New Year Preparations!

Can anyone tell me why it is that two small children require so much stuff for a short get away? Honestly it looks like we are moving. We have play clothes, good clothes, hunting clothes(yes, Cohen is going hunting with my uncle), sleeping clothes, lots of underwear and socks, hairbows for Taegan, shoes, bath stuff, toys, books, just in case medicines, favorite snacks and juice.....you get my drift! I think I should've rented a UHAUL!

I am so tired from getting all of their stuff together that I don't want to get my stuff packed now. I will undoubtedly forget something, I always do. But I am looking so forward to spending time with the youth girls and guys, not to mention my best girl friends. I think it will actually be a bit of a break for me. At least the teenagers can bathe and wipe themselves! They always make me laugh too! Where they come up with some of the stuff they say, I'll never know.

I hope we all get something spiritual out of this trip, get to know each other better, and find common ground to spread the Holy Word when we get back! I am a little worried about all the traffic and people that will be there on New Year's Eve and Day, but I have prayed for the Lord to keep us safe and bring us back home safe. And that is my prayer for all of you out there as well. Have a safe and wonderful New Year!! Most importantly thank God for where you have been the past year (even if it has not been where you wanted to be, its a part of His plan), where you are now (no matter where you are-it could be worse), and where you are going (because you have the oppurtunity to be better)!

Love and Happiness to All In '09

Karri

Merry Christmas! In Memory!

I just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! I hope you all had a wonderful day celebrating the birth of our Lord, Saviour, Jesus Christ!

And, I hope you all made it through your family gatherings with your sanity intact and your feelings unhurt!

This holiday season came to me with mixed feelings. The dread of grief and the joy of seeing my two preschoolers amazement and pure wide eyed happiness on Christmas morning. To my suprise, I had a wonderful, much anticipated, relaxed day at home with my family. In fact, I didn't get out of my pjs all day!

As my family celebrated the birth of Jesus, we, by his grace, also found peace in the death of our loved ones. Cohen said papaw sent him a hug from heaven for Christmas and that is the only time I cried all day! Oh it thrills my soul to know that mom and jr are singing in the Lord's choir now! I know that they would not come back if they could, nor would I ask them of my selfishness to. But, I so look forward to that meeting day in the air!

To all of you who have lost someone this year or anytime, my prayers are with you! These are a couple of memorial poems I though were worth sharing.


Dear Mom & Dad in Heaven

I sit here and i ponder how very much
I'd like to talk to you today

There are so many things
That we didn't get to say

I know how much you love me
And how much I love you,

And each time that I think of you
I know you'll miss me too.

An angel came and called your name
And took you by the hand and said

Your place was ready in Heaven, far above . . .
And you had to leave behind, all though you dearly loved

You had so much to live for, you had so much to do . . .
It still seemed impossible, that God was taking you.

And though your life on earth is past, in Heaven it starts anew
You'll live for all eternity, just as God has promised you.

And though you've walked through Heaven's gate
We are never far apart

For each time that we think of you,
You're right here, deep with-in our hearts.

First Christmas in Heaven
I see the countless Christmas trees
around the world below
With tiny lights, like Heaven's stars,
reflecting on the snow

The sight is so spectacular,
please wipe away the tear
For I am spending Christmas with
Jesus Christ this year.

I hear the many Christmas songs
that people hold so dear
But the sounds of music can't compare
with the Christmas choir up here.

I have no words to tell you,
the joy their voices bring,
For it is beyond description,
to hear the angels sing.

I know how much you miss me,
I see the pain inside your heart.
But I am not so far away,
We really aren't apart.

So be happy for me, dear ones,
You know I hold you dear.
And be glad I'm spending Christmas
with Jesus Christ this year.

I sent you each a special gift,
from my heavenly home above.
I sent you each a memory
of my undying love.

After all, love is a gift more precious
than pure gold.
was always most important
the stories Jesus told.

Please love and keep each other,
my Father said to do.
I can't count the blessing or love
has for each of you.

So have a Merry Christmas and
Wipe away that tear
Remember, I am spending Christmas with
Jesus Christ this year


In Memory of my mom, Susie; my dad, Jr; my niece, Bridget; my cousin, Rhonda; a dear friend; Dr. John Franklin----see you on the other side of Jordan guys, I love you and miss you!

Please say a special prayer for Jason and I and the other adults going with us next week to Gatlinburg. We are taking our youth group to the Extreme Youth Conference. Jason and I are not perfect by a long shot. We not only want to teach God's word, but we want to set an example of living God's word also. Just say a prayer that the Lord's will be done through and by us and that we all have a safe trip. God Bless you all and thank you so much to all of you for your love and friendship this year!

Lots of Love
Karri

Mall Rats!

Me, Jason, and Lisa took our 5th and 6th grade Sunday School class, plus some of their friends, to the mall last Saturday. We let them get some of their holiday shopping for parents and sibs done, plus have a little fun! What am I saying? We had a ton of fun! I laughed my stinkin head off at those kids!

I have pics and videos of them bungee jumping in the mall. #3 McKay is hilarious on there. I'll try to get those on later tonight! Even my two little ones were brave enough to try it! I'm not sure if the mall or the van rides to and from there were the most funny.

On the way there, the children serenaded us with the "free credit report.com" commerical song along with a few Christmas tunes thrown in. Hey at least they can spell f to the r to the ee......... (see the video below). Then on the way home, several of the boys decided to see who had the stinkest feet and farts! Gross, I know, but still literally, stinkin hilarious!

