its a doggie dog world

this is a repost from last year on my seed stories blog. enjoy! (originally posted as beagle vs jack russell)

we have had a few different dogs throughout our marriage. our last dog was daisy, a jack russell terrier mix. she was a bit taller than most jacks, and her ears were a tad rounder and longer, her coloring on her face reminds us alot of the beagle that we had. several people, including our vet, thot she might have a touch of beagle in her. yikes!!! not beagle!

if you've read any of my seedstories you know that tho beagles can be outwardly cute, they can be (not all are) obstinate, head strong dogs. we had sophie for a year and a half. at first she was cute and adorable, but her strong will and disobedient nature eventually led to us finding a new home for her. we often remarked that sophie was like a picture of "the flesh" that wars against our new nature as christians. she fell into every temptation that came her way.

on the other hand, daisy has wanted to be part of the family since she came to live with us. she wanted to please us and was always watching for cues as to what we want. but every once in awhile, she also was tempted to go astray. one night she found an intriguing toy of joe's on the floor. she was starting to chew it when we noticed and told her to give it up. she dropped it and started to back off. we were delayed in picking it up due to too many things going on at the same time. daisy saw an opportunity and went back to grab the ball and scoot around to the back side of the sofa. michael noticed her action and sternly told her to stop! don't even think about it! she immediately dropped the ball. we saw a glimmer of the disobedient beagle in her, but her jack russell nature came to the forefront.

i think it is often the same with us. we want to please the Lord, we want to be obedient, but sometimes our flesh rises its ugly head. but God calls us back to obedience. there are times when i am tempted, and times when i even fall into the temptation, but then the Lord pulls me back, i'm reminded of my desire to be a part of God's family, to please Him in everything i do, and to be with Him. tho i dont' like my "beagle" nature, i'm glad the Lord has transformed me into a new creature in Christ and someday that "beagle" nature will be totally gone. i look forward to the day when i stand before Him. my hope is to hear His words of commendation: "well done faithful servant."

i have a busy day tomorrow but hope to be back on wed. (and don't forget, CHUCK is on tonight! season premiere. will you be watching?)

i got tagged by carrie over at chocolate, the other white meat for a meme. so since i have nothing else earthshattering to talk about today here goes:

The Rules:
1) Rattle off 6 quirks (you know things about yourself that others might find odd in some way)
2) Then tag 6 more blogs leaving links to their blogs
3) Leave comments on their blogs to let them know that you intend for them to follow suit!

hmmm, 6 things, hmmm, i'm sure i can come up with something!

1. i'm a very modest person, but when i'm in my own home and all the blinds are shut i love to run around in my skivvy's. (you probably didn't need to know that, but this is harder than it looks, folks!)

2. i have my own espresso machine and make myself a mocha every morning. i've been doing this for over 10 years. so you could say i'm addicted. but its decaf!!!

3. i love star trek voyager and enterprise reruns. i know, i'm a dork

4. i have very cute feet. i've even had people comment on how cute my feet are. complete strangers!

5. when i'm overly stressed i make my bed. otherwise, i rarely think about it being made or not.

6. i hate wearing shoes indoors. i kick off my shoes as soon as i walk in the door, and if i'm at a friends house i'll kick off my shoes there too.

Now for my six bloggers to pick...hmmm...let's see who do I want to learn more about this week?

i'm going to tag joanna, julie, *carrie*, gayle, maryann and monica

Thankful Thursday: My Men

it must be thursday, cuz i'm contemplating my list of thankful things. today i'm going to go with the theme of what i'm thankful for with my hubby and my son.

~~ i'm thankful that my hubby is a hardworking, hardstudying student. he puts alot of effort into learning and into getting the best grade he can. even with his limited eyesight which makes reading laborous, he doesn't whine or play the victim. he's a great student and i'm so proud of him.

~~ i'm thankful that even while being a student and having limited time, he makes time to be with us. to play with josiah, to be a loving husband and helping out when he can with the household.

~~ i'm thankful that he has taken over the bill paying and budgeting and keeps us on track. he is much more gifted in this area than i am.

~~ i'm thankful that he works out with me on fridays at the YMCA. just being able to go together helps me not bag out on exercise. and its fun to be together.

~~ i'm thankful that josiah is in a good school and has a great after school aide. it has been a good transition and the Lord has answered our prayers.

