Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Choose your words, for they become actions.
Understand your actions, for they become habits.
Study your habits, for they will become your character.
Develop your character, for it becomes your destiny.
What is in a man that convicts him to try and change the world? Perhaps someone rooted in his faith. A faith that teaches humanity; the morals and ethics that rightly defines good and evil. And then gives him the courage to act on his faith. Oh, that I had the courage to step forward and say something let alone do something.
I think God gives us what He knows we can handle, but the confidence in ourselves is so lacking we do nothing.
Mom and I went to see the movie Amazing Grace. It was wonderful. I thought it was about the guy who wrote the song but it was actually about William Wilberforce of Britain who fought to pass a bill to abolish the slave trade. He struggled through many years of defeat, a war and sickness but finally it happened. How did he keep on going? I don't know. Through the grace of God, no doubt. I recommend the movie to everyone. It was really inspiring.
Another awesome thing yesterday. I heard something at church yesterday that really opened my eyes. We sometimes feel we need to prove ourselves to others. This is an indication that we lack an identity or confidence in who we are/who I am. I can think of numerous times when I go out of my way to "prove" to someone what I am capable of either physically or mentally. I don't do it overtly but subtly, when I think they may be watching. Wow, what a way to live. It can be pretty tiresome.
What do I need to prove? I'm not sure. Nothing! I should know who I am! I DO know who I am! I really do know who I am but sometimes I forget and get insecure... It happens. I think it happens to all of us at one time or another.
You may laugh but write out your mission statement! It describes who you are and your purpose in life. Only a couple of sentences so you can remember it. Museums are very good at this. At least some anyways. Mission statements help you focus.
Random life quote from my director at the museum: "Don't sweat the petty stuff, and don't pet the sweaty stuff."
Oh my sweet goodness...is March over yet? It has been crazy and it's not really half way over. Yikes! I'm gonna need a vacation and soon. Last week starting on Thursday the 10-2-4 Convention began with a bang with a reception at the museum. That was fine and everything went well. The T-Shirts that Mary Beth and I designed were received extremely well. (Every person who comes to the convention gets a T-Shirt). Friday was the big show where the Collections Department gave a seminar on preventive conservation for objects. Keeping with the theme of the convention, "Dr Pepper at the Movies," Mary Beth and I made a movie as an introduction to the presentation but of course we technical difficulties so we couldn't show our Powerpoint Presentation but went through it anyway while Jack, our director, ran back to the museum to pick up MB's flash drive which had the movie on it. We played it on someone else's laptop. You should check out our movie:
Pretty cool huh! Oh yeah and we made a Blooper Reel too!
We think it's funny...
ANYWAY!!!
We did that and then got ready for that Saturday which was the SWAP meet. People buying and trading and selling DP memorabilia. The Collections Department sold stuff too out of consignment. The money goes back to the department for conservation and preservation of the artifacts. BUT before Saturday rolled around a bunch of us went to see the movie 300, which was AWESOME!!!! I really want to see it again, too. Oh and by the way, did I mention I passed my first two tests to get my teacher certification? Yeah, I did and now I'm studying for the next two tests.
So Saturday in the midst of the SWAP meet I did a huge amount of errands including getting an oil change after I was SUPPOSED to get one in January. Whoops!!! Mary Beth and I met for dinner Sat. evening and then went and saw Happy Feet at the dollar theater. It was cute but not really for kids! LOL!
Sunday I basically went to church, slept, watched a little bit of NASCAR, went to Lewis' for Home Group and then went home and slept. I was soooo tired.
THIS WEEK:
OMGoodness!!!! March brings Spring Breakers. This means the museum is crazy. You know, like a trillion people in the museum and people throwing up and stuff like that. We like it when we have visitors but GOODNESS they are loud! I shouldn't complain too much. We are having the best days we have ever had at the museum. It's incredible! Today was probably the craziest day since MB and I were picking up 20 pallets for our move which had to be done in two trips which took up most of the morning (and I got an owie on my knuckle. OUCH!) We ran to eat lunch before the taste testing and then did the taste test. We tested 80 people in one hour. Wow! THEN we went to Office Max to pick up our desks for the new offices. They weighed a ton. By this time it's almost 4pm and Jennie tells me that my Southernliving at Home stuff is here in five HUMONGOUS boxes. I'm so excited 1.5 of those boxes is mine. ALL MINE!! It's exciting. I don't normally get a lot of stuff from these kind of deals. So now I'm about to go home and decorate my apartment with all my cool stuff and maybe soak in the tub and watch Season 7 of Buffy. Yay for the weekend!