Anyway, we all had a blast, got some Christmas shopping done, and made safely home. God is good! Jason and I had such a good time we are taking the youth group to the mall this Sat. We think we will leave our two with aunt Deanie this go around though.


Well I have to get off of here and get some more work done. Later!

So much to do, so little time!

It's a been a while since I've purged myself here, so here it goes! Life is extremely hectic right now! I have soooo much to do and absolutely no time to do it! And to be honest, I really don't want to do anything! I think I have the holiday blues. I just can't seem to get my act together. I played hookie from work today and kept my kids home from daycare just because I needed a day to enjoy the world through my kids eyes! We put all of our outside christmas decorations up and all the inside ones, except the christmas tree. That's Saturday morning before we take the sunday school class to the mall.

I have prayed more and cried out to God more this year than my whole life combined. It seems like this past year has been a rollercoaster of emotions. Losing mom and Jr. still hurts me down to my soul everyday, and the holidays just make it worse. All the estate stuff is still up in the air too. Five Points Baptist Church is having a memorial service for mom, Jr, and Paul McAdams on December 21st if anyone's interested. Work is crazy busy and stessful. The kids are......well, they are precious, but they are 3 and 4 years old, so they keep me on my toes. Jason is a wonderful husband, but just the daily work that it takes to keep a marriage strong and interesting is exhausting sometimes. By the way, we are on day 5 of 40 of THE LOVE DARE. Don't get me wrong, we have a wonderful marriage, but we can always use a little boost! Then there is always financial stuff, which seems to be the biggest stressor in our house.

On the upside of things, my relationship with God, my family, and myself have gotten so much stronger this year. I have met and reconnected with the best girl friends I have ever had in my life. Love you girls! As I said before, Jason is a wonderful husband and to hear my kids laugh makes everything seem right with the world (if only for a few minutes).

I try not to let myself get into too bad of a funk, I know I have so much to be thankful for. But, sometimes I just need to wallow! There are a couple of scriptures that help me get through my wallowing phases: I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (Ps 18.1-2).
(Jesus said)Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14.27)

So, while I work my full time job, do my full time wife and motherly duties, go to most of my husband's ballgames, teach Awana Puggles, help teach 5th and 6th grade sunday school, help with the youth group, get all my holiday shopping done, host Jason's huge family Christmas, mourn my first mother and fatherless christmas, etc....I will be praying for that sweet peace that Jesus promises. My heart is not afraid, but it is very sad that my kids no longer have grandparents to share in their milestones. I do feel blessed that mom and jr got to spoil my kids for even just a little while. Jason's parents were gone before they were born. But as I mourn death, I will celebrate the birth of Christ this christmas season, HALLELUJAH, amen!

Love you all, appreciate all your thoughts and prayers

Karri

Never Stop, don't stop, can't stop.....

That's how I live my life. That's what runs through my mind everyday. There are just not enough hours in the day. I know I just had surgery, but I cannot just sit down people! It is starting to tick me off that people want me to lay around for weeks after a simple gallbladder surgery. Yes, I know I look like i am eight months pregnant with my swelled belly, but my feet and hands still work fine! Besides the normal 7-3 job, there are always dishes to be washed, laundry to be done, meals to prepare(or a drive-thru to go through), kids to bath, dress, play with , love and discipline, husbands to keep happy, bills to pay, yadayadayada.......need I go on? My daily commute is my time. That's when I gather my thoughts, when I pray, when I breathe. I don't stop because if I stop I might not ever get going again! My brain/body does not know what to do when it is not stressed or involved in some type of drama. Stillness is awkward and unsettling to me. So thank you to all the people who worry about me, but this is who I am. I am not saying its the smart way to be or the most ideal, but it is how I cope with life! Maybe it's my ego, I guess I should pray about that. I like being involved in things. I like doing things for other people. I like being needed and useful. I want to be a good worker for the Lord and to provide for my family. Don't get me wrong I have my own pity parties often, but I try not to complain about life because I know this one is not permanent. Complaining and groaning never makes me feel better, but doing something, doing anything does. Love you all!

Trying to be better
Karri

At home!

I just wanted to say a quick thank you to all of you for your prayers! The surgery went great and I am at home now. I just ate some soup and for the first time in a month I didn't feel like I was gonna throw up after eating. WOOOHOOO!! Sorry this is such a short post, the pain meds are making the words run together! Thanks again everyone, I love you all! Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Karri

Bad week!

This has been the worst week and it's only Tuesday! You all know what happened yesterday (see post from Mon.). Then today I had to go for an ultrasound of my abdomen cause I've been feeling nauseous every time I eat. I thought it was just stress, but they found bunches of gallstones! So now I have to have the ole gallbladder out. If I keep having parts taken out, I'm gonna be an empty shell! The appendix, the uterus and ovaries, and now the gallbladder! Honestly, I am really tired of having surgery! It always seems to happen right before the holidays too. Anyway, I assume it will be sometime next week when this transpires. I'm waiting to get in to see the surgeon, but the family doc says it needs to be done asap. What a bummer! Ya'll please all say some prayers for me this week. It's extremely hard juggling my work schedule with Jason's practices and games on a normal day. So, to have the holidays and now surgery thrown in the mix..... I just need a lot of prayer! Mom and Jr. were always there for me when things like this came up in the past. They always watched the kids, and of course, mom always kept us fed, and coddled me. There's nothing like some momma lovin' when your sick! Man, I miss them so much! Oh well, I guess it could be worse. At least it's just my gallbladder and won't have me down too long (God willing). Thanks in advance for your prayers. I love you all more than yall will ever know!

