Monday, August 28, 2006

Be Vewy, Vewy Quiet...

This blog is napping whilst it's owner is in Colorado for a family reunion. There may be a brief awakening or two if said owner can find a dealer of the addicting internet.

Warning: There may be withdrawal symptoms...

Pray

I was going to post one of my Ocassionally Sunday-ish Hymns, but one of our four runaways from work returned last night & all I can think of right now is what happened to her.

She & three other girls ran Saturday evening. This one was returned after calling 911 in Wichita & reporting that she had been raped. They took her to the hospital, got her checked out, did a rape kit & took her to another facility for the day. She was returned to us at 11pm, badly beaten and bruised. This girl is just 14.

She has a history of running, in fact this was the second time she'd run away since she was admitted on Wednesday.

One of our girls reported to staff on Saturday that the other four clients were planning on running, for which she was raked over the coals by her peers. I wrote her a little note just letting her know that even if she took some crap for what she did, it was right. After reading that, she buzzed downstairs & asked me to come talk to her. She had tears in her eyes & said "thanks."

Sometimes, with trying to keep the routine running & putting out the small fires that crop up continuously, I forget that these are children and not shorter adults, going through the same crap every kid goes through. Except that some of these kids have no family worth speaking of & half the time, the family they do have doesn't want them. They need me to go out of my way more often to tell them "good job" or "you have improved so much since the first time I met you" or "you are a great girl."

Anyway, please keep the girl who was raped & the other three still out there in your thoughts & prayers.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Playing Dress Up...

...At least it feels like I am. My new shirt came in the mail today & I put it on for work.

I think their definition of XL is little bit different than mine. The 3/4 length sleeves come down to my wrists & the hem goes halfway down to my knees. I might have to give this one to Ramone or Viking Dad & get another that, you know, fits.

Dagnabbit

Y'all remember my secret? Yeah, well it's not gonna happen, so I'll go ahead & spill the beans.

I was going to get a 10 month old half Siberian Husky/half Alaskan Malamute free from a friend. His cousin ended up taking the dog & will give him back when the friend moves into a place where he can keep him. I'm the backup if that falls through, so there's still a 0.1% chance I could get him anyway.

(See Mom, I said you wouldn't like it)

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

If The Shoe Fits, Buy It

I've decided I need a pair of sassy red heels. Something I can wear with churchy clothes or jeans. A vintage-y full shoe with a curvy, 4 inch french heel. (I'm not picky at all, am I?)

I ran across a pair that were very cute & then I looked at the price - $400! Who in their right mind would pay that much money for a pair of shoes?

Oooh! These are cute, but unfortunately, not practical for me.

Sweet candy Moses! These ones were originally $600!

Oh well, I guess it's a good thing I'm not finding anything I like. I'd have to go out & buy clothes that match the shoes before wearing them...

New Stuff

I recently splurged & got some new stuff. It should come in the mail any day now.

This shirt & this bumper sticker.

I'm gonna have to wear that shirt if I ever go on campus at Bethel, the liberal "Christian" college here in town. That & my Nuke The Moon shirt.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Warrior Princesses

I have a question for all you fellas out there.

I was reading a book yesterday and came across this sentence: No respectable knight would try to rescue a princess who was wearing armor. (Or something to that effect.)

Mom has told me that I have probably scared some guys away with all my talk of guns, knives, helping butcher animals, all the tom-boyish stuff. I have even had friends, male and female, tell me that I can be a little scary. They were partly joking. On my last vacation, my older brother & I were going to do a little shooting, but the nephews were asleep, so we practiced throwing his machete.
Flanders - That black blur in the center is the machete.
My uncle told me last time I saw him that I was always one of the toughest kids he knew. Part of that was feeling I had to keep up with the guys when we were working on the farm (I didn't do a whole lot, other than the sheep) and so I would do more. I have a tendency to be a workaholic and have burned out 3 or 4 times in the past 6 or so years.
I guess what I'm trying to say is - is that true? Do men steer clear of women who are self-sufficient, independent and sometimes a wee bit scary?
By the way - I'm not trying to hook a man here. I just was wondering & thought I'd ask y'all.

