Happy Independence Day!!!

Happy Fourth of July!!!
Enjoy a moment from my favorite 4th of July tradition!
(I'm DVRing it at midnight.)  :)

Thanksgiving for today:
Open grocery store
The movie "1776"
Completely fenced in back yard
Firefighters

Discontent

"All our discontents spring from the want of thankfulness for what we have."
                                                                               --Daniel Defoe

Learning to be Brave and Patient

"We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world."
                                                                                                                   --Helen Keller




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Thanksgiving for today
Gloves
Ice Melt
Warm Cozy Home
Seasoned almonds
Willpower
Communication possible via computer
Fixed fingernail

Happy Resurrection Sunday

Then Came the Morning

Sunday's Coming

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Thanksgiving for today
Community rallying together
Door that continue to open
Kiddos obeying safety rules with no arguments
Time to focus on the weekend
Christ's obedience and sacrifice
Grace

Oz the Great and Powerful Movie Review

I have been waiting to write this review until I saw the movie in 3D, but that hasn't happened yet, so I'll write this review and then add to it later (if I ever get to see the movie in 3D).  I watched it in 2D at first because so far I have only found one theater I can see 3D movies in 3D without getting a headache.   So, I patiently wait for it to arrive there and hope I'm not busy that weekend.  Ah, the joys of a TBI (traumatic brain injury) and double vision.

This is an amazing movie and I've heard I should definitely see it in 3D, so I hope I can.  Some 3D movies have not really been worth watching in 3D, but this has scenes I think would be pretty spectacular in 3D.  Even in 2D the imagery is just magic.   Just so you know, there may be spoiler alerts in this blog, so if you haven't seen it and want to see it with no fore knowledge, stop reading now.  

This movie was amazing visually and cinematographically.  Just like the Wizard of Oz, Kansas is black and white which makes entering the colorful land of oz more of a visual feast.  I was waiting for some of the characters from the Wizard of Oz.  There were nods to the lion and scarecrow--see if you can find them.  But, the tin man was no where to be seen.  That's OK with me the scarecrow is my favorite anyway.  I did not expect to see Dorothy, after all she wouldn't have been around at this time, but is Annie Dorothy's Mom?  I think possibly so.

I loved the new characters and the fact that this movie added pieces of the L. Frank Baum books that the Wizard of Oz did not.  The china village is one of my favorite parts and I'm so glad they decided to add it in.  When I read the book, that is a part I was saddened was missing.

I think this movie is definitely worth the see.   And, I think they did a great job trying to stay true to the movie Wizard of Oz while adding some parts from the books that were missing. It would be hard to stay completely true to the books, since the Wizard of Oz movie definitely did not.   I have been reading the books and as with most movies based on books, there are some marked differences.  There is a missing witch for one.  And, the story of how Oz took the throne in the Emerald City is markedly different.  Oz, in the books is more of a "humbug" and less of a hero.  Of course, that wouldn't make a very good movie.  You definitely want a hero to root for against the wicked witches.

That being said, I loved the movie and can't wait to see it again.  This is one that will definitely make it's way into our home movie library.  But, if you are a book purist, you will be disappointed.  There are differences so great that it would be hard to overlook them.

There is a quote from the movie that I am going to try to live by:  Oz said: 
"You have nothing to fear so long as you believe. For when you believe, anything is possible"

Can We Switch From Snow to Rain?

Why is it that snow so often has been impacting church this winter?  Why is it that it comes in on a Saturday night and keeps my KDOT employee husband out plowing?  I am thankful that it comes at a time that doesn't impact work or school.  I am thankful that it comes at a time I can technically stay inside, but I sure do miss going to church. 

We have had some practice learning how to have "church" at home.  I'm thankful that there are shows on my DVR that can work for church.  Today, for example, we watched (and challenged each other) with American Bible Challenge and I played the edited version of The Bible which really means I fast fowarded through all the really violent parts.  That's the great thing about DVR--It lets me preview a show and then only watch the parts later with the kiddos that I think they should see.  We also got to watch the new VeggieTales DVD (more for me than for them) and do our Lent Bible reading.  Which just so happened to be about Palm Sunday.  So, although we missed waving palm branches and fellowshipping with our church family, we still had "church."

I know we need the moisture, but I sure hope we're at the time of year where we can switch over to rain.  I sure miss church and hope this is the last time I have to for a very long time.

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Thanksgiving for today
Warm house
Learning to have "church" at home
Food in the house
Almond Toffee from Russell Stovers
Cozy blanket
Learning to go with the flow

Exhaustion

I'm so tired and I've fallen behind on posts.  I will be catching up on my 40 Days with Jesus on my Searching for the Truth blog soon and will be starting a new one to keep you all up to date on my Ms Wheelchair Kansas adventures.  More about that soon, but that is one reason I am so tired.  But, I wanted to get some thankful thoughts out here anyway. 

