movie time

Ok, I love movies, so I couldn't resist this list that I saw on a new friend's blog. Mother Wit

Bold the movies you've seen.
Put ** by the movies you would recommend.
Italicize the movies you want to see
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies -- 10th Anniversary Edition:
1 Citizen Kane (1941) - I was very young, I need to see it again.
2 The Godfather (1972)
3 Casablanca (1942)))
4 Raging Bull (1980)
5 Singin' in the Rain (1952) **
6 Gone With the Wind (1939) **
7 Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
8 Schindler's List (1993)**
9 Vertigo (1958)**
10 The Wizard of Oz (1939) **
11 City Lights (1931)
12 The Searchers (1956)**
13 Star Wars (1977)
14 Psycho (1960)
15 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
16 Sunset Blvd. (1950)
17 The Graduate (1967)
18 The General (1927)
19 On the Waterfront (1954)
20 It's a Wonderful Life (1946)**
21 Chinatown (1974)
22 Some Like It Hot (1959)**
23 The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
24 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)**
25 To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)**
26 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
27 High Noon (1952)**
28 All About Eve (1950)
29 Double Indemnity (1944)
30 Apocalypse Now (1979)
31 The Maltese Falcon (1941)
32 The Godfather Part II (1974)
33 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
34 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)**
35 Annie Hall (1977)
36 The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
37 The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) - I saw most of this, but I don't think I got to see the end.
38 The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
39 Dr. Strangelove (1964)** if you have a warped sense of humor
40 The Sound of Music (1965)**
41 King Kong (1933)
42 Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
43 Midnight Cowboy (1969)
44 The Philadelphia Story (1940)
45 Shane (1953)
46 It Happened One Night (1934)
47 A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
48 Rear Window (1954)** great suspense
49 Intolerance (1916)
50 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) **
51 West Side Story (1961) **
52 Taxi Driver (1976)
53 The Deer Hunter (1978)
54 M*A*S*H (1970)
55 North by Northwest (1959)
56 Jaws (1975)
57 Rocky (1976)
58 The Gold Rush(1925)
59 Nashville (1975)
60 Duck Soup (1933)
61 Sullivan's Travels (1941)
62 American Graffiti (1973)
63 Cabaret (1972)
64 Network (1976)
65 The African Queen (1951)**
66 The Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) **
67 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
68 Unforgiven (1992)
69 Tootsie (1982) **
70 A Clockwork Orange (1971)
71 Saving Private Ryan (1998) **
72 The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
73 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
74 The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
75 In the Heat of the Night (1967)
76 Forrest Gump (1994)**
77 All the President's Men (1976)
78 Modern Times (1936)
79 The Wild Bunch (1969)
80 The Apartment (1960)
81 Spartacus (1970)
82 Sunrise (1927)
83 Titanic (1997)
84 Easy Rider (1969)
85 A Night at the Opera (1935)
86 Platoon (1986)
87 12 Angry Men (1957)
88 Bringing Up Baby (1938)**
89 The Sixth Sense (1999)
90 Swing Time (1936)**
91 Sophie's Choice (1982)** only if you like tear jerkers
92 Goodfellas (1990)
93 The French Connection (1971)
94 Pulp Fiction (1994)
95 The Last Picture Show (1971)
96 Do the Right Thing (1989)
97 Blade Runner (1982)
98 Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)**
99 Toy Story (1995) **
100 Ben-Hur (1959)

who are you?

I was a liar, a cheat, a vandal, jealous, covetous, full of envy and selfishness. I was rebellious and then, when I was nine years old, I gave my life to Jesus.

Ok, so some of those things still temp me. I obviously have not lived a sinless life ever since I was nine years old. In fact new and bigger sins have come into my life from time to time. But what has changed is the state of my heart. I have a new heart. I have a heart that longs for things of God rather than things of the world. Even through my life I can see where God has changed me from who I was last year, and the year before and next year I won't be who I am today.
I'm not who I was. Are you?

friday's feast

Appetizer

Describe a toy you remember from your childhood.

I had a toy record player. You know round disk things that were bigger than CD's... Anyway, these actually weren't much bigger than CD's. They were thick plastic and had little bumps on them so they played like a music box. There were several records in bright colors and the only song I can remember was How Much is That Doggy in the Window.

