Your Kindest Mercies

With the decision still within the boardroom as to my banishment from blogland, I fall upon the mercy of the board (who is the board?) As the dear ole good book says, "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy." Have a heart NARR.

With that being said, what has been going on with me. I have worked near a full week and am so ready for the weekend. The weekend goes by so fast though and before I know it is starting all over again. I have such bloggers block. Hmmm! What could I blog about. I have had battles with the utility company for needlessly damaging my property. THey are bringing me a load of dirt to repair the damage. The boss sided with me and was very polite. My duck flapped from its fiendish prison the other day. It just so happened that all of the dogs were out. I stood very still and they got ready for one sudden movement. Unfortunately my lab instinctively prepared for a sudden movement. We both wrestled like football players for a fumbled ball. She never made contact as hard as she tried. I was so excited that i won that I accidently spiked the ball, I mean duck. Oops! Sorry Duckie! I really did not spike her. I placed her very lovingly back into her cage. Do not send PETA to my house.

That will do. I have appeased my guilty conscience.

I knew that all of the angy villagers could not resist my smiling face! I am now beginning my colorful apology which has been my sentence that was handed down. I am sorry for my weak efforts at blogging. I hope that was colorful enough. I worked very hard at it. It seems lately that my mind has been on other things. Don't act like this charming chap in this picture doesn't make you feel like you're in good company. I must say now that i don't think I have mentioned it sooner, rapture hair has for the time being been tamed. My hair looks about the same as the pic at left.

Some people accused me of looking like I had come in from a tempest. I would not hold that against her. Just thinking now, perhaps we should have the preacher fashion show some time. I have seen chaps in their sleevless suitcoats and different things. There are all kinds of styles and colors. There are many different hairstyles, combovers and no hair at all. The possibilities are endless. from the pulpit to the runway. Actually I fear that some of them may be more faux pas than something you would actually want to do. Who ever decided that you should comb the hair from the back of your head over the top and hope it stays there. That is crazy. There is a guy at the hospital that has a hair piece. It is okay to be sensitive to that. But if you are going to get a cheap one that don't even look real, don't expect everyone to believe that. Yes, I know that in that picture above there are some receding lines. I know all too well. But I am not going to cover that up with some cheap piece of shag carpet. How did I get on this subject. That is why I call it rambling.

What else can I ramble on about? Hmmm? I am not sure. I think I shall save that for the next session. Whenever that may be. Oh, I mean, soon, realy soon!

Barely Started

It has been rather busy this week with a couple of very bad days. I have had some headaches this week that have nearly been the death of me. Today is off to a good start. I hope everyone is doing well. There have been those posts asking about the length of time it take to undecorate. Well, it is barely even started. Perhaps toady though i will accomplish something. yesterday i rushed around as much as I could with my head pounding. I had to be at a funeral at 1:30. I just did get ready in time and rush to the funeral home. As I rounded the courner I noticed there were only three cars. I was at the wrong place. For a moment I did not even know where it was. I did not go late. I went back home and rested before going to work. Yesterday was a total wash. I did nothing productive. I think I might hire a team of undecorators. If I filthy stinking rich I would. I am everything except the third descriptor. Well, anyway, I must go. More things to do.

The Day Has Passed

Well, the day has come and gone. I now need some help taking all of the festiveness down. Sis Pam asked how many trees are in our home. Ranging from 1 foot to 7.5, there are 14 trees in the grove. Every room has at least one. It is very pretty but someone needs to take it all down. I guess that someone is me. Normally I get the after Christmas blues so bad. This year for some reason I did not. Perhaps it is that melancholy feeling that causes me to rise at 5 am to go stand in line at Wal-Mart to buy reduced merchandise. I go way overboard. It is more of an obsessive disorder I think. I was going to go out and be reasonable this year. I was going to spend a minimal amount because clearly I do no need anymore stuff. There was just a few item I wanted to add. Four hours and six stores later I had a car full. I just got so caught up. It is pathetic and I need help. It is so fun though. Truth be told I sneak back in every now and then to see if it is reduced even more. I am still over $100 under last year. So there has been improvement. There are some 30plus boxes of Christmas stuff in our attic, or will be when I finally get it back there. I see these litle Rubbermaid containers for storing ornaments and think how pathetic that is. There is no way I could get all ou ornaments in there. I may count how many ornaments there are this year. It is way out of control, but hey everyone has their thing. At least mine is not something illegal or harmful to me. My poor attic doesn't think so. I hear it groaning throught the year beneath the weight of the load. That could very well be the death of me, crushed beneath collapse, avalanche of Christmas trees, ornaments and various other items. I have ramble quite enough. God bless you all.