Karri

Lost my everlovin mind!

Seriously, I have lost my mind! I told you guys a couple of weeks ago about me wearing my pants backwards all day. At least I could blame that on the cold medicine. I got to work this morning and not only did I forget my bra, but I only shaved one leg! @!%*#
Just commit me now. Really, its not like I have perky little breasts either. I mean they sag and tend to hang out under my arm pits, how did I forget my bra? I think I know how the one leg shaving thing happened. Long story short, in the middle of my shower this morning, there was an episode between the 3 y.o. and the 4 y.o. and a very sharp knife! No one got hurt, but needless to say I lost my train of thought. (Apparently for the rest of the day!) Ohhhhh, there's never a dull moment! Hope you all can enjoy a laugh at my expense!! Love to all!

The Crazy Lady
Karri

PS- Just so you know.....sports tape works great at hoisting "the girls" up! Good thing I had some Macguyver tools at work!

Basketball Season and Elections

Well, b-ball season is in full-swing now. Football ended on thursday before Halloween and the first b-ball game was the following monday. No rest for the weary! While I do love sports, being a coach's wife is sometimes very frustrating. I call myself a single parent during ball seasons! Since Jason helps with football and basketball we usually don't get to see him until sometime from May to August. The 7th and 8th grade boys are doing great though. They beat valley head monday night pretty badly, but lost to NSM by a narrow margin tonight. I just want to say how proud I am of my husband, the coach. Even though we don't get a lot of family time, I know he is setting an example for dozens of boys coming into manhood. I always observe the other teams' coaches, how they act during the games, how they act toward officials, and most importantly how they treat their players. Jason is not a screamer, he doesn't cuss, he really even rarely gets mad. If he ever gets a technical, it'll be a miracle! It seems even when he gets on the officials they tend to ignore him :(( His philosophy for the boys is if they don't know it before they get to the game, they are not going to learn it by being screamed at in the middle of game. I have heard several comments from parents in the stands saying they wished he would be more aggressive, but I think aggression only breeds more aggression. Athletes should focus on fundamentals of a game and be confident in their skills, not plowing through a game because they are getting yelled at! Jason respects his players, and I hope they respect him in return, I know I do! It's one thing to have a God fearing/loving husband, but it's a true blessing to have a husband who tries to spread that love and truely cares about the youth of our community.
On an unrelated note, I am so glad the elections are over. I didn't realize how much energy and effort I had been putting into this election. I really struggled over this one! There was so much mudslinging and lies going around, I was spending hours at night trying to find out the truth about each candidate. Obama has won, and I am satisfied with that. I would've been satisfied with McCain too. I am not trying to be complacent about it, but I think that God has a plan for this country (good or bad, I don't know) and apparently Obama is going to lead that plan. So, I will pray for him and the other leaders in Congress, and most importantly I will pray that the people that make up this nation will stop worrying about who is on the right and who is on the left and just live for God. Every one makes mistakes, the president elect has made some major ones, and I'm sure his presidency won't be a perfect one (what presidency has been?). But, God and our nation have given him a chance to prove himself, so I think I should do the same. I was thinking about our pledge of allegiance and how I hope that we really can be that one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Ok, I'm done with my rant for the day! Stay tuned for more rants, raves, and the crazy stuff that goes on around my house!

Peace, love, and sanity to all!
Karri

Brooke's Get To Know You Game!

Brooke's Game!
I love this! Please pass it on. It's a great way to learn something you didn't know about someone. Here is the list from Brooke's blog. Copy & highlight the ones you have done.Have fun!!

