Roads, Radios and Deep thinking

I've been a-wanderin lately!

Ralph and I took Abby, Amanda and another friend (Dillon) to a leadership apprentice program in Glorieta New Mexico. 2 solid weeks of leadership training/working along side of the staffers at the Southern Baptist summer camps.
After dropping her off, Ralph and I headed up towards Colorado. I've always wanted to see the Rockies! In spite of the cloudy weather, the peaks and views are some of the most spectacular I've ever seen.
New Mexico was brown and dry as a chip and there is virtually no vegetation higher than 12 inches. Seems to me that a New Mexico landscaper would starve to death.

Rode into Dodge City ( in a van not on a horse) and was taken on a personal tour by a real live US Marshall who grew up there. He was at least 75 years old, wore a crooked mustache, a badge, spurs and a gun. He was thrilled to be a Dodge city tour guide but was struggling with the changes occurring in the city. As he walked away from a couple landmarks, I heard him softly mumble about the "knuckleheads" who were running the city these days. I was also bit sad as he tried to make his voice heard over a couple of young punks who drove by (twice) with rap music blaring.

They should have been scared.....He coulda shot 'em.

On the way home, Ralph took a nap in the passenger seat as I drove.
I was missing Abby and praying for her to become filled with God's presence.
I was missing Casey and hating for her to be home all alone.
I was missing Jae Lynn and the fact that we never again get to vacation with her.

As I drove through the dusky evening I asked God to please let a song come on the radio which would make me feel close to the child I haven't held in years. The first one which came on was a rock-n-roll song. (hee hee)


I switched stations and came upon this one.


I believe God is all powerful.
I believe God is all loving.
Jae's death doesn't fit in with those two huge concepts.

Gotta go.
Got to go re-read all those 74(!) blog posts I've written on Faith....

A Night of Russell Comedy

Tuesday night was our traditional North Pulaski Band Christmas Concert. Since yours truly is the band booster President, I wanted to support the program and our fantastic directors by being available for any all things.
Ended up I was not needed at all.
So.
I sat in the auditorium and enjoyed our 6th grade band. (see my big eyed expressions here?)
I sat through the 7th grade band.
Then the Middle School Jazz Band. (I'm beginning to smile now)
Then the Middle School Concert Band which meant that Abby's band would play next!

Let me pause here and say: The progress from a 6th band to a high school band is nothing short of an incredible miracle. Props to all the kids who stick it out as well as to the band directors who dream big and inspire teens with raw musical talent.
You know how great musicians are made? Someone, usually a teacher,...endured, persevered and developed these kids when they were not great musicians.

Anyway, as I'm sitting in the audience, my cell rings and Abby is hysterical on the other end as she relays to me that she forgot the dress code for the night was a black and white affair and she was in a green short scoop-necked sweater dress.
This friends, is a wardrobe, social as well as an academic disaster.

I exit the auditorium and realize that I am wearing black and white.

We meet in the bathroom where 5 minutes later she exits in my black slacks and white tee and I head straight for my car in a short scoop necked green sweater dress. (I just happen to have boots on under my slacks.)

*Ralph loved my outfit and couldn't understand why I would leave.
I think he now has an idea of what to buy me for Christmas.

*I left because I was afraid that suddenly our band director would need an announcement from the booster president and I'd have to get on-stage wearing a green sweaterdress miniskirt with boots.

Later that night, I am on YouTube looking for a song to place on this blog.

I thought I typed in the "The 12 Days of Christmas".

Instead, I made a typo and accidentally went to this:

Wish I Had Been There

This video proves that we can worship anywhere!

Macy's Does the Hallelujah Chorus

Adoption

A friend of mine has posted this video on her facebook page.

Ralph and I have discussed this subject often and are considering it........

What about you consider it too?

New Way To Tithe

Hey Bro David and Bro Ernie,....
Remember the other day when we were talking about changing up the order of our worship service a little bit?

What do you think about inviting our church members to come down and give their offering like this?

Somebody Get The Fly Swatter!

If you are afraid of spiders (like ME)

BUT

enjoy tormenting one, (again,..like ME)..here's your chance.

Click the link below and poke away!

http://www.onemotion.com/flash/spider/

The Joys of Nursing

A very few of the funny moments in the professional life of Becky Russell RN:
(Real names and situations, of course, are not revealed)

**Preparing to bathe a patient,...only to discover that the lady in the next bed had already done it.

**Working for an hour or so in an patients room who was in isolation. As I prepared to exit the room, I whisked the door curtain back and saw through the glass my co-worker wrestling with our only other patient in the ICU. Cheryl had evidently been calling out for me for some time, but I never heard her.

**Calling a patient's husband at home to inform him that his wife was ready to be discharged. He told me that he did not have a ride to come get her, so I encouraged him to get someone to help him solve this problem.

He called 911.

