Bibles & Prayer & Accountability...Oh My...(God)

How many times have I said to myself & other people that I need to read my bible more? (Ill answer that for you. The answer is a lot.) I sit & aspire to be as knowledgeable & deep in my walk & relationship with God as other people but then when push comes to shove my bible sits shut on my bedside table. I make excuses for myself which I know are just excuses & not worthy & what ends up happening y'all? Well, Ill tell you...I end up not reading verses like this one...

"Complain if you must, but don't lash out. Keep your mouth shut & let your heart do the talking. Build your case before God & wait for His verdict." ~Psalm 4:4-5

...then, plopped into a situation where I could really use that verse in true life, I have no knowledge of it, dont apply it, thus, fail in my personal goal of being a worthy & successful servant for the Lord.

So what have I learned?

*I need to be more motivated & diligent in my desire to get closer to God

*No excuses! Everyone is busy & life is only going to get busier.

*I need to start making sacrifices for what I know is better for my life for God (wake up earlier for prayer time)

*Be myself. God made me that way for a reason.

Sand In My Toes

Guess where we were today?? Ha! Loving this gorgeous park weather.

Hug It Out

The Emmy Awards are on. The HBO movie "Temple Grandin" has won multiple awards.

Claire Danes, who played Temple, just gave an acceptance speech & yes, I am crying.

Temple Grandin is a Doctor of Animal Science & professor at Colorado State University, bestselling author, & consultant to the livestock industry on animal behavior. As a person with high-functioning Autism, Grandin is also widely noted for her work in in Autism advocacy & is the inventor of the hug machine designed to calm hypersensitive persons. (Wikipedia)

Escherichia Coli

Travel Expenses- $200

Contribution to Mission- $30

E.R. Visit for treatment of E. Coli- $180 (deductible)

Prescription for Antibiotics- $10



Being a servant for the Lord- Priceless



There are some things money can buy (or treat)

For everything else, theres God

The Neverending Journey

School has started back up & tomorrow is the first of a few all day Saturday classes.

Wish me luck.

But She Refused To Go In The Pool

She crawls so silly outside on the grass. It just kills me.

Whats A Fence Between Brothers

We'll call this my obligatory border photo; the last time I went to Mexico I took one also.

See. Mexico. 2007

I am just struck by the sheerness of that fence (it has been a fence at each border Ive crossed at least).

The literally life altering difference that lies from one side of that fence to the other seems unjust to me. In fact, while approaching the checkpoint & conversing about boarder control the youngest (14) in our group asked, "why can't they go over the boarder?" Thus the laws & regulations were explained to her.

What a difference a fence can make.

Dancing Through Life

Life is a dance. Full of steps, partners will come in & out. From the beginning, fast middle & the end.

Enjoy the dance.

Im Back!

Thank you Father for sending me to such a glorious place.

Just one tiny corner in a big world. But that one little spot is fueled & driven & held by You.

The people they reach see You, the people that visit do so in Your name.

People from multiple countries, numerous languages, one common bond. You.

That is what makes Your people Your people. Complete strangers can come together with joy because they are filled with Your joy.

Romans 15:5-6~ May the God of endurance & encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Jesus Christ, that together you may with one voice glorify the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

Everything You (N)Ever Wanted To Know About The Cullens

Part 4: Emmett & Rosalie

*Emmett & Rosalie are married

* Rosalie was engaged to a top socialite bankers when he & his friends attacked her & left her for dead

* Rosalie was found & changed by Carlisle (she was intended to be Edward's partner). She never adjusted to vampire life well

*After being attacked by a bear Rosalie found Emmett & carried him over 100 miles to save him

* Emmett is HUGE, strong & fast

* After Carlisle, Emmett is the family member closest to Edward

* Rosalie & Emmett frequently "move away to college" to get a change of scenery

Everything You (N)Ever Wanted To Know About The Cullens

Part 3: Alice & Jasper (I love Alice & Jasper)









* Alice & Jasper are married









* Alice has the ability to see the future ( & saw Jasper coming)









* Alice & Bella have a close, sister-like relationship









* Alice is the social butterfly of the family & a big party planner









* Jasper can control people's emotions & moods









* Jasper was a member of the Confederate Army (before being changed) & participated in the Vampire Wars of the South (after being changed)









