gdata.io.handleScriptLoaded({"version":"1.0","encoding":"UTF-8","feed":{"xmlns":"http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom","xmlns$openSearch":"http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/","xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","xmlns$georss":"http://www.georss.org/georss","xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","xmlns$blogger":"http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008","id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617703709209272834"},"updated":{"$t":"2023-11-15T10:12:27.390-05:00"},"category":[{"term":"love"},{"term":"Columbiana"},{"term":"fear"},{"term":"nightmares"},{"term":"laughs"},{"term":"heartbreak"},{"term":"Lent"},{"term":"adventure"},{"term":"service"},{"term":"NKOTB"},{"term":"fun"},{"term":"amazing person"},{"term":"Chicago"},{"term":"faith"},{"term":"writing"},{"term":"family"},{"term":"Christmas"},{"term":"friendship"},{"term":"Auburn"},{"term":"dogs"},{"term":"dreams"},{"term":"America"},{"term":"courage"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Amy's Just Saying"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":""},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/5617703709209272834/posts/default/-/love?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026max-results\u003d30"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/5617703709209272834/posts/default/-/love?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026max-results\u003d30"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/search/label/love"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Amy"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/18038313873825254338"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTaIGZILVcpZXMDQGukjso9jh2HvmiD6gAdZBi6dxG7cA6RYqs9Ig-XXDY91aou8F1IbpyNTs33tf6qNQvaUKLsAwttPfjAJuQBL3N-fZzASDIyRTYr-LqSdztvnbxe10/s113/Watercolor+Amy.jpg"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"https://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"10"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"30"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617703709209272834.post-3669438726300860697"},"published":{"$t":"2018-09-10T20:00:00.005-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2022-03-30T13:03:47.153-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"love"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"heartbreak"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"September 10th"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wdqnPqDONlw/W5fVw-sY3PI/AAAAAAAABWg/KjFGBBgQRT4NlJxKjfd6PmhK_a4YOzHhgCLcBGAs/s1600/wtc_night.png\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" data-original-height\u003d\"1067\" data-original-width\u003d\"1600\" height\u003d\"266\" src\u003d\"https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wdqnPqDONlw/W5fVw-sY3PI/AAAAAAAABWg/KjFGBBgQRT4NlJxKjfd6PmhK_a4YOzHhgCLcBGAs/s400/wtc_night.png\" width\u003d\"400\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\nOn Monday, September 10, 2001, a family had dinner together for the last time. A dad put his children to bed and kissed them goodnight for the last time. After a long day of meetings, a tired business woman looked forward to the morning flight that would take her home...but that flight wouldn’t reach its destination. A little boy went to bed in PJs with fire trucks all over them. They were his favorite, because his daddy told him stories about how he gets to go to work and ride those trucks everyday. His dad was his hero, and the next morning his dad would be the very real hero to countless others, but he wouldn’t be home for dinner that night or any night after that.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ca name\u003d'more'\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\nAnother woman lay awake in her bed worrying about her 8am job interview the next morning. She finally fell asleep with only the possibility of a couple of hours of rest. Her exhausted body slept longer than she intended, and she was frantic about how late she would be for such an important meeting. It saved her life.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nLife is so fleeting. So precious. Imagine if any one of those people and the almost 3000 others had known that they only had a few hours left on this earth. What would they have done differently? What would you have done if that was you? Because it could’ve been you. It could’ve been any of us.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nWe are every person who went to bed on September 10, 2001, thinking we have an infinite number of days in front of us. We have things that are undone, burned bridges that haven’t been rebuilt but can and should be. We’re going to bed without saying ‘I love you’ or ‘I’m sorry’ to someone who desperately needs to hear it. We are worrying about things that we can’t control. We’re putting off that crazy dream, because the fear of failing at it is overwhelming. We’ll get to it someday...or will we?\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe one thing that differentiates us from all of those people who were just doing life on Monday, September 10, 2001, is that we are here doing life on Monday, September 10, 2018.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\nIn their memory, let’s spend September 11, 2018, honoring them by saying, ‘I love you’ and ‘I’m sorry’. Let’s hug and laugh and cry and take a longer lunch and eat ice cream, because we can. Let’s be filled with gratitude for the countless blessings in our lives. Let’s do the thing that scares us, because NOW is the time.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nI, for one, am going to make sure that you, my friends, know how loved you are by me. I love doing life with you even if it’s mostly through social media. You have impacted my life in small and huge ways. I pray that you go to bed tonight with full hearts. I hope you wake up tomorrow - Tuesday, September 11, 2018 - with a renewed spirit to say all the words and do the all things, because it could’ve been you in 2001...but it wasn’t.