"Rough Day" Country Song

It’s like a

Red F on your driving test

A ketchup stain on your pretty white dress

How you feel when the parachute won’t open

And the backup’s broken



It’s a

Root canal without the gas

Or when you’re picked last in PE class

Like a burglar broke in and stole your flat screen

Right before the big game



It’s like

Finding out your best friend’s lying

Gaining weight after exercising

Finding out your identity’s been taken

And your credit’s shaken

Why Don't You Answer Me, God?

I've often questioned God when it comes to prayers. Sometimes I pray hard for something, something that is definitely in line with His will. But it never happens. Other times I've prayed, and it took years before it was answered. And on occasion I've prayed, and results were immediate.

Over the past few months I've seen that God has delayed some prayers because I wasn't ready to handle them. I'm better equipped to deal with certain situations now more than ever because of life experiences and spiritual growth. In other words, it's hard to lead people TO a place you've never been. And it's hard to lead people OUT of a place you've never been.

I know God can answer my prayers in a flash, but sometimes He says no or makes me wait. I call it growing pains. He's making me mature and complete, not lacking anything. Now I don't worry (as much) if I don't get immediate results because I trust that He is on the throne. He is God and I am not.

Bath & Body Works! It really does!

Wow! It's almost been a month since my last blog entry. I'm sure you've missed me oodles and bunches!

So I went to the Heritage Park mall recently. If you're not familiar with it, it's basically dying (like a cat near a Chinese restaurant). There are only a handful of stores left. Grass is growing up around the entrances. Scary hooded men are lurking in the parking lot. Normally, I wouldn't go to these types of places, but I needed my Japanese Cherry Blossom foaming soap from Bath & Body Works. Gotta have it. Even if it means imminent danger.

I parked close to the door. Locked the car. Twice. Checked the parking lot for thieves and murderers, then entered the building. Almost every shop was closed down. Metal bars blocked their entrances. No lights inside the stores. There was no sign of life until I reached Bath & Body Works. Bright sunny lights welcomed you into the store. It was like night and day. Scary and unscary. Hooded men and apron-wearing ladies.

After I bought a few (or 12) bottles of soap, I walked out of the store and returned to my car. Then I had a reflective moment on the situation: The world resembles the mall. Much of it is dying. Many lights are off. Bath & Body Works could've closed down too. They could've said "What's the use in staying here?" But, they chose to keep the store open anyway. They continue to work to bring in customers. They have the heart of a fighter. Many times when things are tough, we want to quit or back down. After all, the rest of the world is doing it. But I encourage you to persevere. It won't be easy, but we have a power on our side that is greater than anything in this world.

There's no I in Team!

My kiddos were working in pairs on an assignment last week. Here are some sprinkles of wisdom I've learned from them (not just limited to the classroom):

1. One person usually does more work. It could be because that person has more useful skills or talents or maybe the other person is not pulling his/her weight.

2. If a person can go unchecked without doing their share of the work, they most likely will. Even hard-working, well-meaning people will slack if they can get by with it. Especially if their outcome is the same, regardless of the work they did.

3. Just because you're a perfectionist or good at something, doesn't mean you have to take the project over. Some control freaks (myself included) think that no one can do it as well as they can. So they have to do everything. Thankfully, I'm letting go of that more and more.

4. Often, the point of the assignment is more about the task of cooperating with others rather than the final product. How you work with others says a lot about a person. What would your team say about you?

Playground Mishaps

I probably went through a box a band-aids just this week. My kiddos are coming up with bruises, blisters, and scrapes, oh my! Some of em I can barely look at long enough to put the Spongebob band-aid on. They don't even have the old school toys like we did back in the day. This video cracked me up! Good clean comedy, people! Keepin it clean!