Pacific Coast Rest-Stop

[Allison]

For those that don't venture out of the Rest Stop, if you didn't see it, I posted a review of Urbana in the water cooler. I thought I'd try to avoid posting the same thing in three places.

[AnneRene']

For those that don't venture out of the Rest Stop, if you didn't see it, I posted a review of Urbana in the water cooler. I thought I'd try to avoid posting the same thing in three places.

Hi Allison, I read your article on Urbana and was blessed! God Bless ya and love ya...I understand the fortitude it takes to participate in going to events and overcoming pain. You mentioned your collapsable cane, so am assuming you, like many of us, battle, at times, with our bodies lagging way behind our emotional jubilation in such circimstances. However, when our catalyst of determination is the Holy Spirit...we CAN do all things, in Christ.

Seema, read your story about fear and LOVED IT! And although it truly, truly ministered to me, I still ain't neva going on a roller coaster, e s p e c i a l l y one that goes upside down. I'm a chicken and mes knows it and it's all good...I'm good with it. The first time I went on the one in Santa Cruz, I passed out after getting to the top just before starting that halacious descent.

To the rest of ewes, I'm still alive, well and quirky as eva! Gotta git to work now. Sees y'all tonight or tomorrow.

Untitled16.jpg (35.77 KiB) Viewed 148 times

Oh, and Beckykins, I too, love your new pic!

[AnneRene']

Heeeeeeeeeeeeey, wheres is ewes guys?

[Rebecky]

I'm here!

I was playing games but I'm here now.

By the way I think we visited this subject before but i'm curious if any of you guys have any sort of messenger? I thought it'd be cool if we had a group chat sometime. Maybe we can figure out a way to do it on FB?

[AnneRene']

I'm here!

I was playing games but I'm here now.

By the way I think we visited this subject before but i'm curious if any of you guys have any sort of messenger? I thought it'd be cool if we had a group chat sometime. Maybe we can figure out a way to do it on FB?

I'm in...BUT...it's been sooooo long, not sure how to do it anymore. I had yahoo and still have a yahoo account but i'll go wherever to chat if somebody, anybody. guides me through the set up...IF i need help that is.

K...gotta go finish cooking me some grub (crispy fried-thin pork chops with capers) and fresh beets and OF COURSE...some garlic. Good thing nobody can smell anything in chat rooms!

bth_pepe.gif (17.49 KiB) Viewed 140 times

And mes only talking about "garlic" breath...nothing else....just couldn't find a pic with garlic radiating fumes. LOL

[Rebecky]

Well I can help anyone that needs it but first we gotta get everyone else to jump in too lol

[AnneRene']

Well...we gotta lively bunch around here tonight.

About getting everyone to "jump" in on the chat thingy Beckykins...good luck with that. LOL

Juuuuuuuuuuust kidding around guys...however, is this typical around here now, or is me?

Okie dokie...on a serious note, gonna get on with gitin ready for bed...actually in my pjs and then watching my soap.

Nighty-nite all and to all a good nighty-nite.

Oh, and a BIG OH Shannikins...I read "that" kinda-sorta challenge entry farewell and mes is sooooo sorry for what you must have felt. For real....you put your heart into helping others become the best writer then can be and when it's misconscrewed like that....well...just ouch! I was very happy tho, to see all of the support you were given.

OK, like for real...gonna go git ready for bed. Sweet dreams peeps!

bth_953c.jpg (3.78 KiB) Viewed 136 times

[Allison]

I thought of this right after my other post and didn't want to post twice in a row. But now that a few others have posted, I can post again.

I got the opportunity to share my testimony/life story with the Commissioner of Education for the state of Missouri. She like... one or two steps below the Governor. Granted, there are about 30 people who are heads of departments who are at the same level she is, but still. She's the Commissioner of Education. My department at work is technically under the department of education, even though we don't deal with education directly a whole lot, and my job has almost nothing to do with education. Anyway, she (the commissioner) sent out an e-mail on Monday that was thanking everyone in the department for their hard work and what not. Then she said something about her 6 month old grandson, and how she appreciates the thoughts and prayers. She mentioned he's progression slowly, or something to that effect. So clearly her grandson has some difficulties.