Monday, August 21, 2006

Fire Drills

We were sitting in church yesterday as one of the pastors gave the final prayer. He was about a sentence in when the fire alarm went off. There was a really quick "in Jesus' name, amen. You are dismissed!"

Turns out a kid in the nursery pulled the alarm. Why it is code for the pulls to be low enough for a child who cannot understand the concept of fire alarms to reach, I'll never understand.

Oh well. It made for a different dismissal than normal and there were no flames in the new church, so it's all good.

Update: This, folks, is post number 300. Woo-hoo!

Shhh...

*singing*

I have a secret and I'm not gonna tell you...

yet.

Hint - I'm going to have to get a sled for travel this winter.

'Nother Hint - Jimmyb has one.

Friday, August 18, 2006

Oh Crap Oh Crap Oh Crap...

What happened to my posts! Everything since the middle of February has disappeared!

Whew! They're back. I can breathe again.

Old Fluffy Kitties

I used to have two purebred pug-nosed Persians that I got for free from a breeder who was getting out of the pug business.
This is Natalia, or Talia for short. She was my favorite kitty of all time. This is a bad picture of her because she was really quite pretty. She was so sweet and very lovey. She would sleep on my pillow at the top of my head and purr so loud it would make my head vibrate. I ended up having to give her away when I moved in with my grandma after burning out in college.
This smash-face beast is Andre. He was the first of the two that I got. He was... umm... a little crazy. See that mirror in the picture? Yeah, well he ran full speed at that thing, jumped and smashed his face into the wall right next to it. No wonder he was a pug. Heh. He went to a lady in Wichita while I was in college.
I still miss Talia, especially when the Psycho Sydney (don't get me wrong - I love her to pieces) refuses to cuddle and is attacking me with claws & teeth.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

"On The Virtues of Killing Children"

Go over to Blackfive and read Grim's post on children and war.

It's powerful, heartbreaking and, unfortunately, accurate.

In the words of Golda Meir:

We can forgive you for killing our sons. But we will never forgive you for making us kill yours.

and

Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us.

Bible Quiz

I found this in a little book of funny stuff.

Who was the greatest financier in the Bible?
Noah. He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation.

Who was the greatest female financier in the Bible?
Pharoah's daughter. She went down to the bank of the Nile and drew out a little prophet.

What kind of man was Boaz before he got married?
Ruth-less

What kind of motor-vehicles are in the Bible?
Jehovah drove Adam & Eve out of the Garden in a Fury.
David's Triumph was heard throught the land.
Honda - because the apostles were all in one Accord.
2 Corinthians describes going out in service in a Volkswagon Beetle "We are pressed in every way, but not cramped beyond movement."

Who was the greatest comedian in the Bible?
Samson - he brought the house down.

Where is the first baseball game in the Bible?
In the big inning, Eve stole first, Adam stole second. Cain struck out Abel and the Prodigal Son came home. The Giants and the Angels were rained out.

What excuse did Adam give to his children as to why he no longer lived in Eden?
Your mother ate us out of house and home.

Who is the greatest baby-sitter mentioned in the Bible?
David - he rocked Goliath to sleep.

Why was Goliath so surprised when David hit him with a rock from a slingshot?
The thought had never entered his mind before.

How do we know that Job went to a chiropractor?
Because in Job 16:12 we read, "I had come to be at ease, but he proceeded to shake me up and he grabbed me by the back of the neck and proceeded to smash me."

Pretty Ponies

I figured I needed a good pony fix, so here's a little blast from the past.
This mare was named Valentine and she was owned by New Mexico State (I think). This was taken during a college horsemanship show and right after this she started bucking. The judge was watching and I thought "oh, great". I got her under control quickly and never touched the saddlehorn. That ended up being the highest I ever placed in college - 4th. I had some people flat out tell me that I didn't place any higher because the judges didn't like fat people. There was one class in Wyoming (at Laramie Co. Com. College) where I finished my pattern and lined up next to a girl from my team. She was staring at me with her mouth hanging open. She told me she had never seen such a perfect pattern, anywhere by anyone. A guy won that one.
This is me at 15 trying to train ol' Pebbles to back up. She would lean back until her elbows about touched the ground and then lunge forward. She eventually learned when I put a mechanical hackamore on her.
I do remember this being a lot of fun. These were taken at a friend's place.
This is me and my old man, Pal, at a 4-H playday. We had to carry an egg on a spoon down to the opposite end of the arena, around a barrel and back across the line without dropping the egg. I miss that horse. Sweet N Stylish. He's the one who taught me how to ride properly.
By the way, see that short tail? That's why you never turn sheep out with your horses. They are stupid, evil creatures who don't get that show horses are supposed to have long tails.

