Her Hillbilly Highness

Kamdyn and Kylie are having a sleepover tonight and they are both so loud and excited! Here it is only 8ish and they are in their pj's and ready for bed. Of course, they are going to sleep in Kylie's Groovy Girls' tent so that makes it even sweeter!


Riley wants in that tent but the girls are standing their ground. I know what he's going to do tomorrow when Kylie is taking a nap from staying up all night. Alan is out of town, we had pizza, and I have to get back to the Ashram. Don't ask!

Here is Riley's first school picture. He only has three more days left :(

Well, Sunshine School is officially over for myself and for little Kylie. I spent two wonderful years teaching the 4's there and I am really going to miss the kids, the other teachers, and just being up at the church where I knew we were safe and that my kids were so loved while they were learning.

Kylie spent four wonderful years at Sunshine School and though she may have cried the first couple of years, she still has fond memories of Mrs. Holly, another Mrs. Holly, and Mrs. French for two straight years in a row. Every teacher that she had was hand picked by God to help her in some way of growing and learning. I believe that Mrs. Holly was very patient and loving with her that first year. I believe that the other Mrs. Holly really worked hard to try to teach her basic skills. And I absolutely believe that my wonderful friend, Mrs. French was put there to be stern, yet loving to my timid little girl. She taught her to stand up for herself and to believe that she could do anything that everyone else in her class could do. She also taught her to read and foster her strength in writing and artistry. Kylie just loved her because Mrs. French did science experiments and math with them. How many times I had to hear about the cool experiments!!

Alan and I are more ready to send our little angel to Kindergarten in the fall because of the training that she received at our beloved Sunshine School! Thank you to all these wonderful teachers and the directors that helped make us feel so special. Thank you to my sweet friend, Amy for suggesting that Kylie go and for taking her and bringing her home while I had a newborn the first year. Thank you to Kristen for welcoming me as a teacher. That was one of the hardest things to do when I came up to you at Ladies Retreat and informed you that I had a teaching degree! Also, thank you to my friends, Erica and Stephanie for pushing me to pursue this wonderful opportunity.

I cried when I packed up my room on Friday. I was sad to leave but I was more sad when my friend, Tracey left first. She was my guide throughout these two years and I couldn't have done as great a job if she was not there to push me creatively and professionally. I feel that we became so close and I wouldn't trade that realationship for anything in the world! I also believe that God hand-picked her to be in MY life as well!

Click on the title. This video is very touching. Have the kleenex ready!

I haven't posted about the Virginia Tech tragedy even though I had so much to say about it. This article pretty much sums up how I feel.


Guess our national leaders didn't expect this, hmm? On Thursday, Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton , Colorado , was invited to address the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee. What he said to our national leaders during this special session of Congress was painfully truthful.

They were not prepared for what he was to say, nor was it received well. It needs to be heard by every parent, every teacher, every politician, every sociologist, every psychologist and every so-called expert! These courageous words spoken by Darrell Scott are powerful, penetrating, and deeply personal. There is no doubt that God sent this man as a voice crying in the wilderness. The following is a portion of the transcript:

"Since the dawn of creation there has been both good & evil in the hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain. Their blood cries out for answers.

"The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used.. neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain's heart. "In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend the NRA - because I don't believe that they are responsible for my daughter's death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel's murder I would be their strongest opponent.

I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy -- it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best. This was written way before I knew I would be speaking here today y:


Your laws ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You've stripped away our heritage,
You've outlawed simple prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question "Why?"
You regulate restrictive laws,
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!



"Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc. Spiritual presences were present within our educational
systems for most of our nation's history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence and when something as terrible as Columbine's tragedy occurs -- politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties. We do not need more restrictive laws. Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. T he real villain lies within our own hearts.

"As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his two friends murdered before his very eyes, he did not hesitate to pray in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I challenge every young person in America and around the world, to realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to communicate with Him. To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA -- I give to you a sincere challenge. Dare to examine your
own heart before casting the first stone!

My daughter's death will not be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to happen!"

So I haven't posted in a while and a lot has happened. But, today I am going to talk about my tooth. I have a tooth that had a root canal when I was pregnant with Kylie. Our dental insurance made me go to a dental group which shall remain nameless. Anyways, five years later I find out that they didn't do a good job on this tooth and there is lots of bacteria building up under the cap and maybe inside the tooth. My first infection happened this New Year's Eve. I could NOT get any relief from medicine and I was up all night with pain. Antibiotics are the only thing that helps but it takes up to 48 hours to get into my system. I have had one infection each month since.

My options were to keep getting root canals over the years or get the tooth totally taken out and replaced with an implant. We went for the second option and yesterday I got my tooth yanked by an oral dentist. I remember sitting in the chair and the next thing I know, Alan is waking me up in a bed in the office. How I got there, I have no idea. I sort of remember the ride home and I really remember Alan taking care of me and laughing at me for me saying, "main pedication". My mom took care of the kids for us and they of course had a blast. My parents met Alan in the storm last night to give the kids back, too. Kinda scary!

Today, I woke up in some pain since I didn't medicate in the middle of the night. Thankfully I don't have my kids and I can rest all day in bed. I am a little swollen and don't feel like cleaning out any closets or spring cleaning like I usually do when I'm on pain medication. I remember in junior high pretending to be sick and my mom let me stay home from school. We had a wall full of mirrors in our dining room and I sang and danced to Madonna all day. It was great!

I watched my favorite movie in all the world yesterday, Return To Me. I love that movie for so many reasons. I especially love the part where Carroll O Connor tells Minnie Driver, "It's the character that's the strongest that God gives the most challenges to, you can take that as a compliment". I don't know if it's true, but I like believing it. I always seem to cry in that movie, too. That's my therapy.

So, now my medicine is kicking in and I am getting woozy. Peace out!