Even More Pics

More Pics

The Ole "Yule Blog"

I suppose it is time to post again especially since I am beginning to be shamed again. Since last post I have become a college graduate again. *Hooray!* I had to finish a little work for my Bachelor's degree. That is all done. There have been Christmas programs at work, at church. I even sang a Christian song at work in a talent contest. I did not win but I was truly blessed by al of the positive feed back. I was told when I entered that nobody would be paying any attention to the contest. WRONGO!!!! All eyes and ears were tuned. It was a bit nerve racking. It went well though. Our CEO and the Nuns were quick to thank me for the song choice and dedication. My co-workers were stunned that I had that in me. So, I felt like a winner. I am including a few pics from the inside of our home to put you in the holiday spirit. God bless you all and Merry Christmas to each and everyone of you!

The Big Reveal

Here are a few pics of the outside of our house. It does not show everything. I love Christmas. I have been slow to post due to a small home improvement project. I suppose I should post some pics of that. There will be a band service at our house tonight. There was a ladies' night out last Friday. I had to get all of the construction finished before that and try to clean up the mess. All is well here in Arkansas. I will try to get some more pics up of the inside. I'll have to hurry, lest I be called a liar. The nerve!!!!! *rasberry* Hope you guys enjoy this post. More pics that words. God bless you all.

Why are all of these people slowing down?

The Annual Christmas Lights Extravaganza has been under way for some time on Ozark Street. It seems that people keep slowing down to a crawl in front of our house. I don't know if it is the brightness (kind of a deer in the head lights type thing) or if they are taking in all of the elements that make it up. Perhaps they are trying to size up the gigantic inflatable snowman (over twelve feet tall). There are six inflatables in my yard. I was afraid that would be tacky. My yard is so big that it really works out fine. One is more toward the back and mainly viewable to us. I will just have to get some photos on here soon. I just keep adding a few thing here and there. I will continue to do that until Dec. 1st. I have up plenty enough at this point. If I do not put up any more it is fine. If I do it is even better. So I carry on.

Guess What...It's Christmas!!!!

Alright, it is now a legal time to post all of the antics of this wonderful season. I can talk about Christmas lighting and trees and the like without offending those unnamed individuals who have hazed me so terribly. I am almost done with all our Christmas lights. I have enough that it could be done. But there are yet tangled strands of lighs layered on my garage floor. I will have to hurry and get that finished or my wife will be angrily campaigning for her parking spot back.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at our home. It felt very nice (tasted even better). I put up the big 12 ft snowman in the yard last night. That thing is huge. I bought it on sale last year and never opened it. It is very impressive.

So sorry I have been slow to post. I have been up to my elbows in trees and lights, etc. I must hurry here and return to that task. God bless you all. Hope that you all had great Thanksgiving celebrations and let me be one of the first to tell you...MERRY CHRISTMAS!

All's well that ends well!

No this is not another post about "wells." In fact it is not a post about anything in particular. But are any of my post really about anything? No comment. Last night was a more hectic night at work. One of our scanners was down, so that left the two of us on 1 scanner all night. One accident brought in 8 ambulances. That was crazy but not unmanageable. I had one patient that I became very involved with. I stayed late comforting her and helping to move her. She stated on the way back to the ER that she was glad to have a fellow believer with her. That really meant a lot to hear her say that. I hated to leave her and assured her of continued prayers on her behalf. It was odd how it all worked out for me to be with her. She was originally not my patient. God knows just how to work things out for our good. He has the big picture. I assured her of that as well. Things don't always make sense, but God can take the fragmented pieces that look hopeless and arrange them for His glory.

We are all like pieces of a puzzle. We don't have the box top to see in clarity what the placement of the final piece will reveal. But God knows the outcome of the masterpiece. I don't want to be like I was as a child, just hammering pieces in where they did not fit. There is a special place for each. The pieces don't move themselves, God moves the pieces.