* Jasper has a harder time adhering to the "vegetarian" lifestyle (see New Moon, Bella's party scene)









* Jasper seems withdrawn at first but is a sweetheart (which is kind of the trend with the Cullens)

Everything You (N)Ever Wanted To Know About The Cullens

Part 2: Edward & Bella

* After experiencing Spanish influenza Carlisle changed Edward(his mother's dying request)

* Over the next 90 years he & Carlisle formed the Cullen Coven of "vegetarian" vampires

* Edward can read minds, but not Bella's

* Bella's blood makes Edward thirst more than any other humans

*Edward feels very protective of Bella & saves her life (many times)

* Bella is human (until the 4th book...spoiler!) & "has never felt like she fit into her world"

*Edward refuses to change Bella. In the 4th book they marry, she gives birth to their hybrid daughter who is killing her during birth & in order to save Bella's life Edward & Jacob decide to inject her with Vampire Venom & change her

Everything You (N)Ever Wanted To Know About The Cullens

Yes, as in the fictional vampire family from the Twilight Series. Enjoy!

Part 1: Carlisle & Esme

* The patriarch & matriarch of the Cullen Coven

* Carlisle is 23 (vampirically 362), Esme is 26 (vampirically 114)

* Carlisle lived amongst the Volturi (Vampire Royalty of sorts) for two centuries in his early days of being a vampire

* Carlisle is a doctor (which is the premise under which he saves/changes many people left for dead)

*Carlisle is extremely compassionate for the life of others which is why he began living a "vegetarian" life

* After the loss of a child Esme attempted suicide (which led to Carlisle saving/changing her)

*A few years after being changed Esme & Carlisle were married

* Esme is extremely maternal, thus she is very loving & protective of her family & those close to them

Whilst Nannys Away...

While I am away on my mission trip in Mexico I have prewritten a short series of posts for your reading pleasure (or displeasure, depending...)

It is with the greatest sincerity I leave these posts to you in the hopes that y'all enjoy.

*Love, Peace, Praise*

~Stef

Messy Business

Oh, so messy.

Getting Away With Murder

We, as imperfect humans, do get away with murder every single day. It is only by the grace of God that we are forgiven & receive goodness.

I dont know where Im going with this. I had a brainwave, but then I hopped off the train & couldnt find my way back on soooooo....perhaps this has become a *Spark* blog (spark your own ideas off of something I have mentioned. Start thinking!).

Sunday

What I need to do right now is chill out. There is so much to be done before I leave for Mexico on Thursday morning, while working, & school starting the day after I return. I cannot believe it is the middle of August already...where did June & July go y'all?

Blessed Are The Rule Breakers

Im going to break my "No Faces" rule again.

I try to keep the children that I care for anonymous with nicknames & not showing pictures of their faces (& Ive done pretty good so far), but I just love how Jesus has his arms outstretched over the kids in this picture from My Little Shadow's baptism today. (Oh, no, I dont take care of all of these children. Ha!)

Ahhhhhh *big love sigh*

My baby is baptized & living for His kingdom now, praise God. I pray that she becomes a strong young woman in Christ with a firm knowledge of her faith & beliefs, driven by a passion for the Lord. I want so much for her (in Him).

Just Me & My Thoughts

Funny, but this mermaid barbie (her name is Mermalina btw), dressed sparkly with Hello Kitty necklace, covered in a few creepy crawly bugs captures the persona of Punkerella quite well.

She is very girly. Being the only child (until February) & a girl, she is of course the quintessential girly girl. On the other hand, or perhaps you could view it as black icing on top of a pink cake, being the child of the parents that she is, she has quite an edgy side.

At only 4 she seems so well rounded & intriguing. I can envision her at 13 years old, 16 years old, 20 years old, & she will be a good person to be around. She is witty; she says multiple things a day that make me laugh out loud.

She is a DRAMA QUEEN but I try to go easy on her (for now). She has a knack for the whine & likes to use it, BUT there are little to NO struggles throughout the day. (A MASSIVE change from Mr.J) Im almost waiting for the other shoe to drop...almost. For now I am enjoying being a part of this little one's journey.

Half Of My Heart

I missed her

We Dont Speak Of The Jonas Brothers

What happened today? While compiling a playlist on my ipod for Spunky A~

*Was introduced to obscure rock bands by a 4 year old who sang the quite graphic lyrics word for word.

