Forever Friend

Go here to see my best friend whom I posted the last entry for. She surprised me with a special post about...me! She and I met ten years ago (can it REALLY be 10?!). Our husbands served on staff together at a precious little church in Arlington, Texas. We have such sweet memories for that five year time period. She said at the time that she and her hubby had been praying for a "friend" for her and then I came along. It cracked me up that God used ME to answer someone else's prayer, but from the moment I met her I knew we'd be friends. Little did I know that we'd end up being BEST friends for this long. (God has blessed us both with other friends through the years, of course, but we have a very special bond that is well...you'll see).

We have been through cancer with her husband (praise GOD for healing and medicine!!!), watched her little boy of two years old grow to be a young man with a deep voice, watched her as she threw-up her guts the entire pregnancy of her daughter (well--we didn't actually SEE the throw up!), listened to her completely angelic musical voice while being moved to tears by her own sweet spirit while she sings the lyrics, collected massive charms bracelets together, are connected in our hearts for China for same and different reasons, planned a tea party together for six women JUST because we found scrapbook paper that we wanted to use for it, gone to a Jewish synagogue together and it just happened to be a Bar Mitzvah (LOL!), hugged her when one of her four brothers was killed in a motorcycle accident, disagreed with each other, laughed until we cried, cried until we laughed, shared secrets, rolled our eyes in disgust at the meaness exhibited by church members at times, rolled our eyes at each other, prayed over each other, interceeded for each other, hurt for each other, hurt each other, held each other, forgiven each other, driven really far to get to each other, cheered for each other...I think you get the picture of us.

We haven't lived close for six years, but keep in tune with the other one's life. We know we were divinely put together and are grateful for such a friendship. Thank you, Lord for my sweet friend...even though she is a teacher who can't spell...
S-O-C-C-O-R. LOLOLOL! ; )

A Hairy Decision...

OK~this post is primarily for my personal friend Funderstorm. Here's my hair. It's growing.




I have a question for anyone else who wants to chime in just for kicks. Why do we do this to ourselves? You know the question: cut my hair or let it grow? Most women I talk to would have shorter hair than they sport around, but their HUSBANDS want them to have longer hair. Why? Is it supposed to be sexier than short hair or something? That's the only thing I can think of.

PandaPop likes my hair growing out, but has told me countless times, that he likes it any way I wear it and that it should be MY decision, not his. Thank you, sweet man. I am the one forcing myself into this never-ending pendulum swing.

Just this week I saw a girl at the gym with her darling super short do like I used to wear and I have to say that I almost got the scissors out right after I hopped off the treadmill. She just looked so spunky and FREE! Then I go on to see some chic in the locker room with super long hair for a woman my age (or older) and she looked very feminine and luxurious. Oh, the drama. To cut or not to cut?....that is the question.

Longer hair certainly looks cute when tossed up in an up-do with wispies falling around one's face or a sassy ponytail coming out the back of a baseball cap. However, shorter hair is so darn spunky and much cooler on the neck! Oh---and let's get me started on the whole flat iron era. I never even mess with those, because I have always taken as little time as possible to get my hair done. Today, however, I thought I'd try to "straighten" my hair for a new look with the longer tresses. Mind you, I ALREADY HAVE straight hair, but wanted the look I see on other women with the straight-all-the-way-down model. I have NO IDEA how you girls with natural waves or curls put yourself through the ritual of "straightening" your hair only to have to do it again in the morning. YUCK!!! Too hard and too much time! My hair is waaaaaay too T-H-I-C-K to try and straighten it. You see in the pic that the back didn't even get touched. I am clapping for those of you who take the time to flat iron your hair. You deserve kudos or something....maybe a massage would be better for your tired arms. Hence the reason I want my short hair back. But I can't do it yet. I guess there is some inner cave woman in me that wants to see if I can grow it long enough for PP to pull me around by my long tresses and then watch him beat his chest in triumph. Not really. That's just stupid. In fact, ALL of this is stupid. People are longing for food in their bellies right now and I am concerned over getting my hair cut or not. Hmph. Thank you, Lord that I have hair.

Wordless Wednesday #17-Contentment

Getting Into the Swing of Things...

We are kicking off our new fall schedule in the morning. I am going to have to start posting my first of the week blog posts on Sunday nights because we hit the ground running on Monday mornings bright and early. I will be teaching the young fours class at our church's Child Development Center on Mondays and Fridays while PandaGirl will be in the older fours class. She has been practicing her letters and numbers and getting into the swing of things for her "school". So cute!

