38 Things

Yeah, so tomorrow's my birthday. Whatever.

I'm going to be taking the day off from blogging to accept all the massive amount of presents I'll be receiving.

But, I did put together this little list that you can hold me accountable for during this next year (because I know you'll print it out and keep it near you and hound me about it).

38 Things to Do Before I'm 39:

1. Christmas time in NYC

2. Grow a successful batch of herbs

3. Watch all the “Godfather” movies in one day

4. See what the fuss is about “Mad Men”

5. Plant a couple of blueberry bushes and a lemon tree

6. Drink green tea in the afternoon instead of coffee most days

7. Take my girls camping for at least one night, for the experience only, not because I love it

8. Take a dance class … hip-hop, I think

9. Run a 10K, and possibly half-marathon

10. Go on a mission trip

11. Get out of some unnecessary debt

12. Attend a Saints game

13. Go fishing for something other than catfish

14. Find the perfect pair of jeans

15. Finish those last pages of the girls’ scrapbooks, then start getting them done digitally

16. Make a sushi roll

17. Make a really good pot of gumbo

18. Try to find at least one fiction book that will capture my attention

19. Start a new supper club

20. Be able to do one of those stupid Superman/Banana moves from P90X

21. Be able to do way more push-ups than I’m doing now

22. Lose 15 lbs.

23. Buy that 2^nd car for Beau

24. Conquer the weeds in my yard

25. Find a great pair of running shoes

26. Introduce my girls to “Gone With the Wind” and “Oklahoma”

27. Purchase all the great old musicals that my girls and I love so much

28. Develop a really great salsa recipe and buy store-bought no more

29. Get our women’s ministry connected with a local charity that benefits women

30. Finish cooking and taking pictures of all the recipes in my personal cookbook

31. Take a family vacation

32. Learn how to play tennis to be able to play a real game with Beau

33. Go to one of those fancy painting classes with a few friends

34. Decorate cupcakes or cookies in a fancy manner for one of my girls’ class parties

35. Learn how to use a curling iron to create those cute loose curls

36. Eat more fruit and vegetables

37.Trust more

38. Be more disciplined in every area of my life

Now, I have a whole year to accomplish these things with some of them already in the works.

Age is really just a number ... 28 ... 38 ... same thing.

The Day Has Arrived.

Today's the day.

Yep.

Today's the day I get to show all my business to my new OB/GYN.

I'll let you know if she (yeah, I found a woman) lived up to my expectations.

I just hope she'll explain why I tend to wake up at 4:08 a.m. and want to strip all my clothes off, not for Beau's benefit, but for my desire to not be on fire. Dang, it's hot.

Or maybe she'll explain why I can't even make it through the first 5 minutes of "The Biggest Loser" or "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" without boo-hooing. Not to mention any commercial that includes babies and children growing up and puppies. Geez. Give me a break. (Shhh ... don't ruin my facade.)

And, there's other things.

Beau says it's all in my head because he thinks I'm the same all the time ... never emotional ... never the insane woman ... never out of control. Whew! I guess I'm covering it up pretty good. Because it's like a constant pinball machine in my head. I'm constantly telling myself to simmer down.

I do exaggerate just a tad bit.

Because when you really think about it, I'm way too young for any of this nonsense. I mean, I'm still like 28 years old ... OK ... 30, add a few years ... or more. Whatever.

Then, Beau says something like "What would you do if you found out this female doctor played for the other team?" (if you know what I mean, except he used a word I'd rather not write on my website)

Great. One more thing to be thinking about during the probing.

The First Kiss

First of all, I have a really bad memory. No, you don't understand, it's really bad when it comes to details of the past.

Beau can remember the exact outfit I was wearing the night he asked me out on our first date. I haven't a clue.

Beau remembers things I said to him in the '90s that I don't remember ever saying, yet he can't remember to pick up his socks up off the floor. Go figure.

So, this is the best recollection that I have.

