personally. A few days ago Todd announced that his marriage is over. And today, all of the naysayers get to say "I told you so."

Except they shouldn't.

Who do you look to? Did you go the revival to see the crazy tattooed preacher man? Or did you go to experience God? If you went for the latter, then you found it I am sure. If you went or watched for the first, then that's probably all you got. No one, even Todd ever said that he was worthy to carry such a move of God. God uses broken people to carry out his works, and I have heard Todd say that MANY times over. This revival was never about him or his short comings. It was about showing the world a part of God that we tend to shy away from. We don't like to talk or hear about the things we don't understand, and I believe whole-heartedly that God used Todd Bentley to usher in a movement that will not soon stop, if ever.

I am praying for Todd and his family. The pressure and attention that this revival must of put on his family had to have been intolerable. I pray for reconciliation and forgiveness and love.

And for all of the people who are relishing in this man's pain, all of the "christians" that are saying, "SEE! I told you that man wasn't from God!", I truly feel sorry for you. He has his issues and don't we all, but don't criticize a man for his passion and desire to see God move in a tangible way. At least he put himself out there and tried to change the world. If more people got off their bums and did something instead of criticizing those who do, the world would be a better place. Who do we look to? Instead of looking to preachers and authors and people, let's just look to God. Chances are, you will find him somewhere you wouldn't of expected!

"Mandanas"

I was SO pumped to get my new bag in the mail today. This is a bag I ordered from a little shop in Chattanooga called The World Next Door. Ya'll have heard me talk about it before I know. The last couple of times I was up there, this bag caught my eye. I LOVED it. I just never had a reason to get a large shoulder bag, until now! I need one for school, for my notebooks and books, etc. So immediately I decided I wanted to get the tree bag.

A few days later I was in Target, one of my favorite overall stores, and saw a couple of bags I liked. Not as much as the tree bag mind you, but I thought that maybe it would just be easier to get one of those so I wouldn't have to order the other and pay shipping. Then, out of nowhere, I thought about an article about a documentary that I had wanted to watch called What would Jesus buy. Now I know that it sounds really corny, but it talked about big chain stores and sweatshops and the little guys not making it. And it hit me, if I really wanted to make a difference in the world, why not pay attention to where I buy stuff? The WND is a fair trade fed. member. All their products are purchased from the "little guys" in other countries, therefore supporting people who otherwise can't make a living. So, as corny as it sounds....What would Jesus buy? Who would he want to support? Where would he want his money to go? I put the bag down and asked Andy to go ahead with the bag online. Look at the tag that came with the bag:

This is a fair trade product, handmade by artisans of Marwar villages in Rajasthan, India. This applique work is done by women of these villages. The applique designs are inspired by nature & "Mandanas" (traditional patterns made on floor". These are draught prone regions and this art is the main source of income in drought & non agricultural times. Income from this art helps in development of this community by bringing education, electricity, and healthcare.

Now, would I have that same experience had I bought at Target? No way. I am not saying let's all boycott Target, hardly. Let's just think about some of the things that we could get somewhere else, at a place that could make a difference. You want some original jewelry? Go to a fair trade store, their jewelry is beautiful and handcrafted. Gifts? They have a variety of fun and different gifts, from cloths to accessories, to journals made from elephant dung! I think that might be my next purchase! Lol. My point is, let's just hide this in our heart and think before we make our next purchase. I am learning that the little things matter, they make a difference.

Check out worldnextdoormarket.blogspot.com, they have a link to their online store. It's awesome. Shout out to Nathan and his wife! Thanks for all you have done to make a difference!

E all grown up!

So today was Eli's first day of kindergarten! What?!? Am I old enough to have a child in elementary school? I don't feel that old, but then some days I feel 37. Some thing about having children (not babies, but children) makes one feel older than they are. I am SO excited about this year though. We are so blessed to have an amazing teacher for Eli. He is in a self-contained autistic classroom with 2 other little boys, (both autistic) as well as a teacher and para-pro. He is going to be in a perfect environment to learn and grow. He will get to have speech therapy and OT, but get the benefit of being with the regular ed kids at lunch, PE, art, and music throughout the week! The best of both worlds, one on one learning time but social interaction with a lot of other kids.

And his teacher is perfect, she is VERY knowledgeable about autism and strict when it come to teaching and making a difference, but she also LOVES Eli so much. She jokes around that if he comes home one day with his cheeks missing it's because she kissed them all off! But I know that she will be on Andy and I to incorporate as much learning at home as possible, she will be able to help us at home as well as in the classroom, which is just so above and beyond what we could ask for. I can't thank God enough for the amazing teachers he has put in my kids life! His teacher from last year (pre-k) misses him so much, she decided to work in his class in Waumba Land on Sundays so she could be with him! Isn't that amazing! I can't wait to see how much he changes over the next year...it's going to be great to watch! I will keep ya'll updated on how he is doing. FYI: He had a GREAT first day!

I love my adorable E so much, he has so much to offer the world. He has offered me a different perspective, patience and acceptance. He has shown me that the world is not black and white, there are shades of grey and to never judge a book by it's cover. He has brought me extreme joy, as well as tears. But it is in the tears that I learn and stretch. He has taught me gratitude. God has used him to show me his glory manifested. I have never seen a person that holds such Godly favor among man before. People see God's hand on his life and it draws them to him. I am so proud to call Eli my son. How much more is God proud to call us his.

Jawbreaker Progress....Slow and Steady

Wow, this is harder than I thought. It's WAY tougher than regular jawbreakers. Sometimes my tongue starts to bleed, and unfortunately when that happens I have to day a 2 to 3 day break to let it rest. What can I say, you have to suffer for your art! Lol, it's definitely slow and steady. If anyone wants to change their guess, now would be the time to do it. Remember, this is barely over a month.