Ice Day

UPDATE: so...since my Moogie is sooooo funny....here's an update for you all. I know we like to overreact about winter weather...but today wasn't necessarily an overreaction.

Beginning of "Wave 2"--this accumluated in less than 15 minutes. (check out the first pic at the bottom of this post to understand the "accumulation").

I took this about five minutes ago. That, my friends, is NOT snow. Nothing resembling snow. Nope. That would be two layers of winter...first (and bottom layer) is ice, second layer is sleet, so it deceives the eye. Oh yes, you only THINK it's snow...

And since I started with this shot, figured I'd do a progressive for you all. Again, that is NOT snow. I've been slipping and sliding all over the place! Eventually, I'll post a video of Ty Ty playing in the winter weather. We apparently have yet another batch of weather heading our way. We'll see...

ORIGINAL POST:

OH! The weather outside is frightful...

Well, true to Arkansas form, I don't get to write "snow day." Nope. We don't get snow in these parts. We get freezing rain and sleet which makes the roads ICY ICY. I live in a neighborhood with lots of hills, so the ice is just no fun.

My company is "closed" today for the first time, I think, ever. Though, "we are encouraged to work from home if we're able." They totally know I have the capability of working from home, so I am expected to be logged in. Bummer. At least I can watch tv while working. :)

The first "wave" has cleared and we have nothing over Little Rock on the weather map right now...but we have another "wave" coming through...so, we'll see what the day ends with.

This is one FROZEN flag. I know, I know, very improper flag etiquette. Oops.

engagement photos

We got the proofs from our engagement photos today and I'm very pleased! (AND...I can share them with you...unlike my bridals, I'll share those after April 24!). :)

If you want to check them out, go to www.erinmoulden.com (copy and paste link, for some reason the link is not working). Go to client galleries.

Password: timandshay116

Now, I just have to decide which ones I want enlarged to hang in our house. I'm going to get one for our tv room and one for our bedroom. SO EXCITED!!!

NFC Championship -Jan. 24, 2010

We had people over again to watch the NFC Championship, Vikings vs. Saints at the DOME. What a glorious night!! The Saints are going to the Superbowl! In hindsight, I really wish I would've set up my video mode on my camera to record the house reaction when Hartley sailed that football through the uprights during overtime. I'm sure the neighbors five houses down could hear us yelling and screaming.

Here is our weekly meal for games: Cheese and Sausage Platter and Chicken Wings. In fact, come to think of it, there was only two games we did NOT have our cheese and sausage platter: The Cowboys game and the last Panthers game...hmmm...coincidence? :)

The fellas watching the game...

Me and Jess...

Here is the moment that sent Who Dat nation into a frenzy:

JF's hair doesn't NORMALLY look like this...this is what happens to your hair when your team wins the biggest game of the franchise's history by a field goal in overtime:



Deuce presenting the trophy:

Sean Payton and the NFC Championship trophey!!



Tim and I -- after the game

2nd Line...sort of. :)

hell has frozen over

...I will never forget it, not past my dying days...

We're watching the play clock tick down to the final seconds of regulation. I was so overcome with emotion that I immediately started crying. We were going to overtime. Again. I just stood in the kitchen and cried.

Overtime. We get first possession. Thank you, thank you!!!

I clearly could not sit still. That possession kept thousands and thousands of people on their toes...and I will never forget seeing that ball sail through the uprights, probably with a solid 20 more yards on the back of that kick.

Tim started hugging his buddies and I jumped up and down in place until Tim came to hug me. I proceeded to jump on him, crying yet again.

Our Saints are going to the Superbowl!!!!!

You MUST watch this video from Times Pic--I know there is not a city anywhere else in the world that would celebrate like these peeps do. I LOVE how the streets were empty and within seconds packed. I LOVE the parade of thousands of people doing the Second Line. What a glorious occasion!!!

Saints Video: Bourbon Street

I am so very sleepy this morning. Seriously, dragging. But it was ALL worth it!!!

...oh how I want to be in that number!!!

When the Saints go marching to Miami!!!

better late than never!!

Ok, sorry I've been so bad about getting pictures up...this WHOLE month. :( As you all have read in my previous post, I lost my camera. Well, I got a new one, but I have taken my time to load the software onto the computer and then upload the photos. Sorry. But I know we ALL love photos...so this post is full of 'em. Here goes.

The following photos are from Lizzy Lou's second birthday party. I can't believe she's two!! Ray-Ray...just for you, the pink arms in the photos are Helen. She does exist. ;) She is just a) really good at avoiding the camera and b) always with a kid, who always seems to be the focus of the picture.

