"Let's Go P-Burg! "(dunt-dunt-du-du-dunt)

Parkersburg made it to the top 20 for Title Town USA! Who would have guessed :-)
Go HERE to vote for Parkersburg to be Title Town USA 2008.

in the car again...

It seems as though we have been in the car a lot lately... with hubby and I both being teachers... summers off allow us to travel and visit family without the worries of taking time off from work. nice! no restricitons or deadlines to be back... makes time with family a little more relaxing.

However... as nice as it is to come and go as we please... the untold hours in the car are not so much fun... especially for hubby (my eyes just get so tired).

With that being said... we are in the works of planning a 14 hour drive to Flordia in 2 weeks... Yay for Flordia and the hot summer sun... Boo for FOURTEEN hours in the car...

Two of my favorite summertime words...

well... they use to be... that was until today when the unloading of the attic began... and kept coming... and it still coming...
one of my favorite things about summer when i was a kid was having and heading to yard sales... it is like a scavenger hunt...
i guess when i was little, mom did most of the work... because today- i am exhausted... and the sale isn't until tomorrow and Saturday...

the untold amounts of stuff that we had in the crawl space we call an attic was unbelievable! and the sad thing is... most of it is new in the box... or still has tags! i am a pack rat like no one else!

tomorrow...when we unload all of the hundreds of dollars of treasures onto the tables... and wait patiently for strangers to go through our personal belongings... and pay us maybe 2% of what we originally paid... i want to take pictures of the... ummm... unusual things we have come across... i will post those tomorrow... maybe you will get a laugh like we did!

Cardboard Testimony

What is your cardboard testimony?
Could you even narrow it down to one?
How is God at work in your life?
How are your allowing God to use you?
Think about it...

Shubbery is my weakness...

Cheap Make-Up... gotta at least post once during the month of May

So... I was blog hopping the a little bit ago and found a website with really cheap make-up... great for all of us who cringe over $6.00 eye shadow...
How does $1.00 sound for eyeshadow... and eye liner... and foundation... and... the list goes on and on and on...

And to make this ever a better deal... enter the coupon code 'CAROLINA' and you get 50% off your order (up to $15 off)... I just ordered 12 items... shipping cost $6.95... and my total payment was $12.95... HELLO?!?!? you can't beat that!

ok... i blogged... well at least a little blog... it has been a hectic month... pray for me

Life's a Beach...

Or so I wish...

I LOVE the beach... I LOVE, LOVE the beach... the sand between my toes, the sound of crashing waves, the splash of water up around my ankles (water was too cold to go any deeper this time)...

Coach (aka my husband) and I were able to escape this past weekend and take a mini-vacation. We had a few days off of school and we needed a break!!! Two of our friends from church came along with us...

Allow me to take you on vacation with us...

So we headed south with a mission...

Our first stop was at a winery... but we missed the tour... and I forgot to take a picture of the cute little bistro... so...

We drove about a mile up the road from the winery to witness... first hand... a must see... the World's Largest Frying Pan... how could we not?!?it looked like they had it covered... I guess for winter... there were big-ol-bumble bees swarming everywhere! and it smelled like burnt grease...


The guys were thrilled... let me tell ya...

Then we continued south towards Wilmington...


trying to park was interesting... we found a pay-to-park lot. We parked and followed the signs to figure out where to pay. We found a big metal box. The directions said to fold up dollar bills and stick them into the slot with the correlating number (where you parked). That seemed a little shady so we went and found a meter instead. We walked around for a while... mainly down by the river. That evening we stayed in a very classy joint. Can't you tell my the glassless table top and chairs with no bottoms??? This was very unique patio furniture. I think Martha Stewart must have done the decorating.
(Let's just say it was the cheapest we could find in Wilmington)

One good thing offered in Wilmington was diner at the Olive Garden... my fave! :-)

After all the 'fun' we had in the Wilmington area, we headed on down to Myrtle Beach. We got there around noon on Sunday... so we had some time to kill before we could check in to our resort.

We decided to lay out first and get some sun while it was out... forecast was for rain later in the day. After burning for about an hour... and yes- i got burnt... we took a walk and made it down to one of the piers. We had lunch at a little joint by where the old Pavillion use to be (sad that it is gone).

Later that evening we went to play Miniature Golf- aka Putt-Putt- at "Captian Hooks". Then on to dinner at Crabby Mikes in Surfside, SC. Kevin was proud of his mad ice-cream cone skills.

Well... the rest of the trip... well... was the beach! We had a great time enjoying the warm weather and staying in our timeshare. (yes- we have a timeshare... actually... three... but that's another story for another day... and to think... they tried to get us to buy more!...grrr)

Here are some random 'beach' pictures...

Last but not least... I have SOME MORE PICTURES!!!

Here are some pics of our 'home' resort. (but we can go to any other Wyndham resort or FairShare Plus resort)...

We actually stayed in a 3 bedroom condo... and there were only 4 of us. We tried to get several others to go but they were unable to. :-( so next time, if I ask you to go to the beach... here is what you are missing if you don't go...

*This of course in the master bed and bath.*

ok- ok- more pictures :-)

This is one of the pools. It is between the 3rd and 2nd tower. There is another pool between the 2nd and 1st tower... it is one of those mirage pools...

Two lazy rivers...
view from the living room window in our room...



Coach was tired of me takin' pics... this is one of the other bedrooms... with 2 double beds... the 3rd bedroom had a king bed like the master...

