Tis the Season

Tis the season-hurricane season that is....

O.k.-prepare yourself. I'm about to get a little political! Maybe it's all the presidential conventions going on that's inspired me, I'm not sure. But, I've been starting to get a political itch that I need to scratch! :)

Yesterday (july 29) was the 3 year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina hitting the Gulf Coast.

 I remember watching exhausted mothers holding their listless babies suffering from the heat and other helpless people dazed and bewildered. It was such an emotional time, filled with anger, grief, blame, and confusion. Who can forget Kanye West on the Katrina fundraising program, deviating from his script and declaring, "George Bush doesn't care about black people!" Whoa.

People are still recovering from that devastation emotionally, physically, financially-you name it.

So, here comes Gustav.

My dad asked me today why I thought these hurricanes were getting so bad lately. Truth be told, no hurricane of true significant force has hit the U.S. and killed more than 100 people since 1972. Katrina is even an exception, because it wasn't because of the storm's force, that it was so horrible.

As of August 30th, Gustav is a category 4 hurricane. Katrina was a category 3. It wasn't because of Katrina's intensity that it was so devastating. One reason it was so bad was that city officials didn't take any preventative measures to avoid the inevitable! New Orleans is after all basically a city built in a bowl-being several feet below sea level, surrounded by easily breachable levees. About a year before Katrina hit, the topic on the Glenn Beck radio show was about how the levees would break if a severe storm hit New Orleans! People were aware of and discussing the potential problem, but nothing was done.

I just pray that Gustav fizzles out before it comes anywhere near the Gulf Coast.

Yes, there is an evacuation process taking place as we speak and I pray that people will heed the order to leave!

I wonder if the citizens of New Orleans know that their rebuilt levees are considered to be weaker than before Katrina hit. I also wonder if they know that it's partly because they have been filled with NEWSPAPER instead of the rubber foam that levees are normally filled with. UNBELIEVABLE. But, true. So, if this category 4, potentially 5 hurricane hits NOLA again, I don't think there would be much for those already wounded citizens to come back to.

Ok, I've scratched that itch! But, trust me, I'm sure another one will come soon.

My perspective-If you know of a solution to a problem, do it! If you can't do it, find someone who can! Vote for that person, ask someone, research all the alternatives, and most of all-PRAY!

awesome quote

"He who grows in grace remembers that he is but dust, and he therefore does not expect his fellow Christians to be anything more. He overlooks ten thousands of their faults because he knows his God overlooks twenty thousand in his own case. He does not expect perfection in the creature, and, therefore he is not disappointed when he does not find it. " -Charles Spurgeon

U Dub Dub

As of tomorrow, August 27th, 2008, Tyler Laws will have a new address to call his own.
123 Wellers Hall in Whitewater, Wisconsin is now an address and a symbol of his new life of independence and adventure.
It is just plain bizarre that he is going off to college! I know I've only had him under my roof and in my life for 4 years, but I do consider him my son and my responsibility.
A million thanks to everyone who has helped him become who he is up to this point. Thank you to everyone who contributed to helping him celebrate his graduation from highschool-whether it be a prayer, a card, a phone call, an email, a financial gift or physical gifts. It is all appreciated and very helpful.
It will be interesting, to say the least, to see how he navigates through this new maze of dorm life, girls, sports, girls, studying, classes, girls, clubs, meetings, cafeteria food, and did i mention girls.
He always has been girl-crazy hasn't he?! :)
I just hope and pray he's able to apply the lessons he's learned from everyone positively involved in his life. I know so often it seems like those little nuggets of wisdom don't seem to implant themselves in his brain, but trust me, they're in there-somewhere! I have a feeling it will be a lot of trial and error as he learns to live in this new sub-culture of college-life, but that's normal and typical.
Anyway, once again, thanks to everyone who supports Tyler as he ventures off into the world of the University of Whitewater Warhawks!! Go U dub dub!!

Our family rules

I decided our family needed 4 concise specific rules that govern our daily living....
I wanted the best, wisest, most unique advice I could get. Who did I ask?
Trinity!
I contributed two, and she contributed two. You can guess who's is whose.
1-Always tell the truth
2-Don't run in the road
3-Always be kind
4-Treats only after dinner.

I think if we all did this, we'd be healthy, happy, and prosper!

WHAT ARE YOUR FAMILY RULES? PLEASE SHARE.

