belated celebration

We actually had two special events in the month of June that I failed to write about, and I'm remedying one of those now.

It hardly seems possible that 20 years ago on the 13th of this month, I traveled to University Hospital in Augusta, GA to give birth to my 2nd child. We went to the hospital with the name Heather Brooke picked out, and left with a Stevie Dawn instead. I'm glad....it suits her.

She has grown into a wonderful young woman. She is funny and happy most of the time. She is so talented that my prayer for her is that she will one day wake up to the fact that she is indeed worthy of the praise offered on her behalf. She is very discerning about people...which basically means that she can see right through phoniness..that's right, folks...you think you are fooling her, but you're not. She just plays along with your little games and then laughs about them later!

We were in the mountains while we celebrated, and while she wanted to eat at the Dixie Stampede (they were sold out) she "settled" for Hard Rock Cafe in Gatlinburg. We had a great time, and I hope she lets us celebrate her for years to come!

Happy Birthday, my sweet girl! It's my pleasure to be your mom.

blogstipation

 I can avoid it no more! I have blogstipation. I don't even come to my own blog that much lately because I feel so guilty for not writing. I can't really find any inspiration these days. We did have a good vacation. One day, I'll finish the pictures!

I had training two days this week, and then I've pretty much slept the rest of the week away. Since I don't want this to be a blog about living with that which shall not be named.....I don't really have anything to write about.

Church is good, family is good, work is good (of course, it is summer!)......it's all good!

I hope you are all good. One day, this blogstipation will go away....or maybe I'll be forced to take a laxative for the brain, and things will go back to normal!

our river rats

we're all sticky

Having a great time making and eating s'mores!

cleaning

I hate it. Junk just seems to pile up, especially when we are exceptionally busy. So, I've spent the last week cleaning out closets, drawers, and bookshelves. Our youth group is having a yard sale on Saturday, and I've already sent about ten boxes over for them to have for it. I bet I can conjure up another five or six before I'm done. What happens if I don't get finished before Saturday? Well, the band is having a yard sale, too so they will benefit as well.

It seems like the more I clean, the more there is to clean. Dust just seems to descend on us....it's kinda ridiculous! However, it must be done. Have you seen that show Hoarders? I watched it once, and it freaked me out. I cannot imagine having so much stuff that I can't walk or couldn't get out of my house in case of fire. With all the stuff those people have, their houses have to be a fire hazard.

Houses aren't the only things that have to be cleaned, though. Sometimes we have to clean out our minds and our hearts. Have you ever let bitterness, sadness, or anger just wear you down until your mind was cluttered and you couldn't think rationally? Or so clouded that your prayer life suffered? It happens to everyone. We get something on our mind and it begins to take over our thought processes until it is all we can think about. Isn't it much better to just give things to God and let him tackle the tough issues for you? Kind of like cleaning,  do a little every day and it won't pile up. Give things to God immediately, and He will command your thoughts.