Caryn's random thoughts

Taste of N'awlins

2009-04-18T21:32:00.002-05:00

2009-04-10T10:04:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday, Hannah, Tammy, and I went to Sugarmill Pond to see "Reaux for Miles," a dragon boat race sponsored by the Miles Perret Center. Miles Perret is a cancer support center that has helped Tammy a lot during her battle with cervical cancer. They have given our family books, pamphlets, and tons of information on how to deal with cancer, and they have paid for many of Tammy's presciptions, no questions asked. We never even filled out paperwork. They just talk to the doctor and then when you come in, they take care of filling your needs. They are an amazing group and I am proud to support them whenever I can.

This group of pink dragonboat racers are ALL breast cancer survivors. They were AWESOME to watch!! Such precision!

Susan G. Komen Race

2009-03-21T16:54:00.002-05:00

All the balloons represents a cancer survivor.

The family all came out to show love to Tammy!

Yes, she is!!!

My sister is such a champ. She had her last radiation on Tuesday, and her last chemo yesterday. And here she is at the Komen race for the cure. What determination!!

Bit by the Flu Bug!

2009-03-01T18:20:00.002-06:00

Mardi Gras Time

2009-02-24T18:01:00.002-06:00

Care Pages

2009-02-06T22:11:00.002-06:00

I set up a website on http://www.carepages.com/ for Tammy. If you wanna check it out, click the title of his blog entry and set up your own access account.

Sisters

2009-01-31T22:33:00.005-06:00

This is a picture of the strongest person I know. My sister.

When you grow up with a sibling, you feel like you know them inside and out. But when cancer hits, you find out just how amazingly courageous they are. And you realize what a TRUE blessing it is to have them in your life. I hope I will be able to handle life's "happenings" the way Tammy has- with grace, dignity, humility, and with courage and and unwavering faith in God, our Healer. My sister is my hero.

Chemo.

"...by HIS wounds we are healed..." ~Isaiah 53:5

Christmas Cheer.... in January

2009-01-11T16:44:00.002-06:00

(Better late than never!)

More Prayers Needed

2009-01-08T06:22:00.001-06:00

Tammy goes today to the hospital to do paperwork for her chemo and get the whole process going. The nurse at Oncologics told her that the staff at the hospital will try to fit her in to get a mediport put in today. PLEASE pray for us that this happens!! The sooner the mediport is put in, the sooner we can start fighting this mess with chemo. We are already fighting it with PRAYER!!!! THANKS GUYS!

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T14:14:00.002-06:00

Hope 2009 brings GOOD NEWS for everyone this year.

The Christmas Wreath

2008-12-24T11:22:00.003-06:00

The Christmas wreath has significant meaning for the Christmas season. The circular shape represents eternity- the unending circle of life. The evergreen symbolizes growth and everlasting life. Holly branches have thorns which represent the thorns on Jesus' crown when He was crucified. Bright red holly berries symbolize Jesus' blood that was shed for us.

Isn't it awesome that even though this season celebrates the Savior's birth, His death and resurrection is hidden in all the little details? Our God is so good.

Merry Christmas.

pray

2008-12-18T22:24:00.002-06:00

My sister- Tammy Deluca- was just diagnosed with recurring cervical cancer, stage 4, with extensive metastasis to her pelvis. The cancerous growths vary in size from 5mm to 50mm throughout her pelvis. We are encouraged that Tammy is young, strong, and ready to fight. We believe that God is bigger than any cancer and He is the great physician and can heal her with one breath! Please pray for Tammy and for us as we conquer this together!!!! Jesus did it first-

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” ~Isaiah 53:5

Thank you, Jesus, for the amazing sacrifice you made for all of us on that cross. You died for us so that we may live through you. I pray tonight for Tammy to live that life that she was meant to live, in VICTORY- and to be able to claim her complete healing in YOU and through YOU, Lord God. You are the sustainer of life (Psalm 91:16). You are the Great Physician (Luke 4:23).

And I pray this over Tammy tonight:
“May the Spirit of the LORD rest on TAMMY and all her physicians— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. ~ Isaiah 11:2

If you are praying for her, please email me at carynbodin@cox.net and let me know so we can add you to our list we're compiling. We are hoping to have representatives from all fifty states praying for her!!!

SNOW, anyone?

2008-12-12T06:36:00.003-06:00

Yes, folks.... SNOW in Southwest Louisiana. I think it was a little birthday gift from God. :)

This was my house at 6:45am.

Here's Julie's "JuJu's" house!

My view on the way to school. Funny, eh?

I felt like I was back in Ohio. :)

Birthday Boycott

2008-12-10T20:33:00.000-06:00

Caryn's Top Five reasons I do NOT want a birthday this year:

#5: 37 is so close to 40 that people might actually start assuming you already ARE 40 when clearly you aren't.... But you're closer than ever to the "40" club.

#4: 37 is not the age where you can brag that you're still really young. Cuz you AIN'T.

#3: 37 is the point of no return- you can't say you're in your mid 30s anymore, because you're NOT. You are diving head first into the treacherous 40's and there's no where to hide.

#2: 37 is like a freight train on a collision course with "Middle aged."and the number one reason Caryn does not want a birthday this year.....

#1: 37. Nothin pretty about THAT number...

What's the Big Deal?

2008-11-30T15:58:00.003-06:00

Today at church, Lyndale challenged each of us to answer the question, "Why is Jesus such a big deal to me?" So, here goes:

Why is Jesus such a big deal to me?

1. Because Jesus loves me even when I am unlovable.
I give most everyone else plenty of reasons NOT to love me, or at least to not love how I act or what I say. But Jesus loves me in the midst of it all.

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the spirit alive in Christ Jesus has set you free from the laws of sin and death." ~Romans 8:1-2

2. Because He met me when I was at my lowest point and lifted me up to become a child of the King.
Just when I had no where left to turn, when I thought there was nothing left, I realized Christ was all I ever needed. He met me at the lowest point in my life when I thought that things could not get worse. And instead of making me feel like a sinful, selfish creature, He washed me white as snow and called me a child of the King.

"Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." ~Romans 8:17

3. Jesus gave me a family.
My earthly family is very small- my mom and dad, one sister, only two aunts, no living uncles, only one grandmother left. Very few extended family. Life is pretty lonely when you don't have family. But when I became a Christian, God introduced me to many wonderful Christian friends who are now just as much my family as any blood relative. They have been by me through the best times and the worst times, and I am a better person for knowing them.

"A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." ~Proverbs 18:24

4. I didn't have to earn his love.
Lyndale used this one, and I have to have this on my list. As a singer, I have grown accustom to earning people's praise, winning a competition, or getting through an audition. But nothing I do, no matter how good (or how BAD), can earn His love.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not of yourselves, it is a gift from God- not by works, so that no one can boast." ~Ephesians 2:8-9

(thanks, Lyndale!) :)

Thankful...

2008-11-27T09:55:00.001-06:00

I am Thankful...

for family,

for friends,

and for friends that are closer than family.

I am thankful...

for good times, and bad

because bad times make you realize how good we really have it.

I am thankful...

Long time, No post

2008-11-15T19:50:00.002-06:00

I haven't posted in a while... Haven't thought of anything to say!
Hope everyone is doing well!!

Amazing Worship

2008-10-12T21:32:00.002-05:00

I had an awesome time of worship on Saturday night!! Rita Springer was in concert over the weekend at Hope Alive Church. It was an amazing time of worship. Rita has an amazing anointing on her, and when she sits at the piano and begins playing, a hush descends over the entire building. It was breath-taking to be in the midst of it all. It's incredible to see someone being obedient to the call that God has placed on her life. Great stuff. God is so good.

TV Fast

2008-10-04T16:43:00.002-05:00

How about going in with me for a TV fast? October is a PERFECT month to do a TV fast because there's so much halloween JUNK on TV during this month. I am going to try to fast, so if you wanna join me, come on!! I hope to do it this whole month... pray for me!!

Vote...

2008-09-28T16:31:00.002-05:00

If only ALL the candidates thought like this...

"I have an irrepressible desire to live

till I can be assured

that the world is a little better

for my having lived in it."

– Abraham Lincoln

Majesty

2008-09-25T21:44:00.002-05:00

"Men are never duly touched and impressed

with a conviction of their insignificance

until they have contrasted themselves

with the majesty of God."

~John Calvin

PRAISE...

2008-09-22T20:41:00.004-05:00

Tammy is cancer free.