We have access to many GOOD vacation deals because we own timeshares... especially last minute (if you are flexible)... need a vacation??... ask me and I will see what I can find for you... how does DIRT CHEAP for a whole week sound?!? with up to 4 people?!? i can hook you up!!!

Are we there yet?

Seems like Spring will not quite settle in completely.

We have had FROST that past two mornings... yes people- it is going below 32 overnight!
One morning this past week, as I was on my way to work, I sprayed my windows with washer fluid to clean some big doo off. It FROZE! I was driving and for a few minutes I could barely see!

Anyways... Heidi and I have been enjoying the warmer afternoons. Most afternoons (more like eveningsby the time I get home) when I get home, we have been going outside to play fetch. I just LOVE the picture I captured below... and yes... Shawn does need to mow. :-) *love you honey*


Happy Almost Spring... how are you enjoying the warmer weather?

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exhausted

that's how i feel

New Lungs!!!

Hop on over to Confessions of a CF Husand...

BUT- start here if you want an overview of their story (so that you are up-to-date)


I don't know Nate or Tricia personally, but have been reading there blog for several months.

Please be in prayer for Tricia...

To Ye Faithful Readers

I've got some stuff coming... I think about blogging more on my drive to work than any other part of the day... My brain just starts flowing... too bad I am driving and not typing... I think I need a chauffeur and a laptop

That would definitely help to fix my lack of blogging time lately :-)

humm... too bad

Easter Relevance (the series)

This blog was written by my husband Shawn- last Easter- I couldn't have said it any better myself...

Easter's Relevance...(part 1)
With the Easter holiday on the horizon...I would like to know what Easter means to you personally. Post a comment and let me know.

Easter's Relevance...true story. (part 2)
The Easter bunny, coloring and hiding boiled eggs, a story about a crucified man. What does Easter mean to you? That was the question I asked a little over a week ago. I have always known the true story of Easter, however, I really didn't understand what it meant to me. I feel that even this year I am just now really understanding what Easter is all about. The four gospels all tell the same story, each adding their details. Jesus came to Bethlehem, was betrayed by a kiss for 30 pieces of silver, tortured and beaten, lead to a cross, nailed to it, and died. However, on the third day the stone was rolled away and there was an empty tomb! So what happened to this man Jesus? Matthew says in verse 28:6, 'The angel answered, "...He is not here; for He is risen, as He said."' Then before the book of Matthew ends just 14 versus later, Jesus appears to 13 people. I am pretty sure that 13 eye witnesses would hold up in any modern day court of law. Jesus has conquered the grave, death, and sin! Still, some would like you to believe the tomb was robbed. Some say even if somebody discovered the very bones of Jesus, their faith would not be changed. I completely disagree...

Easter's Relevance...I crucified a man. (part 3)
That would change everything. Romans 10:9 states, "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Am I missing the part where it says "if I believe that Jesus died for my sins?" NO. The crucifixion and death is not the whole story. I must believe that Jesus lives. He is alive today just as much as He was alive 3 days after His horrible crucifixion. Only now He is seated at the right hand of God interceding for me...and you!So, Easter is a time of year that I remember that I have been made right with God through one man...Jesus. The man that I crucified. I am thankful for the movie "The Passion". As I watch that movie I can't help but get so mad at the people that spit on Jesus, hit Jesus in the face, flog Jesus for his outlandish teachings, make fun and tease and mock Jesus, and continue to beat him while He is carrying his cross. But I realize that everytime I sin I am doing the same thing to Jesus. When I use His name in vain, I mock Jesus. When I lust, I spit on Jesus. When I don't put Him first, I slap Jesus' face. I wasn't in the movie and I definitely wasn't alive 2000 years ago to see it, but I was there on the heart of Jesus. And I was one of the people that was jeering and beating Him down. Even though I have done all this, Romans 8:34 says, "...It is christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us." The man I helped crucify pleads to God for me. What Amazing Grace and Love! I just want you to know that this same forgiveness that has been given to me, is available for anyone that can recognize and turn from your sin, confess the Lord Jesus with their mouth, and believe that God has raised him from the dead! So, it seems to me that Easter's message is still very relevant today. It can be applied to anyone's life at anytime. It doesn't take some special ritual or even a special place. Just the quietness of your heart. Jesus is risen! Celebrate it with your life. Please, feel free to hit me up with a comment.

You were right...

OK... this is for all you ladies out there who had been pestering me for so long.

I admit... YOU WERE RIGHT!

... and mostly to blame for why I haven't updated my blog since the blog party. I couldn't put the blasted thing down! And I guess I have come to realize that I am a slow reader... which is ok in this case... because I wanted to savor every moment of the book. (the slow reader part is the reason I haven't posted in a while- I have been too involved in the book to do anything else)

This is kind of a silly thing to confess... but I almost didn't want to finish the last few chapters... I didn't want it to come to an end!

This is the first book that I have started, finished, and really enjoyed since my AP English class in high school. Honest! I love books- I love books stores (not libraries so much- there's something about a new book that I love) I love to read- I collect books- I have tons I haven't read but want to- YET- with all that in mind... this is the 1st in a long long time! AND I LOVED IT!!!!!!

Here is a small summary I found on a review site:

Sold into prostitution in childhood, Angel is a bitter young woman who trusts no man. But when God tells Michael Hosea to marry her, she learns to love and hope---until fear overwhelms her and she returns to her former life. Can she be redeemed? A skillful retelling of the biblical story of Gomer and Hosea, set amid the California gold rush.

Check here to be able to read the first few pages of chapter 1. The cover is different but the book is the same.

Hummm... which one do I want to read next?!? Any suggestions?!?