In need of a cave

The phone seems to be ringing off the hook. I am about to go crazy. Granted there are a few people that I'd really love to get a phone call from but running up and down the stairs with calls for Pop has started getting on my nerves.

The storm outside is angry. It is pouring forth fury, and to tell you the truth it looks to be the perfect thing to spoil holloween. I agree with the storm. My temperment is in step with it's plans. I too despise the day.
Rain? I, hope it rains a lot. ~I'm not very sympathetic to the cause and I really would love for there to be a decent tv show on tonight but I don't feel like watching witches, ghosts and creepy things.

Stepping on some toes.

To my tall friends,
Hey, I see your wearing flat shoes...trying to blend in with the ground??? *snickers* Oh, wait...that really isn't funny, is it?

Think it is cute to comment on a short person's heel size? Does it make you feel better about your height? It isn't really funny and it can be down right annoying. I have more people comment on the heels of my shoes these days. The funny thing is they all think they are original and suprisingly enough they laugh at their own jokes - like they are funny.

I think Mrs. Manners and I would not be in the wrong to inform you that comments on shoe height really aren't the way to win friends and influence people. Not offended but someone needs to speak up on the matter! After all, I don't want my friends to be a bunch of heels.

Lazy days

Today was perfect. The sky was blue, the sun was warm and the water was beautiful. A friend and I took the dog and the canoe out for a lazy day on the river. Fishing poles and splashing. Great stuff!

Sneaky waiters...

My Grandmother and my Great Uncle had a birthday celebration yesterday. We all went out to eat at a local mexican food restruant. While we were there Grandmom opened a present. Then our observant waiter tried to get me in trouble. He walked up and asked me whose birthday it was and I assumed that someone else had discussed the matter so I opened my big mouth and made a few gestures in the direction of my Uncle and Grandmom. Imagine the surprise on their faces when he came out singing happy birthday with all of the waiters and waitresses.

They brought out two giant sombreros and dessert. This all would have been fine but when they asked him who told he pointed to me. *gulps* ~So wrong of him, he lead me to believe he knew. What a sneaky guy. Anyway, the whole thing was pretty funny!

Hey Everyone,
I challenge you to a quizz! (my score said this)
You are a Minister. (Haha, no I'm not just a preacher's kid!)
Technically, you got them ALL RIGHT!!! I applaude you!
I furnished some very hard questions there! Congratulations! Your
mastery of the Bible is quite impressive - you are truly Bible-versed!
God Bless! (Ok, I took it and those were my results now lets see how well you guys do.)

How Bible-versed are you?
brought to you by umm...whoever he was!

Haircut

Ok, here is the deal.

Sarah is getting a haircut. The style, cut and length are undecided but I will be getting one at some point in the near future.

If you have a certain look in mind that you've been wishing I would try or someone you know would try, think that you are an expert on women's hair, are appalled at the thought of chopping off even one inch of my hair or have anything at all to say on the matter...This is the time to tell me because if you wait much longer you will miss this window of opportunity. Suggestions, links to pictures of haircuts, word of warning. Place them here or e-mail them to me.

Speak now or keep the mouth in the off position later! All suggestions will be considered, some more seriously than others. I reserve the right pick the final cut and you are in no way allowed to be offended if I don't choose the one you think might be the best. This is America though so go ahead and voice your ideas!

Oh, and so far Neal says shorter...how much shorter? Well, the only other suggestion was a buzz cut. Umm...no. Not doing that Chad so you had better try again. Any really good suggestions?

Violins and great big grins

I pulled out my violin this afternoon when I should have been heading out the door to paint. Amy was over and we had dueling violins. She played my battery operated look alike and laughed as I squeaked out a tune on the larger version. The little stink taunted me about my playing. I ended up showing her how to hold the real thing and we decided that we are going to learn how to play it sometime soon.

I must have said "If" because soon we were quoting lines from Cinderalla and having a ball. I love kids... really love them. I went away wondering why I didn't just get married so I could have some kids. Ok, well, that was a confession you won't hear much. Gotta be up really late to catch something like that coming out of my mouth.

