CADEN ' 08!

In joking around with my friend Desmond, I realized that my 2.5 year old son would make an awesome President.
As President, Caden will provide free pull-ups for all...and not just any pull ups...the ones with the easy open sides!
He will also institute mandatory nap and snack times at all work places and schools across the nation...and he will end the fuel crisis by providing huge, plastic tricycles for everyone.
There will be no more war under Caden's reign, because he will join all nations in the singing of 'if all the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops' until they forget why they were so angry in the first place.
The abortion rate will plummet to 0% due to a 4-8 year ban on sexual activity...because according to Caden, everyone, regardless of their gender, has a 'bird' thus, making reproduction impossible anyway.
Medical care won't be an issue because Caden will ensure the availability of gummy vitamins and unlimited kisses for boo-boo's. This will create jobs for millions of American mothers, who will be the boo-boo kiss providers. American Fathers will be able to obtain mass employment as super heroes.
Caden's campaign colours will be blue, red and orange..because they are really the only colours he knows/cares about.
He will implement strict policies such as, "we don't hit, we don't bite, we don't pull the cat's tail" which is sure to win him at least the feline vote.
He will fight for the rights of every American citizen because regardless of sex, race, religion, gender, age or economic status, Caden considers everyone he meets to be his 'dend' (friend)
It isn't too late to cast your ballet
CADEN STOCK '08!

Ramifications

I posted yesterdays blog on my facebook page, and so far there are about 30 comments about it, a lot of which are mine defending my view points as not to be misunderstood, but there's been a lot of feedback on (what I thought to be) a very neutral writing.
I was/am simply asking Americans to make an educated decision, based on nothing but the facts and above all else, prayer. My hope is that the issues and stances we're clinging too so tightly are God's and not our own.
As the hours count down quickly to the final votes, people are taking very deep, passionate stances on the issues that matter most to them. Anti-socialism, anti-abortion, anti-war, anti-tax increases, pro-health care, pro-tax relief, pro-life, pro-change...There are a million, kazillion issues flying around and everyone is holding tightly to their ideals, ready to strike like a cobra at anyone who opposes them.
Being divided on every major issue is not something America is foreign to. It's been this way for a long time...and if anything, the response I've seen to my writings(although not indicative of my popularity :) is comforting, because it shows that people care. They care about morality, they care about the direction the nation is headed, and although there is division on the issues, America is unified in it's common desire: to see the best come out of this whole thing.
I'm excited for tomorrow. To see who wins, to see where the country is headed. If John McCain wins I will be excited to see if he is able to overturn Roe Vs. Wade and decrease our dependence on foreign oil...if Barack Obama wins I will be excited to see if he is able to safely but quickly end this insane war and tackle the health care crisis to help the sick and deprived get the medical attention they need to live. Like I've said before, I've never lived in an America not governed by George W. Bush, so I'm excited to see if fresh change will come with a new face in Washington.
I'm going to try and back away from this now and pray/observe over the next day, that God's hand will be on this nation and the direction in which it is going. That's much more powerful than any words I could type.
God bless America. Literally.

To Those Allowed to Vote:

I'm a Canadian citizen living in the USA as a legal, permanent resident. Although I am allowed to work and live in America with my greencard, I can't be drafted for war, I can't take advantage of some government programs and I can't vote.
My friend Lance recently said, "For someone who can't vote, you're awfully opinionated!"
Can't argue with him there.
I honestly don't have a Presidential Candidate preference. As much as I like to challenge the thinking of traditional republicans :), there are things I enjoy and greatly admire about John McCain.
What he went through as a P.O.W is not something to scoff at, and he seems to have a clear head and a good heart with respectable views.
In the same breath, I think Barack Obama would make a fine President as well. Being Canadian, I greatly enjoy his ideas for socialized medicine and tax cuts for the middle class. He is a fantastic and charismatic speaker who reflects an air of change I know the country is longing for. In the words of my kid, I think he's a 'cool dude.'
My 'political' posts of the past have not been in favour of one candidate or another, but more about the issues...this particular post is the plea of someone who can't vote, urging those who can to spend the next day and half researching, praying and making an educated choice, whatever that choice may be for you.

Please do not vote based on attack ads. These are done to scare and intimidate and should have no place in the process. Contrary to some popular beliefs, I don't think Obama is the anti-Christ and I don't believe John McCain is George Bush the 3rd...attack ads and propaganda will lead you to believe some crazy things.

Please do not be a one-issue voter. In the case of abortion, (and trust me, I am without exception anti-abortion) if a candidate claims to be 'pro-life', find out if they believe in the death penalty for criminals. Can someone really be pro-life if they are willing to take the life of an adult who made a poor choice? Murder is murder. My prayer is that someday abortion will be illegal because I believe wholeheartedly that it is currently legalized murder, but if a candidate uses this issue to sway Christian votes without having a plan to change things once in office, the point (although very important in the grand scheme of things) is moot in the political process. Trust me, I too was mortified when I heard Barack Obama say that he wouldn't want to "punish his daughters with a baby" if they accidentally got pregnant before they wanted to, but make sure if voting against him that you believe John McCain is not just all talk, but action as well. I will be overwhelmingly happy if Roe Vs. Wade is overturned but I still urge voters to view ALL the issues, and make sure pro-life means exactly that...pro-life for EVERYONE.

Please do not base your vote on the media. Barack Obama has become what I like to call, "the trendy choice". There are a sea of young Americans who have jumped on the bandwagon to vote for him because it is the 'in' thing to do. Don't get me wrong, Barack Obama has done a great job of marketing himself, but this isn't about advertising, it's about knowing the issues and voting based on them. Like my friend Kristy wrote in a post a few days ago, don't vote based on what you've seen on Saturday Night Live, facebook, TMZ or Entertainment Tonight. I understand that coffee shops, macbooks, funky clothes, recycling and indie music is 'cool' but refrain from voting for Obama simply because he seems like the trendier choice.

I urge you to not be blindly sold out for the "left" or the "right". Don't hold so tight to your personal agenda that you reject to see the truth for what it is.

Above all else, pray like crazy for direction in the voting process.

If anyone would like to donate their 'i voted' sticker to me on Tuesday, I hear you can get a free donut by showing it at Krispy Kreme :)

Confession: My name is Kathy. I am a Christian and I love Halloween.

Found this online:

"The name "Halloween" comes from the All Saints Day celebration of the early Christian church, a day set aside for the solemn remembrance of the martyrs. All Hallows Eve, the evening before All Saints Day, began the time of remembrance. "All Hallows Eve" was eventually contracted to "Hallow-e'en," which became "Halloween." As Christianity moved through Europe it collided with indigenous pagan cultures and confronted established customs. Pagan holidays and festivals were so entrenched that new converts found them to be a stumbling block to their faith. To deal with the problem, the organized church would commonly move a distinctively Christian holiday to a spot on the calendar that would directly challenge a pagan holiday. The intent was to counter pagan influences and provide a Christian alternative. But most often the church only succeeded in "Christianizing" a pagan ritual--the ritual was still pagan, but mixed with Christian symbolism. That's what happened to All Saints Eve--it was the original Halloween alternative!"

I grew up in a Christian home, an authentic and real Christian home where we were always taught to live out scripture. The way my parents acted in front of others was the way they acted in front of us. I was not taught how to live a hypocritical lifestyle.
We also thoroughly enjoyed Halloween. We dressed up every year, we decorated the house, we carved pumpkins, we made cookies and cupcakes, we watched 'Hocus Pocus' and 'The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown' and ' Casper, the friendly ghost'. We went trick or treating, put up fake headstones in the front yard with scary music playing for the occasion. We had a TON of fun.
It wasn't until I moved to the bible belt that I saw an intense fear and distaste about Halloween among Christians.
I understand that elements of Halloween are not longer safe like they use to be. I'm sad that due to the state of our world, the traditional fun of trick-or-treating is no longer a safe activity. Kids can't go door to door without worrying about being poisoned or abducted...I'm sure it's still going strong in the community I grew up in, but few places are as safe and innocent as Green's Harbour, Newfoundland anymore.

