I would totally stay the night. I believe in ghosts. When we were in Savannah, Ga I got freaked out and I will NEVER go back. I believe places get haunted based on how people treat their dead and how people die. They are unresolved souls. I know this isn't theologically the best explanation but it's how I believe.

Love this for so many reasons!

I have been bestfriends with two girls for over 20 years. I talk with one of them at least once a week. I could not imagine not having them in my life. I am so blessed to have them. They love and except me for who I am, we have grown up together. I called their mom for Mother's day, because you are right. Their moms we my moms as well. The Lord has totally blessed me. I am glad you have that and I hope that your children will have at least one or two life long friends. I hope you had a wonderful Mother's day!

TypePad HTML Email That is exactly what I say about our house. People always say gosh you must be so worried about how houses have lost so much value with your house and my response is always, no, not really because I am not looking to sell anytime soon. We hope to live here well into our retirement. We bought a house that our family could live in with us as they grow older as well and a house we LOVE. We don’t care if it is not valuable. Since losing my job the Lord has blessed enough to be able to pay our bills through our savings. The Lord is always good. I love the warm weather and the AC makes me too cold. My DH makes fun of me because even in the summer I wear long sleeves, he says I am the only person he knows who shops for winter clothes year round, but the AC freezes me out. If you ever move out here I hope you enjoy it. I know I do! I pray all the time that the Lord does not call us somewhere else. I deeply love Florida. There is a great mix of people and cultures as well. Oh I forgot to tell you in another comment I too love John Pinnette, I always think I am the only person who has heard of him. He is so very funny. I wish more people knew his name!!! Have a great day!

We grew up with the tent camping mentality. We went camping each summer as our family vacation. Now we go "family camping" and it looks much different. My dad now has a fifth wheel and he bought a family pop-up camper and gave it to me once he bought the biger camper. So now my husband and I and my brother and his with sleep in the pop-up which has a queen bed and a full size bed, ac, running water and a couch. The fifth wheel is much nicer, but only has one bedroom. Anyway we always go to a different florida park and we cook out doors and hike. I think the thing about camping is spending time together. My brother always sneaks away to the 7-11 to get real food though. It is funny as you get older you change. My pop-up doesnt have tv but my dad has two flatscreens. I do not watch tv when I am camping. I will allow the radio. I am a bit old school. You have to have s'mores!

I have lived in Florida for 35 years, my whole life. I have lived right on the coast of the Atlantic and the Gulf and now live in Central Florida and I have never evacuated for a hurricane. Even when in 2004 we have 3 hurricanes in 2 months and had to get a new roof we still didnt leave our home. The longest have ever been without electricity has been about 4-5 days. I have to say I love Florida. There is ALWAYS something to do within a 35 minute drive. I can easily get to each coast, the attractions, shopping, great food, hiking, biking and more. I love it. Year round! Kristin you may not like it here much in August and Sept. with the heat, but that is why we have AC, a wonderful invention. Definately the housing bubble burst here and now it is so much cheaper to live. My house value has dropped around $100k in the past 3 years. Good thing I am not looking to sell. I pay around $5k in property taxes a year in my county. So yeah not bad.

I hope you have a wonderful interview! May you and your family be blessed in ALL that you do!

I always wonder how come there is so much traffic in the middle of the day and why oh why aren't all these people at work? Even when the econoly was better and I would day a day off I would think wow, did everyone else get the memo I was taking the day off and they took the day off too? Everywhere you turn: the mall, target, Starbucks, the gym, etc. and it is full of people and not just stay-at-home moms, but men, too. Don't people work? Just saying. On to the actual blog Don't you LOVE, just LOVE being right?!?!?! I know the Lord wants us to be humble and all, but gosh it sure feels good! 8) BTW how did your interview go last week? I have been praying for you!

hahaha the post is soooo true! You are too NICE!

You should come visit my house! Seriously. When my family comes we can't wait to see them go, because it gets quiet again. I just got home from my dad's house and there was some noise in my bedroom, I could not sleep. I am used to no noise at all at night, just my DH breathing. I love my house! 3 acres on a lake, no kids. Sometimes when my DH and I drive up I ask (I really do) "do you think this is what Heaven is like?" I am a dork... I hope it is. I could never have fours kids. More power to you, you are a Saint and the government should pay for weekly spa treatments! ;) If not the government at least the church or your DH :) My dear friend Ann has four kids and they are the best kids I am not sure how she does it. Everytime I see her I think man the Lord sure blessed her, plus she still looks as good as she did in Hish School. I dont and I never had kids. Oh well that is enough rambling... I hope have a great vacation. You are welcome here anytime.