Soup

On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest) how observant are you?

When it comes to people, I am probably and 8 or 9.

When it comes to other stuff, I am often a 2 or 3.

Salad

Where would you rather be at this very moment?

a spa

Main Course

When was the last time you learned something new?

about two days ago I learned about bumble bees seeing as we have a swarm that lives near us and hangs out in our backyard. They seldom sting, but can and will gang up on an intruder. They are excellent pollinators and they make and store small amounts of honey.
Dessert

Fill in the blank: I have ____________ but I haven’t ____________.

I have been through the desert on a horse with no name but I haven't got the sense to come in out of the rain.

Ok, that one wasn't for real.

I have read thousands of books, but I haven't written a single one.

recommend a good christian book

I Haven't seen a list of Christian books like the one we just did with secular books, so I decided to make one.

If you want to, take the list and add to it. Particularly books that are classics or those you think are destined to be classics. Novels that have a life-changing or challenging message.

As with the other list, Bold the books you have read.

Italicise the books you would like to read.

Rather than marking the ones you recommend, just make comments -- that's more interesting.

CAPITALIZE the books you don't know enough about to know if you want to read them or not.

Christian book list:

1. In His Steps – Charles M. Sheldon -- the book behind WWJD. I recommend it. Very challenging.
2. The Hiding Place – Corrie Ten Boom -- Maybe my all time favorite book. If you haven't read it, you must!
3. Mere Christianity – C. S. Lewis
4. Pilgrim’s Progress -- John Bunyan --I'm not sure if I read the original or just the Jr. version. But a great story. Every Christian should have this under their belt.
5. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs – John Foxe --Again, a must read. Not an easy read, obviously.
6. The Screwtape Letters – C.S. Lewis -- I've started this one several times. I'm gonna read it one day!
7. Christy -- Catherine Marshall --If you've seen the series, but haven't read the book -- The book is much better.
8. Through Gates of Splendor – Elisabeth Elliot -- Read it.
9. Run Baby Run –Nicky Cruz -- Read it. The story of a gang member and his redemption.
10. Hind’s Feet in High Places – Hannah Hurnard -- Not the best writing from a technical perspective, but a beautiful allegory with a great message.
11. Redeeming Love – Francine Rivers -- Based on a Bible story. Everyone should read this.
12. The Debt – Angela Hunt -- May change the way you see Christianity.
13. The Chronicles of Narnia – C. S. Lewis -- Such a beautiful portrait of our Jesus. I cry every time I read these books.

14. Get Out of that Pit – Beth Moore
15. The Purpose Driven Life – Rick Warren -- I found it to be basic and a disappointment, personally
16. Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire – Jim Cymbala --yes! Read it!
17. The Prayer of Jabez – Bruce Wilkinson -- Trendy, interesting. read it or not.
18. The Pursuit of Holiness – Jerry Bridges
19. Phantasies – George MacDonald -- Written a long time ago in Scottish dialect. Fortunately it has been edited to be understood by us. But it is deeper than I am. This was instrumental in C.S. Lewis' conversion.
20. Any biography of George Mueller
21. Any biography of D.L. Moody
22. Any biography of Amy Carmichael
23. A Severe Mercy – Sheldon Vanauken -- a beautiful true life love story.
24. Heaven – Randy Alcorn
25. The Practice of the Presence of God –Brother Lawrence
26. Any biography of William Tyndale
27. Evidence That Demands a Verdict – Josh McDowell
28. The Knowledge of the Holy – A.W. Tozer
29. This Present Darkness – Frank Peretti -- Another trendy one. food for thought. Not for everyone, though I think. several of my friends had a lot of nightmares while reading this one.
30. Twelve Hours One Friday – Max Lucado
31. The Bondage Breaker -- Neil T. Anderson
32. The Case For Christ – Lee Strobel
33. Left Behind – Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins -- the first one is good. But I wish I hadn't read past the first 4 or so. They get draggy in my very humble opinion.
34. The Jesus I Never Knew – Phillip Yancy
35. The Book of God –Walter Wangerin Jr.
36. At Home in Mitford, ( or any of the series) – Jan Karon -- Beautiful easy relaxing read.

