This is what happens when I have a few spare moments, the mind shifts into another dimension and begins to ponder the status of humanity. It seems to me humanity should be charged with gross negligence and far more serious crimes against…..itself! Yes, against itself. This could almost be an operative definition of an oxy-moron.
I was relishing an exquisite sunset one evening while driving home. The western sky was a brilliant red! All of the sudden my mind did a “180” when it threw this thought into the ring…..the red is a reflection from an enormous lake of blood from aborted babies over the last few decades! Sobering thought isn’t it? Perhaps this arose out of my spirit. I could almost hear the cry of babies that were never given a chance. I also thought of the picture that is painted in the book of Revelation in the Bible that says that during the battle of Armageddon that blood will run as high as bridles on horses. This may not be the exact book or metaphor but the premise is that the bloodshed will be immense. What raced through my mind is that perhaps we’re already there.
I remember about 6 years ago, after having just moved to Kansas City, I opened the Yellow Pages in the phone book to look for something. I think I was going to try to look up an attorney that I went to college with at ORU. Well I began thumbing from the beginning of the “A”s when I happened upon a full page ad from an abortion clinic. A FULL PAGE ad, and the whole staff was there in a group, all of them were smiling! I was INCREDULOUS! After a couple minutes and the shock began to wear off that is when my blood began to boil. How brazen! I couldn’t believe they were so shameless as to allow all their faces to be shown and published. “Dear Jesus, what have we reduced ourselves to?”
If you will go to YouTube.com and search for Aaron Russo, listen to several of the selections there. He unwraps many things happening in today’s world that have obvious scriptural overtones to them. In one video he talks about how a select few, extremely wealthy families in the world truly run the world. He shares about a conversation he had with one of the Rockefellers and how their goal is to reduce the world’s population from 6 billion down to 1 billion. This whole supposition sheds a different light on the abortion “business” doesn’t it?
World hunger – one of my spiritual mentors, Papa Jones, shared with me a few years ago a conversation he had with God in days gone by. He was asking God why there are so many people in the world going without food. The Holy Spirit spoke to him in only the way the Holy Spirit can and said something like “Son, I’ve provided enough food on earth to more than feed every single person I’ve created”. Now that is completely believable to me. It is mankind, because of greed, that does not reach out and share the natural abundance God has given us. How easily the greedy forget that it could have been them that were born into abject poverty in some remote village well beyond reach of contemporary urban cores. Perhaps the greedy ones are the absolute weakest among us! God knew in His infinite wisdom those individuals were too weak to endure the hardships of poverty and arranged for the truly stalwarts among us to bear this burden; just a thought.
How much more wicked could places like Sodom and Gomorrah have been in comparison to society today? To think, God tired of the wickedness and obliterated those places from the face of the earth. Signs of the times, earthquakes and other freak natural occurrences all are indicative of the eminent return of Jesus. Sometimes I feel like we’re a breath away from God the Father turning to God the Son and saying “Now. Go get them now.” Please come quickly Lord Jesus.
Things always considered to be right up to now, are being considered as wrong. Things once considered vile or to be a scourge on a people are now considered to be the norm.
It’s not that I’m in a particularly dark and contemplative mood, these are the things that have been simmering for quite some time in my heart and mind.
I see beauty all around me. I am continually reminded of omnipotence of God when I look at and consider His creation. When I read in the book of Revelation of what He has done for us and prepared for us I am in amazement of His love for us.
This is probably enough for now. Look up for your redemption draws near! Watch the sky because you never know from behind one of those clouds the sky could begin to peel back and the trumpet of heaven will begin to sound! Life will really begin at that moment!
Shalom!
Friday, December 31, 2010
new "digs"
Mama T and I have finally sold our home and moved to an apartment in Lenexa, KS. Albeit I’ve tripled the mileage for my commute to work, Mama T is now only commuting about 2.5 miles! She’s really enjoying that part. Mine isn’t so bad, it still isn’t even close to when I used to commute 55 miles one way several years ago when I worked in Joplin.
God’s provision – He never ceases to amaze me. Look at what God did: He led us to an apartment complex that happened to have a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, all on ground level, double car (attached) garage, the pool and clubhouse are just outside our patio door. Another really great aspect of our new home is that we’re only about 5 miles or less to our place of worship! It only takes us about 8 minutes now instead of 20 to 25 minutes to drive to church!
The main thing is that we’ve rid ourselves of the “money pit” and have moved out of the “HOOD”! Hallelujah!
God’s provision – He never ceases to amaze me. Look at what God did: He led us to an apartment complex that happened to have a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, all on ground level, double car (attached) garage, the pool and clubhouse are just outside our patio door. Another really great aspect of our new home is that we’re only about 5 miles or less to our place of worship! It only takes us about 8 minutes now instead of 20 to 25 minutes to drive to church!
The main thing is that we’ve rid ourselves of the “money pit” and have moved out of the “HOOD”! Hallelujah!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
A day for THANKSGIVING!
Thanksgiving Day has arrived. It's 21 degrees here in KC, so it's a bit "chilly"!
There are so many things we are "thankful" for this season. God has been so faithful in providing for our every need this year. We have not done without anything. We have good health. We have a wonderful loving family both biologically and spiritually. We are so very, very blessed! We have stable, good paying jobs, dependable running vehicles, a wonderful home that is heated and cooled to our satisfaction. "God is good all the time, and, all the time God is good!"
Update on the house - I had forgotten all the steps you have to go through when your selling your home. We have a contract with a buyer, that took some "negotiating" which I expected. Then they ordered the inspection, that came back with things that were of concern to the Inspector. The list was unbelievably long! After the inspection they presented us with a list of unacceptable conditions that must be fixed in order for them to get their FHA loan. So I immediately began contacting contractors. Plumber was already been out and complete the one task on the list. That was an easy fix. The Electrical contractor is lined up to do his work. We expected to have to do some electrical work so this wasn't a surprise. Here come the surprises: we have mold in the crawl space under the bedrooms of the house. We contacted three different contractors for mold remediation and finally settled on one. We had to contact a foundation contractor because the south wall in the basement is leaning in toward the room itself. They will be installing seven piers to correct this problem, then they'll be bringing three cubic yards of dirt to put around the foundation of the house in order to get the proper slope for draining the water away from the house. They will also create a "swell" on the west side of the garage between our house and the neighbor's house to divert water away from the house. They will also be installing three "bubble windows" again three of the basement windows.
Appraisal - the appraiser came out this last Monday to do the appraisal. To date we haven't received the final report yet. We are believing that the house will appraise out close enough to the sales price so the buyers will be able to proceed with getting their loan. They've already been pre-qualified for nearly $15,000 more than the sale price. If it doesn't end up appraising close enough to the sales price, I don't know what the next step will be. I guess we might end up going into further negotiations.
The concern at the moment is that the foundation contractor is scheduled to start this next Tuesday November 30th. His bid is the highest bid of all the contractors. He said his job will only take one to two days maximum. If I don't hear a word by close of business Friday, I may call him to tell him to delay the start of the project until we get all the final numbers from the appraiser. The mold remediation contractor will need approximately three days to complete their job. Their supposed to bring some dryers to put in the crawl space to dry everything out down there. (We've got to get the water stopped from flowing into the crawl space before these guys start their part). The electrical guy can start just about anytime.
Friday, December 10th is the scheduled closing date. We've been told that Tamala and I will go in a few days earlier to sign the documents required of us. Then the buyers will sign their "mountain" of documents on the 10th and all the checks will be drafted to pay all the contractors, etc.
THE TEST- I've been pondering this whole process the last few weeks and have come to the conclusion that this whole ordeal is a test. My faith and my character are being tested. I've decided that I will not "re-act" in ways I've reacted to things that haven't gone exactly the way I thought they should go. I will stop and re-evaluate the situation and look for alternative means or other open doors instead of getting all upset about it. When you boil it all down - it's not worth getting upset over. I am reminded of the book "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff, and by the way, It's All Small Stuff".
Shalom!
There are so many things we are "thankful" for this season. God has been so faithful in providing for our every need this year. We have not done without anything. We have good health. We have a wonderful loving family both biologically and spiritually. We are so very, very blessed! We have stable, good paying jobs, dependable running vehicles, a wonderful home that is heated and cooled to our satisfaction. "God is good all the time, and, all the time God is good!"
Update on the house - I had forgotten all the steps you have to go through when your selling your home. We have a contract with a buyer, that took some "negotiating" which I expected. Then they ordered the inspection, that came back with things that were of concern to the Inspector. The list was unbelievably long! After the inspection they presented us with a list of unacceptable conditions that must be fixed in order for them to get their FHA loan. So I immediately began contacting contractors. Plumber was already been out and complete the one task on the list. That was an easy fix. The Electrical contractor is lined up to do his work. We expected to have to do some electrical work so this wasn't a surprise. Here come the surprises: we have mold in the crawl space under the bedrooms of the house. We contacted three different contractors for mold remediation and finally settled on one. We had to contact a foundation contractor because the south wall in the basement is leaning in toward the room itself. They will be installing seven piers to correct this problem, then they'll be bringing three cubic yards of dirt to put around the foundation of the house in order to get the proper slope for draining the water away from the house. They will also create a "swell" on the west side of the garage between our house and the neighbor's house to divert water away from the house. They will also be installing three "bubble windows" again three of the basement windows.
Appraisal - the appraiser came out this last Monday to do the appraisal. To date we haven't received the final report yet. We are believing that the house will appraise out close enough to the sales price so the buyers will be able to proceed with getting their loan. They've already been pre-qualified for nearly $15,000 more than the sale price. If it doesn't end up appraising close enough to the sales price, I don't know what the next step will be. I guess we might end up going into further negotiations.
The concern at the moment is that the foundation contractor is scheduled to start this next Tuesday November 30th. His bid is the highest bid of all the contractors. He said his job will only take one to two days maximum. If I don't hear a word by close of business Friday, I may call him to tell him to delay the start of the project until we get all the final numbers from the appraiser. The mold remediation contractor will need approximately three days to complete their job. Their supposed to bring some dryers to put in the crawl space to dry everything out down there. (We've got to get the water stopped from flowing into the crawl space before these guys start their part). The electrical guy can start just about anytime.
Friday, December 10th is the scheduled closing date. We've been told that Tamala and I will go in a few days earlier to sign the documents required of us. Then the buyers will sign their "mountain" of documents on the 10th and all the checks will be drafted to pay all the contractors, etc.
THE TEST- I've been pondering this whole process the last few weeks and have come to the conclusion that this whole ordeal is a test. My faith and my character are being tested. I've decided that I will not "re-act" in ways I've reacted to things that haven't gone exactly the way I thought they should go. I will stop and re-evaluate the situation and look for alternative means or other open doors instead of getting all upset about it. When you boil it all down - it's not worth getting upset over. I am reminded of the book "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff, and by the way, It's All Small Stuff".
Shalom!
Friday, November 5, 2010
Do we VALUE those closest to us
This post is one of those that not only should be written but MUST be written. It's time for a REAL examination of our lives.
It was early Monday morning and yes it certainly was MONDAY! I had arrived at the office my usual time only to discover that I my power cord to my laptop was NOT in my computer bag! "Well, great!" I grab my phone and call Tamala and ask where she was in her morning commute to work. She was practically there already. I asked her to look in the back seat of her vehicle to see if my power cord was there. Sure enough, there it lay. I asked her to meet me at a McDonalds just off I-35 that was about half way between her workplace and mine. So out the door I rush and jump back into my truck and head her way.
