Monday, September 29, 2014

Just stuff... :-)

Okay...I did it.  I'm going to work at the campground next season.  Erik will be helping out also, so that makes it a little easier.  My social little butterfly can talk to people while I do the work.  I'm good with that.  lol!  :-)

We had such a wonderful weekend.  You couldn't ask for better weather!  It was beautiful!  The little chipmunks were all over the place.  Sadly, a hawk swooped down and grabbed one...I can still hear the screaming.  :-(   I know it's the circle of life thing...but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with.  Oh...and the Bears lost to the Packers...I don't mind if it's a close game...but they lost 38-17..more of a slaughter.  Dammit!  > -p  Still, it was a beautiful weekend...can't complain too much.

We're into fall now and I so look forward to the changing colors of the leaves.  Autumn has always been my favorite season.  Cooler temps and Halloween!  I think I'm going to start decorating a little bit this week...get into the mood.  Gotta get those spiders up..hehehe!

Christmas is just around the corner...I'm SO not ready for it.  This year just flew by.  It honestly feels like it just started now we're near the end heading for 2015.  There has been so many terrible things happening around the world...hopefully it will get better instead of worse...unfortunately...I don't see that happening, but one has to have faith.

Take care and God bless!
Ronda

Friday, September 26, 2014

Life is good! :-)

It's so funny how life gives you ups and downs and so long as you have faith, keep your head up and continue to move forward it just all seems to come together. 

Erik is now the IT Manager at the Oncology practice I've been working at for 14 years.  It's like he has always been here.  He fits in that well!  Everybody loves him!  We have a routine that seems to be working well and so far it's been a smooth transition.

The campground that we lease our little property on for the RV asked me if I'd be willing to work 4 hours on Saturdays next season and we would only have to pay half the lease for the season.  I'll be honest...I'm not a people person.  I'm friendly enough and smile when talking to people but I keep conversations as short as possible.  My job is sitting in a cubicle punching numbers...I love it because I don't really have to deal with other people.  No phones, no customer service.  Just me and my radio tuned in to K-LOVE or country.  Peace!  :-)  I enjoy my weekends with my husband and dog.  We visit family and we have our niece and nephew from Erik's side over on a weekend a few times a season.  I've gone back and forth over this and still haven't made up my mind.  :-(

Speaking of our niece and nephew...they'll be joining us next weekend for the Halloween party and jaunt through the 'haunted' woods and hay ride.  As they're getting older, they're starting to mellow out a little and aren't so hyper.  I would never give up a minute of the time we've spent with them, but I'm just glad that our weekends aren't spent yelling because they won't settle down.  They're great kids and I'm looking forward to seeing them. 

The camping season went too fast this year.  It didn't help that we lost a month while the RV was in the shop getting warranty work done.  Oh well...it is what it is.  :-)

Not much else going on right now...I'll try and remember to take pictures with the kids next weekend.  Should be fun!  :-)

Take care and God bless! 

Monday, September 8, 2014

Everything happens for a reason....

Everything happens for a reason and it's amazing when something is so obviously put in front of you that you know without a doubt that it was through God's loving Grace.

My husband lost his job in May of 2014.  His boss was kind enough to give him two months salary to give him time to find another job.  His last check was July 15th and he still didn't have a job.  He still had his side job which helped, plus my job...but it definitely didn't pay the bills.  We worked some things out with our cars and get this...the mortgage company called us to refinance our house so we could lower our mortgage because the VA rates dropped!  So we didn't have to pay our mortgage for a month. 

He had filed for unemployment on July 16th and has been sending resumes like a mad man but was not receiving any calls back.  I kept telling him to just hang in there...either his side business was going to keep building (which it started to) or something was going to come up.

The last week in August, the IT person that works at the office I work at, turned in his resignation.  I called Erik immediately and told him to get his resume in asap!  He did.  Now here is where fate and God's Grace comes in.  The manager called Erik within an hour of getting his resume but couldn't get hold of him.  She asked me to confirm the phone number on his resume.  IT WAS THE WRONG PHONE NUMBER!!!  He had the correct number on the screen in front of him, but when he sent it pdf, it had a different number!  He had sent out a couple hundred resumes and was more than qualified for the positions, but not one call back.  Now he knew why.  I gave the manager the correct phone number she set up an interview the following Thursday and he was offered the job on Friday...just a little bit less than what he was making, but not enough to really hurt us. 

