Kissy-face :)

Today we went to the zoo to visit some of our animal friends that we haven't seen since last year. Reagan got a five minute "kiss" through the glass from one of our favorite sea lions! Lots of love and bubbles were blown her way--I think he really remembered her from last year since we were there every.single.day. Teddy, the loveable tiger, also seemed to recognize Reagan and happily listened to us sing "Happy Birthday" to him before returning to his snooze!

I am SOO thrilled the zoo is open again for the season!!

What Every Conservative Needs To Know

Obama and his administration are now targeting conservative Americans and labeling them as 'right wing extremists'. Be aware that the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI have put together a 'threat assessment' that targets the following groups of conservatives:

--returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans
--conservative Christians who believe we are living in the end-times
--those with an increased interest in guns and ammunition (um, because Obama is TRYING to take away our right to bear arms!!)
--those against illegal immigration (although it appears that they don't understand the difference between ILLEGAL immigration and immigration)
--those against expanded social programs (ie, against the government getting bigger than it already is!!)
--those against violation of second amendment rights
--those against abortion (which is labeled as a 'white supremacist' issue---gee..didn't know that being against killing innocent unborn children had ANYTHING to do with race!!)

These conservatives have been labeled as "right wing extremists" and "racist". Nice to know that our government considers our value system to be extreme and racist..when NONE of the above have anything to do with race.

To read an article regarding this threat assessment, please go to:
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=95458

To read the actual unclassified file, go here:
http://wnd.com/images/dhs-rightwing-extremism.pdf

So, I'm sure I'll be on some list for passing this along. Remember, free speech is only free speech if you're for the liberal agenda. Don't believe me? Just spend some time googling what's out there or listening to any liberal. What they say is just freedom of speech. Anything a conservative says is hatemongering.

God help this country.

Our fun weekend!

This weekend, Josh, Reagan and I went to visit Purdue University for their annual spring game (scrimmage) and SpringFest. We had a blast. We spent the day walking all over campus and watching a 'roach race *yes you read that right!* I got to meet up with a friend and her daughter. We saw horses, a great game, spent the night a cozy hotel (except the AC wasn't working) and then today Mommy was able to milk a cow, pet a tarantula, a milipede and a butterfly and Reagan and I were both able to hold and pet baby ducks and chicks!

We're all super exhausted and a little sunburned and looking forward to a good night's rest. Promise I'll post pictures soon!!

Some exciting reviews coming soon!!!

For the past few weeks, I've been trying out some fantastic natural products that were sent to me by a company out of New Zealand. I've tried 'greener' products before and although I liked them, they just didn't work as well as commercial cleaners that I had used previously.

The cleaners I'm going to be introducing you to next week are nothing like that!! They actually clean..and really well might I add (and have an awesome scent!)! I might also have a giveaway so look for more information on that next week!

The other review I have on tab for the next week or two is all about food..yummy, delicious, fruit filled food. Stay tuned for that as well and perhaps a giveaway too!

More.......you guessed it! Reaganisms!

Background: Reagan has a YEAST rash (very common for baby boys and girls) and I have a cold, so when I say 'yeast' to her..apparently it doesn't sound like 'yeast' exactly.....

So we were out at Joann's on Monday (it's a craft store) and Reagan was looking at some home decor. They had the cutest little whitewashed geese on one of the shelves. She turned around and said 'look, mommy! geese! just like on my woohoo!' !!!!!!!!

Later on in the store, we were looking for some outdoor fabric and I was looking for a certain shade of solid green. We found some and I said 'oh Reagan, I think this is exactly what we're looking for, let's see how much it is' I turned the piece over to see it was $54.99/yard. I shuddered, dropped it and said 'um, no, definitely too expensive for us!' Reagan said 'awww, mommy, don't be afraid. I not afraid of the dark. You don't be afraid either' LOL!!!!!!!!

What McDonald's finds appropriate for three year olds...

