All You'll Ever Be is a Bully

As you may or may not know, the Shorties love some tunes.  Shinedown has an awesome new song, Bully.  I can't watch the video [for personal reasons] but according to the hubs, it is pretty powerful.  The following words have been in my mind since I listened to it this afternoon:

All you'll ever be is a faded memory of a bully

Make another joke while they hang another rope, so lonely

I've never understood why anyone would be a bully.  I know adults that are bullies [and I won't name any names but I know one right now, that I see every day, and I really don't get it at all with this person].  I guess going through what we've been through with Cooper just makes it so much more personal for me.  I am sad that some kids think they have no where to turn and that split decision changes lives forever.  Thankfully, by God's grace, our situation turned out differently. I can't help but feel burdened when I see grieving parents on TV or read about kids that are charged after bullying another child who dies at their own hands.  I can't stand confrontation [just don't tell Short :)] and I feel so bad when I see kids getting their feelings hurt.  What is so very scary [soapbox moment] is that now kids can "hide" behind Twitter and Facebook and text messages.  Stupid. Absolutely stupid.  If I were a college recruiter or I worked in human resources I would absolutely look at Tweets ~ I cannot believe what some people post for the whole world to see.  [Uh oh! Gabe's gonna be upset because I said the "s" word - twice.] Get involved in your kid's lives!

[Soapbox placed neatly back until next time.]  I have had a Pinterest filled weekend.  Saturday  I made lemon monkey bread for Cooper's Sunday school class. However, when Short and Moo made it home from the softball tourney he decided that the class could survive on the breakfast casserole...and he proceeded to make good on a promise to gorge himself with my new recipe.  The monkey bread was gone by the next morning.  Tonight I made jello cookies.  Though messy and time consuming, they were well worth the wait.  I will make those again - soon.  Finally, I made lemon brownies [the lack of diet Sundrop has created a citrus craving within me....lemon monkey bread, lemon brownies, Pink lemonade flavor in my water....] and they are awesome.  I've also managed to squeeze in time to fix milkshakes for the family and a Sundrop poundcake for one of Molly's classes.  Thanks to Pinterest [and a late cup of joe] I pinned enough projects to keep me busy for years. Yeah to crafts, DIY, and good food. 

So tomorrow will be one entire week that I haven't purchased a diet Sundrop.  I had one pretty bad headache but so far, so good. [I almost feel like the Sundrop machine taunts me in the workroom at school....like it follows me.....lurking.]  I can tell a slight difference in how I feel so I will keep it up.  I have discoverd some awesome new walking partners and it makes the exercise that much better:) Once school gets out, Molly and I are going to join a local gym.  I  have made it my goal to be fit enough to compete in some road races by September.  I want to do the triathlon again but I have to find the time to devote to swimming [and I LOATHE swimming] and try to get a nice bike.  Running shoes are much cheaper....

I look around and I see all that God has blessed me with and I am in awe.  As always, life as a Short is just really good :)

De-Caffienating Missy

I am F.A.T.  Not just that oh-my-she-has-gained-a-few-pounds kind of fat but rather that oh-my-gosh-look-at-her-she-looks-bad kind of fat.  [Self esteem not included.]  I didn't go to my 20th high school reunion because I didn't want people to see me. [High school was hard enough without having to live up to the hype 20 years later.] Self confidence seems to be hard to find these days [honestly and truthfully, very hard to find] and I need it back. I need to feel good about myself. 

One of my biggest fears [besides elevators full of people and roaches] is that people will see me with Molly and think, "Well we know she's (pointing to Molly) gonna grow up and look like her (pointing to me)."  Molly is so athletic and healthy and I certainly pray that she stays that way forever.  She is gorgeous and naturally pretty [glad I'm not a bit biased] and she takes care of herself.  I need to follow her example.  I need to be healthy.  I need to do that for her. I need to do that for me.

I decided today, the 21st of May, was as good a day as any to start.  My first order of business is to cut the cord with diet Sundrop [I know. I am thinking the same thing: What in the world will the employees of Sundrop do now that I'm going to be actually drinking water?  It's going to be bad but necessary.] I mean really, there are no merits to drinking the stuff.  None. Not one. I just like it but I don't need it. That's it. End of discussion. 