Picture me inside my duplex apartment, while Beau is standing outside of the door of my duplex apartment. I am telling him goodnight after one of our dates.

He leans in to kiss me.

I back away, a little stunned. Not sure why I was stunned. We had been dating a little while and had become really great friends. Best friends. I guess it's only natural to kiss at this point. We were not one of those couples that vowed not to kiss before marriage and wait to have our first kiss on our wedding day. We were not that strong.

When he leaned in to kiss me, I pulled back.

I was nervous and really scared. This relationship was perfect before the kiss. I didn't want the kiss to mess up the relationship and make things weird. Was it too soon? What if the kiss was horrible? What if the kiss ruined everything?

So, when I pulled back, I actually uttered the words, "I'm scared."

How lame is that? What a stupid thing to say. But, I really was scared. I had been hurt way too much and didn't want this to turn into another one of my failed relationships.

And, Beau, with his too cool voice said, "Don't be." And, leaned in closer and kissed me.

And, when he kissed me ... FIRE! SPARKS! In other words, it was good. Better than good. Incredible.

A few months later, we were engaged to be married.

(Here's a little secret ... when he kisses me now, after almost 15 years ... that fire, that spark is still there. I love that man.)

And, ever since then, it's been non-stop.

For more stories, visit Rachel.

"Fertile Myrtle" is an understatement.

The real word is superfetation.

Never heard of it?

Me neither.

It's when you get pregnant while you're pregnant.

Huh?

Yeah, that was my thought.

What kinda crazy freak of nature does that?

Well, mostly animals, but in very rare cases ... VERY RARE cases, it could happen to a human.

And, it did people.

Not in India or China. No. Only in Arkansas.

The top story on Yahoo yesterday was all about it. I thought it was fascinating.

So, ladies, be forewarned: Pregnancy is not a form of birth control. You CAN get pregnant while you're pregnant. Crazy.

Here's the story.

This is not a concern for me anymore.

Menopause is knocking on my door and Beau is like 85 years old ... OK, more like 62.

Just remember ... I warned you.

Waiting still, trusting still

The righteous man (or woman) "will have no fear of bad news, his (her) heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord." (Ps. 112:7)

Kinda where I am right now.

Waiting on good news.

Trusting.

Trying not to be discouraged, despite my circumstances.

Waiting more.

Trusting more.

Knowing that my hope is secure. He knows my every need. My life is in His hands.

There is nothing that surprises Him.

Go here to listen to stories of how God has proved Himself to others. You can even upload your own story of how God has carried you through a situation. Very encouraging.

Fail Us Not from Steven Potaczek on Vimeo.

Quiet

This is something that I do not experience in my house.

Never.

Even when the kids are at school and Beau is not home, Roxy Belle, all of sudden, turns into a Rottweiler, being taunted by every leaf that may fall or bug that might enter our yard. It's ridiculous.

La Petite Belle tends to be the one with the highest volume. Beau and I are constantly telling her that she is too loud and to turn her volume down.

Now, the rest of us are not quiet church mice, either ... especially when pushed into a tizzy by the other household members.

But, there is one time that La Petite Belle stands out ... it's bath time.

When she is in the tub, upstairs, and we are downstairs, with the television at a volume of 20 or higher, her voice is heard above it all ... singing from the time she gets into the tub until the time she gets out.

This is what I caught last night. She loves her some Matt Kearney (her favorite song that we've heard over and over again).

And, you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way.

Quiet is overrated.

It's a miracle that God even gave us children.

La Petite Belle: "Mommy and Daddy, does it hurt when you stop breathing? Like when you die?"

Mama Belle: "Well, I don't know I've never died."

Beau: "Well, no, it doesn't hurt. You're dead so you won't feel it."

If any of you need parenting advice, we're available.

A Girl Can Dream

What were your dreams?

My dreams surfaced in the second grade.

Here I am sporting my Dorothy Hamill hairdo.

Why that hairstyle was fashionable, I'll never know.

My dreams changed from year-to-year, but one dream continued to resurface.

