Transparency

Most people shy away from even the thought of transparency, let alone making oneself so. As I've developed my walk with the Lord, I've observed the act of being open and honest about the condition of my heart has helped me move forward. It is when I keep things to myself, when I see a truth in scripture that I'm not living, when I knowingly do things that are not useful, that's when I stop growing, that's when I don't sense the Spirit's guidance.

So, to open lines of communication back up with the Spirit and with whoever reads this blog (because I definitely know of only a couple), here is what I am learning with a new Bible study I'm in on Thursday nights.

The tongue - in the book of James, it is described as the little piece that controls large ships, horses, the spark to start a fire. My tongue has been let loose to do as it pleases. In recent years, I have let go of any control over this small member of my body. No more. I will purposefully guard words that come from my mouth.

I've been on the receiving end of an uncontrolled tongue. It is painful, sometimes those words can't be easily shaken off. I've also been on the giving end of an uncontrolled tongue. Oh! the heartache I've caused. So easy to open the mouth and let words pour out. Right?

How will this change me and those around me? If I've allowed complaints or gossip to fill our conversations, either from me or you, no more. I will try my hardest to not mention things that should not be said. I won't allow my friends to talk on and on to me with complaints or grumblings.

I want to live a life pleasing to the Lord. I can't do that as long as my tongue is used to simply make myself feel better. I want my words to be seasoned with grace, Colossians 4:6.

Hodge-podge

Today is the start of my favorite season, fall. Sometimes the seasons aren't as pronounced as they could be, but we still enjoy all four. That is one of the reason I love living in this area. Soon the leaves will change color, the morning air will be crisp, and I'll be outside on the patio just taking it in.

Nashville has been an interesting city as of late. Gasoline has turned this city upside down. Most of the country can drive up to any gas station and fill the tank up. Not so in Nashville! We have been waiting in long lines every time a shipment comes in. People are panicky and worried. I hope this situation ends soon. Last Saturday, I was stuck at home because my car was on empty, so was my roommate's car. It was a horrible feeling to know you can't just run down to the gas station and fill up. Luckily, my roommate was able to get gas in Murfreesboro.

Last Thursday, I started a new Bible study with ladies from the church. Let me tell you, it is kicking my butt! The premise is for the participant to do all the work. You are given verses to read. Then you have to paraphrase the verses, pull out principles, ask yourself if you are living those principles, and set a date for any obedience needed to live them out. I should be on day three but the Lord has me stuck on day two in James 1:19. Is my first response to listen or to speak or get angry?

You know, a song can remind you of a certain place in time. Trisha Yearwood sings a song just like that, The song remembers when. For me, the song the choir sang yesterday at church takes me back to a moment in my life. God used that song to speak deeply to my heart, healing a hurting heart. When I learned the choir was to sing this one, I was happy yet contemplative. God used yesterday to remind me how He worked in my life back then.

Off to another work week!

To whom it may concern

Dear fellow Chinese food eater:

Your love for Chinese food is shared by many people, me included. General Tso Chicken is so yummy and the lo mein is mmmmmmm. So, when in a buffet line at 12:30PM, you need to practice this little thing called peripheral vision. It aids in seeing people in the same line as you without looking directly at them. This little diddy can tell you that a small step to the left or right will help the flow of traffic. Basically, stop hogging the line, making it impossible for others to approach the buffet the same time as you.

Hungry worker

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Dear ragweed:

This will be short and sweet. LEAVE!

Your faithfully congested sinuses

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To the general public:

There is a phenomena called hysterics. This takes place when people listen to a news channel 24/7 and then rush to remove their safe investments from a bank. If everyone takes their funds out of an institution, it goes bankrupt. If said business goes bankrupt, Wall Street panics and stocks fall. If stocks fall, more people take their money out of a FDIC secured account and place it under their mattress. At least in a bank that flops, you are guaranteed up to $100,000 per account. If the money is under your mattress, it is open game to burglars.

If we continue to do such things...well, read a U.S. history book starting around the year 1927. You'll see where that leads.

And, don't take out a mortgage you can't afford! Don't buy a new car at a high interest rate. You can wait for that new cell phone and those new shoes. Learn the term delayed-gratification, it does wonders for your pocketbook.

Waiting-it-out girl with no money anyway

Happy Birthday to me!

September 12, 1977; Elvis had been dead for just under a month and the world needed a new star to adore. Ronald and Karen New finally got that daughter they wanted when Melinda Kaye came into the world a little after 11PM. The world would never be the same...OK, I'll stop with the crap.