Not only that, but now because he is an employee he doesn't have to be on my health insurance, so that's almost $800.00 a month we'll be saving!!  He gets health, dental, vision, life insurance and a 401k!!  The man is on cloud nine!!

He'll be keeping up 5 clinics and our business office.  Going to be a busy man but a happy man!  He will have his evenings and weekends mostly to himself unless an emergency comes up.  It's going to be a REAL job!  He won't be wondering if he's going to lose his job on a daily basis!  Oh...and we can work the same hours so we can ride in together!  We can switch off cars so less milage!  Awesome!!!  :-)

I just love seeing the twinkle in his eye again!  He looked so handsome this morning.  Like a kid on his first day of school.

We have so much to thank God for, we don't even know where to begin, but I feel like it could never be enough.


 
Take care and God bless!!
Ronda

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Why is Hollywood so afraid of God?

Faith and Fame

Kevin Sorbo: Why is Hollywood so afraid of God?


Kevin Sorbo is sick of what he calls Hollywood's intolerance to those who believe in God.
"There's a negativity towards Christians in Hollywood," Sorbo told FOX411. "And a negativity towards people who believe in God."
It's not just faith that Hollywood is intolerant of. Sorbo, who has spoken out against President Obama's policies, feels the backlash from the entertainment industry for his political affiliations.
"There's also a negativity towards people who aren't liberal. There's no question that it has hurt me in Hollywood that I didn't vote for Obama."

Sorbo said he doesn’t understand why his religious or political beliefs should have any affect on his work as an actor, but he has noticed a decline in role offers since coming out of the "Christian closet."
"There's some much bashing going on in the media and world for people who believe in God," said Sorbo. "I'm just not afraid of the [politically correct] crowd I'll go right back at them."

What it all comes down to is Hollywood not being open to those with differing beliefs, said Sorbo.
"There's so much anger in Hollywood," the "God's Not Dead" star said. "They don't like the truth, they'd rather belied to and they just attack anybody who doesn't agree their way."
"Yet they scream for tolerance and they scream for freedom of speech but only if it's their way," Sorbo continued. '"I don't begrudge them their beliefs, why do they begrudge mine?"
Sorbo said he often finds himself asking, "Why is there a fear factor for God in Hollywood?" to which he has no answer.
"I wish someone in Hollywood would come up and answer that question," he said. "I don't want to cut people's freedom of speech down but the other side does. They can have their opinions but say I can't have mine?"

But those with Sorbo's opinions are starting to become more vocal. With the rise of faith-based shows like "Duck Dynasty" and Sorbo's new film "God's Not Dead," mainstream Hollywood might have some competition.
"I think ultimately, the sleeping giant is waking up. People are tired of it," Sorbo said. "Christians as a whole, I find, are far more tolerant than the kinds of things you see on SNL and MSNBC bashing Christians and making comedic jokes about Jesus."
Look at Bill Mahr who often makes jokes at the expense of the religious, said Sorbo. "He's the biggest atheist out there but look at him, he's miserable."

Be an atheist if you want, the actor said. But don't tell him he can't believe in God.
"I'm not the perfect Christian, I don't pretend to be," he admitted. "I'm sure there are smarter atheists out there that can make me look like a complete fool but that's why they call it faith. If I'm wrong, I've lost nothing and if I'm right I've gained everything."

It's that kind of attitude that Sorbo has tried to instill in his three children. But it's a constant battle in a world that is becoming more accepting of promiscuity and bad behavior.
"It's tough to find a good role model for kids today," said Sorbo. "Even on the Disney Channel there's stuff there that just isn't suitable for kids."
There's a "purposeful downplay of morals in Hollywood," and Sorbo wants to know why.
"I don't want to see 11-year-olds talking about sex and I don't think that's being prudish of me.You can't protect them with everything in media but I want to let my kids enjoy being a kid and Hollywood for whatever reason again just wants to change the moral values most families want for their kids."

What's the solution? Start standing up for what you believe in, he said.
"The silent majority is starting to get annoyed with what's going on" said Sorbo. "I think more people need to start speaking about it instead of just sitting there and taking it because we've turned into a bunch of wusses and it's ridiculous. Its happening, you're getting attacked, you need to stand up for yourself and your beliefs."