Well, this was the first time I had heard about it. So I sent an e-mail to her that basically said "I hope I'm not overstepping any boundaries in sending you a personal e-mail, but I"m praying for your grandson. I have a special place in my heart for babies that have extra obstacles to overcome because I <i>was</i> one of them." Then I offered to share my story, if she wanted me to. I figured she might be encouraged that someone in her own department struggled as a baby. You know? So she responded almost right away saying she'd love to hear my story. I gave her the option of "just the facts" or "inspirational" and she chose the second one. So I sent her the "old" version of my article "Except God" that doesn't include all the recent stuff. I figured she didn't need to know all the recent stuff. That was Monday, and I haven't heard back yet. But I haven't gotten any reprimands from my direct supervisors, so she must not have decided it was TOO bad, if she's read it yet. I'm not sure if I want her to respond back to me or not.

Anyway, I just thought that was kind of a cool story, and thought I'd share it.

[JesusPuppy]

So glad you haven't gotten fire for it yet Short-stuff. It is always great to help others by way of personal testimony. Not only letting them know what we have been through and how the Lord blessed us, but in showing to those that we KNOW what they are going through. Praying the seeds of your compassion take root.

well obviously I have 5 feet, but only 2 are visible...

..and here I thought the fifth one was a tail to help with balance in earth's heavier gravity.

And yes Re-Kiddo Becky, we have tried the chats before. I have Windows Live Messenger, and yes we could get together for chat things, accordingly, it integrates with most messengers. We have even had a few Movie Nights to meet up and watch the same show while chatting. A whole lot of fun getting that pulled off right.

First we pick a time and date that works for everyone, which can be rather tough for some in different time zones. Then we pick out a movie, whether a DVD rental or a download from the net, it helps if it is the same movie so we all see the same jokes or tragedies. The fun part is getting the movie to start all at the same time, I think the last time we had a couple that were a few seconds off and had to start over.

It does take a while to set it all up, as schedule change, emergencies come up, accidents occur, illness escalates, but it can be worked out. If we set a date, say sometime next month, then work towards it, keeping that day and time free. I could happen. The really hard part is getting everyone's timing to match up to the last minutes. Work, school, bad traffic, last minute family problems; say we set it for 7:00 and a few don't make it til 7:15 or 7:30 even... makes it rough starting a movie over or for them to catch up to the same point. And even if we all get there 15 minutes early and get the movie started all at the same moment... there is stopping the movie for BRBs ( bath room breaks )

Also.. do we still have the Char room here at FW, I think we do, but getting folks to go there is well... No one goes there so it is pretty quiet. Getting an Online Chat-room set up can be done, some can be rented but there are free ones as well that can be made privet. The Little Bird can tell you more on that, I know she set up a few while we were doing the Chat-a-book. (That was definitely a lot of fun)

We could try setting a "Weekly General Chat/Fellowship" in the FW chat room, say a 3 hour time period on Friday evenings, so anyone coming on at that time could stop in and chat. If that were to take off, we could then line in movies on a weekly thing, as long as we scheduled the movie titles a few weeks in advance.

It would be rough getting it all started, but it could be done... if enough people got interested.

[violin4jesus]

Very cool, Allison! I hope it blesses her.

I like the idea of chatting together on FB or Skype or something. All we'd have to do is make sure at least one person is friends with all the peeps, and they can send a message to everyone and then everyone can reply. The newer version of FB makes it possible to have a message basically be a chat room if everyone is there, and if we're not there we can still read the conversation. Or just do what Pup says.

Shann, I read the article and although his writing is decent, it seemed like a very childish response and kudos to all the people who stepped up to defend you. Talk about pouty...I know it can really get our goat when we find out we're not the cat's meow, but seriously...quitting because not everyone is praising you? Yikes. We don't need people like that to spoil our party. I appreciate the constructive criticism even more when I don't place because it gives me a clue as to what I can improve on and maybe why I didn't do as well as I thought I should. A lot of times I know when I hit it out of the park, but sometimes I think I did a great job and it's not even on the judges' radar. All those helpful critiques really push me to keep trying.

I hung out with my friend from the L.A. write-in last night. She called me the night before and said she had an epiphany about friendships and that she was rethinking some of her relationships as far as who made an effort to maintain them. She didn't outright say it, but I think she was basically saying that she realized I was a friend to keep because I made an effort to hang out with her even though we have only a few things in common and disagree completely about politics, religion, and various other hot button issues. We have incredible conversations and a real give-and-take relationship...every time we hang out, we stay up all night long and never run out of conversation. She's shared a lot of things with me that have forced me to think about what I believe and know, and I hope the things I share with her have helped her redefine her views like if a conservative Christian be an educated, logical thinker. This time we didn't even try to write, but painted our nails and watched a classic Audrey Hepburn movie, then talked the rest of the night until I left at 6am to beat the traffic home. It was so refreshing.

