WHOA!!!!! It's been a LONG time......

WHOA!!! I can't believe it has been soooo long since my last post... I have really been negligent lately; however, now that things are more back to normal and I don't have any more exhausting weekends looming in the future, I should be able to post. I have just been drained from all of the traveling and packing.... I have felt until recently as though I live out of a suitcase! It's refreshing not to feel that way anymore!

After our Las Vegas weekend, Weiss resumed school and I don't know where that week went! We left the following Friday for the coast with our friends, Casey, Hannah, Sophia, and Gabriella Burns. We went to Port Aransas and stayed at the family friendly Port Royale.... We had a great time at the beach, in the sprawling pool, visiting the U.S.S. Lexington, and the State Aquarium (Weiss really loved the dolphins, petting the manta rays, and the bird show). Of course, we also enjoyed the company of our friends, and the kids had a great time together.

This past weekend, my parents came down to Marble Falls. Friday after picking Weiss up from school, we visited the pumpkin patch at Sweet Berry Farm. Weiss was really looking forward to stuffing a scarecrow and seeing the goats, but the scarecrow stuff wasn't ready yet and the goats weren't out. (I was looking forward to the homemade pumpkin ice cream, but it was still freezing....DRATS!) We picked out some pumpkins, got some pictures of Weiss posing, and pet the horses and the donkeys... The baby donkey was sooo cute! We all headed in to Austin to go to the Apple store for Dad and we ate some good food at Pei Wei! (It was my FAVORITE in San Antonio; there was one not too far from our house--I haven't eaten there in awhile because I am out here in the "boonies!" Haha!)

Saturday morning, we went to Sea World! It was Weiss's first time. We were all anticipating (and hoping for) cool weather, but that wasn't the case. However, we saw the Shamu show, the Viva! show (with acrobats, dolphins, and belugas), and the sea lion show. We also got to see the penguins, dolphin feeding tank (Weiss was too tired at that point to feed them), and shark reef. By that time (5 hours in the park), Weiss was zonked! We were, too. We came home and ate at the Bluebonnet and then retired to the house.

Anyway, I know I'm not too detailed in this post; I'm just glad I'm posting! I have some stuff to do here and dinner to tend with, so I've got to wrap up. Tata for now!

Viva Las Vegas!!!

Now that I have returned home from Virginia, it seems like I have been ultra busy!!!! (You probably all can relate; activities are never spaced out equally; they tend to fall together in clumps!) The last week home was a great week--I mainly spent it getting the house back to normal, doing laundry, and spending some overtime with husband and son... (I owed them BIG TIME for being gone!) I also tried to exercise each day because Chick-Fil-A and all of Liberty's goodies (free coffee, bagels, chips, cereal, cookies, you name it) had REALLY gotten me down....

Anyway, I aged one more year on Wednesday, which happened to feel more like a Monday (random things occurred to make my day a bit "out of whack" from the moment I woke up....). Weiss kept us up during the middle of the night, banging on our door, wanting to sleep in the bed with us (he knows he's not supposed to), I got two giant quarter-sized blisters on my arches for not wearing socks with my running shoes.... Aunt Flo came to visit--ON MY BIRTHDAY...BUMMER...., my car battery was beginning to give me trouble, so I had to go spend an hour and a half in Walmart Automotive... However, a visit with Kelley and little Brooks really helped get the day off to a better start!!!! (Thanks for the birthday cake, Homeyers!!!!! YUMMO!!!!)

I left the Homeyer's house to pick up Weiss from preschool at FBC, and found him in a totally different set of clothes. His teacher informed me that he pooped his pants first thing in the morning on the playground, took them off, and began to "play" in the mess..... (GAG...).... Weiss was put in time-out... Then at lunch, he began to "play" in his food without his utensils... I guess we have a little sculptor on our hands.... "Le artiste..."

Logan and I went to Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University on Wednesday night. I am super excited about the class, and I am glad we signed up! He loves anything about management or finance, and so we are both looking forward to it... That was a great finale to my big birthday....

We left on Thursday to come here to Las Vegas. Logan and Dickey (his co-worker and dad) had a conference here for the specialized medical/dental group they belong to, which is really focused around biological dentistry and overall physical and dental health. I'll discuss more on that, later.....

