Awesome Santa!!!

I've watched so many Christmas shows during my days off from work that I started thinking (and laughing) about all of my family's crazy Christmas holidays. I don't know that many of you will find these memories as exciting and funny as we do, but you may get a chuckle or two if you know us at all!!!

Over the years my family has made many, many trips back and forth to Indiana; especially when we first moved to Pampa. We would never have thought about missing a Thanksgiving or Christmas and would make the trip home no matter what...even if it meant traveling on Christmas Eve.

I was 6 and my sister was 9 when we made this Christmas Eve trip home. I was a tad upset that we would be traveling on the night Santa was going to be delivering gifts. Chantelle was upset, but not as devasted as me which made no sense at all!! I just couldn't figure out how in the world he would know where to find us? It wasn't like he could land his sleigh on top of our van to deliver our presents and everyone knows that he doesn't come to your house unless you're asleep!! Well, Mom and Dad wouldn't be sleeping any time soon since we were driving 1,000 miles straight through (which we did often) so that we could be there on Christmas Day. I couldn't figure any of this out and just knew we would be forgotten.

But even with all those odds against us Mom and Dad assured us that Santa would find us and all would be ok. Mom even brought our stockings and set them out just like she would've done if we were at home. I still didn't quite believe them, but Chantelle and I fell asleep anyway.

Like most kids we woke up in the middle of the night, probably to fill up with gas or take a bathroom break and there were our stockings and guess what???? THEY WERE FULL!!!! Santa did it!! He found us and got into our van without Mom and Dad seeing him!!! How was that possible??? Santa is AWESOME!!! I got the Astroids handheld Atari game!!! I loved it! How did Santa know that I was looking at that with my dad at Radio Shack a few weeks earlier???

Santa finding us on the road and being at Grandma & Grandpa's on Christmas Day with all my aunts, uncles, and cousins has to be one of the greatest Christmas memories of all!! That year I learned that Santa really could do anything! Later on I learned something my sister already knew...so could my parents!!!

A Time For Everything

Last night, Colton and I were watching last week's DVR'd episode's of Dancing With the Stars and saw two of our favorite dancers, Julianne & Derek Hough. They're fabulous!! We especially liked the tribute to Footloose the dancers did and can't wait to see the new movie. I'm not sure they'll be able to top Kevin Bacon, but I'm excited to see this new version. Footloose has been one of my all time favorite movies and I can't help but watch it every time it comes on TV. Remember when we would all try to get our foot to turn completely around like the guy in the opening credits did. Well, maybe it was just me that tried that. :) But I know that I wasn't the only one that would rewind it to last dance scene over and over and over again. As soon as I'd hear Ren yell "Let's Dance" I'd crank up the TV as loud as it would go...still do when I'm watching or when I hear the song on the radio!! Just talking about it makes me want to go watch it now!


Who knew that such a fun movie would teach me a life lesson and a Bible verse that I would remember forever. I will never forget when Ren is trying to plea his case to the town about holding the dance and he gets all of their attention when he pulls out his Bible and starts to read from Ecclesiastes. Although my parents, grandparents, and early days at church taught me this scripture I will always call it my Ren verse because in my 8 year old mind that's who taught it to me. (Ren also taught me that David leaped & danced before the Lord! "What did David do? What did David do?)



Remember this...

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.


To me, this passage seems pretty easy to understand, but is still sometimes one of the hardest to remember. I've asked myself and others many times "What should I do? What should I do?" and had forgotten that the answer was right in front of me. Sometimes when things happen it's hard to get past the one emotion we're in the middle of to even see that there's another time just around the corner. My mom has said to me "Erin, it's ok to be sad. Go ahead and camp here for a while and do what you need to do, but only for a certain amount of time. You're going to have to pick up your tent and move to the next camp site." Dad says the same thing, "It's ok to be sad or mad or tired (you can fill in the blank with your own emotion), but you have to keep moving. Go to work, go to Zumba (except daddy called it Zumbabwe!), go see your friends, just keep moving." Then there's my amazing sis who says, "It's ok. We'll have the strength and faith you need until you get yours back." Wow, I hope you are all blessed with a family like that!


I'm writing this as a reminder to you all, but mostly to myself that another time is coming. Wherever you're at today or even in this minute just be there, but don't camp there when it's not one of the preferred campsites... healing, building, laughing, dancing (or Zumbaing), embracing, mending, loving...you get the picture.


