My Sunshine's Fifth Birthday!!

Here are a few pictures from the Princess' Princess Party!!


The princess needs paint!!



The princess needs cake!!



The princess needs presents!!

She had a wonderful time playing with her friends and enjoying her party!! Thanks for celebrating with us!!

An unexpected blessing....

My husband just got a new job working for the fifth largest law firm in Arizona. Do you know one of the perks of working for a really big law firm?? They have season tickets almost everywhere!! Another perk?? Most lawyers don't take clients to see Sesame Street Live!! We, on the other hand, happen to own a gaggle of giggling girls who think Sesame Street is cool!! (yes, even my 11 yr. old enjoyed it...shhhhh...don't tell her I told you!!) Now some of you might be wondering about the boy child...he bowed out (with great rejoicing) to go to a sleep over at his friend's house...and we took one of the girl's friends with us.

Season tickets for a law firm unsually include a skybox or suite...Whoo hoo!! And free drinks (soda's and water at the kid's shows, thank you very much, if you were wondering!) The kids thought it was quite exciting that they got the whole box pretty much to themselves (there was another family from Tim's work but they left at intermission) and could just get a soda out of the fridge!

It was a whole lot of fun seeing how the "other" side lives!! I'll never get my kids to stay seated in "normal" seats again!! LOL!!

My Interview with Amy Wallace

Recently I had the distinct priviledge of spending the weekend with Amy and her family and joining them for her book signing Together we celebrated the release of her first book Ransomed Dreams . The book is awesome and I had a blast!! Read on for the interview and at the end I'll post some pictures of the book launch party!

Hi Amy! Thanks for Blog touring on my site!

When did you first know that you wanted to write professionally?

When I first started typing Ransomed Dreams, I knew I wanted to be a "real
writer." Little did I understand then that real writers are the people who
write because they love writing and God has given them a passion and calling
to do so. A publishing contract doesn't validate that calling or passion.


How do you handle the pressures of being a “working mom”?

Pray and get used to not sleeping as much as I'd like to. ;-) I think the
hardest part is when I hang out with other women who don't work (outside the home) and I feel like a lesser Christian or that my stresses are "my fault" for trying to do too much. But God continues to remind me that He's called me and He will
equip me. I rise and fall to Him alone and not the opinions of others. That
helps. I'm still working on the sleep issue.


What made you decide to write “crime scene” novels?

I often ask myself and God this very same question. ;-) The best explanation
I can come up with is this: when my best friend and I go shopping, she looks
for shoes and I monitor the exits. I guess it's just how my mind works and
processes the world. There was a time in college that I wanted to be an FBI
profiler, but that job was far too heavy for my amateur psychology and
sleuthing mind. So now I get to explore law enforcement and criminal minds
without the threat of gunshots or too many crime scene photos.


What is your favorite scene from Ransomed Dreams?

Hands down my favorite scene is the very last one. I had a total blast
writing that one and smiling all the way through. But I also loved the
scenes where Clint and Steven ribbed each other. Besides Gracie and Steven,
my favorite characters to hang out with in a scene were Steven and Clint
together.


If Ransomed Dreams was made into a movie who would you cast as the main
characters??

I really don't know who I'd pick. I'm open to hearing what readers think,
though! In fact, I love hearing opinions on who readers see when they read
Ransomed Dreams. My husband's picks are David James Elliott for Steven and
Ashley Judd for Gracie.

What kind of research did you have to do to “get” the FBI scenes to be
accurate?

God really amazed me with putting me in contact with a Christian federal
agent. My advisor helped me in huge ways with Ransomed Dreams and he
continues to provide great email support for those hard to find answers. I
also spend lots of time on the FBI website reading law enforcement bulletins
and delving into FBI biographies.

What is your favorite “crime scene” TV show?

I loved watching NCIS, but it got too gruesome and made my imagination go
haywire to the point I'd wake my husband with any noise, terrified someone
was in our house. I did a lot of praying and realized my fear and struggle
with why bad things happen (like on TV and the news) were leading me to
doubt God's goodness. No TV show is worth indulging that temptation. So now
I watch Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? And no, I'm usually not! ;-)

What would be the perfect day for you?

My perfect day would include the beach, chocolate, good books, and good
friends. It'd start after 10 AM and keep going until around 1 AM when I'd
finally need to get some sleep. (personal aside: it was more like 2 or 3 AM when we finally gave up the ghost and went to sleep!!)


Thank you for letting me pry into your life a little!! Good luck on Book
Three!!

Thanks so much for having me over on your blog! And thanks for your prayers
as I continue working on book 3 too. That's such a gift and encouragement!

Check out Amy’s website at www.amywallace.com

Ransomed Dreams is available at www.amazon.com, www.cbd.com, and at your
local Christian bookstore!

FABULOUS FIVE!!

I can't believe my BABY is five today!!



We took her out to her family dinner last night at Famous Dave's BBQ...where she had ice cream with SPARKLERS on top!!



Then, today on her ACTUAL birthday she had cupcakes at preschool...Mommy brought her lunch AND she got to pick dinner and desert at Walmart where she told every living soul she saw.."It's my Birthday! I'm five!" She chose to make her own brownies for desert...the option of picking her own decorations were the important ingredient!!



After we got home we discovered presents in the mailbox from the Nations in Florida!



All in all I think it's been a pretty wonderful day for my little angel!! This mommy is pretty proud of her growing little girl!! Happy Birthday Sweetie!!

Welcome to a New Blogger!!!

