A Walk for Africa

The Saturday before Easter our Uganda team will be walking 20 miles to raise awareness of the needy among us and raise funds to help us take hope to the Karamojong.

(Please click on the picture above to view in full screen.)

Date: April 11, 2009
Time: Sun-up to Sun-down

During the walk, the team will also be working with different organizations in the community to spotlight the need of the underprivileged here in the metro area as well.



I am looking for:

1- PARTNERS! Will you walk 20 miles with me the Saturday before Easter? You know people I don't know, and if they get involved to sponsor you, more people know about outreach opportunities here in OKC and will help financially send us to Uganda!

2-SPONSORS! I need people to sponsor me, tye, and the girls for our hike! Can you do $2 per mile? That would be a $40 sponsorship... and all donations made to Awestar are indeed tax deductible. How about a $5 per mile or $100 total sponsorship? Or maybe 50 cents per mile for a $10 total sponsorship? Every bit counts and helps take wonderful news and aide to the Karamojong!

Your sponsorship will take medical attention, language preservation, and community projects to the Karamojong people in Uganda!


Please post and let me know how you would love to be involved. I cannot wait to see what God does through this!

How to fail with dignity:

So maybe this is just teacher humor, but i laughed so hard at these!!

the worst blogger ever

...blame facebook!

it eats my time!



I promise i will update soon.
really.

since i know this doesn't count at all.


but ps-

i feel the new baby moving right now. lucky you didnt miss out on that special not on facebook note. :)

We just voted!!

We rode our bikes to the polling place, stood in line for only 30 or so minutes, voted, then went out for breakfast. After we rode home we took pictures with our sign for the candidate of our choice and our flag.

I love that my baby girls are learning the importance of voting so young!!!


Enjoy!

i can't help it... another political post

WOW!!! So scary.

I receive lots of emails with rumors about Obama, and I am careful to check them out on Snopes.com- which, if you haven't noticed, is very liberally biased, too. BUT this one IS true, snopes doesn't have it but see: http://www.lufkindailynews.com/hp/content/news/stories/2008/10/07/secret_service.html?imw=Y
then google this story for lots of reposts.

My MIL sent me a scanned pic of the article from the news from my aunt... then later sent this.

Welcome to the new America if you vote ObamaNazi.

I thought the "Truth Squad" was a Missouri only thing, but now its everywhere.

You can bet mainstream media won't touch this- so send it on. Raise a stir- everyone MUST see this wolf for who he is!

Blessings
christy


From: Joyce Waller
Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2008 8:53 AM
To: williams, linda; miles, melinda
Subject: FW: Secret Service On My Steps READ TRUE STORY OF MY NEIGHBOR IN IDLEWOOD

THIS MADE THE HEADLINES IN THE LUFKIN DAILY NEWS TODAY.THIS LADY LIVES HERE IN IDYLWOOD.>

THIS IS SCARY!!!!!
-----Original Message-----
From: Martha
Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2008 8:44 AM



From: Linda Whitten
Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2008 7:38 AM
Subject: Secret Service On My Steps READ TRUE STORY OF MY NEIGHBOR IN IDLEWOOD

This is LOCAL folks! Check it out if you like.

----- Original Message -----
From: Ron Risenhoover
Sent: Monday, October 06, 2008 9:31 AM
Subject: FW: Secret Service On My Steps READ TRUE STORY OF MY NEIGHBOR IN IDLEWOOD

Here is another more detailed version from Jessica and another neighbor.



Dear Friends: We have had some interesting things going on our street this week but this "takes the cake". The election is less than a month away - people need to be aware of this information of the tactics that have been used this week on my neighbor. She is not a 'mental case nor political activist' just your everyday young Mom with small children and a husband out of the military. If this is the kind of "change" Mr. Obama is referring to, we are definitely in for more than what has met the eye. What has happened here is not only appalling but frightening to think we may no longer have the freedom to speak against "the powers that be" without the Secret Service showing up at your door. Keeping in mind, there is no taped conversation - simply a disgruntled volunteer who was not getting the response she was looking for. Jessica has contacted several politicians and news organizations - some who have told her "this is out of my jurisdiction". Pleeeze! Enough is enough - I for one will stand behind this young woman and notify every person I can possibly think of to make people aware of this travesty! I hope you will forward this on as well to as many people as you possibly can - especially to our elected officials and news organizations. Feel free to email me for verification. Connie
On Wednesday the 1st of October I received a call on my cell while in the car with my husband. It was a woman who identified herself as calling from the Obama Campaign. The phone # she called from was 903-798-6020 which lists as "Obama Volunteers of Texarkana" ( Texas ).