In honor of birthday thirty-one, I give you thirty-one looks at Mindy through the years. Nothing like placing pictures online for all the world to see (or at least the few who read this blog). Enjoy the parade of hairstyles and clothes.

Looking back

Friday marks another year for me on the earth. I will be joining the thirty-something crowd as I place a one next to thirty. This birthday has made me think about so many things in my present life and the circumstances of the past that brought me to this moment. Oblige me as I take a stroll down memory lane; maybe you'll learn some new things about me on the way.

So many well meaning people ask me, "How is it that you are still single? Do you not want to be married? You must have a line of men calling on you." First off, GEESH! Why do people think it is OK to say such things to a single woman? Sorry, I almost went off on a wild goose chase. Any time a person asks of my single state in life, I'm reminded of a past relationship that was headed to marriage.

At the time, I couldn't see past marrying a particular man. My life revolved around him. UMMM...first red flag ladies. If your whole world revolves around a man, your priorities are totally off kilter. Putting a man at the center of everything you do is not going to bring joy or contentment. You will always be striving to please someone who will let you down, and repeatedly.

I didn't let go of that relationship easily. God for the most part had to pry it from my clinched fist. What relationship, either platonic or romantic, is worth it if you have to cling tightly, afraid of losing it if you loosen the grip? Believe me, my grip was very tight. And because of my tight grip, it hurt all the more when God was able to take it away. OH! The agony and depression I could have avoided if I had yielded my mind and heart to the Spirit from the start of that relationship. As God always is, He was so good to me in the healing process.

When I first graduated high school, I went to a Bible college in Missouri. My home church endorsed that school and my oldest brother went there too. I spent two years there before leaving to join Life Action Ministries. At the time I didn't realize I wasn't ready for college. I see it now. God knew I needed to be a part of that ministry. He did some amazing things in and through me during the three years I traveled. The college degree could wait, I needed to learn some things about life and God before finishing that area.

Of course, finishing college later brought challenges. The main issue I deal with is being my age and still trying to establish myself. Most people my age have a footing in this world, one I'm still striving for. I'll eventually get there.

I'm so blessed with a wonderful family! My mom and dad are examples of dedication, perseverance, dependability, and steadfastness. They will celebrate 41 years of marriage in November. How many couples today can boast of such a thing?! Not nearly enough.

I have two loving cats. I didn't grow up with pets in the house. Dad wouldn't allow pets to live inside and he didn't want to spend money on one. So, until recently I didn't have pets around. Now that I have two cats, I couldn't imagine life otherwise. Pets bring comfort when the day has been hard. They love you just because you are you. My cats can sense when I'm down and they snuggle up to me. They make me feel wanted and needed.

Have a rambled on long enough? I think so. I should be asleep by now.

The wisdom of church signs

Over the past months, I have accumulated some quotes from signs in front of churches. I've jotted them down to share with you. Even though there is some truth and wisdom in many of them, most are ridiculous to place on a church sign! Enjoy...

~Don't be so open-minded that your brain falls out.
~God doesn't believe in atheists; therefore, they don't exist.
~Beat the heat - choose Heaven.
~Pray or prey - your choice.
~Wanted: imperfect people, free trip 2 heaven, details inside.
~Labor 4 for Lord, His retirement plan is out of this world.

The third and fourth quotes are from the same church; the fifth and sixth quotes are from the same church; see a pattern in them? My personal favorite is quote two. I'm sure the pastor thought he was quite the smart little cookie when he came up with that one. But in actuality, he appears to be an idiot. Although it made me laugh, that is a rather stupid argument to present when debating with an atheist.

People watching

This morning brought oil changes for both me and my roommate, and new brake pads for Wendi. As Wendi waited for her car to receive new brake pads and I waited for an oil change at the Firestone next to Wal-mart, we realized this is a great place to people watch.

I dropped my car off and we went to Wal-mart to spend money on random things as we pasted the time. I got a new purse and Wendi bought new workout clothes. After eating at the Subway in the store, we headed back to Firestone to wait a long time for an oil change.

One woman who was there when I dropped my car off was still there...great sign, right? At first I didn't pay attention to her outfit. It wasn't until Wendi leaned over and whispered, "shoes." Now, pause...if you have seen this video, you will know why I laughed out loud. This lady had shoes that looked like a weaved basket clog. Then her dress was a weird mixture of blues and greens in a floral, paisley pattern. Her permed/curled hair jumped out of 1995 right into 2008. Her feet didn't reach the floor so she kept swinging her legs back and forth, while reading a novel from a way-too-big book.

