Life, In Spite of Me - Blog Tour Winner!!!!!

I used random.org to calculate a winning number from how many comments had been posted and the winning number was 9 so the winning comment was posted by.....


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Jennifer H!!!!  Congratulations!  I know your life will be blessed by reading this book and sharing the story with others!  Please send me an email with your mailing address so I can get your free book in the mail!!!

Go back and re-read your winning commet... the keyboard tricked you for a reason!!! 

{ May 5 }

I was telling Hayden all about a special surprize trip I'm about to take and mentioned horses; he wanted to see some horses too so I took him over to our friend, Amy's house to see hers.  She practically has a ranch right here in the middle of the high desert!  Enjoy the photos.

This goat would not leave Hayden alone!  He tried eating his hair and would stand in his way when he tried to walk away!  It was hilarious, Hayden wasn't scared though, just annoyed.

He liked the sound the chickens made, all day long he was mocking them, "ba-cock! ba-cock!"

Hayden, "I didn't know that's how eggs are born!"

Off we go!  This was fun!

{ April 29 }

Fotima had the baby!  She was scheduled for a cesarean on May 6 and the baby wasn't even due until May 11 but God had other plans.  She came over after dropping her elementary child off at school and was having contractions and I gave her hot mint tea and she crashed out on my couch!  She had an appointment scheduled that day at 2 and when she went in he checked her, she was dialated to 4 centimeters.  He tried to stop the labor but with everthing he tried, her contractions came faster and harder so he did the only thing he could... he delivered little miss Alyssa-Alaura Mykael Hall at 7:38 PM by cesarean! 

I have the pleasure of photographing this little princess each month so stay tuned to follow her growth.

CONGRATULATIONS HALL FAMILY!

{ April 24-30 } Patience is a Virtue

I haven't seen my Dad, Papa, in six years.  My boys were just toddlers and babies (Hayden wasn't even born) the last time I saw him.  He moved from Arizona where we were able to visit 2-3 times a year, to Indiana where we were (obviously) unable to travel.  From there, he moved to New Mexico and went to trucking school.  Although New Mexico is close enough to travel to, his schedule was too full to have visitors and next thing you know he was on the road.  The truck took him many places where he was able to visit others for an hour, a day or a few days, but for some reason, it never brought him through California.

Until now!

He had to request a load that brought him out here, but I'm not complaining!  He was given three days to drive a short period of time which gave him an extra two days to spend with us!  His plan was to spend his "home time" here for three days but we got six!  He got here just in time for dinner on Saturday with Lauren and her boyfriend Nathan (who found out 4-22-10 they are having a baby, by the way, so a shout of congrats to them!), then karaoke!!!  I haven't gone to karaoke in a very long time (not counting a friend's birthday party the prior weekend that made me realize just how much I missed it)  Said friend, Amy even got Papa to sing a duet with her!  Papa sure knows how to make an impression, he hit it off with everyone!

Monday, after dropping the older boys off at school, Roz took Hayden for the day and I went with Papa to drop off his load in Rancho so he could start enjoying his "home time!"  It was so cool riding in that big rig and watching Papa at work.

As you know, (if you're a regular reader) Tristen & Seth have been learning to play the guitar so Papa brought his out and played for us.  He even tought Seth a song!  Seth wouldn't play with the video camera on him but here's a clip of me singing along with Papa to Patsy Cline/Willie Nelson - Crazy.

We all had a fantastic visit!  The boys fell in love with their Grampa and he fell for them!  They had such a tough time letting him get back on the road. 

We can't wait until the next time we get a visit from our traveling man.

{ April 24 } Photo Shoot

I'm playing catch-up here so please bear with me when I redirect you to my photography blogspot to view the Senior Photos I shot of Alson Hall.

{a sneak peak} Here is the announcement I put together for him.http://amandalogophotography.blogspot.com/

If you are not already a follower, please become one and share with your friends!

{ April 23 }

-Sorry for the terrible quality of these photos taken with my cell phone-

I've been irritated with my hair for quite some time and with Summer coming and with us living in the desert I decided on a shorter cut then I usually get.

BEFORE

AFTER

I like it a lot.  Now I just need to get it colored!

{ March 29 } AP's at it AGAIN!

Forgive me for posting March info in May but I figure it's like they say, better late then never.

Our little AP {Accident Prone, for those of you who may be new} broke his arm again. 

