My favorite right now

This one's for the lonely
The ones that seek and find
Only to be let down
Time after time

This one's for the torn down
The experts at the fall
Come on friends get up now
You're not alone at all

And this part was for her
This part was for her
This part was for her
Does she remember?

It comes and goes in waves, i....

This one's for the faithless
The ones that are surprised
They are only where they are now
Regardless of their fight

This one's for believing
If only for it's sake
Come on friends get up now
Love is to be made

And this part was for her
This part was for her
This part was for her
Does she remember?

It comes and goes in waves,
I am only led to wonder why
It comes and goes in waves
I am only led to wonder why
Why I try

This is for the ones who stand
For the ones who try again
For the ones who need a hand
For the ones who think they can

It comes and goes in waves,
I am only led to wonder why
It comes and goes in waves
I am only led to wonder why
Why I try


Greg Laswell, Comes and Goes

Just Add Water

I've been an absent blogger.  Without spending alot of time here, here's what's up:

1. I'm down 64 pounds, wearing a 14 (almost to a 12), feeling like I'm in my 20's again.  Life is sweet...even though I'm STILL sugar-free. ;)

2. The photo biz rocks, BUSY! Shot a wedding in Florida in August, flying to Vermont in October for another...lots in between.  We are blessed.

3. Friends are cool, treat others as you wish to be treated.  Good rule of thumb there and everywhere.  Jesus likes this rule.

4.  Kids rock, Noah has all A's, Maya; A's and B's, and both are super funny, sweet, and seemingly well-adjusted. Love them, and they love me, all is well at the Coleman's, but shhhhh don't tell. ;) ha. (insider)

5. David is the coolest husband a girl could want, he has lost 74 pounds, looks like a hottie, treats me like a queen, and makes me laugh every day.  Marrying this guy is the best thing I have ever done.  Alot of the rest of my decisions pretty much sucked.

6. I <3 Frankie and Tatoes, EVERY single day I smile at these girls, a constant and unconditional supply of joy there.

7.  We have traveled more in 2011 than any other year in our marriage, I love it, I want to sell our house when the kids leave and move into a little shabby chic bungalow somewhere and travel 8 months outta the year, the other months I'll be floating, fishing, swimming, or boating...happy Sarah = just add water.

8. I have nothing to complain about....a dear friend of mine lost her unborn son today 7 and 1/2 months into her pregnancy.  I don't always understand God's plans, but I know He reigns supreme.  I love Him and I love that I can pray to Him for comfort and it's always given to me, even if I don't understand I will trust.

9. If you read this, chances are I pretty much love YOU in some capacity.  Consider yourself loved, hugged, and appreciated by me today.  That's all. :)  -Oh, and I LOVE FALL!

a Simple Truth

An old Cherokee told his grandson, "My son, there is a battle between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It has anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies, & ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy, & truth." The boy thought about it, and asked, "Grandfather, which wolf wins?" The old man quietly replied, "The one you feed".

Two posts in one day? Could it be possible? Get cracked.

Okay so disregard the language and a few ornery pictures...  This is WORTH the read, and the laugh...and then get ANGRY! ;)

http://www.cracked.com/blog/4-anger-management-tips-internet-could-really-use/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=fanpage&utm_campaign=new%2Barticle&wa_ibsrc=fanpage

This is MY blog : updates and opinions

Oh, crazy Summertime.  It's so hot.  We are half way through our weddings this year, it's busy!  Our family trip to Colorado was one of the most memorable I can remember. Seriously good family times.  The kids each as they get older are so interesting and witty, ornery, hormonal, and most of all, hilarious.  We keep each other laughing.
We have have only had one Bridezilla so far this year, the rest have been completely sweet and fun.  That certain Bridezilla was surprisingly religious...but you would have never known it in the way she treated us, and her bridesmaids who were talking about her while she wasn't around.  How sad to let control-freak tendencies ruin your special day.  I always look at these types of brides with bewilderment.  What a waste.  As far as our great clients, we have seen so many magical moments already this year.  Vintage seems to really be in, and I LOVE this trend.  They DIY touches are beautiful and sweet, and make the day that much more meaningful.  I have witnessed some really touching moments and love to think about these couples pulling out their wedding photos on their anniversary and reminiscing.  What a cool job we have.  Our clients are so wonderful, and the overwhelming majority treat us so kindly as they realize their pictures have been trusted to us.  We care as much about their wedding photos as they do.  What a blessing to help capture and create something so lasting.

