Rowdy Girl Reflections

The Weight Loss Continues

2010-05-13T12:05:00.002-05:00

Hey Rowdy Fans!

I am still wearing the Body Bugg. This thing is awesome! I would like to make one recommendation, however, to the makers of the Bugg. If you can tell me how many calories I have burned during the day, couldn't you tell me how many calories I have consumed? Come on...how hard could it be? lol Seems like there would be a way you could tell automagically!!

I am still logging the foods I eat daily, wearing the bugg, trying to come up with ways to get away from both computers to get some activity in. Swimming comes to mind...I hear there is a place right here in the city where I can swim!

I can do this! I am hearing the siren's call from Germany again and hope to answer the call 50 pounds lighter next year.

Stay tuned!

Rowdy

My new Body Bugg

2010-04-26T18:50:00.002-05:00

Have you heard about the Body Bugg? It's a device that you can purchase from 24 hour fitness that you wear around your arm and the Bugg will tell you how many calories you have burnt in whatever time frame you wear it.

WOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

I am surprised at my age that I didn't understand the math behind losing weight. You have to consume 3500 less calories than you eat to lose a pound. If I want to lose a pound a week, I have to either eat 1600 calories a day (rather than 2100) or eat 2100 and work off 500 calories to get the weight off. So far I have been doing a little of both!

My first official weigh in was today and I lost 1.2 pounds in a week. Overall I have lost 4.8 pounds in a month which is right where I want to be. I would love to lose a total of 50 pounds before I get back to Europe next year.

Last year, in Germany and Austria when we walked a lot, I was just in agony! My feet hurt so bad every day and I was just popping Aleve like they were candy just to stay upright. I have arthritis in both my feet and I am overweight and those two things were just devastating on my last trip. I hope that God is going to give me at least 30 to 40 more years of traveling so if I can take the weight off, I can go anywhere and do anything!

The Bugg is simple. You wear the Bugg on the back of your arm with an armband. The Bugg gathers and converts your activity to calories burned during the timeframe. You hook the Bugg up with a USB cord to your computer at the end of the day to see how many calories you ahve burned. You log the food that you have eaten at body Bugg website and then at the end of the day, you find that you have a deficit or surplus of calories for that day. The Bugg will even tell you how many steps you have taken! How easy is that?

I also have a support group with three other ladies from my small group. We are all at varying stages of weight loss and email each other with our results from the day before! I love the accountablilty!

Love, Love, Love this program!

Stay Tuned!

Rowdy

Small Group

2010-01-13T09:04:00.003-06:00

Last night was my first official, unofficial leadership of my church small group! WOOO HOOO!

Official that Charrie has handed the reins over to me but unofficial as I must undergo some additional training and then some affirmation at the end of six months!

How exciting and terrifying at the same time! Only God's grace is propping me up on this one!

We layed hands on Liz, Rita and Penny and prayed for them as they leave our group and start their own group under Liz's leadership. I am sooooo excited for them. I love Liz and know that God has got great things in store for both of us as we step out in obedience!

More to come later!

Where has all the time gone?

2010-01-11T21:05:00.003-06:00

Oh my gosh! I haven't been here in so long I forgot my password!

Let's talk about Germany!

My daughter Erica, my sister Dixie and I had a GREAT time. I think this was the best trip ever despite my feet hurting every single day, all day long! It took weeks for me to get over the feet issue after we got back!

We stayed in Munich for about 3 days, Oberammergau for a week and then Salzburg for another three days! I really didn't like Munich when I went in 2003 but I really liked it much better this time for some reason although I saw more trash on the streets and more beggars than ever before. Maybe it's because we stayed near the train station which isn't ever in the nicest part of any city, is it?

One of the things that stressed me out in 2003 was having to find a place to eat and then having to find my own seat. In America, we usually have hostesses who seat us. No so in Germany. Then for places that had a beer hall and a nicer section to eat in, which do you use? So in November, on our first day there, we went into the Augustiner near the Marienplatz and a waiter met us near the front. He said hello and asked us how many people and we said three. He took us right back to the seats near the kitchen. In America, that is not good. I decided right then that I would not be offended because maybe it wasn't the same in Germany. I was just delighted that someone seated us. Come to find out, the waiter took us right back to his station which happened to be in the back. WOOO WEEEEE! He gave us all menu's in English (I wanted to practice my German) and suggested some dishes for us. We all ordered something different and everything was just awesome. Our waiter was friendly and I got to practice rounding up with him on the tip and we had one fantastic meal. That was a great first meal and really set my heart at ease for future meals. We actually were met and seated several times over our two weeks there. How nice!

I got to meet a German Aunt and Uncle that I had never met before. My Mom and her sister had a falling out with their brother and didn't speak to him for over 40 years. Finally, they smoked the peace pipe and I got to meet my Aunt Dagmar and my Uncle Walter. We went to dinner (it was wonderful) at their house, we met for cake and coffee and I got to meet their son, his new wife and their 2 year old. I just fell in love with my Aunt and Uncle. My Aunt speaks very good English and my Uncle understood most of what we said. I think meeting them was the highlight of our trip!

Staying in Oberammergau was fun. I picked our place off the Internet at Tripadvisor.com and we could not have picked a better place. We stayed at a holiday house run by Anton and Penny Neu near the Ammer River and we loved, loved, loved our holiday house. There was fresh rolls for us every morning and there was a grocery store within walking distance across the river! Anton can tell you something crazy funny with a straight face and Penny was very helpful in directing us to local festivals and answering any questions we might have.

I got to see my cousin Christine, her husband Lothar, their kids Kevin and Vivenne. We had lunch and then visited my Uncle Karl's and Aunt Ella's grave together. My sweet Aunt and Uncle had passed away since I was there last and it was a very special moment for me to stand at their grave with their daugther and her family. I love the Oberammergau cemeteries. I have never been in a more beautiful or peaceful place in my life. My grandparents are in the New cemetery and they were buried there in 1955. My Aunt and Uncle are in the Old Cemetery and they were buried there in 2005 and 2006. Go figure.

One evening and morning we were blessed with snow in Oberammergau. Dixie and I happened to look outside one night and we could see the snow coming down near the street light. When we got up the next morning, it was snowing and there was snow on the ski runs that was sticking but it was wet snow in town. It was snow none the less. I got it on video!

We absolutely loved Salzburg. Salzburg might be my new fav big city! We certainly saw more of it this time than we have ever seen before. Our Sound of Music tour was awesome. I was hoping that it would be different than it was the last time and it was. Different route, different size bus and a different tour guide. Somehow the tour didn't seem as long but what we did see was just awesome. St. Gilgen below a brooding, cloudy sky from above the city was something I will never forget. I would like to take the drive myself if we go back.

More next time! Have a rowdy good day!

Rowdy

Will we have Oberammergau to ourselves?

2009-10-26T10:43:00.002-05:00

Hey there!

I have been pouring over the tourist guides and found out within the last few months that many hotels and restaurants are closed during November in Oberammergau because it's a slow time!!

WOOO HOOOO is all I can say!

I am almost packed and almost ready to go!!

Rowdy

Just 9 more days and counting....

2009-10-22T17:17:00.002-05:00

I started packing this week for the big trip!! I am excited and anxious at the same time!

Got some folks praying for me for the anxiety and I think as I get a little closer to the trip, I will get more excited. Right now I am feeling like I have left something out.....oh....that would be my Mother. She is not going and it really makes me sad. Maybe I will get over it once I get on the plane with my sister and daughter.