~~ i'm thankful that josiah loves to swim and we can go to the Y as a family and have a fun time in pool as a family.

~~ i'm thankful that josiah is becoming more independent in his life skills and can also watch tv/videos by himself with minimal supervision.

~~ i'm thankful for josiah's happy dispostion and his infectious laugh that brightens my day. he is a joy to have around.

i could go on and on, but i think i'll stop here and save some thankful thots for next week. if you're curious why i love participating in thankful thursday every week, go visit sting your heart, where iris has explained better than i can why having a thankful heart is a good thing. then join in the fun!

Fall Into Reading 2008

... over at callapider days, katrina is hosting her annual fall into reading carnival. i have been curious and interested ever since i started blogging, but never had the time to participate. this year i'm up for the challenge and want to join the fun.

so on my book list to read this fall is:

the two towers by jrr tolkien; started this summer but haven't got very far yet

a woman's call to prayer by elizabeth george; started this awhile ago but put it down for some reason. i really enjoy elizabeth george's writings.

the ragamuffin gospel by brennan manning; i have heard alot of good things over the years about this book. i found it at a thrift store a few years ago and i think its time to read it.

the power of a praying woman by stormie omartian; have read her other books and benefitted from them.

created to be his help meet by debbie pearl; this will be a reread. one i need to be reminded of.

those are the ones i have in my own library, then there are ones i want to borrow, beg or steal.

from clutter to clarity by nancy twigg; both monica and carrie wrote reviews of this book monday and it really peaked my interest.


Dies the Fire by SM Stirling; a fantasy/sci fi novel that looks interesting. i know nothing about this author or his works so it may be good or not

maybe a nancy drew mystery

and maybe a political tome

(can i do maybes?)

oh well, here it is. we'll see how i do. check back as i check off and give a review of each of the books i read.

Word Filled Wednesday

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go; I will guide thee with mine eye. Ps 32:8

i love this verse and how it gives us hope. hope that the Lord is guiding us, seeing whats up ahead, keeping us from stumbling around in the dark. when we get to know who the Lord is: light, faithfulness, sovereign, omniscent, omnipresent, omnipotent we have a new understanding of how much hope we have in Him. i have felt His guidence in my life and i'm in awe of His faithfulness to me.

this is my first WFW post so i'd love to have you leave a comment. if you want to join in the fun head on over to 160 acre woods. and have a blessed day!

My First Award~~~am I lucky or what?

Carrie over at With All that I've Been Given thought of me when she recently was awarded the BFF award. inside i was tickled pink, tho outside i remained calm, cool and collected as always. Thank you Carrie for passing on this award, my first award ever! its almost as good as chocolate!

So here's what i have to do now~~~

The Blogging Friends Forever Rules are:
1. Pass along to five people and five people only.
2. Four have to be dedicated followers of your blog.
3. One has to be someone new, or recently new to your blog, or live in another part of the world.
4. You must link back to whoever gave you the 'Blogging Friends Forever' award.


I had a hard time choosing 5 bloggers to pass this along to, esp since i don't have many bloggers who comment regularly, but i'm doing my best! so i am passing on the Blog Friends Forever award to some bloggers i don't know well,but have enjoyed reading their blogs.

Julie was one of the first bloggers i got to know. she has 2 sweet kiddos and has just sent her eldest off to kindegarten this month.

Carrie is a college student with a family like my hubby so i admire her drive to finish her degree. she also plays War of Warcraft which has peeked my interest ever since my brother started playing 2 years ago.

Sherry is raising 3 amazing kiddos,one of which has special needs. I love her encouragement and her heart for her kiddos and those of us who also have kiddos with issues.

Joanna is a new blogger. several years ago she worked with our son as his tech or aide. she was wonderful with joe, and we were very sad to see her move on. but now she has gone and got married, had a sweet baby girl last month and is starting on the blogging thing. if you visit joanna you can see some great pics of their little girl, and you might give her some advice on the crying baby days. i feel for her and her hubby.

and last, i have to nominate my swap partner maryann. i got to know maryann thru carrie and her sister monica's shoebox swap last month. if you haven't done a swap you just gotta! it was tons of fun. maryann is a young wife who is so creative. she is actively making her home a prov 31 space for her family and is an inspiration even to an old fogey like myself!

ok now, consider yourself tagged and get out there and pass on this wonderful award.

and thanks carrie, for thinking of me. you're a sweetheart.
i have more later for you ladies. i think we have found a church here in boise! woo hoo, i'm so excited.