My point is this: Regardless of why Halloween came to be, as a fun-loving, Christian family, we used it as a time to be silly and have a great time together. Halloween didn't represent Satan or the occult, it represented family time, silly costumes, imaginative (pretend) ghost stories and community togetherness.

I recently was involved with a conversation with a Christian mother who said she sat down with her children (not much older than my own) and explained to them the Pagan and Satanic origins of Halloween and why Christians shouldn't have anything to do with it. She read them a book called, "Why we don't celebrate Halloween" and this year they are giving out book marks instead of candy with poems about how evil this day is.

Talk about asking babies to deal with adult issues!

My view is this. If we are firm in our faith and instill the love and direction of Christ in our kids lives every single day of the year, why should we be afraid of October 31st? Why not take what we know to be true, that Jesus has already won and Satan has no power over us, and laugh in his face by taking Halloween and filling it with good, clean fun and family togetherness? Why not teach our kids that with God's light in their hearts, Satan is powerless over them and we don't have to be afraid of him?....and the truth is, if we look back over history, Halloween has about as much to do with early Christianity as it does paganism, so why not focus on that? Why not join in with everyone else but set ourselves apart by choosing not to wear revealing, tasteless costumes...by choosing not to use the night as an excuse to drink & drive and cause trouble...why not be a light in the midst of darkness instead of removing ourselves all together?

"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine...hide it under a bush, OH NO! I'm gonna let it shine."

It's the same debate as whether Christians parents should take part in the Santa thing or not. I've heard Christian parents say, "Kids will mix up Santa with Jesus and when they learn Santa's not real, they'll think Jesus isn't real either."

WHAT!?

If I make Santa as much a part of my child's daily life as Jesus, then that's a problem with me, not Jolly Old St. Nick.

But that's another blog for another holiday...

my new favourite song

The video is not that exciting but just listen to it as you read the lyrics.

The Heart of Life

I hate to see you cry lying there in that position
There's things you need to hear
So turn off your tears and listen

Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
No it won't all go the way it should
But i know the heart of life is good

You know it's nothing new
Bad news never had good timing
Then the circle of your friends
Will defend the silver lining

Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
No it won't all go the way it should
But i know the heart of life is good

Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
Fear is a friend who's misunderstood
But i know the heart of life is good.

I know it's good.

Big Boy Underwear

Caden has taken to the potty quicker than I could have ever imagined. I have to give a shout out to Amber, who has been wonderfully consistent with him at school. Yay, "Amba's school!" (aka: Little Lambs)
He has known about the potty for a long time...He's always understood the concept, but his little body hadn't quite caught up with his sharp mind until recently.
All of a sudden, he gets it!
Saturday morning he went in my bathroom and yelled, "MAMA! POTTY!"
I went in, got him into position and he didn't pee......HE POOPED! This is a big victory. He remained dry the rest of the day, asking to go to the potty when he needed to pee or doing a funny dance which indicated to me that he had to pee. We went to a fall festival that night and he stayed dry, peeing in the potty twice while we were there.
The next day he peed in the potty first thing in the morning, twice before church started and 3 times during! There were a couple of poops in the pants but his pull-up remained urine free.
Today, I received a text message from Amber that Caden has not only been peeing in the potty, but has pooped in the potty not once, but TWICE at school.
We're going to keep working on poopy this week but this weekend we're going to go to the store and let him pick out his own big boy underwear. Then starting on Monday, he'll only wear pull-ups to bed.
6 changes of clothes may accompany him on his way to school, but he'll still be a big kid in his underpants!
Where is the time going? All I can say is....GOOD-BYE DIAPERS! HELLO EXTRA $50.00 a MONTH! WOO-HOO!

I Know

Once again, the house showing was a bust.
I trust God. I know His will needs to be done in this...I also know I am to be very thankful that we have a roof over our heads, food to eat and good jobs to pay for it all...I know I am suppose to remain positive...I know God has already taken care of 2 out of the 3 biggest things we had happening...he got Caden into a better school which has completely changed the quality of his and our lives...Jay got a better job which was a prayer many years in the making...trust me when I say, I am super thankful for those things coming to pass...
I know that everything happens for a reason and that I can't see the bigger picture...I know the house will sell when it's suppose to and that there's more to this than meets the eye...I know there are more people involved in this scenario than just me...I know that I need to be patient and faithful regardless of whether I feel like it
...I know, I know, I know...
It's still tough....and right now I just need to have the right to be disappointed.
*sigh*

I Miss My Nephew

Mr. Evan Higdon.
He's getting so big, so fast! Time flies.
Love you little man.

2nd Annual Halloween Costume PAR-TAY!

Our 2nd Annual Halloween Costume Par-Tay was last night. It was a good time. Lots of great people in hilarious get ups.
We were a family of Ninjas. The winner of the costume party was Sabrina who came dressed as Hurricane Katrina.
Many more pics on my facebook.



Tonight we're going to a Fall Festival in Sopchoppy, then next week it's off to the Fall Festival at Genesis church west campus. I love this time of year.

"Daddy's on airpain. Daddy's on tip"

This has been Caden's common phrase for the last 5 days.
Translation: Daddy's on an airplane. Daddy's on a trip.
Jay comes home tonight. He has been gone since Sunday morning. WAYFM held a conference in Colorado Springs so he's been there, enjoying the snow and mountains. I'm glad he's coming home today.
It's during times like these that I begin praying for single mothers. Widows, divorcees, military wives....anyone who has to go it alone raising kids and holding down the home front.
To be completely honest, I don't feel as though my work load has increased with Jay being gone. I still drive Caden to school, go to work, pick him up, come home, make dinner, bathe him, get him in bed, clean up, do laundry, pack lunches...etc. With Jay always having had really long work hours, I've become accustom to getting things done on my own, not because he wouldn't help but because he's always had such a demanding work schedule....that's why his new job has been such an answer to prayer.
The truth is, I'm able to keep the house much cleaner and organized while he's away...less laundry, less dishes, no dirty tissues or moldy coffee cups laying around (I married a stereotypical man :) and with Caden going to bed at 8, I'm bored and lonely enough between his bed time and mine to submerge myself in cleaning as to not feel the effects of being all alone in the deep south. Usually after Caden goes to bed, Jay and I eat dinner and hang out talking, watching TV and catching up on our day...and I tend to let everything else slide in order to just be with him...making for a messy house, but a happy couple.
I would much prefer to live in a pig sty, enjoying time with my husband, then in an immaculate home without him.
I'm just not me without him. Nothing is as good without him being there. Jokes aren't as funny, sweets aren't as tasty. I love Caden and he brings me so much joy and frustration (mostly joy :) but going through the motions of tending to a child, keeping a house, working a job and finishing up just in time to go to sleep and wake up to do it all over again, can become incredibly monotonous without having a best friend to share it all with.
I tend to sleep much sounder when I sleep alone. There have been several nights this week where I've fallen asleep and woken up 6 hours later in the same position I lay down in...which rarely happens when Jay is home. He is a midnight snacker, and bathroom user and nose blower...He's precious, but sometimes it's like I'm sleeping next to a monkey! I may sleep deeply while he's gone, but it takes me a much longer time to get to sleep because I am wishing he was next to me...Deep sleep without Jay is not as refreshing as broken sleep with him. He makes me feel calm and rested by just being there...even when he's sneezing like crazy at 4 in the morning ;)
He flies in tonight at 7:30 and I couldn't be happier. Now life will take on some normalcy. We've yet to really see what Jay's new Mon-Fri, 8-5 work schedule will mean for our family...ever since he started 2 weeks ago he's been travelling for concerts and conferences...but next week begins a fresh look at what life will be like from here on out. We're so blessed to be able to have every evening and weekends together! I'll never take it for granted.
If you're a pray-er, keep us in your prayers this weekend. Someone is coming to see the house on Saturday. Believe me when I say that selling this house is so incredibly important within my family right now, and we honestly trust God's timing in the situation, but a little prayer can't hurt :) A young woman with a baby boy saw it online and scheduled a time right away to come see it. Pray that God prepares her heart to fall in love with it..that it will all work out, all of the finances and paperwork will come together and that we'll be able to be in a situation where we're less strapped for cash and time by being in the city where we do all of our living.
Thanks!

