The Brant Bunch

Lakita Garth was the first speaker I heard at my conference, she is an teen abstinance speaker. She is an advisor to a lot of people including the president. She was an incredable speaker, and it was very eye opening.

-Today 42,000 people will contract a sexually transmitted disease (STD)
-2/3 of them will be under the age of 25.
-About 50% of the entire sexually active single adult population has at least one STD
-STD's accounted for 87% of all cases among the top ten most frequently reported infections in the U.S. during 1997
-About 750,000 unmarried teens will become pregnant
-It is estimated that 20% of all Americans over the age of 11 are infected with genital herpes
-Almost 4,000 abortions will be performed today

Oh my goodness! Let's just say I changed my opinion about the new Texas HPV vacine! More people die of cervical cancer cause by HPV than AIDS. Lakita Garth has written a book called The Naked Truth. I am going to read it. If you have children getting into the Tween years I would check it out.

My trip turned out to be a little more eventful than I would have liked. I took me 34 hours to get to San Diego, 21 of those hours I was either on a plane or in the airport! It was a really long two days.

Once I got up and got to the Airport (promptly at 5:20 a.m.) I found out that all the morning flights to San Diego were cancelled. So my 6:30 ticket was no good. She re-booked me on a 2:00 flight, so there was no way I was making that 1:00 workshop. The girl at the ticket booth said if a new flight made I could try and get on stand-by and get out earlier. So, I spent much of the morning waiting in line and checking to schedule to see if a new flight had formed. Since I had arrived so early to the airport to make my "canceled" flight, I got on the standby list pretty close to the top. I knew it would separate me from my bag, but I still was concerned that the flight I was booked on could get delayed or cancelled. Flights all around me did not seemed to be doing well. Once flight was cancelled because it's windshield on the plane shattered, if you were trying to get to Las Vegas there were 172 people stand-by list, most people didn't have any kind of ticket that guaranteed them a fight before several days, if they had one at all. By the time I got onto the 11:30 stand-by fight I had been issued 4 different tickets to San Diego. Once I got to San Diego I had to wait for my bag....the problem with that is that they LOST the bag. So, I headed onto the hotel with no clothes, make-up, or cell phone charger. Once I got to the hotel THEY GAVE MY ROOM AWAY!

However, I did get there just in time to go the the general session to hear Lakita Garth, the Gateway worship team, and Dennis Lee. Let me just tell you it and the next day was worth it. I'll share about what I learned in the next couple of posts.

I know you guy are imagining me enjoying the California sun. However, just envision a Texas dirt and wind storm. I made it to Dallas..... I started my trip with no hint of a problem. The flight from Abilene to Dallas was mostly empty with plenty of room to stretch out. Let's just say that was the last pleasant moment. Before we left Abilene the DFW stopped taking planes. We taxied back to the gate and waited and hour. We then made a VERY rough flight to Dallas. When we landed and my next flight was already boarding in a terminal far, far away. I made it to the plane and got on with just a few minutes to spare. We taxied out and waited for THREE AND HALF HOURS. All flights in and out of Dallas had been cancelled for the rest of the day. After another hour of waiting in line I have a ticket for a flight in the morning that leaves at 6:30 arriving in San Diego and 12:00 with a nice little stop in MISSOURI. I can't complain many of the other people didn't get a new flight and all, and many more had there luggage lost. My wonderful sister-in-law picked me up and are putting me up for the night. My sweet brother is getting me back to the airport at a very early 5:30.

This weekend Arthur's on his own. Once a year I go to a conference for work. I'll leave in the morning and not come back until Tuesday. So, those of you that go to church with me just ignore the kids hair on Sunday. The conference I go to is the Children's Pastor's Conference. It's a great conference Max Lucado and Phil Vischer are speaking this year and I am really looking forward to it. I'm in charge of the Nursery and I always come back with so many wonderful new ideas and a re-newed spirit.

On another note my 81 year old grandmother is in the hospital in Amarillo. She had a procedure today, and she had some trouble with it. Procedure cause some internal bleeding. They "think" she's okay now, but a few prayers on her behalf would still be appreciated.

