I've been cheating

Sorry y'all!  I've been cheating on my journal for a week now.  This is the first time I have even signed on to AOL Journals all week too.  My cousin has created a family website at myfamily.com and I have spent all of my computer time (plus) on it.  I log on to it 1st thing every morning when I sit down to my desk.  It is so much fun.  I get to read entries from my mom and my aunts and cousins everyday!  We can also schedule family chat sessions and add pictures.  I am loving it, but I really don't want to neglect my journal.  She (I think it's a she) is getting close to being 1 year old! (Jan. 8) So, bear with me until the new wears off!

I love love love love love love. . . . . . . love my job.  My boss actually has to come in and remind me (at 5:15) "Barbara, it's time to go"  I  have found my place in the world.  (it's about time)  The funny thing is that this is what I went to college to do.  I went to a christian college and got a degree in business (it was actually called data processing back then).  I was planning to go to work as a pastor's secretary in Jacksonville, FL right out of college, but then Robert and I got engaged and started planning a wedding.  It took me 21 years to get back on the road. (And thousands of massages later) (see my Massage Journal for a little fun)  So, I am blissfully happy.

I must run, I don't want to be late for work. . .I go in at 9:00 today.  Have a great weekend everyone!!

Happy Birthday to Me

September 25th, 2005 and I am officially 42 years old.   I was able to go to church this morning and sing and worship God among my church family for my birthday which doesn't happen very often.  I can't remember my last Sunday birthday.  Robert wasn't able to go with us this morning as today is the last possible day to plant tomatoes and he had to finish up. He got home about 1:00 and so he is outside standing over a hot grill.  We have some good friends coming over for a cook-out in about an hour.  I wasn't happy about it, but have come to grips with the idea and now I'm actually finding myself looking forward to it.  As you know, I was out of town Thursday through Saturday afternoon and while I was gone Robert ran into these friends of ours and asked them to come to our house on Sunday for a cook-out.  Well, he forgot that it was my birthday.  So, he told me about it when I got home and I hate to say that I was really disappointed.  I love these friends, and their company, but my fantasy birthday included a quiet day with a nice dinner out at a restaurant surrounded by my loving family.  I didn't want to have to clean the house or cook side dishes and I really didn't want bar-be-que ribs and chicken.  I'm sure some of you are thinking I'm crazy!  But my husband grills almost every weekend and I just want a nice "non-smokey" dinner.  The smokey grill smell and flavor infiltrates the whole house for days.  I just bought a vanilla apple candle the other day and it smells so pretty, well it isn't strong enough to combat the smokey smell.  I am lucky to have a husband who loves to cook, even if it is on a grill/smoker.  So, since getting home from church I have cleaned. I just finished mopping the kitchen floor and scrubbing the toilets.  Now I am boiling noodles to make a pasta salad.  My vaccuum cleaner sucked something big up in it the other day and I haven't had time to fish it out, so I won't be vaccuuming.  I don't care.

My sweet girls bought me a box of Russell Stover chocolates and an ice cream cake.  I don't care for regular cake that much and they know me so well.  My son is taking his girlfriend to the airport to go back to college.  He flew her down for the weekend.  They stayed down at her families house about an hour away, so I haven't seen him since he dropped me off at thechurch before my trip. 

Well, I have gone on and on about nothing.  I'm sorry!  The littlest things are big news to me.  I hope you all have a great week!

Home Sweet Home

I have finally made it home from my Music Leadership Conference.  Exhausting. . .that is the word for it.  Yes, it was inspiring and yes we had incredible music and exciting worship, but I am too pooped to think right now.  Our days began at 5:30 am and we finally got back to the hotel at aroung 10:30 each night.  I was blessed to have been able to hear Al Denson, The Annie Moses Band,  Alicia Williamson, Evidence, and the biggest hit of all was the Voices of Mobile which is the student ensemble from the University of Mobile (Alabama).  Wow, they were incredible.  I was awed to be led by Todd Bell (Music minister at Prestonwood Baptist Church outside of Dallas)and Kim Noblitt (he is a writer of christian music among many other things)  I enjoyed having Rick Muchow (music minister at Saddleback Church in California, his pastor is Rick Warren who wrote "The Purpose Driven Life")  He was wonderful.  My daily teacher was Kathie Hill who has authored many if not most of the children's choir muscicals on the market today.  If you are unfamiliar with any of these names, you can probably find them all on the web.  What an explosive, full 3 days I had, but I'm so glad to be home.  I learned so much and I can't wait to implement it all into my ministries at church.  I am signing off so I can rest before the girls come home from "Revolve".  ~Later!

You're Hired!