You see, I had certain skills.

I saw my skill(s) as public relations ... or commentary ... even entertainment.

Mrs. Gisclair, on the other hand, didn't see the value in what I did, evidenced by this statement on my 2nd grade report card.

This comment was made by most of my teachers throughout my elementary school years.

I tried, Mrs. Gisclair and the others, I really tried.

It's just a part of me.

Keeping my mouth shut is not my strong suit. Although, I still try ... I really do.

But, here's the problem, when I don't say anything, others can read my mind.

Because my face has the ability to relate my thoughts while at the same time battling my mind that's speaking,"Don't make a face. Don't make a face. Don't make a face. Have no expression. Have no expression. Have no expression." Botox would really benefit me, not only for the temporary loss of wrinkles, but for the loss of expressions.

Absolutely no poker face. But, it's a skill I'm working on.

This ability to express myself and speak my mind has always been a part of me and led me to my dream of wanting to be ... look at it for yourself ...

Yeah, a lawyer.

I would have been Susan Dey's character from L.A. Law, not her character from The Partridge Family, although she did get to hang out with David Cassidy ... hmmm ... tough decision.

Like I said, there were other dreams:

Nurse (kindergarten & 1st grade - what my mom is ... typical)

Artist (3rd grade)

Actress (5th grade

Dancer (6th grade)

Writer (9th grade)

Social Worker (10th grade)

? - (12th grade ... that's what was written in the blank. Great timing for indecision.)

But, mostly -

Lawyer (2nd, 4th, 7th, and 8th grade)

Had it not been for my extreme fear of public speaking (yes, I had one), I might have gone for it. Instead, I opted for that Education degree that never put me in front of people ... oh, wait. I got over that fear pretty quickly, even if it was in front of the most non-intimidating audiences ever ... preschool through 5th graders, and all their parents.

So, what was your dream? What did you want to be when you grew up? Or are you still looking for it?

Because you know, I do have that degree in Education (taught for 6 years), and, right now, that degree just hangs on a wall. Will I ever figure out what I want to be when I grow up? Ugh.

Is sitting on the front porch (which I don't have ) in a rocking chair (which I don't have), reading the newspaper, and drinking coffee, while watching Beau pick fresh vegetables from our garden a life-long goal and dream?

Why I Can't Form a Complete Post Right Now

There are no clean towels in the house.

La Petite Belle has eaten Chef Boyardee ravioli two nights in a row ... K Belle - frozen dinners ... Beau and I ... cereal, cheese and crackers. I have not cooked since Monday, seeing as I haven't been home any night before 6:30 p.m.

Consequently, there are no clean cereal bowls in the house.

5:00 a.m. workouts lead to 8:30 p.m. bedtimes.

La Petite Belle has forgotten practically every single thing she learned in the second grade. I'm having to revert back to teacher mode ... re-teaching multiplication, borrowing, carrying, and basically how to read and spell again. What in the world?

New episode of "The Office" and "The Biggest Loser," plus the new "Community" have taken me away from my computer.

My girls have two birthday parties, two theatre rehearsals, one soccer game, one fundraiser, and one church service in less than 24 hours.

Oh, wait ... and Beau's out of town. Lovely.

"I don't want to be THAT parent."

That's what Beau said to me when I was trying to encourage him to speak to La Petite Belle's new soccer coach about why he was playing her as goalie ... again.

La Petite Belle has played soccer for 3 years and had to go into the draft because her team lost their coach. All the girls left over had to go into the draft.

La Petite Belle has NEVER played goalie.

NEVER.

And, Mr. Coach decides to test her non-existent goalie skills in the first scrimmage. It was pitiful. When touching the ball with your hands is never an option, it's hard to make it part of your game.

Then, Mr. Coach played her again to start the second scrimmage as ... you guessed it ... goalie.

La Petite Belle is best at kicking.

KICKING.

(This is an old picture, but you get my drift ... she can kick.)

She's just like Sally O'Malley when it comes to kicking. For real.

