Saving for a Sprinker System instead of a vacation = are we crazy?

we are getting another beagle on saturday = are we crazy?

BETH ROCKS!!!!

(okay, so I came back to my office this morning and found that I hadn't signed out of xanga and one of my youth decided to post the blog above....)

what's the point

I still can't get into this blog thing. and people wish I would. so here's something that's been on my mind...

What's the point of these marguee sayings (will not mention church name, but if you drive on Nolan River Road in Cleburne, both of these churches are on it.)

"Focus on the SON to prevent burning."

"It costs to follow Jesus, but it costs more not to."

On my daily drive to the gym I see these two signs and it makes me angry. and I am a believer of Christ.  what does it do to those who don't believe?  I just want to know the point of these sayings and signs posted outside churches. 

I can see the people who are in charge of coming up (or finding) those sayings and putting those letters up one by one.  Do they say to themselves, "People are going to read this, make a wild u-turn into our church and come to Christ."  "We are going to show those who don't believe why they should, so they don't burn in hell." 

I don't get it.  Please someone explain.

Okay, so I have been unfaithful to Xanga because I thought for some crazy reason Myspace was better, but I have come to the conclusion that it is a complete waste of time. You learn things about people you probably didn't ever want to know.  It is also a bit shallow with the Friends feature.  I mean, okay so I don't have 140 friends on my site like some people do. But guess, what.... I don't care.  So Xanga makes me feel happier and it doesnt suck me in like myspace does.  I believe I could write a Compare/Contrast Essay on this very topic.  But these are my ramblings for now.

Anyways..... Christmas was good.  New Years was good.  Christmas lasted an entire week for the Mr. and Mrs. Matt Ford family.  To A-town, then back to C-town. To Glen Rose, to Wichita Falls to see the most adorable nephew in the world (Merrick Estes!)  and then to Wellington to see my Mama (not pronounced like moma, but like maima?, oh I can't explain that in writing). 

Matt and I decided to do Stocking stuffers only this year and I got a swing.  He is such a liar and a cheat.  Everything we bought each other was supposed to fit in the stocking, but here's the catch... he didn't actually buy the swing.  It was one my dad had made 15+ years ago.  Matt refinished it and had it hanging on the porch Christmas morning.  Good times.  He also got me an "I love my Beagle" shirt along with free oil changes for a year by no other than himself. 

Stanley received a delightful gift in his stocking.  It was a mailman dog toy.  It was supposed to be indestructable.  He had it torn open, stuffing out and all, in like 20 minutes.  We named him Newman (any Seinfeld fans out there?) and he had already learned to "Go find Newman!"  But that was all (or should I say Newman was) short lived. 

We were trying to get Stanley to look all cute with his ears up on this picture and I guess you can see how Matt and I get Stanley to do that.  "Stanley!!  What's that?  Stanley!?" Obviously we didn't chose this one for our Christmas cards.

I have a lot of spiritual thoughts observations swimming around in my head, but I don't know quite how to get them on paper yet.  More to come...

Currently Listening Nickel Creek Doubting Thomas see related

I am first timer

Okay, I don't have a clue what I am doing with this new blog business. When did a diary become some public?  I am cool with it though.  I will attempt to be funny, I will try to be deep, I will let you in to Mauri's world.  Well, some of it...

Sardines.  That's what we did tonight at Sr. High Youth.  We call it FOCUS, so I guess tonight we focused on - finding our friends and youth in the dark of the "Big Church."  I was trying to find a parallel with God's world so I could tell the staff at tomorrow's meeting the deep truths we discussed.  However, no deep spiritual truths were discuss except now I know that Dave is a lier (he told me Kathryn was not in the closet) and youth start to smell when they run around for an hour.  No wait, I think I am the one who is smelly.

Okay, how was that.  How did my first official blog go? 

Xanga