1. Swam with wild dolphin
2. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
3. Been inside a Pyramid
4. Held a tarantula
5. Taken a candle lit bath-my own little get away from the kids
6. Said I love you and meant it
7. Hugged a Tree-the big oak in our backyard before we had to cut it down
8. Bungee jumped
9. Visited Paris
10. Watched a lightening storm at sea
11. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
12. Seen the Northern Lights
13. Gone to a huge sports game—Go Braves!!!
14. Walked the stairs to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
15. Grown and eaten your own vegetables-i love home grown tomatoes!
16. Touched an iceberg
17. Slept under the stars-not on purpose- oh the college years
18. Changed a baby’s diaper-too many to count
19. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
20. Watched a meteor shower
21. Gotten drunk on champagne
22. Given more than you can afford to charity
23. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
24. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment-during psych nursing clinicals- laughing around paranoid schizophrenics is not a good idea
25. Had a food fight- nearly put out a fellow nurses eye with a grape
26. Bet on a winning horse
27. Asked out a stranger- that's how i met my husband of 13 years, I highly recommend it.
28. Had a snowball fight
29. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can- does screaming at my kids count?
30. Held a lamb
31. Seen a total eclipse
32. Ridden a rollercoaster
33. Hit a home run
34. Danced like a fool, not caring who watched
35. Adopted an accent for an entire day
36. Actually felt happy about your life, even for a moment
37. Had two hard drives for your computer
38. Visited all 50 states
39. Taken care of someone who was too drunk- those college years again!
40. Had amazing Friends--have the best friends I've ever had right now
41. Danced with a Stranger in a foreign country
42. Watched wild whales
43. Stolen a sign
44. Hitchhiked in Europe
45. Taken a road-trip
46. Gone rock climbing
47. Midnight walk on the beach
48. Gone sky diving
49. Visited Ireland
50. Been heartbroken longer than you were in love
51. In a restaurant sat at a stranger’s table and ate with them- gotta love Ichiban
52. Visited Japan
53. Milked a cow-sweet Bessie!
54. Alphabetized your CDs-and my soups, veggies, fruits, and spices-yes I'm OCD
55. Pretended to be a superhero
56. Sung karaoke -badly, but yes
57. Lounged around in bed all day-pre kids
58. Posed nude in front of strangers-not necessarily posed......also prekids-when you have plastic surgery, they sometimes have you stand nude while they draw on you.
59. Gone scuba diving
60. Kissed in the rain
61. Played in the mud-have you met my son??
62. Played in the rain
63. Gone to a drive-in theater
64. Visited the Great Wall of China
65. Started a business
66. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken- a wonderful four times, when I fell in love with God,my husband, and my kids ( i'm sure they will break my heart when they get older).
67. Toured ancient sites
68. Taken a martial arts class
69. Played a computer game for more than 6 hours straight
70. Gotten married
71. Been in a movie
72. Crashed a party
73. Gotten divorced
74. Gone without food for 5 days -have you seen my butt? NO
75. Made cookies from scratch
76. Won first prize in a costume contest
77. Ridden a gondola in Venice
78. Gotten a tattoo-three, looking for number four
79. Rafted the Snake River
80. Been on television news program as an “expert”
81. Got flowers for no reason
82. Performed on a stage
83. Been to Las Vegas
84. Recorded Music
85. Eaten shark
86. Had a one-night stand
87. Gone to Thailand
88. Bought a house
89. Been in a combat zone--does working in trauma operating rooms count? Or living in a house with two toddlers?
90. Buried one/both of your parents- buried both of them in April of this year-still cry almost every day
91. Been on a cruise ship
92. Spoken more than one language fluently
93. Performed in Rocky Horror
94. Raised children -trying my best, not so good at it
95. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour-that's how i ended up with tatoo number three
96. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
97. Picked up and moved to another city-was a travel nurse-lived in several cities for six months at a time
98. Walked on the Golden Gate Bridge-yep, lived in San Fransico as a travel nurse
99. Sang loudly in the car and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
100. Had plastic surgery-need much much more
101. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have
102. Wrote articles for a large publication
103. Lost over 100 lbs
104. Held someone while they were having a flashback
105. Piloted an airplane
106. Petted a stingray-and a shark
107. Broken someone’s heart
108. Helped an animal give birth-sweet Bessie again
109. Won money on a TV game show
110. Broken a bone
111. Gone on an African safari-with Diego
112. Had a body part below the neck pierced
113. Fired a rifle, shotgun or pistol-i'm a pretty good shot if I do say so myself
114. Eaten mushrooms gathered in the wild
115. Ridden a horse
116. Had major surgery
117. Had a snake as a pet-ewww no
118. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
119. Slept for more than 30 hours over 48 consecutive hours- gotta love IV sedation
120. Visited more foreign countries than US States
121. Visited all 7 continents
122. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
123. Eaten Kangaroo meat
124. Eaten sushi
125. Had your picture in the paper
126. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
127. Gone back to school-almost finished with my Master's in Nursing!
128. Parasailed
129. Petted a cockroach
130. Eaten fried green tomatoes-yummy
131. Read the Illiad-twice
132. Selected one important author who you missed school to read
133. Killed and prepared an animal for eating-sweet bessie again (just kidding)
134. Skipped all of your school reunions
135. Communicated with someone without sharing a common language
136. Been elected to public office
137. Written your own computer language
138. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream-right now!!!!
139. Had to put someone you love in hospice care-Granny Willoughby
140. Build your own PC from parts
141. Sold your own artwork to someone that didn’t know it was yours
142. Had a booth in a street fair
143. Dyed your hair-tooooo many times
144. Been a DJ
145. Shaved your head
146. Caused a car accident
147. Saved someone’s life-I'm an operating nurse-it's what i do.

So there's my answers. Any suprises in there to anyone?

Love to All

Karri

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

I have always heard that children who asks a lot of questions tend to be gifted. Well, if that's true, Cohen is gonna be a flipin genius! Sunday, he must have ask a million questions on various subjects! Here are just a few in the order he ask them followed by my answer.

