My Night

What a great show!

Bekah was in her first professional theatre show this weekend. We are so proud of her- not only was she was accepted to the professional theatre, she was chosen as the chorus captain! HOORAY for Bekah! It was a great show, and it will close tomorrow afternoon. If you want to see the show, you can contact MetroTix. Unfortunatley, we were not permitted to take photographs at the show... sorry. We are so proud of her- it was a GREAT show.Here is the ticket from the show!
Between shows today, we went to supper. It was pouring rain, and the sky was pretty scary. We were excited to see a rainbow though. I tried to get a picture at the stoplight so I could share God's promise with the rest of you! It's amazing... even when you are not looking for Him, He reminds you of His presence. God is good.

Conni the Waitress

This morning, the YMCA hosted Breakfast with the Easter Bunny at Applebees. It was a lot of fun for the kids and a good fundraiser for the Y. Jason played the Easter Bunny... which made me laugh... he will never live down hopping around in a very feminine bunny suit! The girls and I had the role of seating people and taking pictures. Well, at least that is what was supposed to happen. It was pretty obvious that Applebees had not prepared well with staff, and before I knew it, I found myself in the kitchen, preparing plates and drinks for people. BEING A WAITRESS IS HARD WORK. There were damanding people, crying kids, and crabby cooks to deal with. Wait staff doesn't make enough money. In fact, I am not sure you could pay me enough to do it on a regular basis. Well, I didn't feel like it was fair to ask my staff to do it, so I did as much as I could before I recruited my sweet girls to help. I was impressed with Bekah and Jenn's ability and willingness to help. They didn't even complain.

Now we are home, and hoping for a nap before we head out to see Bekah's play this afternoon, and then again tonight.

More chruch signs

I saw two more church signs on my way to work this morning that I thought were worth sharing.

"Looking for a sign from God- this might be it."

"Jesus built us a bridge with 2 pieces of wood and 3 nails."

What church signs have you seen that have made an impact on you?

Another Thought for the Day

(I read this on a church sign tonight while going to take my mom to dinner for her birthday... and thought it was worth sharing.)

"Forbidden fruit always produces plenty of jams."

I think there is a lot of truth to that. What do you think?

I like Cereal!!

I love cereal. When I want a snack... I often choose cereal... when I am home alone and it is time to eat.... cereal it is.... So, I was just wondering... what is your favorite kind of cereal?

Is it Fruit Loops, Shredded Wheat, Raisin Bran, Rice Crispies, Chex, Frosted Mini-Wheats, Honeycomb.... or something else?

YUM.... I think I will have a bowl right now!

Thankful

This morning, I was thinking about things that I am especially thankful for this week. Of course I am thankful for my friends and family, and to be a child of God, but these are things that just struck me as blessings that sometimes I take for granted. So here is part of the list of things that I am especially thankful for this week:

1. Mommy-Daughter time at Applebee's with Boo.
2. A relaxing dinner with my sweetheart and a wonderful friend.
3. A meeting that had the potential of being really bad that turned out beautifully.
4. Diet coke and chex-mix at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
5. My sweet Bekah grabbing my hand during a prayer at church.
6. Tuesday morning prayer.
7. Walking away from a bad situation so Satan can't creep his way in!
8. Playing computer games, and competing with my girls- THEY ALWAYS WIN!
9. Pre-season Cardinal Baseball
10. Shopping with my mom.
11. Dinner with great friends on Wednesday night!
12. Marketing!
13. Comfy shoes.
14. Cuddling with my hubby.... even though Mikki likes to wedge her way between us!
15. Not letting people from the past affect me... even though they still pester!
16. Being part of the best small group ever!

I could go on and on... God has blessed me in so many ways! What are the "little" things that you have been thankful for this week?

Decorating, Decorating

I love decorating! I LOVE IT!

The kitchen is completely painted and put back together. I shared pictures a while back...

The new living room furniture, rugs, lamps, and pictures are all in their new places... and now I am thinking that I don't like the new curtains, so I am taking those back, and now I think I want to paint... which was my original plan, but I decided not to after picking dark curtains... but now that I am keeping the light ones, I think I need at least an accent wall! I should have painted first. Sometimes I do things a little backwards! Anyway, the living room is just about done.

We went looking for new bedroom furniture last weekend, and guess what? WE DIDN'T BUY A THING! I have new bedding and curtains waiting for the new bed and windows.... I just can't find a bedroom set that really jumps at me! Maybe I am too picky! Does anyone have any suggestions of where to get good furniture for a great price? I am thinking that once we find furniture, then we will donate the old stuff to Lydia House, and then we can paint the bedroom before the new furniture comes.

We have plans for Mikki's room/Office too, but we want to finish the other bedrooms first... the girls' are just about done too... they keep changing their minds on the last little details. It is hard having teenage girls...

