The Cutest Tale of Jonah and the Whale

This little girl is adorable. I had a hard day yesterday and this video made me laugh again. Hope you enjoy it! Watch it full-screen.

This and That

Well...life continues. How can it already be 2 weeks since I wrote my last post? I have been keeping busy, and Mom has made major progress on my wedding dress. I love it! I can't wait to see the finished product! It is going to be gorgeous!

My future father-in-law took Russell and his two brothers to a basketball game several weeks ago for Christmas. The crowd was invited to send in text messages to be displayed on the score board. Russell was about to send one when Clay beat him to it. The whole Atlanta stadium found out that Russell loves Hannah. =) See it in the picture? Russell told me there was another Hannah in the crowd who received a proposal that day, written on the score board. Neat idea! It's funny--I don't know too many people with that name. I hope the guy wasn't too offended when Russell's message showed up. =D Russell loves me!!! WOW! =)

I see hearts everywhere...even in my salad. (giggle)

In 4 days my Russell is coming to see me for my birthday! I can't wait!!! I just can't wait! This is the last time we'll see each other before our wedding. I'm so glad the Lord has allowed us this extra time together. It will be our 3rd visit as a couple. On our 4th visit we will be getting married...imagine that! God sure works in mysterious ways. I would say it can't happen this way (long-distance) and be God's will...but I know it can happen because this is God's will. I hope I don't bore you all by constantly talking about Russell and me. I just...I can't get over it...this relationship...the Lord's goodness. I think it will take a lifetime of wonderment, and even then I don't think I'll get over it. I don't want to ever get over it...never! I stand in awe beholding the goodness of the Lord.

This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.

~ Psalm 118:23

Just for fun...

I thought this was funny, so I'm sharing it...

Stick 'em up, or I'll blow you away!

Hmmm...can anyone think of something funnier for this cartoon?

What Does LOVE Mean?

Yesterday I came across a cute forward I had printed off several years ago that was sent to me by a friend. It made me laugh and cry at the same time. It's no wonder why kids are so precious to the Lord. "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger." ~ Psalm 8:2

~ * ~

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of four through eight year olds: "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think...

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."
Rebecca ~ age 8

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
Billy ~ age 4

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."
Karl ~ age 5

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."
Chrissy ~ age 6

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."
Terri ~ age 4

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."
Danny ~ age 7

"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss."
Emily ~ age 8

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."
Bobby ~ age 7

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate."
Nikka ~ age 6

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
Noelle ~ age 7

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."
Tommy ~ age 6

"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."
Cindy ~ age 8

"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."

Clare ~ age 6

"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."
Elaine ~ age 5

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."
Chris ~ age 7

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."

Mary Ann ~ age 4

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."
Lauren ~ age 4

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."
Karen ~ age 7

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
Jessica ~ age 8

The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four-year-old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."

And these are a few extras I found without the names and ages of the kids:

"Love is when someone hurts you. And you get so mad but you don't yell at them because you know it would hurt their feelings."

"I let my big sister pick on me because my Mom says she only picks on me because she loves me. So I pick on my baby sister because I love her."

"Love is when you tell someone something bad about yourself and you're scared they won't love you anymore. But then you get surprised, because not only do they still love you, they love you even more."

"There are two kinds of love: Our love and God's love. But God makes both kinds of them."

"God could have said magic words to make the nails fall off the cross, but He didn’t. That's love."

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." ~ John 3:16-18

I would say that many of these little kids came to a conclusion that most adults do not even grasp. Love is sacrificial; love is selfless. This is true love!

Ha, ha!

I was looking at clipart tonight when I found this. I thought it was funny, especially considering I have this thing with brooms... (chuckle) The joke is that I "ride my broom." So, if my guy has a broom, and I have a broom, we can both ride them together!!! Ha, ha! Okay, my mom says I'm a nut. Hey, it's late...what can I say? Ha!

'He is well rounded and comes with his own broom.' I could really expound on this, but I'll spare you! I'll save it for some other time! =)

The Rules of Chocolate

If you've got melted chocolate all over your hands, you're eating it too slowly.