I have been watching the webcam in Oberammergau and it's already snowed there! I hope it snows at least once while we are there! Snow and the cemetery where my grandparents are buried is an awesome combo. I have never seen a prettier cemetery than the one where my grandparents are buried in Oberammergau - they were buried there in 1955 and the locals call it the new cemetery. It's way younger than the one where my Aunt Ella and Uncle Karl are buried - the old cemetery next to the beautiful Catholic church. This will be my first trip to the cemetery to visit my Aunt and Uncle. They have passed away since I was there last in 2003. I think it's going to be surreal. In my mind, they still live in their house where we visited them so many times over the years. I will miss them and I will miss my mom going too. I pray for an awesome trip! After all, I am doing what my Mother trained me to do - to keep up the travel tradition so that our familes can stay connected. Thank you Mom. You trained me well. I love you!

Less than six weeks!

2009-09-20T21:26:00.002-05:00

Less than six weeks for Germany!!

I am looking at maps, travel books, travel websites and still feel unprepared. There's that anxiety again! Anxiety be gone!! This will be my 7th trip of a lifetime...I sure need to go. It's like being away from home too long.

Next week I go to see my sister in Bama. She is going to Germany with me and my daughter. I am sure she will get me all excited. We plan to go to AAA to get our international drivers permit or license together after getting a passport pic! We are going to scrapbook together with my Dad and StepMom and hopefully spend time with my Mom and StepDad and go to a local German restaurant. YUM!!

It will be nice to be back in the bosom of the fam! I haven't seen them in over a year! WOOO HOOO!!

Jo Anne

Bad Travel Dream

2009-09-14T09:56:00.002-05:00

It was bound to happen! For this upcoming Germany trip, I have been feeling a little anxious because this will be the first time EVAH that I have gone without my Mom who was born and raised in Germany! I have made all the hotel, vacation house, flight and car reservations myself for my sister and my daughter. They are so hands off they don't have a clue.

Yesterday I was really feeling low - not low about going but about the responsibility!! The last time I went, I flew in with a friend about 3 days before my Mom got there and the responsibility of planning, executing and doing in Munich with someone who was as hands off as my sister and daugther are was almost unbearable. I planned everything. Where to go, when to eat, where to sit, when to go - and all in a place where we don't speak the language and on top of that it was cold and rainy. I was never so glad to leave Munich and get to Oberammergau in my life.

So...after my low day yesterday it's no surprise that I dreamed last night I was in Spain and lost and couldn't speak the language. Spain must have come up from a travel report I was reading on Fodor's yesterday. I dreamed I was in a hotel with lots of people I knew and we were all going to go together to some destination and when I came out of my room to join them, they were all running single file in front of me down the corridor at our hotel and I could not catch up to them. I ran out a side door hoping to intercept them and I guess I decided that I could catch them on a bus that was sitting there but when I got on the bus after paying, I couldn't convince the bus driver that I was on the wrong bus because he had no English and I had no Spanish. So, I just sat down with the attitude that I had plenty of time to find myself before I had to show up at the airpoint to leave the country. That's what I always think when in Germany, if we get lost, we will have x amount of days to get back to the airport and I am not going to worry about it. lol

The bus probably comes about too because everytime I got on a bus with my Mom in Germany, she wasn't ever sure where we were going! Oh my goodness. It's funny looking back on it!

No more anxiety! No more bad dreams! Only good stuff from now on!! Cos we are going in a little more than six weeks! WOOO HOOO!!

NOT GOING to Great American Scrapbooking Convention!!

2009-08-29T22:07:00.003-05:00

Disappointed doesn't even describe how I feel. I got an email from the GASC group saying that they were cancelling the convention!! I am still going to Bama and I will just spend two days with my sister but I am going to have to change my flight reservations and that's going to cost 180 dollars to change my ticket! That is such a ripoff!!

Not so sure at this point that I will ever attempt another city other than this one for a scrapbooking convention!

Bummer!

Going to GASC!

2009-08-25T10:05:00.003-05:00

I have made my Great American Scrapbook Convention reservations and I have booked my flight so GASC, here I come!! WOOO WEEEE!!

I get to meet up with my sister and a few friends in Chattanooga and we are going to scrapbook together!!

I get to spend time with my sister Dixie and my friends Jeannie and Barb!!

Come on September, move a little faster!!

Rowdy

Talking to myself and feeling down.....

2009-08-17T11:07:00.002-05:00

I guess these days when I update my blog, I am talking to myself! No big deal!

So...I am not rocking the weight loss yet. Just last week I was a maniac one night on the treadmill and decided to try running and I pulled a muscle on the right side of my abdomen that hurts everytime you get up, lay down, breathe, move...you get the picture!

Since that muscle hurts, I have slowed down a little bit. I also noticed that I wasn't feeling good and it's probably a sugar thing. I have decided to cut back on the carbs, eat smaller meals during the day and I hope to boost my metabolism and lose more than a pound every two weeks!

Gotta get er done!

Rowdy

Let the weight loss begin!

2009-08-10T20:49:00.002-05:00

It's official - I am fat.

With me running off to Germany in a little bit more than two months, I need a more updated shape than just round. Hey, round is a shape isn't it? lol

We got a treadmill a couple of weeks ago and it is just amazing to me that you can walk for 30 minutes and that burns up something like a coke. That's just CRAZY!

This week I am ramping up the walking and the decrease in calories. Already I am thinking about how much those cookies or that coke are going to take on the treadmill to get it off!

Really, when you break it down, if you are over weight and you eat sugar, guess where that sugar goes? Since your body isn't using it for fuel, it stores it. I no longer want to be a fat storage facility. From this day forward!

Let the Weight Loss Begin!

WOOOO HOOOO!!

ROWDY

German Memories!

2009-07-31T20:22:00.002-05:00

My mom called me last night and we talked about my sweet Aunt Ella since yesterday she would have been 75!!

One of my last meals I shared with my Aunt Ella, Uncle Karl, Mom and my friend Cheryl was at La Montanara in Oberammergau, Germany. I always order Spaghetti Carbonara at La Montanara because lets face it, it is absolutely wonderful!! Aunt Ella always enjoyed getting my left overs. That's notable since almost every German finishes their big meals and there are no left overs or no doggie bags! La Montanara sends those left overs home with you!! YUM! My mouth is watering as I am writing this! The last time together, Cheryl and I tried some grappa! Oh my Goodness. It tasted like an electric storm in a glass!

I hope to take Dixie and Erica there when we go back in November. I will be thinking of Aunt Ella when we go!

German Bread

2009-07-30T10:13:00.002-05:00

What I miss the most about Germany, besides my Aunt Ella and Uncle Karl, is German bread.

When we visited my Aunt and Uncle over the years they thought that someone in our group, which was usually me, should go to the local bakery every morning for fresh bread. They usually wanted me and the bread to be back at the house around 7:30 to 8:00. Okay, during my 20's I didn't grumble too much about that but when I got to be older, I thought hey, it's my vacation!!! What am I doing up at 7:30 going for bread? I was so ungrateful, I was staying with them for free on vacation!!!

Now, since they are gone, I would love to spend one more morning with them in their cozy little kitchen drinking coffee that would grow hair on your chest and eating fresh bread with German butter. I can just see my Uncle Karl putting about 7 or 8 sugars in his Nescafe Instant Coffee and my Aunt Ella setting out the cute little bread plates for us. I can see the semmel roles and the pretzels that were big enough to cut and put butter on the insides. I can see the evaporated milk that went into the coffee. I can see me drinking coffee and enjoying all the milk and sugar.

I will think about my Uncle Karl and Aunt Ella in the mornings in November when I enjoy the bread with my daughter and sister. Thank you Lord for precious memories.

Germany Plans

2009-07-29T15:28:00.003-05:00

I am so stinkin' excited!

My daughter Erica, my sister Dixie and I are going to Germany and Austria in November!

Wooo Hooo!