1. If God made everything, who made him? He has just always been, and will always be, no one created him.
2. Will God ever die? No
3. How did God make light without making the sun first? I am not really sure, ask Luke next time you see him.
4. When mamaw and papaw went to heaven how did their bodies leave the ground? Their old bodies stay in the ground. Their soul goes to heaven and they get a new body there.
5. What is a soul? The part of us that God gives us to think, feel, and decide things with.
6. When mamaw got a new body was she taller? I said yes, because Cohen thinks people who are short don't eat enough fruits and vegetables
7. When I go to heaven, can me and Tyler D. still play football? Yes.
8. Will my sister still whine in heaven? No, everything is perfect in heaven. She won't have anything to whine about.
9. How many pine cones does a pine tree have? Every tree probably has a different amount. When we get home why don't you see how many you can pick up.
10. Do dogs eat pinecones? Ours probably do, they eat everything else.
11. Why does Oscar (cohen's beagle) eat his throw-up? Because he's nasty
12. Can oscar have puppies? No, he's a boy dog. Only girl dogs can have puppies.
13. Why can't boy dogs have puppies? Because that's the way God made them. Animals are just like people, only the girls have babies.
14. But boys have the things that help make babies in their peepees right? Yes.
15. Well how do the boys get the things that make the babies inside the mommy's belly? Ummmmmmmmmm. Well, those things are called sperm. They look like tadpoles and they help decide what color a babies eyes and hair are gonna be and how tall they are gonna be and if the baby will be a boy or a girl. God made a man and woman to fit together like a puzzle. So when a man and woman get married they lay very close together and the man's privates fit inside the woman's privates like a puzzle. Then the man sends his sperm to the woman and the baby starts to grow in the womans belly.
16. Where does the sun go at night? On the other side of the earth. When we can't see the sun here, people in other parts of the world can.
17. Are stars fire? Kinda of.
18. Are they hot? Yes, the sun is a star and it helps heat the entire world.
19. Whey are the other stars white? I'm not sure, let's ask daddy, he might know.
20. Can people in heaven see the stars? I don't think so.
21. Can God beat up Superman? Yes.
22. Does God know where the fortress of solitude is? Yes, God knows where everything is.
23. Can people fight in heaven? No, God doesn't like it when people fight.
24. Well, what if someone else starts it? Nope, he still doesn't like it. You are supposed to just walk away if someone is being mean to you.
25. Is it ok if you just throw something at em but don't touch with your hands? No, that's still fighting.
26. But it's ok if I just hit Taegan sometimes? No, you're not supposed to fight with anyone!
27. Does God know Santa Claus? I'm sure he does, God knows everyone.
28. Santa doesn't like fights either, does he? No
29. Does God tell Santa the people that are bad or can Santa see everyone too? Santa just knows.
30. How many pinecones do you think I can pick up? A thousand

OK so yall get the idea. I could keep going, but this post would never end. Do ya'll see why I am so tired all of the time? I definitely did not want to discuss the birds and the bees with a 4 year old! He can come up with some doosies! We spend a lot of time looking up things in my house! Taegan hasn't gotten to the question stage yet! Thank goodness. I don't think my brain can take anymore! Are this many questions normal? I mean we go through this everyday! I hate to answer I don't know so much, but my goodness what his little brain can think up. I'll just keep answering the best I can I guess and hope I don't mess him up too much!

P.S. Cohen told Taegan after we got home that he wasn't playing puzzles with her anymore! So I may have to revisit that issue again!

Sudafed Head!

The most embarrassing thing happened to me today. I am going to blame it all on Sudafed. I have had a cold all week, so I've been maxed out on the Sudafed (the good stuff)! Anyway, it's Thursday morning and I have a huge class to teach at work today. We do what's called our bi-annual inservice fair. This an opportunity for me to give all of our staff and management updates on new policies, any changes in practice, and educate them on new procedures. We also do all of our emergency drills (i.e. fire, cardiac arrest, stolen baby, out-of-control patient, etc...). It's an all day event! So, you know, I want to look cute (if scrubs can be cute) since all the staff is going to be there. I go to my closet, pick out some black scrub pants, a scrub top that is white with black, lime green, and pink polka dots, and put a pink/green striped long sleeve shirt on underneath. I got my matching accessories and out the door I flew (@ 6:00 EST). I set my laptop and projector up, talk to some staff and get the day started. Everything goes off without a hitch. People payed attention, we all learned some new stuff, I think the day has ended well, and I am feeling pretty proud of myself. Apparently, I should've done a how to dress yourself drill, because when I get home @ 5:30 and go to change clothes I notice my pants are on backwards! Yep, been that way ALL DAY! How did I not notice this? Why did someone not tell me? I mean the butt pockets were obviously in the front and the cargo pockets in the back. I must have looked like a total idiot up there ranting about being responsible for yourself and your patients. ARGGGGH! I am sure the people I was teaching were thinking that I couldn't even dress myself, how in the world am I gonna give CPR to someone? Oh well, maybe I should go in with my shirt backwards tomorrow and say I am starting a new trend. Or, maybe I should lay off the Sudafed! You guys are my friends, you would've told me, right? Seriously, if I ever have my dress stuck in my pantyhose, a booger, or anything of that nature, PLEASE tell me, and I will do the same for you! Peace, love, and clear heads to all!