Faith & Fame is a regular column exploring how a strong belief system helps some performers navigate the pitfalls of the entertainment industry.

Friday, January 31, 2014

How children perceive their Grandparents...

We could all use a could chuckle on Friday morning...right?!?  :-)


 She was in the bathroom, putting on her makeup, under the watchful eyes of her young granddaughter, as she'd done many times before.  After she applied her lipstick and started to leave, the little one said, "But Grandma, you forgot to kiss the toilet paper good-bye!" I will probably never put lipstick on again without thinking about kissing the toilet paper good-bye.
 
My young grandson called the other day to wish me Happy Birthday. He asked me how old I was, and I told him, 80. My grandson was quiet for a moment, and then he asked, "Did you start at 1?"

  After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmother changed into old slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded to wash her hair. As she heard the children getting more and more rambunctious, her patience grew thin. Finally, she threw a towel around her head and stormed into their room, putting them back to bed with stern warnings. As she left the room, she heard the three-year-old say with a trembling voice,
"Who was THAT?"


A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like. "We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods."
The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this all in. At last she said, "I sure wish I'd gotten to know you sooner!"


  My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, "Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?" I mentally polished my halo and I said, "No, how are we alike?'' "You're both old," he replied.


  A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather's word processor. She told him she was writing a story.
"What's it about?" he asked.
"I don't know," she replied. "I can't read."


  I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what color it was. She would tell me and was always correct. It was fun for me, so I continued. At last, she headed for the door, saying, "Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some of these colors yourself!"


  When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects. Still, a few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, "It's no use Grandpa. Now the mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights."


 When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied, "I'm not sure." "Look in your underwear, Grandpa," he advised "Mine says I'm 4 to 6."


  A second grader came home from school and said to her grandmother, "Grandma, guess what? We learned how to make babies today." The grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool. "That's interesting." she said... "How do you make babies?"
"It's simple," replied the girl. "You just change 'y' to 'i' and add es


  A grandfather was delivering his grandchildren to their home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the dog's duties.
"They use him to keep crowds back," said one child.
"No," said another. "He's just for good luck.."
A third child brought the argument to a close."They use the dogs," she said firmly, "to find the fire hydrants."


  Grandpa is the smartest man on earth! He teaches me good things, but I don't get to see him enough to get as smart as him!

  My Grandparents are funny, when they bend over, you hear gas leaks and they blame their dog.
 
Have a good weekend!
Take care and God bless!  :-)

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Friendship and cancer


I have a very dear childhood friend, Kathy, who just recently found out she has breast cancer.  She had a double mastectomy yesterday and will be starting chemo most likely in 2-3 weeks that will go on for a year.  My husband and I went to the hospital last night to see her and she’s doing very well and it didn’t go into her lymph nodes which was a huge worry.  Thank God!!  What shocks me is that they’re sending her home today!  WTF?!?!?  She had the surgery yesterday!!  Not just the double mastectomy but also breast reconstruction surgery!  She has 4 drainage tubes coming out of her!  After my gastric bypass I only had one drainage tube and it was a pain in the ass.  Four has got to suck!!!  Yes…I am using a lot of exclamation points here because I’m still in shock that they’re sending her home after such major surgery!! 

Anyway…we have known each other since the fourth grade and grew up together.  She got married shortly after graduation to her high school sweetheart and they are still happily married with two grown children and a grandson.  I went into the service a couple months after their wedding and married my first husband shortly after I got out of the Army.  Kathy and I kind of went our separate ways…not intentionally…it just kind of happened.  We saw each other a couple of times, but in general, it wasn’t until my second marriage 14 years ago that we started getting back in touch.  It's only been a few times though but we have been keeping in touch on Facebook.

When I found out about the cancer, I don’t even know how to describe my feelings.  Fear and panic were the top ones I guess.  I have seen and talked to her more in the last month than I have since our childhood.  One of the things we have both been going back and forth over is the regrets we have of not staying in touch.  We have both had memories come flooding back of growing up together and realized just how much fun we had and how much we’ve missed each other.  We’ve promised each other that it’s going to change.  It’s amazing what cancer can do.  It’s just so sad to me that that’s what it took to get us to realize how important we were/are to each other.  I love her dearly and when she starts losing her hair from the chemo….I’m shaving my head!  That’ll be something new.  J

Take care and God bless!