This year, we are going to try some new things. I have been to Germany multiple times before, however, I usually traveled with my German Mom, Aunt or Uncle. Not this time. Mom doesn't want to go and my German Aunt Ella and Uncle Karl have passed away since I visited last in 2003. This year, we are going to stay in Munich, Oberammergau and Salzburg. We are going to rent our car in Munich (that's new) and drive ourselves down to Oberammergau (that's new). We will drive to Salzburg (been there, done that) and turn the car back in in Munich (that's new). One day I just pulled the Munich map out of my book shelf and saw that where we will be staying in Munich will be dangerously close to the Autobahn so we are going for it!!

I hope that one of my Scrapfreak friends, Tamara, will be able to join us in Salzburg!!

More details later!!

Spiritual Gifts

2009-03-15T00:10:00.002-05:00

I just got home several hours ago from a 24 hour retreat with my Small group. We went away to study our spiritual gifts!! What a great day!!!

I had a 2 way tie for my top gifts - giving and hospitality. In second place, I had another 2 way tie - faith and intercession! I would have thought that leadership would have been at the top but my idea of leadership sure wasn't the same as what was in our study book. lol

I would surely like to operate in all the gifts. We did find out from one of our girls who had completed her gift list about 6 years ago that your gifts can shift. Hopefully as we mature, we can gain some of the gifts. I know I want more!!

Gottcha!!

2008-10-21T22:22:00.002-05:00

You thought you were going to read something interesting? lol

Naw, just thought I would stop by and see my own blog which has been woefully ignored lately.

Let's see.....

I am behind in my online photography class but I hope to catch up this week.
I had my last day crop as a Creative Memories consultant last weekend.
I am going to go and crop with my friend Ruby at a Croptoberfest in DeSoto this coming weekend.
In about 2 and a half weeks, I will be leading a scrapbooking retreat in Collinsville.
My friend Marie could use your prayers as she continutes to wage her battle with cancer.
My friend Renna is going through Chemo so she could use your prayers as well.
My new friend Ryan who wants to go to New Guinea as a missionary needs all the prayers he can get for sponsorship and one time donations!
Fall is on the way. I love Fall, it's my favorite time of the year.
We have 2 bdays in this house tomorrow! Wooo Hoo!!

I think that's it for now!

See ya! God Bless you!!

WOW!!

2008-08-17T20:46:00.003-05:00

Can you believe it's been April since I have been here?

Hmm...what's been going on with me lately?

Oh....I am so enjoying the Beth Moore "Breaking Free" bible study I am doing this summer! This week we are studying about God's unfailing love. Unfailing love. Unfailing LOVE. Even though our friends, our spouses, our parents, our children fail us, God will never stop loving us. He will discipline us but he will not stop loving us. I have been smiling since I started reading the lesson. I am not the type of person who feels like it is hard for someone or God to love me because I have never suffered from lack of self esteem! Many people, however, just don't have a good picture of themselves. Even without the good picture, God still loves them for who they are NOW. We don't have to be better or try harder (although we should always strive to grow) but God loves us anyway NOW. He sent his son for us....his son who was so bruised and battered at the cross that he didn't look human anymore. Jesus covered all our sins with blood. With love. There's that smile again!!

I am so reaching for more of the Potter and and hoping to learn more about being Clay - about being mold able and flexible and understanding the loving hands of the Potter.

I am still praying for my friend Marie that she continue to receive healing. Her doctors discovered another tumor but Marie is in good spirits. My smart friend Jeannie once said that "cancer is a win-win situation for Christians". Either you stay here and live or you go home and really begin to live. Sounds like a win-win to me!! Marie told me that she has witnessed to others because of the cancer. What a blessing in disguise.

One of my other friends, Renna is going to talk to an oncologist this week. Her doctor believes that she has breast cancer. Renna is a mighty woman of God - she is lucky to have friends and family lifting her up in prayer! I hope to talk with her this week!

That's it for now! God bless you!!

A New Small Group!!!

2008-04-10T14:53:00.004-05:00

To continue my story a little bit we have to catch up with where I am now.

After my pastor died in the small church that I attended in Corinth, I moved back to my previous church. I didn't want to go back, I felt like I would be going back to Egypt. The Holy Spirit continued to guide me back there and so I went. I renewed old friendships, I renewed a friendship with someone who became my downline for my Creative Memories business, I got closer to my Pastor and his wife than ever before but I still felt like it was only for a season.

In the meantime, my oldest daughter had started visiting a church near where we live. She asked me to visit with her. I really liked it - its a non traditional Southern Baptist church but it's HUGE and almost everybody there is college age! Matt, the pastor, said that if you are over 30 then we have prayed for you to come! lol

So since I was going to my former church by myself and really felt like I needed a family connection, I started regularly visiting with my daugther but looking backward - like Lot's wife. I was comparing this new church to my previous churchs. I felt like the current church isn't spiritual enough, the music wasn't what I liked, there are too many people, etc. Why do we look back? Why do we look back at things in our lives that cannot be changed. The death of my pastor really threw me into a tailspin. I had a million questions. Why would God give him a ministry and then take him from us before that ministry was built up? Why didn't our former church help him get him ministry started? Why did God make him struggle so hard? Why do we look back and use that lense for what we did like and then compare it to what we don't like? You know what - if I don't know the answers now, I won't ever know them. Who am I to question God? I have to keep moving forward because like Lot's wife, looking behind only leads to pain and death.

At this new church, I was still unhappy for about two years. Since we are so big, we only have the same service over and over during the weekend to get 5000 people through the campus on weekends. There are no midweek services. To connect with each other, the church wants you to join a small group before taking a membership class to make sure that everybody is on the same sheet of music. Where is joining a small group biblical? I like to throw out the biblical part when I don't agree with things!! I didn't know anybody - because I didn't volunteer for anything. The only people I met were all my daughter's age and as much as I would like to be 20 again....that just wasn't working for me. Oh poor me!! Do you want some Whine with that Cheese?

So, the pastor's daughter in law from my previous church invited me to a stamping party at my former church. I went and at the end of the party, the consultant asked me if I went all the way down there to church (because she lives near me) and I said no, I go to church in the town of Highland Village. She said she did too. I can only believe that was God's way of sending a rep from my current church to me at my former church to ensure that I knew I was in the right place! Thank you Lord for that!

I don't know what has keep me from joining a small group. I didn't feel led to join any specific group. I didn't want to get to know more people, I felt like I had enough friends in my life. But when I got right down to it, I didn't have contact with people in a real setting. All my friends seem to be online. I am not living my life with any other Godly women in real time. I finally decided that I was missing that in my life. Maybe a small group would be the perfect thing for me! It was time to start moving forward again.

I went online and found a group and shot off an email and got a response the same night. So off I went on Tuesday to my new group. They are ladies in all stages of life 35+ and I had an awesome time. They all know each other already so I just have to jump in and get involved in the things that they do together outside of the small group - like cooking classes, Ranger games, weddings, etc.

I really don't have friends that call me up for movies or shopping. I have lots of scrapbooking friends but we don't hang out together outside of scrapbooking. I need people to live my life with. I think real life can't be replaced and should not be replaced by online life. I haven't had a best friend since high school. I need in person friends. This is going to be so awesome! Ladies to pray with, to grow with and to walk through life with. I only hope that they like me as much as I liked them. We filled out prayer cards on Tuesday so a brand new person is praying for me that I didn't know before Tuesday. I am lifting up someone else in prayer that I didn't know before!

Isn't God awesome? I think he is all the time!!

Please keep praying for my friends Marie and Tracey. Keep praying for Wendy (Stacey's Mom who is battling cancer). The Coppell Relay is coming up, they are on my heart everyday!!

Prayer

2008-03-31T20:18:00.002-05:00

Many people who know me, know I love intercessory prayer. Especially for people with health issues. I especially seem drawn to cancer and there has been a big impact in my life through several people with cancer - some I did know and some I will have to wait to get to heaven to meet!

