Michael Buble

Well, this took me longer than I planned but life happens!! So while on vacation Dad and I went to go see Michael Buble while we were in Pensacola, could not have had a better gift for making the President's List!! Once we got to Pensacola we decided to grab something to eat, well we could not find anything. And by that I mean it wasn't we couldn't find anything we wanted we just couldn't find anything: no McD's, Wendys, Burger King, nothing! Well, we finally came upon this place that looked like a seafood restruant; it really was a fish market, very clean place we wish we had been able to buy something while we were there but we had to way nor space to get it back home in a few days. We asked a worker there were we could eat, she named a place and we found it, the wait was 55+ minutes. So between those to places we decided that for dinner people in that area either go to that resturant or they go to the fish market to buy their dinner. Well, after that we found another place, Landry's walked it got seated right then. We explaied to the waitress we were in a hurry we were going to see Michael Buble and didn't know the area (the resturant was right around the corner from the Vicic Center come to find out). That dinner was so good!! It was a bit different then the Ladnry's that we had been to at home. Well, when we left there to head to the concert we found so many different resturants (as we knew we would) it was so funny, one was even across from the Civic Center, we even drove by the Civic Center before we found food thinking places would close to it to eat and so that way we knew where it was, we didn't see any of those resturants the first time around! It was so much fun, there was a group called Naturally 7 that opened for Buble and they were WONDERFUL! Basically, they are a group that makes instrumental noices with their voices and I mean ONLY their voices (of course they use a microphone), when they sing they are amazing and they do it a cappella, that was amazing as well! Dad and I waited after the show to have them buy some CD's that we had bought and they were so nice and down to earth, one of them mentioned that most of them grew up with their Dad singing in a gospel quartet/group. They knew who gave them their gift and talent (God) and were more than willing to talk about it, by looking in their eyes you could tell that they (or at least a majority) were believers.

He was so funny, very appreciative of those that came to the concert and used the money that they need and work very hard for. Well, he delivered on giving everyone a party and a break from life! He sounds exactly like he does on CD's when he sings live! You could tell that he really enjoyed what he did! The concert was so much fun, I would go again in a heart beat!! It was a night full of laughter and wonderful music!! We had such an enjoyable time, would go again in a heartbeat! He did a Michael Jackson impression and I am telling you give him a wig and the correct clothing you would have it! He also talked about how watching Farris Beuler's day out made him want to be a singer. Also as a teenager when everyone was listening to Green Day he was listening to Frank Sanatra but would pretend that he was listening to rock so he wouldn't be uncool or get made fun of. For another song Naturally 7 rejoined him and they walked out into the audience and there was another stage set up at the other end of the arena so that way he was sure everyone felt like they were right there and got their money's worth and where able to be upfront, which I thought was a great idea and showed how much he cared (or whatever you wanted to call it) about his fans! From there he sang "Home"!

The last song he sang as an encore was Song For You!! I love that song (I know, I can and did say that for nearly every song)! The last pary of the song he did without a mic and oh my goodness! We could hear him so clearly, the boy has got some lungs on him!! People in the very back row could hear him from the stage! It was so wonderful!!

I had planned on posting videos, but they weren't working with me! So, hopefully at some point videos will be up so you can enjoy the experience with me!! In the mean time here are some pictures:

Vacation

Day 1: New Orleans (evening)

• Radiator had a crack in it so we were downside to a compact car. Now this would be no issue but we also had kitchen supplies with us!! For some strange reason the kitchen supplies all fit but we had to down size our luggage....I have a feeling I will discover some vital items did not make it into my bag! But this is okay!! It was a really fun adventure and yes everything fit and most of it fit in the trunk!! Given a worm wouldn't fit once we were done!! Love how God throws an unexpected adventure, makes wonderful memories!!!
  
