I Sometimes Feel Like I Am Repeating School

I am currently reading The Hound of the Baskervilles. Jacey has a book report that is due next week and this is the book she chose. I am reading the book so that I can make sure she knows what she’s talking about when she writes her report. I know I have read this book before, but it was a VERY LONG TIME AGO as I am now ancient!! It’s a good thing we have kids. It gives us a chance to go back and re-learn everything we have forgotten.

Love-Hate Relationship

I have this love-hate relationship with DVR. I love that I don’t have to re-program it repeatedly. I love that I don’t have to put in a tape or DVD to record. I love that I can fast forward through the commercials. I love that I can watch something on DVR while I am recording something else. BUT I ABSOLUTELY HATE WHEN IT CUTS OFF AND DOES NOT RECORD ALL OF MY SHOW!!! There is nothing worse than sitting through a television show and then not getting to see the end!! OK, I know that is extremely melodramatic and there are tons of worse things in the world. It just frustrates me!!! Thank you God for giving us the internet! Now I can watch the episode of Samantha Who? on the web!

Prayer Request

Please pray for my brother, Kristian. He is having surgery tomorrow morning.

Pathetic Blogger Award and Random Things

I would say I am definitely in the running for the Most Pathetic Blogger Award. I can't believe it's been over two months since I last blogged!!!!

I have a new favorite television show. I absolutely love Pushing Daisies!! If you have not seen this show, you need to watch it this Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. on ABC. If you are not home, set your recorder. I think this show is brilliant! It has the feel of a British comedy, but it's American. The color is great. Sometimes it's dark and sometimes it looks cartoonish -- almost like Edward Scissorhands or Beetlejuice. It is also a new and exciting idea. I love the fact that Ned took his ability to re-animate the dead and used it for monetary gain. This was done in a matter-of-fact manner with absolutely no apology. It cracks me up. I also like watching Kristen Chenoweth. After all, she was in one of my favorite musicals -Wicked.

We are coming up on some busy times at the dance studio. The girls may be perfroming on Saturday, November 3rd, but we are not confirmed yet. After that, we have the Time of Thanks performance on November 10th at Grace. Then we have a dance convention the weekend of November 15th. After that it is time off for Thanksgiving and then time to prepare for Christmas shows. Then it's time to get ready for competition and recital. Sometimes I feel like I have an extremely full plate!

I am definitely in the running for coolest mom. I managed to get tickets to the Hannah Montana concert! Needless to say, my child is thrilled!

We took the girls to the Revolve Tour again this year. I really enjoy going to this with my daughter. There are great messages, drama and music. We got to see Hawk Nelson this year. We saw them in concert last year with Jeremy Camp the Saturday after Revolve. They are a lot of fun.

Remarkable People

Sometimes it takes a great tragedy in life to discover a truly remarkable person. Our secretary at work is such a person. I've always admired her quick wit and perspective in life. I love to be around happy people and people that make me laugh. She falls into both categories.

You know when the telephone rings after midnight that it is not good news. When I saw her cell phone number, I automatically assumed her mother had fallen or passed away since she has Alzheimer's. Nothing prepares you for the death of a child. As a parent, you are supposed to die first -- at least that's how we all think it will happen. She found out yesterday evening that is not always the case. Her twenty-two year old son had been found dead. There are simply no words of comfort at a time like this. All I could do was tell her how sorry I was, that I love her and that if she needs anything, just let me know. So, I pray for her to find peace and comfort in a time of unbelieveable sorrow.

When I called to check on her this morning, she actually made a few jokes. She also says that she knows he's in a better place. I only hope that if faced with such a tragedy, I could be half as strong as she has been.

Finally Finished!!!

I just finished the 7th and final Harry Potter book. I was very pleased with the way the series wrapped up. I had been concerned that I might feel let down at the end, but I loved it! Now it is time to go back, start the series over, and read from Book 1 to Book 7 without waiting years between books! I also need to see the 5th movie. I normally see it on opening day, but I have not seen it yet. Hopefully things will slow down a little and Jacey and I can go see it.

Mom Update

Mom came home from the hospital today. She is still feeling under the weather, but all in all things went okay.

Prayer Request

OK. Keeping it short today. Mom is scheduled for surgery next Wednesday, so please keep her in your prayers.

You can also keep the company party in your prayers. 15 girls in close quarters for 15 hours can result in problems. Although, they will probably be so busy they won't have issues.