How did the story start? Well, one day on a planet far away...whoops...wrong story!! lol

When I first moved to Texas in 1990, I had been out of church since I was 19. I grew up in several Southern Baptist churchs and at the age of 19, I moved out of my parents home and in with a roommate. A roommate that didn't go to church and lived for clubbing. I tried to stay in church but I remember sitting in church yawning one Sunday thinking to myself that it was stupid to get up for church and not be living the Christian life. So, I dropped out. The pull of a sinful life was way more strong for me than to live a Godly life. So from the age of 19 to 31, I lived a sinful life. Drinking, sex, drugs, cursing, etc, I did them all. Around the age of 26 or 27, I quit dating and decided that I was happier without men! I quit clubbing, drugs, sex and became a homebody. I also struggled with depression - which is a generational curse in my family that had plagued me since I was a teenager. for years, I wanted to go back to church but just never found the courage to go again. Not by myself!! At the age of 30, I felt like I needed to move away or die. I contacted the old roommate in Texas and she knew of a job opening. So I applied, ran off to Europe for a three week trip, came back and gave my notice and was out here 5 weeks after applying! The first weekend guess where I went? To church with my old roommate!! She took me to her Church of God (Pentecostal) and I really didn't like it at first. There is just no sitting on the pew in a Church of God. You have to become involved and actively worship! To my surprise, I really loved the Pentecostal way.

We moved from that side of the city and then joined an Assembly of God. During my years back in Church, I told God that one day I would like to lay hands on people for healing. After an awesome ladies retreat at Oral Roberts University, where I was slain in the spirit for the first time, I went to church on Sunday of the same weekend and we had a spirit filled service. The holy spirit told me to go down front and be annointed by one of our ministers. I walked right down to the alter and asked our minister during the alter call to annoint me. I wasn't sure what I was being annointed for but I knew I needed to be obedient. So I went and I was annointed.

I left that church to join a pastor previously from that church, in his new ministry. One night during alter call, a man who was a preacher from Canada prophesied over me that I would have a healing ministry. People would ask who I was and others would answer that I was sent by God to heal. I still get goose bumps to this day when I think of that phophesy! The Holy Spirit much later revealed to me that the healing ministry was what I was annointed for when I answered the alter call at my previous church.

I thought it was going to be a church ministry where I work under the leadership of a minister. My former minister had just started asking me to pray over people at the alter when he died of a sudden heart attack one Saturday years ago. I often wonder if he could have been saved if I had been reached the day he had his heart attack but we KNOW he is in a better place.

My ministry seems to be to help friends in need of prayer. Many, many times I have been woken at 3:00 AM to pray for friends, relatives of friends and my own parents. I have often wondered why it's at 3:00 AM but that seems to be the time the soul is at it's lowest, according to research, so I think its a great time for the Holy Spirit to give me those people that I need to pray for. I just have to let the spirit guide me for the prayers. I don't know who it is that I need to pray for or what I need to pray for until the spirit gives me the names and needs. I do know that I believe each time I pray for someone that they will be healed. Each time. There is no begging. There is only the asking for healing and just then thanking God for for the healing! Just believe when you pray. Cancer isn't a big thing for God. God is still in the healing business. There are way too many stories of people still being healed and set free for the stories not to be true!

Why tell my story today? A sweet friend, who I hope to get to know much better, was told by her Doctor today that she might have bladder cancer! She MIGHT have cancer. I think whatever the lump is, it can go away between today and the biopsy that she needs. I would love to hear her tell me that the doctors were standing around scratching their heads or that they knew it was cancer and that now it's gone! Thank you Jesus!

That's it for today. My friend Tracy could use your prayers right about now. It's been a tough day for her. Let's lift her up in prayer. God knew Tracy when she was in her mother's womb. God knows how many hairs she has on her head. God ALWAYS answers our prayers. Always.

Have a ROWDY good day!!

It's me Again!!

2008-03-11T14:39:00.002-05:00

I am back to fasting again!

This time it's soda's and chocolate! This will be very hard for me but I believe it will be great for me and my friend Marie.

Marie, who has been diagnosed with inoperable liver cancer has been feeling great! She contacted me yesterday and said that she isn't feeling good and in pain. She goes to the doctor this week to see what is going on! She did say today that she is feeling better - she should be after prayer for her last night!

I decided that everytime I think of cokes or chocolate this week, I will pray for Marie! There might be thousands of prayers said just this week for Marie.

Keep her in your prayers, God knows who she is!

Just Catching Up!!

2008-02-19T16:42:00.002-06:00

Hey there!!

Let's see...where do I start?

Work is going well. I am still learning new things everyday!!
Scrapbooking happens occasionally.
I have been invited to a Close to my Heart stamping party by my friend Sherry.
I am going on a retreat hosted by my friend Saucy weekend after next.
I have decided to go back to Bama for our family reunion this year and am flying in for that! I love to fly!

I am a committee member for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life in Coppell, TX this year. So far, I have raised $150 as an individual. Last year I raised over a thousand! I would like to top last year!

My link, if you should feel inclined to donate is http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RelayForLifeHighPlainsDivision?px=4332724&pg=personal&fr_id=6034. Just leave me a message if that doesn't work! Cancer is just a devastating problem in our society. When people are affected by cancer, everybody wants a cure. The American Cancer Society needs money to find a cure. It's that simple. This will be my 8th Relay!! I am getting so excited!!

Did I miss anything?

See Ya!!

Where does the time go?

2008-01-18T15:56:00.000-06:00

Wow - it's been a while since I updated my blog!! Here I am!!

My 30 day fast went without any accidental chocolate!! I did have a cookie that was questionable as to whether it was white choco or brickle and I bit into it spit it right back out! I wasn't going to take any chances!! I did get to have lunch with Marie while I was fasting for her! She looked amazing!! She is feeling well, she said that she can eat practically anything and almost all her symptoms are gone!! I believe she has been healed!! Wooo Hooo!!

Margaret - my former pastor's wife - who was my first fast of Scrapfreak and chocolate is doing great!! The doctors tested her blood and found no cancer. She had a stem cell transplant because the doctors believed that it was the best way from keeping her cancer from ever returning. Her good blood cell count never bottomed out to zero and during her second day after the transplant, she had an AMAZING amount of good cells. The people at the hospital told her a count that high had never happened before - she said that it was what people had been praying for!! She did so well, they let her go home in 2 days instead of 5 and she was at church and sang with Weldon from the pulpit within a day or two!! Our God is an Awesome God!!

That's all for me - just great news!!! Woooo Hooo!!

Back to Fasting!!

2007-12-04T17:46:00.000-06:00

I have a work friend, Marie, who has been diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer. While telling someone else about my fasting for my former pastor's wife Margaret, it occurred to me that I should fast for Marie as well.

Margaret, by the way, during her last blood test, was pronounced cancer free!!! Wooo Hooooo!! She will wait until after the Christmas holidays and then have a stem cell transplant to ensure (the doctors say) that the cancer won't come back! I believe that she was healed in the name of Jesus!

So for Marie, I am trying a bigger fast. Marie and I aren't really friends outside of work so I am not sure what her prayer network looks like. She told me in an email the other day that she believes that several miracles have taken place already!! I am glad that she believes in miracles and all it takes for her to be healed is one person who prays and believes! I have already prayed it and I believe that she is healed in the name of Jesus! I prayed specifically for healing and that she get her strength back quickly. She remarked in an email that she believes that 85% of her strength is back and almost all her symptoms are gone! Woooo Hoooo!!

My bigger fast will includes prayers of thanks and no chocolate for a month - through the whole Christmas season!! This is day two and I am trying not to have any accidental chocolate!

So when you read my post, will you add your prayers to mine? Pray that Marie be healed, believe she is healed (it's so simple) and then thank our gracious God that she is healed!!