Christians in China

There was controversy from the onset of the idea of the 2008 Olympics being held in China. Lately, and understandably so, all the humanistic glories have overshadowed some interesting developments.


Did you know that China is OFFICIALLY an atheist country? Did you also know that there are at least 130 million Chinese Chrisitans? I'm sure there are more undeclared Christians, but the estimate is at 130 million.
There are also 75 million of those 130 million who DON'T OWN BIBLES. As I heard these statistics this morning, I looked around my living room at the 5 Bibles on my shelves and tables. I remembered one also in my car, another in Tyler's room, and 2 children's versions in Trinity's room.
I have an abundance of the most powerful collection of Words created in the history of mankind, and there are some who are going without. The Bible says that man cannot live on bread alone, but every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. These people are in a sense starving, and so many of us are spoiled!
Some people are risking their lives to bring spiritual food to these Christians in China. We need to pray for these people and for everyone they come into contact with.
I have a renewed vigor for praying for missionaries, seeing as how one of my best friends will soon be on her way to Thailand for an undetermined amount of time,with her husband and two young sons to spread the Word.

My perspective-ignorance is NOT bliss. Please pray for these and other missionaries obeying God by spreading the glory of His love and forgiveness.



BEIJING (AP) -- A group of American Christians who had more than 300 Bibles confiscated by Chinese officials when they arrived in China is refusing to leave the airport until they get the books back, their leader said Monday.The group arrived in the southwestern city of Kunming on Sunday as China hosts the Summer Olympics in Beijing, its capital.
Pat Klein said he and three others from his Vision Beyond Borders group spent the night at the airport after customs officers took the Bibles from their checked luggage."I heard that there's freedom of religion in China, so why is there a problem for us to bring Bibles?" said Klein, whose Sheridan, Wyoming-based group distributes Bibles and Christian teaching materials around the world.The Bibles were printed in Chinese, he told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.Last year, false media reports claimed Bibles would be banned from the Olympic Games. The state-run China Daily reported last month that 10,000 bilingual copies of the Bible would be distributed in the Olympic Village, which houses athletes and media.In China, Bibles are legally printed at just one plant -- the world's largest -- run by a Communist government-backed Christian association, and are available in many bookstores. But the officially atheistic government prohibits proselytizing and is worried that if the spread of religion goes unchecked, believers might ultimately challenge the Communist Party's authority.A woman on duty at Kunming airport's customs office confirmed over the telephone late Sunday that 315 Bibles were found in the passengers' checked baggage.The officer, who would only give her last name, Xiao, denied confiscating the Bibles. She said authorities were just "taking care" of them and provided no further details. She later said she was not authorized to speak to the media and referred questions to the national customs headquarters in Beijing, which did not answer phones on Sunday.On Monday morning, Klein said Chinese officials had shown the group what they said were regulations that banned bringing Bibles into China, but that the documents were in Chinese. "We are waiting for them to come back with the law in English," he said.Chinese officials had asked the Christians to leave the room at the airport where they spent the night, but Klein told the officials they did not want to go without the Bibles.Klein said the customs officers had told him that they could each have one Bible for personal use, but no more than that. He said the officers had videotaped them and were insisting that they leave the airport."We don't want to go without taking those books. It cost us a lot of money to bring them here," Klein said. "They're saying that it's illegal to bring the Bibles in and that if we wanted to, we had to apply ahead of time for permission."China faces routine criticism for human rights violations and repression of religious freedom. Religious practice is heavily regulated by the Communist Party, with worship allowed only in party-controlled churches, temples and mosques, while those gathering outside risk harassment, arrest and terms in labor camps or prison. A Chinese Christian activist was detained Aug. 10, the opening weekend of the Olympics, on his way to a church service attended by President Bush in Beijing. A rights group said later that the activist, Hua Huiqi, a leader of the unofficial Protestant church in Beijing, had escaped from police and was in hiding.Police have denied any involvement in Hua's disappearance.

How much STUFF do we really need?

Recently Trinity received an invitation to a birthday party where the only PRESENTS requested, were the PRESENCE of the guests.

The kids who were having the party asked the guests to donate to 2 specific charities in lieu of gifts. I absolutely LOVE that idea! I've always had it in the back of my mind to do this, but also didn't want Trinity to miss out on the fun and excitement of opening gifts on a day celebrating her. She is such a grateful child, that I knew it wouldn't spoil her.

At the same time, I think this is a beautiful way to put the emphasis on celebrating another year of life, friends, family, and just enjoying the experience of all those things.