No Rain Today - Just Praise

I have tried not to complain about all the rain. I keep thinking about how bad it was last summer. I have even tried not to complain when it takes two hours to get from my office in Carrollton to the studio in River Oaks. I have to admit that I was sick of the rain, but I really enjoyed the cooler weather.

I also have to lift up some praise because we were not in Las Vegas when the man started shooting in New York New York. Mom, Jacey and I hung out on the midway while Jacey played games, so we would not have been in the line of fire. However, I would not have wanted to be in the complete pandemonium of trying to get out of that casino. Thank God for off-duty police officers and soldiers!!

Vegas Vacation

We are back home from Vegas. We had a great trip. Jacey is officially a Junior Ranger at Red Rock Canyon. She has the certificate and badge to prove it. This is a picture of her swearing in ceremony.



Jacey took some great pictures of the volcano erupting at The Mirage. Here is one that she took:



We visited the Hard Rock Cafe and Jacey got a really cool shirt and some guitar picks. She also got some guitar picks at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill. We watched the fountains at Bellagio a couple of times - one time to Sinatra. That was pretty cool! Old school Vegas music!

Jacey's favorite things were the lazy river and wave pool at the Monte Carlo, playing on the midway at New York New York and riding around in the convertible with the top down. We saw the Masquerade in the Sky at The Rio and between all of us we caught 8 sets of beads. We also saw Lance Burton. He was fantastic! I highly recommend seeing his show. A great magician!

Jacey's ultimate souvenir this time was a purse she bought from Juicy Couture. She spent her birthday money on the purse. She had been saving for a laptop, but decided to splurge on a purse instead. I think it had something to do with me saying she can't access the internet in her room. She has to be in the room with an adult if she is online. Here's a picture of her with her bags from Juicy.



Tomorrow I go back to work and I am actually looking forward to it. That's kind of weird! Especially since it's two jobs. What a life!

Recital Accomplished

We made it through recital and I have to say that our dancers were fabulous!!! They looked relaxed and like they were having a great time! It's so much fun to watch them perform when they are not stressed out and they are just having a good time! It's neat to see how much they have come to care for one another. They cheered and yelled from backstage while their friends were dancing. It makes you realize how important it is for them to develop good relationships and be able to truly fellowship with one another. Jennifer and I were talking today about trying to plan more outings with the girls. We want all of the company members to mix and mingle and develop closer relationships. We also want the older girls to develop more mentoring abilities in relation to the younger girls. We are also thinking of asking some of the parents to start a prayer team so they can pray for specific areas of the dance ministry. That's something that we need desperately!!!

Now that I've survived recital, I am moving on to planning for vacation. I am so excited to be going. I plan to do a lot of relaxing. (I probably just jinxed myself!)

Total Exhaustion

I finally reached my breaking point at 12:30 last night. After surviving on just a few hours of sleep each night, I could not take it anymore. I have been working feverishly on editing a video to run during each of our recital performances. I have finished the first (unless I find mistakes or make more work for myself and decide to add music or make more edits) and I only have a few minor changes to the second video. I can honestly say that I don’t remember ever being this tired in my life. One of my co-workers asked me if I was sick today. I hope that everyone enjoys the video and the work is worth it. My goal is to make someone need tissue.

Randomly Thinking

I haven't blogged in so long, I'm not sure I remember how. We are now in the homestretch for finishing out the "takeover in the middle of the year" at the dance studio. We have recital coming up and then we get to take a week off. I have to get started on the video to play before and during recital. I am very excited about it. We have downloaded some really cool videos from sermonspice.com.

We have decided to go to Las Vegas for vacation this summer. We are staying at a hotel that has a swimming pool, wave pool, and lazy river. I am planning to take Jacey to Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire this time around. It should be a fun drive since we are renting a convertible! We may go see Lance Burton. Mom and Dad have seen him before and they think he is a fabulous magician! I have talked Jacey into going to the Liberace museum. I think it will be hysterical to go look at all of the sparkly stuff in the museum! We will be eating at In-N-Out Burger. I love that place. They have the best french fries!! I think it has to do with them being cut fresh everyday. I also think it's interesting that they have Bible verses on some of their containers.