Thanks so much and if I don't get back here again before Christmas, God Bless You All!!

Merry Christmas!!

A Weekend at the Beach!!

2007-11-19T14:00:00.000-06:00

In the first pic, that is the state pier still in pieces. The beach is deserted too! There should be some houses or high rise condo's there!

In the second pic, I got a great pic with my Rebel of some shells left on a fence bordering a walkway down to the beach!!

The third pic shows my Dad and Judy, me and George.

The forth pic is a shot of the awesome clouds and sun there on Saturday afternoon. Look how small the people are on the beach!!

We left Dallas to head for Gulf Shores, AL early Nov 9. We knew the trip would take at least 12 hours and the time seemed to really just fly by (except for the part between Hattisburg and Mobile) and then we were there!! Wooo Hooo!!

George and I had not been to Gulf Shores in 6 to 7 years. I don't know why it took us so long to go back but I just got an urge to see a beach a few months ago and nothing here in Texas is even worth the drive so we headed to the Redneck Riveria, aka Gulf Shores, Al.

Hurricane Ivan hit Gulf Shores dead center a few years ago and it's amazing to see all the trees that were killed still standing, all the blank spots where the houses and buildings used to stand and I think the greatest toll for me was to see the former state pier in pieces. The state pier was 825 ft long and went way out into the Gulf of Mexico and there used to be a big parking lot near the pier and the state convention center used to be right new door. That convention center was an eye sore anyway but I still missed seeing it. When we drove down East Beach looking for the turn in to the pier, it wasn't even there anymore. I wonder if the sand that goes across the road was put there intentionally or if it's still there from the hurricane? I suppose the state doesn't want people on the road near the pier or there would be lots of people just looking - I know I would have gone if I could get down there!

The devastation made your heart hurt but it was good to see that buildings were going up again!! We met my Dad and step-mom there Friday night and we ate at Mikee's seafood. What a rip-off! I suppose they can do a good business from all the tourists who see them now from Highway 59 but the food was absolutely bland. My step-mom mentioned it to the waitress and she just blew us off. No more Mikee's for us!

Saturday, George spent the day on the beach fishing and Dad, Judy and I drove around looking for old places we had visited over the years. We rode around in Orange Beach, we drove down the intra coastal waterway and we found the new shortcut to get to the beach from Foley! I don't think I will ever use the short cut, I like looking at everything that SHOULD still be there too much!! Oh, Judy and I found a Christmas on the Gulf sale put on by the local Junior League at the convention center and had to take some time for shopping! I sure got a few Christmas gift and Judy got some things too and Dad napped in the big red truck while we shopped!

Dad and Judy left around lunch time on Sunday so George went and picked up some Hooters Wings and we ate them out on the balcony at the condo, then went down to what we call the cut at Big Lagoon and walked on the beach, then went back to the condo to watch the Cowboys!

George watched the Cowboys and I took a well deserved nap! Then George went fishing at the seawall down on Perdido Key and I went along for the ride! Boy was it cool outside! Actually, nobody was catching anything so we only stayed a few hours!

Then it was back to the condo to catch a few Z's and we drove home on Monday!! We did stop in Vicksburg at the Ameristar and the biggest thing I hit was a thousand nickles on a video poker machine!! Now that was a long trip home!! We left GS at 7:30 and got home close to midnight!!

As soon as we got home, we started talking about early retirement and life at the Gulf, somewhere on the water. I figure we can do it in 10 years if we plan well!! We shall see!!

Freak of the Week!!

2007-11-04T14:26:00.001-06:00

I made Freak of the Week over at Scrapfreak!!

Wooo Hoooo!!

I get to keep my blinkie for a week but it's forever preserved over here!!

Monday is Weigh In

2007-10-29T05:32:00.000-05:00

Today, I am back!! Woo Hoo!!

I found this cute little ticker over at Scrapfreak on Julie's siggy!!

I am almost through a 5th of my weight loss goal!!

Woo Hoo!!

No luck this week!!

2007-10-24T11:46:00.000-05:00

My Tiny cat died on October 19 and because hubs was out of town, I had to handle the burial. Luckily, my oldest DD helped me. It was awful!! It's not something I ever want to go through again!!

So, there is still lots of sadness here because we lost our sweet cat that lived with us for 12 years. Last night, I changed the water for my beta fish, Tie Dye, and he died within 30 minutes of me changing the water. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
I got Tie Dye for a Mother's Day gift and he was so cute!! He would just dance everytime you walked into the kitchen and he saw you!! I always have used bottled water for him but I cleaned his container with tap water...I hope that is not what killed him. He defintely freaked out everytime I cleaned his water...maybe it was his heart!

I need a vacation!!

No more pets?

2007-10-18T11:32:00.000-05:00

That's what George says everytime we talk about getting another cat or dog!! I keep telling him "so that's what YOU say"!!

That's always been funny up until today!!

Today, we are watching our beautiful Tiny cat die slowly. Several weeks ago he stopped eating and went anorexic on us. The vet said that he has lipidosis...it happens when a cat stops eating and their fatty acids build up in their liver. The prognosis wasn't good. He stayed at the vet for a day or two and they force fed him and hydrated him and he came home. The vet doesn't know why he stopped eating. Tiny has always been our cat with emotional problems...pulling his hair out, pooping and not covering and marking his territory when we had a female cat because he hated her - although he was fixed!!

When he came home, we were expected to force feed him. That didn't work well from the get go!! I thought after a few tries at force feeding that we should let him go!!

So today, we are on a death watch. His paws and his ears are cold and his second eye covers half of his eyes. I wanted him to die at home so we could bury him in the back yard but I may not be able to wait that long.

So I decided that if he is still alive tomorrow morning when the vet opens, I will take him and have him put out of his misery!! The vet can send him to Tooth Acres and they will cremate him and spread his ashes on the grounds. He would join Topper, the female we had to put to sleep last year with FL.

Blech!! Not sure I ever want another pet at this point! Two cats down, one to go!!

Pray for me!

Up and Going

2007-10-03T16:24:00.001-05:00

Hey there! Just wanted to stop by and talk about the new life change. Two weeks into the new life strategy and I have lost a little over 5 pounds!!

Who knew I had so much will power?

I am not sure what finally clicked this time but I keep thinking that since I am 48 now and they say that losing weight gets harder as you are older, I should start now!

So, for the last two weeks, I have been analyzing EVERTHING that goes into my mouth! I have even been looking up the calories on food to see what would be a better choice....unfortunately some of them have been whether a cheeseburger or a Filet O Fish would have more calories! So....I am not going to turn into one of those all natural, low fat, no fat, no taste types of people!

I would rather eat smaller portions of what I want versus food that doesn't taste good! That is my story and I am sticking to it!

I guess the hardest part is the lack of soda and Chocolate. I love Chocolate...with soda! So far, I have been able to get by with small sips of the soda (I love the carbonation) and miniture chocolate bars. All things in moderation they say!

So, onward and upward!! I still have lots of weight to lose! See ya!!

Rowdy

Another Great Blonde Joke!

2007-09-27T10:34:00.001-05:00

I used to be blonde when I was really little!! Glad I grew out of it!!

A blonde calls her boyfriend and says, "Please come over here and help me. I have a killer jigsaw puzzle, and I can't figure how to get it started." Her boyfriend asks, "What is it supposed to be when it's fininshed? The blonde says, According to the picture on the box, it's a tiger." Her boyfriend decides to go over and help her with the puzzle. She lets him in and shows him where she has the puzzle spread all over the table. He studies the pieces for a moment, then looks at the box, turns to her and says, "First of all, no matter what we do, we're not going to be able to assemble these pieces into anything resembling a tiger." Then he takes her hand and says, "Second, I want you to relax. Let's have a nice cup of tea, and then..." He sighed........."Let's put all the Frosted Flakes back into the box."

