That's some good stuff.

I spent Tuesday through Thursday in Baton Rouge at ARC's (Association of Related Churches) ALL ACCESS 2010 Conference.

I was super excited about the speakers and about worshiping with Hillsongs United.

The speakers were definitely the highlight for me.

Here's the good stuff:
(John Maxwell was one of my favorites.)

John Maxwell (on connecting with people): "Connecting requires energy. Jesus was inconvenienced to connect with us." Sometimes connecting with people requires us to be inconvenienced, but the ultimate goal through this connection is to bring people to Christ.

Brian Houston of Hillsongs Australia (talking about how Christians skim over Bible passages because they've already heard the story): "We know what pizza tastes like and we still keep eating it." Same thing with the Word of God. Even though we've read parts over and over, God reveals different things to us at different times.

Rick Bezet of New Life Church, Arkansas: "The unholy wanted to be around Jesus, the Most Holy One." And, He didn't have to compromise His position.

Priscilla Shirer: "The presence of God is what people seek." Without the presence of God, church is pointless. What she said moved me greatly. If God is not in what I'm doing, then I don't want to do it. That continues to be my prayer. I don't want to go on without Him. How useless would that be!

Dino Rizzo of Healing Place Church, Baton Rouge, LA: "Comparison is acid to your soul." and "Do not despise small beginnings."

Chris Hodges of Church of the Highlands, Alabama: Just read Luke 17:7-10. I want to have the heart that says I am only an unworthy servant who deserves nothing.

Stoval Weems of Celebration Church, Florida: "God values integrity over reputation."

And, there were others God used to speak so much to our souls.

It was challenging and inspiring.

(Here I am in my happy state.)
Now, back to the reality of more laundry and the dreaded trip to the grocery store.

What were we thinking?

If you were around in the '90s, you remember "Glamour Shots."

It was located in most malls enclosed by glass walls where everyone that was at the mall could see in at the glamourousness that was taking place.

Not only did you gain some lovely overly-filtered photos, but you also got the benefit of having the experts that worked in the shop give you somewhat of a make-over, complete with hats. And, let's not forget the oh-so-natural poses these professionals put you in.

Here's the oh-so-popular "I'm just hanging out and casually putting my chin on my fist" pose.

The family "holding the collar simultaneously" pose

The guy who poses with fans and umbrellas because the baseball glove and bat were unavailable.

The awkward wedding photo where the bride holds an apple (so many questions on this one)

And, the weird limp-wrist pose ... oh, wait ... that's me ... the horror!

Have you been to the Awkward Family Photos site? Hilarious!

Had to throw this one in for the pure creepiness of it. I mean, I owned a few Cabbage Patch dolls, but this is a little extreme. You can't tell me no one teased this poor girl and why did her mother allow this to happen?

I so wish I could have some re-dos.

This is becoming unfunny.

This was the latest subscription that someone else has purchased for me. Add that to the "American Baby" subscription and you get two ... not one ... but, two baby magazine subscriptions for a women who is at an age where baby-having is over.

Is this a joke? Or is someone trying to be cruel?

Yeah, I get it ... I'm getting old.

No matter how much I want another baby, it's not going to happen.

I'm glad that you can rejoice in someone else's pain, you anonymous subscription purchaser.

Seriously ... come on. At this point, you're just killing trees. What a waste.

Boring.

Yeah, whatever ... all I've got for today.

It was Secretary's (or as some have chosen to say, "Administrative Professional's") Day yesterday.

Beau took me to our annual spot - Shinto ... amazing Japanese food.

We shared the delightful day with other "administrative professionals."


Just a question: Who came up with "administrative professional"? And, why? I was a teacher, not a "education professional." Beau is a media director, not a "media professional." My mom is a nurse, not a "nursing professional." Does putting the word "professional" behind a title make it sound better? Sorry, just not getting the politically correct name change. Just say "secretary." Is the title "secretary" demeaning or something? Don't get it.

On days like this, it's hard for Beau to give me a little bonus from his wallet, seeing as his bank account is my bank account.

So, what does he get me?

You must know that I am not a flower-type of girl. They're pretty and all, but for how long? If you're going to spend a chunk of money, don't spend it on something that's going to be dead in a few days. I'd rather just have the money.

So what does he get me?

