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July 31, 2004
Fly Boys
Last night I finished reading Lord of the Flies by William Golding. In case you have never read it, it is about a group of adolescent boys from various schools that have been left stranded on an island. There are no grownups, so they are left to their own devices.
The book takes you through what it is like getting everyone together to get things done. Getting water, building huts, getting a fire going and keeping it going are all a part of their lives now. It quickly becomes apparent who the workers are versus the slackers. It is also quickly made clear who the dominating personalities are.
Things are going great for a little while until one of those strong personalities decides that things need to be done his way and no one else’s. At this point disturbing events occur; events that a normal person would find abhorrent in a normal world. On the island however things are anything but normal and they are very, very disquieting.
This was a good read.
Posted by tami at 12:05 AM Comments (5)
July 30, 2004
Three
We went to the library and rented three free DVD’s. One of these was Mary Reilly. We thought that this was a new movie and were stunned to find out that it was made in 1996! Boy, are we behind!!!
This movie was about Mary Reilly who was the maid to Dr. Jekyll. She was witness to many strange goings on even though she wasn’t aware of the fact. Dr. Jekyll/ Mr. Hyde were played by John Malkovich. He was perfect for this role having a sinister way about him anyway. Julia Roberts was Mary Reilly. I thought that she was soft enough to convey this woman’s personality very well. It was a dark movie, very suspenseful and different enough to keep it interesting.
The second movie we watched was Daddy Day Care with Eddie Murphy. Now I know that the critics hated this movie, but I enjoyed it. It was clean and light. There were enough funny moments to keep me watching and it came out in 2003! A fairly new one ;)
The third movie was from 1950 and was called Cheaper by the Dozen. It was exceptionally clean and very interesting. Old movies like that keep my attention. I always wish that things could be as clean as they were then. I can dream can’t I? I’ll have to dream because I know that things can’t go back to the way they were.
Posted by tami at 11:47 PM Comments (3)
July 29, 2004
Spam
For the two or three friends who leave comments: I have been forced to add a new feature to this section. You now have to type a number that you will see when you want to leave a comment. Lately, I have been getting tons of spam and this is one way to curb it. Thanks for sticking with me :)
Posted by tami at 12:22 AM Comments (2)
The Attic
This past weekend while my parents were away, Ashley and I went up in their attic to find something for her to play with. What we found was one of my old games from 1981 called Bargain Hunter. I remembered that it was fun, but did not recall how to actually play it. Luckily, the rules were still inside! Kevin read us the rules and we played for two hours before Andrew won the game and beat us all. We had so much fun. I can’t wait to play it again.
Ashley wanted to count all the money so she got the game back out. Church decided that she had got the box out for him to have a nap in.
Two minutes later, he decided that the box wasn’t good enough: he wanted the whole game to himself!
And to think that this had been in the attic for years! I wonder what other goodies they have.
Posted by tami at 12:14 AM Comments (2)
July 28, 2004
Smart
In the last set of comments Liz talked about how she is amazed by young people these days. I agree with her wholeheartedly! I am constantly telling my kids how dumb I was at their age.
It’s true. It really is. I was dumb. In elementary classes I don’t remember caring about studying or what I was supposed to be learning in the classroom. In middle school things were better. I loved my middle school, but I do think that I could have had more challenging classes. High school was a complete waste of four years if you ask me. I don’t think I got anything useful out of it other than a diploma and meeting some very nice people.
Don’t get me wrong; I was happy I just didn’t care about academics. I made good grades in the classes that I had; the classes were probably not hard enough though.
Ashley, my eight year old daughter, has the brain that I never had until I was much, much older. She is a very good listener and she understands things that you wouldn’t expect an eight year old to understand. When she doesn’t understand a word or a concept, she asks questions. That’s something that I didn’t do nearly often enough.
I also made up my mind a long time ago that when I had kids no question would be off limits. No matter how young they are or how uncomfortable it makes me, if they are old enough to ask and to ponder then they are old enough to be given an answer. I believe that both of my kids feel this openness and I believe this has opened up their minds and made them more receptive to new ideas also.