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zBmWw0WYLIA/W5fUpYK1VyI/AAAAAAAABWU/MqvKtSF13mksbFVBfJ7y8Me7UCG39y4owCEwYBhgL/s1600/September-11-logo.jpg\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" data-original-height\u003d\"1000\" data-original-width\u003d\"1084\" height\u003d\"295\" src\u003d\"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zBmWw0WYLIA/W5fUpYK1VyI/AAAAAAAABWU/MqvKtSF13mksbFVBfJ7y8Me7UCG39y4owCEwYBhgL/s320/September-11-logo.jpg\" width\u003d\"320\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/feeds/3669438726300860697/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/2018/09/september-10th.html#comment-form","title":"3 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/5617703709209272834/posts/default/3669438726300860697"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/5617703709209272834/posts/default/3669438726300860697"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/2018/09/september-10th.html","title":"September 10th"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Amy"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/18038313873825254338"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTaIGZILVcpZXMDQGukjso9jh2HvmiD6gAdZBi6dxG7cA6RYqs9Ig-XXDY91aou8F1IbpyNTs33tf6qNQvaUKLsAwttPfjAJuQBL3N-fZzASDIyRTYr-LqSdztvnbxe10/s113/Watercolor+Amy.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wdqnPqDONlw/W5fVw-sY3PI/AAAAAAAABWg/KjFGBBgQRT4NlJxKjfd6PmhK_a4YOzHhgCLcBGAs/s72-c/wtc_night.png","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"3"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617703709209272834.post-1652717364499451731"},"published":{"$t":"2018-05-29T11:36:00.002-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2022-03-30T12:56:34.424-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"friendship"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"love"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"faith"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Orange Starburst"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;\"\u003e\nPoor orange Starburst. Undesired. Unloved. Unwanted. REJECTED.\nJust like the unathletic kid in PE, they are the last ones left in the bowl.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xPBNffWbqtc/WufHOdgSAqI/AAAAAAAABUY/TjV7dvSjhRMbMY_q357aHZraq3uqAEgsACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1153%2B%25282%2529.JPG\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" data-original-height\u003d\"1250\" data-original-width\u003d\"1600\" height\u003d\"311\" src\u003d\"https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xPBNffWbqtc/WufHOdgSAqI/AAAAAAAABUY/TjV7dvSjhRMbMY_q357aHZraq3uqAEgsACLcBGAs/s400/IMG_1153%2B%25282%2529.JPG\" width\u003d\"400\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\nWho hasn't felt like the orange Starburst on occasion? I know I have.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ca name\u003d'more'\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\nI’ve spent most of my life desperately trying NOT to be the orange\nStarburst. I worked hard at trying to fit in. I wanted so much to get picked. I\nremember this conversation with one of my friends in elementary school:\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eMe:\u003c/b\u003e Who’s your #1 best friend? (\u003ci\u003einner monologue: say me. Say ME.\nPLEASE SAY ME!\u003c/i\u003e).\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eHer: \u003c/b\u003eSabrina.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eMe: \u003c/b\u003eBut Sabrina moved away. She doesn’t even live here anymore.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eHer: \u003c/b\u003eShe’s still my best friend.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eMe: \u003c/b\u003eOk, but who is your #1 best friend who lives in Columbiana?\n(\u003ci\u003einner monologue: MEEEEEEE!\u003c/i\u003e)\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eHer: \u003c/b\u003eI don’t know. You, I guess.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eMe: \u003c/b\u003eOh my gosh! You’re my #1 best friend in Columbiana too!! (\u003ci\u003einner monologue: Victory is mine!\u003c/i\u003e)\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"color: black;\"\u003eThat worked for me. I was at least somewhere in the line-up. This philosophy\ncarried over into my 4\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e grade love life as well. Yeah. I had a \"boyfriend\". We were \"going together.\" Where did we go, you might ask? Well, we went to the lunchroom and we went to the library and we went to the car rider line together. So I guess you could say it was pretty serious...except for one little thing - actually, make that three. My boyfriend had\nthree other girlfriends (all named Kim). We were like sister wives or maybe the\n80’s version of prepubescent contestants on the Bachelor. It was fine with us. Would\nI accept this dandelion? Yes. Yes, I would – as long as I could\navoid being the only one left standing on the playground without one. \u003cspan style\u003d\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"color: black;\"\u003eAs I got older, that desire to belong and it’s ugly sister – the fear\nof rejection – never went away. It just got more complicated.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"color: black;\"\u003eI became painfully aware that I can be straight up TOO MUCH for a\nlot people – too loud, too excitable, too talkative, too emotional. I hated my\ntoo much-ness, and if it had a color, it would be bright orange. Impossible to\nignore - sticks out like a sore thumb - subtle as an air horn - \u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"color: orange;\"\u003eORANGE\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/b\u003e. I desperately\ntried to hide it. I wanted to push it down inside as far as I could. Sometimes it actually worked, but inevitably,\nevery shade of orange inside me would work it’s way to the surface. The more I\ntried to disguise myself, the stronger the fear monster grew, and it was dressed evermore\nextravagantly in anxiety, self-consciousness, doubt, and unworthiness. \u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"color: black;\"\u003eThere’s nothing wrong with wanting to belong. God created us to be\nin community. We are His personal expression of love, and we were made to crave\nand express that infinitely huge love in our relationships with each other. But,\nalas, we are humans, and we can get into trouble when we let that fear monster\ncreep in. Fear will tell you - \u003ci\u003eYou’re not good enough. You don’t deserve to be\nloved. Why would anyone want to hang out with you? \u003c/i\u003eDon’t you listen to it. That\nmonster is the enemy, and the enemy is a liar liar pants on fire. It will lie to you until you believe those\nlies to be the truth. \u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"color: black;\"\u003eThe real truth is this: The orange Starburst is someone’s\nfavorite. There are people who will reach into the bowl specifically for the\norange Starburst and not because it's the only option left. And you know what's great about those people? They get me. In all of my orange glory, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, they pick me. They love me \u003ci\u003ebecause\u003c/i\u003e of my glowing orange hue - NOT in spite of it.