My husband & I are very excited to be going on our first mission trip to Africa.  Neither of us have ever even left the country so Africa of all places is sure to be an eye opener.  We will be spending two weeks in the Sudan out in the middle of no where!  In fact we will be more than four hours driving distance from anything else.  I completely look forward to the feeling of being cut off from the rest of the world.  There is a medical center there where two Americans live, & we will be helping out with Lord knows what.  Feeding starving children, giving vaccines, maybe setting up irrigation systems or maybe playing with the children.  Whatever it may be, we are excited.  Our pastor metnioned the trip as he as before one Sunday & both my husband & I felt as if ‘I want to go’.  And so we are!  Of course, we have to get all of our shots & passports & luggage & all of that last minute, but hey I work better under pressure.  We know this all will give us such a different perspective on life.  I would imagine all our cares in the world won’t seem to matter so much after this.  I also am looking so forward to seeing the stars.  With no light for miles it is sure to be fabulous.  I am sure the two weeks may feel long at some points while we are there, but it will be gone before we know it.  God called us to do this for a reason, I know we will make the most of it.  www.sudanproject.org
As for my art.  Well I actually started making some new items over the weekend.  This past weekend was a mojor veg-out couple of days.  I loved it.  We haven’t had a good lazy weekend in… forever!  We didn’t do any remodeling, nothing.  We pretty much spent our time on Saturday (after getting up at 11:00) playing video games, I played with my clay, & watching movies.  It was awesome.  So I made a few little items to make into earrings & it was so much fun.  I loved it.  Of course, as usual I didn’t have averything I needed so I couldn’t get too far.  Frustrating, but it’s ok.  We have a gift certificate to Hobby Lobby that I am just dying to use!  So, it was fun for me to find a new love in my clay.  I don;t use colored clay much, but with the pieces I plan to make that is almost all I will be using.  How fun.  I attempted to start a new fairy on Sat. but was like- bleh, the head didn’t turn out so why keep on?!  So I went to the fun stuff.  Much better. 
I think it may just be time for a little poem:
I am dead tired, but what’s new with that?!
I wish I was playing with clay,
instead of doing accounting crap.
Oh well, it’s almost noon the day is half done
Can’t wait to go home & have some clay fun. 
Yee haw.

I have gotten a new account on etsy for my abbi-normal site:  abbinormal.etsy.com .  Yay for that & boo for not getting anything else done!  Well, we are still fervently working on our house so I suppose that is some sort of excuse.  We got a quote last week to get our kitchen cabinets redone.  When the salesman drove up in a Jag I should have just locked the doors & shut off the lights.  But I gave him the benefit, let him measure, took his quote & then had my drawers & cabinet doors taken off & ready to paint practically before he left the driveway.  So we ordered hinges & knobs & are painting them… again… One of the first things we did when we moved there was rip off all the doors & drawers, then painted some, then lost some.  Now we are repainting them.  How exciting.  Oh how I long for a day when I have so much more to talk about than our house.  Well I do now, but it’s the one thing we are working on the most so it occupies my mind.  I still need to reorganize my art room, yes i have one now- all I need to do is use it.  I can feel our lives coming ‘full circle’ if you will.  That everything is falling in place.  Whether our house is near done or not doesn’t really matter, it’s more about knowing you are doing what is right & God honoring.  That feels awesome & really makes everything else in the world seem to disappear.  I know we could do so much more, that we can be pushed so much farther & harder.  So my art will always remain my passion, no matter how little time I have for it.  I have heard it said that people that have an excuse of not having time to do something are just not taking the time.  How true that can be- say, exercising.  I don’t feel that way about my art though, I want to do it but I have to put other things first right now.  Excuse?  I hope not.  Trust me, I’d rather draw than drywall anyday.  So anyways, that’s my life- remodeling a house.  Looks nice outside today.  I miss spring, summer, & fall.  Can’t complain, it’s been like the best winter ever.  OK, rambling gotta go.

