Random Stuff & Questions

So I have a few little things to talk about now that I can sit down & think a bit. Actually maybe I am just kind of cleaning out my mind so it can think on some more important & creative things. So you get to be my dumpster as I clean out my head! Lucky you! ALSO, I am sitting next to my Rocker Son while he is watching the MTV Awards just as an excuse to be with him a bit.....& I am not too crazy about the stuff I see & hear on my TV. Lot's of bleeping, kissing & nudity! Ha! But I'm laughing too, some is pretty funny. So this is helping me look away without being a total prude ya know? Thanks for your help!

Random # 1 Hubs car did not pass smog & won't unless more $$ is put into it. We have decided to go for it cause it is a fun & rare car to own. Mustang 1985 or 83, don't recall. We are both excited about this! He is shocked that I agree with the plan. What do you know, I can still surprise my hubbs!

Random # 2 Today I got to shoot this pic once again of my favorite view. It is straight up in the air over my beloved backyard swing! That's our almond tree & it is a gorgeous day this Sunday.I love coming out here to read a good book & listen to the birds sing & the cars zoom by. Which for some reason brings me to my next pics that are all about asking your advice about something kinda silly.

Random # 3 I wish I had gotten a tattoo when I was younger so that I could enjoy it now & be a cool old lady. But, I did not get one, did not even want one back then, but now I do! Crazy, I know! I'm 54 & would love a pretty butterfly somewhere that I could see it often & smile.

IF I WERE TO DO THIS, should it be on the back of my hand or wrist area?
Or here on the underside of my wrist?

Or down there on my foot which I usually would not call attention to due to not being crazy about my thick cankles. (Calfs & ankles combined)

I do not know if I have the courage or insanity enough to do this at all, just day dreaming a bit here, but if I did where would you recommend I do it?

Random # 4 Now if I were really thinking about what I SHOULD be doing it would be exercising which even THIS lady is managing to do.This SHOULD inspire me......

but it doesn't, not enough anyway.

Ok, I feel better now that I have dumped all this out on you, thanks so much!

Last Night was Fabulous!

I am hoping this video upload works. This is a few minutes of our school graduation last night. Our school also meets with our worship school students & this was their presentation last night. They were assigned to put together a musical number without using any real instruments at all. So it is called a trash band! Unfortunately my camera wonked out on me during the first half & this is just the last bit, but you'll get the idea.

They started with just 2 guys up there & then slowly through the number different ones just causally walked up there & it got louder & louder, so fun!

We had a FABULOUS night (to steal a word from one of my students)!

Long TO DO List

This Friday is our school Graduation & my list of stuff to do is crazy!

Today I designed & began the printing of the Completion Certificates,

tonight I will finish laminating the individual "I Am" statements they have each written this year.

I'm also working on a picture slide show as our yearbook for Class of 2008-2009.

Today we got our class photos back, pretty nice huh?

I'm happy with them, tho we have been teasing Scott (Mr dreds up there) for

looking off into nowhere land while everyone else looked at the photographer!

Cake is ordered, room has been properly requested,

music is planned, guests invited, printing up new brochures for next year,

updated all our websites with new tuition & dates,

just finished all the Exit Interviews today & 3 parties to go to between now & Friday!

I'm tired!

This lower pic is our whole school combined.

Love these people!

What?

The weirdest thing just happened. My Followers Blog listing on Blogger Dashboard showed about 20 postings on the same day by the same person all in a strange foreign language! I could not even understand enough to figure out if it was one of you guys or somebody who snuck onto my listing without my knowing it! And you just KNOW that there are tons of people dying to get on my favored list! :) I'm still not sure how it happened but my search led me to Bibi Has the Last Word & according to her comment section, it happened to others too.



Anyway, when I finally got it translated back to English (or got rid of the "other" writer,) I read on her recent post that she had given me an award! Awards are fun but can also be a little distracting because they make you have to write a post you weren't planning on or don't really care to answer the questions etc. But this one caught my attention cause it's this.............

Woo-hoo! I'm a sexy blogger! Who da thunk? Now I am supposed to list 5 sexy things about me! Oh man, this is not so easy but I'm gonna sit here & figure it out.

