I visited Stacey & Ahmed last evening and had the privilege of holding the newest addition to their family. He napped the entire time I was there, even with me holding him!

Wedding Bells

My cousin, Amanda has announce her engagement and will be getting married this December. Click here to view the slide show. Don't they make a lovely couple?

It seems that all I ever do anymore is work and eat....with a little sleep thrown in now and then. Tuesday was no exception. For lunch, the company I work for treated my entire department to a meal at the local Outback. While there, we also celebrated Monique's birthday. We all had fun and over-ate, as usual. I had every intention of taking more photos but quickly discarded the idea once the appetizers arrived. :-)

Who Said Shopping Can't Be Fun?!

Is That a TV Evangelist I See?

Fun Weekend

I had a few visitors over the weekend. My friend, Beth, from KS, her mom, Brenda, cousin Janet, and friend Dorthy came to Branson for a couple days. It was so fun hanging out with them, shopping, swimming 'til 3 in the morning, eating out, and more shopping... The pics are of us at Coldstone Creamery. They serve the best ice cream in the world!

It's A Boy!

My friends, Ahmed & Stacey, are the proud parents of a baby boy named Akram. He was born Sat. morning weighing in at 8lbs 6oz and 21 1/2 inches long.
Congratulations!

What Kind of English Do I Speak?

Your Linguistic Profile:

65% General American English

15% Dixie

10% Yankee

5% Midwestern

0% Upper Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Why Visit Branson?

It seems different ones have been asking this question. Click here to read an interesting article on why people are visiting Branson.

Tourist Day

Since we work in the tourism/entertainment industry it helps if we can somehow relate to our client. To do so we named today "Tourist Day" here at the office. Several participated by dressing up like so many of the tourists we see day in and day out. Hope you enjoy the pic.

Left to Right Standing: Pat, Annette, Angie, Monique, Rick, Kelley

In Front: Tia, Igloo Cooler, Dan

Branson Landing

A few nights ago I ventured down to the new Branson Landing. It is much nicer than I expected. I decided to try out the camera feature on my new cell phone. I am fairly pleased with the results.

Motorola RAZR V3c

I am now the proud owner of this sleek, trim, and stylish phone. (Mine is NOT in pink!) My old cell was giving me a lot of problems so I went to trade it in today. It's a long story, and I won't bore you with all the details, but I got an awesome deal!

Company Picnic

A couple weeks ago we had our company picnic at Moonshine Beach on Tablerock Lake here in Branson. The day started off full of sunshine but quickly turned cloudy and then rained. Thankfully we had reserved a very large shelter. Famous Dave's BBQ catered the meal. Every employee was given a goodie bag which included beads, a mask, and other mardi gras accessories. It was fun!

btw... The photo at the top is of Kelley's Baby Hummer. She finally let me drive it!!!

One Liners

A friend of mine sent this to me today. I have seen most of these before, but they are still good the second time around.

Don't let your worries get the best of you; remember, Moses started out as a basket case.
Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited until you try to sit in their pews.
Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisors.
It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one.
The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose, but mosquitoes come close.
When you get to your wit's end, you'll find God lives there.
People are funny; they want the front of the bus, the middle of the road, and the back of the church.
Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on your front door forever.
Quit griping about your church; if it was perfect, you couldn't belong.
If the church wants a better pastor, it only needs to pray for the one it has.
God Himself does not propose to judge a man until he is dead. So why should you?
Some minds are like concrete thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.
Peace starts with a smile.
I don't know why some people change churches; what difference does it make which one you stay home from?!
A lot of church members who are singing "Standing on the Promises" are just sitting on the premises.
We were called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.
Be ye fishers of men. You catch them - He'll clean them.
Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.
Don't put a question mark where God put a period.
Don't wait for 6 strong men to take you to church.
Forbidden fruits create many jams.
God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.
God grades on the cross, not the curve.
God loves everyone, but probably prefers "fruits of the spirit" over "religious nuts!"
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.
He who angers you, controls you!
If God is your Co-pilot - swap seats!
Prayer: Don't give God instructions -- just report for duty!
The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.
The Will of God never takes you to where the Grace of God will not protect you.
We don't change the message, the message changes us.
You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to..........discourage him.
The best mathematical equation I have ever seen: 1 cross + 3 nails= 4 given.

Birthday

Today, when I walked into my place of employment I found a nice surprise at my cubicle. My co-workers had decided to celebrate my birthday(5/13) and had decorated my cubicle. They also showered me with cards, gifts, cupcakes, and even paid for my lunch at the local Thai restaurant. I truly believe I work with the best!

