A walk with a girl in pink

2008-12-23T17:36:00.000-08:00

As christmas comes approaching soon, I have to think about my favorite christmas movies. Here are my top 10:

1. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

2. White Christmas

3. The Grinch

4. Elf

5. Miracle on 34th Street (1994)

6. The Santa Clause

7. Home Alone 2

8. The Santa Clause 2

9. Home Alone

10. The Nativity Story

Top 10 favorite christmas cartoons (movies)

1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas

2. Frosty the Snowman

3. Charlie Brown Christmas

4. Rudolph the red nose reindeer

5. Frosty Returns

6. Micky's Christmas Carole

7. Twas the Night Before Christmas

8. Santa Claus is Coming to Town

9. Annabelle

10. Winnie the Pooh and Christmas too

Jesus v. Santa

2008-12-13T09:05:00.000-08:00

WHY JESUS IS BETTER THAN SANTA?

Santa lives at the North Pole. JESUS is everywhere.
Santa rides in a sleigh JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.
Santa comes but once a year JESUS is an ever present help.
Santa fills your stockings with goodies JESUS supplies all your needs.
Santa comes down your chimney uninvited JESUS stands at your door and knocks.. And then enters your heart.
You have to stand in line to see Santa JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.
Santa lets you sit on his lap JESUS lets you rest in His arms.
Santa doesn't know your name, all he can say is "Hi little boy or girl, What's your name?" JESUS knew our name before we did. Not only does He know our name, He knows our address too. He knows our history and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.
Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly JESUS has a heart full of love.
All Santa can offer is HO HO HO JESUS offers health, help and hope.
Santa says "You better not cry" JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you.
Santa's little helpers make toys JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions.
Santa may make you chuckle but JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.
While Santa puts gifts under your tree JESUS became our gift and died on the tree.

It's obvious there is really no comparison. We need to remember WHO Christmas is all about. We need to put Christ back in Christmas. Jesus is still the reason for the season.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

2008-10-22T07:25:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh, I didnt realize how long it has been since I did a update for everyone. The past few months have gone by so fast. So many exciting things are going on in my life. Nick and I are getting closer and closer everyday even though we are so far apart. I have only told a few people but I really think he is the one God meant for me to be with. He is the sweetest and most loving boyfriend. I could really see myself marring him. Yes, Im saying it and yes we have talked about it. I have never felt this kind of love before. Its almost nauseating its so sweet:) We just got to spend two weeks together which was awesome. Here we are at the fair:

Chloe is growing more and more each day. She is now six months old and getting more independant. She is now jumping on the counters and fridge, which is a definite no-no but she is so cute, its hard for me to get mad at her. Here she is and Tiger dressed in their Halloween outfits this year. I dont think Tiger is feeling good, so he has a vet appointment coming up:

Ms. Chloe fell in love with Nick and I think she misses him alot. The other night I was sending some stuff to him and she jumped in the box and was like, I'm ready to go. She was so cute, she just cried because I wouldnt let her go. I tried telling her I would miss her, but she didnt care, she would rather have him, and I cant blame her.

On another good note, Tiger likes him also. He never growled or hissed at him and even came up to him several times and let him pet him. For those who know Tiger, know that is very rare. I knew then, that Nick was a keeper. I will keep everyone informed as things progress and try not to wait so long to update my blog.

Ms. Chloe

2008-05-31T15:17:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone, its me Chloe. After 8 weeks, mommy has decided to let me make my debut for you all. Yesterday I turned 8 weeks old and I weigh 1.5 pounds. Yes, Im small but dont let that fool you. Im very energetic and mischievous. I like crawling and leaping from everything, but most of all I love chasing my brother, Tiger. Again, I may be small but he knows who rules the house. I jump on him, taunt him and all he does is growls and runs in the opposite direction but that does not stop me, I just look at him like he is stupid and go after him. BOYS, they really are stupid but I love messing with them, It is so much fun. When I do give Tiger his space, I find other ways to occupy my time like playing with my tail. Its pretty cool, the tip is orange and it taste good.

I do occasionlly get in trouble from mommy but I just give her the look and she cant help but pick me up and start loving on me

or I just stick my tongue out at her and make her laugh.