Then there came in a guy that had tire issues but didn't want to pay for a brand new tire. Well, Firestone does not sell used tires but that guy wouldn't go for a new one. So, he actually asked the attendant, "Do you know where I can buy a used tire?" Cheap and an idiot.

Almost famous moments

How is it that Bobby Flay was extremely close to me in Nashville and I didn't know it?! While watching "Throw-down with Bobby Flay" on the Food Network, I discovered that sometime in the recent past Bobby Flay was at a fun little coffee shop called Fidos. He was here to challenge two women who make acclaimed ice pops. I've never heard of them but I'm not necessarily the one who is up on all things food. :)

This got me thinking; I wonder how many times I've almost walked right by someone famous in Nashville. I mean, hello! I live in a city full of singers and songwriters. Some of my friends have had random run-ins with someone famous, but I never have been blessed with the opportunity.

One of these days...

And the gold medal goes to...

Evidently, you can win a gold medal in gymnastics by not having the highest scores. Last night, the gold medal standing ended with a tie. With the new scoring system, a tie is broken by taking away the top and bottom score. Well, that still left the two gymnastics tied. The rule then was to take off the next bottom score. That gave us a winner. What is my gripe? Why do I care?

My issue is with taking the top score off to begin with. Why take the top score from an individual judge to determine the top athlete? Doesn't make sense to me! In the old scoring system, the top and bottom score were taken off everyone's score. That fair...but I still didn't like that the gymnast was not receiving the highest marks. The new scoring system gives the gymnast all the scores, highest and lowest. OK, fair. Then fairness is thrown out the window when there is a tie.

Now, it could be argued that the two top girls last night should not have received the same score. But since they did, I think the new scoring method screwed the silver medalist. All other contenders had their top score added to the mix, the top two did not. I do not see the fairness in that ruling. I could go on and on but I won't.

If it were up to me, the ruling would be as such: the tie breaker would start with the lowest score and work its way up until the tie was broken. We could have ended with the same winner last night, but I would have at least felt it was a fair win.

I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date

No, I'm not late for a date. Goodness, I haven't had one of those things in some time. It's been since 2005. Yep, three years ago since my last date/excursion/outing. Why, you may ask? Simple. I haven't been asked.

I'm speaking of a different late. I was late for work today. This may not seem as big a deal to most people as it is to me. But I'm the girl that gets to work early. I don't like arriving anywhere late. My whole family is that way, guess I picked up the habit from them. And, IMHO, it is a good habit to acquire. My dad would actually not go to an event, meeting, etc. if he would have gotten there late. We didn't go to church one time because we would have walked in right as the service started. Crazy huh!

Sorry if I step on toes with my next statement: I think lateness on a consistent basis shows lack of respect and honor for others and their time.

By the way, were we ever told what the white rabbit was late for?

Food and shopping

That's about all we partook of when my mom and brother Bryan came for a visit last weekend. Call me lazy but I'm just now putting up a few pictures of the extravaganza for viewing pleasure. We started last Saturday with a trip to The Pancake Pantry. Yumminess! I know they're just pancakes, but they are simply amazing.

After stuffing our faces with too many pancakes, Mom and I headed to Cool Springs for some shopping while Bryan took off to the coin store. My brother collects coins and is thoroughly obsessed with buying new ones. He will tell you all about the coins in his collection, then four hours later you wake up to hear Bryan still describing a coin. To each their own, right?

Then Mom wanted to visit Opry Mills. Us Nashville residents basically hate going over there. I think the vast majority of customers walking the oval mall are visitors and tourists. Anyway...Mom wanted to stop by a store that ended up closed, cause you know how some of the spaces have constant rotation. Once we got our fill of shopping for the day, we ate, again, of course. Without further ado, here are a few pics from our fun day together.

Mom waiting patiently to enter The Pancake Pantry

Bryan not waiting patiently

Photo time at Tony Roma's

Aren't we cute?

Umm...you pick a title

I must have writer's block because I can't seem to get anything out onto my 'paper'. I have so many thoughts running through my head that I want to tell you about but I can't seem get the words out. And I don't know how much you all would care to hear...you know? I wouldn't want to bore you with my mundane life.

Here are some things floating in my head at the moment:

~I love peanut butter. My love borders on addiction. When I get a craving for sweets, I make no-bake cookies because peanut butter is an ingredient. When I need a snack at work, I grab my big can of Jiff and eat a spoon full. Do I need an intervention?