Attitude

My good friend, Kelley G, shares some really good material with me from time to time. I thought I would share with my fellow bloggers as well.
It's amazing how much our attitude can affect the situation we are in. Hope you enjoy the story below

Michael is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, hewould reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!" He was a natural motivater. If an employee was having a bad day, Michael was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Michael and asked him, "I don't get it! You can'tbe a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" Michael repli ed, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, Mike, youhave two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or youcan choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood. " Each time something bad happens, I can choose to bea victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learnfrom it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose toaccept their complaining or I can point out the positive side oflife. I choose the positive side of life."Yeah, right . It's not that easy," I protested. "Yes, it is," Michael said. "Life is all about choices". When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations.You choose how people will affect your mood.You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood.The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life."I reflected on what Michael said. Soon thereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.Several years later, I heard that Michael was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.I saw Michael about six months after the accident.When I asked him how he was, he replied. "If I were anybetter, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?" I declined to see hi s wounds, but did ask him whathad gone through his mind as the accident took place."The first thing that went through my mind was the well-beingof my soon to be born daughter," Michael replied. "Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live." "Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked. Michael continued, "...the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man.' I knew I needed to take action." " What did you do?" I asked. "Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Michael. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. " Yes " , I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, "Gravity." Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operateon me as if I am alive, not dead'."Michael lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but alsobecause of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.

Highway Cleanup

It was that time again... Our mile of adopted highway was due a cleanup. Last Thursday was the chosen day for us to put on our prisoner-type clothing, arm ourselves with garbage bags and head to the ditches. Here are some shots of my friends(top to bottom), Misty, Tia, & Kelley.

Gas Prices

Meet Phyllis

This is Phyllis. She is a Bromeliad. She came to live in my office a week ago. She looks lovely in here, but being a tropical plant, the conditions are not suitable for her survival. So...this afternoon she will make her way home with me to take up residence on my patio.

Easter Weekend

Wes and Joy and their three children came to visit me this past weekend. On Friday, we went to Silver Dollar City and spent several hours riding the rides and viewing the sights. Saturday was fun-filled as well with going shopping at the outlet malls, playing mini-golf, going to IMAX, and also seeing the Hamner Barber Variety Show where we purchased the stylish new glasses seen in the photos. It was a wonderful weekend!

Easter Bunny Name

Easter Bunny Name Your Easter Bunny Name is Fuzzy Fluffypaws Get Your Easter Bunny Name at Quizopolis.com

My name turned out to be Fuzzy Fluffypaws...

The Master Is at Work

I recently came across the following illustration. Thought it would be good to share.

Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."
This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.
One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.
As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.
The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it"
If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

An Honest Day's Work...

This week has been one of those weeks. I won't go into detail, but it has been very stressful at my place of employment. Almost everything that could go wrong, has. It could be worse. My friend, Kelley, sent the following story to me. I hope you enjoy reading it.

The story below points out a couple things. First, just when you think things can not get worst, they do. Second, there are a lot of circumstances situations in life which make you ask, was it only by chance.

"An honest Day's Work, Pays Off"

The USS Astoria (C-34)
was the first U.S. cruiser to engage the Japanese during the Battle of Savo Island, a night action fought 8-9 August 1942.
Although she scored two hits on the Imperial flagship Chokai, the Astoria was badly damaged and sank shortly after noon, 9 August.

About 0200 hours a young midwesterner, Signalman 3rd Class Elgin Staples, was swept overboard by the blast when the Astoria's number one eight-inch gun turret exploded. Wounded in both legs by shrapnel and in semi-shock, he was kept afloat by a narrow life belt that he managed to activate with a simple trigger mechanism.

At around 0600 hours, Staples was rescued by a passing destroyer and returned to the Astoria, whose captain was attempting to save the cruiser by beaching her. The effort failed, and Staples, still wearing the same life belt, found himself back in the water. It was lunchtime. Picked up again, this time by the USS President Jackson (AP-37), he was one of 500 survivors of the battle who were evacuated to Noumea.

On board the transport Staples, for the first time, closely examined the life belt that had served him so well. It had been manufactured by Firestone Tire and Rubber Company of Akron, Ohio, and bore a registration number.

Given home leave, Staples told his story and asked his mother, who worked for Firestone, about the purpose of the number on the belt. She replied that the company insisted on personal responsibility for the war effort, and that the number was unique and assigned to only one inspector.
Staples remembered everything about the lifebelt, and quoted the number.
It was his mother's personal code and affixed to every item she was responsible for approving.

SOURCE: Commander Eric J. Berryman, U.S. Naval Reserve, Proceedings, U.S.
Naval Institute, vol. 15/6/1036 (June 1989), P. 48.