1. I usually manage to get a good tan in the summer, got one already as a matter of fact! Part real, part fake!
2. I keep my toe nails polished all year long. They feel ugly without it.
3. (This is hard, been sitting here for 10 minutes already!) I cover up my thighs, no shorts for me. Just discovered "Skimmers" Shorts that hit the knee, yay!
4. I'm not grey yet even though I am 54. Grey can be very sexy though, so that isn't a good one, but I'm counting it anyway cause I'm stuck!
5. I have a good smile. I figured this out when I was a teenager. I was sitting in the backseat of a car full of people & happened to admire the lips that I saw in the rear view mirror, thinking it was someone else's reflection, then discovered it was me! Ha! We seldom get a chance to really see ourselves objectively do we?

Ok, now on to some of my bloggy friends who deserve the sexy blog award!

Coffee Slut...because with that name it just works!
Lisa....because she is a woman who lives it to the fullest!
Tangobaby....because the Tango has got to be the sexiest dance ever!
Martini Mom.....because she just did a hilarious post regarding hairspray & erections! (And it's NOT R rated, I promise!)
Ok, I'm in trouble now cause as I look over my list of blogger friends, you ALL deserve the sexy award & I don't have time or patience to name you all. So I hereby say to you...take it & go for it all you sexy bloggers! (Now I can't even get back to "Bibi Has The Last Word" in English to give a link! Argh!)

No Saint Brenda

My last post was about saying good-bye to the graduates from our small ministry school. I was not lying when I shared my heart, but after reading the very gracious comments exhalting my virtue, I must reveal the OTHER side of Brenda Susan, ha! Ah yes, there are 2 sides to every story, am I right? Yes, I am.

I failed to mention the times I would see a "certain' student approaching & quickly duck into the nearest bathroom to escape them. There were also the moments when I would be "listening" to one of them & my face said that I was earnestly taking in all they (went on & on about) were sharing with me, but actually I was trying to figure out what I needed to do when I got home that night.

There are often 1 or 2 people who come to us that absolutely bug me! I can't always figure out why either! Very annoying! It may be just that our personalities clash, but I prefer to tell myself that they are just idiots! (Oh dear, the saint is slipping!) The problem is that our school is very small at this time. Our largest class so far was 40 students & it is usually smaller than that. So when there is an irritating person in a group that small, you know it, & he or she affects the whole school, darn it! Of course I know that there is always a reason for the way they are, & the reason is most likely a sad & painful one. But still! I have heard some call them our "grace growers". Cute name, but not fun!

A while ago we had a student who had no social skills. I mean he did not pick up on normal social cues that we all give each other without realizing it. For instance, when you have been standing in a hall or store chatting spontaneously with someone, there is a point when one of you knows it is time to end the conversation, right? So you kind of change position a bit or look at your watch or say something like, "Well, it's been nice catching up with you!". Normal people would immediately catch that cue & agree to end the chat. Not our guy! He almost followed me into the women's room once because I literally walked away while he was still talking after I had done all the normal things to let someone know that the chat is over. He followed me down a hallway even as I was saying that I needed to go now.

There are some days at school when I have had enough of people in general. I tell my hubs to protect others by keeping them away from me for the day! I used to get really bad headaches & those days were torture to be surrounded by noisy people all day. I no longer get the headaches so I can't blame my anti-social days on that anymore. Not my time of the month either, that no longer exists for me. Woo-hoo! So there go my excuses.

And then there are the new students who I am intimidated by. Wow, I'm getting REAL here friends. Intimidation is a horrible thing! First impressions can put me in a negative place about someone through no fault of theirs at all. They are too pretty or too skinny or they wear the kind of clothing I would love to afford. Or their HAIR! Oh man, I get so jealous of perfect hair women! I mean how awful is that? To dislike someone due to their having good hygiene or just good genes? Ha! Intimidation will rob you of some beautiful relationships. I am getting better at recognizing the silliness of the first impression. After 9 years of doing this school I have also come to realize my own authority & strength enough to not allow intimidation to steal some important relationships from me.

At the end of a school year I have students who grab me with a big hug & call me their second mom, when all year long I was feeling bugged at them! NOT a great feeling. But I suppose that even real moms get impatient with their own kids at times, right? Just nod & say, "Yes, Brenda, you are perfectly justified to have these negative thoughts about someone who came to you for guidance." Whatever! Okay, now I have revealed the truth behind my sainthood. I am an ordinary woman doing an ordinary job that I love a lot. Few people can say that they really love the job they do every day so I guess that does make me a little bit extraordinary!