So, even though I still feel a little stuck in my current place; today I'm working on moving to a new campsite. I know there will be bumps in the road along the way to that site as well, but I'm not worried. I have my family and friends walking & praying right beside me. In fact, I'm certain one or two of them will even carry my tent for me!! :)


One last note...THANK YOU to my family & friends (you know who you are!!) who drop everything in a moments notice to talk & pray with me while I'm in the middle of getting from one campsite to the other. Whether I'm sitting in my living room, at a ballgame, or in my car driving from here to there you will never know how much it means that you pick up your phone when you see that it's me. I love you and appreciate you and am ALWAYS here for you as well.







What do people really get for all their hard work? I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose is that people should fear him. What is happening now has happened before, and what will happen in the future has happened before, because God makes the same things happen over and over again.

To Those Who Have Gone Before Us

This may sound sick and twisted to some of you, but I take comfort in others' difficult moments. Let me explain. Nothing makes a tough situation more bearable than hearing someone say "I know exactly how you feel," and knowing deep down that they really do know what you're going through because you know they've been through something similar. The comfort I feel isn't in knowing that they went through hard times, but that they came out on the other side of it.

Having conversatons is one of my most favorite things to do! When I was younger I was a talker!! It didn't matter who or what the subject was. If I had something to say I felt like it was my responsibility to share it with the rest of the world (or class). In fact, I don't believe that I have one grade school report card that doesn't say in the additional comments section: Erin talks too much, or Erin talks excessively, or I had to move Erin & Tiffany to opposite sides of the room due to their inablility to stop talking. Ahhh, the good ol days. Thank goodness that's all Mrs. Laflin, Mrs. Moore, Mrs. Farmer, and Mrs. Wyatt said. I'm sure there could've been more!

These days I do alot more listening. I love hearing stories about someones past, their high school days, their college days, how the met their spouse, their family and kids, where they came from, how they landed here, their profession, beliefs, goals, dreams and the list goes on. People are truly amazing and have amazing stories to tell! I love it!!

In addition to great conversation, I love wisdom! If there was anything I wish I had an abundance of it would be wisdom. What people may not realize is that while I'm enjoying my daily conversations with you I'm also doing my best to soak up all the wisdom I can from your life's story. I don't know, maybe I should've stuck to my second career choice and been a news anchor. I am definitely a who, what, when, where, why, and how kinda girl! Who did you lean on to get through that? What would you do differently in your life now? When did you know that was the right thing to do? Where would you be had that not happened? Why did you decide to make that choice? How did it work out? Then, if you tell me you have boys, then look out!! I'll start spitting questions out at you so fast you'll think I'm writing a book on raising sons! Just for the record, I have read them all!! I know it may seem like I'm nosey, but truly I'm not. I just know that at some point in my life I may encounter something similar if not something identical to what you're going through and I want to be armed and ready.

Speaking of kids. Now there is a subject that comes up frequently in parents' daily conversations. Gotta love them! As the mother of a teenager I would give anything for my kiddo to seek the counsel of the wise ones who have gone before him. So, if by some miraculous chance the teenagers who have access to this blog actually take the time to read it I, as someone who has "gone before," would like for them to know a few things.

1) Not every bit of advise is always going to fit with what you want to hear. In fact, most of the time, ESPECIALY when you're young it doesn't! However, there is a reason the sayings such as "been there, done that" or "history repeating itself" exists. People have actually done the things you are doing now. LISTEN TO THEM!!

2) Advise does not mean a lecture. The point is to try to help you make better choices so that you don't have to deal with facing potentially tough consequences that others have faced. Look at it this way...the more information you have, the better choice you can make! It's that simple!

3) No one is trying to take your choices away from you. It is possible for you to listen to the advise and opinions of others and STILL make your own choices. However, if you've been given Godly advise and instruction and you STILL choose to make a poor choice then the consequence is all yours. You better be ready!

4) Just because someone gives you advise doesn't mean you have to take it! Listen to what they have to say and take from their experiences what works for your situation.

5) Not all advise is going to be Godly advise. You better know the difference! If you ever doubt whether or not someone is giving you good, sound Godly advise GO FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF! If you don't have a Bible, call me, I'll get you one. Look it up!!! If the choices you are making are in line with the choices God wants you to make then all is good, but if they aren't then you better get there.

