The shift

Last weekend was kind of long. We didn't have big plans, so we just piddled around the house. Honey stained the deck etc... We found ourselves taking the girls to a park.

Forever the sentimentalist I was reflecting a little too much...making myself sad. I remember bringing them to this park when we first moved here. Little chick was just a baby and Big chick a toddler.

We would eat lunch under that tree, spreading out a blanket to eat our applesauce and pretzels. I didn't have any friends yet, and so they were my company. I spent many hours dragging them from park to park with picnic basket in tow.

Now they just look a little awkward at a park. Instead of running and playing they just kind of meander and visit with each other. I feel a shift coming. They are growing up... my babies are getting BIG!

So I guess we have to shift with them right? Time to try some other activities. Before Honey and I had the girls we used to love going to the driving range and hitting golf balls. We were really BAD, but it was just fun being outside...trying to look like we knew what we were doing;)

We don't have a set for them yet. Just wanted to see if they would like it first. They thought it was so much fun, and so did we. It is beyond weird that we are finally at that stage we can bring them with us. How did that happen??

The shift is happening in us too. We are becoming more settled. We've lived in this house for six years. I can't believe that. It's the longest we've been anywhere by double. Shifting is good...I think, but what's next??

Have a blessed day.

South Beach...the good, bad & ugly

We only got a car for one day when we were down in Miami. It just didn't make sense to get one before that. Honey was workin'. Ya know bringin' home the bacon, and I was busy layin' by the pool:) So anyway...we had a lot to see in one day. South beach was a must.

I'd never seen such a wide beach. The stretch we were on didn't have any hotels on it, so the beach was massive.

I'd also never seen so many people. We were there on a Friday. It was crazy busy. I can't imagine what it's like during Spring break.

It was interesting seeing all the shapes...

and sizes!

We saw a LOT of skin. Several women were laying out topless. It was shocking! You know you're just walking along and BAM...all their stuff is just out there:o Definitely not used to seeing that. No one seemed to think it was any big deal. I whipped out my camera...cause that's how I roll. But obviously I can't put it out there in blogland. Who knows the weirdos that would start flocking to my blog!

We also saw a lot of interesting fashion statements. I think these were fresh tats. Why else would they have their pants pulled down that low. Of course I had to get a picture;)

Then of course the new rage in shoe wear. Please tell me you don't have a pair of these. They are NOT attractive. Honey saw them on a woman and thought she was walking barefoot with weights on her ankles. Does that sound attractive??

This mannequin totally cracked me up. This is who they are selling to in South Beach. Definitely not my body type... I can tell ya that!

I found myself singing..."pants on the ground, pants on the ground, lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground.":) Remember the American Idol guy who made up that song? He would have liked this guy. It would have given him a reason to sing it...he would need to replace pants with shorts, but you get the drift. Makes you want to scratch your head! I'm imagining me with my grandma undies on and my shorts pulled down low like that...ha! Okay now I'm just crackin' myself up!!!

Now the glamour! Okay first of all it was HOT. Can you imagine wearing really high heels like that in the heat?? My feet were swollen in my flipflops. I would have been miserable in real shoes!

Have you ever seen legs so long?? They just don't grow them like that in Minnesota:) WOWZA! A secret dream of mine is to have long lean legs. Just NOT gonna happen. I have Mary Lou Retton legs...great for if I ever need to do an impromptu gymnastic routine;)

Oh and then lastly this gentleman in his pink get up:o I had forgotten that South Beach is a predominantly gay community. Remember the movie Bird Cage with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane? Well that was filmed right here.

Everywhere we went Honey got hit on...you know flirted with! It kind of became a running joke for me to tease him;) Our male servers would come to the table...look him up and down (ignore me entirely) and then ask him repeatedly if everything was alright and if he needed anything else. Uh-hmmm I'm here too!! Can't help that my Honey is HOT, but really...I'm kinda cute too;) It was a new experience for us.

A few of you told us to visit Lincoln Road. My favorite store was this awesome nut shoppe. I whipped out my camera of course, and took tons of pictures until a guy put his hand up and told me to stop. What??? I can't take a picture of some nuts. What's wrong with that? Anyway these were taken just for you. Hope you appreciate the trouble I got into;)

The main thing I wanted to do for the day was to visit Joe's Stone Crabs. I looked it up and it was voted the #1 restaurant in Miami, and then one of my good friends told me all about it. It was soooo good. We got there before it opened, so we had the whole restaurant to ourselves. Which was a good thing because we were covered in sunscreen and sweat!