THE CALL -
As I cruise toward our rendevous place my cell phone rings and it's my Dad. "Kevin, it's your Mother, she's having the same things happen as she did Saturday morning." Just two days earlier Dad had called me saying he was taking Mother to the hospital because she was having the strangest sensations in her head and thought it could be a stroke. They ran a battery of tests at the Emergency Room and eventually informed her that they believed she had a T.I.A. (Trans-Ischaemic Attack)- a mini-stroke!
I visited with Mother Saturday evening after all the day's events and asked if she had "aspirin" in the house. "No, I don't believe I do" was her reply. So I instructed her that "Tonight, without fail, you must go down to Walgreens on the corner and buy a bottle of aspirin, and, keep them in your purse." I further told her that if she feels the slightest sensation trying to return as her earlier episode, she is to chew an aspirin and allow it to remain under her tongue. So, chew the aspirin and drop everything you're doing and head to the hospital!
"Yes, sir" was her reply.
Back to the call.
Dad was telling me she wasn't thinking clearly. I told him that was is to be expected after a mini stroke. Then he proceeded to tell me she wasn't feeling real great and the same sensations in her head from Saturday were returning only stronger!
My response was "Okay, you need to take her back to the hospital". He said that the instructions from the emergency room doctor on Saturday was that she needed to be seen by her regular physician ASAP. He said they weren't open yet. I asked "When do they open?"
"8am" he says. It is already 7:45 am so I said "why don't you load her up in the car and go NOW!" My thinking it is best to be waiting in the parking lot when they open the doors and walk right in.
"Keep me posted as to how things unfold today please" was my request.
I've been married to a doctor before and worked in a health clinic. I know that anytime your dealing with a person who is having heart trouble or stroke symtoms that TIME is precious. Every minute you delay, your are risking permanent damage to tissue!
So, I met up with Tamala, got my power cord, gave her a quick update about Mother not feeling well and it looked like she might need to go back to the hospital, gave her another kiss bye, and headed back to the office.
Okay, I'm back at the office and plugging up my power cord to the laptop and the power outlet, signing onto the network, etc.
It wasn't 30 minutes later when Dad called me back and said he's at the hospital. He says "You boys really need to come and see your Mother more often, she's really not doing well."
"What do you mean?" I ask. "What aren't you telling me?"
"Well, she's having chest pains! She's really not doing well".
"What?! I'm on my way!" I spin around and walk into my bosses' office and tell him that I have to leave, my Mother is back in the hospital for the second time in two days with stroke symptoms". He assures me to go take care of everything and to keep them posted.
Let's just say the next four hours were a bit "surreal". First, I dash home and throw some clothes together and into the truck. I have no idea how long I'll be gone. I start heading South, call Tamala and try and tell her what is going on all the while choking on my emotions and trying to keep it together. I asked her to call our Prayer Team at church. I then call Mama Jones (that's what we affectionately call her). She and Papa Jones are our mentors and spiritual advisors. Both she and Papa Jones are home and they join together and begin to pray for my Mother and also for me. (Thank God for Pop & Mama Jones - they are truly a God-send).
Have you ever felt "numb"? You don't know what to say? You don't know what to think? It is almost as if you're in a vacuum. That is what the remainder of the drive was like for me.
I arrive at the hospital and walk in and see family in the waiting room. I go back to Mother's room and she wasn't there. Dad was there and he informed me that they had her somewhere running a battery of tests and also a stress test.
Results came about three hours later: her heart is fine, the scans show all is well. They believe her achalasia (swallowing disorder)is being complicated by acid reflux. She will be fine.
THAT was all background to the real premis of this post!
None of this made much sense to me because I know Mother takes excellent care of herself. She became diligent about thirty years ago on the things she ate, vitamin and supplements became a part of her daily regimen, etc, etc.
I begin to ponder - "Ok Lord, are you trying to tell us something?"
Here is my take -
This is the light, growing brighter and brighter with each day, that is being revealed to me -
Are we appreciating those in our lives that are closest to us. Do we see their "worth"? Do we let them know how much them mean to us and what a gift they are in our lives? Or, are we being selfish in the sense that we are taking our loved ones for granted? I believe we need to take a moment and consider how much of an impact each family member has made upon our own life. Can you imagine what your life might be like if a loved hadn't been there for you? Have they served you? Think of that smile or hug that only they can give. How do they make YOU feel loved. What is it that make them unique and their "gift" to those of us who love them?
May we not be found guilty of not appreciating those we love. Who knows, maybe if God sees that we're not "valuing" them in ways we should be, He may decide to bring them into His presence and keep them there! We should be valuing our loved ones like God the Father values each of us.
That's it. Let me just encourage all of us to really examine our life. It takes an effort.
Can you imagine your life, really and truly without.......
It was early Monday morning and yes it certainly was MONDAY! I had arrived at the office my usual time only to discover that I my power cord to my laptop was NOT in my computer bag! "Well, great!" I grab my phone and call Tamala and ask where she was in her morning commute to work. She was practically there already. I asked her to look in the back seat of her vehicle to see if my power cord was there. Sure enough, there it lay. I asked her to meet me at a McDonalds just off I-35 that was about half way between her workplace and mine. So out the door I rush and jump back into my truck and head her way.
THE CALL -
As I cruise toward our rendevous place my cell phone rings and it's my Dad. "Kevin, it's your Mother, she's having the same things happen as she did Saturday morning." Just two days earlier Dad had called me saying he was taking Mother to the hospital because she was having the strangest sensations in her head and thought it could be a stroke. They ran a battery of tests at the Emergency Room and eventually informed her that they believed she had a T.I.A. (Trans-Ischaemic Attack)- a mini-stroke!
I visited with Mother Saturday evening after all the day's events and asked if she had "aspirin" in the house. "No, I don't believe I do" was her reply. So I instructed her that "Tonight, without fail, you must go down to Walgreens on the corner and buy a bottle of aspirin, and, keep them in your purse." I further told her that if she feels the slightest sensation trying to return as her earlier episode, she is to chew an aspirin and allow it to remain under her tongue. So, chew the aspirin and drop everything you're doing and head to the hospital!
"Yes, sir" was her reply.
Back to the call.
Dad was telling me she wasn't thinking clearly. I told him that was is to be expected after a mini stroke. Then he proceeded to tell me she wasn't feeling real great and the same sensations in her head from Saturday were returning only stronger!
My response was "Okay, you need to take her back to the hospital". He said that the instructions from the emergency room doctor on Saturday was that she needed to be seen by her regular physician ASAP. He said they weren't open yet. I asked "When do they open?"
"8am" he says. It is already 7:45 am so I said "why don't you load her up in the car and go NOW!" My thinking it is best to be waiting in the parking lot when they open the doors and walk right in.
"Keep me posted as to how things unfold today please" was my request.
I've been married to a doctor before and worked in a health clinic. I know that anytime your dealing with a person who is having heart trouble or stroke symtoms that TIME is precious. Every minute you delay, your are risking permanent damage to tissue!
So, I met up with Tamala, got my power cord, gave her a quick update about Mother not feeling well and it looked like she might need to go back to the hospital, gave her another kiss bye, and headed back to the office.
Okay, I'm back at the office and plugging up my power cord to the laptop and the power outlet, signing onto the network, etc.
It wasn't 30 minutes later when Dad called me back and said he's at the hospital. He says "You boys really need to come and see your Mother more often, she's really not doing well."
"What do you mean?" I ask. "What aren't you telling me?"
"Well, she's having chest pains! She's really not doing well".
"What?! I'm on my way!" I spin around and walk into my bosses' office and tell him that I have to leave, my Mother is back in the hospital for the second time in two days with stroke symptoms". He assures me to go take care of everything and to keep them posted.
Let's just say the next four hours were a bit "surreal". First, I dash home and throw some clothes together and into the truck. I have no idea how long I'll be gone. I start heading South, call Tamala and try and tell her what is going on all the while choking on my emotions and trying to keep it together. I asked her to call our Prayer Team at church. I then call Mama Jones (that's what we affectionately call her). She and Papa Jones are our mentors and spiritual advisors. Both she and Papa Jones are home and they join together and begin to pray for my Mother and also for me. (Thank God for Pop & Mama Jones - they are truly a God-send).
Have you ever felt "numb"? You don't know what to say? You don't know what to think? It is almost as if you're in a vacuum. That is what the remainder of the drive was like for me.
I arrive at the hospital and walk in and see family in the waiting room. I go back to Mother's room and she wasn't there. Dad was there and he informed me that they had her somewhere running a battery of tests and also a stress test.
Results came about three hours later: her heart is fine, the scans show all is well. They believe her achalasia (swallowing disorder)is being complicated by acid reflux. She will be fine.
THAT was all background to the real premis of this post!
None of this made much sense to me because I know Mother takes excellent care of herself. She became diligent about thirty years ago on the things she ate, vitamin and supplements became a part of her daily regimen, etc, etc.
I begin to ponder - "Ok Lord, are you trying to tell us something?"
Here is my take -
This is the light, growing brighter and brighter with each day, that is being revealed to me -
Are we appreciating those in our lives that are closest to us. Do we see their "worth"? Do we let them know how much them mean to us and what a gift they are in our lives? Or, are we being selfish in the sense that we are taking our loved ones for granted? I believe we need to take a moment and consider how much of an impact each family member has made upon our own life. Can you imagine what your life might be like if a loved hadn't been there for you? Have they served you? Think of that smile or hug that only they can give. How do they make YOU feel loved. What is it that make them unique and their "gift" to those of us who love them?
May we not be found guilty of not appreciating those we love. Who knows, maybe if God sees that we're not "valuing" them in ways we should be, He may decide to bring them into His presence and keep them there! We should be valuing our loved ones like God the Father values each of us.
That's it. Let me just encourage all of us to really examine our life. It takes an effort.
Can you imagine your life, really and truly without.......
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Heart to Heart
Dear reader,
This post has been one that has been coming for quite some time. It has been in my heart and it is time to "get it out there".
Kick back with your favorite beverage, we may be here awhile.
As Tamala and I started building our lives together some five and a half years ago many things have happened. We lost her Mother on our second anniversary and had to lay her to rest a few days later. She was one very, VERY special lady! She touched many lives for our Father. We still miss her tremendously; but we wouldn't bring her back for anything. She is in the arms of Father God and smiling down on us.
We have attempted to adopt children only to be met with resistence by this world's "system" because we will NOT give in to their agenda and condone homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle. We finally told them we received their message loud and clear. We told them we realize they have no intention of adopting children to us, so, just take our names off your list. That WAS plan A. Thus far, plan B has not revealed itself. It may not. So Tamala and I press on....to the high calling of Christ Jesus. I've been discussing aspects of children with Tamala and said "maybe we aren't supposed to children of our own. Maybe we're supposed to love the children around us! Children in which we come in contact. Perhaps we're supposed to love the children of the world, as our own children." We don't have the answers, but what we do have, is, the knowledge that Father God has our best interest at heart and He knows what He is doing. In that, we find peace and strength.
We have had folks both older than ourselves and younger than ourselves. Some of these folks we have "connected" with on some deep spiritual level. We have spiritual Mentors that impart great wisdom and love in our lives. We in turn, have begun to become mentors to those younger than ourselves.
We became acquainted with a young married couple by and through our spiritual mentors. We have "connected" and together as a group of three separate families, we have realized God has a divine purpose and plan for bringing us together.