She asked if I was an Obama supporter to which I replied:

"No, I don't support him, your guy is a socialist who voted four times in the State Senate to let little babies die in hospital closets; I think you should find something better to do with your time." I hung up.

Thursday, October 2, I answered the front door to find the Secret Service. Immediately I thought of the call and was furious that apparently you are not allowed to call Obama a Socialist without the Secret Service coming to investigate. Instead, they asked me about the following comment, relayed by the Obama Volunteer of Texarkana who called me, unsolicited on my cell phone:

"I will never support Obama and he will wind up dead on a hospital floor."
My husband laughed and told them "No, she called him a socialist but she never said a word about him dying." I gave them my actual quote. The woman asked insolently "Oh? Well why would she make that up?"
I replied that I supposed she wasn't happy about what I said about her candidate and the Agent said "That's right, you were rude!" The last time I checked being rude wasn't a crime in America .

Luckily the big file they had gathered on me didn't indicate mental instability or a past life of stalking/crime, however they did want to know how I felt about Obama. That was my limit. I told the Agent in no uncertain terms that my thoughts were not pertinent to their investigation, that this was America and the last time I checked I was allowed to think whatever I wanted without being questioned by the Secret Service. In fact, even if I had said what she claimed, that isn't a threat. I told them (again) and my husband verified that the statement reported by Obama's volunteer was a lie. I asked them if there was a tape of the call and they said no. I said, "So on the word of a ticked off Obama supporter you are on my porch with no other evidence and you want to question me about my THOUGHTS!?"
They informed me that there was no evidence she was an Obama supporter...someone calling from his campaign...are you kidding?

I was not allowed to know the name of my accuser at which point they informed me that it wasn't like I was in a court of law, YET, as if this was a good thing. I recognized this as a veiled threat. I told them I would happily go to court since I did nothing wrong and at least then my accuser would have to face me rather than sending the thought police to my house.
They then said they were trying to do me a favor, that they came to me first before "embarrassing you by going to all your neighbors and family", another threat? I told them to be my guest and talk to whomever they wanted but they weren't going to investigate my thoughts on my porch.

They also informed me that it would be easier if the next time a supporter calls me I just say "Yeah sure count me in, or just hang up" apparently so she won't get her undies in a bundle and give them more useless trips. Yeah right. I said "Look, someone calls me unsolicited on my cell phone to ask me to support their candidate and I can't tell them why I don't?" I said I was sorry they made a wasted trip but if they had a problem with some made up lie they needed to go talk to her about it because it wasn't my fault they had to drive from Houston for nothing.

At one point I went inside and got a notepad to record their badge numbers and they refused to show me their badges. They had done the quick flip when they arrived. I asked for a card and the female Agent refused to give me one stating "You're not going to get a card." The male Agent gave me a card and told me I could contact Houston with any questions.
The fact that the volunteer lied, the fact that the Secret Service came to my house to question me about my thoughts and feelings and threaten to embarrass me to my neighbors and go to court if I didn't cooperate is not really the tragedy here. Because that girl on the phone doesn't have the pull to send the Secret Service to my home. Someone high in the ranks of a campaign working for a man who may be the next President of the United States of America felt comfortable bringing the force of the Federal Government to bear on a private citizen on nothing but the word of a partisan volunteer.
I want to file a counter complaint that false charges were made, that a false report was given to a peace officer. The Secret Service told me I cannot because they will protect the identity of the complainant. I also want the file they have on me destroyed and I want to know that my phone isn't tapped, et cetera. I am hearing a lot of "Out of my Jurisdiction".
Do I also hear jackboots?
Jessica Hughes
Lufkin, Texas
Note: I have contacted several news organizations, Rep Gohmert, Sen Hutchison, the Atty General, Local Police
Will keep you updated, pass it along.

the depth of love

no one can comprehend



how high


how wide


how deep





is the love of Christ.










