GRACE

My friend called me one day... She asked me to "make" something she could hang in her break room ~ something to remind her co-workers to be nicer to each other. So, I sketched this and I sketched that... nothing really "caught" me. Then... I fiddled with "simple" and THAT caught me. It's simple ~ the word GRACE... however, if you look closely it is written with the words to the Serenity Prayer. I framed it and gave it to her... I liked it. Yet, it never ended up on that wall in the break room ~ rather it remained crushed in the back of her car for weeks ~ months... prolly in the trash now. So much for GRACE. Oh, the point is ~ as I was cleaning out the closet with all my "art" stuff in it... I came across all the "oops" pictures ~ I worked hard on that... I wanted it to be perfect. Well, it just reminded me, that's all.

Okay... I'm going to pamper myself today with a manicure/pedicure. My poor hands... they are so beat up from all the manual labor I've been doing. Yet, there's some sweet satisfaction as I look around my house and SEE what I have done ~ I worked hard!

Now... go give some GRACE to someone... we could ALL use a little ourselves... :)

and THEY walk among us

These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts, and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters who had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place.

ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS: No, I just lie there. _______________________________
ATTORNEY: What is your date of birth?
WITNESS: July 18th.
ATTORNEY: What year?
WITNESS: Every year. _____________________________________
ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks ______________________________________ ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS: I forget.
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot? _____________________________________
ATTORNEY: How old is your son, the one living with you?
WITNESS: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
ATTORNEY: How long has he lived with you?
WITNESS: Forty-five years. _____________________________________
ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
WITNESS: He said, "Where am I, Cathy?"
ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?
WITNESS: My name is Susan. ______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo?
WITNESS: We both do.
ATTORNEY: Voodoo?
WITNESS: We do.
ATTORNEY: You do?
WITNESS: Yes, voodoo. ______________________________________


ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam? ____________________________________
ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the twenty-one-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: Uh, he's twenty-one.

ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?
WITNESS: Would you repeat the question? ______________________________________
ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS: Uh.... ______________________________________
ATTORNEY: She had three children, right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls? ______________________________________

ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated? ______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard.
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female? ______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work. ______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people? WITNESS: All my autopsies are performed on dead people. ______________________________________
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral. ______________________________________

ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy on him! ____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
WITNESS: Huh? ____________________________________________

And the best for last
ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy? WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: But could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been a live and practicing law.

And we lived to tell about it...

And we lived to tell about it! One week! When I get pictures of the final "result", I will share them... BELIEVE me, I'm glad the worst of it is over! We "lived" in the red tent ~ the green tent was packed FULL with just about everything that was in my house. LOL

Trust Was Broken

Ahhh to live like a human again! I'm HOME... moved all the big stuff back into the house and now I'm putting it all together ~ only nuthin' remains the same. I'm changing the furniture placement and that will take some getting used to (as I AM a creature of habit).

So... today I was thinking ~ how "safe" is my name on the lips of others? How "safe" are my thoughts, feelings...things I shared in confidence? How "sacred" are the things you share with others? If you begin to hear things that you shared with someone in confidence come back to you through another source ~ you know your trust was broken.

How else did I learn about what was being said about me? From this one's lips, to that one's ears... from that one's lips to the other one's ears... from the other one's lips to MY ears. I heard it ALL and it's called "gossip". It's one person's version of the game "Telephone": where it doesn't matter what was really said first- it only matters what the last person "repeats"-- and all too often the info is never relayed accurately... and people are calling that sharing in "love".

Listen to the people around you and you will know how "safe" you are with them. If they talk badly about others, chances are they WILL (and do) talk badly about YOU. It's true. Test it out. Another thing to ponder... If someone is willing to lie to another (someone they are in relationship with or profess to care about deeply), what are the chances they are willing to lie to YOU? Was I wrong in my suspicion? Apparently not... Time has revealed, that my intuition was right... Though it was adamantly denied when I confronted it... I knew all the way down to my little toe ~ that there was a lie being told and it wasn't coming from me.

Some time ago I learned that a letter I wrote ~ expressing my deepest thoughts and feelings was read to another person. Though I am certain they had a great time dissecting it (and me with it)... what a violation! And how do I know that I was "game" to them, because it came full circle. So, I say again... how sacred are the things you share with another person in confidence? Do they have loose lips? If you begin to hear things you shared with someone come back from another source, you know your trust was broken... Indeed, broken!

Floors are 'a comin'

Awake at 4 am… Well, if you want to get technical ~ I woke up at 2 am (afraid I wouldn’t wake up with the alarm at 4). Out of the house by 5 am… south bound. Half asleep, music blasting… I saw it! And my mind began to ponder… The sign on the 5 fwy ~ with a whole family running across the freeway! Now you know for the State of California to have put that sign up ~ a family MUST have run across the freeway… Because we all know, they only put signs up to deter people from doing what others have done before… GEEZE!

