The Gambills (In transition)

Brain Teasers

2009-06-05T15:15:00.001-07:00

These are some brain teasers that we have been given in class. Can you figure them out...

CANDY IQ
Names of candy

1.Swashbuckling Trio
2.Glaxy
3.Red Planet
4.Not Laughing Out Loud
5.Drops Everything
6.Famous Author
7.Presidents Daughter
8.Street in NY
9.Twins
10.Superman's Alter Ego
11.A Sweet Sign of Affection
12.Reward for Working
13.What Bee's Make
14.Nut Happy
15.Two Pronouns
16.Build Your Own Feline
17.Woman Want Him
18.Round Flotation Device
19.Sun Explosion
20.Bite With Noise
21.Determines Who Wins
22.Dry Cry
23.Children of The Cane
24.Whats That

Our new blog

2009-05-08T12:18:00.000-07:00

We are no longer in transition and we have a new blog it's; http://thegambillparadise.blogspot.com/
So please check it out.

Travel Log...

2009-04-20T10:23:00.000-07:00

Day Three April 3, 2009 (After midnight, still on the road)

There where times that the road was completely covered and I couldn't see the lines. I hadn't really had the issue in Cincinnati this winter, and being in a van with rear wheel drive was dangerous. And then to top it all off I was behind and getting sleepy again! However, I wasn't about to pull off the road and risk them closing the road on me, so I prayed and kept going. Then all of a sudden the snow had stop and the road was completely clear, I thought “Yeah I am out of the woods, it will be smooth from here out!” Man, was I wrong. Off and on there was snow then no snow, the closer I got to Utah the worse it seemed to be. Now, when I left Cincinnati it was about 70 degrees and now I was driving in snow. I questioned what I had done, and I wondered if I should have stayed overnight in a motel. But I kept strong, snow or no snow I was going to make it home. My final rest stop for the trip was in Lyman, WY, I even debated staying there for the rest of the night. The whole time Vincent was at work and telling people what I was doing, of course they thought I was insane. Actually, looking back I think I was a bit insane too. I think I told Vincent that I was just gonna stay at the rest area for the rest of the night, but alas I didn't. When I hit the Utah / Wyoming border there was no snow, and of course no cell phone reception for me. I couldn't call Vincent to let him know where I was, so if something happened that would be bad. So to make a long story short I arrived in Logan, UT and picked Vincent up at 5:00 AM, and headed home. Man I am glad I don't have to do that by myself again. All that driving on maybe 9 hours of sleep, with two old dogs and one freaked out cat. By the end of our journey Tigger was wore out and passed out on my bed in the van!

I am thankful that the Lord allowed me to get home safely, because without him I think I would have totally freaked out in Wyoming and wouldn't have been able to make it as far as I did.

Travel Log...

2009-04-20T09:59:00.000-07:00

Today is the day, the day I hit the road.

At 7 p.m. EST I set out on a journey across 5 states (6 included my destination) to end in Logan, UT. It was a spur of the moment thing, I had planned on leaving around 1 a.m then driving to Iowa City, IW (which is about 8hrs away) and resting for a few hours, but I changed my plans.
I loaded up the car with the last of my belongings, cat and dogs included and pulled out of my parent's driveway.

But before I could leave Ohio, I had to make one pit stop....Meijer! I had to buy some dog food or Buster and Tigger would have never forgiven me. So after that stop we were on our way. It was still my plan to drive to Iowa City, but this meant that I would be a bit head of schedule, so I would try and drive further. Alas, my plan didn't work :( . I didn't make it all the way to Iowa City, but rather to Davernport, IA. I did something that I was told I shouldn't do, even though it didn't bother me. That was sleep in my van at the first rest stop I came to. I could have stopped at a Motel and spent like 40 some odd dollars, and then left my animals alone in the car, but heck no! We all cuddled up in the van with doors locked and window cracked for fresh air. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

Day Two April 2, 2009
8:00 A.M.
The next morning I was awaken by some anxious puppies that really needed to go outside and wanted to eat. So I fed the puppies took them for a walk then loaded them back up in the van once more.

