Like Father, Like Son

I was going through some pictures we randomly took around the house and remembered this one. I think it is hysterical. Some people do say that dogs look like their owners.....but....the same expression, too? I think they were watching Sponge Bob and eating Pop-Tarts.

Our "metal pool"

I love these pictures. This is Devin who has always used this big washtub as his 'metal pool.' He is now 13 and still sitting in the pool, enjoying the sun and a bit of water.

Gotta love a guy with a big imagination in a little pool!

I'm glad we have a huge yard to occupy his liking of being outdoors!

Fullfilling My Tag Request

I've been tagged!

So, I thought I would answer the questions, but not tag anyone else, as everyone has been tagged already!

1. What was I doing ten years ago..... I was working for a hotel, hating it, working too much, making a huge wage that was not worth the time it took to do the job, but loving my growing boys.

2. What was I doing one year ago..... Graduating from College (May 20) and then started Graduate School (June 18)

3. 5 snacks that I enjoy.....

Pringles Popsicles Oreos dunked in Milk Macayo’s chips and Salsa (I ate there today!) White Rice with Sugar and Milk

4. 5 songs I know all the lyrics to..... “I love you I do” – Dreamgirls / Jennifer Hudson Abide with Me – Amy Grant version Imagine – Amy Grant Heal Me! – Melissa Etheridge Shout it Out loud – Kiss (Ok, I admit it...I like KISS~!)

5. 5 things I would do if I were a millionaire pay off my student loans go to Ireland move to British Columbia set aside money for my boy’s future Go to a Debbie Ford “Shadow” seminar ( http://www.debbieford.com/ )

6. 5 bad habits napping too often being quiet when I am mad, stressed, tired, sad....etc. being too hard on myself watching the Gene Simmons reality show buying art (well anything) on e-bay

7. 5 things I would never wear again

a bra - if I didn’t have to shoes – if I didn’t have to 501 jeans braces 2 or 3 inch pumps (or does this count as shoes?)

8. 5 toys I love Legos Lightbright Pick Up Sticks UP Words Rummy King

Life - Mission or No Mission - That is the Question

I have been thinking about something for the past few weeks. The friend that I wrote about a few posts back and I got together for a visit at a park here in town and in the midst of our conversation, something interesting came up, and I am interested in other’s thoughts on this topic. We were talking about how some feel really lead to do certain things in their lives. They feel as though they have a “mission” to fulfill and a purpose to meet. I feel this in my life, as I have shared here before. But, does every person who walks this planet have a mission to fulfill? Do we each have a certain something we feel compelled to complete, an ideal to which we aspire? Or, are we here to 1) get a body 2) do what is right 3) find joy and 4) return to God? And, what we do with 1 – 4 is up to us to figure out so that we feel satisfied and joyful in the process of returning to God. What about the Aborigines in Australia? Do they also have a mission to complete? What would it be? What about the starving children in the Sudan? What about the homeless we see everyday? Do they also feel as if they need to ‘become’ something in this life, thus fulfilling a mission? I just don’t know. What I know for sure is this – I feel compelled to offer what I have to those I come in contact with. To work to help children be safe. To help others find a better way, if they should choose. To share what I have learned so that the pain can be lessened for another. In short, I feel these lyrics quite deeply; “Because I have been given much, I too must give...” and when I say ‘given much,’ I am referring to much adversity and the fortitude, faith and forgiveness to be able to overcome and become. This leads me to a 2nd conversation I had with my massage therapist last weekend. She is very intuitive and often can feel my emotional self, which really is helpful as I am having a massage to release the stress and stories of others I hear daily. She asked me, “What does the word ‘expectation’ have to do with you today?” (I had been thinking in that very moment about my other conversation with my friend) I said that I was thinking about a quote I have heard throughout my life, “where much is given, much is expected.” She asked what I thought it meant. I told her because of what I have lived through and learned, I have a sense or obligation of a spiritual expectation to fulfill and this expectation involves being present for others as they work through life’s difficulties. She completely disagreed that I had been given challenges SO THAT I would understand others – she felt that there is not an expectation, but in essences, I chose to help others instead of wallowing in my own misery or choosing to ‘check out’ of life instead of heal.... So, what do you think? Is there expectation? Do we all have a mission? I say “yes” to both questions....but this is based on my life’s experiences.