Chocolate covered raisins, cherries, orange slices & strawberries all count as fruit, so eat as many as you want.

Chocolate is a health food. Chocolate is derived from cacao beans. Bean = vegetable. Sugar is derived either from sugar beets or cane, both vegetables. And, of course, the milk/cream is dairy. So eat more chocolate to meet the dietary requirements for daily vegetable and dairy intake.

The problem: How to get 2 lbs. of chocolate home from the store in a hot car.
The solution: Eat it in the parking lot.

Diet tip: Eat a chocolate bar before each meal. It'll take the edge off your appetite and you'll eat less.

A nice box of chocolates can provide your total daily intake of calories in one place. Isn't that handy?

If calories are an issue, store your chocolate on top of the fridge. Calories are afraid of heights, and they will jump out of the chocolate to protect themselves.

If I eat equal amounts of dark chocolate and white chocolate, is that a balanced diet? Don't they actually counteract each other?

Money talks. Chocolate sings. Beautifully.

Chocolate has many preservatives. Preservatives make you look younger.

Q. Why is there no such organization for Chocoholics Anonymous?
A. Because no one wants to quit.

Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you'll get one thing done.

~ author unknown ~

Thanksgiving Cartoons

Howdy, friends! I found some funny cartoons yesterday and thought I’d share a laugh with you all. These are too funny!

For those of us who fly frequently, this is a little too familiar. Ha!

“Here’s the burnt offering…I mean, the turkey!”

This cartoon isn’t supposed to be funny. It’s supposed to make us think. The few times that we were privileged to spend Thanksgiving Day in the States with our family, I remember the sour pusses and miserable attitudes of ungrateful family members who didn’t want to be there. It’s such a terrible thing to have to sit down to a table about to collapse under the weight of all the delicious food. Heaven forbid, we might have to paste a smile on our face and converse with aunts and uncles or play games with the cousins. To be blunt, I find it disgusting and wicked! It makes me mad, because I would love to HAVE to spend Thanksgiving Day in the States every year, but the duties of the mission field call us away from special family gatherings around the holidays.
On this Thanksgiving Day of 2008, let’s remember those who can’t be home with their loved ones for Thanksgiving--our brave men and women fighting to keep foreigners free and possibly facing death on a holiday, or those laying in hospital beds who would give anything in the world to sit down in a comfy, cozy living room surrounded by loving family members. Thanksgiving is supposed to be a day for just that--giving thanks! When you stop and think about it, we really have a lot to be thankful for!!!

It's Mine!

Copyright 1988

If you don't get it, don't worry.

This is a personal joke that one of my friends will understand.

Ha, ha, ha!

An October Post

Happy October! I can hardly believe we have embarked on the 10th month of this year! Where does time go?

I am still sick with the flu, although feeling much better than I was. Now if I can only get rid of this cold and cough…

Due to being sick I had to stay home from church again this week. If there is one thing I hate it’s missing out on being in the Lord’s House! But, I tried to make the best of it. After my family left I played one of my favorite songs, which the Marshalls sing, called “I Could Not Do Without Thee.” The house was nice a quiet and the music drew me to prayer. I prayed for a while, bringing before the Throne all the names of those who would be in our church service and all the missionaries and pastors I know who would be preaching. During the rest of the morning I listened to some music, got ready for the day, did some basic cleaning in the kitchen, and then listened to preaching.

Bro. Don Green had a great message on the subject of vows. He’s so funny. He started out his message with several jokes. This is one I thought was funny:

One day a preacher was out in the woods deer hunting with some of the men from his church. They were standing around discussing which tree stand they would be using--the tree stand being a play house for a boy in a man’s body (chuckle)--when suddenly a deer passed by. All the men shot at it. The deer was hit and fell to the ground. The men began arguing about which of them had actually shot it and who would get to take the meat home. A game warden happened along, and the men asked if he would check out the deer and see whose bullet had killed it. After a short time the game warden approached the men and firmly stated that the preacher had definitely shot the deer. “How do you know it was the preacher?” they asked. The game warden replied, “The bullet went in one ear and out the other.” (chuckle)

On a serious note, this is often the sad truth! People ask the preacher for advice, but do they follow that advice? No! I was reading in Jeremiah this morning and thinking how foolish King Zedekiah was for not listening to Jeremiah as he prophesied what would be the king’s fate if he did not humble himself and obey God’s command. If he would have listened he could have saved his life and all his house! I am reminded of Proverbs 13:15: “The way of the transgressor is hard.” Why don’t we just listen and obey?