Deep Water Aerobics

have you done water aerobics? in the deep end? wow! what an experience. i think i've discovered muscles i didn't know i had.

tues morning i donned my black, modest swimsuit and headed over to the YMCA. i went over to the pool and found a back floaty that i would use for the class. the other gals wore the ankle floaty's but i wasn't sure that would work for me so i stuck with the back one. the instructor was great and didn't make me feel like a duffus. half way thru i was feeling the effects of the cardio workout. my muscles felt ok, i was just feeling winded.

about 40 minutes into the hour we swam over to the ledge and did some exercises on the wall. by the time i got out i was feeling pleasantly tired. but it wasn't until today, a day later, that my muscles started letting me know that they are definitely not used to working that hard. i AM SORE! but not discouraged. in fact, i'm kind of liking it and proud of myself.

i'm planning on going every tues morning and i'm looking forward to the day when my muscles won't be sore.

Thankful Thursday

Iris, over at sting my heart, is once again hosting this weeks thankful thrusday. what a great gal, and faithful one to do this week after week. kudos go out to her. if you haven't done so, join us over there and add your list of thankful things today.

so for this week i want to share what's on my thankful heart.

~~~i'm thankful for a firm foundation. that the Lord is my foundation. that there is no wavering with Him.

~~~i'm thankful that i have a family who loves and cares for me. and that i have a family that i love.

~~~i'm thankful for the friendships that i have here in boise, that at least i know someone! as we get settled into this area we are not alone. and that i am meeting people who may become friends.