Besides asking questions, we have also let her know that men like intelligent women. They don’t want someone who is dumb and silly and who knows nothing. We have told her that she should learn as much as possible. She understands this well I believe. She reads all the time and when she’s not reading, she’s looking at some old math, science, or history books that I keep around the house.
A new school year begins in two weeks and I am already wondering how long it will take the teacher to see how intelligent Ashley is. I know that she won’t be the only smart one in the class; I’m not that biased. I just want them to know that they can actually talk to her like a person. It usually doesn’t take them long to figure that out.
Posted by tami at 11:22 AM Comments (1)
July 27, 2004
Going, Going, Gone!
I was thinking about back when I was still in school. If we were dating someone we would say that we were “going with” them. When someone wanted to date you they would ask, “Will you go with me?”
I use the term “dating” now. Andrew is dating his girlfriend. He has been dating her for three years. It would seem totally funny to say that Andrew is going with Christina. He has been going with her for three years.
My dad used to say, “Where the heck are you going?” Now that I’m an adult I ask myself that very same question: Where were we going?
Posted by tami at 10:18 AM Comments (3)
July 22, 2004
The Problem
We are in a bit of a conundrum and I would love any advice that any of you have to offer. Unfortunately this is a long story that cannot be shortened, so try and stick with me if it sounds at all interesting.
For the last four years Andrew has had braces on his teeth. One of the requirements of wearing those braces is that you also have to wear headgear for 10 hours per day. This can be achieved during the early evening and sleeping hours.
Andrew wore the headgear for well over a year. I don’t want to get into the technical “orthodontic” speak here, so I will just say that he was constantly having breakages. It seemed like every week or once every two weeks I was taking him out of school and to Lexington to have something repaired. Each time Andrew went in with a breakage, we were asked what he had been eating. They accused him of eating things that would cause the breaks. Andrew and I both denied that he had eaten anything bad. They still shamed him and made him feel like he had done something wrong. They had that “we know better” attitude which always made me mad. It also angered me that we had to pay around $20 each time that this happened.
So … on one particular visit about a year ago, they mistakenly left a dab of cement in the ring where Andrew was supposed to be able to attach his headgear. Once we got home that night, it was discovered. This office is only open on Mondays and Wednesdays. This was a Wednesday so there was nothing that could be done about the cement until the following Monday. Andrew didn’t wear his headgear. Andrew also didn’t have any breakages. He made the connection right away with the headgear. He never liked it to begin with, but he knew that the headgear was what had caused all of the previous breakages. He also knew that money was getting put into their pockets each time that this happened. So, he decided that he wouldn’t tell them about the cement and he wouldn’t wear the headgear at all.
That was about a year ago. He still hasn’t broken anything. Each month the doctor asks him if he’s been wearing the headgear and he smiles and says yes. You might be wondering what they thought about him not breaking anything. Well, they thought that he had quit eating all that BAD food! I did try to tell them that it wasn’t the food he was eating. I also remember quite distinctly telling the nurse AND the doctor that I thought it was the headgear causing the breakages. They laughed at me.
Andrew and I have been the ones laughing for a year. We’ve been going in, Andrew says that he’s wearing his appliance and that’s that. That was until yesterday.
Yesterday the doctor told him that he was putting a chain on his teeth to push them back to the back of his mouth. He said that the headgear would keep the ones in the back in place so that they wouldn’t move back at the same time. So, here is our problem. Andrew has supposedly been wearing his headgear. If he was wearing it now, those teeth in the back wouldn’t have a chance of moving back. Since he’s not wearing it, the teeth could possibly move back where they are not supposed to be.
Why don’t we just fess up and tell the doctor the truth? We are wimps. But also because he could tell us that we breached the contract which says that we have to do whatever he says is necessary. He is responsible for giving Andrew a retainer once the braces come off. We want to make sure that he will do all that we have paid him to do.
We have discussed Andrew taking in the headgear and saying that he can’t put it in for some reason. They wouldn’t necessarily know when it was that the problem started. But then he would start having the breakages again.
I am to the point right now where I am saying to heck with the headgear and to heck with what happens. Andrew has had these braces for four years and he wants them off. I don’t think that he cares one bit what his teeth look like anyway. Mind you, we will not be telling the doctor the truth, but I can’t handle the scorn or the stress.
