July 30th, 2006

This time next week my brother will be married.
I am so excited for them!!!
We are leaving Wednesday when I get off work and driving up to Illinois, I'll be back sometime Tuesday - so that's almost a week, but when you spend a whole day getting there and a whole day coming back, it doesn't feel like a lot of time at all.

I am still having post-show dreams about the show. Last nights was very life-like, it made me laugh when I was in the shower and remembered that it had all been a dream!

Anneke had her baby Saturday. Marcail Lillia. 6lbs 14oz. They are all doing very well. So this has been baby week, with two Makinson babies being born! I love babies! Makes me want to have one. :)

July 27th, 2006

My day today was a rollercoaster of emotions and stress, but everything turned out almost like I wanted it to and I am content.
This morning before I went to court, I had one of my left-over dove chocolates, and it said,"don't think about it so much," which is what the one I had on opening night said. It's kinda silly, but it made me relax just a little bit. I believe that God can speak to us however He wants to...even through a candy wrapper.

2 weeks later...

2 weeks ago today was the opening night of our show. For the most part I have been far too busy to miss it.
But today, I was cleaning my room for the first time in...well, it's been a while, and I stumbled upon all kinds of show things. Like, my script with my notes for the music...and 2 dove chocolates left over from Mrs. Eldredge...a yellow tassel...a picture from Effie...a shopping list...a program...etc...and then B&B kept on coming up during the evening. Like at dinner when we commented to our dinner guest that we hadn't had soda in the house since the show when Cam and I lived off a Dr. Pepper a day. And then Everett came over, and wherever he goes, Gaston goes too. So I think today has been the day I have stopped and really missed the show and the people, because, let's face it - if the people were crummy I wouldn't have loved it like I did. And it just so happens OTC is a fabulous group of wonderful, caring people.

In spite of all this reminiscing, I had a great time tonight. I went and spent the evening playing a game called Apples to Apples with 4 kids from Israel, Gil (a YWAMer from Colorado Springs) Stuart, Camila and April. I have always loved spending time with people from other countries and cultures, and tonight was no exception. Sometimes I wonder if I am getting too settled in Franklin to ever leave again. I always said that it would be fine with me to live here forever, but I wonder. At any rate, I am here for now and still loving it.

And now I really need to get to sleep, I have to be in court in the morning for a GAL case.

She's here!!!

Johanna Joy arrived today naturally at approximatly 5:35 this evening.
She is 6lbs 2 ozs and mother and baby are both doing fine.

I am on my way down to see them right now...can hardly wait!
:)


We had a lake party for the staff at gym today...it was loads of fun! We all went tubing and more would have gone skiing if the handle hadn't broken when Kat used it. ;) We played "Imagine If" and Katrina and I won. It was a lot of fun spending the day relaxing with everyone.

July 22, 2006

Tonight I went up to my parents house for dinner - it was the last family dinner before Ben gets married. I think it's all terribly exciting!
We ate a yummy meal and then went outside and played badminton. Somehow, I've gotten much better at that game since the last time I played. I actually hit the birdie more than I missed it. It was a lot of fun and I laughed more than I have in a while. (Although, I had a pretty good laugh reading certain parts of a review of our show that was in today's paper).

I worked just under 45 hours this week, but I still feel like I'm on a sort of vacation because I have my evenings free. Tomorrow is a gym staff party at the lake. It'll be fun, even if it rains. :)

My friend Annie is going to have her first baby very soon. Her water broke today so it won't be long until Johanna Joy is with us!

July 19th, 2006

Beauty and the Beast is really over. Everything is taken apart, thrown out or stacked up, (I won't say put away because I'm sure Scotty will be working on that for a few more days).
It was a great show and a great experience.

This week has been fairly busy. I've been working alot and trying to catch up on house work and tiding my room. I have a new poster to find a place for. :)
I am planning on square dancing tonight, if I'm not too tired.

Our competitive season at gym is fast approaching - our first meet is in September, so I am teaching routnes like crazy. We have a great group of girls again this year and they are oh so fun to work with. Could there be any better job, teaching kids to flip all day long???

Only 18 more days until I have a sister-in-law!!!

I didn't lie!!!

The phone just rang, I answered it and heard a beep...oh no, must be a telemarketer...but before I could hang up, someone asked for April MacKinson to which I immediately responded that there was no one here by that name and hung up. Then I started to feel bad for lying to the woman... until I realized there really is no one here by that name!!! :)

The Tragedy of the Religious Left

By Chuck Colson
7/18/2006

Worshipping the Goddess of Tolerance

What do you get when you hold a conference with 1,200 people who are all afraid of offending one another? I’ll tell you what you don’t get. You don’t get unity, and you don’t get agreement on anything.