So today is day one.  [I did take four Advil for that massive caffeine headache around 7pm but other than that the world did not implode.] And soon, it will be day two and it will start over again.  It's funny too because as the day went on, I didn't really want one...it was just habit to get one first thing in the morning.

As for the rest of my quest to get healthy, I begin walking tomorrow.  I have a walking partner and a great place to walk.  My plan is to work my way back up to running.  I was in the best shape of my life about 4 years ago, when I was running 10 -15 miles a week. [I know some of you are eye rolling at my mere 10 - 15 miles a week but considering the crazy life I lead with this litter of kids, my favorite coach and all his sports, working, being super house wife, and all the little things in between it worked for me.]  I've done two triathlons, walked that huge bridge, and I've run in a number of smaller 5Ks....I can do this.

Enough about me [as if that is possible:)] though. The Shorties are super busy trying to end yet another school year.  I am looking at having a junior in high school - we are already talking about college! And I've got one starting school this year....what was I thinking?!!!  Gabe sure is excited to see his long and infamous nursery career come to an end.  [And I will admit that Short and I have done, more than once, the We-Just-Wrote-The-Last-Check-For-Nursery-After-Paying-For-THIRTEEN-Years Dance.] Cooper is glad to be out of school so that he can spend more time mastering disk golf.  Emma is glad that she can sleep a little later - every princess needs her beauty sleep :)  And yes, Short and I are ready for a break.  [Of course, then they will all be home together...and they will fight....and eat a lot of junk...come quickly August.]  We are super excited about our DC trip [ and Gabe will finally get to see the Abraham Lincolnton Memorial up close] and we have lots of other things planned.  Yeah summer!!!

As always, life as a Short [caffiene free and all]  is really awesome!

Simple Request

I have a friend who needs your prayers.  Please take a moment, right now, wherever you are, to stop and pray for him. 

Thanks a bazillion!

Missy :)

The Royals (Say it With a British Accent)

Raise your hand if you care about Kate Middleton [she is married and it is time for her to stop the women's lib thing and take the last name of her husband] and William Duke of Cambridge [so why are we calling him Prince if he is a Duke?  Is that like Duke's mayonnaise or like Duke in Durham?  Did you know his last name is Louis?  Me neither - had to Google it] and if you truly care about the last time she farted, what kind of underwear is covering his fanny, and if the spot of tea was excellent?  [Somebody out there is A. Actually raising your hand  B. Offended that I used the word "fart", and C. Offended that I am discussing the royal couple in my redneck blog.]  Are you truly aware of how much that wedding cost?  $35 million dollars.  That is a 3 and a 5 with six zeroes....$35,000,000!!  I know I'm like a year late on this one but I am just now jumping on the royals bandwagon [or rather jumping up and down and rocking it]. 

I love the Today Show. [No, I'm not one of those OMG-Matt-Lauer-is-so-hot-women.  And thank goodness I am at work when drunkards 1 and 2 (aka Kathie Lee and Hoda) come on.]  EVERY morning, when I am trying to get ready watch the news of the day I have to hear Michele Konsinski telling us yet ANOTHER mindnumbing but "breaking" news story about Kate or William or the Queen [isn't she like 490 years old or something?] I am going to throw something at that $90 TV in my bedroom.  I don't care that some other "princess" is wearing a dress like Kate's - does she have a patent on it?  What if I want to wear a dress like Kate in my wedding? [Well, A. I'm already married and B. It is an UGLY dress.  It is MY blog and these are MY opinions.]  Anyone who can spend $700 on a pair of shoes should wear them twice in one week.....for that money you should have your eyeballs impaled with the heels of them suckers so they never leave your sight!  Really? 