What do you think? Do you think we should have the headgear fixed and risk breakages again and again or do you think we should just leave things the way that they are and take our chances that some teeth may move? Help!
Posted by tami at 7:27 PM Comments (6)
July 20, 2004
What's Going On
Tonight’s Dinner Menu:
*Turkey
*Dressing
*Baked Macaroni & Cheese
*Fresh Green Beans
*Tossed Salad
*Dinner Rolls
T.V. Menu:
*Big Brother
*The Amazing Race
Posted by tami at 7:18 PM Comments (4)
July 18, 2004
VBS Finale
Tonight was the VBS finale. The kids came together and sang the songs they had learned and quoted the Bible verses that they memorized. After the service we all met out back at the pavilion to have watermelon, cupcakes, cookies, and brownies.
The picture below shows a tall container full of beach balls. There was another one this same size. This is how they kept track of the offering each night. One container was for the boys and the other was for the girls. Each ball represented $5.00. They raised a total of $2,000 that will be sent to the Jamaica mission house. However, since the girls brought in the most money one of the guys got a pie in the face tonight. They gave away new bikes to one girl and one boy whose names were drawn from a hat. Also, every child that was present tonight got a beach ball to take home.
The picture below shows the line waiting for refreshments and the people sitting at picnic tables eating.
Posted by tami at 9:14 PM Comments (3)
July 17, 2004
Say Cheese!
I have added new pictures to the Photo Gallery. Take a look and leave me a comment if you like them :)
Posted by tami at 11:15 PM Comments (2)
July 16, 2004
SNL
I used to love seeing “Deep Thoughts by: Jack Handy on Saturday Night Live. I was thinking last night how hilarious they were so I put just a few below.
Deep Thoughts
*Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn't drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, 'It is better that I drink this beer and let their dreams come true than to be selfish and worry about my liver.
*Whenever I see an old lady slip and fall on a wet sidewalk, my first instinct is to laugh. But then I think what if I was an ant, and she fell on me. Then it wouldn't seem quite so funny.
*Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, you'll be a mile from them, and you'll have their shoes.
*To me, it's a good idea to always carry two sacks of something when you walk around. That way, if anybody says, "Hey, can you give me a hand?" You can say, "Sorry, got these sacks."
*If you ever catch on fire, try to avoid seeing yourself in the mirror, because I bet that's what REALLY throws you into a panic.
*I wish I would have a real tragic love affair and get so bummed out that I'd just quit my job and become a bum for a few years, because I was thinking about doing that anyway.
*Instead of a trap door, what about a trap window? The guy looks out it, and if he leans too far, he falls out. Wait. I guess that's like a regular window.
*If I ever get real rich, I hope I'm not real mean to poor people, like now.
*The face of a child can say it all, especially the mouth part of the face.
*It takes a big man to cry, but it takes a bigger man to laugh at that man.
*One thing kids like is to be tricked. For instance, I was going to take my little nephew to Disneyland, but instead I drove him to an old burned-out warehouse. "Oh, no," I said. "Disneyland burned down." He cried and cried, but I think that deep down, he thought it was a pretty good joke. I started to drive over to the real Disneyland, but it was getting pretty late.
*To me, clowns aren't funny. In fact, they're kind of scary. I've wondered where this started and I think it goes back to the time I went to the circus, and a clown killed my dad.
*The memories of my family outings are still a source of strength to me. I remember we'd all pile into the car - I forget what kind it was - and drive and drive. I'm not sure where we'd go, but I think there were some trees there. The smell of something was strong in the air as we played whatever sport we played. I remember a bigger, older guy we called "Dad." We'd eat some stuff, or not, and then I think we went home. I guess some things never leave you.
*If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell him is "God is crying." And if he asks why God is crying, another cute thing to tell him is "Probably because of something you did."
*Laurie got offended that I used the word "puke." But to me, that's what her dinner tasted like.
by: Jack Handy
Posted by tami at 11:29 AM Comments (2)
July 15, 2004
What Was Two
Kevin and I watched Jesse and Sydnee, my sister’s kids, while she went on several job interviews. We watched the Teletubbies which we hadn’t seen in a long time. Here are Jesse, Kevin, and Ashley as they watched:
After the show was over we went out back and the girls ate popsicles. Here are Sydnee, Ashley, and Jesse.