The young man, Sam, literally walked out of his village in Uganda Africa in an endeavor to seek out and bring back help for his people. Sam met his young bride in South Africa a few years back. Jessica is an American young woman with a heart for God's people. They established a ministry to feed and clothe the people back in Sam's village in Uganda. Their ministry website is: http://www.wavuuviafrica.org/WavuuviAfrica.html if you would like to learn more. Sam and Jessica asked us to serve on the their Board of Directors because we have "caught the vision".
Judi Jones, our spiritual mentor, and I have been working together in a couple of non profit organizations she created in times past. One of the non profits, Launch Pad Studios, Judi asked me to be the Project Director. Our main focus is personal development, and to help educate those in this world who have not been afforded the educational opportunities with which we have been blessed.
After getting to know Sam and Jessica we were made aware of cultural differences between Uganda and America. For example, there is no public education in Uganda. You pay for all the schooling for your children from the time they start in Kindergarten. If you have sons and daughers in your family, it is customary that you send your son to school before you send your daughters. In Uganda, women are considered a lower class of the citizenry. We also have been informed that the vast majority of children in the village go without shoes. Many villagers don't know when they will eat their next meal. There isn't any running water, whatsoever. The only restroom facility is simply a hole dug in the ground with crude walls surrounding it. The literally live in grass huts.
Poverty - is the operative word here dear readers.
The informational background just shared is to be considered the foundation of what we share next.
I have considered myself fairly pragmatic most of the time. If I see something that I believe that my skill set can make a positive impact, generally I will endeavor to make a contribution especially if it is something in which I can "believe". So, after careful consideration and discussions with Tamala, Judi Jones, Sam and Jessica, we have initiated: Project Uganda.
November 2011 - we have planned a missions trip to travel to Kalonga, located in the Mubende District of Uganda, Africa. It is the team's intent to bring not only the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Sam's native village but also various kinds of "practical" assistance. If you remember, Jesus not only ministered to the spiritual hunger of the people but only fed their physical bodies as well.
If you recall, I mentioned the children go without shoes. The problem with this is that because there are not paved roads or sidewalks, the children's feet are in constant contact with the ground. They have insects called "jiggers" in Uganda which bury themselves in the flesh of the toes. They have to be removed physcially, many times by digging them out with a sharp instrument, and then, they insert their feet into a mixture of peppers boiled in water in order to kill the eggs the "jiggers" have laid in the flesh. So you can imagine this process is quite uncomfortable. This is why we need to take shoes.
It is also the intent of the mission to teach the villagers the inherent worth of each individual, the love of God, and how men should treat their women with respect and allow them to have dignity.
There are so many things that I could continue to share. However, I am aware everyone's time is quite valuable. Rest assured that more will be forthcoming into the blog-o-sphere regarding the mission.
We covet your prayers in the next year. We want the wisdom of God, His guidance and protection in every aspect related to our mission.
I sincerely believe we are living in the last days. Jesus can appear at ANY moment! I want to be about my Father's business. This is kingdom business and I am fully pursuaded we can make a difference in the lives of a few.
Jesus himself instructed us to look after the poor because they will always be with us. This is something I can do.
Shalom!
Kevin
This post has been one that has been coming for quite some time. It has been in my heart and it is time to "get it out there".
Kick back with your favorite beverage, we may be here awhile.
As Tamala and I started building our lives together some five and a half years ago many things have happened. We lost her Mother on our second anniversary and had to lay her to rest a few days later. She was one very, VERY special lady! She touched many lives for our Father. We still miss her tremendously; but we wouldn't bring her back for anything. She is in the arms of Father God and smiling down on us.
We have attempted to adopt children only to be met with resistence by this world's "system" because we will NOT give in to their agenda and condone homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle. We finally told them we received their message loud and clear. We told them we realize they have no intention of adopting children to us, so, just take our names off your list. That WAS plan A. Thus far, plan B has not revealed itself. It may not. So Tamala and I press on....to the high calling of Christ Jesus. I've been discussing aspects of children with Tamala and said "maybe we aren't supposed to children of our own. Maybe we're supposed to love the children around us! Children in which we come in contact. Perhaps we're supposed to love the children of the world, as our own children." We don't have the answers, but what we do have, is, the knowledge that Father God has our best interest at heart and He knows what He is doing. In that, we find peace and strength.
We have had folks both older than ourselves and younger than ourselves. Some of these folks we have "connected" with on some deep spiritual level. We have spiritual Mentors that impart great wisdom and love in our lives. We in turn, have begun to become mentors to those younger than ourselves.
We became acquainted with a young married couple by and through our spiritual mentors. We have "connected" and together as a group of three separate families, we have realized God has a divine purpose and plan for bringing us together.
The young man, Sam, literally walked out of his village in Uganda Africa in an endeavor to seek out and bring back help for his people. Sam met his young bride in South Africa a few years back. Jessica is an American young woman with a heart for God's people. They established a ministry to feed and clothe the people back in Sam's village in Uganda. Their ministry website is: http://www.wavuuviafrica.org/WavuuviAfrica.html if you would like to learn more. Sam and Jessica asked us to serve on the their Board of Directors because we have "caught the vision".
Judi Jones, our spiritual mentor, and I have been working together in a couple of non profit organizations she created in times past. One of the non profits, Launch Pad Studios, Judi asked me to be the Project Director. Our main focus is personal development, and to help educate those in this world who have not been afforded the educational opportunities with which we have been blessed.
After getting to know Sam and Jessica we were made aware of cultural differences between Uganda and America. For example, there is no public education in Uganda. You pay for all the schooling for your children from the time they start in Kindergarten. If you have sons and daughers in your family, it is customary that you send your son to school before you send your daughters. In Uganda, women are considered a lower class of the citizenry. We also have been informed that the vast majority of children in the village go without shoes. Many villagers don't know when they will eat their next meal. There isn't any running water, whatsoever. The only restroom facility is simply a hole dug in the ground with crude walls surrounding it. The literally live in grass huts.
Poverty - is the operative word here dear readers.
The informational background just shared is to be considered the foundation of what we share next.
I have considered myself fairly pragmatic most of the time. If I see something that I believe that my skill set can make a positive impact, generally I will endeavor to make a contribution especially if it is something in which I can "believe". So, after careful consideration and discussions with Tamala, Judi Jones, Sam and Jessica, we have initiated: Project Uganda.
November 2011 - we have planned a missions trip to travel to Kalonga, located in the Mubende District of Uganda, Africa. It is the team's intent to bring not only the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Sam's native village but also various kinds of "practical" assistance. If you remember, Jesus not only ministered to the spiritual hunger of the people but only fed their physical bodies as well.
If you recall, I mentioned the children go without shoes. The problem with this is that because there are not paved roads or sidewalks, the children's feet are in constant contact with the ground. They have insects called "jiggers" in Uganda which bury themselves in the flesh of the toes. They have to be removed physcially, many times by digging them out with a sharp instrument, and then, they insert their feet into a mixture of peppers boiled in water in order to kill the eggs the "jiggers" have laid in the flesh. So you can imagine this process is quite uncomfortable. This is why we need to take shoes.
It is also the intent of the mission to teach the villagers the inherent worth of each individual, the love of God, and how men should treat their women with respect and allow them to have dignity.
There are so many things that I could continue to share. However, I am aware everyone's time is quite valuable. Rest assured that more will be forthcoming into the blog-o-sphere regarding the mission.
We covet your prayers in the next year. We want the wisdom of God, His guidance and protection in every aspect related to our mission.
I sincerely believe we are living in the last days. Jesus can appear at ANY moment! I want to be about my Father's business. This is kingdom business and I am fully pursuaded we can make a difference in the lives of a few.
Jesus himself instructed us to look after the poor because they will always be with us. This is something I can do.
Shalom!
Kevin
Monday, October 18, 2010
How much?! Really??!! Update on 50 X 50
Okay here is the way last Friday unfolded - I had made an appointment with my Chiropractor because my mid-back had been hurting for better than a week and didn't seem to be getting any better.
I arrived at the Dr.s office and asked where there physicians scale was located. The assistant showed me where it was in the Xray room. I began unloaded my pockets, you know....keys, cell phone,etc.; kicked off my shoes and I was ready.
Now, mind you that my heaviest point was 312 lbs. and that was earlier this year I think. I definitely know it was within the last year. So, I set the weight calibrator on 250 lbs because I know I had lost about 25 lbs already; and slide the small calibrator all the way to the right which read 300 lbs.
Now I start sliding back to the left. I slid through the 290s but I expected that, continued through the 280s but wasn't really surprised because I know how loosely my clothes were fitting these days, but when I started sliding into the 270s and the calibrator still wasn't budging my eyes began to widen; and then........I continued to BLAST through the 270s and finally stopped at ......... 267 lbs. That's right, it's official....I've lost 45 lbs! I had to look at it twice; I was in dis-belief. So I started the process all over again and yep, it went right back down to 267#. I cannot tell you how SHOCKED I was. I had no idea that I'd lost that much. I was so exicted that I took a pic of the scale. Although it isn't the best pic....I know what it said; then I emailed it to Tamala while she was at work!
I think I can safely say that it may have been 25 years since I've been in the 260's. I'd have to do some checking,that is if I have records back that far.
Blessings!
I arrived at the Dr.s office and asked where there physicians scale was located. The assistant showed me where it was in the Xray room. I began unloaded my pockets, you know....keys, cell phone,etc.; kicked off my shoes and I was ready.
Now, mind you that my heaviest point was 312 lbs. and that was earlier this year I think. I definitely know it was within the last year. So, I set the weight calibrator on 250 lbs because I know I had lost about 25 lbs already; and slide the small calibrator all the way to the right which read 300 lbs.
Now I start sliding back to the left. I slid through the 290s but I expected that, continued through the 280s but wasn't really surprised because I know how loosely my clothes were fitting these days, but when I started sliding into the 270s and the calibrator still wasn't budging my eyes began to widen; and then........I continued to BLAST through the 270s and finally stopped at ......... 267 lbs. That's right, it's official....I've lost 45 lbs! I had to look at it twice; I was in dis-belief. So I started the process all over again and yep, it went right back down to 267#. I cannot tell you how SHOCKED I was. I had no idea that I'd lost that much. I was so exicted that I took a pic of the scale. Although it isn't the best pic....I know what it said; then I emailed it to Tamala while she was at work!
I think I can safely say that it may have been 25 years since I've been in the 260's. I'd have to do some checking,that is if I have records back that far.
Blessings!
Friday, September 3, 2010
God Favored Me - a MUST hear
Our chior sings this at church and everytime I become overwhelmed because of God's favor on my life. It is a song that I do not tire of hearing because it reminds me of God's goodness and His unconditional love.
Blessings!
Blessings!
OH NO! It's September 1st already!
I was driving to work this week early in the morning, enjoy the coolness of the morning. All of the it occured to me that it was September 1st which means I have only about 12 weeks until the end of the and only about 10 weeks until by 50th birthday! There is a weight loss goal to achieve and I have work to do.
I had become a little complacent around the house after I came home from work. I wasn't really working on the house as hard as I had been for several months. That means I wasn't really achieving any kind of calorie burn.
So.....it is time to change gears!
I told Tamala tonight on the way home from work that we need to go the Y. What seems ironic is the last time we had a gym membership, we were going about three times a week. I lost about 20 lbs over a period of six months, Tamala says she only lost 5 to 6 lbs. Here's the rub - since I started working on the house back in March, I lost about 25lbs in five months; Tamala lost about 20lbs!
Anyway, it's time to go to the next level - whatever that means!