Once we were all buckled in I pulled out of my spot and joined the others on I-80 heading west. Where all those people were headed, who knows, but I knew where I was headed too. Around 11:00 I noticed that I was going to need some gas, and get some water for the puppies and food for me. That was when God pointed me to the World's Largest Truck stop!

One place the Vincent had told me that I must stop and try was Taco Johns. Well, I was in luck because this truck stop had a Taco Johns right there! Who would have guessed it! So I walked in, walked over to the ATM and pulled out some cash. I went and ordered my food and then went and got some water for the dogs and cat and some chips for me to munch on as I drove(those chips and the soda I had in the car is what kept me going the rest of the night and early morning). By the time I was done with that my food was ready, I picked it up and went out to the van. As I filled the gas tank I gave the dogs some water and I munched on my food. Sadly, I wasn't that impressed with Taco Johns, and the rest of what was left became a snack for Buster. But please, don't take my opinion try Taco Johns for yourself, you may like it.

Now back on the road yet again. I think I was determined to make it all the way to Logan, Utah that day or night. After a few hours I finally made it out of Iowa and into the very boring, very flat part of Nebraska. The first 3/4's of Nebraska reminded me of Kansas, so we went even talk about that part. The cool part came when I stop at my last rest stop in Nebraska, finally off to my left (to the south) it was no longer FLAT! Off in the distance I could see what looked like the beginning of large hills, maybe small mountains. I was so amazed, and Vincent reminded me to take random pictures I did. I took some pictures of the rest area and some pictures of what I saw off in the distance.

After I was done with my picture taking I put the dogs back into the van and started her up and joined others on I-80. I was getting closer to home and I was so excited! I had figured with the pace I was going that I should hit Logan, UT around 1 or 2 in the morning. I figured that would be fine, Vincent would be at work and it would allow me time to get this set up at our new apartment and rest some before he got home. The sunset I saw was beautiful as I inched closer to Wyoming. It was a little after 6 pm when I got into Wyoming and I started getting sleepy. I figured I would stop and get out and walk around at the next stop and that should help me out. Well, I stopped at a rest stop between Cheyenne and Laramie. Once I stopped my eyes got really heavy, I knew that if I fell asleep that I wouldn't make it that night. I called Vincent and told him where I was, he told me to take it easy, not to push myself. I laid down thinking I would just rest for a little bit, but I fell asleep. I think I rested for about and 1 ½ before I woke up. Still tired I just couldn't sleep, and on top of that hearing the weather report of SNOW kinda scared. Vincent, told me that sometimes they close I-80 if the snow is really bad, so I didn't want to get stuck somewhere. I was making pretty good time and there was no real snow, matter of fact, it was rain instead. Rain is good, I can drive in rain with no issues. It wasn't until I got to Rawlins and I filled up with gas that I ran into the dreaded snow. From there out it was snow off and on, and at night in the mountains of Wyoming, not a fun drive for me.

Saying good bye to Cincinnati, OH

2009-04-20T09:52:00.000-07:00

I am and will always be a Cincinnati native at heart, and Cincinnati will always be a second home to me. This was the place that I was born and raised. I have lived here, up to this point, 95% of my life. I will always support my home teams, even when I adopted new ones. No one will ever convince me otherwise to that fact that the downtown Cincinnati skyline is not the most amazing thing to see when you are crossing into Ohio from Kentucky. Jungle Jims will hold special memories for me, and it is one place that I will miss shopping at. There is no place on earth like Jungle Jims. There will be certain foods that I will miss, that you can't get anywhere else. Those food places are: Montgomery Inn, Skyline and Gold Star, Larosas' Pizza, and Graters Ice Cream. In deciding to move not only am I leaving these things behind, but my friends and family as well.

Deciding to move across the country was difficult but in some ways easy. I had never pictured myself staying in Ohio my whole entire life. I knew the world had more to offer me then just Ohio. So, because I had been dreaming about this my whole life, that is what made it easy for me. What made it hard was leaving my family behind. My parents, my sisters, my nieces and nephews all live in Cincinnati. Matter of fact, they all lived within twenty minutes of us. Now I live in a place that is twenty-four hours away. It's not like I can hop in the car and drive right over whenever I want to see them, instead now we must plan the trips and time them right. I do miss my family, but I am happy to be where I am today. To be honest, as much as it may hurt my family that I have moved out to Logan, UT, I would still do it all over in a heart beat!