John John

The birthday girl

Lizzy girl got a baby doll from Helen's aunt...John John is checkin' it out.

Opening her present from me and Tim...her first My Little Pony.


This is a creepy monkey in Lizzy's chair.

The back of Helen's head...John John is giving her a BIG hug because he LOVES his Mommy!!

Aunt V helping little Miss put on her shoes...

Our Little Princess in her new princess crown and tutu. She LOVED that tutu!!!

The next group of photos are from last Saturday (January 16). We had people come over to watch the Saints play the Cardinals. What a GREAT day it was!!! Lots of good food, great company and an AWESOME final score.

Our plates and utensils. Yes, the word fanatic can be applied to Shay and Tim...

First King Cake of the season...they are actually selling them here at our local grocery store. I guess New Orleanians have infiltrated the city enough these days...

Ty didn't like his DrewB jersey. Poor guy.

Group shot --from one angle.

From the other angle...

WHO DAT? (Tim, Chuck and me)

Me and Sister.

Trifecta Representin'. These are some of my classmates, Paige and Lindy.

Jeffrey and Shannon.

Do you like how the dogs are taking up a chair. Just so you know...there were not enough chairs for everyone (notice the lawn chairs in the background)...yet, these two manage to snag a seat. Go figure.

Paige and Lindy cheesin' it up.

A meeting in the kitchen. (James, Timmay, Bubba and Chuck)

These final pictures are of the pups. I've been trying to figure out the new camera, so naturally, I've been using the pups as my models. You'll see below, sometimes, I'm apparently rather annoying. ;)

Ball? Ball? Ball? Have you ever seen the Disney movie, Up?

Such a pretty pup!

Sleepy baby.

Doesn't she look scared? I suppose the camera is a scary, scary thing. ???

Tyson, take 256 (this is one of those, "Mom you're annoying me" shots I was alluding to earlier)

So...that's all I have for now. I'll be better about posting pictures now that I have my software on my computer. So, having a low key Saturday night this weekend. Spent the day doing homework and scrapbooking...and gearing up for tomorrow...BIG DAY. Saints in the NFC Championship at the DOME against the Vikings. Oh Lord. Please, please, please. We need a Superbowl. Thanks and Amen.

setting standards

I have been thinking about this since I first heard about it Monday, and the more I think about it, the more angry I get.

As many of you know, I am currently working on my Masters in Education. I have thought long and hard about this decision and I have decided that I want to be in the classroom, teaching Speech and Journalism. I love these subjects and feel that I have strayed too far away from them. I wanted to get back to it--and figured teaching would be the most rewarding way to do just that.

So--I was disgusted to hear the following comments that were made in regards to our new Scholarship Lottery. First, I'll share the comments (please note statements in bold), then I'll share why they make me so angry.

From the Arkansas Times blog:

John Walker, a civil rights lawyer here in Arkansas made the following statement:

"...the legislature set conditions for the scholarships: 1) high school graduation, that's easy; two, a 2.5 grade point average, well, that's easy; and three, scoring 19 on the A-C-T, and that may be easy."

"Cultured persons who follow the legislative process would know that most black high school students, beginning next year, will not be graduates from high school, they will receive "certificates of completion" from high schools - not diplomas. White students on the other hand will receive diplomas."

"Most black students who graduate with diplomas will not have received grade point averages of 2.5 or above. On the other hand, because of disproportionate placement of white students in A.P. classes, those students have enhanced grade opportunities, which almost guarantees them that with straight Cs they can't have anything but a three-point average."

"The average A-C-T score of African American students in Arkansas is 16...the average A-C-T score of white students is 21. What this means is the state benefits will continue to flow disproportionately to white students to the detriment of black students."


All of these points were made to show that the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery is racist. RACIST.

Please enlighten me first--what college is going to accept a student (regardless of gender, sex, socioeconmic class) that a) has not GRADUATED high school, b) does not have above a 2.5 and c) has not scored at least an 18 on the ACT?

BECAUSE...if you score below an 18, you are automatically placed in remedial classes (trust me, I know because of my wonderful math score).

Certain guidelines were set based on college entry requirements. I can guarantee you that NO ONE thought..."well, black students won't do as well so let's set the standards here..."

This ANGERS me because I have NO intention of ever letting a student feel that he or she cannot do something because of what he/she looks like, where he/she comes from, etc. Mr. Walker, on the contrary, apparently believes that if you are African American, you will not succeed. Though he didn't say those exact words, that is the implication I took from his speech. I am so angry with this man for setting such low standards for an entire group of people I can hardly breath.