If you do this list, let me know in the comments. And also mention if you've added anything.

Thanks!

This post was edited for corrections and to add my comments.

monday madness

I guess I'm creatively challenged. I just keep doing these memes.

But this one is about food!

1. Are there any weird "food rules" you have? Feel free to list as many as you like.

Well, I don't have rules about what food can touch what other foods and stuff like that. But I have become rather high maintenance dietarily speaking. Not because I want to be. I love food and would love to just eat what I want, but my body has become very rebellious against a lot of different foods. I won't even bore you with the list of what I can't have, though.

You're welcome.

2. When you were growing up, what ONE thing did your parents always remind you of, when it came to meal time (or cooking)?

Sheesh, my mom reads this. Actually, I can't really think of anything. I think she frequently said if I were really truly starving I'd be willing to eat an egg sandwich (which I actually like now).

3. Is there anyone you know whose food you won't eat (for one reason or another)?

Well, there is this one lady who doesn't wash her hands after handling raw chicken and then she touches the bread and everything else with those salmonella hands. I kinda refrain there, when I can-- if chicken is involved.

4. Is there anything you "specialize" in cooking, that people actually ask for?

Used to be my homemade bread made with flour I ground myself. I haven't made any for a while, though.

5. When you were growing up, what one meal do you remember as being your favorite?

McDonalds hamburger and fries. Other than that, Macaroni and cheese or chicken and dumplins.

6. Today, what is your IDEAL meal?

ooohh, that's a hard one. Probably a Moroccan meal, but it would have to exclude the things that bother me so that I could eat it peacefully and joyfully.

Moroccan lamb and lentil soup. Moroccan salads, B'stella, honey bread, then perhaps some kind of chicken dish and the wonderful strawberry chocolate pastry for dessert!

This meme comes from Monday Madness.

recommend a good book

These meme is out there on several of the blogs I frequent, so I thought I'd do it, too.

Books, books, books

*Bold the ones you’ve read.

* Italicize the ones you want to read.

* Leave in normal text the ones that don’t interest you.

*Put in ALL CAPS those you haven’t heard of. -- I've seen this list before and I don't remember which ones I hadn't hear of. So for me, all caps just means I don't know enough about the book to know if I want to read it or not.

* Put a couple of asterisks by the ones you recommend.

1. The DaVinci Code (Dan Brown)

2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)

3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee) ** (and the movie is good, too)

4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)

5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien) ++

6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien) ++

7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)++

8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery) - started but didn't finish

9. OUTLANDER (Diane Gabaldon)

10. A FINE BALANCE (Rohinton Mistry)

11. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Rowling)

12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)

13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)

14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)

15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)**

16. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)

17. FALL ON YOUR KNEES (Ann-Marie MacDonald)

18. The Stand (Stephen King)

19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)

20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)**

21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)**

22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)

23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)**

24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)

25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)

26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)

27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)**

28. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)**

29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)

30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)

31. Dune (Frank Herbert)

32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)

33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)

34. 1984 (Orwell)

35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)

36. THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH (Ken Follett)

37. THE POWER OF ONE (Bryce Courtenay)

38. I Know This Much Is True (Wally Lamb)

39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)

40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)

41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)

42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)

43.Confessions of a Shopahaulic (Sophie Kinsella)

44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)**

45. The Bible **

46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)

47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)

48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)

49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck) -- I started this, but never finished

50. She's Come Undone (Wally Lamb)

51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)

52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens) -- I started it, I have a hard time reading Dickens. Really want to, though.

53. Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card)

54. Great Expectations (Dickens) -- I started it. I may have read the whole thing. I may just be thinking of the movie.

55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)**

56. THE STONE ANGEL (Margaret Laurence)

57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)

58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough) -- to long ago to know if I recommend it or not

59. THE HANDMAID'S TALE (Margaret Atwood)

60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)

61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)

62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)

63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)

64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)

65. FIFTH BUSINESS (Robertson Davies)

66. ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)

67. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Ann Brashares) saw the movie

68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)

69. Les Miserables (Victor Hugo)

70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

71. Bridget Jones's Diary (Helen Fielding) -- saw the movie. blech

72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)

73. Shogun (James Clavell)

74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje) -- saw the movie. Not impressed