Good way to start the week

Today, Caden and his school friends started this new week off in an awesome way. He sang with his friends at an International Day Concert, celebrating the various cultures of our world.

Here he is in his outfit, representing Canada...I know his shoes are on the wrong feet...this was fixed prior to leaving the house :)



WARNING: This video is long (about 10 mins) and mostly of Caden just sitting and listening to the singing going on around him. He takes part a few times, mostly towards the end (he breaks loose on 'He's got the whole world in His hands') but for the most part, he just sits quietly. If you want action only, scroll ahead to 5:15 and then scroll to 8:00-10:00. The remainder is pretty uneventful, but I was proud of him for being such a good boy!



So proud of my little man!

Comfortably Numb

A lot of times we can miss out on God's best for us by being unwilling to work on ourselves. Unwilling to give up those things that separate us from where we need to be in God's will. We know what scripture says about our personal struggles, but we shrug our shoulders and say,
"This is me. If I could change it I would, but I can't."
How dare we rob that kind of power from God to work in our lives! When we say we are unchangeable, we are saying that God is powerless to change us! That He who created us can't bring us out of our struggles and into the light. We take Christ's sacrifice and make it meaningless.
My father has a friend who was once a Pastor. After years of struggling with living a lie, he left his wife to pursue a homosexual relationship with another man. This was devastating to his wife, children and the people who were once under his ministerial care...me included. Today, he has what he thought he wanted for so long but lacks the peace of God and is constantly yearning for acceptance for his choices from anyone who will listen because he is living in a constant state of sin, outside of God's will and God's best for his life. He's been told continuously that he's still loved, that he's still God's child but what he longs for is someone to ease him of his guilt by telling him it's ok for him to act on his homosexual urges when according to scripture, it just isn't. He knows, deep down, that he's outside of the will of God when he was created to be inside of it and the fine line he walks between submitting to temptation and wanting to grow deeper in Christ is causing him impeccable strain.
I worked with a woman once who had 7 children. She worked hard to provide for them, sent them to church, raised them according to Christian values but when I mentioned something about going to heaven one day over lunch she looked at me and said, "You can't know you're going to heaven. Nobody can be sure of that."
She went through the motions of church. She walked her kids through the motions of church...yet she lived every day without the eternal security that a relationship with Christ brings. She had head knowledge and a vision of what Christianity should look like and she acted it out like a play, but her life lacked the crucial element...Christ himself!
When we remain in our brokenness without delving deeper into God's word and will for our lives, we become numb and complacent....and for most of us, numb is much more comfortable then the burning of the refiners fire. In fact, when we ignore the conviction of the holy spirit for long enough, the conviction goes away...not because it's suddenly ok to live as we had been living, but because His presence has left us. Not our salvation, but His presence. That's a scary place to be.
We somehow convince ourselves that faith and words is enough. It's true that true faith in Christ is salvation...but faith without works is a dead and sorry faith...where we selfishly hoard what we have without letting the light of Christ shine through our example. There's believing in Jesus, but then there is truly LOVING God and living for Him. It's easy to accept a message about a man taking our blame and dying for our sins in our place...it's a very different thing to give our lives over in sacrifice to God and say, "Your will, not my own be done. Take my desires, my future, my passion, my will, my job, my kids, my spouse, myself."
The bible tells us that we can know whether we are in the midst of believers by their fruits of the spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faith and self control...these are testaments to God's working in you and I. It allows us to judge one another and discern God's presence.
We are all human and we screw up (i know i do daily) but when we are making an effort each day to live according to God's word and purpose, it shows through the fruit of our lives. We love according to Corinthians 13. We have the joy of God in our hearts (this is different from happiness....joy is contentment...no matter what the circumstances, we have joy in knowing it's all for Jesus). We're at peace with our creator and each other. We're patient in situations when we should be off our heads with anger. We're kind to people (this is different from being friendly...sometimes being kind means being honest...and sometimes honesty is not well received). We're gentle when we're correcting or guiding each other. We're good to each other by helping each other out, giving of our time, money or belongings to help someone else. We can control ourselves and our urges when the Holy Spirit is truly given permission (by our choice) to have control over our lives.
My prayer is this: That modern Christianity will awaken from it's state of numbness and be willing to endure whatever pain it takes to become like Christ in a world that needs him desperately. To delve into His word and love Him not just because it's trendy in the bible belt to go to church and hit the Golden Corral afterwards. That we will enter Christian community in an effort to sharpen each other and become better, not wallow in our brokenness. Let's rightfully bare the name of Christ because we LOVE him. The bible says we are His friends if we DO WHAT HE SAYS. How can we know what he says? Read your bible.
God is more than what we limit him to when we refuse to take up our cross and follow him. When we refuse to do the hard work, we stunt our growth and we leave Jesus behind the door, knocking.
I believe that we are all children of God...after all, he created us ALL. But if you're struggling with something...even if it's a big something...God can overcome it within you.
A popular Christian vocalist was on Oprah once discussing his life altering, once-secret addiction to porn. At the end of the interview Oprah said something to the effect of, "You can't pray that away" to which he replied, "I did."
Was it easy? no. He struggled for years. His marriage struggled, his career struggled and he cried out to God time and time again for deliverance...but through the power of Prayer, he is healed. Take that Oprah.
I don't know if any of this makes sense...It's late and I'm overwhelmed right now by a culture that I don't like my son having to grow up in. Where there's pre-marital and homosexual sex on public TV stations at 3 in the afternoon...where teenagers are learning how to raise their hands in church and be completely vile and inappropriate at school because the most important thing is to be cool and trendy...where 4 year olds at daycare are dropping curse words cause their parents don't have the common sense to shield them from it, regardless of whether they believe in Christ or not...where teenagers are so confused about who they are and who God is (by what they see us doing and not doing in His name) that they feel hopeless and are hurting themselves and each other at rates higher than ever before.
My plea: If you are comfortably numb and satisfied with mediocrity, if you're what the bible calls, "luke warm" by customizing your Christianity...taking the parts you like but excluding the parts you don't...please awaken from your sleep and be the woman or man that God has called you to be. Reshape the Christian faith so that people will start to take us seriously again and so that our kids can model what we're doing in the name of Jesus.

