So the thing is...

...moving, new beginnings and life itself all just have a bunch of drama. I haven't blogged because of that...because I've been trying to make sense of it all and haven't been able to put it into words.

Back in September our family was faced with some heavy-duty drama that caused things to sorta stop for a bit. One of our family members was harmed, and the entire family was forced into a very difficult situation. We had to learn to forgive when we were deeply wounded. We had to learn what it meant to really forgive someone when it wasn't deserved. Yet, who are we to say who does or doesn't deserve forgiveness? And who are we to withhold forgiveness? I, we, have all been forgiven a great deal, and I believe God allows circumstances like these to force us to deal with ourselves. Where are we? Do we love as He does?

Honestly, I don't think I was personally dealing with the issue very well. At first, it was easy to respond with forgiveness because that's what I've been trained to do. My mind and my heart were automatically there. Then reality set it a bit more and so did time...and my heart began to harden. I began reacting instead of responding, and I wasn't the typical Susy. In a way, I think I was upset with God for allowing weird things to happen at the most inopportune times. However, I also knew deep in my heart that though it didn't seem like it at the time, He could and would bring something truly great out of trash. My growing process seems a bit slow right now, but He's patient. And I know He'll use this for good. He's causing all of us to grow from it. If it's just for me to learn a bit more how to love, then it's worth it. That's what He desires - to refine us.

So that was an attempt to explain three very long months.

On a lighter note, we've received more snow here than I've seen in my life. It started two or three weeks ago with some ice and then a couple of inches of snow. Nathan amused me and helped me with my first real snowman. Then last week, or earlier this week (my schedule is so messed up these days) we had a day of "blizzard-like conditions" for an entire afternoon which produced 8-10 inches of snow (they're still uncertain) and snow drifts up to 3 feet. I was working during the crazy snow storm and watched people attempt driving. At different times you couldn't see across the street and visibility was less than 1/8 of a mile. Why were people driving in it? I have no clue, but it was also incredibly cold, so cold that people's wipers were freezing. It didn't help that they could hardly see to begin with...I'd never seen anything like it. Thank goodness for my amazing husband who came to the rescue and picked me up from work. I've been driving the little piece of Kia, and it just wouldn't have been able to get through because the snow was so deep. Because Nathan loves adventure and actually enjoys driving in this mess, we went to dinner and a movie instead of straight home (where the sane people were). I was just mesmerized by how much snow there was EVERYWHERE. I've seen snow here and there, but never sooo much snow all over the place. Oh...well except when we went to Montana on our honeymoon. Anyway, I'll try to post pictures soon.

Yesterday we had some snow that didn't stick, but it was all okay because we still have plenty of it from the crazy blizzard-like day. Then last night we got another 5 inches. Okay, so I've been all gung-ho about snow because I come from Lake Jackson, Texas, the place that gets snow once every 15 years...and never like this. The part I really don't like about this is having to drive in it. Ugh. My amazing husband came to the rescue once again and followed me to work this morning. He really wants me to get adjusted to it and get comfortable enough to drive in it. Well, it's not so bad. It's just bad when there's people around. Other cars really stress me out, and I just pray, "Oh, Jesus, oh Jesus, oh Jesus..." He hears that.

Pics soon to come.

Peace on Earth

So as I was reading my Biblia the other day, I came upon a verse that caught my attention like never before. Psalm 34:14 says, “Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”

I've read this Psalm at least several dozen times, but never before has the second part of it hit me the way it did recently - seek peace and pursue it.

I then did a little more research and found a few other verses that speak of seeking after or pursuing peace:

Romans 14:19 – Therefore, let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.
Romans 12:18 – If it is possible, as much as depends on you(emphasis mine), live peaceably with all men.
Hebrews 12:14 – Pursue peace with all people and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.
2 Tim. 2:22 – Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart

Because God has called us to pursue peace, I’m not only to desire peace with my fellow brother, but I am to seek it, pursue it, and do whatever is in my power to live at peace with all men.

Pursuing peace with all people – not sitting idly on a situation, but chasing reconciliation with all men (especially those with whom I have offense).

In the past if I had any ‘issues’ with people, a lot of the times I would just try to ignore the problem, hoping it would just go away. It never really worked, though. Even if it was years later, God always had a way of unfolding the situation and reminding me of Matthew 5:23-24 – “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”

Simple right? For most people this may not be a challenge, but to Susy it used to be pretty difficult. Why? Well, simply put I can be very selfish and proud – the stems of most evil.

When I’ve been hurt in the past, it has often taken me a while to get over it. My pride allowed bitterness to creep in and steal the peace between myself and the other party. In some cases the other person wasn’t even aware that they had offended me. Then if I encountered that person, oh, I would just have this way of making things seem totally uncomfortable. Ever been on the receiving end of that? Or worse, have you been a Susy? It’s a terrible way to manipulate people and situations, and I’m certainly not proud that I have ever done this. I’m not saying that the hurts were imagined or that the offenses weren’t valid. Feelings, though fickle, are valid because they are ours. My feelings were valid, but I failed to confront situations the right way.

The better way -

do whatever is in your power to pursue peace by communicating the offense, choosing to forgive whether or not an apology is given, and giving way not to bitterness and resentment (which only hold us captive) but to love and peace.

I love them with my life and miss them with all my heart...

For Clarification

Blogging - I was asked recently why I blog. I don't know that there's just one simple answer. If you go out to the blogosphere, there are blogs out there for any and everything. What makes me think I have something worth saying?

1) This is my way of keeping friends and family tuned into my life without having to send individual emails. Lazy? Maybe. With so many people in so many places, I'm just not that great at responding to the same questions over and over in emails. My typing fingers get tired.