Friends, please help me welcome my brother-in-law to the world of blogging!! He has been writing these really awesome devotionals for years and emailing them to friends and family and I convinced him to publish them to a blog for all to enjoy!! Please help me encourage him by visiting his website and leaving him a comment!!

Mike's blog:
www.iabide.blogspot.com

Thanks!! A blessed Easter to you all!!

Our Visit with Katy.

While we were in San Diego we had a chance to visit with Katy and her family. Our kids had a ball!! Poor Sarah hit her head on the piano (the part Logan is standing under) and seeing as she was utterly exhausted decided to throw a fit. She was only persuaded to be in the picture if Daddy went with her (thus the reason my dh is in the "kids" picture!!LOL!) but at the end when we told them to make funny faces she decided to join in!!!

We're back!!

We just spent a wonderful week camping in Chula Vista (if you can call it camping, more on that later) and going to Sea World. I thought I would post a quick pic and then I'm off to bed after almost an hour of catching up on email!!! YIKES!

I am spoiled!!

I have been very spoiled this year! I got to go scrapbooking for an ENTIRE weekend! I get to fly out to Georgia to see my best friend, Heather, who moved to Florida in January and my friend, Amy, who is releasing her first book in April (AND I got MY pre-released copy in the mail today!!) I got new canisters for my kitchen (my dh actually got me what I asked for!! YAY!!), I got bangles and baubles from my daughters and chocolate from my son (he's learning already!!) along with the most adorable hand-made cards! I got a dozen balloons today from my students, two others from a good friend and her kiddo's, and multitudes of cards and well wishes from both students and co-workers alike. One of my friends from work bought me Starbucks AND lunch at In 'n' Out, and my family took me out to dinner at Red Lobster and to Cold Stone for dessert! I am truly blessed!!!

Praise You in the Storm

Most of you have probably figured out by now that music really speaks to my heart, especially when I'm feeling down and all I can manage to do is listen to music. It's hard sometimes to pick up a bible and it's difficult at times to even know what to pray much less be able to utter the words. The one thing I can always do is listen to music. We are blessed to have several great Christian radio stations in our area that play Christian music, read daily scripture, and even pray for their listeners on a regular basis. My favorite is KLOVEwhich YOU can listen to anywhere online by going to www.klove.com.

Some of you may know that my life is kind of in turmoil right now. My best friend, Heather, has cancer and while it's not anywhere near as hard for me as it is for her, it's hard to watch someone you love go through that. She also moved to Florida a month ago which seems like a VERY long way away from Arizona!! I miss them A LOT!! On top of that I have had non-stop health issues with my youngest dd, who contracted mono just before Christmas that has left her vulnerable to EVERYTHING. On top of that I'm having some serious dental issues (and I'm VERY dental PHOBIC!) Now...I've got another sinus infection and have lost my voice (makes it a little hard to teach!!) It's enough to make you sigh, shrug your shoulders and ask what more God? Then this song comes on the radio and I have to stop and ask forgiveness and proclaim "I WILL praise you in the storm, God, no matter how big or small or in between."



Casting Crowns - Praise You In This Storm
From the album Lifesong

I was sure by now
God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say “Amen”, and it’s still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can’t find You

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The maker of Heaven and Earth

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The maker of Heaven and Earth

Texas?

What is going on in Texas?

I was having a conversation with a co-worker at my school today and we were shaking our heads in wonder about the idea of lawmakers in Texas trying to make missing a scheduled parent-teacher conference a criminal charge and $500 fine. What?!? The last time I checked we lived in a democracy that allowed FREEDOM!! People are allowed to express themselves by covering our nations capitol with GRAFFITI but they want to fine someone and give them a criminal record for missing a parent-teacher conference?? What?? I just don't get it and I'm a teacher that has to deal with no-shows!!

That brought my conversation with my co-worker to the topic of making the Gardasil vaccine mandatory for 7th grade girls in Texas. Good ole' Texas again. Once again I am shaking my head. Since when are public schools meant to be the vehicle to control the public at large? I was under the impression the job of schools was to educate children NOT control their parents (even though sometimes as a teacher I would LOVE to control the parents of my students, but that doesn't make it any less wrong!). I think vaccines for diseases that can be spread during the regular activities of a school day are a good idea. In the schools I've been to sexual activity doesn't normally take place on campus...at least not as part of regular school activities.

Now, I know I'm going to step on some toes here because I have a lot of friends that are part of the religious right and I don't agree with their arguement against the vaccine either. If simply giving a young girl a vaccine that will protect her from ONE type of STD is going to make her promiscuous then somebody isn't doing their job. If parents, first and foremost, and churches are instilling biblical values into their children, it's going to take a heck of a lot more than a vaccine to make that young girl do a 180 degree turn from those values.

I do think there is some validity to the arguement that the vaccine is new, and relatively untested in the market.

My major arguement against making this vaccine mandatory, though,is that I don't think we should be using the right of every child to a free and appropriate education to force parents to vaccinate their children against a disease that they shouldn't be getting or spreading in school! I think this is a decision between a parent, a child, and their doctor. I'm all for curing cancer and if this can reduce the rate of death as a result of cancer in this country, I'm all for it...I personally need to see a little more research on the long term effects before I run out and vaccinate my daughters. I have time, they're still young. But I object to the assumption that I'm not intelligent enough to make this decision on my own, with the help of research and my doctor, and must be forced into it by the school system.

I'm going to step off my soapbox now...I welcome your comments...What do you think??