We hope to have the house done by summer, and then it will be time to deal with the yard some more. ... I am thinking that we will get Tim to come and take care of us to start out with... Winter was hard on the yard....

Oh Yeah... and then we have the shutters to deal with.... ahhh.... it never ends....

Just about the time we get that all taken care of, it will be time to start raking leaves again.

I love decorating, but I am not too thrilled with the yard work and outside junk!

When the Innocent Get Blamed

Innocent people should not be blamed.

Now this may seem like common knowledge, but somehow it is not.

There are a few blogs that I read everyday. There are others that I check from time to time, just to see if there is anything going on.... SO.... I popped on one that I had not checked for some time, only to read a blog about Harry Potter.... and then a bunch of comments from the author and some anti-American crazy person, and as I continued to read, I see a comment that sites MY BLOG, and basically blames me for the comments, and then uses some nice not very nice words!
I don't appreciate it!

I have much better things to do than trash your blog... so please.... don't blame those who are not guilty.

Say Goodbye Sanjaya

Please make it stop!

Please America... don't vote for him again.

Say goodbye Sanjaya, PLEASE say goodbye!

Great Small Group!

Tonight some of us from small group met at Dave and Buster's for a time of food, fellowship and fun. The food was pretty decent... the fellowship was awesome and the fun was great...but could become VERY addicting if you're not careful!

Does anyone else out there like Dave and Buster's as much as I do?

The Agony of Defeat

After a year of bragging rights as the McKnight Road Trivia Champions, tonight our small group lost the title to a well-deserving team. To tell the truth, we got slaughtered.... But, we had a great time, and are already looking forward to next year! For the past 3 years, there has been one team that really gives me a hard time, and says, "You are going down!" I'd like you all to know that tonight, for the 3rd time, our team beat his! HOORAY. The evening was great, and everyone had a great time. Here are a few of the highlights. Mikki couldn't come with us, but she still looked cute in her St. Patrick's Day shades! She is SO CUTE!.... (this picture reminds me that she needs a haircut!

Bekah was the winner of the costume contest.... she looked great! Way to go Bekah!

Steve did a wonderful job providing music for the Irish Song round- he is so talented. Thanks for sharing your gifts with us Steve.

The youth group was well represnted and did a great job! It was nice to find out that the school systems are acutally teaching something to our kids! I think the picture above is way too funny!

As always, it was fun to hang with my honey and my girls. It was so weird to hear Miss Denise tell Jennifer to go stand by her "sister." It seems so weird, but I suppose it is accurate. They have gotten as close as sisters.... well, and they fight like sisters too. We are so blessed to have 2 special girls! We love you Boo and Jen!

This year the Trivia Night was a fund raiser, and over $1,100 was raised for Children's Programs. Our small group put together an ice-cream basket for the auction, and it was well received! I was glad that the Crawfords liked it so much and that Anna was so excited to take it home.

Well, it is late, and I need to hit the hay...

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY everyone!

Simple Math

1 husband + 9 stikes in a row = 1 very happy husband!
Way to go Jason! Love you!

What does this mean to you?

"It's not about the rules, it's about the relationship."

Phenomenal

This video is phenomenal. It's only about 3 minutes long. Be sure that your sound is on.

http://tinyurl.com/yxewot

Thought for the day

Food poisoning is much better than appendicitis.... but is still very NOT FUN.

Rick Warren

Wow- Rick Warren is as good of a speaker as he is a writer.
As I mentioned yesterday, I was blessed to be invited to the
Mayor's Prayer Breakfast this morning at America's Center. The place was packed, the food was so-so, and the message was FABULOUS!

In addition to his message, the morning was filled with prayers and Scripture readings by local leaders. There were a lot of great people there like Frank Cusumano (KSDK), Ernie Hays of the St. Louis Cardinals, Ben Edwards if A.G. Edwards and Sons, and of course Francis Slay. There were a ton of high powered professionals there, and Rick's message to us all was that we have been blessed with what we have because God wants us to use it to His glory. I was surprised how many amens I heard.

In addition to the prayer breakfast, I was invited to attend the press conference afterwards, which focussed on a collaboration between Rick and the City of St. Louis called PEACE- which can really make a difference in the world!

After the press conference, I volunteered at a session for inner city teens. Rick gave another message, and seemed to totally connect with the kids. I really believe that his message can change the world. His message at the prayer was obviously focussed on God, while his message to the teens was still focussed on God, but he never directly said that. He is a great speaker!

Here is what I think- Rick Warren and Oprah need to go on a world tour together- preaching the good news, and encouraging the world to change for good!

If you ever have the opportunity to hear Rick speak, DON'T MISS IT!

Excited!

