Hmm .. so my birthday is on Saturday! What are you people gonna get me? I'm cool with just about anything ...

I don't have much else to talk about ... I've found a new love for car washes and the movie Rent .. as well as empty parking lots at the Imagination Station (minus the police! ... long story! lol).

Well I hope everything is well with the probably 2-3 people that read my blog .. I'll talk to you guys later!

Luvs*Jackie

Hmm .. I've decided on an update, but really I still don't have anything to talk about. Still don't have anything that will pull at your heartstrings ... nothing to bore you to death with ... nothing important to share.

My weekend ... mmmmmmmmm ....it was pretty much amazing, incredible, and exciting. But in the blink of an eye the weekend was over, and I was saying goodbye once again. So, for right now .. I just breathe in, breathe out, put one foot in front of the other, take one day at a time, till I don't have to say goodbye anymore. 'cause yeah i pretty much miss you like crazy right now ... *sigh*

Well, I'm tired, and so I think I'm gonna go now ....

Later
Jackie

"Must be doin' somethin' right, I just heard ya sigh, N' Lean into my kiss, And close those deep blue need to eyes, Don't know what I did, To earn a love like this, But baby I must be doin' somethin' right"

Welp, life is still pretty boring on this end of the world. Just trying to get things finished up for our quarterly report due for work, putting in some extra hours here and there to save up a little more cash ... if everything goes well, I will be out of here by the end of July, and up in Findlay!

Things are pretty much simple ... I just want to be in my dreams, where for a few short hours, everything is simple, I don't have to think, or react, or plan things out .. it's time to relax, take a deep breath, and spend a little bit of time in the arms of what I call Heaven.

Well I really don't have anything meaningful to say .. nothing that will pull at your heartstrings ... nothing to bore you to death with ... just a little bit of rambling that doesn't make sense but to only a few, which is okay by me.

Have a good one!
Jackie

Hmm .. well Christmas is over, and the New Year will be arriving before we know it. Craziness!

Well, let's see ... I got some pretty cool stuff for Christmas .... nothing super fantastic, or anything to absolutely die, for .. but it was cool none-the-less. I got my Miami Dolphin's hoodie from Leslie .. woot woot ... too bad we didn't win. Oh well .. we're out of the standings anyway .. I just didn't want to see the J-E-T-S Jets win .. blah. Hmm what else did I get? Oh yes, a couple of necklaces (for the one who hardly wears jewelry!) .. a new dressy outfit I can wear to work or church ... money .. and some other stuff too, but yeah I'll be done with my list of stuff now.
it's been quite a few days since I've updated, so I guess I can do a quick run down on what life has been like since the last post .. lol .. like I remember! Hmm .. well it was pretty boring .. just work, sleep, eat .. the basics.

The Friday before Christmas, Lissa and I went to see The Holiday we were the only two people in the theater.. it was pretty sweet. The move was pretty good ... if you want a good "chick flick" I'd recommend it!
Then I had Christmas with the Wolford's on Saturday ... wow what a time that was! I had fun playing with the kids, and loosing very badly at scrabble .. but in the end, I was glad to be back home!

I spent half of Christmas Eve with the Fennig family, and the other half with my family. We opened all of our gifts .. spent time with family ... watched football .. and ate yummy food! It was a good time! I was planning to go to the Christmas Eve service in Paulding to see Allie before the went to Michigan City .. BUT I was so caught up with family time, that I totally forgot to go. Bummer.

Then Christmas Day, my mom came over (amazing) along with the rest of my family ... we ate again. Then my sister and I went back up to Van Wert (after picking up Diesel ) and spent about an hour or so with the Fennig's before coming back home for the evening.
Other than that, nothing much has happened. Oh, and I shared my testimony at Melissa's church in Hamler New Years Eve ... so yeah ..

So yeah .. so far things have been pretty good! Hoping to get to spend some quality time with friends and loved ones I haven't seen in a while (yes Liss this means you also! even though it's only been like a week) before having to go back to work ... and move my desk and office around to accommodatefor new people (oy!) I'm gonna enjoy the peace, happiness, and serenity of this Holiday Season while I can .. 'cause I have a feeling work is gonna be *note my sarcasm* quite fun these next few weeks or so..

Hope everyone had a very Merry CHRISTmas .. and a Happy New Year!

Jackie

Hmm .. well Christmas is over, and the New Year will be arriving before we know it. Craziness!

Well, let's see ... I got some pretty cool stuff for Christmas .... nothing super fantastic, or anything to absolutely die, for .. but it was cool none-the-less. I got my Miami Dolphin's hoodie from Leslie .. woot woot ... too bad we didn't win. Oh well .. we're out of the standings anyway .. I just didn't want to see the J-E-T-S Jets win .. blah. Hmm what else did I get? Oh yes, a couple of necklaces (for the one who hardly wears jewelry!) .. a new dressy outfit I can wear to work or church ... money .. and some other stuff too, but yeah I'll be done with my list of stuff now.

it's been quite a few days since I've updated, so I guess I can do a quick run down on what life has been like since the last post.. lol .. like I remember! Hmm .. well it was pretty boring .. just work, sleep, eat .. the basics.

The Friday before Christmas, Lissa and I went to see The Holiday we were the only two people in the theater.. it was pretty sweet. The move was pretty good ... if you want a good "chick flick" I'd recommend it!
Then I had Christmas with the Wolford's on Saturday ... wow what a time that was! I had fun playing with the kids, and loosing very badly at scrabble .. but in the end, I was glad to be back home!
I spent half of Christmas Eve with the Fennig family, and the other half with my family. We opened all of our gifts .. spent time with family ... watched football .. and ate yummy food! It was a good time! I was planning to go to the Christmas Eve service in Paulding to see Allie before the went to Michigan City .. BUT I was so caught up with family time, that I totally forgot to go. Bummer.

Then Christmas Day, my mom came over (amazing) along with the rest of my family ... we ate again. Then my sister and I went back up to Van Wert (after picking up Diesel ) and spent about an hour or so with the Fennig's before coming back home for the evening.

Other than that, nothing much has happened. Oh, and I'll be sharing my testimony at Melissa's church in Hamler New Years Eve ... so yeah .. pray for me! lol

So yeah .. so far things have been pretty good! Hoping to get to spend some quality time with friends and loved ones I haven't seen in a while (yes Liss this means you also! even though it's only been like a week) before having to go back to work ... and move my desk and office around to accommodatefor new people (oy!) I'm gonna enjoy the peace, happiness, and serenity of this Holiday Season while I can .. 'cause I have a feeling work is gonna be *note my sarcasm* quite fun these next few weeks or so..

Hope everyone had a very Merry CHRISTmas .. and a Happy New Year!

Jackie

Hmm .. well Christmas is over, and the New Year will be arriving before we know it. Craziness!

Well, let's see ... I got some pretty cool stuff for Christmas .... nothing super fantastic, or anything to absolutely die, for .. but it was cool none-the-less. I got my Miami Dolphin's hoodie from Leslie .. woot woot ... too bad we didn't win. Oh well .. we're out of the standings anyway .. I just didn't want to see the J-E-T-S Jets win .. blah. Hmm what else did I get? Oh yes, a couple of necklaces (for the one who hardly wears jewelry!) .. a new dressy outfit I can wear to work or church ... money .. and some other stuff too, but yeah I'll be done with my list of stuff now.
it's been quite a few days since I've updated, so I guess I can do a quick run down on what life has been like since the 12th .. lol .. like I remember! Hmm .. well it was pretty boring .. just work, sleep, eat .. the basics.

The Friday before Christmas, Lissa and I went to see The Holiday we were the only two people in the theater.. it was pretty sweet. The move was pretty good ... if you want a good "chick flick" I'd recommend it!
Then I had Christmas with the Wolford's on Saturday ... wow what a time that was! I had fun playing with the kids, and loosing very badly at scrabble .. but in the end, I was glad to be back home!

I spent half of Christmas Eve with the Fennig family, and the other half with my family. We opened all of our gifts .. spent time with family ... watched football .. and ate yummy food! It was a good time! I was planning to go to the Christmas Eve service in Paulding to see Allie before the went to Michigan City .. BUT I was so caught up with family time, that I totally forgot to go. Bummer.

Then Christmas Day, my mom came over (amazing) along with the rest of my family ... we ate again. Then my sister and I went back up to Van Wert (after picking up Diesel ) and spent about an hour or so with the Fennig's before coming back home for the evening.

Other than that, nothing much has happened. Oh, and I'll be sharing my testimony at Melissa's church in Hamler New Years Eve ... so yeah .. pray for me! lol

So yeah .. so far things have been pretty good! Hoping to get to spend some quality time with friends and loved ones I haven't seen in a while (yes Liss this means you also! even though it's only been like a week) before having to go back to work ... and move my desk and office around to accommodatefor new people (oy!) I'm gonna enjoy the peace, happiness, and serenity of this Holiday Season while I can .. 'cause I have a feeling work is gonna be *note my sarcasm* quite fun these next few weeks or so..
Hope everyone had a very Merry CHRISTmas .. and wishing you all a Happy New Year!