Karri

Politics and Christianity

OK guys this is gonna be a long one! I am on my soapbox today. I’m probably opening up a whole can of worms and I am sure I am gonna get all kinds of comments to this one. But, this subject is on my heart and mind so I’m gonna let it flow. One of the docs I work for today actually told me I was “unchristian” if I voted democratic in the upcoming presidential elections. This got me to thinking about my own moral views, my obligation to do the right thing, and all the emails and comments I have heard in the past few weeks regarding the elections and the candidates.
First of all, I hear so many things from both party views. My husband is a die hard democrat and probably 98% of my friends and co-workers are republican. I am neither, yes, I am a fence rider. I vote based the person and their particular stance on issues that are important to me. My husband, the government and economics teacher, tells me that parties do not matter so much at the local level, but make a huge difference at the state and national levels. So that leaves me to do A LOT of research to find out the REAL facts. This election is actually keeping me up at night. I know I am just one person, but I want to make the right choice. I have looked over multiple biblical scriptures that address the issue of christianity and government/politics and I am STILL undecided about who to vote for. But to all my republican friends who send me negative stuff about Obama all the time, you all should realize there is just as much negativity surrounding the McCain camp.
Here are some of the scriptures I have looked at recently: ( Matthew 22:21; Mark 12:17; Luke 20:25-render unto caesar) (John 18:36;Acts 2:44-45; Acts 4:32-37-socialism) (Romans 13:1-7-obey earthly laws) (Genesis 19:4-29 and Leviticus 18:22 in the Old Testament, and Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and 1 Timothy 1:10-homosexuality) . Too many to list on the topic of abortion.
Click here to view the democratic platform The Democratic Party; here for the republican platform http://www.gop.com/2008Platform/
Here is my stance on the issues (not than anyone cares). I’ll just cover the biggies:
· Abortion and stem cell research: I am totally against using abortion as a method of birth control. However, I do think some allowances for mother’s health, rape, or incest should be taken into account. The bible states that God knows us even before we are conceived.
Therefore, should we not also take the same stance as Catholics since any act of intercourse is a possibility for conception? But I am really not sure if the bible clearly defines when life begins. So, I have to rely on my background in science to guide my views on this issue and the issue of stem cell research. I have to think that God gave some scientist the brilliance to figure out that these tiny cells can cure some forms of cancer, debilitating disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer's, grow entire organs (if your are not a donor, you should be!) and so many more that we don’t know about yet. These cells can be harvested at the time of full term births (from the umbilical cord). They don’t have to be harvested from aborted fetuses. If this research, along with God’s will of course, could help your mother, father, your child, why wouldn’t you vote for that?
· Homosexuality- I think that marriage should be between a man and a woman. And, I do think it is a sin to live a homosexual lifestyle. It is also a sin to have premarital sex, eat too much, etc... yet we do not deny any of those offenders basic civil rights. So let's be fair, if our government is going to allow people shacking up common law benefits, then everyone should get them. When I worked in San Francisco, we had a patient on life support that was gay. He and his partner had been together for 15 years. He had not spoken to his parents or siblings in 20 years, but his parents were the ones who got to make his end of life decisions. I don’t think that’s right. Sin is sin whether you are gay or straight, but everyone should have earthly human rights extended to them.
· Environment- we have to acknowledge that this problem actually exists and we have to do something about it now. If not for us, then for our children and grandchildren. I keep hearing about the debate to drill off shore for oil or not. The truth is, it doesn’t matter how much oil we drill for if we don’t have the refineries to refine it in. Instead of spending all that money drilling and refining and giving more and more money to the oil companies, why can’t we develop the solar, wind, and hydrogen technologies that are already there? These alternative energy sources are available NOW, they just need to be marketed and produced on a national scale.
· Economics- boy this one really gets my goat. I hate that we have trillions in dollars deficit yet we keep spending and spending. Guess who’s gonna pay for it, our kids! This is the policy that most makes me turn against the republican party. When this administration took office, we had a billion dollar surplus, gas was 1.46 a gal., I could buy milk, bread, and eggs for less than $5, and we had a balanced budget.
· Socialism- I am with the republicans on this one. I am all for helping those who REALLY need helping and those who just cannot work, but I cannot justify helping people who are just too lazy to work. I don’t like the idea of redistributing wealth. As for socialized healthcare-no way! The government can’t handle the programs it already has in place. Why add more government programs for corruption and bad management?

I am so fed up with both parties spreading lies about the other party’s nominees. I am going to side with the democrats on this issue because I get sooo many emails and remarks about Obama and his campaign that are just not true. I think everyone should have all the information about both candidates to make an informed decision. Obama is not a Muslim nor is he the antichrist! Those of you who say otherwise, please do your research. And to those of you who say it is “unchristian” to vote democratic because of their stance on abortion, gay rights, and stem cell research, let’s look at the GOP’s record on those issues. I hear a lot of lip service about those hot button issues, but no action. Even when the republicans had complete control over EVERY branch of government (legislative-congress and house of representatives, executive-president and vice president, and judicial-supreme court) they did nothing to change or implement any laws or regulation regarding these issues. I am Christian because I believe Jesus came, died for my sins, rose from the grave, and will return for his kingdom no matter what my views on these issue are. I like Brian McLaren’s comment; he says “too many members of our faith communities continue to be manipulated by cynical politicians who know what tune to play to get people of faith marching obediently in their parade." McLaren adds that Christians may not be in agreement with every detail of a campaign, but says "we're electing a president, not a Messiah."
Here is a link about Obama’s religious background Cover Story: Barack Obama's Christian Journey Newsweek Politics: Campaign 2008 Newsweek.com. You can find info on John McCain’s religious views at http://www.johnmccain.com/
I would like to add that Obama does have some questionable acquaintances, but McCain spouts some nasty things out of his conservative mouth. If you would like to read some examples, please go to politicalhumor.about.com/od/johnmccain/a/mccainisms.htm

I, so far, am not endorsing either party, but I know that even political decisions are still decisions that need to be Biblically informed as much as possible. When there are no clear cut answers evident in the bible, we must pray that we each make the moral decision. But when there are biblical principles, we have a Christian duty to take that into consideration in forming our political viewpoints.
Whew! All that thinkin’ makes my brain hurt and I’m drugged up on cold medicine. So I’m goin to bed now!

I am the ultimate pooper scooper!

