the days of DAWN...

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Monday, February 26, 2007

This is one of the baby Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches that lives in my classroom. (I'm not sure if this is "Ronald" or "McDonald".) They are a little over an inch long right now and may double in size before they're full grown. I have a kind of love/hate feeling towards the concept of pet cockroaches. It creeps me out a LOT to have them in the room, but I must admit that they are pretty cool, as long as I don't have to touch them. These cockroaches are pretty spoiled. The kids bring them fruit to supplement their dry food and there is a heater attached to the side of their cage.

Friday, February 23, 2007

Snow!!!

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Left Behind

The View on my Lunch Break

At the Airport

Morey Airport Co.

ZZZZZzzzzzz...

Spell Check, anyone?!?!

Because I have one of the absolute coolest friends in the world,
who patiently searched through a PEZ display when I wasn't even around,
I am now the proud owner of two
PEZ Valentine hearts dispensers with a typo!!!!

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

'What? No more Pez???!!!!!!'

Never fear! I'm not even close to being out of PEZ,
but I LOVE the Tick and wanted to share an image
of how tragic life can be when you realize that you've
eaten the last sweet and tangy, succulent PEZ!!!!!!!!!

image (c) Derek 'Hendercrazy' Henderson
the Tick character is Trademark 2001 Ben Edlund

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Friends as Family

"...may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful. Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds—his name is the LORD—and rejoice before him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing..."
-- Psalm 68:3-6

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God truly does "set the lonely in families". I am blessed with many friends that have become like family to me, some in the form of actual families and some in the form of peers and peer groups that seem like family. Each friend holds a special place in my heart and I am eternally grateful for the love that pours out from them into my life through prayers, encouraging words, open ears, laughter... Mostly I'm thankful for the time they spend with me, whatever form that takes on, and for accepting me for who I am and loving me anyway.

Thank you, Lord, for the abundance of love You've surrounded me with. I pray that you would reveal to each of my friends how special they are in Your eyes and how much they help make the lives of those around them brighter just by being there.

Zeke & Ruby are gifts that I received from one of my families for Valentine's Day.
Zeke is incredibly soft and almost 3 feet long, from the tip of his tongue to the end
of his tail. Ruby is very quiet but mischievous. She doesn't have a squeaker but
she can squirt you when you're not looking..............................................................

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Blue Skies

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Sights Around Town

Rooms for rent!!

Sit and rest awhile?!

Rooms available, CHEAP!!

Picnic anyone?!?

How does this work?!?

Still Frozen!!

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Lonely Hearts

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." -- Romans 5:1-5 (NIV)

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
-- James 1:17 (NIV)

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dreaming about love
leaves me feeling empty and
very much alone.
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One of my Christmas gifts was a calendar with daily origami projects. I've been having a lot of fun learning how to make various animals and other things simply by folding paper. This week I cheated and looked a little bit ahead. On Valentine's Day, the daily origami is a pair of hearts. The holiday is really really fun as a kid exchanging cards with your friends and family, but as a single adult Valentine's Day is a day that can serve to remind you about how lonely you really are. Especially if most of your closest friends are married or dating, it can be hard to see past the fact that almost everyone around you has someone to be with that evening and all you're looking forward to is another night alone at home.

Lord, I ask that you would bless all of your kids who are feeling lonely this week. Pour over them with Your amazing love and give them hope that You have great gifts waiting for them!

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Oh, the irony!

This is the message I received in my evening treat. It's kind of ironic
considering the fact that the high temperatures this weekend are only
supposed to be in the single digits, not including the wind chill factor!!

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Cute Kitty

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Who would you choose?

I was watching "Deal or No Deal" tonight and the contestant was a huge fan of a certain music group. As part of the show, they often connect people with celebrities that they really really like. This lady actually planned to spend some of her winnings on a private concert with this group. Suddenly they were on stage with her giving her big hugs and high fives.

It made me think about who I would want to meet if I could meet anyone in the world. I've actually had the opportunity to chat face to face with some of my favorite musicians. It's pretty cool to talk with them about their experiences and it makes you realize that they're just normal people even if you have 5 of their CDs in your collection. It takes away some of the awe factor. It might be cool to meet B.B. King or Keanu Reeves, but they are just people, no matter how talented or gorgeous they may be and they have their own lives that don't include me and probably never will.

In light of that, the only person I could come up with that I truly want to meet in the flesh is Jesus. I really want to give Him a big hug, take a walk in the park, watch a DVD in my living room, wander around Wal-Mart, laugh over lattes at Starbucks... I know He's always with me, but I want to be able to be with Him like I am with my friends. I want to see Him and touch Him and audibly hear His voice.

Lord, I pray that You would reveal Yourself to me in new, tangible ways. May all of my senses be opened and aware of You day and night. Please lead me on paths that will bring me closer to You.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Beautiful Reminder!?

"He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart." --Psalm 91:4 (NIV)

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Could snowflakes represent feathers? Could a snowstorm be considered a beautiful reminder of God's faithfulness and covering?

Snow

"Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow."

-- Psalm 51:6,7 (NIV)

Amen!!!

Monday, January 22, 2007

Finally Frozen!!

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Santa Snippets

I stumbled across this movie on the $1 DVD rack. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians is a 1964 science fiction film that regularly appears on the lists of the worst films ever made, but if you go into it knowing that, it can be a fun movie to watch. The theme song, "Hooray for Santy Claus," is truly an unbelievable recording. The dollar I paid for the DVD was almost worth it just to hear the song. If you're interested in movie trivia, an eight year old Pia Zadora plays one of the Martian children.

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THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE:
1) You believe in Santa Claus.
2) You don't believe in Santa Claus.
3) You are Santa Claus.
4) You look like Santa Claus.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Doodles

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus,

the author and perfecter of our faith..."
--Hebrews 12:2a (NIV)

Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us,
and we are his; we are his people,
the sheep of his pasture.
-- Psalm 100:3 (NIV)