christina sent me these a while back...i hadn't seen them before...thought some of you would like to see them as well. so much happens in such a relatively short amount of time like two years. can you believe that there are a few weddings and babies that have happened since then? man we're gettin old!
left to right: amy, christina, calista, melissa, crystal, jill, moi

okay so....

they'll never be able to run for office or cook dinner...but who said i didn't have kids...


(notice the glowing eyes in the doorway in the distance...that's fraidy cat fred!)






in case anyone is wondering, female dogs, if not spayed, will have what seems like a period. i have no idea how long it lasts, only that the diapers for it cost me $15!!
she doesn't like them, but she knows that if she wriggles out of it, she'll go right back outside.
as soon as possible, she's goin to the vet!! man am i a sucker. seriously, i told justin a long time ago that i never wanted to have to put diapers on any animal that i had. hah! i'm eating those words as we speak!
(it is pretty hilarious to watch her waddle around in a diaper though, thus the pictures)

because of michelle's nudge...

i thought i'd post about blessings in my life... but you have to get down in the dumps sometimes to notice the good, right? so yesterday, i was on the far north side of okc and i drove by my and justin's old apartment. i started to feel so disappointed and annoyed that things in my life were absolutely not going as i had planned. i did not plan to be married as early as i was. i did not plan to stink at finances. i did not plan to STILL be living in okc. i did not plan to be living in the same home as my mom at 26 WHILE MARRIED. THIS IS NOT MY PLAN!!!!

i was so frustrated that i kept choking back tears as i drove back to the place i called home with my mother and my sickly whiny husband.. (i love him but jeez guys are whiny when they're sick!!) :)

i kept thinking that it wasn't fair, that i couldn't handle all the disappointment that i was conjuring. i just kept thinking about all the bad things that were going on and that had happened. i got worse and worse and worse and finally i couldn't hold the tears back any longer. which is pretty unsafe when you're driving...

and i hate to cry. crying is stupid and it makes your eyes puffy and was ruining my perfect eye makeup job!! so i had to stop. i couldn't. i HAD to. then the Lord brought these verses to my mind: "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. Fear ye not therefor, ye are of more value than many sparrows." (matt 10:29,31)



then i was ashamed. i had SO MANY good things in my life. so what if they weren't what i had planned on having...the Lord knows way better than i do what i need. seriously, he knows what i want too....way before i know what i want.

here are a few reasons i should be happy and trust the Lord so much more:

1. i have a husband that loves me even if i cry about really stupid things....or if i cry for no reason at all
2. i have a job that pays me the monies i use to settle my debts. there are a lot, but i get them covered.
3. i have clothes that fit, and the ones that don't, well, see number 4.
4. i have food to eat. i am not going hungry. you CANNOT see my ribs. even if i tell you you can.
5. i have a wonderful mother who, even when she drives me crazy, is happy to have me at home helping around the house. this is a mutually beneficial relationship.
6. i have friends. WONDERFUL FRIENDS! i have so many Godly friends who don't give up on me and are always there for me in word or in deed.
7. i have a Savior who is full of endless love and forgiveness. it doesn't matter how many times i "forget" about all He's done for me. He still brings all those things back to my mind as if to say "I love you beth, you are dearer to me than you can imagine. I will take care of you, feed you and clothe you. I will be your JOY."

boy, sometimes you really need to write out things like that...He's so good to me even though i'm worthless and constantly throw His blessings back in His face. thank goodness i have Salvation that is independent of me!

Amazing Love (Charles Wesley)

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain—
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

’Tis mystery all: th’Immortal dies:
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;
Let angel minds inquire no more.

He left His Father’s throne above
So free, so infinite His grace—
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race:
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

Still the small inward voice I hear,
That whispers all my sins forgiven;
Still the atoning blood is near,
That quenched the wrath of hostile Heaven.
I feel the life His wounds impart;
I feel the Savior in my heart.
I feel the life His wounds impart;
I feel the Savior in my heart.

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

babies!!

i promised pictures of murphie WAY BACK...so here they are. murphie is the small beagle/terrier mutt and william is the big german shepherd mutt...they're so cute!

here they are being sweet...


and here is the epitome of william looks...big, dumb, lovable...he's so silly


here's murphie doing a belly crawl..she rarely does this and its so cute!


lord william buckley, esq.


the ball is about as big as she is!!


as you look at this next picture, imagine william's tail wagging so hard that his butt moves quickly from side to side...that's what he's doing there!!



i'm such a cat person, i never in a million years thought i could like two dogs so much!!

silliness

ug. so a few minutes ago, i went to put some dressing on my pasta. the lid wasn't on well. i didn't know. there was balsamic dijon ALL OVER THE PLACE. its thick and dark and it won't just wipe clean. if i was at home, one of my five or six living mops and vacuum cleaners could have helped. but i'm at work! so now there are TONS of paper towels in the bathroom trash that are covered with a dark brown slimy substance. it does make me happier to think about what patients will think when they see it. makes the mess, the cleaning, the frustration worth it. man i'm evil.
reminds me of the time that i put trash in a box and layered the trash with wilted rotting spinach leaves and crumbled pringles. i taped the box up and took it over to lenscrafters and told nathan the manager that i had accidentally recieved and opened a shipment meant for them.

of course he wouldn't open it because of past experiences with boxes that i've taken them. no i dont' have a reputation. plus, they started it by putting poly swarf in my trash can!!! (poly swarf: the waste generated by surfacing polycarbonate eyeglass lenses. it is either wet and nasty or dry and nasty) nathan forgot that i had trained in his lab years back and actually knew what it was...they were hoping someone here would just be confused. but no, they started a war. i put handful after handful in a box and stuffed it to the point that it would bust open if jostled and it would get all over nathan's suit. and it did. haha i'm quite proud of how juvenile i can be, aren't i?