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Thanksgiving for today
639.  Support
640.  Pampering
641.  Laughter
642.  Memories
643.  Excitement
644.  Getting to be a part of God's plan
645.  True friendship
646.  Social media
647.  Good luck pins
648.  MWKS
649.  Celebration
650.  Cots
651.  Oz Museum
652.  New Barbies
653.  Power of my new uniform
654.  Brainstorming
655.  When all works together

Am I Getting Old?

I sent my daughter off to her first youth lock-in this weekend. She was super excited from the minute I picked her up from school she was counting down the hours.  But, this was harder on me than I expected.  Am I really old enough to have a child old enough to go to youth events?  Even worse than that was the sadness that she is having experiences without me.  When did she get old enough for that to happen?  Plus, there is a little disappointment based on unrealized expectations.  I had always thought I'd be experiencing these youth events with her.  My husband was a youth pastor after all and I went as a female chaperone to many events.  So, I always assumed I'd be with her as she experienced these firsts.  Well, life throws you a curve ball sometimes.  Our current life situation does not make my being there an option right now.  Do I trust the chaperones she is with--ABSOLUTELY.  But, that doesn't lesson the sadness that my baby is having an amazing experience without me.  I know that letting go is part of parenting, but it is a part I'm not sure I was ready for yet.  I've survived this night.  We'll see how I do when she heads to her first weekend long youth event several hours away.  :)

There's No Place Like Home

"The Scarecrow listened carefully, and said, 'I cannot understand why you should wish to leave this beautiful country and go back to the dry, gray place you call Kansas.'"

'That is because you have no brains,' answered the girl. 'No matter how dreary and gray our home are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any other country, be it ever so beautiful.  There is no place like home'

The Scarecrow sighed.

'Of course I cannot understand it,'  he said.  'If your heads were stuffed with straw, like mine, you would probably all live in the beautiful places, and then Kansas would have no people at all.  It is fortunate for Kansas that you have brains."

Do you consider Kansas a dry gray place?
Do you have a favorite place in Kansas?  Check out our blog for some ideas.
http://kansas150th-150thingstodoinkansas.blogspot.com/
Do you agree with Dorthy that "there is no place like home."?
After living in other places, I found myself wanting to return "home" to raise my children in a place and culture I understood.  How about you?
Who is your favorite character from the Wizard of Oz?  (mine is scarecrow)
What is your favorite rendition of the Wizard of Oz?  (I love the movie with Judy Garland and the sci-fi mini series Tin Man)
If you've never read the books, I recommend you do so.  I plan on reading through the entire series.  (There may be more updates as we go along.)
I can't wait to see Oz The Great and Powerful in theaters.  What about you?

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Thanksgiving for today
491.  Leadership opportunities
492. Friends who get excited with me
493.  Free samples
494;  Cooking with my son
495.  Devotions as a family
496.  Listening to music being played in my house
497.  When I only have to ask once
498.  Natural talent

Idol Worship

The Skit Guys themselves talk about how controversial this video is. It definitely challenges our way of looking at things.  So, what do you think?  What is your gut reaction?  I for one do not believe being a football fan is necessarily idol worship.  Idol worship could really be anything that you "worship" to access, including church.  Notice I did not say God, I said church and those are two different things.  How could church become and idol in your life?  What else could become an idol?  It's all about balance and keeping God the focus of our worship.  How do we make sure we're doing that?

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Thanksgiving for today
486.  Creative ideas to start a new month
487.  Piano fingers
488.  Freedom of letting go
489.  Finding the lost
490.  Completing errands early in the da

Thank You

"She had found there was nothing she wished to say in her morning prayer except Thank You"  from The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim

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Thanksgiving for today
475. Making space for new items
476. Freshly mopped floors
477. Excitement of students learning new things
478. Donations
479. Laptop

Harlem Globetrotters

The Cub Scouts offered a fun outing for us this week.  We got to go watch the Harlem Globetrotters at FHSU.  Our first great surprise was where our seats were located.  We were four rows up from the floor behind on of the goals.  My wheelchair couldn't exactly climb up four steps, so Eric and I got to sit on the floor at a table that wasn't being used.  That gave Azure a great place to get down and under the table which was completely closed in the front--so he just got to take a nap and avoid the craziness of the weekend.