2) I get to vent here and talk about whatever I want without edits. What I mean is that I don't have anyone making the rules for me. I make the rules on my blog. These are my views and my opinions. I tell it how I'm feeling it at the moment. Especially when it comes to health, I try not to tell you how or what I think you should do. I type as I learn, so if I sound like I'm stuffing things down your throat, it's only because you caught me on a passionately-about-health (or something) day.

BURN THEM ALL!

I am outraged! I waited a week to post this to see if I could calm down, but I'm as outraged as ever. Last week I spent quite a bit of time at a bookstore. I was looking through 'health' books and couldn't believe what I was reading. These days, anyone can publish a book about health. Yes, you can promote and recommend the most ridiculous ideas about health and have the book published. You know how? Get the big corporations behind you, and you can do whatever you want.

Liars! They're all liars! They tell half-truths and end up deceiving people about why we are actually sick. One book I picked up said this, "...studies have found that saturated fats cause heart disease...etc..." Guys, that's a half-truth. I continued to read to see if he ever finished that statement with the rest of the story. The author never did. The fact is, and I say that clearly - the FACT is that not ALL saturated fats are bad. We need some saturated fats, and one of the reasons we are so sick today is because we lack those fats. Ugh!

Another author was trying to convince the reading audience about how animal products are making kids go into puberty at younger ages, and blah, blah, blah. That's all that was - blah, blah, blah. Why? It's a lie because it's a half-truth. The FACT is that the types of animal products we feed our children aren't just laced with hormones and antibiotics; they are DOUSED with them. Animal products are GOOD for us when they're fed correctly, raised correctly, and aren't injected with poisons. What?! Good for us? This, of course, goes against the 'oh-so-great' vegetarian diets that we think are 'oh-so-great' for us. I won't get into why I will never EVER be a vegetarian, and I hope that we can still be friends if you're reading this and ARE a vegetarian. These days, I understand why people think it's better to go all vegan. Our animal products are practically poisonous, so I would do the vegetarian thing if there was no way for me to get quality animal products. BUT there is a way, thank GOD.

Then I read a book recommending that we should put our kids on a low-fat diet and give them soy products. Are you for real? You may be thinking that we should ALL be on a low-fat diet, given what you may or may not know. The truth is that we NEED fat...the right kind of fat that is. And soy - oh I won't get started. I'll try to post soon what I've learned about the ever-popular soy.

I get so ticked off when losers give people half-truths in books because THAT'S what keeps feeding the big corporations. They (as well as the FDA, the politicians, and all those other people) make so much money from us ingesting their 'health' foods and adapting their 'health' recommendations - it makes me SICK!

Do you know what their 'studies' are like? Well, I can't get into it much right now, but just know that most of their 'studies' are inaccurate, and therefore, their findings are inaccurate. How are they allowed to publish their lies? Because it's all about money. If you have the right kind of people behind you, you can do whatever you want. And all that they want is to make a profit.

So instead of letting the fire-starter in me lose in the bookstore, I took several deep breaths and walked out before I did anything crazy. But I say we burn them all - burn all the crazy books with the crazy information that is only making more and more profit for the people who don't actually want you to be healthy.

Oh, and before placing your children on a low-fat or fat-free diet, PLEASE call me. In trying to help them, that is only going to kill them. What IS good to do: quit feeding them all those donuts, chicken nuggets, and processed foods. That's a good start.

Susy's Blog Rules, Numero Dos

2. I cannot post your comment if it contains vulgar language. I love your thoughts - especially yours, Mr. Scoundrel - but I want to maintain a family-friendly environment. Please keep the comments rated G.

Susy's Blog Rules, Numero 1

1. If leaving a comment, you MUST at least leave your name. Anonymity is a form of cowardice.

EDIT: I DO actually understand some forms of and reasons for anonymity. I may know who you are if you leave some initials, a nickname, or the like. I would like for you to leave your name, though, if I'll have no idea who you are. Thanks! View Blog

I'm Still in the Game to See Dorothy...

...but in the meantime, check out the footprints sasquatch left for us.




I took these a couple of nights ago after we had some rain. Okay and does it seem like we're all getting bombarded by it - the rain I mean? I won't complain, though. Thank GOD for it! This rain has kept the weather unusually cool for this time of the year. I hear that by now everything green is usually dying and that the temps are typically in the high 90s. Yes, we do reach high 90s and even the hundreds here. This great rain has kept us in the mid 80s for the most part, and I don't mind that at all. In fact, I've been praying for this kind of weather for my hubby. In his current line of work, they'll take rain with 80s temps any day over what should be. Anyway, the pictures - if you look closely, it's actually a double rainbow.

I Found OZ...

...actually, I only found Mr. Tin-man and Mr. Scarecrow. I think Dorothy, Toto, and the Lion were nearby hiding. See, they're not to be found by outsiders. Only Kansans have the high privilege of knowing where they live. I'm new into the database, so they're testing me. They're waiting to see if I give away their location. If I don't, I pass the test, and Dorothy, herself, along with Toto, will unveil themselves. If, however, I give anyone even an inkling as to their whereabouts, I fail the opportunity to be one of them - a Kansan. At this point, I'm still back and forth on the issue.

Spaghetti Squash

So we know that whole wheat grains are NOT the best choice. Unless they have been properly fermented, sprouted or treated, they have enzyme inhibitors which prevent us from breaking down the food and absorbing it. That causes us to get all kinds of intestinal diseases. Most whole grain products also have hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. Those cause artery damage, which puts us at a very high risk for arteriosclerosis.

Well, I'm a big bread and pasta fan...as well as cheese (thus my love for pizza), but I don't want to continue to harm my lil' arteries. As far as breads and grains go, eat sprouted or be a super-hero like my friend, Chrystal, and mill your own wheat berries to make your own bread. (This, by the way, doesn't mean that all home-made bread is good for you. No, it requires a bit more than that.)

For pasta, well...there's sprouted pasta, but I had a really terrible time attempting to enjoy it. My preferred YUMMY alternative is SPAGHETTI SQUASH.