What's your rap star name? Mine is Kandle the Funkstress! Arthur's was Boss E. I told him that just means he's Bossy. Go Here to get yours.

Today one of my good friends at work told me how old she was. I was so surprised when she told me she was 10 years older than me. (love you girl) I wasn't surprised because I think her age is really OLD or anything, but because I had several friends this age a few years ago......

Several years ago I had some friends they I met with once in a while for our kids to play. I really enjoyed these ladies, but it was very clear to me that I would never be part of "the group," and it was because I was "young" (by about ten year) I have always had friends of all ages and just never really understood this. If I like to be around someone, then I like to be around them. Who care how old they are? No matter how had I tried I could never really over come this age thing with this group. So I was surprise not by how old she is, but by how inviting she has been to me regardless my age.

So, my question to you is: Are you and age snob?

Well the girls woke up to breakfast in bed, which they thought was the best thing ever. Then they went to school where they ate candy all day and had parties, where even more sugar was consumed. Tonight we had a special birthday dinner for my mother-in-law. She has a valentine birthday. We had Chinese, and Racheal Ray cup cakes. The kids had fun trying to eat with chop sticks and reading their fortunes out of their fortune cookies. We also had a sugar free cheesecake for Papa. It's really was pretty good. If you need the recipe check-out the splenda web site.

So, today I was getting ready to clean-up my house.....(yes the Dittos throw-up is still here) My plan was just to make a path. Anyway I'm putting my ipod on and the cat thinks she NEEDS the cords hanging down from it. I threw her the Kermit doll she loves to play with and ignored her NEED for my ipod. However, she was not to be deterred. I feel this sharp pain in my tummy and the cat IS HOLDING ON TO ME WITH ONLY HER CLAWS!!!!!!! Can I just say that hurt!

Several of you have asked how my weight loss competion is going. This week I lost one whole pound. A little disapointing. My weakness really got me this week. Dr. Pepper. I did have two last week, and that seemed to be ok, however this week I wasn't quit as strong. I also had a bunch of other junk because I ran out of healthy stuff. I'll have to plan better next week. The good news is I not ready to throw in the towel yet, so that's a good sign.

Well almost everyone we know has had some kind of bug in there hows. I know people with the tummy bug, strep throat, and mono. Last night it came to our house. Ally threw up last night. It hit Arthur this morning, so lets hope it stops traveling thew the family.

We have had a couple on nights that were a little tough at our house, but everyone is back in their own beds. The girls seemed to be doing good after a couple of days of worrying. Samantha slept with me one night and lights on for a couple of nights. I think she is young enough that she doesn't dwell this little girl death. Ally keeps things to herself more, so it's harder to tell how she really is. She prays for this little girl each day when she pray, so I know it's still on her mind. While the kids seemed to be getting back to normal Dittos has thrown up all over my house.

Just a few short days after celebrating Samantha's life another young child lost hers here in Abilene. A four year old little girl was stabbed to death by her brother in her home just last night. This afternoon I had to sit down with Samantha and tell her that her school friend had died. At a larger school I might have been able to shield Samantha from this by just avoiding the news, but the girls school is small. This little girl was a year younger than Samantha in school, but the kindergarten and pre-k are paired up for different activities. She also often played with this little girl at the gym I worked out at after school.

The world should be a place where you don't have to tell your six year old that her friend has been murdered. The tears flowed for a while at our house, and I'd imagine the school's teachers need you prayers tomorrow. This young girls class was small, just about 12 kids, her absence will be a gaping hole I'm sure. I just can't imagine trying to make it through a day of pre-k kids with questions, when all I wanted to do was cry.

Please pray for these teachers, children, and the family this involves.

I am one week into my weight loss competition. I lost 2 pounds. I did pretty good this week, not super great but not too bad. There are definitely some things I can improve.
This week my goals are to:
Eat a more healthy dinner.
Take my vitamens (more than twice)
Drink more water.
Go to bed on time, so that I can get more sleep.

HARRY POTTER- JULY 31, 2007

Will you be the bookstore and midnight?