As I was saying, Bro. Green preached about vows. He spoke of the importance of our words, especially those words that we would direct towards God. He mentioned a man, popular for his atheism, who said that if there was a God, his grave would be inhabited by snakes. Sure enough, a snake had to be removed as this same man’s coffin was being lowered into the ground. Later the man who tended to the grounds confessed that there were always 3-4 snakes on this one particular grave site. That man got his wish. God heard, and God answered!

Another man, born long ago during the great revivals, was under conviction of his sin. He approached a professor one day and begged for answers. The professor’s advice was to wait to make a decision until the emotions had passed. This man then went out into the late night, turned his face toward heaven, and told God, “You leave me alone, and I will leave You alone.” That conviction--the only thing that leads to true repentance--never returned, and the man died and entered Hell.

The scary thing is that a lost person can resist the conviction of God to the point of never being saved. A Christian can grieve God so bad that He pulls away and allows us to destroy ourselves. How very careful we must be about the things we say to God--the vows we make. He will take us at our word!

The message continued on to speak of vows…vows to tithe, vows of marriage, vows to surrender one’s life to God, vows to raise Godly children, vows be physically pure until marriage, vows to never take God’s name in vain…so many vows. Making vows is a scary thing if they are not kept, but never making a vow as a Christian also means a life of minimal spiritual growth and little victory. Whew! That was some message!

After praying for a bit I started the spaghetti sauce for dinner and listened to Scourby read the first two chapters of 1 Samuel and Psalm 56, which all had to do with the message. Then I listened to the Marion Avenue boys. Talk about music to cheer the soul! I had such a good morning. It was nice to be alone in the quietness, just me and the Lord. But, when I am well next Sunday I shall be ever so happy to return to church again!!! =)

The family came home at around 2 PM (I think) with greetings from people who asked about me and an account of who was at church and who wasn’t (sadly). Mom told me that one of the little boys in our church keeps getting beaten up on the bus by Muslim boys because he believes in Jesus. He has to sit with the bus driver and has a 17-year-old body guard. What a “peace-loving” religion!!!

Before bed Dad read to us from the Sugar Creek Gang series. I like these quotes:

DON’T SWEAR!
I HONOR THE NAME
YOU TAKE IN VAIN.

IF YOU EXPECT TO RATE
AS A GENTLEMAN,
DO NOT EXPECTORATE
ON THE FLOOR.

(Expectorate means spit.) Those are two quotes to live by! Pretty good, huh?
Well, that was my Sunday!

This morning I woke up feeling slightly better. We have all been busy throughout the day cleaning and such, because next week our very good friends the Maynards are going to be arriving from Florida. We can’t wait to spend time with them!!!

I was able to clean my room and decorate by unwrapping the one cherished fall decoration I have--a cute little pumpkin I got at a ladies’ meeting last October when my parents and I went to Dundee, Scotland, for a missionary conference. I can hardly believe it will be a year ago tomorrow since we were there! What a blessed time of heartfelt singing, storming preaching, and, best of all, the fellowship. Fellowship for a lonely missionary is something like cold water to a thirsty desert wanderer. You don’t realize how starved you are for it until you get a little. It was wonderful to talk with the ladies, especially Mrs. Terri Green. To know Mrs. Green is to love her. You just get close to her, and she radiates a loving warmth that makes you feel so at home and at ease. I love Mrs. Green! I also made two dear friends--Holly and Heather Males. Those girls are angelic! After two days of solid singing, preaching, and fellowship, I was NOT ready to go home! I wanted more! We drove 45 minutes to the airport, and tears coursed my cheeks as I gazed out at the beautiful Scottish landscape; I got a little glimpse of the glories of Heaven during that meeting. I will never, ever forget it.

