UPDATED: Team Zeta 5K Saturday, May 18th - WJBF-TV ABC 6 Augusta-Aiken News, Weather, Sports

UPDATED: Team Zeta 5K Saturday, May 18th - WJBF-TV ABC 6 Augusta-Aiken News, Weather, Sports

Walk Slowly Through the Crowd Because Everyone Has a Hurt

Happy New Year 2013

I didn't get a New Year's post in...but the new year started and here it is already the 13th of January.
We did our annual Polar Bear 5k in Bluffton. 

After the 5k

 This was the first time that I started running it and finished running it without stopping.  This was a major accomplishment.  This running thing, or "just a little faster than walking thing" has been a personal challenge.  It is hard and as I'm doing it, I sometimes wonder:  "why I'm I putting myself through this" and I really am awful at it!  But, it really is like life.  I have to be stretched and warmed up before starting (need to be organized in real life), I have to know where I'm going (set goals in real life), the first mile is the hardest (anything challenging is hard), but after the first mile... I pound out my worries, pray, talk to God, look at things and take one step of time.  I can't worry about how much longer I have to go.  When I finish, I feel better.  Some days (in life and with running) are easier than others.  
So now it is time for my mind, body spirit tour 2013!

Always trying to find Balance

Back to my title.
I found out about my former priest, Martha being diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer yesterday. 

Please pray for Martha as she starts this journey of surgery, chemo, and radiation.   I wanted to send her words of comfort and that can being intimidating when speaking to someone who wears a collar.  They know the Bible better than anyone.  But, just as I tell my children and students to do their best...I want to do the same.

This song came to mind:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CSVqHcdhXQ

The lyrics are:
"Blessings"

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
And all the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not,
This is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near

What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

I don't know how I found this song a while back, but it seems like when things are in the valley, this songs reminds me of the mountaintop.  I was searching for something else to send and I came across in another blog:  Cool Cat Teacher.  Her pastor, Michael Catt, said:  "Walk slowly through the crowd, because everyone has a hurt".  Oh, so true!  We never know what burdens people are carrying.

My burdens, your burdens... we all carry them.  I pray that yours are lifted and that you are not alone.

Shell Blog A Lot

My Favorite You Tube Videos

I guess this should really be titled:
My Personal Time Capsule

When I need a quick laugh, here are some of my favorite videos:

Parks and Recreation-  Tom is a graduate of the South Carolina Governor's School.

When I need to meet a deadline, I always think of Julius from Everybody Hates Chris

Crazy Target Lady with the Rocky Montage playing = Classic

Who doesn't like Cookie Monster?

Mary Catherine Galleger of Saturday Night Live always puts me in the holiday spirit

I always feel like I am herding cats.  This is an old Super Bowl commercial.

You probably don't find these as amusing as I do-- but, they are always good for a quick laugh.

Advent | The Angel Gabriel’s Annunciation to the Virgin Mary of the Incarnation | Luke 1:26-38

Advent | The Angel Gabriel’s Annunciation to the Virgin Mary of the Incarnation | Luke 1:26-38

This is my devotion today.  Speed up. Slow down.  Even my blog description says that I'm going a million places at one time.  Advent is the time to s-l-o-w it down.  The last couple of years, I have really chilled out on the December craziness.  Two years ago, I didn't do the majority of the shopping until the weekend before Christmas.  What I discovered was, it gets done one way or another.  I feel like if I get the Christmas cards out before Epiphany, then it is ok. I always have to remind myself that Christmas is a season not a day.  Mary and Joseph didn't have shopping frenzy craziness on their radar back in Bethlehem.  The only gifts I want and need are asleep in their bedrooms right now~ M, R, and R.  Popular culture makes me want to think that I NEED a lot, but I really don't- I just want it.
Lord, please guide me to remember what the Advent/Christmas season is all about.  There are a lot of broken hearts this December.  Please comfort them. Amen.

Products I Love

Just in one of those moods where I feel the need to tell the world about products that have brought joy to me.  

Command Strips


A co-worker used one for a clipboard.  I inquired about how sturdy it looked.  I tried one and I've been "hooked" every since.  I have put one up for my robe in the bathroom.  I put one up for my hairdryer.  I have clipboard hooks galore at work.  I have one for chart paper at work.  I have one for my jackets and sweaters at work.  I have one in the utility closet for all those bags I don't know where to put them.  And, you can take them down without leaving a residue.


Liquid Bandage


I love this for two reasons.  One:  I recently purchased new knives.  I've cut myself twice on miscellaneous fingers.  Bandaids, even the waterproof ones, get soggy after washing my hands.  I wash my hands a lot.  I tried liquid bandage and fell in love.  Two:  if protects blisters.  I can apply a layer on a blister and prevent it from doing further damage.