The conference is located at the JW Marriott, in Summerlin, Nevada, which is not far from the LV strip. The first night we all (Logan, Weiss, Dickey, Cinda, and I) went to the Caesar's Forum and ate at Wolfgang Puck's Spago... WONDERFUL!!!! Weiss was a great boy and ended up making friends with a couple from Vancouver sitting across from our table.... He made such good friends that they shared their dessert with him..... SUPER hilarious!!!

He really had a good time at Caesars, and he was great on the flight from San Antonio to Las Vegas.... (Buying a miniature Southwest plane really helped, I think!!!) Yesterday, Cinda, Weiss and I went to the pool (which is fabulous here) and spent all morning... Weiss had a blast, and enjoyed hanging out. We had a great lunch (caprese salad on focaccia bread....going to try that at home....DELISH!!!). We came up to the room so he could take a nap, and then Dickey and Cinda went to a banquet. Logan and I took Weiss back down to the strip and went to New York, New York. (I thought he would like the scenery in the boroughs.....It reminds me of Universal Studios....) We ate "outside" at a little Jewish Deli called Greenberg's... We had homemade chicken noodle soup, matzo balls, and a pastrami reuben.... Because it was 9/11 and we were at NYNY, they had a great, HUGE group of bagpipers and drummers in the traditional garb. They honored the miltary and the LV and NYC firemen and police officers, which was quite a sight. They had a "mini" parade in the casino.... Weiss enjoyed seeing the firetrucks.... He was impressed they came in red, white, AND yellow!!!

However, he began to ask if he could play the "games" as we were leaving.... (aka "the slot machines.....") AAHHH!!!!!! Funny, but NOT funny...... (We didn't even play ourselves..... He just saw everyone playing and all of the cool lights and sounds...)

We then took Weiss back to Caesar's forum, where we spent some time in FAO Schwarz.... Three stories of a child's fantasy!!!! He picked out "Colin the Crane" for his Thomas railroad set (go figure---he's obsessed with wooden trains) and has been playing with it all day! He also was loving the Playmobil toys in the store, and I'm glad about that, because I had already bought him some for this coming Christmas!!!

After the toy store, we went to see Caesar's fountain perform in front of the Cheesecake Factory.... He started out saying, "I'm not scared....." However, Weiss started getting scared when he saw the fire in the show. He didn't cry, but he said, "I'm scared..." However, that was only for a brief portion of the end, and then we redeemed ourselves by letting him watch the fish in the huge aquarium around the back of the fountain... He watched for about 30 minutes.... It had some great fish and lots of rays...

This morning, I heard some great speakers at Logan's conference. I decided to go because there are many topics that echo beyond dentistry, and quite frankly impact ALL of us, and these topics are near and dear to my heart. I have heard some GREAT speakers this morning, one being a top expert in his field, Dr. Boyd Haley. US Representative Dan Burton gave a compelling speech, as well. (If you want to know the content of their speeches, just ask me. Don't get me started on my blog because it is a HOT BUTTON for me....) One reason this group is controversial is because it does NOT agree with all the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), CDC (Center for Disease Control), ADA (American Dental Association), AMA (American Medical Association) and other big governmental agencies stand for. (This includes all of the big lobbying, big spending pharmaceutical industries....) Any entity that is denying individuals their right to know the FULL truth about health and its various components is what the IAOMT speaks out against. ANYWAY--Enough about that!

Now, I'm waiting for Weiss to wake up. (He stayed with Cinda in their hotel room while the guys and I went to the conference.) Cinda and I are going to head out again to the strip and go grab something at Serendipity 3 (ice cream)!!! We fly back tomorrow..... I'll chat again soon! I still have to update on my fun weekend with Logan in Virginia!!!

Something funny from class this week.....

Hey, all! I'll continue my blogging when I return home; I really can't focus because I am HERE:




Well, not really at Magic Kingdom..... I'm stuck in the airport with all of the fun of Orlando right outside.... And this was a LONG layover, people!!!! VERY BORING!!!! Anyway, just thought I would post this great clip from class.... (This is not what Christian counseling is all about, but it's hilarious anyway.....)