Lesson in driving....

Well folks,
I had my first driving lesson standard style! Neal decided that he would let me drive his poor little truck. He showed me the pedals, and explained the idea behind the clutch. Then we moved the seat all the way forward and away we went...well, some of the time. Other times I just had to start the car over again.

You should have seen my teacher. He had his knees against the dashboard but suprisingly enough even with all the ruckus he remained rather calm. Actually, to tell you the truth, he'd make a good driver's ed teacher. He didn't laugh at me just with me. He also didn't add stress the situation which was really great of him.

I'm still not a pro though, so if anyone wants to let me borrow a standard for a while just let me know. I'd rather wreck one you own than one I own...
....Wait, I don't own one. Yeah, maybe that is the reason I need to use yours! I'd like to take up drag racing when I get a little better so keep that in mind!

Cousins

Today my two youngest cousins came charging up the stairway. They looked around for Grandmom and Pop but then realized that I was the only one at home. They decided to watch TV in the office so I put my keyboard away for a while and stretched out on the floor to watch the cartoon with them. All of a sudden the little rugrat who had been sitting on the couch plopped down on top of me and continued watching the his show. His bony little elbows kept digging deep into my rib cage but the look of contentment on his face that was well worth the pain.

I should have known something was up...not long after he changed locations a commercial came on, all of a sudden I found myself in the middle of an all out tickle war. The little guy just started tickling me and then he called his sister over for back up. There I was, two giggly cousins against me. Luckily they are small and haven't learned how to tickle hard yet. We were giggling and squirming until the show came on and then...magically things went back to normal. Amy caught her breath and Tyler watched and waited for his next chance to catch me off guard. Next commercial and the war was on....until the front door opened. You've never seen little kids sit up straighter or sit more quietly. It was as if we had been caught red handed in the cookie jar! I was smothering laughter because I haven't been in trouble for a long time.

Lets talk baseball..

Haha, for those of you who know me this might appear to be rather comical. Sarah talking baseball??? As Chad would say, "What in the world???"

The truth is, I rarely pay attention to baseball at all. I might ask who is playing/winning the world series on a yearly basis but that is about it. Lance and my pastor give me the weekly updates on how the Astros are doing and aside from that I haven't paid attention to the sport as a whole.

However, someone wants to know how I feel about the Astros and if I side with them as they take the shot at the MLB. What can I say? Of course I side with them, who else would I side with? I'm a Texan and I'm proud of our boys.

Well,

Hey all,
I feel like I should write something.

*coughs*


After my last post (see application below) I almost feel like crawling under the table or something but hey...I find it amusing. Seriously! I can't help but be amused...it is funny to see how people respond.

*sidenote*
I hear my Uncle has been lurking around here...haha, scary! ~ Man, it is fun to post my thoughts here until I think that my relatives might actually be getting to know me. Who'd a thunk it? I do try to write things as they are...sometimes that is good but it doesn't always work that way. Here is the deal, if your related to me and you read this blog...Well, what's seen in computer land stays in computer land...got it? Oh, and if you tell Grandmom I popped those bags of air she has been saving I'll have a bone to pick with you. Yes, you Uncle Rod.

Back to my ramblings:

Well, people want to know what I have been doing lately. I keep telling them that I paint. They look at me like there is more to life then painting...is there? I guess I'll make a stab at telling you what I've been doing.

I was in my old stomping grounds last weekend. I went to the Rodeo with Amy Saturday night. I finally rode the mechanical bull after three years of thinking it over. All I can say is, "Better late than never!!!" It was a blast! I'd do it again in a heart beat! Amy was there so if you want to know how I rode better ask her...I am not able to say. I do know that I got really dizzy...by the time I got off that thing I couldn't walk straight. ;)

We checked out the livestock while searching for J.M. and ran into Aaron D. who was planning on being in the calf scramble. Had to watch that! Aaron caught his calf in the scramble. He was super quick, first kid to get a calf. It was good stuff!