• Stopped and got some lunch at Chick-fil-a!! We are pulling up and all I can help but think is okay usually this place isn't this packed. Well come to find out it was cow day! You know, dress up like a cow and you get a free spicy sandwich. Well one entire family was decked out, I think there were 3 to 5 kids, even a baby still in the carrier was decked out. What they did was put a trash bag made the appropriate holes.....a cow has got to breath!! Then took a sharpie and made cow spots. They even had cow noses taped to their human noses!! They also had signs that said eat mor chkn!! It was too cute!! SO next time you find out it is cow day, I'm telling you just go eat in, forget about the madness and enjoy the outfits that people put on!!


• How can you go to New Orleans and not get some good food!! Blackened Tilapia, jambalaya, veggies, and grilled my shrimp!! It was oh my goodness, roll me out when I am done because I won't walk. It was also mixed in with a, "Lord, I don't mean to tell you what to do but see this, please put it on that big big table with lots and lots of food" (who want to get up from that table to go play football)!!

Day 2: New Orleans (morning)/Gulf Shores

• Cafe Du Monde....YUM!! I love this place, no trip to the Big Easy can be complete without a beignets (or two.....or three)!!


• Made it to Gulf Shores

Gulf Shores:

It is very beautiful!! The beaches are just as beautiful as they had been in the previous years!! I have been in the water! There is oil, yes but not nearly as bad as I imagined it!! The weather has been very beautiful!! We have enjoyed our time here and spending it with family on Dad's side! The time was spent at the beach and going all around town! We have loved visiting there for as long as I can remember!! While we were there we also went to Orange Beach (which is not far from Gulf Shores) and did a glass blowing thing! You could help make your class and the three choices that you had were: ornament (which you actually had to blow), paper weight and a flower. All three were beautiful. I made a purple ornament! We also went to an Elvis tribute show which was fun! Dad and I also went to Pensacola for the Michael Buble concert but that is in a post to follow!!

The trip was so much! Oil or no oil you should pack up and go to the Gulf Shores area. The people are very nice and the area is fun and beautiful, even if you are not allowed in the water (public beach area isn't at the moment because of oil)then at least go play/lay on the white sand and go play around town there is so much to do!!

"Exciting" Father's Day Weekend

Well, things have been interesting lately. Friday before Father's Day Dad was in a car accident on the way home from the airport. In route he was hit by another car. Basically what happened was another car which had 4 people in the car, at least the driver and a passenger were having an argument, the teenage passenger sitting in the back of the car reached up and pulled the steering wheel causing the car to go into the next lane of traffic where Dad's car was. They caused his car to go into the next lane of traffic then into the emergency lane at which time Dad's car hit the barrier and flipped over onto the drivers side and from the looks of it the car kept going on the road laying on its side. It looks like the other car may have also hit the roof of the car after it had rolled over. Gas also leaked out of the car (not a significant amount) from it hitting the barrier. Basically the part of the car that had the least amount of damage was the bumper...which did have a scratch. The car was a complete lost, front part of car was pushed in, driver side of the car was messed up, driver side front wheel area was messed up (from the other car hitting we believe), as was the right front wheel area (from hitting the barricade). Amazingly only the 2 cars were involved. Dad was able to walk away with only a bruise on his knees from hitting the dashboard/steering wheel area and a mark on his chest where the seat belt did its job!!

We got a call from dad saying he had been in a serious accident, we prayed and then ran out the door, not knowing what had happened. Headed the direction of the airport looking for any sign of an accident on the opposite lanes of traffic. We heard on the way that there had been an accident and all lanes were blocked, we knew that was it. So we made the appropriate exit and found a place to watch until the accident was cleared off. While watching we saw an 18-wheeler. My thought was great, the car went under an 18-wheeler, but at least it is still upright, and obviously Dad is alive. The 18-wheeler was not involved, just stopped (as did several other people) to help! The picture doesn't even tell the half of it, of course we have others this is just for a general idea. (In the picture the thing sticking out of the sunroof is the front bumper).


Well the area was cleared and that is when we found out what exactly happened. The girl that pulled the wheel was arrested and will have to face the consequences for her actions. But there is great news! Everyone came out okay! The pictures are not pretty but are yet very telling of what could have been if God was not in control!!