Monday, August 14, 2006

Open Letter to the Creepy Guy in the Library

Just because someone gives you a quick, polite half smile when they catch you looking at them, doesn't mean you should hit on them.

Especially if they are half your age.

Ewww...

Friday, August 11, 2006

50, I Mean 49 Useless Pieces of Fluff

Found this over at Bloggin' Outloud, who picked it up from Pet.

1. First name? Lady :P
2. Were you named after anyone? My middle name is Mom's first
3. When did you last cry? While watching Black Hawk Down
4. Do you like your handwriting? Usually
5. Favorite lunch meat? Honey-roasted turkey
6. Kids? Nope, not married
7. If you were another person, would you be friends with yourself? Yeah, I like weird people
8. Do you have a journal? Does this site count?
9. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Oh no, not at all... *rolls eyes*
10. Do you still have your tonsils? Nope, they're long gone
11. Would you bungee jump? Oh yeah
12. What is your favorite cereal? Cinnamon Toast Crunch
13. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? If I'm wearing tie-able shoes
14. Do you think you are strong? Nah, I'm a wimp
15. What is your favorite ice cream? Is there a "Death by chocolate, covered in chocolate" kind?
16. Shoe size? 9
(No 17???)
18. What is the least favorite thing about yourself? My fat
19. Who do you miss the most? My grandpas
20 Do you want everyone to send this back to you? Huh?
21. What color pants and shoes are you wearing right now? Blue jeans & red crocs
22. Last thing you ate? Biscuits & gravy - yum!
23. What are you listening to right now? Nothing audible, but I have Jane Monheit & Michael Buble's "I Won't Dance" in my head
24. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Is there one that changes with your moods? Otherwise, probably purple
25. Favorite smells? Coffee, leather, rain, horses, alfalfa
26. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? The Mothership
27. First thing you notice about people you are attracted to? Sense of humor
28. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yup, yup
29. Favorite drinks? Frou-frou coffee & fruity hot tea with honey
30. Favorite sport? Equestrian, especially horsemanship, western riding, reining & western pleasure
31. Hair color? Brown with a few blonde-ish streaks
32. Eye color? Indecisive - usually blue but can be grey or green depending on my mood & the colour of my shirt
33. Do you wear contacts? Nope
34. Favorite food? Chocolate
35. Last movie you watched? Black Hawk Down
36. What color shirt are you wearing? White & red with Spiderman on it
37. Summer or winter? Fall
38. Hugs or Kisses? Kisses - chocolate, yum!
39. Favorite dessert? Cheesecake
40. Who is most likely to respond? Huh?
41. Least likely to respond? Huh?
42. What books are you reading? The Hitchhiker's Quartet by Adams, The Silmarillian by Tolkien, Pride & Prejudice by Austen
43. What is on your mouse pad? Plain blue - it's the library's
44. What did you watch last night on TV? The Firefly episode Trash on DVD
45. Favorite sounds? Rain, laughter, violin, wind, thunder
46. Beatles or Rolling Stones? Rolling Stones
47. The furthest you’ve been from home? Orlando, FL
48. Do you have a special talent? Riding horses
49. When and where were you born? 1979, Topeka, KS
50. If you won a round trip ticket to anywhere in the world, where would you go? Scotland

Never Forget

I ran across this 9/11 tribute at Pet's Garden Blog. Please, go watch it.

As I watched, all the feelings from nearly five years ago came rushing back. The horror, the helplessness...

I sat here and prayed for the survivors, for the families of the lost, for our nation's leaders...