Shalom
I had become a little complacent around the house after I came home from work. I wasn't really working on the house as hard as I had been for several months. That means I wasn't really achieving any kind of calorie burn.
So.....it is time to change gears!
I told Tamala tonight on the way home from work that we need to go the Y. What seems ironic is the last time we had a gym membership, we were going about three times a week. I lost about 20 lbs over a period of six months, Tamala says she only lost 5 to 6 lbs. Here's the rub - since I started working on the house back in March, I lost about 25lbs in five months; Tamala lost about 20lbs!
Anyway, it's time to go to the next level - whatever that means!
Shalom
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
hither and yon - meanderings betwixt the ears
It is a relaxing evening here in KC. I started burning what wood I've had left in my wood pile from a tree we cut down three years ago I think. I started burning this last weekend and just this evening I put the last few logs on top of the coals that were still smoldering. There is something about the aroma of burning wood wafting through the neighborhood that makes me think of Fall. Fall means cooler temps! Cooler temps means it won't be so miserable outside when you want to be doing things outside. We walked out about a week ago early in the morning and it was incredibly cool! I told Tamala as we were about to climb into our vehicles it felt like it must be in the 60s. Sure enough I checked and it was exactly 60 degrees. It felt wonderful! I think the high that day made it only to about 78 degrees.
A realtor showed our home last Wednesday to a lady from Colorado. The feedback we received was she told the realtor we have a beautiful home and that ours made "the short list"! She is apparently going to come back in September again and look some more.
Since we actually put it on the market and have had a couple of open houses, all the major stuff we needed to get done was finished. I have to admit that I've had a real struggle trying to get my motivation back to do some of the small things that can be done i.e. changing the electrical switch plates, re-painting the window latches, even painting the trim in the small downstairs spare bedroom. We worked for five long months on it practically every day and I just wore myself out on all of it. I used up two weeks of my three weeks of vacation to work on the house. Don't they call those "staycations"? We just lowered the price by $2500 last week so it will begin showing up in a lower price bracket in case folks that don't want to spend more than $125K will begin seeing our house.
Well, Tamala has had her new vehicle for one week now. She ended up with a 2002 Toyota Highlander with leather seats (heated), a sun/moon roof, nice stereo 6 disc CD changer, etc. I haven't looked up the official color of it but let's call it a deep Hunter Green. She said it has taken some getting used to driving it because she sets up so much higher than she did in the Toyota Corolla. She likes it because she can "see" now over many of the vehicles around her. I know I certainly feel better knowing that she is driving a much bigger and safer vehicle. This has been the first vehicle we bought together since we got married nearly 5.5 years ago. Her car was ten years old and mine is 8 years old. I still don't have even 120,000 miles on mine yet; it blows cold air in the summer and hot air in the winter so I'm good with that.
I have to admit, we test drove a couple of Mercedes Benz that were in our price range and let me tell you - they were one "sweet" drive. I kind of brought back memories of when I owned my Porsche 944S in the early 90s. I told Tamala those cars are actually "fun" to drive! I think that may have started an itch I may need to scratch in the next couple of years.
Well, I think I've wandered down a few short rabbit trails during this posting and should probably get onto something more productive. Before long, I'll begin the tedious task of examining the backs of my eyelids for the slightest of pin holes that would allow light to come flooding in. I'm not quite sure what I'd do if I found one, all I know is that it must be done without fail. It is an arduous task that has become a nightly ritual, one that takes me about 8 hours to complete. I just wish I could figure out a way to get paid to perform such a task. I'm the perfect employee; I show up every night and report for duty - WITHOUT fail! Never in all my almost 50 years have I ever NOT reported to this job. I have perfect attendance.
Good grief, now I've fallen off the cliff and into the abyss of - deliriousness!
Blessings! Shalom.
A realtor showed our home last Wednesday to a lady from Colorado. The feedback we received was she told the realtor we have a beautiful home and that ours made "the short list"! She is apparently going to come back in September again and look some more.
Since we actually put it on the market and have had a couple of open houses, all the major stuff we needed to get done was finished. I have to admit that I've had a real struggle trying to get my motivation back to do some of the small things that can be done i.e. changing the electrical switch plates, re-painting the window latches, even painting the trim in the small downstairs spare bedroom. We worked for five long months on it practically every day and I just wore myself out on all of it. I used up two weeks of my three weeks of vacation to work on the house. Don't they call those "staycations"? We just lowered the price by $2500 last week so it will begin showing up in a lower price bracket in case folks that don't want to spend more than $125K will begin seeing our house.
Well, Tamala has had her new vehicle for one week now. She ended up with a 2002 Toyota Highlander with leather seats (heated), a sun/moon roof, nice stereo 6 disc CD changer, etc. I haven't looked up the official color of it but let's call it a deep Hunter Green. She said it has taken some getting used to driving it because she sets up so much higher than she did in the Toyota Corolla. She likes it because she can "see" now over many of the vehicles around her. I know I certainly feel better knowing that she is driving a much bigger and safer vehicle. This has been the first vehicle we bought together since we got married nearly 5.5 years ago. Her car was ten years old and mine is 8 years old. I still don't have even 120,000 miles on mine yet; it blows cold air in the summer and hot air in the winter so I'm good with that.
I have to admit, we test drove a couple of Mercedes Benz that were in our price range and let me tell you - they were one "sweet" drive. I kind of brought back memories of when I owned my Porsche 944S in the early 90s. I told Tamala those cars are actually "fun" to drive! I think that may have started an itch I may need to scratch in the next couple of years.
Well, I think I've wandered down a few short rabbit trails during this posting and should probably get onto something more productive. Before long, I'll begin the tedious task of examining the backs of my eyelids for the slightest of pin holes that would allow light to come flooding in. I'm not quite sure what I'd do if I found one, all I know is that it must be done without fail. It is an arduous task that has become a nightly ritual, one that takes me about 8 hours to complete. I just wish I could figure out a way to get paid to perform such a task. I'm the perfect employee; I show up every night and report for duty - WITHOUT fail! Never in all my almost 50 years have I ever NOT reported to this job. I have perfect attendance.
Good grief, now I've fallen off the cliff and into the abyss of - deliriousness!
Blessings! Shalom.
Monday, August 9, 2010
CRUNCH! a time to say good bye
I had just spoken to Tamala a couple of minutes before she called me again last Tuesday, August 3rd. I could tell instantly when I heard her voice that something was wrong.
She said "I've just been in an accident." I asked if she was okay and she said her chest was hurting. I asked where she was and I'd call 911. I called 911 and they told me someone had already called and an ambulance was already dispatched and the KS Highway Patrol was enroute as well.
Long story short - she was coming home from work and on an entrance ramp to I-35 (the most heavily traveled road in all of Kansas City). Of course she was checking over her left shoulder to get a glimpse of oncoming traffic......BAMMMMM! the vehicles in front of her began slamming on their brakes and before she could react much she hit the guy in front of her. It was a BMW SUV. He was very kind and thoughtful to her after the whole ordeal by asking her to get into his vehicle until help arrived.
So, I drop what I was doing at the office and begin trying to thread my way to the scene of the accident in rush hour traffic. I'm taking back streets and trying not to speed.
When I was just several blocks from the crash the ambulance attendant called me and and told me they were taking her to Shawnee Mission Medical Center. So, I do a 180 and head the ER. I get there and walk into her room and here she is strapped to a body board with a neck brace on and her head is even strapped to where it cannot move.
After some examinations and x-rays they release her to go home and we head for the Walgreen store not too far from the house.
She had some bruises and abrasions mostly from the seat belt, and soreness beyond belief. She is on the mend. We're currently considering what kind of vehicle to get for her. We knew by Wednesday evening the insurance company declared her car a total loss. You can see why:
Mom and Dad began heading up to KC Wednesday morning about 3:15am so they could keep an eye on Tamala while I was working. They took her to the Doctor. I went Wednesday morning to the tow yard and got all of her personal things out of the car. When I first saw it I figured it was a gonner!
So the insurance check is in the mail, we're on the hunt for another vehicle and now it's time to say goodbye to something we've had since we got married and Tamala has had about nine years.
Blessings!
She said "I've just been in an accident." I asked if she was okay and she said her chest was hurting. I asked where she was and I'd call 911. I called 911 and they told me someone had already called and an ambulance was already dispatched and the KS Highway Patrol was enroute as well.
Long story short - she was coming home from work and on an entrance ramp to I-35 (the most heavily traveled road in all of Kansas City). Of course she was checking over her left shoulder to get a glimpse of oncoming traffic......BAMMMMM! the vehicles in front of her began slamming on their brakes and before she could react much she hit the guy in front of her. It was a BMW SUV. He was very kind and thoughtful to her after the whole ordeal by asking her to get into his vehicle until help arrived.
So, I drop what I was doing at the office and begin trying to thread my way to the scene of the accident in rush hour traffic. I'm taking back streets and trying not to speed.
When I was just several blocks from the crash the ambulance attendant called me and and told me they were taking her to Shawnee Mission Medical Center. So, I do a 180 and head the ER. I get there and walk into her room and here she is strapped to a body board with a neck brace on and her head is even strapped to where it cannot move.
After some examinations and x-rays they release her to go home and we head for the Walgreen store not too far from the house.
She had some bruises and abrasions mostly from the seat belt, and soreness beyond belief. She is on the mend. We're currently considering what kind of vehicle to get for her. We knew by Wednesday evening the insurance company declared her car a total loss. You can see why:
Mom and Dad began heading up to KC Wednesday morning about 3:15am so they could keep an eye on Tamala while I was working. They took her to the Doctor. I went Wednesday morning to the tow yard and got all of her personal things out of the car. When I first saw it I figured it was a gonner!
So the insurance check is in the mail, we're on the hunt for another vehicle and now it's time to say goodbye to something we've had since we got married and Tamala has had about nine years.
Blessings!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Going back to work so I can REST!
Well it is my second day back in the office after my week long absence last week. I took another one of my vacation weeks in order to work on the house to do the last minute preparations to get it "on the market". HOLY COW! I worked harder, sweated more, definitely had more STRESS during that week that I usually have at work. It seemed there was always an impending deadline that had to be met. First it was Monday, July 19th and we had to have the house ready for the professional Stager to come in and "stage" our house for showing. That's real estate "speak" for putting all your furniture the way she wants it placed, putting her pictures on the walls, adding her professional touch here and a little there. Accent pillow here, a shower curtain there, a bowl of fruit over there, etc., etc. Well she arrived about 10:30am and we showed her around the house so she could see all the changes we'd made since she'd last been there in about early April. She was very pleased with our work. Then she promptly kicked us out of our own house (kidding of course) so she could work her 'magic'. We had to be gone for 4.5 hours. So we went and had lunch, then stopped by two different apartment complexes and looked at two bedroom apartments. They didn't have any 3 bedrooms available. Then we just hung out awhile. When we got back - WOW, she had really done quite a bit of work. It is absolutely amazing what little "color" can do for a place!
Thursday of last week, our next deadline was for the photographer to come by and take pics of our home both outside and inside. When he called to confirm I asked him to make it as late as he could because we were still doing last minute things in the house. I started mowing the yards that morning about 7 or 7:30am and didn't stop until 11am! I was trimming bushes, moving logs, raking parts, washing porches, etc. etc. Well, he came and took the pics and left. I kept working until I melted into bed about 10pm. Honestly, I don't' think I could have put another foot in front of the other. I was absolutely and utterly exhausted.