Yes folks, I got the job.  It has been close to 3 weeks now since I told the boss I was interested in the new job and yesterday I got the news.  He wanted to do it right by going through all of the proper channels of advertising in the paper and interviewing countless people.  Finally after the last of 4 people that were brought in for a 2nd interview, he came and got me and told me he wanted to talk to me.  I had already given up thoughts of getting the job as the time kept passing without a word about it and more and more people kept coming in for interviews.  He straight out asked me if I was still interested in the job and I said yes.  He said "well, let me tell you a little about it", and he went into the whole benefits package and salary and what my general duties would be.  Then he briefly went into some of the problems that were happening with the girl I am replacing (she wasn't fired, she quit).  And he said that none of the applicants were as qualified as I am and how excited he was that I am still interested in the job and so on and so on.  I floated out of there on a cloud and went straight to my new office to make my decorating plans.  I have a nice big window overlooking a cobblestone street.  We are in the historical district, so it is a very nice and quaint neighorhood.  So. . .there you go!  I am now officially the assistant to the Administrator/education minister. It sounds terribly boring, but hey. . .we are in a building program, so I will be very busy. 

Other than that big news. . .I am getting some new furniture tomorrow.  Yeah!  I am excited.  A new couch that is sort of a cranberry chenile, a new overstuffed chair and matching ottoman that are striped in cranberry, gold and sage green.  I could literally use it in any room in my house as I have used those colors all throughout the house!  But, it will be going in the den and the old stuff is going into the other den/computer room.  I also decorated my mantle for fall with greenery/apple garlands and lots of branches of silk fall colored leaves.  I also have white twinkle lights mixed in and they add such a soft glow to the place.  I'll take a pic tomorrow and put it up for you all to enjoy.  I even bought some pumpkin spice liquid potpourri and have it in a simmering pot. . .it's so soothing as I sit here in a quiet house. . .heaven.  Well y'all it is time for me to get up and go to bed.  The girls have "See You at the Pole" at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow, so they have been in bed a while.  I would love to go, but I have to be at work at 8am.  I have always gone by the school on SYATP mornings and I stand in awe of the courage of my children and their friends to stand around the flag pole of their public high school and sing praise song, pray and fellowship with their friends and other christians.  It always makes me cry and I am so proud of them.   Well I have to get up in 6 hours, so I better get going.  Have a wonderful "hump day" ~later

This is for Kelly

Which book of the Bible am I?

I'm not sure about the pushy and prideful thing, but I do know my weaknesses and I do work to live in grace and with compassion.

Go to Quizilla at:  http://quizilla.com/users/reflectedgrace/quizzes/Which%20book%20of%20the%20Bible%20are%20you?/

Sunday (no imagination there!)

I am exhausted.   I have been going, going, going!  Yesterday was the women's fall conference at our church and Katie and I sang for it.  We have been preparing for weeks. (We are in a group with 4 other women)  It is fun and I love it, but it takes so much time and energy that I just have to push myself to do it.  It went fantastic and now I am so glad that I spent my time and energy to do it.  Tonight is the "Night of Praise" at my church.  We are doing a Concert called We're Here to Worship.  

It is so awesome and I am so excited to present it to our congregation. Oh, and the best part is that Katie and Matt have a duet!  Their first ever. It's so good. Our church is rather traditional in it's musical preferences, but we (the music leadership) are trying to bring the church into the 21st century!  So, we now have what is called a "Blended" service, with both traditional and contemporary music.  It works well. This Thursday I leave to go to Merritt Island, Florida for a 3 day Music Leadership Conference.  We have one every other year and it is the most incredible thing I get to do in my musical life.  I learn so much and get on fire to put into practice all that I learn.  My children's choir really benefits.  I am the only children's choir director that goes to these conferences and it shows. (Everyone of them can go, they just don't) My choir is full and the kids love it because I keep them moving and laughing and their performance skills shine brighter than any of the other choir because I have learned how to get the best out of them and in turn they have fun doing it!  I have lots of boys in my choir who play sports and come dressed in their practice uniforms so they won't miss choir!  It's awesome.  I had one boy talk his mom's ear off after choir last week telling her all about it and how this is going to be his "best year ever!"  I had to laugh when she told me.  She said, "I don't know what you are doing in there, but whatever it is, keep it up!"  That makes me feel so good.