Made a few new friends at the consert. Amy likes being way up front near the people so I got to look guys like Cooter Graw, Roger Craiger and Blue Edmunson or some such persons in the eye. ~Devin if you ever read this, your eyes are beautiful! The guys sang up a storm and a good time was had by all. Oh, and I got two signatures on my free coozie. Blue E. and Devin something... can't read the last name but when they become famous I'll be putting my coozie on e-bay so keep an eye out for it!

Went to Dad's church that Sunday. It was nice seeing everyone again! Took a nice long nap Sunday afternoon. Then met up with Amy, Nick, John, Tab, and Ryan for some late night fellowship at Sonic after evening services.

Monday: I picked up some sticks, did some raking, visited with Amy, collected some pecans, had lunch with Chad, went to see some the Mrs. Rachel and her crew and then hung out at Dairy Mart with Jeremy, Susan, Corey and a few others.

Tuesday: I hung out at the house cleaned the rodeo dirt off of my truck and talked on the phone for hours. Marvin came by so I helped him look up some information on the computer. That might have been the day I hung out with Dad dripping oil on his drill bit while he drilled holes. It is all a blur really.

Wednesday: I hung out with Mom and then headed home. It was hard for me to leave. My brother was inviting me to watch a movie with him, and my sister and mother were making sad faces at me as if to say, "Don't leave." I finally told them not to make it harder than it already was so then my sister put on a huge silly grin and started saying, "farewell!" and shoooing me out the door. She is a nut and I miss her.
I stopped by the local hangout to get a coke for the road and had to hug all the locals goodbye. They wanted to know when I was coming back but I couldn't say for sure so it stunk to not know. Then, to clench the deal, as I pulled out of town I passed a good friend who called me up on the cell phone and wanted to know if I was going to my Dad's church that night. He was. I said, "no." and sadly headed down the road to new places and other faces.

*sighs* I was almost feeling sorry for myself but then...

As I drove into town Wed. night I picked up a guy walking down the street. Don't freak out yet he was perfectly harmless. Just to make sure that my Mom's heart keeps beating I had better just admit it was Jordan. For those of you who don't know him he is a fellow home schooler who I have known since he was in diapers. He lives near me and I knew it'd be ok. We got to talking and decided to head to a Bible study the next town over on Thursday night. Yeah, I skipped church to go to a Bible study. hehe...one of those things you have to do everyonce in a while!

Friday: I hung out at the bowling alley for a few hours and helped draw faces on bowling pins. Then I went to a friend's house. We were watching a cooking show and just goofing around. Haha, how is that for entertainment?

This Saturday afternoon I got ready for a nice stroll in the park when a phone call changed my plans for the evening. Off to a Bible study with my friend. Got in late but still took time for some catch up sessions on yahoo messenger. All is well and I am getting back into the groove of things in my "other town."

Now it is Sunday. Went to church this morning and am thinking a nice long nap would be the perfect way to spend my afternoon. The park still needs a visit though so who knows which will win out?

So yeah...what do I do besides paint? Not much...just whatever comes up!

Ok, if you read all that you deserve a prize! *hug* :)

Application to Date me (Part 1)

I was searching for a photo in my e-mail account when I came across the beginning of a project I started playing with sometime last year. Several things went into my decision to write this but the main reason was just for fun. I suppose I also wanted to scare away most of the casual offers. Hand a guy something like this before you will even consider dating him and you probably won't have to deal with him again...or it'll take him at least 6 months to figure out how to answer the questions!

I never actually handed this baby out but I figure I'll put it here for entertainment value.
Will I consider dating someone who fills it out?...of course, if he fits my qualifications.
The thing about this application is that there are some questions that don't have a right or wrong answer and some that do. Honesty is always the best route so if you do take the trouble of filling it out be truthful. Sure if you want to use this for yourself feel free to print it out.
..Haha, seriously you can really succeed in scaring people off by doing strange things like that so don't blame me if the guy/girl you hand this to goes running off in the other direction! (*evil grin* That is the purpose right?)