We have had our house about four years now.  Originally, we planned on fixing it up within the first two then selling it…. yeah right.  Never should have bought it.  To put it plainly, we were screwed.  Especially when it comes to the little septic problem secret that they failed to fill us in on.  My initial responce to that incident was- a. sue the pants off them or b. at least call them & tell them what I thought of them.  Sueing someone is the last thing we want to do for a number of reasons, some would say however that there is a time & place for everything.  We did go to a lawyer, who told us we would probably spend more money than it was worth & possible not get a dime back.  At least he didn’t take advantage of us.  Basically we made a choice to laugh at the situation.  I say, if you don’t laugh you cry so hey- go with it.  So we did everything in our power to not have to get a mound system… but guess what.  That’s exactly what we are required to have.  Once again, we kept the situation in perspective.  So it may cost us $15,000.00 that we frankly don’t have (who does!?) whatever though, we’ll come up with it somehow, God will provide.  And as for the amount itself, well it is merely money after all so big deal.  They weren’t going to take our first born for the septic system or anything like that!  Which, our first born would be Daisy our oldest dog of our four & that would simply be devastating.  Anywho.  So basically everything in the house needs repair or complete replacement.  The first year we did exactly what everyone tells you not too, ripped something out of every room in the house.  Took off all our kitchen cabinet doors (later lost some), gutted rooms, ripped up carpet, painted ugly colors on the walls, scratched up the linoleum.. on & on.  I’ll admit it was pretty fun at first.  Then our fuse went out & we worked some, but very little over probably the next two years.  Felt like we were getting no where.  Which we weren’t!  FINALLY, life changes.  I meet some awesome people that give me hope in good people left on the planet, I get involved in a Christian Teen Club & we finally start going to church again.  Bonus, we love the church & they speak only the truth.  Once we found church & God again, the ball started rolling… what a concept.  We have been lead to countless people all for a reason whether to give us advice or for us to help them, including our business coach.  He introduced us to the concepts of abundance not scarcity, & also believing in something makes it happen.  At first I thought, this dude is looney.  Sure, it’s easy to say- oh yes believe it & it will happen-pshhhh when you retired from a Fortune 100 company & are set for life!!  I didn’t recognize the truth at first.  It all goes back to a foundation of God.  He wants the best for us & he will provide, so why worry.  About anything…. ever.  A favorite song lyric of mine comes from a Pedro The Lion song- “If I look up & the sky’s not there is there any reason that I should be scared when a promise is a promise”  How true it is.  So now, we have a schedule for our house, we will be done by summer.  We are currently ahead of schedule & as my mom puts it, we jumped in with both feet.  Yes I miss my weekends & yea I can’t wait to get out of that house.  We feel that we jumped in to buying it & we have to own up & take responsability.  Which we are doing.  On another note, had two septic guys come over on Friday for quotes.  The first dude spent about an hour & a half with me & I trusted him immediately.  In fact, he thinks all we need to replace is our tank which would be about $1800.00.  He could have said- oh yea, you need a new system, it will cost about $15,000.00 - which hmmm, the second guy said.  The second guy was there less than five minutes & didn’t even look at where the problem was, went outside- came back in & proceeded to suggest we put the system in the back of our yard.  The first guy that came looked at that spot too & said it would cost us a fortune to put it there.  So I ask the second guy- will that cost more?  Ohhh no, it shouldn’t.  Ass.  So, once again there was a reason that first dude came first & that I was wise enough to see a potential screwing.  So yay, our system may only cost $1800.00 or it could cost $15,000.00- either way.  ANYWAYS.  Back to life, now I need to apply the- believe it & make it so theory to my art.  I have the ideas, I am pumped.  We even finished the landing where all my art stuff will be, & organized.  Time is a bit of an issue, but it will come.  Need to develop new ideas for the site, get some more supplies- hard to believe, & then go at it.  I had plans for tutorials since forever ago, making more fairies, jewelry, on & on.  With the house renovation,  work, trying to exercise all the time, & the typical house work, & I really need to study my Bible more- well I think that we need a vacation.  Which would be a week off of work that would inevidibly end with us working on the hosue the entire week.  Eh well, we will be done by summer.  Whats a couple more months out of our lives.  Geez, there won’t be any time when we have kids!  Well, my husband is working in more time off from work into our plans for the next year.  We’ll find a way.  OK, I just broke the self proclaimed record for longest blog ever.  Yay me. 

How many people actually remember the name Jeffrey Ake?  I haven’t forgotten since the first time I heard the name.  Granted, he is from Indiana, so am I so it strikes close to home when you hear of tragedy near you.  Jeff Ake was kidnapped in Iraq back in April of 2004.  He was one of those video taped holding his passport, sitting at a desk while masked men had guns pointed at him (click here to learn more).  They actually called his wife & asked for a ransom at the time then fell off the face of the earth.  Not a word has been said since.  Finally a year later his wife went on CNN pleading for any information.  So what’s my point?  Not much really, just that I can’t fathom what his family must be going through, what they have been through.  I feel hopeless when I think of not knowing what happened to someone, where they are, if they still are.  That makes me feel terribly sad.  So I pray for this family frequently, for some form of closure to them.  I don’t expect the world to remember this case, but the more people that do- can pray for them & send comfort to them through prayer.  I know that God handles all things, & he can bring comfort to this most hopeless situation.  Where God is, there is hope.  I wish the best for them & I will not forget. He’s not the only one, I know there are so many.  I hope somehow they know they are not forgotten.