After waiting and waiting and waiting for me to finish up a project for a Women's Event at our church in a month PandaGirl finally pooped out just waiting for me on her bed. I LOVE this picture! LOL!!!


By her own choice, PandaGirl decided to get a haircut to be fresh for "school".


I just think PG can pull off this haircut so well because of her little rounded face and the fact that she has two crowns on the top of her head and a cowlick (sp?) making her hair lay funny. It works out great for this cut!




This is PG's "one-of-a-kind" princess lunchbox that 5 million other little girls will be toting this year. I had a Holly Hobbie metal lunchbox with matching thermos when I was in elementary so I just had to let her get her favorite girls for her lunch tote. Memories in the making for her...


PandaPop was on the computer for two and half hours on Saturday night "drafting" his FANTASY FOOTBALL team with a bunch of guys he knows. So cracks me up! As much as I love to scrapbook, PP loves this game. Atta boy, honey! BTW: do you notice the earbud poking out of his ears??? YES! My iPod Nano came in and he downloaded lots of songs for me...woohoooo!


I am very excited about our fall schedule. Since Mondays and Fridays are working the CDC, then every other Tuesday I will be a small group leader for our MOPS group, church choir rehearsals on Wednesday nights, PG in Awanas on Wed, and her choir on Sunday nights, plus being on the leadership team for our Women's Ministry with a huge kick-off event planned for September in which I am the lead for decor AND leading an hour long break-out session not to forget any Children's Ministry events that I will most definetly help PP with AND remember we just got our gym membership and are committed to continuing our new fitness plan, you can see how blogging is going to take a backseat to living. Hope you all come and visit often. I am sure there will be lots to share. I just have to figure out when to do it! ; )

The Fun Stuff

What a FUN anniversary! Thank you for all the well wishes! It might sound arrogant, I don't mean it to, but I love it when people who never knew I had long hair see it for the first time and wig out! I love the reaction!! LOL! ; ) I cut it off about 12 years ago. You'd have thought you cut my arms off. I was bawling so bad in the salon chair after I saw my hair on the ground that I was heaving! My poor husband had to carry me to the car and I cried for a week...until I realized that my hair was actually pretty cute short. Who knew? Then I kept it short until this past year and am growing it out. Don't know why, but we'll see how long I can stand it.

Last night we went to Cozymel's Mexican food and had chicken flautas---with PECANS it them---very good, but interesting.

We then went on to the movies to see Becoming Jane. LOVE it! Cried. Came home to google her life and found out the movie doesn't really follow her life exactly. I was bummed. I just CAN'T STAND IT when liberties are taken like that and totally CHANGE the whole true story. Oh, well, "Mr Tumnus" did a fantastic job as Tom LeFroy and Anne Hathaway was perfect!


I am sooooooo excited to be getting THIS in the mail today! Can't wait to download favorite songs to my new iPod Nano to work out to at the gym! Woohoo!

We finished off the evening with our traditional Welches Sparkling Grape Juice. We have done this since 1998 drinking out of the same two wonderful wine flutes PandaPop got at the grocery store for 98 cents way back in our Seminary days!

Celebrating 15 Years!

August 22, 1992





Fifteen years ago today I became Mrs. PandaPop. What a ride it's been! Being married to a minister has been quite an experience: living on a budget, moving 13 times in 15 years (not that many churches though!), biting my tongue more times than I care to count, seeing the yuckie side of Christians (including myself!), being blessed beyond measure by the body of Christ, meeting so many people through serving in various churches and leading in ministry events, the list could go on and on. There were a few times we just wanted to throw in the towel and have some other kind of vocation seeing that a life in church work is no cake walk, but God brought us back around to see that His will is for PandaPop to be a vocational minister. Right now that happens to be a Children's Pastor. Who knows what God has in store for us in the future?

Through the years we have grown to understand how the other "ticks" and what ticks off the other! ; ) Our first five years were filled with getting to know each other as husband and wife while going in head first into church work. The next five years found us smack in the middle of struggling through infertility and the longing to start a family. God brought us closer together through that valley. It just happened to roll on over to the last five years as well. However, during the past five years our God blessed us so much by allowing us to become parents together to the most amazing and beautiful little girl from China, our daughter. Mmm...those are so sweet to us. We pray that in the next five years He will bless us with another daughter and maybe even a son. It's all in His hands.

