My dog snores

Well, it's Monday - I love Mondays. I don't have to work on Mondays and I usually have a quiet house all to myself on this day. Ah......so nice. But, as I sit on my couch, I hear my dog snore. Loudly....and consistently. She always snores. She does this at night too. Sometimes I wake up thinking Kevin is snoring...but no, that is just my dog who sleeps with me on my good, 500 thread count sateen sheets. She is spoiled, but we love her! She is a member of our family. We talk about her and her funny habits and personality. We worry about her if she seems to be hurt or sick. The boys love her and we can't imagine our family without her. She turned 9 this past February. She is even turning a bit gray around the nose but don't tell her we've noticed. Ladies don't like that.

Abby is our dog's name. She is a Miniature Dachshund who is not so miniature these days. She truly has a place in this family. We miss her when we are away from her. Every time any one of us see a picture of a dachshund, you can bet we'll all Awe and talk about how cute that dog is. We are just dachshund people. I love the soft side I see of my boys when they are with Abby. They show kindness and gentleness when they talk with her or snuggle with her. They can play rough with her too, but more than that, they love on her! She in turn, looks forward to 3pm each day when the boys come home. She knows.....she will get some attention and she has had plenty of time to rest while they have been gone.

When I work from home....my dog is happy. She loves the company. She loves knowing I am with her. Don't get me wrong, I know that she is a dog.....and does not have people feelings. But, I know when my dog is happy or sad and when she is having a good day. Today...is a good day.

Here are a few things I've actually learned from Abby;

1. Never get so busy that you do not enjoy a fun Sunday drive in the car with the people you love. Ride along if someone asks...It can be fun! What else do you have to do?

2. Snuggling on the couch is the best. Why would you ever sit apart from someone who can keep you warm?

3. Don't ever try to hold back your excitement when you see people you love. Wag your tail....or in our case.....smile and offer happiness when friends and family approach you. Let them know you are so glad to see them. Get up and greet people when they enter your home or yard! Be happy!

So deep on a Monday morning! I guess I still need more coffee.

We totally ran away this weekend!

Wow! It is Sunday night and I feel totally refreshed. That is not hard to do when you've had a weekend away. Kevin and I left Friday to have some total adult time. We are blessed with family and friends that don't mind looking after the boys so we can leave occasionally. The boys feel like they have special weekends too!

We excitedly left Birmingham on Friday afternoon. It only took us about 30 minutes to unwind and put on some driving music and totally.....check out mentally for 48 hours! We met Kenny and Kelly at a resort in Florence, Alabama overlooking the Tennessee River. It was awesome. We need to do this every so often!!! You know what I mean? As parents, we are better when we make time to refresh and be just with our spouses. Being with other couples is good too because sometimes, those other couples bring out good things in us. The picture above is from our movie night. We all piled up on the couch in our jammies and just enjoyed a movie! Total fun. Not the most amazing picture of me....but that is totally fine. I looked much cuter earlier that day when we were shopping around in Florence. This is me 'looking totally comfortable with who I am and where I am'. I LOVE THOSE TIMES! Ken and Kelly bring that out in Kevin and me. They are good for us that way.

Too often we feel guilty if we leave our kids for time alone with our spouses or friends. We feel we are taking time away from them. But we need time away ever now and then to recharge and be refreshed. When we get away, we are also showing our kids that time alone for mom and dad is important. We also show that the love between a mom and dad is important and requires time alone together. This is one of those things that can help set examples for our kids showing them....this is what you need to do when you get married. We want that for our kids right?

Do you ever wonder what your marriage will be like once your kids are gone? Sometimes I do. I think....wow...it will be quiet...or what will we talk about? Getting away with Kevin, is an encouragement to me. Weekends like this remind me that when that day comes, we will be just fine. We'll laugh, play cards, take walks...and just enjoy each other like we did this weekend. So now, I encourage you to take some time, soon.....to go away for a night or a weekend with just your husband. Take another couple if you want, but no kids. They'll be fine.....and they won't miss you as much as you may think they will!!! Don't wait - our days and years go by quickly and we must make the most of every day.

Psalm 90:12 from The Message translation reads;
Teach us to live wisely and well! Teach us how short our lives really are so that we may be wise.

Lord, help us live each day to the fullest as each day is truly a gift from you.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made!