75. The Secret Garden(Frances Hodgson)** also recommend The Little Princess by author

76. THE SUMMER TREE (Guy Gavriel Kay)

77. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn (Betty Smith)

78. The World According to Garp (John Irving)

79. THE DIVINERS (Margaret Laurence)

80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)**

81. NOT WANTED ON THE VOYAGE (Timothy Findley)

82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)

83.Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier) -- saw the movie

84. WIZARD'S FIRST RULE (Terry Goodkind)

85. Emma (Jane Austen)

86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)

87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)

88. THE STONE DIARIES (Carol Shields)

89. BLINDNESS (Jose Saramago)

90. KANE AND ABEL (Jeffrey Archer)

91. IN THE SKIN OF A LION (Michael Ondaatje)

92. Lord of the Flies (William Golding)

93. THE GOOD EARTH (Pearl S. Buck)

94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)**

95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum) - saw the movie

96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)

97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)

98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)

99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)

100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

Wow, I guess I really haven't read very many of these. If you want to do this on your blog -- just do it. I'm not tagging.

luna loco

I don't know about where you live, but here, people can be....shall we say...idiotic.

This really bugs me. See, I prefer to obey the law. I'm not going to blindly obey some law that calls for me to turn my neighbors into the gestapo, but if a law isn't actually harmful I will follow it. Even if I think it's dumb.

There is a long strip on the highway where they have lowered the speed limit by 15 mph. It goes far beyond the actual construction area, so it seems unnecessary and I don't particularly like it. I like to get where I'm going.

But I obey the law. So I slow down.

Yesterday I was on that particular highway and I was slowed down to only 5 mph above the speed limit, (I try, anyway). People were backed up behind me for a long way. Sorry folks -- not my law. Just being a good citizen.

They had also extended the double yellow line so nobody could pass. Although why they would want to, I'm not sure. I was going as fast as the law allowed.

But as soon as that double line ended, boy, a whole mass of people flew past me. And here's the neat part (you have to hear sarcasm in that) -- The first vehicle to pass me did me the great honor of showing me a big ol' splotchy moon.

Even though I was pretty steamed, I didn't want to exact revenge myself. But I was fervently hoping there was a cop around the bend to arrest them all!

While following construction speed limits, by husband got the bird.

So here's what I wonder. Do these people not see the signs? Are they oblivious -- all of them? Or do they see the signs, but they don't like them, so they just ignore them? Fine. But why is it a problem for them if some of us obey them? Honestly, I don't get it. Do they think I was slowed down for my own enjoyment and just to irritate them.

DO THEY NOT SEE THE SIGNS??

And if they see the signs and disregard the law so lightly, do they disregard all laws the same way?

Apparently not. Because, (I found this amusing) they wouldn't dare pass over that double yellow line! Even though there were no cars coming and it was a straight shot for miles. What's with that?

Well, I'm trying to let God love His people through me. And I know, hard as it may be to believe, that sometimes I am not very lovable either. So, I keep trying. Some days are just much more trying than others.

let's talk about me

I actually like memes. I like getting tagged. Maybe I just like talking about myself!

I was going to do the Friday's Feast, but some of the questions were too hard. Like what work of fiction I would choose to memorize - ha!

So, I am doing this thing that we have all probably had in our e-mail time and again.

Here goes:

Four Things about Me You May Not Have Known :

FOUR JOBS I'VE HAD IN MY LIFE:
1) McDonald's' employee - cook, drive-thru, counter, birthday parties, I did it all, man.
2) Short order cook
3) County Health Nurse for a county of 2000 people
4) Hospice nurse

FOUR PLACES I HAVE LIVED:
1) Pueblo, CO
2)Lynchburg, VA
3)Kansas City, KS
4)Colorado Spring, CO

FOUR TV SHOWS I LIKE TO WATCH
We don't actually have TV right now, but if we did...
1) Mythbusters
2) Dirty Jobs
3) Monk
4) Psych

FOUR PLACES I'VE BEEN ON VACATION:

I don't think visiting family is really a vacation, but I have to include it with my one real vacation and my missionary trips, because otherwise, I never go.
1) Yellowstone
2) Mexico
3) Haiti

