watching tv...

henry is really enjoying watching dancing wtih the stars this season. :)

he thinks kristi did really well tonight, but he's still rooting for steve.

ouch!

i just sliced my thumb tonight on the side of a can of amy's soup. it hurts! and it is forcing me to do things with my left hand, which is reminding me of when i wanted to be left-handed when i was little (okay maybe it was junior high...?!). i used to practice writing, eating...even wore my watch on my right hand. lol!

death and taxes

this lady at the ent office today was very loud and i was trying to tune her out while i was doing my sudoku, but i overheard her tell someone on the phone, 'now they say as you get older you need more sleep. someone my age needs 10-12 hours of sleep! that's why we die sooner...and with all these sleep apnea issues we are also loosing oxygen to our brains!...' she went on and on, and i thought, but even if you are living longer you are sleeping through most of it, so doesn't it just even out!?

we are all avoiding death, but eventually we will all meet our time. and i am not really scared to die, because i know i am going to heaven and it's going to be glorious!... but i will admit i still don't embrace death and get exicted about dying. why do we like it here so much when we know it's going to be better someday?!

and my taxes (also unavoidable) ...i don't even want to go there! let's just say that they are finally done and they are not going to have to call security at h&rblock (long story!)

hearing god's call

i read this from my bible study (beth moore, 90 days with the one and only) and thought it was cute. she was talking about when we hear god's call...how to discern his voice and his will.

"we can't keep skipping class - our time with god in the scripture and in prayer - and expect to know when he's scheduled a field trip!"

samantha claire!

ella's world is about to completely change...

samantha is 7 lb 6oz, 19.5 in!

the happy parents coming home from the hospital today with their precious gift from heaven... (wow lauri you look AMAZING!)

she is sleeping all day and awake all night!

on her birthday, mar 24, 2008 :)

"every good gift and every perfect gift is from above..." james 1:17

easter pics!

we all had a fabulous time at julie and john's for easter! (isn't the table beautiful!?)

me and julie...best friends for over 20 years now (yes, we knew each other as infants of course...)

julie and john, the wonderful hosts!

me and my sister lindsey

lindsey and nathan admiring the backyard

blonde moment...

okay so a patient last week told me she and her husband had just gotten back from spring training. and i wasn't sure what she meant, so i ask, 'for the summer olymplics?' good guess, right? well, apparently there is spring training that goes on for baseball in florida every year. who knew?! but i am so glad to know that i am not alone...thank you lindsey and sarah for saying 'what is spring training?' when i told you this story! i love you guys! :)

welcome samantha!

congratulations to lauri, rob and ella! samantha claire was born today!! i hear she is perfect and beautiful...i will post pics as soon as i have them :)

he is risen!

isaiah 53:4-11
"but he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
he was beaten so we could be whole.
he was whipped so we ould be healed.

all of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
we have left god's paths to follow our own.
yet the lord laid on him the sins of us all.

he was oppressed and treated harshly,
yet he never said a word.
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
and as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
he did not open his mouth.

unjustly condemned, he was led away...
he had done no wrong
and had never deceived anyone...

but it was the lord's good plan
to crush him and cause him grief...

when he sees all that is accomplished
by his anguish, he will be satisfied.
and because of his experience,
my rigtheous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
for he will bear all their sins. "

And happy happy birthday to my favorite aunt!! i can't wait to meet you in the woodlands for lunch again soon. i love you aunt gail! :)

flesh or spirit?

starve the flesh, feed the spirit
i read this the other day and thought this was so true. i may have great intentions, but it comes down to what my actions are. so, we should ask ourselves...what are you feeding? your spirit, or your flesh?...

"the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (matthew 26:41)

good friday

this is my adorable neice ella and my sister lauri (due any day now!!) ella is apparently scared of the easter bunny.



i would be scared of that cross-eyed bunny too ella! :)




hope everyone has a great easter this weekend.

the seed

i have heard this parable many time, but liked the way beth moore broke it up in her 'jesus - 90 days with the one and only' book (luke 8:4-15).

the seed (or god's word) can do one of the following:
1. get snatched away - people hear but do not believe
2. fall on rocky soil - people hear but fall to temptation and their joy only lasts a little while
3. falls among thorns - people hear but get distracted - the seed doesn't mature (distractions: worries, riches, pleasures)
4. falls on good soil = harvested! - people hear and they are changed!

isaiah 55:11 says that god's word always produces fruit.
"it is the same with my word. i send it out, and it always produces fruit. it will accomplish all i want it to, and it will prosper everywhere i send it."

we have to not only hear god's word but we have to do it! (luke 8:21)
"my mother and my brothers are all those who hear god's word and obey it."

ella's room

isn't ella's room cute painted yellow?! we are all still waiting on baby samantha to arrive...

at the table

after the donut incidence, i realized i could be partly to blame...i used to think it was cute when he sat at the table...okay so i confess that ONE TIME i put his bowl on the table and let him eat dinner with me...but promise it was only once!!!

now he also steals my pens and pencils if i leave them out on the table. i find all them under the bed where he tries to hide them. bad henry! so now i am working on teaching him that he does not belong at the table!