Jackie

In the little town of Bethlehem, the most important birth in all of human history took place on what we now consider the first Christmas. It was sparsely attended by some bleating farm animals and a handful of shepherds who wouldn’t have been there had not the sky lit up with a multitude of heavenly hosts only minutes before, praising God and inviting the shepherds to the stable. What an invitation! With the exception of that outburst, however, no one else knew. Oh yes, there were some astrologers from the East who figured out what was going on by studying the stars and some ancient manuscripts, but they didn’t make it to town until at least a year or two later when the baby was a child. Why such an uneventful welcome for such an auspicious event?It’s God’s way. He’s always been quiet about his work on earth. “How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift was given/So God imparts to human hearts, the blessings of his heaven.” He’s even pretty quiet about the way he works in our lives. Silently, he came into the world; silently, he comes into our hearts. No fanfare. No welcoming committee. God has never been into self-promotion. He lets his work speak for itself.And that would be you and me. Believers are the result of Christ’s coming. It is all about good news and glad tidings for all people. A Savior has been born and he has been born for us. Or as the angel announced it: “The Savior -- yes, the Messiah, the Lord -- has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David!” (Luke 2:11 NLT)It occurs to me there are two ways to take all the fanfare and glitter of this season. We can see it as the over-commercialism of Christmas, or we can take all the lights, and gifts, and decorations, and parties, and bells, and carols, and Christmas specials on TV -- even Santa and reindeer in the front yard -- and bank them all as celebrations of the birth of Christ. We can even take the conversion of old Scrooge as the joy of new life and forgiveness of sins.There’s no law against sanctifying the secularization of Christmas in your own heart and mind. It’s what we make of these things that count, anyway. Every single light can represent another soul secured in eternity as the result of what Christ has accomplished.There was no room available for the Son of God when he came the first time. Let’s make sure there’s room in our hearts this Christmas, and don’t let anyone take away what is good about the glad tidings of Christ’s birth!

Weirdness

Okay so in light of Amy's post about her weirdness, I thought I'd post some weird things about myself.

Weird Fact #1: I can't stand Christmas songs ... I don't like listening to them, I don’t' like signing them. I don't like Christmas trees, or lights, or bows ... I love the true meaning of Christmas (Christ being born etc) but other than that, I pretty much can't stand Christmas.
Weird Fact #2: I have kept every English and Social Studies/History paper that I ever completed in my JH/HS career. I also have my college papers.

Weird Fact #3: I can recite the states and their capitols at super fast speeds ... well I used to be able to anyway .. I'm not sure how fast I can do it now. I'm a little rusty!

Weird Fact #4: I hate getting out of bed in the mornings, and have been known to just lie there and calculate what I can take out of my morning in order to sleep more .. which is stupid b/c by the time I'm done calculating, it's time to wake up!

Weird Fact #5: I'm obsessive compulsive about organizing! My clothes are in alphabetical order by color and on the same color hanger as the color of the shirt. My sock and underwear drawer is also organized. I organize my binder clips and file folders at work. Which is really weird 'cause my car looks like I live in it and my room is a disaster zone.

Weird Fact #6: when I get tired I bust into snuggle mode. Yep that's right .. I like to snuggle! lol

Okay that's all I've got for now!

have a good day!

Jackie

Wowza .. so I guess I never really had a friendship that made me want to cry and barf at the same time ... but now I do ... sweetness! And there are very few people that I cannot find all of the right words to say to ... like there aren't enough words to describe how I feel .. yeah .. there are only a handful of people that can fall into that category ... well add one more to that list. I know that everything that happens in life; every person we meet; every trial or celebration that we go through is a GIFT from God. But for some reason... all of a sudden … I'm realizing that all of this is really true. God puts people in our lives at exactly the right times … he makes happiness or trials occur in just the right spots, at exactly the right times ... HE IS PERFECT … HE IS UNCHANGING … HE IS LOVE. And He has given me someone that I can share all of my hurts and pains with, all of my happiness and joy with ... someone I can call a true friend, and love with out reservations or restrictions. Someone that I will never get out of the back of my mind no matter how far apart we are or how long it has been since I have seen them. Someone that makes the words I know how to say never enough. God is amazing ... thank you Jesus for never letting go of me ... and Thank you God for giving me my Jesus!
~Jackie

Remember to Remember

I have many things to be thankful for this season, such as my life, family, friends, health, and so much more ... here is a passage from an old college book that I had to read in Freshman Seminar. In this book title, Strength for the Journey, Peter J. Gomes writes about sermons he has done at the Harvard University. One of his sermons that has always stuck out to me is one title, Thanksgiving: What Have You Done for Me Lately?

Is the Lord among us or not? - Exodus 17:7

.............. As grand marshal, I had the extraordinary opportunity to sit in the reviewing stand and watch a two-and-a-half-hour parade of nations and their cultures pass by, represented by dancers in the streets, children, marching bands, drum and bugle corps, and mariachi bands; and to see an Irish pipe band following a group of dancers fromSenegal; and Hondurans, Pakistanis, and Germans all sharing their splendid colors, music and marching styles as they passed the Pilgrim landmarks or Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower. It was a sense of Thanksgiving that would have blown away the minds of those poor frightened little Pilgrims and their Native American hosts and guest, and extraordinary thing to behold. One woman nearby observed, in a good Midwestern American stage whisper to no on in particular but within perfect earshot of us all, that being in Plymouth for Thanksgiving was like being in Bethlehem for Christmas, only that it was a lot safer in Plymouth.I mention all of this to remind us how easy it is to feel good at this time of year. Basking in that international splendor, and looking at the many representatives of those nations marching in our streets who are in the headlines not for the joys and peace of their lands but for the trials and tribulations they have endured and are enduring, it is easy to rejoice in our own good fortune and to celebrate the fact that we invented this holiday, it is uniquely ours, and we have a right to feel good. It is also easy, however, to feel bad at this time of year, especially if we feel we haven't sufficient reason to feel good. We havehad, for example, bad financial news; the medical diagnosis is not encouraging; there are serious strains in the marriage; the relationship is breaking apart; and either Al Gore or George Bush will be president (this is a few years old!). I know people who have profited enormously in the stock-market boom of the last few years who, instead of rejoicingand being grateful to God for their unmerited windfall of wealth, are in a semi permanent state of depression and anxiety because they know it all must end sooner or later.
Some old Pilgrim friends - Pilgrim-descendant friends- go into hiding at this time of year, and curse their ancestors. "I hate the Pilgrims," says one of them, "for just because they were always cheerful in tough times, and thankful, and worked hard, and all of that, everybody thinks we should do the same. It was an ill wind that blew the Mayflower intoPlymouth Harbor."When these moods hit, and they do or they will; when we are not grateful or thankful or happy on sue; when the calendar and culture tell us we are to be pleased, happy, thankful, and joyful whether we are or not; when we remember the advice of Flanders and Swann, that "We should always be sincere whether we mean it or not" - at such moments we are likely to respond as did those difficult Jews in this morning's lesson, tempting and taunting God, and asking, "Is the Lord with us or not?" Are you on our side or not? Are you going to deliver the goods or not? Not way out there, not way back then, but now? Moses "called the name of the place Massah and Meribah" - which means, in translation from the Hebrew, places of "Testing and strife"- "Because of the fault finding of the children of Israel, and because they put the Lord to the test ....." The lesson takes place in the place of testing and strife.They were annoyed, as you will recall, by their privations in the wilderness, and some had even wanted to return to Egypt, where at least they had had three meals a day, drink, a certain familiar routine, and guaranteed employment. But the time we encounter them they have forgotten the facts of their oppression, and worse, they have forgottenthe facts of their liberation. They have forgotten how they were wonderfully led out of Egypt and through the Red Sea. They have forgotten their charismatic leader, Moses, and his great services to them; and they have forgotten God. We cannot say that they had forgotten the psalm that we read this morning, which lists all of those things, because the psalm had not yet been written. So, we cannot blame them for forgetting the psalm, but we can blame them for forgetting that the steadfast love of the Lord endures forever...............Now, you have perfectly good reason to ask what we, on the eve of Thanksgiving, are to make of this, and what points the preacher wants us to remember that there are three things to be learned from this lesson, and I hope they will see you through lunch, through Thanksgiving Day, and through the rest of your life, however short or long that may be.First, remember to remember. The thirsty Jews, so obsessed with their present privations, forgot to remember the God who had brought them out of Egypt in the first place, through all that water, and forgot to remember that that God would not bring them this far to let them die of thirst in the desert. That would be a wasted investment - all thattrouble and annoyance for nothing. This Thursday, as you gather around your tables with your dysfunctional families and friends, in invite you to remember not the usual good things, not the list of the blessings you have received, like an audit at the stockholders' meeting, but the bad things, by name, that have happened to you, the terrible things, the worst things.

