NEURONS AND NEURO-TRANSMITTERS

This is sooooo cool!! I am so amazed how all of this works!! wooohooo!! Go scientist!! haha

Names!

A bad wound may heal, but a bad name will kill.
—SCOTTISH PROVERB

Growing up we have all heard the saying "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me"

So we all agree that the phrase is not true! That words and names do hurt and here and now in the present of 2010 there are tons of suicides due to name calling and pestering. We all know it hurts....So why do it? I would love to scream that question in so many peoples faces.

I am not perfect! We are all human and make mistakes and sin of course and when asked God forgives us. I have a past and it isn't a good past; however without that past I would not be who I am today!!
PEOPLE!!! please don't judge others and call names. Sticks and stones may break my bones and words do hurt me. bones can heal but the scars that words leave don't heal.

Geocaching!!

Do ever want to do something fun with the family and can't come up with a thing to do? Well I have found it out ha ha! It is called Geocaching!! All you need is a vehicle, a GPS, gas, time and most importantly those you want to take treasure hunting. Geocaching which is pronounced "Geo-cashing" is an electronic way of treasure hunting. Someone hides a geocache and pin points the location in the system through GPS and you can go find it :) Here are the steps to follow to be able to participate in this nationwide fun activity!! You can go to www.geocaching.com and register for a free basic membership. After that you give them your zip code or the zip code you would like to go searching in. It will then give you a list of geocaches and you can decide which one you want and click on it. You then type in the coordinates of the geocache into your GPS and use your GPS to help you locate your geocache. Once you get there and find it you will sign the logbook of the geocache and put it back. Then you can share your geocaching stories and photos online with others to see.

I do not have a GPS system but I will be saving up for one as soon as I can and take my son on these little journeys! Go have fun trying it out and don't forget to come back and let me know how it went and what you thought about it :) Good Luck!!

Alabama drivers ranked 31st in national driving test!

I took the test available at http://www.nationaldriverstest.com/

My score on that test was a 70%. I know I can't drive one because I am biologically a woman ah ah and two I learned from my stepfather, who is a hippie from new york, and a my older brothers who had very fast cars ha ha. There is family joke that whenever something is wrong with my vehicle that I tell my dad and everyone says oh it is just a nut loose behind the wheel. :) I actually cried the first time they said that and begged them to tighten it so I wouldn't wreck. After awhile I caught on and felt stupid; however 2 weeks later as it so happens it was my brakes that was wrong and I wrecked on my way home from work. I didn't feel so stupid anymore.
Although i cannot begin to tell you how many tickets I have gotten, driving school I have attended and wrecks I have been in (most of them not my fault by the way Ha). The question asked was what was your first car and what did you want instead? After thinking about this really hard; I am glad that my family did not give me what I wanted. 1 because I wouldn't know how to work for what I want and 2 most of the first cars that parents buy kids are brand new and unsafe little sports cars. I have lost many classmates, friends and family due to car accidents and unsafe vehicles.
My first vehicle was that minivan in the picture. His name was "big blue" I remember that I had my first 2 and 1/2 wrecks in him ha ha and my first ticket!! It was the day after I got my license and my friend and I drove an hour and half to visit my grandma. On our way home we were driving through Huntsville, AL and I ran a yellow light--yup I got a ticket for it. That was my first driving school class ha ha I had to go to that the day I left for Florida with my friends for spring break! The first wreck was in my high school parking lot. I had just yelled at my friend "Lexi!! Get your butt in this van before someone takes you and my door with them" Ya I jinxed myself just as Lexi got in a girl came by in her little sports car and tried to cut through parking spaces to get out quicker and took my door with her. hahaha she left the scene and deleted voice mails and ripped up letters from the police so that her family would never find out. One week after we had gotten my door fixed Lexi and I were coming off of I565 onto Wall Triana in Madison, AL and a Holiday Inn van merged over on top of us. It took out my passenger side. I told Lexi she was bad luck and couldn't ride with me anymore ha ha.
It is Ironic that I always got speeding tickets with Jessica in my car and always got in wrecks with Lexi in my car. hahaha. I even was going through Winn Dixie parking lot with Lexi and I lost my hubcap on the curb hahaha that was my 1/2 wreck hahaha. Eventually, after it had gone through my parents, my older sister and me it had had it and decided to die on us. We sold it to some Mexicans for 300 bucks.
So, what was your first vehicle and what happened to it?