One last story before I go. This one's more for the parents then the kids. We all know that life with a teenager can be a rollercoaster. Just to give you a little perspective, on the day that this particular story took place Colton & I were on the part of the rollercoaster where it's turning upside down and going backwards AT THE SAME TIME. Enjoy!

As some of you may know I work with the elderly. There is no greater place to receive wisdom then with this generation. One afternoon a co-worker and I had gone to one of our other facilities to clean out some old files. After about 10 minutes (not really, it was a couple of hours) of looking at boxes of terminated personnel files we decided to go out on the patio for some fresh air. While we were sitting out there one of the residents joined us. She said hello and stated that she was going to walk around the courtyard a couple of times and get her daily walk in. She hung her purse over her walker and away she went. She was by far the sweetest sight ever and making really good time around that courtyard I might add!! After about 2 laps she came over and sat with us. We went through introductions and then...the conversation began!! Cleaning out terminated files had just dropped on my priority list! She told us all about her travels, her late husband, the activities she was involved in at the retirement community, what day she goes to play Bingo, (Tuesday, just in case you were wondering) and then came the subject I personally was waiting for...her KIDS. Her son had moved her to Amarillo 12 years ago to be close to him. She had other children that were scattered all over the states as well. She then looked at us and asked if either of us had kids. My co-worker told about her 2 daughters and her son and they talked about the differences in raising boys and girls. We all got a couple of laughs out of that dialogue. Then...it was my turn.
"I have a son."
"Just one?" she asked.
"Yes ma'am."
"How old is he?"
"16"
"Oh"
Oh??? That's it! I just get an "Oh." You've got to be kidding me!! There's got to be more than that!!
Well, there was.

"Let me tell ya something about teenagers" she said. "When your kids are toddlers they step on your feet, but when they become teenagers they step on your heart."

This most precious woman then reached for her walker, got up out of the chair, thanked us for visiting with her and then took off around the courtyard to finish her walk. What she didn't know is that she had given me more wisdom in those few words then she could have even possibly imagined! She had now made my list of "people who have gone before me" and she made it! Another example of a momma who had seen some hard times, but came through it and now enjoys her kiddos & the relationship they have with each other!!!

Like you, we're still on that rollercoaster every day, but thanks to those who have gone before me we don't turn upside down and go backwards for long. I'm blessed to be surrounded by wise, wise family & friends, as well as a God who gives me grace along the way to finding the wisdom I search for.

So, to all the momma's out there who are either getting their feet or their hearts stepped on, come join me for a margarita and a pedicure and we'll continue to ride the rollercoaster in style!!!

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

Well hello! As you can see I started this blog long ago when blogs started becoming so popular. I mainly did it "just because" and had no intention of EVER sharing any of these with ANYONE (except my momma & my sis)! However, there doesn't ever seem to be a day when I am not looking for some good, wholesome, godly advise & opinions on raising children (more specifically - A TEENAGER!) or career moves, or training out-of-sorts German Shepherd's, or decorating tips, or, or, or...the list goes on. So I have now decided to share my thoughts & opinions and hope that you will do the same!

If you know my dear friend Angel and you read her blogs please take into consideration that I AM NOT ANGEL! That girl has a way about writing that will have you laughing so hard you're on the verge of peeing your pants to then crying like a baby all in about 30 seconds. For that very reason, among others, I call her my Steel Magnolia. (Bet you didn't know that did you, girl?) Remember when you watched that the first time and started bawling so hard you couldn't catch your breath when Shelby died and then laughed so hard you still couldn't catch your breath when Clairie tried to get M'lyn to "take a whack at Wheezer!" Angel does the exact same thing to you (with correct spelling & punctuation, too)!!

Me...not so much! I'm not the blogging/writing genius my Steel Magnolia is nor am i a grammatical & spelling genius. If I think a comma belongs there then I will put it there and spellcheck was invented for a reason...to be used! So, if you're looking for a well layed out, grammatically correct, with no spelling errors kind of blog you might want to skip this one.

I mainly just want your feedback on your experiences and your thoughts on issues that I or friends of mine may be dealing with. When I say "issues," I mean this thing we call LIFE! I must admit that I may also just need to vent from time to time and who better to vent to then the world. Well, my world of friends! :)

I hope that you will feel free to post your truths and maybe even get a little something out of this blog wannabe as well. So in the words of Beth Moore, "Let's just do the thang!"