THINK OF YOUR WORST MOMENTS, YOUR SORROWS, YOUR LOSSES, YOUR SADNESS, AND THEN REMEMBER THAT HERE YOU ARE, ABLE TO REMEMBER THEM. YOU GOT THROUGH THE WORST DAY OF YOUR LIFE; THERE MAY BE YET A WORSE ONE IN STORE FOR YOU, BUT THAT'S FOR NEXT THANKSGIVING. THIS THANKSGIVING YOU GOT THROUGH THE TRAUMA, YOU GOT THROUGH THE TRIAL, YOU ENDURED THE TEMPTATION, YOU SURVIVED THE BAD RELATIONSHIP, YOU'RE MAKING YOUR WAY OUR OF THE DARK AND OUT OF THE MIRY CLAY. REMEMBER WHO GOT YOU THROUGH.YOU GOT INTO THE MESS ON YOUR OWN, BUT REMEMBER THAT IT WAS THE LORD WHO GOT YOU OUT OF IT, GOT YOU THROUGH IT, AND WAS WITH YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF IT.

There are more troubles to come, infinite more troubles to come, and you may be in trouble right now, but i you remember to remember you will remember, as the old spiritual says, "How I got over." How I was spared, how the Lord did a wonderful thing in bringing me through to this present moment; and how he did it I will never know, how I got there I will never know, but I will remember to remember to thank God. remember to remember, and not just the good things- you'll take those for granted - but remember the bad things, and then look to see where you are. That's the first thing: remember to remember.

1. Remember to remember - the bad things, not just the good.
2. Thanksgiving is ThansLIVING, a life of gratitude, a work in progress.
3. God is not to be tempted but to be trusted. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Each Day … By Max Lucado

The Day is coming

The refuge of the early morning
will be invaded by decision to be made
and deadlines to be met

For the next twelve hours
I will be exposed to the day’s demands.
It’s now that I must make a choice.

Because of Calvary, I’m free to choose

So I choose ….

I choose love …
No occasion justifies hatred;
No injustice
Warrants bitterness.
I CHOOSE LOVE.
Today I will love God
And what God loves

I choose Joy …
I will invite my God to be
the God of circumstance.
I will refuse the temptation to be
cynical...the tool of the lazy thinker
I will refuse to see people as
anything less than human beings
created by God
I will refuse to see any problem as
anything less than an
opportunity to see God

I choose peace …
I will live forgiven.
I will forgive so that I may live.

I choose Patience …
I will overlook the inconveniences
of the world Instead of cursing
the one who takes my place, I’ll invite Him
to do so. Rather than complain that
the wait is too long, I will thank God
for a moment to pray. Instead of
clenching my fist at new assignments, I will fast them with joy and courage.

I choose Kindness …
I will be kind to the poor,
For they are alone.
I will be kind to the rich,
For they are afraid.
And kind to the unkind for such is how
God had treated me.

I choose goodness …
I will go without
a dollar before
I take a dishonest one.
I will be over looked
before I will boast.
I will confess
before I will accuse.
I choose goodness

I choose faithfulness …
Today I will keep my promises.
My debtors will not regret their trust.
My associates will not
question my word.
My husband will not question my love.
And my children will never fear
that their mother
will not come home.

I choose Gentleness …
Nothing is won by force.
I choose to be gentle.
If I raise my voice,
May it be only in praise.
If I clench my fist,
may it only be in prayer.
If I make a demand,
May it only be of myself.

I choose self control …
I am a spiritual being
After this body is dead,
My spirit will soar.
I refuse to let what will rot
Rule the eternal. I will be
Drunk only by joy. I will be
Impassioned only by my faith.
I will be influenced only by God.
I will be taught only by Christ,

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self Control.

To these I commit my day

If I succeed,
I will give Thanks.
If I fail,
I will seek His grace.
And then, when this day
is done, I will place my Head
on my pillow and rest.

May your day be blessed in Jesus

“The Spirit produces the fruit of Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness.” Galatians 5:22 NCV

I need, I need, I need

Jackie Needs a Friend.
Jackie needs to pose for Playboy. (I’m thinking NO! but w/e)
Jackie needs an honest answer
JACKIE needs a home (have one thanks though)
Jackie needs to bake enough cookies to fill 10 bags with 6 cookies in each bag (I do?_
Jackie Needs More Tiles (what?!)
Jackie Needs YOU!
Jackie needs help with writing Topic Summary: OT issue?
Jackie needs a new man for Christmas (I beg to differ...mine is wonderful)
Jackie needs more love (doesn’t everybody?)
Jackie needs to be funny every second (what…I’m not already?)
Jackie needs to learn to read
Jackie needs prayer for her painkiller addiction (crap, who ratted me out?)
Jackie needs a sidekick (any takers?)
Jackie needs to order up a double dose of cow brains sautéed in American wine (ewww….)
Jackie needs to learn from her correspondent how to stop being an “ice queen” (and I thought I was a pretty nice person)
Jackie needs to do a serious martial arts movie (oh yeah…)
Jackie needs a dose of real world reality and being an Avon lady doesn't count!
Jackie needs Hollywood
Jackie needs to write her Master’s paper NOW
Jackie needs to deliver the drugs to New Orleans (gosh people quit telling my secrets!)
Jackie needs your help in finding the magical talismans from around the world and fighting off villains with kung fu
Jackie needs an ashtray
Jackie needs a helmet
Jackie needs to lay off the tobacky
Jackie needs a hug (sure do!)
Jackie needs no introduction (because I’m famous)
Jackie needs a dose of real-world reality and being an Avon lady doesn't count!"
Jackie Needs Silence (Amen!)
Jackie needs to be stimulated she needs that constant touch she needs to be constantly spoken to she needs that interaction with other people and from there she will do nothing but thrive and succeed (I do?)
Jackie needs to get revenge.
Jackie needs to get run over by a set of these (as set of what?

You should try this! It's good for a laugh. Just go to google (or any other search engine) and type "(your name) needs" in quote marks.

okay okay okay ... update time from me :o)

Well, there isn't much new going on really. Still the same old same old. Work still stinks, and continues to stink more and more each day, but hey, what can ya do? Just put on your happy face :o) and push through things I guess.

Hmm what else ... I hung out with Nae and Lissa on Thursday ... yep McDonalds is "homey" .. whatever! That was a fun time. Gathering was this weekend ... fun stuff there ... I'm lovin' the M on my window thanks to Steph. Payne! Now I've gotta like put more Michigan stuff on my car so that it looks better

Speaking of Michigan .. 5 more days baby! We're gonna show OSU what's up when we kick their butts!! GO BLUE! Anyone having any sweet Michigan/Ohio State game day "parties"? Leave me a comment so I can tell you that mine will be better! lol just kidding.
Okay I'm rambling ... I should get back to work! Talk to you people later!
*Luvs*
Jackie

Hmm I'm pretty sure this song was written for me!

She is running
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
She is trying
But the canyon's ever wideningIn the depths of her cold heart
So she sets out on another misadventure just to findShe's another two years older
And she's three more steps behind
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even know she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
She is yearning
For shelter and affection
That she never found at home
She is searching
For a hero to ride in
To ride in and save the day
And in walks her prince charming
And he knows just what to say
Momentary lapse of reason
And she gives herself away
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even know she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
If judgement looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can't see past her scarlet letter
And we never even met herIf judgement looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can't see past her scarlet letter
And we never even met her
Never even met her
Does anybody hear her? Does anybody see?
Or does anybody even knows she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Does anybody see?
Does anybody even know she's going down today?
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Does anybody see?
He is running a hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction

Oh no they didn't!

With 3 minutes and some change left to go .... you don't just switch over to another game .. THAT, my friend, is a BIG BIG no no! I was ticked .. beyond ticked ... when Fox decided to show the Colts game in it's entirety and cut out the end of the Dolphins/Packers game ... YOU JUST DON'T DO THAT! Especially when it's a rare occasion that a Dolphin's fan ACTUALLY gets to watch the stinkin game on tv! Cut out the stupid Steeler's game (they were loosing anyway!) and put the crappy Colts (okay so maybe not crappy since they have won every game) on their own flippin channel! Grr! And yes, of course, the Dolphins ended up loosing to the stupid Packers ... but that is besides the point! I probably wouldn't be so mad that they lost if I had been able to watch the end of the game to see if their loss was because of crappy defence/offence .. or because of crappy calls. ANYWAY, hope everyone had a great weekend. Looks like it's gonna rain for a few days and be cold ... icky. So stay warm!Blessings like crazy!Later,Jackie

Wow so I really need to update this thing more often! So much happens, and I forget to write it out, and then I end up making one huge post and you people reading it are probably like holy cow girl! haha I say you people reading this ... I can think of only 4 that actually read it, but whatever.