Good One!!!

Food

2007-09-19T14:30:00.001-05:00

Here's what I am thinking about food and eating less -

1). Once you start to cut back, you are immediately HUNGRY.
2). I must have been eating way over 2500 calories a day before I got started cutting back this week!!
3). I don't like diet foods. What works for me is to eat what I like, but in smaller portions!
4). I just think when people have these great recipes that have all low fat or no fat, I would rather not have it. I am just not interested! Then I think it must not be me, their taste buds are just crazy!!
5). I guess what probably got me into this shape to begin with (besides my German heritage) is my love for sodas! I read a report today that liquid calories are not handled the same as hard calories. So you eat a burger that has 400 calories and drink a big soda with 400 calories. Your brain will tell you when you have had enough of the burger but you don't get the signal for those liquid calories! Grrrrrrr!!
6). I love fried foods - I didn't know I was eating so much fat although I don't have a problem with my cholesterol! That is part of my German heritage! I heard a joke once that said that there is only one page in a German cookbook and it says FRY EVERYTHING!! I love everything fried...except maybe twinkies! Fried is what I grew up with!
7). I have always admired people like weight lifters and body builders thinking (and I am wrong) that they could eat anything they want. Look at them closely and I think we would find that they eat healthy and like lots of supplements. So...I do need more exercise so possibly I could boost those food cravings with food! Good food!
8). Am I going to have to be this vigilent for the rest of the "lifestyle change" to get where I want? Yes
9). Am I going to have to be this vigilent once I reach a goal weight? Yes...for the rest of my life!
10). I suppose there will be days that I don't want to work the new lifestyle, like today when I feel like I am starving, but I will have to GUT IT OUT so I can stay on track!!

Food - I hope to put it somewhere in the background within the next few days so there won't be such a loud clamor going on all the time!

See ya!! Pray for me!! I covet your prayers!!

Rowdy!!

Losing Weight

2007-09-18T09:29:00.000-05:00

I need to lose weight!

I casually mentioned yesterday at Scrapfreak that I was going to look at WW for online weight loss and Julie (thank you so much) directed me to http://www.sparkpeople.com/ I checked it out yesterday...well practically all day yesterday and I joined up.

By this morning, I had added 4 girls from Scrapfreak to my friends page!! How nice is that to have friends who are trying to lose weight at the same time? Well, 2 out of 4 of them are preggers so they aren't trying right at the moment but I bet they will be back in no time!

What's nice about Spark is that when I entered my weight and height, it gave me my estimated BMI and then told me I was obese! What a thing to say to someone that you have just met! Really!! lol

Anyhoo, I needed the kick in the bo bo because I am just getting fatter and fatter so yesterday I decided to do something about it!

So, when I eat something, I enter it into my nutrition page and it plots the calories for me! According to what I weigh now, Spark decided what I needed to eat to lose weight and how many calories a day I should have. The first 2 weeks are the break in period. What's even nicer is you can search foods and find what you should eat depending on how many calories you have left. Almost like the first time I did WW but FREE!! FREE is better!!

So, off I go!! I want to lose my spare tire and my 3 tiered chin!! Wish me luck!!

Rowdy

Another Blog Challenge from Scrapfreak

2007-09-17T21:40:00.000-05:00

This looks like fun!!

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: Tiny Avalanche
2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: Moolenium Crunch Oatmeal Raisin
3. YOUR "FLY Guy/Girl" NAME: JMAR
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: Red Leopard
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: Corbin Munich
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: Marjo
7. SUPERHERO NAME: The Purple Mountain Dew
8. NASCAR NAME: William Joseph
9. STRIPPER NAME: Happy to be Baby Ruth
10. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: Red Amalie

Oh my goodness!! How fun is that?

Rowdy

Day 7 of Fasting!

2007-09-12T20:32:00.000-05:00

I had no accidental chocolate and I stayed off of Scrapfreak!!!

Wooo Hooo!!

I am so glad I got the news from the church about the fasting. I think fasting just changes you for the better. I may have actually got a bigger blessing out of fasting than Margaret did.

Of course I was supposed to do it in secret but I told everybody for a reason! I wanted people everywhere to pray for Margaret and lots of people told me that they would! I hope to talk to her soon and to get to see her by the end of this month!!

What a great week!! Keep looking up - that's where your deliverance comes from!!

Jo Anne

Day 6 of Fasting!!

2007-09-11T08:38:00.000-05:00

Lots of prayer yesterday and no Scrapfreak or accidental chocolate yesterday!!!

I did instant message Monica and Amy today and Shannon emailed me so I was a little less cut off today!! Although, those M&M's in the kitchen called to me all day! I finally put them into the pantry this morning!

So, I get to get back on Scrapfreak tomorrow and get to eat some chocolate Friday. Since I accidentally ate chocolate two different days, I decided to extend the chocolate fast to Friday! It's just the right thing to do!!

I was just thinking the other day that I really don't hear too much outside of the Pentecostal and spirit filled non denominational churches, about fasting. The Bible really has lots of references to fasting that are exceptional! My favorite example is when some of the disciples try to heal a boy with epilepsy and Jesus heals him and then tells the disciples privately that this healing could only occur with prayer and fasting!

So, if we gorge ourselves with food, TV, the internet, games and other things and are called suddenly into a prayer session, how much power is lost if we are not ready? That is something to think about! Jesus apparently was fasting and the disciples were not at the time the healing should have occured. They weren't ready - how many times will we miss opportunities because we aren't ready? It's something to think about!

Have a blessed day.

Jo Anne

Days 3, 4 and 5 of fasting!!

2007-09-10T08:37:00.003-05:00

Well, the Scrapfreak addicition is still here and the chocolate addiction was accidentally fed again this weekend at a scrapbooking retreat!! I had poured out some semi sweet chocolate chips for someone and just happened to put a few of them in my mouth on the way to her table!

So, I have been thinking that I am getting some real blessings from the fasting although the whole thing is SUPPOSED to be about Margaret!! I was driving through Sanger to get to my retreat and there was a sign across the road advertising "Sanger Celebration" and I read "Savior Celebration". How funny!! Just small things like the girl helping me pack all the cold stuff for my retreat in the cold bags I was purchasing at the time instead of me having to do it in 80 something weather in the parking lot! Or my truck being packed up before I even realized I was done! I just feel blessed and I pray that Margaret is feeling healed!

See ya!

Rowdy

Day 2 of Prayer and Fasting!!

2007-09-06T20:12:00.000-05:00

It's day two of prayer and fasting and I have been praying for Margaret like the crazy Pentecostal woman I am. I bet I woke up at least 10 times last night with prayer on my lips for Margaret!!

I had no accidental chocolate today and haven't been on Scrapfreak! I really hit the jackpot with fasting these two items. I knew I was addicted to Scrapfreak - that's a given but who knew that I thought about chocolate every 10 seconds??? (inside joke for some of my scrappin girls). Fasting could only have been worse if I had given up real food and soda! I had a friend once who fasted over three weeks (I am not sure of when it ended) with no food. She drank milk and juices only!! Ginger was just awesome in her commitment to fasting and she fasted frequently.

I already believe that Margaret was healed the first time I asked for her to be healed. My prayers are just thanks to the Great God that we serve for the grace and mercy that we SWIM in everyday!! Thanks be to God that our words can call forth healing and blessings! Thanks be to God that Jesus left the authority behind with each one of us to lay hands on each other for healing. Thanks be to God that our hands don't have to touch someone physically and they can still recieve their healing if we only believe when we pray!

Thanks be to God that fasting really allows you to bring your body under authority!

Thanks be to God!

Rowdy

Snow in the Mountains!!

2007-09-05T14:07:00.001-05:00

I love looking at the Webcam in my Aunt Ella's hometown. Looks like today it snowed in the higher elevations. I so want to go when it looks like this!! I think the temp was in the low 50's!!