So as I close one chapter in my book, I open a new one. Vincent and I have started our life over, or our life is just beginning. Either way we both miss our family in Ohio, we were both sad to leave, but we are glad that we have followed the guidance of the Lord and have found our paradise.

Good bye Cincinnati, you have truly been good to me.

Even 1,685 miles couldn't stop our date!

2009-03-05T03:09:00.000-08:00

Because it is so hard for us to spend time together, once a week Vincent and I try and set aside "special" time for a "date night". It would be just like if we were in the same place, we would go out. So what do you do on a virtual date, where do you go? Well, for this date we used Second Life to meet up (Second Life is a free online virtual world imagined and created by its Residents. From the moment you enter Second Life, you'll discover a fast-growing digital world filled with people, entertainment, experiences and opportunity.) It started with Vincent picking me up (so to speak) from my house. From there we went to a place in SL that is set aside for LDS members, or people looking for information about the church. We sat there and read the First Presidency's Message, and had an open discussion about it.

From there we went to the Globe Theater. I thought that Vincent would like it because he himself was in theater. Sadly, there were no performances last night.

So then we went our way to this little romantic spot,were we danced the night away.

Then after we had all of our fun, he took me back home. What a gentleman! I couldn't have asked for a better night in person :).

Thinking of Vincent

2009-02-28T10:37:00.000-08:00

So since Vincent has moved to Logan, I hear songs on the radio and they make me think of him. Well this song is no different, but I think it describes us perfectly. And here is what is funny...
Starting out in Logan, we have nothing really. It's a fresh start, the way we want it. And how did he get there? In an old beat up car, lol.

And how does this song start out?
*Started out with nothing but a
Beat up car and a new beginning
And inside everything seemed out of reach*

"Rose"
By: BuckCherry

Started out with nothing but a
Beat up car and a new beginning
And inside everything seemed out of reach

Saw you there and you filled my eyes
Sent shivers up and down my spine
I knew right then that you were meant for me
Oh yeah

I drive all night
Thought about those days
When the life I loved started slipping away
Stayed on track and I don't look back
It took so long just to get it started

Give me what I want
It's all about love and not about money
I don't want to stop
I'll never give up it's sweeter than honey

I can't be here by myself
'Cause to me there's no one else
You're as pretty as a rose
I can't live without you

Back out on the road today
The semi trucks and the nights on stage
I got so many good time memories

Left a lot friends behind
And still I kept this dream alive
To live the life I feel inside of me
Oh Yeah

I drive all night
Thought about those days
When the life I loved started slipping away
Stayed on track and I don't look back
It took so long just to get it started

Give me what I want
It's all about love and not about money
I don't want to stop
I'll never give up it's sweeter than honey

I can't be here by myself
'Cause to me there's no one else
You're as pretty as a rose
I can't live without you

I can't stop thinking about you
I can't stop thinking about you

I drive all night
Thought about those daysjavascript:void(0)
When the life I loved started slipping away
Stayed on track and I don't look back
It took so long just to get it started

Give me what I want
It's all about love and not about money
I don't want to stop
I'll never give up it's sweeter than honey

I can't be here by myself
'Cause to me there's no one else
You're as pretty as a rose
I can't live without you

Date Night: "Making Valentine’s Day Shine" - by LDS Living

2009-02-14T05:20:00.000-08:00

I get mail from LDS Living, and today it included something about making Valentine's Day Special. You know though, we don't need one day to show our love and gratitude to that special person, we have 365 days a year to do that. So takes some of these ideas and try using them throughout the year.
Date Night: "Making Valentine’s Day Shine" - by LDS Living

While special events make Valentine’s Day lovely to begin with, details make the day shine. Here are a few simple things to make Valentine’s extra special all day long.

* Write love notes and place them throughout the house. As soon as possible, write notes of love or gratitude and put them in places that aren’t obvious, but that your sweetheart will eventually see as he or she goes through their day. If you can’t think of multiple things, use one of the silly (but sweet) Valentine’s cards from your child’s store-bought box and leave it for your spouse; it’s sure to warm the heart and get a little laugh.