Who Am I?

     Everybody goes through the Name Game when they are expecting. It is ritual, it is life, it is culture! We inherit it from our parents and them from their parents and so forth. Some can win the game really early on and others do not win even after the baby is born and no name comes to mind. A name is not just a name it is part of an identity. I believe that God will whisper the unborn child's name to you if you ask him to.

   When I was pregnant I looked in baby book after baby book after baby book. My friends and family would send me emails and text messages with names and I could never decide. I worked at a huge law firm and had many many clientele there. I would go through names as people would call in with appointment and names of new clients as they fill out their paperwork and was hoping that a random person would walk in one day and have the name that was meant to be. However, it never happened. I was going into my 7th month of pregnancy and decided I needed help from the big man upstairs. I prayed and prayed for help to find my unborn sons name. It was three days later that I sat at my desk all alone in my office thankfully ha ha and the name Paxton popped into my head. I liked that it was unique! I said it out loud and in that instant my son kicked so hard that when I looked down I could see his little toes indented in my belly. Whenever I would say his name he reacted to it. I knew it was him, that was his angels name given to him from God.

   I am sure like me, some of you have met people at the store, mall, company party, friends event and so on; and like everybody you exchange names. Have you ever heard someones name and thought to yourself that they dont' look like that name? I have! I am guessing that these people were given the wrong name during birth ha ha.
 
    A name Is part of somebodys' identity; however people still sometimes even spend eternity trying to find out who they are. I know and can honestly say that I DO NOT know who I am. That is OK though because I am on the right path of finding that out. How about you? Do you know who you are?

    Ecclesiastes 3:11 "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

See Me, Nurse

You will NEED tissues for this one!!!! This video has opened my eyes greatly! I will never look at anyone the same again. Everybody has a story and a life they lived; that person is still the one and same even if they look different. We are spirit a soul with a shell that God loaned us. Like everything in life our shell grows old and dies then we go on to spend eternity with God. Most people don't see shells with a soul they just see an old stinky dirty person. God breathed life into us and our breathe is just on loan from him. Be thankful for your breathe and everyones around you, it could be taken in a split second. I really hope this doesn't upset you too much; it sure did open my eyes and means a lot to me.

Catalina Sandino Moreno~Que linda manito(Paris je t'aime ost)

When I was fourteen years old I moved in with a hispanic family and was a live in nanny for their three children. During those few years I stayed there I learned so many things. They are a complete different culture than what I had grown up in in my broken home and childhood. They were all about family, love, dancing, food and laughing. They taught me how to cook family recipes like for breakfast and some things for dinner and mostly desserts haha. I learned how to Cumbia and Ranchera, which I later became a competing dancer in :) I learned to play pool the right way haha even tricks on how to shoot from behind and with your eyes closed and all :) I learned what a family was suppose to be like and how to treat your kids. When I first got there the kids very much disliked me and did not do anything I said or wanted them to do haha. Throughout time I started to learn their language slowly but surely. They respected me then and grew to love and listen to me. Their parents were either out working or out dancing everynight at the club. I became their caregiver and was their for everything: learning to go potty, first word, sleeping in their own bed, good grades, bad grades, learning to hula hoop or play pool and so on. In that stage of life their abuela from Mexico came to visit with their tia and tio. They taught me this lullaby that I eventually was able to sing to them everynight. When I found out that I was pregnant I would sing this to my tummy and to my son when he was born. Now it is more of a morning song that we play a game with to get out of the bed. I hope you enjoy it and possibly have the urge to learn it and sing it to your children :)

Alberta teen dies of premature aging disease

Grab a tissue box--you will need it!!! This woman is amazing and lived a life of happiness! God gave her the gift of life and she was an angel put on earth to open peoples' eyes. I wish I had had the chance to meet her; to even spend 5 min with her. I hope she touches you just as much as she has touched me. She is Gods miracle and blessing..she holds a place in my heart!