Our family had a scare this week with some test reports that were suggesting that Tammy might have cancer of the uterus. But praise God, after having a biopsy on Wednesday, Mika called her today and gave her the good news- not a single cell that they tested came back positive. God is Good!!!!

O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.

~Psalm 30:2

Remember When...

2008-09-13T21:28:00.001-05:00

Time flies...

Mysterious Mystery

2008-09-12T14:49:00.004-05:00

"The most mysterious aspect of the mystery of sin

is not that the sinner deserves to die,

but rather that the sinner in the average situation

continues to exist."

~Hans Küng

Read This.

2008-09-08T21:01:00.002-05:00

Coulda been worse...

2008-09-05T11:34:00.004-05:00

Our house

Well, "Gustav" could have been worse for us... we didn't get torn up too bad and our house is just fine. The only damage was on James' and my thumbs- Blisters from hours of raking up leaves!

Here's a few shots of the Carencro area.
And it was too cute... Hannah was in the backseat praying and saying "Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!" Ahhhh... out of the mouths of babes...

We're Jetting...

2008-08-29T20:23:00.002-05:00

Hurricane Gustav is chasing us away...

We'll be at my Aunt Doris's house in Dallas. If you need me or James for any reason, we'll have our cell phones on us and hopefully we'll have service. :) Take care and God Bless you as we face Gustav!!!

2008-08-27T06:47:00.000-05:00

"To sing once is to pray twice."

~Augustine

grade school...still...

2008-08-21T16:06:00.004-05:00

"God will not permit you to go on to maturity and bypass any grade. You don't skip grades in the kingdom. "This is first grade."

You might say, "What if I don't like it?"

God says, "Then you spend a lot of time here."

~Joseph L. Garlington

Imprint

2008-08-17T08:07:00.002-05:00

"Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier."

~Mother Theresa

Revelation Song - Kari Jobe

2008-08-15T22:01:00.001-05:00

Check this out!

Drum Illustration

2008-08-15T21:25:00.001-05:00

My church is so cool...

The Shack

2008-08-11T19:45:00.002-05:00

If there is ONE fiction book you read this year, please consider reading "The Shack" by William P. Young. It is one of the most beautiful books I have read in a long time. And even though it is purely fiction, you will walk away from it with such a sweet, refreshing love for the Lord and sense how wonderful He truly is. It's fiction, but it's completely inspired.

The Noise We Make

2008-08-09T13:03:00.005-05:00

"He who establishes his argument by noise and command shows that his reason is weak."

~Michel de Montaigne, influencial writer during the French Renaissance

Worry, Anyone?

2008-08-07T06:23:00.001-05:00

Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow,
but only empties today of its stength.

~Charles H. Spurgeon

HUSH!

2008-08-06T17:42:00.002-05:00

"It is only imperfection that complains of what is imperfect. The more perfect we are, the more gentle and quiet we become toward the defects of others."

~Francois Fénelon

Closer...

2008-08-04T04:56:00.002-05:00

"Our sense of sin is in proportion to our nearness to God."

~ Bernard of Clairvaux

Kari Jobe

2008-08-03T18:12:00.002-05:00

PEOPLE!!!!

If you love pure, honest vocals, you'll LOVE Kari Jobe.

You MUST check her out.

I'm freaking out!!!! :) :)

If I knew how to post videos from youtube, I'd post her singing Revelation Song... but here's the link if you want to check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FObjd5wrgZ8

Great Quotes

2008-08-03T16:57:00.005-05:00

I've been in the mood to read back over the notes that I've taken from books that I have read on my journey through life. And I've found some great quotes that I'd like to post for your reading pleasure.

"There can only be two basic loves: the love of God unto the forgetfulness of self, of the love of self unto the forgetfulness and denial of God."

~Augustine

Beach Trip 2008

2008-07-29T19:06:00.003-05:00

We were so blessed this summer to get to spend time together as a family at the beach. James worked out all the details of our trip through the military and we stayed all week for practically nothing (One night the house we had was only $36.00!). Needless to say, it was a much needed and much appreciated vacation.

There is something so tranquil about the ocean that I just love. Even with a two year old, I still found time to be alone with God and reflect on lots of things He has taught me and shown me over the last few years. It was a good trip to physically rest and get away, and it was an awesome time for our little family too. But it was an even better trip for me spiritually to have time alone with God and His word on the ocean with my feet in the sand. Gotta love that...

Dress Blues

2008-07-17T14:43:00.004-05:00

This past weekend, James and I went up to Barksdale Air Force Base for James's drill. On Saturday, we attended a retirement ceremony for Senior Master Sergeant Melanie Acosta, who served 33 years in the military. James was asked to be an escort and to wear his dress blues for the ceremony. It's the first time he's ever worn his dress blues since we've been together, so it was a very special occasion to see him so decked out. What a cutie!

I Never Thought I'd Live to See...

2008-06-16T21:24:00.002-05:00

$4.00 Gas.

SHEESH!

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T15:13:00.004-05:00

Happy Father's Day, James!!!

You are an awesome father and a wonderful husband and friend.
Thank you for the past nine years of marriage.
I am so blessed to have such an amazing husband!!!

Mother's Day

2008-05-11T20:45:00.004-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to you!

Here's a few photos that we took outside of our church this morning after services.

Three generations of lovely ladies...

This is a picture I treasure for always... Hannah with her cancer FREE Nanny!!!!!! AWESOME!

We had a wonderful weekend. James totally made up for the year that he didn't buy me a Mother's Day present (and then decided to work on Father's Day... it didn't go well that year). First, he took me to dinner and a movie on Friday night. On Saturday, we visited his family in Franklin and he detailed my car for me. Today we all went out to eat with the family at Carrabba's and he gave me perfume from Victoria's Secret! He's a good one. I think I'll keep him.

I'll post a few more pics later!

Our Newest Addition

2008-05-09T06:31:00.001-05:00

Here's our new addition.... to the house!

Our new shed.

Huggin It

2008-04-27T21:16:00.002-05:00

I've been hugging this since Friday..... stomach virus......

I'm feeling better today, but of all weekends!! I missed every concert at Festival International, plus I didn't get to go to the crawfish boil at church. I missed everything! :(

New "Do"

2008-03-29T21:32:00.003-05:00

Got a new shorter hairdo... Here's Hannah and I goofing off in the backyard.

Doing Better...

2008-03-26T21:31:00.003-05:00

Tammy is doing well after her surgery. It's been a long two weeks, but she has handled everything like a real trooper and I have been encouraged by her strength. If I were the one facing all that she has faced, I don't think I would have been as strong. She is in some moderate to severe pain but has managed to get around quite a bit.

We have had so much support and love through this entire ordeal that it's hard to get down about it. The church family has cooked meals for our family, and all our friends aand family have supported us with prayers, cards, and she's received the most gorgeous bouquets of flowers!! God has shown his face to us through this time and we can now say we know him as "our healer" and "our provider." He is our strong tower.

"For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe."

~Psalm 61:3

Prayer

2008-03-17T22:01:00.004-05:00

Cancer has no bias.

It has no preference.

It doesn't care if you're young, if you're in love, or if you're happy.

"For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that we may live together with him. So encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing...

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

~1 Thessalonians 5: 9-18

Help me, Lord, to give thanks in all circumstances... because today I am struggling.

Great CD

2008-02-26T21:44:00.000-06:00

Our Mountain Chalet

2008-01-08T21:31:00.000-06:00

2007 was a very busy year for James. He works so hard for our family and doesn't take time to relax very often. So as a surprise, I booked a cabin in the Ouachita Mountains in Watson, Oklahoma. James and I were able to get away for a few days to a lovely place called Rivers Edge Cottages. Rivers Edge was referred to me by the counselor at Ridge. She said it was lovely and so close to home. It was only a 6 and 1/2 hour drive from Lafayette but it seemed like we were far away into the mountains. It was a really wonderful escape. We had the fire roaring the entire time we were there!

For James and me, this was like a second honeymoon. No TVs, no phones, no internet, no distractions or stress from work or life. We were able to really reconnect and relax here. I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who needs to get away and do some mate-dating with your spouse. It's run by a lovely Christian family who live right on the property. It's very affordable too, which is a plus. And for those of you wondering, NO... we did NOT bring Hannah. Hallelujer! It was our first big vacation away from her. We missed her more than she missed us. :)

Is there a blog boycot that I don't know about?!

2007-12-08T21:06:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to say that no one blogs anymore. Has blogging already become passe?? Please tell me it's not so!! But as I search all my pal's blogs tonight, most of them haven't posted in MONTHS! I'm wondering what has gone wrong with the bloggers of my generation.