Mail from Nan

Case of the Monday's

I stole this title from my friend Jerad who used it a few Monday's ago, but I couldn't think of a more fitting title today. I am having a severe case of the Monday's. The clock could not be moving any slower as I sit here in my puke coloured cubicle, watching life pass me by...is this worth 12 bucks an hour?
I guess so.
Having a week to spend with my family has made me miss them more than ever now that we've all been tossed back into the busyness of life. With all the commuting (10-12 hours a week) Working (35-40 hours) Volunteering (9 hours a week) not to mention cooking, cleaning, lunch packing, errand running, and occasional sleeping, we spend the majority of our time rushing from point A to point B, spending very little time with each other.
The great and long anticipated news is that Jay started a new job today! HUGE answer to prayer. I haven't blogged much about it till now because I wanted him to be completely done with Busy Body Gyms to Go before announcing to the world that he has found something a million times better. Through awesome connections and the skillz of my hubby, he has landed himself a position as an account executive for WAYFM (a Christian radio station in north Florida and south Georgia) and he started today! This month will be insane. He has a few concerts to work and he's flying to Colorado next week for a week long conference, but soon life will have us spending a lot more time together. He gets VACATION! AHHH! He even gets the same government holiday's off like everyone else, unlike with retail. We may even get sick of each other! Jokes. Not possible.
I'm so proud of him...and I'm ultra excited about having Saturday's with the family for the first time since...well....ever!
As my life has filled up more and more, I become increasingly more protective and guarded of my time with Caden and Jay, and increasingly more irritated with anything that tries to take that time away. If I had my choice, I'd be home with Caden again, at least more than I am now. I think being a stay-at-home mom is a much more straining and difficult task than what I do now, but it's so much more rewarding. Unfortunately, working a full-time job is something one has to do when living in an economy such as this one. The one income family is becoming few and far between. Even so, while sitting in this cube, my family are never out of my thoughts. Spending an entire week with them opened my eyes to how much I am missing when we are all separated and how much joy I have within me when we are all together, which has led me to seriously re-organize my time and my priorities. My Father called me one day after many days of trying to reach me unsuccessfully, just to tell me, "Kathy, the Holy Spirit is not the author of busyness."
I'm starting to believe that whole-heartedly. Right now, my schedule is filled with things I need to do and love to do. Some are unavoidable responsibilities, some are choices. I'm going to spend the next couple of months focusing on God's most important calling on my heart. My family.

Enough with all that. Here's the Caden update:

-He has officially stopped saying, "I-I-Ice" and now clearly says, 'Mickey Mouse'. This happened all of a sudden while we were on vacation. We've mourned the loss.

-He is getting better about the potty. I still think we're far from dry underwear, but he is grasping the concept more and more daily.

-His new phrase is, "I DID IT, I DID IT, I DID IT, YAY!"

-He is doing great at school, absolutely loved the beach and can out eat anyone in a pancake eating competition.

-Last night while eating dinner, Caden held up a piece of broccoli and said, "Mmm, trees."

-He will be singing in an international day concert this Sunday at his school's church. I am super excited. Jay will miss it because he flies out to Colorado that morning, so I will be sure to record it and post it here for all to enjoy.

all good things come to an end

We're back from vacation. We left last Saturday for a week in Flagler Beach where we rented a beach house with friends from Newfoundland, Cliff, Danielle, Nevin and Sarah. It was incredible to hang out with old friends. It was like going home, but so much warmer! ;)
We did a lot of boogie boarding, a little sight seeing and a lot of laughing. My friends are somewhere in the sky right now, flying back to the place where I belong, and I look forward to making this group vacation thing an annual event.
More photos can be found on my facebook...if you are not my facebook friend, request to be and then you may bask in the pictorious glory. ;)

Big Boy

I felt bad that Caden was the only kid still bringing a diaper bag to school, and having him ask for his 'purse' every morning was causing me some concern :) so we went out the other night and found an old school batman bookbag and lunch box.
Even though the car is 5 feet from the front door, he MUST wear his back pack to the car. So on it goes and 2 seconds later we take it off again so he can sit in his car seat.
I was able to catch some photos this morning before heading to school.

Brokenness

Everywhere, and I mean everywhere I look, my friends are going through hard times. It seems as though devastation and anxiety is moving like a wave and covering vast numbers of people. I am seeing a lot of injustice, a lot of needless pain, a lot of dishonesty, a lot of hurt, a lot of fatigue, a huge lack of empathy and a strikingly large group of people from all walks of life in various parts of the world, joining together with one voice and saying, "Deliver us!"
And everyone of the individuals I've spoken with recently and am thinking about who I've heard are in trouble, are Christ followers.
Why is this? Why is it that if God is good, He allows us to go through all of this? Why is it that if He says to ask for bread, we feel that all we're handed are stones?
One word: Brokenness.
James 1:2-4 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
I believe that brokenness is part of God's plan for us. That we must find ourselves in a state of humbled brokenness in order to be re-built by God, so that we will not lack anything.
The suffering of my friends tells me that I am completely surrounded by people of enormous faith, people who are being pressed like grapes so they can be poured out like wine. I was reading Oswald Chambers this morning and he was talking about how the calling of God is not about personal sanctification, but about becoming broken bread and poured out wine. He writes:
"God can never make us wine if we object to the fingers He uses to crush us with. If ever we are going to be made into wine, we will have to be crushed; you cannot drink grapes. Grapes become wine only when they have been squeezed. I wonder what kind of finger and thumb God is using to squeeze you, and you have been like a marble and escaped? You are not ripe yet, and if God had squeezed you, the wine would have been remarkably bitter."
If you are feeling pressed on all sides, consider yourself ripened! You are viewed in the eyes of God as mature and ready to blossom into the next stage of your spiritual journey with Him. This is the moment when saying, 'Here am I my Lord, send me" really matters. This is the time when we can sing and honestly mean, "In the chaos and confusion I know You're sovereign still. In the moment of my weakness You give me grace to do Your will. When you call I won't delay, this my song through all my days."
I know you're tired. Rest in Him. I know you're angry. Vent with Him. I know you're confused. Talk to Him. I know you're lonely. Walk with Him.
I know you're broken. Praise God for it.

Colossians 1:24 "Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church."

Better Together

Tomorrow is our 5 year anniversary. 5 years. Insane. Some days it feels like we just got married...other days it feels like we've been married forever! Not in a bad way, but in the way that I can't picture my life without Jay in it. I have never had so much fun with another human being.
We've had our share of craziness.
In 5 years we have lived in 7 different apartments and one house between 2 countries (including 1 province and 3 states). We've accumulated 2 cats, one husky and a little boy who is the perfect combination of us both...ok, fine he looks nothing like me, but I like to think I contributed to his musical side and his hilariousness :)
We've bought (and currently regret buying) one house and together we've held 11 different jobs. Through it all we've become nothing but closer.
Together, Jay and I are the perfect combination of alike and different. I am often amazed at how well we work together.
From the time I was in high school, I prayed every night that God would prepare my heart for my future husband and that his heart would be prepared for me. That's exactly what happened.
Jay and I met one summer, spent many months living in 2 different countries and then got engaged. No one was in support of this, and if I had a friend who was rushing into a relationship like I did, I would have advised her to put the brakes on too. I know that God intended for Jay and I to be together. I praise God that he gave me a peace in my spirit about marrying him...in the midst of a situation that didn't make sense...even when people were strongly against my decision (and I am someone who cares very greatly about what other people think of my decisions), I knew to my core that being with Jay was where I needed to be.
I had been 20 years old for a whole month when I said, "I do." And I have never regretting it.
Call me a prude, but I didn't really have a serious relationship before Jay and I praise God for that! He is my one and only....I compare him to no one and I am not only content, but overjoyed each day that I get to spend it with him.
Jay is an amazing husband and an incredible father. He works harder than anyone I know and does so for the sake of his family. He takes his role very seriously and I have an enormous amount of respect for him.
Plus I think he's super hot :)
I look around me and I see a lot of relationships where people regret their decision to get married and I weep for them....the media doesn't help...celebrities, government officials, even Christian leaders are cheating on each other and getting divorced at record rates...we live in a world that doesn't honor it's commitments to anything, especially marriage. My prayer is that everyone can find the love, enjoyment and respect in their marriages that I have in mine. I don't say this boastfully, but in a way of praising God for it. Without Him at the center, the whole thing would fall a part...we are not perfect people, but we're perfect for each other.
There are days in the midst of stress where I use Jay as my punching bag...but we all tend to do that to the ones we love the most. That doesn't make it right, but the ones we feel most comfortable with often get the best and worst parts of us. Luckily, Jay's best parts far outweigh his worst and I say to him regularly, "I'm so happy we're married" because it's true. Even after 5 years (which is a long haul for some reading this and a drop in the bucket for others) we are happier and more in love then ever, which makes me excited about the future. Life just gets sweeter when you spend it with the one you love.
While Caden is in school tomorrow, Jay and I will have a day date to celebrate our marital bliss...Amber is going to take Caden to school so we can sleep in, make pancakes, head to a dollar movie and eat some early bird dinner :) Oh man, we're so cheap and old...it's going to be AWESOME!
Happy Anniversary Jay! I love you more than chocolate soup.