But i am nearly convinced that the depth of a mother's love for her children comes from the heart of God to show us the depth of His love for His children.



i remember when Eliana was born, i felt like i had been let into some kind of secret society that i had never known existed.


motherhood.




you lose yourself to care for one whose only expression of returning the care is calming under your touch, sleeping at your breast in way that they seem to melt right into your soul.





then it hit me:


i die to self to live in Christ



i die to self to raise a child



as i would do anything for this child, so Christ has done and will do everything for me.









i know many people who look at the cost of parenthood and are deterred

scared

delayed




knowing the sacrifice

commitment

loss of self



that motherhood and parenthood require.




they never will fully know the joy,

the sheer delight,


the way you will never know love until you sweep strands of hair from a sleeping baby's cheek just to kiss her one more time, because, even now at nearly 3 years old you just cant put her down...

life is harder


but fuller




life is more complex

but has more meaning



life is less about me and more about my children growing to know Christ. How i wish i was a perfect representation!




likewise


i know many people who look at the cost of fully following Christ to the ends of the earth and are deterred

scared

delayed




knowing the sacrifice

commitment

loss of self



that truly following Jesus require.




they never will fully know the joy,

the sheer delight,


the way you will never know love until you collapse in the arms of your Savior with nothing to offer but your broken, sinful self- relying on His grace to mend every flaw--and still somehow find a way to pour His Spirit into a marred vessel- that you might pour out the same on a broken and sinful world.

life is harder


but fuller




life is more complex

but has more meaning



life is less about me and more about my mirroring Christ. How i wish i was a perfect representation!






as a mother, i am happiest when my children live in love and harmony,

scripture gives me a clue that this feeling is mine because it was and is first the Lord's.

blessings,
christy

tears

america


we need change

we need hope



we need JESUS






i admit that i have put lots of thought into this election.
i am a political nerd.


i looked at obama's matthew 25 parallels and thought he just might be the first democrat i voted for in a while.


i say this to say,

the more i learn, the more i dislike him
the more he scares me


a new president isnt the answer, Jesus is.

but someone who would watch this happen- and allow it- and even encourage it?


if you are a momma, and voting for obama,
please watch this

my new idea

ok, warning


some might find this post offensive


you have been warned



ok, here is my new argument



TEENAGE PREGNANCY:

so i dont think teen pregnancy is a problem.

(i am the daughter of a "pregnant teen" and a former teacher of lots of teen moms)

nope. teen pregnancy is not the problem.



Palin's daughter has been getting a bad rad for her pregnancy. But Jamie Spears is praised? What??



Teen pregnancy is NOT the problem.

In most of the world, a girl under 20 is perfectly capable of carrying, birthing, and raising a child. Historically the same has been true in our own country.

I will not for a second believe that something is genetically different with girls in the USA that makes them incapable mothers if they are nineteen and under.



sorry


teen pregnancy is not the problem.





the problem is irresponsible sex.



i dont care if the woman is 16 or 36- unmarried sex is the problem. I know many 16 year olds who have made fine mothers and many 36 year olds whose lifestyle is so wild that they are unsure of the baby's fathers name.

seriously, why all the beef over someone who is 17 who is pregnant and marrying the baby's father.


nope.

a teenager is capable of taking on the responsibility for a child. with a social support structure, the mom and the child can make it. i did.

we must change our mindset that AGE makes mothers capable.

no, responsibility does.

the problem isnt getting pregnant before some magic number age, the problem is irresponsible sex.



the baby is not the problem.