Date: ___/ ____/ 20__

Full Name:
Tag:
Address:
E-mail:
Website/weblog?
Phone Number: (___)___-_____
Cell: _____-______ Pager:____-_____
Age:____ D.O.B.: ___/___/__GPA: ___. _
Curfew: __: __am
Normal rising time: ___am
Time you prefer to retire at night: ______
Race:__________ Height:_____'____" Weight: ____lbs
Eye Color:___________
Do you consider yoursef athletic?_yes _no _somewhat
Hair Color (natural / current): _________ / ___________
Do you have any Piercings: ______
Locations:_________________________
Any tattoos?________
Where & What? _______________________________
Are you planning on getting any tattoos/piercings in the future?
___Yes
___Thinking about it/undecided/couldn't say for sure
___No, Never

Do you currently own a vehicle?____
Model: _______________________
Year: _____
Color: _____
Number of Speakers: _______
Size: ______________________
Type of deck used: ____________
Trucks:_________________

When questioned by others would you defend:
__ Chevy
__ Dodge
__ Ford
__ Other/______________________
__Undecided

What would you say your clothing tastes run toward:
(Check as many as apply)
__Western
__business casual
__Skater
__Dressy
__Mom buys my clothes sowhatever she picks out
__Casual
__Hippie
__Gothic
__50s
__Other
__Preppy
__Don't care
__Classic
__Punk
Favorite clothing brand: __________________
Shoe Co.: ______________

Have you ever been convicted of a felony? ____
If so, explain? __________________________
_____________________________________
How do you feel about the following habits?

Drinking acoholic beverages? _______________
___________________________________
___________________________________
Smoking? ____________________________
Do you dip? ___________________________
Cussing?_____________________________
Use of illegal drugs?______________________
___________________________________
If you participate or plan to participate in any
of the above activities please list here.
___________________________________
What is your goal in life?___________________
___________________________________
Do you dance? ______ Explain:_____________
___________________________________

Do you play/participate in any sports _____
Which sports?___________________________
I:
__Play to kill
__ Play to win
__Play for fun but like to win
__Playfor enjoyment
___Depends on the group I am playing in.

Do you watch sports? _____

Which ones?_______________________
Do you race cars?____

In 50 words or less answer the following questions:
(Unless you would like to write a book on the subject
...in which case go ahead!)

1) Why do you want to date me? __________________________________
__________________________________
2) What is your idea of a date? __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Do you plan on dating as:
__ friends
__ casually
__with the intent of a serious relationship that
would end ideally end in marriage?

Anything you want to clarify on the above choice? ________________________________
________________________________

What standards do you set for yourself within a dating relationship?
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
Are you willing to abide by the standards and rules that I set up for those dating me?
__ Yes, absolutely
__ Yes, but I might try to change those.
__ No, not really
__ Like what are you talking about here?

Ever been married? _yes _no
Ever been engaged?_____ How many times?____
Have any children? _____________________________
Any situations that you should tell someone you are wanting to date? __________________________________________
How do you feel about having a live in girlfriend?__________
__________________________________________
Ever had any? _yes _no _currently (Allow me to clarify that I am not able or willing to be that kind of girlfriend so if your leaning that way count me out. I'm just trying to see where you stand on the issue.)

Ok, well, that was a start at something....Not all the questions are important. Some of the issues hardly matter while others are very important. I don't really know why I put this whole thing together...or why I posted it...guess I'm just bored.

Not really taking applications currently but hey, if you think your the man for the job go ahead and apply. Be sure to include a personal testimony of how the Lord is working in your life, what your relationship with Christ means to you, how you know that you are saved and also a description of the job you are applying for and how you can fill the position.

I found a great list of questions written by someone's dad that we also might discuss before you get an answer. *grins* Send application to texasgal1983@gmail.com

Having A Heart of Hospitality

A study on Luke 10:38-42

“Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.”
Luke 10:38

What does it mean to receive someone into your house?