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"color: black;\"\u003eGod created us very much on purpose in every shade of every color in the rainbow...yes, even orange. We are all tied for the #1 position on His list of BFFs.\nEvery. Single. One of us. His love for us is not conditional on our color or\nflavor or anything else. It just\u003ci\u003e is\u003c/i\u003e. It doesn’t even matter if you believe in Him or not. We\nhave no choice in the matter. The choice we do have to make is whether or not we will receive that love and, in turn, live by it. God’s greatest gift to us is His\nimpossible-to-comprehend, all-encompassing love. If we accept it, then our gift\nback to Him is how we reflect that love to each other.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"color: black;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DMAyX_HTQsg/Wwxz3TM9hSI/AAAAAAAABVw/lKasXBHbdhci3kWBd1eOigWTsJLugh5YQCLcBGAs/s1600/Seperator.png\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" data-original-height\u003d\"73\" data-original-width\u003d\"586\" height\u003d\"48\" src\u003d\"https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DMAyX_HTQsg/Wwxz3TM9hSI/AAAAAAAABVw/lKasXBHbdhci3kWBd1eOigWTsJLugh5YQCLcBGAs/s400/Seperator.png\" width\u003d\"400\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/feeds/1652717364499451731/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/2018/05/orangestarburst.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/5617703709209272834/posts/default/1652717364499451731"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/5617703709209272834/posts/default/1652717364499451731"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/2018/05/orangestarburst.html","title":"Orange Starburst"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Amy"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/18038313873825254338"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTaIGZILVcpZXMDQGukjso9jh2HvmiD6gAdZBi6dxG7cA6RYqs9Ig-XXDY91aou8F1IbpyNTs33tf6qNQvaUKLsAwttPfjAJuQBL3N-fZzASDIyRTYr-LqSdztvnbxe10/s113/Watercolor+Amy.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xPBNffWbqtc/WufHOdgSAqI/AAAAAAAABUY/TjV7dvSjhRMbMY_q357aHZraq3uqAEgsACLcBGAs/s72-c/IMG_1153%2B%25282%2529.JPG","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617703709209272834.post-470236385194849122"},"published":{"$t":"2013-03-28T11:03:00.003-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2022-03-30T12:57:38.428-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"love"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"faith"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"service"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Above All Else"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Here’s the thing.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HR_DG7R80zE/WrhXdJPaFWI/AAAAAAAABOY/qdeiZjPNm40o5PV3sY7Mc-sTX-_UMhBUQCLcBGAs/s1600/cross%2Bw%2Bframe.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" data-original-height\u003d\"220\" data-original-width\u003d\"220\" src\u003d\"https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HR_DG7R80zE/WrhXdJPaFWI/AAAAAAAABOY/qdeiZjPNm40o5PV3sY7Mc-sTX-_UMhBUQCLcBGAs/s1600/cross%2Bw%2Bframe.jpg\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\nI am a Christian, and I consider myself to be a person of deep faith. I come from a VERY conservative background, and I still live by the values and morals that were instilled in me by my amazing parents and family. I know who my Savior is, and I pray to Him every single day. I seek His guidance and counsel to lead me along the right path. God…well…HE knows I am a hopelessly flawed sinner, but by the power of His amazing grace, I know He still loves me. Powerful stuff. \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;\"\u003e\nGiven all of the above, you might make assumptions about where I stand on marriage equality…and you would probably be wrong.\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ca name\u003d'more'\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9PoVBErEPak/UVRXgOORC7I/AAAAAAAAA3A/wOsr0CpYjgc/s1600/equality.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" height\u003d\"200\" src\u003d\"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9PoVBErEPak/UVRXgOORC7I/AAAAAAAAA3A/wOsr0CpYjgc/s200/equality.jpg\" usa\u003d\"true\" width\u003d\"200\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003eThe struggles that our homosexual brothers and sisters face were put on my heart even before I realized I knew any homosexual people. I don’t know why. My only explanation is that God put it there. Even as a teenager in Columbiana, Alabama, I found myself being drawn to support gay rights and constantly struggling with the fact that this seemed contradictory to my faith-based background.\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nHow could this be?\u003cbr /\u003e\nWhere does this feeling come from?\u003cbr /\u003e\nI’m not gay!\u003cbr /\u003e\nI don’t even know any gay people!\u003cem\u003e (Of course, I did, but I just didn’t know it yet.)\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nIn college, these feelings only grew stronger, as I made several out and proud homosexual friends. In grad school, I did a project in my Multicultural Counseling class in which I had to choose a population of which I was not a member, and experience as much of that culture as I could. Some of my classmates chose to immerse themselves in cultures of racial or geographical difference. Still others spent a week in a wheelchair or blindfolded. You get the idea. I (and a few others in the class) chose to focus our assignment on homosexual life. With the help of a friend and classmate, I explored places and read things and went to meetings that I never would have experienced otherwise. It was eye-opening, and it only deepened my resolve to support the LGBTQ community.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nStill the internal struggle continued. I prayed and prayed and prayed on it. I still do. How/why do I feel so differently about these issues than so many of my Christian brothers and sisters including members of my own family? As Christians, we are commanded to put our faith in our Almighty Father, even when we don’t understand His mysterious ways. \u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HcRLmsbwrXg/UVRXbphHngI/AAAAAAAAA2w/Hn3OQbwYsYs/s1600/platypus.