Missing you guys!!

(guess I should get on the phone and actually CALL you.... like we used to do in the olden days before computers and texting... ) hehehehehehehehehehee.....

And the winner is...

2007-11-27T19:45:00.000-06:00

The gym where I work out had an eight week challenge for its members. Anyone who is a member could sign up and compete. So I did. I signed up, and on September 15th, the gym staff took my measurements, weight, and all that fun stuff. On November 15th, we went back into the gym and they re-measured us and re-weighed us. And guess who won?

I know! It's SHOCKING. Can you believe? I surely can't believe that I would ever win ANYTHING that has to do with the word FITNESS. I think it's an amazing testimony to what God has done and IS doing through my life. I give him (and so many others) so much of the credit to my accomplishment. Allow me to list a few folks that I'm most thankful to:

Dr. Paul Landreneau. Dr. L is my GP, and he recommended that I start adding in weight training to my exercise routine after I complained to him about depression and weight gain after having the baby. Three months after his recommendation, I went back to him and was 20lb lighter. Thanks for the great advice!

Sheila Plunkett. Sheila took time with me at the gym and put me on a workout routine that is helping me knock off the pounds, add some muscle, and rev up my metabolism. She's also given me great comfort and advice when I injured my foot. THANKS SHEILA!!

Phyllis Broussard. Phyllis is the P.E. coach at my school. She is the one who told me over a YEAR ago to get on a bike and I would see drastic results in inches lost on my legs. And finally a year later, I believe her. The inches are definitely coming off and I'm so thankful to her for that great advice.

Joy LaHasky. Joy is a fourth grade teacher at my school who had double fasciitis surgery in her feet. She gave me great advice, stretches, and referred me to a great orthopedic foot specialist in town. Thanks, Joy!

Dr. Chris Hebert. He put my foot in a cast and made me aware of the fact that not only did I tear my tendon, but I also fractured the calceneus (heal bone).

My family. Without the support of my family, I would still be over 200 lbs. My husband, who always makes me feel beautiful, has been the voice of encouragement. Aunt Linda and my mom have been my biggest cheerleaders. Tammy has been so awesome because she joined the gym with me and has been my workout partner for the past month.

And my friends, church family, and co-workers who have been so supportive over the last four months. You guys are awesome and I'm blessed beyond words that you are in my life. I have nothing but gratitude in my heart for all of you.

I have not reached my goal yet, but I can see it in the not-so-distant future.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly

as you teach and admonish one another

with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms,

hymns and spiritual songs

with gratitude in your hearts to God.”

- Colossians 3:16

Conjunctivitis????

2007-11-19T18:49:00.001-06:00

Hey....

You think I have pink eye, or what?

NASTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I never had this stuff before I had kids.... sheeesh!

My First Sports Injury

2007-10-15T19:57:00.001-05:00

In July, I took up exercising as a serious sport. I have been going to the gym six days a week for three months now. In August, I worked out with my friend Sheila. She was doing wind sprints on the treadmill next to me. Wind sprints!! I was in AWE of what she was doing. She is a machine!! We talked (yes... she could carry on a CONVERSATION doing wind sprints!) and next thing you know, we were on the treadmill over an hour. When I stepped off the machine, my heel felt like I had bruised it. I felt something POP.

After talking with many people, I deduced that I tore the fascia tendon in my right foot. I did the stretches, iced it down nightly, and got off the treadmill and onto a bike. I cycle 15 miles a day, six days a week. I'm down 30lb and I feel really good. I even got a night splint. See?

A teacher friend had two surgeries on her feet, cutting the fascia because her fasciitis was so bad. She recommended her doctor to me, and off I went to make the appointment. A month later, I got in to see him. Turns out he's in pretty high demand as the sports medicine doctor for all the U.L. atheletes. He x-rayed my foot, and yeah, I have plantars fasciitis.

But I ALSO have a stress fracture in the bone. Look what he's making me wear:

This storm-trooper get up is snazzy, eh? I have to wear it for four weeks. It's called an Air Cast, and it comes with a gadget that fills the sides with air to tighten the cast around my foot. I can only take it off to drive and to sleep. I guess tennis is out of the question??

Thanks, Susan!

2007-10-10T20:47:00.000-05:00

My computer-savvy buddy, Susan, fixed up my blog and now all my contacts are in a nice, neat little row. Thanks, Sus! It's good to know smart and talented folks. :)

At Last...

2007-10-02T20:55:00.001-05:00

At last!

I have my camera again! Miracle of miracles!!

This has been a two month saga in my life, and for anyone out there in cyberspace with an obsessive hobby like photography, you understand my pain. That camera is like a third arm for me. It's an extension of myself, a part of my body, a way I communicate through the lens, and how I express myself. It's a way to capture a moment in time, a memory to last for a lifetime, and when that's ripped from you it's like having part of your arm cut off.

Okay... I exaggerate, but you get my point. It's been a long two months. And with a toddler running around doing crazy things, it's fun to get it all on camera to be able to show her in years to come what kind of antics she pulled as a little tike.

Let me say for the record that Best Buy's manager Mark Stelly was AWESOME to me. He is a very young manager, and he heard my sob story and made an executive decision to junk the camera and get me another one just like mine from off the floor. It was BRAND NEW! I couldn't believe it. I am no longer a Best Buy Basher, thanks to Mr. Stelly.

But on a spiritual note, I have to say one thing about the camera that is connected to the Lord. Being without my camera freed up much of my time at night when I would have usually been up late editing my photos and doing postings on my blogs and photo streams. Instead, I have been able to use this free time to get my home squared away, to pay more attention to my husband and to Hannah. But most importantly, my quiet time with God has SOARED these last two months. It's been an amazing adventure and I'm not about to push that time out in order to start doing pictures again. I'll have my camera with me, but now I have my hobby where it should be... after God, Family, and everything else that matters. It's all about priorities.

"Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living." ~Romans 6:16

wutup widat?

2007-09-23T15:54:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to put in links for all my friends' blogs, but for some unknown and totally bizarre reason, some have spaces between them. Anyone with some blog savviness that can help me eliminate those spaces?

The Hidden Dangers of MSG

2007-09-11T19:53:00.001-05:00

People think I'm crazy because I stay away from MSG, aspartame, and other products... but watch this video and perhaps you'll agree that this stuff is poison!

Eight Random Things About Me

2007-08-27T20:03:00.000-05:00

Okay, I've been tagged by Heather to do this entry, so here we go. I have NO idea what I'm going to type... only I am going to type the first thing that comes to mind.

Random things about myself...

1. I wished I lived anywhere but Louisiana. I fantasize about living on the West Coast, maybe Oregon... or in Lucca, Italy (lived there in 1995). Or even in the east, like South Carolina- mountains and beaches so close... anywhere but here. Such a shame, this discontentment! :)

2. I have a REALLY overactive imagination. I dream a LOT. I remember a lot of dreams too. Most of them are insane.

3. I gave up drinking sodas in July. I am six weeks clean and sober from Diet Coke. It's a miracle. HAHAHA! The Lord has released me from my dt coke demon!!

4. I had a roommate who can alphabetize the letters in any sentence. For example, if I said, "Hi, Karen, how are you?" She would say "a e h i k n 0 r u w y" and she would be exactly correct. It's freaky. And she can do instantly without a pen or paper. It's amazing. Another roommate of mine in college could say anything you said to her BACKWARDS. If I said, "Hi, Michelle, how are you?" She'd say "You are how Michelle Hi" in no time flat. It's insane. I'm surrounded by crazy folks.

5. I love peanut butter. I could live on PB&J.

6. I've never seen any horror movies. None of the Freddy movies, none of the Friday the 13th stuff, no Halloween stuff, nothing. My overactive imagination prevents me from watching them. I'd say it was the Holy Spirit protecting my mind. Once when I was in 1oth grade, a group of friends started watching the Exorcist and I got up and called my dad to come get me. I was a sophomore. Do you think I looked cool? Not even. I didn't know the Lord then, but maybe He was protecting my mind even back then. What a great God we have!

7. I wish I was pregnant. Well, I wish I could feel pregnancy again.
(The verdict is still out if I want another kid in our house to chase around and fuss at with a naughty stick. HAHAHAHAHHA.)

8. I'm always reading something. Everyone told me "you'll never have time to read once you have a baby" but I still find time to read. I HAVE to read or else my spiritual life would suffer. That's how I'm learning to keep full!

Okay, I'm all done... I'm not sure if this stuff is random, but it's the first thing I could think of! If I had more time I'd think of some much funnier stuff, i'm sure!!!

