There has been a black cloud hanging over my family this past week. It has been a little crazy but all true...

Monday: My Dad went in the hospital for scheduled hip replacement surgery. He was supposed to get out on Thursday. After several complications he was released 8 days after surgery.

Thursday: My Uncle was taken by ambulance to the ER with pancreatitus. He is still in the hospital with impending gual bladder surgery.

Friday:

1. During the middle of the night my cousin's apartment building caught on fire. Their apartment was the only one that didn't burn. Praise the Lord! But, the whole building has been condemed.

2. My Aunt & Uncle had to go to the emergancy vet with their dog and because of issues had to put her to sleep.

My Dad has 5 brothers and sisters and each of these stories is from different families. It was a very hectic Christmas season. Even though it was crazy busy I feel blessed to have such a wonderful family and such a wonderful Lord to serve. He has been faithful throughout all of this.

At the request of my dear friend Brandi I am blogging about something serious...

It is an interesting thing to have a parent go through serious health issues. At the age of 37 my Dad had a heart attack. I remember waking up in the morning to find my grandparents at the house and hearing the info that my Dad was at the hospital. It is a life changing experience to learn that your father could have died.

This past Monday my Dad went in to the hospital for hip replacement surgery. Every time someone goes under the knife it is a risk. It is even more for my Dad because of his heart history. So it is a trust thing for me every time this happens. I experience an emotional battle with the Lord and me being willing to trust that he has the best in mind.

I can say that the surgery went well. There were a few complications but we are hoping that he will come home tomorrow. The Lord has again shown me how much more I need to rely on Him. I am so thankful for the blessing of a wonderful family and a great relationship with my parents.

Thanks for reading what has been on my heart...

One more thing I am thankful for...






Mr. Boots doggie name tag that says his name and my phone #

I am house sitting for my Aunt and Uncle. I dropped Mr. Boots off at their place this morning and put him out in the back yard with the big dogs. We have done this several times and he has been fine. Well at about 2:00 p.m. today I got a phone call...


Lady: Hi...ummm...I have Mr. Boots
Me: WHAT?
Lady: I have a small dog named Mr. Boots. Is he yours?
Me: Yes! I am staying at my Aunt and Uncles and he must have gotten out of the yard.
Lady: Can you come get him.
Me: I'm on my way!

I drive the 10 minute drive in total panic that not only has something happened to my dog but my family's dogs. Come to find out that they are all fine. Katie and Cooper (golden retrievers) were in the back yard. Mr. Boots had somehow squeezed through a tiny space at the bottom of the fence wanting his freedom from the yard. I'm so thankful that he only made it to the next door neighbors before someone found him.

Things that make me happy during the Christmas season...

1. shopping - I have all mine done!
2. Christmas music - I stream it all day at work!
3. peppermint hot chocolate from Starbucks
4. parties - I have already been to 3 and it's only Dec. 13
5. Christmas lights - especially driving around and looking at them (or mocking them) with friends
6. family - pretty much ALL of my extended family is coming to visit this year
7. my tree - it is humble but it makes my house look pretty
8. cookies - these make me happy all year round but I especially like Christmas cookies
9. friends - every year some friends from highschool get together and it is a great time
10. holiday pay - I like having time off work and getting paid for it!

It has been a good holiday season so far. Even though I have basically no voice right now it is still good!

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas - Music Video

My Aunt June shared this video with me when I was in Tallahassee. It makes me laugh!!

This Friday I am going with my good friend from college, Christina, to Tallahassee. My Uncle Grady and Aunt June live there and I am gonna stay with them for the weekend. On Friday night they are taking me to see Dracula. I am pretty pumped about it. This is what Wikipedia had to say about it...

Dracula is a 1924 stage play adapted by Hamilton Deane from the novel of the same name by Bram Stoker, and subsequently revised by John L. Balderston. It was the first adaptation of the novel authorised by Stoker's widow, and has influenced many subsequent adaptations.
The original production starred Raymond Huntley as Dracula; Deane had originally intended to play the title role himself, but in the event opted for the role of Van Helsing. This production toured England for three years before settling in London.
In 1927 the play was brought to Broadway by Horace Liveright, who hired John L. Balderston to revise the script for American audiences. The American production starred Béla Lugosi in his first major English-speaking role, with Edward Van Sloan as Van Helsing; both actors reprised their roles in the 1931 film version, which drew on the Deane-Balderston play.
In addition to radically compressing the plot, the play reduced the number of significant characters, combining Lucy Westenra and Mina Murray into a single character, making John Seward this Lucy's father, and disposing of Quincey Morris and Arthur Holmwood.

I want this...

I happened upon the movie i'm reed fish last night. I was searching through all of the movies on demand titles and saw that this movie starred Alexis Bledel. I have enjoyed the stuff she is in so I decided to check it out. It is such a cute movie. The story is very suprising. You are about 1/2 way through when things take a twist. I like that. Jay Baruchel, the lead guy, is so funny. I love his facial expressions. I definitly reccomend it as a good chick flic.