Reagan got this in her "HAPPY MEAL" a few months back. The package said it was appropriate for 3+. Very interesting to see what McDonald's considers appropriate..obviously we have VASTLY different ideas.

Time for some new Reaganisms!

Reagan: Um, I have problems. (hands up in the air in a shrug)
Mommy: You have problems?
Reagan: Yeah, yeah, I do.
Mommy: What kind of problems?
Reagan: Well, well they're probably bad.
Mommy: Um, ok. What kind of bad problems?
Reagan: Well, well nuffin'!

***********************
Mommy: Who's Reagan's mommy?
Reagan: LEAH!
Mommy Who's mommy's sweetie?
Reagan: REAGAN!
Mommy: Who do you love?
Reagan: DADDY!
(nice)

************************
Reagan wanted 'baby pooh' to sleep with her the other night (very small pooh!), so we got him and she put him under her shirt. She said 'take a picture! take a picture Mommy! I didn't as we were trying to get her down, but I asked 'why do you have pooh under your shirt?' No answer. So I asked "are you trying to be like mommy's picture on the computer?" She started giving me this shy smile "like mommy's picture when reagan was in her belly??" and finally she broke out smiling and said YES! LOL...this was so sweet (although i thought josh was having a heart attack!) she loves looking at the one belly pic of me from when i was pg with her!

The Government Actually Got It Right This Time!

Driving into my office Friday morning, I was behind a vehicle from Washington, D.C. Due to the fact that I had NOT had a cup of coffee yet, was extremely tired from being sick AND being up with Reagan all night while she was sick, I found myself staring in a complete daze at the car's license plate.

At some point, the 'logo' on the plate began to sink in. You know those logos right? Like "First in Flight" "Alabama the Beautiful"...etc, etc, etc? Well, Washington D.C.'s logo just happens to be "Taxation Without Representation". I know they probably meant to be patriotic and sound like they were 'for the people' with that saying, but I couldn't help but chuckle. It came out spot on the exact way it was written...Taxation Without Representation...that's exactly what the American government has turned in to.

Every day the American people lose a little bit more of their freedom to the government in the form of more taxes, more government control, more government regulation and more welfare problems. Every day the future becomes a little more difficult for my daughter..because her generation will bear the brunt of the decisions that are being made now.

We must let the government know we are not going to allow them to continue to run amock with our money, with our lives. April 15th is approaching soon...check out your local community for "TEA PARTIES". Make a stand and make your voice heard!

P.S. Happy birthday my oldest furbaby! You're 10 today!!

Happy Easter

Luke 24:1-9

Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them

"Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying "The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again"."

And they remembered His words. Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

The Great Commission
Mark 16:15-16
And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned."

Happy Birthday Josh-y!

Happy 29th birthday! Reagan and I love you!!!!!

Photo courtesy of free photos from Photobucket: member Sand18

A Physician Analyzes the Crucifixion
A medical explanation of what Jesus endured on the day He died
by Dr. C. Truman Davis

Several years ago I became interested in the physical aspects of the passion, or suffering, of Jesus Christ when I read an account of the crucifixion in Jim Bishop's book, The Day Christ Died. I suddenly realized that I had taken the crucifixion more or less for granted all these years - that I had grown callous to its horror by a too-easy familiarity with the grim details. It finally occurred to me that, as a physician, I did not even know the actual immediate cause of Christ's death. The gospel writers do not help much on this point. Since crucifixion and scourging were so common during their lifetimes, they undoubtedly considered a detailed description superfluous. For that reason we have only the concise words of the evangelists: "Pilate, having scourged Jesus, delivered Him to them to be crucified ... and they crucified Him."
Despite the gospel accounts' silence on the details of Christ's crucifixion, many have looked into this subject in the past. In my personal study of the event from a medical viewpoint, I am indebted especially to Dr. Pierre Barbet, a French surgeon who did exhaustive historical and experimental research and wrote extensively on the topic.