So, Jason and kids get to Myrtle Beach finally at 3 am Thursday morning (Jason got lost). The mapquest directions were wrong so I was trying to give him directions over the phone. I am the most directionally challenged person on the planet, so I was not a huge help by any means. Anyway, we all finally crashed around 4 am. The kids were up and raring to go at 9. So I go in the kitchen and start making some breakfast. The kids go out on the balcony to watch the ocean. A few minutes go by and I hear Cohen say “ooohh Taegan”! That’s never a good sign. Jason goes running out the balcony door and starts yelling for me. I go out there and to my surprise Taegan has left me a nice little package. Apparently she had to go reeeaaally bad, she pooped on the balcony, on the balcony ya’ll! What is wrong with my child? She looked up with those big blue eyes and that sweet little voice and said I sorry mommy, but I didn’t poop in my underwears. I’m such a softy, how could I be mad after that. So, I went and scooped the poop, spayed the balcony with Lysol and went on with our day!

Here are my sweeties at the beach!


Here are Cohen’s multiple personalities:

Taegan the model

We decide to go to Captain George’s all-you-can eat buffet that night, mostly cause kids eat free there. Can I just say I was totally impressed with my children’s crab leg crackin’ abilities. Cohen must have eaten at least 4 pounds of crab legs. He even cracked those big thorny pincher legs by himself. Taegan was no slouch herself. She was gettin’ into the little ones by herself. They definitely lost money on us that night! Check ‘em out




I love my family and I love making fun family memories . I thank God for them everyday!

Workin in Paradise

I complain all the time about work, but not this week. My company, HCA, and my center, Chattanooga Surgery Center sent me to Myrtle Beach, SC for the ambulatory division Risk and Nurse Manger Conference. This was my first time to Myrtle Beach. The beaches were clean and so many seashells! However the sand was not quite as powdery as the gulf coast beaches. They put me up in the Embassy Suites right on the oceanfront. Here is a pic of my divisions VP of operations and the other managers in the central division.

I am so proud of the center and myself! The center was recognized for the best improved out of the entire asd division (115 surgery centers)! Cases were up 146% and cost per case down 95%. Not that it was all me, the staff and management at CSC are great! However, I think I need a huge pay raise! Anyway, the conference was wonderful, but I missed my family terribly until they came up on Wed. Sometimes when I am at home, I wish I could just get away. Yet when I finally get the chance to get away I can't stop thinking about my family. I am never satisfied even when I get what I thought I wanted! This is something I pray about often and apparently still have much more prayin to do!

OK now that I am finished bragging, I just want to give credit for all of my success to the Lord. Without him, his love, honor, and mercy I would be nothing and could give nothing. I am so thankful that I have a job when so many people in this country are out of work or unhappy with their work. It makes me so ashamed that I ever complain about my job. This year has been so challenging for me in so many ways, personal and professional. I still often feel conflicted by my life roles. When I am at work I worry about home and when I am at home I worry about work. I feel like the jack of all trades and the master of none! Anybody else out there struggle with this?

Love the Ladies!!!

This was my first year to participate in my church’s annual Ladies’ Banquet. It was so much fun!!! We got to decorate tables, fellowship with one another, and worship the Lord!! What could be better? Tammy Pike helped me do this table. Here is a pic of our table.

Here are all the other beautiful tables.

Everyone did such a great job.



Here’s a pic of me and my favorite gangsta girls!! I know you’re scared of us! We could totally jack you up! HAHA


Jenny Mann- a devilish grin, but an angel’s voice. Your music always speaks to my heart.



I was honored to have the speaker, Lisa and her guest, Kathy sit at my table. And her message, what a blessing! She spoke about being jars of clay and being broken. But halleluah God can pick up all those broken pieces and put them back together to make something beautiful again.

I just love the ladies from my church. They have shown me what it is to let God work through them. I can’t wait until next years banquet! I am already thinking of table decorating ideas!

Sundays and the Mysterious Smell!

It's Sunday morning and the devil is at our house like he is every Sunday morning. Cohen, the 4 y.o. wants to play playstation instead of getting ready for church, Taegan, the 3 y.o. is having a mental breakdown over which dress to wear. I'm not even gonna talk about how long it took her to pick out shoes once she finally picked a dress. My 13 y.o. niece Tiara, who spent the night with us like she does almost every weekend, is still asleep and I cannot get her to get up and get in the shower. Jason, the husband, is wondering if we can be out the door in 20 minutes, and I haven't even had my shower yet! To make a long story short, Jason and the kids left for Sunday school while I finished getting ready and enjoyed my diet Mtn. Dew in peace. While enjoying that rare peaceful moment I get a whiff of this indescribable smell that I have been smelling off and on for about three days. I make a mental note to self to go back through the house when I get home from church to see if I can track down the air poison!

