Bittersweet!

This is a bit of a bittersweet moment for me.

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, many of you are probably thinking, "What do you mean by bittersweet????" Well, for me that means ...............NO INTERNET!!!!

GASP!!!!

We don't currently have it at home because there is no high speed available. We live 400 feet out of the loop!! 400 feet!!!!! Anyway, it's too much of a head ache to use dial up since it is SO SLOW.

However, I do go to the church to check up and occasionally post. AND I will be at my parents house for the week of June 23rd, and I will be taking trips to the library with the kiddos, so I will sneak in a min or two on the computer there to check up on all that's happening!

So, I bid you all a GREAT SUMMER!!!!

(not farewell, cause I will be around.....even if it is lurking!) LOL......OH.....I also remembered that my hubby can bring home his laptop.....ooooooo I forgot about that...... He has a wireless card, and he can pick up signals from the neighbors behind us!!! Isn't that sad! We are that close and can't "get it" on our desktop!!!

How to DO the WHO do!

Hee Hee......that just sounds funny! AnyWHO......(i'm killin' myself here!!) LOL OKAY....enough with that....on with what I am here for today! A couple of you that read the post below wanted to know how we accomplished this great up do, so let me tell you, it was super easy.

Here's what you need:
1. Plastic cup (sized to match the amount of hair you have)
2. Your own hair (hee hee)
3. 1 scrunci

To accomplish such stylish do, simply brush some hair forward, place the cup in the center of the top of your head, bring hair up from all sides and secure with the scrunci!

On a small child you might try those little Dixie cups....would make for a smaller do, but would be just as much fun!

Now was that easy or what!!! So, now go make your WHO do!

Girls Night Out and My Ballerina

Well, it has been a week and a half now and I am FINALLY getting some pictures on here from our first ever GNO! I guess it really should have been called GNI since we stayed IN all night. Anyway....for some reason most of the pictures I took came out too dark, so these were some of the better ones. Just showing some of the fun we had.

My princess stayed with us! She was a hoot..... I think in this picture the time was about 12:30 and yes she was still running!!

Here she is eating her "mushmellow". That's what she calls them!

Some of the girls wanted to straighten my hair. You know it has only been curly since having both kids, mainly since Rachel! Anyhow, as they were doing it, someone thought it would be funny to turn me into a WHO. So with they accomplished that with help if a plastic cup and a scrunci. Then in the picture below is one of our girls....she has long hair too and a lot of it, so they did the same to her!

These two were a hoot, you'll see their handy work below. They decided to tape two of the girls that went to sleep to the floor! I have to say I did have a little to do with that....helping at least!

These were some other helpers! They had the tape ready when we came back for it!

Displaying their handy work!

This is the "All Night Crew" Not one of us went to sleep. Oh, there is also the one behind the camera.

My princess being woke up to head home! Would you believe that she stayed up til 2:30!!! I am not joking, that girl is a party animal!

After we got home Rachel and I went straight to my bed and slept til 12:00! Could have slept longer, but my dear hubby just had to mow the grass!!! LOL

The pictures below are of Rachel. I had to practice getting all of her hair slicked back for recital in a couple weeks. SO, with the help of water and some hair glue, we got it back. For some reason she wasn't wanting to give me a smile, so she was trying to frown!

Then after I snapped a few shots of her, she wanted to take one with her "brodder"! Look at him all beat up! He is ALL BOY!!!! He never goes a day without some kind of scratch or bruise!

Trapped!

Do you ever feel trapped? I know that seems kind of harsh, but sometimes it's just how I feel! Being a minister's wife is not always the easiest thing in the world. But I also think about other women, like coaches wives, and others....I bet they feel the same thing sometimes.

The reason I say this is because there are times when I just want to get away and it just isn't possible. For instance, next week Carlton is taking some of the youth on a trip. An over night trip to go tubing. I entertained the thought of going with them and asking someone to watch the kids. I even went so far as to call someone this time. BUT then last night it hit me.......Rachel has one more ballet class on the Wednesday we would be gone and it is the last one before dress rehearsal on Friday. So, when I mentioned this to Carlton, he said, "Ask them if they would take her." So I was planning on doing that......although, inside I TOTALLY felt like I was imposing enough already!