* Be a gentleman, and be a lady. Men: Remember to open car doors, theatre doors, restaurant doors, or any other doors you come across (except the lady’s room door) for your wife. Furthermore, make sure to pull out her chair when she sits down for dinner, if the waiter isn’t trained to do so. And ladies: once you’re in the car, reach over and open the door for your husband; hold open other doors for him as he walks through. It’s a little way for you to show kindness to him.

* Give an unexpected rose. Arrange for a single rose to be at your table for dinner, if you’re dining out. If not, find another way to give your wife a rose during the evening—whether it’s at the home dinner table or it’s placed by her sink before bed. Consider a special color: Red=Love, White=Purity, Yellow=Happiness, Orange=Desire, Pink=Gratitude.

* Hold hands. This small expression of love can be obliterated as the years go by. So, when the two of you are walking from place to place during the day, remember to hold hands with one another. At dinner, move drinks and plates out of the way so you have a clear space to reach across the table and clasp hands.

* Make the ambiance romantic at home. Follow through with the ideas you’ve had to play music, light candles, and arrange the room for a special evening. Doing things that show planning are especially meaningful for both men and women; it means that you’ve thought about him or her when you were apart, and you worked harder to make time together extra special.

And so that Valentine’s Day isn’t just one of a few days you go out of your way to show love, try incorporating one or two of these suggestions on a monthly basis.

The Lord Will Provide

2009-02-08T17:18:00.000-08:00

"And it is my purpose to provide for my saints, for all things are mine." D&C 104:15

This is a promise the Lord has made to us, that he will provide us. This is something that I was reminded of just today, along with a few other things. I hope you don't mind if I share a story with you.

The last few days I have been stressing out about money. With Vince in Logan and jobless still (I am trusting in the Lord to handle that)we are dependent on my lowly paycheck. So because of this, money has been tight and we really have to watch our spending. Well due to some unforeseen issues last week we are out of money, and I don't get paid till end of the week. So when I sat down to think about this I realized I wouldn't have money to get back and forth to work, pay for a title transfer or plates for the van. This also meant that I would need to borrow money from my parents, which I don't want to do. And then to top it all off, Friday the dogs decided that they wanted more to eat and helped themselves to the dog food, leaving maybe a 2 1/2 day supply. So again I would have to go to my parents and ask for money for dog food. Knowing that this would bring up discussions as to when Vince is going to get a job, that he must not be looking good enough, etc. I wanted to avoid that.

Today my father asked me if I would be riding with them to (his) church. I told them no that I wanted to drive myself, this was because I wanted to be able to go to my own church. After they left I pondered to myself if I had made the right decision, knowing that I had less than 1/2 a tank of gas and all the driving this would involve. Something came to mind as I played some video games this morning, our change jar. I knew there wasn't much money there, but it was better than nothing. So I got ready to go to church and grabbed my change jar and walked out the door. I stopped by Kroger to use the 'coinstar' to cash in my change. When it was done I had a whopping $15.00. "Alright, I will use this $10.00 for gas, and then the $5.00 to buy some canned food for the dogs". So I pulled up the pump and I did just that, I put in exactly $10.00 which put me a little over 1/2 a tank and off I went. After my father's church let out around noon it was time to head to Fairfield, but I had some time to kill because services don't start till 2pm.

Well I headed to our house to get some things done, and got there and walked in the door I looked right over at one of those plastic drawers that we use for our clothes. I figured I could use it either at my parent's house or at school, but I better take a look inside. When I opened it up I noticed the cash drawer from when we had the store. Now, I figured that there wouldn't be nothing but change in there because Vince would have taken it all, but change is better than nothing. When I lifted the lid I saw a check sitting there, some 20's and a 10. So I grabbed the paper money and check and put it in my wallet. Then I grabbed our change jar and filled it up. I went to the bank and deposited the money and cashed in the changed, when it was all said and done I had close to $400.00. This money makes up for what we had lost, plus it allowed me to buy dog / cat food and mail Vincent a care package.

