Happy New Year!

Here we are at the end of the year. I was preparing to type all this great stuff about this being one of my best years and then it went out with a bang by me getting sick with the worst flu that landed my in bed for the past 3 days. I thought I would never get out of bed again. It just hit me out of no where. I think I have seen at least 20 movies, a bunch of Christian teaching tapes, and regular T.V. shows. Even all that gets old. It made me realize how much health can be taken for granted. I made my way to Target and Walmart for a few odds and ends, like snacks and a new Monopoly game to ring in the New Year. It took everything in me to walk around with the cart. So... all this to say, What are you thankful for this year? What things did you and the Lord make happen in your life this year?

I had alot of major things happen, I got married, got a new house, went on a cruise to the caribbean, my massage business has grown, my kids are healthy and doing well, my parents and sisters are doing well, life it REAL good despite little bumps along the way. Don't get me wrong, it hasn't been all easy. I think the one thing that makes me sad is that I need to get back to my music. I think it was ok that I took a break for that past year. I had too many major things happening that I needed to adjust to. I don't think it is good to do too much where you are stretched to thin. I like multi-tasking but not to where I can't do things well. Can't help it. I am kind of a perfectionsist. I am thankful for so many things. Each day is a gift. I hope you all see it that way!

God Bless you this New Years Eve! Be safe! I pray the New Year will be a great one, especially if your 2006 wasn't so hot. Keep Smiling!

Goodbye to President Gerald Ford

I was so sad to hear on T.V. late this evening that President Gerald Ford had passed away today. He was 93. I remember him being president as I was growing up. I do believe he was my favorite president. Along with Ronald Reagan. Such a kind man. I am not sure how he passed on but I would say 93 years is a nice long life. He will be missed and loved by many. I am sure the Lord is taking good care of him now.

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope your day was extra special! I hope that you were able to spend it with the ones you love. I had a great day with the family. I feel a bit wiped out. I think the holidays can do that to us. God Bless!

Happy Christmas Eve!

I just want to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas Eve with their family and friends. I hope that you are able to spend time with the ones you love. Remember that Jesus is the reason for the season. That is what Christmas is all about. I am thankful for my family, friends and good health. I hope that none of us will ever take that for granted. God Bless!

Little miss "J"

Today I spent my day with an amazing unique 10 year old girl I will call miss "J". just to protect her identity. I was a sub teacher's aid today for a little fourth grader who needed one on one attention. In this case this little gal I believe is actually a brilliant child, almost a savant type. She is easily distracted and knows how to manipulate people around her. She can't seem to buckle down and get her work done. As usual walking in as the sub today she like the other kids thought she could test me and see what she could get away with. I was a softy at first but then I really had to crack down during a project that was due today and she had had a month to get it done. She needed to color a picture. She colored a person in the picture all yellow. I asked her why she hadn't used different colors for the different parts of the body. I told her she was being a little sloppy and not caring about her work. Her reply was "Silly, this is abstract art and I can color it all one color." What kind of fourth grader talks like that? Then she tried to butter me up and tell me that she wished I was her permenant teachers aid and not the sub. She then said to me, "I bet I just made your day." I just couldn't believe how she was talking to me. She spent her whole afternoon in the hallway doing all the work she hadn't gotten done while the other kids watched Christmas movies. This was a case in which I think this child is smarter than the average child and she is receiving one on one help due to behavioral issues and our government is paying for this.

Chunky monkey

Hey! That is my new name... ya chunky monkey! That is exactly how I feel after gaining 4 pounds on our cruise. Not to mention how fat I felt before we left. Now I have really got to hit the gym hard. I am really, really unhappy with this battle.
Oh well... I think this is a lifelong battle. There are worse things in life.
Is everyone ready for Christmas? It has been rainy here all day. We have managed to have the snow miss us completely so far this season. I am pretty much done with Christmas shopping but I am sure I will have a few last minute things to get.
I just feel kind of tired of the whole commercial thing. I know Christmas is more than rushing around buying more and more stuff. I refuse to have Christmas be like that. I think most of us know the real reason for the season and that is "Jesus". Just saying it like that makes me relax. There should be no stress when you put it all into perspective.