A speech for the history books

i have lots to talk about politically... but here is a straight quote from tonight's McCain speech:

If you find faults with our country, make it a better one. If you're disappointed with the mistakes of government, join its ranks and work to correct them. Enlist in our Armed Forces. Become a teacher. Enter the ministry. Run for public office. Feed a hungry child. Teach an illiterate adult to read. Comfort the afflicted. Defend the rights of the oppressed. Our country will be the better, and you will be the happier. Because nothing brings greater happiness in life than to serve a cause greater than yourself.

I'm going to fight for my cause every day as your President. I'm going to fight to make sure every American has every reason to thank God, as I thank Him: that I'm an American, a proud citizen of the greatest country on earth, and with hard work, strong faith and a little courage, great things are always within our reach. Fight with me. Fight with me.

Fight for what's right for our country.

Fight for the ideals and character of a free people.

Fight for our children's future.

Fight for justice and opportunity for all.

Stand up to defend our country from its enemies.

Stand up for each other; for beautiful, blessed, bountiful America.

Stand up, stand up, stand up and fight. Nothing is inevitable here. We're Americans, and we never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history.

Thank you, and God Bless you.

Eliana's First "People" Drawing

So, today i went to the dr.

Tye stayed home with Ayelen and Hadley, but Eliana

came with me.

Thanks for asking,

shingles.

No, not her, me.

i know, it is terrible... but what do you do?

the FUN thing is:

The doctor walked in and Eliana announced proudly,

"I am going to draw a picture of you."

she drew on the back of a piece of paper from my last A+ schools activity that was still tucked in my purse, so since i am on my A+ MacBook, i thought it only fitting to use PhotoBooth to take her pic to post.

this on is more just Eliana loving the camera on the computer.... 

but here is the grand piece of art:

the circle is his head, below it the dot is his nose, the horizontal line is his mouth and the two vertical lines are his legs...

wasnt it picasso that said he worked a lifetime to learn to draw like a child?

i am pretty proud of her!

milestones

milemarkers on the highway always encourage me- especially when i am driving both my girls to dallas to see daddy for fathers day and i am already tired.





they remind me that yes, i really am getting there.





so, i suppose that a milestone is nearly the same, right?














so, huge exciting news- Ayelen Faith is walking!!





That is right folks, walking.








three to six steps at a time, always ending in a fall, and eliciting a huge cheer from big sister and mommy.











with her new-found mobility, she is getting a little less clingy to mommy. woohoo!











summertime is bringing lots of fun to the Brown house- so here are a few pics:

its about time

what to say


hmmm


there is nothing interesting to say.

just the humdrum day to day life of a stay at home mom



little sleep
lots of whining (eliana or me depending on the day- ha!)



we are still working on the other house
still searching Gods heart on our next steps



i think i will wait to post an update until i have something intelligent to say, but i DO have new pictures to include here, so that has to be worth something!! :)

a lesson to chew on for a while

perspectives on the world christian movement


it is a class


it will change every thing you believe and how you live... so take it if you dare





seriously though, i think it should be required for every one who calls themselves a follower of Christ


www.perspectives.org





so on tuesday,


Brad Buser of new tribes mission spoke about pioneer church planting


i wish i could type a transcript, but he spoke soooo fast that i couldnt even take notes! teacher me- ME! no notes! how on earth did that happen??

take a southern californian SURFER city boy, put his life in Jesus as a senior in high school and pair him with a youth pastor who was brutally honest and had a passion for the nations and get a man who by the Spirits power moved with his wife and babies to a remote tribe in Papua New Guinea and shared the Gospel with them.


over 20 years time


they lived there for 5 years before they even started sharing the Gospel, sharing love and learning the language and culture.

learner then trader then storyteller


wow


so i wonder



in our day of

SHORT TERM EVERYTHING


where are people who are willing to give their LIVES for the long haul of the Gospel??

where am i??