We also (me mostly) have completely let our physical bodies go to pot over the past years! Soooo, now we are in a new phase, chapter, story, whatever you call it...and we gave ourself the most awesome gift to celebrate 15 years of marriage: a membership to Lifetime Fitness. If you have never heard of this place then look it up online and see that it is far different than a typical "gym". It truly is the top-notch, best of everything kind of health club. We are beside ourselves with joy over going here. It makes it FUN to work out!!! I wanted something that would "last" as a reminder of our 15th since on our 10th anniversary we got the James Avery GOLD wedding bands that have Song of Solomon 2:16 on them engraved in Hebrew. ("I am my beloved's and he (she) is mine".) The gift of health and vitality is a lasting present to ourselves.

The pics that follow are just a few through the years. I have an album of lots of couple pictures of us through the years. It cracks me up because we have several where we are wearing virtually the same type of glasses frames and we never meant to do it! Tonight we are going out to dinner and to see a movie. We just love being together.

PandaPop, you are my best friend and I love you infinity X 2! Thanks for so many awesome memories and I pray for many more with you, my love. Happy Anniversary! ; )

Go here for last year's story if you didn't visit this blog back then...

1992-Sante Fe, New Mexico...Youth Minister for a youth ski trip

1995-a month after I cut my hair from long to this!

2000-The infamous Y2K!...we are drinking MILK in champagne glasses! LOL!

2002-Serving at a church outside of Houston a bit after 9/11 and in the waiting time for PandaGirl (our FIRST day at this church WAS 9/11/01!!!)

2004Serving at our last church in the Dallas area and are parents to PandaGirl!

Feb. 2004 in China getting PandaGirl!

2007-Our beautiful, adorable, fun, smart and darling daughter.

2007-Last night and serving as Children's Pastor at the BEST church we have ever been blessed to serve!!! We LOVE it!

Praise the LORD!

One of our playgroup friends are in China now for daughter #2 and she is FINALLY in their arms!! Lots of joy going around for them....wooohoooooo! Go check it out here!

Mudpies!

Did you ever make mudpies as a kid? I did and LOVED it! What little kid can resist the squishy goo going through their toes and fingers, of course, getting the mud EVERYwhere? PandaGirl and our next door neighbors had fun on Friday getting their time in and memories made with this wonderfully, creative...and CHEAP entertainment!

We're All in This Together!

What did YOU do Friday night? We, of course, were on the major bandwagon called: HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2!!!! How fun and exciting to anticipate all week (all summer rather!) the wonderfully cheesy and hokey WILDCATS from East High!

PandaGirl is almost 5 and I am almost 37---not EVEN in the market Disney is targeting---and we LOVED it! Last year we got hooked (PandaPop, too!) on the original movie and the awesome soundtrack so we just had to be up with the times and partake in the ritual this summer. These movies are so clean and are very "feel good" and every now & then that's just what the doctor ordered! Who else watched? Come on, fess up! ; )

One Word Meme

I was tagged by MommySpice a couple of weeks ago to do this one-word-meme so here it is:


Yourself: honest

Your partner: best-friend

Your hair: growing

Your mother: teacher

Your father: jovial

Your favorite item: scrapbooks

Your dream last night: silly

Your favorite drink: sweet-tea

Your dream car: Nissan-350 Z

Dream home: heaven

The room you are in: kitchen

Your fear: widow

What you are great at: laughing

Where you want to be in 10 years: God's will

Who you hung out with last night: family

You're not: athletic

One of your wish list items: iPod

The last thing you did: lunch

You are wearing: clothes ; )

Your favorite weather: cool

Your favorite book: Bible

Last thing you ate: salmon

Your life: journey

Your mood: stable

Your best friend: hubby

What are you thinking about right now: pudding

Your car: moon-roof

What are you doing at the moment: duh.

Relationship status: married

What is on your t.v: Biography

When is the last time you laughed: today

And there you have it.

The Most Powerful Skit I Have Ever Seen

Geezers Benny, it's HOT out here!

Anyone who knows that little movie quote knows it came from "The Sandlot" which is one of the BEST movies of all time!!! It is the perfect reflection of the hot summer time-try-to-find-something-cool-to-do attitude we have going on in Texas right now. We were so spoiled in June with straight rain and a very mild July that now we are BAKING! Yea, that fall is around the corner! Until then though, we have to stay cool any way possible and of course, that means a few popsicles here and there.