She can kick, stretch, and kick!

But, seriously, she has played defender, then, better yet, mid-fielder (with the occasional forward) for 3 years.

No, I don't want to be "THAT" parent, as Beau said. You know the kind ... the one that screams at their kid through the whole game, gets upset at their kid when they don't perform their best, gets upset with the coach when their kid isn't played enough, and is just a huge pain in the rear. And, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, loud and obnoxious.

So, I sat back and watched my little soccer star stand in the goal box with her arms folded.

Then, before the first quarter was even over, she got moved to forward, and played most of the game as forward or mid-fielder.

And, guess what?

She scored 2 goals.

Mama really does know what's up, Mr. Coach. (even though I didn't tell you how to do your job ... despite the fact that I really wanted to)

Come to find out, La Petite Belle, as she was standing in that box, leaned over to the coach and expressed her disdain for the goalie position.

Well, lookey there. Like mother, like daughter.

I told her that I was glad that she spoke her mind.

Weekend Outbursts

(This post began Monday morning, but took me the whole day to complete. Stupid housework.)

#1 - Kanye West vs. Taylor Swift

VMA (Kanye West) Taylor Swift Disrespect!

Unbelievable.

How dare he take that moment away from her!

I would have slapped the mess out of him and performed my "sword/hammer" move from P90X.

Kanye ... totally not cool, not too mention classless.

On the other hand, Beyonce' showed much class by bringing Taylor Swift back out on stage to give her acceptance speech ... uninterrupted. Thank you, Beyonce'. I already had much respect for you because of your dance moves, but this took the cake.

#2 Serena Williams vs. line judge

Serena screams profanities to line judge for calling a foot fault, which was probably a bad call. But, the outburst cost Serena the game. Not a great choice.

Here's the video. The call happens in the first few minutes. You be the judge.

If I would have been that tiny judge, I don't think I would have messed with Serena though, much less have made any calls against her. She could put a hurt on somebody.

#3 - Joe Wilson vs. Nancy Pelosi

Nancy Pelosi is calling for Joe Wilson to make another apology. Wilson will likely be brought to the well of the House floor this upcoming week so she can sanction him with a resolution of "disapproval."

Get over it, Pelosi. The man already apologized.

FYI: Democrats have called Republican presidents liars numerous times. Google it. But, for some reason, they weren't punished so severely by the media and Congress. Hmmm ...

#4 Me vs. Tony Roberts

Yesterday, I shut Tony Roberts up by fast-forwarding through the last 15 minutes of the chest & back DVD. He hurt me back by the most severe 15 minutes of ab exercises ever created.

"I hate it, but I love it."

You win, Tony.

#5 - La Petite Belle vs. K Belle

Punishment ensued this weekend due to bad treatment of one another.

Mama and Daddy say, "If you can't be kind to your sister, then we can't trust you to be kind to anyone else." Grounded. The next time the invite comes to go to a friend's house or event, the answer is NO.

#6 - Roxy Belle vs. our bedroom carpet which led to me vs. the pee stain

Yet, another win for her this weekend due to her incontinence. She is no longer allowed to roam around upstairs without supervision. And, Beau and I are about to rip out all the bedroom carpets, which are only 3 years old. That dog has cost us a pretty penny.

Beau bought a "miracle" pet stain removal spray that you just spray on and the stain immediately disappears. I'm still spraying.

The Way It Should Be

(Out of the Blue)

La Petite Belle: "Mommy, even if you weren't a Christian, I would still love you."

Me: "Well, I'm glad."

La Petite Belle: " But, it would be a horrible thing if you were not a Christian."

Me: "Yes, it would."

Funny how God speaks through our children.

How much do we really, truly love those unlike ourselves?

How much do we love those that are anti-Christian? Or hate Christians?

How much do we see ourselves as better than them?

Hard stuff and I'm guilty.

My Attempt at a Political Post

I knew I needed to watch the President's address to Congress last night and thought, maybe I could act like one of those fancy, intellectual commentators.