This is a great point. I think of myself is very nice and kind and at work people take advantage of me all the time. My last job I often worked 80+ hours a week. Yet whenever I spoke up to say soemthing was not right somehow that was not "nice" of me. It wasn't about being nice it was about doing my job and doing it with integrity. It kills my husband that men around me go home and are lazy and I get taken advantage of because I am too nice and I always finish last. I am not sure how to change that. I am just glad we dont have any children at home and that my husband is a true partner, helps out around the house and even cleans if it needs it and doesn't just sit ont he couch and play games all the time. I am blessed. Now I just need a new job :) one that will not make me work so many hours. I am done witht he 80+ gig.

That is so silly what happened to Jonah. I hope the kid who started it all got in trouble as well, even worse. It amazes me how one automatically jumps to terrorists as Arabs, that to me is racist. The comment was not. The leap to terrorist = Arab is. Terrorists can be any race. I know as I have grown up Terrorists have taken many different races and forms. If that happened to me, my dad would have been at the school complaining about that. My dad always was about making us pay for when we were wrong and sticking up for us when we didnt do anything wrong. In this case it sounds to me that the school is the racist not your son :)

You are too funny about picking your electronics. If I had known you were in the mood to buy I would have had my hubby tell me what would have been your best bet for your price range. He is such a geek when it comes to that kind of thing. I have makeup malfunctions all the time and for the most part I wear very little makeup. What is worse is when I have a malfunction and my DH doesnt tell me. Then I get int he car check out myself in the mirror and dang if the mascara or eye-liner didn't smudge or the mineral foundation didnt cake up. I mean living in Florida, sometimes the humidity! I am always touching and "glisening" as my grandmother would say. Since I have had enough of my own, I make it a point to tell people know, because I want to know. My DH always says, Oh I didnt notice. What how can you not notice I have raccoon eyes. Oh well. I am glad you got a new TV. ENJOY!!!!

I will have to go see it though! I have been wanting to. Oh the other hand. My DH and I went and saw Rio, it is a good movie for the kids and we dont have kids. We saw the 3D version and I loved it. It is a cute love story. It was a nice and sweet date night we went to the late late showing so no kids so that was very nice since we didnt have kids.

I do get the Rue La La emails, too. I haven't been reading them though since I have been trying not to buy anything. I just need to start working again :) Then I will have money to spend and not feel like I can't. My DH doesn't really know how good I have been trying to be. I just keep looking at it. I know I don't need it, what girl needs a dress like that. I don't need anything. Gosh I am so blessed. Lately my fashion is all about jeans and t-shirts, gross. But when I go back to work, I will be buys new clothes. ha ha. I deserve that :) I'll just save it up.

Your family and yourself are so much more important that books! God has called you to be a godly wife and mother and writer and you have been faithful to do that. If you can work and allow yourself to slow down and give more of yourself to your family, God bless you! We love you and with that we should encourage you in ALL that you do, even if it means waiting longer for books. We who read your blog are blessed to get to read more of your thoughts, insights and life. I know it tides me over from book-to-book. I will be praying for you during this time of discernment and for the job interview on Monday. May the Lord richly bless you and your family!

I would have to add Best Summer guilty pleasure: Big Brother... I am not sure why, but every year! I am like you and watch a lot of the cable channel ones. I am glad someone else out there loves Chelsea Handler. She makes me laugh, I hate to admit it as a Christian, but I LOVE her. I have this new reality show I watch on MTV (I know...) My Live as Liz. I am hooked on it. I love the geeks and her artsy self. Tori Spelling is doing a wedding planning show, but I haven't watched it yet, I am sure I will. As for the Kardashian's I love Scott and Kourtney. It is always funny when they are on. He makes me laugh, I am not sure why that is. I always have to catch up on the Kardashians and Real Housewives of Orange County when my DH is not around so that I do not get made fun of.

I am dying for this Lilly Pulitzer dress. I am not working either right now, stupid economy! I know my DH would never let me get it, but I keep dreaming and wanting it!!! It is $368.00 OMG but i just love it, it screams spring and summer! I soooo need a job too. I can't tell you how long it has been since I went shopping :( http://www.lillypulitzer.com/view-all/jillie-dress-novelty-lace/invt/98702/&bklist=icat,4,shop,ladiesdresses,wedding

I am about to start re-reading "Somthing Borrowed" since it is coming out in the movies. I remember liking the book. I want to re-read the book before I go to see it :) I remember it being cute.