The song Amazed was sung the following morning and the part, "You dance over me while I am unaware" had a different meaning. I always understood and appreciated what the lyrics meant but never had I thought of it as God dancing over us (and His angels) while going down the road.

This reminds me of a verse (of course now I can't find it or think of exactly where it is) but basically the gist was our troubles are only temporary! PRAISE THE LORD! The trouble won't last forever! While the search for a new car continues and will for at least 1 or 2 weeks, the stress/emotions of the days/week that followed is over!

As Dad has said, "My angles weere working hard that night". We have been standing amazed and in awe of God. Obviously He isn't done with Dad or any of the other individuals yet!

Something that we discovered just today was that one of Mom's friends had driven passed the accident just shortly after it had happened (her and her husband did not see what happened) and prayed because there had been an accident and because it looked so bad.

GOD IS SO GOOD!!! So a few messages: 1) wear your seat belt, 2) be in control of your emotions, attitudes and body when you are in a car. One small mistake can impact the rest of your life. We are very grateful for God's goodness and grace especially as we were still able to celebrate Father's Day with Dad. Never doubt that prayer counts, as my Grandma says, "Praying for your kids and loved ones every day does matter. God always hears our prayers!" May we always sing priase and smile in trial or jubilee!! HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD!!!



P.S. For those of you looking at cars I HIGHLY RECOMMEND a Honda!!!

Fun Happenings!!

Well these past few weeks have been so busy!! We had our last High School Graduation!!!! Got to enjoy a wonderful lunch at The Nord that was filled with tons of laughter, so much fun! It was especially fun when I was at work heating up the sandwich I had left from lunch and made everyone extremely jealous!! It was even better the second time around (no surprise there)!!

Work has been fun! Connecting with women at the store as they shop and need help finding items of clothing. It has been so exciting and a blessing when ladies come in and something God has done in their life has them so excited that they just take the time to share it as they are being checked out! For example: A lady came in the other day for her daughter to get some pants that were on hold. The daughter just became a mother of twins and her husband just accepted a position at a local church and the following Sunday was going to be their first Sunday there and she was so nervous and wanted to make a good first impression. It was so fun to have that moment with her and to say isn't God amazing in how He provides, they will enjoy being where God has placed them!! Another example: Two ladies came in (mother and daughter). Well, the mother found some sunglasses that was an amazing sale! She looked at me and said, "Honey the Lord has done so much for me today it has just been amazing". Being able to share that excitement with her and celebrate what the Lord was simply amazing. The mother daughter pair came back and the Mom comes up to me and was thrilled to say, "God is good all the time"!

While being at work has made me think about using our gifts that God has given us at the location He placed us! We may have days of, "O Lord why am I here, I don't want to be here" mixed in with the days of "Lord just getting a glimpse of seeing you work in peoples life is amazing". Keeping His mindset, remembering He will provide, just keep the mindset and God just might show you something!

Nothing all that new going on here! Just trying to keep everyone melting in the heat....and to think it is only June!!!

One Muddy Dog

So on Monday I got off of work and decided to head to my Grandmothers house and join her and my Papa for lunch. I ended up staying there for a few hours. Well once I got home a muddy dog greeted me at the door. Thankfully though it was only part of her near her bottom. Because of the rain in the area the mud spot is still muddy with some standing water. Today, I am leaving for work and didn't know if the dog had been outside yet so I just decided to let her out and stay out till I got home from work. Well, I get home from work head straight to the door to let her in and begin cooling off. I open the door, she walks in with her entire backside COVERED in MUD!! I was still in my work clothes and had plans to go to a high school concert tonight, so there was now way I was going to give the dog a bath only to indirectly give me one. Poor thing, just wanted to come inside but really, a muddy dog in the house just isn't really going to happen! So left the dog outside to either go get in the mud that she loves so much or go lay somewhere else while I ate my lunch. Finally figured out a way I could clean her off without giving myself a shower at the same time. Took her to the front to be close to a water hose that is hooked up so I can turn it on and off easily without having to go from the back to the front yard and having the dog going crazy over playing in the water and creating more mud. Well, got her cleaned off, dried off and back into the house in which she lays down and what do I see? MORE MUD!! Thankfully it wasn't much at all and was easily cleaned up with a damp paper towel.