And yet some Americans cannot get enough.  I honestly do not understand this line of thinking.  Maybe it's wanting to live vicariously through someone else. [I am thinking I would choose Josh Hamilton's wife but definitely not Kate.]  How can you take someone seriously when they spent $800,000 on wedding flowers?  I guess I'm just not even a higher class of redneck because I would watch Swamp People and Ax Men over any dumb royal wedding.  I don't even want to watch the Olympics because I know what a big deal will be made over Kate and William being there. [And of course we'll have to see the Queen with her same polyester suit dress and some sort of tiny hat....I swear she is 1000 years old.]  We'll probably have to see Charles and Camilla too. [Hopefully both of them will wear paper bags over their heads for our sake.]  BLAH!!!

[I am sure I'll catch some heat over this one but that's OK.]  To each their own I suppose.  I just can't bring myself to get into the royal clan [maybe they aren't redneck enough for me or something] and I could care less what they wear or where they go. I feel the same way about Brad and Angelina - he is dirty and she is emaciated.  They need to meet at a bar: a bar of soap and a bar of chocolate!!!  I could care less about what they do or don't do, if they are married or not, and if they save the entire continent of Africa [or where ever they keep getting all these kids from]. I don't want to keep up with the Kardashians and I don't want to know how hard the lives of all those rich housewives are [major eye rolling on that one] in Atlanta and New Jersey.

I am done with my ranting and raving [said with a British acccent].

Find Your Ninevah

WOW!  [I really just wanted to get your attention....there isn't anything terribly exciting that deserves an interjection.  It worked - you are reading.] What a crazy few weeks its been here at Casa de la Shortie.  Between softball and dance and softball and laundry and softball and tball and softball and dishes and softball and softball we haven't really had time to do anything else.  Did I mention there's been a lot of softball? Weather and other circumstances shifted the schedule around and these last three weeks we've been super busy.  Last regular season game tomorrow and playoffs start on Friday. I love seeing my favorite shortstop doing her thing while my favorite coach stands at third base.  My favorite 13 year old runs the music and the smallest Shorties work the crowd.  It really is a family affair :)

2 Short up to bat!  She has the coolest walk up song ever....Dr. Feelgood!!

Of course I cannot forget to include the "other" ball player in the Short house....Gabe.  When he's not playing in the dirt or spinning on the base he is conversing with EVERYONE around him. [The boy is just like his daddy...never met a conversation he didn't like.]  His games, though not quite as exciting and nail biting as Molly's are pretty funny.  We are discovering that Gabe really thinks baseball is super cool.

Atta boy!!!  Look at that bat speed....he's got skills!

Cooper and Emma have been equally as busy.  Cooper is not playing a sport at the moment but he finds lots of things to do [one of his favorite things to do is give me a hard time and he's really good at that].  He's really enjoying playing disc golf, most every afternoon, with several friends from school.  And [note the lack of sarcasm and only pure enjoyment on my part] he plays his drums EVERY day.  He is actually very good and has taught himself.  I am so glad they are not loud [sarcasm duly noted] and that the neighbors have not yet called the cops on us [notice I said yet].   He loves them so we can deal with it [most days anyway .  Tonight he was inducted into the Beta Club at school and willingly under duress dressed in his "business casual" [and yes, I had to clarify exactly what that meant today...call me redneck and unsophisticated....I don't care] to mark the occasion.  He is just so darn cute:)

Love that boy to pieces:) He is sitting with Awesome - his BFF!!

And then there is the DIVA. [Trust me, she is the one Short kid that loves the spotlight and will not be left out of anything!]   She is my hip baby [you know, that one kid that ALWAYS wants mom's attention?] and definitely the most headstrong [glad I'm not like that] of all four of the Shorties.  Her thing is dancing and dressing up and jewelry and makeup and girly girl stuff. [In case you haven't noticed I am sort of the plain Jane type and Molly's the athlete....Emma teaches us how to dress!!]  She had her dance recital [aka "Oh My Gosh is This Thing Ever Going to End" show] this past Sunday.

That's Flossie there on the left....Walking the Dinosaur:)  Love her!

