Thought for the Day
I heard this at Bible Study Fellowship the other day and haven't stopped thinking about it. Now you can start thinking about it, too. "What you believe determines how you live."

The past several days of my life have been filled with dreams of a new computer. Once I get something in my head I can't let it go. I'm dreaming of an iMac G5. Yes, you heard right. I'm making the switch to a Mac. I'm tired of viruses, spyware and popup ads. I want a computer where the whole thing fits on my desk instead of a big clunky unit. I went into a Mac store today and began to drool. There was the 17" screen in all of its glory, yet calling out to me right next to it was a 20" screen with a wireless mouse and keyboard. And then there were all the other gadgets made by Apple....ipods, ipod shuffle, mac mini...the list goes on and on.

Blogging Disaster
Have been informed by Jan that she has been checking my blog twice a day and hasn't seen a new thing in days. Sorry, Jan. My life has been crazy. I have no other excuse. There are not enough hours in a day. Work is crazy, kids are crazy and I am crazy!!! I'm always a day behind and a dollar short. Plus, I have had blogger's block. I just haven't been able to think of a darn thing to write. So, maybe I'll just do some stream of consciousness writing. I'll just write any little thing that pops into my head. That's what blogging is for, right?

Quote of the Day
Cole (Age 6): Hey Mom! Do you think when I'm about 14 I can drink out of a real glass?

I'm Back
I'm back from my long relaxing weekend at Lake Tenkiller. Yes, I did enjoy myself very much. I didn't do much at all. We enjoyed nice weather for the most part. I read lots of stuff I wanted to read (not cases) and took lots of 4-wheeler rides. I enjoyed being outside and hanging out with the boys. Now it is back to reality. Oh well...it was nice while it lasted.

Mama Mia!
I had the opportunity to see Mama Mia at the Civic Center last night. Wow! It was fantastic! It was so amazing to see how they could weave a story around Abba's songs. Pure fun! The whole audience seemed to enjoy it, too. Of course, I think Chris and I got double enjoyment having grown up listening to the tunes of Abba. Now where is that ABBA Gold CD of mine? I know it's around here somewhere...

Kyndal...I just thought I was an original
I got an email from Jan today which pointed me to a website with another girl named "Kyndal." Interesting because you hardly run into any other girls named "Kyndal" and hardly any spell it the same way that I do. I pointed this out to Jan who then emailed me about 25 other sites with women named "Kyndal." I stand corrected. LOL! I have been laughing all afternoon about all the sites that Jan found. I picked out just a few for you to browse. They are listed below. Jan has determined that all of us were named after a bottle of whiskey. As for me, I will stick to my mom's story that she has always told me. My dad's name was Kenneth. I was to be the first born child in my family and my mom wanted to name me after my dad. One night she was watching Route 66 on TV when she noticed a blonde haired girl on the show named "Kyndal." (Spelling unknown.) My mom decided this was the perfect name for me and made up the spelling with a "y" so it would look like a girl's name. Voila! Here I am!
Kyndal Goes Kamping
The Princess and the Pea
It's a Girl!

What Obsolete Skill Are You? (Via Jan from Quizilla)

You are 'juggling'. Jugglers, tumblers, and other
street performers were a very popular sort of
entertainment once, before movies and talkies
and online quizzes supplanted them.

You like to put on a show for people, and they like
to watch. You are friendly and well-liked,
particularly for your sense of humor, although
you sometimes play with people's heads. You
are frequently the center of attention, and you
like it that way. However, you have to realize
that the world does not revolve around you.
Furthermore, you have to learn that your
light-hearted antics are not appropriate to all
situations. Your problem is that juggling has
been obsolete for a long time.


What obsolete skill are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Amazing Song!
I have been listening to the song "Love Song" by Third Day since I got home from my women's retreat last weekend. I had heard it a lot in the past but never really paid attention to the words. Wow! I think you can listen to it online at Third Day's website, but I couldn't get it to work. If it doesn't work for you, you can always swing by my favorite, itunes, and listen to a short part of it.

I've heard it said that a man would climb a mountain
Just to be with the one he loves
How many times has he broken that promise
It has never been done.
I've never climbed the highest mountain
But I walked the hill of calvary

Chorus:
Just to be with you, I'd do anything
There's no price I would not pay
Just to be with you, I'd give anything
I would give my life away.

I've heard it said that a man would swim the ocean
Just to be with the one he loves
How may times has he broken that promise
It can never be done
I've never swam the deepest ocean
But I walked upon the raging sea

Repeat chorus


(Bridge) I know that you don't understand
the fullness of My love
How I died upon the cross for your sins
And I know that you don't realize
how much that I gave you
But I promise, I would do it all again.

Just to be with you, I've done everything
There's no price I did not pay
Just to be with you, I gave everything
Yes, I gave my life away.

Encouragers
We all need these special people in our lives. These people build us up instead of tearing us down. They always have a word of kindness or a word that uplifts us. They make us feel good about ourselves and about the world around us. I want to be an encourager!1 Thessalonians 5:11 (The Message) "So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you'll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you're already doing this; just keep on doing it."

