Collide Festival

Check this out!!  If you’re going to be around Sherman, Texas on June 7th through the 9th, this would be awesome to attend!

America, Remember It’s About the Singing!

I was wondering…

In a singing competition like American Idol, do people vote for a contestant just because they identify with or like him or her? 

It’s happened before in Season 1.  The finally two should have been Tamyra Gray and Kelly Clarkson.  Now that would have been an awesome competition!  Justin Guarini didn’t have a chance!

I believe it also happened in Season 2.  Clay Aiken should have trumped over Ruben Studdard.  It was extremely hard to get through to vote for Clay, but the call went straight through for Ruben?!  Was there some guilt hanging around because Tamyra Gray was voted off too early?  OK, I know that the “big conspiracy theory” is not likely!  =)  Ruben winning didn’t help Tamyra at all!  But I do think there was an error.  Maybe it was with the phone lines, because after that season there were more than one phone number assigned to the contestants in the finale.

In Season 3, Jennifer Hudson would have been more competition to Fantasia Barrino in the finale.  

Concerning Season 4, I think Taylor Hicks won more on personality.  Don’t get me wrong; I think he’s talented too.  I definitely like his character as I wrote in I’m proud of you, Taylor!  However, Chris Daughtry should of been in the top two, if not the winner.  I was so glad that Ace Young and Kellie Pickler were not in the top two!  I think they lasted longer based on looks and personality than talent.  

With Season 5 I don’t have any major complaints.  As Simon predicted, Carrie Underwood has done very well. 

On in Season 6, it’s happening again with Sanjaya Malakar.  Three times someone has been voted off when he should have gone home.  As a person, I really like Sanjaya.  I think he seems very warm and friendly, very real and open.  I loved the closeness between him and his sister.  (It reminded me of my youngest brother, David, and I.  I miss you, David!)  I honestly wanted him to do well too, but he has proven that he can’t hang with the rest.  So, he must go!! 

I think the two in the finale will be two of these three: Jordin Sparks, Lakisha Jones, and Melinda Doolittle.    

What are your thoughts?

Apprentice Celebrity Begins Clothing Venture

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Check this out!… (I found this at http://www.prolifeblogs.com/) 

__________________________________________________August 31, 2006
Apprentice Celebrity Begins Clothing Venture By Stacy L. Harp

In today’s podcast you will hear Tarek Saab, a former contestant on The  Apprentice talk about his new clothing venture called Lionheart Apparel.

You can see the awesome clothing at www.lionheartapparel.com  and you will definitely want to tell a friend. And the best part is any time you purchase anything from Lionheart Apparel, ten percent of the money will go to pro-life charities! So what are you waiting for – go buy something today.

“It’s not enough to believe in Christ. You must be willing to identify yourself as a Christian, ” says TAREK SAAB. Offering young men a subtle yet provocative way to proclaim their faith without saying a word is the motive behind Lionheart Apparel, Tarek’s first venture since achieving stardom last spring on NBC’s The Apprentice.

Clothes that feature powerful historic Christian symbols, profiles of contemporary models of masculine integrity, incisive commentary on the challenges of living for Christ in the modern world—these are Tarek’s way of encouraging young men to rediscover an ancient ideal of Christian manhood that is as fresh as the Gospel.

Listen to our 30 minute interview by clicking here.  Please tell a friend.
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Interesting, huh!?!  I had a few seconds to check it out.  It is just t-shirts and hats, but they are cool looking.  For husbands and brothers like mine who love hats and t-shirts, these are more than perfect!  Each shirt and hat has a symbol on it.  Just click on “About This Design” to learn the meaning.  Also, there looks to be other stuff to check out on the site, so, guys, go digging and, ladies, tell your fellas about it.

A Rite of Passage?!

Abbye (my 2 year old) cut her hair Monday.  No, we don’t have any scissors laying around!  She used the baby fingernail clippers!!  I found her with them and had her put them up.  I vaguely remember her saying something about her hair.  However, I really don’t remember what happened that caused me to not get more information from her!  Soon after that we ate supper.  As I was taking Abbye’s bib off, I noticed a long piece of hair had fallen on the bib.  My first thought was very scary: Cancer!  I know that it’s the chemo that causes the hair loss, but I guess with my grandpa dying a little over a year ago from cancer it’s still on my mind.  (Thank you, Jesus, that our family is healthy and strong!) 

Matt said that every girl cuts her hair sometime.  I couldn’t argue…I did when I was young.  I usually chose to do it before my birthday and Christmas — when the most pictures were taken!!  However, since I found scissors and usually worked on my bangs, the damage was very noticable!!  So, is this a rite of passage or something for girls!?!  =)

(This song came to my mind when I was thinking of cancer.  Have you hear Skin (Sarabeth) by Rascal Flatts?  Wow!  What a awesome, yet heart wrenching song!  Here’s a link to the video…make sure you have Kleenex handy.

http://www.cmt.com/sitewide/apps/mediaplayer/index.jhtml?vid=65834&paid=710215&gateway=artists&channelID=21§ion_1=az&adPth=/sitewide/ads/adsetup/artists/&refURL=/artists/az/rascal_flatts/artist.jhtml&adPN=artist&orgID=10§ion_3=artist.jhtml§ion_2=rascal_flatts§ion_0=artists

Yada Yada Book #5 Is Here!

I received this email a couple days ago and thought I would share the great news!  If anyone hasn’t read the Yada Yada books, give then a try.  You’ll love them!!_________________________________________________ 

The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Caught,

Book #5 in this popular series by Neta Jackson is now available!