McKnight just finished working through the 40 days of purpose. It was a great study, and a very thought provoking one to say the least. I am so excited because tomorrow morning, I am blessed to be able to attend the St. Louis Mayor's Prayer Breakfast at America's Center downtown. Guess who the speaker is? RICK WARREN (the author of The Purpose Driven Life). I am so excited to hear him in person. I will try to blog about it tomorrow night!

Encouraged!

This is my friend and coworker, Amy. Amy is a great encourager in my life. Today she encouraged me to work out more, and while I am somewhat apprehensive about making yet another committment in my life, NO ONE can say "NO" to Amy! She is planning on running a relay marathon in a few months, so she is preparing for that. I won't be running any marathons... but I have made the decision to really work hard to get back into the shape that I once was in! Amy is so motivational and her belief in people is amazing- she believes I can meet my goals (even though I am not sure that I can)! She is an awesome person!

Amy is also an encourager to me on a spiritual level. On a stressful day, she asked me if I was okay, and I said, "I am alright." She said, "Jesus loves you!" How could I have a bad day after hearing that? She makes me think about things in a different light sometimes! She is a good friend, and I am thankful for her encouragement and motivation!

So, if you happen to be in the Mid-County YMCA, don't be surprised if you see two crazy girls talking about Jesus while giving the treadmills a run for their money!

Thanks Amy- you rock! See you in the fitness center!

If you don't like the content...

If you don't like the content on tv, change the channel.

If you don't like the discussion in a room, walk away.

If you don't like your job- get a new one.

and... If you don't like what I blog about... stop visiting here!

I think that it is sad that at church this morning, someone said to me... "Conni, you've got a few people on your blog that always have something negative to say..." Okay Mr./Mrs. Negativity... why do you insist on being so negative? Don't pretend that you don't know that I am talking to you... because I am... tell us, please.... why are you so negative? Let us help you find something positive to focus on. Let us share with you something to smile about... and if you are not interested.... CHANGE THE CHANNEL... there are lots of other stations and other blogs to visit.

Back to Blogging!

It's been a crazy week! It was brought to my attention that I haven't blogged since last Sunday, and I couldn't believe it. I can't believe that I let it go that long! So, here is a quick update on life.

Bekah is working hard at mastering her music for the 2 musicals that she is currently in, as well as her competition peices for choir at school. She has been singing on the praise team, which she enjoys a lot too. She is also busy with school work, youth group, and of course family time! Her summer plans are coming together too... Camp counselor for drama camp, helping with the new girls' choir, and mission trips. Oh yeah.... she has been living large on the vegatarian lifestyle for over a month now!

Jenn is busy with ONE thing- MOVING ON TO COLLEGE! I'd like to keep her at home, but I am selfish! She is busy getting scholarships lined up, worrying about majors, and or course, what colors to use in her dorm room! These things are important! Her summer plans are also coming together- mission trip.... and FINDING A JOB!

Jason is slammed at work- and although he is tired... he loves it. He is also supporting a few friends and their computer needs (a few... or a few dozen!!). Of course he is still bowling- and loves that too... I don't care too much for the smell of smoke that he brings home... but hey, what you do? He is leading more at small group, and spending some time mentoring at church.

As for me... I am good. I am still LOVING my job... although it has been pretty stressful lately. It is just that time of year, and my boss was out for 2 weeks, which put extra stress on me. I just kept reminding myself that this stress doesn't even come close to the stress of my old job- it made the YMCA stress seem like a walk in the park on a summer day. I have an overnight trip for work this week- that should be interesting. I am having fun with the worship committee and praise team- it is great to serve God with music!

I still struggle with a little forgiveness issues... but I am praying about it- I'd appreciate your prayers too! :)

Jason and I have been furniture shopping, and finally made a decision today. Our new stuff will be here on Friday! Of course when you buy new funiture, you have to buy new curtains and a new rug too! We also need to find new lamps! So, we did that today too. I hope we find a new entertainment center soon, I am pretty unhappy with the one we have now, but it will do, if we don't find what we want soon. We were just about to purchase one today... but Jason said he thought we were settling so we didn't get it. We will find one- when the time is right. Now that we have purchased the furniture, I want to clean the capet, and paint! (I will post pictures when it is done!)

In other news... Mikki is going to the doc this week- but all is good... We worked Room at the Inn last night... it was great. My mom even got involved... it was awesome... I am addicted to a new computer game... the Cardinals won today (8-1)... we are making plans for our Chicago trip... we are making new decoration plans for Mikki's room... I am working out more now... It's American Idol time again, and my favorites are Chris and Gina... and I still hate doing laundry!

So, that is how life is going for us... how is everyone else?

Oh, by the way... congrats to Jen, Karl and Spencer on the birth of a precious baby boy!