Book Tag

I like to read, but I am a picky reader! So here it goes...

1. One book that changed your life: And the Shoffar Blew, by Francine Rivers. I am a huge Francine Rivers fan! The book is about a pastor and his wife and the trials they overcome together at a church. Very informative to me :)
2. One book that you’ve read more than once:OK, the only book I can think of that I have reread maybe just certain parts and chapters would probably be my Bible. I am not big on rereading books, because I like to idea of not knowing what is going to happen next.
3. One book you’d want on a desert island:A book with a lot of jokes in it! I would need osmething to make me laugh.
4. One book that made you laugh: Were the Sidewalk Ends- can't remember who wrote it though :( Read that book a lot when I was a child!
5. One book that made you cry: The book I am reading right now. My first Danielle Steel book "The Long Road Home" it is about a child who grew up in an abusive home. Sad, but very good so far.
6. One book you wish had been written: How to Overcome a Fear of Birds ( I think that would be a nice book to have written)
7. One book you wish had never been written:Well, I don't really want to say. It is a certain book, but I haven't read it, so I can't really judge. I don't want to read it, and I think it is a silly fiction book anyway.
8. One book you’re currently reading:My non-love affair book of Danielle Steel. It is not a lovely dovey book. It is a book about a family that has a little girl that is living in fear because of abuse.
9. One book you’ve been meaning to read:The Last Sin Eater By Francine Rivers
10. Tag five others:How about some readers: Cary, Tisha, Sonya, Lacy, and Stasha

Crunch

So this morning I get to work and my first observation was how many birds were outside of the branch. Then I realized that it was because of the plethora of crickets that were climbing and falling off the outer walls of the bank. Once I got into the bank my first mission was to get rid of any cricket I saw with the vacuum sucker-upper! My assistant manager and I went through every room (Charlie's Angel style) to try and suck up all crickets we saw, but to no avail! More showed up about 5 minutes after sucking up the previous ones.

There were some already dead, some hopping around trying to get away, but there were also nasty cricket crumbs laying on the floor. NASTY! Those stinkin critters just don't give up. There were even some in the light fixtures! GROSS!!!! Let's just say that fall must be coming. But, on the brighter side....That means soon to be cooler & more tolerant weather outside. I will rejoice in that! But this sudden weather change does not help my sinuses or allergies. :( Oh well, you can't win them all!

Giving

This past weekend I went through my entire closet of clothes. I tossed the ones I could not wear anymore or shirts and pants that I haven't worn in over a year. It's funny how a blouse or a pair of pants can remind you about something of your past. This is going to sound silly, but, I got a little emotional about some of the outfits I couldn't wear anymore. Not just because I can't fit into some of the clothes anymore, but more so because it reminded me about a time in college with friends, or a time in high school with someone. Those are times that I can never go back to and for some memories, I only have a piece of clothing to remind me about them.

As for giving them away...I took them to church with me on Sunday evening. About four girls in our youth group went through my clothes to see if there was anything that they might want to have. One girl said she really needed some jeans. So, I told her to have at it, and go through all the clothes, because there were some jeans in the pile of clothes that had been worn maybe once or twice. After having all the girls toss clothes left and right & pull from bottom to top, one youth smiled at me and said to me, "thank you Tasha, I now have 3 new pairs of pants for school this year." OK, if that didn't make me tear up! I hugged her and told her that I was glad that my clothes could be used and worn by someone I loved.

I realized at that moment, that I shouldn't be sad about giving away clothes I had no use for, but that I should be glad and happy that I am able to bless someone else by giving them away. Another youth found a few shirts that she wanted. One shirt was exactly like one of her friend's shirt, and she said she really liked it and would love to take it. I told her to go for it!

So, while thumbing through clothes from my closet this weekend, I remembered 'good times' and remembered how it feels to give to people that appreciate what is being given to them. :)

School, Church, and other stuff

Back to school, back to school, that is everyone that is in school. Casey started seminary classes back up this week. He likes all of his classes and was so happy to get reacquainted with friends. He will be done with his Master's come May. Then, who knows what is in store for us. Kind of excited to see what is next, if there is any immediate change at all.

Sometimes I want to move closer to home as soon as Casey is finished with school. Then there are times when I want to stay right where we are because I have grown to love the area, the church, and the people we are close to. I guess it just depends on the day. I will say that wherever we end up, it is because God has called us there to minister, and that I can be sure of!