Exit Sea World Dr. Ahhh remembering the last time I went to Sea World ~ that was fun. Turn left… oh, the hotel with the “special room”. That’s a good memory ~ flush it out Krista!
Found my destination. Then stopped for Carl’s Jr. Ordered my usual and got my usual “are you sure you don’t want the meat?” Ummm no thank you?

All I can say is, I’m thankful I went to a small university… This campus is like a little city! I would have gotten lost in a big school. My little, 8 people to a class, school would have been engulfed by ONE building on this campus.

Alas… found the conference room and here I sit waiting for the famous DR to give his presentation. There are a lot of people here...

** It was great! Wow... I'm glad I went down to SD for that... Took me forever to get home ~ rain/traffic... So, I had a lot of thinking time...and I thought a great many things that I won't mention here... too personal ;)

Came home to the NEED to move the rest of the furniture out of the house... M came up and together we moved everything! I'll be so glad when this is over... Getting the floors tomorrow!!! Yahoo!!


Only great minds can read this
This is weird, but interesting! fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too

Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!


** My spell check went nuts with this one LOL

Virginia Tech!

Words are not sufficient...

'Go Rest High on That Mountain' Video - Vince Gill - AOL Music

Susan B. Anthony

Another woman who has inspired me greatly... Susan B. Anthony. Most have heard her name, yet know very little about her.

Susan B. Anthony dedicated her life to "the cause," the woman suffrage movement.

The accomplishments of Susan B. Anthony paved the way for the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920 (14 years after her death) which gave women the right to vote.

She founded the National Woman's Suffrage Association in 1869 with life-long friend Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Together they worked for women's suffrage for over 50 years.

Published "The Revolution" from 1868-1870, a weekly paper about the woman suffrage movement whose motto read, "Men their rights and nothing more, women their rights and nothing less.

First person arrested, put on trial and fined for voting on November 5, 1872. Unable to speak in her defense she refuse to pay "a dollar of your unjust penalty."

Wrote the Susan B. Anthony Amendment in 1878 which later became the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote.

An organization genius -- her canvassing plan is still used today by grass root and political organizations.

Led the only non-violent revolution in our country's history -- the 72 year struggle to win women the right to vote.

NOW ladies...next time you go to vote... remember Susan B. Anthony (and the women she worked with) who paved the way for us all!

Homeless

Homeless

So... I had an "out of body" experience last night... It went like this, "There's somebody sleeping in MY tent and there SHE is." Okay, Goldie-locks... it seems the cold has frozen your brain." Back into my body. Then I heard a strange sound. It went like this, "Let me in, let me in." "Not by the hair of Abby's chinny chin chin!"

So my gay dog, jojo and the pillow princess, Abby weathered the night in the tent. However, I had to chase Abby around the yard as she was refusing to get into the tent. :) She growled, snapped and simply refused. She'd go to the back door and whine... Alas! We survived.

There I was, all tucked into my little "bed", flashlight behind my head...reading. And I was struck with the thrill of the "adventure". This is something I would never have imagined myself doing. Heck, I'm as OCD as they come... and normally this chaos would drive me nuts. Yet, I feel a certain peace. The ONLY thing I did not take into consideration...was that fact that I would NOT have access to my bathroom... uh huh... let me just say, I have a pot and the tent has windows. Therefore, I consider myself blessed!

We will be homeless for a few more days... but really aside from the cold (at night) it's not that bad. Everything I NEED is in my tent ~ my dogs, flashlight, phone, water and books. My friends did offer for me to stay with them ~ but 1. they live too far, I need to be closer to let the workers in etc... 2. they have animals ~ and jojo... well ya know... So we make do. Ya know, when things are "tough" you truly find out who your friends are. There are some that I wouldn't take "help" from if my life depended on it... then again ~ those aren't the one's offering it.

Moses...Where's my tent?

Yeah... So I am blopping from my tent (uh huh wireless lap top that my brother got me cuz he lost the bet)! I feel like one of those Jews that wondered in the wilderness for 40 years... When will this end? Oh, it just started... The inside of my house looks like a giant condom ~ there is plastic everywhere AND powdery white stuff. Alas all good things must come to an end... This is supposed to be completed by Sat. Yahoooo!

Where does a girl have to go to find serenity? Went to my office ~ thinking "at least it's quiet and warm there." Wrong! They are putting a new roof on the entire building! Pound. Pound. Tap. Tap. Well, it seems the universe is determined to give me a fresh start in every sense of the word ~ I am thankful! Truly I am. It's just hard to get into the "spirit" of it when I'm wearing 3 layers of clothes, a beanie, a million layers of blankets and my fingers are numb...