Oh yeah, we had guests from Des Moines, IA come and stay with us on Friday. We pretty much had the guest room ready for them. We took them to Cinzetti's Italian Restaurant where they have a buffet of the most INCREDIBLE food you can imagine! and the desserts! OH MY GOODNESS! I just about hurt myself - sampling this, eating that, had a little of this - OH, did you get some of that stuff?
Saturday morning we have a strategy session with our guests from Des Moines and Judi Jones. Sam and Jessica Luwandaga are our emissaries to Uganda, Africa. We have been talking for a while now of taking a trip to Africa to meet the children and families out non-profit organization has been helping out just over the last year.
It is official - we ARE going to Africa! November 2011 is the date we've all agreed to calendar the trip. We've so many things to put together in preparation for the trip. I'll be blogging more about that in the near future!
Well, this morning I get a call from the "home scheduling service" asking if it would be okay for one of their agents to show our home from 11:30am to 12:30pm. I said "of course". So, I took an early lunch about 10:15am and made a quick dash home because I thought I had left my tool box out in the floor of the office; and I knew I still hadn't re-installed the air register vents back into the walls because I was painting them just last night. I get home and sure enough, I had left the tool box out so I put it away; scrambled to get the air register vents back into the wall..."Oh no, where are the screws?" No screws! so I started grabbing little pieces of paper and folding them up the "wedge" them in between the wall and the vent! "Necessity is the mother of invention". I got that done, ran downstairs into the basement and began arranging what few things remain down there then - ran back upstairs and quickly squirted the front entry storm door with window cleaner, grabbed the Fabreeze air freshener and ran upstairs and began misting everything in sight - came down into the living room and into the dining room. I've covered in sweat at this point (and I'm in my office clothes)....ooops....out of time - put the air freshener away and dash out the door! Get into my truck and turn the A/C over to "artic" and blaze a trail back to the office. (I think I met myself coming while I was going back to the office, I'm not sure - everything is a blur).
So I get a call about 4:20 this afternoon asking if it would be okay if an agent showed our house from 5 to 6pm this evening! I said "sure it would!" So...I immediately called Tamala and told her not to go home just yet (they don't want home owners on site when prospective buyers are looking at your property). So we've been kind of, sort of, kicked out a second time all within a week! That's okay, it WILL pay off in the end - I know it will.
I've got a wood pile out back that I have to get completely burned before Sunday because they're going to have an open house from 1pm to 4pm that afternoon. Guess what? We'll be kicked out again during that whole time as well.
Well....that's about it. As soon as we can get back into the house this evening I'll begin "securing" the air registers to the wall, burning more wood out back, more painting touch-ups to be done.
Gotta run-
Blessings!
Thursday of last week, our next deadline was for the photographer to come by and take pics of our home both outside and inside. When he called to confirm I asked him to make it as late as he could because we were still doing last minute things in the house. I started mowing the yards that morning about 7 or 7:30am and didn't stop until 11am! I was trimming bushes, moving logs, raking parts, washing porches, etc. etc. Well, he came and took the pics and left. I kept working until I melted into bed about 10pm. Honestly, I don't' think I could have put another foot in front of the other. I was absolutely and utterly exhausted.
Oh yeah, we had guests from Des Moines, IA come and stay with us on Friday. We pretty much had the guest room ready for them. We took them to Cinzetti's Italian Restaurant where they have a buffet of the most INCREDIBLE food you can imagine! and the desserts! OH MY GOODNESS! I just about hurt myself - sampling this, eating that, had a little of this - OH, did you get some of that stuff?
Saturday morning we have a strategy session with our guests from Des Moines and Judi Jones. Sam and Jessica Luwandaga are our emissaries to Uganda, Africa. We have been talking for a while now of taking a trip to Africa to meet the children and families out non-profit organization has been helping out just over the last year.
It is official - we ARE going to Africa! November 2011 is the date we've all agreed to calendar the trip. We've so many things to put together in preparation for the trip. I'll be blogging more about that in the near future!
Well, this morning I get a call from the "home scheduling service" asking if it would be okay for one of their agents to show our home from 11:30am to 12:30pm. I said "of course". So, I took an early lunch about 10:15am and made a quick dash home because I thought I had left my tool box out in the floor of the office; and I knew I still hadn't re-installed the air register vents back into the walls because I was painting them just last night. I get home and sure enough, I had left the tool box out so I put it away; scrambled to get the air register vents back into the wall..."Oh no, where are the screws?" No screws! so I started grabbing little pieces of paper and folding them up the "wedge" them in between the wall and the vent! "Necessity is the mother of invention". I got that done, ran downstairs into the basement and began arranging what few things remain down there then - ran back upstairs and quickly squirted the front entry storm door with window cleaner, grabbed the Fabreeze air freshener and ran upstairs and began misting everything in sight - came down into the living room and into the dining room. I've covered in sweat at this point (and I'm in my office clothes)....ooops....out of time - put the air freshener away and dash out the door! Get into my truck and turn the A/C over to "artic" and blaze a trail back to the office. (I think I met myself coming while I was going back to the office, I'm not sure - everything is a blur).
So I get a call about 4:20 this afternoon asking if it would be okay if an agent showed our house from 5 to 6pm this evening! I said "sure it would!" So...I immediately called Tamala and told her not to go home just yet (they don't want home owners on site when prospective buyers are looking at your property). So we've been kind of, sort of, kicked out a second time all within a week! That's okay, it WILL pay off in the end - I know it will.
I've got a wood pile out back that I have to get completely burned before Sunday because they're going to have an open house from 1pm to 4pm that afternoon. Guess what? We'll be kicked out again during that whole time as well.
Well....that's about it. As soon as we can get back into the house this evening I'll begin "securing" the air registers to the wall, burning more wood out back, more painting touch-ups to be done.
Gotta run-
Blessings!
Friday, July 16, 2010
“Y’all come, now, ya heeuh”
In this whole process of getting ready to sell the house and then move out of the house, the time has come for the dubious “yard sale.” UGH! It always amazed me that folks would stick out these little 8.5 x 11 inch “garage sale” signs on the street corner – expecting you to read their quaint little sign with address, etc. It is a rare moment that I’ve found that I could actually read their sign.
So ours is tomorrow and Tamala had been asking me for a couple of days if I could make the signs for her. I said “Sure!” Well here you go…..a few ‘custom’ signs that will adorn the neighbor for all to see. Too bad they won’t be taking satellite shots of our neighborhood! I hope they can see these.
The big ones are 4 x 8 foot plyboards split in half if that lets you know the size of them. I have to admit, I started feeling a little like ‘white trash’ about half way through this project. I think maybe I’ve experiencing a psychological conundrum from too many visits to “Hillbilly Hollar” down near Branson, MO. I mean…isn’t the whole idea of putting out a sign is for the passersby to actually see them and to READ them? Well, that was my whole approach. Give me a chance and I just might make a sign they could see from the Space shuttle!
I’m sure we’ll be up well before sun up tomorrow – arranging, pushing, shoving, pulling things into just the right spot for the new owner to “spy” their little find and whisk off with it to only God knows where. I told Tamala she probably wouldn’t want me around too much during the sale because if someone doesn’t like my price I might tell them give a dollar for it and “git outta heeuh”. That’s right, I want it gone…all of it! “Git ‘er dun” as Mator would say in Pixar’s movie “CARS”.
I’m sure after it’s all over there will some kind of stupid story to tell. I like to add some accelerant and simply strike a match, then “WOOSHHHH” it’d all be over in a flash!
Pray for me that I don’t try and slap some horse sense into some of the ‘folk’ that will be visiting the former Palmerosa of KC.
Blessings!
So ours is tomorrow and Tamala had been asking me for a couple of days if I could make the signs for her. I said “Sure!” Well here you go…..a few ‘custom’ signs that will adorn the neighbor for all to see. Too bad they won’t be taking satellite shots of our neighborhood! I hope they can see these.
The big ones are 4 x 8 foot plyboards split in half if that lets you know the size of them. I have to admit, I started feeling a little like ‘white trash’ about half way through this project. I think maybe I’ve experiencing a psychological conundrum from too many visits to “Hillbilly Hollar” down near Branson, MO. I mean…isn’t the whole idea of putting out a sign is for the passersby to actually see them and to READ them? Well, that was my whole approach. Give me a chance and I just might make a sign they could see from the Space shuttle!
I’m sure we’ll be up well before sun up tomorrow – arranging, pushing, shoving, pulling things into just the right spot for the new owner to “spy” their little find and whisk off with it to only God knows where. I told Tamala she probably wouldn’t want me around too much during the sale because if someone doesn’t like my price I might tell them give a dollar for it and “git outta heeuh”. That’s right, I want it gone…all of it! “Git ‘er dun” as Mator would say in Pixar’s movie “CARS”.
I’m sure after it’s all over there will some kind of stupid story to tell. I like to add some accelerant and simply strike a match, then “WOOSHHHH” it’d all be over in a flash!
Pray for me that I don’t try and slap some horse sense into some of the ‘folk’ that will be visiting the former Palmerosa of KC.
Blessings!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Updates, Updates and updates -
50 by 50 - update:
Well I went to the doctor last week for a check up and asked him to fill out a form that was required for my insurance company. I was anticipating the visit because I knew I had lost some weight since my last visit but didn't know how much. How, did I know? Well, let's put it this way, if I didn't wear a belt would likely see a full moon rising! All of my pants have become extremely too big and when I cinch up the belt they have a tendency to pucker up around my waist. So I guess you might be wondering how much I've lost? The nurse's aid said the last time I was in their office I was tipping the scale at 303 lbs. Last week I weighed in at 278lbs so that's a 25 lb. loss! I'll take it. Thing of it is, I haven't really been trying. I've cut down on the amount of food I eat, plus, I've stay extemely active when I come home at night. Instead of sitting and watching TV like we used to do, I'm scraping, sanding, painting, spackling, etc, etc. until it's time to go to bed. Another 25 lb weigh loss would put me at 253. I'd really like to get to 250. Suffice it to say, I haven't been in the 270's for quite awhile. Incidentally, Tamala has dropped 20 lbs as well! People at church have been commenting to her that they've noticed her weight loss. Her jeans are getting pretty "baggy" too. Maybe I should begin calling her the "bag lady".
Palmerosa of KC is up for sale!
This weekend proved to be very, very productive! I've hired two teenage boys who live across the street a couple of weekends. Well, they came over Saturday morning and I had them start down in the basement. We have a fairly large basement. Between the stuff we've been storing for Kansas Academy of Theatrical Arts (a non profit organization I serve on their Board of Directors) and our stuff - let's just say there was a "trail" from one end of the basement to the other. It was FULL! After about 2.5 hours - our basement is 99% empty! It looks so HUGE now! Our realtor visited us just last week and said the main thing is for the stuff in a basement to appear to be organized. I'm thinking she'll settle for its condition now. I think she'll be really pleased.
We're getting down to some final details before it officially hits the market. Our target date for it to be entered on the Multilist service and published on the market is July 21st. Tamala and I will be taking that entire week off to get the house ready. I think we'll be ready early, but I'll remain flexible. If you've got $127,500.00 and need a 4 bedroom, tri-level, two bathrooms on almost 3/4 of an acre - we've got just the place for you.
Also, with a few quick calculations and a great deal of HOPE - I believe that if we sell the PalmerosaKC for over $123,500 we will walk away from the closing table completely DEBT FREE! I've thought about this more and more lately. I keep telling myself every night while working on the house that "pay day is coming....pay day is coming!"
Well, that's all for now. It's beginning to get a little late. Blessings!