Show off

Today I picked Caden up from school a little bit early and I brought him back to work with me. He walked around like he owned the place, checking out all the offices regardless of how high up each person was one the totem pole of power. He didn't care, after all, he's Caden Stock :)
Needless to say, he was a giant hit. Everyone was glad to have their day interrupted by this little man. He gave kisses to the ladies and high fives to the guys. He even got a balloon and a toy car out of the visit...He walked the halls asking for, "more friends at work?" He met everyone we could find and then decided to head home. The whole way home he referred to all the 'dends at wok' (friends at work) he got to meet. I think he may be offered a position in the near future :)

King Jason

My husband is going to get a crown on Thursday...too bad it's because his tooth fell apart this morning.

Classic Caden

Why we do What we do

I didn't have to play in the worship team today. Normally if I am not playing on a Sunday morning it is because I am out of town...today I sat in the congregation of gc.tv for the first time in at least 1.5 years.
Allow me to be honest: In the last few months I have been wondering why it is we are doing what it is we are doing. There is SO much money and SO much time poured into making church function, I was beginning to wonder if maybe we missed the point. I kept thinking, "When did spreading the gospel become so expensive?"
I've also been negative about being too busy doing church to meet anyone in church. I've had people approach me in public as if they've known me for years...I am always awkwardly confused because I have never seen them before in my life, yet they see me every Sunday. It happened at Costco today...I was becoming very convicted about being too busy with church to meet 'the church'.
Mostly, with a family that is constantly on the go, I was beginning to covet the time I spend volunteering on Sunday morning. I love the band. I love playing and singing and leading worship...but I was getting really tired and wondering if maybe my Sunday's would be better spent just laying low with the family I love and miss so much during the week. I told Jerad I needed to take a step back and start playing every other Sunday.
Today was my first Sunday off the worship team schedule. The fam and I slept in until 7:45! I can not stress enough that this NEVER happens...it felt AMAZING to get out of bed after the sun was up. Caden slept in and remained quiet until we came and got him. We quickly showered and threw on some clothes then headed into the Canopy Road Cafe for a yummy pancake breakfast. On the way into town we got stopped by the police for speeding but were let off with a warning and a lecture about paying attention to the road...I would like to state for the record that I was not driving this time :)
After yummy pancakes, we headed to church and got there right on time. We stopped at the childcare building and I waited in the car while Jay brought Caden into toddler church. I was watching everyone bringing there kids into church and became very emotional by the beauty of community I was seeing. I don't usually see it when rushing to do set up and sound check. There were so many families coming together, hugging and greeting each other, excited to be together in the name of the Lord. It was beautiful, and I hadn't even entered the building yet!
We drove over to the little theatre (where the main sanctuary is) and we walked in. The music had already started and it sounded amazing. Generally I hear a pretty muffled mix of the music because I am on stage without a monitor (cause my ears are too small to keep the ear monitors in :) but from the congregation the music sounds amazing! I sat in the back, able to see and hear everyone singing and praising around me and it was AMAZING! I LOVED IT! I felt so silly feeling so overwhelmed by what I see every week, but this different perspective was just what I needed to refresh my spirit and remind myself as to why this is all worth it. The worship continued to be great, the message was great and I got to talk to people! I talked to people ALL morning...long after the second service had already started...my husband hates that when walking with me we have to stop every 2 feet and have a conversation but it was FANTASTIC! I met people who have known me for years and they are precious! I saw from the perspective of someone who may come for the first time what a great community of people I belong to and I remembered why I put so much in...why I volunteer my buns off...why I arrange my schedule that is already jam packed to be a part of this organization. To create an atmosphere for worship and a pleasurable place for people to come together, learn, grow, serve, give and love Christ and each other. Good times.
After church we headed to Costco, got some groceries and some more pull-ups, drove home, whining the whole way about how much we hate living in Crawfordville and how stupid we were to move, had some lunch, took some much needed time to clean up around the outside of the house (because we're more motivated to sell now than ever), played some catch and watched some poop ball (football...I'm not a fan).
Today has been a great day. Thank you God for fresh perspective, for family time and an incredible church.

I-I-Ice

Caden has become a very talkative kid. He was slow to start, but we're starting to think that was by choice and nothing else.
He repeats and can say just about everything we do...sometimes it's in his dialect, but for the most part you can pick it out after a few attempts.
He does however still refers to Mickey Mouse as,'i-i-ice'. We often have this conversation:

me: "Can you say Mickey?"

Caden: "MICKEY!"

me: "Can you say Mouse?"

Caden: "Mouse!"

me: "Can you say Mickey Mouse?"

Caden: "I-I-ICE!"

One day he did say 'Mickey Mou' and my heart sank a little...I realized that the day he stops saying 'I-I-Ice' will be a very sad day for me...I have come to love those words and the little voice that says them, and I am painfully aware that my little boy gets less 'little' everyday. So now that I am affirmed that there is nothing wrong with my little boys speech, I am in no rush to say good-bye to 'I-I-Ice' just yet.

So far...

...so great! Caden is loving is new school. I've noticed a huge change in him in just the 3 days he's been attending. First of all he is sun kissed and dirty as sin when I pick him up, which I LOVE. He looks and wreaks of fun. He's also in a much better mood in the evenings. He is still sleepy from the long day of fun, but we've had 3 evenings in a row that have been totally tantrum-less. He is still a bundle of energy who listens about 60% of the time, squeals for every emotion and is a bit to rough with the cat but that little angry, chaotic, stressed out streak I saw coming about in him has almost completely diminished...it's really amazing the change in his spirit which makes me more relieved then ever that he is where he is.
Amber (a close friend of the fam and long time child care provider at church) is his teacher and I couldn't ask for a better situation. She has been amazing...giving me detailed updates on his days and taking fantastic care of him. Each morning this week he has asked to go to "Amber's school" and when we get to school he is a completely different kid than when I use to drop him off at 'bad school'. Before he use to turn into a statue and I would have to nudge him through the door. When I would try to kiss him and say goodbye he would be completely unresponsive, like he was scared to death. I would leave smiling and drive away crying.
Now he walks in to school like he owns the place, gives me a kiss and says, "Bye Mama!" and aside from being a little scared of bugs on the playground (just like his mama) he has an amazing time. Everyone there is so in tune and connected to the kids. It's a fantastic place. In October, he will be representing Canada in an International Day singing concert. His first little concert! I'm SO EXCITED!
There has been a lot going on in the world this week. On the national scene with big business crashing and in the lives of people I know who could really use a break. All I can say (and I say this to myself daily) is that God is faithful...the bad needs to happen in order for us to relish the good and He is ultimately good. When desperation and hunger ends there is a glorious fullness and satisfaction.
I hate having to work. I hate not being with Caden...but God has created a way for this scenario to be the best it can be for now, and that's fabulous to me.

And...........

.........HE'S IN!
Thanks to Jesus, Jason and Amber, Caden is a full-time student at Little Lambs Pre-school!
He spent the day there today and had an amazing time. Everyone was impressed with his friendliness and his vast array of words...who knew the boy who couldn't talk at 2 would be the chattiest kid at 2.5!
I'm thrilled and completely at peace. I'm trying to tell myself the money part of it will just work itself out, and it will. After the miracle of getting him in I'm not going to waste time stressing about something stupid like money. God is much too faithful.
So tonight I do not have to go to sleep with a pit in my stomach about dropping Caden off at bad school tomorrow. Ah...
Peace is not something to take forgranted. Today was a great day.