His love and appreciation?

His respect and admiration?

Eh ...

I'll settle for a gift card.

(Remember my depressing parenting post from yesterday? I portrayed awesome parenting skills yesterday when I sent my youngest child outside with a pair of scissors to cut the grass. You should be proud. She lasted only about 10 minutes by the way, but my point was made.)

Five Years

That's about all the time I have left with my oldest daughter until she's 18 and ready to leave the roost.

You never believe it when other moms tell you how fast the years go by when your kids are little and all you're doing is changing diapers and trying to get sleep.

But, I'm a believer now. And, the belief gets stronger and stronger as the years get shorter and shorter.

I think about how much I still need to pour into this child. So much left to be said and shared.

And, so many times I feel I have failed at as a parent.

I look at the mom who shows up for every field trip, the mom who has a home-cooked meal for her family every night, the mom who never raises her voice to her kids, the mom who does crafts and the like with her kids, the mom who's never late to pick her child up from school, the mom who enjoys taking her children shopping, and so much more, I fall short.

I often wonder how my children still make the same poor choices over and over again, after I know, good and well, that I've taught them differently.

When will they get it? And, will my oldest get it before she leaves home? I mean REALLY GET IT ... about God, about life, about everything.

I don't want them to "get it" the hard way.

Kinda reminds me of my God and me. He is continuously teaching me the same things over and over. I keep making the same poor choices. Will I ever get it? REALLY GET IT.

One thing's for sure, God gives me way more grace than I give my children. I try. I really do, but it seems like they take my "grace" and trample all over it.

Hmm ... I see another parallel there.

God, help me to never trample on Your grace.

Well, that explains it.

My new BFF and I talked lots about women this weekend ... issues women face, why women are the way they are, things that make us angry about women, etc.

In the midst of our conversations, I gained a bit of knowledge about how those supermodels/movie & TV stars/rock stars/anyone with money in L.A. lose all their baby fat so quickly.

And, I thought you would be delighted for me to pass it on to you.

Trust me. You will be happy I shared this bit of info with you. Feel free to pass it on to your friends. It will make us all feel a little better about ourselves.

So, how does one go from ginormous to petite so quickly weeks after those babies?

Heidi Klum - six weeks after her last baby. She then walked the runway eight weeks later.

Gisele just weeks after her baby. Look at her tummy in that second picture. Really? That tummy's tighter than my tummy was at six years old.

Now, I'm not saying these particular models have done this, but ...

the trend in Hollywood is called a C-Tuck. (Look it up.)

Let me explain, and as I explain, know that had I known that this was a possibility and if I had had an endless supply of money at that time, I may have considered doing this myself. Dang, those regular twenty-two hour labors!

I should have done the C-Tuck ... a procedure that is scheduled in the eighth month of pregnancy because, as we all know, in the ninth month, that's when you get those horrendous stretch marks (hence why models & movie stars don't have any). A C-section is then performed in that eighth month and directly afterwards all that fat is suctioned out and a tummy tuck is done.

That really does explain a lot.

Most celebs credit breastfeeding as the answer to how they lost weight so quickly. (I researched it because I know you trust me to report accurate information.)

Uh ... yeah ... almost everyone breastfeeds and almost everyone is not in a size 4 or 6 the week after they give birth.

Do you think we're stupid or something?

Just stop trying to convince women that it's a possibility for them to look the way you do by simply breastfeeding and even adding in a little exercise (which most of us don't do immediately anyway because we're exhausted). It's not gonna happen that quickly and, frankly, it's unhealthy.

And, just go ahead and admit you've done it. We understand. You're in the entertainment industry. You need to look good. But, don't say you look the way you do from not eating bread and exercising. We know better.

I love love love that Kourtney Kardashian just came out and busted OK! magazine for photoshopping her belly after she posed just weeks after her delivery. Good for you, Kourtney. She posed for the cover thinking she would give women a more realistic view of post-pregnancy weight loss.

The first pic is her real pic ... belly = normal size after baby. Second pic = photoshop.

Whew! Just had to share this because honestly it made me feel a little better about my marked-up jelly belly and I hope it makes you feel a little better about yours.

A Smashing Weekend!

Well, it's over.