This is what the girls did after their welcome home visit with the soldiers on Monday. They are so cute!

BLESSED to be an AMERICAN!!!

How blessed we are!!!!!!!!!!!

We live very close to Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport and had the opportunity this morning to welcome HOME 117 soldiers from Iraq! Tears, chill-bumps, and great patriotism were all around. PandaGirl and I got up at 5:30am in order to meet about 60 other people from our church to go be a part of the welcoming team.

Seeing the real live people gave new meaning and "meat" to my prayers "for the troops". Now I have real faces to recall and I shook their hands. Some were older and had clearly been in the Army as a career, but the ones that just got my heart were the twenty-somethings fighting for me to live in freedom! I am thankful now more than ever for what goes on daily in Iraq. I will make a more conscious effort to "pray for the troops". They are REAL! Not that I ever doubted our soldiers were real or not, but having a hands on experience opened my eyes to stop being so self-absorbed and consumed with the insignificant worries of daily life. Thank you, God for these precious people!

The part that really got me was that there are groups that arrive EVERY morning from service and are sent off EVERY afternoon. I was told the send-off is solemn, no kids and you get to sit and talk with the soldiers. I want to do that, too. I would love to sit and pray with them before they go off and protect my butt from terrorists. The groups we welcomed this morning are only on a two-week break and then they go out again. My life seems so incredibly easy and blessed when looking at the life these soldiers live all for our blessed USA. Hope you somehow can understand my joy and appreciation for our experience this morning.

Unsolved Mystery...; )

OK~over 100 hits yesterday on this blog and 16 bloggers commented...half of whom I already know. Seems kinda funny! We are all so secret on the web.

I won't be blogging daily anymore. Life is too short to spend soooooo much time on this thing. It IS fun, but too addictive. In a couple of weeks my schedule is changing drastically anyway and won't have the time which I did this past year. So keep checking back. Ya never know what I might like to post or when. I love memes and have one on hand just waiting to be answered. Have a great weekend!

WHO'S OUT THERE?!

I have quite a few visitors to my blog on a daily basis. It is fun to see when someone has left a comment, but I wonder who all you "other" people are?...hmmm. I know I visit blogs without commenting due to how much time it really takes to click over to a blog, read and then think if I care to say anything, but if any of you LURKERS are willing then drop me a comment and let me know who you are. It's kinda freaky knowing people know about me and I know nothing about them! ; ) LOL! Have a great day!

BTW: (I saw one of those dumb t-shirts with words on them yesterday and it said, "Thursday is the new Friday." Well, maybe that IS funny!) Be a blessing today!!! ; )

What's in Your Middle Name?

I was tagged by a new blogger and this one sounds fun plus I haven't seen this one before. (Do people just sit around and think up NEW memes?...I think I'm going to come up with one and see if it makes its way BACK to me! LOL!)

1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.
2. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.
3. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post containing your own middle name game facts.
4. At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog

Dawn:

D~Disney World. I am hoping that we actually get to go on this well planned vacation. Since it has now been postponed twice I'm not even writing it on the calendar for February when we "plan" to go!

A~Autumn...ohhhhh-I adore autumn. Fall is my MOST favorite time of year. I love the changes to cooler temps, the smell of pumpkin spice candles, decorating with pumpkins and fall leaves, football season, making caramel apples, and the smell of a campfire burning not to forget of the fun of looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas. I also have certain recipes that I only cook in the fall or winter seasons and I love bringing out the crock pot for the delicious yum-yums. The icing on the cake is that PandaGirl's birthday is smack in the middle of fall meaning that I get to go to a tea room for our traditional birthday lunch! Love it!!!

W~Wayne...this letter was way too easy. OK-I'm revealing PandaPop's true name. Gasp! (I don't think the earth is going to fall off its axis over this mystery being revealed..LOL!) My love, my best friend, the person I adore more than anyone on the planet, my confidant, my movie line quoting equal, my laughing partner, my protector, my daughter's amazing Daddy, my HERO.

N~Naps! Yessirree! I have ALWAYS loved taking naps. Doesn't matter where I am. I can power nap and be good to go or I can snuggle down in the couch with a favorite blanket and my squishy pillow and nap-away. I don't like missing them unless I am doing something super fun like shopping or scrapbooking. Otherwise, let me nap! ; )

Now, I am supposed to tag FOUR people because that's how many letters are in my middle name:

1.MommySpice

2.Glorious Grace

3.My Glamorous Life

4.Snow White