donuts!

sarah and max came down from dallas this weekend and lindsey and nathan surprised us with donuts on saturday! you guys are awesome! i found out later that after i had left to go to work, henry had tried to eat a donut (he had jumped on the chair and snatched it off someone's plate). sarah said she had to pry it out of his mouth! he was holding on to that donut like his life depended on it! they knew he was up to something when he was suspiciously quiet and hiding under the ottoman. as you know if you have spent 5 mintues with him, he is never quiet...so whenever i don't hear him, i know he is being mischievous!

isaiah...

did you know?...have you ever compared isaiah to the whole bible? well, there are 66 books in the bible and there are 66 chapters in isaiah. there are 39 books in the old testament, and 27 books in the new testament. similarly, the first 39 chapters in isaiah discuss the law and the last 27 chapters are about salvation, starting with isaiah 40:1. so some people consider isaiah to be a 'mini-bible' or a '5th gospel.' i just love finding out interesting facts like this about scripture!

isaiah is also the scroll jesus reads from while in nazareth. he reads isaiah 61:1-2, a verse that summarizes his purpose for coming here (compare with luke 4:18-19).

"the spirit of the sovereign lord is upon me, for the lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. he has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. he has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the lord's favor has come, and with it, the day of god's anger against their enemies."

happy birthday

elyse is my best friend from optometry school. she lives in dallas (where i am going to someday move back...or so she always tells me) and she is married and has two sweet kids, brennan and jeni. hey elyse...i am thinking of you today. hope you have a great day!

houston pet talk...

okay i was reading in this pet magazine and do you know what you are supposed to do if your dog stops breathing? according to this article, if your dog stops breathing but still has a heartbeat, place him on his left side. then close his mouth and breath into his nose until his chest expands. there is also an ad in the back for an animal chiropractor at the alternative health and wellness center (vet referral required, of course!). my favorite was the lone star pet lodge...after all, 'dogs need a vacation too!'

happy birthday

in hawaii training...

the cute couple (with mandy)...

today my handsome brother david is turning 29! enjoy your last year in your 20s...although i personally i think life gets better the older you get... david has a lot going on this year...he is getting married to nikki lester july 5! david teaches a wellness class at SMU and also is a personal trainer. and he is doing his first ironman this april in arizona!! you're awesome david!! i am very proud you! :)

can you find me?

hey, i am on the berkeleye website now...

happy birthday

me, sarah, lauri, lindsey, emily, amy (all sisters) and corinne

lindsey and her man...

lindsey is 25 today!!! if you don't know lindsey, she's incredibly smart and beautiful. she lives here in houston with her husband nathan, so i am so lucky to be able to hang out with her all the time. she loves working for the american heart association and is awesome at her job! i love you lindsey! i hope you have a fabulous birthday and i can't wait to celebrate when you get back from jason's wedding! :)

sanctuary

i love my new patio! well, it's not new really but i went to lowe's this past weekend and got some chairs, a table, some flowers and plants and so now it's a great new room for me! of course henry used to love to hop out and bother the neighbors, so i also bought some wire netting to fence in henry so he wouldn't escape! now we spend so much more time outside. althought today he got out but i still don't know how! the other night we even ate dinner outside and it was so nice and peaceful. god really has given us a beautiful backdrop. i am now looking for a cute little bench to add...

sweet spirit

i have had this CD (hopedoor HONEST) for a while and for the past three days this is the only song i have been listening to, over and over again. the song is beautiful and the words are just amazing...

sweet spirit won't you whisper, breathe your love upon me
give me strength i can't do it on my own.
i'm in need of your wisdom, holy spirit show me
in your perfect will is where i want to grow.

unveil my eyes and light the way, fan your fire ignite your flame,
calm this fear that lives inside of me, help me walk in your shoes,
in your will i cannot lose, where you are is where i want to be,
jesus, where you are is where i want to be.

words and music: donna barker
gal. 5:25, 2 cor 3:18

YOU DECIDE 2008!

this is one of the first times that texas has been able to play a role in determining the candidates for the presidential election...kind of cool! so i voted today and did my civic duty. and it only took about 5 minutes. the part i don't like is looking at all the people i don't know on the ballot and randomly picking one. oh well...i guess i should have done more homework!

monday, monday

what a great way to spend this cold and chilly night! i got home from work, fixed my latest favorite meal...oh, it's soooo yummy...goat cheese and sun dried tomato ravioli with mom's spaghetti sauce, blended (thank you lauri!) from central market with buttered asparagus...and girl scout thin mints, frozen, for dessert of course...and curled up on my couch to finish this awesome book i started reading earlier today (the atonement child). i just love francine rivers. and i actually had some peace and quiet because henry was playing at his friend's house. he goes to see casey at least once a day and he comes back exhausted. it's great!

food & shopping

today my sister lindsey and i met my aunt gail in the woodlands for lunch at tommy bahama's. yum! we had fun shopping around market street...maggies, swoozies...but at luke's locker i couldn't believe it when the guy told me i should try a size 10 (i usually wear a 9 in running shoes)! i think i am just going to have to get a second opinion!