When I got to Sacrament Service I noticed a theme with the talks. It boiled down to Gratitude and Remember the source of our Blessings. Which was a reminder of where this money had come from. And then as I got ready to leave I stopped to talk to Sis. Meadows. She asked me how we were doing, and I told her about the money issues. Her response was, "The Lord will provide," little did she know that he already had.
It wasn't until the drive home that I started putting these things together and really realized that the Lord kept his promise to provide in our times of need. It's funny that sometimes we don't even realize that the Lord was the one that helped us out, even with small things. Matthew 6:8 says, "Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." I am truly grateful to know that I have a Heavenly Father that knows what I need even before I ask him, and that he will even provide those needful things before I ask.

Matthew 6:31 - 33
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

So what I guess I am trying to say is..The Lord knows what you have need of, sometimes we don't even need to ask. But we should always be grateful for what he provides for us in our times of need.

Dating and so much more.......

2009-02-07T18:06:00.001-08:00

With so many of our friends getting engaged and married it got me thinking about the whole dating /relationship idea, here is what I came up with....

"A New Relationship"

One of the best things about new relationships are the dates. The idea of going out with this guy or girl you are like "totally crushing on" is exciting. And as our relationships progress, so do our dates.We find out what the other person likes and we plan accordingly. We use dating to get to know these people, this guy or girl that we like. We even may start thinking that, "hey I can see myself spending the rest of my life with so and so." And if it doesn't work out you may still get a great friend out of the deal. I would say at the 3 month mark is when you realize if this relationship may be getting serious or just a friendly fling(and I don't mean that you have to be doing anything rated NC-17 or X, just out having a good time).

"Getting Serious"

As I said, for me it's the 3 month mark, by then you have been dating for 12 weeks. I would assume that you have had at least 12 + dates, so you should have a pretty good idea of what the person is like. Getting serious doesn't mean getting engaged or married so don't freak, but it does mean that you are willing to make more of a commitment to one another. This could mean that you start sharing more private details with each other, you open up more. It could also mean that one of two things 1) You two start splitting off from your friends and group dates and do things together, just the two of you or, 2) You start inviting your friends to hang out with you and your girl or guy. Which ever it is, you start letting them more into your world. You may even start bringing them over for family get togethers!

Now we have another anniversary coming, another benchmark...the SIX MONTH ANNIVERSARY!
Man time does fly when you are having fun. Most guys don't pay attention to these silly anniversaries, but I can promise the girls do. So you have made it 6 months, 24 weeks, or roughly 186 days. Congratulations, now what? You can tell by now if there is a connection a real spark between the two of you. It's not just some case of puppy love or a summer fling, it's something real. Sometimes, relationships don't make it past this point, and it can be really tough. As I have said you have started opening up to this person, and now it's over. Now we are headed full steam to the one year mark! To me these are the months that really define your relationship. You know how back in the beginning you thought for a moment that, "maybe I could be with this person forever", those thoughts start coming back and in full force. We start imagining what our life would be like with this person, where we would want to live, how many kids we would want, those kinds of things. Between six to twelve months we start wondering how do you pop the question, should we ask them to marry us, will they say yes, or will they say no. Do they feel the same way that I do? Listen, get over yourself! We have all been there or we will all be there. Stop stressing, if it's meant to be then it will be.

This is the end of part one... join in next time for part two...

Moving...

2009-01-31T17:01:00.000-08:00

Most of our friends already know that we are moving to Logan, UT. What some people may not know is that Vince is already there, and I will be going out in April. I knew it would be hard, even stressful to say the least. Honestly, I didn't know it would be this hard. Right now even though I am living with my family I feel all alone. Everyday I pray and hope that I will be able to talk to Vincent, either by phone or internet. If I don't here from him I get worried, you know cause I don't know what's going on. It's only been a week and well I am already going nuts without him. I miss the little things he does or says, I even miss his picking on me. We don't realize how much those little things matter, until they are gone. I used to jump his butt for staying up late on the computer, (the light and noise would bother me) but I still miss it. I miss hearing his voice, him just talking. I miss his singing, yeah sometimes it would annoy me when he would just start belting out the song, but it's not like he has an awful voice or anything. He is a history buff, he never stops learning things, which then he has to share. It used to bug me, like somethings I didn't think I wanted to know. But last night I was watching Jeopardy and I was like Vince would have so totally known that answer. I miss playing games with him, even though I would always lose to him it was still fun. I loved playing text twist with him. Yeah he did most of the work, but I did my share of saving us in the game. I guess I just really miss him and I can't wait to see him. I know that this move is what we need to get our life started, but it's hard. Baby, I miss you and love you.