Anyway, I really don't know where to start. Work is still crazy insane. We are getting ready for a big week of assemblies, plus our regular fall in-service. Everyone here is in a whirlwind of emotions ... most of our brains feel fried, and the simplest tasks seem to boggle our mind. It's pretty much insane. But we are managing so far. So many days that I walk out of here thinking what just happened in there ... and so many days I get out of my car and pray as I walk in the door "Okay God help me to breathe!" It truly is a mess. I don't even know how to explain it, and I'm sure most of you don't care ... and if you do feel free to email me and I'll try to sum it all up for you.

Well, aside from work craziness, life is pretty basic for me. Still nothing new. I'm tellin ya ... I'm a pretty boring person!

OH! I had lunch with the one and only Amy Kannel (miss pet your dog not your date!) that was super awesome! Yummy Bob Evan's soup and salad! Nothin better than that ... except maybe Taco Bell with Allie and Marcia ... but I'll take what I can get! :-) Anyway it was good to see Amy after not seeing her in ... how long was it Amy ... 14 months or more?! yeah that's crazy! And it was a nice way to talk about something other than work with people I work with! So yeah, that was cool.

Other than that, nothing super amazing happening. great banquet this weekend ... someone remind me to pray at 1:30am Saturday morning! what the crap was I thinking?! lol .... umm dinner with family on Saturday as always .. my aunt is coming home, so that should be amazing fun! But really nothing else planned. i'll probably hang out at banquet Saturday night ... maybe Derek will call and I'll hang out with him sometime this weekend. Who knows!

okay well this post is boring ... so bless your socks off to the moon people!

Luvs*
Jackie

Alison's wedding = me in dress, heels , make up, fake nails, curly hair = a very uncomfortable Jackie! I'll take my jeans and t-shirt back please! Congrats Ali & Joel! I'm glad I could be up there to celebrate your special day ... even if it meant me looking good for once! :-)

This ones for you Amy! :-)

Okay so this post is offically for Amy Kannel! I miss you!!!

"Before you give in to lust, stop and think about how this one moment in time may affect your self, your family, your future spouse, and your future children. Are they worth the gamble?"
OR in other words .. PET YOUR DOG NOT YOUR DATE! hahahaha

Okay so, I’ve been thinking for a while now, so many times after I give someone a gift or offer someone my time, they reply with, “you didn’t have to do that.” And I reply with, “You’re right, I didn’t have to do it. I wanted to do it.” But they never seem to understand why. And when asked why, frankly, I couldn’t answer. I don’t know why … I just do it. I don’t mind offering my time to someone who needs it, or lending my ear or shoulder to someone. I don’t mind buying gifts to show them that I still care about them, or to celebrate a special occasion. But every time someone would ask me “why” I did it … I couldn’t answer … until now.
I’m reading a book by “my man Max” (as I like to call him) … better known as Max Lucado. It’s called ‘He Chose the Nails’. I’ve had the book for a while … I bought it on one of my, what I like to call, pity trips to the Anchor Room (I go there when I’m feeling down! The A Room puts a little more life in my day, and a little more caffeine in my body!). Anyway, I decided to start the book tonight. And after reading only one chapter, I decided to write this! lol
Max starts out by describing a man lost in a woman’s world. He’s trying to buy something nice for his wife, but no matter which department he goes into, he just can’t seem to figure it out. He tries the clothing department, but, when asked what size his wife is, he is unable to answer. He tries the purse department, but when asked which kind of purse his wife might like, he is again unable to answer. His dad had taught him to buy perfume …, which is what his mother, liked … but his wife didn’t like the perfume. So here he was once again … lost in a woman’s world, and unable to answer. But he didn’t seem to mind.
Max then says, “we would do it all over again. In fact, we do it all over again. Every Christmas, every birthday, every so often we find ourselves in foreign territory. Grownups are in toy stores, dads are in teen stores. Wives are in the hunting department, and husbands are in the purse department.”
How true is this? We go out of our way to give … we are so happy with ourselves when a loved ones rips open the wrapping paper and presents a huge smile, or thanks because of the gift you have given them.
Max takes things a step further and says, “Not only do we enter unusual places, we do unusual things. We assemble bicycles at midnight. We hide the new tires with mag wheels under the stairs. And we’d do it all again. Having pressed the grapes of the service, we drink life’s sweetest wine – the wine of giving. We are at our best when we are giving. In face we are most like God when we are giving.”
After I read that sentence, something clicked. We are most like God when we are giving. God gave us so much that we didn’t need. He gave us the beauty of the earth, the tunes of the birds, the tastes of food, the smells of the flowers. He didn’t have to give those things to us. We could survive with out them. But He gave them to us because He loves us.
So, now that I’m kicking myself for not reading this book before now, the next time someone says, “you didn’t have to do that,” and I reply with , “I know I didn’t have to do it. I wanted to,” and they reply with, “but why?” I’ll simply say, “Because I love you.”
I have a feeling this book is going to give me a lot more then an answer to a silly question … it’s probably going to give me an answer to many silly questions. So, I’m gonna quit blogging about stupid things, and get back to my book! J

September 11, 2001 Five years later

"America was targeted for attack because we are the brightest beacon for freedom on opportunity in the world, and no one will keep that light from shinning. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundtations of our biggest building but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts satter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American reslove" -- President George W. Bush 9-11-01



Wow! As I watch all of the news coverage, and listen to the raido broadcasts about 9/11 all over again, it still brings tears to my eyes .. and if it still brings tears to MY eyes .. then I can only imagine what it has to be like for those families that lost loved ones on that dreadful day. For the sake of these families, I just wish we could move on. I would hate to re-live this day year after year, if I were in their shoes. I have to admit that right after it happened, I burst out in red, white, and blue. I clutched onto every word that anyone on the news or radio had to say. I stayed up and listened to the Presidents broadcasts .. enjoyed the songs where they have the President or EMT/Firefighters/911 responders/etc ... but now .. 5 years later, I'm starting to feel like it's time to move on. Don't get me wrong .. I don't think this day should ever be forgotten .... I think it would be fine to make this a patriotic day ... where we dress in red,white, and blue .. lower the flag to half mast .. honor the families .. but for goodness sake people let's just let them move on! I was watching the Today Show and they were showing Ground Zero, with President Bush, ex-Mayor Rudy J., and survivors and the families of those who lost loved ones 5 years ago .. and the survivors were reading the names of those who died in the WTC ... it made me get all chocked up and brought tears to my eyes ... but then all at once it made me angry. We do this every year ... I don't know, I just feel like it is time for us to move on as a Nation, and to allow these families to move on as well. Maybe I'm wrong ... maybe I'm just in a grumpy mood today ... but it just seems like we can remember and honor this day with out the big ordeal that we've gone through today.



Well in other news, the Dodgers won last night!!! and so did the Colts ... BUT Miami Dolphins lost on Thursday .. and UGH OSU won .. blah!

Well in the midst of me feeling dry and broken ... complaining about all of this change in my life ... I've now realized that I've been over looking what is right in front of me .. who has been right in front of me all along. I am so blessed with amazing friends, and a loving and unchanging God, but yet I found myself struggling ... it doesn't make sense.

Amy sent me a card (which I got today!) and it really made me stop and think. She is such a blessing to me, and I can't wait to see her in October! But anyway! In her card she quoted James 1:17, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." and she also quoted Isaiah 54:10, "For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but my loving kindness will not be removed from you, and my covenant of peace will not be shaken, ' says the LORD who has compassion on you." AND she also quoted Hebrews 13:8 ," Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." .............. it's all there .. in black and white ... God was always right by my side .. He never left me ... He never stopped loving me .. HE NEVER CHANGED. It's like DUH JACKIE you only THINK everything is changing, but I'll always have at least one constant in my life, and that is MY Lord, MY God, MY Father, MY Savior! haha and to top it all off .. He is all one being! :-)

So yeah anyway .. that's my 2 cents for the day!

Bless your socks off everyone! :-)

Hugs*
Jackie

ugh still sick ... yep that's right, it's been a whole month now, and I'm still sick. I'm not really sure what is wrong with me ... just that my immune system is low and I've had 2 different infections, and it's none too fun. Lots of coughing, blowing my nose, and ear infections .. but I THINK I might be coming to an end of it all! yay!
Well, all you people have a wonderful day, and I'll hopefully talk to you later!!!
Luvs*
Jackie

Well though I am no longer feeling dry and broken, I'm still a little sad and lonely. I've discovered that I just do not like change period. Change is one of the many things that bring out the "yucky" in my heart. As I say good-bye to old staff members and welcome in the new ones, I've found that it gets harder instead of easier. I thought that since we did all of this craziness last year that it wouldn't be as hard this year. After Amy & Amy left, and Melissa and Laurie moved in ..... it was hard to accept new people at first but Melissa and Laurie were just so awesome that they had no problems filling the empty spaces in our office. But now Melissa and Laurie are leaving, and 4 new people are taking their spots. I won't see as much of them as I did the others, and things won't be as personal as they were before .. but something just doesn't feel right about the whole deal. I still haven't said all that I need to say to Melissa ... I keep meaning to write an email, but I never find the time. I've seen her a couple of times since she left, and each time we had to leave again it was a tug on both our hearts. Anyway, things will work out eventually. I will get into my groove again sooner or later .. but until then I just have to keep pushing through all the crap.