Here we go...I posted on facebook this morning a scripture that has been on my mind for several months. The scripture was Matthew 19:13-15 when Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” The reason that I've thought about it so much is because I've witnessed on several occasions adults leading young minds astray. Are they doing it on purpose? I hope not. Are they aware they are doing it? How could they not be??? To me the scripture is very cut and dry. I don't think you can take "do not hinder them" too much out of context. I've also been drawn to:

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
Ephesians 6:1-3

or how about

Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
Colossians 3:19-21

or

This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.
1 John 5:1-3

Obviously I could go on and on, but I'm sure you get the picture. Here's why I bring this up. A parent recently told a child "no." I know, dreadful isn't it! In this instance the parent said no because they truly felt it was in that childs best interest. Later on, an adult (non-parent of the child) has said yes to the child in regards to the same situation KNOWING the parent disagrees. Now, wouldn't that person logically & biblically be encouraging the child to go against God's very own commandment to honor thy father and thy mother which in turn would be hindering that child's walk with Christ??? I'm literally asking the question here. To me, this is encouraging a child to not only go against their parent's wishes, but in doing so encouraging the child to disregard a commandment. Plain and simple. How could you not expect to have severe consequences from our God! Am I wrong?? Am I misinterpretting the scripture?? Anyone? Anyone?

I don't think I am and here's why. After posting that on facebook I received texts messages and phone calls out the wazoo! Let me add that they were not opposing my comment. I got alot of "AMENS" and alot of "what's going on and how can we help" comments. I have great family & friends by the way!! Y'all ROCK!! However, if someone out there does have another opinion I ask that you share. Part of me doing this is to learn and grow. I want to be able to be well rounded and see the Word of God for ALL that it has to offer me. My ultimate goal is to be the best parent to the one and only child God has blessed me with. I don't want to get to the end of his teen years and wonder if I could have layed a better foundation. I want his foundation to be solid and the one way for that to happen is to see it from all angles. So please, by all means, share your thoughts.

I've been a parent for 16 years now and have spent a good part of these 16 years in constant communication with God, as I'm sure all you parents have. In fact, if you pull up next to me at a stop light and see my lips moving I might be singing, but chances are I'm having myself a conversation with the Man! Just smile and nod and I'll wave! I am so thankful that He gave his precious angel to me to raise on this earth, but sometimes don't understand how He thought I would be the best person to raise such an amazing human being. Despite all my parenting screw ups he is a great kid!! The reason he is such an amazing kid is because of my village!! Now, I don't want to get all political here, but I will say that the only thing I have agreed with Hillary on is that IT TAKES A VILLAGE! This raising kids thing is hard! Angel, if you're reading DO NOT be discouraged! You are awesome and are going to be an awesome mother!! Trust me and TRUST HIM!! But, it does take a village. My village consists of my God, my parents, my sister & brother in law, my extended family, and ALL the people who have been these wonderful influences in Colton's life. God has seen fit to place people in his life that have his best interest at heart...and mine too!! He's had coaches who have remained close since he was 5 years old. Randy, David, Richard, Johnny, Frank...the list goes on and on and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE MEN ARE STILL INVOLVED IN MY KIDS LIFE AND SO ARE THEIR PRECIOUS WIVES!! That's a dang good village!!! Our Pampa friends who check on him and support both of us in what we do daily. THEY ARE OUR VILLAGE!! None of these people would EVER, EVER consider doing or saying anything that went against my teachings and guidance. We are truly blessed and I am thankful every day that God cares so much about us to put such amazing people in our lives!

I guess that the point I'd like and hope to be making is that everything we say and do has an influence on someone. If you are in a position where you may be influencing a small child or young adult make sure you are leading them down their chosen path and not HINDERING them by guiding the down your own path. Communicate with their parents and abide by their parents wishes and boundaries. Like I said in my fb post, I know as a parent that I make mistakes...DAILY, but God will reveal to me what needs to be revealed and He will grant me and my child the grace we need to make it through in spite of those mistakes. You never know whose village you may be a part of. Take the role seriously! It's not only a big deal, but it's an honor!!

Innocent until...nope, just innocent!

After 3 years of research, investigating, questioning, and pointing the finger and then six weeks of hearing all the evidence in court, a jury has decided that Casey Anthony is NOT GUILTY of murdering her two year old daughter. So, that means that either 1) she's gotten away with it or has "pulled an OJ" as some are saying or 2) the "real" murderer is still out there and is also getting away with it. Neither one of those options is preferred.