My friend Pam volunteers at Save A Life. Each week she has an opportunity to talk with girls who find themselves in a situation where they think they are pregnant. Some are...others find out they are not. The one thing that most of them have in common is that they are seeking to abort their babies if they are in fact pregnant.

The girls come in scared, but after the volunteers talk with them, pray with them and show them a sonogram of the life growing inside them, they are awakened to what is happening inside them. Life. Last night the speaker told us that 9 out of 10 girls will choose to keep their baby once they see it on the sonogram. When they see the baby, they see that the baby is moving....and it is a real baby. Not just a pregnancy.

I was so proud of my friend Pam last night! She is the mother of two very active kids, the wife of a busy Doctor, a leader in her church, a leader within my Tres Dias organization, a friend to many (I mean one who does lots for others!!) and she still finds time to volunteer each week. She says that she can't imagine NOT volunteering. The Lord truly fills her each week that she gives that time to the girls...and to Him. That encouraged me to be sure I am finding my areas to serve too!! How about you? :)

The most staggering statistic I heard last night was that two thirds of all abortions in our country are from girls who are professing Christians. We are talking millions of babies. Why? Are they scared about what their parents will say? What their friends will say? Has Satan really convinced them that killing a life inside them is better than getting in trouble or re-arranging their life plan? Oh, I want to just hug these girls. They need love.....it's going to be hard for them. If you know someone who has been through this, love on them....share God's grace with them.

As I listened last night, I thought about all the teenage girls I know. That my sons know. As I thought about them, my heart began to ache, thinking that one of these girls I know could end up in a situation like this. You see, as I get older I am astounded at the people I know who have been through this situation. It touches all of us. You might not know it...but it does. I remember vividly a friend of mine, from a good Christian home, that had an abortion 17 years ago. She was engaged, but scared of what her mom and dad would say. Her dad was a deacon. I can tell you that it is still hard for her. She has been blessed with beautiful children now, but each time she sees my son - who will be 16 in May. Her heart aches, and she remembers. I remember with her. What could have made a difference back then?

Psalm 139:4 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.

God creates life - Satan does not. He destroys. Do our kids really understand that God creates life. It doesn't just happen because of a sperm and an egg. He ordains and makes....every life that has breath. If we share this more with our kids, would they realize the value more? Would teenagers that find themselves in early pregnancy situations be more inclined to see their problem pregnancy as another person?

I want to talk with the boys more about how they are fearfully and wonderfully made. Though it's not talked about as much, there are teenage boys who will grieve later in life because of an aborted baby. The clear answer, is for our teenagers to not have sex. Period. Let's all be sure we preach that first. But let's love them through their difficulties and create atmospheres where even in the hardest of situations, they can hopefully come to us for help and they always reach for the grace and love of their Heavenly Father who will never leave them or forsake them.

I am now going to make breakfast for my boys, who are most fearfully and wonderfully made. I will tell them this too!! They'll roll their eyes I am sure....and laugh.....and say 'whatever mom'. But I know, that when I place God's word before them, it enters their minds and their hearts. The word is always at work!

Who makes the cut?????

Ok.....this may sound harsh, but our kids have got to cut their list of friends. Looking through their myspace and facebook pages last night I see we've added new friends! I ask my son, do you know that girl? No...they are a friend of so and so I am told. Oh....why are they listed as your friend??? My son asked me if he was just supposed to tell the person no, I will not add you to my friend list. I very quickly told him yes...that is what you say. But our kids feel mean telling other kids no. Are you in this same situation? If you are, please tell me what you tell your kids. I've tried to explain the dangers of online predators, and how we have to keep our online friend circles small. But my kids have heard this so much, they just tune it out. It's just mom being mom. They feel they have a perfect online world because danger has never touched them directly. I've shared stories I've read with them and they've also heard things from their DARE officer at school or the school counselor. But still.....they are different. They always are, aren't they?

So...if you have extra time, look through your kids friend list today. Take a moment to look through the groups they have joined if they participate in Facebook. And....maybe some of the page elements they have added. Did you know you can add a feature to your Facebook page that is a survey of "what drug you are" or "Your Stripper Name". Yeah...all kinds of fun stuff. Kids think they are being funny. They don't see the slow process of desensitizing that is going on. Remind your kids, those things are not necessary. They don't belong on THEIR pages. The written page on a myspace or facebook account should still reflect the heart of someone who knows Jesus, and believe me.....Jesus would not be asking what their drug of choice would be...or for goodness sakes what their stripper name would be....if in fact they were a stripper. For the love.......