I have lost 40 pounds, and David has lost 60.  There's no stopping us now.  It feels fantabulous.  I'm into clothes I haven't worn in years and have had to buy some new ones.  I wore leggings and shorts...IN PUBLIC this last week (not at the same time-ha).  What a trip.  Not that I looked "awesome" in them yet, but just to wear something that 40 pounds ago, would have been a completely repulsive notion, is pretty rewarding.

On another totally unrelated note I removed a ton of people from my Facebook friends list recently.  It was time to purge the negativity, the bigots, the ignorant, and people I just really have nothing in common with, or zero communication with; it was a good move.  I got so tired of people's silly copied (and no real thought put into) statuses about our administration, gays, and everything else under the sun, like purple leprechauns bringing pseudo-luck.  Some were just gossips, some old clients, and some barely acquaintances that will never even know they are gone.  It just all kinda got old, and it was either time for me to boot them, or open my mouth and tell them how uneducated and idiotic they sounded.  Sometimes I chose both.  If you know me, that's just me.  I'm not apologizing for it.

One issue that I get really tired of people getting all bent out of shape about is homosexuality.  Here's what I have to say here on MY blog:

1. Christians, if Jesus was here on earth, would he love and associate with homosexuals that believed in Him just like he did other "outcasts/minorities" during his short time on earth?  Would he LOVE them?  Would he condemn them to hell, even if they claimed Him as their Lord?  Really think about this answer, and then look to the NEW Testament for guidance.  I think the issue is quite clear.  Grace and love and mercy...salvation by way of grace, for every sinner that believes, for we are all sinners, aren't we?  Does it matter what our sins are?
If you are saying that homosexuality is a choice and therefore gays are going to hell, then you might as well say that because you "chose" to watch the Hangover 2 with all it's vulgarity and perverseness...then you are going to hell too.  It's all the same in Christ's eyes.  I don't even know that homosexuality IS a sin.  Jesus never addressed it.  The jury is still out in my mind, but really it doesn't matter, that isn't the point. What I do know is that we ALL sin.  Get over the actual act, look at the person.  If you get drunk, curse, lie, gossip, look at someone with lust, have had premarital sex...any and all of the above, then YOU by YOUR standards are condemning yourself to hell if gays are going b/c of their so called "choice".  Christians often make fools of themselves by being so sure about issues that aren't that clear.  Can you say that you will NEVER watch an R-rated movie again, or curse?  I sure can't.  I used to be a Christian fool.  Now I'm just a Christian.  --and by the way, as a side note...for MANY gays it is NOT a choice.  Yes, there are some straight people that do choose to date the same sex due to past hurts or experiences, but for MANY MANY (I'd say the majority of) homosexuals they cannot help who they are attracted to, just as we heterosexuals cannot help being attracted to the opposite sex.  Get outside yourself for a moment, hypothetically speaking, as a female, what would you do if you were an outcast for being attracted to a man and everyone told you something was wrong with you?  Would YOU switch to women?  I doubt it.  Until you have walked a mile in a gay person's shoes, don't judge, because you don't know.

2.  Gays, If you want to be taken seriously by the rest of our conservative portion of society, less shock value in Pride parades, and more professional, intelligent discussion are needed to represent your community of wonderful people.  I hate it when you see a stereotypical picture on a news article of the standard gay man and he has a half shirt with short shorts and is groping a partner...  This is NOT necessarily an accurate portrayal of all gays.  They are normal people that shop at Macy's and Walmart just like the rest of us.  Gays and Lesbians are not oversexed perverts looking to convert a straight person, they are just exactly like you and I...but unfortunately our media and Hollywood feeds into the shock value and America eats it up...and there you have it!  Conservatives recoil in horror from the "ickiness", Liberals cheer it on...and meanwhile the rest of us moderates, including moderate gays, just sigh and go about our business.  Human decency and morality knows no sexual preference.  Would I dress like a prostitute?--no.  --And we all know to be taken seriously as a female in this society you must have some sense of decorum in our behavior and our attire.  Same applies to homosexuals, and everyone else.