This is a tasty pasta alternative that allows tons of creativity. Let me know if when you try it out!

I'm Co-Co Nuts

All oils are not created equal. You probably know that by now because the word is finally getting out there. Trans fats are the enemy. They're formed when oils are hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated - heated at such high temps that the molecular structure is changed. The oils is more stable, but it's detrimental to the human body. They lower the good cholesterol and damage our arteries, leading to clogged arteries. Did you know that vegetable oils are somehow emulsified with water and given to organ-transplant patients to suppress their immune system? That's right - they suppress the immune system and skew the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. These oils contribute to thyroid problems. So, a great thing to do is completely eliminate (or at least reduce) the intake of ALL vegetable oils (corn, safflower, sunflower, canola, sesame, MARGARINE, vegetable shortening, etc.).

Olive oil is a great alternative to these oils; HOWEVER, its drawback is that it is susceptible to damage when it is cooked. Some of the nutrition is less effective when heated. So I use olive oil on salads or...things.

When it comes to cooking, I've been using coconut oil for a little over a year now. Coconut oil is the ONLY oil that is not damaged by cooking at higher temperatures (it remains stable at high temps). Coconut oil is GOOD-FOR-YOU saturated fat. It helps prevent and sometimes even help cure some illnesses and diseases. Though it's a saturated fat, it actually helps weight loss because it raises the metabolic rate, causing us to burn more calories. From what I understand, fats are stored in the body's cells. Coconut oil fatty acids, however, are sent immediately to the liver where it is turned into energy.

Imagine an oil that is GOOD for you! Yep, coconut oil can help regulate blood sugar and can act as an anti-inflammatory. I've heard of people even applying it directly on their skin to help protect against free radicals.

I'm not a big fan of coconuts. In fact, I don't really care for them much at all. I wish I did because they are soooooo good for you. So when it came to cooking I was quite hesitant to use it. At first I could definitely taste it in my eggs or some of the veggies I lightly sauteed. Because I don't like coconut, it took getting used to tasting it in random food. I have now become accustomed to its taste and don't really mind it at all.

The important thing is to get a good quality brand of virgin coconut oil. I have researched and tried a couple of brands, so email me if you're interested.

Oh, if you're looking for it in the store, don't bet on wally-world. I have yet to find it there or Target. Health food stores carry it, but it's usually not in the oil section. I typically find it in the supplement isle of the health food stores. It's a white solid at room temperature that liquefies when heated.

complex carbs

So complex carbs - we need them, but how do we get them if we shouldn't eat the evil whole wheat bread? VEGETABLES guys. Recently I was having a conversation with a few people and one of them asked me how I get my complex carbs if I don't eat bread. I explained that I do eat sprouted bread, but my main source of complex carbs are vegetables. I was shocked because THEY were shocked that vegetables are complex carbs. A work-out guru had mis-informed these innocent people by telling them that the only way to get complex carbs was from whole wheat products. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

I was so stinkin' upset that I wanted to just shake these people and ask them why they believe such nonsense. I didn't, though. Instead, I allowed myself to realize that it's just pure ignorance. Ignorance doesn't mean stupidity; it means uninformed. It means that some loser took advantage of people's lack of knowledge and poisoned them with his lack of knowledge. When it comes to health, bad information plus lack of knowledge can equal heart attacks.

Here's a very short article on grains and the like that is very easy to read and will shed a little more light on the whole grain issue. It's from a completely reliable source, Dr. Mercola. Sure, he's extreme on a lot of things, but that is only because he understands the implications of our modern-day diets.

here fishy-fishy

So I finally had my first positive experience fishing not that long ago. Nathan was going to take a picture of me from his boat, but I got paranoid and could only envision my lovely camera becoming the property of the fish. So I held on to it on the shore of the pond while Nathan and Dad fished from the boat. I didn't really want to show them up by catching all the fish.

stinkin' inet issues

so whenever it rains in the country, the inet goes down. since it was raining for about 4 days straight here, the inet went out of whack for a while. that's such a frustrating thing for me because i was really gaining momentum in my blogging. one more time...

whole wheat = evil wheat

WHEAT IS BAD. that's right - it's bad. you hear people talk about whole grains and whole wheat and blah, blah, blah. that's all it is - BLAH! so the whole wheat bread, pasta, cereaks, waffles, crackers, etc that we eat are BAD. you are not getting nutrition from these...well, maybe a tiny little bit, BUT your body probably isn't able to absorb it anyway. i'm going to do my best to explain how it works, AND i'll also tell you what IS good for you. there ARE breads and pastas that are actually good for you. and by the way...there are VEGETABLES that ARE COMPLEX CARBS. guys, VEGETABLES ARE LIFE! they're the best source of carbs and COMPLEX CARBS at that. (more on complex carbs later.)

again, i'll do my best to put this in simple english, but i may not be able to do it in a short blog. so i'm going to list the basics first, and then to go deeper, just continue reading.

before wheat is even planted, they receive fungicides and insecticides - CHEMICALS to kill pests. the fda as approved these as 'safe,' but they are NOT. you wouldn't want to take a spoonful of the stuff and eat it, but that's what they do to the wheat seeds. did you know that some of these chemicals are hormones? yes, ESTROGEN-like chemicals that cause our hormones to go CRAZY! these are the chemicals that are making our little boys and girls go into puberty at really young ages. these are also chemicals that contribute to hormone-related cancers.

next - wheat is usually stored for a long period of time, which makes it vulnerable to insects and the like. so not only are the wheat 'storage bins' sprayed with chemicals all over, but most of the time, the wheat itself is put IN the chemicals!