Saying Good-bye to Students

There are only 2 weeks left in our
school. Graduation is Friday night, May 29! I have spent 4 mornings a week with these lovely people for 9 months.
















They came to us from all walks of life, all income levels, all spiritual levels, all possible home situations. This year we have preachers kids along side people raised by satanists. Some have college educations already, some were fresh out of high school & had never been away from home.

Our class includes singles, marrieds, childless & parents. They came with wounds, questions & barriers. Others came with strong, healthy self-confidence & beautiful backgrounds.







Each year as I read the applications, I stare at the eyes in the pictures they send. I try to read between the lines of our questions we ask on the generic form. In my mind I am asking "Who are you? What are you ready for?" I wonder if we will "click" or will this one be a mystery all year.







These ones who make it here & give themselves to a "time out" with God; these students who I am getting ready to say "Good-bye" to, have a place in my heart forever. I have held them while they cried, walked them through deep questions about how God sees them.





I have stood in the place of their past enemies & apologized for the wrongs done to them. We have laughed hysterically together! We have dance little jigs together! We have argued. I have been too harsh & too soft. But mostly I have seen what they could be & challenged them to step up to it.





How in the world do I say good-bye to these pieces of my heart? Every year this is a difficult time for me. But this year I am not suffering as before. I have


noticed a trend. We are not really dropping our relationships. It is not ending. I am still in contact with almost every student we have had. True, it isn't the daily hugs & kisses anymore, but the connection is still very strong & very real.


Especially now with Facebook & Myspace. I get Instant Messages from formers almost every evening while I'm on here! We have built a bond that will last, a bond that slips immediately past small talk & into real talk every time! My Hubs tells them he has to meet their potential mates in the future! Ha! He is half serious too! He gets extremely protective as you can imagine!

So, me & my little chicks have a few more days together. Some are going home for the summer & will return for Second Year, others are gone for good they say. But every year we have returning "drop-ins" of former students,

who say they need a little refresher to help them back home. They soak in the atmosphere, meet the newbies & tell stories of their time in the school. Then they take a deep breath & head out into the world again! They have learned how to take their atmosphere with them & change the atmosphere they are walking into. Those are our success stories. Dependence on us is not the goal.



 So in a few more days many of our students will pack their apartments up & drive or fly away. But I am not getting weepy, at least not yet!
We have invested in one another & that creates a cord, a connection that you'd really have to work on to break.
These people are leaving here with transformed lives & that just amazes me again & again!

Time for the next batch!!

Photo Albums of the Philippines Trip!

I think I may have figured out how to show you my Facebook Photo Albums from the Philippines trip! Click on these & it should take you to Album 1, then Album 2, then Album 3. I know! Too many to go to, but at least you know you can! Ha!
Thanks Lisa! You told me a long time ago how to do it & it just now clicked in my brain what you were saying!
Ok, so with all that clicking & sending you to other places, you may not even be coming back here so I'm not gonna say anything else right now! Ha! Bye......

My New Vehicle!

I told you yesterday that we had two new vehicles. Hubs found a "cute" '83 Mustang, which is making Hubs pretty sad right now. (Tell you about that in a minute!) Well, MY new vehicle is a very old (but free!) stationary bike for me to get some aerobic exercise on! I am very happy & excited about it. I love doing my yoga work-out but my fitness fanatic friends keep bugging me that yoga is not enough to get my heart pumping, which is what I need right now.This is my view when I use the bike in the backyard, nice huh? I just got it last night & used it this morning before it got too hot & I think I'll be able to stick with this. Hope so anyway! I would love to figure out a way to read a book while on it, that would help time go faster. I know it is pretty old fashioned & clunky compared to what are in the gyms now but it was free & I don't do gyms. If I get too bored I will repeat my mantra: swimsuit - swimsuit - swimsuit! Ha!