Things are good in June

Sometimes you look at the glass half empty, sometimes you look at it half full, and sometimes you realize that your cup runneth over; it's really all about how long you stare at that glass.
-Me

Life is good, Maya is coming into her own, Noah is a funny adolescent, and David and I continue to get smaller. I feel great, have lots to say, but lots more to do right now than blog!  See you soon.

What it wasn't...

These large birds, [cranes] who fly great distances across continents, have three remarkable qualities. First, they rotate leadership. No one bird stays out in front all the time. Second, they choose leaders who can handle turbulence. And then, all during the time one bird is leading, the rest are honking their affirmation . That's not a bad model for the church. Certainly we need leaders who can handle turbulence and who are aware that leadership ought to be shared. But most of all, we need a church where we are all honking encouragement.
-Bruce Larson

STILL

Ah, this week sends me yet again into reflection.  I'm going to celebrate my 15th sobriety birthday here in a few days.  15 years without a drink or drug.  Getting clean at 19 was tricky, as you might imagine, but I wanted it, I still want it.  And while I could blog about my story, what got me there, and how I made it through the last 15 years...I'd rather not.  Instead, I am focused on the future.  By the grace of God, I'm clean...STILL, and to Him goes every ounce of the glory.  I'm overwhelmed with gratitude for my blessings.

All I can say, is presently I'm in the process of shedding the old baggage, guilt, shame and hurt, STILL.  You might think when you get clean, that poof, everything is all better.  The reality there, is there are reasons that you used...and hurt yourself.  Those reasons do not magically go away.  They are there, because your family, your past, your circumstances, do not change.  It's you that must change.  ...And so, I've changed and continue to change--all for the better.  I quit smoking in 2003.  I then turned to food...yet another addiction.  My romance with food has grown into an all out lurid affair...until I felt and looked awful, and something had to give.  I've lost 21.5 pounds as of last Friday.  I STILL have lots to go, but I'm doing this.  It's time to live my life without the guilt, and the hurt inflicted by myself and others.  It's time to enjoy the blessings of our business, and my great husband and kids.  I'm not allowing the pain to rule my emotions anymore, and I feel good.  I am a very happy person, and really for the most part have been for 15 years.  But, the inability to let go of the past, and present personal hurts, was eating my soul--and in turn, I was eating everything in sight.  STILL another vice to grapple with taming.  So, 15 years of "one-day-at-a-time" has worked and I am clean STILL.  Now I am deciding to give up my addiction to shame, and letting others shame me.  Shame was the needle, and food was the heroin inside, and I "shot up" way too often.  This may not make sense to alot of people, or maybe you are struggling yourself, I don't know.  It always seemed others had it all figured out, way ahead of me.  The reality is, we all have hurts and family baggage, it's just how you choose to cope.  I now know if I cannot find a healthy way to cope, I will do something subconsciously destructive to myself.  Knowing this, I am choosing peace and really re-learning a new way to look at food.  It's difficult.  But after 50+ days of shedding fat, emotions emerge...and I want this weight loss, STILL.  You realize why you got fat, why you smoked, why you used...and it hurts, STILL.   I always thought I was overweight because I just loved food and was a foodie.  I was hiding, afraid to succeed, afraid to not self-soothe with something.  I feel better today, than I have in years, maybe ever?
I am married to a wonderful man, STILL.
Jesus loves me, STILL.
I am clean, STILL.
...and I'm going to be a smaller, better version of Sarah...because I actually deserve it.  I've come a long way.

{David is taking me to to a Foo Fighters concert in Little Rock, AR for my sobriety birthday, I have so much to celebrate.  Can't wait!}

Anyway

 Do It Anyway

People are often unreasonable,

illogical and self-centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind,

people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful,

you will win some false friends and true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank,

people may cheat you;

Be honest anyway.

What you spend years building,

someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,

they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today,

people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,

and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis,

it is between you and God;

It was never between you and them ANYWAY.