Later this afternoon I joined Lydia outside (she was cleaning her bunnies’ cage), and I worked in my garden. All the dead sunflower stalks and the tomato vines needed to be cleared out for winter. In case I didn’t tell you, my tomatoes did not turn out this year. They were hard and had no juice whatsoever. I don’t know what I’m doing…or not doing, rather! After 3 years of trying and failing, I give up! I think the time has come for me to admit that I do not have a green thumb. Next year I’ll just stick to sunflowers. Anyway, Lydia had fun throwing tomatoes at her bunnies when they were bad. That would account for the rotten tomatoes I kept finding in the grass and on the walkway.

Peanut and Pumpkin were being so cute. They kept playing around at my feet while I was working. I was afraid I would accidentally hit them with the shovel or rake. They had fun digging in the just-turned soil and eating the leaves and smelling the rotten tomatoes. They think they own my garden; they kept wiping their chins on everything, which means they think it’s theirs. (chuckle) I guess we all like to think we own everything, even though it all really belongs to God. I must admit that Lydia’s bunnies are very cute. She is a very good “mommy.” The two most unsociable rabbits in the world are beginning to become quite sociable! Maybe they are taking lessons from my very sociable brother. (chuckle) Josiah likes to be wherever there is a group of people he loves.

Well, it’s my bedtime. God bless!

Vacation!

We just finished dinner, during which we discussed how nice it would be to go on vacation and just get away from everything. A lot of things have been going on lately. Sometimes I think it would be fun to run away from life, but that isn’t an option, soooooo… =)

We don’t have the finances to “run away.” What else could we do? Dad said he could take some time off and have our guys preach. Then we can remain home and have house church. Ha! Can you imagine?! No, I’m kidding. Those two Sundays we could liven up the Kamps’ services with Dad shouting amen. They would probably like that a bunch.

During the week we could go on daytrips, although I’m not sure where we would go. Then I thought of this: We could set up a tent in the backyard and camp out. Disconnect the phone and Internet…no TV, no computer...you know, pretend they don’t exist?!!!

Don’t you get tired of always being available? Even when you’re alone you can’t truly be alone!!! Between cell phones, iPods, and MP3 players there’s no quiet relaxation these days! You can carry your phone, TV, and radio/CD player around with you wherever you go. Of course, we all know that’s part of Satan’s plan...



Obnoxious, isn’t it? Ha!

So, what do you think of the plan? I think it’s GREAT!

Well, I need to go get ready for church now. Ta, ta!

Million $ with my name on it!

Now this is true art! =D Check out this picture (double-click). I'm going to make millions doing this! I'll carve your name or initials, whichever you prefer, for ONLY $10. I used a Jazz apple (the only kind of Jazz I like) for engraving my name. When you place your order, please be sure to specify which apple brand you prefer. For more information, call 1-800-777-7777

Lol. =)

Having Fun Exercising!

The video says it all. =D Be sure to watch all three!









If you’ve questioned my intellectual capacity and ability to think rationally before, you have even more worries now! =D Sometimes I have these rare moments of insanity…no, just kidding. I was bored as I “biked,” so I decided to have what I call a little innocent fun. Yeah, it makes life interesting! =) One who can entertain himself or herself shall be a very contented person. That’s my wise saying for the day. =D

The Official Language of Europe

My dad sent me this forward, and I thought it was SO funny! =D I love German; someday I hope to learn how to speak it. It's very close to Dutch. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this as much as I did...

The European Commission has just announced that English will be the official language of the European Union. German, which was the other possibility, narrowly missed out.

During negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and accepted a 5-year phase-in plan that would become known as 'Euro-English'.

In the first year, 's' will replace the soft 'c'. Sertainly this will make sivil servants jump with joy. The hard 'c' will be dropped in favor of 'k'. This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome 'ph' will be replaced with 'f'. This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.

In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent 'e' in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.