the wheat is then heated at very high temperatures by artificial drying methodsjavascript:void(0)
Publish Post. this causes damage to the protein, RUINING ITS NUTRITIONAL VALUE

here comes the crazier damage, but it takes a bit of explanation, i hope you're in for the long haul. a grain kernel consists of 3 main parts, and the nutrient density is only in existence when these 3 parts are intact. the way that flour is processed and produced in our century basically doesn't keep these together.

in fact the way that flour was made before we went and got in a hurry was completely different. i won't go into it, but because of the nutrients in it (vitamins, minerals, fiber), the flour spoiled quickly (like milk). so just like milk processing, we've done the same with wheat processing - we've sped up the processes (to make more money), have added preservatives (to make even more money), and in turn all of this makes us sick (making them even more money).

so the processing now means that we get some of the grain, and the other parts of it go to feed animals. that means that because it's not intact, we don't get nutrition from it and neither do the animals that eat it.

our ancestors, without knowing why, had a step in making flour that we skip today. this step is crucial because it is the way to benefit from eating a grain or anything made from a grain. before our 'genius' mass manufacturing processes came to be, people soaked their grains overnight (like we would do if making beans from scratch today) and allowed them to dry in open air until they germinated (or partially germinated). that is sprouting. this process is important because it removes PHYTATES from the grains. it's CRUCIAL to remove PHYTATES because they are enzyme inhibitors.

a quick lesson on enzymes - enzymes help break food down so that we can absorb it. if i eat a piece of 'healthy-for-you' whole wheat bread that has phytates (phytic acid), it blocks the enzymes. that means that my body cannot absorb whatever i am eating. so these enzymes that we need to break everything down so that we can absorb nutrients are being blocked by phytic acid, which is in ALL CEREALS, BREADS, PASTAS AND any other type of grain that hasn't been sprouted.

that's one of the reasons that eating 'good' things such as BRAN, WHOLE WHEAT BREAD, and unsprouted grains is a primary cause of intestinal diseases.

a little more on enzymes - cooking, processing, pasteurization and prolonged heat kill them.

wanna have diseases, especially intestinal ones? drink pasteurized milk, cook all of your food, and eat processed foods. oh wait! that's the american diet. moving on...

sprouting not only permits the enzymes to do their job (so that we don't die with lbs upon lbs of waste like john wayne), but it also [naturally] produces and increases the content of different vitamins.

sprouting also inactivates different carcinogens present in grains.

did you know that vitamin E (of which most of us are deficient) used to be present in the real whole wheat bread? that is now depleted because of the high heat of the processing mills.

if all of that still doesn't convince you that processed 'whole wheat' isn't what it's cracked up to be, maybe this will help - most whole wheat bread out there has hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil, one of the main causes of arteriosclerosis.

so WHAT TO DO????? well, you can be a super-hero like my friend, chrystal, and buy your own mill and wheat berries (organic ones) to make your own REAL homemade bread. THAT'S healthy stuff...and it's YUMMY!

...or if you're not yet a super-hero, you can do like susy: go to the frozen food section of the local health food store and pick up SPROUTED BREAD. i have found a couple of different brands, but i don't know that i have a favorite yet. i'll admit that at first, i wasn't crazy about it. however, i don't just tolerate it anymore; i actually do enjoy it now.

from a proud health nut - an ode to you

I guess I'll start by using more correct grammar and spelling in my blogs, which means I'll try to caps the words that should be...it just became one of my 'signature' moves - when emailing personally to friends and family or blogging, I just stayed away from grammar and all of that because I felt trapped. All parts of my life at one point or the other have required me to have 'perfect' English, and to be honest, I just wanted a break. So to be a bit more PC, I'm trying this out for a lil' bit. I don't know how long it will last.

The real purpose of today's blog is to give kudos to all the people I know who are doing even just 1 thing to improve their health. This health stuff can go way deep. Your choices and my choices are probably very different when it comes to what we eat, but that's okay. I'm so glad to know that we are beginning to be concerned with the foods we eat. Again, our choices may be very different still, but you are doing SOMETHING, and I'M SO PROUD OF YOU! Something is better than nothing, so give yourself a pat on the back. Continue to learn, but try to not get overwhelmed by all that is out there. I've been learning this stuff hard-core for the past couple of years, and I'm barely hitting the surface so hang in there.

crazyness

what a day! i mean that. sometime just before noon or around that time today, i received a call from my MIL. she was with the FIL on the way to see the oldest BIL and SIL who live in wichita (about a 15 minute drive). apparently some losers decided to break into their house. my sister in law was alone with the 6-month old baby. the losers held her up at gun-point and locked them in a closet while they ransacked the house. they stole a few valuables and then her sports car. thank GOD a neighbor from across the street called the police when she noticed something suspicious (the losers going into the house). the losers were only a few blocks away when the police caught up with them. they ran into a pole (totaling the car), the police ran into the car as well, but the losers still managed to get away on foot.

UGHHHHHHH! it's so frustrating - no, not the fact that the cops didn't catch up with them (cops get trashed enough. give 'em a break); but i'm ticked off at losers. i'm once again faced with and saddened by the fact that we live in a society in which cowardly, lawless losers can break into someone's home and may get away with it. the thing is that it's not going to get any better. that's right. we think that just because of advancement in technology or whatever else we think we've advanced, that life will somehow get better. i'm not a 'this-world-is-coming-to-and-end-we're-all-doomed-to-die' person, but that is in fact going to happen one day. things, life, people's morals, values, and behaviors are just going to get progressively worse. peace on earth is not going to happen until it gets really bad. that's just how it is. it's sad, but it's true.

so what do we do in the meantime? we pray just to make it today. i know, i know, lame-o. really, though...we must do what we have been called to do. we must live unto Him who gave us life. we must not forget that those who are His are in His care and in His hand. we must tell those who don't know Him about His great compassion, mercy, forgiveness, and love. and we must be this love...in spite of and because of 'losers.'