Avon lotion eye makeup remover

I had have always had under eye circles.  I had pretty much given up on an eye makeup remover that remove all of it.  I would always wake up with more makeup to enhance my under eye circles.  I'd tried cheap stuff, expensive stuff, different mascaras to no avail.  Someone at my Columbia College girls weekend mentioned how much they loved the Avon kind.  What was there to lose?  I ordered a bottle from my rep and the stuff works!  I'm not crazy about a lotion because sometimes it will seep into my eyes.  But, I no longer wake up with eye makeup still on my face!

Paul Mitchell Hot Off the Press 

I grew up in the curling iron era.  Flat irons are all the rage.  I bought two flat irons and really could not figure out how to use them.  I even took the flat iron to my hairdresser wanting a tutorial on how to use it.  Nothing seemed to work and the flat iron lived in my drawer.  I stumbled upon 
http://www.thesmallthingsblog.com
It is a blog written by a Christian hairdresser in North Carolina.  She has tutorials on styling hair on her blog and You Tube.  The spray is part of the process for me to use the flat iron.

perfume rollerballs

The name just cracks me up:  rollerballs. Huh? It doesn't sound glamorous.  A little bit of perfume goes a long way.  Plus I didn't want to buy a bottle of perfume and end up not liking it. Rollerballs are a perfect solution.  For a fraction of the price, I can buy a rollerball and enjoy the scent.  Plus, Ulta is always sending coupons which helps defray the cost.

Sharpie pens


I've always been a fan of Sharpies.  When I discovered the Sharpie pen-- it was love at first write.  

Kleenex for the Car

Kleenex in the car is kind of like Goldilocks.  The regular box is too big.  The tiny packet is too small.  The Kleenex box for the car is just right.  The odd shaped box fits in my console perfectly.

What are your favorite products?

Contagion in our House

I will go ahead and tell you, my mind is going in a million places.  If you have made it this far reading this, then put on your seatbelt and enjoy the meandering post.


First of all, it is difficult to even put into words the horror of Connecticut.  I can't even begin to fathom why this happened.  Friday, 12/14/12 was supposed to be an exciting day.  School was released for Christmas break.  Everyone I encountered was in a holiday mood.  The sun was out after hiding for a couple of days.  Given where I work, it is very easy to be "cut off" from the world during the workday.  My homepage on the Internet at work isn't MSN or Yahoo or even a CNN or USA Today.  It is simply Google.  So, I had no idea that anything had happened.  I attended a last minute lunch date with friends at a local restaurant.  We (the co-workers) are so used to gobbling our food down in 20 minutes (that includes using the restroom, returning phone calls, making copies, etc.) that it was nice to relax and chew my food properly.  One of my friends mentioned the tragedy of Connecticut and I was like:  WHAT?

After lunch, I made a decision-- I was going on a television blackout.  I would read about it, but I wasn't going to watch helicopters roving over the poor school or look at pictures of distraught people.  A few days out, it turns out that a lot of the information given out on Friday was speculation. Why do news organizations feel the need to be the first to say something, even if they are wrong, is beyond me.  It was a tragedy, plain and simple.  As a mom, teacher, human being... it was truly horrifying.

Let me go back in time for a second.  April 1999.  Columbine. 

 I was pregnant with my second child.  My first pregnancy was two weeks beyond the due date and I had a C-section.  With my second pregnancy, I had a scheduled induction set for  for an attempted V-Bac (vaginal birth after cesarean) which VBACs aren't recommended anymore.  Nonetheless, I thought I had it all figured out because I was a planner.  Noticed I said "was".  God really is the planner, not me.  
I was ironing clothes ( part of the nesting syndrome, because I hate to iron) and the regular programming was interrupted by the news of Columbine.  Being a teacher, mom, human being... this really tore me up.  I had terrible nightmares.  The next day was foggy at best, but not much time for rest because I also had a 16 month old (story for another blog post) to chase around.  That night, I didn't sleep well again and got up at 4am and ate  chocolate chip cookies ( not a wise dietary choice).  I wasn't as smart then and watched the Columbine news loop over and over.  At 11am it dawned on me that maybe I should call my doctor because I just wasn't feeling right.  The nurse told me to get down there (there, being a town 50 miles away) as soon as possible.  (delivery is a story for another blog post).  My second son was born that day, two weeks before his due date.  It was a scary delivery and the weeks afterwards were life changing (he spent weeks in the NICU).
I never asked the doctor, but I really believe the stress of watching those horrifying images, coupled with being a teacher/mom really put me into labor.
Lots changed since 1999.  We had a faculty/staff school shooting drill with local agencies a few years ago.  We have school intruder drills.  My door is always locked.  I wonder what will change because of Connecticut?  Sad.  

