Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Answered Prayer

For those of you who possibly haven't been around our family lately, we've been very stressed about some things that have taken place. At the root of these stresses has been the fact that several weeks ago, my brother, Cale, received notification that he would have to report to infantry training in Fort Benning, GA on May the 18th.

Cale has been out of the army for several years now, but is still under contract. He was told that following 25 days of training in Georgia he would be deployed (presumably to Iraq). Fortunately, though, we've now received word that his need to report has been indefinitely delayed. It is very likely that he could still be called up, but at least for now that is not the case. At least he'll have a little more time to be preparing for it as well.

That being said, there is no doubt that God has answered our prayers. Never underestimate the power of prayer!

ctb

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Backed Up

So, this morning Vanessa and I woke up to a flooded bathroom. CLEAR water was leaking from underneath our toilet. Long story short, I cleaned it up, thought I fixed it, it flooded, cleaned it up, thought I fixed it again, it flooded, cleaned it up...and now I find myself still waiting to find the actual problem. The plumber will be here first thing in the morning (which probably means tomorrow evening by 6 or so).

Anyway, I was inspired to google "toilet quotes." I thought I might be able to find some humor in the situation:

"I found out why cats drink out of the toilet. My mother told me it's because the water is cold in there. Then I thought, 'How does my mother know that?'"

"Today you can go to the gas station and find the cash register open and the toilets locked. They must think toilet paper is worth more than money."

(for the ladies) "You don't want to have to be the man and the woman in a relationship. You always want a man who can fix the toilet!" (right, Vanessa?)"

"European toilet paper is made from the same material Americans use for roofing, which is why Europeans tend to remain standing during soccer matches."

"Men who consistently leave the toilet seat up secretly want women to get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and fall in."

Ok, so they weren't as humorous as I had hoped. I just wasted 10 minutes of my life looking those up; you just wasted 30 seconds of your life reading them.

ctb

Friday, April 25, 2008

Complaint Free

For all of you that know Vanessa and I well, you've probably heard us talking about "A Complaint Free World." This is an organization that is trying to change the world by way of positive thinking. You should check it out here: www.acomplaintfreeworld.org.

Anyway, my interest in this program has recently caused me to start noticing all the little things I complain about on a daily basis. I thought I'd share some of what I wanted to complain about in the last 24 hours or so.

  1. I'd like to complain about how crazy windy it is in Oklahoma, but I won't.
  2. I'd like to complain about how horrible our softball team is, but I won't.
  3. I'd like to complain about how horrible I am at softball, but I won't.
  4. I'd like to complain about all the people that think youth ministers do nothing but play with teenagers, but I won't.
  5. I'd like to complain about how much fuel costs and how much of it my truck guzzles, but I won't.
  6. I'd like to complain about all the stuff I have to do and how little time I have to do it, but I won't.
  7. I'd like to complain about the fact that I don't get to play golf as much as I'd like, but I won't.
  8. I'd like to complain about how mad I am that my brother could end up going back to Iraq, but I won't.
  9. I'd like to complain about how I never get to see my nephew, but I won't.
  10. I'd like to complain about how bad my chili cheese burrito was from Taco Bell, but I won't.

Man, it sure feels good not to complain very much! Do I have to switch wrists for that?

ctb

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Why not blog?

Ok, I'm officially in the 21st century. For years I've been telling myself that I need to start keeping a journal, but I'm lazy and that's just not me. However, I've recently gotten caught up in reading other people's blogs (it's Vanessa's fault - she's hooked too). So I'm starting my own. Why not? I'm too blessed to keep all the blessings in my life to myself and often need an outlet to rant and rave. So, here goes...

ctb