Assignment from Jan
Going back to summertime when I was 8-years old is stretching my memory quite a bit. I guess the main thing I remember is riding my blue bike with the blue striped banana seat. We would ride up and down our block playing cops and robbers and other chase type games until my mom hollered at us to come in for dinner. I think that was also the summer that my sister fell while crawling over a short fence and fractured her arm. Now that was big excitement on our block. Unfortunately, I'm sorry to say that I can't really remember much else. My memory doesn't kick in that well until say the age of 12. I'm not kidding! I have a few, vivid memories before then but not an abundance. Isn't that weird how some people remember everything and I can't remember a darn thing?

Dream Squashers Part II
Things you might hear a Dream Squasher say:
No one in our family ever went to college before. What makes you think you can?
Why would you want to be a teacher? They don't make any money.
A preacher? All people do is pick on you. You get no respect.
You can't do that.
It's too far away.
It costs too much. You can't afford it.
You can't live on that salary.
What will your friends think?
What will my friends think?
You're not smart enough.
You don't have what it takes.

Stacks and Piles
I try to be organized. Oh, how I try. Yet, somehow I always have stacks and piles everywhere. I had a 2-foot stack of books and papers stashed in a cabinet that I just went through. Where does it all come from? I faithfully sort through my mail each day and most of end it ends up in the trash. When I don't know what to do with something it goes in a stack. When that stack gets too tall, I start a new stack. I then got into my purse to look for something and that was a fatal mistake! I found receipts scattered everywhere and then noticed a missing credit card. Where could it be? I searched my purse and my wallet. I looked in pockets and coats. No card...I called and closed the account. The sad part is that I'm not even worried. I've had this happen more than once. It's easier to call and cancel the darn thing than to spend half my life looking for it. It will show up in a couple of days. I'll find it beside the seat in my car or in the bottom of my purse or in some weird place. But, I always figure I'm better off safe than sorry. So, you organized people out there...what's the answer? How do we stackers stop stacking and piling? Help!

Dream Squashers Part I
I'm on a roll now. Just like Joy Stealers, Dream Squashers are all around us. Again, they can be someone you know or a complete stranger. These are people who squash any hope or dream you have no matter how big or small it may be. For Dream Squashers, every mountain is too big, every river is too wide to be crossed and every obstacle is impossible to overcome. Reality is all there is for these people and it is too big for them to handle most of the time. If you want to do anything that is the least bit unrealistic, they stomp right on that thought. Unfortunately, just like joy stealing, I have found myself doing some dream squashing myself. I want to be an encourager not a dream squasher!

Joy Stealers
Any Joy Stealers crossed your path today? You know who I'm talking about. The people who just can't stand for anyone to be happy. It might be someone you know or someone you have never even met. I ran into one the other day at the local public library. It was a beautiful day, especially for February. Sunny and unseasonably warm. I was commenting to my oldest son about how much I was enjoying the weather when the Joy Stealer suddenly appeared in the parking lot with us. "Better enjoy it while you can," she stated. "This is going to be the only nice weather all week. It's supposed to get cold and rainy the rest of the week." "I'm going to enjoy this weather today and not think about tomorrow," I replied. "Have a wonderful day!" I wasn't about to let her steal my joy. But, when I got in the car I began thinking about how people do that to us all the time. Even worse, I began thinking about the times I do it to other people. How many times do I steal my own child's joy about something? Or a complete stranger's? Something to think about...
"A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit." Proverbs 15:13

Napoleon Dynamite
While at the retreat this weekend, we were up until about 4 a.m. laughing. At one point, we were laughing about a movie I had never even seen, Napoleon Dynamite. I mean I was laughing my head off and I had never seen the movie. (Of course, please take into consideration that it was way past my bedtime!) Last night, I flipped onto Entertainment on Demand (wonderful, time-consuming invention which doesn't even require a trip to the local video store) and rented Napoleon. I then started laughing and laughing. The movie was delightful and fun. If you are looking for a deep, stimulating drama, don't look here. If you are looking for pure fun which takes you back to your high school years, look no further. From tetherball to dance moves, Napoleon has it all. It is the story of a regular, unique guy who is just himself. In the words of my sister Kristen, "Napoleon Rocks!"

Note Thinkers
Yes, I admit it. I am a note thinker. I have good intentions. I can write you a beautiful note in my mind. I can play it over and over and get the words just write. Somehow it never gets from my head to the paper. I never get the note written. I am determined to become a note writer. I want to get the words on the paper and get the note in an envelope. I even want to get the envelope addressed, stamped, and to the actual post office. I want to be a note writer who actually mails the note! Is that too much to ask? I am going to buy a stack of note cards and put them in my drawer. I am going to buy stamps and put them in the drawer, too. I already have my new address book ready to go. Root for me. I'm determined to do it this time. Note thinkers unite! We will become the note writers of tomorrow!