I Can't Believe it's Not Butter - I Can't Believe We Haven't BANNED it!

the number 1 killer today is heart disease. it's not drunk driving or even cancer. it's heart disease, and probably 99.9% of us help this killer every single day by the food we ingest.

people are always talking about cholesterol, right? the drug companies love it! yep, they get super filthy rich by telling us we need to lower our cholesterol. cholesterol is NOT the cause of heart disease. a high cholesterol count is not the problem. the problem is when the cholesterol attaches itself to the arteries. that's when blood flow is restricted. cholesterol only attaches itself to damaged arteries. if an artery isn't damaged, cholesterol can flow right through our blood without problems, and we don't get arteriosclerosis.

arteries are damaged primarily by 3 things:
1. chlorinated water - the stuff we drink, shower and swim in
2. hydrogenated oils or trans fats - this stuff is probably in 90% of the processed foods at the store...also called partially hydrogenated oil -it's all the same
3. homogenized dairy products - the fat in milk, cheese, yogurt, etc. is not the problem; it's the homogenization process (i'll post on this process another day)

almost all of us partake of this stuff every day. even if you eat a salad for lunch, the dressing most likely has partially hydrogenated oil in it. the 'good-for-you-whole-wheat bread' most likely has hydrogenated oil in it too. so does the infamous 'i can't believe it's not butter' product.

the milk you had with your cereal - pasteurized and homogenized. the water we brush our teeth with, make tea with, wash vegetables with - all chlorinated.

is there a way to avoid this? that's up to you. i'm pretty much finished with most of that stuff myself because i've read so much on it that it makes me sick thinking of the fda, the pharmaceutical industry, and even the politicians making money off of our diseases. it's all a scam...but anyway...because i've done so much research, i am convicted about what i allow in my body.

practically speaking, what can the average susy do? there IS a way to completely cut out hydrogenated oils. read the labels and don't buy the stuff. same with the dairy - i hardly ingest the stuff anymore. it's a change in lifestyle, but there are alternatives.

about the water - well, that just takes more work. to be honest, i can get so caught up in this all-organic-tree-hugger life that i forget to enjoy the life God gave me. so i take it one step at a time. if i can get a shower filter, yay. if i can swim in a lake or river rather than a chlorinated swimming pool, yay. if not, i don't let it ruin my day.

cute-ness

today our nephew is 6 months old, and i just want you to know how cute he is...

with mommy and daddy


with uncle nathan


playing superman with grandma

the locks are gone

a busy week last week was. i headed down to dallas on wednesday for a concert that i'd planned with some friends a few months back. the event was on friday, but i spend wednesday and thursday catching up with old pals. i didn't get to see everyone that i had wanted to see, but i realize that it's just impossible to try to do that in a couple of days. next time.

i also did something that i have wanted to do for a while - i cut my hair off to donate it to locks of love. now, i'm not telling you this so that you can say things like, "oh you're so great, blah blah..." i was a bit shocked when i started getting that reaction from people. the reason i'm doing this is not to get brownie points but to try and do my part to help lil' kiddos whose disease-stricken body has cause them to lose their hair - locks of love. locks of love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. i didn't want to tell too many people why i was cutting my hair, but i really think it's important to make you and others aware of this organization. i figure that God gives us gifts, abilities, $$, and even hair for a reason. He gave me this big head of really thick hair that happens to grow pretty quickly, so why not give it away?

so amra, my new hairstylist, cut about 12 inches:


then she cut, cut, cut, cut some more, and thinned out like crazy. my head is so much lighter. i took this immediately after the cut (thus being in the car) so i could show you:


a before picture will be here soon.

Please Pray for Anya

Friends, it's with a sober and burdened heart that I write this today. I just learned over the weekend that my friend's little 3.5 yr. old daughter, Anya, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Please take a moment to pray for this precious little girl. It's so hard to understand why certain things happen to certain people, BUT I'm glad that Anya's parents' hope is in God first and foremost. In spite of the questions they may have, they know for certain that our Father God loves Anya more than even they do, and they know that she is in His hands. I know the family would appreciate your prayers.

horsey manure

horse manure - that's what i played with earlier today. you know, it's an excellent source of...organic fertilizer.

this morning my MIL informed me that she was going to plant some vegetables. in the past she has typically grown a garden but just didn't make room for one this year. well, susy came along and kinda interrupted those plans. she doesn't want me to spend the money on the organic food at the store, so we're going to grow our own. well, i've wanted to do that for a long time; i just never knew quite where to begin. unfortunately, i didn't inherit my mother's green thumb, and i wasn't sure quite where to plant stuff out here. leave it to the the green queen (aka, the MIL) to find a place. her flower gardens are all on 'virgin' soil, so she said it'd be a great place for the vegetables. so we planted some zucchini, squash, and different kinds of peppers in the same area as the flowers. next year, we can designate a spot for just vegetables and do even more. for now, this will do. spring is planting season, but i think these will do just fine even though it's already summer.

so to the manure - well, because i'm 'freak-o' about fertilizers and all the crazy chemicals in the foods we eat, i'm going back to all organic. believe me - if you knew what i know, you would do it too. but anyway, the MIL said where she'd used horse manure (no, not straight from the horse), the plants, flowers, trees, etc. did much better. well, wouldn't you know it?! Father God intended for mother nature to take care of itself...and she does. there were areas that she still wanted to fill with the manure, so off we go to fill the gator with the manure.

yes, there i was on a mountain of horse manure, shoveling it into the gator. who ever would have thought that i could enjoy myself so much with a shovel and some horse dung?! you should try it sometime.

here we are on the gator


this is one of the zucchini plants

thousand-leggers

if you know me well, you know that i don't like bugs. i guess most people don't. okay, so not liking bugs is an understatement; i detest bugs. i used to have these recurring nightmares of giant mechanical roaches and spiders coming after me. no joke! thank GOD i haven't had one of those in a while, but of course, that...dislike just doesn't go all that well in the country, where i'm constantly discovering species of creatures i've never seen.