Hmmm ...

Here are my thoughts and observations as I post live:

* The long clapping and hollering: Who claps that long for anyone? Seriously. I don't think I could clap that long ... not even for Aerosmith, but maybe for Bon Jovi. Then, he was announced again by Pelosi and more insane clapping and hollering ensued. Come on. Get on with it.

* I'm wondering if Nancy Pelosi has had a facelift or eye lift. I mean, the woman is 69 years old.

* Oh, goodness, here it goes ... up, down, up, down. This thing is going to last an hour due to all of the standing up and sitting down. Dear Lord, after every sentence now ... sit down already and let the man talk.

* Wait, did you just say the economy is better than it was before?

* John Dingle. I bet he was picked on as a kid.

* Biden and Pelosi are distracting me. I keep thinking of random thoughts of what they might be thinking as Obama's talking. I really want Nancy Pelosi to just stick a big wad of gum in her mouth or Biden to pick his nose or something.

* I don't want to pay for those who don't want to pay for even the lowest-cost insurance because they don't see it as important.

* "Significant details to be ironed out" ... seriously? So, we're making a decision with this statement as part of its explanation.

* Hmmm ... not everyone standing now when talking about senior citizens, illegal aliens, and abortions.

* Major scary interruption. I'm still just wondering who said that. Did he just scream out "that's a lie"? (Found out it was Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina ... brave man)

* Could Congress be more divided?

* This might be more entertaining if Joe Biden explained how we were going to get the money for this health care plan.

* Did he just dog out Bush and blame everything about our economy on the war?

* Finally, the Republicans get to stand. It's almost like Obama's giving them just a little something just to shut them up with this malpractice reform. Now, he can say he used everyone's ideas, Democrat and Republican.

* Seriously, what are they holding up in their hands? What are those papers? (Just found out the papers are copies of all the Republican bills for health care reform, being held up in protest)

* Oh, wait, he said he's going to call those reps out if they misrepresent this plan. Owned.

* I knew Ted Kennedy would come up.

* So, it's a "moral" issue. Are you serious? So, same-sex marriage and abortion are not? Now, all of a sudden, we're going to claim the health care issue as a "moral" issue?

* Is Nancy Pelosi going to cry? Is Biden about to cry?

* Hillary's in a nice red suit tonight. Ah ... Hillary ... I must share my favorite Hillary moment:

(Insert cat hiss and screech)

Now for Charles Boustany, my very own Representative.

He did alright. Kind of nervous and with no live audience to respond always makes the responses seem dull. But, I did like the idea of being able to go out of state to shop for health insurance. Interesting.

Your thoughts?

The Goods

I won some stuff. Wanna see?

Sure you do.

First, from Kora at Dixie Lust:

Goodies from The Grass is Greaner. Visit her etsy shop for charming and unique items.

This was the package.

Then, I opened everything up. Couldn't decide what was my favorite. Hard. Real hard.

I absolutely love the bags made out of old Louisiana rice sacks.

Then, these sachets ... smelled wonderful.

Very unique jewelry

K Belle loved the hair clip.

And, not to be outdone ... my good friend Sara sent me this jar of her homemade pepper jelly.

I can't wait to pour this over a hunk of cream cheese and eat it with crackers. Or maybe I'll make that Jalapeno Chicken Recipe.

Oh, alright. Since you asked.

Jalapeno Chicken

2 lbs Chicken breast (cut up into 2” pieces)
1 tsp. Lawry’s seasoning
1 tsp. Garlic salt
½ tsp. Black pepper
½ tsp. salt
½ c. butter
Pepper Jelly

Melt butter in a frying pan on low heat. Add chicken and seasonings. Simmer until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in pepper jelly and simmer for about 30 minutes. Serve over white rice. Enjoy! Serves 4.

That's it! Easy. Enjoy.

Labor Day was not laborless.

I woke at 6:16 a.m. because it's a rule that if you have a day to sleep in, you won't be able to.