I have mixed emotions ... happy & thrilled at how everything turned out, sad to say good-bye to my new BFF, Nicole Johnson, and anticipation about next year. Oh, and did I mention, a little exhaustion.

When I think I might be able to take a little time off ... nope, not gonna happen. There's always something else just around the corner.

The weekend began with a Thursday night ball where women dressed like princesses complete with tiaras.

(My fellow princesses)
(My Prince Charming)

Ladies were escorted through an enchanted forest complete with live butterflies into an area for photos. After photos, they entered the grand ballroom, with more decorations and were served dinner.

The night included live music and drama, videos, a comedian, and a message.

I spoke about negative images and labels that we and others put upon us and how we've exchanged the truth of God for the lie of the world. When we choose to believe the lie of who the world says we are, we reject the truth of who God says we are as daughters of the Most High King.

I had examples written on a large mirror of what we say about ourselves daily and the things we see when we look in the mirror that we complain about. We can't allow these things to define who we are. We are not any of these things and it's time as women of God that we break these images so as to never see them again.

(This was a difficult task for me when considering my fear of biscuit cans, but I did it anyway.)
(a closer look)

The next night was an incredible night of worship, live dance, and, of course, Nicole Johnson. She is simply amazing. I am in awe of the anointing God has on her.

I can't wait to show you better pictures, but as of yet, I only have this one from our Saturday morning breakfast session where Nicole spoke again. At this point in the weekend, my eyes were mere slits, making getting contacts in almost an impossibility. But, I made it on only about four hours of sleep.

Saturday morning included a silent auction benefiting a local charity and a shopping market with local vendors & artists. I treated myself to quite a bit of goodies after my husband said I deserved it. Yes!

Nicole, once again. spoke for all four of our weekend services. People were moved and responded to dropping their rocks of judgement.

Overall amazing weekend! I couldn't have asked for anything better.

Now, the kitchen is a mess and my girls don't have clean uniforms for school tomorrow or lunchmeat for sandwiches. This princess must get to work.

Finally.

(La Petite Belle as Sarah Jessica Parker in her "Square Pegs" role)

It took four weeks.

But, La Petite Belle was finally able to go and see "Alice in Wonderland," which she had pestered the whole family about seeing for the entire four weeks.

However, the only reason it took four weeks was because of La Petite Belle.

Each Monday we set the goal of seeing the movie as one of our family night activities, but by Friday, it was blown due to one stomach ache, and two behavior issues.

Geez.

And, of course, it was just your typical Tim Burton weirdo movie. I did enjoy the beauty of the film. Wonderland was definitely cool.

But, as for the rest of it ... eh, just OK for me.

The rest of the weekend involved lots of yardwork and trying to get my house together and ready for a long week.

I may not be around the blogging world this week or may just pop up for a minute.

I'll be spending all my days and nights at the church decorating and rehearsing for our women's conference. Nicole Johnson arrives on Thursday and, like I said, we're bound to be best friends by Sunday.

So, until then, my nerves are on edge and I'm drowning in last-minute details.

Pray for me (or more importantly ... pray for Beau and the children).

I Just Love This Girl.

Remember I told you about our Easter production, "Stones"?

I found La Petite Belle's stone.

Crazy that I even found it, but it was just right there on top.

Although she was supposed to write what the stone was that was keeping her from God's best for her life, she still wrote something great.

Allow me to translate:
"To love others ..."And, "to have more trust in God."

She didn't mean she needed to drop the stone of loving others and trusting God, she meant she needed to love others & trust God more. Get it?

I thought it was sweet & heartfelt.

This is the same child who night before last cried because she thought she would never make it to heaven because she "just messes up too much" and then thinks she has to ask Jesus into her heart all over again every time she does.

In addition, she was angry because she had written those words down on the stone and wondered why God hadn't helped her yet.

I live with quite a little legalist. Remember, the drinking & smoking discussions? Ugh.

Then, at 10 minutes to 10:00, she asked, "How do we know God really exists anyway?"

Not sure if she was just stalling for time, but after a 45-minute spiritual discussion had already occurred, I had to give her a generic "we just know" and "we can see His hand in creation everywhere." It was too late to pull out "Evidence that Demands a Verdict."

It seemed to satisfy her for the moment.