Well I went to the doctor last week for a check up and asked him to fill out a form that was required for my insurance company. I was anticipating the visit because I knew I had lost some weight since my last visit but didn't know how much. How, did I know? Well, let's put it this way, if I didn't wear a belt would likely see a full moon rising! All of my pants have become extremely too big and when I cinch up the belt they have a tendency to pucker up around my waist. So I guess you might be wondering how much I've lost? The nurse's aid said the last time I was in their office I was tipping the scale at 303 lbs. Last week I weighed in at 278lbs so that's a 25 lb. loss! I'll take it. Thing of it is, I haven't really been trying. I've cut down on the amount of food I eat, plus, I've stay extemely active when I come home at night. Instead of sitting and watching TV like we used to do, I'm scraping, sanding, painting, spackling, etc, etc. until it's time to go to bed. Another 25 lb weigh loss would put me at 253. I'd really like to get to 250. Suffice it to say, I haven't been in the 270's for quite awhile. Incidentally, Tamala has dropped 20 lbs as well! People at church have been commenting to her that they've noticed her weight loss. Her jeans are getting pretty "baggy" too. Maybe I should begin calling her the "bag lady".
Palmerosa of KC is up for sale!
This weekend proved to be very, very productive! I've hired two teenage boys who live across the street a couple of weekends. Well, they came over Saturday morning and I had them start down in the basement. We have a fairly large basement. Between the stuff we've been storing for Kansas Academy of Theatrical Arts (a non profit organization I serve on their Board of Directors) and our stuff - let's just say there was a "trail" from one end of the basement to the other. It was FULL! After about 2.5 hours - our basement is 99% empty! It looks so HUGE now! Our realtor visited us just last week and said the main thing is for the stuff in a basement to appear to be organized. I'm thinking she'll settle for its condition now. I think she'll be really pleased.
We're getting down to some final details before it officially hits the market. Our target date for it to be entered on the Multilist service and published on the market is July 21st. Tamala and I will be taking that entire week off to get the house ready. I think we'll be ready early, but I'll remain flexible. If you've got $127,500.00 and need a 4 bedroom, tri-level, two bathrooms on almost 3/4 of an acre - we've got just the place for you.
Also, with a few quick calculations and a great deal of HOPE - I believe that if we sell the PalmerosaKC for over $123,500 we will walk away from the closing table completely DEBT FREE! I've thought about this more and more lately. I keep telling myself every night while working on the house that "pay day is coming....pay day is coming!"
Well, that's all for now. It's beginning to get a little late. Blessings!
Monday, June 28, 2010
the 1, 2 punch -
Dear reader, brace yourself this could be a long one! This post may be more of a cathartic process for me than anything else. Be that as it may, here it is......
Today, it hit me. It hit me right between the eyes, then it went straight to the inner core - my soul. The adoption process was OVER. There wasn't any children in our home, sleeping in their beds, or eating at their places around our dinner table. There would be no toys littering the living room, no doll clothes strung from here to there, no dump trucks to hurl across our floors. But the thing that was the loudest was there wasn't laughter filling our household. It was DEAFENING! The absence of giggling or squeals of delight, no maple syrup kisses or quick hugs around the legs and then dashing out the door to explore the next great adventure. It's GONE!
I've know for awhile now that there was something building within myself. It was a type of pressure. There was three contributing factors that can be indentified very quickly.
The house itself - it has been over three months now. This house has been in a state of chaos, out-of-sorts, mis-placed things. I can't set down because there is a window that needs painting, that cabinet door needs to be re-hung, have I sanded that drawer facing yet? Where is my hammer? Oh yes, I have to go buy more hardware for the cabintry, and another gallono of paint - don't forget caulking. Where is that confounded hammer? Oh there is the screwdriver I needed an hour ago to remove that piece of hardware. "Please God, will you please help me find my hammer?" When will the contractor show up again - it's been three & a half weeks. What part of "we want to get this house ready to put on the market as quickly as possible wasn't clear enough?" Did I mumble when I told him we really were in a hurry to get this house listed on the market before the special tax money was gone? That was eight or ten weeks ago now.
ORDER - yes, order. I like order in my home. Everything has a place and everything should be in it's place. "Have you seen my hammer?"
Preparing this house had become a second job a long time ago. I HATE my second job. I love my primary job - it brings me a great deal of satisfaction. I can't quit my second job - it HAS to be finished.
The 2nd contributing factor has been one that began just about the time we started remodeling the house for market. We had a yound man in our church that appeared to be in difficult time in his young life. So we reached out to him; we jumped in both feet first. We had no idea that it would end as poorly as it has. For all of acts of kindness, all the love and attention we gave to him,etc., etc. we were not prepared for the way we would be treated in return. The deceit, lies,cold-heartedness and utter contempt (criminal acts and all) that has been displayed to us left us completely bewildered. He all but asked us to become surrogate parents. He called us Mom & Dad. He could have had us the rest of our lives but that all vaporized in less than three short months. All we can do at this point is pray for the young man, that God will have grace with him and protect him from himself. My greatest concern is that he will "mess over" the wrong person and they won't be as forgiving as we have been.
Finally, of course there is the failed adoption. Nearly three years of our lives invested into something that will not yield a thing. The "system" is so horribly broken it is tragic to think just how many children are not getting their forever family because the system has "paralysis by analysis".
It was about 10:30 this morning when the pressure blew the lid off. I had had enough, I was done. I realized after speaking with my spiritual mother that I was very sick in many different ways. She was absolutely right - I was grieving the loss of children. I went back to my desk after having spoken with her and could NOT focus whatsoever. I felt the crack, debris was about to begin falling - I had to get out of there with whatever dignity I had at the moment. I told my boss I had to go home, that I was sick. How I wish I were physically sick. I wish I could just spew it all into the toilet and it would all be over with - a 24 hour bug; that would have been more desirable than this. Now I have to deal with the anger, unmeasurable disappointment, sadness, more anger,etc.
I have to share this little story and get it off my chest as well. I went to the Verizon Wireless store a couple weeks ago. My bosses upgraded my cell phone to the very coolest and latest thing on the market. I had to wait two weeks for them to even ship it to me! So it finally arrived and I wanted to make sure it was turned on correctly and all my information was transferred over from my old phone and that is why I was in the Verizon store. I wanted one of the techs to help me with that. Well wouldn't you know there was some kind of small issue. The store tech couldn't get the phone to "boot up" just right so she call an IT person at Verizon corporate. This guy is working with me and eventually tells me to take the phone and go outside. "You mean outside the store?" I ask. "Yeah, take it outside on the sidewalk" he says. I'm thinking you've got to be kidding - I'm inside a freaking Verizon store. So, I had to put the handset to the landline down and walk outside onto the sidewalk and voila! it booted up. So walk back in the store and pick up the phone with the IT guy. Meanwhile, there are several people inside the store and I've been there practically 45 minutes already with someplace else I needed to be heading to. Well, it seems there was this little Hispanic girl, approximately two, who wasn't having a very good day. She was getting louder and louder and her parents just paid not attention. I am still on the phone trying to get help with the IT guy, when she REALLY gets loud! I said out load to the techs across the counter " I can help that child!"with a little bite of satire in my voice. They and the IT guy on the phone just busted out laughing. I gave the Tech across the counter from me one of those "give me five minutes with her and she'll have a new outlook on life" looks; when all of the sudden she throws herself on the floor and begins shrieking and wailing! I spun around with the phone up to my ear and look straight at the mother and said "DO YOU......MIND?" She was incredulous! How dare I. Finally the dad, who must have finally grown a pair right there, began to scoop her up off the floor and attempt to subdue her in some small manner. Let me tell you what I wanted to say out loud was "this is a place of business, not an audition for Nanny 911!" I mean really, here was this 30 pound baby having complete control over her mother and father who was probably 250. I thought if it comes to having to resort to public humiliation to get the parents to parent that child, then so be it.
Okay, I'm done. I'm going to find that blasted hammer if it's the last thing I do today!
Today, it hit me. It hit me right between the eyes, then it went straight to the inner core - my soul. The adoption process was OVER. There wasn't any children in our home, sleeping in their beds, or eating at their places around our dinner table. There would be no toys littering the living room, no doll clothes strung from here to there, no dump trucks to hurl across our floors. But the thing that was the loudest was there wasn't laughter filling our household. It was DEAFENING! The absence of giggling or squeals of delight, no maple syrup kisses or quick hugs around the legs and then dashing out the door to explore the next great adventure. It's GONE!
I've know for awhile now that there was something building within myself. It was a type of pressure. There was three contributing factors that can be indentified very quickly.
The house itself - it has been over three months now. This house has been in a state of chaos, out-of-sorts, mis-placed things. I can't set down because there is a window that needs painting, that cabinet door needs to be re-hung, have I sanded that drawer facing yet? Where is my hammer? Oh yes, I have to go buy more hardware for the cabintry, and another gallono of paint - don't forget caulking. Where is that confounded hammer? Oh there is the screwdriver I needed an hour ago to remove that piece of hardware. "Please God, will you please help me find my hammer?" When will the contractor show up again - it's been three & a half weeks. What part of "we want to get this house ready to put on the market as quickly as possible wasn't clear enough?" Did I mumble when I told him we really were in a hurry to get this house listed on the market before the special tax money was gone? That was eight or ten weeks ago now.
ORDER - yes, order. I like order in my home. Everything has a place and everything should be in it's place. "Have you seen my hammer?"
Preparing this house had become a second job a long time ago. I HATE my second job. I love my primary job - it brings me a great deal of satisfaction. I can't quit my second job - it HAS to be finished.
The 2nd contributing factor has been one that began just about the time we started remodeling the house for market. We had a yound man in our church that appeared to be in difficult time in his young life. So we reached out to him; we jumped in both feet first. We had no idea that it would end as poorly as it has. For all of acts of kindness, all the love and attention we gave to him,etc., etc. we were not prepared for the way we would be treated in return. The deceit, lies,cold-heartedness and utter contempt (criminal acts and all) that has been displayed to us left us completely bewildered. He all but asked us to become surrogate parents. He called us Mom & Dad. He could have had us the rest of our lives but that all vaporized in less than three short months. All we can do at this point is pray for the young man, that God will have grace with him and protect him from himself. My greatest concern is that he will "mess over" the wrong person and they won't be as forgiving as we have been.
Finally, of course there is the failed adoption. Nearly three years of our lives invested into something that will not yield a thing. The "system" is so horribly broken it is tragic to think just how many children are not getting their forever family because the system has "paralysis by analysis".
It was about 10:30 this morning when the pressure blew the lid off. I had had enough, I was done. I realized after speaking with my spiritual mother that I was very sick in many different ways. She was absolutely right - I was grieving the loss of children. I went back to my desk after having spoken with her and could NOT focus whatsoever. I felt the crack, debris was about to begin falling - I had to get out of there with whatever dignity I had at the moment. I told my boss I had to go home, that I was sick. How I wish I were physically sick. I wish I could just spew it all into the toilet and it would all be over with - a 24 hour bug; that would have been more desirable than this. Now I have to deal with the anger, unmeasurable disappointment, sadness, more anger,etc.