Her Beauty

When your child's heart hurts, so does yours.  Period.  Without going into great detail, my Maya-girl has had a rough week and we have done lots of talking, I have done lots of consoling, and she's been mopey and bummed.  I remember 9th grade...no fun.  My lovely step-daughter is so great, most of the time not seeing how amazing she is, I just wish she could have her 30+ year old self, give advice to (almost) 15 year-old Maya; ah, the wisdom she would have.  My s-kids have never seen my blog (and am wanting to keep it that way ;), so I'm praying for Maya's heart, and I hope you will too. I heard this song today, that reminded me of sweet Maya's beauty and just wanted to post...for anyone that might be having a rough time.  "You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His."

Beautiful, by Mercy Me


The days will come when you don't have the strength 
When all you hear is you're not worth anything 
Wondering if you ever could be loved 
And if they truly saw your heart they'd see too much 


You're beautiful 
You're beautiful 
You are made so much more than all of this 
You're beautiful 
You're beautiful 
You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His 
You're beautiful 


I'm praying that you have the heart to find 
Cause you are more than what is hurting you tonight 
For all the lies you've held inside so long 
And they are nothing in the shadow of the cross 


You're beautiful 
You're beautiful 
You are made so much more than all of this 
You're beautiful 
You're beautiful 
You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His 
You're beautiful 


Before you ever took a breath 
Long before the world began 
Of all the wonders He possessed 
There was one more precious 
Of all the earth and skys above 
You're the one He madly loves 
Enough to die 
You're beautiful 
You're beautiful 
In His eyes 


You're beautiful 
You were meant for so much more than all of this 
You're beautiful 
You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His 
You're beautiful 
You're beautiful 
You're meant for so much more than all of this 
You're beautiful 
You're beautiful 
You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His

On My Way~Shedding the Old

My father and mother may abandon me, but the LORD will take care of me.
Psalm 27:10

The Wisdom to know the DIfference

Many people spend their whole lives pursuing what other people have concluded happiness is, or what the media has told them that happiness is, or what companies that sell things have advertised happiness to be. Our mission should be to break those lies and to find our true happiness. Then, we won't end up working hard all our lives to accomplish things that never bring true happiness...
-Sharon Janis


 How do you define happiness, and how has that changed since your 20's, since your expectations in life didn't meet up with your circumstances?  Today I am grateful, happy, blessed, amazed and humbled to be living the life I've been granted.  God hand-picked me for this life I'm living.  Through prayer, knowing  I'm exactly where I'm meant to be for now is very calming.  True happiness comes for me when I LIVE the Serenity Prayer and apply it to my life and surrender to it.  


God Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

April 25

Having been a targeted victim of parental alienation, as well as my poor kids as "targets" along with my husband, it's wonderful that there is now National recognition of this type of abuse.  Educating ourselves on this issue has really brought to light so much, and given way to much understanding for the children and how they cope.  Praying for all victims out there, as well as the perpetrators.  Hope everyone will join me on April 25th!  Thank you in advance--hugs!


http://www.familyalienation.org/

Yummy stuff this week

I made a smoothie from the above ingredients today, and while it may seem hodge-podgely thrown together (and it was), it was mighty tasty and healthy!  David and I kept seeing these catchy, artistically done commercials for this yogurt that was talking about "plainly plain" and "samely same"...you may have seen them?  The commercial just made me want to try it. Ah, the genius of marketing...

Well, this Greek yogurt is pronounced [Fah-hey] Fage, and it's the best yogurt I've ever tasted.  I even made Mr. Coleman (who loathes yogurt), try it, and he agreed, creamy goodness.  So I blended all the stuff together, green stems and all on the strawberries, because I heard they were chock-fulla nutrients and it was DELICIOUS!  The Acai juice I can barely choke down by itself (just not a fan of the taste, but love the anti-oxidants), but the light version blended with all these yummy ingredients was super great.  Just thought I'd share.  I never really cared about healthy ingredients a day in my life, but in my old age, am learning it's time to take care of  'ol Sarah...and 'ol David too. ;)

Track list and album art is here...Cannot wait!

Tracklist:

1. Home Is A Fire
2. Codes And Keys
3. Some Boys
4. Doors Unlocked And Open
5. You Are A Tourist
6. Unobstructed Views
7. Monday Morning
8. Portable Television
9. Underneath The Sycamore
10. St Peter’s Cathedral
11. Stay Young, Go Dancing

oops

Dear friends,

I quickly threw together a playlist that I liked for my blog yesterday, and I didn't actually listen to all the songs I added.  To my dismay today, I came to my blog and there was a REALLY explicit version of a song on my playlist...oops.  Very sorry.  My bad, all is fixed now. ;)

Back to the Future~Great Scott!