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" height\u003d\"150\" src\u003d\"https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HcRLmsbwrXg/UVRXbphHngI/AAAAAAAAA2w/Hn3OQbwYsYs/s200/platypus.jpg\" usa\u003d\"true\" width\u003d\"200\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003eWhy do bad things happen to good people? \u003cspan style\u003d\"color: blue;\"\u003eNo idea.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;\"\u003e\nWhat difference does prayer make if God already knows our struggles and the help that we need? \u003cspan style\u003d\"color: blue;\"\u003eI don’t know, but I do it every day and I know it works.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;\"\u003e\nWhy does the duck-billed platypus look so goofy?! \u003cspan style\u003d\"color: blue;\"\u003eI mean, really! Look at this thing!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\nClearly, I’m no theologian. I can’t really answer any of those questions with certainty. I just don’t know. But isn’t that the beauty of how He works in us? We don’t have to have the answers. We don’t have to know why. We just have to have faith, and above all else LOVE ONE ANOTHER. \u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nIt was when I had that epiphany that I realized, I don’t have to know why God put this issue in my heart…but I do have to accept it and go where He leads me. There’s no other explanation for why I feel so strongly about marriage equality and gay rights in general. I have no answer to the question I’ve gotten several times, “How can you call yourself a follower of Christ and openly support such things as gay marriage?” I know all of the scripture that those who oppose homosexuality quote to prove their point, and I know the counter arguments. I read my Bible every day, and there are parts of it I know I will never understand, but I also know that I don’t have to understand. \u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nAs hard as I’ve tried, I can’t come up with an answer for how or why loving anyone could ever be wrong. That was His greatest commandment to us, after all. I don’t believe that being gay is a choice any more than I chose to be left handed. God made ALL of us, and God doesn’t make mistakes! We are who we are, and we are ALL precious in His sight. There are so many people whom I dearly love who fall on absolute polar opposite sides of this issue. I’m not writing any of this to convince anyone to see things my way. I just want to make it clear where I stand, and I hope you’ll continue to love me anyway.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThis is who I am. A God fearing, Jesus following, left-handed, supporter of marriage equality and gay rights. And as confusing and contradictory as it may seem, I passionately believe, fully and whole-heartedly, that God led me to this position, and who am I to question Him?\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nToday is \u003ca href\u003d\"http://christianity.about.com/od/easter/qt/maundythursday.htm\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eMaundy Thursday\u003c/a\u003e in the holiest week of the year for the Christian faith. This is the day that Jesus gave his disciples his last commandment -\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.\u0026nbsp;By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13: 34-35)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nI can think of no better way to celebrate the sacrifice and grace of my savior, than to celebrate any and all forms of love. That’s how He and everyone else will know that\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e I am His\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e. \u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UDh-s9o4QcE/UVRY91GTczI/AAAAAAAAA3M/HBSjTBPSkPk/s1600/heart.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" height\u003d\"320\" src\u003d\"https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UDh-s9o4QcE/UVRY91GTczI/AAAAAAAAA3M/HBSjTBPSkPk/s320/heart.jpg\" usa\u003d\"true\" width\u003d\"320\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/feeds/470236385194849122/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/2013/03/above-all-else.html#comment-form","title":"4 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/5617703709209272834/posts/default/470236385194849122"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/5617703709209272834/posts/default/470236385194849122"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/2013/03/above-all-else.html","title":"Above All Else"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Amy"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/18038313873825254338"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTaIGZILVcpZXMDQGukjso9jh2HvmiD6gAdZBi6dxG7cA6RYqs9Ig-XXDY91aou8F1IbpyNTs33tf6qNQvaUKLsAwttPfjAJuQBL3N-fZzASDIyRTYr-LqSdztvnbxe10/s113/Watercolor+Amy.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HR_DG7R80zE/WrhXdJPaFWI/AAAAAAAABOY/qdeiZjPNm40o5PV3sY7Mc-sTX-_UMhBUQCLcBGAs/s72-c/cross%2Bw%2Bframe.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"4"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617703709209272834.post-7048838667062716942"},"published":{"$t":"2011-09-16T12:22:00.002-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2022-03-30T12:58:10.279-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Auburn"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"love"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"family"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Not So Surprising"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"I love feel-gooder stories that\u0026nbsp;boost my faith in humanity, so here's one for you on this fine Friday. \u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nI take you to last Saturday. A lovely day on The Plains, and a great day for a win against \u003ca href\u003d\"http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/27635/final-auburn-41-mississippi-state-34\"\u003eStarkpatch\u003c/a\u003e. My Uncle Mark came to Auburn to enjoy the game (as usual) and was also bringing with him 4 tickets for \u003cem\u003ethis \u003c/em\u003eSaturday's game against/at Clemson. He had the tickets in tow, because my brother was buying two of them from him, and they were to make the exchange at halftime. \u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ca name\u003d'more'\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\nWhen Mark arrived in Auburn, he checked to make sure he had the tickets (he did), and started his walk from the car to the stadium. When he got to the stadium - horror. He discovered he no longer had the Clemson tickets on his person. Figuring they were lost for good, he recounted the story to us at halftime at our standard family meet-up on the ramp outside of one of the scholarship sections where \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/2009/05/happy-birthday-dad.html\"\u003eBG (my dad)\u003c/a\u003e sits. We were all saddened to hear this tale and felt bad for Mark and baby bro who were planning on using the tickets the following (this) weekend. But wait....