Fabulously Wicked

We went to see the musical Wicked on Sunday night at Fair Park Music Hall. It was AWESOME!!! Jacey and I both loved it. I love to see creativity and this is such a clever idea. It is the back story of the witches from The Wizard of Oz. You learn why Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) is green, why the shoes are so important to her, why the lion is cowardly, the scarecrow has no brain and the tin man has no heart, how and why the monkeys came to fly, and lots of other tidbits of information. I think Gregory Maguire is a creative genius and I will have to read some of his books. He has a sequel to Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (the book the musical is based on) entitled Son of A Witch and a book based on Cinderella called Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. We had to listen to the soundtrack on the way home from the dance studio lastnight so that Jacey could sing along with her favorite songs.

Step One - Admit You Have a Problem

I admit it. I am a wootaholic!! This is an epidemic spreading throughout my office. We love woot.com. One of the first questions asked in our office is, "What's on woot?" Granted we don't love all of their products, in fact we don't even understand what some of the products are (we're not techies) - but we love to read the copy these guys write about the product being sold. They crack us up!

Heaven forbid they start having woot-offs every day. I don't think we got much done Thursday or Friday because we kept having to see what the next product in the woot-off would be. It is driving me insane!!!

Hunger 101 Class

We had the Hunger 101 class at the studio Saturday morning. I hope it made an impression on the girls. The class is taught through role playing. The older girls led the younger girls. They were given a sheet telling them about their family and how much money they made each month and their total expenses. They had to fill out a budget sheet and figure out how much money (if any) they had for food per day. They each had to decide where to go to seek help. There were five different stations: a food stamp office, a bus stop, a food pantry, a community kitchen, and a grocery store. The goal was to provide 1600 calories per person for each family. Needless to say, the majority of the families were not able to make it to the goal.

Do you think there is ever a good reason not to help someone by giving them food? My daughter says no and I happen to agree with her. It is an interesting question because one of the scenarios was a family that made a lot of money, but spent well beyond their means. Obviously they needed a budget overhaul, but does that mean they don't deserve help?

Easter Sunday Services

Below are some pictures from the Easter Sunday services at Grace.





These pictures are from the drama performed by Dale, Sherri, George, Jacey, Cheryl, and Valerie.

Snow in April?!?!?!

Here are some pics from Blum, Texas on Saturday, April 7, 2007. Can you believe there was actually snow on the ground?

Grace Performance

The girls danced at Grace Baptist Church this Sunday. The seniors danced to a live version of Labor of Love sung by Sarah and Clayton. Here are a few of the pics:

Ramblings

I saw Blades of Glory this weekend. The movie was hysterical!!! The lady next to me actually snorted. I was relieved, because I didn’t think Talladega Nights was very funny. Maybe it was the Nascar aspect. I want to see Meet the Robinsons - love the T-Rex in the commercial. I can’t wait for Pirates 3 and the next Harry Potter installment (movie and book). When the last Harry Potter movie came out, Jacey thought I was the coolest mom ever. I pre-purchased our tickets online, picked her up early from school but late enough she was not counted absent and then we went to see the movie. She thought that was awesome. I racked up some serious points in the mom department that day. Too bad she doesn’t remember that when she wants something and I say No!

Home Improvement

I actually amazed myself this weekend. I repaired a hole in the bathroom wall. This was no small accomplishment considering that it involved making a corner. (Special thanks to the gentleman at Home Depot that gave me some pointers!!!) I repaired the hole and then painted the bathroom. I used Marmalade (a light orange) and Aurora Orange (a deep orange). Most of the bathroom is the light orange. The area behind the toilet and above the bathtub are painted the darker orange. It looks really cool! The paint made a huge difference in the lighting. It went from being a bright white light to looking more amber. I still need to paint the trim and the door (they will be Polar Bear - a fancy name for white) and then decide if I want to paint the cabinets. I am going to paint magnetic paint on the door and then paint over it in the white. That way I can use little metal containers on the door. (This is a great idea for a kid's room).

Giving Back

I have to say how proud I am of all the students at the dance studio. We had a canned food drive for the month of February and they donated a total of 401 non-perishable food items!!!! How awesome is that?!?!

We are in the process of trying to partner with an organization on a long-term basis. We are just waiting on the woman to return from vacation and get back with Jennifer. We both want to give back to the community. We have been amazingly blessed and want to spread those blessings to others. We also want the company members to learn to volunteer and help out in the community. We want them to learn what it means to truly serve others from your heart. After all, spending money on a gift for someone is easy, but giving of yourself can be difficult.