Posted by tami at 6:03 PM Comments (3)
July 14, 2004
No Butterflies Were Harmed
Today we watched The Butterfly Effect with Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore’s very young lover. On a side note: I STILL cannot get over the fact that she is 42 and he is only 26. That is 16 years difference. I don’t see this relationship lasting. What could she possibly have in common with him? Her oldest child is 16 years old. In two more years he could be dating her and why wouldn’t he? It is Hollywood after all or as Wynonna Judd says, “Hollyweird”. Why would he want the mother, Demi, who is doing everything that she can to stay young and fit when he could have her daughter who he probably has more in common with? That’s one of those things that make you go “Hmmmmm”.
Okay, back to the movie. It was very interesting. If you have seen it then you know what I mean. I think that everyone you talk to could interpret it a little differently. The “F” word was used way too much, but other than that it was good. After it’s all over, you’re sitting there thinking about everything that you’ve just seen, going over it again and figuring things out. This is a good movie to talk about afterwards; what we call a good “date movie” because there is much conversing when it’s over.
Posted by tami at 4:08 PM Comments (2)
VBS
While Andrew is away at camp this week, Ashley has been attending Vacation Bible School. She’s having a blast, learning new songs, Bible verses, and meeting new people. Here is a picture of what it looks like at the beginning and end of each night. It is a sea of orange with great music and singing. The fun is contagious!
I also had to share this picture of Church lying on daddy’s legs. I think it was more comfy for Church than it was for daddy.
Posted by tami at 12:11 AM Comments (0)
July 13, 2004
Smack Attack
Ashley set up her paper dolls and played happily. That was until Church, the King Kong of cats, found out where she was.
As I tried to take her picture, Church smacked her in the face. He got mad because he wanted to knock down her makeshift paper doll houses. Luckily, he has no front claws.
As I took another picture, he successfully knocked down a house.
As Ashley poses Church rolls around on the paper house.
Here he is very happy to be sitting on some paper. He’s the same way with backpacks. This bad feline behavior put an end to Ashley’s happy play. Where did Church go? To have a lie down back on her bed!
Posted by tami at 4:46 PM Comments (1)
Oh My!
The critic’s opinion has never made a difference to me when it concerns movies. I have to see it for myself and be the judge. Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle was given a definite thumbs down by the critics, but like I said, I had to see for myself.
I have to admit it was bad – very bad. There were many well known movie stars who had cameo appearances throughout. I could only feel sorry for them for their lack of judgment when it came to being in this horrid mess. John Cleese, Pink, Bruce Willis, and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen all had cameos and I bet they all are embarrassed now. I know that I would be. The only people that I can see liking this movie are teenage boys. For them this movie has more than enough T&A and cool cars. I’m glad that Andrew wasn’t here to witness it all.
Posted by tami at 1:19 AM Comments (1)
July 12, 2004
A Journey
All this week Andrew is at Student Life Youth Camp at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. I have looked at this website and have seen that I can send him email this week which is pretty cool. I can also see pictures that they have taken each day. I wonder if I’ll be able to find him in that massive crowd. Thankfully, his Nene and Pawpaw had a big suitcase for him to take. By the time we had put enough clothes in it for one week, sheets (yes, they were required too), his snacks, alarm clock, etc. I didn’t think he was going to get the thing closed! I can’t wait to see the way it all looks when it arrives back at the end of the week. I remember coming home from camp and everything stank of mildew. You just don’t have enough places to put those wet clothes and they normally don’t give you enough time to think about it either.
Surprisingly he didn’t even take a comb! He told me that he doesn’t use one so why take one. When he gets out of the shower he uses hair gel to spike it all up on the top. Why use a comb for that when fingers will do? As long as he takes care of his braces, I really don’t care about his hair. I hope that nothing breaks while he is away. I don’t know how they would handle an emergency orthodontic situation. He has had braces since the end of the fifth grade, so he knows what he can eat and what he cannot or should not eat. Let’s hope that he uses good judgment.