This time he was sitting on the coffee table eating a bowl of noodles when he leaned back failing to remember there was nothing there to protect him from falling and landed "just right" on his right elbow < yes, the same one as last time > breaking it at the joint again!  Thank goodness it only broke in one place this time and surgery was not required.

I drove him down to Loma Linda since that's where we had success the last time, it's only a half hour trip but by the time we left he was exhausted.

If you think it slowed him down in the least, you are dead wrong!

The good doctors Loma Linda had put a soft cast on and gave me instructions to remove it in three weeks so on April 28 Hayden was all too excited to have me do just that!

But even that was not without incident...

We were told to return for X-rays a week after removing the soft cast but ended up back there just a bit sooner then that:

May 5 we took him to the local urgent care facility after he pinched his hand in the footrest of his mini recliner and after trying for two hours we still couldn't get the bleeding to stop.  They said he needed stitches (about three) but with him being so young they'd have to put him under to accomplish that task so they oppted for sterie strips instead.  When that didn't work I just took him back to Loma Linda for his "X-rays" and had them check his hand while they were at it.  It's pretty sad, the looks you get when you take your child in for X-rays following his second break in 2 years with a hand that needs stitches! 

They cleaned his wound and glued it shut, covered it with a bandaid AND wrapped it in an ace bandage for good measure!  Oh, and in case you were wondering, his X-rays came back A-OK but the surgeon who worked on his arm in 2008 is worried about the mobility he's lost in said arm due to his injuries so we will allow some time for the stiffness to wear off and take him back for a consultation to see if he'll need physical therapy for his arm to regain mobility in June.

-His hand is completely healed now-

A Twilight Fan's Room

Ok, I just had to share my friend, Amy Forbes' bedroom because we are both huge Twilight Fans, but I think she wins with this bedroom decor!  If I were a teenager still, I'd be all over this!  But as it is, I'm married with children so I'm not allowed ; ( boo. 

She's not a teen either, for the record, but she's not married and she has a Twi-hard daughter opposed to my four boys! haha!

She has decals on the wall of quotes from the books and everything!

Can you tell she's a Team Edward Member?

Life, In Spite of Me - Blog Tour & Giveaway (you WANT this one!)

This was book was provided for review by:

Tour Dates: May 17-21, 2010

 Summary:

She wanted to die, God had other plans.

Kristen Anderson thought tshe had the picture-perfect life until strokes of gray dimmed her outlook:  three friends and her grandmother died within two years.  Still reeling from these losses, she was raped by a friend she thought she could trust.  She soon spiraled into seemingly bottomless depression.

One January night, the seventeen-year-old decided she no longer wanted to deal with the emotional pain that smothered her.  She lay down on a set of cold railroad tracks and waited for a freight train to send her to heaven...and peace.

Miraculously Kristen's story doesn't end there.

In Life, In Spite of me this remarkably joyful young woman shares the miracle of her survival, the angonizing aftermath of her failed suicide attempt, and the hope that has completely transformed her life, giving her powerful purpose for living.

Her gripping story of finding joy against all odds provides a vivid and unforgetable reminder that life is a gift to be treasured.

My Review: 

 This is an extroaordinary reminder that even when we give up on ourselves, God never gives up on us!  This true story of the suicide attempt made by Kristen Anderson is very deep and disturbing.  I have never understood how or why a person would revert to taking one's own life as a solution to their problems but this book helped explain some things I never considered.  I've never suffered from depression and in Kristen's story depression plays a significant role in her attempt.  This is a powerful story of the amazing grace of God and how His plans will always prevail! Packed full of tragedy, loss and violence as well as love, redemption and survival, you will laugh and cry as you read Kristen's compelling testimony of a girl on the verge. A girl on the verge of womanhood, of death, of eternal damnation, a girl who's survival was no accident.

Giveaway

To win your own copy of this book, simply post a comment to this blog entry (if reading from Face Book, please click the link; it will take you to BlogSpot to post your comment to enter the drawing). One entry per person, please; > if you are a "follower" to my blogspot or become a "follower", you can submit a second comment stating that you follow or you're a new follower and you will double your chances of winning! < must enter by May 26, 2010
 The winner will be revealed May 29, 2010 so be sure to visit my blog again to find out if you won! –Good luck! If you are not the lucky winner or just can't wait to find out, click this link to purchase this book!

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