The new job as been going good! I knew God was going to teach me something and He has already gotten started. Ladies whenever you are out shopping be nice the sales people, there is a good chance they have had a rough day! But God has just been reminding my how I can be patient and show other the love of Christ even when it seems that they have an attitude for whatever reason. Just to see how much of a difference that can make in someones day has been good to see and a reminder! Guess that is all for now, the break has been good so far! Don't be afraid to show Gods love and grace to a complete stranger you never know how it may change their day or in the long run, their life!

Digital Scrapbook

So, I have been put in charge of making a digital scrapbook for an organization. Has anyone done this and willing to lend some advice? It would be great if you knew of a good one that was free/cheap!!!

I know of Hallmark Smilebox, but the ones I have seen limit the number of pictures that you can put in.

I downloaded Creative Memories free version but so far it hasn't given me anything.

A Fun Weekend And Fat Bible....

Well, these past few days have been exciting! I went in for a job interview at LOFT, when I left the interview I felt confident because the manager that did the interview said as far as she was concerned I was hired! But, I had to wait to hear what the head manager said, well the next day (Friday) I got the call I had been hired! Of course I got the call when I was on my way back from Bush Airport to pick up Mom and the lady mentioned something about the month of June and something about productivity and I missed most of it! I will start some time the week of May 12th, I am so excited!!

Sunday I went with a friend Jeni to The Woodlands for our annual trip we try to take every semester! Well we went to Freebirds and of course we had to get some cheesecake from that factory!! I got a new one where part of the proceeds go to Feeding America, it was the Red Velvet cake with Cheesecake, it was AMAZING!! Wasn't Paula Deen's Red Velvet, but that is okay, I am sure the owner is a Yankee and doesn't know any better but it was still really yummy! We have so much fun on these trips!! Found a beautiful dress that I had to walked away from on my own free will, almost went to try it on but knew the moment I got it on I was a goner and I would have to get it so I just stood there for a bit then promptly left and found Jeni some shoes she might need to buy one day (they were cute I think I might need them)! Saw some very interesting swimsuits on this trip, some just made us look at it and go "who would by this?! It is just ugly!", some really were the pattern on one was just not what you would expect on a swimsuit. It is amazing that on these trips we don't get into some sort of trouble, we have way to much fun!!

On a more spiritual note, I was thinking about how God calls us to step up our relationship with Him and the potential reasons for it other than He is God. I think that is what promoted this to pop back into my head from a few years ago. It was a comment that someone made about my Bible and their Bible. They were comparing our Bibles. This individuals Bible was a thin line (skinny) Bible, as was mine at the time it was purchased. At the time I didn't think anything of it when they said, "man yours is fat and mine is smaller", as if they were excited about the fact their Bible was smaller in the width. Now for some reason the thought randomly came back into my mind (most likely because of I was thinking about how God call us to step up our relationship with Him). I would rather have a fat Bible with wrinkled pages than one that looks as if it just came out of the box. That isn't my personality for some strange reason my books after a time my books just get worn and fat from reading them no matter how hard I try to prevent it, I don't know why it happens, especially when I know someone who can read the same book a million times, as well as write in the book and it will still looks like they bought it. I didn't realize that the comment, I should have taken as a compliment rather than letting the observation slide by me with no attention to it at all. To me it will hopefully be a testament of my life and what I choose to rely on (the living word of God), and where I sought my answers; and also that it may continue to inspire me as strive to meet the challenge of stepping up my relationship with Christ and the challenges that will show their ugly head because that goal. May it get fatter and fatter day by day. For me yesterday it was something I needed to remember to keep going and not to get comfortable with where I may be at. This is why I wanted to share this story, I hope you don't get comfortable either, if it is your personality may your Bible get fatter and fatter day by day, it isn't a bad thing!