I think he will have a wonderful time if he can handle being around his friends for an entire week. Andrew is really a bit of a loner. He likes his friends, but he doesn’t want to be with them all the time or he gets in a bad mood. A great example of this is that I had to take one of his friends to school every day last year. At first this didn’t bother Andrew, but by the end of the year, Andrew hated seeing him every morning and refused to even talk to him. It put a strain on their relationship. I believe that it has been good for him being away from friends this summer. Maybe since he hasn’t seen them a lot he will enjoy this week thoroughly.
I know that we will miss him terribly. We rented and watched Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King last night. Since we knew that Andrew was leaving today and that he wouldn’t be back for a week, we decided to go on and watch it. We normally wait for the extended version to come out in November, but the want was too great for us and it gave us something good to do with him before he left. The movie was awesome in case you’re wondering. I think my favorite was the second one, but this last one was very intense and worth seeing.
Posted by tami at 3:49 PM Comments (0)
July 10, 2004
Questions
I got the following from a friend in email. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Questions that really need answers...
1. Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?"
2. Who was the first person to say, "See that chicken there? I'm gonna eat the next thing that comes outta its butt."
3. Why is there a light in the fridge and not in the freezer?
4. If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him?
5. Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane?
6. Why do people point to their wrist when asking for the time, but don't point to their crotch when they ask where the bathroom is?
7. Why does an OB-GYN leave the room when you get undressed if they are going to look up there anyway?
8. Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're both dogs!
9. If Wile E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that Acme crap, why didn't he just buy dinner?
10. If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?
11. If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, then what is baby oil made from?
12. If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?
13. Why do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?
14. Stop singing and read on..........
15. Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?
16. Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him on a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?
17. Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?
Posted by tami at 11:59 AM Comments (1)
July 5, 2004
Time Off
I can’t believe that we are already in the second month off. We have right at a month left of vacation and believe me I am grateful for it. For the past few days it’s be very humid. We’ve been staying in pretty much all day, but after dinner we take the kids to a local school and let them ride their bikes. They could ride them here at home on the sidewalk, but the school gives them much more room and freedom. Kevin and I have enjoyed taking our folding chairs out there and just watching them ride. You get a nice breeze because there are no trees or houses around to block it.
For the past three nights we have watched all three Indiana Jones movies. The first one was just “okay”. I could watch it again, but it could have been better. The second movie was “great”. The woman who plays in it, Kate Capshaw looks and sounds just like Kim Basinger did in Nine 1/2 Weeks. The resemblance is amazing! The third and final movie was “awesome” and the best. I guess they got better making each one. There is also a special features DVD that we may watch tonight. It will be interesting to see how they did certain stunts and also how the people look now in their interviews. The last movie was made in 1989, so I’m sure they have changed a lot! I know I’ve changed since then ;)
Posted by tami at 4:59 PM Comments (0)
July 4, 2004
Some Good Advice
Reading this week’s entry on Lisa Whelchel's Official Website I discovered that she is worrying over the same things at this time as Kevin and myself. We both have teenage sons and are both worried about important decisions in their lives. We have had this discussion with Andrew, but I wanted to share with you Lisa’s entry. I think she says it all in a fantastic way:
Last week Tucker, Haven and Clancy went to junior high summer church camp. They had a fabulous time and it was a great experience. As is perfectly normal, the presence of lots of pretty girls was a big part of the attraction for Tucker. As a family, we are navigating our way through the “recreational dating” question. Thankfully, we all pretty much agree that the whole junior high “going out” thing is silly, especially considering we wouldn’t actually allow them to “go out” anywhere. Even so, girls are not only much more aggressive than I remember but teenagers are extremely creative when it comes to dancing around the rules.
I was concerned about Tucker and wanted to take him to the Bible to explain my apprehension about him becoming “friends” with girls who obviously had more in mind. I had him read the following chapter from Proverbs.
Proverbs 7 – The New King James Version
My son, keep my words, And treasure my commands within you.
2 Keep my commands and live,
And my law as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers;
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your nearest kin,
5 That they may keep you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words.
6 For at the window of my house
I looked through my lattice,
7 And saw among the simple,
I perceived among the youths,
A young man devoid of understanding,
8 Passing along the street near her corner;
And he took the path to her house
9 In the twilight, in the evening,
In the black and dark night.