~~~i'm thankful for the Word of God that gives guidance and instruction. that i can know the will of God and that He leads me daily in my life.

~~~i'm thankful that the Lord loves me beyond my imagination and has a plan for this life and beyond. that He is preparing a place for me when i leave this earth and that i will be with Him thruout eternity. wow! that is such an awesome thot!

so, what are you thankful for today? leave me a comment or come join us over at iris' blog. you'll find lots of thankful bloggers there.

my new craft & foodie blog

i've been pondering for awhile that this blog, challenges and adventures, is getting a bit unwieldy. i have so many interests, so many projects, so many differing ideas that i love to chat about. which is great, yet it leaves this blog a bit incoherant for the passerby who may not follow my blog on a daily or weekly basis.

so i've decided to narrow my focus. come back to the reason why i started this blog and to eliminate the extraneous stuff. now i couldn't just chuck it over the boat, no, i decided i would simply set up a new blog! one that will focus on my love of food, crafts, sewing etc. so if you wonder why i'm not talking about those subjects anymore its cuz i'm talking about them at handmade blessings

i'm still setting up the blog so dont' expect anything wonderful yet! but i have great plans for this blog. i'll be finding other crafty divas and foodies to share with my readers, i'll be showing off my successes and failures in those worlds, and i'll be havign some giveaways!

i hope you will keep reading my posts here at challenges and adventures. i'll still be showing off photos of my special son, sharing our life here on campus, bragging about my man, the student and giving you updates on silly or serious stuff. in fact, i hope you read both! well, i can hope can't i?

Special Exposure Wednesday

2 summers ago, while gramma and grampa were visiting, we drove down to the salt lake zoo. joe got to see 2 of his favorite animals: alligators and gorillas! he was in animal heaven. it was a great day.







there's more great pics of great kiddos over at 5 minutes for special needs.

Nigglies

have you heard the word "nigglies"? its a word that a radio guy back in seattle used to use to explain those little things that bug you. they aren't big things, not big enough to really get worked up about, but rather little things that just grate on ya.

i have been bugged by a couple nigglies since moving into this apt. can i elaborate? please??? just humor me, k?

our internet comes to us from one little outlet in the bedroom wall. one cord, no less. now we were used to wireless so we could get on with our laptops anywhere in the house. mike had his place at the table staked out and i would roam between the living room, the dining room, the office or even outside if i wanted. now i have to share, SHARE i tell ya, a cord with my hubby. and i am chained by that cord to the bedroom. yes, we have a desk, but still ... a definite niggly.

we have a ground floor apt which was great for moving in. but our windows face the parking lot. we have blinds. i have no direct sunlight coming in unless i want to open the blinds and live in a fishbowl. i love sunshine, i NEED sunshine! esp in the winter. another niggly.

when i am on the computer in the mornings, i like to listen to AM radio, you know, talk radio that keeps me informed. so i turn on my computer, i turn on the radio, and all of a sudden i have intense static coming out of the radio. ugh! so if i unplug my computer the static ends or lessens. or if i unplug the internet cord (ethernet) the static will end or lessen. so if i'm really into the radio show that day i'm constantly switching back the power cord and internet cord so i can listen without static. just another niggly in my life.

now i'm not saying we need to move or anything radical like that. i'm just saying these things are irritating to me. but we know that this is a great place for us to be while michael finishes his degree. and we are happy here. the good way outweighs the bad. but there are nigglies here ... lurking in every corner ...

thanks for listening. thanks for humoring me. i will go now .... until another niggly pops up ...

Y~M~C~A

it's official, i signed up for the 12 week wellness challenge at the Y. i met with my trainer, nicole, a cute little early 20's brunette. now you might be envisioning a short barbie doll, but she is nothing like that. and in fact 4 years ago she lost around 90lbs! i was so impressed with her story and how she was able to lose the weight over a period of 2 years.

we decided on what i like to do for exercise, what i might like to try out ie: deep water aerobics, and how often i will work out and what i will do. and who my support team will be.

michael has committed to work out with me once a week. we started that friday afternoon and it felt good to have someone holding me accountable to get out of the house. i also have several friends who will be cheering me on thru email, phone calls and ESP! you too can be part of my support team by leaving me encouraging comments to this post and others that will track my progress. i know have a long way to go to reach my long term goal, but for the first 12 weeks i'm committed to working out 4x a week and losing 12 lbs. nicole and i will be meeting every week to review my progress, see what's working and what isn't.

so cheer me on! and if you exercise regularly let me know what you like and what you don't. i love to hear others success stories, or if you need encouragement to go for it, i can cheer you on too!

another fun meme

Found this meme over at another piece of the puzzle. Thot it looked fun, and a bit different from some of the other meme’s out there.

Out to Lunch (or Dinner)

1. When you go to a restaurant, do you usually order the same thing? Not always, tho there are a few favorites that I like.
2. What is your favorite fish dish? I rarely order fish in a restaurant, but if I do, it would be halibut or tuna.
3. What is your favorite meat dish? I absolutely LOVE prime rib! I also like ribs, steak and esp lamb.
4. What is you favorite vegetable? Corn on the cob.
5. How often to you eat out? it depends on how much money we have, but usually its only about 3-4x a month.
6. Do you usually order dessert? If yes, what? Again, depends on the restaurant. If it’s a restaurant known for good desserts, then yes. We will usually split a dessert. Something chocolate-y, or cheesecake, or crème brulee, or ….