Blog of our Honeymoon cruise to the caribbean

Saturday December 9th, 2006
Day 1
Travel day to Galveston. I never thought it would take 19 hours to drive there from Iowa, but it did. We took my father in law, Bobby with us so with 3 along we had a few more bathroom breaks etc... We were sooooo tired but it was great to see a bit of the ocean even if it was at night.

Sunday December 10th, 2006
Day 2
Boarding the Carnival Conquest. What a gorgeous ship! It was a cold chilly day in Galveston. Must have been in the 40's. It did start to rain. It was hard to imagine that we would be heading to warmer weather within two days. It was fun checking into the room and being greeted with the typical Carnival cruise welcome. Champagne and a full buffet. I can just feel the weight piling on me. Ugh! I have to be honest, I have never seen so many over weight people on a cruise. Geez louise! They have come to the right place if the want access to food 24/7. I had a real sensative stomach on the way down and nearly wanted to stay at home. I really toughed it out.

Monday December 11th, 2006
Day 3
Cruised all day. Chilly and windy.... am I ever going to see the sun? Thank goodness there are plenty of things to do on the ship. How many games of bingo can you play? I think I will enjoy people watching. I think half of the 3000 passengers on this ship are from Texas. Suprise, suprise! Many are bellied up to the bar, some are in the casino, there are always people eating, and of course shopping! many are wearing patches for motion sickness behind their ears, (thank goodness I don't have that! Although I seem to have terriably bad itchy ears on the inside. What is up with that?) My main goal is to find my father in law a date or some nice lady to hang out with on the cruise. He lost his second wife to cancer in September, So my quest begins.

Tuesday December 12th, 2006
Day 4
Another chilly cruise day. Steve took pictures of me out on the deck. I clung to the rail for dear life. I pictured myself falling overboard and no one being able to save me not to mention being eaten by a shark. Steve told me it was too bad I hadn't signed that life insurance policy before we left. haha! Just kidding. He and I have this funny sense of humor with each other. Did I mention the food?? Steaks, prime rib, and the finest desserts!

Wednesday December 13th, 2006
Day 5 MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA
This was the day I was waiting for. I have always wanted to go to Jamaica. This was a day to remember. The weather was beautiful. It had to have been between 80 and 90 degree's. Steve and I signed up for an excursion today. We did the canopy tour. Can't believe I agreed to do it. For those of you who don't know what it is, the other word for it is going on a zip line. We took a 30 minute ride up into the jungle terrain. We trekked on up into a higher elevation after putting our gear on. We had helmets, harnesses and pullies. ( I will post some pictures soon for you to see this event.) I really don't know how I decided to do this but I am glad I did. It was really amazing. You zip from tree to tree by moving along the line above your head. They have 2 places where you are hooked up so there is a backup. Thank goodness! We started out with some easy ones and then climber higher and ended up in some tree house pretty high up. Our final line was over 1000 feet long and over 250 feet high. I then began to get a little nervous. But there was no turning back. What a neat feeling to be zipping along, I would say 30 to 40 mph on a wire over a beautiful river and through jungle tree's. I screamed and just let out that pent up energy. It was a rush!!! You must try it if you get the chance!

Our tour guide took us to town to do a little shopping for about an hour. We bought some Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee. We tried a sample in the store. It was sooo yummy! That and the rum cake! We had to buy some of that too.

I asked the tour guide to take us by Jimmy Buffet's Resturant. It had to be one of the coolest places to hang out. The restaurant hangs out right over the ocean. You can even take a water slide from the deck and land in the ocean and go for a swim. I just went down the ladder and swam over to the floating dock and layed out. They had trampolines you could jump on. A couple of party boat pulled up with people. Everyone was having a good time. Too bad we only got an hour to hang out there too. It just wasn't long enough. I think we need a whole week in Jamaica. This is new territory for me. I also have some missionary friends on the island that I want to go see and spend time with and help them out. We just couldn't do it this time.