Even if you're not a huge basketball fan, you would have had a great time.  There is a basketball game being played (sort of) with a lot of showmanship activities--long shots, slam dunks, balls being rolled on shoulders fancy ball handling tricks, even a player standing on the basket.
There were also several time-outs during which contests were held and audience members were engaged in the action.  The entire game was set to awesome music--some current and some from my era.  :)

 

Halftime consisted of inviting all audience members out on the floor for a dance party to YMCA.  Our daughter joined right in.  Our son waited until the song was almost over to ask his dad to come dance with him.  They missed out!!  :)

 

 

 

Autograph time was well done.  After the game a rope was run around the court and the players stood a various locations to keep the line sort of in order.  I wasn't going to tackle the crowd, but the player directly in front of me was Flight Time (who I remembered from the Amazing Race).  So, Azure and I made the attempt to join the line.  Well, I am here to tell you it was worse than managing the crowd at Wal-mart on Thanksgiving evening.  :)  We were fighting all the people trying to leave the arena and not head to get autographs.  So, we gave up and went back behind our table.  Later, I could see my daughter getting close to Flight Time, so I tried it again.  It was much more manageable now and when we got to the front of the line, staff let us under the rope and into the court.  He walked us behind the players and would tell them we were there.  Our daughter got the rest of the autographs on her basketball in record time.  We girls decided we like "rock star treatment" the wheelchair gets.  Check out this website to see some more perks from living with a wheelchair.  http://wheelchairlove365.tumblr.com/

The boys were going around together and got all the autographs too.



 

Probably the biggest perk of the whole evening for me was recognizing Flight Time.  Somehow I knew immediately when they came out for warm ups, that I had seen him before.  He and Big Easy were on the Amazing Race and I fell in love with them there.  They were among my favorites and I loved getting to watch them race.  Funny how my brain works.  I can't remember much of what I need to in day to day life, but I sure can remember Flight Time and Big Easy and that they were on Amazing Race.  Come to find out, the kiddos fell in love with Big Easy when he was on Kicken' It.

Guess that's just way more important for me to remember than say to take my vitamins.  :)  I'll never understand how a brain works. 

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Thanksgiving for today
469.  Baptism
470.  Obeying Christ's commands
471.  Paper Cutter
472.  Finding what you need right when you need it
473.  Increased independence
474.  Bartering Power

Pride Slays Thanksgiving

Henry Ward Beecher's words: "Pride slays thanksgiving…a proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves.

Lord, keep me humble and grateful. 

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Thanksgiving for today
461.  Board games
462.  KSDS
463.  Aleve
464.  Sales at just the right time for just the right item
465.  A dog run
466.  God winks
467.  Walking weather
468.  Finding better deals on the same item with minimal time investment

Launch

Today was our LeadHer launch.  Check out www.leadher.org to learn more about  this amazing organization  The more I learn, the more excited I get.  This year we are learning about the wardrobe of a leadher and tonight we learned all about mercy--which we should put on every day.  It should be new every morning. 

This was our launch.  Just for kicks, I looked up the definition of launch.  I found several definitions, but one was "to release, catapult, or send off."  Now, I know that launch also means "start", but I like to think about God catapulting us into the community to see what hHe has for us.  I can't wait to see what that will be.

We also talked about what we want to do with the second meeting of each month.  We want to be the hands and feet of Jesus and want to spend time in the community, not just continually meet together and talk.  If you'd like to join us in this mission come to a meeting.  Check out our Facebook page at  https://www.facebook.com/LeadherLocalWakeeney  If you don't live close enough to come on over, check out www.leadher.org and pray about starting or joining a chapter in your area.
 
I'm so excited about this chance to serve and learn more about Christ as well as have a community  of believers to support and encourage each other.  I can't wait to see what God will do through those of us who are willing.  :) 
http://angel-searchingforthetruth.blogspot.com/2013/01/balance.html

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Thanksgiving for today
456.  Worship
457.  Fellowship
458.  LeadHer
459.  Laptops that work downstairs
460.  Stair chair

Youth Group

 

I can hardly believe my daughter went on her first youth group concert trip tonight.  I am thrilled she has found a group that she loves and can't wait to spend time with.  What I can't believe is that I could possibly be old enough to have a kid in youth group.  After years of being in youth and then living life married to a youth pastor, it is strange to begin a season of sending my child off to youth events.  I'm used to being the one going not the one sending. 

It got me thinking about my own experience with youth growing up.  I want that for my children.  I grew up with a smaller youth group, but we were close and they were the ones I wanted to spend my free time with.  With them, I never felt pressed to be anyone other than myself and I never got made fun of for sticking to my morals.  We were small, but we loved, supported, and encouraged each other.  I always knew that I could probably get my curfew extended if I was out with those friends.  :)
I want this kind of community for my children.  I am so thankful for the excitement I see in her every time she gets to spend time with this community.
http://angel-searchingforthetruth.blogspot.com/2013/01/balance.html

We were a small group, but we were a part of a larger District, and State events.  My whole teenage life revolved around these events.  They were always put on my calendar first and then other events in my life had to work around them.  Church camp, State Youth Convention, District Campmeeting, and District Rallies always came first.  Some of my best friends came from district and state events.  Some of them remain friends to this day.  I am thankful to all of you for the impact you had on my life.  I'm going to make a partial list of my found memories from youth events.  For those of you who share those memories, please share which were your favorites and add more that may not be on there. 