Further Evidence of Intelligence

Jacey scored an Excellent at Math Olympics today and placed 4th overall in fifth grade computation. She was the only one from her school to receive a placement ribbon!

Science Fair Results

Can't believe I didn't post this earlier. Superior ribbon and a silver medal!!! What a smart child I have!

Completely Disgusted

We had the dance competition this weekend. I really thought that I was beyond shock. I mean, two years ago I watched children dancing in fishnet hose and bras and panties literally purchased from a lingerie store. I've had to re-think my prior stance on that routine. After all, it was a broadway style routine and at least the dance movements were appropriate. This weekend was a new low. I saw a hip hop routine performed by 16-17 year old girls where they danced in high-heeled shoes, slapped each other on the rear -- there were so many sexual overtones to this routine I can't even begin to put it into words. I honestly watched the routine with my hand over my mouth. One of the other mom's in our group asked me if I thought they would eventually put a pole on stage and have an exotic dance category. But, as bad as this routine was, nothing could top the following:

Picture the 6 & under category: Cute little girls in their dance costumes with their hair pulled up in bows and all excited about dancing in the competition. Now, imagine those same little cutie pies doing sexually suggestive movements straight out of a hip hop video while their parents are in the audience making cat calls. Or, how about one of those same little girls standing on a box (meant to be a stage) and gyrating while the rest of the girls in the group surround the box with their rears to the audience shaking it for all their worth. I really hope that my disgust is being conveyed.

When the judges reward these types of dances (and believe me they did) and their parents are acting that way, what are these children learning? Maybe I'm taking it out of context or blowing it out of proportion, but this really bothered me. I firmly believe it's a statement of the lack of morality of people today. Everyone seems to be so concerned with winning or getting more that they don't care what it costs in terms of their emotional or moral well-being. How is getting a high score at a dance competition or in anything else enough to sexually exploit your child? That's what this weekend was all about - the sexual exploitation of children in the name of dance.

The same mom that made the joke about the stripper pole made a very poignant remark about these parents. She said, "How sad is it that their parents don't love them enough to say no?"

All Stressed Out and No One to Choke

I know I haven’t blogged in a while and I am feeling the pressure. Clayton – It’s all your fault!!! Since you linked to my blog, I feel I have to make an effort.

I am STRESSED OUT!!! Jace has dance competition this Saturday. She was sick and went to the doctor last Thursday. He decided she was on the downside of the flu and had a sinus infection and gave her antibiotics. Saturday night and Sunday she broke out in hives. I think it was a reaction to the antibiotics. Sunday night she started complaining with chest and back pain and difficulty breathing. I succeeded in not completely losing it and taking her to the ER that night, but made her go back to the doctor first thing Monday. She had pleurisy. We started giving her anti-inflammatory medicine and she felt better. She went to dance yesterday to work on her solo and rolled her ankle. She got up this morning and it was swollen and bothering her. We had to ice it before she went to school. I’ve had enough stress right now!!

Sick and Tired

Having a sick child is the pits. Being completely helpless to make your child feel better is a horrible feeling. She hasn’t slept well. She’s moaned in her sleep and coughed all night. I’m hoping this is the end of the illness!!! The doctor thinks she had a case of the flu and has a sinus infection. She’s worn out and has competition next weekend.

Wicked - Here we come!

I actually snagged tickets to go see Wicked!!!!! Jace was so excited. We have the soundtrack and she loves it!! I called her Friday after I bought the tickets and after her stunned silence, she yelled, “When are we going?” There are only a couple of things bothering me about the tickets. First, we are going on a Sunday night when she is still in school and second, they are in the nosebleed section. Oh well, that’s why God invented binoculars.

Look In Your Own Backyard

Sometimes you find the hungry in your own neighborhood. In doing a canned food drive at the dance studio where I am co-owner, I found out that the Tarrant Area Food Bank has a program called Backpacks for Kids. This program packs kid friendly snacks in backpacks and distributes them to 12 sites in 3 counties. The schools are chosen if 80% or more of their kids are eligible for free or reduced-cost meals. Nine of the schools are in Tarrant County. (You can find this information on the food bank’s website.) The backpacks are distributed to a child for the weekend and then returned to the school on Monday. They make sure that the backpacks are distributed in private to save the children from being embarrassed. Sometimes I think we get so caught up in the plight of people in foreign countries that we forget that we have people with needs in our own.