The good news is ~ I got another contract today. This one is with an organization that...drum roll please....helps homeless people. I thought that was appropriate since I am currently homeless. :) I'm excited about this contract!

Okay... I'm going to bundle up some more... I truly have an appreciation for those that are less fortunate than I am. Some live like this for a longer duration... Makes me realize how much I really do have. It isn't much mind you... Some people give away more money than I make in a year... yet, what I do have, I freely share with others. It is written... that which you do to the least of these, you also do unto ME. I couldn't imagine turning someone away in their time of need... Perhaps that is why I am so excited about this contract ~ it's not for money (because most of it will be done pro-bono) but I will have a chance to give what little I CAN to those "least of these".

Moses... where's my tent?

Corrie Ten Boom

CORRIE TEN BOOM

Probably one of the most influential people in my life, was Corrie Ten Boom. Though I never had the opportunity to meet her, I read her story as a young girl "The Hiding Place." So, for those of you that don't know her story, allow me to paraphrase it here...

She was in her 50's during WWII. Her father, a watch maker and sister, Betsie lived above their watch shop in Holland. Despite the FEAR of the Nazi's, Corrie and her family hid Jews in their home, saving as many as they could. This woman had courage beyond her fear... at the age of 59, she was arrested along with her elderly father and sister. (the Jews that were hidden above their shop were NEVER discovered). Corrie was taken to Ravensbruck concentration camp (where Anne Frank and her family were) where she narrowly escaped death. Her father and sister both died there. She made a promise to God while in an isolation cell, that if He allowed her to live, she would TELL the world about his amazing love and forgiveness... An error? There was an error in the prison paper work, and she was released (the real order was for ALL women her age and over to be exterminated)... Yet she lived.

Years later, while speaking about God's love and forgiveness... she noticed a man walking toward her after the lecture was complete. At first she saw a man in a tan suit...however the closer he got, the memory returned ~ green SS uniform! He was a guard at Ravensbruck! She remembered clearly the beatings he gave to her, her sister and to many many others... He had blood on his hands...

He stood before her in this church and spoke to her, "I was a guard at Ravensbruck and I did horrible things... now I am a Christian... Fraulein I ask for your forgiveness." He stretched his hand out toward her... For what seemed like eternity for Corrie...she prayed to her GOD, "How can I forgive this man for the things he did...HOW?" In a soft voice God answered, "How could you NOT?" Out of obedience to the one who sent his only son to die for her sins...she slowly lifted her hand to meet his... Yet, when flesh touched, she was infused with the most amazing love and forgiveness that only could come from one source...

Corrie has influenced me, not only because of her bravery... but also because she was NOT a hypocrite... she lived, breathed and exemplified all that I would want to be ~ authentic!

Tent-It!

I set the tent up ALL by myself. Hoorraaayy! Because my house will be "unavailable" during the scraping of the ceilings AND I have a cat killing dog (which eliminates the homes of my family and friends)... we are officially homeless. I knew that Marlboro tent (that I got with my miles) would come in handy. The funny thing is... back when I ordered it, my friend L and I would tease that I would need it for when I was homeless (cuz I had just lost everything I had ~ and was facing having NO place to live). Does this count as camping? ONE week! And it's friggin COLD outside! I'll simply turn it into an adventure... jojo. Abby. Put your coats on... body heat dogs ~ let's share the body heat!

Went to my nephews ball game today. There is something so incredible about watching kids play ball. They are still at the age where ~ when an opposing player falls, they help 'em up ~ when a batter strikes out or makes a mistake, they still encourage them. Life has yet to teach them "survival of the fittest"!

And of course, I was humbled a bit more when I met little Sally. She's the size of a 3 year old, yet she IS actually 9 yrs old. As my sister lifted her onto her lap, I could see the feeding tube that has been inserted into her belly. She has a rare disease that will eventually take her life (she's already exceeded what the doc's expected). The ONLY words she can say (clearly) are I LOVE YOU. I watched her (when I wasn't watching my nephew swingin' at the ball with all his might)... I wondered why that was the only thing she could say... how is it that a child only learns 3 words in 9 years? Her brother came out of the dug out to ask his mom for sunflower seeds... he turned to Sally on his way back and said, "hey Sally... I LOVE YOU." The Mom needed to go to her car and she left Sally with us. Before she walked away she said, "I'll be right back Sally... I LOVE YOU." That's when it hit me... those are words she hears the most ~ it makes perfect sense that those are the words she says the most. The game was over and we were packing up to go... and little Sally waddled over to ME. She said, "I LOVE YOU" and gave me a hug. Tears immediately filled my eyes as my heart was flooded with the tenderness of this little girl. Precious!