But then another thought crossed my mind this morning......SWIM LESSONS...... I had promised the kids they could take swim lessons. After getting to school and checking the session dates, it looks as if the only time they could go is June 9 - 18. SO, that would mean asking someone to not only take Rachel to ballet, but to also take the kids to swim lessons two days.......I just can't do that!

Being married to someone whose job moves you around and keeps you away from family is not always the easiest thing! I LOVE what we do...... I LOVE ministering to students......I don't really mind the moving around part either......however, in times like this, it sure would be nice to be closer to "home".

Pink Rose Award

I was given this Pink Rose Award from my friend Janna. She is a dear friend from college. I love her so much and she is one of a very few that I actually still have contact with. She is so sweet! I pray for her daily and I hope you all get a chance to meet her, so head on over!

I am going to nominate a couple people:

1. Natalie: She is a fellow minister's wife. I met her through another "blog friend" and we check on each other anytime we are online. Thank you Natalie for all your encouraging comments and the silly ones. I really do think we are two peas in a pod!

2. Angel: She was more of an "aquaintenance" in college. I found her somehow through this blog land and am never more glad that I did. She inspires me almost daily from her book clubs to her adoption stories (She is currently in China picking up her precious Lady Bug!), to her spirit of trying to make a difference. Take some time, you may need a while, to browse through her blog...you will be amazed as well!

3. Lisa: The Preacher's Wife.....you may know her....who doesn't! LOL I love how she makes me feel that I can go days with out taking a shower(LOL you must read!), that I don't have to stick to a certain schedule all the time and that I don't have to be something I am not! I love that I can go to her blog and find anything from funny girl talk to random nonsense to advise from her and many others about being "married to the ministry". If you want some down to earth, truth telling opinions then head on over to her place.


4. Sue at Praise and Coffee. I love going over to her place on Tuesdays, I don't always leave a comment (maybe only once or twice) but I love going over and being filled! You can get there from the button on the sidebar that says Two Shall Become One Tuesdays. I am reminded each week of the things that I can do to make my marriage stronger and happier. I praise God for women like you Sue that give of your time to allow God to use you in shuch a way! Thank you!


So ladies...here’s what to do if this is your thing:



1. On your blog, copy and paste the award, these rules, a link back to the person who selected you, and a link to this post: You will find the story behind the Pink Rose Award here and other graphics to choose from there. (It's really such a sweet story)



2. Select as many award recipients as you would like, link to their blogs (if they have one), and explain why you have chosen them.



3. Let them know that you have selected them for an award by commenting on one of their posts.

4. If you are selected, pass it on by giving the Pink Rose Award to others.

5. If you find that someone you want to nominate has already been selected by someone else, you can still honor them by posting a comment on their award post stating your reasons for wishing to grant them the award.

6. You do not have to wait until someone nominates you to nominate someone else.Please remember that you don't have to be listed here in order to give this "pink rose award" to someone. All of you listed on my blogroll have changed my life in one way or another. You have all supported and encouraged me, whether it's through the words you've written on your own blog or the comments you've left on mine, and I hope that you will pass this along to all the women who have made a difference in your life! Then go here and let Kymberli know that you'd like to be added to her "rose garden".

Cinderella

That is a picture of my little princess. I posted pictures like this not long ago from a tea party that Rachel was invited to attend. There were so many little princess's at that party and Cinderella made an appearance as well. It was a very exciting time for all those precious little girls.

With all that has happened in the life of the Chapmans I wanted to repost this picture as a reminder for myself as well as you to hug your little prince and princess.

Here is a link to Steven Curtis Chapman's site. If you go to this page there should be a little box to the left that says "play video". By clicking that little box you will be able to watch the video to the song "Cinderella". Immediately following the video Steven discusses how the song came about. Carlton and I heard him tell this story back in February at the Valentines concert in Houston. It will really make you stop and think about the time you spend with your children.

Hope you have the time to check it out!

What was I thinking??

WOW...I haven't done one of these in a very long time, but tonight we are having an ALL GIRLS lock-in at the church. I am not sure how many girls will show up yet....10....20....who knows! All I know is that we are going to have a blast. BUT I will be so tired tomorrow! LOL

We have movies to watch, games to play, food to eat (you gotta have snacks for a sleepover!), and I have spent part of the day gathering up discount cards to a lot of shops in our mall. Pretty good ones too! One of our mothers is also going to get a gift card to either Bath and Body or Bath Junkie. That will be a big hit!

