Simply Life

Hello, Hello! I am still here! We've been trying to figure out how the whole moving thing will go...
Have I said I am not looking forward to packing?
Also, we've never gone through selling a house before. How fun will that be?

A Husband takes his wife to play her first game of golf...  Of course,
the wife promptly hacked her first shot right through the window of the
biggest house adjacent to the course.
The husband cringed, "I warned you to be careful!   Now we'll have to
go up there, find the owner, apologize and see how much your lousy
drive is going to cost us."
So the couple walked up to the house and knocked on the door.  A warm
voice said, "Come on in."  When they opened the door they saw the
damage that was done: glass was all over the place, and a broken
antique bottle was lying on its side  near the broken window.
A man reclining on the couch asked, "Are you the people that broke my
window?"
"Uh...  yeah, sir.  We're sure sorry about that," the husband replied.
"Oh, no apology is necessary.  Actually I want to thank you.  You see
I'm a genie, and I've been trapped in that bottle for a thousand
years.  Now that you've released me, I'm allowed to grant three
wishes. I'll give you each one wish, but if you don't mind, I'll keep
the last one for myself."
"Wow, that's great!" the husband said.  He pondered a moment and
blurted out, "I'd like a million dollars a year for the rest of my
life."
"No problem," said the genie.  You've got it, it's the least I can do.
And I'll guarantee you a long, healthy life!"
"And now you, young lady, what do you want?" the genie asked.
"I'd like to own a gorgeous home complete with servants in every
country in the world," she said.
"Consider it done," the genie said.  "And your homes will always be
safe from fire, burglary and natural disasters!"
"And now," the couple asked in unison, "what's your wish, genie?"
"Well, since I've been trapped in that bottle and haven't been with a
woman in more than a thousand years, my wish is to have sex with your
wife."
The husband looked at his wife and said, "Gee, honey, you know we both
now have a fortune, and all those houses.  What do you think?"
She mulled it over for a few moments and said, "You know, you're
right.  Considering our good fortune, I guess I wouldn't mind, but what
about you, honey?" "You know I love you sweetheart," said the husband.
"I'd do the same for you!"
So the genie and the woman went upstairs where they spent the rest of
the afternoon enjoying each other.  After about three hours of non-stop
sex, the genie rolled over and looked directly into her eyes and asked,
"How old are you and your husband?" "Why, we're both 35," she responded
breathlessly.
"No Kidding." He said, "Thirty-five years old and both of you still
believe
in genies?"

Ok.
Change of plans.
Be flexible, Julie.
Breathe.... :0)
We are going to sell the house.
No loan.
Now, please pray for that whole process.
I'll write more later.

Today was...for lack of a better word, interesting. We gained so many students yesterday and a few more today. Eeek. Who do they think we are? Superwomen? Apparently so.
I've actually lost count of how many we've gained.
Speaking of gains...actually, no. Speaking of losses really. A few months ago we started working out at the YMCA (no singing you guys!) We've not been in awhile. However, I have noticed my eating habits have changed a bit. I don't eat *all the time*, and I'm eating less. The other night I got on my scale...an evil habit....
I found to my surprise that since my first "weigh in" a few months ago, I have lost 15 pounds.
GO ME!!! I am still in shock!
Of course, I will be focusing on this success and not the remaining weight I have yet to lose!

Right now, I am at the library. A place to borrow wonderful books, new and old. And, what am I doing? Writing on a computer. I think I have a sick addiction. My husband would agree! ;0)
I am going to check out a book by Jennifer Weiner titled Little Earthquakes. The title reminds me of when I was a teenager. All the time I listened to the album of the same name by Tori Amos. I loved her stark piano playing, sexy voice, and soulful words. Has anybody read this book, or listened to this album? Let me know what you think/thought of them.

The equity loan process is moving along smoothly I believe. We are awaiting the appraiser to call us, and after that it should be *really simple* and hopefully quick to get the $$. Continued prayers are requested! :0)

1. In a matter of one day, we have gotten 7, count them, seven new students on our route.

2. It is 9:19 pm and I need to be in bed

3. We didn't feel like cooking tonight and had the best pizza

4. It is called Garlic Jim's

5. I wanted to quit my job twelve times today (slight exaggeration, but just slightly)

1. Turn signals will give away your next move. A  confident ARIZONA Driver
avoids using them.

2. Under no  circumstance should you maintain a safe distance between you
and the car in  front of you, because the space will be filled in by
somebody else, putting  you in an even more dangerous situation.

3. The faster you drive  through a red light, the less chance you have of
getting hit.

4.  WARNING! Never come to a complete stop at a stop sign. No one expects
it  and it will result in your being rear-ended.

5. Never get in the way of  an older car that needs extensive bodywork.
Especially with California, Nevada or  Arizona  plates. With no insurance,
the other operator probably has nothing to  lose.

6. Braking is to be done as hard and late as possible to ensure  that
your ABS kicks in, giving a vigorous, foot massage as the brake pedal!  
violently pulsates. For those of you without ABS, it's a chance  to
strengthen your leg muscles.

7. Never pass on the left when you  can pass on the right. It's a good
way to prepare other drivers entering  the highway.

8. Speed limits are arbitrary figures; given only as a  suggestion and
are not enforceable in ARIZONA during rush hour.

9  Just because you're in the left lane and have no room to speed up or
move  over doesn't mean that a California driver flashing his high  beams
behind you doesn't think he can go faster in your spot.