It's also a way to promote awareness of the needs of others and awareness of how much we already DO have!

Everyone out there with kids, I would seriously urge you to make this a tradition in your family. I'm not saying to deny your child gifts, or make your kids deny gifts from others! I'm saying, don't make acquiring STUFF the empahsis of the special day. 

Make the day an experience full of and overflowing with memories-not a bedroom full or overflowing with more STUFF.

This year we fully intend to create memories at an indoor waterpark for Trinity's birthday. We'll probably get her a little gift, but that will not be emphasis of the day. The emphasis will be celebrating all we DO have.
That's my perspective!

I want to also incorporate into my blog some $$ saving tips. We can all use a few tips on how to stretch our hard earned money a little further.

1-For those of us who enjoy our hot coffee in the morning and maybe an iced coffee at noon, this one's for you. Don't dump out that morning's leftover coffee! Freeze it in ice cube trays for your iced coffee later on. This way, it won't get diluted when the cubes melt. You could even add your sugar and creamer into the coffee before you freeze it.

2-Vinegar!! Oh the wonderful things this cheap multi-purpose food by-product can do. It has antibacterial properties to clean windows, mirrors, countertops, and even your fruits and veggies. Don't bother buying Windex or special "veggie" cleaners. Vinegar (2 parts vinegar, 1 part water) has been proven to clean all the aforementioned things even better! And it's CHEAP!

i keep mine in a spray bottle under the sink-it's safe even with little kids around.

4K and college

So, I'm back already with a few more thoughts.....Can you even believe Tyler is going off to college in 12 days? Trinity is starting 4K (the equivalent of kindergarten for 4 year olds) a week later. I will be starting back working for my beloved Topel friends, and life will be oh so different! There is some solace in going back to work for the Topels and Trinity being able to see her best friends Christian and Mallory 5 days a week in the afternoon.
We're excited. Oh so excited!
Tyler managed to configure a schedule where all his classes are Mon-Thurs and from 11am to 3pm. To quote him, "My weekend starts at 3:01pm on Thursday!" That boy, I tell you what-things just always seem to work out for him. He's blessed.
My perspective--more time to keep his GPA at 3.0 so he can keep that grant money!

Trinity will have a similar schedule-Mon-Thursday, but 8 am-11am. She should give her teacher Ms. Davis some memorable quotes. She's a pistol and I wouldn't want her any other way!

My perspective-both kids will most certainly give me lots of material to write about!!

One of those days....

So, here I am with ideas buzzing around like frightened bees in my head, about how to share my perspective with the world around me. And.........I got nothin!
Actually, I have too much. I tried to take a nap with my daughter and my mind would not shut down. I have a mental rolodex of all these categories of topics and opinions and really witty insights and I can't seem to get that rolodex to stop spinning.
The culprit? Too much coffee (my contrived energy) and a voracious appetite. I'm so hungry today! I'm generally known to be quite a discriminate eater, but today it's all gone out the window! Or all in my tummy!
Anyway, I got an email from my friend Ede in New Jersey. She makes my heart smile! She is such a special woman and I've known her for nearly 10 years now. She has a personality and a laugh that is just so contagious .....do you know one of those people? You admire their energy and appetite for life and you secretly wish you could be like that. I feel like I have to try to be energetic and outgoing and spontaneous. Ugh! Just thinking about it makes me exhausted.
Maybe I should get a vitamin B shot. Hmm...I've heard they really do wonders.
Oh yeah, speaking of energy. and my daughter. Why did God make it so the children have more energy than the parents?! Seriously. She went to bed at 11:30 last night. Daddy said she could finish her movie (Ice Age) and then come to bed. Yes, she sleeps in bed with us. That might be the next topic.
Anyway, I thought, "wow, she'll sleep in until 10 in the morning". SEVEN THIRTY A.M PEOPLE!!! She was up at 7:30. Ok, well, she'll have a good nap this afternoon, right?
Um, nope. We laid there for 45 minutes of pleading, threatening, consoling, praying, chatting, and she finally said, "my eyes just won't close mommy." No kidding.
So, I finally told her she could get up and play. She jumped up and down and declared "You're a genius, Mommy!"
I seriously doubt that, but it's nice to hear.
Well, this will end my first official post for my blog. My perspective-don't assume that just because your 4 year old got 4 fewer hours of sleep than normal, that they'll be tired. Be prepared to keep up with them.