I ordered the crab...because I LOVE CRAB!! I don't recall ever seeing one with fur on it though. How weird is that? Anyway they cracked it all for me. Which was a real treat. It usually takes me a very lonnnggg time to eat my meal at Red Lobster, so that alone was worth the trip:) Honey got crab cakes and some yummy chopped salad. His was actually better than mine. So good!

So this was South Beach. Fancy mansions and colorful buildings...

Huge yachts and lots of interesting people.

My favorite part by far were the palm trees...oh and hanging out with my hot Honey. He's gonna kill me for saying that;)





Have a blessed day.

You complete me:)

As I read through my comments from my last post I seriously had the words, "you complete me" run through my mind. I love it when I put something out there and your comments complete or add so much to my own thoughts. You girls rock! I'm so grateful for all of you. You lift me up, share my burdens and understand my frustrations. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

The inevitable happened though. Satan didn't like me getting angry and speaking out about sin etc... So yesterday was filled with lots of annoyances. For instance while putting in a pony tail for my little chick the band snapped and hit me in the eyeball...OUCH!

Then when I was changing the laundry I noticed something red and sticky all over the white clothes and inside the dryer. And while emptying the dishwasher I broke a glass etc...UGH!!! I knew it was an attack. He doesn't like it when we get fed up, speak truth or bring light to the darkness.

Some of you understood my anxiety regarding forever and heaven. My mom knowing I've always worried a little about that sent me a poem recently. She used to have the same fears as a young woman and came across this years ago... Thought you might like to read it too:)

Eternity Will Be Today


I stood with God on the edge of the world,
and my hand was in His hand,
I looked down the road of the past, as it stretched away in the dim distance, till it was shrouded in the mists of time,
and I knew it had no BEGINNING, and a little chill wind of fear blew about my head.

God asked, "Are you afraid?" And I said, "yes, because I cannot understand how there can be no BEGINNING."

And God said, "Let us turn and face the other way." And I looked into GLORY, and my heart rejoiced with joy unspeakable.

And then my mind went AHEAD a billion, billion years, and I knew there would be no END, and again that little chill wind of fear began to blow.

And God asked me again, "Are you afraid?" And I answered, "A little, because I cannot understand how there can be no END."

So God asked me tenderly, "Are you afraid now, today, with your hand in MINE?"

And I looked up at Him and smiled, and replied, "O, my Father, No!"

And God said, "Every day in ETERNITY WILL
BE TODAY."

Have a blessed day.

All photographs found here.

I'm so sick

I usually try to post uplifting and positive thoughts on my blog. I look for the good. But I'm really PMSing and I just need to vent.

When I work out I listen to this song a lot. It's a christian band called Flyleaf and as the lead singer screams and growls out this song called I'm so sick...

I think of all the things I'm sick of:

SIN

death

politics

lukewarm Christians

twisted thinking

perversion

hatred

tolerance

mean people

loneliness

disease

CANCER

oil spills

earthquakes

natural disasters

gluttony

selfishness

pride

poverty

FEAR

doubt

indecision

comparison

competition

greed

lies from the devil

complacency

PMS

complaining:)...

I'm so ready for God's promise of a new tomorrow in Heaven...one with no suffering, no pain, no SIN! And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away Revelation 21:4. Even though Heaven scares me a little...facing the unknown. It's got to be better than this fallen world! I don't know how He can bear to watch it all. Feel free to add to the list...

Thanks for listening.

The winner of the Canopy of dreams giveaway is

Melody-Mae, she wrote...

"Oh my...first of all I LOVE Amy Grant and we also saw her in concert and her opening act was none other than Micheal W. Smith!!! AWESOME! I am a 2 time cancer survivor so I have many people that have been a huge help to me but the biggest one has been my husband. Through thick and thin, through sickness and health...with or without boobies...he loves me. I am thankful everyday that God has blessed me with such an amazing husband."

Thank you all for the amazing comments about someone lending you a helping hand. They really touched my heart. It's GOOD to think about those things:)