one of those creatures is the thousand-legger, aka the millipede. maybe i saw one when i was younger. i mean, living in mexico and traveling to small villages i'm sure had its bug-seeing moments. never, as long as i can remember, have i laid eyes on such a yucky, yet almost pretty creature. during our excursion to alma, i came upon such a creature - the thousand-legger. i have this instinct that i haven't been able to control - a screaming instinct when i come across a yucky bug that's out to get me. well, that's what i did when i saw the thousand-legger in the sink as i was about to wash my hands. the MIL, now knowing the meaning of my cries for help, came to my rescue, but to no avail. she quickly escorted me out of the bathroom while yelling, "mom!!!" immediately grandma elsie ran in to see what the fuss was about. without hesitation, she just ran water on it, and down the sink mr. thousand-legger went.

unfortunately, i was a bit too startled to go for the camera so that you could understand my consternation with mr. thousand-legger, but here are some pictures that might help. oh, but just so you know, the actual mr. thousand-legger was about 3.5 inches long, and with his leg span he was about 1.5 inches wide.

these are almost his very colors, but he had more legs


his legs numbered about this many...but they were much longer


and this...well, it just goes to show why i don't prefer them


p.s. i didn't use that bathroom sink the remainder of the time we were in alma :)

green acres?

i've heard about green acres - the show that is, but i've yet to watch an episode. i do know a bit of the music for some reason, though...anyway, if you want to see some real green acres, you've got to see this

this is the view from the front porch when i wake up in the morning



these are the real green acres.


now i understand now why people write westerns. so much can take place in just one day out in the country. the adventures never stop, and there's just so much to see and experience. i don't know that i'd actually ever read a western, but i can completely understand the purpose...of some.

alma, ks

so alma, kansas - that's where we went for a couple of days last week - grandma elsie, the mil, aunt karen, and i made some great memories there. after meeting up with karen, we went to the only restaurant in that town of under 800 people. it didn't seem like even that many people lived there. i think they have a stop sign, but that's about it. the four of us drove to 3 different cemeteries to find relatives' gravesites.



along the way, we stopped at a couple of the school houses where grandma elsie used to teach



some scenery


we went to the creek (but it's pronounced 'crick' in kansas) where grandma elsie skipped rocks.



we spent the remainder of the weekend mostly going through great-grandma thowe's (pronounced toe-bee)...stuff - letters, hand-sewn clothes...and stuff. we even played dress-up.



there's so much more to be said of the weekend, but it's hard to put into words. i'm so thankful that i've had the opportunity to be a part of that if just for a little while. i can't imagine what life would've been like without the commodities of electricity, running water, air conditioning and the like. people lived simple yet enjoyable lives without all the stress and chaos we have today. i'm beginning to experience and love that.

so this was a couple of weeks ago when nathan & i went cherry-pickin' and turkey-chasin'




then with the horsies

country bumpkin

i wrote this on wednesday:

This has been another great week so far. Yesterday I went into town (I actually have to use that term now – going into town) to take care of some errands. After the errands,
I stopped at a little bookstore where they actually buy and sell used books. I could’ve spent hours there just looking through some of them, but I was good and left with only one book. It was a $2 book at that, so I couldn’t pass it up. I’m looking forward to maybe making this a weekly visit to the little place.

When I was finally out of there I did it – I went to the driver’s license office and became an official Kansan by getting my Kansas driver’s license. The temporary license issued is so much better than the Texas temporary licenses because you actually get to see your picture right then and there. If it’s not a good one, you can ask to re-take it. The lady didn’t actually ask me if I liked mine like she did other people…but I’m sure it’s because…it was okay??? Who knows, but anyway, that’s points for Kansas.

Today was great because I made my way to Green Acres, a Whole Foods-type store where they actually sell organic food. I was so excited to be there that I ended up spending over 2 hours there. Those stores are like home to me – love it. Green Acres is smaller than Whole Foods, but it’s just as great.

Tomorrow I’m heading to Alma, Kansas with the MIL and Grandma Elsie. What’s in Alma? Well, none other than Grandma Toby’s (sp?) house. Grandma Toby is the MIL’s grandma. The MIL’s sister will also meet us there, and we’re sure to have a wonderful girl time. I hear it’s a neat old house with lots and lots of memories. We’ll come back on Saturday morning in time for me to see hubster.

The MIL wants to jump on the health wagon with me, so after we return from our trip this weekend, we’re jumping in this together. I’ll finally get back to my better eating habits and get back on track. I’m also scouting out some other health food stores and local co-ops. We’re also talking about our own organic garden next year…hmmm…

hickety cricket

so what is life like for me now that i'm living in the sunflower state? well, my first week was pretty uneventful:

monday - memorial day was great because it meant nathan would be home for even one more day
tuesday - unpacking, started teaching the non-A.D.D. black lab how to "play dead"
this is him during one of his resting moments:

wednesday - unpacking; this is the day i found a tick on my head after running around outside with the dogs; this is also the day a black, furry spider crawled out of a curtain as i vacuumed; this is ALSO the day a spider was crawling on my leg as i walked inside from petting the cats; continued the "play dead" teaching process
thursday - the BIL drove around the area with me so that i could figure my way around the wichita, towanda, andover, etc. area; continued the "play dead" teaching process
friday - spent time checking emails, etc.; read; was on the inet for a few hours in the evening; hubby came home!

on sunday afternoon nathan went fishing while i spent some time finishing up a book. he then picked me up and wen went on a gator ride. the gator is this 4-wheel drive, 2 passenger lil vehicle that they use here to go from one place to the next. we drove into an 'wooded' area, picked berries and ate them! we also chased a turkey, but he was one turn ahead of us even on the gator.

that evening nathan's older brother and his wife came over with their 5 month-old baby boy. he's one of the most adorable little babies ever.

i've never known so much peace and relaxation. i'm taking it all in and enjoying every moment of it.

pictures coming soon!

the move...

