Like sands through the hour glass......

THESE are the "DAVES" of our lives..........

Oh, my sides are splitting! I crack me up!!! OK, for those who don't know......my oldest son is David. He is hilarious and LOVES acting goofy and dressing in costumes and such. He is a real character in every sense of the term. I was looking through all the photos on my computer and through the years David has come up with some pretty ridiculous "get ups". See for yourself!!!

I guess in these he is supposed to be a surfer dude?

(Or maybe Phillis Diller? I'm not sure! - And I obviously just told on my age!)

"DUDE!"

"Cheeeahhhhhhhhh!!!"

"Peace out, Man!" "Totally!"

Then there's these........OUT LOUD and IN YO FACE!!

He's such a shy, meek child.............no, really! (NOT!)

And then when he came in the room with this on, he introduced himself as (with the accent and all, of course), "Hi! I'm Forrest Gump!" Then he asked me had I seen Jenny?

And in these..........BEWARE! His hands are lethal weapons!!! (or so he thinks! hahaha~)

Soooooo, ya wanna fight?!?!

This is David tryin' on some digs at one of his favorite places to get his goofy "get ups"....

the Good Will.

Meet Mr. Edjumakated. He's a genius.

His friends are all goofy too!





Then, there's my other son Michael..........the "serious one". His girlfriend is super serious too! NOT!!

"Do I gots sumfin in my teeef?!"

She really, REALLY loves him!

And.....as "gifted" as he is (no really, he was even tested!!), I don't know where he got the idea he could really hide behind his ipod?! But, we humored him! "Where did Michael go?"

Complete and total concentration!

Hope you enjoyed this goofy blog entry to jump start your weekend. May your weekend be fun and filled with laughter!

Be sure to check back the first of next week for the next episode of........................

The Daves of our Lives!!!

OH, the difference a day makes...

Yesterday morning was uneventful like all the ones prior to it. Then, at 9:00 am, my boss called me into his office to lower the boom! After months of assurance that it wouldn't/couldn't happen to ME, I was laid off! Yep, you heard me right.................LAID OFF! I was in disbelief (my (former) boss is always practical joking - and is REALLY good at it, by the way), but as his eyes welled up with liquid and his face went flush like he might actually vomit, I realized that he was, in fact, very serious. Sad, sorry, and serious. I really never thought I'd hear those words. I mean, we JUST moved into a new office and I was the person who ran the office affairs. The engineers and designers did their thing and my thing was to take care of and run the office aspect of it. But, God has different plans for me. And................I am ok with that! Initially, there was shock and disbelief, but then....only after a second or two, I remembered who is in control of my life and, I know it will be hard for some to believe, but I was actually excited!

Is there uncertainty, sure. Should I be afraid? Should I fall to pieces? Should I start packing up my house and cleaning out my car so "they" can come take them? NO!!! See, God provides EVERYTHING I need. He provides everything all of us need, if we'll only look to Him and trust Him with our needs. We don't have to be scared, worried, depressed. God is going to take care of us in our need. And, maybe that's exactly what He's trying to show me through this. I "have" lots of things..........do I "need" most of them? I assure you, I do not. So, from this, I am going to come away with the splendor of seeing God work with and through my life. I am tickled and gitty even at the aspect of the outcome. Will my bills keep coming? Of course they will. Will He provide a way for them to be taken care of? Absolutely.

What will I do next? Well, I have been a secretary for the past 12 years. I enjoy that line of work. But, for several years, I have been yearning to do something else I really enjoy, and that is cooking. I LOVE to cook. Maybe this is a new direction the Lord will send me in. Whatever lies next for me, I am excited to do it. See, I know His will for my life is perfect. His timing is perfect also. So, with that, I know that THIS is the PERFECT time for a new adventure in my life to begin.

Keep checking in. You're welcome to come along with me on my adventures. I'm sure there will be ups and downs, hills and valleys and maybe even some bumps and bruises, but the Lord and I will keep moving forward according to His will for my life.

So, you might ask, "How am I today?" Well, today I am:

UNEMPLOYED
Blessed (with an abundance of people who love, care, support and pray for me! Thank You, Jesus!)
Excited (about what my future holds, no matter what that might be)
Secure (in my Savior's ability to care for me and my family)
Comfortable (in knowing who I am and who I belong to and realizing that having just turned 40 last month and after 15 years, finding myself unemployed, I'm going to be OK!)

And then, all of a sudden.....

HE WAS 16!!

I can't believe it. I just can't believe it. Just a little while ago, I was turning 16. I remember it like it was yesterday. Now, here I am sharing pictures of my youngest son's 16th birthday party. Where does the time go? Come on, I'll show you how it went:

Nicole (Michael's girl) and I decorated it ourselves. (like you really couldn't tell! haha)

Here's the birthday boy! He has grown up to be such a handsome young man. We are very proud of him and the person he is becoming.

Then his friends started arriving....

Some were really, REALLY glad to be there and help him celebrate!

Not afraid to show a little love...

And apparently they ALL want to be where Michael is!