Possibly the best thing about living in Louisiana

The family ate some good 'ol boiled crawfish for dinner last night. This was our first time to eat it this season. Delicious!

There's just something delightful about sitting at a table with a hole in the middle where a trash can sits so you can throw excess crawfish parts away as you eat, while at the same time, having 15 deer heads (and one entire deer) staring at you while you eat, and enjoying loud zydeco music. Love it.

What gave me the most joy was knowing that La Petite Belle could peel her own with no help from Mom. That's my girl!

What gave me the least joy was when the check came ... over $100 for 15 pounds of crawfish. Whew! K Belle said it was worth it. That's because she wasn't the one paying.

Louisiana, I love your crawfish, but we've got to do something about the expense. Those cheap Chinese crawfish are looking better and better.

My Stone

Easter Weekend was a busy one.

Easter baskets were done on Saturday morning.
(The girlies in their Easter dresses)

Beau & I were each heavily involved in our Easter production so we spent most of the weekend at church.
(My peeps also involved and me)

We saw over 4000 people in attendance throughout our 5 services. Wow! My pastor explains the service best at his blog.

In a nutshell ... "Stones" was the title of the production & series. We all have something (a stone) that stands in the way of God's best for us ... something that we have put there or something that is part of us because of our past.

Seeing all these people write what their "stone" was on their rock and place it at the altar was very moving and powerful.

There were so many stones at the altar that said "FEAR."

Honestly, I'm not sure that one stone would be able to hold all the things that I put up between me and God. But, when I think about all of those things, they really do all come back to fear.

I'm not talking the kind of fear you have when you see a scary movie, I'm talking about real fear.

Real fear that stems from real hurt.

Because when you've been hurt, you have to have some type of mechanism to keep you safe.

There go those walls again. Man, I have issues.

Fear takes on so many forms.

Fear of rejection ... fear of being alone ... fear of trusting ... fear of being hurt ... fear for the welfare of your family ... the list goes on.

I have personally laid my stone of fear down a while back.

But, every now and again, I pick it back up.

It's like a tug-o-war ... put it down, pick it up, put it down, pick it up ... Geez, will I ever learn?

But, fear is really hard to let go of, but I've made tremendous steps.

Almost three years ago, I truly believe God urged me to start a Bible study with some ladies at the church. Some of us didn't really know each other at all and others of us were already good friends.

This group of girls has become my closest friends.

I have never been one to have a lot of girlfriends. I was always more comfortable being around the boys. And, let's face it, girls are vicious & can't be trusted. It was just easier.

But, now that I've formed these relationships, I understand the true bonds that women can have and actually need from one another.

I have made myself vulnerable to them. They have made themselves vulnerable to me.

I can't imagine my life without these girls. They encourage me and support me. They love me even though I can be a handful. And, I love them.

Choosing to pick up that stone is a daily choice.

I don't want to be that person that misses out on so many relationships because I'm too scared. Life's too short.

Not sure how to celebrate this.

Good Friday.

It's a day off.

We sleep late.

It's a day where we spend time with our family.

We go to the movies.

We go out to eat, especially boiled crawfish if you live down here.

We shop for Easter dresses.

We plan menus & decide what we're going to eat on Easter Sunday.

We dye eggs to hunt and then turn into deviled eggs.

But, I wonder if that's how this day should really be celebrated. I can't help but feel some shame in what we've turned this day into.

It's the day we remember the death of our Savior, our King, our Lord who hung on a cross for us ... who took our punishment on Himself.

How should we celebrate a death that was meant for us? Would we rejoice if it were the anniversary of our child's death, our brother's death, our friend's death?

No.

We would remember.

We would meditate.

Isaiah 53:7-10 He was beaten, he was tortured, but he didn't say a word. Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered and like a sheep being sheared, he took it all in silence. Justice miscarried, and he was led off— and did anyone really know what was happening? He died without a thought for his own welfare, beaten bloody for the sins of my people. They buried him with the wicked, threw him in a grave with a rich man, Even though he'd never hurt a soul or said one word that wasn't true.

Still, it's what God had in mind all along,
to crush him with pain.
The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin
so that he'd see life come from it—life, life, and more life.
And God's plan will deeply prosper through him.

We are moved by His love and are in awe of what was done for us.

We humble ourselves and thank God.

And, we anticipate Sunday.