Click here to see the cover, read a sample chapter, and more! www.daveneta.com

For the Yada prayer sisters and their families, gettin’ caught up in troubles isn’t the problem; it’s how to get free.

Only weeks ago, we Yada Yada sisters toughened our prayer knees when one of our own was the victim of a vicious, racial attack. Now it seems each household is being thrown into even bigger and badder circumstances. It especially worries me, Jodi Baxter, because I’m a fixer by nature, and the prayer list is getting out of control . . .

Ruth and Ben are caught in an unplanned pregnancy—in their fifties! Chanda is deluded by the glitter of her lottery dream come true. Florida wants to move her family, hoping to leave trouble behind, but it looks like it may catch up to her anyway. Avis is torn between honoring her new husband and helping her abused adult daughter, who keeps running home to Mama. And I’m finding that even good things like the prayer group can consume us in no time flat.

If there is an upside, it’s that all this trouble is revealing the subtle lies we Yadas believe about God, ourselves, each other and life. Maybe our best hope is to catch on to what God’s doing—and catch on quick!—before the enemy can take any prisoners. That’d be a freedom worth celebrating. And celebrating is what I and my spiritual sisters do best!

Ask for The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Caught at your local bookstore. (If they don’t have it, any bookstore can order it from Integrity Publishers, ISBN: 1-59145-361-5.) Or you can order it from Christianbooks.com or Amazon.com or other on-line sources.

Neta Jackson’s award-winning Yada Yada books have sold nearly 300,000 copies and are spawning prayer groups all across the country. Be sure to read the other books in the series and watch for Book #6 scheduled for release in late spring, 2007.

Interesting Quote from Sex in the City

“Later that night I got to thinking about safe sex.  Odd how only when our physical life is at risk do we follow certain guidelines to protect ourselves.  But what about our emotional lives?  Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a little pamphlet to warn us what unsafe behavior might be high risk to ourselves or our relationships.  And even if you take all the precautions and emotionally try to protect yourselves… When you crawl in bed with someone, is sex ever safe?“  (from Sarah Jessica Parker’s character)

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I was flipping through channels after I noticed there weren’t any movies on I wanted to see.  (I know, this turning on the TV when Matt is working and the girls are in bed can be a bad habit.  I can always tell if I’m really interested in the book I’m reading by what I choose to do!!)  Anyway, I dropped in on this little monologue and was like, “Wow!  What honest insight from such a slutty show!”  And, since I have a DVR I was able to rewind, pause, rewind, pause, … until I got the quote to share with you all.

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Yes, Miss Sex in the City, your emotional health is one more reason to not share your body in every dating relationship, but to wait until you get married!!

August 8, 2006 – Entertainment Update

Book – I finished Tight Squeezeby Debbie DiGiovanni.  I had to find a picture of the cover of the book!!  It just seems very appropriate for me right now!!  =)

Movie – The Wedding Planner and Two Weeks Notice – Matt was working nights, and I found these on the TV.  I really enjoy a good romantic movie!!  Any suggestions from any of you, so I don’t have to re-watch the same movies!?!

Games- Skip Bo, which is a very long game!  Matt’s mom was here for about four days, and we had a continuing game the whole time.

TV Show – Reba – I’ve never watched the show before.  However, yesterday afternoon when I didn’t have the girls and I didn’t have the energy to do anything productive, I was flipping through the channels.  I stopped on Reba and watched a couple shows.  They were pretty funny!  It felt good to laugh!!

Music – I’m listening to Focus on the Family at this moment.  The last music I listened to was a kid’s praise cd.

Double Standard from South Park’s Isaac Hayes

Isaac Hayes quit the show after South Park took aim at Scientology.  “Religious beliefs are sacred to people, and at all times should be respected and honored.  As a civil rights activist for the past 40 years, I cannot support a show that disrespects those beliefs and practices.  There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs begin.”

Matt Stone, the co-creator of South Park, said, “This is 100 percent having to do with his faith of Scientology.  He has no problem – and he’s cashed plenty of checks – with our show making fun of Christians. … He wants a different standard for religions other than his own, and to me, that is where intolerance and bigotry begin.”

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Very interesting, huh!?!

June 20, 2006 – Entertainment Update

I haven't done an Entertainment Update in awhile because I haven't finished a book in awhile.  So I decided to quit the book I was trying to finish, which is a first in my life.

     Book – I borrowed Leaving Ruin from my youngest brother's room in my parents' house while he was at grad school.  David said the book started as a one man play.  Well, that explains why there is no dialogue.  You just read what other people say through the main character.  I just never got in to it, and I really didn't care enough about the characters to know how the story ends!! 

I've missed my books!  I love to read!!  However, since I read while I nurse my babies and I stopped nursing Hannah in May, I don't have much reading time!

     Movie – Glory Road, an excellent movie for you to check out!

     Games – 42, a domino game

     TV Show – What Not to Wear

     Music – Does Focus on the Family's program count, since I just listen to it?  Dave Ramsey is on this week.

To the movies we go…

Matt and I took Abbye to see the movie Cars.  This was her first time to go to a movie theatre!!  We were excited, but also a little worried.  I took a picture of Abbye pointing to the movie poster.  Then Matt took a picture of Abbye and I in front of it.  We got some popcorn and cherry lime to share.  Before the movie started I took one more picture.  It was of Abbye and Matt.  Abbye was sitting in her own seat with the popcorn beside her and the drink in her lap.  She looked so grown up!  She really did good, especially since her bedtime is normally 7 pm and that's when the movie started!  She definitely got tired, a little cranky, and antsy, but we all made it home smiling!!

Fun Times!!!!!!!!  =)