Sunday school, children's church, and regular church all go well. Great message, praises to God, and no major meltdowns from the kids. Although Cohen did make not one, but two little girls cry before we get out of the church parking lot. He loves to tackle! Taegan is getting tired and just wants to go eat lunch. Off we go on our usual Sunday lunch outing. We eat at a local restaurant with the preacher and his family and usually about 15 other friends from church. This is always a blessed time of fellowship with other Christian families whom we love dearly. Both the kids were absolute angels through the meal. No fighting, screaming, or throwing food. Thank you Lord!
So we return home and I resume my quest to find THE SMELL. I checked all of the usual offending odor origins. It wasn't the diaper pails anymore since we are now diaper free in my house! It wasn't underneath the 4 y.o. boy's bed. He has a habit of bringing outdoor "friends" (e.g. lizards, frogs, bugs) to live with us in a shoe box underneath his bed. Keep in mind he very rarely tells me when he does this and he almost always forgets about them. Needless to say, we have our own pet cemetery behind our house. That's another blog in it's self! Anyway, that wasn't the offending smell.....this time. It wasn't even one of the many fermented juice sippy cups that I often find lurking under or behind something. I know, I know, Martha Stewart would be very disappointed in my house keeping skills! But hey, I do the best I can considering I work full time, have two toddlers, have a small hairbow business, and am married to a football/basketball coach(which renders me a single parent during those seasons). I looked and smelled everywhere, and still could not figure out what in world that smell was! In the meantime, my lovely husband did what any helpful husband would do. Instead of helping me pinpoint the smell he proceeded to spray a whole can of orange scented lysol throughout the house. Fabulous! Now my house smells like orange scented poo!
After the aerosol fog cleared and I could breathe again I continued my quest. In my bedroom I saw Cohen's sleeping bag neatly rolled up in the corner. I assumed Jason had rolled it up from where the kids "camped out" in our room last weekend. As I approached the sleeping bag I could tell the smell was getting stronger. I was actually afraid to open the stupid sleeping bag! Turns out I had a right to be afraid and should not have unrolled it at all, but should've taken it straight to the firepit and torched it. Apparently, eight days ago my precious son spilled a whole cup of milk on his cute spiderman sleeping bag and didn't want to get in trouble. So, he rolled the sloppy, milk soaked, fleece and vinyl sleeping bag up into a nice, neat roll and stood it up in the corner. OMG! Just thinking about it makes me gag! Now remember, I am a surgical nurse. So I see infected pus filled wounds and bloody body parts all the time. Whatever this particular mold was had lots of hair and I am pretty sure it had legs and a heartbeat and smelled worse than ANYTHING I have ever smelled! After a couple of shrieks/screams and more than a couple dry heaves, my husband came to my rescue and took the newly living sleeping bag for a good disinfecting. Meanwhile both my children are laughing their heads off at my reaction to THE GROWTH! So, I did what any good mother would do...I told them both if they spilled anything on sheets, furniture, etc... and left it again without telling me or daddy that the germs could not be washed out, no matter how much soap and water we used, and that the germs would rot our skin off. Take that Martha Stewart!
We return to church for night services without incident. Back at home we are all tired from another typical Sunday. We all get in our pajamas and curl up on the couch for an episode of Dora the Explorer before bedtime. With Cohen on one leg and Taegan on the other, Cohen hugs me and says he is sorry for acting bad and he loves me. This prompts Taegan to hug me and tell me she loves me more than Cohen does. At that moment all was right with the world and I felt truly blessed! I can't think of anything in this world that a hug and an I love you won't make better.

Goodbyes

Those of you who know me know my family has had to say enough goodbyes this year. My mother died suddenly in April. Then three weeks later my dad passed as well. It has been the hardest and most eye opening time of my life. I miss them so much everyday and it's very hard to explain to my three and four year olds where "mamaw and papaw" are. I tell them they are in heaven with God, but sometimes the questions that come along with that are impossible to answer on a toddler level. Yet, in this time of grieve and a deep longing just to talk to them one last time, has come a greater appreciation for the small things in life that I used to take for granted everyday. On my long drives to work I take a second and take in the splendor of a beautiful sunrise instead of cursing under my breath at traffic. Or, I stay in the kids' rooms an extra five minutes just to watch their little faces light up as they tell me a story or sing me an extra song, when before I just wanted them to go to bed so I could have some "me" time. Through this loss, I have learned that God is the great comforter and that tomorrow is not guaranteed. I try to let everyone I know how much I love them and appreciate them. For all of you who have stood by me and supported me thus far, thank you! Your love and kindness and the grace of God has kept me from losing my sanity. Also, I wanted to ask everyone to pray for Dr. John Franklin's family this week. He is a plastic surgeon that I work with who was killed in a tragic car accident yesterday. He has two sons and three grandchildren who need all the love they can get. He will be missed not only in the medical community, but as a friend and a brother in Christ. See you on the other side Dr. Franklin! Tell Mom, Dad, and Bridget I said hello and we miss them more than words can say! That meeting in air will be sooo sweet!

Got gas?

O.k. I am totally new to this blogging thing, so I will try not to rant too much this go-around. I just want to know where has all the gas gone? I realize my family and I do live in a VERY rural area, but come on... I went to five, yes five different gas stations this morning and they were all completely out of gas! At the sixth gas station they did have the premium gas that now costs a gazillion dollars a gallon! To my disgust, I paid the cashier a crisp twenty dollar bill for 4.5 gallons of gas-UGGGH! Seriously, if one small (category 2) hurricane is going to cause this much trouble with our economy what in the world is going to happen if something MAJOR happens. It's all really scary to me. My husband, the high school economy teacher, tells me this is a simple supply and demand issue. He says that "IKE" threatened the supply, people panicked, and the demand went up immediately, all causing gas prices to rise. I understand all that, but IKE wasn't near as bad as predicted and we have all that "emergency" stockpiled oil here in the US. So can anyone tell me what the problem is? And really, is Sand Mountain going to get a gas delivery anytime in the near future? O.k. now that I got all of that out of my system I would like to say that I am very thankful to the good Lord above that IKE was not as bad as predicted, that he allowed my family and myself to see another glorious day, and that the sixth gas station did at least have SOME gas! To those of you reading this, please pray for the safety and comfort all of those who were directly affected by IKE .

Karri