Here they are in random order as they popped into my brain:
1.  Never wanting youth events to end so heading over to someones house when church was over
2.  Biscuits and gravy breakfast before school
3.  Road trips to SYC
4.  IYC in San Antonio with the Amys
5.  The State officers hotel room on the second floor with security (Eric) climbing up to our window
6.  Visiting MBC over Halloween
7.  Piling as many as possible into the car
8.  Water fights at District Campmeeting
9.  "Honey If You Love Me, Please, Please, Smile"
10. Picking up a friend and heading to the Town and Country for Breakfast before school

There are so many more, but these are the first 10 that popped into my brain.  Help me out by posting yours and sending this on whoever else might have some great memories.


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Thanksgiving for today
451.  Working together
452.  Recliner seat on couch
453.  Clothesline
454.  Movie Room
455.  Text

Gratitiude Turns What We Have Into Enough

I hope you are all enjoying the quotes and thoughts about gratitude.  There will be posts that require more time and thought from me after I get everyone feeling well.  I thought we were almost on the way there because both kiddos were back in school and on antibiotics.  I was all settled down for my long afternoon nap when the phone rang.  It was the school nurse saying that my daughter was running a slight fever and needed to come home and spend this afternoon and all of tomorrow home from school.  Apparently there were over 50 kids that either stayed home or went home sick today along with 6 teachers.  Maybe having her home will keep us all well.  Maybe I should keep our son home too.  :)  

Let us all stay well.  Sickness stay away.  We've had our fill this year. 

What is your favorite quote so far?

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Thanksgiving for today
438.   Having kids home away from worse germs
439.  Movie room
440.  Stock pile
441.  Finding lost objects
442.  Finding great deals on things I can share
443.  Kiddos making their own lunches without complaint
444.  Adults taking steps to help prevent spread of illness

Highest Form of Gratitude

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. 
John F. Kennedy 

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/gratitude.html#Y0CIXAb1IOKhc6RI.99 

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Thanksgiving for today
427.  PIcs that express the reality of every day
428.  Wonder Woman
429.  Warm quilt
430.  Watching "our show" with my kiddos
431.  Salt

Definition of Happiness

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude. 
Denis Waitley 

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/gratitude.html#BRjpS86umstBu08C.99 

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Thanksgiving for today
421.  LeadHer
422.  Women with same vision
423.  Lifewater
424.  Sharing treats with friends
425.  Kids Eat Free
426.  Random Acts of Kindness

Place of Training and Correction

"If you think of this world as a place intended simply for our happiness, you find it quite intolerable: think of it as a place of training and correction and it's not so bad." 
                                                                                                              C.S. Lewis


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Thanksgiving for today
415.  Having shoes my daughter wants to borrow
416.  Doctors being in the office the day you need them
417.  School teachers and nurses being on top of things
418.  Excitement about AR parties
419.  Routines
420.  Helpers so you don't have to do something alone

Everywhere I Look

Is it just me or when something enters your mind, is it everywhere you look?  I have felt impressed by God to study the concept of counting your blessings and giving thanks ever since I saw Ann  Voscamp talk about her book 1000 Gifts at the Women of Faith event this fall.  I have been making that an intentional part of my life since then.  I have been reading and studying things on gratitude and even plan to make that my platform for Ms. Wheelchair Kansas this year.  What I didn't expect was to see it everywhere.  I'm finding it in other readings I am doing and even in magazine articles from magazines I have read for years.  How did I miss this?  Has it always been there and I'm just now seeing it?  Or, is this a concept that everyone is discovering at this point?  Does this ever happen to you?  I know when you think about a certain color car for example, you start seeing it everywhere you go.

http://angel-memoriesforgotten.blogspot.com/2012/11/1000-gifts-book-review.html

My Thanksgiving for each day will be bouncing back and forth between blogs, depending on which one I post on.

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Thanksgiving for today:

398.  Rest
399.  Dayquil/Nyquil
400.  Days with nothing pressing to do
401.  Google
402.  Help with fine motor skill activities
403.  Libraries

Thankful Heart

""The thankful heart sees the best part of every situation.  It sees problems and weaknesses as opportunities, struggle as refining tools, and sinners as saints in progress."
                                                                                                   Francis Frangipane

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Thanksgiving for today
391.  Bulletin board ideas
392.  Smell of chili cooking
393.  Sunshine
394.  Sounds of singing
395.  Giggles
396.  "Yeahs" about dinner
397.  Family time

Happy New Year

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Thanksgiving for today 
385.  Flannel pjs
386.  New beginnings
387.  Having Chicken Noodle Soup on hand
388.  Friends willing to run errands
389.  State and city workers cleaning off the streets
390.  Rebroadcast of Tournament of Roses Parade