If you live in the Sachse/Wylie area and leave between 7 and 8 in the morning to go to work, I am very sorry. All week, Hwy 78 has had HORRIBLE traffic (what is the deal??) so I have had to bail and go different ways to work. Today when I got into Richardson, there was a ton of traffic on Campbell too, so I had to find a different way to get to work.
Normally, if I am not pressed for time, I LOVE to find new ways of getting places. I tend to have little patience with traffic, so it doesn't take me long to bail on it and find new ways of getting around. I have always had a really good sense of direction, so I am not really worried that I will get lost. I am frequently known to be driving through strange neighborhoods, etc. trying to find shortcuts or new ways of getting around.
It is an adventure to me to drive around in new areas. I love learning new things in general, so maybe this is why it excites me so much.
Now, if I am running late or if I have the chance of running late, this adventure stuff is not fun at all. Like this morning...the traffic was making me late, so I wasn't having any fun at all. But I did find it interesting to see where the road by the church of Christ church down the road went...it runs into Arapaho.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
I Love Milk...
any way I can get it (except whole milk. Too thick!). But I especially love chocolate milk. Most mornings I drink a glass on my way to work.
So, the other day I had to buy some more Nestle Quik mix. (I am such a kid!) This morning when I opened up the new box, I realized that it was with "No Sugar Added".
Now I feel compelled to use the whole thing since I bought it. I'll just have to deal with yucky milk for awhile. Oh well.
So, the other day I had to buy some more Nestle Quik mix. (I am such a kid!) This morning when I opened up the new box, I realized that it was with "No Sugar Added".
Now I feel compelled to use the whole thing since I bought it. I'll just have to deal with yucky milk for awhile. Oh well.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
My First Cake from Scratch
I've never made a cake from scratch before, but I decided to make a German Chocolate cake today. It turned out really well, and it tastes yummy! I had to cut off a little of the "blump" at the top of the bottom layer so that it would lay better, so Chris and I ate that part. Here are pictures of my first home-made cake!
Monday, February 19, 2007
Why?
Before Chris and I had Caleb, we made a vow to each other that when we had kids, we would not talk about their poop and pooping all of the time like we had noticed parents doing. That vow did not last long after having Caleb.
Caleb has been constipated for the past 2 weeks, so we have been having lots of "poop talk" at our house and with family and friends. I didn't think anything about it until Chris pointed it out to me and reminded me that we used to say that we would never talk about that subject...at least to others.
I now see why it is an important thing to parents. We have been worried about Caleb for two weeks, but he finally seems to be better now. Parents worry about their kids and want them to be healthy, so it is a big deal to them when something is not going right.
So, anyway, if we have offended you over the past couple of weeks with "poop talk", here is my apology. I guess I'm one of those crazy parents now!
Caleb has been constipated for the past 2 weeks, so we have been having lots of "poop talk" at our house and with family and friends. I didn't think anything about it until Chris pointed it out to me and reminded me that we used to say that we would never talk about that subject...at least to others.
I now see why it is an important thing to parents. We have been worried about Caleb for two weeks, but he finally seems to be better now. Parents worry about their kids and want them to be healthy, so it is a big deal to them when something is not going right.
So, anyway, if we have offended you over the past couple of weeks with "poop talk", here is my apology. I guess I'm one of those crazy parents now!
Friday, February 16, 2007
Flight Video
Check out this video tracking the flight of all planes. It's kind of neat.
http://users.design.ucla.edu/~akoblin/work/faa/Documentationl2.html
http://users.design.ucla.edu/~akoblin/work/faa/Documentationl2.html
No Sleep and Weird Dream
Caleb and I had a bad night last night. He normally sleeps so good. I am really spoiled. But he kept waking up once every hour last night. I never could figure out what the deal was. Hopefully that means he'll take a decent nap at school today.