4) Boston

FOUR OF MY FAVORITE FOODS
1) Ice Cream
2) Potatoes
3) Anything Indian
4) Middle Eastern kind of stuff

I WOULD RATHER BE RIGHT NOW:
1) Heaven
2) in the mountains
3) a friend's house
4) a museum


FOUR PLACES I LIKE TO SHOP:
1) Hobby Lobby
2) Whole Foods
3) boutiques in tourist areas. "hippie stores" my son calls them
4) Target

FOUR things I'm afraid of:
1) Illness - even the common stomach bug gives me panics
2) head under water

3) I don't know if I'm really afraid of heights, but I do have vertigo
4) flying

FOUR favorite beverages:
1) lemonade

2) grape juice

3) Root beer
4) Chai

and the winner is...

Ok, so I only placed third, but still. I was a winner in my first writing contest!
This is from the newsletter:

Distracting Big Toe Contest Winners

Thanks to everyone (48 of you!) who entered my "Ways to Distract Your Big Toe" contest. You can't IMAGINE how much fun I had reading your entries! Selections were difficult. Prizes will come within the next two months. I'm sorry for the delay, but I want to make sure they're deserving of your genius! (If I can remember where I saw the "mood toe ring," one of you will be getting THAT!)

If you simply cannot imagine why I'd hold a contest to distract a big toe, please click here to read the story. If THIS story is already posted, look for the May 2007 archived edition at the bottom of the page (or one close to that date).

HONORABLE MENTION: Margie Casteel

"I don't know which TwinkleGram had me laughing harder: this one or the one about distracting your toe! Maybe you could distract your toe by reading both TwinkleGrams to it!"
Hey, I'm a sucker for my own work.
THIRD PLACE: Kay Day
"Even though my toes are married, nothing distracts my big toe like a good-looking, well-dressed man toe. They got that from their grandma's toes."
She got me with the "grandma's toes" part.

SECOND PLACE: Yvonne Greer

"You can distract a big toe by taking it shopping at 'Toes R Us' and buying it a toey."
Now that is creative!

FIRST PLACE: Christina Berry

"See, there's this big toe, see, and he wants to go to the market, but I want to stay home, so I send my best friend out to meet him when he's leaving and she offers him some roast beef, but my friend's husband yells at him that it tastes nasty and he didn't have any himself, so now I'm resigned to a shopping trip, but little Piggy--he's our son--rides up on his bicycle a few blocks from our house and then Daddy has no choice but to turn around, commandeer the bike, put Piggy on the handlebars, and pedal all the way home. The whole time I hear Piggy 'wheeling,' all I can think is how glad I am that I don't have to go to the market!"
The rules said one or two sentences, and by golly, she wins on two counts: creative story and causing us to hold our breath between sentences while we read!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


And this is the site where I entered said contest.

i'm a star

Hat tip to Lisa Samson for this wonderful thing: My own movie!
I hope the link works. I was supposed to be able to embed it into my blog, but it wouldn't work.

readers'/writers' meme

This was created by BJ Hoff and I copied it from Robin Lee Hatcher's blog.

1. What's the one book or writing project you haven't yet written but still hope to?

Ha ha! Well, that would be my first ever book. Sure would like to get that written.

2. If you had one entire day in which to do nothing but read, what book would you start with?

I have a stack of books to read. I would probably just start with the next on the stack. Magdeline by Angela Hunt, I think is next.

3. What was your first writing "instrument" (besides pen and paper)?

I suppose a crayon was probably my very first :)

Just our PC. I now have my own laptop which is much nicer.

4. What's your best guess as to how many books you read in a month?

Probably four to five. Sometimes I have three or four going at the same time.

5. What's your favorite writing "machine" you've ever owned?

This Acer laptop is the only one that has been "all mine".

6. Think historical fiction: what's your favorite time period in which to read? (And if you don't read historical fiction--shame on you.)

I love them all. WWII (Europe and US) is probably my favorite. But I have read from the time of the Patriarchs, Medieval, Regency, Victorian, Pioneer, Depression and everything in between.

7. What's the one book you remember most clearly from your youth (childhood or teens)?

From my wee youth I loved a book called Never Tease a Weasel.