Then tonight Ryan and I went to an improv gathering hosted by members of Toastmasters. It was super fun - I played a couple of the improv games and felt totally comfortable doing so. It's a small group with people from various walks of life. Ryan's taking an improv class on Saturdays starting tomorrow, and he'd gone to this particular group once before when I was working. They said we both did well and they hoped we'd come back. Our small group normally meets on Friday nights, and sometimes I work, so we can't commit to every week, but we could totally visit here and there. Ryan definitely wants to pursue more acting opportunities, and he's trying out for one of the main roles in his group's upcoming Easter play. I'm glad he's able to find an outlet. I have my writing, and music if I pursue it, so it's great that he can have something he enjoys.

Thanks, Holly, for the encouragement. I think I should pursue the education thing, and I'll do some more research and find the best program to join. I like the one in Colorado, but I'll check out a few more to make sure I have the right fit. I requested my unofficial transcript from PLU because I forgot my GPA (it was over nine years ago that I graduated) and was pleased to see it was 3.3! Most of the Master's programs want a 3.0 or higher. I had quite a few B's and C's, but maintained enough A's to make up for it. Totally different from high school, where I got almost straight A's except for an A- in biology because I forgot about the summer reading, and a B in psychology because we had a poor teacher. I almost was #1 in my class but lost all the points for my freshman year because I'd been homeschooled up until 10th grade. I was bitter a long while over that until I started getting B's and C's in college. Then I realized grades don't necessarily reflect how much you know, although it certainly gives a little indication of your discipline. Or your poor sleep habits...at least nowadays they have online college and you don't have to drag yourself out of bed at 7:55am just to fall asleep in 8am lecture.

Okay, I think I've written a Challenge article's worth of words in my blabbering. If only writing Challenges were that easy!

Night night. Gonna rest up because I have one more shift tomorrow before another two day break. Still hoping for extra work, 'cause I sure need the cash. Hope you all have a great weekend!

[JesusPuppy]

you don't have to drag yourself out of bed at 7:55am just to fall asleep in 8am lecture.

Oh come on... those classes are great, and you can always use the extra sleep.

[JesusPuppy]

[AnneRene']

Very cool, Allison! I hope it blesses her.

I like the idea of chatting together on FB or Skype or something. All we'd have to do is make sure at least one person is friends with all the peeps, and they can send a message to everyone and then everyone can reply. The newer version of FB makes it possible to have a message basically be a chat room if everyone is there, and if we're not there we can still read the conversation. Or just do what Pup says.

Shann, I read the article and although his writing is decent, it seemed like a very childish response and kudos to all the people who stepped up to defend you. Talk about pouty...I know it can really get our goat when we find out we're not the cat's meow, but seriously...quitting because not everyone is praising you? Yikes. We don't need people like that to spoil our party. I appreciate the constructive criticism even more when I don't place because it gives me a clue as to what I can improve on and maybe why I didn't do as well as I thought I should. A lot of times I know when I hit it out of the park, but sometimes I think I did a great job and it's not even on the judges' radar. All those helpful critiques really push me to keep trying.

I hung out with my friend from the L.A. write-in last night. She called me the night before and said she had an epiphany about friendships and that she was rethinking some of her relationships as far as who made an effort to maintain them. She didn't outright say it, but I think she was basically saying that she realized I was a friend to keep because I made an effort to hang out with her even though we have only a few things in common and disagree completely about politics, religion, and various other hot button issues. We have incredible conversations and a real give-and-take relationship...every time we hang out, we stay up all night long and never run out of conversation. She's shared a lot of things with me that have forced me to think about what I believe and know, and I hope the things I share with her have helped her redefine her views like if a conservative Christian be an educated, logical thinker. This time we didn't even try to write, but painted our nails and watched a classic Audrey Hepburn movie, then talked the rest of the night until I left at 6am to beat the traffic home. It was so refreshing.

Then tonight Ryan and I went to an improv gathering hosted by members of Toastmasters. It was super fun - I played a couple of the improv games and felt totally comfortable doing so. It's a small group with people from various walks of life. Ryan's taking an improv class on Saturdays starting tomorrow, and he'd gone to this particular group once before when I was working. They said we both did well and they hoped we'd come back. Our small group normally meets on Friday nights, and sometimes I work, so we can't commit to every week, but we could totally visit here and there. Ryan definitely wants to pursue more acting opportunities, and he's trying out for one of the main roles in his group's upcoming Easter play. he enjoy I'm glad he's able to find an outlet. I have my writing, and music if I pursue it, so it's great that he can have something.