*While trying to find out what other music she liked, I asked, "dare I mention people like Hannah Montana or the Jonas Brothers?" She stared me in the eyes with a sort of lost glazed look & in all seriousness her 4 year old body could hold she responded, "I dont know those people."

Welcome to your new world Stefani.

Dont Crack Up

According to this commercial I just heard 1 in 5 relationships starts on an online dating site. I will never use an online dating site because it just seems...odd...to me. Now, for the truth of the matter (dont go telling anyone, its just between you & me).

Years ago I was rejected by E*Harmony. According to the powers that be over at E*Harmony there was not a single person in their entire database that could be a possible potential match to me.

Oh E*Harmony, the joke is on you because you missed out on a potential goldmine of a client in me. What, with many years of contract renewals driven by hopes fueled by your used to be catchy & heartwarming (before my rejection) commercials...

You should really have a better handle on your client base.

Shaky

Dont really have thoughts in me tonight. My nanny share starts this week & its a bit...well, its a change & one that takes me away from My Little Shadow half of the week at that, so there are already two things working against it. So no more thinking tonight. Lots & lots of Doctor Who is on the agenda.

Little White Bag

Is it just me, or is it the small bags that hold the sweetest gifts?

(We wont mention the small bag/big price mystery of the universe)

What I Can Do

Now & only now will you catch a glimpse of Ms.G & Mr.J's faces on this blog (because they were my test subjects for the new camera).

I only fiddled around a tiny bit with it tonight. I should find someone who really knows how to use it to teach me how.

This one of Ms.G is supposed to have a "pinhole" effect. Not so sure I see that happening...

This one of Mr.J is the greyed tones.

Graduated

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yippee, yippee, horray, horray, squeal, squeal, eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!

I have graduated from a point & shoot...now, how do I work it...?

Finding Joy In The Everyday

Many of my friends are on vacation at the moment. Some of the fun places visited today include: Disneyland, Pizmo Beach & Mexico.

Where did I go today?...The Chicky Park & Zoo.

Someday...someday.

Fromage

Or a form of it...barely. I passed this at the store tonight & couldnt help but take a picture. Really, the sight makes my stomach turn a bit. I cant help but wonder what on earth anyone would want/need with a pound of artificially processed cheese balls.

In any case...Stay cheesy my friends.

(Oh come on, you had to know that line was coming)

So Its August

Everyone say hello to calendar Emmett & Rosalie.

Now...thoughts...

some have looked at my life & thought it to be a bit bland, lacking fun & excitement. They wonder why I make sacrifices & give things up. The reasoning. Im young, I should have fun. Hmmm...intriguing argument.

Yes I am young, this is true. Another truth, I have fun! I believe this argument is based upon a person's perspective of fun. What is fun for one may not be fun for someone else & differences is what makes the world a beautiful place. My friends & I have oodles of fun, yes I just used the word oodles. I also have a lot of fun by myself & I think that is a really great thing that I dont need other people to have fun & be happy.

Do I sacrifice? Doesnt everybody? I feel like people tie a negative connotation with sacrifice & I dont necessarily see it that way. When we give of ourselves for something better/higher/stronger it makes us stronger & deeper people. Many times the things we sacrifice are not for us but for others & to be others-centered, not self-centered, is a better way to live. Is it harder? Absolutely, but life isnt meant to be easy.

While carousing around friend's online photobooks I find a lot of "party" pictures. Ones where they are in the middle of a crowded club, or on a sofa with beer bottle in hand. Dont forget the many, many, oh so plentiful smoking pictures in which people are blowing a cloud of cigarette (or otherwise) smoke into the camera.

Is this the excitement that I am "missing out on"? Well, truth be told, I dont want it & I dont feel like Im missing out on anything. Is my life any less because I do not do these things? It is not because I feel that I am better than that life, but because those lifestyle choices do not support my mission in life & that is to glorify God.

This is just a snippet of one of the inner-dialogues Ive had recently.

Swimming

I have a lot of really good, insightful & thought provoking blog ideas swimming around in my head, but not for tonight because its far too late at the moment & I need to hit the hay. Perhaps we'll swim out deep tomorrow.

Makes Me Happy

I am so happy that God made me an anomaly.