From my early teens I remember A Man Without a Face. I didn't even catch the homosexual part back then.

From my later teens, The Hiding Place.

But this is a hard answer because I have been a voracious reader since I was five or so.

I'm not tagging anyone. Just feel free to answer these if you want!

word for wednesday

Here's a word you can use. Two different ways, even.

snarf - ( )
1. To fall asleep with your clothes on
snarf - ( )
2. The act of laughing while drinking and expelling the fluid through one's nose

By the way, I get these words at the Grandiloquent Dictionary.

life got you down?

In the current issue of ONE magazine -- a local health publication -- there is an interview with Anne Marie Hochhalter. You probably haven't heard of her. I hadn't before now. She was wounded in the Columbine tragedy eight years ago. She was shot in the back while eating lunch and as she was slumped over the table another bullet went through her side damaging her lungs, diaphragm, liver and a major blood vessel to the heart.

An EMT saw her and took her to the hospital where they operated on her in the ER to save her life. She is now in a wheelchair.

And then, months later, her mother walked into a gun store, bought a gun, loaded it and killed hersef on the spot.

Now she is a twenty five year old college graduate who owns her own home.

This is the good part-- from the interview:

Q. How did the events at Columbine shape your life?

A. They made me stronger. They basically broke me as a person and I had no choice but to go up from there. I used to be an atheist, and this helped me to become a Christian. It also taught me patience. Living life in a wheelchair is very difficult, but I choose not to be bitter or angry about what has happened. God has put so many great people in my life. I've just been blessed. I choose to get on with my life and keep living it.

new friend

My friend Susan got all giddy playing with dolphins. I guess I would too. Considering I felt such a rush of glee when I got to pet a stingray yesterday! I'm pretty sure to anyone watching, the childlike thrill was evident on my face. In fact, I almost felt embarrassed afterward because I knew I had lit up like a little Christmas tree. How cool to have that slickery, slimy creature come and nuzzle me and deliberately let me pet it. I wanna do it again!

people

People have a tendency to get under my skin.

I often avoid people.

I'm talking big crowds and the like.

People are rude and pushy and selfish and they get under my skin.

Today we went to the Aquarium and it was fairly crowded. I did pretty well, though.

Except for the part where we were in the restaurant.

And some man spit.

On the floor.

In the restaurant.

Right next to our table.

People bug me.

Tonight our deer friend is lying in our backyard chewing bubble gum or something.

I was admiring him.

Shining a flashlight out there so I can see him.

I love admiring the deer and rabbits and sky and sunsets and stars and foliage, etc.

It's dark though.

So without my flashlight all I can see is the lights of the city in the distance.

As I was looking at them and thinking about how I'd much rather be looking at the creation, it occurred to me -- That Is The Creation.

Not the lights.

The people represented by the lights.

Not only that. They are the pinnacle of creation.

God's most favorite part.

The part God loves so much He sent His only son to die for it.

Those people.

God's magnificent creation.

My heart needs some help.

friday the 13th

I am not superstitious. I don't worry about black cats, broken mirrors, spilt salt, or walking under ladders. And Friday the 13th is just another day.

I think superstition is silly and pointless.

But... once I was wearing a certain dress and something bad happened. The next time I wore that dress something bad happened. The third time something bad happened while wearing that dress, I kinda stopped wearing that dress.

That's happened a few times. I guess I kinda act like certain things can be jinxed. That is my superstition weakness. Even though I don't really believe in that. In fact it has been years since I've had any thoughts like that. At least two.

How embarrassing. So, here I am telling you.

Now you have to tell me. Do you have any silly superstitions you foster at all? Or maybe you take superstition seriously? 'Fess up!

Friday Feast

Appetizer

What is your favorite fruit?

A perfect peach. But they are so hard to find.

Soup

Who is someone you consider as a great role model?

My 90 year old friend, Grandma T. She has been through almost everything a woman could go through and is the sweetest, happiest, most generous lady. She loves Jesus more than anyone I know.

Salad

If you were to spend one night anywhere within an hour of your home, where would you choose?

Brown Palace Hotel, downtown Denver. Have always wanted to. Never have.

Main Course

Name something you do too often.

grump

Dessert

Fill in the blank: I really like ___________ because _____

_______.

I really like rainy days because they are cozy.

