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Gimme A Break

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  In case you didn't notice, I took a week off from the blog to have a little vacation with my hubby. Since it was Spring Break and my husband now works during the summer, we took our summer vacation a little early. Our plans were to not have plans . We were going to jump in the car, visit our daughter down South, and then head towards Tennessee. If you know me, you know that I struggle with not having a plan. Having a plan is good, but it can get out of control to the point that it becomes a source of anxiety if things don't go according to plan. Our goal was to relax and walk away with fun stories. This was a challenge for me. On the first leg of the journey, we decided to drive toward a little gas station in the middle of no where. It is one of the oldest general stores in Arkansas. On the way to the store, we noticed the GPS taking us through a National Forest and many secluded hiking trails. At one point, we were told to turn at what seemed to be some guys very cluttered y...
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After the Storm

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  I think most of America is familiar with the storms that rolled through the country. Unfortunately, several places were hit by tornados, so we need to hold up those devestated by the tornados in prayer. While the tornado warnings were going off in my area, my family performed our storm ritual that we've done since the kids were little. The only difference now was the size of my kids. My sons were visiting for dinner when the sirens sounded, so they were herded in my very narrow hallway. My oldest son is six foot eight inches tall. My other son is almost six foot, and my husband is six foot one inch tall. My son also had his very large boxer dog in the hallway. The first five minutes were fine, but as we kept scrolling back to the weather report, the time for taking shelter seemed to extend. That's when legs started cramping and knees hurt. We started to make a decision. Was safety more important than comfort? We chose comfort and spread a little further beyond the safety of ...
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Just Be Thankful It's Done

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  Have you ever been frustrated with the way your significant other or roommate does something specific? It could be putting the toilet paper roll on backwards. We all know the toilet paper is made to go over the top, not under! Or maybe it's how they wash laundry or dishes. This weekend, we always prepare for our church's small group at my house by cleaning. I found what seemed to be every Tupperware plastic dish I owned in my refrigerator and back-up refrigerator (the one in the garage for the stuff that can't fit in my regular refrigerator.) There were leftovers there that I can't remember making. We would open containers to find complex ecosystems growing within my old pot roast. Anytime I have people over, I always feel like I need to clean my refrigerator. I don't know why. I rarely have random people going through my leftovers looking for three-week-old sweet and sour, but there's always the slim chance it could happen, so I clean. My husband humors me ...
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Don't Cry Over Spilled Coffee

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  My mother told me as a child that the goofiest things happen to me. And, of course, she is correct. This last week, I had a conference with a parent, so I made sure to wear something nice . Keep in mind that I work with special needs preschool children, so I usually wear scrubs or something that can get dirty. Because of this, I'm particularly cautious when wearing my good clothes. I don't want to show up in front a parent with mystery stains all over me. Last week, I served my therapy with quick reflexes to keep strange pen marks and nose wipes off my clothes. At the completion, I drove back toward my office to prepare to meet my parents. This is where it gets good. While pulling out of the parking lot, I made my first mistake. I took a sip out of my coffee cup. I had borrowed my son's cup, so I wasn't aware that it flowed quicker than my regular cup. As I took a big sip, coffee poured out, past my mouth, and all across the front of my cream-colored shirt! It was not...
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Impromptu Ice Skating or Ice Falling

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I had an unexpected side effect of all the melting snow. Hidden ice created ice skating rinks that I personally experienced this morning at church. My family watched me perform an admirable routine with arm flapping and a foot shuffle that would impress an Olympic judge; that is until the unimpressive fall. I felt my feet fly out from under me with a smack. My elbow slammed into the concrete step and my tushy landed with a smack. My family stood and stared in fascination. My husband snapped out of it first and rushed over to help me up while asking if I was okay as I groaned. Why do we ask if someone's okay when they're obviously groaning? My husband snapped into first responder mode assessing my injuries. While my son, a career firefighter, glanced at me and said, "She's moving her arm. Nothing's broken." Wow! Thanks! In his defense, he was correct and told me that his dad had it under control. I thought about how easy it is to find yourself feeling out of...
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Are You Prepared?

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In this day and age, people need to be prepared for anything. There's preparedness for sno, ice, floods, fire, storms, viruses, food and supply shortages, etc. Everyone is preparing. There's reels about the value of eggs escalating due to shortages from flock death as a result of viruses. I've seen people that have no clue about farming prepare for future shortages by raising their own chickens. I've seen people stock-piling food to prepare for the possibility of food shortages. I've seen people buying ice melt and scrapers to prepare for snow and ice. We automatically feel the need to prepare for the inevitable. Don't believe me? Take a look at the store shelves before a snowstorm. There is a noticeable absence of bread and milk. We want to make sure we have enough to make it through tough times. Do we do this spiritually? I noticed someone commenting on the fact that he was aging and death was inevitable. Are you preparing for that inevitability? It's grea...
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Team Game or Team Commercials?

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  My husband and I are not avid football fans. I grew up going to football games as a band nerd. Mostly, I played my instrument and talked through every game, so my expertise on football in slim at best. As an church outreach, we throw a Super Bowl party. Some.come for the food, some for the fellowship, some for the game, and some for the commercials. I am team commercial. The last few years have been duds, but this year's commercials were somewhat funny. As I watched our gathered fans, I noticed there are two types: the true fan and the commercial fan. The true fan leans forward in their chair to ensure they miss nothing. The cheer the loudest and groan at the low points. They cast annoyed sideways glances at the other type: the commercial fan. The commercial fan glances at the screen during the game. They cheer with whoever is cheering and talking through most of the game while pushing everyone during the commercials. You would think these two types wouldn't get along, but t...
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