Okay, Okay

I've been tagged by several people to tell seven wierd things about myself. Believe it or not, it's actually easier than I thought it would be! I asked Ron and he only told me one thing at first, then the more he thought about it he came up with a couple more. So here is the wierd ME!

1. I pronounce the word "milk" as "melk". I never noticed this until Ron told me. Every time we go shopping he says, what do we need? I say "melk". He'll say, "what was that?" until I pronounce it with a hint of sarcasm "miiiiilllllk"!

2. I swallow really loud when I drink. Ron has pointed this out MANY times and has made me self conscious about it. When I try to drink quietly I end up choking on whatever it is that I'm drinking. Ron seems to think I need to get it checked out by a doctor. I have just learned to laugh and try to drink in the other room. If I'm drinking a glass of water, minding my own business, and I catch Ron just staring at me smiling, I have come so close so many times to spewing my beverage out of my mouth or other places from laughing because I know what he's thinking!

By now you must be thinking, YEAH, Janelle really is REALLY wierd!!! =)

3. When I brush my teeth, or even wash my hands for that matter, I HAVE to clean the sink. I don't know if it is because I can't stand little tootpaste globs in my sink or soap bubbles or because my grandma does this too, but I can't even wash my hands in a public bathroom without swishing the water around as I'm rinsing to clean the sink out.

4. I HAVE to have all of the labels on EVERYTHING in my pantry facing out. I know this may not be that wierd, but I can't stand it when it's messed up!

5. When I'm sleeping I CANNOT stand either breath, or even air from a fan, on my skin. If I have my arm draped over my chest and I start breathing and feel my own breath on my skin I have to immediately cover it up. That goes for Ron too. If he's laying next to me and my shoulder is exposed and I feel him breathing on me, I have to either turn over or cover my arm up. It's almost like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. Someone could probably torture me with this one!

6. I used to like to dip my french fries in tartar sauce. I don't do it so much anymore, only once in a while. I would always get a fish sandwich from McDonalds and inevitably there would be tartar sauce oozing out of one side. I'd just rescue it with a french fry!

7. I grind my teeth when I sleep. I think I only do it when I'm really tired, but Ron still thinks this one is wierd. He seems to think that I have some sort of pent up aggression that comes out as teeth grinding. I think it's more common than he thinks!

So there you have it. I'm sure I'm missing some, but I do still want to have at least a few friends left! Now, next time I see you, please do everything in your power to refrain from giving me that look that says, "WOW, YOU ARE SOOOO WIERD"!

Visit to the USS Alabama

Last weekend we were fortunate enough to go to Mobile, Alabama and tour the USS Alabama. Two guys Ron works with were re-enlisting and thought it would be a special and memorable location. Aaron loved it because they had planes in the ground and then we got to go up on this huge boat. They did the little ceremony (pictures not included) and then they allowed us to tour the boat at our own pace. It was pretty incredible. I'm thankful we were able to do this while we were still here! Hope you enjoy the pictures! Oh, by the way, in the last picture Aaron was so exhausted he fell asleep right on Ron's lap!

More Birthday Greetings, only belated

First of all, my brother's birthday was actually last Friday, but I still wanted to wish him a public Happy Birthday! I won't tell how old he is, but I will say that I am so thankful for him. We've been best of friends since we were little. Yes, we had the usual brother/sister quarrels, but most of the time we were each other's best friends. He has kind of become a confidant to me and I thank him for who he his. Happy Birthday Bro! I love you! By the way, here is the most recent picture I have of him and his little doll baby Carter!

Then, last Saturday was my grandma's birthday. I won't disclose her age either, for which I'm sure she would be thankful! Aside from my Mother, she is the most wonderful lady in the world! I have been close to her as long as I can remember. We've had some very special memories and many wonderful times together. She is a woman who is ALWAYS giving of herself to others. Nearly a year ago we lost my grandpa to Parkinson's Disease, yet since then she still gives of herself to others. She definitely is categorized as one of my heros. I love you grandma and Happy Birthday!

Birthday Greetings!!!

Happy Birthday to a man who, in our house, is lovingly called Dad, Dad Miller, and Papa! We hope you have a great birthday with MANY more!

We love you!

TACT

Does anyone know the meaning of this word anymore? I'm beginning to wonder.

Dictionary.com has this definition: a keen sense of what to say or do to avoid giving offense; skill in dealing with difficult or delicate situations.

A friend of mine, who is pregnant, has been having problems with people telling her things that they really shouldn't be saying out loud at all, even if it is just in a joking manner. Whoever said, "sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me" was just an ignoramous! Words cut deaper than any stick or stone ever could! This friend of mine has kept such a good attitude through all the VERY innapropriate comments. But it makes me wonder WHAT ARE PEOPLE THINKING when they say certain things!

My grandma was telling me about a friend of hers that called her up the other day and chewed her out for something EXTREMELY petty. This lady has been my grandma's so called "friend" for years and then says the things that she did to my grandma. My grandma has a heart of gold, which happens to be a very soft metal, and it cut DEEP.

Maybe that's one of the reasons why our world is the way it is today. People don't have any tact whatsoever! I know we can take that to the extreme, but there has to be a happy medium somewhere. I just have been shocked to hear some of the words that some people actually let excape their mouths. A good reminder to me to WATCH MY TONGUE!!!

I know this post is kind of out of the blue and probably doesn't even interest a lot of you out there, but it was just on my mind and thought I'd share!

Praise God Tuesday

It seems as though every which way you turn there is bad news. Sickness, disease, war casualties, weather tragedies, family or friends dying, etc., etc., etc. Satan is definitely working overtime and it is so easy to let his efforts affect my attitude. Last Sunday our pastor presented a wonderful reminder, at least for me anyways. Genesis 18:14 says "Is any thing too hard for the Lord?" God led Jeremiah to answers this question in Jeremiah 32:17, "...there is nothing too hard for thee." God is the Great physician and can heal the sick and take away the diseases, He can end the war, He controls the winds, and He determines how long our lives are. I just want to remind myself to praise God for his grace, mercy, and love He so abundantly shows us every day, no matter what overwhelming obstacle seems to be in our way.

Great resource

My grandma actually got this for my cousin two Christmas' ago (when she was 3) and she loved it. Then my Mom decided to get one for Aaron for Christmas this past year. He was a little young when we first got it, but we got it out while she was here and he actually sat still and listened and interacted too. If you look in a few of the pictures on the last post, Aaron is sitting with grandma reading his busy Bible!

This is a great little book to teach little ones Bible stories, while they can participate with their hands too. It has 12 different Bible stories that have little things for them to do to show that the story is happening. Such as, Noah and the Ark. It comes with two giraffes, two lions, and two elephants that they can put into a pocket that looks like an Ark. Or Jonah and the Whale. There is a whale on the page with a zipper for it's mouth and a little felt Noah that the whale swallows. I think it's great because even at age 2 they are just interested in what is involved with the picture, but as he gets older we are going to elaborate more and more on each page. I know I didn't explain it very well, but take a look at the website and read about it for yourself. http://busybibles.com They also include a little wordless book with the explanations for it too. Aaron likes to cary it around and act like he's reading it. Since a lot of my blogging friends have smaller kids I thought I would share it with you. It is a little bit pricey, but when you look at all the detail and handwork that went into making this, it's WELL WORTH IT!!! I've thought about trying to make one of my own, and maybe some day I will and maybe even add some stories to it, but for now we'll just enjoy this one.