I really, really, REALLY want to attend the SheSpeaks Women's Conference in July.  So much so that I have sent letters to family and friends, asking them to sponsor me.  I love this blogging thing.  I love Bible study.  I want to put the two together.  I would love to do what Beth Moore or Priscilla Shirer do for women.  [There is alot of "I" in all of that....].  With God's urging, your prayers, a little bit of money, and a huge leap of faith this might just happen.  If I am able to attend the conference I am hoping to learn more about using my abilities [not sure if sarcasm and colorfully bracketed thoughts are gifts....] to reach women who are sisters, moms, daughters, friends, wives, and passionate about God's calling for their lives. Please pray with me and I know that God will help provide a way if this is what he wants me to do with my life.

On that note, I also ask that you continue to pray for me and the request from last's post.  I am struggling right now.  I don't want to be upset.  In fact, our Sunday school theme for this month is forgiveness - could God be speaking to me any louder?  I am not angry and I almost kind of understand the "why".  What I don't understand is how to forget.  I need your prayers to just get over this and move on.

I am part of a phenomenal study of Jonah and this is what I've learned so far: Jonah had one simple task from God  [yes, God usually ask the very simple things of us and yet we still find His requests difficult] -  Chapter 1, verse 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." We know that Jonah did what many of us do [pointing finger at self] - he ran.  Only, instead of getting swallowed by a large fish [the Bible never says whale], we get swallowed by greed or despair or pride.  God says, "Yes. You." and we say, "Ummm...yeah God....we need to talk.  You see, I've got plans" or "I can't do that God.  Why would you ask that of me?"  Then we jump on our boats and attempt to sail away...only to find that the water isn't what we'd hoped it would be...then we fall overboard.  I have asked myself, a lot today, [I like to talk to me because I typically agree with myself, am refreshed at my own ideas, and have no need to worry about what I might think about me] about my Ninevah.  Where is God asking me to go?  Sometimes, I believe, God's requests couldn't be any louder and we just block it out.  Sometimes [this would be more my case] we are too busy to listen.  Sometimes we hear it but we just don't listen ...much like Jonah.  I've tried those fish [and I am not a seafood lover] of despair and anger and greed and discontent and selfishness and pity - not one of them was worth falling overboard.  I want to listen.  I want to find my Ninevah.

I will conclude my post with something from my Cooper.  Out of respect for him I will not divulge personal information other than to say the mountaintop is wonderful and well worth the valley it takes to get there:) 

I don't even know what happened today... CRAZY day... But God's here right? Of course. Has been forever. But i've been too blind to see... i realized.... with God... no worries. Ain't worried bout' a thing:) Best Dad ever if you ask.. right next to Craig Short. Stuff has happened lately that now is out. I'll use to prove that I'Mthe proof of a liv...ing testimony. I'll pull a Josh Hamilton. Because with Jesus around.. I am Second.

WOW! [Yes, it is that exciting my friends!] 

Fantastic FieldTrips

I know you’re broken, you’re busted wide open

You’ve fallen to pieces and you feel there’s nothing left you can hope in.
But I’ll hold you together, we’ll stand the weather.
Cause I paid the price for you and I won’t let you go, no never ~ Finding Favour
I will start off with a prayer request for myself.  Without going into too many details, just know that my heart is sad.  My family is perfect, my life is great, but I just cannot get over how some people are super insensitive.  I think, right now, I am overly sensitive to remarks because of things that have happened.  Searching for grace and mercy from people that really don't understand a thing. 

I just returned from a fabulous [no sarcasm] field trip with the 8th graders to Wilmington.  I love this field trip for several reasons:
1. We get to miss school. [Oh my!  And to think I'm a teacher....] 2. No stress involved. [There is stress but not what you might think...mostly dealing with non-issues and some 8th grade drama....incidentally its all in a day's work.] 3. The students get to see the teachers having fun [because we all know that its only business at school...ummm sometimes....].
4. There is lots of laughing [the kids laugh  at us, we laugh at them, they laugh at each other...it's fantastic.]
Those crazy 8th graders even got in the ocean - and it was FREEZING!  They had such a great time :)  I love doing field trips like this because the students get to see us in a different light and outside of EOGs and quizzes and middle school stuff.  Love my job :)

As always, while extremely busy these days, life a Short could not be better!