~Watching the Olympics in Beijing requires late nights and less sleep! The USA girls gymnastics team totally fell apart last night. It was hard to watch. You could literally see the hurt and disappointment of their performances on their faces. And it made you sad for them.

~I need a new job. Why? More money is the bottom line. The working environment is laid back and I enjoy many of the people I work with but raises are not part of the plan and advancement is a far cry from reality. So, my only good option is to find a different employer. Anyone know of a position open? I don't even know what kind of job I am looking for.

This story is from my roommate, Wendi, who teaches 2nd grade in Nashville. A Kindergarten teacher at her school shared this with her yesterday. The teacher had a child on the second day of school walk into the room, put his stuff in the locker. The teacher instructed the child to grab a coloring book and head to a certain area. The child proceeds to do something else and not listen to the teacher. The teacher again tells the child what he should be doing at that moment. The child then stomps to the locker, grabs his stuff, slams the locker shut, turns around and says, "I don't know who signed me up for this shit!"

A five-year-old child said this! I laughed at the story but it is so sad. That child has picked up language from the parent(s) and will probably only get worse in the behavior department.

The eternal flame

I just put an 80's song in my head with that post title. If you don't know which one I'm referring to, sorry. Is China ready to carry the torch of the Olympic games? I wonder what protests the Chinese government will have to 'deal' with?

I've shared with you the contestants on Project Runway that completely missed the mark on the last challenge. They were to make an outfit that the ladies from the USA could wear in the opening ceremony. Now, I'll share the winning outfit and honorable mentions in lieu of the Olympics starting today. The first picture is the outfit that won and the others were runner-up.





Notice the white outfits received the highest marks. I agree with the lady who designed the winning outfit, she talked of what outfits her eyes are drawn to when the teams enter the stadium. It is always the white one. I agree.

Sgt. Pepper who?

Let me start by saying, you don't have to be a Beatles fan to know a good amount of their music. I have never been that into the band, probably because my parents weren't, but I still know some general things about the group and their music. So...when Blaine on Project Runway has the following convo with Tim Gunn, I was baffled: Tim - "It looks a little Sgt. Pepper to me." Blaine, after a slight pause - "I don't know what that is." What?! Paaaaleeeasssee.

The challenge for last night's runway was a great one, an Olympic opening night outfit. What a great idea! It's so patriotic. But the contestants on the show soon pop my excitement bubble. Let me interject that there were some great outfits for the challenge. A few of the designers 'got' the challenge. Let me share with you the outfits that don't really make you think of anything related to the Olympics...except for maybe a dignitary's wife in the bleaches.







Why would you as a designer think any of those outfits would be appropriate for the opening night walk into the stadium? Have these designers never watched one?

Late night ramblings

I've begun a couple of posts before this one that have not made it to print. Let's try again, shall we?

A few posts ago I told you I was trying a new cat litter. The verdict is in: I love it. Feline Pine receives my stamp of approval. The litter trails around the house are gone. The nasty smell of used litter is gone. My cats seems happy with the change. I'm happy too. So, I highly recommend this wonderful product to fellow cat owners.

This morning, we awoke to graffiti on the road next to our house. How random! A gang in Green Hills?! The irony I find in this situation is the raw talent of whoever sprayed-painted the graffiti. You can tell there is talent in the pictures but the person hasn't chosen a good outlet for it. I'll keep you posted on the gang activity in Green Hills ;) For those who don't live in Nashville, Green Hills is not a place you would suspect gang activity.

If you are on facebook, you have probably noticed the recent status lines about needing direction. I'm in the market for a new job. It might be a while before I find a new one but I'm looking. Bottom-line...the current one doesn't supply enough income and there is no room for advancement. I can pay bills but that's about it. As a 30-something, single woman, I need to bring in more than what I currently do. Finances aren't the only thing I need direction on. I won't get into all that on here, though.

Enough of that depressing stuff. My mom and older brother are coming to visit this weekend! I'm taking them to The Pancake Pantry on Saturday morning. mmmmmm If you live in Nashville, you know what I'm talking about :)

Anyone else tired of cooking this summer? I haven't feel like cooking a meal most nights, which means no leftovers for lunch the next day. It's just too hot! Almost 100 degrees outside today! Praise the Lord for air conditioning!

And now to leave you with a random picture to go with my random thoughts. This is what I go through every morning when attempting to make my bed. Sugar thinks it is time for a game of hide and sorta-seek. She loves to hang out under the comforter, which means my attempt to live my bedding straight and pretty is a no-go. Boots just looks on with an older cat glare of "silly kitty, when will she grow up."

Didn't your momma teach you better?