Sometimes you stumble on things worth sharing...this is so great, love it!
~Beware, there is a very small amount of adult content on this link...
Click here to go BACK TO THE FUTURE!

My New Favorite Product

Since kicking soda over a month ago, it's been a shock to the system to just drink water, tea, and coffee. The biggest part of kicking soda was getting rid of the diet products, we loved diet pop! I refuse to use artificial sweeteners anymore, not even Splenda. I've read too much and decided that there's too many bad risks for our family with buying these products. What's interesting after doing my homework on the web, is that Truvia, made from Stevia leaf and it's extracts is tasty and all natural. The sweetener companies pumping out aspartame and sucralose aren't jazzed about us all getting on the Stevia bandwagon because it costs them too much to produce en masse. Truvia, Sun Crystals and Stevia, are now my low-cal sweeteners of choice. I started buying bottled water and adding these Crystal Light Pure Fitness drink mixes to my water. It contains a mixture of Truvia and cane sugar. It's 30 calories per packet (a packet is enough for a 16.9 oz water) and aids hydration through electrolytes. Tasty, not too sweet, and a nice way to sweeten up my water! To throw out a timely quote from Charlie, "Winning!!"

For the SMoms...Couldn't have said it better myself

~~~What every step-mom should know!!~~~~Click Me!

Commonality by way of grace

The LORD is compassionate and gracious, 
slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse, nor will he
harbor his anger forever;
He does not treat us as our sins deserve 
or repay us according to our
iniquities. For as high as
the heavens are above the earth,
so great is His love for those who fear Him;
as far as the east is from the west, 
so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
for He knows how we are formed, He
remembers that we are dust.
Psalm 103:8-14

There is nothing that any of these people have in common, except for one thing.  Did you figure it out?  That one and only thing that bonds us all eternally.  Jesus loves all of us, every single last one.  The good, the bad, old, young, rich, poor, disabled, famous, infamous, even the evil.  Not one of us, regardless of our sin, is loved more than the other.  Sometimes it's easy to think that our God loves us more than our enemies, but the truth is, He adores my enemy just as much as He adores me.  --Hard to swallow at times.  All of our sin is the same in His eyes.  So while we judge with law, and righteously so, He continues to love us ALL as His own.  That is hard for me to wrap my brain around.  He loves the unloveable, the murderers, and adulterers.  He loves the unwanted, the weak, the hurting, the addicted, the disabled.  ALL of us, gay, straight, happy, sad, Republican, Democrat, Jewish, Muslim, or Christian.  He created every last single one of us, and has NEVER left our sides.  He hates our sin, but loves us, and His grace paid that price.  The next time you are at a crowded place, look around.  Jesus loves each and all those people, just as He loves you.  Can you believe that?  So knowing that he Loves us all more than we can fathom, don't we want to tell others about His love for them?  So many people just don't know, or believe.  What can I do, what can you do, to make a difference and win people to His love for them?  I'm still pondering the answer to that question.  I'm prayerful, and hopeful for a clear answer and a place to find it.
I will sing of the LORD's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself. Psalm 89:1-2

The first quarter

Ah, what a new year it's been already.  We have been blessed to be able to travel on our WeDJ cruise for photographers and DJ's to Mexico and the Keys, and then attended WPPI in Las Vegas all in the last month!  What a blast it's all been!  We have seen alot, learned alot, and are refreshed for another year.  These were basically our vacations, even though photo-related.  GOOD TIMES!

As life passes, 24 hours at a time, I find myself examining what really makes me feel alive, where my passion lies, and what I am learning.  What I know and understand now, today, February 28, 2011 that I didn't know at this time last year, that I didn't know 6 months, ago...or even 6 weeks ago, are ever-evolving.  Here are just a few.

1. I really am becoming more introverted over time.  I was always an extreme extrovert, and still am at times, but have taken on a more passive role in many situations.  It's growth, I believe.  Sometimes it benefits you to sit back and listen, not speak, and take it all in, rather than open your mouth seeking approval, validation, or understanding.  Many times it's just not worth it.  Knowing when to shut up, is every bit as valuable as knowing when to speak. (yes, I am just now learning this.)