Update

My friend Amber who works at the fabulous daycare Caden is attending today, had the privilege of being in the 2 year old room this morning and was able to observe Caden on his 'trial' day. The verdict: He's been doing great! According to her he has already learned a lot of the kids names and is one of the more verbal kids in the class. He has been saying 'Pwease' all day and listening to his teachers. He didn't fuss when Jay left and after nap this afternoon he will be hanging out in the 3 year old room to see if he would be better suited being with more verbal kids.
Crazy to think Caden is the chatty one...it took him a long time to start but now that he's started, he doesn't shut up! I love it. He has the cutest little voice...
Anyways, I'm super dooper proud of him. He is a good ambassador of the Stock house while away from Mommy and Daddy and he is going to get a special treat when picked up from school today...perhaps ice cream...because when Caden gets a treat, Mommy gets a treat too :)
All in all I am overwhelmingly blessed to have great friends and God's hand in my life, being the ultimate Father for me and my family.
Thanks to all for your prayers...they didn't fall on deaf ears!
We'll know more today about whether or not he's in full-time starting in October. We're hopeful and certain that whatever happens, it will be for the best.
I love having peace in my belly.

Matthew 21:22

"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

Tomorrow is a big day....wait, let's start with today...

Today, my husband got off work early to go visit the new daycare where Caden is on the waiting list. I've been a bit (under exaggerated) stressed about Caden's school situation and have not been a big fan of his current childcare centre thus far. Sunday's and Tuesday's are difficult for me, because I spend them worrying about dropping Caden off at the "bad school" the next day. Yesterday was a particularly worrisome day.
Back to today: Jay stopped by the school to see it, meet the teachers and the director. After having a heart to heart with her about our situation, she decided to let Caden come to school tomorrow to see how things go. If they go well...if he adjusts well and if the teachers adjust well to the extra student, there may be a possibility of him getting in full-time! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
(screaming is frowned upon in our house so I will type-scream instead)

So tonight I am nervous, excited, wondering what tomorrow will hold. I am hoping my little boy wakes up on the right side of the bed, that he plays well with others. That he naps well at nap time and has a fantastic day. For those of you who have been praying about this situation, thank you! Whisper a prayer tonight that God will cover Caden and his new school tomorrow, that all will go well and that he will be welcomed into this new school with open arms. Pray that he refrains from biting his new friends...this is a very important part of making a good first impression :)

God is so faithful even when I panic and wonder if He'll pull through. Lately there have been many situations that have caused my faith in humanity to be shaken...moments where I've wondered if there is anyone on earth that can be deemed trustworthy...thankfully, God is trustworthy. Truly loving and truly good.

As for tomorrow, I'll keep you posted ;) Wish us luck...better yet, pray like crazy!

"There is No One Else for Me...None but Jesus"

This is what I sang this morning...an incredible testiment of faith. A statement that I felt very unworthy to lead...
As a mother of one, I find myself very focused on my Son. I put an incredible amount of pressure on myself to raise a healthy, well balanced, good man of God and I over analyze every situation he's in, driving myself crazy with the 'what if's'.
I trust God with my money. I trust Him with my future. I trust Him to protect me. I trust Him to sustain me. I trust that He loves me...but a constant struggle of mine is to trust Him with Caden. Somewhere along the line I have made being Caden's mother the most important thing in my life and it is when I re-prioritize (putting God first, Jason second and Caden third) that my life has a utopian feel to it. It's when I feel peace.
"In the quiet, in the stillness I know that you are God. In the moment of my weakness I know You're soverign still. When you call I won't refuse. Each new day again I'll choose. There is no one else for me, none but Jesus. Crucified to set me free, Now I live to bring Him praise."

When life becomes about praising God, it takes the pressure off...and I can breathe easier.

Seriously?!?!?!?

This is what I was saying to myself while throwing up on Thursday night. This family is ALWAYS sick these days. I may not be the most anal woman in the world when it comes to cleaning my house, but I wouldn't consider our house to be an unhealthy place to live. I vacuum, dust, clorox and clean regularly, especially since we've all started passing germs around like hot potatoes. I am an 'anti-bacterial' machine. Nothing seems to be working. We've even made an effort to eat at home more often and eat out less. We've been packing our lunches and making meal plans for dinners to ensure we're eating more in the comfort of our own home...cutting out the risk of germs from fast food and trying to boost our immune systems with healthy, homemade food...we might as well be licking the floors of the local urgent care centers because inspite of all our efforts, one of us is ALWAYS ill.
Thanks to an awesome husband and awesome friends, I've been able to take the last 24 hours to sleep...and that's literally all I've done. From Thursday night until Saturday morning I pretty much only left the bed to drink gatorade and shower (because I was starting to smell a little). Today I am weak and trying to keep up with my ever-so-demanding toddler whose empathetic side has yet to develop. Tomorrow church set up begins at the crack of dawn and we're right back into another week of craziness.
I'm super psyched about our beach vacation...what beach vacation you ask?
A few months ago we planned a beach getaway to Flagler Beach with some friends from Canada. With 6 people and a kid renting a beach house together, we were able to get a house right on the beach for super dooper cheap! We're very excited for the much needed family getaway. I'm hoping our sickness will be a far distant memory by that time so we can enjoy the fun in the sun with our friends and eachother.
Here's to hoping!
Now I have to do this quiz because I was tagged by Dana and it would be rude not to follow through. If she has time to do it with a toddler and a newborn, I can pull 30 seconds together to do it too:

1. What were you doing ten years ago:

Getting ready to start grade 10.

2. Five things on my to do list for today:

Playing with Caden
Laundry
Brownie eating
Resting
More Laundry

3. What is your favorite snack?

Brownies, double doozies or Chocolate Chip Yo-yo's (Publix's version of double doozies)

4. If I were a millionaire I would:

Pay off debts, take some much needed time off with the fam, bless a lot of people who need some serious cash.

5. Places I have lived:

Green's Harbour, NL, Canada
St. John's, NL, Canada (3 different apartments)
Kitchener, ONT, Canada
St. Catharine's, ONT, Canada
Greenville, SC, USA
Charlotte, NC, USA
Tallahassee, FL, USA (4 different apartments)
Crawfordville, FL, USA
I think that's it...

6. Five people I'm tagging but that won't play along ;-) :

Celine dion
Chuck norris
Big Bird from Sesame Street
Greg from the Wiggles
Super Nanny

Happy Birthday Gerry!

Son. Brother. Husband. Father. Model.
Have a great one!

Prayer Request

I'm not a huge fan of the school Caden attends right now but I have found an amazing little school that he's now on a waiting list for. This is a huge point of stress for me because I want him to be in the best place possible when he is not with us. Right now, the good school has an opening for a 2 year old on Tuesdays and Thursdays only, so we snatched that as a way of getting him through the door. When he is a student, he'll get first dibs on a full-time spot if one comes available. So starting in October he'll attend not-so-good school on Mondays and Wednesdays and Good school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, then he'll be home with me on Fridays.

I need any praying person who reads this to whisper a little prayer for this situation. I am ultra nervous about having Caden in two schools at once. It is not only expensive, but inconsistent...and I loathe his current school more and more every time I drop him off. If you can, please pray that a full-time position will miraculously open up and that he'll be able to start at his new school, full-time, Monday - Thursday, in October. It will bring so much peace to my guts to know he's there.

Thanks.

Overdue pics and videos

Carefully selecting the perfect snack.



This could be a country crock ad.



Caden likes to take the place mats off the table and pretend they are sleeping mats, like at daycare. One day he decided to play 'nap time at school' by using all of the placemats, as well as various sheets and towels he could find to place over his students.



Here's one of his students



Here is another one of his students. He would cover them up and tell them to close their eyes..then he would leave the room for 2 seconds. When he returned he'd say, "Ok, wake up! Open eyes!"



We tried a round of potty training and Caden was quite proud of his big boy underpants.



After he peed in the second pair of underpants he picked up the potty, brought it back to the bathroom and shut the door saying, "All done."