Instead of watching the news this weekend, we watched Georgia Southern play North Dakota State on ESPN II.  This is a big deal for GSU to be on television.  The Eagles loss a heartbreaker and it was cool to see Gus on national TV. After the game, R2 said he had a headache, but I attributed it to the wrap up of a  long school week. 

The next day, I went to the gym. The boys were asleep but that is normal for a weekend, and teens like to sleep late.
 I made one of those last minute decisions to leave my phone in the car-- thinking to myself, I won't be gone long. When I got back in the car, the phone had multiple texts from R2 and voicemail/text from Mark.  Yikes!  Both boys had fevers of 102. 

 When I got home, both boys were obviously sick.  I knew in my gut what it was... and asked a few questions...  Both were laying down and could barely lift their heads.  I asked:  "do you have chills" yes, "do you feel dizzy", yes, "do you feel achy all over", yes.  YEAH, it is the FLU which is abbreviated for influenza.  Damn.

Flu Symptoms 

The flu is different from the common cold. With flu, one or more of the following symptoms will come on suddenly — about 48 to 72 hours after contact with the virus:

• Fever (usually high)
• Headache
• Extreme tiredness
• Dry cough
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Muscle aches

My mind went into overdrive. 

 It is the weekend.  This can't wait to see their regular nurse practitioner.  I quickly went to the Internet (what did we do before the Internet?  Why is Internet capitalized?) and printed off patient information sheets for Doctors Care.  People can say whatever they want about places like Doctors Care, but when you need it on a weekend... you need it. 

 Mark went to get gas for the family covered wagon

 and I loaded up pillows and blankets.  R2 really wanted to lay down in the back, but I stressed that he had to wear a seatbelt.  Once again, we made the 50 mile trip to Doctor's Care and find out what I already knew.  The receptionist was glad that I had filled out all the paperwork and I seemed to connect with her caustic sense of humor. She said there were multiple flu cases in the area.  I ran into a former co-worker in the lobby (HIPAA laws prevent me from telling you... this person had: yeah, you guessed it..the flu). 

 We didn't have to wait long.  Even after a dose of ibuprofen, R2 was still sporting a fever.  R1's fever  had come down and his personality had returned for which I was grateful.  We looked like a walking billboard for the local high school with our sweatpants, teeshirts, and sweatshirts.  I was even sporting a school watch.  They put R1/R2 in the same exam room. 
 We were met by Dr. Patch Adams who also had a caustic sense of humor, you had to think fast or you would totally miss what he was implying. 

 Fortunately, I am somewhat fluent in sarcasm so I was able to interpret pretty quickly.  With no surprise, the boys received their diagnosis.  Tamiflu for everyone!

There was a drugstore conveniently located in the same parking lot.  I quickly decided to have the Rx filled there because I was worried that I would return to my town and the pharmacy would be closed.  Yes, I could have looked up the hours on the Internet, but I wanted to get the meds in them asap.  I also worried that I would arrive in my small town and the pharmacist would inform me that they were out of Tamiflu and it would arrive on the next truck.  That has happened before-- I guess small towns can't stock like cities.  So, I went to CVS and met "no personality" pharmacy tech.  Now, in her defense (I also have a medical background- blog for another post) I know its flu season and the pharmacy is slammed.  I told her that we were from out of town and the pharmacy tech said to give them an hour.  Ok.  We went to Chic-Fil A and ordered chicken noodle soup.  My review of the soup:  its nuclear hot, and too creamy and the actual sandwich is cheaper.  We rode around a little bit.

  Did I mention that the meteorologist told me on Thursday that it was going to be sunny and she was wrong. Instead,t he day was battleship gray depressing which really enhanced  all of our dispositions.

  We pulled up to the CVS parking lot and people watched for a little bit.  After almost 2 hours, I said that I would go check on the Rx.  I was supposed to get a text when the prescriptions were ready.  But, it is kind of like being at Outback and wondering if the buzzer waiting for your table is working properly.  
I inquired and Ms. No Personality asked the pharmacist about the status and barked it would be at least another hour because they were busy.  Well, the ball was in their court and me pitching a fit wasn't going to make the medicines get ready any faster.  I just gave the:  "I've got sick kids in the car and we've got a 50 mile trip to make, blah, blah, blah"  and they rendered no emotion.  Oooooo Kkkkkkkk.  I texted Mark that I was not  happy and but was going to wait it out inside the store.  Have you ever wandered up and down every aisle at CVS?  I looked at all the "As seen on TV" junk.  I looked at the cards, magazines, make up, Christmas decorations, ice cream, etc. 