An attempt to examine the infinite psychic and spiritual suffering of the Incarnate1 God in atonement 2 for the sins of fallen man is beyond the scope of this article. However, the physiological and anatomical aspects of our Lord's passion we can examine in some detail. What did the body of Jesus of Nazareth actually endure during those hours of torture?

Gethsemane

The physical passion of Christ began in Gethsemane. Of the many aspects of His initial suffering, the one which is of particular physiological interest is the bloody sweat. Interestingly enough, the physician, St. Luke, is the only evangelist to mention this occurrence. He says, "And being in an agony, he prayed the longer. And his sweat became as drops of blood, trickling down upon the ground" (Luke 22:44 KJV).

Every attempt imaginable has been used by modern scholars to explain away the phenomenon of bloody sweat, apparently under the mistaken impression that it simply does not occur. A great deal of effort could be saved by consulting the medical literature. Though very rare, the phenomenon of hematidrosis, or bloody sweat, is well documented. Under great emotional stress, tiny capillaries in the sweat glands can break, thus mixing blood with sweat. This process alone could have produced marked weakness and possible shock.

Although Jesus' betrayal and arrest are important portions of the passion story, the next event in the account which is significant from a medical perspective is His trial before the Sanhedrin and Caiaphas, the High Priest. Here the first physical trauma was inflicted. A soldier struck Jesus across the face for remaining silent when questioned by Caiaphas. The palace guards then blindfolded Him, mockingly taunted Him to identify them as each passed by, spat on Him, and struck Him in the face.

Before Pilate

In the early morning, battered and bruised, dehydrated, and worn out from a sleepless night, Jesus was taken across Jerusalem to the Praetorium of the Fortress Antonia, the seat of government of the Procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate. We are familiar with Pilate's action in attempting to shift responsibility to Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch of Judea. Jesus apparently suffered no physical mistreatment at the hands of Herod and was returned to Pilate. It was then, in response to the outcry of the mob, that Pilate ordered Barabbas released and condemned Jesus to scourging and crucifixion.

Preparations for Jesus' scourging were carried out at Caesar's orders. The prisoner was stripped of His clothing and His hands tied to a post above His head. The Roman legionnaire stepped forward with the flagrum, or flagellum, in his hand. This was a short whip consisting of several heavy, leather thongs with two small balls of lead attached near the ends of each. The heavy whip was brought down with full force again and again across Jesus' shoulders, back and legs. At first the weighted thongs cut through the skin only. Then, as the blows continued, they cut deeper into the subcutaneous tissues, producing first an oozing of blood from the capillaries and veins of the skin and finally spurting arterial bleeding from vessels in the underlying muscles.

The small balls of lead first produced large deep bruises that were broken open by subsequent blows. Finally, the skin of the back was hanging in long ribbons, and the entire area was an unrecognizable mass of torn, bleeding tissue. When it was determined by the centurion in charge that the prisoner was near death, the beating was finally stopped.

Mockery

The half-fainting Jesus was then untied and allowed to slump to the stone pavement, wet with his own blood. The Roman soldiers saw a great joke in this provincial Jew claiming to be a king. They threw a robe across His shoulders and placed a stick in His hand for a scepter. They still needed a crown to make their travesty complete. Small flexible branches covered with long thorns, commonly used for kindling fires in the charcoal braziers in the courtyard, were plaited in the shape of a crude crown. The crown was pressed into his scalp and again there was copious bleeding as the thorns pierced the very vascular tissue. After mocking Him and striking Him across the face, the soldiers took the stick from His hand and struck Him across the head, driving the thorns deeper in His scalp. Finally, they tired of their sadistic sport and tore the robe from His back. The robe had already become adherent to the clots of blood and serum in the wounds, and its removal, just as in the careless removal of a surgical bandage, caused excruciating pain. The wounds again began to bleed.

Golgotha

In deference to Jewish custom, the Romans apparently returned His garments. The heavy patibulum3 of the cross was tied across His shoulders. The procession of the condemned Christ, two thieves, and the execution detail of Roman soldiers headed by a centurion began its slow journey along the route which we know today as the Via Dolorosa.