2. Rarely do I feel more alive, than when I travel.  I have a lust to see things, to experience things, to appreciate all that has been placed on this earth, good or bad.  Travel awakens my soul, and allows me to acknowledge my smallness in this world, while seeing sights that make my eyes fill with wonder.  It's a time to reprogram ourselves from the normal, and look at culture, where it's been and where it's going.  Utterly fascinating.

3.  When your heart is broken, the healing takes a toll on you, but in time you WILL heal.  It is ok to allow yourself to forget the hurt, no guilt befalls you when you have exhausted all your options of forgiveness, and turn the brokenness over to the the Healer.  When you have been made to feel guilt and shame all your life, and have been freed from that hold, you can then, truly live.

4. Doing something for others gives me more satisfaction than anything I could possibly ever do for myself.  While everyone loves to pamper themselves with the occasional pedicure, and "just for me" time, there is something so satisfying about serving the less fortunate.  I at first, loved the "warm fuzzy" this gave me, but later realized what I was doing was so pleasing to Jesus, probably more than anything else I could ever do.  That feeling of spiritual satisfaction I crave, and is addicting.  Knowing Jesus loves my actions is a peace that is indescribable.

5.  People treat you differently when you are overweight, than when you aren't.  I have been on both sides of this, it's really true.  A great litmus test of who is legit in your life, and who isn't.

6.  I am not in control, of anything, except my own reactions, attitudes, thought processes, and actions.  Everything else, is beyond my control.  This can either cause me great distress if I allow it to, or I can allow the joy of powerlessness to wash over me.  It's a choice.  Some days are better than others with this.  It's the ultimate test in faith, and I fail miserably alot of the time.  Thankfully, God is always there to pick up the pieces or let me fall on my face to learn from it.  Either way, He's there.

7. People that are not really listening when you speak, usually do not really care about you or your life, do not waste your breath.  It's futile.  They consequently, will expect you to listen to them.  Listen and nod.  Listen and nod. ;)  Then smile, deep breath.

.

8.  Not everyone is where you are, and you aren't always where they are spiritually.  Don't beat yourself up over this fact.  We are all on a journey to walk with Christ, some are closer to the destination than others.  What's important is that we are patient with each other on this path, and don't get a case of "road rage".  The Beatitudes are really great to help me remember this.

9.  If you have the ability to help someone or listen, do it.  Easy enough, it takes us all out of "self" for a bit.  Loving others makes them feel special.  In a world where we are all searching for the next thing to make us feel good about ourselves, truly a little kindness goes a long way.  The best thing you can do for a friend is give them your time.  Give them a call and ask how they are.  Genuineness is felt in the heart.

10. Never judge someone by their Facebook posts or text messages.  So much context and intonation can be lost in translation through our typed words.  A real conversation is the only true way to know someone.  I'm guessing the next generation will have some type of media revolt called "kill your Facebook" for this very reason.  At some point, people will get tired of the shallow interactions of social media; I predict people will crave real relationships.  (I have yet to tire of it, don't get me wrong ;) -ha. 

 

My Funny Valentine

Valentine's Day came and went this year, and most likely it will be one of the more memorable ones.  The kids were with us this time, and so I wanted to do something that we would all enjoy.  I found us an overly wholesome flick that romanticized in kiddy terms Romeo and Juliet (which Maya happens to be reading right now in English)...into Gnomeo and Juliet.  Ok so this movie sucked, and wasn't funny in the least, and actually was so boring and kiddish, that I got an insane case of the giggles watching Maya get pissy and huffy at how insanely dumb it was.  Noah and I sat there dumbfounded just saying to each other, "this is SO bad"....and my Valentine, David, fell asleep.  So I laughed until I was sick and looked like a complete lunatic to whoever got the pleasure of sitting behind my Valentine's band of grumps and kooks.  We got up and left halfway through the seemingly appropriate V-day movie, and came home and looked for something festive to watch on Netflix; Noah suggested My Bloody Valentine.  If we couldn't make the gnomes work, a little scary stuff might be fun.  This movie, from 1985 ,was completely inappropriate and we then had to turn it off.  After going through several more movies we ended up turning off, we landed upon a Swedish claymation called Pingo, a penguin that grunted his words (stupid yet hilarious--cue eye rolling from Maya, which sent me back into the giggles), and then ended our rockin' Valentine's Day with introducing the children to some old School Rainbow Brite...wow was that a trip...like literally a bad acid flashback.  LAME.  Very lame. 