\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ctable cellpadding\u003d\"0\" cellspacing\u003d\"0\" class\u003d\"tr-caption-container\" style\u003d\"float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U5oio2-cXrU/TnNi_VJ0r_I/AAAAAAAAAo4/dFIV0ATq2M4/s1600/Mark.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" height\u003d\"200\" rba\u003d\"true\" src\u003d\"https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U5oio2-cXrU/TnNi_VJ0r_I/AAAAAAAAAo4/dFIV0ATq2M4/s200/Mark.jpg\" width\u003d\"193\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd class\u003d\"tr-caption\" style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003eUncle Mark \u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\nBehold! The happy ending...\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nI don't have the full details of the story, but I'll give you the general jist. As it turns out, a faithful, wonderful, and TYPICAL Auburn Man found Uncle Mark's tickets and contacted the Auburn Ticket Office with hopes of finding the rightful owner and returning them to him/her. As luck would have it, Mark did indeed buy his tickets through Auburn, so they were able to track them back to him. This wonderful Auburn Man\u0026nbsp;gave Uncle Mark a call\u0026nbsp;and said he would overnight the tickets to him, so he would have them in time for Saturday. Mark, eternally grateful, offered/insisted to reimburse the gentleman for the shipping expense, but he wouldn't hear of it. \"Just do a kind deed for someone else in the future,\" the Auburn Man said. And that was that. All was right with the world (well, that might be overstating, but that's what I do).\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nSo let this little story roll around in your soul a little bit today. It's so simple and something you would hope any decent person would do, but, when you hear it, it's a little surprising in the best possible way. Surprising, that is, if you don't really know Auburn people. Was I suprised? Delighted. Grateful. Inspired. Yes. But, surprised? Not really. \u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThat's just the Auburn Family, and it is real.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n2d0iZ8udow/TnNjOpQq3xI/AAAAAAAAAo8/wcvKLUMExfM/s1600/auburnfamily.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" height\u003d\"200\" rba\u003d\"true\" src\u003d\"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n2d0iZ8udow/TnNjOpQq3xI/AAAAAAAAAo8/wcvKLUMExfM/s200/auburnfamily.jpg\" width\u003d\"200\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/feeds/7048838667062716942/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/2011/09/not-so-surprising.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/5617703709209272834/posts/default/7048838667062716942"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/5617703709209272834/posts/default/7048838667062716942"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/2011/09/not-so-surprising.html","title":"Not So Surprising"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Amy"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/18038313873825254338"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTaIGZILVcpZXMDQGukjso9jh2HvmiD6gAdZBi6dxG7cA6RYqs9Ig-XXDY91aou8F1IbpyNTs33tf6qNQvaUKLsAwttPfjAJuQBL3N-fZzASDIyRTYr-LqSdztvnbxe10/s113/Watercolor+Amy.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U5oio2-cXrU/TnNi_VJ0r_I/AAAAAAAAAo4/dFIV0ATq2M4/s72-c/Mark.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617703709209272834.post-8950408296290811833"},"published":{"$t":"2010-03-24T13:27:00.024-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2022-03-30T13:01:02.746-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"dogs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"love"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"heartbreak"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"All dogs go to heaven - especially THIS one."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Death is a complicated thing to handle for those who are left behind. No doubt about it. I don't know anyone that hasn't had to deal with it in one way or another. For animal lovers, losing a pet can be, and usually is, like losing a child. That is what we are going through right now...\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ca name\u003d'more'\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt\u003d\"\" border\u003d\"0\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452365306500320962\" src\u003d\"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/S6qxW7-djsI/AAAAAAAAAZY/gHUDjcyPTbg/s200/ConnorMaddy_2.jpg\" style\u003d\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 194px;\" /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\nDude lost his precious Maddy last week, and it has been absolutely devastating. Maddy was almost 16, and she and Dude have been together since she was only a few weeks old. He adopted her in the nick of time from an animal shelter in 1994, and, since then, they have been virtually inseparable. Man's best friend, indeed. Maddy has been by Dude's side through all of the peaks and valleys along his path, and was loved, I'm convinced, more than any dog in the history of the world.\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\nThough I didn't quite spend a whole year with Maddy, she quickly secured a place in my heart forever. She accepted Beasley and me into her family with Dude and Foster without hesitation, and was always so sweet and loving to us. As the only two girls in the pack, we bonded right away. I took her for manicures and to get her hair did (grammatical error INTENDED), and we shared a lot of girl talk. She was always an independent woman and wanted to do things for herself even when her aging body started to fail her. She was particular too. This gal knew what she liked. She's been known to jam to Smashing Pumpkins on more than one occassion, and she considered her favorite \"chefs\" - Miss Wendy, Miss Krystal, Kenny (Rogers), and Ronald (you know the one) - to be among her close personal friends. In fact, I think she had at least one friend in every species walking the earth, and I'm sure she is missed by each and every one of them.