The boys are counting down the days until their cousins arrive in Lubbock for Christmas. Here's the list of things the boys think we MUST do while the cousins are here...
- Ride the Gator (their motorized vehicle)
- Swing at our house & Nana's house & the park
- Joshua & Lydia & Elizabeth & Baby Caleb should come over to our house
- Feed the ducks & geese
- Share our bubblegum
- Go to Chuck E. Cheese
- See a movie at the movie theater (Happy Feet)
- look at Christmas lights
- Play games (Let's Go Fishing and Hide & Seek)
- Watch a lot of movies at the house
- Play with our toys
- Make birthday cakes
- Go to Walmart
- Take a nap all together in a big tent
- Eat some yogurt with them
- Eat turkey & pumpkin pie & celery & Jello & sweet potatoes
- Wrestle (we had to nix this one because Nolan knocked his front 2 bottom teeth VERY loose again & I don't want them to fall out!)
- Read books
- Play ball with them
- Play in the sprinkler (don't think it'll be warm enough for this one)
- Play with toys in the bath
- Show them our Superman stuff & pretend to be Superman
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Update
John did not get into the Lubbock Police Academy. We were shocked. But we agree that what is meant to be is what will happen. John has been focusing on & trusting in the verse in Jeremiah (29:11?) that talks about having a plan to give you hope & a future. He believes that God is guiding him into the right path for him to follow ... and it looks like being a cop isn't his path, at least not now & maybe not ever.It has been really nice to know how many people have been thinking about, praying about & supporting John in this endeavor. We have the best friends & family! THANKS!
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Dang credit cards
We had a credit card balance that we've been paying off using an online autopay on the same date every month (which has been the earliest the payment was due). But they changed the due date without warning to five days earlier. Now we have a $39 late fee charge for this month & they jacked our interest rate up to 19.99%! I'm sure I will be on the phone all week trying to straighten this out with their "customer service" department.
LPD
John has an interview with the LPD Board on Monday, December 4th at 1PM. During this interview he should find out if he will be invited to attend the Police Academy or not. Please be praying for him and for our family.
THANKS!
THANKS!
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Under the weather
I have been ill for the past month. I am just tired & tired of being sick. Sorry I haven't posted lots has gone on...
My cousin's child, Daylen (he's 2), had a seizure & had to be rushed to the hospital. Thankfully he was released a few days later & all tests seem to be normal. We hope it's just a one time thing.
We went to visit John's family for the entire week of Thanksgiving. It was fun. We saw Happy Feet - the boys really loved it. Nolan was dancing throughout. john's parents gave us our Christmas presents while we were there since we won't be able to return at Christmas. The boys are especially excited about their gifts. The got Cars sleeping bags (which they have slept in every night since) & a motorized Gator. I will try to load pictures here in the next week or so.
I went out to lunch today with work friends. And at the end of lunch my boss, Michelle, can't find her keys. We all search all over for them to no avail. Then someone heads outside to check her car. We're all postive we'll be waiting around for someone to come & pop the lock. But that's not the case. The keys were in the car, doors unlocked, car running for the entire 90 minute lunch! We laughed sooooo hard! I am thankful her Impala didn't get stolen!
My cousin's child, Daylen (he's 2), had a seizure & had to be rushed to the hospital. Thankfully he was released a few days later & all tests seem to be normal. We hope it's just a one time thing.
We went to visit John's family for the entire week of Thanksgiving. It was fun. We saw Happy Feet - the boys really loved it. Nolan was dancing throughout. john's parents gave us our Christmas presents while we were there since we won't be able to return at Christmas. The boys are especially excited about their gifts. The got Cars sleeping bags (which they have slept in every night since) & a motorized Gator. I will try to load pictures here in the next week or so.
I went out to lunch today with work friends. And at the end of lunch my boss, Michelle, can't find her keys. We all search all over for them to no avail. Then someone heads outside to check her car. We're all postive we'll be waiting around for someone to come & pop the lock. But that's not the case. The keys were in the car, doors unlocked, car running for the entire 90 minute lunch! We laughed sooooo hard! I am thankful her Impala didn't get stolen!
Friday, November 03, 2006
Draw the line
I just read someone else's blog, and it was...way too personal. They told intimate details about exactly what their girlfriend wore, said, did while they were together last night. Yuck - I don't want to know that!
Thursday, November 02, 2006
My Trick-or-Treaters
I can fly!
We love Uncle Jeff & Aunt Amy! And Braxton & Austin, too!
Watching the pie throwing at our church's Harvest Party
Ethan & Grandmother
Nolan & MaMil
Enjoying the booths at church
Trick or Treating with MaMil
Friday, October 27, 2006
You're such a PUMPKIN!
Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin. God lifts you up, takes you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. He opens you up, touches you deep inside and scoops out all the yucky stuff; including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside you to shine for all the world to see.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Ethan's Christmas Wish List (in his own words)
1. "Ariel" (The Little Mermaid DVD)
2. "The Race Cars One" (Cars DVD)
3. "A watch"
4. "A car to drive" (child's motorized vehicle)
5. "A bird" (he wants another pet)
6. "Maybe my own church" (what?)
2. "The Race Cars One" (Cars DVD)
3. "A watch"
4. "A car to drive" (child's motorized vehicle)
5. "A bird" (he wants another pet)
6. "Maybe my own church" (what?)
New adventures for the Maples Family
John (my husband) has applied for the LPD. The hiring process takes months, and is very selective. If he is chosen he will begin the academy in late January/early February. After a phone conversation with LPD yesterday he sent this out via email to friends/family...
I'M RANKED #9 IN THE GROUP OF APPLICANTS FOR THIS ROUND OF POLICE OFFICERS. THERE ARE 45 REMAINING OUT OF THE 150 SOMTHING THAT PASSED THE EXAM AND THE PHYSICAL TEST. WHOOOO HOOOOOOO!
INTERVIEWS START ON DEC 4TH AND I SHOULD BE ONE OF THE FIRST INTERVIEWED. I WILL FIND OUT AROUND NOV 19TH WHEN I INTERVIEW BUT I HAVE NOT BEEN DISQUALIFIED AND IN FACT IN AM RANKED PRETTY DANG GOOD. YEAH!!!!
JUST WANTED TO SHARE THE GOOD NEWS WITH EVERYONE. I AM MORE THAN LIKELY A SHOE-IN SINCE THEY TYPICALLY TAKE 30-40 FOR THE ACADEMY. WON'T BE MUCH LONGER NOW. KEEP PRAYING FOR ME!
JOHN
I'M RANKED #9 IN THE GROUP OF APPLICANTS FOR THIS ROUND OF POLICE OFFICERS. THERE ARE 45 REMAINING OUT OF THE 150 SOMTHING THAT PASSED THE EXAM AND THE PHYSICAL TEST. WHOOOO HOOOOOOO!
INTERVIEWS START ON DEC 4TH AND I SHOULD BE ONE OF THE FIRST INTERVIEWED. I WILL FIND OUT AROUND NOV 19TH WHEN I INTERVIEW BUT I HAVE NOT BEEN DISQUALIFIED AND IN FACT IN AM RANKED PRETTY DANG GOOD. YEAH!!!!
JUST WANTED TO SHARE THE GOOD NEWS WITH EVERYONE. I AM MORE THAN LIKELY A SHOE-IN SINCE THEY TYPICALLY TAKE 30-40 FOR THE ACADEMY. WON'T BE MUCH LONGER NOW. KEEP PRAYING FOR ME!
JOHN
Goodbye Magnet!
The car I had from my senior year of HS in 1996 until just after Ethan's birth in 2003 was a Ford Taurus. In college me & my girlfriends named her "Magnet". So to me this is sad news - read the news article below...
Sometime next week, the assembly line at a Ford plant near Atlanta will come to a halt, signaling the end of a family sedan so revolutionary that its 1985 debut changed forever the way cars look, feel and drive.
Say goodbye to the Taurus.
After 21 years and sales of nearly 7 million cars, Ford Motor Co. is giving up on what some call the most influential automobile since Henry Ford's Model T. The Taurus is credited with moving America away from boxy V-8 powered gas-guzzling bedrooms-on-wheels to aerodynamic, more efficient cars with crisper handling.
To many, the Taurus' death was slow and painful as Ford in recent years abandoned the car that saved the company, focusing instead on high-profit trucks and sport utility vehicles.
"When that thing came out, it was a big deal," said Robert Thompson, professor of popular culture at Syracuse University. "It so much became kind of the template of what a modern car was going to look like."
The Taurus, so futuristic that critics called it a "jellybean" or a "flying potato," made its debut late in 1985, with 1979 gasoline shortages still fresh in consumers' minds. The U.S. economy was just pulling out of a downturn when the scalloped Taurus, initially equipped with V-6 and four-cylinder engines, hit showrooms. It was an immediate hit, with buyers snapping up more than 263,000 in 1986, its first full year on the market.
It became the best-selling car in America in 1992 with sales of nearly 410,000, unseating the Honda Accord just as Japanese imports were starting to take hold in the U.S., and it held the top spot for five straight years until it was supplanted by the Toyota Camry in 1997. Even near death in September, it remained Ford's top-selling car.
Ford also sold another 2 million Mercury Sables, the Taurus' nearly identical twin.
Dominated the sedan segment
"It was really the last full-size American passenger sedan to dominate the segment," said Jim Sanfilippo, senior industry analyst for Bloomfield Hills-based Automotive Marketing Consultants Inc.