Regarding hubs bad news on his "new" Mustang, he took it in to be smog tested this morning & it has a "cam" or "kam", I obviously don't know what that is. But it will not meet smog requirements around here & it would take a ridiculous amount of money to get it to street legal! So sad! So he is going to have to sell it. He is now in mourning because he bought this thing 3 months ago & it has been at a friends house being worked on all this time & Hubs has been happily buying stock radio, dash covers, gear shift knob, etc. for weeks now. We just got it brought to our house 2 days ago. I really feel bad for him. We have 1 car & 1 motorcycle, so a 2nd car is needed & we thought it would be cool to have a "cool" 2nd car.

Actually, he loves the "hunt" just as much as the purchase, so he'll be ready to continue searching for the right 2nd car before the week end is over, I bet. But to say that to him at this moment would be like telling someone whose dog just died that they can easily replace it! :0 I'm just going to smile sadly at him & let him get there on his own.

Two New Vehicles!!

Now isn't that a beauty? My Hubs found this 1983 Mustang on Craigs list & got it really cheap! He is having so much fun working on it & I think it is adorable. For some reason he does not like when I say it is cute. He says that "cute" is not the look he was going for & not a good description of an amazing Mustang! Whatever! I think it's pretty cute.

My title up there says "Two New Vehicles" and tomorrow I will show you a picture of MY new vehicle, not so cute but very helpful...hopefully. No more hints, you'll have to wait till I get a good pic of it ok.

We are in our last 2 weeks of school & getting real busy with Graduation plans & parties. I am also loving the mailbox as I see new applications arrive for Fall 2009! It's like Christmas to me when I see a big envelope in my box at work, the receptionist thinks I'm crazy when she hears me let out a "woo-whoo!" each time. Ha! New lives, new issues, new wonderful relationships, new dramas. I love it all! (Most days!)

One of my students just sent me this pic of some of our students with some of the young people in the Philippines before we said "good-bye". I live a blessed life!

Toddlers/Teens

I heard a speaker today say:

"The only difference between

toddlers and teens is

body hair."

Mr. Bunnies' Sad Life

Let me send out a warning to all mother's who are about to enter the stage of life called "parents of grown children". WARNING: Do not expect your gifts to be cherished as much as you would cherish a gift from them!

For Easter I got a little mushy & gave my two sons a repeat of their favorite childhood Easter toys, go here to re-live the occasion. They totally reacted exactly how I wanted & they both thought it was a kick to see the same silly bunnies they got so much fun out of years ago!

But, as you can see, my special gift was found in this sad state the very next day in 22 year old Rocker Son's room. Of course I do not expect such a goofy joke present to be put on the dashboard of his car or anything, but c'mon! This is just painful to see! As you look at the condition of his bedroom you may wonder that I can call him "grown", because clearly there is still some major "growing" needed in the hygene & civilized living category! ( I do not enter his room often, it distresses me too much for several days afterwards!) Are girls this bad? I cannot see his floor most of the time & have no idea how he keeps track of what clothes are dirty & what is clean. He does do his own laundry & feeds himself & holds a job, so I have not failed completely. But, I could not live in this mess for 5 minutes & must keep his door closed so I don't have to see the mess as I go down the hall to my room.

ANYWAY! Poor little Mr. Bunny is still laying there face down in a pile of junk & my older Writer Son left his in my kitchen. Still, it was fun for the moment's reaction on Easter. Have I always used gifts from MY mom in the way she expected? um, no! I have things in my closet that just never quite worked for me, so I will forgive my men and be super-thankful that my Hubs knows me well enough to give me a huge Kohl's gift card for Mother's Day!! Oh yes!

Mother's Day Barbie!

I am pretty much out of the loop when it comes to the latest Barbie dolls on the market. I have two grown sons, so every Christmas I usually choose a girls’ name from a charity Christmas tree that gives me an excuse to buy a Barbie & some fun accessories for a deserving little girl in our community! That is my only link to Barbie, until I become a grandmother anyway!