P.S. - check out the singer/actress Schuyler Fisk in the movie. She has an amazing voice. Come to find out she is the daughter of Sissy Spacek. You can check out her music on myspace. She is touring with one of my fave's Josh Radin. While you're at it check him out too!!

Laughed so hard I cried!...

About 3 years ago I "adopted" a mini-schnauzer from my friends Paul and Cathy. He was then called Bootsy. He has since been dubbed Mr. Boots. I love my dog. Although he can drive me completely bonkers he is a great companion. Somehow I did not realize how attached to him I was. That is, until this week. Friday he had some sort of spasm, yelped out and then kinda froze in a weird position. I was totally freaked out. I called my parents, called the vet and in the end it was decided that I should wait to see what happens. Well it kept happening. By yesterday I was convinced that he was having seizures. Yesterday I left him home all day while I was at work. I was in such a panic on my drive home that I was going to find a dead dog. He was not. He was still hurting but totally alive. So...today I took him to the vet. Come to find out the vet thinks he has a pulled muscle. Should not be a big deal at all. He has to take a week of anti-inflammatory meds and he should be fine. I have come to realize that I am one of those crazy dog people that I totally mock. While I maintain that I will not spend thousands of dollars on the health of my dog I was terrified that something was wrong. I am so glad to say he is ok. Thanks to all of my friends who put up with my worriedness. They all realize how much I love him.

Yesterday I went to Publix. Pretty much as soon as I walked in I was overwhelmed with the smell of cinnamon. I am a HUGE fan of cinnamon smells. I kept walking around the store and in the fruits & veggie section I noticed the cinnamon brooms. I was so excited. Having the brooms means it is a certain time of year. It is fall. It is time to have thing smell "fall like". So I scooped one of the brooms up and put it in my cart. My house smells so nice now. I woke up this morning and went down stairs and was immediately surprised with the scent of cinnamon tingling my nose. I love it!

Happy 1st birthday to my most cute nephew Tristan!! Aunt Lindsey loves you SO much!! Incase you have not linked to my sister's blog here is a 1 year pic of him...

Ok so I just opened my purse to get some chapstick. Come to realize that I have some interesting things in my purse and thought I would share...

1. 2 Lip Smacker chapsticks
2. 1 tube of lipstick
3. 1 tube of lip gloss
4. tide pen
5. earrings (belong to my roomie)
6. earplugs (I have NO idea why)
7. check book
8. phone
9. wallet
10. DVD (needs to be returned to Blockbuster)
11. check from UPC
12. gum
13. Financial peace cash holder
14. keys
15. black pen

I do think the 4 things of lip gloss/chapstick is kinda funny. You just never know what you will be in the mood for. The other funny thing is that I change my purse often and still manage to have this much junk in it!

Let me start by saying that I am not a reality TV watcher. For some reason I have never really been able to get into it. Last week my roomie and I were waiting for our new guilty pleasure, Gossip Girl, to start and we watched Kid Nation. There has been a lot of controversy over this show. The premise is that there is a group of kids living in an abandoned town with no adult supervision. It is kinda like survivor in that there are challenges between teams. The difference is that the challenges determine what "class" you are in. Upper class has pretty much no work to do and Lower Class has to clean the outhouses and other dirty jobs. There is a council of 4 kids who are the leaders of each group. Anytime rules are set or things are awarded it is through the council. Each week 1 kid who stands out to the council is awarded a gold star. The kicker is that it is a 2 lb gold star worth $20,000! It is really interesting to see the dynamic with the kids. Also to see who the leaders are and are not. If you have time check it out!

Where will I be tonight?....

The new Kohls in Oviedo OPENS today. They sent me a $10 giftcard in the mail. I'm pumped!!

Who Am I Casting Crowns

Last night I went with my roomie to see Hairspray. It was such a fun movie. I highly recommend it if you are looking for something light and fun. Also I have to say Monday is the night to go to the movies at the Oviedo Mall. I parked in the front and then walked up to the ticket booth with no line. It was GREAT. During the movie I noticed something. I am a HUGE Veronica Mars fan. There was a character introduced in the last season named "Piz" played by actor Chris Lowell. I now have a really big crush on him. He is totally dreamy and adorable. But I digress...

In the movie Hairspray one of the main characters is Link played by Zac Efron. It is eery how much he and Chris Lowell look alike. Check out their

pics...

Zac Efron & Chris Lowell

My cousins are parents!! Congrats to David & Julie on their new little one Judah Stephen!

www.freechickenandcoke.com

If you are a lover of Chick-fil-A like I am then go to the above website and register. They will mail you a coupon for a free chicken sandwich and a free coke! How can you beat that?!

I am feeling a BIT frazzled today! Things started off with me waking up late. I guess I did not set my alarm clock last night. So I rushed around today trying to get ready. When I got to work there was already lots of stuff to do. THEN some people that will remain un-named showed up for a meeting. These people did not come prepared at all!! I was asked to do several things for them, totally part of my job, on top of what I was already doing. Normally this would not be a big deal but today is CRAZY. There is to much to do. AAAKKK!!! I know that I am not the only one like this in my office. I also know that several of my friends feel this way. We have a BIG event here at the church this weekend and it is making everyone a little crazy.