Enjoy!!

Rowdy

Day 1 of Prayer and Fasting

2007-09-05T13:56:00.000-05:00

My former Pastor's wife Margaret is battling multiple myeloma and the church has called for prayer and fasting so here I am. I decided to give up Scrapfreak and chocolate for a week. When I told my DD what I was giving up, she understood how hard it would be for me! She decided that she would fast on the chocolate too but changed her mind to ice cream today!!

So, while I am sitting here typing this, my youngest DD hands me a cookie right out of the oven and I just ate it...it had chocolate in it!! Grrrr!!! How does that happen?

So, before I had the outlaw chocolate cookie, the need for Scrapfreak was way ahead of the chocolate. It still is. It's nice to go online and chat with friends and look at cards or layouts and just have a good time. But Margaret is so worth every second for a week of not getting online or eating chocolate.

I checked on Margaret through my former church's secretary and she said that despite some horrible things going wrong during a gel infusion on her spine, she is doing well. In fact, Margaret's daughter Tammy had surgery yesterday and today Margaret is at the hospital with her. My former Pastor Weldon, hurt himself by stepping in the elevator the wrong way at the hospital (he uses a cane after a bad ankle break years ago) and has had to start rehab again!

I would say the whole family needs prayer and fasting. On top of the obvious, the insurance doesn't pay for everything because Margaret had not had her insurance long enough! The church is planning some fundraising which I hope to be part of since that is something I do well!!

Here is my confession and I am sticking with it - the devil won't win this one.

Rowdy

Another Great Joke!!

2007-08-26T16:35:00.000-05:00

I got this funny joke from my Dad!!

Ralph and Edna were both patients in a mental hospital. One day while they were walking past the hospital swimming pool, Ralph suddenly jumped into the deep end. He sank to the bottom of the pool and stayed there. Edna promptly jumped in to save him. She swam to the bottom and pulled him out. When the Head Nurse became aware of Edna's heroic act she immediately ordered her to be discharged from the hospital, as she now considered her to be mentally stable. When she went to tell Edna the news she said, "Edna, I have good news and bad news. The good news is you're being discharged, since you were able to rationally respond to a crisis by jumping in and saving the life of the person you love. I have concluded that your act displays sound-mindedness. The bad news is, Ralph hung himself in the bathroom with his bathrobe belt right after you saved him. I am so sorry, but he's dead." Edna replied, "He didn't hang himself, I put him there to dry. How soon can I go home?"

Oh my goodness! How funny!!!

Great Blonde Joke

2007-08-19T14:59:00.000-05:00

I got this cute Blonde joke from my friend Linda!! How funny!!

A blonde woman was having financial troubles so she decided to kidnap a child and demand a ransom. She went to a local park, grabbed a little boy, took him behind a tree and wrote a note. "I have kidnapped your child. I am sorry to do this but I need the money. Leave $10,000 in a plain brown bag behind the big oak tree in the park at 7 AM." Signed, "The Blonde." She pinned the note inside the l ittle boy's jacket and told him to go straight home. The next morning, she returned to the park to find the $10,000 in a brown bag behind the big oak tree, just as she had instructed. Inside the bag with the cash was the following note. "Here is your money. I cannot believe that one blonde would do this to another."

8/10 Blog Challenge

2007-08-15T20:44:00.000-05:00

This week, at Scrapfreak, we have been challenged to List the letters A-Z and use adjectives or phrases to describe yourself. So, here goes nothing!

A - Aggressive
B - Bossy
C- Colorful
D - Dangerous
E - Extreme
F - Freaky
G - Gregarious
H - Happy
I - Interesting
J - Joyful
K - Kisser
L - Loves her Daddy
M -Maniac
N - Nosey
O - Oprah lover
P - Prayerful
Q - Quiet (when sleeping)
R - Rowdy
S - Sentimental
T - Talkative
U - Unusual
V - Visual
W - Wacky
X - Xperimental
Y - Young
Z - Zealous

Okay...I tried really hard on the X but couldn't find anything! This wasn't was easy as I thought it would be! Happy reading!!

8/3 Blog Challenge

2007-08-03T15:41:00.000-05:00

Scrapfreak Blog Challenge - I am supposed to write about 1o moments in the hour (8/3 15:48)

1). I spend way too much time on Scrapfreak!
2). Do you think that work knows I spend way too much time on Scrapfreak?
3). What kind of paper do I REALLY want to use for this birthday card that I am about to
create?
4). Is there any chocolate in the kitchen?
5). Can I take a break from work now?
6). I want to work from some other room that doesn't have a litter box! Think my bedroom
would work?
7). Am I going to be responsible for dinner again?
8). Did I ever know that my kids sat on the couch and love seat and watched TV all the live
long day?
9). Wonder if I will get a severance package at work?
10). Wonder if I will be as HAPPY as I think I would be if I get a package at work?

OMG!! I sound like I am having some blonde moments!! LOL!! This was fun!!

Blog Challenge

2007-07-30T20:11:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday to my Aunt Ella who would have been 73 today!! I have written as much as I feel I have to write about Aunt Ella at this time so I will just say I love you Aunt Ella and move on!

Over at Scrapfreak, they challenged us to answer the following questions so here goes -

Name 5 favorite television shows I Love Lucy, Miami Vice, Le Femme Nikita, Gilligan's Island and The Addams Family.

Name 4 favorite memories - Taking my nephew Art fishing in Gulf Shores and he actually caught a bag and a crab (he was only about 7 or 8), my whole first trip to Germany (when I was 2 and a half) with my Mom where I actually remember playing Lego's with my cousins and walking in the woods near their house, saltwater fishing in Gulf Shores with my Dad and seeing Gatlinburg, TN for the first time with my Dad and Step mom.

Name 3 things you want to do before you die - Swim with dolphins in Florida, go to a Green Bay Packers game in the driving snow and wear cheese on my head while Brett Favre is still playing and see Germany one last time.

Give 2 names that you would use NOW if you were going to have a new addition to the family. That's simple - Heidi Elizabeth. Heidi was always my fav story growing up and Elizabeth is a family name.

Name the one thing that you're working on now to improve your life - I really need to read my Bible more!!

That's it for me! That was fun!! I can tell I am missing my family back in Bama. Mostly they seem to be included in all of my favorite memories!

More Memories

2007-07-19T19:29:00.000-05:00

Three Peas in a Pod

Aunt Ella, Mom and me (Rowdy)

Last night I ended the post on a sort of sad note. This morning, I was so excited to be blogging, I got up at 3:30 AM to blog and really just talked myself out of it!

So while I was waiting for a meeting to start this morning, I wrote down some really funny experiences to share about my Aunt Ella. Yes, the realization is there that I won't get to see her again this side of heaven but getting to share her stories made me feel good!! So lets get this party started!

Shopping - My Aunt Ella was a shopping machine!! Even when she didn't feel good (she had COPD for probably the last 10 to 15 years of her life) she would just shop until she couldn't shop any more! Oberammergau is about an hour and a half outside of Munich by train and we always tried to get at least one train ride in during my visit. On one visit, my Aunt Ella, Mom, my sister Dixie and I had hit the Marienplatz to shop. Mom and Aunt Ella went into the first few stores with us but we were slowing them down so they went on ahead of us. Now bear in mind, we didn't make any plans to meet up later and I didn't remember the time the last train left for Oberammergau but I was not worried. If we didn't hook up with them during shopping, we would just make our way back to the train station and meet them back in Oberammergau if we had too! Or if we missed the train, we could stay in the city for a night. My Mom would have freaked out but I wasn't worried. My sister was going into all the shoe stores looking for Birkenstocks and was taking forever. Personally, I don't think UGLY shoe shopping should take that long. A very nice German lady told my sister that they didn't have any small sizes because they think those shoes should be for people with foot problems. I busted out laughing - she is so right but for years it was all the rage here. So, when it came time to find Aunt Ella and Mom, I suggested that we do a grid search. We each took a side of the street and walked very slowly looking at each other hoping to spot Aunt Ella and Mom. We found them. Then we lost them again and we got to grid search again. My sister and I noticed one thing while searching - everybody on that street that was in their 60's looked the same - grey hair and no makeup. Then we noticed in the stores that everything that year was black with 30 different shades of grey so Aunt Ella and Mom were really quite fashionable! I was in my standard American uniform - jeans and tennis shoes. My sister Dixie stuck out like a sore thumb - she had on light colored pants and a YELLOW sleeveless fleece jacket. I could have seen her for a mile.