Everyone and their dog has commented in one way or another via Facebook, Twitter, calling in to the talk shows, etc. and it seems that everyone has a different view or opinion regarding the outcome, but most also believe that she is guilty. Although they believe she is guilty they do not believe that the prosecution provided the facts and evidence needed to prove that she murdered Caley.

Here's a couple of my own confessions. I have never served on a jury. I am not an attorney. And, I only watched one day of the actual trial and a day and a half of closing arguments. With what I saw or heard, I do not think that I could have convicted her of murder. Now, a day after the verdict was announced jurors are making money deals in order to speak about the trial & how they came to the conclusion that she was not guilty. One juror has even said that she is sick to her stomach that they found her not guilty.

I'm trying really hard not to throw stones and judge these 12 people or Casey Anthony or her parents. Goodness knows that my house may not be made of glass, but it has plenty of floor to ceiling windows. I really want to be careful not to play judge and jury myself. I know it may not seem that way from the title of my blog, but I'm really going for catchy as opposed to judgy!! (is that a word?)

I do not now or ever claim to be mother of the year by any means. I have alot of learning and growing in the area of good parenting! I also don't claim that I know where my child, whose 16 years old, is every second of every day. He's 16! I don't know about every Toot n Totum coke run or if he runs to the house to pick up something from the house, but the one thing that will get him into trouble faster than anything else is for him to change locations without telling me. If he's at Tucker's house and I don't hear from him for a couple of hours, I expect that I would find him at Tucker's house if I happened to drive by. I will tell you though that when he was two years old, I DID KNOW WHERE HE WAS 24/7!! I can promise you that!! My parents had my babysitters name, number, address and my babysitter had my parents names, numbers, and address. I knew my son's schedule while he was at the sitter's from the time they had lunch, played outside, took naps, and had quiet inside time. Even when he wasn't with me, I knew what he was doing!! I'm not claiming that is "Mother of the Year" material either. Many, many people are just like this. In fact, I would say that it is the rule not the exception. Except, when it comes to Casey Anthony. In the most non-judgmental tone possible I have to say that I don't understand how you can not know where your child is for 31 days and not be convicted of some form of child abuse or neglect. That, I do not understand!

What else I know...

Caley is gone. We can turn our porch lights on from now until the day each of us draws our last breath and Caley will still be gone. We can slam Casey, call her names, hate her, hate the jury, and debate the verdict over and over and over and over, but Caley will still be gone. I don't understand why we are trying to seek "Justice for Caley" now. In my opinion, "Justice for Caley" would have been better served when it was first realized that her mother didn't want to be a mother any more. "Justice" would've been removing her from her mother's care while she was alive instead of proving her mother's guilt after she's dead.

I also know...

Caley is in a much better place than her mother will ever be in on this earth or in death. I see our Mighty Comforter holding that precious little girl and loving her like she deserves to be loved. She will never be neglected again. Casey, or whoever took Caley's life from her will receive the judgment and the punishment she/they deserve(s). The judgment and punishment received will be far more appropriate than that the 12 jurors could ever have given. Then and only then will be able to say there is "Justice for Caley." Ezekiel 25:17
I will carry out great vengeance on them and punish them in my wrath. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I take vengeance on them.'

I pray that whoever did this will lay their head on their pillow to sleep every night for the rest of their lives and see that little girls face. If they take a nap in the middle of the day, I hope they see Caley's face. If they doze off in their easy chair, I hope they see Caley's face. If they see a little girl in a stroller in the mall, I hope they see Caley. I hope they are reminded each and every day of the life that they had no right to take.

There are so many questions unanswered. Questions that we will never have the answers to. We have witnessed what we are considering to be the most unfair judgement of all and are having a hard time dealing with just how unfair this judgment really is. We don't understand, we don't comprehend, our heart's hurt whether we are a mother, grandmother, or daughter. How could anyone do this?? How could a mother do this to their child? How could a grandparent allow this to happen?? How? How? How? Why? Why? Why? We just don't know. But, let's take comfort in the fact that Someone does know.

So finally, for me, here is what I know for sure, 100%, without a shadow of a doubt...

Exodus 20:13
"You shall not murder"

Deuteronomy 5:17
"You shall not murder"

Proverbs 28:17
A man tormented by the guilt of murder will be a fugitive till death; let no one support him

Hosea 4:2
There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.

Matthew 5:21
"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment."

Romans 13:9
The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Rest In Peace little Caley and God have mercy on the soul of the person that took you from this earth.