But, in honor of Mother’s Day I am wondering if these ideas have been used in the last 50 years of Barbie-dom. Has there ever been an edition of Pregnant Barbie? She could waddle her way into her dream home & there would be a whole new array of maternity clothes for her. They could sell that special cream you put on your belly to prevent stretch marks & her feet could slowly swell until she had to always wear slippers every where she went. You could buy pickle flavored ice cream & Skipper & her friends could give her a baby shower! Little girls could learn how the body changes shape & hear the first heartbeat with a tiny little sonogram machine. She may have a hidden button you push that makes her water break all over her maternity jeans with the stretchy panel in the front.
The next purchase would have to be Mommy Barbie, who comes with a perfect baby & a car-seat for the pink convertible! For a little extra you could buy the super deluxe stroller that turns into a playpen or baby pool. Since the stretch mark cream never really works, she would definitely have them all over the place. Some extra accessories may be a breast pump & one of those cool baby wraps that keep the baby close to mommies’ heart all the time. A baby monitor is a must, along with baby clothes & all new transition clothes for Mommy Barbie while she slowly loses the baby weight over the next 5 years.

Oh man, this just opens up a whole new world for her! There could be Soccer Mom Barbie, Carpool Barbie, Hire- A- Nanny Barbie, Single Mom Barbie, Mommy-Blog Barbie! There is no end of great ideas & opportunities out there! Of course, maybe there already is a Mommy Barbie, like I said; I am way out of the loop on this stuff. But I will bet you there is not a……

Menopause Barbie!! I mean, she IS fifty years old now folks! She would come with an assortment of tiny fans, both manual & electric. Her face would unexpectedly turn several shades of red & pink without warning & beads of sweat would roll down her face & back in the middle of important work meetings. She would come with several pairs of light weight pajamas to change into through the night as the night sweats hit her. She would also need an ID bracelet to help her remember her name & maybe a special beeper to help her find her convertible in the parking lot! Of course she must have a treadmill & stationary bike or at least a gym membership to get rid of that new tummy fat that just won’t budge! And a dermatologist friend who can help her with the unsightly facial hair that sneaks up on her, poor thing. At least now she doesn’t have to worry about contraception….um no, I’m not gonna go there!

Prophetic Words Can be Wrong

Let me introduce you to Jubilee & her daughter Sarah Grace. They are the center of a funny story about a prophetic word gone wrong. Last year when we were in her hometown in the Philippines she came up to me during a prayer time in her church. She spoke little english so just pointed to her lower stomach & asked me to pray for her stomach pain. As I began to pray, her friend told me that Jubilee was pregnant & worried about her baby. So I gently placed my hand on her tummy & asked God to heal her & her baby. It jumped under my hand! I laughed & said that the baby likes to be prayed for. Jubilees' eyes got super big & she looked shocked & surprised. I asked why she was so surprised & her friend said that the baby had not moved for a few days & the pain she was feeling made her feel it may not be alive!

A few days later we were in her meager home as she proudly showed us her treasured belongings & talked to us about her baby girl that was on the way. After visiting for a little while, one of our fellow teachers came in & offered to pray for her & her family. He began to pray for Jubilee & then began to speak about the strong & courageous son she was going to have. My friend & I looked at each other & shrugged our shoulders, wondering what that was all about. He also said that the new son would someday go to China & be very powerful, at that point Jubilee interrupted him & said, "No China, go to America!" Ha!

After the prayer I asked Jubilee if she had seen a doctor that told her the baby was a girl. She said no, but she already had 2 boys & she wanted a girl & it is a girl! Then she pointed to the big bed in the room, obviously the bed she shared with her husband & it had a pink chenile bedspread on it! Family planning, I guess! Ha!

As you can see, she had a gorgeous baby girl the following September & she is a very happy mama! And yes, we did tease our fellow teacher about his totally "right on" prophetic word!

This pic is evidence that you are NEVER too old for a fun treehouse lunch break!

Stinky Butt

Do you want to hear a funny kid story? I don't write too many of those anymore because with full grown men as sons, the funny stories tend to be more about things like the cops coming to their apartment because of their new "Surround Sound" that works really, really well!

Anyway, this story is about Rocker Son who was a little bit older than he is in the photo above. He and Daddy were pretend wrestling on the living room floor one evening and Daddy percieved that toddler Rocker Son may not have wiped his bottom good enough after the last potty break. So Dad sent RS to the bathroom & told him to do a better job of cleaning himself up.

Toddler Rocker son was so embarrassed it made him really angry & he stomped off muttering to himself as he closed the bathroom door behind him. I could hear him in there talking away so I crept closer to the door so I could eavesdrop a bit.
This is what I heard,

"Wipe, wipe, wipe! I bet we don't have to wipe
in Heaven!!"