\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cimg alt\u003d\"\" border\u003d\"0\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452364744007123458\" src\u003d\"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/S6qw2MhoggI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/2fhrz9bTV2s/s200/IMG_0382.JPG\" style\u003d\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 137px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;\" /\u003eIf you have room in your life for a pet, particularly a dog, they teach you so much about yourself and bless your life in ways beyond what seems possible. Certainly, it's not always sunshine and roses. In fact, sometimes it's CRAP! LITERALLY. But even in those more trying moments, they are teaching us patience, tolerance, restraint, and showing us just how much we can really handle. All they want is to be loved. That's it. It's that simple. If you can give them your love, they will give you a friendship so loyal and true and will work everyday to show how much they love you in return. As heartbroken as we are when they leave us, we were even more blessed just to have had them in the first place.\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cimg alt\u003d\"\" border\u003d\"0\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452364111493153442\" src\u003d\"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/S6qwRYOjQqI/AAAAAAAAAZI/F8mwLTGeCgQ/s200/DSCN0117_2.JPG\" style\u003d\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 140px;\" /\u003eYes, death is a complicated thing...and so is love. Dude loved Maddy so incredibly much and did everything he possibly could to keep her with us as long as possible. He gave her a happy, healthy, safe, and long life that was full of love and the kind of companionship that is rare even in human relationships. Maddy had the heart of a lion and was one of the sweetest, sassiest, toughest, and bravest souls I've ever encountered. I am so thankful that Dude brought her into my life. I consider myself lucky to have known her even if for a short time and even luckier knowing I have a person in my life who is capable of loving her as much as he did and always will.\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\nMaddy, we miss you so much every single day. I will keep the promises I made to you...the ones I whispered in your ear. Thank you for everything you taught us and for your loyalty, your friendship, and most of all your love. You will always be a part of what made us who we are together and as individuals. \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cimg alt\u003d\"\" border\u003d\"0\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452363126827904674\" src\u003d\"https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/S6qvYEED7qI/AAAAAAAAAZA/jruo4PO7BmE/s320/IMG_0259.jpg\" style\u003d\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;\" /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/feeds/8950408296290811833/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/2010/03/all-dogs-go-to-heaven-especially-this.html#comment-form","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/5617703709209272834/posts/default/8950408296290811833"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/5617703709209272834/posts/default/8950408296290811833"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/2010/03/all-dogs-go-to-heaven-especially-this.html","title":"All dogs go to heaven - especially THIS one."}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Amy"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/18038313873825254338"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTaIGZILVcpZXMDQGukjso9jh2HvmiD6gAdZBi6dxG7cA6RYqs9Ig-XXDY91aou8F1IbpyNTs33tf6qNQvaUKLsAwttPfjAJuQBL3N-fZzASDIyRTYr-LqSdztvnbxe10/s113/Watercolor+Amy.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/S6qxW7-djsI/AAAAAAAAAZY/gHUDjcyPTbg/s72-c/ConnorMaddy_2.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617703709209272834.post-8637429499903973479"},"published":{"$t":"2009-05-28T17:45:00.011-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2022-03-30T13:04:48.136-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"friendship"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"love"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Chicago"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"heartbreak"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"amazing person"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Amazing Person #2"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"One of my dearest friends gave me a slap on the wrist this week for being a bad blogger. She is so right. I have neglected the \u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_0\"\u003eblogosphere\u003c/span\u003e, so I thought it apropos to dedicate this post to her! Now, she needs a nickname. Let's call her.......\u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_1\"\u003eShiksa\u003c/span\u003e! That is a fitting name, and I think it will give her a much needed giggle.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ca name\u003d'more'\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nSo my girl, \u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_2\"\u003eShiksa\u003c/span\u003e. Where to begin?! We are kindred spirits. We met through her now husband, Dr. Bop (I'm on a roll!) and my ex, Mr. Microphone (somebody stop me!). Bop and Mic have been friends since childhood, and when introduced, I felt like I had known \u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_3\"\u003eShiksa\u003c/span\u003e about that long too. We were instant \u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_4\"\u003ebesties\u003c/span\u003e (a word I learned from her). The beginning of our friendship was mostly long distance - me in Atlanta with her in Chicago THEN me in Chicago with her in New Jersey. But really it wasn't until she moved back to Chicago, (at last, putting us in the same city) that our friendship grew some roots...and just in the nick of time.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nChicago was an AMAZING life experience for me, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I learned more about myself in those 3 years than I ever had before. But as we all know, life lessons can bring some seemingly insurmountable challenges and heartache. THANK GOD FOR \u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_5\"\u003eSHIKSA\u003c/span\u003e! She was my lifeline in so many ways - particularly in a time when the newness of my new city had worn off; I was severely homesick; Mr. Microphone had left town for an internship; and I was in a job that I hated. The perfect storm.