Sometimes this is all quite puzzling. God will work it all out.

Deep Subject

It seems that nearly everytime I post, I begin with the word "well." I have often heard that it is a deep subject, almost too deep for such a shallow mind. So I am determined in all of my shallowness to avoid the use of that word. It is so hard. Last night was such agood night at work. Monday's are normally one of the worst days. I was also working with one of our PRN techs who I was convinced held the curse of Jonah. Every time she is on board the boats starts to sink. (I had to delete a "w." I just almost used that dreaded word.) Anyway, the curse has been lifted. I was just about ready to throw her overboard. I even told her last time we worked together that I would not do that again. She is really nice though.

In other news...Even at Church we are getting ready for Christmas. In children's church we are practicing our extravaganza. Right now it seems more ganza that extravagant. We will get there. You are probably noticing that there is nothing deep about this post or on the other hand maybe there is. So, I choose to spare you anymore. Besides my ADHD mind will not allow any further concentration. Well, maybe next time I will blog something of depth. Oops!

Two Weeks Later...

Well, I do apologize for the delay. It is so unlike me not to share my wealth of knowledge with my adoring fans. Well, that wealth may only amount to a few cents. There is just not a whole lot to go around. I will not let that stop me from sharing the adventures of my chaotic yet fulfilling life. I said all of that to say I am sorry for not posting I have been really busy. No, I have not been tangled in Christmas decor nor have I been abducted by wiley gleaners. I have been finishing my bachelor's degree clinical work and working extra.

I pretty much have been getting up going to the hospital, been there all day, all night, coming home, going to bed and doing it all over again. I have celebrated Radiologic Technologist Week this past week. I must have overlooked all of the cards and gifts. Snail mail is so slow.

I must confess our mantel is looking a lot like Christmas. Other items are filtering in. I just want to put some cinnamon in the potpurri pot, turn on some sounds of the season and go nuts. There is just one problem with that. Our house is a complete and utter disaster. It is horrible due to the come and go life style we have lived during the past few weeks. I am considering taking the leaf blower inside to tackle the problem. Becki's kids would love that.

Just let me say that I am back. Blog ya later!!!

More Ramblings

Well, I must admit, my merry heart has been anyhting but idle lately. Really I have just been too busy to ramble. Let's see...what to blog? Well Christmas is coming early at our house. The furniture has been placed in an optimal position for the Christmas forrest to return toour home again. I think we are well beyong a tree for every room now. The neighbors have to wear sunglasses at night. Our electric meter will soon be spiraling out of control and we will be so content surrounded by the sights, sounds and smells of Christmas. It is such a wonderful season. At Church, we will be practicing our Christmas program week after next (assuming I finish writing it). Augh!!! The weather here has turned cold and it is just so time to deck the halls. Yes, we start early. I have nearly always been started before Halloween. I have done the traditional day after Thanksgiving thing. I don't really like that. Besides I have to work. Tomorrow, I may just pull some of the near 30 boxes down and see what they contain.

We have collected an ornament from almost every place we have been, with the exception of Canada. They don't have many shops that carry that merchandise year round. It is hard to get that in April. Go figure. Is everyone not as crazy for Christmas? I know the Horne house is.

Well, I must be getting off here. I have rambled long enough. I may go pull out some boxes on this rainy day.

Okay, Here's Another One...

Here are som of the zoo pics. The meerkat was certainly in the spotlight. It is soo hard to get the right lighting. By the time you have gone everywhere, some light is good some is bad. If I lived there I would have to go pretty often to get all of the pics I wanted. The elephants were amazing. The elephant on the left took its trunk and gave the other one a drink. It was very cool. The giraffe looked at me as though I were inposing. Then I wrestled the hippo into submission for a photo opportunity. It was a really cool zoo. 100 acres of zoo to be exact. Makes my feet tired all over again. Tabithia was complaining of her knee. She is getting soooo old! *snickers*

Past Time For Another Post

I know it has been forever since my last post. Soooooo, here are some more pics of San Diego and Anaheim. The first pic is San Diego Bay at sunset. The rollercoaster is in the Discover California theme park in Disneyland. That is not me with Tabithia, that is another Goofy. And the last pic is our hotel. Yes, we felt like rich folk. It was enormous.