7. Do you like a particular after dinner drink? No, not usually.
8. How far would you drive to go to a favorite restaurant? I might drive an hour. Maybe …
9. Do you like to dine with just one person or a group? I always enjoy eating out with my husband. And I also enjoy eating lunch with my sister or a girlfriend. With a group, it has to be the right group of friends.

Thankful Thursday

Sept 11
what a day to write my list of thankful thots! in some ways hard, as this day reminds of a dark day in our history. yet, a great day to be thankful since we have not had another attack in 7 years! come join me today as i express my thankfulness to a Great God, who is Sovereign. others are also thankful today and joining up over at Sting My Heart. go visit and you'll be blessed.

Lord, first off on this infamous day, i am so thankful for your protection. on me, on my family, on our nation. thank you for keeping us safe from other attacks in the last 7 years.

Lord, thank you for the faithful soldiers who are fighting far from home, to ensure that our world is a safer place. thank you for their sacrifice. and thank you for their families who endure so much hardship in their service to this great country.

Lord, thank you that we can worship you when and where we want, in freedom. thank you that we can share about you freely with others without fear of reprisal.

Lord, i thank you for the date nite that hubby and i were able to enjoy last weekend. thank you for our friendship with each other as well as with others.

Lord, thank you for the little boys in joe's class who invited him to play tag this week. thank you for their tender hearts towards my non-verbal son. thank you that joe was included and all the boys had fun. Lord, i pray that this will be the beginning of some true friendships for my son.

Lord, i thank you that we are finally feeling like we are getting settled here in boise. it always takes me some time, but i really am starting to feel like this is home.

and Lord, thank you for our friends who are bringing up a few more things from our house this weekend. help us to find space for the items, or new owners for them.

isnt' being thankful great? it just lifts your spirits, calms your soul, and energizes you throughout your day.

on another note, go over to a celebration of our journey and read her tribute to 9/11. it touched me mightily. she also has a video on her site. now i'm not a big one for watching videos. i never seem to have the time, and my computer's sound system is flaky, but this one is worth it. take the extra moment.

Special Exposure Wednesday

5 Minutes for Special Needs hosts special exposure wed every week and its something i love to participate in. i guess i'm just partial about photos of my son. so heres some more pics of my #1 son.

MAMA MIA!

(spoiler alert! if you are planning on seeing the movie you may not want to read past the first paragraph)

(i have been trying to add photos to this blog all day and blogger is not cooperating with me! ugh. so i'm going to post now and if later i can add pics of the movie i will do so. sigh ...)

my hubby told me last week that he wanted to take me out saturday nite. what fun! a date, instigated by him, no less. since i am the social secretary for our family this job falls to me most often. we decided to go see the movie mama mia. a couple different people told us they had liked it so we thot, why not? it has some good actors and the plot looks enjoyable enough. what no one had told us was that it was a musical! we have nothing against musicals, in fact, we kinda like them. but to see the actors break into song kinda caught us off guard!

hubby was a good sport, since it really is a chick flick. there were a group of women behind us, probably 5 or 6 laughing loudly and making a ruckus. but we were laughing too. it is hilarious, and touching too. the friendship between the women is what draws one in.

there are questionable parts to the plot from a christian point of view: promiscuity leading to a pregnancy. but in light of sarah palin's daughter being pregnant, one line stood out to me. where meryl's character says that when she told her mom that she was pregnant, her mom told her to never come home. i was struck by how sad that kind of judgement is. for the daughter, for the mother, for the family as a whole. what a difference from the palin family who is gathered around bristol and her fiancee and giving them moral support to get thru this challenging time in their lives.

and for the romantic in me, i loved the ending where the "old boyfriend" and donna get married after 20 years. ahhhh! we left the theatre singing "waterloo" all the way home.

I Need A Haircut!!!

it has been way too long since i've had my hair trimmed. i really, REALLY need a haircut. my hair is brown, and its past my shoulders. i wear bangs and glasses. so i'm thinking of going into a salon and asking for sarah palin haircut! do you think the hair stylist would even know who she is?

my need for a haircut is part of a bigger issue tho. i haven't really settled into a new, fall routine since the move. the month of august was upheaval. with joe out of school and limited help for him, trying to get settled and unpacked, getting michael ready for his classes. whew! now with both boys in school i have a bit more time to get settled, tho it still seems like its slow going.

i have yet to make out a weekly dinner menu as is my custom. my grocery shopping is sporadic. on the plus side, i have been able to use my breadmaker a couple times and yes, we are eating every day. but i have high standards for myself.

so next week i've promised myself that i will find a salon and get a haircut. and maybe i will ask for the sarah palin haircut!

Sarah Palin

did you see Sarah speak last nite? Sarah Palin, VP nominee for the GOP? Govenor of Alask, Sarah Baracuda, bulldog in heels and lipstick Sarah Palin?

wow--what a gal. what a firecracker. a gal who doesn't hold back, who delivers the punch with a smile. what impressed me was that she was telling the truth in a very down to earth, common sense way. that we, normal people from flyover country can understand. she's one of us.