After tossing and turning, I reluctantly got out of the bed by 6:30 or so, and thought I would get some good quiet time downstairs. I put on the coffee, got my iPhone in hand, and started to read my daily Bible reading. (Did I mention how much I love my iPhone?)

La Petite Belle came down shortly after I had settled down to start reading. She, of course, wanted to turn the TV on. I responded to her with a "No, Mommy's trying to have some quiet time and read her Bible. Why don't you go and get your Bible and you can read too?"

"Nah." She said

But, after a minute or two, she went to get the big family picture Bible we have, which she loves to look at.

It was nice. She read her Bible. I read my Bible. It was quiet for about 20 minutes. Nice.

I read:

"If you want to claim credit, claim credit for God. What you say about yourself means nothing in God's work. It's what God says about you that makes the difference." 2 Corinthians 10:17-18

What God says, not what we say, makes the difference. So, really, anything I say doesn't amount to a hill of beans if I'm trying to gain recognition or talk up anything I'm doing in any sort of ministry.

God seems to always like it when I'm shutting up and He can do the talking.

My talking just isn't as good. I mean, I'm pretty wise and all ... Oops! There I go again.

The rest of the day involved:

About 6 loads of laundry

2 runs of the dishwasher

Dusting

Sweeping

Vacuuming

Bathroom cleaning

P90X (with La Petite Belle included)

Plus, the good stuff ...

1 family game of Disney's Scene-It

1 family game of Mad Lib

1 20-minute nap

"Cake Boss" marathon on TLC

And a dinner that includes this beautiful hunk of meat ...

with these smooth and creamy potatoes ...

topped off with this not-so-little piece of yummy apple pie.

And, yes, I see that my day included p90X and all this food.

Imagine how little I would have had to eat if I hadn't done P90X. You see. I'm always thinking.

Misinformation

Yesterday, La Petite Belle and I had "the talk" .... again.

The first time came almost 2 years ago. We only handed out information that was necessary for her age at that time. There's only so much a child can handle at a young age.

But, apparently, La Petite Belle informed me that she already knew about the "'s' word," following a commercial currently running on TV, saying straight-up, "Talk to your kids about sex ..." (which came on 3 times while we were watching a movie on ABC Family ... hmph). That's how the conversation started.

After she informed me that she already knew all about the subject, I asked her to tell me what sex was.

She definitely got some misinformation from someone. "Peanuts" have a whole new meaning in our house.

I quickly told her that we needed to get all this information straight and we headed upstairs to get the book I had shared with her 2 years ago. This book is for all ages and has bold print for the younger kids and fine print for the older ones. We read the fine print (all the technicalities and terms) and discussed that God created EVERYTHING, including sex. We went into more discussion about God's original plan for sex, and how the world and sin has distorted it ... then, on to consequences of not following that original plan. Heavy stuff.

She took it all pretty well.

I'm hoping the talk was a little better than this.

She's now decided that she will never have a baby or get married for that matter. She's given herself 2 options: She will either live with us forever, or live by herself with a dog and just help K Belle with her babies.

I'll be reminding her of that.

Like the commercial said, "Talk to your kids about sex." No telling what they've been told. And, they're hearing about it younger and younger.

I'm the meanest mom.

La Petite Belle yelled from the bathroom last night, "Mommy, come here. Mommy, I need you to see something."

When these words are uttered from the bathroom, it's never a good thing.

I told her to wait a minute like most mothers do, and then headed over to the bathroom.

When I arrived, she had both legs flung over the outside of the tub.

"Yes?" I say.

"Mommy, I shaved my leg and I didn't cut it one bit." She said.

"What?" (I felt a freak-out moment coming on.) "No! No! No! La Petite Belle (but used real name), I can't believe you shaved your leg."

She starts to tear up. (She's pretty much become an emotional basket case since she's gone back to school. This was only about the seventh time she cried that day.)