In the little bit of sleep that I got, I had a dream that I had triplets after already having Caleb. It was such a strange dream. They were only about the size of my hand, and I was so worried one of them wasn't going to survive. (I guess when you have triplets they tend to be small though and thus would make one worry about them.) I was going crazy in my dream because I all of a sudden had four kids to take care of. I guess the lack of sleep I was getting was making me have weird dreams.
In the little bit of sleep that I got, I had a dream that I had triplets after already having Caleb. It was such a strange dream. They were only about the size of my hand, and I was so worried one of them wasn't going to survive. (I guess when you have triplets they tend to be small though and thus would make one worry about them.) I was going crazy in my dream because I all of a sudden had four kids to take care of. I guess the lack of sleep I was getting was making me have weird dreams.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Oprah Show
I finally finished watching the Oprah show from last week that Pam Cope was on.
Did anyone else notice that as soon as Pam mentioned God, Oprah immediately redirected the conversation? Pam didn't even get out another word past saying "God".
I wonder if Oprah believes in God or if she just didn't want to alienate any of her viewers with talk about God.
What do you think?
Did anyone else notice that as soon as Pam mentioned God, Oprah immediately redirected the conversation? Pam didn't even get out another word past saying "God".
I wonder if Oprah believes in God or if she just didn't want to alienate any of her viewers with talk about God.
What do you think?
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Just me and the boy
Well, Chris is out of town today through Saturday, so it's just me and Caleb for the rest of the week. I've been a little stressed out knowing that I wasn't going to have anyone to hand Caleb off to when he's driving me nuts in the evening (fussy time because he refuses to take naps at school during the day) and that I have to do absolutely everything for him all week. We'll be alright though. It is a sweet time for us to bond, so I will enjoy it. And we will really appreciate Daddy when he comes home on Saturday! :)
NC Trip #3: Day Two - It's All About People
Ok, so Day Two...Conference day.
Our conference was really good and we came away with some good ideas and some reassurances that we were on the right track. One interesting part of the conference was that we were the only two "white girls". At first we thought that we might be uncomfortable, but we immediately realized that it was no big deal at all. The reality is that we are all God's children, and there are so many more things that we have in common than not. It was a great experience to hear what other churches, church offices, etc. are doing and the things they are going through. We all had similar stories and similar problems, so it was nice to get different opinions.
That night we went back into New Bern and walked around some of the historic area, ate some more seafood, drove around looking at the huge historic homes and then went back to the hotel to go to bed early.
Day Three - We got up, ate breakfast, flew out of the tiny New Bern airport to Charlotte, ran across the whole airport just in time to get at the end of the line to board our next flight to Dallas, and then returned in time for the Super Bowl.
It was a great trip! We had a good time seeing the sights and learning more about church administration. And I hope you enjoyed my stories!
Our conference was really good and we came away with some good ideas and some reassurances that we were on the right track. One interesting part of the conference was that we were the only two "white girls". At first we thought that we might be uncomfortable, but we immediately realized that it was no big deal at all. The reality is that we are all God's children, and there are so many more things that we have in common than not. It was a great experience to hear what other churches, church offices, etc. are doing and the things they are going through. We all had similar stories and similar problems, so it was nice to get different opinions.
That night we went back into New Bern and walked around some of the historic area, ate some more seafood, drove around looking at the huge historic homes and then went back to the hotel to go to bed early.
Day Three - We got up, ate breakfast, flew out of the tiny New Bern airport to Charlotte, ran across the whole airport just in time to get at the end of the line to board our next flight to Dallas, and then returned in time for the Super Bowl.
It was a great trip! We had a good time seeing the sights and learning more about church administration. And I hope you enjoyed my stories!
Thursday, February 08, 2007
NC Trip #2: Flight No. 2
Ok, as I said in my last post, we had to run across the Charlotte airport to catch our next flight to New Bern, NC. We made it a few minutes before it was time to load the plane - a small 50-seater with propellers!