Either way I always get my way. Mommy says Im a good sleeper but she doesnt like my 5:30am wake up calls. I like to wake her up by pouncing on her head. She gets cranky, but I think its fun and keep doing it. Im still a baby so I need my naps. I normally take two a day for about two to three hours at a time. Mommy says this is when I am my sweetest.

I wake up ready for a new adventure.

Since we are in the process of moving, I like to help mommy. I unroll the bubble wrap for her....

I even help her take the curtains down....... my way!

Im a great helper. Well, I hope to meet all of you soon. I am sweet and gentle and will give you lots of kisses. Im complete opposite of my brother and love people. So come see me, Im waiting.......just look at me, I know you want too :)

LOVE, CHLOE

ARE YOU READY?

2008-05-28T06:12:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine sent me this and I thought I would share with all of you. I think the clip speaks for itself. The only thing I would ask yourself, are you ready for his return? and if not, what do I need to do to be prepared?

Special Days

2008-05-20T06:47:00.000-07:00

16 years ago, I had a special little girl help me get ready for my junior prom. Now she's growing up and experiencing her own prom. She is growing up so fast and turning into a beautiful young woman. I could not be more proud of her and it was a honor to be a part of her big day. I love you Samantha.

I'M MOVING

2008-05-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

Well I got the news today that I got my townhome. I very excited about the move but a little scared. Most of you know that 10 years ago my neighbor tried to attack me at my apartment so I have been very scared and nervous to live around alot of people. I think this time I have picked the right place for me and it does not hurt that I have a alarm system :). I was a little disappointed I could not get hard wood floors because of the cats but was relieved I do get beige carpet and not blue. I will be moving in two weeks instead of July like I had planned so the next few weeks are going to be super busy. The only good thing about the move is the church yard sale is scheduled for June 21, so expect to get a huge donation from me.

The church yard sale will be at Main Street Baptist Church in Kernersville on Saturday, June 21
If you would like to make a donation to the church or come out and see what kind of treasures you can find you can contact our church at msbc@aol.com

Narnia

2008-05-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

I went and saw Narnia today and without saying too much, It was really good. I liked the first one but I thought this one had a better message and I left wanting more. I will probably write about this more later and after my friends get a chance to go see it. I just wanted to let everyone know it is a must see.

Biltmore is not PG rated

2008-05-18T17:21:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was one of the best for me. Not only did I get some quality time with my sister but I got to touch a penis. Before everyone says "what" let me explain. My sister and a couple of her co workers and I went to Bilmore for the day. I have not been there in about 10 years, so I was amazed how beautiful it still was. They had remodeled so I got to see some new rooms, but the one thing I kept noticing in all the rooms were the naked pictures and scuptures. Yes, I know they are art and they are beautiful but I can honestly say I have never seen that many penises before in my life. I couldnt help it, I had to touch one:) lol

Besides all the fine Art, the gardens very beautiful. The roses were just blomming. I was a little disappointed the tulips were already gone but it was still amazing. My least favorite part was the winery. I wasnt that impressed with it. My sister and her friends would disagree but I guess as a non drinker it was not that impressing. I did go with them to one of the wine testing and tried a few sips but it was not for me. I opted not to go to the next one.

Truthfully, the best part of the trip was the time I got to spend with my sister. Everytime we decide to do something, one of her kids is with us, so for the first time in a long time we got some grown up time without the kids. It was just a stress free, fun day that I think we both needed.

2008-05-18T17:09:00.001-07:00

Anne of Green Gables

2008-05-12T17:13:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite movies of all time is Anne of Green Gables. I love them all and can watch them over and over. So when Hosiana told me her home school work was putting on the play I was stoked. I couldnt think of anyone else who would enjoy this more than me but Kaylyn. She was just as excited as me and I was glad she said she was able to go with me because we have not been able to hang out since Sam's birthday last year.