...was almost uneventful. it all began on friday, may 25 at 3:22 a.m. i woke up and after fueling and purchasing the largest coffee available, i drove from lake jackson to dallas to attempt a finish at the packing before my mom and her husband, louis, made it to my apartment later that morning. i made it to dallas shortly after 8 and hurriedly took down the shower curtain and continued the packing.

now understand that my mom had called me the prior week to let me know not to rent a u-haul because louis had a trailer that they believed would fit all of our stuff. now i had never seen this trailer, but they were convinced that with tarps everything would be fine even in the rain.

well, wouldn't you know it?? it rained on and off on friday as we were loading and even driving. nathan wasn't able to get off work to help, but i reassured him that i had the help of some trusty friends. without their help, we wouldn't have been able to get it done. so after 6 or 7 hours of loading and all that fun stuff, we finally pulled away from dallas...still in the rain.



we made it to my aunt's house in northwest oklahoma sometime after midnight. just before going to bed at 2 a.m., i walked out with my uncle to get a couple of things from my jeep. he noticed that my mom had left her inside light on. we noticed that when he went back outside to turn it off, it took him quite a while. when he finally came back in, it turned out that there had almost been a fire in my mom's vehicle. we had stuffed some of the sofa cushions in the back, and one of them had turned on the back, inside light on without her knowledge. it stayed on the entire time that we drove from dallas to fairview, ok. it burned a whole in our sofa cushion, but THANK GOD that was all. things could've been worse.

we finally made it to kansas around 7 on saturday, may 26. i can't begin to say how amazing it was to see my husband after not having seen him for over 8 weeks.

we're settling in now, and i'll have more time to blog about the great kansas adventures...i'm already a country girl...almost...

special thanks go to those who were there helping pack and also load. i can't tell you how much i appreciate you!!!

i miss my friends and fam like crazy, but i'm at peace knowing we're in God's will.

...more to come...

leaving on a...trailer

As some of you may or may not know, Nathan & I are moving to Kansas. We've known for a while that at some point we would probably be moving there, but we just never knew the timing. "'The time has come,' the walrus said..."

I turned in my notice at work about 3 weeks ago to give my boss enough time to find someone I could begin training. Within a week, I was already training, and the transition process there has gone very well. My last day at work will be May 18, after which I will go to the enchanted city of Lake Jackson to visit friends and family for a week. On Memorial Day weekend, some of my family will then help me drive our belongings to the land of Kansas to join Nathan, who has been there for a little while already.

I've been asked over and over how I feel about this move, etc. etc. I AM SUPER EXCITED! A year ago I didn't think I'd ever say that. If you know me semi-well, you know that I'm a city girl. I love the movement, the energy, the people, and sometimes even the traffic. I've come to a point, though, of a complete change of heart. Although I may always be a city girl, I'm looking forward to a change of pace.

what david hasselhoff & i have in common...and deodorant

so i'm gonna let you in on a little secret so that you won't be embarrassed for me next time you see me sweat. I DON'T WEAR DEODORANT! that's right. i tossed the stuff away. well, okay that's not entirely true. more accurately, i don't wear antiperspirant. i could go into a long blog about the terrible effects of antiperspirant, but i'm not the best at explaining it, so i'll direct you to a website where you can educate yourself on it. read this and watch the video:

still wearing antiperspirant?

it seems that hollywood is slowly catching some of the hippie vibe as well. it's true, from justin timberlake (not pictured) to even nicole kidman and naomi cambpell, the 'stars' are beginning to get the picture as well and have banned the poison of antiperspirant and most deodorants.









so when you see me sweat the small stuff, don't sweat it for me. i'm perfectly comfortable with my decision and hope that you, too, can take one more step to rid your body of poisonous toxins. deodorant is the devil. okay, so myabe not, but you get my point.

silly people=silly comments, round 2

so my husband can be a pretty funny guy. he's also very simple. it's a nice little balance that it brings to my life. the problem with the simplicity comes when we're ordering coffee at one of our now rare visits to starbucks (the high priced addiction problem is for another blog). my drink usually consists of something nonfat with an extra shot of this and pump of that. really, it's no big deal to me, BUT nathan refuses to order for me if i get (in his terms) complicated. so in fun the other day, he posts this picture comment on my myspace page.



i cracked up because i know how much i actually amuse him. so i was glad to see him amused rather than annoyed by my ordering habits. well, then i get an email from a subject we'll call felix. felix writes me, "...you really should watch the stuff you put on your page. people may think you actually drink and even have problems with pills and things. it could really ruin your reputation...i don't know that i can associate myself with you if you're going be putting up comments like this..."

yes, silly people equals silly comments. if felix actually had any clue about who i am, who my husband is and what we're about, he wouldn't have reason to make this comment. felix has no clue what that was about. now, i do agree that we should watch what we do and say and write because we affect people. our decisions affect those around us. the thing is that felix is so concerned about others' opinions and feels condemned about who knows what, that felix has the need to interfere with things of which he's completely uninformed.

my issue with it was this: let's say i'm actually an alcoholic, and let's say i have pill-popping problems - would felix have cared about that at all? would felix try to come to my rescue? i don't know. felix is too concerned with not getting dirty, that he forgets what he's called to do - love. if i had pill and alcohol problems, that's what i would need more than anything.

we get so caught up in looking 'pure' and clean and perfect that we forget that when Jesus came, He hung out with the people who weren't looking the best. in fact, He hung out with the messed up people.

there was this prostitute woman that was about to be stoned to death. Jesus rescued her. yes, He rescued the dirty, filthy, sinning woman.

we're put on this earth to love and rescue people. we're to pursue each other when we can and love each other like crazy, like there's no tomorrow.

i've been a self-righteous hypocrite before. i've looked at people in their wretchedness and thought i was so much better just because, "...at least i'm not doing what they're doing...at least i'm better off..." that's the selfish attitude that Jesus spurned.

i hope that i can soon love enough to quit the ridiculous judgments that hold me captive to hellish thinking. i hope that i can love you like crazy.

one look at you

I guess the reason I wrote my last blog is that lately I've just become more sensitive to people and their pain. I was watching the news the other day, and I nearly broke down when I heard just a brief 30 second spot on teenage suicide. It just so grieves me to think that people, teenagers, kids can get to a place of hopelessness. If we've lost hope, we've lost it all. Without hope, there's nothing.