Sculpting The Aging Process

To watch this man sculpt the aging process is amazing! Watching this opened my eyes up and to be able to watch a face start out one way and change so very much is just..A Miracle! I was flabbergasted and could not even blink! This man definitely got a gift from God is using it to teach others. It sure did give me a lesson I needed. Every wrinkle, every indention, every curve of the face you gain over time and it is a mark of wisdom and life. I will never look at another old man or woman again and feel sorry for the way they look I will now smile and know that they gained those over time to show what they have lived through. :)

My bible!

When I first joined Zondervan.com I got a welcoming present in the mail. I had no idea what it was; it was just a box in the mail and I just tossed it with the junk mail in a basket by my bed. I had forgotten about it being a new mommy and focusing on breastfeeding and college work. Back in February I had decided it was time for me to start over and moved to a whole new town hours away from my hometown. I got my own apartment in April and it took 2 days to move everything from my hometown to my new town :) After everything was inside I decided that it was time to do my layout and start unpacking. During the process I came across this box that I remembered I had gotten in the mail and decided to finally open it. Inside that box was another box and printed on the front was the words "Busy Moms Bible" It was the prettiest purple box I had ever seen haha. I opened that box and tears came to my eyes when I realized I had actually gotten a bible in the mail :) I was said to see my Teen Bible come to say Goodbyes and put it on the shelf for now. However, one day that little purple bible will someone else's best friend :) In the meantime I have this beautiful pink and hot pink bible that this website just sent to me for joining and becoming a member :) I love the bible it is so me being pink and all. I went online and found a family christian store online and ordered those bible tabs. They did not come with the book but bible tabs are $5.00 at most christian bookstores. :) They definitely come in handy too. During bible study with my friends, in church or when I just want to look something up the tabs help me go right to the place needed. Shortly after receiving this gift from Zondervan.com I found a church that is now my home. God surely had a plan for me!! What was your plan? How did you and your bible meet? I cannot wait to hear your stories?

Blogging

When I first joined the Breakfast Club with Suzanne Beecher at Zondervan.com I received a gift as being a new member. This was my gift, Stuff Christians Like, written by Jonathan Acuff. When I first started reading it I was a little confused and didn't understand the point of it. However, the further I got into it the more I understood how the book worked and started following along the best I could haha. This book is a book of blogs! This man started a website blogging and eventually one day just took all of his blogs and put them in a book for everyone to read no matter where they were!! While reading this book it has really made me think and remember stories of my own and compare mine to his and then and now theories. :) I emailed him a few times with questions on certain blogs of his or just with a silly story of my own that he reminded me of or that was similar to what he had posted. Amazingly he always emailed me back at least within one day. I read the passages from this book to my son and try to explain to him some of the things here. I do skip certain blogs that I find inappropriate for certain age groups a few of them even made my own jaw drop at 21 years old myself. I do recommend you read this book it opens your eyes and makes you think about things along with learning new things! If you decide to purchase this book then come back and tell me what you think about it and what memories it brings when you read the passages in it. :) I cannot wait to hear them!

Mystery Christian Book

I joined a breakfast club through Zondervan.com that sends and email out every morning with a message from her as a blog and then a small passage from a book. I look forward to waking up every morning and reading a little bit of a new book. We don't read an entire book though. The emails for one single book is Monday through Friday and then we start a new book the next week. Suzanne Beecher is the author that writes the blogs before the passage from the books; she is also an author herself. Suzanne sometimes gives objects away in a drawing or she will choose 5 people to receive a copy of one of the books each week. A few weeks ago I received a copy of this book! It is Deceit by Brandilyn Collins; a christian mystery book. I had a few friends tell me that they had read it and that it was really good; so I couldn't wait to pick up where the breakfast club left off and divulge myself into it. Oh I couldn't put the book down! I was on my toes and the edge of my seat throughout the storyline. I even thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest from fear at some parts of it haha. I highly highly recommend this book as a good reading! If you are a part of a book club you can use this book in it. There are insightful questions for your group located on her website at brandilyncollins.com even if you don't have a book club you can still answer them by yourself :) So GO buy the book :) haha If you own this book or decide to buy it. Come back and tell me what you think of it :) I will be awaiting to hear every ones opinions on it :)

Cooking!