PRAYER REQUEST!!!!
Mandy emailed me about Alex and Emma (my nieces). They both have some developmental issues both physically and mentally. Alex has been diagnosed with Larson's Syndrome but recent tests have suggested it could actually be a metabolic disorder. Please pray for them as they decide what to do. They've been dealing with this for over four years and I would like to see a true diagnosis so they can deal with everything properly. Here's Mandy's email. It gives some more details:
Just an update on the girls and all that is going on health wise...
I spoke with Alex's neurologist today after a confusing and vague report on Alex's abnormal MRI. He has been confused by the results because the findings are not consistant with her original diagnosis of Larsen's Syndrom. After speaking with the radiologist and geneticist at Arkansas Children's Hospital and considering the part of the brain where the abnormality was found, he is inclined to think the large majority of Alex's symptoms (lack of balanace, low muscle tone, tremors, etc) could be due to a metabolic disorder. His suggestion has been to come back in 6 months for a re-evaluation and to also bring Emma since she suffers from these same symptoms. Drew and I now have to decide whether to sit and wait or to seek another opinion for both of the girls. There are so many metabolic disorders to consider that random testing for them is not practical, but we feel that something needs to be done. Both of the girls have a well child check up with a new pediatrician next Wednesday and more options will be discussed then. We may ask about going to the St. Louis Children's Hospital since there are numerous children that go to therapy with the girls that have been treated for neurology problems there. Please keep them (and Drew and I) in your prayers as we seek answers to the girls' medical problems.
Love, Mandy
Please add them to your prayer list. I appreciate it and so do they.
Oh goodness...I feel like I'm in a daze right now. I got plenty of sleep and swam for a bit today but just can't get going for some reason!!! Ugh!
Comense with the caffeine!
Ok, so last weekend was wonderful. Jason came down for a visit and it was great. Did a lot of errands and went to see the movie Wild Hogs which I thought was very funny. Later that evening we went out to dinner with a couple of friends and had a real good time. Sunday came too fast and Jason had to hop skip and jump back to OKC. By that afternoon I was feeling pretty lousy because 1) my sweetie had to leave and 2) I wasn't feeling very good.
The sickness got worse with a scratchy throat and congestion and I could tell I was not going to be in the mood to get up early for work. So I txted MB to tell her I was going to be late. I stayed up late Sunday night writing invitations to Angie's bridal shower. Oh man, my fingers ached!! I watched Quigley Down Under to give me something to listen to. I love that movie. I also printed out envelopes on the computer which went by very fast and then drugged myself and went to bed at 12:30.
The next morning was not so good. I couldn't breath at all!! Um, yeah, I didn't go to work. However, I really didn't stay home to rest either. I ran around town for a little bit to do some shower stuff and felt better. I think it was stressing me out and I didn't realize it. I'm not a great delegator and tend to try to do everything on my own. But thankfully I passed on some of the responsibility of the shower to three other ladies. Thank you!!! My eye stopped twitching. I can tell I'm stressed when my left eyelid starts to involuntarily twitch. It's wierd but a good indicator.
I also rented the movie Babel and it was good. Then I had a PEO officer's meeting at 4:30 and got that over with and since I was out again I called Angie to get her professional opinion about a dress I had spied. I don't have many dresses. I'm not sure why but I usually wear pants. But recently I have felt like dressing up or just needed a change. I looked at my clothes and realized that most of what I own I've owned for two years or more. I need a clothes overhaul!! This leads me to a thought that has been rumbling in my head for the past several days. It's very shallow but still could be thought provoking to some: Why do women love shoes? I love them! They're so cute. Do I have a lot of shoes? Compared to who? I think I'm probably average. Most of them are practical but a few are dressy. I still don't know why I like them. It could become a nasty addiction but thankfully I don't have a lot of money. But that never stopped Carrie from Sex and the City from buying a $400 pair of shoes. Yikes!! Anywho...if anyone can enlighten me on my question, please let me know.
I better get back to work...the annual Dr Pepper Collector's Convention is upon us and the museum has to get ready for it!! AAAHHHH!!! Let the madness begin!
Howdy from Oklahoma! Originally from Arkansas, I moved to Texas to work at the Dr Pepper Museum & Free Enterprise Institute. Yes that's right, the Dr Pepper Museum. Why Waco, you ask yourself? That's where Dr Pepper was invented. While working there, I found the love of my life who happens to live in Oklahoma. Well, I moved up here to be with him and teach too. We were married June 2008. We are about to move into a new house in the city we both teach high school in!!