ON AGAIN AND OFF AGAIN

on and off

another crash





aargh!!


we have to send the computer BACK in.


gag me. i am sick of this.




alas, my wonderful super hero brother came to the rescue to allow us to borrow the computer so we could get the taxes done... translated- i got 2 hours of sleep last night from about 4:30 to 6:30 am... and now i have a few minutes to get on to try to do everything else.

once you are an addict- computer addict- that is- like me, when it is gone you feel a severe loss.

sad day.


i miss email

i miss blogging

i miss my "mommies" on my site

and i have so much to DO on the computer



come back, Mac!

little things

so i will have to catch up in multiple posts

1= because there is a two year old on my lap now

2= because the times that both of the other babies are sleeping is short

3= because there is sooo much to say

4= because i need to do laundry, taxes, remodel the new house and clean the old house

5= because i keep having the delete my mistakes because it has been so long since i have typed so much!! ha!

ok so the little things-

Ayelen is getting 2 more teeth! woohoo this will make 8 for my 9 month old... but the sad part is that she bit me while nursing the other night. ouch ouch ouch.

We got the house that we have been working to get for like 8 months- YEAH!!! It is right across the street, 2.5 times bigger (3 beds and 2 baths!!) AND has a shop for our business (Advantage Remodel) AND a garage AND a laundry room.... AND i got a new fridge with ice and water in the door.  i feel big town now. :)

sadly it looks like we don't get to go to africa this summer.  seven of seven people have backed out of our team.  this makes me extremely sad and leads to some of the "bigger things" that i will post about later.

when we got our computer back, i - nimwit mother- had not backed up data since july 11. that means i lost all of Ayelens pics from 3 weeks old to 8 months old. i am at a loss.  so two things: 1- BACKUP YOUR DATA NOW and 2- i am begging anyone with any picture of her to mail or email it to me so that i can atleast have enough to complete her scrapbook.

and...

last for now

i started a creative memories business- check out my website at http://www.mycmsite.com/sites/christybrown

i really am excited about helping people save their memories in a variety of ways

check out our new spring aqua and navy  "bundles" here for over a 50% discount- what a great thing to make a mothers day gift with!

i'm baaacck!!

i need to give lots of updates-

lots

for now, dear friends, i just want to see if anyone reads this. :) 

mia me

missing

in

action

my "uncrashable" mac crashed

the hard drive is bad

$300 to replace

$1000 to recover data

NEVER buy your mac from comp usa- never buy their coverage plan that they tout to be better than apple care....

i will be back someday :(

google me???

of course

we have all googled our names.

well, at least, i think we all do...

i have

and my husbands name

and my kids names

most recently, i was just googling Eliana Grace's name just to see if our blog showed up.

sadly, it didn't.

BUT

did you know there are other "eliana grace's" out there??? i had no clue anyone else would name their daughter such an awesome name- i had never heard it when we chose it for its meaning.

AND the super cool part is that it seems like others who chose the name are Jesus lovers too!

nerd me, i have to share what i have browsed online:

but i do have to admit that i feel a bit like a peeping tom- even though their pages are public ;)

 http://www.kremerfamily.ca/index.cfm

http://www.norgauer.blogspot.com

http://ourradiantfamily.blogspot.com

ps- anyone know how to make google find us too???

pictures for family

so friends and family who are always wanting new pictures,

here are a few.

and, just to let you know, you can save these to your own computer, too.

just in case you are wondering how, on a picture you would like to save, either right-click (PC) or ctrl-click (mac), then choose "save as..." and follow the instructions :)

ps- i was trying to add lots more and there was a glitch... i will do it later :)

My gluten-free girl

It looks like 

we get to venture into a world of gluten- free

yep

Ayelen and me

You see,

ayelen got sick and irritable when she first started soids (rice cereal, then oatmeal baby cereal)

so, when i talked to the dr about this, she mentioned that she might be

gluten intolerant

this is a big deal

this makes eating not so easy

but if would help my baby, i would do it in a heart beat.

so i did

and she is so happy now!

we surely got a fantastic surprise from Jared and Rebekah Motley when a package of goodies from a gluten free online shop arrived on our doorstep....

all of my favorite foods that i am now avoiding for ayelens sake- bread, tortillas, brownies, pancakes-etc- there was so much for us!

and Ayelen and Eliana surely loved the animal cookies- yay!!