I have to share this little story and get it off my chest as well. I went to the Verizon Wireless store a couple weeks ago. My bosses upgraded my cell phone to the very coolest and latest thing on the market. I had to wait two weeks for them to even ship it to me! So it finally arrived and I wanted to make sure it was turned on correctly and all my information was transferred over from my old phone and that is why I was in the Verizon store. I wanted one of the techs to help me with that. Well wouldn't you know there was some kind of small issue. The store tech couldn't get the phone to "boot up" just right so she call an IT person at Verizon corporate. This guy is working with me and eventually tells me to take the phone and go outside. "You mean outside the store?" I ask. "Yeah, take it outside on the sidewalk" he says. I'm thinking you've got to be kidding - I'm inside a freaking Verizon store. So, I had to put the handset to the landline down and walk outside onto the sidewalk and voila! it booted up. So walk back in the store and pick up the phone with the IT guy. Meanwhile, there are several people inside the store and I've been there practically 45 minutes already with someplace else I needed to be heading to. Well, it seems there was this little Hispanic girl, approximately two, who wasn't having a very good day. She was getting louder and louder and her parents just paid not attention. I am still on the phone trying to get help with the IT guy, when she REALLY gets loud! I said out load to the techs across the counter " I can help that child!"with a little bite of satire in my voice. They and the IT guy on the phone just busted out laughing. I gave the Tech across the counter from me one of those "give me five minutes with her and she'll have a new outlook on life" looks; when all of the sudden she throws herself on the floor and begins shrieking and wailing! I spun around with the phone up to my ear and look straight at the mother and said "DO YOU......MIND?" She was incredulous! How dare I. Finally the dad, who must have finally grown a pair right there, began to scoop her up off the floor and attempt to subdue her in some small manner. Let me tell you what I wanted to say out loud was "this is a place of business, not an audition for Nanny 911!" I mean really, here was this 30 pound baby having complete control over her mother and father who was probably 250. I thought if it comes to having to resort to public humiliation to get the parents to parent that child, then so be it.
Okay, I'm done. I'm going to find that blasted hammer if it's the last thing I do today!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Adoption update -
Well after nearly three years in this adoption process here is the latest and greatest update.
We notified out adoption worker several weeks ago that we were interested in a sibling set of four. She finally emailed us this past Thursday or so and said that their organization was going to examine whether the biological grandparents were going to able to be the best resource for adopting the kids; which means yet another.........................DELAY.
I had told Tamala a week or so ago that if we weren't chosen on this set of kids, that I, personally, was done!
So Friday, I sent and email to our adoption worker something to the effect of: "please remove us from your list, the message from KVC has been received loud and clear".
So instead of calling us, our adoption worker just emails us and says she understands our frustration with the long process....blah., blah, blah...blah. However she would respect our wishes if we wanted them to close the file.
So I fire back an email "we're done.....close the file".
Honestly, this whole deal of them having a major objection with us because we would not openly endorse homosexuality as an okay alternative lifestyle; just reminds me of the Scriptures saying something about - " in the last days, wrong will seem right and right will be made out to be wrong". Also it says in the last days that Christians will be persecuted. My spiritual mentor told us several months ago "it has already started - you are being persecuted for standing up for what is right and morally correct.
Plan B - don't know if there is a Plan B at this point.
Blessings!
We notified out adoption worker several weeks ago that we were interested in a sibling set of four. She finally emailed us this past Thursday or so and said that their organization was going to examine whether the biological grandparents were going to able to be the best resource for adopting the kids; which means yet another.........................DELAY.
I had told Tamala a week or so ago that if we weren't chosen on this set of kids, that I, personally, was done!
So Friday, I sent and email to our adoption worker something to the effect of: "please remove us from your list, the message from KVC has been received loud and clear".
So instead of calling us, our adoption worker just emails us and says she understands our frustration with the long process....blah., blah, blah...blah. However she would respect our wishes if we wanted them to close the file.
So I fire back an email "we're done.....close the file".
Honestly, this whole deal of them having a major objection with us because we would not openly endorse homosexuality as an okay alternative lifestyle; just reminds me of the Scriptures saying something about - " in the last days, wrong will seem right and right will be made out to be wrong". Also it says in the last days that Christians will be persecuted. My spiritual mentor told us several months ago "it has already started - you are being persecuted for standing up for what is right and morally correct.
Plan B - don't know if there is a Plan B at this point.
Blessings!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
2nd job and 3 months later
it is hard to believe that months have practically "vaporized" since my last post. Honestly, does the pace ever slow down? When we first stared this whole remodeling project we hoped it would take less than a month. Boy was that "pie in the sky"! Family members have been asking when are you going to blog again. Well, I really couldn't quite seem to find the time. We usually wake up before 6am, roll out and begin the day, stay at work for the next ten hours or longer before heading back to my "2nd job". That would be the whole house project. So we have been making progress but very, very slowly. The main contractor finally showed up after four weeks of not showing up. We are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I will not venture a guess as to what date we'll be able to put the house on the market. But we're a heck of a lot closer now than we were 3 months ago. I told Tamala a couple weeks ago that we've been trying to fix 20 years (or longer) of neglect in a matter of a few weeks. It just wasn't happening. The inside of the house is really beginning to look completely different. New paint on the walls and ceilings. Gotta run....some disaster just happened in the lower bathroom that the contractor worked on today.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
To sell or not to sell......
Unload that baby!
Well Mama T and I have decided to test the waters in the real estate market by listing our home with a realtor. So the Palmerosa of KC is now officially in a state of "limbo".
Our home is no longer ours but is now a "product" we have to sell on the open market. You have to "de-personalize" the space to make it more attractive to a wider base of buyers.
So, I've taken the next week off, using vacation time, to begin the process of not only doing some light re-modeling but also begin the packing process for our move.
The drywall guy is coming Monday at 9am to fix things like this:
This was a clock installed into the kitchen wall no telling how many years, or even decades ago. It is coming out and will be patched up and painted over.
I was really proud of Mama T last night because began digging into her closet to "pare down" the amount of cloths in her closet. One of the tricks of the trade is that we have to create the "illusion" that their is an abundance of closet space. The real estate folks told us to cut it down to 1/3 of the amount in the closet.
here is a pic of part of her closet after her hard work. (take note that all the clothes are hung on the same color hangers and collars are to be turned the same direction!)
Anyway, we gotta run...there's work to be done: paint fling, boards to cut, windows to scrape and wash, dishes to pack.....I'm tired already and it's not even 9am.
I may just have to stop by the toy store a little later today to buy a toy or two. For those who aren't "in the know" that's Kevin-speak for Lowes or Home Depot (toy store) and a miter saw or ladder would be the "toys"!
You can agree with Mama T and I that we will find favor with buyers and they will pay full market value or above! God is able....I trust Him.
Buy "oops"..... bye for now.
Well Mama T and I have decided to test the waters in the real estate market by listing our home with a realtor. So the Palmerosa of KC is now officially in a state of "limbo".
Our home is no longer ours but is now a "product" we have to sell on the open market. You have to "de-personalize" the space to make it more attractive to a wider base of buyers.
So, I've taken the next week off, using vacation time, to begin the process of not only doing some light re-modeling but also begin the packing process for our move.
The drywall guy is coming Monday at 9am to fix things like this:
This was a clock installed into the kitchen wall no telling how many years, or even decades ago. It is coming out and will be patched up and painted over.
I was really proud of Mama T last night because began digging into her closet to "pare down" the amount of cloths in her closet. One of the tricks of the trade is that we have to create the "illusion" that their is an abundance of closet space. The real estate folks told us to cut it down to 1/3 of the amount in the closet.
here is a pic of part of her closet after her hard work. (take note that all the clothes are hung on the same color hangers and collars are to be turned the same direction!)
Anyway, we gotta run...there's work to be done: paint fling, boards to cut, windows to scrape and wash, dishes to pack.....I'm tired already and it's not even 9am.
I may just have to stop by the toy store a little later today to buy a toy or two. For those who aren't "in the know" that's Kevin-speak for Lowes or Home Depot (toy store) and a miter saw or ladder would be the "toys"!
You can agree with Mama T and I that we will find favor with buyers and they will pay full market value or above! God is able....I trust Him.
Buy "oops"..... bye for now.
Friday, January 15, 2010
50 by 50
Are you a bit perplexed by the title? I would almost solicit what possible answers the readers might think that it means but with my small readership, probably less than a half-dozen, I doubt it would be worth it.
Let's see....50 by 50. That would make for a great barn or hobby shed, don't you think?
50 by 50 would make for a HUGE garden too! Forget that noise, I wouldn't want to have to take care of something that big.
50 by 50 would make a great beach front lot on the lake!
Oh alright, I'll just have to tell you then.
Well, Tam and I really enjoy watching "The Biggest Loser" on Tuesday nights here at the Palmerosa. If I had to choose one show out of the entire week....it would be this show. I think we started watching either at Season 4 or 5, I'm not sure.
***I bet you can already figure out where this is going, right? *****
I must say that over the last few seasons there have been some incredible things happen on the show. Some things nearly "unbelievable" unless you had watched the whole season. Some of these contestants "metamorphosized" into something completely different when compared to how they started the season.
The guy who won the last season was from Broken Arrow, OK (near my hometown of Tulsa). He broke a record of losing 100 lbs in only seven weeks. By the end of the season he had lost over 50% of his body weight. He was a mere shadow of his former self.
Anyway over the last few seasons, we experience with some of these contestants some of the psychological barriers, hurdles, and other challenges people who have weight issues deal with on an on-going basis. Somehow, Bob and Jillian, the personal fitness trainers are able to reach into the hearts and minds of these contestants, and mine too, and touch them in areas we didn't even know existed. Sometimes it makes you very uncomfortable not only for yourself but for the contestant. I cannot tell you how many times a contestant might be explaining what they're dealing with or some obstacle they've just come up against and it's like they're reading my mail! I've realize over time that I'm not the only one out there - there must be millions of us.
Well, one of the things that the trainers tell you to do is to announce to your family, friends, co-workers, etc. that you're embarking on a journey to change your life. When you "put it out there" by telling people, then you've just set some things into motion. Once you've told them, you just became accountable. You see, if you don't tell anyone, and you fail to lose the weight you wanted, well no one knew in the first place.
Okay, have I built this up enough at this point? I can imagine you've already figured it out though.
Well, okay, here it is.........the title 50 by 50 is ......
Oh, do I really have to say? I don't wanna........
"Help me Jesus. I need thee, oh how I need thee".
I want to lose 50 lbs by the time I turn 50. As of today.....I have exactly 11 months.
Well, there it is! It's out there for the world to see. Now, I've done it! I've gone and opened by big mouth and now I really have to do something about it. Now I'm ACCOUNTABLE! Oh....yuk....that really leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
I told Tamala just this evening after dinner that we've been able to modify our behavior when it comes to money over the last 2.5 years. Now, we need to turn our attention to modifying our behavior when it comes to food.
50 by 50....you think I should have a T-shirt made up?
So, now that I've humiliated myself by broadcasting to the universe via cyberspace of my goal, I'm going to sign off and contemplate just what I've done.
Blessings!
Let's see....50 by 50. That would make for a great barn or hobby shed, don't you think?
50 by 50 would make for a HUGE garden too! Forget that noise, I wouldn't want to have to take care of something that big.
50 by 50 would make a great beach front lot on the lake!
Oh alright, I'll just have to tell you then.
Well, Tam and I really enjoy watching "The Biggest Loser" on Tuesday nights here at the Palmerosa. If I had to choose one show out of the entire week....it would be this show. I think we started watching either at Season 4 or 5, I'm not sure.
***I bet you can already figure out where this is going, right? *****
I must say that over the last few seasons there have been some incredible things happen on the show. Some things nearly "unbelievable" unless you had watched the whole season. Some of these contestants "metamorphosized" into something completely different when compared to how they started the season.