PS... I got my camera out of the shop today, and it is now even WORSE than when I first put it in the shop!!! I kid you not. It's not getting any light into the lens. They must have royally screwed up the lens when they repaired it, but now I have the joy of sending it off AGAIN and waiting another two weeks for it to be repaired. I need prayers tonight.

PSS--- another random thing going on in my life right now... Hannah had an allergic reaction to a mosquito bite on her arm and it swelled up to the size of half a golf ball tonight. The dr said it was probably a localized reaction. GREATTTTTTTTT....

Restoration

2007-08-03T23:16:00.000-05:00

Restoration is so liberating. It frees the mind of wonder, it frees the soul to soar. It's what the enemy hates, and I can see why. When there is disunity, there is bondage, and the punk would love that.

I'm so happy to say that I am in the process of reconciliation and restoration, and it is probably the most significant thing that has happened to me in a long time. God promises that as we grow and mature in our faith, we'll be put through the fire (Is. 48:10); satan wants to "sift us as wheat." (Luke 22:31). The sifting process hurts terribly. But He is refining us for HIS glory, and if we are to reflect the image of Christ in our lives, we have to be pure enough to hold a reflection.

Wilderness

2007-07-17T11:40:00.000-05:00

I haven't felt led to post anything on this blog in a while, and I nearly cancelled it because I thought I am wasting time on the computer. But then I went back and read through my posts and it made me want to continue blogging because it allowed me to see where I was and where I am today. It's very interesting how God moves in your life when you step back and look at the big picture.

I think I have been in a wilderness lately... where I needed to be alone with my thoughts and with the Lord. He probably diverted my attention away from this blog so that I wouldn't write something that I would regret or that wouldn't honor Him. I'm glad for that. It's been kind of nice just being still and QUIET in the Lord and trying to find HIS perspective on things.

My heart has been heavy these last few months. The feelings won't go away, and now it's becoming something that I can't let go... I obsess over it. I won't go into detail, but suffice it to say that a few things are unclear to me me right now. More than anything, I want to please my Lord and do what He calls me to do. I want to be in the center of His will, and so this summer I have gone back to the basics of my faith.

The first thing I did was I went back to the church where I asked the Lord into my heart. It was refreshing to be there because it brought back the memories of a Sunday morning in May of 1992 and all the wonderful feelings that I had. It also made James and I appreciate where we now worship. :) Love those hymns... but there's something to be said about our church family and how important those bonds are to us.

Then I went back to the Proverbs. If you lack wisdom, this is where you go to gain it. My prayer is by the end of the year, God will lead us where he wants us to be and grant me some wisdom along the way. Thanks for your prayers...

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God,

who gives generously to all without finding fault,

and it will be given to him."

~James 1:5

Cure?

2007-06-12T23:36:00.001-05:00

Anyone have a cure for insomnia?

Two Wolves

2007-06-06T14:48:00.000-05:00

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two "wolves" inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

(read in the style of Poo Poo Broussard)
Whooooo oooooo!!! One of my wolves is
FAT FAT!!!!
I need to put dat one on a diet dat.

Our New Addition

2007-05-26T19:40:00.001-05:00

Yes, our family has a new addition...

A brand new, 2007 Honda Civic ES!!!!!!!

Our financial plan was NOT to buy a new car. I was hoping to run my Mitsubishi into the ground. Turns out, I already did. In November my engine started smoking, so we took it into Hampton (truly, the worst dealership in town) and the "mechanics" (for lack of a better word) told me that there wasn't anything wrong with the car. Well, it kept smoking off and on for seven months now. Two weeks ago, I brought the car in to get a quick oil change, and the oil guy told me that I had a bad oil leak and would need to bring it into a mechanic. I brought it into A-1 on Verot and the mechanic there put the car on lifts and brought me to look at it. He told me that the MASSIVE oil leak was the least of my problems. He said that I had blown both gaskets (whatever that is) and the rear main seal was bust. A five doller seal would cost me over two grand to replace because it's a V-6 engine and would have to be dropped along with the transmission to get at the seal. All in all, almost $4000 in work. The car wasn't worth that, and he said that he wouldn't even drive the car home. I was upset because I was really hoping to keep driving that car for at least two more years. I only had five more payments.... Naturally....

So then James and I decided that since I've never owned a new car in my life, now was as good a time as any, since Moss Motors had just had their car show and they were totally overstocked. They were giving great deals on new vehicles. So we went there and got fantastic service. Not only did they give us 4% interest, but they also gave us $2,500 for my pile of junk for a trade in!! I told the saleswoman what I was looking for, and she found it for me.... on the SHOWROOM FLOOR!!!!

I loved it the second I saw it. It gets 30 miles to the gallon IN TOWN and FORTY on the highway!!!! Yahoooooo!!!! It has an outlet to plug in an iPod, and even the Accords don't have that yet. Not until the 2008 body styles come out. That's why we went with the Civic. It's only three inches smaller than the accord, but gets better gas mileage and was cheaper. It also has a spoiler on it, and the coolest paint color- borrego beige metallic. Plus this one had been detailed for the showroom. What a bonus. It only had 14 miles on it when we drove it off the floor. OH MY GOODNESS!!! Can you tell I've never owned a new car in my life??!!

This is the dash... very hip and cool with two levels!!! And cool blue lighting!! (I was so stuck in the 90s...)

And it has a SUN ROOF!!!! I've never had a car with a SUN ROOF!!!! I've had cars with carpet that hung from the roof that we had to tack to keep in place.... but never a sun roof!! I feel like we won the lotto. So blessed. So blessed.So now we are a Honda family. My sister has one, and now I have one... and we think we've all but convinced Linda to go Honda... :)

God sure did make a way for us to get a new car. He turned what was a miserable situation into something wonderful. Hooray!!

I Killed Kodak Moments

2007-05-20T06:54:00.000-05:00

I got rid of my photography blog. If you wanna check out my photos, email me and I'll get you the web address. Have a great day!

Evan's Big Day

2007-05-06T20:25:00.000-05:00

"Train up a child in the way he should go,

and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

~Proverbs 22:6

My best buds, Chalan and Melissa, and our little buddy Evan John Thibodeaux, had a big day today. Today Evan had his baby dedication at church. And man, it was a big time. Bro. Mike blessed them and prayed over the family, and all their friends and family were there to see it.
Then we got to go to the Bordlee's and have a real good time. We all ate Mrs. Kathi's great food while Evan slept through the whole thing. Sha baby...

Here's the happy family... I think they love him. :)

Awwwwww.....

Festival International, Part Deux

2007-05-01T20:31:00.000-05:00

The last group that we heard was called Amazones: Women Drummers of Guinnea. They were very energetic and fun to watch them as they played their percussion instruments. They were very tight and they made you wanna move to their groove!

For me, besides jamming to the beat, I was all into learning about shooting close ups with a zoom lens. When you work with a telephoto lens (mine is a 300 zoom) you really need to work with a tripod or monopod in order to cut down on camera shake. At the festival, I didn't have the convenience of setting up a tripod, so I had to steady my camera on a fence, a stage corner, or just with my hands. Luckily, I got a few that weren't blurry! Go figure!

The whole time I was at the festival I kept thinking to myself, I wonder if we'll get to go to huge concerts like this in Heaven. Then it dawned on me, OF COURSE WE WILL!!! We'll hear sounds and see things that we can't even begin to imagine!!

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.

In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.

I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for

you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be

where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going."

~John 14:1-4

Festival International de Louisiane

2007-04-30T21:38:00.000-05:00

Festival International de Louisiane was held this weekend in downtown Lafayette. Festival International is one of my favorite events of the year to go to. I have been every year (that I have lived in Louisiana) since the festival began. I love it because it's so culturally diverse, family friendly, and the focus is on the music (and good food!). On Saturday, we saw The Imagination Movers, Son de Madera from Mexico, and the Chris Hare quartet. Saturday evening we saw Eddie Bo, Group Fantasma, and Beausoleil with Michael Doucet. Sunday we saw Frigg- a fiddle group from Finland, Solas from Ireland, and The Lovell Sisters, my personal favorite-
It was a great festival weekend and there were ample photo opps everywhere you turned. Naturally, I had to get some time behind the camera, so I am posting a few of my favorites from the weekend.

Drums for sale in the street market:A street performer:

I have another group of shots that I'll post tomorrow... check back later! To see all my shots from the festival (good, bad, and not so great), you can go to the following link: http://caryn.myphotoalbum.com/albums.php.