Look up these words:
Hospitality
Receive

Having a heart of hospitality should be an important part of the grace and skill that we build into our daily lives. It is important to be prepared for those who stumble into our lives in need of lodging, a meal, someone to share with, or simply an afternoon of good Christian fellowship.
While we may not always have all the supplies that we need on hand to prepare a gourmet dinner we can prepare our hearts and homes for service in small ways each day.
When I think of the importance of hospitality, a family in the Bible comes to mind. Martha, Mary and Lazarus, who where good friends of our Lord Jesus Christ. They seem to have been prepared for visitors and we see in scripture that Jesus visited this family many times.
During one of our Lord’s visit with Martha and Mary we learn important truths about having a heart of hospitality.

(Luke 10 vs. 38) “Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.”
The Lord was able to drop in on Martha because she had a heart of hospitality. She most likely slaved away keeping the house in good order for her family and making sure things ran smoothly in the event that a friend should stop by.

Martha was organized. She had a plan of action. We should be prepared for life and the company it brings us. We can start by working each day to bring our hearts, and house into order. Martha was a woman of action who knew that an important step to hospitality is having a plan, and completing tasks in order to meet her goals however we see in the next few verses that having a plan of action doesn‘t always mean that our hearts are prepared to be of service to our Lord.

(Luke 10 vs. 39) “And she had a sister called Mary, which sat at Jesus’ feet and heard his word.
Mary understood that although having a clean house is important personal attention and a good environment is needed, fellowship with the Lord is also an important part of hospitality. She left her duties and came to sit by Jesus and to learn and fellowship with him. Putting Christ first in her life.

Through Mary’s reaction to Christ’s visit we see that step one to having a heart for hospitality is preparing the heart for service through personal time with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Put Christ first in your life.

Start out your day having fellowship with the Lord.

Seek the Lord’s will for your time, and life through daily prayer.

While Mary sought fellowship with the Lord, Martha slaved away. Her heart was burdened and fretful because she longed for fellowship but was stuck with the chores.

(Luke 10 vs. 40) “But Martha was cumbered about much serving. and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?”


The things Martha was doing were important but in her haste to be and do right she had forgotten that putting Christ first is the most important thing we can do.
Christ reminds her of this. “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: but one thing is needful.”
We can probably all identify with Martha as we have all had times when we struggled to finish the lunch preparations, school assignments or clean the house and check for clutter with deadlines pressing dangerously near. We have all been bothered to no end at times when someone (normally brothers or sisters) are supposed to be helping us but seem to find all sorts of other things to occupy their time. In our frustration we often snap at those who are closest to us. Losing the joy that comes from fellowship and bringing our attitudes away from a heart for hospitality.
Jesus pities Martha in this verse and reminds her that although those things (the things she is doing) are important only one thing is needed. (a relationship with himself.) Reminding her, that a relationship with him cannot be taken away and is the most important part of the heart of fellowship.

(Luke 10 vs. 41and 42) “And Jesus said answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: but one thing is needful : and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
In order to create a heart of fellowship we now understand that seeking the Lord is most important. Start your day by setting aside time to fellowship with him. Once your heart and soul are in fellowship with him you will automatically be able to show his love to others around you in a more visible way.

Getting to know me (Part 1)

I recently took a survey that was designed to tell people a little bit about myself. I decided to change the format and then post the information so that you can get to know me a little better.

My friends call me Sarah. "I wasn't born in Texas I got here as soon as I could.” The Lord gave me hazy blue eyes and hair that is basically blonde but borders on light brown. ~I really don’t know what color I should call it. I reached 5ft tall! Yes, this is something to shout about considering that it is a few inches taller than my wonderful Mother.

I’ve been told I’m sinister. Wait, don’t leave. -That has something to do with the Latin word for left handed. :)

I have a mixed blood pumping through my veins. The main parts of it is a bit of German, a little French, and some Irish. It is a bad mix, I get sunburned like a true fair skinned German, don’t at all have the sexy French accent and can’t dance so I don’t know where the Irish went. Wait, maybe I can’t dance because I’m Baptist and haven’t tried it much? Well, moving on...