**Looking up from my chart to see my patient coming down the hall towards me naked. I immediately got up to go towards him and he began running away from me screaming ''HELP!!! HELP!!!"....Like I was abusing him.

**Being asked to assist in the Emergency room. I went into one room to ask a man his name and he replied Buck. I wrote that down and asked his last name to which he replied "nekkid".
"Buck Nekkid" I said? "That's your name? "
I asked for ID and of course,..he had none. because he had no where to put it. He was buck nekkid.
Mr. Nekkid was treated and released.

**Having an orderly to assist me as I got an elderly lady into a chair. She was straining to help us when she.....tooted. My wonderful chivalrous orderly tried to spare her embarrassment by saying "Excuse me". She glared at him and wanted all the credit: "You didn't do that! That was MY fart!"

**Taking a life-sized Resusci-Annie home in my car. The stories here go on and on.

**A very large family member who washed and then hung out her big big panties in the waiting room to dry.

I think I may even know the lady in this video......

Mr Bean

My family loves Mr. Bean

annoying ads at the bottom...be sure to "x" them out if they pop up!

Weekend Reflections

Went to Fayetteville this week-end to spend time with Casey. The Hogs just happened to play so I watched them too.
Here's some random reflections from the weekend.
**************************************
Casey cleaned her apartment in anticipation of our arrival. Imagine that.

Breakfast at the Cracker Barrel is a great date.

The lady who sat next to me at the football game cried during the National anthem.

Casey's roommate is an Interior Design major. She's been "in studio" now for about 36 hours straight. Her schedule the past two semesters has been insane.
Mama's...don't let your babies grow up to be Interior Designers.

Every single coach and manager on the South Carolina Football team wears their pants about 4 inches too long.

If Jae were still with us, she would more than likely be a senior cheerleader at some university.

Casey plans, travels and roams because she still grieves deeply.

Abby is right now, the same age as Casey was when we lost Jae.

I am reminded that some of the most important jobs I can do or my girls is to pray, love and listen.

Anytime I see sunrises, sunsets, pretty moons, rainbows or storms,..I wonder what it all looks like from Heaven's viewpoint.

I love to come home.

I found out that we now have the BET channel on our TV.

Oh joy. Another channel to block.

Abby still fits nicely in my lap.

And lastly,.....a moment form the Hogs football game that I always look forward to.....

.

King Tut

Did you know that the

King Tut exhibit

is coming to Arkansas?

Playing It Safe

Francis Chan, one of my all time favorite preachers.

I hate that this is a bit fuzzy.

Watch it anyway!

The VOCA People

This Is Not My Heaven

Heaven.
A literal place which is more real that the city you and I live in.
A source of healing from Jae's death.
However,..when she first was taken there, I was full of dismay.
She simply would not fit in with my idea of what Heaven was like.

Although I did not think so at the time, our culture's attempts to describe Heaven through art, songs and sermons had left an imprint on my imagination that can only be described as "unholy".
Thank you Lord,..that I've been able to get a more biblical perspective through my own research and by reading of great theologians and authors.

I used to feel like a traitor.
Growing up and hearing about it, I secretly did not want to go.
Most of my desire to go to Heaven stemmed from the fact that I had to go somewhere when I died, and hell seemed much worse.
So I sang about Heaven.
I testified that I had a home there.
I dreamed of meeting my loved ones there someday,
but the reality is
I just couldn't muster up any enthusiasm for the place.

The thought of going there was actually pretty terrifying.
It seemed
colorless
unreal
boring
old
repetitive
endless
and there was no escaping no end to it.
In fact,...
it seemed a lot like this video.....

T-Mobile Dancers

I'm not necessarily a T-Mobile fan,..but I'm loving their method of advertisement!

Ice, Fun, Flexibilty and Generosity

Today, I received a long email where several of us moms gave an update on how our kids were weathering the winter storm in Fayetteville.

I have enjoyed hearing about how all the college kids are taking care of each other. They are calling around, seeing who does and does not have electricity. They are giving invitations and gathering into the apartments and homes that have warmth and water.
The students are sleeping on each others couches and floors, they're sharing food, watching movies and in general, having a great time in spite of the hardships of the weather.
It's like a city-wide sleepover!

I wonder if us adults acted like that during the next storm?
What if we all traveled to one house and bunked up together for the night?

Then again,..maybe not. We'd probably look like this lady. (Turn up your volume!)

What Do You See Nurse?

This poem was written by an elderly lady in a small geriatric ward somewhere in Scotland.

It was found among her possessions after her death.

YouTube!

Here's the video shown at the 2008 National Youth Workers Convention at Sacramento, Pittsburgh and Nashville.
May God continue to use Jae's story to bring Glory to Him and encourage others.

A Messy Christmas

For All Who Love Music

Homecoming Queen and Her Subjects

This story is about a beautiful girl, but also speaks to the beauty of her classmates!