This was my first time to fly in a smaller plane, and especially one with propellers. It was the kind of deal where you have to walk outside to get on the plane. Pretty fun!
So, when we got on the plane, I started talking to the guy next to me. (I like to talk to the person next to me at least for a few minutes just to be nice...I dont want to talk the whole time and whip them to death, but it's fun to kind of get to know someone new for a few minutes). I asked the guy if he had ever flown on a smaller plane before. He said that he had, and that if I've never flown a small plane before that I had never been to New Bern, NC before.
Then when we started taxiing on the runway, only one propeller was going. Marcie and I were a little worried, and I even thought about asking the flight attendant if something was wrong (boy, how stupid I would have felt after asking that!). The guy next to me told me that maybe we needed to get out and give the propeller a push and that we really didn't need the left propeller...that it saved gas to only run with one and that it would just make the landing a little difficult...no big deal. He was a pretty funny guy and helped us relax about the whole situation.
The flight to New Bern went well even though it was really loud with the propellers going.
When we landed at New Bern, the airport was so small that they just pulled up to the front door and let us out. It had three gates and was so tiny, but very cool. I had only flown out of large airports (I've never even flown out of Love Field), so I was very interested in this really small airport.
We got our car and bags and were off to Kinston, NC where there was absolutely nothing to do. We wound up eating dinner at a seafood/steak place in New Bern which is on the coast. I had salmon, and it was wonderful! I've never had seafood on the coast before, but I recommend it.
Next post, Day two.
This was my first time to fly in a smaller plane, and especially one with propellers. It was the kind of deal where you have to walk outside to get on the plane. Pretty fun!
So, when we got on the plane, I started talking to the guy next to me. (I like to talk to the person next to me at least for a few minutes just to be nice...I dont want to talk the whole time and whip them to death, but it's fun to kind of get to know someone new for a few minutes). I asked the guy if he had ever flown on a smaller plane before. He said that he had, and that if I've never flown a small plane before that I had never been to New Bern, NC before.
Then when we started taxiing on the runway, only one propeller was going. Marcie and I were a little worried, and I even thought about asking the flight attendant if something was wrong (boy, how stupid I would have felt after asking that!). The guy next to me told me that maybe we needed to get out and give the propeller a push and that we really didn't need the left propeller...that it saved gas to only run with one and that it would just make the landing a little difficult...no big deal. He was a pretty funny guy and helped us relax about the whole situation.
The flight to New Bern went well even though it was really loud with the propellers going.
When we landed at New Bern, the airport was so small that they just pulled up to the front door and let us out. It had three gates and was so tiny, but very cool. I had only flown out of large airports (I've never even flown out of Love Field), so I was very interested in this really small airport.
We got our car and bags and were off to Kinston, NC where there was absolutely nothing to do. We wound up eating dinner at a seafood/steak place in New Bern which is on the coast. I had salmon, and it was wonderful! I've never had seafood on the coast before, but I recommend it.
Next post, Day two.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
NC Trip #1: DFW Airport, Flight No. 1
Marcie and I had all kinds of interesting things happen on our trip to NC, so I thought I would post my comments and thoughts about all of the things that happened on the trip...
First of all, I can't believe how many people are traveling and going through the airport at 5 a.m. We were blown away at the lines at the ticketing counter and security. And I guess the people working at the counter were having a stressful morning with the long lines because they were all ticked off. Under those kinds of circumstances it is always better to have a good attitude and not let things get to you....even if it is really crazy...because if you are rude to people, they are going to be rude back to you and then it all spirals out of control.
Also, there were quite a few people who were freaking out in the long lines because their flight was about to leave. I kept thinking to myself, "Well, you should have been here earlier then."
Moving along. Our flight was delayed an hour and a half, so we had some time to eat breakfast and relax before we left.
We had a good flight to Charlotte and then had to run across the terminal to our next flight that was due to board about 10 minutes after we got to the Charlotte airport.