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nENTER \u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_6\"\u003eShiksa\u003c/span\u003e with a big ass umbrella.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"color: #ffffcc;\"\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\nShe was there for me in every possible way, and to make it all that much sweeter, we had an unbelievable number of things in common from politics to particular \u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_7\"\u003eobsessive\u003c/span\u003e tendencies. Many a hardy chuckle have been had over unintentional \"coincidences\" that have made us wonder if we had that twin-like psychic connection between us. More than once, we have both arrived at our designated meeting point at the exact same time without breaking our stride. That even happened when I last visited in December. One of our favorite things to do was to get take-out ribs (zesty) from Twin Anchors and go to my place to watch Grey's Anatomy.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_12\"\u003eShiksa\u003c/span\u003e was always at her best, though, when I was at my absolute worst. Eventually my relationship with Mr. Microphone came to it's inevitable end, and even with the obvious loyalty conflicts, she never left my side. Mr. Microphone is a compassionate guy, and he knew how close \u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_13\"\u003eShiksa\u003c/span\u003e and I were (are). After our break-up he told her to take care of me. Now, that's kind of a normal thing to do with mutual friends in such a situation, but I've never met anyone who took that assignment more seriously than she did. In fact, I think Mr. Microphone eventually came to regret making that request of her, as she became my consummate protector even if it meant putting him in his place. There were days when I wasn't sure I could even get out of bed. No worries. \u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_14\"\u003eShiksa\u003c/span\u003e was there with a Dr. Pepper and a frosted cookie to save my day. Through anxiety attacks, car accidents, break-ups, and muggings via knife-point, she (and many times Dr. Bop too) came to my rescue.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nNow we are back to where we started - me in Atlanta and her in Chicago. When my last days in Chicago were winding down, that was the good-bye that I was most dreading. It didn't matter that I'd see her again in two months at her wedding, or that I knew we would keep in touch. \u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_15\"\u003eShiksa\u003c/span\u003e had become one of those fixtures in my life such that, saying good-bye to her was like leaving a piece of me behind. Actually I'm \u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_16\"\u003eok\u003c/span\u003e with that though, because I know that piece couldn't possibly be in better hands.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\nI love you so much, \u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_17\"\u003eShiksa\u003c/span\u003e, and I miss you everyday. I hope I have been, and can be, half as good a friend to you as you have been to me.\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cimg alt\u003d\"\" border\u003d\"0\" height\u003d\"243\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341016420907798674\" src\u003d\"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/Sh8aIwu80JI/AAAAAAAAAL0/DBmeUACZcK0/s320/Dec+2006+054b.jpg\" style\u003d\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" width\u003d\"320\" /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/feeds/8637429499903973479/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/2009/05/amazing-person-2.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/5617703709209272834/posts/default/8637429499903973479"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/5617703709209272834/posts/default/8637429499903973479"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/2009/05/amazing-person-2.html","title":"Amazing Person #2"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Amy"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/18038313873825254338"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTaIGZILVcpZXMDQGukjso9jh2HvmiD6gAdZBi6dxG7cA6RYqs9Ig-XXDY91aou8F1IbpyNTs33tf6qNQvaUKLsAwttPfjAJuQBL3N-fZzASDIyRTYr-LqSdztvnbxe10/s113/Watercolor+Amy.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/Sh8aIwu80JI/AAAAAAAAAL0/DBmeUACZcK0/s72-c/Dec+2006+054b.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617703709209272834.post-5266768031665094083"},"published":{"$t":"2009-05-01T11:56:00.010-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2022-03-30T13:05:38.175-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Auburn"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"love"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"family"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"adventure"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Chicago"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"laughs"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_0\"\u003eBG\u003c/span\u003e turns the big 6-2 today. Happy Birthday, Dad!\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nAnyone who meets my dad immediately falls in love with him. He is one special person. He grew up in the same town where he still lives today. He and my 2 uncles were raised on a farm by two of the most humble and warm-hearted people on the planet. Nothing is more important to \u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_1\"\u003eBG\u003c/span\u003e than family and God with Auburn football - well, Auburn in general - coming in as a close 3rd.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ca name\u003d'more'\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_2\"\u003eBG\u003c/span\u003e is the quintessential Southern Gentleman. He's a jolly, fun-loving guy who is so conservative he makes Rush Limbaugh look like a \u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_3\"\u003ehippy\u003c/span\u003e. He has been known to call me his 'liberal daughter' which, to anyone who knows me, would seem hilariously inaccurate. Compared to him though, it is absolutely true. In the little corner of the world where I grew up, \u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_4\"\u003eBG\u003c/span\u003e is one of the most respected and loved members of the community, and with good reason. Stranger or old friend, he loves nothing more than to make someone laugh. As long as you don't say 'Roll Tide', after 5-minutes of knowing you, he will consider you a friend. Not long after that, he will dazzle you with his steak-grilling skills and/or his precision on his high-powered complex lawn maintenance system. To call this piece of machinery a lawn mower, would be a gross understatement. It has a steering system that is so complicated, the average person would find themselves spinning in circles on the first attempt at operation. I am convinced it could reach speeds of at least 50 miles per hour though I've only seen him go up to about 30. Sheer genius at work, I tell you. But I digress...