You are putting a lot of pressure on yourself. All you can do is love him, pray for him and give him room to grow and try things he enjoys to see if that is what he wants to do. He may change his mind 10 times before he knows exactly what he wants to do. He may not know what he wants until he is a Jr or Sr. in college and that is ok, too. It may take him until grad. school. I have seen guys like that as well.

My friend and I were just alking about this yesterday. I am behind in my reading of your blog. In the fundamental churched it is often the women who are to "blame" for men's sin. It is the men in charge and the men who point the finger at the women. It is Not bliblical and it is not Godly. The woman now is standing up for women who like her have been victims in churches like hers and is showing the face of Jesus the true Gospel to women. She is to be applauded for her grace, strength and courage! God's grace abounds!!!! Women do get out of these horribly oppressive conditions and for that I am thankful I pray for more women and children to see the light and to be able to get out!

Allow your son to follow his passion. My husband knew what he wanted to do since 5th grade when he was the validictorian (yes his 5th grade had that) and they put a plaque up with what he wanted to do when he grew up. He went to college to be a Electrical Engineer. He is now a Software/Computer Engineer. I felt called in high school to ministry more specifically a pastor, my pastor thought I was too young to feel that strongly called. So I went to college to be a Vet. Once I followed God and not myself my life changed and I was happier and so were my grades. I think God gives us passions and gifts so that we can follow His path for our lives. He wants us to be happy. If your son is happy in his career he is will be a better father, husband, person, son, brother, friend etc. If there is a way he can follow his passion and get paid for it the better. :) On a side note. By brother went to school at first for architecture but changed to enviromental engineering and is now a civil engineer. He could not take the labs. They were dipressing being stuck in them 24/7. He loved the creative part of them. He was also at Georgia Tech, so it was highly competitive. He ended up at UF and so we got to go to school together :) God works though because he and I can go on mission trips together now with his background and mine :) I'll be praying for dicernment :)

Oh I know. I had never read him before a couple years ago, I am not sure why in school he was not required reading. I truly missed out on some great literature when I was younger. I am glad that as I have aged I have grown in my love of reading.

I am the product of divorce, that being said; I believe my brother and I were much better off with my parents apart than we were with them together. It has also made my brother and I work harder in our marriages. My brother has a difficult marriage and he has told me that divorce is not an option. My husband and I went into the marriage knowing that divorce was not an option, but I also told him that I would not EVER tollerate him hiting me or cheating on me. That being said as well. I do believe you said this well; things are not black and white. We are pushed and challenged daily on what we believe and how we will react to that situation and to those around us; with love and grace or hatred... We can disagree with homosexuality and love gay people. I can disagree with divorce and love people who are divorced, even if I think it was for unfounded reasons. I love myself and I SIN every single day of my life. I was born a sinner and I can admit it and I cannot change that fact about me. Can you love me still? The awesome thing about being a Christian is that God loves me unconditionally, dispite my messy room as a teenager (when I am sure my parents thought I would become a hoarder), my quick temper, my non-size 4 pants, controlling nature and my inability to spell. It is because of that unconditional love that I am free to be bold in who I am and have grace for others and learn that life isn't always the what I expected but that maybe it is as God expected. He's got this whole thing under control, even if it means divorce, having a homosexual child, a duaghter who had an abortion or even a hoarder as a husband. Those are my thoughts for today...

I love to read. In the car I listen to audio books and especially when my husband is out of town I read a lot. I read a book in like 24 hours and if I like the book I will read it over and over again. So, I tend to buy books for that reason. I will also lend books out. I read all kinds of things, Fiction and non-fiction. Last week I read, finally, The "Memory Keepers Daughter" it was so sad and before I read it I didnt know anything about it. My friend told me there was a movie with that name... aghast the movie was horrible. I couldnt get through it and I just spent days reading the depresing book. My next audio book will be "Friday Night Knitters Club" I am looking forward to that. My DH who hates to read whything that isn't glossy, AKA a magazine, doesn't understand my love of reading. If you have never picked up Thomas Harding you should, "Far from the Madding Crowd" is excelent. I have to thank my friend Keely for that one. She gave it to me for my birthday on year and I love it, one of the best and the best classic I have ever read. Keely and her husband read a book together aloud every night, so romantic; in my dream my DH and I would do that. I would love others to share some of their favorite books so that I can add them to a list, becuase I know I am always looking for more to read.