Ok, so not much exciting happened by this point in time, but the next post will get more interesting.
First of all, I can't believe how many people are traveling and going through the airport at 5 a.m. We were blown away at the lines at the ticketing counter and security. And I guess the people working at the counter were having a stressful morning with the long lines because they were all ticked off. Under those kinds of circumstances it is always better to have a good attitude and not let things get to you....even if it is really crazy...because if you are rude to people, they are going to be rude back to you and then it all spirals out of control.
Also, there were quite a few people who were freaking out in the long lines because their flight was about to leave. I kept thinking to myself, "Well, you should have been here earlier then."
Moving along. Our flight was delayed an hour and a half, so we had some time to eat breakfast and relax before we left.
We had a good flight to Charlotte and then had to run across the terminal to our next flight that was due to board about 10 minutes after we got to the Charlotte airport.
Ok, so not much exciting happened by this point in time, but the next post will get more interesting.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
North Carolina, Here I Come!
I am going to North Carolina tomorrow morning for a conference. I've never been there before, but I hear it is gorgeous. We are flying into New Bern and then driving to Kinston where the conference is.
Has anyone been to NC before and know of any neat things to do around there or good places to eat?
Has anyone been to NC before and know of any neat things to do around there or good places to eat?
Monday, January 29, 2007
The Color of Law
This is the book that I am reading right now. The author lives in the DFW area and used to be a lawyer. It is a great book! Very intense. I stayed up reading last night until 1 a.m. (But the fact that I stayed up that late could have partly been from the coke I drank in the evening also - very strange, I have never had a problem sleeping).
In reading this book, I have come to the conclusion that it would be hard to be a Christian and a lawyer at the same time. I had thought at one time when I was in college that I might want to go to law school but then decided against it. Now, I know I would not be a high powered lawyer in a huge firm probably, but I still think it would be hard to be a lawyer and see things that go on and maybe have people asking you to do dishonest, unethical things.
Every occupation needs Christians in it though to spread the Good News. I applaud the Christian lawyers who are making a difference in their profession and in others' lives.
In reading this book, I have come to the conclusion that it would be hard to be a Christian and a lawyer at the same time. I had thought at one time when I was in college that I might want to go to law school but then decided against it. Now, I know I would not be a high powered lawyer in a huge firm probably, but I still think it would be hard to be a lawyer and see things that go on and maybe have people asking you to do dishonest, unethical things.
Every occupation needs Christians in it though to spread the Good News. I applaud the Christian lawyers who are making a difference in their profession and in others' lives.
Virus #2 Has Struck
I haven't had the chance to post lately because Virus #2 struck our house last week. Chris started feeling bad on Thursday morning and Caleb had to leave school early on Thursday because he was sick. I was hoping that I wouldn't get it, but I wound up having it Friday night until Saturday morning.
I was going to post Thursday morning about how Caleb always seems to spit up all over me or poop right before we leave the house. Why does it always have to be at the last second...when I'm running late already? On Thursday morning, he spit up all over me right before we left the house. So I had to clean him up and change my clothes and his clothes...which is a big issue when you haven't done laundry in awhile.
I later found out that he wasn't feeling good and that the weekend of viruses would be happening at our house. I think we are all over it now though. Hopefully we can all stay well for awhile now.
I was going to post Thursday morning about how Caleb always seems to spit up all over me or poop right before we leave the house. Why does it always have to be at the last second...when I'm running late already? On Thursday morning, he spit up all over me right before we left the house. So I had to clean him up and change my clothes and his clothes...which is a big issue when you haven't done laundry in awhile.
I later found out that he wasn't feeling good and that the weekend of viruses would be happening at our house. I think we are all over it now though. Hopefully we can all stay well for awhile now.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Disciplining Children
On the way to work yesterday, I heard a news story that a politician in California was wanting to make a law where it would be illegal to spank children under 4 years old. It would be punishable by a year in jail or a fine...or both.