In spite of Jesus' efforts to walk erect, the weight of the heavy wooden beam, together with the shock produced by copious loss of blood, was too much. He stumbled and fell. The rough wood of the beam gouged into the lacerated skin and muscles of the shoulders. He tried to rise, but human muscles had been pushed beyond their endurance. The centurion, anxious to proceed with the crucifixion, selected a stalwart North African onlooker, Simon of Cyrene, to carry the cross. Jesus followed, still bleeding and sweating the cold, clammy sweat of shock. The 650-yard journey from the Fortress Antonia to Golgotha was finally completed. The prisoner was again stripped of His clothing except for a loin cloth which was allowed the Jews.

The crucifixion began. Jesus was offered wine mixed with myrrh, a mild analgesic, pain-reliving mixture. He refused the drink. Simon was ordered to place the patibulum on the ground, and Jesus was quickly thrown backward, with His shoulders against the wood. The legionnaire felt for the depression at the front of the wrist. He drove a heavy, square wrought-iron nail through the wrist and deep into the wood. Quickly, he moved to the other side and repeated the action, being careful not to pull the arms too tightly, but to allow some flexion and movement. The patibulum was then lifted into place at the top of the stipes4, and the titulus5 reading "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" was nailed into place.

The left foot was pressed backward against the right foot. With both feet extended, toes down, a nail was driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees moderately flexed. The victim was now crucified.



On the Cross

As Jesus slowly sagged down with more weight on the nails in the wrist, excruciating, fiery pain shot along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain. The nails in the wrists were putting pressure on the median nerve, large nerve trunks which traverse the mid-wrist and hand. As He pushed himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, He placed His full weight on the nail through His feet. Again there was searing agony as the nail tore through the nerves between the metatarsal bones of his feet.

At this point, another phenomenon occurred. As the arms fatigued, great waves of cramps swept over the muscles, knotting them in deep relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps came the inability to push Himself upward. Hanging by the arm, the pectoral muscles, the large muscles of the chest, were paralyzed and the intercostal muscles, the small muscles between the ribs, were unable to act. Air could be drawn into the lungs, but could not be exhaled. Jesus fought to raise Himself in order to get even one short breath. Finally, the carbon dioxide level increased in the lungs and in the blood stream, and the cramps partially subsided.

The Last Words

Spasmodically, He was able to push Himself upward to exhale and bring in life-giving oxygen. It was undoubtedly during these periods that He uttered the seven short sentences that are recorded.

The first - looking down at the Roman soldiers throwing dice6 for His seamless garment: "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do."

The second - to the penitent thief7: "Today, thou shalt be with me in Paradise."

The third - looking down at Mary His mother, He said: "Woman, behold your son." Then turning to the terrified, grief-stricken adolescent John, the beloved apostle, He said: "Behold your mother."8

The fourth cry is from the beginning of Psalm 22: "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

He suffered hours of limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, and searing pain as tissue was torn from His lacerated back from His movement up and down against the rough timbers of the cross. Then another agony began: a deep crushing pain in the chest as the pericardium, the sac surrounding the heart, slowly filled with serum and began to compress the heart.

The prophecy in Psalm 22:14 was being fulfilled: "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint, my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels."

The end was rapidly approaching. The loss of tissue fluids had reached a critical level; the compressed heart was struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood to the tissues, and the tortured lungs were making a frantic effort to inhale small gulps of air. The markedly dehydrated tissues sent their flood of stimuli to the brain. Jesus gasped His fifth cry: "I thirst." Again we read in the prophetic psalm: "My strength is dried up like a potsherd; my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou has brought me into the dust of death" (Psalm 22:15 KJV).