Ford was losing billions in the early 1980s when Taurus was just an idea. Philip Caldwell, chief executive at the time, challenged designers and engineers to come up with a radically different car that would return Ford to profitability.
"We were in terrible condition financially," recalled Jack Telnack, chief designer on the original Taurus who retired in 1998. "He said `Look, we need something really different, really new, that will kind of set the pace out there.' "
Nearly 1,000 people worked on the car, many coming from Ford's European operations. They had spotted a trend that U.S. buyers were moving away from big, cushy cars to better-handling European models, Telnack said.
-Associated Press, October 20, 2006
Sometime next week, the assembly line at a Ford plant near Atlanta will come to a halt, signaling the end of a family sedan so revolutionary that its 1985 debut changed forever the way cars look, feel and drive.
Say goodbye to the Taurus.
After 21 years and sales of nearly 7 million cars, Ford Motor Co. is giving up on what some call the most influential automobile since Henry Ford's Model T. The Taurus is credited with moving America away from boxy V-8 powered gas-guzzling bedrooms-on-wheels to aerodynamic, more efficient cars with crisper handling.
To many, the Taurus' death was slow and painful as Ford in recent years abandoned the car that saved the company, focusing instead on high-profit trucks and sport utility vehicles.
"When that thing came out, it was a big deal," said Robert Thompson, professor of popular culture at Syracuse University. "It so much became kind of the template of what a modern car was going to look like."
The Taurus, so futuristic that critics called it a "jellybean" or a "flying potato," made its debut late in 1985, with 1979 gasoline shortages still fresh in consumers' minds. The U.S. economy was just pulling out of a downturn when the scalloped Taurus, initially equipped with V-6 and four-cylinder engines, hit showrooms. It was an immediate hit, with buyers snapping up more than 263,000 in 1986, its first full year on the market.
It became the best-selling car in America in 1992 with sales of nearly 410,000, unseating the Honda Accord just as Japanese imports were starting to take hold in the U.S., and it held the top spot for five straight years until it was supplanted by the Toyota Camry in 1997. Even near death in September, it remained Ford's top-selling car.
Ford also sold another 2 million Mercury Sables, the Taurus' nearly identical twin.
Dominated the sedan segment
"It was really the last full-size American passenger sedan to dominate the segment," said Jim Sanfilippo, senior industry analyst for Bloomfield Hills-based Automotive Marketing Consultants Inc.
Ford was losing billions in the early 1980s when Taurus was just an idea. Philip Caldwell, chief executive at the time, challenged designers and engineers to come up with a radically different car that would return Ford to profitability.
"We were in terrible condition financially," recalled Jack Telnack, chief designer on the original Taurus who retired in 1998. "He said `Look, we need something really different, really new, that will kind of set the pace out there.' "
Nearly 1,000 people worked on the car, many coming from Ford's European operations. They had spotted a trend that U.S. buyers were moving away from big, cushy cars to better-handling European models, Telnack said.
-Associated Press, October 20, 2006
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Untitled
Quote:
“Every six months or so, I think it’s important to try and find out who you are. I (still) have no clue.” –my HS friend Amanda
I feel like I have a good grasp of who I am. But what I am truly good at? What do I truly enjoy? What do I want to be when I grow up? Where is my niche?
I know I value time with my family, living a comfortable life (which means having enough money to support my current lifestyle), making a difference & doing what I am supposed to be doing. I don't mind working hard, but I want to work smarter not harder. I want to do what I do best everyday & excel at it everyday.
I don't understand why there has to be a rat race. We are literally making our selves sick & working ourselves to death. Instead I want my work to be a joy, an extension of me as a person. And I want a career, not a job. I want to postively impact those I serve/teach/work with & also impress those I work for. Is this possible? Is it possible for me? Am I capable? Is it possible for anyone?
I have concluded that I hate failing. At work today I am supposed to juggle 100 balls. I am capable of juggling most of them - if I do enough to get by. I don't want to do enough to get by! I want to be innovative, resourceful, smart, strategic about my actions. I want to impact the system & the people. I want what I do each day to lead to better outcomes in our healthcare facilities. I hate simply checking off things from the endless to-do list.
And I have also concluded that I am not giving up the dream that I can do this. I don't want to settle for mundane or mediocre in anything I do. I want my relationships and my labors to be extraordinary. I won't accept anything less.
And those are the only conclusions I have come to. I hope that somehow, someday I will learn how to consitently excel (I think I need an administrative assistant - or less job responsibilities). Until then I will practice the art of prioritization & knowing when & how to say no. And I will try to forgive myself for "dropping the ball".
I am so tired of being tired - mentally, emotionally & physically...Fun times in the reality of adulthood!