I don't personally know anyone who was lost or, as far as I know, anyone who lost someone in the terror attacks on that terrible day. But my life was changed, as was the life of every other American. I wanted so badly to do something, anything. I tried to join the military, but I have several medical disqualifiers. I couldn't donate blood because of meds & medical conditions. So, I am doing one very, very small thing that will hopefully keep the fire of remembrance burning.

I have signed up with the 2996 Project to honor a victim of the terror attacks. Her name is Barbara Walsh, from New York. She worked in the World Trade Center. I know it's not much, but it's all I have to give at this point.

If you are a blogger and have not yet done so, please go sign up to honor someone. All of victims will be remembered by someone on the fifth anniversary on September 11, 2006. They still need bloggers who are willing to devote a small amount of time to make sure that we never forget those who were murdered.

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Capital Punishment

Those of you who know me know that I am usually pretty easy-going. However I can be a little on the vengeful side too. Especially when it comes to child-raping monsters like the guy jimmyb wants to take down. Or the woman who cut off part of her son's tongue.

I work in a residential treatment facility for kids with emotional & behavioural problems. I have seen kids that are so messed up from being sexually abused, they don't want to live anymore. I have seen scars larger than my hand on a 11-year-old boy's side from where his father burned him with a hot lightbulb. I have seen cigarette burns on kids. There are kids here that cut on themselves after being told that they aren't worth jack squat by their family members. One boy watched his dad shoot & kill his mom.

People who do this to defenseless children need to be exterminated. They have no right to continue polluting this earth with their fetid presence. They should be punished by having done to them what they did to their victims. That Susan Smith woman who drowned her two little boys & then claimed they were kidnapped by a car-jacker? My punishment for her - strap her into a car, moniter her vitals & drown her. Just before she flat-lines, pull her out, revive her & do it again. And again & again. When resuscitation efforts don't work, fine. She would've had plenty of time to consider what those little boys went through while she was slowly on her way to Hades.

Oh yeah, make sure it's all done publicly.

Of course, jimmyb's idea of a bullet would be cheaper & wouldn't waste any more precious time or effort on the scum, but I think that if the public were to see what the results of their actions would be, more people would think twice before harming anyone else. Especially a child.

Now, some may think that this post or my beliefs on capital punishment don't mesh with the Sunday-ish Hymns I post, but in actuality, nothing could be more compatable.

Matthew 18:6 (NIV)
But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

(Thanks, E. David Quammen)

Question For Y'all

Am I the only one that cries at war movies?

I just watched Black Hawk Down yesterday & cried like a baby. (Shaddup - no laughing at me) I was a mess while watching Band of Brothers several months back. I don't do this during sappy chick flicks, just war movies. I think it's because I know that people did/are going through that. Do other people do this or should I just add this to my list of freakish-ness?

(That's a lot of sentences starting with 'I'...)

All Shall Love Me & Despair!

You Should Rule Saturn

Saturn is a mysterious planet that can rarely be seen with the naked eye.

You are perfect to rule Saturn because like its rings, you don't always follow the rules of nature.
And like Saturn, to really be able to understand you, someone delve beyond your appearance.

You are not an easy person to befriend. However, once you enter a friendship, you'll be a friend for life.
You think slowly but deeply. You only gain great understanding after a situation has past.
Oooh, yeah - rings are very good, although I usually go for sapphires or garnets set in gold. Also blue topaz or amethyst or emeralds...
And as for the thinking slowly, umm yeah, I think I probably do. Give me a minute to mull it over here...
From Her Royal Highness Leslie, Queen of Mercury...

It Is Well With My Soul

This has long been one of my favourite hymns and a very emotional one for my Mom. Her Dad died in '84 or '85 and this was sung at his funeral.

The story of how this song came to be written follows:

In 1871, tragedy struck Chicago as fire ravaged the city. When it was all over, 300 people were dead and 100,000 were homeless. Horatio Gates Spafford was one of those who tried to help the people of the city get back on their feet. A lawyer who had invested much of his money into the downtown Chicago real estate, he'd lost a great deal to the fire. And his one son (he had four daughters) had died about the same time. Still, for two years Spafford--who was a friend of evangelist Dwight Moody--assisted the homeless, impoverished, and grief-stricken ruined by the fire.