10  Always brake and rubberneck when you see an accident or even  someone
changing a tire. This is seen as a sign of respect for the  victim

11. Learn to swerve abruptly without signaling. ARIZONA is  the home of
high-speed slalom-driving thanks to the Department of  Transportation,
which puts construction in key locations to test drivers'  reflexes and
keep them alert.

12. It is tradition! in ARIZONA  to honk your horn at cars in front of you
that do not move three  milliseconds after the light turns green.

13. To avoid injury in the  event of a collision or rollover, it is
important to exit your vehicle thru  the windshield right away. Wearing
your seat belt will only impede your  hi-velocity escape from danger.

14. Remember that the goal of  every ARIZONA driver is to get ahead of the
pack by whatever means  necessary.

15. In ARIZONA, 'flipping the bird' is considered a polite  salute. This
gesture should always be returned.

Thank You,
The ARIZONA Motor Vehicles Commission  :0)

1. Name 3 pet peeves and explain them.
a. crazy drivers especially with children in the car. how can these people live with knowing they are risking their childs life?
b. people who are rude and snotty to people in retail positions. A persons job does not make them better or worse.
c. someone deliberately hurting another person. No excuse for it.

2. Name 3 things you would like to do before the year is up.
a. scrapbook more
b. read a few more books
c. complete writing a book of poetry

3. Name 3 things you'd like to accomplish before you die.
a. have children
b. visit europe
c. let go of any unresolved anger

Bonus Question for Comments: Name 3 of your all-time favorite movies.
a. Back to the Future 
b. Ocean's 11
c. Pretty in Pink

When I am tempted to doubt my faith, I think about him. This little baby, Joshua Aaron, is not simply a child from an e-mail that I received. He lives in my state. He is my good friends son. Last year, my friend Nell was pregnant. She was expecting their second son at the end of June or July. On February 23, she delivered Joshua. She was 25 weeks along.
He weighed only 1 lb. 12 oz. and was about 12 inches long. Of course, the situation was very serious. I still have the 30+ e-mails that they sent out faithfully to keep us all informed of his condition. Occasionally, they would send out pictures. Like this one.

Just so you know, the gold band on his wrist, is Sean's wedding ring. I keep trying to think of just how tiny he was. There were problems with his breathing, has had surgeries, blood transfusions and more. Still, through it all, they would sign their e-mail saying "Knowing God is in control".  They would ask for prayers for the other families in the NICU in the midst of their own struggle. It was a major roller coaster they were on.

After 4 long months Josh was able to go home. They were able to walk out of the hospital on June 1, 2004 with their two sons in tow. I got a letter from Nell yesterday. She updated me a bit on Josh and sent pictures. She said he has taken a few steps. Would you like to see Josh now?

Here he is! Isn't he adorable? What a miracle baby! Everytime I think about him I realize that miracle do happen. God answers prayer. I know that not all stories end this way. But, as difficult as it is, I believe there is a reason for every thing that happens. And, I cry with those that have different experiences. If this is you, I am sorry, and I will be praying for you.

A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential Victim and here are some interesting facts:

1) The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.

2) The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women whose clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors around to cut clothing.

3) They also look for women on their cell phone,searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off and can be easily overpowered.

4) The time of day men are most likely to attack and rape a woman is in the early morning, between 5 and 8:30 a.m.
5) The number one place women are abducted from/attacked at is grocery store parking lots. Number two is office parking lots/garages. Number three is public restrooms.

6) The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to a second location where they don't have to worry about getting caught.

7) Only 2% said they carried weapons because rape carries a 3-5 year sentence but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years.

8) If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn't worth it because it will be time consuming.

9) These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas, or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands.
Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon.

So, the idea is to convince these guys you're not worth it.

10) Several defense mechanisms he taught us are: If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it, or make general small talk, I can't believe it is so cold out here or we're in for a bad winter. Now you've seen their face and could identify them in a lineup, you lose appeal as a target.

11) If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell Stop or Stay back! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target.

12) If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes), yelling I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.

13) If someone grabs you, you can't beat them with strength but you can by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm between the elbow and armpit or in the upper inner thigh -- HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands the guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it; it hurts.

14) After the initial hit, always go for the groin. I know from a particularly unfortunate
experience that if you slap a guy's parts it is extremely painful.

You might think that you'll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble, & he's out of there.

15) When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as
possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible. The instructor did it to me without using
much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.

16) Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone
with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don't dismiss it, go with your instincts. You may feel
a little silly at the time, but you'd feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.


This is all simple stuff but it could save your life.

Ok, so I'm writing.
The very fact that I am making time to do so should mean something. Right?
At the moment there is almost no muscle in my body that does not ache.
I've been thinking that it is time for more updates:

Tom's dad (that had the hip replacement) is now home. He is happier than a pig in... well, he's happy!
We are happy to have him outta the nursing home.

We found out someone that we've known for years has been embezzeling money from the church we went to. It's been going on for a long time, and it's about $300,000 or more. This is, quite simply, impossible for me to believe. I am naive at heart. I try to look cynical but really, I believe there is good in almost everyone.
This frustrates me and I cannot wrap my mind around it.

My best friend from High School will be moving back to AZ in October or so. Unfortunately, the reason is a pending divorce. That really stinks. But, I will also be glad to have her close by.

Also, my hubby's car is sold. WHAT?! Yep. The mechanic will buy it for about $250 seeing as he can buy the engine at cost and do the repairs himself. That is good. Oh! I guess I should cancel the insurance on it soon! Oops.

Here's hoping (and praying) that all of you are doing well too!
Is anyone still reading this? :0)
Bye for now!