to ponder while i am sick...

Shawn Donald, Olympic Gymnast, USA

Paul Hamm, Olympic Gymnast, USA

Michael Phelps, Olympic Swimmer, USA

These are the ones I'll be watching. What about you?

Sick.

Am I the only person in the world who feels like they are going to die when they have a 99.9 degree temp? Tell me I'm not alone here.

I'll try to post something interesting when I feel better.

Until then...try my sister's blog. At least she posts every day.

Baby!

My niece is due October 26th.

Auntie Roo is sooo excited. I've never been quite this excited about a baby. I guess it's because I was the youngest, so I've never witnessed anyone in my immediate family go through pregnancy. My one and only sister is having a child and it's kind of cool to witness a miracle. Her baby belly gets bigger every time I see her. If I could buy ANYTHING for my niece or sister, here is the list:

The cutest diaper bag ever. My sister has picked a brown and pink one...so this is just a little more flamboyant, and fabulous.

I love these. Every little girl needs a little animal print in her life. Especially my niece.

Car seat cover. Both useful and pretty! That way my sister and her husband can get a gender-neutral carseat, and Libbie can have the girliness she deserves

:-)

I think this is a pretty sweet baby sling. It's not pink, unlike the other items on the page, but it is stylish and pretty. Could be used if my sister ever has a boy, too.









A comfy glider for my sister (or brother-in-law, in fact) when there are late night baby wailings. :-) I think I would prefer this in the olivey-green that would match their nursery set.

I love my small group.

I never thought the best friends I would make here would be (for the most part) divorced women.

My small group consists of mostly single women--in every decade 20's-60's. Excepting us girls in our 20's and one woman about to turn the big 4-0, the rest have been divorced. Amazingly, most of them are not bitter and have accepted it and gotten through it with God's help. It's really nice to be able to learn things about Christ from them because they have so much to share.

People really like it when you cook not out of a box.

I made Emeril's Tex-Mex Gooey Casserole (click the link for the recipe--and do it! People love it!) for my small group for dinner tonight, and it was the biggest hit! I got so many thank-yous for my COOKING (which I must say, is not particularly a forte of mine.) even from the 12 year old daughters, and a sweet little 6-year-old. It's not that I don't enjoy cooking, but because I still live with my parents, I don't cook all that often. I may have to amend that--I think it would be an act of service that my mom deserves.

Instead of just complaining about DeAnna...

Time for some of my FAVORITE QUOTATIONS!! (Random fact: People who use the verb "quote" instead of the noun "quotation" get on my nerves.)

"Delighting thyself in the Lord is the sudden realization that He has become the desire of your heart." ~Beth Moore

“If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together, there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart, I'll always be with you.” ~Winnie the Pooh

"Grace's worst is better than the world's best." ~James Manton

"When things are looking bad, God is up to something good!" ~a woman from my church

"It's in every one of us to be wise
Find your heart, open up both your eyes
We can all know everything
Without ever knowing why
It's in every one of us by and by."
~John Denver and the Muppets


More to come when I actually have my quotations journal with me...

DeAnna Pappas

Deanna Pappas is CRAZY. And ABC is EVIL for misleading all its viewers.

For those of you who have not watched "The Bachelorette" like I have this season, here is a small update.

DeAnna got rejected by Brad Womack a couple of seasons ago on the Bachelor. He didn't pick anyone that time. I'm glad I didn't watch that season...what a loser. So, since he was a loser, they let her on to find love again as The Bachelorette this season.

Well yesterday, at the Season Finale, DeAnna was down to two men:

Jason Mesnick, Accounting Executive, and single father of a gorgeous 3-year-old boy

Jesse Csincsak, Pro Snowboarder and amazingly awkward person.

To me, the decision was simple. Jason--a single dad already settled in Seattle, Washington with a real job, who was totally in love and ready to be married. Jesse--a 26-year-old adventure-lover who didn't really seem ready to settle down (2 weeks before he proposed, we watched him tell his dad that he wasn't sure that he was ready to settle down and be married).

Not to mention Jeremy, the 3rd place man . When she cut Jeremy instead of Jesse one week ago, I was shocked beyond belief. This is when I began to think that DeAnna might just be an idiot. She proclaimed that Jeremy was "perfect" for her, but sent him home. She cried. She cried when she sent like every guy home. I would have slapped her if I were Jeremy and asked why SHE was crying. Lame.

And then there is the matter of last names. Who on earth would CHOOSE to have the last name Csincsak over Mesnick? Honestly, Deanna. Have fun with telemarketers for the rest of your life. And having to spell your name for EVERYONE. Take it from someone who has had their last name mispronounced and misspelled their entire life...you chose wrong.

Dear Jason, if you read this, I am single and ready to settle down. We can discuss the whole Seattle thing later.