“Every six months or so, I think it’s important to try and find out who you are. I (still) have no clue.” –my HS friend Amanda
I feel like I have a good grasp of who I am. But what I am truly good at? What do I truly enjoy? What do I want to be when I grow up? Where is my niche?
I know I value time with my family, living a comfortable life (which means having enough money to support my current lifestyle), making a difference & doing what I am supposed to be doing. I don't mind working hard, but I want to work smarter not harder. I want to do what I do best everyday & excel at it everyday.
I don't understand why there has to be a rat race. We are literally making our selves sick & working ourselves to death. Instead I want my work to be a joy, an extension of me as a person. And I want a career, not a job. I want to postively impact those I serve/teach/work with & also impress those I work for. Is this possible? Is it possible for me? Am I capable? Is it possible for anyone?
I have concluded that I hate failing. At work today I am supposed to juggle 100 balls. I am capable of juggling most of them - if I do enough to get by. I don't want to do enough to get by! I want to be innovative, resourceful, smart, strategic about my actions. I want to impact the system & the people. I want what I do each day to lead to better outcomes in our healthcare facilities. I hate simply checking off things from the endless to-do list.
And I have also concluded that I am not giving up the dream that I can do this. I don't want to settle for mundane or mediocre in anything I do. I want my relationships and my labors to be extraordinary. I won't accept anything less.
And those are the only conclusions I have come to. I hope that somehow, someday I will learn how to consitently excel (I think I need an administrative assistant - or less job responsibilities). Until then I will practice the art of prioritization & knowing when & how to say no. And I will try to forgive myself for "dropping the ball".
I am so tired of being tired - mentally, emotionally & physically...Fun times in the reality of adulthood!
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Supposedly, these are the celebrities that I most resemble...
Yamila Diaz 62%...
Lisa Ling 67%...
Brooke Burns 73%...
Jennifer Aniston 67%...
Janeane Garofalo 63%...
I ran the test with 5 different photos & these are the only ones that repeated on any list. Other people that matched one photo were - Daryl Hannah, Andie MacDowell, Brittany Murphy, Victoria Beckham, Rachel Hunter, Debra Messing, Annette Bening, Molly Ringwald, Kate Beckinsale, Alyssa Milano, Selma Blaire, Laura Linney, Meryl Streep, Nicky Hilton & Jennfer Love Hewitt.
You can do it too at myheritage.com - it's a fun, silly thing to do. The only draw-back is that you have to sign-up.
Yamila Diaz 62%...
Lisa Ling 67%...
Brooke Burns 73%...
Jennifer Aniston 67%...
Janeane Garofalo 63%...I ran the test with 5 different photos & these are the only ones that repeated on any list. Other people that matched one photo were - Daryl Hannah, Andie MacDowell, Brittany Murphy, Victoria Beckham, Rachel Hunter, Debra Messing, Annette Bening, Molly Ringwald, Kate Beckinsale, Alyssa Milano, Selma Blaire, Laura Linney, Meryl Streep, Nicky Hilton & Jennfer Love Hewitt.
You can do it too at myheritage.com - it's a fun, silly thing to do. The only draw-back is that you have to sign-up.
ACU Memories
Candlelight devo, opening chapel, homecoming floats, Welcome Week, Spring Break Campaigns, curfew, pledging, Freshman follies, eating at Cici's after church on Sunday, "studying" at Denny's, Sing Song, dorm life, the Bean & the Bean Sprout, concerts on the patio, the piano man...I am sad that we missed the reunion last weekend. ACU is such an amazing school. My life would not be the same today without it.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
Please be patient as I change the blog around. I got bored...
Also, if anyone can help me to add links to friend's pages I would really appreciate it...I am having trouble & I know there must be an easier way ---- So Lyns, Smash, Sue...somebody please help!
Other than that no big changes. I hope to have more pics loaded here next week.
Oh, and Ethan didn't cry when Daddy dropped him off at school today! YIPPEE! Please keep him/us in your prayers.
Also, if anyone can help me to add links to friend's pages I would really appreciate it...I am having trouble & I know there must be an easier way ---- So Lyns, Smash, Sue...somebody please help!
Other than that no big changes. I hope to have more pics loaded here next week.
Oh, and Ethan didn't cry when Daddy dropped him off at school today! YIPPEE! Please keep him/us in your prayers.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
South Plains Fair
And last but not least - LEROY! He was my favorite part of the fair. He was so cute. He'd tip his little hat & everyone was enjoying him so much. I laughed so hard, I almost cried.
South Plains Fair!
We loved the "tractors"!
(That's what the boys call any heavy machinery - we'll be driving down the road & we'll pass a construction crew & they yell, "Mommy, look at the tractors! There are three tarctors! They are working hard! Why are they doing that, Mommy?" I get play-by-play commentary in every aspect of life!)
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