Finally...

Alright! I have finally stolen some time to get a few of these on here. So here they are. There is the San Siego Skyline from the ferry to Coronado Island. At the zoo we happened upon this submerged hippo. He third pic is a few blocks from our hotel. Lastly, Tabithia is studying some bargains in Tijuana. I have many, many more. That is all time permits now.

I have to be in Broken Arrow tomorrow then back home Sun. for Children's Church in the am and Sun pm service.

I gotta go for now. God bless you.

My Return to Chaos

No, not the international criminal group, just my crazy life. I have finally got the pictures on my computer and most of them flipped the way they go. Some crazy person thinks they have to turn the camera all sorts of angles and directions. Then you have to spen hours going through 642 pictures deciding how they should be turned. I think his name starts with a "J." He gets on my nerves sometimes. He is a really great guy though.

The strangest thing happened at Disneyland. There was a...ma...woma... a "person" in the line in front of us. The voice was very masculine but it was a gray haired woman. I looked and thought that is a wig. Well, my beautician was with me and she said she did not think that it was a wig. Well, we got on the ride and the "person" sat in front of us a few seat. Once we began there were sharp turns and sudden drops. That one held on to the top of its head ever so tightly to secure the hairpiece. I have heard of a wolf in sheeps clothing but never seen a man in womens clothing until now. Call me sheltered. I would just assume be sheltered from that. People are so messed up today. Sometimes you just want to slap them. I know that sounds real Christlike, but it is true. You want to do the same. Don't act all holy like you don't have those thoughts. Just a good slap would do some people some good unless they are bigger than you and might retalliate with more than a loving, chastening slap. I am really not sure what shim was. I know that is a terrible blog subject.

On a different note...hmmm...hmmm...Oh I know. We finally rode the Tower of Terror. It was so awesome. I have been to Disney World twice and now Disneyland and finally was bale to ride the accaimed adventure. It was really fun. There was a ride there that I enjyed more, "Soaring Over California." that was so cool. It was a flight simulator that had you soaring over a river one moment then raising your dangling feet to miss a tree the next. It was complete with smells. You could smell the oranges as you went over the orange trees. It was so cool.

Well that is it for now. I have spent more time here than intended. God bless you all today.

Where to begin...

Well, we are home. It was a beautiful city! I have over 700 picures of the skyline, the buildings, palm trees, tropical plants, Mexico, Disneyland, the San Diego Zoo, San Diego harbor...Yes, wonderful pictures that I cannot retrieve from my camera at this point. I have spent 2 hours trying to get them and nothing has worked yet. I have another way to accomplish this. It will just take some time. Oh...time. There is a pile of luggage that needs unpacked in our spare room, most of the clothes there need washed. The dogs need to see me and I go to work at 3. Hmmm. Sounds like I need a vacation. *snickers*

Enough whining. It really was a great vacation. I found myself amused at some the people on multiple occaisions. Mexico was hilarious. All you have to do is turn around and take a few steps in disinterest and the prices begin o fall. This was Tabithia's paradise. She is such a "Jew." One lady dropped the price, not by much and said, "I'll even throw in a free bag." The plactic bag seemed to be her only lure. For that matter we had our hands full of them from other purchases.

One note...I never made it to the beach. We were so busy with everything else. We were attemptimg it on Thursday when it got very dark, very fast. So we turned around. The temperature was very cool there so it may have been a safe time to visit without seeing more than I bargained for. We did stop at a harbor-side beach, very small. Nonethe less it was a beach.

I will have more to post. There will be pics if I can get them off the camera. If not then you all will have to come to Arkansas and look through my LCD. I must be going. I just did not want you all to think the plane went down or anything. Gotta go unpack, etc. God bless.

San Diego Here We Come!!!

Well, it has come time to take a restful vacation for us. Ministers Convention went very well yesterday. My 15 min evangelism boost even went well. While I was working on it I had to get and go through the house rejoicing. Everything worked so well together yesterday. It was all inspired and anointed. At the time of this post, I should be finishing my children's church lesson. So I will keep this one brief. Maybe this afternoon I will get teh time to post again or at least reply. As for next week. We will be in sunny San Diego with camera in hand. I have never really seen the ocean up close. So this will be a new adventure for me.