Thursday December 14th, 2006
Day 6 GEORGETOWN, GRAND CAYMAN
This is my third trip to the Cayman Islands and has always been my favorite spot to vacation. Wow! Today was absolutely gorgeous. Steve went off to Dive with Don Foster's Dive Shop. I was so excited for him. He loves to dive and hadn't gotten the chance for such a long time. Expecially in the Caymans where it is one of the best diving locations in the world. I took a taxi to 7 mile beach and layed out at the Royal Palms beach. The sun was perfect and the water clear blue. I got some lunch and took a little swim. I heard a two little gals behind my begging their parents to go on a banana boat right with them. They kept turning them down. I felt bad for them and I got tired of hearing it so I told their mom I would go with them. Besides I had REALLY been wanting to rent a jet ski but decided I better hold off. This was a great opportunity to get way out there and enjoy the water. So I went with them. We had a great time! The only bad thing is how the salt water can sting your eyes. Unfortunately my perfect day had to come to an end. When you cruise you have a deadline to get back to the ship. I did some quick shopping and met up with Steve. He had such a great time diving. I really feel like we will be back. I think he is hooked!

Friday December 15th, 2006
Day 7 COZUMEL, MEXICO
Today was cloudy and rainy. Not what I was expecting for our day in Cozumel. It didn't effect Steve because he went diving. My plans to go to the beach were changed the minute we stepped off the ship. It began to rain and didn't stop for about 6 hours. So most of us went shopping for the day. Steve got to drift dive which he had never done before. The divers are dropped up in a certain location and then the current carries the divers along and they end up at a different spot. He was down about 75 feet. He said he enjoyed the dive here a little better than the Caymans. I just think he didn't get to the right spot in the Cayman's because I have heard it is amazing to dive there. Maybe I will get certified one of these days. Ya never know. I get a little daring out of the blue. We finished up our day there at Carlos and Charlies.

Saturday December 16th, 2006
Day 8
Cruisin back home. We got our beautiful day of sunshine to lay out on the way back. The 2 man regae band played out on the lido deck. I just enjoyed laying there listening to the music and people watching. I just love people watching! They get a little funny when they have been drinking. This couple a few chairs down from us had been drinking for awhile. They became louder and louder and more and more sunburned. I couldn't believe that they were still sitting out there like that. I heard them say they had put plenty of sunscreen on and that they were just fine. I was chuckling to myself thinking wait until they look in the mirror a little later. Wait until they feel the effects of this later. Oh it was bad!

We had another great dinner and afterwards my father in law Bobby told the lounge singer that I was a great singer. (ugh.. and blush) So he called me up on stage with him. I sang Carole King's "It's too late" , "Crazy", and backed him up on Jimmy Buffets "Margaritaville". He dropped out half the time so I just kept singing my harmony. It really was a great time! I think I would enjoy that gig.

Sunday December 17th, 2006
Heading home. Fog stopped up from getting into port on time. So I would say we were delayed at least 5 hours. Then to top it off we broke a belt under the hood and lost power steering in Oklahoma City. Thank goodness Steve is a great driver and got us pulled over. Since it was a sunday evening nothing was open. We were stopped for the night. We just got a hotel. I think all things happen for a reason. We must have had the breakdown for a reason.

Monday December 18th, 2006
Home!! After finding a mechanic and 400.00 later we were on our way. Didn't get home till 8 PM. The other hidden blessing is that we got to visit with my friend Ron Moore in Oklahoma City while our car was being fixed. I am glad to be home!!

Our Justice system fails again

The subject of the American Justice system is a very sore one with me. Twice in the past year the system has failed me greatly. Most of you don't know that battles that I have been going through for the last 3 years. That is part of the reason I have not had the time to put out a new album of music or really be in touch with many of you.