The adults are also going to put on a "what NOT to wear" show. So pray that goes smoothly! Then I will tie that show up with a Bible study from 1 Timothy 2:9 and a discussion on how we look at ourselves vs. how guys look at us and more importantly on how God looks at us.

So, keep me in your prayers tonight bloggy friends!

My heart is aching!

"The five-year-old daughter of American Christian music star Steven Curtis Chapman has been struck and killed by a sport-utility vehicle driven by her brother.
Authorities in Tennessee say the girl, Maria, was hit in a driveway at the family home today south of Nashville and died later in hospital."


This was a headline just sent to me by a church member. I looked it up and sure enough.....it is true. I am in tears! What a sweet family. Pray that God gives them peace. Pray for the son that was driving the car. PRAY! Maria is the one sitting in Steven's lap.

**Go to The Preacher's Wife's site to read what she wrote. She says it so much better than I!

Thunder Thief

There is a certain young man in our youth group that poses to be a "leader" and although I do believe that he does hold some qualities that would be great for a leader, he is still severely lacking in others. You know the kind of kid I am talking about, so don't judge! You probably have some in your group right now! They are the ones that drive you insane because you KNOW they could be a great leader, if only.......


Well, last night while hubby was speaking, he asked the students, "What should you do when you see someone at school being picked on?" Well, there were your typical answers like,


"Take up for them."


"Tell someone else that could help them."


"Tell the other guy that he is wrong."


Then there was this statement from the young man mentioned above....with some hesitation... "Well..........what if they were asking for it? I mean....some kids just ask for it."


WHAT???? Some kids ask for it.....


I could see the look on some of the kids faces. THey were thinking the same thing I was, but no one was saying anything. SO, I looked at the hubby and he knew I wanted to say something. SO this is what I said.....


"NO ONE deserves to be picked on….some kids might be a little annoying to others, but does that mean others have the RIGHT to pick on them, NO!....Just because someone looks different or acts in a different way doesn't give YOU the right to pick on them!"

A few minutes later he wrote his brother a note and I saw it. This is what it said, "Why doe SHE always have to steal my thunder??"

SO I guess that makes me a Thunder Thief!

Ughh! I don't like it when I let a kid gets under my skin, but this one just keeps making his way there. I REALLY need to pray for him!

Alligator!!!!

****If you haven't already....please read my Prayer Request below this one!

***UPDATE - - - just heard from the game warden's office....and the alligator is STILL on the loose....they are calling someone from Nuisance Control to come set out some traps!!!!

Oh my.....yesterday on my way home I saw police cars at one of the entrances into my neighborhood and I thought, "I wonder what happened...." THEN I saw the GAME WARDEN's truck....then I thought, "OH NO....it must be an alligator!!!"

And I was right!

I was watching the 6 o'clock news last night and there it was.....the story of the alligator sighting. BUT, they had not caught it! I noticed when I came back from the gym around 6:30, the game warden and one other truck were still out there! I watched the 10 o'clock news and there was no news about the alligator. I have checked the website this morning and have seen nothing. I called the game warden's office for our county and this is how the conversation went....

Me - "Hi, my name is Angela Pridgen. I live in the neighborhood in Nederland where the alligator was sighted yesterday afternoon. I was wondering if they were able to catch it."

Lady on Phone - "Did YOU see the alligator?"

Me - "No, I saw the police and game warden out there yesterday. Then I saw the story on the news. The game warden said he saw the alligator, but had not been able to get to it at that time."

Lady on Phone - interrupting me, "Well it is mating season, you are going to see them popping up all around. We only relocate them if they are a nuisance."

Me - Thinking in my head....ANY alligator is a nuisance! then saying, "I understand...I was just wondering if they had relocated this one!"

Lady on Phone - "Well, I don't know."

Me - "Okay, thank you!"


A lot of help she was!!! LOL

So, now I have emailed the news station and the sheriff's department to see if they can tell me anything! I WANT TO KNOW!!!! LOL

Wouldn't you??