A sponge soaked in posca, the cheap, sour wine that was the staple drink of the Roman legionnaires, was lifted to Jesus' lips. His body was now in extremis, and He could feel the chill of death creeping through His tissues. This realization brought forth His sixth word, possibly little more than a tortured whisper: "It is finished." His mission of atonement9 had completed. Finally, He could allow His body to die. With one last surge of strength, He once again pressed His torn feet against the nail, straightened His legs, took a deeper breath, and uttered His seventh and last cry: "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit."

Death

The common method of ending a crucifixion was by crurifracture, the breaking of the bones of the leg. This prevented the victim from pushing himself upward; the tension could not be relieved from the muscles of the chest, and rapid suffocation occurred. The legs of the two thieves were broken, but when the soldiers approached Jesus, they saw that this was unnecessary.

Apparently, the make doubly sure of death, the legionnaire drove his lance between the ribs, upward through the pericardium and into the heart. John 19:34 states, "And immediately there came out blood and water." Thus there was an escape of watery fluid from the sac surrounding the heart and the blood of the interior of the heart. This is rather conclusive post-mortem evidence that Jesus died, not the usual crucifixion death by suffocation, but of heart failure due to shock and constriction of the heart by fluid in the pericardium.

Resurrection

In these events, we have seen a glimpse of the epitome of evil that man can exhibit toward is fellowman and toward God. This is an ugly sight and is likely to leave us despondent and depressed.

But the crucifixion was not the end of the story. How grateful we can be that we have a sequel: a glimpse of the infinite mercy of God toward man - - the gift of atonement, the miracle of the resurrection, and the expectation of Easter morning.

1 Incarnate.
2 Atonement.
3 Horizontal portion of the cross.
4 Vertical portion of the cross.
5 Small sign stating the victim's crime.
6 Gambling.
7 The one who felt remorse for his sins and asked Jesus to help him.
8 As Jesus was dying, He gave his trusted friend responsibility for the care of His mother.
9 Taking our place by suffering the death penalty for our sin.

Dr. C. Truman Davis is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. He is a practicing ophthalmologist, a pastor, and author of a book about medicine and the Bible.

Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, literally died of a broken heart.

This is the link to this article.

UGH!

We are sick. Easter is this weekend, we have a ton of stuff planned..AND it's Josh's birthday. This is not my week people. ....not my week at all. Will be back posting after we get over whatever we have THIS time.

Funniest Thing I Have Read In A Long Time!!!

One of the girls on a message board I'm a member of shared this link. HILARIOUS!!! I've copied and pasted for you! ENJOY!!!

John Crace The Guardian, Friday 3 April 2009

Barack Obama, the World's Greatest Orator (™all news organisations), didn't exactly cover himself in glory when the BBC's political editor Nick Robinson asked him a question about who was to blame for the financial crisis. Normally word perfect, Obama ummed, ahed and waffled for the best part of two and a half minutes. Here, John Crace decodes what he was really thinking ...