 Finally, my text came through... could it be?  or, were they "playing" with me?  I went up the counter and alas, the Rx was ready!  I   recovered from the sticker shock cost of the medicine, hopefully I will rack up on my CVS coupons because of this purchase.

 I administered the medicine and we made the trek back home.  Mark was an excellent driver because I was able  find Kleenex, bottle H20, etc.  for our precious cargo.
Now, we are on quarantine.   Happy holiday, boys!!  Today, we were supposed to go to Sunday school, church, and attend some drop ins tonight.  I say some because 2 of them were at the same time in different towns, so I hadn't figured that one out what we were going to do.  Remember, I said I used to be a planner.
 So, I have been disinfecting our home and washing laundry with a vengeance.  We are stocked with soup and Poweraide, so we may not leave for a couple of days.  
You may even see a white flag flying outside.
So, I enacted movie catch up time.   I dug out what we had-- some of them are ones that I'm saying:  "oh, you haven't seen this, you GOT to watch it-- its a classic".  Of course, I have scratched Contagion and Outbreak. 

 So far, we have watched:  Men in Black III, Elf and got them started on A Few Good Men.  Left in my que includes:  The Green Mile, Shawshank Redemption, Fried Green Tomatoes, and John Q.  We still have pay-per-view and the free trial of Starz channels left on Direct TV.  Today will probably have them watching the Redskins/Cowboys came, too.   Even though, the boys are miserable, at least we don't have the Sunday night blues where we are trying to get ready for the school week.  I guess buying all that fruit loaded with vitamin C from the band did not prevent the flu from arriving at our house.
Hope the flu does not arrive at your house.  I know it has already appeared at so many.  
If you made it this far in reading...thanks and remember to wash your hands:)


Today is also the 3rd Sunday of Advent

Happy Thanksgiving 2012

Shame,shame, shame...
I've let months slide by without a post.
No excuses!
It is hard to believe 2012 is already on the downward slide and it is Thanksgiving.  I'm usually so busy with work and R/R's fall sports that it sneaks up on me.  It did.
I'm used to waking up at 5, so I naturally slept in til 5:30 this morning.  I watched TV, read my Jesus Calling devotion, created a Wordle  (wordle.net) for Thanksgiving, and can't wait for the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.  I need to get in the kitchen to prepare some things, but I will get there in a few.  I've enjoyed watching the Black Friday madness advertisements, but it seems overwhelming to me.  Friends tell me it is about tradition more than anything.  I just plan to take it down a notch and relax.
What am I thankful for?  A gracious plenty!
I didn't participate in the Facebook days of thanks-- once again- it seemed a little overwhelming to me.  So, I will jumble it all together in no particular order:

• Mark- my rock- he puts up with my idiosyncratic ways and supports me.  He's a great dad and husband.
• R/R- they always keep me in check!  They make me laugh
• Sister- if we don't talk 2-3 times a day, then someone is out of the country
• God-  my faith steers me though the sunshine and the rain
• Women's Bible Study- it started up with the beginning of  the school year.  It has been much needed
• Job/Career- Job?Career? Thankful to have it~ I really do enjoy what I do.  The climate has changed, but basic teaching has not.
• Home- blessed.  I love  AC/Heat, dishwasher, washing machine/dryer(which never takes a break- ever), my very own bathroom (secret to a happy marriage),my Cutco knives (not an endorsement- just the truth), my garage on rainy days, my bed and special, soft blanket, and many, many more.
• Church- whew.  I've been a member for 20 years and we recently hit some rocky times.  National and state church issues have found their way to our little church.  Sad times.  I was hoping to put my head in the sand and not have to pick a side.  Unfortunately, the time arrived a few weeks ago where our church had to make a decision to go to side A or side B.  I'm still not sure which is the best, I just know that God is in charge.  It is painful.  It has been disheartening.  I do know this- I'm thankful for my church.
• Car- you can't beat a Honda.  This is my third one.  I've never driven anything but a Honda.  Not that I was loyal to one particular brand, it just fit my lifestyle at the time.  It is a trusty little car.  Great gas mileage.  I fuss that it doesn't have enough leg or head room for the family (tall people).  Or, you should have seen me packing the trunk from Sams in the rain--- not enough room!  The car gets me from point A to point B.  I love the seat warmers.
• Friends- I've been blessed exponentially in this department.  In every stage of my life, I've met people that have touched me in so many ways.

I'm sure I will post this and go, oh dang it... I meant to include such and such. But, it was a good experience to sit still for a few minutes and think about my manifold blessings.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

2012- the only picture of all 4 of us that I could find.  It is official- I'm the shortest now

recommended by my friend- "The Better Christmas App"- great app