After arriving 30 minutes early for the show and thinking we were the only ones coming, we decided to go find Kaylyn something to eat. We were pretty much out in the middle of nowhere. We saw a little hole in the wall on the way in that said they sold hotdogs, so we decided to pull in there first and see what they have. The place looked like a complete dump and very run down and dirty but I didnt care because I wasnt eating, sorry Kaylyn. As we pulled in a woman was getting in her car, so Kaylyn decided to question her about the food. She tells us they have been open for over 20 years and they had the best food but they close at 6:00pm but we should come back and try it. As I am looking around I noticed the store/restaurant sits in the middle of trailer park for there dining purposes. Enough said. So we go down the road and and notice two gas stations. One new and modern and the other was a local grocery/gas station. We decided to take a risk and give the local grocer our business. We walked in the door and the smell of gas, grease, and dust almost knocked us back out the door. Most of the food on the shelves was covered in dust and out dated. They even had dried meat in a jar. I dont even know what that is. It was in the aisle with the potted meat but it looked like lunch meat in a mason jar. It was the grosses thing I have ever saw and trust me they had a lot of things to choose from. I wish I had taken a picture of it because no one seems to know what Im talking about. Maybe its something they produce themselves. The experience was so bizarre we had to take a picture infront of the store.

After getting a soda and cookie we rush back to the church. Thinking we were going to be the only ones, we were surprise to see how many cars were in the parking lot. I didnt have big expectations being a home school play but it turned out to be one of the best school plays I have ever seen. I was so proud of Hosina. She did a amazing job as Anne, noone could have played the part better. Actually, all the Gourley kids were in the play. They were all very good but it was Hosina who stole the play. It was great to see this shy and bashful girl show her talent on the stage. I couldnt have been more proud of her. If she is ever in another play, I highly recommend you checking her out. "She's a Star".

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Tag.....you are it!

2008-03-03T15:51:00.000-08:00

I have been so slacked on reading others blogs and just caught up on Mike, Kaylyn and Beth's. Well Mike tagged me for this and I noticed I was the only one who had not responded. I wouldnt want to get repremanded or out of the loop so here it is :)

My friend Mike tagged me to write this book blog so here it goes:

One book that's changed your life:

-Second Guessing God by Brian Jones

One book that you've read more than once:

-Second Guessing God by Brian Jones
-Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
-Everything I need to know I learned from other women by BJ Gallagher

One book you'd want on a desert island:

-A how to/picture book on survivor (I need to see visuals/diagrams, on what I can or cannot eat/how to construct something)

Two books that made you laugh:

-He's just not that into you by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tucceillo
-Dating without Novocaine by Lisa Cach

One book that made you cry:

-All Dave Pelzer's books

One book that you wish had been written:

-Dummy cookbook (oh wait they already have those, but I dont own one)

One book you wish was never written:

-Confessions of a caffeinated christian by John Fischer

Two books you are currently reading:

-Bring down the house by Ben Mezrich
-Night by Elie Wiesel

One book you're meaning to read:

Thats tough because I have a whole table of books I have not read yet but want to. I guess:
-Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
-Straight talk with gay guys by Daylle Deanna Schwartz
-Dont waste your life by John Piper

Now Im suppose to tag 5 people: Diana, Shanon, Amy B., Gisele, Melissa

What a Trip

2007-11-10T22:57:00.001-08:00

Last week I had the opportunity to go on a much needed vacation. I was setting sail to go on a week long cruise to the Keys and Bahamas. My goal was to get as much sun and rest as possible. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans. As soon as we got to Florida, tropical storm Noel hit the Caribbean and it turned off cool and very windy. They did not cancel the cruise because they said they could keep us on the outskirts of it and yes they did but there was a price to pay. You see we may not have gotten the heart of the storm and rain but instead got high winds which caused massive waves. Which entail caused a VERY rocky boat.

The first night was horrible. It was a constant sway back and forth. Everyone was sick, including me. I prayed to God to make it stop and kept asking him why he would allow this to happen to me. For the past few years I have been battling problems with my stomach and now I get very motion sickness, so I was very leery of even going on this cruise. But everyone reassured me it would be alright. Boy, were they wrong. That night I told my mom, I did not care what they had to do to get me off that boat but I could not take a week of this. After a trip to the infirmary and a shot later, I was feeling some relief.