Once, when Aunt Ella, Mom, Uncle Karl and I went up for the day, we went to this awesome cafeteria in some really nice department store. Who knew department stores had places like this? When we got there, it was very nice. When we sat down, things started to go horribly wrong. There was this whole bunch of older people there in their 60's and 70's eating and they all looked like they were wearing clothes that were 40 years out of style. Some of them talked to themselves, some argued with each other, some smelled like alcohol and I was starting to get a little nervous. Not my Aunt and my Mom! The longer we sat there, the longer I felt like something horrible was going to happen! I could not have blasted my group out of there with a bomb!! They settled in for the show! I still to this day do not know if it ways a program for local seniors where they dropped them off for lunch, if the local asylum closed or if they were all actors trying to get us all into the act - maybe it was the German version of Candid Camera!! What an experience! Germans are watchers...I know that myself because my head will swivel 360 degrees to watch something interesting. It's even better to watch with another German and to comment on everything going on!! I bet my Aunt Ella would have loved to sit in a mall all day long with my Mom and I watching people! I love it, I tell you!!

Food - My Aunt Ella was an awesome cook. Her stove in her kitchen was a wood burning stove. Some of the best meals I have ever eaten came off that stove. Of course, I liked everything that my Aunt Ella cooked because I grew up with an awesome German cook too! There were only three things I would not eat while there - spatzle, Weiss wurst and saurbraten. Every time I went to visit, I loved going to the local bakery for the local breakfast role which is semmel. To have those with real German butter in the morning, along with some great jelly (usually strawberry) and coffee (I want coffee every day while in Germany) in my Aunt Ella's kitchen was a treat for me! Bigtime treat. She cooked her largest meal at lunch and at night we had mostly sandwiches on rye bread. OMG. Liverwurst with butter on rye is to die for. Occasionally Aunt Ella would cook some sort of wurst, boil a potato, cut up some brie and serve with rye bread and I thought it was just wonderful. Aunt Ella always made 2 special things for me - I have the correct names written down but she cooked bread in a pot and poured homemade vanilla sauce over the bread and she made something I call pancake soup. She would fry something that was thinner than a pancake, cut it up into strips and then cook it in beef broth with a little maggi - a local flavoring, then she would add fresh chives from her garden if we were there in the summer. My mouth waters just to thing about it!

One thing I have never seen except in an Italian place in Oberammergau, is to go boxes. My German family always ate everything on their plate. I think it has something to do with they walked to the restaurant and then they walked home. They walked everywhere. They went to the grocery store everyday except on Sunday when the store was closed. We would lug all those groceries for half a mile to get back to my Aunt Ella's house. Anyway, there is an awesome place in Oberammergau called La Montenara. When we went in for the first time in 1985, there was an American couple who told us to ask for go boxes for our pizza - we were just astounded! On two separate occasions, when we were there the waiter asked me if I would like a go box for my spaghetti carbonara. My Aunt Ella was astounded the first time and I gave her the left overs for her lunch the next day and the second time it happened, my Aunt Ella expected to get my go box for her lunch again! How funny is that?

Shopping and Food were always fun with my Aunt Ella. Any time spent with her was good. We also loved going to local cafes where they served cakes, pies, coffee and tea only. My goodness! German desserts are so much better than American. They are not so sweet which makes them so much more enjoyable.

So I will stop here for tonite. Stay tuned for more fun with my Aunt Ella! Thanks for reading!

Rowdy girls RULE!

Just Remembering

2007-07-18T21:45:00.001-05:00

While trying to figure out where to go next with my blog, I kept circling around to my German Aunt Ella. I would like to remember my Aunt Ella tonite. My Aunt Ella lived in Oberammergau, Germany all her life. She passed away in April at 72 after a visit here to the United States.

Her 73rd birthday would have been at the end of this month and I suppose that is why I keep thinking about her. Aunt Ella was very special and was my Mom's only sister. My Aunt Ella, Mom and their brother Walter grew up in the aftermath of WW2. Mom's parents built the house that my Aunt Ella lived in almost all of her life. Mom is old enough to remember that when the Americans got to Oberammergau, they turned all the Germans out of their homes. The Germans had to live where they could and eat what they could find. Aunt Ella, Mom and Uncle Walter lost both of their parents when my Mom was 15. Aunt Ella was married with 1 child by then. She and my Uncle Karl moved into my grandparents house and raised 3 children there. I will never forget seeing the house for the first time, as an adult, when I was 21. This was a part of my heritage - the place my Mom grew up and the place that welcomed us both back when I visited the second time in 1980. I had gone back when I was two and I actually remembered that I used to play with my cousin's Lego's that were stored under the kitchen table which was built into the corner of the kitchen. Germany holds one of my earliest fond memories.

When I did get to visit with my Mom, language was a small barrier but easily overcome if I could get my Aunt to speak in English. I often warned my Mom that Aunt Ella knew a lot more than she let on. My Aunt Ella had a tiny garden plot in her side yard and on several visits I would stop at the blumen shop for flowers - she was always so excited to get flowers. One year for her birthday, I had a house plant delivered for her birthday and Aunt Ella told me that she argued with the delivery person that the plant could not be possibly hers because NO ONE had ever had anything delivered to her. She went on and on about that plant. I was so excited to have done that for her. She was almost as excited to get edelweiss but didn't want to tell me that they wouldn't make it because her garden wasn't on the side of a mountain. We got a good laugh out of that.

I may have to blog about Aunt Ella in phases. We share such a rich history. The story of my grandparents is pretty different - my Mom had never seen her Dad until he came home from a Russian Prison Camp after the war was over. Conditions were horrible in the camps, extreme poverty, sickness, frostbite, etc and my Grandfather came home sick. Mom said he never recovered. That's just part of my history.

Everybody wants their story to be told. I will keep telling it until it's finished. They are interesting - all of them. I think the reason I miss my Aunt Ella is because I have started to realize that when I take my oldest daughter to Germany to visit for her first time next year, I won't be going to my Aunt Ella's house to visit her ever again. I am glad I faithfully recorded the last 4 visits in scrapbooks. I don't need the scrapbook, Aunt Ella lives on in my memory and my heart.

Gute Nacht die Freunde (good night friends)

Rowdy

My first blog!!!

2007-07-17T21:54:00.000-05:00

Hey There!

I am Jo Anne (aka Rowdy). I got the Rowdy nickname at a few of my scrapbooking retreats where things got a little interesting! I have been scrapbooking for 11 years now and I am also a Creative Memories Consultant. My friend Monica invited me to join Scrapfreak and now I know a LOT more about scrapbooking. I just recently had fun at a weekend retreat at HeavenLeigh Escape where Tammy, Shannon and I altered quite a few things!

Several of my friends (Shannon in particular) have suggested more than once that I should have my own blog so here goes nothing!

I really don't think my life is that interesting but I sure have an opinion about everything. Just ask me - I say that at work all the time! I have an opinion, just ask me!

I have been thinking the last few days about what I would start my blog with, so I am really still working on that but thought I would just try things out tonite!

So, stay tuned!