10 And there a woman met him,
With the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart.
11 She was loud and rebellious,
her feet would not stay at home.
12 At times she was outside, at times in the open square,
Lurking at every corner.
13 So she caught him and kissed him;
With an impudent face she said to him:
14 “I have peace offerings with me;
Today I have paid my vows.
15 So I came out to meet you,
Diligently to seek your face,
And I have found you.
16 I have spread my bed with tapestry,
Colored coverings of Egyptian linen.
17 I have perfumed my bed
With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until morning;
Let us delight ourselves with love.
19 For my husband is not at home;
He has gone on a long journey;
20 He has taken a bag of money with him,
And will come home on the appointed day.”
21 With her enticing speech she caused him to yield,
With her flattering lips she seduced him.
22 Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or as a fool to the correction of the stocks,
23 Till an arrow struck his liver.
As a bird hastens to the snare,
He did not know it would cost his life.
24 Now therefore, listen to me, my children;
Pay attention to the words of my mouth:
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths;
26 For she has cast down many wounded,
And all who were slain by her were strong men.
27 Her house is the way to hell,
Descending to the chambers of death.
As you can imagine, Tucker responded with, “Mom! You are way overreacting. Are you calling my friends harlots?! Don’t worry so much, I’m fine.”
As a mom, I knew he might be fine today but if he didn’t watch his steps and realize where this particular road could lead, he could end up going the wrong direction. So, I paraphrased Proverbs 7 particularly for a junior high boy living in the year 2004.
Proverbs 7 – The Gospel According to Mom
1 My son, keep my words and if you value your life,
2 Keep my commands. My law is the law, don’t ever forget it.
3 Tie a string around your finger or tattoo it on your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister” and call understanding, “Mom”
5 Listen to your mother and sister for they will keep you away from the girls.
6 For from my minivan I looked through the window,
7 And I saw a bunch of junior high boys
And one naïve young man, in particular.
8 Passing along the street near the mall;
And entering through Sears,
9 just after dark, before all the stores closed.
10 And there a girl met him,
Wearing a shirt that revealed her belly button and her heart.
11 She laughed way too loudly and she was rarely at home with her parents.
12 She seemed to turn up everywhere, at the mall, the movies,
hanging out at friend’s houses.
13 So she playfully hugged the young man and gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek.
“With a spunky look she said to him,
14 “I just came from youth group and I played the part.
15 I was hoping to see you there and when I didn’t see you
I came looking for you. I’m so glad I found you.
16 I have fixed up my room really cool.
17 I bought a bunch of good smelling stuff from Bath & Body Works.
18 Why don’t you come over and we can watch some videos and make out.
19 My parents aren’t at home, they are away on a business trip.
20 They won’t be back until Tuesday.”
21 With her convincing innocence, he bought it.
All it took was, “I’ve never met a guy I can talk to like you before” and she had him.
22 He fell for it, hook, line and sinker.
23 Till he felt the hook in his mouth.
As a fish swimming for the worm,
He didn’t know it was a trap until it was too late.
24 Now, listen up kids, and listen up good.
I know what I’m talking about:
25 Don’t even look down that path.
If you don’t want to end up where the road is headed
Then stay on the sidewalk.
26 Girls have been the fall of many a strong Christian young man.
They can lead you away from God and you could end up losing your life – at least the abundant one God has planned for you.
Posted by tami at 9:59 AM Comments (0)
July 3, 2004
Milestones
There are many milestones in a person’s life; things that you have to go through in order to become an adult. One major milestone in my own life was when I put away my Barbies for good. I believe I was in the seventh grade. I thought that I was too old for Barbie, so I packed everything away and then cried my eyes out. It’s funny the things that you remember about your childhood. That is one memory that will stay with me forever and it’s a decision that I made on my own with no prompting from anyone but myself.
I believe that Andrew, our 15 year old son marked a big milestone today. He told me that he hadn’t played with his men in a long time and he wanted to put them in the attic so that he would have more room in his closet for other things. His men look like THIS if you’re curious.