It's not just change at work that is getting to me either. Change in friends, change in family, and even change within myself is driving me crazy.

Friends grow up, go to college, make new friends, move on in life ... and though we once thought we'd be friends forever, and that no amount of distance could seperate us, it seems our ideas on all of that have changed as well. I'm great at telling other people about how God puts people into our lives for a reason, and even though we may think they will be there for a lifetime, He may not have those same plans in mind. Maybe they are there for 1 day, or maybe 1 year, or maybe some friendships really do last a life time ..... but in most cases people grow up, move on, make new friends, start new families, and we are left with nothing more than photographs and memories .. maybe the occasional phone call, letter, or email, but nothing like it was before. But I'm horriable at taking my own words to heart.

Change ... the 6 letter word that brings out the "yucky" in my heart. blah. I'm still trying to understand it all. But it seems like the more I try, the less I understand.

Anyway, I think I'll go for now. I'll talk to you people later!

*Luvs
Jackie



" I was so unique Now I feel skin deep I count on the make-up to cover it all Crying myself to sleep cause I cannot keep their attention I thought I could be strong But it's killing me Sometimes I wish I was someone other than me Fighting to make the mirror happy Trying to find whatever is missing Won't you help me back to glory "

Hmm today is a sad, lonely, depressing day. I pretty much feel dry and broken. Sometimes I just wish I knew what it was that made me have these days so I could rid it from my life. God's grace is amazing, and he lifts me whenever I feel down .. but sometimes I feel so far away, and though I keep reaching, instead of Him getting closer, it seems like he only gets further away. It is really starting to bring out the "yucky" in my heart (as Amy would say! :))

Anyway, Project Respect is in it's new transition period. All of the old people are packing up and moving out, and the new people are moving in. Melissa was in the office today .. just to see her makes me want to cry. It's amazing how close you can get to a person, and then how quickly the get ripped away from you. I don't think I've opened up to a person like I have to Melissa ... hmm not even to Kerry which is amazing. And now .. now .. now she's gone. Sometimes I wish I could understand that rational of it all .. sit back and understand why everything happens as it does. If I could just have a glimps of what the future brings and how this had to happen in order for that to happen .. maybe .. just maybe it wouldn't hurt so bad. I wish I could pull her in close and show her the footprints she has left on my heart. Anyway, just because she's leaving Project Respect doesn't mean we won't talk or see each other. We will still email, talk on the phone, have lunch together etc .... it just isn't the same as seeing her everyday, and being able to talk to her in person whenever I wanted to. So many things left to tell her ... so many things she doesn't know. ahh *insert a deep sigh here* .. *add a cello for a sad impression*

Well, on a lighter, not so depressing, note, I met with Brenda Brenda Brenda last night for ice cream! :-) hmm I'm pretty sure I love that woman! I felt like I hadn't talked to her in FOREVER .. haha and I was actually nervous driving to her house! That's just insane! I thought I was past that stage! Anyway, our little meeting went well! Yummy ice cream .. great conversation ... haha and of course a lot of laughs ... and much to my surprise no tears on her part! That's pretty much a miracle! .. seeing how she ALWAYS cries! haha so I've given her a new nick name! It's Brenda"sir cries a lot, i worry all the time, please don't steal my identity" Clark! :-) haha long story, but it was hilarious to say the least! We talked about pretty much everything on could imagine talking about ... updated each other on important people in our lives .. watched Big Brother ... haha created her a myspace account (that was insane!) .. and just spent time together .... much needed time on my part! So yeah, it was great!

Hmm well now that I've gone from sad to happy all in one post, I hope everyone has a fantabulously splediferous day!!!! (as lissa would say! :))

*luvs
Jackie

"Can I Live"

[Talking]
Talking Ma
I know the Situation is Personal
But it something that has to be told
As I was making this beat
You was all I could think about you heard my voice

[Verse 1]
Yeah Just think Just Think
What if you could Just
Just blink your self away..
Just Just wait just pause for a second
Let me plead my case
It's the late 70's Huh
You Seventeen huh
And having me that will ruin everything huh
It's alot of angels waiting on their wings
You see me in your sleep so you cant kill your dreams
300 Dollars thats the price of living what?
Mommy I dont like this clinic
Hopefully you'll make the right decision
And dont go through with the Knife incision
But it's hard to make the right move
When you in high school
How you have to work all day and take night school
Hopping off da bus when the rain is pouring
What you want morning sickness or the sickness of mourning

[Chorus]
I'll Always Be a part of you
Trust Your Soul Know it's always true
f I Could Talk I'd Say To You
CAN I LIVE
CAN I LIVE
I'll Always Be a part of you
Trust Your Soul Know it's always true
If I Could Talk I'd Say To You
CAN I LIVE
CAN I LIVE

[Verse 2]
I am a child of the kingAin't no need to go fear me
And I see the flowing tears so know that you hear me
When I move in your womb that's me being scary
Cause who knows what my future holds
Yo the truth be told you ain't told a soul
Yo you ain't even showing I'm just 2 months old
Through your clothes try to hide me deny me
Went up 3 sizes
Your pride got you lying saying ain't nothing but a migraine
It ain't surprising you not trying to be in Wic food lines
Your friends will look at you funny but look at you mommy
That's a life inside you look at your tummy
What is becoming ma I am Oprah bound
You can tell he's a star from the Ultrasound
Our Sprits Connected Doors Open Now
Nothing But Love And Respect
Thanks For Holding Me Down
She Let Me Live...

[Chorus]
I'll Always Be a part of you
Trust Your Soul Know it's always true
If I Could Talk I'd Say To You
CAN I LIVE
CAN I LIVE
I'll Always Be apart of you
Trust Your Soul Know it's always true
If I Could Talk I'd Say To You
CAN I LIVE
CAN I LIVE[
Repeat 2]

[Nick Talking]I
t's uplifting foreal yallI ain't passing no judgement
Ain't making no decisions
I am just telling ya'll my story
I love life
I love my mother for giving me life
We all need to appreciate life
A strong woman that had to make a sacrifice
Thanks for listening
Thanks for listening
Mama thanks for listening

Cedar Point Craziness!!

Well it's been quite a while since I've updated ... where to start? Hmm how about with the fact that work totally sucks right now. I am so frustrated with everything that goes on there, and well it's basically just annoying. I'm so close to quitting, it isn't even funny .. well actually it is .. but whatever. Went to Cedar Point this past weekend! Cedar Point was awesome to say the least! I had an awesome time with 3 very cool people (LeAnn, Amber, Cati!!)! Many memories have been made! All I have to say is, who shot me? this is a horse barn! "crazy korean's", WAL-MART TRIP! Vermillion: home of the sailors, Laquittaville: home of the one night stand hotel, TOP THRILL DRAGSTER CATI!!!, and, "You crazy homosapien of a freakin loser driver GOSH!" .... Haha good times good times! On a more depressing note, work on Tuesday (tomorrow) blah on that and my house is still a wreck because of "remodeling". Blah on that! BUT I did go and get my bridesmaid's dress for Alison's wedding sometime last week. it's pretty awesome! Took us like an hour and a half to get there, and took me like 15 minutes to get the dress! lol Well, blessings like crazy my friends!!

*note to self: just because you think you know a person inside and out, doesn't mean you really do. There might be a hidden fact about them that you just don't know .. one that could make the difference of them being good or bad ..... but who wants to know everything about someone anyway?!

Well it's been quite a while since I've updated ... where to start? Hmm how about with the fact that work totally sucks right now. I am so frustrated with everything that goes on there, and well it's basically just annoying. I'm so close to quitting, it isn't even funny .. well actually it is .. but whatever. Went to Cedar Point this past weekend! Cedar Point was awesome to say the least! I had an awesome time with 3 very cool people (LeAnn, Amber, Cati!!)! Many memories have been made! All I have to say is, who shot me? this is a horse barn! "crazy korean's", WAL-MART TRIP! Vermillion: home of the sailors, Laquittaville: home of the one night stand hotel, TOP THRILL DRAGSTER CATI!!!, and, "You crazy homosapien of a freakin loser driver GOSH!" .... Haha good times good times!