It immediately hacked me off that a law like this could be a possibility. There is no way I want someone dictating to me how I can discipline my child. I am a firm believer in spanking if necessary. My brother and I were spanked as children, and it worked very well on us.
Now, I understand that there are people out there that take spanking too far, and I realize that it is not good to spank babies and young children. The quotes that I saw of the politician were talking about that there is no need to spank babies. I totally agree with that. But I think there are times that two, three or four years need their bottoms spanked. And I sure want to be able to discipline my child in the manner I see fit without someone telling me what to do.
What do you think?
It immediately hacked me off that a law like this could be a possibility. There is no way I want someone dictating to me how I can discipline my child. I am a firm believer in spanking if necessary. My brother and I were spanked as children, and it worked very well on us.
Now, I understand that there are people out there that take spanking too far, and I realize that it is not good to spank babies and young children. The quotes that I saw of the politician were talking about that there is no need to spank babies. I totally agree with that. But I think there are times that two, three or four years need their bottoms spanked. And I sure want to be able to discipline my child in the manner I see fit without someone telling me what to do.
What do you think?
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Tagged
I've been tagged by Rachel.
The tag instructions...
1) Grab the book closest to you
2) Open to page 123, go down to the fourth sentence
3) Post the text of the following 3 sentences
4) Name the author and book title
5) Tag three people to do the same
So, here's the sentences from the book closest to me - the one I'm reading right now:
"Joshua turned to Caleb, his eyes filled with sorrow. "We must take Achan and all that belongs to him to the valley." As head of Judah, Caleb obeyed the command. Achan did not go easily."
From The Warrior by Francine Rivers
I tag Chris, Lynn and Rosalyn! . You're it!
The tag instructions...
1) Grab the book closest to you
2) Open to page 123, go down to the fourth sentence
3) Post the text of the following 3 sentences
4) Name the author and book title
5) Tag three people to do the same
So, here's the sentences from the book closest to me - the one I'm reading right now:
"Joshua turned to Caleb, his eyes filled with sorrow. "We must take Achan and all that belongs to him to the valley." As head of Judah, Caleb obeyed the command. Achan did not go easily."
From The Warrior by Francine Rivers
I tag Chris, Lynn and Rosalyn! . You're it!
Friday, January 12, 2007
Wintry Weather
I think it is funny how we freak out about winter weather in DFW. We have been hearing for week and a half that it is going to by icy this weekend. A week and a half!
It's funny that it is such big news here. Now, I have never lived anywhere else but the Dallas area (well, Nacogdoches in college I guess, but still Texas) and even I think it is crazy how much we freak out about it. Chris has family in Colorado, and they talked about having snow three feet deep in this last blizzard weather. Now that would be something to freak out about!
A couple of years ago, the weather forecasters kept saying it was going to be really, really cold and icy/snowy for a long time. They even started calling it the "Arctic Blast". Chris and I thought that was really funny because it never got very cold at all after the big fuss for a long time.
I tend to get excited when it is going to be really cold and maybe icy though. I dont know why. Maybe because it is different from the norm around here. I kind of wish it would get colder here for longer periods of time and snow more. Actually, I would probably be griping about how cold it was if it was colder more of the time.
It's funny that it is such big news here. Now, I have never lived anywhere else but the Dallas area (well, Nacogdoches in college I guess, but still Texas) and even I think it is crazy how much we freak out about it. Chris has family in Colorado, and they talked about having snow three feet deep in this last blizzard weather. Now that would be something to freak out about!
A couple of years ago, the weather forecasters kept saying it was going to be really, really cold and icy/snowy for a long time. They even started calling it the "Arctic Blast". Chris and I thought that was really funny because it never got very cold at all after the big fuss for a long time.