(Like it's the ONLY chair in my house! Poor chair)

This is Michael's girl, Nicole. She's a HOOT!

Again.............No furniture? Just pull up a "Michael"!

Time to eat

Then.............it was time to "ROCK the house"!!

(SERIOUS musicians)

The couple that "ROCKS" together, stays together....

ALL Girl Band - (pay no attention to the dude with the mic)

total concentration...

.....a girl and her guitar....

But I got the best present of all!

I'll treasure these hugs forever. He'll be a grown man day after tomorrow. (.....or so it will seem)

We must be in prayer.....

I urge you to watch the video at the bottom of this post. We all need to be in deep fervent prayer over this election and not just for the people we will be voting for, but also, most certainly, for the issues. It shouldn't be so much about sides, but more about what's best for AMERICA and for our children and their children after them. Please give prayerful consideration of all the issues as you make your way to the polls. And we should also be sure to remember all those who will be working the polls on November 4th. Their's will NOT be an easy or settling position to be in on that day. I have worked the polls on numersous occasions. I have only worked one presidential election and the intensity was enormous. I cannot imagine the gutwrenching emotions and intense nerves that the poll workers will encounter for this election. So much is at stake. The outcome will be intense no matter which way it goes. Please be in constant prayer for this election and all it encompasses and for everyone that will be involved, from the politicians, to the supervisors of elections to the pollworkers and their families. He hears our prayers.........................but only if we pray them.


http://www.onenewsnow.com/valuesvoters.aspx

My neck of the woods....

Hello. I've been gone for a few days. I was under the weather with a sinus infection, stemming, I'm sure, from all the peanut hay that's been cut in the surrounding areas. I finally broke down and went to the doctor yesterday. Z-packs are amazing!!! After only two doses, I feel back to 95% this morning! Thank you, Lord!

So, with only two days of this week left, I wanted to be sure to post something. These are photos of wild flowers I took on my way home from work last Friday. I pulled off the road to shoot these out near my house. Where I live there are still lots of woods, wild animals and wild flowers. It's beautiful out there and very unpopulated, which is what makes it SO appealing to us!

Hope you enjoy them and they brighten your day in some way.

I thought it was so pretty the way the purple and yellow played off each other.

The red berries against the green leaves has me ready for Christmas to arrive. I can't wait to share pictures of my gorgeous holly tree with you this winter.

I know these are just weeds, but God made them and they are so pretty and delicate. And should we value them any less? Who knows, to some, WE may be "just weeds"!

These little white blooms with the red buds were so beautiful and they must be sweet because they were covered with bees. I was brave and took the shots anyway and the bees just make the pictures even more special.

Bright, sunny and cheerful, aren't they?

.......and dainty little pink ones......

These next ones are from around my yard

.....from my rose bushes that line the fence row in my front yard....

These are on a little bush in my flower bed. The butterflies LOVE them.

I chased this little guy around for several minutes before I finally got him in a shot. He works fast!

This was a pleasant surprise! When I planted these last year I had no idea they bloomed!

I find beauty in the strange and unusual, and these blooms are definitely....strange and unusual.

These are shots of my Mexican Heather. Do you see the bumble bees in both pictures? In the early morning and late afternoon, the chorus of the multitude of bumble bees is nearly deafening! Gives a whole new meaning to the term, "whistle while you work"!

Then, there's my Periwinkles. I love these little flowers. They remind me of my grandmother. She always had them in her flower beds in Cocoa, Florida. My grandmother had the most beautiful yard. She had roses of every size and color, lilies of different varieties, lots of different fruit trees and even a banana tree, and of course her Periwinkles. There were pink ones, white ones, purple ones and even some striped ones that always reminded me of peppermints!

I can't understand how some people say that they don't "experience" God and His gifts in their everyday life. I know I could name many ways that He has blessed me with gifts! Today I am thankful for:

The gift of my sight - so that I might see all the beautiful colors in the flowers He has made evident in my world that present themselves along my daily travels.

The gift of touch - so that I may enjoy hugs from my children, a kiss from my husband, and the soft, fluffy affection of my kitties.

The gift of smell - so that I can breath in the salt air at the beach, enjoy the aroma of love-baked goodies at Christmas and the fresh cut grass around my warm and inviting home.

The gift of sound - so that I can hear my family's laughter, so I can be a good listener to my friend's needs and concerns, and so I can whole-heartedly enjoy the melodies of those He has blessed with great musical talents.

The gift of taste - so that I can taste and know that life is sweet, that I might enjoy a hot, soothing cup of coffee with a dear friend, that any food taken in amongst family and friends is most savory, and to acknowledge His sacrifice as I partake of communion.

So, you see, my friends, even in the busyness of your lives, you must slow down enough to see all the gifts we so often take for granted in our daily lives. He and His gifts are abundantly evident, if we'll only see them in the little things. We should never take anything for granted, for EVERYTHING we have is a gift from our Heavenly Father. He is worthy of our praise and adoration.

Praying you have a blessed day as you recognize the blessings in YOUR life.