That’s what happened when the Spiritual Activism Conference took place recently in Washington, D.C. According to the New York Times, this group of religious liberals came together to discuss “taking back religion from the conservative Christians.” But the conference members had trouble getting anything specific done.

The Times hit it right on the nose when it explained, “Turnout at the Spiritual Activism Conference was high, but if the gathering is any indication, the biggest barrier for liberals may be their regard for pluralism: for letting people say what they want, how they want to, and for trying to include everyone’s priorities rather than choosing two or three issues that could inspire a movement.” Never mind even setting policy goals; some conference members were afraid that singing hymns might be enough to upset some members. Instead of coming away with a clear set of objectives, the conference members mostly came away frustrated.

Ironically for a group that prides itself on tolerance, it seems the only thing the conference could agree on was its opposition to the “religious right.” But frustrating as it was for them, the group had to concede that the “religious right” is a lot better at getting things done. Beliefnet suggests this was because “religious conservatives are willing to argue there is one correct view on policy issues.”

You see, that’s the crux of the liberals’ problem. This conflict is not about political or social divisions. It’s about authority—specifically, whether or not Christians are willing to acknowledge that the Bible is our authority.

Tony Campolo certainly recognized this. Though Tony and I disagree on lots of things, I really like Tony. He’s honest, and he loves the Bible. He tried to explain at this conference the necessity of following Scripture. But one participant retorted, “I thought this was a spiritual progressives’ conference. I don’t want to play the game of ‘the Bible says this or that,’ or that we get validation from something other than ourselves.”

There you have it. Validation from ourselves simply means you make up your own god. We Christians may interpret the Bible differently; we may apply it to life differently; we may have arguments over exegesis. But the Bible has to be the ultimate authority. Otherwise we end up worshiping the goddess of tolerance and believing that tolerance takes precedence over truth.

Dorothy Sayers, the great English writer, said it best: “In the world it is called Tolerance, but in hell it is called Despair, the sin that believes in nothing, cares for nothing, seeks to know nothing, interferes with nothing, enjoys nothing, hates nothing, finds purpose in nothing, lives for nothing, and remains alive because there is nothing for which it will die.”

This kind of so-called “tolerance” can never bring people together, but only as we saw in Washington, pull them farther apart.

**sigh**

It's over.
Now that I've finished my 12 hour work day, I think I am beginning to go through withdrawl.
On my way home, I took a detour and went by the Fine Arts Center. I knew no one would be there, but I had to go by, just because.
I don't wish it was still going on, but it makes me a little sad to think that it's all over. Those were good times.

It was a great show, I am sorry for all of you who missed it.

Where did my shoes go???

If you don't come out, I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll shoot your house down

a shadow of Nikki

"You're hungry if I say you're hungry!"

July 9th, 2006

Tonight I was in bed by 10:30...but I was still awake one hour later when Camila came home. So I got up to hear how her date went. About an hour later she convinces April and I that we have to go next door and try to scare Everett who is house sitting for the neighbors. We do, but it's April who got the surprise when Everett came roaring around the side of the house; she whirled around and slipped and fell on the wet grass. We were all highly amused. :) Camila wanted him to come over and remove a slug from our living room floor. He did.

And so now it's 1:30 and I still cannot make myself fall asleep. Not being sleepy isn't the problem, I am plenty tired - and I have a headache! But sleep doesn't come. I just lay there thinking, not about anything specfic, just an assortment of thoughts that come waltzng through my head.

Maybe my problem is that I have been going for so fast and hard for so long that I've not really slowed down to think or process anything and my poor little mind is trying to catch up. ..I just wish it would work while I sleep! ;)

One thing that I am very happy about is that through everything that's been going on, I have had a mostly regular quiet time each day. I have been reading Hebrews and today I read the hall of faith chapter. It is so great in the midst of everything to have that place in my day where I look at Jesus and stand amazed at what He has accomplished for me.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2

"There's something bigger going on, there's Someone bigger than me, there's something bigger going on...HOLY, HOLY"

You don't want to miss this!

The Overlook Theatre Company Presents

July 12th-15th at 7:30pm and 16th at 2:30pm
At the Franklin High Fine Arts Building
Directed by Scotty Corbin

NOW I CAN JOIN THE CIRCUS!!!

What I'll do for a show!

Sleep? What's that?