Thanks, Holly, for the encouragement. I think I should pursue the education thing, and I'll do some more research and find the best program to join. I like the one in Colorado, but I'll check out a few more to make sure I have the right fit. I requested my unofficial transcript from PLU because I forgot my GPA (it was over nine years ago that I graduated) and was pleased to see it was 3.3! Most of the Master's programs want a 3.0 or higher. I had quite a few B's and C's, but maintained enough A's to make up for it. Totally different from high school, where I got almost straight A's except for an A- in biology because I forgot about the summer reading, and a B in psychology because we had a poor teacher. I almost was #1 in my class but lost all the points for my freshman year because I'd been homeschooled up until 10th grade. I was bitter a long while over that until I started getting B's and C's in college. Then I realized grades don't necessarily reflect how much you know, although it certainly gives a little indication of your discipline. Or your poor sleep habits...at least nowadays they have online college and you don't have to drag yourself out of bed at 7:55am just to fall asleep in 8am lecture.

Okay, I think I've written a Challenge article's worth of words in my blabbering. If only writing Challenges were that easy! Night night. Gonna rest up because I have one more shift tomorrow before another two day break. Still hoping for extra work, 'cause I sure need the cash. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Well, I for one find your blabbering...refreshing! It so helps to really get to know one another. And, you've seen a few others of us and I won't mention any names like me or Shannikins, who when we get on a roll....well, we write a book. Anyway, just add it as another "outlet" source. It's good for us. Anyways, I had a friend just like yours and we both found it fun because we totally agreed to disagree which was as you said, about politics, religion, etc. We had a lot of respect for each other and I know that God used me as a tool to share some things that pierced her heart about who God really is and her relationship with him. On a "holly being holly note"...I'm in the middle about gun control (assault rifles, etc...) but do appreciate the opportunity as a free American, to defend ourselves with hand guns. ANYWAYS...my friend had two kids and she was totally against any guns and defending yourself and I told her that I understood her opinion but if we ever got invaded by terrorists or whatever, to come up to my house, (I lived on a mountain top above her) and she'd appreciate the fact that I could protect us and was sure she wouldn't be against guns at that point! She did laugh and admitted that at that point, she wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of our difference of opinion.

Okay...about teaching....glad to see that you feel more centered about what to do and again...going to a job that you can't wait to get to, is....totally refreshing in the everyday ho-hum of life.

Allison...no scratch that....short-stuff (I loooove that nickname)....Anyway short-stuff, I am celebrating right along with you for God giving you the opportunity to minister to your co-worker and one in authority at that. And, no worries...God allowed it....you were doing His will and so the rest is history. Nothing to concern yourself with because even if the enemy tries to come against you...we know who is really in control and will make all things right according to Romans 8:28.

As for the chat thingy...I really and truly am in...BUT, I can't sit for more than 20 "ish" minutes at a time or my legs and bottom and back hurt. However, when I get a laptop...won't be a problem. And as for those potty breaks...let me tell you right here, right now, and straight up...mes need 'em like every 30 "ish" minutes, but I'm good at jumping right back into the conversation. (It's the over 40 bladder thingy).

K...my kitty is sitting at my feet with his delicate little me-ow that is saying "pleeeease feed me my can food, right now." He's a huge long-haired black and white giant, but he looks scarry. Once, a vet was afraid to touch him and asked me if he was friendly and then he me-owed like a little pansy and she laughed and said, "oh-brother, his me-ow fits a kitten!"

Byeee for now peeps. I leave you with more cuteness.

image010.jpg (45.73 KiB) Viewed 124 times

image0102.jpg (61.36 KiB) Viewed 124 times

[Rebecky]

Well I was thinking we could try Facebook or skype or we could always try google talk. At first I was kind of liking the idea of google talk cause its easy to download and almost everyone has a Google account and the software is simple and not laggy or anything. Oh and if you have gmail it works from gmail too so you don't have to download anything.

I just don't know if it does group chats.

[AnneRene']

Well I was thinking we could try Facebook or skype or we could always try google talk. At first I was kind of liking the idea of google talk cause its easy to download and almost everyone has a Google account and the software is simple and not laggy or anything. Oh and if you have gmail it works from gmail too so you don't have to download anything.

I just don't know if it does group chats.

Cool, I have gmail! Maybe we can try it out Beckykins....right now I'm cooking a batch of sugo (spaghetti sauce) and so am in and out of checking mes computer. Then, off to the store for a few thingys. When I get back later this afternoon, I'll see if ewes around. Although I don't have skype etc...until I get a new computer....it would be fun to see each other while we chatted.