and she endeared me forever when i found out that she has a newborn with special needs and she calls him a joy! and then she blew me away when she said she'd be a friend and an ADVOCATE to all us parents with special children when she is VP. do you know how long we have been waiting for someone in the white house to say that? to have someone who knows what we go thru everyday with our children!

i like that she's a go-getter and wants to do something, not just say something that sounds good.

this is my first dip in the political blogging pool, so don't be too hard on me in the comment section. i've debated whether to blog about politics, but after seeing others blog about sarah i thot i'd join in. why? cuz i'm so excited. i'm a bit of a closet political junkie, esp around election time. but i have never been as excited about a candidate as i am about sarah palin.

so what say you? did you see sarah palin's speech? what did you think of it?

Thankful Thursday

wow--where did this week go? its thursday already and that means its thankful thursday day. is that redundant?

Lord, we have so much to be thankful here in America. i often wonder how my life would have been different had i been born or grown up in a different country. i am thankful to have been born to christian parents in America. to have grown up attending church and hearing the Word of God preached. it is a privilege i never want to take for granted.

Lord, i'm thankful for the beautiful fall weather we are having here. i'm thankful that where i live i don't have to deal with hurricanes, tropical storms, tornadoes, or floods. i pray that you would be with those people who have been displaced and have suffered loss.

Lord, i'm thankful that my hubby is enjoying his college classes and is focused on going forward with his new career. i'm thankful that the commission for the blind is footing most of the bill to allow us, a couple with limited resources, to pursue this new track in our life. we don't take it for granted that we are being helped by our govt's generosity. and i'm thankful that my hubby studies hard and wants to get straight A's.

every thursday Iris over at Sting My Heart hosts this thankful thursday. if you'd like to join in, or see what others are thankful for, head over to Iris' blog. you'll be blessed.

Special Exposure Wednesday

our son loves his root beer. he would drink root beer every day if he could, but he can't cuz we are mean parents. and he loves drinking out of a straw. he was 4 or 5 when he finally was able to suck strongly enough to use a straw. we had many trips on the road, and many trips to the fast food places that were aggravating, cuz he couldn't use a straw ( he didn't do well with sippy cups either) this photo reminds us that good things do happen and our kids do accomplish great things, including learning to sip thru a straw!

there are more great photos of special kiddos over at 5 minutes for special needs. go check it out!

What's Better than a New Purse?

i'm coming out of the closet ... with my large collection of purses. yes, its true, i LOVE purses! small purses, big purses, black purses, colorful purses, totes, satchels, clutches and all the rest. so imagine my glee when i found that momdot is hosting a contest to win a cute, raspberry colored purse. did i mention that it is cute? actually its adorable!

i dont' really NEED another purse, as my hubby would tell you, but you see i have this addiction. i dont' buy alot of clothes or shoes, but i could buy a new purse every week if i had bill gates daughters trust fund. which i dont'.

i have alot of black purses. i love black, cuz it goes with everything, i have a tapestry purse my mother in law gave me. i have a great red purse which makes me happy. i have a felted black, red and taupe purse that my dear friend made for me last Christmas.i bought 2 black and white polka dot purses this summer. and my most recent purchase was a black and white striped ditty. oh so cute!

did i mention that i change my purses out often too. i may use one purse for a week or a month, but then i need to change to a different purse. its in my blood. purses are accessories and i need change!

my passion goes so far that i've even been trying to sew purses! trying is the operative word here. the first one was a bust but that is ok, cuz i was just using scrap fabric. but the 2nd one (same pattern) is on hold, cuz i'm stuck. and i really like the black tweed-y fabric. i REALLY WANT this one to turn out. but if i win this raspberry beauty i may be passified for awhile.

now you know i'm going to win this purse, but if you want to go ahead and enter to win (all the time knowing you wont' win, cuz I'M going to win) head on over to MomDot and enter. but don't say i didn't warn you, cuz I'M GOING TO WIN!!!

This n That

here's some random this n that thots:

**our car battery died yesterday. we were planning on going to the Y to go swimming and the car wouldn't start. not even a bit. we changed plans, watched tv and walked over to a local pizzaria and had the best pizza we've had in a long time. yummmm!

**today hubster replaced the battery and that seemed to correct the problem on our speedy silver bullet. we took a drive up to the ski area outside of town and got to see some beautiful vistas. again, i forgot to take my camera. when i realized that, i told the hubster to remind me each time we get ready to go on an outing.

**sister in law (brother's wife) called and invited me out for coffee this morning. we had a great time relaxing over mochas and lattes. then we headed over to the new joanne fabrics on the east side of town. great fabrics, great patterns, great ambiance. i bought a shirt pattern and a coat pattern. i think i already have some fabric to make the shirt up, gotta find my stash, but i may have to buy some coat fabric this fall. also got a new knitting brochure with 12 dishrags to knit up. i love knitting up dishrags and seem to have lost the one i had in the move.

**i made up a tentative fall schedule for myself. subject to change if life changes. but so far, i think this may work well. exercising at the Y in the mornings, writing on the blog and other writing projects and creative projects in the afternoon. i know if i dont' get my workout in first thing in the morning, it usually doesn't get done. i have grand intentions, but not so grand follow thru.

**we still haven't found a church, and i think we're both getting a little tired of the hunt. any words of encouragement as we try to find a good church that works for our family dynamics would be appreciated.