The next day was hell. It was an all day at sea and still very rocky. Everything I have ever heard about cruises was how wonderful, fun and relaxing they are and how they have all the stuff for you to do on the ship. Well they do, if you like gambling, drinking, partying in clubs and hearing dirty jokes from comedians. Unfortunately, I do not do any of those things, and to make it worse the wind was so strong you could not sit out on deck and the motion of the boat made it impossible for me to read anything. Before you think television, nope because we were limited to like 6 cannels and half of them were in Spanish. All I could do was ponder and pray one, why I was in this situation and two, how I could get out of this situation. My goal was too tough it out till Key West and hop a plane back home.

Wednesday we arrive in Key West. It was as beautiful as I hoped it would be. We had great weather and just turned out to be a wonderful day. We took a trolley ride around the city and saw some beautiful homes including Ernest Hemingway Home. It was one of my highlights just because I admire and like his writing. I could so see myself retiring there when I get older. The weather is perfect. The lowest record there is 46 and highest 94. I thought it would get a lot hotter but where the Gulf and Atlantic Ocean current meets it keeps the area very comfortable year around. After some shopping, I get back on the boat and find out our original destination to Nassau and Paradise Island has been cancelled and they are going to reroute us to Freeport, Grand Bahama Island. At this point I was very disappointed one, because I have been to Freeport before and there is nothing there to see and two, because I had such a good time in Key West I decided to continue with the cruise and it was too late to get off the boat and book a plane ticket. So here I am, back on a rocking boat and heading to a destination I hated.

We arrive in Freeport and of course it is cloudy, and cool. They cancelled all water activities so all you could do was take this tour of the city. Well, there is nothing left of city. Since the island is flat and from past hurricanes, any historical landmarks or gardens have been destroyed or washed away. The tour was nothing but some commercial buildings they still have. Like the bank, courthouse, a school, a place like Home Depot, McDonald's, Subway, Burger King and a few local shops and churches. Yes, Subway and Burger King are highlights of the tour; I just did not throw that in there to be funny. They truly have nothing left. We then went to there market. It had changed since I had last been there. It use to be very open and now they have built some shelter and more permanent structures for people to stand under and protect there merchandise from the storms. My heart ached when I saw these people. They have nothing left for income except what they make and sell at the market. I wanted to buy something from everyone but it just wasn't possible. There number one source of income is tourism but because of all the past hurricanes, they have nothing left to show the tourist. They live in shacks or homes we would consider section 8 or projects. Leaving the island sadden me and made feel guilty for my previous complaining.

A few things happened to me on this trip. One, I got a little closer to God. Since I had no television, radio, couldn't read I found myself talking to him. I found a stillness I needed. Two, I found the purpose I was looking for on this trip. One was the stillness but the other was seeing the people on the island. You see without detours no one visits Freeport anymore. Everyone goes to Nassau or private islands where they can see dolphins and scuba and other hot attractions. So in the meantime these people suffer and have nowhere to go. These people definitely need missionary aid to help them not only rebuild their community but help rebuild their homes. Another cool thing happened and I call it my God Sighting of week. The whole week this guy from Russia and his mother kept running into us. I would just ignore them and let my parents deal with them. Well, dad kept telling me that every time he ran into Aidan (that was the guy's name) he was looking for me. Well one day I was sitting on this window seal looking out when he found me. I really didn't want to talk to him but I knew he was looking for me and I didn't want to be rude. At first our conversation was a bunch of small talk but then we got talking about religion. He told me he was Greek Orthodox in Russia but since he moved to Florida a few years ago he has not been going to church. He said he dated a girl who was Baptist and he went to her church a few times and it scared him and refused to go back. From what he told me I think she went to a very traditional southern Baptist church. I told him that all Baptist churches were not like that, there are different types and told him about my church. We talked about other churches that might would suit him better but the funny thing was I have never saw myself as a messenger of God only a follower. I have never felt comfortable talking to strangers and could never see myself witnessing to others. I have never believed in myself to ever think I could change a person. Yes, I read the Bible and other Christian books and go to church but that doesn't make me an expert on religion. Aidan is a pure example of someone lost and just needed someone to talk to. I'm really glad I took the time to stop and listen to him because today he sent me an email and told me he found a church to go to tomorrow. It just shows anyone can make a difference. Lastly, I thought I would come back and say this was the worst experience and trip of my life. Suprisingly, it was more of my most memorabable ones and I still came back feeling rested and fullfilled as I so hoped.