On a more depressing note, work on Tuesday (tomorrow) blah on that and my house is still a wreck because of "remodeling". Blah on that! BUT I did go and get my bridesmaid's dress for Alison's wedding sometime last week. it's pretty awesome! Took us like an hour and a half to get there, and took me like 15 minutes to get the dress! lol

Well, blessings like crazy my friends!!


*note to self: just because you think you know a person inside and out, doesn't mean you really do. There might be a hidden fact about them that you just don't know .. one that could make the difference of them being good or bad ..... but who wants to know everything about someone anyway?!

I’ll Praise You in This Storm
By: Casting Crowns

I was sure by now God you would have reached down and wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day. But once again, I say amen that it's still raining as the thunder rolls I barely hear your whisper through the rain, I'm with you and as your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away.

Chorus: And I’ll praise you in this storm and I will lift my hands that you are who you are no matter where I am and every tear I've cried you hold in your hand you never left my side and though my heart is torn I will praise you in this storm

I remember when I stumbled in the wind you heard my cry you raised me up again my strength is almost gone how can I carry on if I can't find you and as the thunder rolls I barely hear you whisper through the rain I'm with you and as your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away

Chorus

I lift my eyes unto the hills where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth I lift my eyes unto the hills where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth

Chorus

Maddie is finally here! :-)

After 9 long months, on April 16, 2006 8:05pm Madison Marie Osborn is finally born! She was 8 pounds 3 ounces, 20 1/2 inces long! I have no idea where that child was hiding .. but we only thought she would be 6 pounds until we saw her head coming out ... :-o

Pictures !
Top Row:
1. Maddie right after birth and bath
2. Maddie 1 day old
Middle Row:
3. Jessica (mom) holding Maddie at 1 day old
4. Maddie and Grandma (maternal) 1 day old
Bottom Row:

5. Maddie and Aunt Angie and Cousin Brady 1 day old

6. Me and Maddie 1 day old

Happy Birthday Allie :o)

Okay I had to blog about Allie's big 19th birthday ...
:-) Too bad she isn't here to celebrate it .. she's at camp traning .. blah on her! .. and I really have nothing more to say about it! :-)

Well I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend! Mine was pretty good! I was able to relax, spend time with my family and friends, and remember who took my place .... what an awesome feeling! :-)

Who Took Your Place?

One day, a man went to visit a church.
He got there early, parked his car, and got out.
Another car pulled up and the driver got
out and said,"I always park there!
You took my place!" The visitor went inside for
Sunday School, found an empty seat and sat down.
A young lady from the church
approached him and stated,
"That's my seat! You took my place!"
The visitor was somewhat distressed
by this rude welcome, but said nothing.
After Sunday School, the visitor went
into the sanctuary and sat down.
Another member walked up to him and said,
"That's where I always sit! You took my place!"
The visitor was even more troubled by this
treatment, but still He said nothing.
Later as the congregation was praying
for Christ to dwell among them,
the visitor stood up, and his appearance began to change.
Horrible scars became visible on
his hands and on his sandaled feet.
Someone from the congregation
noticed him and called out, "What happened to you?"
The visitor replied, as his hat
became a crown of thorns,
and a tear fell from his eye,
"I took your place."

2 Subs for $6!!

okay so Subway has officially made my day! I get there wanting to buy 1 ft. long sub so I could eat half for lunch and half for dinner .. and the line is out the door. I'm like okay forget that idea I'll just eat somewhere else. Well some wonderful lady informed me they were doing a special sale .. but 1 ft. long get a second for 99 cents ... which totally explains the line. So I thought okay I'll wait a few extra minutes in line to take advantage of this deal. so I now have 2 ft. long subs and I only spent $6 and some change! AMAZING!!! I'm lovin it ... wait that's Mc.Donalds slogan .. SUBWAY, EAT FRESH!!!!

April Fools

So anyone pull any good pranks ... or get pranked ... on Saturday?! Well, I was a victim of a good prank! My friend Jessica is almost 8 months pregnant .. due May 23rd ... and my friend Kim and I are counting down the days until we get the call. Well Saturday night, Kim calls and says, "JACKIE YOU HAVE TO GET HERE NOW!!!" I was like holy crap! Why?! What?! She says, "Jess is having her baby!! We are on the way to the hospital right now ... get over here." And then I hear Jess yell, "GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!!!" I was flipping out! I had just gotten home from watching the UCLA game at Patty's house, and I was like oh man are you kidding me?! I really don't want to drive to Bluffton, IN tonight! But I was going to! And just as I was about to run out the door, Kim and Jessica die laughing and yell APRIL FOOLS!

Of all the jokes to play on someone, that is just cruel!

I also heard of a good joke played on someone else ... unfortunately I was not the master mind behind this one. Anyway, this weekend was the Women's Great Banquet #37 (a spiritual weekend for women! lol) and at such an event, there is a service where a bunch of community members get together in prayer and fellowship for the Banquet members ... the Banquet members file up the stairs and enter into an unexpected time of fellowship with the community members (most of which none of the banquet members know) .. it's a fun time, and a great way to show God's love to complete strangers. Well on this particular weekend, we had some pretty crazy ALD's ... they got the Kitchen & Agape teams together and they all gathered in this area that is outside the sanctuary door (for those of you who know the church, it was by the elevator) and then Vicky Jones signaled to Greg Johnson (the man speaking up front) that they were lined up and ready to come in .. well VJ was way early and Greg wasn't ready for them yet .. so he signaled back "just a minute!" VJ made the expression something like "JUST A MINUTE?! THEY ARE STANDING OUT HERE!" By this time some community members had seen VJ and they started to pop up and start singing "Jesus, Jesus, Can I tell you how I feel ....." (the song we always sing at this event" And then VJ and the Kitchen & Agape teams pop out and yell APRIL FOOLS!

Now that is just brilliant! They didn't get just ONE person, they got an entire Banquet/Awakening community! I had to laugh when I heard about that one! Only VJ!

Well I hope no one got pranked too badly! Have a wonderful day!

Ever have one of these days?! Ever just want to scream ... climb back in bed .. pull the covers over your head .. and just cry?

Haha Lord knows I have! But what is so amazing is that there is always an amazing, loving God that is right there behind you .. just lay back against Him and breathe and everything will be alright!

I love quotes! :o)

When I hear somebody sigh, "Life is hard," I am always tempted to ask, "Compared to what?" --Sydney J. Harris

"Trials, temptations, disappointments -- all these are helps instead of hindrances, if one uses them rightly. They not only test the fiber of character but strengthen it. Every conquering temptation represents a new fund of moral energy. Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before."
-- James Buckham

"The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause." -- Mark Twain

"Life is like a parachute jump: you have to get it right the first time."
--Margaret Mead

"Remember where you have been and know where you are going. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way."
--Nikita Koloff

When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us." --Helen Keller

The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up."
--Mark Twain

"Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves."
--Dale Carnegie

"Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see possibilities - always see them, for they're always there." -- Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

We are not put on this earth for ourselves, but are placed here for each other. If you are there always for others, then in time of need, someone will be there for you." -- Jeff Warner

"Good friends are like stars ... you don't always see them, but you know they're always there." -- Author Unknown

"The value of life lies not in the length of days, but in the use we make of them." -- Michel de Montaigne

Hello my people! I hope all is well with everyone! My days are getting better ... a little less stress and a lot more grace! Thanks to Jen, I am back to where I need to be and looking up to who I need to be! What an awesome God we serve! No matter how many times we turn away or screw up, He's right there when we decide we cannot do this live on our own! I love it!

Have a great day!

Ahhh .. too much work ... SO LITTLE TIME.

Sick Sick Sick

Okay .. so if everyone that I could possibly know is sick, then who am I to not join in all the fun? UGH! They finally got me ... I'm sick. Ear infection .. stuffy nose .. kidney infection (yeah that's real fun!) ... yep they finally got me ... I'm sick. BLAH!

Happy Friday! :o)

Yay! The weekend is FINALLY here! I'm so happy! :o) I am going to have chinese with my family tomorrow!! That makes me happy also! I'll get to see my aunt Leslie .. woo hoo! :o)

Well I hope everyone has an AWESOME weekend! see you later friends!

Rick & Barb Wise

WOW! This is ONE AMAZING assembly speaker ... one amazing story ... and one AMAZING WOMAN of God! :o) We are having Rick and Barb Wise as assembly speakers for Project Respect (where I work) this week, and they are AMAZING! Check them out at www.wise-choices.org!!

What is this world coming too?! :o)

ALLIE MERIWETHER (one r no a!) HAS A XANGA SITE (www.xanga.com/sketherwether)... Holy Cow! She has finally given into her bordom and has started a xanga site .... I'm not really sure what to think! That's just insane! :o)

*Haha and it's totally insane that I'm even blogging about the fact that Allie has a xanga site now .. haha wow!*

Okay so after looking over my blog, I had promised to tell everyone what I did on my birthday, but I never did. Sooo here it is! :-)

Like I had mentioned, I had breakfast with the PR staff ... that was a treat! Everyone was there (including Judy! .. surprise surprise!), and some woman brought THE BIGGEST pair of pink underware over to our table and said, "this is what you get when you turn 20." I was like OH MY GOSH! and of course my face turned about 30 shades of red! haha

After all of that craziness, I had to go to Stryker HS and administer a stupid test for work, and when I got back, I had lunch with my friend Melissa from DC. That was tons of fun! I hadn't seen her since I left DC over a year ago, so it was nice to see her and JR again! And then it was back to work to do some more crazy stuff.