I've had some pretty low points in my life. I might have even repeated Job's words to God, "May the day perish on which I was born…Why did I not die at birth? Why did I not perish when I came from the womb?...Why is light given to him who is in misery and life to the bitter of soul who long for death…Your hands have made me and fashioned me…yet you would destroy me…why then have you brought me out of the womb?"

Yes, I've said these words before, BUT never during those times did I think of taking my own life. I have something that others don't have – I've always had hope. At times I may not have had much, but I had some nonetheless. I can't imagine not knowing that there will be light somewhere at the end of the tunnel. There are people without a hint of hope, and that breaks my heart. I may not be able to hug all the hurting people of this world, but I know I can at least touch one. You should try that today – be a lover of people – they are what truly matters.

church, inc...and ignore my grammar (lack thereof)

Some time back I was having a conversation with some people, let’s call them Jack and Jill. Jack was talking to me about church and having rules in the church for order. Now, if you know me, you know how conversations about ‘church order’ can be music to my ears. This conversation, however, was going in a different direction.

Jack started talking about how people should dress at church. At first, I thought he was going to talk about women’s modesty, but he didn’t go there. Instead, Jack was complaining about how ‘casual’ my generation is in how we dress to go to church. He understood that there are seeker-friendly churches for the ‘newbies,’ and he understood people wearing street clothes to church when they first come. Jack went on to say that people should then begin to dress more appropriately. I asked Jack what he meant by ‘more appropriate.’ He meant wearing slacks, suits, dresses, and skirts. Jack said that it shouldn’t be normal for us to wear jeans to church, especially jeans with holes in them. He said, “…and when you go to someone’s house, you obey their rules. If you come to my house, you obey my rules. So if you go to such and such church, you obey their rules. It’s their house…Besides, people should always wear their best when going to God’s house…”

I understand what Jack was saying. I understand that Jack and I were raised differently so therefore we have different world views and opinions. I agree – when I go to someone’s house, I should follow their rules. So what are my issues? Well, first of all, a church isn’t anyone’s house except God’s. Period. Dot. Secondly, a church building is just that – a building. There’s this thing about me being the temple of the Holy Spirit. I think what that means is that I have the Holy Spirit within me and with me all the time. So if I want to pray, does that mean that I have to put on my ‘best clothes’ and then change into whatever I want to wear the remainder of the day? What I if in the middle of my work day I want to ask God for help as I begin a new project? Does that mean I have to change really quickly into my ‘Sunday best’ then change back to my other clothes 60 seconds later? I mean, if I have to wear my ‘Sunday best’ for God on Sundays, what about other days? If I don’t wear my best for Him on other days, then am I not paying enough homage?

Here’s the deal – my best is what I bring to Him every single day. Whether I’m wearing ‘holy’ jeans (no pun intended) or a suit & tie, I don’t know that it really is a big deal to God. (I’m not going to get into modesty here because that’s another blog.) I really don’t think so. I understand that different churches have different…cultures (for lack of better term). What is culturally accepted in a small-town church in the middle of Kansas may be totally different than what is culturally accepted in a church in downtown…L.A. Now, we shouldn’t culturalize the Gospel, but this isn’t gospel we’re talking about here. I’m not advocating going to church wearing something that will totally distract the service.

I guess what I’m getting to is this – love people. It doesn’t matter if I wear jeans to church or the best suit & tie. The church isn’t supposed to be a fashion show. The church is for fellowship and corporate worship. The focus should be God and people, not ties and jackets.

silent no more

vanity, all is vanity. no, i haven't just finished reading ecclesiastes; this is just how it is. i guess i'm just growing more and more tired of this world and what it offers. we get so busy chasing after the things of it, but it's all so meaningless. none of it is worth anything. careers, money, fame, stuff - it's all going to burn one day. when we die, it's really not going to matter that we achieved status quo according to the world's standards. it's not going to matter that i wore really cool clothes today and got a really great haircut and impressed people. nope, it's really not going to matter. my knowledge of the things of this world and any great accomplishments i may think i have will have no meaning. that's all i hear people talk about lately - the temporary. we aren't going to live this life forever. life is but a breath. it's fleeting, so why do we spend so much time on the temporary and insignificant?

accomplishments, clothes, fitness, etc. all have their place. it's all a part of life. it's the obsession and pursuit of these things that is just a waste. it's a waste of time and not just our time, but more importantly - God's time. it's the time He has given us. HIS time. we're given the time to steward. He's graciously given us life and time on earth for HIS purposes. He's also gracious and kind enough to allow us to enjoy it. He creates us for a time and season to accomplish HIS purposes. what's ironic (not really) is that God created us so that we're truly and completely fulfilled accomplishing what HE's called us to do. the reason we go after so much 'stuff' is that we're still looking to fill that void with the 'stuff' that can't fill it.

unfortunately, we quickly lose sight of what really matters and allow our hearts to fall in love with what this world offers. we have become too distracted, and i'm tired of seeing it all around me.

Whole Wheat Bread is a FAT JOKE

watch and listen to learn about the only healthy bread.

Peyton Manning MasterCard Commercial

This is pretty funny.