Day and Becky Haaland

2007-04-22T21:18:00.000-05:00

I was blessed and honored to do a wedding shoot with my sister Tammy this weekend for Becky Ardoin and Day Haaland. It was a lovely wedding, beautifully done by a judge who goes to East Bayou. They did this interesting salt ceremony at the end and the judge explained how important salt was in biblical times and it signified two families coming together under one covenant marriage.
They had this great barn on the side of the home where the wedding was being held, so we had to get some shots out by it.

The wedding was intimate and very well planned. They didn't leave out a single detail.

"...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,

whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—

if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things..."

~Phil. 4:8

Introducing...

2007-04-16T20:51:00.000-05:00

Maggie Claire King!

7 pounds, 4 ounces

Birthday: Saturday, April 14, 2007

I was so honored to do a photo shoot of baby Maggie at the hospital for Mika and Phillip. The proud parents were so elated with their little bundle of joy, and you can see by the pictures how in love they already are with Maggie.

I've never seen Mika look more beautiful than when she was kissing on her little love...

Gotta love those little baby toes!

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

before you were born I set you apart;

I appointed you a profit to the nations."

~Jeremiah 1:5

Butler Greenwood

2007-04-12T07:25:00.000-05:00

James and I decided to get away for a couple days, so we took a trip to St. Francisville and stayed at Butler Greenwood Bed and Breakfast. When we got there, well... to be honest, there is NOTHING to do. You can tour different antibellum homes if you like that, but that wasn't on my top ten list if you know what I mean. So we decided to drive to their 'historic district' where we had been told were many stores, cafes, and little cute nooks to hang out. There were a couple of stores, but that's it. So we went back to our bed and breakfast and I was determined to figure out a way to leave early. I had already teared up at the thought of leaving my baby for the first time, and so it was no problem for me to pack it all up and go home.

Then I realized why people like it here.

There's nothing to do ON PURPOSE. I am so used to go-go-going, that I didn't know how to slow down and just enjoy James' company alone. So I determined to enjoy the fact that we weren't doing anything.

This is our little cabin... the Dovecoat. It is a three story windmill that is nestled inside the trees. It had a nicely decorated bedroom and the cutest kitchen decorated in sunflowers. Very bright and happy!

It ended up being a really wonderful, romantic weekend! Who knew?!

The Covenant

2007-04-06T20:38:00.000-05:00

"I have set my rainbow in the clouds,

and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

~Genesis 9:13

Gaining skills...

2007-03-28T20:50:00.000-05:00

I've been blessed to do several photo shoots lately- a few with some teacher friends of mine and some of my neighbors. They are letting me gain some photographing skills on their kids and they get the bonus of a free photo shoot. Here are a few of the cutie pies.

These are the Shoemaker Twins... Jacob and Nicholas. 18 months old. I think Nicholas was the sweet one and had the bruise on his forehead. Jacob was the fussy one.

This is their big brother, John Michael, who would have prefered being at the monster truck show than at the park doing a photo shoot. But he's still cute.
Here's a shot of my friend Susan's little angel, Emily, who just came to town last weekend for a visit from Houston.

This is a candid of Miss Anden Grace. She's a cutie patootie.

Here is my friend Peezie's little baby, Isabelle. She turned one this month. And by far, my best subject. She just sat calmly for every picture! Such a sweetie!

"Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him."

~Psalm 127:3

Driven by Eternity

2007-03-19T19:39:00.000-05:00

I just got through reading a fabulous book about eternity. Actually, when I think about it, the book was more about how we should be living NOW while we are here on earth and how we should be making plans for how we are going to spend eternity. The book is called "Driven by Eternity" by John Bevere. It was a powerful book that gets to the point of what should be our focus until we see Jesus. He stresses how important the Word of God is, and how as Christians, we must be in the Word more.

"Remember, we already know what will be the standard at judgment, 'the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.' " (John 12:48)

It's a great book. John Bevere gets a lot of flack from differing sides of the Christian community. He gets a lot of grief from people who are members of or pastors of certain types of churches because he basically slams the entire idea and says that these churches are not growing folks that will gain eternity. He gets harsh criticism for that. If you can past his personal convictions about the church, I think that there is so much to gain from this book. In it, he uses a parable to teach us a lesson on what the judgment seat of Christ is going to be like. He doesn't gloss over it to make it sound nice AT ALL. He's harsh and states that if we don't get it together here, we could miss it. He doesn't believe in "once saved always saved" because so many people think they are riding that train and really they don't have a ticket or even clue ONE about what being a follower of Christ is really about. He believes in a true, radical conversion and then living out your life surrendered to the will of God. Then and only then does he believe you are able to be heavenbound. The thing I walked away with after reading it is how I long to be in Heaven and hear Him say "well done." It made me want to live a HOLY life, and it made me want to be in the Word so much more than I have been. To me, any book that can instill that is a keeper.

when the moon hits your eye...

2007-03-03T21:26:00.000-06:00

The first total lunar eclipse in three years happened tonight, and I was outside with the 300 zoom to try to capture it. Lunar eclipses occur when Earth passes between the sun and the moon, an uncommon event because the moon spends most of its time either above or below the plane of Earth’s orbit. Naturally, I was wishing that I had a telephoto lens right about now, but I'll have to settle for the 300 for now. By the time North America could see the eclipse, it had already happened. We caught the back end of it. Here is the eclipse from our part of the world.

What I found most interesting about tonight's total lunar eclipse (besides the fact that it was happening) is the fact that so few people knew about it. I was the only one out on my block with my camera stalking down the moon like I was a paparazzi. My neighbors waved at me from inside their house... surely they must think I'm a mental case walking around at night with my camera. But it made me think how God is working and moving and doing things in our midst that we don't even notice. He worked on this magnificent heavenly display and so few even saw it. We are too busy. We are busy toiling away like little ants. But HE is still there, in all His power and might, just waiting for us to see Him and seek Him. Makes me want to slow down and see what He's up to.

"How awesome is the LORD Most High,

the great King over all the earth!" ~ Psalm 47:2

photo shoot

2007-02-23T21:16:00.000-06:00

Recently, I was invited to go to Rip Van Winkle Gardens for a luncheon, and while I was there, I decided to take advantage of the gorgeous surroundings and do some shooting. As it turns out, I had a very willing subject who was a great sport and let me play with lighting and different settings, so we got a few good shots. First time working with someone who can talk! Usually I'm honing my craft on flowers or on my baby girl... so this shoot was extra fun.

Thanks, Cass...

Melissa's Baby Shower!

2007-02-10T11:31:00.000-06:00

We had a lovely baby shower for Melissa and Chalan a few weekends ago at Cindy's house. It was a really nice shower and she got a lot of nice things for Mr. Evan John Thibodeaux! Here are a few shots from the day.Getting a corsage with little blue and white booties on it from Karen. Melissa with her sister and mom. They can't wait for Evan to get here!!

Opening a few gifts...All the hostesses... Back row: Mona, Trisha, Tammy, Hannah, Lindy, Karen, Jean, and Deana. Middle row: Heather, Brandie, Melissa's sister Jessica, Julie, Linda, Mika, Caryn. Front: Cindy, Melissa, Melissa's mom, Kathi.

God's Superbowl Sunset

2007-02-06T06:14:00.000-06:00

This is what God was doing while the rest of us were inside watching Superbowl XLI.

Isn't it beautiful?!

These pictures were not edited at all. These are the real colors that the Lord used to paint the sky as the sun set on Sunday. I didn't saturate these photos or touch them up even the slightest.

Amazing, isn't it?!

"...with what you have left..."

2007-01-18T19:53:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine sent me this story about the famous violinist, Itzhak Perlman. Read on and enjoy the profound message in this story.