I'll Talk More Later...

I'll talk more later about the awesome weekend Logan and I had together this weekend and the fun things we did!!! Here's a preview of what we did last Thursday evening, the first evening he was here....... It just so happened it was opening week for Liberty SNOWFLEX and we got to go Thursday........... Fun, fun, FUN!!!!!!

Some of You Have Been Asking....

So I know I've taken quite a hiatus from blogging. I don't like doing that, but I just haven't made the time lately. However, I've had many adventures going on. Some of you Marble Falls people and Facebook friends have been wondering where I've been.... Actually, this is the beginning of my second week in Lynchburg, Virginia. I am completing my master's in professional counseling at Liberty University. (Please note: this degree is not to be confused with school counseling.) I have done the majority of the classwork online and have put off the required courses on campus until this point, and now that Weiss is a bit older--although it is still hard to leave him--I found it time to get my coursework on campus started. I am nearing the end of my degree--I see the "light" at the end of the proverbial "tunnel"--however, I do still have some more on-campus work, a practicum, internship, competency exams, and courses from home before I am complete. However, I should be finished in the next 8 to 9 months...

I chose to go back to school after I had Weiss because I LOVE people. I love to help people; I love to interact with people. I chose Liberty because I knew they were online, would work with my schedule as a mom, they were reputable, could give me the degree I was seeking, and--most importantly--would teach me in a manner that corresponds to my Biblical worldview as a born again Christian. Liberty is the world's largest evangelical Christian university, is the world's fastest growing university, and has only been around since 1971. (When I got on campus, it was totally evident that this is God's economy here at the university; they are being blessed tremendously...)

Anyway, I've heard some great preaching while I've been here--Thomas Road Baptist Church, Wednesday night campus church (Aperture) with Dr. Ergun Caner, who is incredible.... Check out his stuff.... I'm going to be following him from home... I feel so comfortable here because you can speak the name of Jesus and not feel "weird" or uncomfortable because most likely, the individual you are talking to knows Him personally, as well. Our professors are also spiritual leaders; I appreciate this greatly. They lead us in worship, prayer time, prayer requests, and daily reflection and devotionals. They bring up questions from a biblical standpoint, which I LOVE. My classmates are pastors, youth ministers, church administrators, teachers, and people who just feel God's calling to help others. These weeks have been tough (leaving family, et cetera), but it has honestly felt like a spiritual retreat for me and my classmates. Each of us (in our 15 person class) has expressed this; we are learning how to counsel with others, but have each been receiving counseling, as well, and it has been a time of renewal and joy, albeit draining.

The emotional aspect of it all is pouring out yourself, being transparent and honest, but also listening deeply to others with empathy. Having a relationship with Christ helps provide the foundation a counselor needs to work with all of His children, no matter how hurt or broken. Although this doesn't sound draining, it truly is; I am mentally exhausted today, yet physically energized (probably from all of the coffee they've given us!!!). I'm sure many of you in the ministry and other helping fields can relate.... I have been a sounding board for the deep emotions of others, but I am honored that Christ can work through me. I have also used others as my own personal sounding board. God has also revealed to me additional ways I may choose to help others in our community, so I'm going to look into these avenues very soon, as well....

Enough with the deep stuff.....

Anyway, I've had a great and awesome experience with last week's intensive with Dr. Patti Hinckley and my counselor and small group facilitator, Francis Raj, a Christian pastor from Malaysia who is on fire for the Lord (and has a great sense of humor to boot). Just when I thought the classes couldn't get any better than last week's, this week is Dr. David Appleby, a former pastor turned professor with two doctorates and a seminary degree.... He is coming out with a book next week, and he is an authority on deliverance...... Tomorrow afternoon, he is going to explain more in a Q & A session with our class of 15.... Can't wait!!! (More on that later!!!!)

Before each class session with Dr. Appleby (the class deals with group counseling), he plays this clip, which has really touched me (and everyone else in our class) this week. It's the Gaithers, for those of you who shy away from their music, but the message is sooooo incredibly powerful for anyone in the helping profession, or anyone who is a Christian, for that matter. Take a look and be moved......