"Why?" She asked. "I didn't know." (which she did)

"Yes, you knew. You're too young to shave your legs (she's 8). Your sister just started to and she's 12. Shaving legs is for older girls in junior high or high school. You know you are always to ask permission before you do something like this." I said.

She continued to say she didn't know she wasn't supposed to do it and didn't understand why K Belle could and she couldn't. Let's just say that K Belle probably wouldn't have to shave for another few years because she really still doesn't have any hair on her legs. But, she, of course, would be mortified if she couldn't shave because all the girls in her class started shaving last year. Whatever.

La Petite Belle, on the other hand, could have started shaving at 2. She's definitely of French descent. That baby could have used a good wax job when she was an infant ... eyebrows, legs, not to mention, back.

She did come to me about 15 minutes after the incident and apologized for shaving, but then told me I should feel how smooth her leg was.

Here's the "mean" part: She's going to school tomorrow with one shaved leg and one unshaved leg.

I thought about it awhile. That's a pretty good natural consequence for her actions.

I did second-guess myself and thought about sending her back to shave the other leg, but didn't. She should remember this one for a while and hopefully she will get the whole asking-permission thing I've been trying to teach her for almost 9 years.

Thanks, Facebook.

I can always count on you to encourage my friends to post the most unflattering pictures of me ... most involving food.

Really? Does this look like a picture I would want anyone to see?

This just looks inappropriate.

But, I'm pretty much fearless. You're scared of me now, aren't you?

You may say that this was a baby alligator ... no big deal. WRONG. That baby alligator could bite your face off if he wanted to. I'm sure it was dangerous, except for the fact that they let kids hold him too. Whatever. I'll stick with "I'm fearless."

I'm not sure about this.

K Belle just recently got her last round of immunizations before school started.

She's 12.

The doctor discussed the Gardasil shot with me ... the shot that protects against certain forms of HPV, which could possibly lead to cervical cancer later in life.

I'm torn.

This shot is quite controversial for many reasons.

While we all pray that our daughters would make right choices, would we want to not protect them from something that could lead to cancer?

Would we just flippantly say "everything has consequences and they get what they deserve"? (This could mean cancer for your child, which I would think no parent would want, no matter what actions their child took.)

Is the drug too new and not enough known about it to make an informed decision?

Do the potential risks of the shot outweigh the possible benefits?

Is giving your daughter the shot saying that promiscuity is OK? Will your child, knowing that they have had the shot and are protected, be more likely to be promiscuous?

Lots of questions.

Your thoughts?

I have a flaw.

In deed, I have many flaws.

I could make a list that would fill this blog from now until I'm dead and gone.

But, thankfully, for you, I won't do that.

I'll list one: Impatience.

I hate waiting.

Hate it.

I am a get-it-done-now type of person. I don't understand people that wait until the last minute to do things.

My mother always said, "Why wait until tomorrow to do what you can do today?" or something like that.

That's not to say I have never procrastinated. I have. Trust me ... my youngest child is still 4 years old if you look in her scrapbook (she'll be 9 next month).

But, when it comes to waiting on answers, I fail miserably. I am impatient and feel like I'm that little child that stamps her feet, waves her fists, and screams, "Tell me, tell me, tell me."

I need to know now.

Things I love are: resolve, closure, resolution, decision, settlement, and happy endings. Stuff like that.

Not knowing and waiting on answers drives me crazy.

I have always heard that you should never pray for patience. I'm sure you can imagine why.

I realize that a lack of patience is actually a lack of trust.

If I'm agonizing over whether God will grant me favor or not in a situation or waiting on whether God is leading me one way or another, I'm not trusting.

This is what I read this morning:

"With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing Himself to the worst by sending His own Son, is there anything else He wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us - who was raised to life for us! - is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. " - Romans 8:31-34 (The Message)

Don't tangle with God by messing with me. I love that part.

But, really, why would I ever doubt a God who did, literally put EVERYTHING on the line for me?

He is my provider. He is my defender. He is my strength.

So, I will wait ... patiently ... knowing that He is sticking up for me.