I have no doubt in my mind that Dr. King would have stopped that speech immediately and corrected Mr. Walker, possibly even reprimand him. Speeches like the one Mr. Walker gave on Monday are not representative of Dr. King's work. Dr. King wanted the world to focus on a human being's character not a human being's skin color.

I cannot believe that he used a day that is set aside to honor Dr. King and his amazing work to essentially tell our African American youth that they will not succeed in this world and should not attempt to succeed, well, because 'studies show they will fail.' Yet- these same students who should not set any standards for themselves should be rewarded over students that DO set standards for themselves and meet the requirements?

Ugh. I could go on and on about this--but I won't. I just want you all to know that in my classroom, there will be no "I can't do this" because "I'm a certain race." In fact, it will be quite the opposite. You can do this and this is why. I'm so angry with this man right now. Any thoughts of your own?

And by the way, Mr. Walker, I think you might be interested to know that the students from MY graduating class that attended Ivy League schools and got the most scholarships (based on their performance) were AFRICAN AMERICAN. Not white. Thank you very much.

And...on a lighter note, our photographer just sent me the cutest little sneak peek of our photo shoot from the other day. How stinkin' cute is this little Chiweenie????


And the Little Miss Behrens girls just posted some pictures on their blog, so I just had to "borrow" one to show off our precious nieces...

the shack

In an earlier post, I mentioned how I was getting emails from a Bible study group in another state. I shared with you all the beautiful poem that was included in the email and also, that I thought, maybe there was a particular reason I was receiving these emails. The messages were beautiful and seemed to speak directly to my heart.

Well, I have experienced that yet again, but this time, by way of a book.

I LOVE to blog hop and I follow quite a few blogs. I've noticed that several bloggers have mentioned this particular book but I didn't put much thought in it until my mother started reading it. Then, my sister read it. They both told me how amazing it was.

Then I started noticing the very different types of people reading this book and the message that each individual took away from it. For example, a grieving mother took away from the book that her loss is not a result of something she did personally, and that her Father is still there, carrying her in the tragic times. Another person took away that our imagination is a great thing, yet we need wisdom to know how to use it.

I personally gained so much from reading this book. These words (written by the author) sum it up for me: Most of us have our own grief, broken dreams and damaged hearts, each of us with our unique losses, our own 'shack.' I pray that you find the same grace there that I did, and that the abiding presence of Papa, Jesus and Sarayu will fill up your inside emptiness with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

This book gives a powerful glimpse into the nature of our God--that unfortunately, is all too often ignored in this day and age.

I HIGHLY recommend reading this book. It is called "The Shack" and is written by Wm. Paul Young. You can check out the website at www.theshackbook.com.

Summary (found on back of book):
Mackenzie Allen Phillip's youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later, in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.

Against his better judgement he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever.

In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant THE SHACK wrestles with the timeless question: Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain? The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him.

in 24 hours

First, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DREW BREES!!!

Second, big day for us tomorrow. We are going to our engagement photo shoot in the morning...we can't wait to work with Erin and her hubby, Justin! After the shoot, we'll be going home and gearing up for the big game at 3:30.

Third, and most important: Deuce is back!!! (for you non-Saints fans...Deuce is more of an icon to the Dome than anything. He gets the Dome going. He had a bad knee injury and hasn't played in some time, but he's powerful in the short game and even more powerful just for crowd-pleasing (deafening) motivation.

Lance, Gay, Porter, Bell, Thomas, Greer, Sharper, Vilma, Fujita, Shanle, Shockey, Ellis...all on the ACTIVE ROSTER.

WHO DAT is in full effect.

So all I have left is which shirt to wear? Sorry, the Colston jersey went right back to the closet after the Tampa Bay loss...but I got a really cute shirt for Christmas. Should I wear the shirt that I wore the for the first 13 WINS, but also wore for the first loss against Dallas? Or....should I wear the new shirt? Thoughts? It's 50-50 on opinions I've asked today. Looks like it may be a game time decision. Who knows.

WHO DAT is in full effect.

On a final note, the earthquake in Haiti has been so tragic. I cannot imagine how they feel. I pray that God grants them peace and comfort during this tragic time. A friend of my mom's son works for the New Orleans SAINTS NFL football team; they have provided a safe link to make donations to help in Haiiti. After Katrina and the chaos that followed, we truly understand that trusting that your donation will legitimately go where it is needed is a huge concern, as we truly understand the need for any and all assistance. If interested, Text the word HAITI ...to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross. Note: $10 will be added to your cell-phone bill.