Finally I went to the big town of Bryan and hung out with some friends. Marcia (and Kata) made me dinner ... shake & bake chicken, salad, twiced baked potatoes .. YUM! And then some other friends came over and we hung out and talked for awhile and then retired to the couch and watched 'In Her Shoes' .... that is the LONGEST flipping movie I've ever watched in my life! But it's pretty good.

Then on Saturday morning, I went home, and had dinner with my daddy! :-) And on Monday, I had my birthday with my family at home. So lots of cake, lots of friends, and lots of fun! :-)

And now I can honestly say I'M SICK OF CAKE! haha

Is this like a really bad joke or what?!

Okay ... soo after having to get my car fixed at about Christmas time, and it costing a little over $400, I should have known that things would be going down hill for the rest ofmy life .... but hey I'm a little bit blonde so it tends to take me a while to catch onto things. So anyway .. they newest drama in my life is that I owe the IRS $545, WIU $3100, and Defiance College $1200, and I still owe just under $200 for my stupid car having to be fixed ..... add that all up and what do ya get ?? ONE CRAZY INSANE DEBT THAT JUST WON'T GO AWAY!!!! And as I sit here trying to figure out what bill needs to be paid when, I look to God and say OK WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?! (haha like it's His fault) and He calmly says, "It's okay Jackie, I have everything under control." Riiiigggghhhttt! If THIS is having everything under control .. I'd really hate to see chaos! :0)

Bit By A Rabid Bat

:[ Okay so after a freak incident with a cold sore and an allergic reaction, Cathy Tijerina has come to the conclusion that I have been bit by a rabid bat! Now where she came to that conclusion, I will never know, but I guess I've been bit by a rabid bat! :-)

OH happy day .. oh happy day! :)

Happy Birthday to me
Happy Birthday to me
Happy Birthday to me
Happy Birthday to me

:-) haha I'm the big 2 0 today .... yippie skippie!

Okay so tomorrow is my birthday ... yeessss!!! I'm so pumped! :-) I'm having breakfast with the wonderful Project Respect staff at 8:30 in the flippin morning (just my idea of fun!), and then hanging out with some friends in Bryan after work ..... I'll have to let everyone know what happens, since everything is a surprise right now! :)

Okay so it's been a few days since I've updated ... so I'll give you a quick update ... LIFE IS CRAZY! yep there ya go! :-)

Boys Awakening # 15

Wow! That was one really great weekend, and I am really glad that I was able to help out! It was a lot of fun to see the boys change through out the weekend .... haha and how they learned how to sing and not yell or mumble! It was pretty fun! I can't wait for the next Great Banquet and girls Awakening #16!! It's gonna be a good time! :D

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for you, I always pray with joy because of your parnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

It is right for me to feel this way about you, since I have you in my heart, for whether I am in chains or defending and confiriming the gospel, you share in God's grace with me.

God can testify how I long for you with affection of Christ Jesus.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insite, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ -- to the glory and praise of God.

~ Philippians 1:3-11 ~

A couple good quotes ...

"Happiness lies for those who cry, those who hurt, those who have searched, and those who have tried, for only they can appreciate the importance of people who have touched their lives."


~* Why do you claim me to be religious?...while all along I'm just in love with Jesus...*~

Why am I being tortured with my imperfections?
Where is my life going? Where are my directions?
Why do I feel so alone, confused and lost?
I know there is a price to pay, but for what is the cost?
Will I ever know who I am going to be?
I am trying so hard to do everything that you ask of me.
But have you seen what this world is like today?
It is practically going to hell and that's all I'll say.
In this world, hate and profanity are everywhere I go
They are blocking up the scenery and altering everything I know
We can go to jail if we kill our brother
Yet we are at war with one another?
They say we live in a country of peace, love, and dignity
But death lies, and destruction are all I see.
Love your neighbor as yourself?
Yeah, well that book was long ago put up on the shelf.
The world is going crazy, and no one knows how to help
We are all just trying to play the cards in which we've been dealt
So what is it that I'm supposed to do?
Please help me understand; give me a clue
They are taking You away in anyway they can
They are removing any trace of the Son of Man
Tell me what I can do to bring You back
Help me stand up for what I believe in; help me state a fact.
I cannot do this all alone
So, why don't you help me a little and throw me a bone?
Do you want me to give up this dream I've been pursuing?
Do you want me to go out and preach of your love renewing?
I know there is a meaning behind this crazy life of mine,
But knowing what it is, is something more divine.
I will do anything in this world that you tell me to
But I just need to know what it is you want me to do.
Lord, you know I love you with all of my heart
Please help me out here, so I can do my part.
Help me step out of my comfort zone.
Help me go out into the world unknown.
Help me give this message in which I've been given
And turn those lost souls away from the lives they've been livin'
These words I've been given won't be easy to say,
They're form a past long ago, and much different from today.
But now I know that this is what I must do.
I'll give my talk, but the rest is up to you.

Fat Babies!

As all of my awakening #14 girls will remember, Sammie is FAMOUS for making fat babies. So here are a couple of her fat babies to enjoy! :)

Tick Tock Tick Tock

Okay, so, here I sit, in my office, waaayyy too early in the morning waiting for the minutes to tick on by until another life gets here, or until I have to leave for a school. Why on earth did I leave my house so early this morning!? I totally knew that this would happen. But, none-the-less, I here I sit. If only I would have listened to myself last night while setting the alarm clock, I would have gotten at least 15 more minutes of sleep today .. but no! I had to make sure that I had enough time .... I'd rather be early than late ... well this is very true .. but 15 minutes is 15 minutes! Oh well ... life will go on I suppose! :)

Emily Emily Emily!

yay! I finally have a picture of Emily!! :D That makes me very happy! haha and now that I have a picture of her, I have nothing to say about her! Gee imagine that! You're one cool kid Emily! I hope to see you soon! :D

Haha and I'll just end this post by saying, "You look fabulous Sherman, just fabulous!"

Welcome, Welcom 2006!!

HAPPY 2006 everyone!! Hope this year is a good one!

Emily Hope Clark!! I need a picture of you girl! I can't have a picture of Abbie on my site and not have a picture of you on my site also ... GOSH! Anyway, I miss you kid! We're gonna hang out soon! I love ya!

Mandy are you having a blonde moment?! :D

Oh boy there are those crowns again! :D Some more great memories from Awakening #14! This is a picture of me and Mandy Losby ... Mandy, I miss you bunches girlfriend! Look out for those fat babies, and try not to have too many more blonde moments! I love ya! :D

Me and Abbie!

Okay, so I had to edit Christa out of this picture .. not because I don't love Christa to death, but because I wanted a picture of just me and Abbie ...

Abbie Cassidy ... I MISS YOU!! :D And that is a REALLY bad picture of me! Wow I needed some sleep ... you of course look great, but I look .. well we'll leave what I look like on the DL! lol Anyway, I miss you kid! We're gonna have to get together sometime ... and I'll take you to some place that ISN'T B*Town! :D

I love my Meriwether's! :D

Ahh the "M" Family! :D I'm staying at their house until they return from their wonderful holiday vacation to Michigan City ..... Michigan City Indiana that is! :D Okay so I really haven't stayed at their house, but I am welcome to if I want .. and well with my crazy dysfunctional family, I'm pretty sure I'll be there! :D

Boxing Day in Canada

Did anyone else know that December 26th is not only my uncle Tim's birthday, but it's also Boxing Day in Canada?! haha well now you do! :D

Merry Christmas

Okay okay okay .. I know this post is a couple of days late, but hey, MERRY CHRISTmas everyone!!

Wake Me Up When December Ends!

Wow, okay so I've had bad days, but really ... can a person just have a bad month?! Because I'm having a bad month! On December 9th Mitch died, and so the whole week after that was pretty crappy. And then of course there's the funeral on the 16th and 17th because we had to wait on the body to get back from Texas. So that made the following few days or so pretty crappy. And to make things worse my car took a crap on the 15th ... yep $465 to fix that whole deal .. are you even kidding me?! And so I had to drive my grandma's car .. not too bad actually! And now I have to drive the roller skate ... yep you heard me .. the roller skate! Brakes to the floor to stop, no power stearing, heater that melts your shoes, shaking all the way to your destination little red car. BLAH! I don't know if I can take much more of this! Tons of stuff to do at work, and zero time to do it .. AND my mom is home! Ahhh ... going crazy!

