okay, okay....

i have had a surprising number of requests for a new post on my blog. it was even pointed out to me the irony of my blog title being "variety is the spice of life" when i haven't delivered any variety in about a month. okay, okay already -- i get it. something new will arrive soon.....

Palm Tree

Reverend Ginger (yes, a Methodist preacher woman) provided our "spiritual refreshment" times at the Maternity Home Association retreat I attended in Butler, TX, over the weekend. She actually had something interesting to share and I would like to share it with you.

Someone from her congregation once asked how Satan -- not being omniscient, omnipotent, etc. -- can so perfectly attack us. After pondering it for a moment, Reverend Ginger replied that it has to be our names that give him an edge over us. She pointed out how much importance God put on names. After all, the Bible records episodes of Him changing people's names. Anyone remember that Saul/Paul situation?

So Reverend Ginger decided to tell us all what our names mean, give an illustration, and then provide a scripture for us each. I knew already that my name, Tamra, is Hebrew for palm tree. "What have you got for that, Reverend Ginger?" I thought to myself. All these other people had beautiful, flowing, scriptural names and then boom -- palm tree. But she pulled through quite well.

"Tamra, your name means palm tree. When I think about palm trees, I think about all the storms in Florida right now. And you know how they show all those clips on the news with some weatherman standing in front of a palm tree that's blowing in these gusting winds but hasn't fallen over? That's you! And that is how Satan will try to work on you -- he'll give you storm after storm, trying to weaken you and pull you from your roots. But if you have your foundation in Christ, you will be able to stand firm, no matter how fierce the storms that hit you."

Then she gave me Psalm 92:12-15. "The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, 'The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.'"

Food for thought...

Hot or Not

So I got my usual email from MAC that tells me about new products and collections. Naturally, I had to spend a little time looking over everything. Because of the Back to MAC recycling program, I knew I'd be getting a free lipstick so I paid special attention to the new Love, Matte lipstick collection. Anyhoo, as I was browsing, I came across this look, called Hot or Not, in the new Halloween Collection designed by our very own Little Rock!

Retreat!

The Memorial Road Church of Christ Singles Ministry hosted its annual Fall Retreat this past weekend. About 60 of us packed our bags and headed to Pettijohn Springs Christian Camp to spend time praising God and learning more about how we can minister to others in His name. It was such an uplifting time! I really encourage anyone who didn't go to plan on attending next year's retreat -- you really will be blessed because of it!

50s Bash

Devonne's outfit says it all: Christian Services of Oklahoma hosted a 50s-style bash for our annual benefit dinner and silent auction on September 23rd. We had hamburgers, hotdogs, shakes, and more as we listened to classic songs sung by a "live jukebox." We raised about $12,000 this year thanks to the generous hearts of many!

fall is here!

This really is the most glorious time of the year. Fall has been my favorite season for as long as I can remember. I love the beautiful colors of turning leaves and the crispness in the air. Thanks to Jayna's brilliant idea, we now celebrate the season with a First Day of Fall Party. We get a cake and have cider and wassail and all kinds of fun treats. If you love fall as much as we do, you just might get invited next year!

25

you know, for a while i thought being 25 was awful -- stuck in the middle between those youthful 20s and the 30s that once seemed much older than they are. and then this weekend, it dawned on me that 25 is actually the pefect age. you're old enough to know better but young enough to get away with it anyway. so three cheers to 25. i'll miss you when i'm 26...which is december 17th so get shopping!

i woke up to a dark room this morning. it was cloudy and cool and rainy and perfect outside. the only thing that could have been better: if it were saturday instead of thursday so i could have wallowed in the cozy comfort just a little bit longer.

oh boredom...

the above picture is jayna suzanne perry, aka: veej it all started innocently enough. veej and i were IM-ing and i decided to be funny and send her a picture of us from christmas just in case she had forgotten what i look like -- you know, because i hadn't seen her in a whole day. one thing led to another and there we were, passing image file after image file back and forth over a direct connection. it was a magnificent trip down memory lane. i heart technology. it rocks my face off! and no, there really is no point to this post other than showing off jayna (she's single, fellas!!) and relaying one of the many ridiculous activities i willfully participated in.

awwww

avery kay tur was born on july 29, 2004, at 7:27pm. she weighed 7 pounds and measured 20 inches long. proud parents are wes and kayla tur. isn't she the cutest thing you've ever seen?!