I Amaze Myself!

After all I saw on my trip,

I STILL got really ANNOYED the first morning home,

that I had to share my bathroom SINK

with my husband!

CRAZY HUMAN!

HA!

:)

The design up there is

just to mess with you a bit.

Is it moving?

Philippine Facebook Albums

Is it possible to create a link from here to my Photo Albums on Facebook? I will try, go here to see all my Philippines pics & the captions will tell what we were doing there a bit. My body is still kinda confused & wanting to sleep at the wrong times. Last night at 10pm I was Instant Messaged by one of the teens in the Philippines & it was 1:00 in the afternoon there, of the following day! crazy huh?

Today in school we shared our stories of the trip & all are amazed at what a difference a small handful of people can make. We all had about 8 or 10 new friend requests on our facebooks, from the Philippines! Fun!

In bullet point form, here is what we did from April 22 - May 2, 2009

• Sat. 3pm - Arrive & taken to hotel in Bacolod.



• 6:30pm - Meet & Greet Dinner with Filipino church. (Arrived in pitch dark due to a 7 hr blackout that only ended once we all sat down to eat!)



• Sunday morning - Half the students worked with kids outside while other half spoke in adult service. Very fun & casual.



• 2pm - 5pm - Students gave prophetic words to local church leaders. Very encouraging & spot on. (During this slot, the other female leader & I slipped away to get wonderful massages! Heehee!) o yes.



• Monday 8:30am - Noon - Painted local church building.



• 3pm - 6pm - Taken to first slum area. 1 team entertained & blessed the kids while another team went door to door offering to pray for people. I got brave enough to lead the prayer teams on both days & I was able to pray for 3 women with arthritis who were immediately healed right under my own hands. I saw it & felt it & was rewarded with a few thankful kisses after they finished jumping up & down & flexing their arms & fingers!!!! Ha!



• Tuesday 9am - 10:30am - All teams met together to share stories & celebrate!



• 10:30 - 11:45 -Teams went "Treasure Hunting". They pray & ask God who He wants to speak to in the surrounding area. They write down whatever comes to mind, ie: red shirt, sore arm, umbrella lady, etc.. Then they went out & found these people & believe it or not it works! They saw many healings every time they went out & the people were blessed to see themselves on the little peice of paper! Students love doing this.



• 3pm - 5:30pm - Second slum/squater area. I got to experience seeing a lethargic baby seem to "wake up" while I prayed for her! More later..



• 6pm - Amazing dinner in a great seafood place where you choose the fish yourself.



• Wednesday 9am - Noon - treasure Hunting again.



• 2pm - 4pm Attended a graduation ceremony for foundation that the Filipino church runs for the slum & other kids in area. Beautiful to see them blossom with care & educational assistance!



• 5pm - 9pm Cultural Exchange evening. The students were divided into groups of 2 or 3 & sent home with Filipino families to help prepare dinner & compare lives. Life-long bonds were made in this time. Brought back to hotel by 10pm.



• Thursday was recreation day! - So fun! went to a wonderful swim area that is a natural spring, totally beautiful & jungle surrounded. Water buffalo grazing & working along side the area. Students organized a spontaneous water baptism for those who wanted it.



• Friday - Free morning to pack & rest for evening.



• 3pm - 6pm set up for youth rally that night. Hand out fliers, bands practice, prepare food.



• 6pm - 9pm - Youth rally with several churches and invited people attending. noisy, wild, fun.



• Saturday 4AM! - check out & head to airport.



• Arrive home about 19 hours later but it is 1pm Saturday!! Very confusing!

PS. The link to Facebook did not work. Not sure how to let you see the pics.

Home from the Philippines

Hi Gang! It's good to be home from our 10 day trip to the Philippines

with our students. Here I am sailing along the crazy streets of Bacolod in one of these babies!

They call these trikes & they are a mass transit of sorts. They fit as
many people on as possible. Ours was a light load of SEVEN people
plus the driver!! We were cracking up!
I will be back to write more once my body catches up with the time difference. Taking three airplanes to get where you are going really goofs
up the inner clock!
Here are some of the beauties that this trip was really all about.
I'll write about them soon, friends!