Shoes seem to be the next topic on the agenda. I’m not wearing any shoes at all right now. It is my usual custom to take my shoes off when I sit down to play with my computer. During the summer I love to wear shoes which will slip on and off my feet with ease. However, my boots win out in the winter and when I have a pair of boots I wear them until the bitter end. Which is pretty much why you might not have seen me wearing any lately.

My biggest weakness is that I have a hard time saying no when people want me to help them with projects. This might be because one of my greatest fears is not being able to please the people I love. I’m a perfectionist by nature and that can be a great thing but if I can’t do it right then I tend to not want to do it at all, so sometimes I need a bit of a shove in the direction I am supposed to be heading.

This year I’d like to finish paying off my truck. I always have plenty of ways to spend my cash but my family has been planning to go on a choir tour of Italy. I’d dearly like to go along for the ride but when it comes down to it I’ll probably be watching the mail for post cards.

I love using instant messenger and sometimes bug my friends with an over used “hehe.” It may be one of the silliest ways of expressing laughter but LOL was my major flaw last year so I had to come up with a different term. I guess I’m just grateful to have so many wonderful friends who make me laugh when I am typing!

My first thoughts when waking in the morning are probably, “Bah, go away morning.” The reason for this is that my bedtime tends to be when my eyes start drooping from lack of sleep. A time frame for my bedtime would be about 1:30-3:00am.

I have a hard time picking one feature that I would describe as "my best." When people ask me this question in real life I usually tell them my feet. I like my feet a lot but I don’t really think they are my best feature, they are just a safe, fun, feature. I just like to see the reactions on people’s faces. If they aren’t shocked then I know what they think about me!

I loved being part of the local 4-H groups as a young person. I remember being rather sad when I said goodbye to friends, competitions, and learning through such a great program. My favorite projects in 4-H had to be the camping trips we took as part of the field and stream group. I also loved being part of the photography projects and learning to sew. The project I hated most was probably cooking for the food and nutrition group or the public speaking competitions. I always enjoyed getting ready for them but the actual interview or speaking time was torture! Probably because the perfectionist side of me couldn’t get it right and I hate being judged or scored.

My favorite soft drink is Coca Cola Classic. I rarely drink a soda that is any other flavor. Pop is good stuff and I highly recommend it. I’d rather drink Coke or water to any other liquid. I don’t drink coffee or cappuccino basically I just don't like the way they taste!.

I’m a southerner but I avoid tea. If it is offered I’d rather drink lipton tea. I jokingly call Nestea “Nasty.“ ~No matter what kind of tea I’m drinking I like it better with ice being sweetened with pure white unadulterated sugar.

McDonalds wins over Burger king but that isn‘t a complete victory. I‘d normally just rather skip a meal than eat at either place. Sonic wins as my overall favorite spot to go for a cheeseburger in a hurry.

I don’t date much. I‘d rather just hang out with guys as friends because leading people on isn‘t very nice and I’m fairly certain that I haven‘t come across Mr. Right or if I have he hasn't figured it out yet! Sometimes I‘ll go out on a random date with a guy for fun but I really don‘t know how I feel about casual dating on the whole. I didn’t date at all until I got out of high school.

Have I been in Love? I've tripped before that is certain. I had to pick myself back up and it took a while for the wounds to heal but life did go on, so it is hard to answer that. Is love something from which you can recover???

Random statement: I like vanilla better than chocolate!

Quote me if you like!

A college education alone is not the thing that makes you successful. Do not allow it to define you, for it does not make you who you will become. Education is a means to unlock a door. It can be a useful tool but only when you are going through the right door. I don't believe it is the only choice. If you do not have a degree to unlock the door you are not out of options. You may be of a mind to sit down and give up, or you can always choose a new door if you like. I, for one, have never been afraid of picking locks. Force is also an option. How bad do you want to go through a door? If not having a key will stop you, your resolve has been lost before you started.

Heck, I'd say the key to being successful is not unlocking doors but choosing which doors to unlock.