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!

Well it's gettin' kinda nast out there people! And they're saying 5-8 inches before it's all over! Yikes! It's beginning to look a little too much like Christmas, what do ya think?!

Awakening # 14!!

WOW it has been WAAAYYYYY too long since my last blog entry! Sorry to all of you that actually read this! There is never anything new on here! ANYWAY, this past November 18-20th, I did another awakening weekend. The picture is of my WONDERFUL table .. L.C. Jamms! :) They were totally awesome! You guys totally rock and I will never forget any of you! :D We had a wonderful weekend, and I am so glad that all of these girls were able to attend.

Pictured left to right: Sammie Eyre (famous for drawing fat babies!), Christa Beach (our wonderful table leader), Megan Denoi (brought lots of smiles to our table), Mandy Losby (Frinds talk .. and a wonderful friend!), ME (Environment talk), and Abbie Cassidy (famous for arguing with me)!


Side note to anyone from my table that may be reading this: "Hello my fellow americans!" "Mandy are you having a blonde moment?" "My name is Bond ..." "Fat Babies!" And Abbie, the Dolphins SHOULD HAVE WON!! May the memories last forever girls! :D

A True Friend

Some people go through life, never knowing what a true friend is.
They go through life with blinded eyes, never knowing what they've missed.
They have their friends that will talk to them when no one else is around.
But, none-the-less, as soon as someone 'more important' comes along, those friends are no where to be found.

They have their friends that 'are always willing to talk.'
But give them enough time, or make them bored, and the are also willing to walk.
They have their friends that are more than willing to stab them in the back,
And they have their friends that can make their life completely out of whack.

They have the acquaintances and fair-weather friends that bear the same inscription.
They have all these people, that they call friends that have the same description.
But none of them, when asked will say, they have a friend that loves unconditionally.
A friend that loves without restrictions, as it was once described to me.

They do no have the friend that loves so much it hurts them deep inside.
Nor do they have the friend that was willing to hold them every time they cried.
They're missing that friend that stays up late when they cannot sleep at night,
And they cannot say they have a friend that will come running back after they've had a fight.

They're missing the friend that won't walk away when someone better comes along,
And they do not have the friend that will love them no matter how many times they are wrong.
They cannot speak of a person that is such a perfect friend to them.
They cannot say that they know someone that will be there to the very end.

They cannot say this, because all their lives these other friends were all they could see.
And they were not able to see the true, unconditional friendship that you have given to me.
But once they find this one true friend, they will finally comprehend
Why it is so important, to me, that I keep this friendship going, until the very end.

For once they experience the love that you have given to me,
The friends that show true friendship will be all that they can see.
No more endless nights spent unslept,
No more promises left unkept,

No more broken hearts and I told you so's,
No more worries, and no more foes.
Because now they have a friend, who's love is more than true,
One that will say, "I'm always here for you."

Jackie Wolford

"A Darkened World" (revised!)

Okay, so I've been known to write poems from time to time ..... Nothing all that great, but I've been asked to post a few on here, so brace yourself and enjoy!

"My life was a darkened world,
Where hate, discouragement and angry words were hurled,
There was no light in my soul to be found,
And audible laughter was an awful sound.
No compliments or encouragement was ever given.
No lies or wrong doings were ever forgiven.
And when I left that awful place,
The REAL world is what I would face.
This place with its people of every type;
The ones who discourage, and the ones who gripe.
The ones who laugh and the ones who joke,
The ones who make fun, and the ones who poke.
The ones who make you wish
you were never born.
The ones that make you feel worthless and the ones
who scorn.
People who teach hate and profanity
All the things that can lead a person to insanity.
I was in a world where my biggest fear was rejection
But then one day I made an awesome connection.
Suddenly a stranger appeared, and took me away from all that I feared.
It didn't happen right away,
but my fear of rejection eventually did stray.
I learned an important lesson that day
One I will never forget and this I must say,
The lesson was very simple you see.
And now it has been made very clear for me.
People may laugh and people may joke
People may gripe, and people may poke
But now you must put your past in the dark
And go out into that world and leave your mark.
It doesn't matter what others may say,
You will be something far greater one day.
You will rise above all the negative thoughts.
And you will forget about all the times you were distraught.
Some day you'll be more that they'll ever be,
If you keep pressing toward that goal, and make it all that you see.
Put all of those negative comments out of your mind.
Take all of your wrong doings and put them aside.
Because all that will matter in the end,
Is that you tell your story to a desperate friend.

Jackie Wolford

Lunch With a Friend

Have you ever had a conversation with a friend, and felt like you had to put reserves or restrictions on what was said out of fear of what the other may think? I know that I have many times ... But that is just because of my huge fear of rejection. But this past weekend, I had lunch with a friend who has taken our friendship on a roller coaster ride of emotions to say the least. We have had our highs and have had more than our share of lows. It had been about 3 years since I had actually sat down and had a conversation with this person. We have stayed in contact through emails, letters, cards, phone calls, etc .. But we had never really talked face to face until the other day. I thought about the restrictions and reservations I would have to put on our conversation .. I didn't want to bring something up from the past and open old wounds, BUT what an amazing God we serve! He reminded me that if this person was a true friend and I was a true friend back, then it didn't matter what was said between us, because true friends love unconditionally with out reservations or restrictions. So over lunch, we talked about the past. I talked about how she had hurt me and she talked about how I had hurt her. Tears were shared, hugs were given, and we left each other wishing we would have said those things so many years ago. So my words of wisdom today are: Don't wait to say something that you really need to say to another. Tomorrow may never come, friendships and relationship may be lost forever, and you'll never get the chance to make things right again. You never know what the outcome will be if you are too afraid to speak up and say something first. Because if a person truly loves you unconditionally with out reserves or restrictions, then it doesn't matter what you say .. If they judge you by the words you use, the language of your body, the tone of your voice, or the subjects you bring up .. They they do not love and understand you enough to know that you were not doing it to hurt the relationship, you were doing it to help. So keep that in mind the next time you feel like you need to put reserves or restrictions on a conversation you are having with friends, family, co-workers, etc.

Virginia Here I Come!

After wishing and praying for a much needed vacations, I finally got one! :-) I left for Virginia on August 10th. After a short drive, realizing I had left my purse in Bryan, turning around and going back South, I finally got to my aunt and uncle's house. After all of that, I was informed that my uncle was in the hospital. On Monday he had open heart surgery. So from Thursday of one week until Thursday of the next, I spent my 'vacation' sitting in the hospital lobby waiting and waiting and waiting. Meaning, no tanning on the beach, no ridding jet skis, no horse back ridding .. Just sitting. BUT 'so is life' I suppose! But through it all, I saw the amazing power of prayer. haha and the amazing power of gossip! We tell one family member that my uncle is in the hospital and eventually we have 30 calls coming in every night asking us questions about his heart attack ... he DIDN'T have a heart attack! ugh that was so much fun! :-)

Oklahoma or Bust!

Okay, so after being prompted by Amy, I am posting once again on my blog site.

Oklahoma was a blast! We set out on July 23rd and after many long hours on the 24th, lots of construction and one accident, we finally arrived to HUGO, OKLAHOMA! :-) I spent one amazing week with a group of teenagers that I wouldn't trade for all the tea in China! They were great. Sure we had our moments ... But with a group of teenagers in a 12 passenger van ridding for 17 hours in 100 degree heat without air conditioning ... Wouldn't we all have our moments?! But overall, the week was great. We painted and painted and painted some more! And after painting there was more painting! :-) But we could see the appreciation and gratitude on each of the boy's faces when we left .. One that said "Job well done and thank you!" I've never quite understood how something so little can mean so much to another, but after seeing the looks in those boy's eyes when we left .... I now know that there is nothing little ever done on a missions trip ... Everything is HUGE in they eyes of one who has never felt that kind of love from anyone in their life. Sometimes I think I can relate, but now I know that the love received is like none other. Thanks for the great trip guys and I hope to see you again soon! :-)

Work..work..and more work! It's time for a vaction!

Okay so now that I have worked for hours on end trying to get this report done for work, I have decided that I am in much need of a LONG vacation! SO That is exactly what I am going to do! I am going to Oklahoma on the 23rd of July ... with ONE AMAZING GROUP OF TEENAGERS .. for a missions trip! I am pumped and can hardly wait! And after that I am going on vacation to Virginia ... I'm going home! And then there is camp ... and back to work! Imagine that! :-)

God is good~All the Time!

Wow that was an insane set up process! And all of that just so I could post on Amy's site .. sheesh! Crazy people that don't allow unknown posts! :-) ANYWAY, since I'm here, I guess I could post about today. I had a crazy insane day at work, but what else is new!? Thank goodness I serve a mighty and amazing God! He allowed me to find everything that I needed (on Amy's old laptop OF COURSE!) so that I am able to be home and not at work! God is good~All the time! :-)