I drove my sister to her car, cuz her foot is hurting her... on the way she told me... Sally's "mom" is really her aunt... I guess the real mom is in jail ~ because she physically abused the children (and drugs)... The aunt took the 2 kids, though she had 4 of her own that she was struggling to provide for. Though they are POOR by the worlds standards ~ they are RICH with LOVE.

Little Sally! I am so glad those are the words you speak... yet I am even more glad that those are the words you HEAR...

Now... I go to tent-It!

OC's Brightest!

Yeah so... I went to a dinner last night ~ one of those informational/mingle with the Doc's, invitation only dinners... I'm almost speechless about it. What can I say? I don't really "fit in" with that crowd... they are, for the most part, stuffy and arrogant. So... I was sitting there with two shrinks across from me, two Md's next to me. They had us stand UP and introduce ourselves (about 50 doc's from OC)... Me, being totally unconventional... introduced myself as "Krista". That's it. No "Dr." just Krista.

The little Mexican waiter came to clear the plates, however he couldn't reach the one's on the end, due to the projector thing. I clearly saw his dilemma and asked the Md's to pass their plates down. They just looked at me like I was nuts! But I didn't back down... The little Mexican Waiter loaded up a million plates on his arm, and the Shrink across from me rolled his eyes... That was IT! I was lit... I said to him, "Hey that's true talent right there...how many plates can YOU load on your arm?" Then gave him one of those "charming, but I won't give in" smiles... yeah! He sat there with his Russian (I don't speak English) mail order bride...and winked at ME during the entire dinner. It wasn't that he was about 20 years older than me that repulsed me (cuz age is relative to me ~ I've met some adolescents that have more wisdom and maturity than some 50 year olds), rather it WAS his "I'm better than everyone because MD is after my name and I can sleep with anyone I want, despite the fact that I'm married" that repulsed me. I digress....

Intellectually I can keep up with the best of them... I understood the lecture ~ I could track with the neuropharmaceutical they were pushing and the effects on the Gabaergic transmissions, dysregulation of neurotransmission and micro nutrient deficiencies... Here was a room full of mostly men... discussing this MULTI MILLION dollar "rat experiment" on humans for this latest DRUG (it's the new Valium). Yeah, it's another double-blind experiment (which are kinda dangerous, but effective for getting statistics)... and I couldn't help but think... Geeze! ALL this money being spent on another band aid... let me break it down. 3 of these intravenous injections of this latest "Valium" cost $12,500!!! 5 cost $15,000!!! WOW! One could buy a car and move from the dysfunction that requires them to medicate to begin with for the amount of 5 treatments! AND the "old" Valium ISN'T even FDA approved... this one won't be either!

WHY???? Why don't they spend that money to figure out why people need to be medicated to begin with? Why don't they look at the break down of our family systems, society's MORAL compass... perhaps look at why so many people are miserable with their lives???? THIS baffles ME! I digress again...

SO... I went to the dinner. Dressed all like a Dr. and mingled with OC's brightest... but ya know... my heart is in jeans and a t-shirt frolicking with a horse, dog or any four legged creature for that matter... I'm not knocking the medical community ~ well I am ~ but I DO have respect for science/psychology... I just think they are missing the point. People are literally dying in our society because they do not have that innate ability to connect with the basic premise ~ humans NEED love...joy...connection...stability... NOT a pill (which perscription pills are the #1 addiction in the U.S.).

AND to boot ~ I missed Survivor cuz I was rubbing elbows with those brainaics! No worries... I did get a few "contacts" ~ it was a "networking" thing after all ;) But I CHOSE who I gave my information to... and I met some good people! One gal in particular ;) that I'm excited to (possibly) work with in the future.

Okay... I'm off to meet a friend in a bit. Today IS my Dad's 74th birthday! Called him this morning to wish him a happy birthday... I asked how old he is now...he said, "47" I said, "I knew that dyslexia would come in handy some day!" He IS my hero!

Rascal Flatts

To borrow from a favorite Rascal Flatts song and a friend's post...

I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
and each road leads you where you want to go,
and if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.

And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
if it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,
But more than anything, more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
your dreams stay big, your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
and while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,

Yeah, this, is my wish.
I hope you never look back, but you never forget,
all the ones who love you, and the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
and you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
and always give more than you take.

But More than anything, Yeah, more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
your dreams stay big, your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
and while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

Yeah.My wish, for you,
is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
your dreams stay big, your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
and while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.