To the known readers of my blog, this post is not directed to you. There may be others that read but never comment, so I can't vouch for you. (Side note: I like comments on my blog.) At lunch today, I encountered what happens from time to time for me. And, every time, I want to reach out and slap the person. That would not be appropriate even though it would make me feel great.

"What happened to your face?" NOTHING HAPPENED TO MY FACE YOU DIM-WIT! I would love to verbalize that previous statement but being a good person, I don't. It's called a birthmark, ever heard of it? And didn't your mother teach you better? Really people.

There are questions I would like to ask to many people I pass throughout the course of a day. Do I? No. Why? Because it would be rude or insensitive or just plain awkward. I don't mind people asking about my birthmark, really I don't. It's the way in which you ask about it that makes the difference to me. Instead of "What happened to your face?", ask "Can I ask about the red mark on your face?" See the difference in delivery? It's called tact, our society needs more of it.

Cheesy smile, huh? :)

Fun in the sun

On Saturday, Wendi, Mandy, and I went to Holiday World. FUN! Wendi had spoken of this place many times and said we needed to go someday. Well, about a month ago we decided that July 26 would be the day we travel to southern Indiana, to the middle of a cornfield and act like a kid all day. After yesterday, I highly recommend this park to anyone!

You get an amusement park and a water park for one price, but that's not all. There are sunscreen stations all over the park, for free. There are drinks stations all over the park...for free! Yes, for free! Pepsi products, lemonades and water for free, as much as you can drink throughout the day. That makes the low admission price even more amazing. The food was good and cheap, too. You don't have to pay an arm and a leg to eat a meal.

The rides were great! All the roller coasters are wooden, which I love to ride. One scared me big time, I was clinging to the bar for dear life! The water park is phenomenal, rides all over the place and plenty of places to relax. The roller coaster rides had a house attached, letting you wait inside while in line. That is ingenious!

With the water park came the need for fashion police. It down right floors me by what some people wear in public just because they are at a water park! That all I'll say about that.

By the end of the day, we were spent. Wendi was knocked out in the back seat so you don't get to see her in the pictures.

It's called a thesaurus

It's not a type of dinosaur or dreaded disease, you don't have to fear it. A thesaurus can be your friend and make you appear much smarter to your friends and coworkers. This wonderful little treasure of a book is a gift I would love to give to my coworker who shall remain nameless. It might scare her! (If you know the person to whom I'm referring, that last statement will make you laugh.) Mandy - did I use the correct who/whom?

Following the path of my friend Mandy, I give you a mixture of two posts she has written lately. Mandy is in the process of teaching some basic grammar lessons. Yesterday she wrote on words that make her queasy inside, or at the least get on her nerves. I submit for your reading pleasure a list of words my nameless coworker needs to use, but she inserts the word scare(d)(s)(y) for most applications:

concerned
confused
alarmed
anxious
dreading
apprehensive
horrified
embarrassed
mortified
terrified
freaked-out
nervous
frightened
worried
panicked
troubled

It's really funny to a three year old

My boss has her three-year-old daughter in the office this morning. Lauren is telling us jokes while we work. Right now, her favorite joke is "Why does the cow jump over the moon? Because it's a lawnmower!" She proceeds to laugh and laugh. We have heard about multiple animals going over the moon because they are a lawnmower. Lauren laughs every time because she thinks it is funny; we are laughing because she keeps them coming.

Isn't it funny how a toddler gets a line in their head and every joke afterward gets that statement as the punchline?

Welcome to Monday

Why do we despise Mondays so? It's not their fault they are the first day of the work week. Friday is the beloved work-week day.

Taking the advice of a friend, I bought a new cat litter last night. Feline Pine looks very different from most litters, but even with just one night of use, and the mixture half new and half old litter, I am very satisfied with the product! Slowly the old litter will go away as they use the litter box, which means I will soon have a litter-free bathroom floor! Yea! :) This may seem a small or silly thing to blog about, but if you have cats or frequent a house with them, you know what a great thing this is.

I made a quick trip home to see the family on Saturday, came back Sunday evening. My oldest brother Bryan lives on my way into Somerset so I stopped and visited for a while, meaning I got to see the whole family since the rest live in Somerset. My youngest brother Steve had a birthday on Saturday, very old man of 37 ;) Bryan will be 40 next April, we are getting old!

Taking the lead from Crystal again and her recent post on movies (go read the post before continuing), what band or song do you just not get that everyone else seems to love? I find myself scratching my head at many popular singers/bands of today. I just don't see the talent.

Total randomness, I know. Off to work...