Ok, time for videos:

Here is Caden pre-urinated underpants when he was super excited about them.



About 2 weeks ago, Caden heard the song 'Say' by John Mayer on the car radio and he has been singing it ever since. We downloaded it today for his enjoyment, so he sang for ours.


When I was cleaning out the cupboards, Caden saw the fondu pot holder and immediately screamed, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" He brought it to his table where he pretended to have a birthday party.

All Have Sinned and Fall Short of the Glory of God

I find myself saddened by recent news concerning powerful men of Christ falling into dark and desperate places. For the past 2 years, Mike Guglielmucci who pastors within the Edge Church in Australia, has been preaching and writing/leading powerful worship music, all the while battling cancer.
Recently, he has confessed that he's never actually had cancer. The whole thing was a lie, created to cover up his true illness. An addiction to adult pornography.
Supporters and believers were completely stunned when the truth came out. Those who had seen him perform and preach, saw a sickly man attached to oxygen with no hair or eyebrows. People had been greatly moved by what appeared to be a dying man with undying faith. They donated money and prayed endlessly for his 'cancer' to be healed. Mike finally got to the point where his lies were catching up with him and he couldn't live with the guilt of them. He came clean to his family, his parents and his wife...all of whom were deceived by his story and his acting. His father (the founder of the church) broke the news to the congregation and people were completely shocked. It's an incredibly sad story.
Then there's Todd Bentley. Jay and I had spent many evenings in front of our computer, watching the powerful revival in Lakeland, FL with Todd Bentley. Todd is an evangelist from Canada who at one time was heavily addicted to drugs but overcame his addictions through Christ and became known quickly as a powerful leader in the Christian community. There have been many who passionately followed Bentley's ministry...and many who have called him a radical heretic. We fell somewhere in the middle. Regardless of what side you fell on, it was shocking and upsetting to hear about his divorce. A divorce that is coming about due to an 'inappropriate emotional relationship with a member of his female staff'.
After hearing both of these stories my heart was immediately troubled for not only the families and supporters of these men but for the Christian faith in general. Those who do not know or understand the passage from Romans 3:23, expect men and women of God who represent the faith to be representatives of holiness and spiritual perfection. For those of us who understand Christ's love in the midst of our own humanity, we know that these men are no better or worse than ourselves. We've all screwed up in some way, shape or form...it's just that most of us are lucky not to have a camera in our face when it happens.
It is however a shame that injustice is done to the name of Christ through our shortcomings...that through our failings we drag the name of God down with us in the eyes of the world...and the media can't wait to jump on a juicy story about a famous Christian who has a life filled with scandal.
Although I understand and empathize with these men because I mess up too, I still have some anger in my heart towards them. I can't imagine my husband or my son putting me through 2 years of hell, thinking they were suffering and dying from a terrible disease. I can't imagine my husband walking away from me because someone newer and more interesting came along.
Marriage has become a joke in the public eye, and Christian celebrities are no exception. No wonder so many people have decided to skip the legalities and 'redefine marriage for themselves'....we haven't done a very good job of making it seem very appealing...which is completely opposite of God's design for it.
I guess the best way to handle this is to pray. Pray for them, for those they've hurt, for those whose hearts have become hardened to the message after being deceived by these men and others like them and for a world that desperately needs Christ.
"All Have Sinned and Fall Short of the Glory of God" Romans 3:23

Update

Monday - Sick as a dog, sinus infection

Tuesday - Weak from not being able to eat or drink on Monday, but feeling much better. Stayed home to rest.

Wednesday - Feeling a million times better but still battling an annoying cough. Worked all day. Longest day ever...just really wasn't in the mood to do data entry or collections. Left work at 5, picked Caden up at daycare, waited in an excruciatingly long drive through line at McDonalds while Caden cried for french fries, Jerad and Amber...all things I promised him we would see...finally got our food and headed to the annex to practice for One Night. Caden got his french fry, Jerad and Amber fix...One night was AWESOME. In spite of having a voice that sounded like a chain smoker, God worked through the music and the Word to relay an awesome message to His people...that in spite of everything, He is still God regardless of our situation...that He hurts when we hurt and rejoices when we rejoice. It was a powerful look into the historical account of Lazarus being raised from the dead and, personally, it was exactly what I needed to take in.
Afterwards, I put Caden's pjs on and we headed home.

Thursday - So far....woke up at 5am to my husband sneezing...this has become my new alarm clock...the problem being that it's usually set to go off long before either of us need to be out of bed. Poor Jay. He's always sneezing, dripping, wheezing...I'm not sure if it's the animals or the south that effects him so badly...both of which are difficult to do away with at this point in our lives. We both made it back to sleep just in time for the alarm to go off at 6:30am. My initial thoughts were negative, but I stopped myself, gave a quick shout out to God, committed the day to Him and rolled out of bed. I got ready for work, Jay got Caden breakfast and when I came out into the living room Caden was wearing his first official pair of pull-ups training pants. A victory! Although, I believe he is still far from potty training. The other night we had a conversation that went like this:

Me: "Caden, let's change your diaper."

Caden: "UNDERPANTS!"

Me: "You want to wear underpants?"

Caden: "UNDERPANTS!"

Me: "Ok, when we wear underpants, where do we go pee pee?"

Caden: "YA!"

Me: "No, no...where do we go pee pee?"

Caden: "Amen."

Me: "No Caden, listen to mama, where do we go pee pee?"

Caden: (thinks about it) "Amen."

He then proceeded to pee in two pairs of underpants in 10 minutes. But it's ok, we're in no race...I read that most times it's not so much the mind that needs to mature for potty training as much as the body and little boys bodies develop more slowly at this age than little girls.
He is however the master of drinking from a big boy cup and never uses a sippy cup around house anymore...and he can eat an entire bowl of beans with a spoon and not spill a single drop. To me, that's impressive.

Anyway, at 7:40am my co-worker Steve who I car pool with one day a week came by and picked me up and we headed to work...and here I sit...once again, not in the mood to work but needing to because that's what I'm paid to do..I just thought I would take this quiet moment in the morning to blog it up.

What will the rest of the day hold? Who knows! But I'll be sure to bore your socks off and fill you in later!

New Abortion Stats

Thanks to help from my friend Kyle, I was able to find a different set of stats that include the entire nation instead of just isolated states. It's amazing how difficult this information is to find unless you know where to go...so thanks, Kyle. Here's what I was able to find from the website Kyle listed in his comments below:

"A Bad Abortion Stat, Again


Obama, who favors a legal right to abortion, noted that he was trying to "reduce the number of abortions." But he went too far when he falsely accused President Bush of failing to meet that same goal, saying incorrectly that "over the last eight years, abortions have not gone down."

Warren: Now, let's deal with abortion; 40 million abortions since Roe v. Wade. ...

Obama: ... I am pro-choice. I believe in Roe v. Wade, and I come to that conclusion not because I'm pro-abortion, but because, ultimately, I don't think women make these decisions casually. ... And so, for me, the goal right now should be – and this is where I think we can find common ground. And by the way, I've now inserted this into the Democratic Party platform, is how do we reduce the number of abortions? The fact is that although we have had a president who is opposed to abortion over the last eight years, abortions have not gone down and that is something we have to address.

This is an erroneous claim that we first tracked down and debunked more than three years ago when it was being repeated by Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean and Sens. Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, among others. See our article, "Biography of a Bad Statistic" from May 26, 2005, for full details on how a liberal theologian first came up with this notion. The fact is, it is false. The best source we know of for statistics on the number of abortions is the Guttmacher Institute, whose figures are cited regularly by both sides in the abortion debate.

And Guttmacher says prominently on its Web site:

Guttmacher Institute: In 2005, 1.21 million abortions were performed, down from 1.31 million abortions in 2000.