Church went really well last night. Casey talked about a verse in Romans. The verse was Romans 1:21-23. He focused a lot on how we as Christians trade God in for images made to look like Him, when we know the actual truth of what is right from wrong. For example, t.v shows. We know what is appropriate to watch and what is not, but sometimes we take the inappropriate route because it is easier to just do it and worry about it later. Or maybe when we hang out with a group of friends that talk about something we know is not good to discuss, such as gossip, but we ignore that it isn't right just for a while and do it anyway. It was a good lesson, and it was neat to see the kids in the youth respond the way they did. It really opened my eyes to some things in my life too.

Casey is performing his first baptism this coming Sunday. He will be baptizing two of the youth members in our church that accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior this summer at church camp. It is an exciting event and another step for these youth members. It is a blessing to me to be able to walk with these kids in their Christian life. Seeing them grow spiritually is an amazing thing, and watching Casey teach them and love them is even more rewarding.

On another note, I thought I'd change my layout. I wanted something different. I like the colors a lot! And, it was slow at work...So I thought I'd be creative. What do you think? :)

Game Night

Last night, Casey & I went to our friend's house, Preston & Rebecca's to play games with some other friends from our church. We had such a good time and the fellowship couldn't have been better. It is so much fun to play girls against guys, which we always do! Of course, the girls won 2 out of 3 games. We dominate every time!

Casey & Preston get so competitive, but so do Rebecca & I. So, we have fun poking fun at the guys when they are losing and not doing so hot. Preston hates to lose, Casey stinks it up and deals with it, Rebecca & I keep the competitive drive throughout the whole entire night! We are so much alike, I guess it is just our nature.

Anyway...Here's to another fun and exciting game night with good friends! :)

Go Texans!!!

My Houston Texans won Saturday night. They played the Kansas City Cheifs and won 14-7!!!

Now, I'd say that is a start to a great season! Look out boys....here we come!

Go TEXANS!!!

Eating Out

It has come to a screeching halt! Eating out has got to stop. After looking at the figures it appears that if I bring my lunch to work 5 days a week, I can save over $2,500 a year. And double that if Casey does this with me. Now I know that bringing my lunch everyday will probably not happen, but it is worth a shot. Eating out is just too expensive these days.

And what is the deal with bottled water being outrageously expensive? It has become out of control. The other day I went into a gas station and wanted some water and paid $1.19 for a stinkin' bottle. What the heck? Tap water is just fine for me in this case. I just don't understand why natural water is starting to put a dent in the pocket book.

A friend at work and I were discussing how silly it is to spend all the money we spend on eating out, when instead we could be spending it on a new furniture set, or a nice t.v., etc. Anything other than food.

So here is to bring my lunch to work more often. May it be fulfilling to our savings account and may it be a blessing in the years to come :)

Learning About Me

I have learned several things about myself and about life these last couple of days...

I have learned that forgiveness is not a gift it is a choice. Truly forgiving someone is one of the hardest things for me to do. I can say I have forgiven them, but it takes work to stay true to that and not bring up the past, even when they hurt you again. I have learned that when God lays something on my heart, it is impossible to ignore it, and it is a blessing to listen. I have learned to appreciate those who give to those in need and I have learned to appreciate those those who are in need. I now know the difference between not having what I need, and not having what I want. Those two are very different.

I have learned that God is such a loving and forgiving God. He does not hold things against me and He does not want me to hold things against others. My husband is God's gift to me. He is my bestfriend and I love him with everything I am. I have realized that everything I have isn't really mine, but God's. It is just mine on loan.

I have learned that I have great friends in my life. I am so thankful for that. My family means the world to me and I am so lucky to have the family I have. I am not a hard person to get along with, but I am sometimes a hard-headed person. I try real hard to like everyone and I try real hard to have everyone like me. I can't stand to have someone upset with me, confrontation is so unpleasant. Sometimes I can wear my feelings on my shoulder, OK, more often then some, but I am working on that.

I have learned that it is OK that not everyone agrees with me on one particular topic. Sometimes it is good to have a variety of ideas and beliefs. I have learned to be happy about the way I am now, and not wish I was something or someone I am not. After all, "I" was not my idea in the first place, it was someone else's, someone much bigger and greater than me.