Fascinating

Now THIS is just plain cool!
VisuWords Enter the word bear and see what happens. Then try other words.
Nod to Wunderfool

Faithful readers,
You should go visit my mommy's blog. She is new to blogdom. Mom's the Word.

legacy

I have my grandparents' marbles. It's a good thing seeing as I've lost my own.

seven

I was tagged to write seven random things about myself.
Here goes:

1. I love to color
2. I have an ornery streak
3. I know how to cut up a pineapple thanks to my college education
4. I spent six years in college
5. I don't use my degree for anything other than putting band aids on kids
6. I dislike politics
7. I could really use a pedicure

I am tagging the only bloggers I know:
Joyful Mommy
Life in Pages
Accidental Poet
Joyful Notes
Megan DiMaria
Nut Harvest
Mom's the Word

Each blogger should list 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to then report this on their own blog with their 7 random facts as well as these rules. They then need to tag 7 others and list their names on their blog. They are also asked to leave a comment for each of the tagged, letting them know they have been tagged and to read the blog.

yesterday -- in which it all balances out

We drove over to the neighborhood lake -- where there is free fishing, without a license even. It was so pretty. We walked the trail around the lake -- only .6 mile, but it seemed further in flip-flops. How nice to have such a place so nearby.

Then in the evening I stepped out onto my deck to enjoy the sunset. I was taking in the view, appreciating the fact that the smog had settled and the entire mountain range was before me. Also speculating that downtown Denver must be hidden by the ridge across the way. When I heard a noise. Sort of a crashy sound. Then there was the buck that had been in our yard the other morning. After our mutual heart attacks, we stood eyeballing each other for a minute. Then he cautiously continued into our yard to graze. My son joined me on the deck and we both thought it exceedingly neat to be sharing the yard with the young feller.

That experience more than made up for the creepy crawlies who have also graced us with their presence.

Honestly, I have always been in awe of creation, but have been really considering the intricacies of it lately and am even more amazed.

Ah, I always did want to live in the country.

eww

Yesterday morning we found a two-foot bull snake in our back yard. We were inside looking out, fortunately, or else I would perhaps have made a grand fool of myself.

I know they are innocent creatures. I'm sure that guy is doing his share to keep the mice and rats out of my house. But still... (shudder)

The night before that my son came in saying, "I think there is a tarantula in the house!" Now, that is not completely unheard of here. I have seen several of them over the years. But I was skeptical until I turned the corner. Crimeny! It was the size of a small tarantula. The biggest wolf spider I've ever seen. I may not be nervous about spiders, but I don't like them that big!

Then I went downstairs to my husbands office and he was beating the floor with a book. "Spiders everywhere" he said. Sure enough, tiny little spiders. I don't know how he even saw them. They were all over. Then I saw a small wolf spider and realized they were her babies.

When I told my parents about our creepy-crawlies my dad asked if we were living in the Amazon! It felt kinda like it yesterday. Today things seem to be settled down -- so far.

Oh well, I always did want to live in the country.

now that's art

Here are some photos of last night's sunset;

captured by my nine year old son from our back deck.

home sweet home

We are in our new house!

Of course the minute it turned July it got hot! And we moved on the first. Also, it seems so be ten degrees hotter here than in our old town.

The people who lived here and the landlord all insisted that this house stays nice and cool. Ha!

If we end up buying it, AC is the first thing on the list.

What we don't love:

Millers, spiders, flies, everywhere. I don't mind so much. But my family is all freaking out.

No AC.

Some yard work that needs done.

A backed up potty.

Harder water than we are used to = water spots and buildup.

Alergies to something.

What we love:

It is beautiful!

It is bigger than our last house. Actually it is about the same, just a much better floor plan.

Hardwood floors.

Nicer carpet.

A gorgeous view of all of the mountains and Denver in the distance.

Thanks to Denvers polution; there are spectacular sunsets.

Privacy.

A fireplace.

A bluejay and doves. I was going to miss my doves, but there are some here, too.

Bunnies.

Deer in the yard.

A nice breeze.

Big bedrooms.

And so many little details that I like. Like a Dutch door on the front! I always wanted one of those.

We are tired. We are sore. But we are home.