'twas the night before...the 1st day of school

The feelings I have the night before the first day back to school have always resembled how I feel the night before Christmas...I mean how I USED to feel the night before Christmas, of course, as a child. Some restlessness coupled with anxieties about what the day will bring are abundant. As much as I am looking forward to it, and to the students actually being there, it's still a bit intimidating knowing that as of tomorrow morning I am back on the unforgiving roller coaster until Friday. However, to ease some of those amusement park fears, I decided to start preparing the night before, things like lunch and outfits. Hopefully, these preparations will lead to a stress-free morning with a prompt arrival at Barbara Bush middle school. Purchasing some mouth-watering fruit and healthy Kashi and Amy's lunches will no doubt aid in a happy, healthy workday. So, in keeping with my goals of being prepared, it's time to lay the cookies out for Santa and let the sugar plums start dancing.

"operation beautiful"

My sister, author of ChiaSeedMe.com, is having a book giveaway through her blog. The book is titled "Operation Beautiful" and is sure to be a great read! For more information, visit the website operationbeautiful.com. To enter the giveaway, simply visit chiaseedme.com for more details on how to enter!

cast away

well, there's no better time to kick off my new blog journey than the day i get a cast put on for the first time ever. i broke my ankle this weekend. i think the reality of what has happened is just beginning to settle in. six weeks with a cast on my leg does not jive with my active lifestyle. i had two trips planned, one to New Mexico and one to Canada, to play in flag football tourneys. they have been cancelled. the new softball team i just started playing with will now be one player shorter. there will be no pool time or lake time til the month of july. it's been really frustrating so far, but in efforts to stay positive i remind myself that it could be a lot worse. a friend's husband's friend got nailed in the head during a softball game and was in really bad shape for awhile. guess this could be preventing that from happening, who knows. in any case, i've got to be proactive in finding other things to keep me busy. like...pool and lake time without getting in the water...watching others play softball and football...and of course scrapbooking. :) no, really i do think this would be a great time to get my thailand/asia scrapbook put together. im already two years behind.
on a different topic, i think there are few things more depressing than watching a roseanne marathon in the middle of the day. but once again i remind myself that at least i still have my brain, my looks:), food in my stomach and friends and family i love.

no one gets the last laugh.

not a lot to say...just another buddha...only this time he's laying down...it is fun to laugh and joke about it...but today i was thinking, in reality, it's not all that funny. people come to worship these gold statues...people who will spend eternity separated from God...people with hope in a lifeless object...and it's not just large statues on the side of the highway..."mini-temples" if you will, are everywhere...in the gym, the salon, restaurants, gas stations, even at the caves we went to. i judge not, but love much.

caves are cool. bats are not.

"thum" is thai for cave. as i listened to amanda try to explain to one of her disciples what a cave is tonight, i thought to myself, "what an odd place". bats. stalactite. darkness. stalagmite. bats. underground. strangley quiet. bats are weird, scary, pointless animals. i'm not even sure why they exist...

so...we went caving today. up north, near maesai and the myanmar border, are some very large underground caves available for hikers to explore. it was a fun adventure and i'm glad i went. so there's that.

more than lip service

jesus met needs. that's it. he met physical needs, emotional needs, spiritual needs. that's how he did "ministry". i think that sometimes we overlook the vitality of service to others, namely the needy, in life.

"wheels for the world" is a US based organization that sends groups around the world to fit the disabled, disfigured, and the elderly with wheelchairs that are customized to meet their specific need. what an awesome way to help the helpless. i'm so glad i was able to work with this group for a couple of days last week and see them not just tell people jesus loves them, but SHOW them He does.  

"all you need is love..."

we had the opportunity to spend some time at a couple of orphanages recently. really, these kids just need two things that we have plenty of...time and love. we enjoyed getting to hear their stories, play with them, and just to BE with them. i'm so thankful for the workers who makes these homes possible.