In fact, Guttmacher's most recent published figures show 106,800 fewer abortions in George Bush's fifth year than in Bill Clinton's last year in office. That represents an 8 percent decline in the number of abortions and an even larger decline – 9 percent – in the rate of abortions per 1,000 women aged 15 through 44.

Guttmacher bases this finding on a survey of all 1,787 known abortion providers in the U.S.

We asked the Obama campaign where the candidate got his information, and we're still waiting for a response.

It should be noted that there's little to show the decline has come about because of anything President Bush did or didn't do. In fact, the number of abortions in the U.S. has been falling steadily since the 1980s regardless of whether the person in the White House favored a legal right to abortion or opposed it.

Source: Reprinted from "Trends in Abortions in the United States, 1973 - 2005" Guttmacher Institute, January 2008

Guttmacher's figures show the number peaked several years after the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that created a national legal right to abortion, held fairly steady throughout Republican Ronald Reagan's presidency, and has declined through the presidencies of Republican George H.W. Bush, Democrat Bill Clinton and Republican George W. Bush.

And just for the record, the authors of Guttmacher's study said in March 2008 that they can't tell exactly why the decline is taking place. Reasons probably include "better contraceptive use, lower levels of unintended pregnancy, more women carrying unintended pregnancies to term and greater difficulties accessing abortion services in some geographic areas," the authors said."

So according to this site, although the rate of abortion in some individual states may be increasing at an alarming rate, the overall percentage of abortions nationally has been dropping since the 1980's...a fact that I am ultra happy to have been wrong about.
However, the purpose of my original post still remains: These numbers have had nothing to do with whether a 'pro-life' or 'pro-choice' (their words, not mine) President is in office.
So, is it smart to choose a candidate based souly on one issue in which they have been proven to not bring about change? I don't think so.
Some days I wonder why I care so much about the election. After all, I'm not even an American! But now I'm starting to think that's why I care...my hands may be tied from voting but my voice can still be heard...and I do care about the country I live in, whether it gave birth to me or not...
To be frank (as if you'd expect me to be anything but) I've been living in America for the past 5 years and I'm yet to see "the land of freedom" that I so often hear about. I see struggle, poverty, people who can't afford their houses or their health care, poor education, neighbours divided on every major issues...
My husband is American, my son is partly American, a large majority of my family and friends are American, so I am passionate to see a free America...a place that isn't struggling financially, where education is at it's best, where health care is quality and accessible and affordable for the hard working, lower middle class family like us. Where people stand in unity instead of falling through division. Where the church has a voice again...
I'm excited about this election because I am, as many of you are, ready for a change.

Abortion and Politics

I've written many posts about how I think a politican should not use their stance on Abotrion to sway votes if they do not plan on doing anything about the issue. What needs to happen?
Well, first, Abortion needs to be illegal. There needs to be support for young mothers, for their emotional and spiritual well being as well as the monetary demands of having a baby in the United States. A stronger over all economy would certainly help so that women can afford to raise unplanned children. A completely re-worked adoption system so that it doesn't cost $20,000.00+ for american parents to adopt a child from their own country...
I'm not naive...I know it takes a lot to fix an age old problem. But you would think that having 8 years in office, our pro-life President would have made putting a dent in this problem a priority given it was such a driving point for his campaign. In actuality, the opposite has happened:

"I look at the fruits of political policies more than words. I analyzed the data on abortion during the George W. Bush presidency. There is no single source for this information - federal reports go only to 2000, and many states do not report - but I found enough data to identify trends. My findings are counterintuitive and disturbing.

Abortion was decreasing. When President Bush took office, the nation's abortion rates were at a 24-year low, after a 17.4% decline during the 1990s. This was an average decrease of 1.7% per year, mostly during the latter part of the decade. (This data comes from Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life using the Guttmacher Institute's studies).

Enter George W. Bush in 2001. One would expect the abortion rate to continue its consistent course downward, if not plunge. Instead, the opposite happened.

I found three states that have posted multi-year statistics through 2003, and abortion rates have risen in all three: Kentucky's increased by 3.2% from 2000 to 2003. Michigan's increased by 11.3% from 2000 to 2003. Pennsylvania's increased by 1.9% from 1999 to 2002. I found 13 additional states that reported statistics for 2001 and 2002. Eight states saw an increase in abortion rates (14.6% average increase), and five saw a decrease (4.3% average decrease).

Under President Bush, the decade-long trend of declining abortion rates appears to have reversed. Given the trends of the 1990s, 52,000 more abortions occurred in the United States in 2002 than would have been expected before this change of direction.

How could this be? I see three contributing factors:

First, two thirds of women who abort say they cannot afford a child (Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life Web site). In the past three years, unemployment rates increased half again. Not since Hoover had there been a net loss of jobs during a presidency until the current administration. Average real incomes decreased, and for seven years the minimum wage has not been raised to match inflation. With less income, many prospective mothers fear another mouth to feed.

Second, half of all women who abort say they do not have a reliable mate (Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life). Men who are jobless usually do not marry. Only three of the 16 states had more marriages in 2002 than in 2001, and in those states abortion rates decreased. In the 16 states overall, there were 16,392 fewer marriages than the year before, and 7,869 more abortions. As male unemployment increases, marriages fall and abortion rises.

Third, women worry about health care for themselves and their children. Since 5.2 million more people have no health insurance now than before this presidency - with women of childbearing age overrepresented in those 5.2 million - abortion increases.....

....What does this tell us? Economic policy and abortion are not separate issues; they form one moral imperative. Rhetoric is hollow, mere tinkling brass, without health care, health insurance, jobs, child care, and a living wage. Pro-life in deed, not merely in word, means we need policies that provide jobs and health insurance and support for prospective mothers."

This was written by Glen Stassen who is the Lewis B. Smedes Professor of Christian Ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary, and the co-author of Kingdom Ethics: Following Jesus in Contemporary Context, Christianity Today's Book of the Year in theology or ethics.

I am what one would call 'pro-life'. I believe that life begins at conception and that choosing to terminate that life is murder. Abortion is a giant issue...an important issue...there is no denying that...but utilizing this one area as a reason why or why not to vote for a Presidential candidate is dangerous because that someone may just be all talk and no action.

Health

Being healthy is not something to take for granted. I feel like at some point or another someone in my family is ALWAYS sick. When it's not Caden, it's me. When it's not me, it's Jason. Round and round it goes...I want off this ride!
Since returning from Canada, my lungs have no adjusted well to the poor air quality of Tallahassee. I've had some subtle chest congestion for a few days...Caden started with a fever Saturday night which ended up filtering out of his system by Sunday. Sunday afternoon I began not feeling well at all...Monday morning my head was killing me and I started throwing up. Meanwhile, Jay had been up all night sneezing and wheezing because his lungs have not been able to handle this summer air either. Caden always has a cough or a runny nose. UGH! We're going broke on Claritin and tissues.
With nothing open and knowing I had a sinus infection, Jay found child care for Caden, dropped me off at the emergency room and headed to work. A Dr. talked to me for 30 seconds and charged me $100.00 and I got some prescriptions for the infection and nausea. I called Jay to come get me while he was in the midst of his Labor Day Sale and he said he'd be right there. 30 minutes later, his employee, Josh, showed up at the ER to bring me back to the store. Poor Jay was trying to balance so much while running on only a few hours of sleep.
I sat in the back room of Jay's store and finally called Micah V who told me I could crash in his spare room. So I managed to drive myself over there and collapsed into Micah and Abby's spare bed where I died until 4 when Jay called and said he would close the store early to take me home. We got Caden and headed home. I got in bed at 5pm and only sat up long enough to take my medicine...then I slept till 6am the next morning.
Today I am feeling alot better, though I am staying home to regain some strength and strengthen my immune system a little bit. I felt bad having Caden go to school while I'm home but I think he'll have a better day with his friends than with his sick mother. I have yet to eat anything out of fear but I think I may go have a slice of toast and some tea without milk or sugar. Don't be jealous.