Andrew got the ladder out and Kevin opened up the attic so that he could store his things. He worked hard as up and down that ladder he went many times. I don’t know everything that he put up there. I do know that his childhood left with it though. He has a girlfriend; the same girl as in middle school. I think they’ve been together three years now. They’ve been to the movies many times together. She has visited us and he has visited her this summer at the high school during band practice. He now puts many miles on his bike. His physique is getting taller and is slim. He has a hairy face that he must now SHAVE and my sister takes him to the gym with her. He comes home telling of all the weight that he can now lift. Yes, he is growing up all at once it seems. Soon, he’ll have a job and maybe a car of his own.
He thinks nothing of putting his toys in the attic. I see it for what it is: a milestone in his life. I just wanted to record it here.
Posted by tami at 1:50 AM Comments (3)
July 2, 2004
Does Ageism Exist?
*Goldie Hawn
*Christie Brinkley
*Madonna
*Geena Davis
*Kathy Bates
*Michelle Pfeiffer
*Meryl Streep
*Whoopi Goldberg
*Julie Andrews
*Liza Minnelli
*Barbra Streisand
*Jane Fonda
*Barbara Walters
*Sandra Dee
*Olivia Newton-John
*Stevie Nicks
Look over the list of women above carefully. Just at a guess, who would you say is the oldest person listed? The youngest?
I will tell give you their ages in a second, but I just wanted to say this. Look around you and pick out someone who is near, at, or over 50 years of age. Do they resemble ANY of the names above as far as how they have aged? Probably not. If they have, tell them and it will make their day!
My point is that movie stars these days can be in their 50’s and still look to be in their late 30’s. It amazes me the lengths they will go to in order to stay young. I used to think that Marie Osmond was so cute until I saw a recent picture of her HERE. She did way too much and ruined her pretty face. Meg Ryan and
Melanie Griffith have both ruined their lips. They are entirely too big now. Who do they think they are, Angelina Jolie?! I think not!
Some people can’t get away with plastic surgery without causing more damage and some people cause damage where there was none before. Some of the people that I listed above might have had surgery. I have no idea. All I know is that they seem to be growing old(er) gracefully. Here is the run down of their ages. I think some will surprise you.
*Goldie Hawn (59)
*Christie Brinkley (50)
*Madonna (46)
*Geena Davis (48)
*Kathy Bates (56)
*Michelle Pfeiffer (46)
*Meryl Streep (49)
*Whoopi Goldberg (49)
*Julie Andrews (69)
*Liza Minnelli (58)
*Barbra Streisand (62)
*Jane Fonda (67)
*Barbara Walters (73)
*Sandra Dee (60)
*Olivia Newton-John (56)
*Stevie Nicks (56)
These are the ages that these people will be in the year 2004. As you can see Barbara Walters is the oldest. Would you have thought that? Madonna and Michelle Pfeiffer are the youngest. Did you know that they were the same age? I had no idea.
I think that most of the people we are surrounded by look the appropriate age. In other words, they are normal. I’m a pretty good guess when it comes to ages until you start asking about the Hollywood crowd. When it comes to them I have no idea.
Some women start worrying about wrinkles too much and then it’s constantly a devil on their shoulders. I don’t like going to the doctor on a good day so why in the world would I want to have a doctor peel my face off and then put it back on. No thanks. Not even for a lot of money would I want to attempt something like that. What I think about is this: when these movie stars die who have had all these surgeries, won’t it seem strange that they are very old, but look much younger? We normal people will have never known them as old.
Posted by tami at 4:08 PM Comments (4)
Her Left Ear
Ever since Ashley got tubes put in her ears last year, I have checked them about every other week to see if they were still in place. Looking closely with a flashlight, they are tiny and white, but right where you can see them. I had just looked in both ears Tuesday night and they were both still there. One was closer to coming out than the other, but both were in place.
Last night Ashley started complaining that her ear was bothering her. I looked once again for the tubes. The tube was gone from the ear that was hurting and it had been draining. It kills me! The tube isn’t gone for one day and she already has an ear infection?! Unbelievable!
We took her to the doctor today and she confirmed exactly what I had said. She also said that we would have to keep an eye on her ears and see how many ear infections she has in the next few months. If there are a lot, that means she will have to get the tube replaced. In the mean time, she is on an antibiotic and ear drops.
Posted by tami at 2:04 PM Comments (2)