Three years ago I was working for a upscale men's and women's clothing store in my area. During that time I was given sexually explicit pictures of a co-worker. (Nude to be exact) I was verbally harassed and sexually harassed and even grabbed physically. I filed a lawsuit against the company and tried to defend myself. During the next 3 years I went through one attorney who wanted out of my case after she believe in it for the first 6 months then suddenly dropped me like hot cakes. Then the new one took over and said he believe in me. He turned out to be close friends with the opposing attorney. He got us up to the day of the trial and dropped the ball on me with a hearing with the judge where I was not allowed to be present. Suddenly I was informed that my case was dropped or dimissed without warning. Thrown out if you have it. After three years of my life fighting for my voice to be heard in court. I am still licking my wounds and realizing that only God will bring true justice to the men that wronged me. I believe they all knew each other and all shopped at this clothing store. The gentleman's club could not betray each other. The one man that gave me the pictures still works for the company and never was repremended or fired. I still see his little car parked right by the door of the store when I drive down that street. So life goes on right?......

Then this year in April, 6 weeks after Steve and I bought our brand new home we had a flood in our basement. We got over 2 inches of rain in our basement on April 3rd. The house had been completed since the previous late summer and the builder still had not put sod in. In fact he did NOT sod out lawn until May of 2006 long after we moved in and long after the house was completed. Well the sump pump malfunctioned. It rained so hard the 24 hour period of time. Not having any sod in did not help. We had over 3000.00 dollars in damage to personal belongs and heirlooms in our basement. We asked the builder to make it right with us because of our "so called" one year warranty. Months went by. He ignored our calls. After 3 certified letters to his home we took him and the plummer to small claims court. They hired a little bald headed, insecure attorney that hung his hat on one small clause he found in his attorned bag of tricks holding them not liable because they physically did not make the sump pump with their own bare hands. The judge played her sympathy card well with Steve and I. She acted like she really felt for us and our situation. She said if she ruled in our favor she would have to find them negligent in some way. (Which by they way neithor the builder or the plummer were present when the sump pump was install or tested. It was not tested at al during our final walk through.) She said she would have to go to her chambers and make a decision in a couple of days. Well she sure enough did. She decided to let them off the hook and send Steve and I a bill for the courtroom fee's. We also had paid nearly $200.00 to have them served.

All this to say I have freedom of speech. Thank God for America. If we can't win in court. We can make sure other people will know what is done to us. The builders name is CHRIS HARVEY, doing business as ANW BUILDERS out of Runnells. He has changed his name several times. The plumbers name is MIHALOVICH PLUMBING out of Des Moines. If you are considering doing business with them. THINK AGAIN! There are a line of home owners in this area who have many problems left unresolved with them. Once the check for the sale of the home is in their hands you will never see them again. DON'T DO BUSINESS WITH THEM. I have a right to say this. Save yourself the heartache and the trouble.

I still am SERIOUSLY considering the long road of law school. Those of you who have lost faith in attorney's and the system can know that if I take this road at some point. I will be there for the little guy, the underdog!!

My dad reminded me this evening after we lost this case that the word of God talks about the end times. In the end times the justice system becomes more and more corrupt. It is prophisied. So why I am suprised? I shouldn't be. It just hurts emotionally and financially. But I believe in my God and He will bring all these matters to justice. Everyone will be brought to justice before Him one day.

Tribute to James Taylor

Anyone watching the tribute to James Taylor this evening? As I take the cookies out of my oven I am watching many different artists such as The Dixie Chicks, Bonnie Raitt, Sheryl Crow and Sting doing some different versions of his hit songs. It is so nice to hear this. I think songwriters should be honored. He has been writing for so many years. I love the good ole stuff. The songs that mean something and are easy to understand. Good for you James Taylor!!!

Everyone up this way... stay in! Its soooooooooo cold. We have been in the teens around here. We just aren't used to that.