Nick Robinson: "A question for you both, if I may. The prime minister has repeatedly blamed the United States of America for causing this crisis. France and Germany both blame Britain and America for causing this crisis. Who is right? And isn't the debate about that at the heart of the debate about what to do now?" Brown immediately swivels to leave Obama in pole position. There is a four-second delay before Obama starts speaking [THANKS FOR NOTHING, GORDY BABY. REMIND ME TO HANG YOU OUT TO DRY ONE DAY.] Barack Obama: "I, I, would say that, er ... pause [I HAVEN'T A CLUE] ... if you look at ... pause [WHO IS THIS NICK ROBINSON JERK?] ... the, the sources of this crisis ... pause [JUST KEEP GOING, BUDDY] ... the United States certainly has some accounting to do with respect to . . . pause [I'M IN WAY TOO DEEP HERE] ... a regulatory system that was inadequate to the massive changes that have taken place in the global financial system ... pause, close eyes [THIS IS GOING TO GO DOWN LIKE A CROCK OF SHIT BACK HOME. HELP]. I think what is also true is that ... pause [I WANT NICK ROBINSON TO DISAPPEAR] ... here in Great Britain ... pause [SHIT, GORDY'S THE HOST, DON'T LAND HIM IN IT] ... here in continental Europe ... pause [DAMN IT, BLAME EVERYONE.] ... around the world. We were seeing the same mismatch between the regulatory regimes that were in place and er ... pause [I'VE LOST MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT AGAIN] ... the highly integrated, er, global capital markets that have emerged ... pause [I'M REALLY WINGING IT NOW]. So at this point, I'm less interested in ... pause [YOU] ... identifying blame than fixing the problem. I think we've taken some very aggressive steps in the United States to do so, not just responding to the immediate crisis, ensuring banks are adequately capitalised, er, dealing with the enormous, er ... pause [WHY DIDN'T I QUIT WHILE I WAS AHEAD?] ... drop-off in demand and contraction that has taken place. More importantly, for the long term, making sure that we've got a set of, er, er, regulations that are up to the task, er, and that includes, er, a number that will be discussed at this summit. I think there's a lot of convergence between all the parties involved about the need, for example, to focus not on the legal form that a particular financial product takes or the institution it emerges from, but rather what's the risk involved, what's the function of this product and how do we regulate that adequately, much more effective coordination, er, between countries so we can, er, anticipate the risks that are involved there. Dealing with the, er, problem of derivatives markets, making sure we have set up systems, er, that can reduce some of the risks there. So, I actually think ... pause [FANTASTIC. I'VE LOST EVERYONE, INCLUDING MYSELF] ... there's enormous consensus that has emerged in terms of what we need to do now and, er ... pause [I'M OUTTA HERE. TIME FOR THE USUAL CLOSING BOLLOCKS] ... I'm a great believer in looking forwards than looking backwards.

Pizza Night

About two months ago, Kroger was having a great deal on frozen pizzas...and I had a ton of coupons, so I stocked the freezer. It just so happened that about that time, I started going into the office on Friday nights, so I could have the whole weekend with Josh and Reagan.

Naturally, frozen pizza sounded good to Daddy and Reagan and it was super easy for me not to have to cook for them..so I'd tell Josh, just grab a pizza out of the freezer for dinner.

This morning, I was telling Reagan that Mommy had to go to work that evening. Normally she isn't too pleased with this and whines or cries a little. However THIS morning, she was really excited..."Pizza with Daddy! Pizza with Daddy!" And sure enough, we had run out of frozen pizzas...off to the store we went.

And tonight, Reagan and Daddy had pizza together. :) I'm so glad they have this tradition, although it makes me a little sad that I started it and don't even get to participate! Hmm...maybe Reagan and I need out own little daily tradition! Chocolate anyone???

The Great Green Bean Debaucle

Reagan and I excitedly planted our little seeds and watched them sprout. Every day we grew more and more excited as one of our little green beans took off, grew so tall and finally sprouted two little pods. We were so proud of those pods and looked forward to the day we could pick them..in fact, Mommy had to constantly remind Reagan they weren't ready yet.

And then it happened.

The fluffy ball of self-proclaimed royalty, known as Pritsha, ate our green beans.

BAD CAT!

EEk!

Wow, time seems to pass by faster and faster! It's been almost a week since I've written in my blog!

We've been enjoying some nicer weather...and some awful weather. Literally, one day it's 60 degrees and the next it's snowing! Argh. I just wish the weather would decide something and stay put..teases of spring just drive me crazy!

Nothing much new on the homefront. We are preparing for Easter (Reagan is getting a bubble mower!) and Josh's birthday (he'll be 29!) and I'm trudging along on losing weight. I've lost 6 lbs I'm proud to say and it's actually been very easy..but it's always easy at the beginning, isn't it??

Reagan and I are still excitedly planning our garden..our shoots just keep getting bigger and bigger! Especially our green beans and cucumber plants...now if only we can keep Pritsha from eating them!

I guess that's it for now! Happy Birthday Elizabeth! Aunt Leah, Uncle Josh and Reagan all love and miss you!!!