The guy who won the last season was from Broken Arrow, OK (near my hometown of Tulsa). He broke a record of losing 100 lbs in only seven weeks. By the end of the season he had lost over 50% of his body weight. He was a mere shadow of his former self.
Anyway over the last few seasons, we experience with some of these contestants some of the psychological barriers, hurdles, and other challenges people who have weight issues deal with on an on-going basis. Somehow, Bob and Jillian, the personal fitness trainers are able to reach into the hearts and minds of these contestants, and mine too, and touch them in areas we didn't even know existed. Sometimes it makes you very uncomfortable not only for yourself but for the contestant. I cannot tell you how many times a contestant might be explaining what they're dealing with or some obstacle they've just come up against and it's like they're reading my mail! I've realize over time that I'm not the only one out there - there must be millions of us.
Well, one of the things that the trainers tell you to do is to announce to your family, friends, co-workers, etc. that you're embarking on a journey to change your life. When you "put it out there" by telling people, then you've just set some things into motion. Once you've told them, you just became accountable. You see, if you don't tell anyone, and you fail to lose the weight you wanted, well no one knew in the first place.
Okay, have I built this up enough at this point? I can imagine you've already figured it out though.
Well, okay, here it is.........the title 50 by 50 is ......
Oh, do I really have to say? I don't wanna........
"Help me Jesus. I need thee, oh how I need thee".
I want to lose 50 lbs by the time I turn 50. As of today.....I have exactly 11 months.
Well, there it is! It's out there for the world to see. Now, I've done it! I've gone and opened by big mouth and now I really have to do something about it. Now I'm ACCOUNTABLE! Oh....yuk....that really leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
I told Tamala just this evening after dinner that we've been able to modify our behavior when it comes to money over the last 2.5 years. Now, we need to turn our attention to modifying our behavior when it comes to food.
50 by 50....you think I should have a T-shirt made up?
So, now that I've humiliated myself by broadcasting to the universe via cyberspace of my goal, I'm going to sign off and contemplate just what I've done.
Blessings!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Aruba is beginning to sound nice about now
Are you kidding me? I mean seriously....was it really that cold outside side this morning? When we arose this morning we went upstairs to begin making coffee. I wondered what the outside temperature might be so all I had to do was turn around and look at the thermometer on our green hutch. As you can see below... it didn't lie.
Yes, it really did show -2 degrees Fah. Oh come on...really? I am so over winter words can't convey how done I am with it; and it's only been "officially" winter for less than a month!
Like I said earlier - Aruba is beginning to sound a whole lot more comfy about now. Anybody else up for moving?
Blessings!
Yes, it really did show -2 degrees Fah. Oh come on...really? I am so over winter words can't convey how done I am with it; and it's only been "officially" winter for less than a month!
Like I said earlier - Aruba is beginning to sound a whole lot more comfy about now. Anybody else up for moving?
Blessings!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Okay, okay - it's a musical day, so sue me!
After my last post, I flipped over to my brother's blog and enjoyed his most recent musical post. But it was something he said in the introductory remarks about his featured musical posting that reminded me of a similar experience. I will quote him here "Every once in a great while, a cover comes along that may possibly be better than the original". I happen to agree wholeheartedly with that statement.
Once again I was cruising the net a few years ago and happened upon a redition of one of America's most iconic songs - "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" however, it wasn't sung by the quintessential Judy Garland, but a regional artist in the great Northwest, Eva Cassidy.
Have you ever bought a CD just because it had one song on it, or am I the only one? All I can say is thank God for Amazon.com because that is where I found it and quickly snatched it up.
The "pure" sound of her acoustic guitar is flawless and her soul stirring rendition is one you may not likely forget.
Allow me to give you a brief history of this artist. She recorded several CDs but she became terminally ill. One person posted a comment that I read summed it up quite well:
"As I understand, she was aware of her terminal affliction at the time of this performance.
If we put the depth of meaning contained in the lyrics of the song in context with what she was going through at the time, the "breaking" of her voice at the phrase "why can't I", will help to appreciate the genuine nature of her perfomance.
Every once in a great while, a cover comes along that may possibly......
Once again I was cruising the net a few years ago and happened upon a redition of one of America's most iconic songs - "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" however, it wasn't sung by the quintessential Judy Garland, but a regional artist in the great Northwest, Eva Cassidy.
Have you ever bought a CD just because it had one song on it, or am I the only one? All I can say is thank God for Amazon.com because that is where I found it and quickly snatched it up.
The "pure" sound of her acoustic guitar is flawless and her soul stirring rendition is one you may not likely forget.
Allow me to give you a brief history of this artist. She recorded several CDs but she became terminally ill. One person posted a comment that I read summed it up quite well:
"As I understand, she was aware of her terminal affliction at the time of this performance.
If we put the depth of meaning contained in the lyrics of the song in context with what she was going through at the time, the "breaking" of her voice at the phrase "why can't I", will help to appreciate the genuine nature of her perfomance.
Every once in a great while, a cover comes along that may possibly......
"Meditation" from Thais
Several years ago I was surfing the internet for music when I came upon this piece played by Itzak Perman. I was instantly mesmerized by the intense beauty and sheer "power" of such a masterful composition. Only I did not know its name or the artist at the time. It wasn't identified on the internet. I had it saved for 3 or 4 years when I became acquainted with a classical concert pianist. I played it for him asking if he could identify it for me. He only had to hear the first couple of measures and once the violin began he knew it was "Meditation" from Thais. He said that it was his father's favorite piece and they played it at his funeral.
Jules Massanet wrote this amazing piece. I've wondered what Jules may have been experiencing at the time it was written. I've never tired of hearing it. It will most likely be listed in the top five of my all time favorites considering music in all its entirety with all its genres.
I read one person's comments and it said: "It sounds like a slow ascent to heaven and heaven is pierced at 2:00 minutes"
I hope you enjoy it as much as I.
Blessings!
Jules Massanet wrote this amazing piece. I've wondered what Jules may have been experiencing at the time it was written. I've never tired of hearing it. It will most likely be listed in the top five of my all time favorites considering music in all its entirety with all its genres.
I read one person's comments and it said: "It sounds like a slow ascent to heaven and heaven is pierced at 2:00 minutes"
I hope you enjoy it as much as I.
Blessings!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
I am gonna get Miss Helena !!!!!
our little sweet and lovely Christmas house guests wished for a white Christmas. Well she got her wish. It snowed ON Christmas Day - it had been 47 years since it actually snowed on the sacred day.
Well apparently she's still praying for snow because our Christmas snowfall is still on the ground and ......it's snowing AGAIN!!!
You just wait till I see her! She'll be wishin' for Spring roses and honey bees! "I'll you my pretty.....and your little dog too!"
We're expecting another 4-6 inches tonight. I really do hope that this storm system doesn't stall out over us. That would be catastrophic!
Well apparently she's still praying for snow because our Christmas snowfall is still on the ground and ......it's snowing AGAIN!!!
You just wait till I see her! She'll be wishin' for Spring roses and honey bees! "I'll you my pretty.....and your little dog too!"
We're expecting another 4-6 inches tonight. I really do hope that this storm system doesn't stall out over us. That would be catastrophic!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
press Resume to continue -
Hello again dear reader - it has been a very long time since my last post. Truth be known, I didn't have any desire to post anything. I just realized that the entire month of December has come and gone without any postings, but, it is what it is.
Thank you for your understanding.
I've taken quite a bit of time to ponder the "home going" of my former pastor, Billie Joe Daugherty. Not to same that I'm done either - I'm still processing and will be for some time to come. Not only did we have Billie Joe's passing to deal with but another one of God's generals crossed over into Glory on my 49th birthday, Oral Roberts. He was President of Oral Roberts University when I attended from 1979 throught 1981. His legacy leaves a lifetime dedicated to spreading the gospel and being a conduit for the healing power of God. I couldn't begin to do justice to this powerful man of God here in my little blog so I will just stop right there.
I must give pause here for a moment to consider the Reverend Dr. Billy Graham. He just celebrated his 91st birthday last November. I wonder just how long we will have him with us to draw upon his wisdom related to his years of ministry. I just read a little piece about Dr. Graham that said he is considered to have preached to more people in his lifetime than anyone else in history - some 2.2 billion! It has been recorded that 2.5 million people have stepped forward at his crusades to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior! I believe he qualifies to also wear the honor of one of God's generals. Of course that is my opinion - but again, this is my blog!
press "Resume" to continue - I think after today that I will endeavor to begin blogging again.
CHRISTMAS was a wonderful! We were blessed to have my folks along with their foreign exchange student, Helena come to our home. Helena is from Norway and she is the greatest! She is just like the little sister we never had. She was hoping and praying for snow on Christmas. Well she must be "blessed and highly favored" because it began snowing Christams Eve night and right on through Christmas day. I think we got 12 to 14 inches! I told her at one point Christmas afternoon - "you can stop praying for snow now just anytime Helena." It seemed like it would never stop! No one even ventured outside on Christmas or Friday the 26th. By Saturday I was feeling a bit stir crazy so I ventured out to do some snow shoveling.
We got another couple inches just last night. So now we have two different snows still on the ground with more on the way! The weatherman said we may break another record this week for the most consequtive days with high temps in the single digits.
I remember from last winter that we had three different snows on the ground at one time. Looks like it will happen again.
Have a blessed and prosperous year in 2010!
I've pressed "Resume" to continue on once again.
Thank you for your understanding.
I've taken quite a bit of time to ponder the "home going" of my former pastor, Billie Joe Daugherty. Not to same that I'm done either - I'm still processing and will be for some time to come. Not only did we have Billie Joe's passing to deal with but another one of God's generals crossed over into Glory on my 49th birthday, Oral Roberts. He was President of Oral Roberts University when I attended from 1979 throught 1981. His legacy leaves a lifetime dedicated to spreading the gospel and being a conduit for the healing power of God. I couldn't begin to do justice to this powerful man of God here in my little blog so I will just stop right there.
I must give pause here for a moment to consider the Reverend Dr. Billy Graham. He just celebrated his 91st birthday last November. I wonder just how long we will have him with us to draw upon his wisdom related to his years of ministry. I just read a little piece about Dr. Graham that said he is considered to have preached to more people in his lifetime than anyone else in history - some 2.2 billion! It has been recorded that 2.5 million people have stepped forward at his crusades to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior! I believe he qualifies to also wear the honor of one of God's generals. Of course that is my opinion - but again, this is my blog!
press "Resume" to continue - I think after today that I will endeavor to begin blogging again.
CHRISTMAS was a wonderful! We were blessed to have my folks along with their foreign exchange student, Helena come to our home. Helena is from Norway and she is the greatest! She is just like the little sister we never had. She was hoping and praying for snow on Christmas. Well she must be "blessed and highly favored" because it began snowing Christams Eve night and right on through Christmas day. I think we got 12 to 14 inches! I told her at one point Christmas afternoon - "you can stop praying for snow now just anytime Helena." It seemed like it would never stop! No one even ventured outside on Christmas or Friday the 26th. By Saturday I was feeling a bit stir crazy so I ventured out to do some snow shoveling.
We got another couple inches just last night. So now we have two different snows still on the ground with more on the way! The weatherman said we may break another record this week for the most consequtive days with high temps in the single digits.
I remember from last winter that we had three different snows on the ground at one time. Looks like it will happen again.
Have a blessed and prosperous year in 2010!
I've pressed "Resume" to continue on once again.
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