Take Care Of What You've Been Given

I’m really tired of the whole Global Warming argument. I’m not sure what to think about the climate change issue. I do think that some people have taken to Global Warming as though it’s a new religion. They walk around preaching their newfound gospel as though it paves their way to heaven.

As a Christian, I find the arrogance of science to be disconcerting. Scientific theories are just that – theories. They are not infallible. Only God is infallible. Only God knows what he has in store for us. God spoke the world into existence. He created this beautiful planet and gave it to mankind to tend. The ultimate issue is not whether Global Warming exists. It’s simply mankind living up to the duty and responsibility of taking care of the planet God gave us.

Cool Your Jets Perry

I've been disgusted with politics for quite a while now. I avoid the news like the plague. I don't care which party you belong to anymore, I am disgusted with the entire process. Take the new Texas Governor mandate that as of September 2008, all girls entering the sixth grade are required to receive the Gardasil vaccine to prevent cervical cancer. I have a daughter that will be entering sixth grade in September 2008. I am definitely going to have to research this issue, but more than likely I will be opting out. I have a child that is EXTREMELY sensitive to medications. She has broken out in rashes after taking other vaccines, she's allergic to red dye, and after taking ibuprofen since she was very small, she has developed an allergy to that medication. I am not about to give my child a vaccine that has only been approved since June of 2006.

Of course, I am extremely suspect of the motives behind Governor Perry's reasons for issuing an exectuve order. The Associated Press article of Feb. 3, 2007, by Liz Austin Peterson (http://www.salon.com/wire/ap/archive.html?wire=D8N1RSSG2.html) points out the following:

• Merck doubled their lobbying budget in Texas and funneled money through Women in Government.
• Mike Toomey, one of Merck's three Texas lobbyists, was Perry's former chief of staff.
• TexasRepresentative Dianne White Delisi, Perry's current chief of staff's mother-in-law is a state director for Women in Government.
• Merck's PAC (political action committee) gave $6,000 to Perry's re-election campaign.

Now, I'm no math whiz, but at a cost of $360 per child for the three shot series, with just the amount of students in Texas (which I was not able to find), that is one serious chunk of change in Merck's pocket. Based on his order, you are looking at all girls in Texas from between the ages of 9 and 21. Imagine that on a 50 state scale. Merck stands to make BILLIONS from this vaccine.

Now, I am not opposed to the idea of a vaccine that prevents cancer. I think it's a wonderful progress in modern medine, if it actually does what they are saying it does. I do have some questions. For instance:

• Is it a permanent cure or is it's effectiveness going to eventually wear off?
• If it's effectiveness wears off, will there be any sideeffects of revaccination?
• How often would revaccination be required?
• How do we know the virus isn't going to mutate and then we're back to square one? (After all isn't the flu shot just a best guess at which strain is going to be the strongest?)
• Do we know the actual success rate yet? The chicken pox vaccine hasn't been completely successful. Some kids still end up with a mild case of chicken pox. But is there such a thing as a mild case of cervical cancer?

Anyway, it's late and I will get off my soapbox now.

Blast From The Past

We are having an 80's banquet at church tonight. I am bringing a friend of mine from work. She thought it sounded like fun. So, to "get into the groove" (Madonna reference) I have been listening to I Love the 80's on vh1.com radio. I am currently listening to Oingo Boingo (no, I did not make up the name) singing Weird Science. Hopefully there will be lots of funny skits and interesting outfits. I am going for the layered look with neon pink accessories. I even have a pair of hideous flats that look like I pulled them from the depths of my closet where the dust bunnies hide. I didn't, but they look genuine. What's scary is that they are actually a new pair of shoes. Very cheap shoes, but new. When did I become so old that the styles I wore in school are now considered "Vintage" and the music I listened to is considered "Classic?" I really don't feel that old!!

Put Yourself In Their Shoes

I have gotten to where I hate to watch the news. As a society we seem to be intent on enjoying the misery and heartache of others. Just look at the current item of interest. I suppose it makes for good ratings, but this is really about the destruction of a family. Lisa Nowak is a married mother of three. With one event, she has caused untold pain and embarassment to her family and to herself. Her family still has to go out in public. They have to go about their daily activities now living inside a fishbowl. I personally do not find this to be entertaining. I think it's heartbreaking. Maybe if we tried to be more compassionate and loving to one another, the world as we know it would be a much better place.