I tend to get excited when it is going to be really cold and maybe icy though. I dont know why. Maybe because it is different from the norm around here. I kind of wish it would get colder here for longer periods of time and snow more. Actually, I would probably be griping about how cold it was if it was colder more of the time.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Book Delivery
I got a box of books that I ordered from Barnes and Noble last night. There is something magical about getting a package on your porch, and when it contains books that you've been wanting for awhile it is really magical. I got The Cake Mix Doctor book and spent time last night and this morning looking at the pictures of all of the yummy cakes. It is so hard to decide which cake to make first. They all look so good. I've got to find a reason to make a cake though. If I just make it for Chris and myself, we wont eat any where near all of it. I am excited about the fun I will have making yummy cakes and eating them!
I also got the complete works of Shakespeare. It was really cheap since it was in the Sale Annex of barnesandnoble.com. I figured it was a good thing to have around. I wouldn't mind going back someday and re-reading all of the stories I had to read in school
I also got the complete works of Shakespeare. It was really cheap since it was in the Sale Annex of barnesandnoble.com. I figured it was a good thing to have around. I wouldn't mind going back someday and re-reading all of the stories I had to read in school
Friday, January 05, 2007
Cookies with Santa
Here are Caleb's pictures from cookies with Santa at Drew & Carolyn's. The McBrydes do such a great job at this!
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Another Story
Ok, here's my other story as promised.
A few years ago, Chris and I went camping with my parents. On the way, we stopped at the Czech Stop in West, TX to eat lunch. Three days later I realized that I had left my purse at the Czech Stop while eating. As soon as I realized that it was missing, we jumped in the car to head back to West which was about an hour away from where we were staying. The whole way there, I was freaking out (Chris can attest to this) and praying constantly that my purse would still be there, everything would be in there (wallet, phone, credit cards, and my digital camera), and that everything would be ok. I was worried about the stuff in the purse but I was mainly worried about the hassle that it was going to be to cancel credit cards, etc.
So, for an hour straight I prayed.
The second Chris and I walked in the door....the exact second...the guy behind the counter says, "Where did this purse come from, it has been sitting under the register for a few days." I heard him say this as I walked in the door and ran to the register. It was my purse! I described to him everything that was in it, and he gave me my purse back. I looked inside to see if anything was missing, and every single thing that was in the purse was still there. Some honest customer or employee must have seen the purse after we left and took it to the register for safe keeping.
I was blown away by the fact that the purse was still actually there, but also that nothing was missing.
I have so many stories like this of God taking care of me that I was thinking yesterday that I should write a book about them or about ways you can see God working and moving in your life (in the big and small ways). Maybe someday. Until then, I'll blog.
A few years ago, Chris and I went camping with my parents. On the way, we stopped at the Czech Stop in West, TX to eat lunch. Three days later I realized that I had left my purse at the Czech Stop while eating. As soon as I realized that it was missing, we jumped in the car to head back to West which was about an hour away from where we were staying. The whole way there, I was freaking out (Chris can attest to this) and praying constantly that my purse would still be there, everything would be in there (wallet, phone, credit cards, and my digital camera), and that everything would be ok. I was worried about the stuff in the purse but I was mainly worried about the hassle that it was going to be to cancel credit cards, etc.
So, for an hour straight I prayed.
The second Chris and I walked in the door....the exact second...the guy behind the counter says, "Where did this purse come from, it has been sitting under the register for a few days." I heard him say this as I walked in the door and ran to the register. It was my purse! I described to him everything that was in it, and he gave me my purse back. I looked inside to see if anything was missing, and every single thing that was in the purse was still there. Some honest customer or employee must have seen the purse after we left and took it to the register for safe keeping.
I was blown away by the fact that the purse was still actually there, but also that nothing was missing.
I have so many stories like this of God taking care of me that I was thinking yesterday that I should write a book about them or about ways you can see God working and moving in your life (in the big and small ways). Maybe someday. Until then, I'll blog.
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