Itzhak Perlman, the violinist, gave a concert at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City. If you have ever been to a Perlman concert, you know that getting on stage is no small achievement for him. He was stricken with polio as a child, and so he has braces on both legs and walks with the aid of two crutches. To see him walk across the stage one step at a time, painfully and slowly, is an unforgettable sight. He walks painfully, yet majestically, until he reaches his chair. Then he sits down, slowly, puts his crutches on the floor, undoes the clasps on his legs, tucks one foot back and extends the other foot forward. Then he bends down and picks up the violin, puts it under his chin, nods to the conductor and proceeds to play. By now, the audience is used to this ritual. They sit quietly while he makes his way across the stage to his chair. They remain reverently silent while he undoes the clasps on his legs. They wait until he is ready to play. But this time, something went wrong. Just as he finished the first few bars, one of the strings on his violin broke. You could hear it snap -it went off like gunfire across the room. There was no mistaking what that sound meant. There was no mistaking what he had to do. People who were there that night figured he would have to get up, put on the clasps again, pick up the crutches and limp his way off stage - to either find another violin or else find another string for this one. But he didn't. Instead, he waited a moment, closed his eyes and then signaled the conductor to begin again. The orchestra began, and he played from where he had left off. And he played with such passion and such power and such purity as they had never heard before. Of course, anyone knows that it is impossible to play a symphonic work with just three strings. I know that, and you know that, but that night Itzhak Perlman refused to know that. You could see him modulating, changing, recomposing the piece in his head. At one point, it sounded like he was de-tuning the strings to get new sounds from them that they had never made before. When he finished, there was an awesome silence in the room. And then people rose and cheered. There was an extraordinary outburst of applause from every corner of the auditorium. We were all on our feet, screaming and cheering, doing everything we could to show how much we appreciated what he had done. He smiled, wiped the sweat from this brow, raised his bow to quiet us, and then he said, not boastfully, but in a quiet, pensive, reverent tone, "You know, sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left."

~ Jack Riemer, Houston Chronicle

The South ain't never seen THIS!

2007-01-11T19:09:00.000-06:00

These pics were taken at our friend Matt's house in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Santa Fe was hit real hard and got twice as much snow as Loretta did in Rio Rancho. Talk about a REAL winter wonderland.

Anyone wanna go shoot some hoops in THIS weather??!! Or how about taking the car out for a spin??!! It's buried!

Is it a grill or a polar bear? Brrrrrrrrrrr......

I am never complaining about being cold again!!

Great Quote

2007-01-07T18:57:00.000-06:00

A friend, Juanita, sent me an email tonight, and at the bottom of it, it had this quote. I've heard a few pastors say this before too, but I just loved it so I thought I'd put it up for you to ponder.

"Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car." ~Annonymous

Happy New Year

2006-12-30T07:20:00.000-06:00

This year, my hope is that 2007 brings you much happiness, peace, hope, and love.

I can't believe that another year has gone by already. 2006 was a wonderful year. Sharing in one of God's richest blessings- a newborn child, watching all the "firsts" in Hannah's life, and getting to see my family bond with her has been amazing. Our family has seen a lot of death, illness, and sadness in recent years. But 2006 had so much more joy in it because God blessed us with Hannah. It was time for our family to have some LIFE again! God has caused our family to have a season where we have been "showered with blessings" (Ezekiel 34:26). And I think it honors God to be in love with our family. He has given us all that we have, so to Him be all glory!

I feel so blessed because I have the Lord in my life, a husband who is wonderful to me and is an AMAZING "hands on" dad, a family that is truly sent from God, and good friends who are more like family than acquaintances. I praise God for these few close friends and for bringing our small family so much closer than in years past.

2007 will be a different year for the Bodin's. For one, I will not be a leader at a church for the first time in nearly four years. My title goes from 'vocal director' to simply 'wife' and 'mom.' This will take some adjustment, but praise God, He was in the midst of these changes and I know that He will lead me through with humility, dignity, and integrity. Sometimes when we are stripped of our earthly titles, God is more able to work in our hearts. That is our prayer for the new year. I am also looking for another teaching position, somewhere closer to the Broussard area. So by next fall, I might be teaching at a new school! That would be amazing. James is also currently looking for another job, even though he enjoys what he is currently doing. We are praying that God leads us BOTH to the right places this year. We are also trying for "Baby Bodin #2," so if God blesses us, this time next year we'll have another little one to shower with love.

Praying that you and yours have a wonderful 2007.

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you... I will put my spirit within you." ~Ezekiel 36:26-27

What a REAL Christmas looks like!

2006-12-21T06:09:00.000-06:00

My Aunt Loretta lives in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, a suburb of Albuquerque. And they got a white Christmas!!! Here are the awesome pictures that my aunt took of her home in the snow.

This is right in front of her house in Rio Rancho.

Whoa!!!! Real Christmas trees!!

Loretta having some fun in the winter wonderland. Wonder if she misses the 80 degree winters, fog, and bad hair days of Louisiana?!

Our friends Matt and David Martinez (Loretta's nephews) and their families all went up into the mountains to cut down their own tree. What MEN!! All we get to do is go down to the local tree farmer's parking lot and pick one out from the side of the road... We live in the wrong state!!

Matt, Cindy, and their family...

David, Robin, and their kids...

"Christmas time is here..."

One of those days...

2006-12-20T19:49:00.000-06:00

Ever had "one of those days..." ?

I had one today.
Today the fifth grade chorus class performed a christmas musical for the school. The chorus kids have been working on this music since late October. They memorized six songs, five pages of dialogue, auditioned for speaking roles, gave up recess to learn the stage blocking and choreography, they designed, built, and decorated the sets and staging for the entire play and they worked for nearly two months on building this show from the ground up. I even had one of the fifth graders choreograph an entire dance for a group of dancers. It was no small task, and the clincher is that they had no outside help. We had no parents help us with the sets, no teachers helped us with this show. They didn't have to help. The kids did everything. And I love it that way. It doesn't put anyone out, and it gives the kids an outlet for creativity and it gives them owneship in the show. It's a great process, and considering the obstacles we had to overcome to get this show ready (including getting run out of the cafeteria for teachers to prepare for a christmas party as well as a fire drill in the middle of dress rehearsal...), I was so proud of them for how good it turned out.
Well, we get this show rolling today for the K-2nd graders. And in the middle of the performance, a six year old says, "Oh no, not them again..." and he was referring to the chorus students who were getting back on stage to sing. My heart broke for these kids. And NATURALLY, the little loud mouth was loud enough for a bunch of people to hear. If you could have looked into the eyes of my fifth graders and seen the defeat on their faces, it would have killed you. It nearly ripped my heart out. Personally, I was ripped apart. I thought to myself, why in the WORLD did we work for TWO MONTHS of our lives to put this show on for an ungrateful audience? I had a few co-workers talking in the hall today about how they were upset that music was cancelled... it goes on and on. You just can't win.

I don't know why I felt compelled to share this on my blog. I just felt so broken-hearted for those kids who gave so much for over two months and who did such a great job. It reminded me how powerful words are... even when coming out of the mouth of a six year old.

"Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that's your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing. Whoever wants to embrace life and see the day fill up with good, Here's what you do: Say nothing evil or hurtful; Snub evil and cultivate good; run after peace for all you're worth. God looks on all this with approval, listening and responding well to what he's asked; But he turns his back on those who do evil things." 1 Peter 3:8 (message)

Then to top it all off, I think I'm coming down with something.... I think I'll go to bed and start over tomorrow. :)

looking to the future

2006-12-13T22:53:00.000-06:00

I made an announcement at the end of choir tonight. I told them that I would be stepping down as choir director at the end of the month. It has been an AWESOME three years and eight months working at East Bayou, and I can say with all honesty that I cherished working with every person in that ministry.

Right now, God is removing me from leading the choir so that I can be home to raise my family and be there for my husband. I know this is going to honor God in the long run, even though right now it's so painful and I get heartbroken over it all. But I praise Him for helping me through this process because it has NOT been easy. I’m going to be clinging to God for comfort and reassurance, as satan will most assuredly try to make me stumble and confuse me with his lies. Focusing on HIM and slowing down my schedule to find who I am in Christ and who my family is to me is going to bring blessings upon blessings.

Look what God showed me today, and I am claiming this for my life as I work to achieve this goal:

“Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure; she rejoices over the future (the latter day or time to come, knowing that she and her family are in readiness for it)!” ~Proverbs 31:25 (amp).

Whoa!! Thank you Lord!!! He always has a word for us if we just seek His counsel.

I'm not going to say that everything is "hunky dory" now and that life is swell and fine. It stings, it hurts, I get mad, I get sad, I feel lost, and I've cried about it. I've cried mad tears, I've cried tears of sadness, and I've cried in grief over what I'm losing by not working at EBBC anymore. But this is the truth. I can do ministry and sing and make songs to the Lord, and that pleases Him. But if my home life is a wreck and my husband is only getting the leftovers, then all the work that I've put into ministry is MEANINGLESS. It doesn't matter. So no matter what happened that led me to this point, the truth remains that I need to be a virtuous wife to my husband FIRST, and once I have balance and peace at home, God will give me the time, ability, and desire to lead in ministry again. Right now, I'm going to get my life in the proper order and start giving my family the time they need and deserve. It's a good place to be.