Chevrolet

As I was leaving school today my grandmother called to tell me that my puppy has passed away. :( He was only 3 years old so he is still my puppy to me. I cried for a few hours and then finally brought myself to look at some pictures of him. Memories of him have been flooding me and are helping me cope. My son told me in his gibber gabber "Ma, all dogs go to heaven" :) I know that my ChevyChev is in heaven :) I miss the days when I worked at Hooters and I would bring him home some buttered shrimp. mmh the best shrimp I have ever had. To keep a job there you have to be really fit and we would go jogging together everyday. :) I got lost a few times and he always led us back home :) He use to love racing me to see who could stay in the lead and then if I was winning he would nudge me and knock me sideways hahah my little cheater. Afterwards we always wrestled in the front yard. Oh how he loved to jump on my shoulders and knock me down so he could lick my face. :) Sometimes my father would join in and Chevy thought he had to protect me so he would grab my beltloop and yank me on the ground then sit on me so nobody could get to me hahaha that silly doggie. His favorite thing to do was stand over me and sit on me on the couch so nobody could get near me hahaha if I was in my bedroom nobody could walk down the hallway or use the bathroom; he would stand guard and let nobody pass. It sure got me in trouble sometimes; however I would still do it all over again. I miss him being a bedhog; somehow I always ended up on the foot of the bed or asleep on the loveseat in my room. He didn't like sharing anything even the couch. hahaha he loved to get behind people and then lay down and press his feet against the couch and push with his body until whoever was on the couch would end up in the floor haha. He was very well behaved though; waited his turn for everything sat in the next room while we ate and always listened when commanded to do something. He loved balloons! We were in trouble if he saw a balloon it was done for; he could not sleep until it was popped. We played a trick once and hit over one hundred balloons throughout the house. It took him three hours to find them all :) When my brother was deployed and I was left home alone during those months it got scary sometimes. My neighbor who was a retired sniper in the FBI came over one night during a very bad storm and found us under the kitchen table together. Hahah I was a 16 year old girl bawling my eyes out and he was howling his head off hahaha. I bet that was a sight to see....My family ended up adopting 10 cats and at first he barked a lot at them. He got in so much trouble he learned to be like a sibling to them and aggravate them when he thought we weren't watching. One night I was on the couch watching my favorite show, Law and Order: SVU, when I kept hearing teeth hitting eachother. I looked over and there was my Chevy up on his hind legs at the kitchen counter with 3 cats cornered and he was...you guess it!! Silent Barking is what I call it hahahha. He was opening and closing his mouth as if barking but no sound was coming out. hahaha the funniest thing we ever saw!....I remember riding his back around the house and yard. He loved getting inbetween peoples legs and lifting you up with his head then riding you on his back. I got to ride him and thankfully my little boy got to ride his back a few times before he went home to the Lord! Now that you have heard all about my baby who is in Heaven now..Tell me some stories about you and your fluff balls :) I would enjoy to hear stories from everyone :)

A little about me

Hello everyone my name is Amanda. Most call me Amanda, Mandi or Sis. I am a young divorced mother making it out in the real world. I work full time as an accounting clerk for a company called John Deere and attend full time as a student at a nearby community college; well an hour away if you call that nearby haha. I have the most amazing son in the world!! I love him with all of my heart; he was definitely Gods gift to me! He is about to turn the big 2 haha so planning will start soon. Any who, I recently refound Jesus about 5 months ago when I moved to a new town to start my life over and get a fresh start. I love my church and my church family!! I have really found comfort in the Lord and am learning lots of new things! Some is funny and some is just life. For instance, my Bishop at church has kids and one of them recently asked him "Daddy what is sin?" and Bishop replied "Well son that is when you don't obey your mommy." hahah his son then turned to the Bishops wife and said "Mommy, there is something I need to tell you....do you remember that time you told me to leave the dog alone?" hahhaha It was way too cute! I have a notebook filled with stories, things I have learned and comparison in life on how I saw things then and what I was taught up to how I see things now. I plan on posting a blog for each little post I have in my book and I hope it brings joy and wisdom to everyone who reads it. I will also be trying new products out and receiving things for free and I know how the economy is so I would like to help everyone and as I receive stuff I will post and let everyone know how I got, where I got it and how amazing or not so amazing it is hahaha. I wish everyone the best journey and hope that you will be obliged to be a part of mine :)