A Time For Liberty

2008-11-11T05:35:00.001-08:00

Our Trip Out West...Part One...It all comes together.

2008-07-07T20:25:00.000-07:00

I couldn't believe it when I heard it, we finally got to take a trip out west. All in part thanks to one family. You know I have never gotten my hopes up about anything, because usually when I do they seem to get dashed. For once in my life, they didn't.

And here is how it all came together....
I remember that Sunday, Vince found out that James and Leslie would be moving to Grand Junction, CO. He joking said to me that we should offer our services if they may need them. Such things as helping them move, or drive a car for them. So after church Vince pulled James aside and offered such services, James said that we would think about it and would have to talk to Leslie about it. I that point I just said whatever, they won't need us to do that. I guess it was about 2 weeks later(could have been less, or more) we got a call from James asking if Vince still wanted to drive their other car out to CO. You bet! I think is what Vince said and the planning began. I must say my emotions ran kinda high, and I was excited. For the next few weeks until time to go that was all Vince was able to talk about, how we was getting to go back out west.
You see Vince was born in Hollywood, CA. lived there for like 10 years then moved to Yukon, OK for 5 years and then to Las Vegas, NV for 7 years. So this is like home for him, he loves it out here, and still wishes he lived somewhere out here. Anyway, I am getting off track.
So we started planning things, we wanted to bring Savannah, but that kinda fell through. But I was able to talk to some people and I was going to be able to be in a 'B' horror type movie{Kinda like a Tales from the Crypt thing) and I was going to be paid for it! I mean come on, can this trip get any better? So we planned...leave Cincinnati, OH on July 1,2008 arrive in Leslie,AR July 2, 2008..then leave on July 5, 2008 and arrive in Grand Junction, CO late on July 6th. From there we will head south to Las Vegas, arriving either the 7 or 8 and leave there on the 11th. So we shall see how all this comes together, and I hope to have an awesome time!

How studying the Scriptures helps us daily

2008-02-27T06:56:00.001-08:00

One of the biggest complaints I hear about reading scriptures is, "why should I read what someone wrote 2000 years ago. It doesn't apply to my life today, they didn't have the same issues we have today." But, you can still find the answers you are looking for. When we pray and ask Heavenly Father for guidance in what we should read, he will direct us. Let me tell you this, every time I have needed help I can look to my scriptures and find an answer. This is something that I take comfort in, that my Heavenly Father knew what problems I would be facing and gave me the answers to them all. And what is even better is that our scriptures are like blue print for our life. And what we can't find in the scriptures we can ask him, because he still talks to us. I can promise you that if you read / study scriptures everyday that you will find the answers and guidance that you need, even in your darkest hour.

The Creation Musuem

2007-12-27T13:16:00.000-08:00

For Christmas my family decided to do "family gifts". My parents decided to take us all the the Creation Musuem. I have to say it was amazing and I would recommend it to anyone. The one downside is if you have young children and children who don't like reading it really isn't the place for them, otherwise go for it.

How precious is life.

