I am Normal

The other day as I was sitting on hold I found myself blog hopping through the friends of friends blogs, I am not sure exactly where I found the post on "normal" but it was like reading a good book, it inspired me, got me thinking...
"Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for - in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it.” ellen degeneres
Wow! This quote hit me like a ton of bricks! I so don't want to be normal but, I am. I think there is so much for me to accomplish, so much I can accomplish but how do I do it? I wish I could answer myself.
How do people go from normal to extraordinary? We are all brought into this earth the same way, we all age day by day, and we all grow up influenced good or bad by our surroundings. Most of us eventually leave home to begin our own lives, sometimes doing what we intended to do and sometimes just being caught up in the motions and sometimes doing something amazing. When Mary was born she had no idea she would give birth to the Mesiah, when Ben Franklin was born, who knew he would harness the power of electricity? Every day there are people making a difference, I am caught in the motions. Don't get me wrong I thank God everyday, well pretty much everyday, for what I have and for what I don't have. I have an amazing family, amazing friends, and things that I love in my life. But I am still normal.
What do I want? I used to want a high power career, a lot of money, a big house and a nanny. Thank goodness we grow up, and sometimes we change. What do I want now? To make a difference in the world, to be a good example to my friends and family, for God to be proud of me. A song that often times plays over and over in my head is American Baby, by Dave Matthews..."God's grace is gone and the devil is proud" I certainly don't want to make the Devil proud. What can I do to make God proud? This is my new quest - to be used for God's glory in whatever, not in what I want but where he wants me. This will be hard, it is difficult to actually let God be the Lord of your life and not try to put your own will ahead of his. I know I am selfish but I am going to try, I will consciously continue to seek and hopefully find my way out of normal.

Four degrees...

This is our temp this morning in good ol Michigan unless you want to go by wind chill which is -8. We will be heading to Florida at the end of the month and that date can't come soon enough! We are lucky that Trent's parents now winter in Lakeland, Fl and my parents live full time in TX. We love warm places to visit!

I believe

This was sent to me from my dad...Thought it was a good one to pass along.

I believe... That just because two people argue, it doesn't mean
they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue,
it doesn't mean they do love each other.

I believe... That we don't have to change friends if we understand
that friends change.

I believe .... That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to
hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I believe.... That true friendship continues to grow, even over the
longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I believe .... That you can do something in an instant that will give
you heartache for life.

I believe ..... That it's taking me a long time to become the person
I want to be.

I believe..... That you should always leave loved ones with loving
words. It may be the last time you see them.

I believe .... That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I believe ..... That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how
we feel.

I believe .... That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I believe ..... That heroes are the people who do what has to be done
when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I believe.... That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I believe..... That my best friend and I can do anything or nothing
and have the best time.

I believe..... That sometimes the people you expect to kick you
when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.

I believe....... That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right
to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I believe..... That maturity has more to do with what types of
experiences you've had and what you've learned from them,
and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I believe..... That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others;
sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe...... That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world
doesn't stop for your grief.

I believe....... That our background and circumstances may have
influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become..

I believe ....... That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret.
It could change your life Forever.

I believe ....... That two people can look at the exact same thing
and see something totally different.

I believe....... That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by
people who don't even know you.

I believe...... That even when you think you have no more to give,
when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.

I believe...... That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent
human being.

I believe ...... That the people you care about most in life are taken
from you too soon.


The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of
everything; they just make the best of everything they have.

Behind...

How I feel at this time of the year, behind. So many things I wish I could do and just not quite enough time to do them all. Hoping for the time to:
. update my blog, it really helps me to gather my random thoughts and vent
. bake cookies with my kids and package them like Martha Stewart instead of Larry the Cable Guy
. get to bed before midnight
. finish shopping before they are trying to close down their cash register
. mail packages so they actually arrive before Christmas

Only in America...

This site rules!!
Wacky Warnings

A fish spine???

Trent has a fish spine in his pinky, it has been there since APRIL! November rolls around and he decides maybe he should go to the Dr. because it hurts like crazy whenever he touches it or it gets bumped (which is pretty much all day long). This thing is buried in his finger, you can't even tell there is anything there anymore. When he first did it there was a little bump but instead of working its way out it has gone farther in. So he asks my brother in law the dentist if he thinks he maybe could take it out. Scott says no way, too many nerves and such in the hand...So he goes to his M.D. he laughs and tells him, you are going to have to see a hand specialist, I'm not touching that, too many nerves, yada yada. So he goes for in-office surgery to the hand specialist... Sorry you are going to have to schedule for outpatient surgery I can't get it out here. So this Wed afternoon my husband has to go under general anesthesia for a fishing injury. He really isn't that nervous about it, it creeps me out a little but it will be for the best in the long run. Please pray that it will be a quick in and out and he will have normal use of his hand. He has already asked the Dr. if he can keep the spine so you may just get to see it. Thanks, I'll keep you updated:)

I'm ONE...

My nephew Kristian, just turned one. There is something so exciting about introducing a baby to the joy of chocolate cake! He wasnt' quite sure what to do with it but he had fun shoving it in and waving it around. Lanie got caught in the crossfire and thought that was pretty fun!