After about two years of such work, Spafford and his family decided to take a vacation. They were to go to England to join Moody and Ira Sankey on one of their evangelistic crusades, then travel in Europe. Horatio Spafford was delayed by some business, but sent his family on ahead. He would catch up to them on the other side of the Atlantic.

Their ship, the Ville du Havre, never made it. Off Newfoundland, it collided with an English sailing ship, the Loch Earn, and sank within 20 minutes. Though Horatio's wife, Anna, was able to cling to a piece of floating wreckage (one of only 47 survivors among hundreds), their four daughters- Maggie, Tanetta, Annie, and Bessie--were killed.

Horatio received a horrible telegram from his wife, only two words long: "saved alone." Spafford boarded the next available ship to be near his grieving wife, and the two finally met up with Dwight Moody. "It is well," Spafford told him quietly. "The will of God be done." Though reports vary as to when he did so, that belief led Spafford to pen the words to one of the English language's best-known hymns. Some say he wrote it on the ship to meet his wife, around the place where his
daughters died.


It is comforting to know that no matter what happens, God is right there & all is well, even if it doesn't seem like it at the time. Those of us who are His children have the knowledge that we will see our loved ones someday in Heaven.

Of course, as my Great-Uncle Glenn once said to a cousin's hubby, and I paraphrase, "No offense, but I think I'm gonna spend the first thousand years or so praising God. After that, I might look ya up".

It Is Well With My Soul

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lyrics found at Timeless Truths
Spafford's story found here.
Week 7 - The Battle Hymn of the Republic
Week 6 - Praise You In This Storm
Week 5 - Come Thou Fount
Week 4 - The Old Rugged Cross
Week 3 - Fairest Lord Jesus
Week 2 - Be Thou My Vision
Week 1 - A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

Saturday, August 05, 2006

Beautiful Shmeautiful...

You are Betty Grable

The ultimate girl next door
You're the perfect girl for most guys
Pretty yet approachable. Beautiful yet real.
From Betty Page aka Leslie

Thursday, August 03, 2006

I'm Such A Doofus

I did something stupid.

I told my bosses I would work every Friday & Saturday overnight the rest of the month.

This is in addition to my regular Sunday thru Thursday overnights.

Soooo, I'm gonna be working every. single. night. from Sunday, July 30th thru Monday August 28th.

I need the money & they need the staff, so it's all good, but Mom is so gonna kill me. *sigh*

But hey, after that I'm going to Colorado with the parental units for a family reunion (the Nebraska side).

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

One Awesome Marine & A Bunch of Deluded Fools

I saw this story first at Blackfive & then again at IMAO where FrankJ linked to a DemocraticUnderground thread.

The story is about a 21-year-old Marine who is his team's designated marksman. Let's just say the man is good at his job & I for one am thankful that he is. The number of lives he has saved, both American & Iraqi... just wow. Go read the whole thing.

Anyway, the DU fruit-loops would prefer that this soldier be locked up when he returns from his TDY. They call him a brainwashed, bloodthirsty sociopath, a killing machine, a souless killbot and a disgrace to the uniform who should be jailed. Those are just a few of the comments. Don't bother going over there to read the rest unless you wish to rot your brain (see what I do for you people - I'm killing my brain!) They also turn it into a racism thing & say he's going to go crazy down the road & kill his family.

Those DUmmies make me sick. This man is fighting to give the Iraqis the opportunity to have the same freedoms we have here, heck the freedom to live, & they do this to him? They claim to support the troops, but that's a big stinkin' load of bull. They need to take a little "vacation", go over there & have a nice little chat with the side they do support. Their sweet little "insurgents" won't be interested in talking. They're more the torture you, hack off your head & booby trap your body after they dump it in the desert types.

That's my 2 cents. Sorry if it's a little incoherent, I just get really ticked off at these idiots sometimes.

(Anybody know where I can get a full body transplant? I wanna join up & go kick some terrorist butt too. Dang medical restrictions...)