Here's the deal, though, even though it was completely lame, I had a blast and so did they.  We laughed at the calamity of going to see the nerdy gnomes (that Maya had warned us we were going to regret) that was positively terrible and the misfortune of every bad movie ever made on Netflix.  The simplicity of just being together and laughing our faces off, trying to find something to entertain us then became entertaining.  When we are all together just laughing and acting silly, I remember my mom, and how she loved to act silly with me.  I am so grateful for my funny little family, we are total dorks, but we are the coolest dorks ever...lol. 

David and I have shared so many great Valentine's Days together.  This was our 10th, and I didn't know it, but he did.  He gave me 10 roses at the end of the night when we went to bed, all with special events in our lives attached to them with little strips of paper.  I had to put them in chronological order, and then gave me the 11th rose to grow on, and make more memories between now and next Valentine's Day.  Such a cool guy.  God had such a great plan cut out for me with him; Just love it.  There's been lots of great Valentine's Days, like the year David dressed up like a knight and brought me flowers and candy to work, or the year he made me an arrangment that included my favorite perfume, or the year he took me to a fancy restuarant (Gilardi's) when we really couldn't afford it and it was quite a treat.  This year was special in it's own way with the kiddos.  Sometimes trying too hard to make things perfect, actually backfires, what's important is it was still "just perfect".  I love my family. 

I am a little curious to see if the gnomes offed themselves in the end, though...lol. ;)

 

 

Sent from Sarah's iPhone

I didn't have the guts

I read someones blog today that offended me.  In the bigger scheme of things does it really matter, nah, not really.  But it struck a chord with me because they wrote things that were from a pious Christian perspective, and have obviously not experienced a lot of trials.  They didn't grow up with parents that DIDN'T pray...they didn't have an alcoholic father, or a workaholic mother in denial, they didn't have family dysfunction.  I didn't have the guts to tell them how naive they sound because I don't want to offend them, or tell them how judgmental they came off.  In fact, I'm quite sure they are clueless as to how ridiculous they appear to the rest of us that haven't lived a perfect life.  The topic they were addressing is one that is near and dear to my family and lots of families, one this person knows nothing about, and has even less business trying to blog about.  They are just an acquaintance, and most likely will stay that way, but the larger picture here is that this person is my sibling in Christ, and they are misguided and out of line.  They see a very small projection of what they have been told about the world, perhaps from being sheltered and afraid of it most of their lives?  When Christians offend other Christians, we forgive them, we pray for them, and that's that.  But again, when we look at a more global picture, how does this person portray our belief in Christ to those that don't yet know him?  I'll tell you how, as a judgmental so and so, that likes to talk (or blog) to feel superior.  How can some be so clueless and vain in their quest for righteousness?  

I get tired of some Christians passing judgment on things they know nothing about.  It's really easy to condemn others, if you haven't walked a mile in their shoes.  I wish we could all be so sweet and simple and demure.  Life isn't always cut and dried.  Jesus loves us all the same, thank goodness for that.  People mess up,divorce, lie, gossip, cheat, steal, hate, condemn, hurt others, use drugs, live promiscuous lives, PEOPLE SIN.  Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone.  Maybe some are better served listening to others stories, passing less judgment, and truly serving our Lord in some capacity.  Understanding is the key to learning, and loving.  I don't see alot of this.  In our small sheltered communities in Missouri I see lots of rebuking and correcting, and very little rolling up the shirt sleeves and actually serving and just shutting up.  Everyone loves to voice their opinions, including me.  So this is mine: hate the sin, not the sinner.  Realize that God knows our hearts, hurts and pasts...and forgives us ALL.  Loves us ALL, and most of ALL wants us to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.  Could this be any simpler, or more complicated?

John 8:1-11
but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them.3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”


It's humbling.  All I have to do is read that passage and KNOW in my heart that Jesus loves me more than I can ever imagine.  He loves me through my sin, He died for me and that sin.  Nothing else matters.  That story is impossible to misinterpret, yet some forget it's significance.