Immutable Laws of the Natural Universe

Immutable Laws of the Natural Universe

Law of Mechanical Repair: After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch or you'll need to use the bathroom.
Law of the Workshop: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.
Law of Probability: The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.
Law of the Telephone: If you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal.
Law of the Alibi: If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the very next morning you will have a flat tire.
Variation Law: If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you were in will start to move faster than the one you are in now.
Law of the Bath: When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone rings.
Law of the Result: When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will.
Law of Bio mechanics: The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach of one's "scratching fingers."
Law of the Theatre: At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle arrive last.
Law of Coffee: As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.
Murphy's Law of Lockers: If there are only two people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers.
Law of Rugs/Carpets: The chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich landing face down on a floor covering are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet/rug.
Law of Location: No matter where you go, there you are.
Law of Logical Argument: Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
Brown's Law of ladies shoes: If the shoe fits, it's ugly.
Wilson's Law: As soon as you find a product that you really like, they will stop making it.

Thanks Annette!

A Visit to Titanic

Yesterday, a few co-workers and I visited the brand new Titanic museum here in Branson. It is awesome!

Florida Biker with His Babe

I thought this was funny. Thanks Misty!

Blogging...

I'm bored with blogging. It has lost its excitement. What should I do?

Weekend Update

It was scary here over the weekend. We had severe thunderstorms and the power was out Fri night. On Sat, it was a beautiful day...sunshine. 75 degrees. until the afternoon....
I had fallen asleep on the sofa, when suddenly, I was awakened to the sound of my front door being banged on. It was my friend, Stacey. There she stood, hair all mussed, clothes unkempt, clutching her Pomeranian. She was scared. Tornadoes, rain, hail, high winds were all headed our way. She had come to hide out at my apt since it is farther down the hill from hers and is also on the first level.
anyway...
The rain came, the hail stoned, the wind shook... but the apt building stood firm. (We lost all power shortly after. It was out for a couple hours.) The hail completely covered the ground until it looked as if it had snowed.(see photos) The temperature dropped from 75 to 58 in thirty minutes or less. The county had to call out the snow plows to clear the roads. The rain was so forceful that it was coming in around the seal on my front door. I found out later that an F2 tornado touched down on the other side of town doing damage to many buildings.
It has been a wild and crazy weekend.

Gospel pianist Anthony Burger dies at 44

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Gospel music pianist Anthony Burger, who played for the popular Gaither Homecoming shows and earned Dove Award nominations for his albums of instrumental music, collapsed and died of a suspected heart attack during a show. He was 44. He died Wednesday while performing on a Gaither Homecoming cruise, out of Miami. Burger, who lived near Nashville in Brentwood, Tenn., but toured internationally, including performances in Canada, released many albums and videos of his piano music. His records included renditions of Old Time Religion and Hallelujah Chorus alongside secular classics like Debussy’s Clair de Lune.

How well do you know me?

Take My Quiz - on - QuizYourFriends.com!

President's Day

History of the Holiday
The original version of the holiday was in commemoration of George Washington's birthday in 1796 (the last full year of his presidency). Washington, according to the calendar that has been used since at least the mid-18th century, was born on February 22, 1732. According to the old style calendar in use back then, however, he was born on February 11. At least in 1796, many Americans celebrated his birthday on the 22nd while others marked the occasion on the 11th instead. By the early 19th century, Washington's Birthday had taken firm root in the American experience as a bona fide national holiday. Its traditions included Birthnight Balls in various regions, speeches and receptions given by prominent public figures, and a lot of revelry in taverns throughout the land. Then along came Abraham Lincoln, another revered president and fellow February baby (born on the 12th of the month). The first formal observance of his birthday took place in 1865, the year after his assassination, when both houses of Congress gathered for a memorial address. While Lincoln's Birthday did not become a federal holiday like George Washington's, it did become a legal holiday in several states. In 1968, legislation (HR 15951) was enacted that affected several federal holidays. One of these was Washington's Birthday, the observation of which was shifted to the third Monday in February each year whether or not it fell on the 22nd. This act, which took effect in 1971, was designed to simplify the yearly calendar of holidays and give federal employees some standard three-day weekends in the process. Apparently, while the holiday in February is still officially known as Washington's Birthday (at least according to the Office of Personnel Management), it has become popularly (and, perhaps in some cases at the state level, legally) known as "President's Day." This has made the third Monday in February a day for honoring both Washington and Lincoln, as well as all the other men who have served as president.

Valentines Day

Today at work we had a contest, and I won second place. My prize was this crazy monkey, dressed in red, silk pants, who swing his hips and sings "I'm Too Sexy for My Shirt".

The Titanic Comes to Branson!

Go here for more information www.titanicbranson.com