Anyway, enough patting myself on the back.  It is as hot as "you know what" here in Florida!!!  It's still in the 90's everyday!  I ripped my blazer off in the church parking lot this morning! Oh, and I must share my embarrasing moment with you all. ( Scott, you might just want to click on the little red X now! ha ha)  I bought a new slip last week. . .a full slip.  I wore it today under my black sleeveless dress.  Well, remember that I am in the praise team up on stage, and I looked down and saw the top of my slip peaking out of the top of my dress.  Thank goodness I had on a blazer, so I just pulled the blazer in a little to hide it.  By the time church was over, that stupid slip had worked it's way up so much that there was now 2 inches of slip sticking out of the top of my dress!  When I got into the car I reached up from the bottom to pull it down and couldn't find it. . .why? because it was bunched up around my waist!  Well, that slip is history. I am constantly having wardrobe malfuntions!  Last week I had a big run in my black panty-hose that ran down to about 2 inches above my knee. ( I put nail plish on it to stop the run, but the only color I could find was red) My skirt came down to just below the knee, so I'm thinking that I'm ok.  Well, I wasn't!  Again I'm up on the stage infront of 1,000 people try sitting on a stool in a skirt that comes to just below the knee!  It ends up about 3 inches above the knee and lo and behold there is the big run, and there was no way to hide it. So I sat with my hand on it.  Unbelievable.  That's my life!  Unbelievable!

I am now going to be rushing to get ready for tonight, but never fear. . .I am wearing black dress pants.  What could go wrong there?  ~later

 Night of Joy, Disney

My girls are rockin tonight!  It is the annual Night of Joy at Walt Disney World, Orlando.  There are about 10 different contemporary christian bands playing all across the Magic Kingdom from 7:30 to 12:30 am.  My kids have been going to these concerts for years and they are always a blast.  Me?  Well, I'm enjoying a nice quiet house all alone.  Robert is still at the farm and Wes is also still at work.  They should be home by 7:00 and then we are going out to eat at the Lakeland Ale House.  They have the best buffalo wings there.  Tonight I feel like a steak and mashed potatoes, no loaded baked potato. . .or fries. . .m m m mmmm.  I'll let you know.

I had a wonderful Bible study this morning.  This was our 2nd week back.  I really missed it over the summer.  We are doing Beth Moore's "The Patriarchs"  All about Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  It is really extensive and deep. . .if you want something more "light" then don't even go there, but if you want to learn about and see the mighty hand of God, then this is the study for you.  I went to a christian college, so it takes good, deep Bible study to keep me going. 

Tomorrow my gang is going up to Gainsville for the University of Florida (Gators) football game. I am choosing to stay home!  I love it once I'm there, but this is my day off!  I am selfish with my days off.  I want to do my thing, and football is waaaay down on my priority list.  I would like to paint a room, or scrapbook all day or read :)  I can't wait!!!!  I may get up early and go to Lowe's and see what I can get myself into.  I'll have to let y'all know about that too.

Well, I have to run.  I just had a diet cherry limeade (large) from Sonic and my bladder is about to burst!  Have a wonderful weekend all of you  J-landers!

~later~!                

Don't send out a search party!

I received an IM today from a journal buddy wondering where I've been and I didn't even realize how long it has been since my last entry.  Wow.

We are fine. . .just busy.  I'll lay it all out for you:

1.  Wes is living at home. . .until January.  WE all changed our mind about sending him to Pensacola for college.  The school isn't accredited, and although the education they get there is great, he would be forced to finish there if he started and wouldn't be able to go on to grad. school even if you wanted to.  He wants to be a teacher and the state of FL wouldn't allow him to teach in the public school system with a degree from an unaccredited school.  So, he is going to Baptist College of Florida in January.

2.  I am preparing to begin teaching my Children's Choir on Wednesday.  I should have around 45 kids (3rd, 4th and 5th grades) in my choir this year.  I love it, but there is a lot of preparation involved.

3.  My cousin and her husband are in the Ukraine adopting a little boy.  I have spend much of my time going on their website checking for news and new pictures.  They have been married for over 10 years with no luck at having a child of their own.  This adoption process has been going on for almost a year now and they should be home at the end of this week.  My parents are coming down and we are all going to the airport to welcome little "Robert" into our family.  Very exciting.

4.  Stomach virus!  I was the first to fall prey and now my hubby has it.  It is very awful!!!!  I think I was a better patient than him. . .I really do.  I laid in my bed and just wanted to be alone and quiet.  Not him!  Honey, I need a wet rag. . .honey, I don't think I'm gonna make it. . .honey, I need water. . . honey, honey, honey!!  I'm not good at this.

5.  Choir practice.  My church choir is putting on a big. . .thing.  "Night of Praise" is what it's called.  We are doing a "Praise and Worship" cantata called "We're Here to Worship"  It is wonderful and exciting and a whole lot of work!  I am also in a ladies group called "Heartsong" and we are singing at a Ladies retreat on Sept. 17.  We have been practicing for a couple of hours a week for that!

There is probably more, I just can't think anymore.  I've been on the computer for over 6 hours now.  I've been planning my first children's choir event and writing out leaders guides for all my helpers.  Time .. . . .where does it go?

Well, I must get up and get some blood back into my butt!  I should probably check on the invalid. . .ewww.

~Later!