By the 4th yer pepl wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing 'th' with 'z' and 'w' with 'v'.

During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary 'o' kan be dropd from vords kontaining 'ou' and after zis fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensibl riten styl. Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.

Und after zis fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German; lik zey vunted in ze forst plas.

If zis mad you smil, pleas pas on to oza pepl.

Chuckles and Laughs

Ordained Sheep Dog
A minister was explaining the 23rd Psalm to a group of children. He started by saying that sheep aren’t very smart, and that they need the protection and guidance of a shepherd.
Then he asked, “If you children are like sheep, then who is the shepherd?”
After a short silence, a little girl said, “Jesus is the shepherd.”
Caught a little off guard, the priest replied, “Okay…but then, who am I?”
She frowned thoughtfully and said with a shrug, “I guess you must be the sheep dog.”
Country Magazine

Take a Hike
A teenager was constantly asking his father if he could borrow the family car. Finally the father asked his son why he thought God had given him two feet.
Without hesitation, the son replied, “That’s easy. One is for the clutch and the other is for the accelerator.”
Country Magazine

Just Horsing’ Around
A greenhorn walked into a tack shop and asked the price of a pair of spurs.
“Forty dollars,” replied the old-timer behind the counter.
The greenhorn looked into his wallet, thoughtful for a moment, pulled out a $20 bill and said, “I’ll take one spur.”
“What’ll you do with just one spur?” asked the clerk.
“I figure if I can get one side of the horse movin’, the other side will follow.”
Country Magazine

Weather or Not
At a farmers’ convention, a Minnesota dairy farmer was talking about the harsh Midwestern winters. “It gets so cold that we have to put heaters under the cows before we milk them,” he said.
“That’s nothing, replied a Texas farmer. “In summer it gets so hot that we have to feed the chickens ice cubes so they don’t lay hard-boiled eggs.”
Country Magazine

A Gentleman? No Way!

I’m still in disbelief! Yesterday, as Lydia and I existed a building, a man actually held the door open for us and wished us a nice weekend!!! Other than having my brother or Dad open and close the car door for me, I can’t remember the last time that happened. It’s sad that it made such a big impression on me; it should be normal for men to treat women like that.

Lydia, Josiah, and I were tossing the football yesterday, enjoying the last rays of sunlight, when our ball rolled into the street just as a car was coming. I hurried to rescue it and then waited on the sidewalk for the man to pass. He stopped the car and motioned for me to cross in front of him. Wow!

What was wrong with men yesterday? They must have forgotten that they are supposed to be rude. Rather, they aren’t supposed to be rude, but most are anyway. Maybe it was “Gentlemen’s Day,” the only day of the year that a man is required to act like a gentleman. (Hey, they have a day for everything else!)

Maybe it was the clothes that made the difference. I was wearing one of my favorite, extremely comfortable, A-line jean skirts. (I know it’s hard to believe, but I actually play sports in a skirt that touches the ground. It is possible!)

I have a theory: If women would start dressing like ladies, men might start acting like gentlemen! Now there’s a thought!

Whatever the case may be, it was nice to be treated like a lady.

Hint, hint…

Babel Baptist Church

Ha, ha! Okay, I hope this isn’t considered sacrilegious… We rent a school building which seems to get dirtier every week. (Hello, janitor!) One Sunday our family was closing the “church” up, and we were discussing the need for another building with Mischa. I kiddingly mentioned this interesting-looking building only a short distance from our house. It hasn't been occupied since it was built. We could call it “Babel Baptist Church.” (Say that real fast and it sounds like how a Southerner would say “Bible.”) So, anybody want to donate to a good cause? :D

Where There's a Will, There's a Way

Some woman say they can't play sports, ride a bike, or even clean in a skirt...


Here is one of those women now. She is about to plunge to her death in the rocky ravine below, because she "can't do anything in a skirt." It would be useless for her to attempt to save herself.
After all, if you have a skirt on, and you're virtually helpless!

P.S. A skirt has never hindered me from doing anything in the 20 years that I have been alive. I've never had need of a pair of pants. Where there's a will, there's a way! :)