It's a big number

2006-12-10T06:50:00.000-06:00

35!!!

Since I was little, I didn't want to be 35.

I was okay with 20. With 25. Even with 30, 31, 32, 33, and 34!

But something about 35. It's like, half way to 70 you know... SHEEESH!!!

The good thing is that I've met all my benchmarks that I thought I needed to meet by the time I was this age.

Husband, check.

House, check.

Career, check.

Baby, check.

But I guess that's the point. I've met my personal benchmarks, so what's next? DEATH!!

Seriously, though... when I was in kindergarten, I remember VIVIDLY that I thought that I would die when I was 35. I guess I thought 35 was like 1,000 years old or something. I told my kindergarten class that it was my birthday this weekend, and they asked me how old I was going to be. One child said, "Are you gonna be 82?" That was comforting. In the next second, another one said, "Are you turning 7?" Of course, 7 is the age they all WISH they were, since most of them are only 5 or 6, so naturally 7 would be the goal. How precious. When I told them that I was 35, there was a collective GASP from every child. That's when my blood pressure began to rise and the gray hairs commenced to express themselves in my scalp, I'm just sure of it.

40 is the "next big one" for me. That used to scare me a LOT. That is until I started being friends with folks who make 40 look GOOD!!! My pals Cindy and Julie are making 40 look about 25. That rocks!! When I turn 40, I sure hope I look like them!!! Wait, I don't look that good now and I'm 35. Hmmmm...

My man

2006-12-08T06:05:00.000-06:00

I want to brag on my husband, because he would never tell anyone about this. But I think it's really great. James was recently awarded an Air Force Acheivement Medal for meritorious service. This is what the certificiate states:

"Staff Sergeant Bodin... distinguished himself by meritorious service while assigned to the 706th Fighter Squadron... Sergeant Bodin provided needed support to the disaster preparedness representative in organizing disaster equipment for daily use and and upcoming inspection resulting in significantly increased efficiency in the distribution and tracking of equipment. A customer-oriented team player, Sergeant Bodin used his organizational and leadership skills to ensure the success of the orderly room team. He demonstrated a high level of integrity and conveyed a favorable image of the organization while volunteering for off-base recruiting activities. During these activities, he used his Air National Guard vs. Reserve experience in testimonials which resulted in new enlistment contracts. His surpassed devotion to duty and vigorous pursuit of excellence were highly lauded by the Air Force recruiters...The distinct accomplishments of Sergeant Bodin reflect credit on himself and the United States Air Force." Awesome. Awesome. Awesome.

Heart full of thanks...

2006-11-22T17:02:00.000-06:00

I am thankful for...

... little socks in my dryer that I find after I've done the laundry...

...cheerios under my cushion of my chairs...

...tiny finger prints on the coffee table...

...toys, toys, everywhere...

...family that comes by the house and makes our lives busy and full and meaningful...

...friends that love me...

...everything.

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, (whoooo hooooo!!!!)
let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe..."
~Hebrews 12:28

...inadequate...

2006-11-20T20:08:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I feel inadequate. I'm sure I'm not unique in my feelings, as every mom goes through times like this. Luckily, with Christ, these thoughts don't consume me. I'm more BOTHERED by them. Little things will just bug me and I think to myself, BIG DUMMY... and then I'll insert whatever I did or didn't do. For example...
Why didn't I remember to....
....put wipes in the diaper bag...
....put a sippy cup in the car before we left to go shopping...
... buy her a winter coat...

Or sometimes someone will say something, and I'm like, Oh... yeah, we do that... and I am like OH GREAT!!! I am not doing that yet!!! And I'll freak out about it and go rush home to start whatever I think is missing from her life. (side note...if you know Hannah, she is not lacking anything in her life). I just feel like a putz when I don't pack an extra bottle or when I forget to put food in her diaper bag.

I have about twenty baby books, and I subscribe to TWO baby magazines, and I get several online emails weekly about my baby's development. I know what milestones she should be reaching by eleven months (and every month prior). I can tell you what month each tooth should come in, and I can give you an ear full about Hand/Foot/Mouth disease, baby flu, ER visits, hospitalizations, and cellulitis. But I don't even know what to feed her. What's that about.

I digress. The real point of this entry is to say this: "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered."~ Psalm 32:1 Thank goodness we serve a God that forgives us for our sins. With that assurance, I know no matter what I do (or forget to do) with Hannah, she will love me just the same. Just like our God loves us just the same. With or without wipes.

Saddleback Article

2006-11-18T19:05:00.000-06:00

This is a posting on a email from Saddleback Church's Purpose Driven Life campaign. I get emails from them each week, and a few are worth reading over and over. Read on and give me some feedback on what your thoughts are about this article.

Planet earth: Late but still great
by John Fischer

The Lord is coming back. Christ’s return is imminent. Every generation believes theirs will be the one to see it. I certainly did, having been a young adult during the Jesus movement in the early 1970s. We were sure the return of Christ was right around the corner. We wrote songs about it. Hal Lindsay wrote a book about it – Late Great Planet Earth. Larry Norman wrote a song to leave behind after we were gone – “I Wish We’d All Been Ready.”

And here we are, 30 years later, aging Jesus people, going to work and trying to provide a future for our children and grandchildren. Believe me, the Lord has heard from me a few times about this. There was something very glamorous about being part of a revival that would usher in the last days and the return of Christ, especially when you were 24 years old and single with nothing more than a backpack and a guitar. Besides, we were part of a generation that prided itself in being anti-establishment, anti-mortgage, anti-credit card, anti-insurance. We were going to just be one big love-in, living off the land and taking care of each other until Christ returned, which wasn’t supposed to be more than two or three years, max.

I reflect back on those years sometimes and see how selfish we were. Had we gotten our wish, many of you who are reading this right now would not have existed. You wouldn’t have even gotten to be the proverbial gleam in your parent’s eye, since they never would have met. I think in some ways, every generation wants to be the last, especially when we face the dark side of our existence and long for heaven where there will be no more pain or sorrow.

But it’s not about us. It’s about all those who haven’t joined the fold – haven’t yet come into the family. “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent.” (2 Peter 3:9 NLT)

Shame on us for thinking only of ourselves. We’re so quick to scramble on the ark and then close the door and let the rains come. God is more concerned about those who might be left behind than we are, or else he would have returned years ago. We can get so wrapped up in this. We can spend an inordinate amount of time poring over Scripture trying to figure out exactly when this will happen, and then get into arguments with each other over exactly how we think it will happen, when the only reason it hasn’t happened yet is standing outside our door, waiting to be loved.

John Fischer resides in Southern California with his wife, Marti and son, Chandler. They also have two adult children, Christopher and Anne. John is a published author and popular speaker.

Shoulda stayed in bed...

2006-11-13T19:45:00.000-06:00

I'm thinking I should have stayed in bed this morning.

1. My sister calls at 7:30 this morning and tells me that she was in a car accident on her way to work. It happened on Verot School Road near Heleaux's Grocery Store. Someone with a big truck hit her from behind and she flew into the car in front of her. Luckily, she wasn't injured. But her Mitsubishi Eclipse was.

2. My baby girl has to have an MRI on her ankle. No big deal... MRIs are simple tests, right? Wrong. Since she's little, she can't be still for the MRI, so they have to put her to sleep. Mama is freakin out right now.

3. My aunt called and said that at noon they had to put her beloved doggie Noah down. He had been sick for a few weeks, but other than that, he's been perfectly healthy, so this is coming out of nowhere. She is very sad over the loss. And this is only noon...

4. 3:30... I leave school and go by the bank to cash a check. While I'm there, some guy in the next lane waves at me and says, "You're engine is smoking." I'm like OKAY someone shoot me. What is the deal with today??!!! So I had to go to Hampton Mitsubishi (side note- I would NEVER buy from Mark Hampton again, but that's another story...) to let them service the car. Turns out that it was some hoses that had cracked and were leaking cooling fluid all over the engine. $130+ for parts...

So I decided I better get home before the sky falls. I stopped off at Wal-Mart to get Hannah some more bananas and rice cereal (yes, she still has rotavirus...) and as I was walking to the checkout area, there was an elderly lady walking past me with a shirt on that caught my eye. It said "Get Over It." I took this as a word from God and decided I need to get over it and not fret. Things could be so much worse.

Then when I got into my car, the song "God of All" came on. Look at the lyrics:

God of all... we come to praise You
We lift Your name on high in all the earth
God of all we come to praise You
We lift Your name on high in all the earth

God of glory
God of majesty
God of mercy
We lift Your name on high
God of all

God of holiness
God of righteousness
God of heaven
We lift Your name on high
God of all

God is the God of ALL. Of EVERYTHING. Even the God of all the turmoil and frustration that my family is going through. I praised Him for that gentle reminder.

"Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might." ~ Ephesians 6:10

God keeps giving me this scripture. I guess I haven't gotten it yet that He really does have the power to get us through everything. He is the God of all, after all...

The Bait of Satan

2006-11-11T14:42:00.000-06:00

If you are a Christ follower, a believer in Jesus, and you work at a church or are heavily involved in one or more ministries, I encourage you to read the book "The Bait of Satan" by John Bevere. It is the BEST book I have read yet on how satan aka the PUNK will use just about ANYTHING to rip apart a church. This book is about how we, as a christian group, are an offended people. We are offended when the pastor talks about tithing. We are offended when someone else gets asked to do something or go somewhere that we weren't invited to. We are offended when someone looks at us a certain way or when someone says something that might hit too close to home.

Satan will use all of these offended feelings to make us resentful, proud, and haughty. Next thing you know, we're either talking negatively about the ministry we are in, or we leave our ministries completely. I have been in this very situation, and I shudder to think what the punk could have acheived if I had let him. But thank God, the veil was lifted from my eyes after reading this book. Now I can see where satan would use simple things to get me to feel offended. One time, I wasn't invited to something that would have meant a lot to me. So I got offended. And then satan backed away and let me run with my negative feelings, and we won't even go into how much sewage poured from my mouth about it all. What I didn't know is that I wasn't asked because school had just started and my church leaders knew I couldn't get out of school. And they didn't ask me for a second reason- HANNAH. They knew I wouldn't leave my little baby girl. Instead of realizing this from the start, I clung to my anger and allowed it to seap into my ministry and it affected everyone I work with.

Looking back now at the last four years that I've been in ministry, I see just how much satan had a grip on me through the use of the emotion of offense. I'm so glad I read this book. Now when I do things at church, I am working on seeing the good in al people so that I do not allow satan to get a foothold.

"Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might." ~ Ephesians 6:10

Thank God I don't have to depend on my own power!

Struggling

2006-11-02T21:41:00.000-06:00

I struggle. It may just be me who does this, but it is really frustrating how much I struggle with things. I stuggle with keeping a consistent quiet time alone with God. I struggle with my weight. I struggle with my temper when the traffic is backed up. I struggle with my thought life. The list goes on and on. And it dawns on me... I've been a Christian for over 14 years now. Shouldn't I be "getting it" by now?

Perhaps that's the point.

Ephesians 6:12 ~ For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

No matter how long we've known God, no matter how mature you are in your faith, you will still have struggles. God didn't come down in the form of a man and tell everyone, "believe in me, and I'll make it easy on you." I just have to keep reminding myself of that. At this stage of the game, I expect that I would act a certain way, think a certain way, etc. Frustrating.

Romans 15:30 ~ I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.

I'd appreciate that!

Anyone? Anyone???

2006-10-31T21:41:00.000-06:00

I just wonder...

Is anyone even reading this blog? Typically, I get no comments, and it makes me wonder if I am spending all this time on the computer doing this blog with no audience. Hummmmm... that would be BAD!

If you're out there and are reading, SEND ME A COMMENT!
Click on the little word that says "comment" below this blog and let me know you're there.

Thanks for reading if you're out there!

on the outside

2006-10-28T22:23:00.000-05:00

There's something strange that happens to you when you're in a hospital locked up for several days. It's this strange sensation when you get 'out.'like being let out of prison. At first, I didn't know what to do. I was like, "Oh yeah. This is what my life was all about." I don't recommend hospitalization if you can avoid it, but the flip side of it is that this hospital stay made me completely STOP my life for several days and just BE. Be alone with my baby. Be alone with my thoughts. Be alone, shut away from traffic, from radio, from noise, from my hectic life, schedule, and my 'to do' list. And just BE alone with the three things most important in my life. God, James, and Hannah.

It was therapeutic.
It was revolutionary in my future approach to life.

Here's the deal. Being AWAY from things made me see how insignificant most things are. It made me see that I can live without a LOT of things that are in my life. Mostly by default, but some of these things make my life more stressful. Street signs blaring advertisements, resteraunt logos enticing you to their establishment. Cars going going going. Hussle and bustle and worry and care that are mostly man made and self-inflicted. Going to the hospital and being trapped there for several days made me acutely aware of how much time I waste on things that don't matter. It also made me see that so much will continue to go on, whether I am here or not.

One thing I know is this. The point to life is not to fill our time with things to DO. Going here and there and rushing around doing our life is not the point. That's the punk's innocent distractions.

This week, I learned to cling to the Lord. I had to. I was worried about Hannah and felt completely helpless because there was nothing I could do. The one thing I could do was to pray and cry out to God like David did.

Psalm 63
A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.

1 O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.

3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.

4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.

5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.

7 Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.

8 My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

9 They who seek my life will be destroyed;
they will go down to the depths of the earth.

10 They will be given over to the sword
and become food for jackals.

11 But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by God's name will praise him,
while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

Now that I'm back on the outside, I want to make my life more simple. Less confusion. Less busy-ness. There's more to it than just that. Everything else is filler.

See the Morning, part three

2006-10-11T06:27:00.000-05:00

Each day I have to cross the train tracks to get to work. Regularly, I see trains of all shapes, types, colors, and sizes. I used to like trains. They interest me. Where are they going? What are they carrying? Why do they go so slowly when I'm in a rush?!

Now that I have lived in an area where I have to cross train tracks (and typically get stopped by at least four trains a week), I'm much less interested in them. I'm more bothered by them. They slow me down and make me late. But this one peaked my interest. I guess it did because I wasn't in any kind of mad dash to get to work. The colors, the contrast between them and the sky, and even the graffiti interested me.
I'm learning that there's even beauty in the things that slow me down and make me late.

See the Morning, part two

2006-10-10T20:42:00.000-05:00

More pictures from Saturday as I pursued the morning and all the beauty that it holds. The funny thing about driving to work on a weekend is how much less stressful it is. Too bad I can't figure out how to channel that peace that's only found on an early Saturday or Sunday morning and bottle it to use during the week.

There's something I find peaceful about an old building, such as an old barn. There's history behind those walls, and it peaks my interest as to who has worked there and for how many generations it has stood. The sad thing is that usually, I don't have enough time to enjoy the scenery because I'm too busy looking at the traffic in front of me to notice how peaceful my morning drive really is.

See the Morning

2006-10-09T22:27:00.000-05:00

I recently purchased the new Chris Tomlin project called "See the Morning." Inspired by the title, I got up early Saturday morning, bundled up the baby, and headed out with the Canon to find the morning. I decided that I'd like to show you what my drive to work looks like.

Sunrise, seen at the end of my street as I head to work each morning.

After starting my photography hobby, I have come to the realization that we can all find the beauty in the mundane. A simple drive to work, for instance. You might only see stop signs, traffic lights, and cars. But if you look through the lens of a camera- figuratively speaking- all of a sudden, there is beauty surrounding you. Case in point, my drive from Broussard to Ridge each morning. Below is what I see each morning:

The sugarcane field near my subdivision.

More to come... check back in a day or two. And ride with me to work as we seek to find the beauty in the morning.

overflow.

2006-10-05T06:39:00.000-05:00

overflow:

o·ver·flow: to flow or run over the top, brim, or banks; To be filled beyond capacity; To have a boundless supply; be superabundant.
To spread or cover over; flood; To cause to fill beyond capacity.
The act of overflowing. Something that flows over; an excess.
(American Heritage Dictionary)

Christ's idea of overflowing:

"May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you." 1 Thessalonians 3:12

This verse is our choir's key verse for this season. The goal of this is to show the audience that we have such love for the Father and for each other that it literally spills over into the congregation, drawing them closer to the Lord in the process. We know that time spent in the word produces a harvest in our own lives. But I'm learning that time spent with other Christians within a ministry where you serve together can produce friendships that go beyond the casual and into the significance of the eternal. My heart's desire is that this year, our bonds within our ministry at East Bayou will be so evident that the unchurched can sense this passion we have for the Lord, and then desire it for themselves. If we accomplish this, I feel that God will be honored by all we do. Afterall, our church's mission is to reach the lost for Christ and to build them up into believers. Our ministry falls under that mission, and with overflowing love for each other and for the Lord, we will reach many for His kingdom. Whoa... to think that something as simple as that can have lasting effects on others.... awesome.