2007-12-27T10:49:00.000-08:00

I think that it is a safe assumption that most people forget how percious life is, and just how quickly it can be taken away. Most of us live our daily lives not thinking that it could be our last, and that's alright. But what if it was your last day on earth? How would you be remember? Did you do all the things you wanted to do? Did you tell that special someone that you you love them? Did you kiss your kids goodbye, or tell them you are proud of them? These are all very important questions, ones I hope we don't have to ponder to much on.
In the summer of 2005 I had an experience that made me see life in a different way, and think of those questions. I had just dropped my husband off at work and was on my way back home. I was coming up 75 north and as I was crossing the bridge there was a pick-up truck that was cutting in and out of traffic. Once we were back in Ohio at the 75/Fort Washington Way merge this pickup truck cut me off and slammed on their brakes. I wasn't able to slow down quick enough so to keep from rear-ending the car I jerked my car to the left and lost control.The pickup truck hit me, flipped on it's roof due to the impact and I was sent spinning into more traffic. When my car stopped in the grassy medim I opened my eyes and saw the pickup truck on it's roof. I was scared, the first thought that went through my mind was "OMG, I killed someone." I picked up my cell phone and called 911, they asked me if the other driver was alright. I got out of my car and ran to theirs to check. The female driver was hanging upside down still strapped in her seat, but was alright. Police, fire and EMT came, but everyone was alright. We both walked away with no injuries, but most likely a different view on life.
Now as a woman, I am blessed with the greatest gift of all, the gift to bare children. I am sadden when I see so many woman who take this gift for granted, this is never what God intended it to be. Sexual intercourse has became something that a lot of women use to 1)get guys, 2)show love to someone or 3)have fun. And when someone gets pregnant outside of marriage, the most common thing to do it abort the unborn child. Most of these children are unwanted, and so it becomes so easy to that that precious life and toss it aside because it doesn't fit in with our lifestyles. A child's life is the most precious thing that there is, and people don't see it. We our so upset when we lose a loved one, what about an unborn child?

Chestnuts: foodstuff or IED?

2007-12-26T10:02:00.000-08:00

(Written by Vince)
While traipsing through Jungle Jim's seeking out food for our Christmas dinner, my eyes caught hold of an interesting sign:

Italian Chestnuts

$2.99/lb

Chestnuts. Of all the unique foods I had ever consumed, not a single chestnut had ever crossed my palate. Instantly, warm images of yule logs, Nat King Cole, and family togetherness flooded my mind. I quickly scooped up a pound and noticed that they looked like buckeyes, which reminded me of a Boy Scout incident encountered as a teen. Before the flashback could begin in earnest, I saw the sign with cooking instructions:

Roast for 25 minutes, turn over, then roast for an additional 15 minutes

Seeing this idiot-proof recipe for holiday happiness, I tied off the bag and headed for home.

While making dinner, I decided it would be best to start roasting the chestnuts. So, I pulled out a pizza pan and tuned on the oven. Looking at the controls, a small amount of panic struck: there was no mention of temperature in the directions. I surmised that roasting nuts would occur at 450 degrees, set it, and set about finishing dinner preparations.

Exactly 25 minutes later, Denise, Savannah and I were sitting at the table eating when I heard a short concussive blast from the oven. Everyone stopped eating and looked to me for my reaction, which is when the flashback began:

Once, at a Boy Scout campout, my patrol leader had suggested that we throw buckeyes into the hot coals of a fire to wake up a cohort who was sleeping by the fire during a wilderness survival outing. He said that they would pop like popcorn, but instead they tore through the air like nature's brown shrapnel. I got hit in the side of the head. The boy who we meant to wake up did just that, perfectly timing his choice to sit up with a coal shooting from an exploding buckeye and catching his overly styled hair on fire.

I shook off my PTSD experience and realized that I had set the oven temperature far too high, and that more detonations were imminent. Quickly leaving my seat, turned the temp down to 350 and grabbed an oven mitt and kneeled to opened the oven. What greeted me was a whiff of burnt chestnut innards and a spattering of pale greenish-white remnants of the ovenly suicide bomber. As I reached in to grab the biggest remainder of it's carcass (now hidden in the far corner of the oven), my oven mitt caught fire. Not smoke or a red spot, mind you: the oven mitt burst into flames. As I'm flapping my arm like a penguin trying to escape an orca on a blubber bender, I burn the inside of my arm on the inside of the oven. Howls of laughter shot from the two loving latter-day saint ladies between bites of the dinner that their fallen chef had prepared.

The end result was a pile of gently blackened chestnuts that tasted like miniature overcooked microwaved potatoes, which was underwhelming for all those who consumed them.

Peace on earth, goodwill toward men.

Unless you're on fire.