\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nMy dad, has travelled the world and has stood in some of the most historic and amazing places in existence, yet his \u003cem\u003efavorite\u003c/em\u003e place is simply anywhere his family happens to be - especially if that place happens to be Auburn, Alabama. From the womb, \u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_5\"\u003eBG\u003c/span\u003e has \u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-corrected\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_6\"\u003einstilled\u003c/span\u003e a love of the orange and blue in me and my brothers that runs so deep there was never any question about where we would seek higher learning. My dad spent his life around boys. He has 2 brothers and 2 sons. My mother once told me how I (the only girl for a while) have always been such a mystery to him. True, there is a lot about me that I'm sure has been hard for him to understand, but one thing we could always connect with was Auburn. No matter what - silly little girl, angst-ridden teenager, college co-ed, young professional - we always had Auburn. For my 12\u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_7\"\u003eth\u003c/span\u003e birthday my dad and I went to the Auburn/Georgia Tech game in Atlanta - a real treat for me as I had him all to myself while usually my football knowledge was overshadowed by my all-knowing brothers. I remember a lot about that day, but most of all I just remember how great it was to hang out with my dad. We saw a pretty spectacular game too.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nFive years ago today, my dad dropped me off in Chicago and made the long drive back to Alabama. While I was excited and nervous about starting that new chapter in my life, I was heartbroken and terrified to know, for the first time, there would be that many miles between us. I'm sure leaving his baby girl in a big strange city wasn't a great way to spend his birthday either, but he knew it was something I needed to do. Two years ago, as I was unpacking my boxes in Atlanta once again, I sent him a birthday card and promised that I would never move that far from home again.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\"\u003eBG\u003c/span\u003e has always been my hero. He has saved me figuratively and literally more times than I can count. I have never made a major decision without his input. His guidance is a lifeline for me. I don't say it nearly enough, but I love him more than he could possibly ever know. I've recently had some moments that have made me realize just how lucky I am to have such an incredible and loving dad. I know how much he loves me. I know he is proud of me. I know I can always count on him when (not if) I need rescuing. I just hope he knows that I feel the same way about him.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/SfuSUNxSM-I/AAAAAAAAALk/eprJFVCWUm4/s1600/dad.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt\u003d\"\" border\u003d\"0\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331015459914527714\" src\u003d\"https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/SfuSUNxSM-I/AAAAAAAAALk/eprJFVCWUm4/s320/dad.jpg\" style\u003d\"display: block; height: 214px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 320px;\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\nHappy Birthday, Dad! I love you so much.\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv align\u003d\"center\"\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/feeds/5266768031665094083/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/2009/05/happy-birthday-dad.html#comment-form","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/5617703709209272834/posts/default/5266768031665094083"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/5617703709209272834/posts/default/5266768031665094083"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/2009/05/happy-birthday-dad.html","title":"HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Amy"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/18038313873825254338"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTaIGZILVcpZXMDQGukjso9jh2HvmiD6gAdZBi6dxG7cA6RYqs9Ig-XXDY91aou8F1IbpyNTs33tf6qNQvaUKLsAwttPfjAJuQBL3N-fZzASDIyRTYr-LqSdztvnbxe10/s113/Watercolor+Amy.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/SfuSUNxSM-I/AAAAAAAAALk/eprJFVCWUm4/s72-c/dad.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617703709209272834.post-2074899795887019103"},"published":{"$t":"2009-04-12T20:46:00.031-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2022-03-30T13:06:51.166-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Columbiana"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"love"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lent"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"family"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"faith"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"laughs"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Easter in Small Town Alabama looks like..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"THIS.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"color: #ffffcc;\"\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\nTo frame this up properly, I have to tell you. One of the things I love most about me is that I come from a tiny - and I mean TINY - small town in Alabama. You can count the number of traffic lights on one hand. Everybody knows everybody. When I was a mischievous teenager, my parents knew about the trouble I had gotten into, before I got home. Time stands absolutely still in places like this. It is virtually the same place that I left when I went away to college. But anyway...\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ca name\u003d'more'\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"color: #ffffcc;\"\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\nWe are nothing if not an informal bunch. I'm not sure if this is an indigenous trait to small town living or just my family. Presentation is completely lost on this lot. I am so mad at myself for not taking a picture of our Easter Sunday lunch spread to share with all of you. It was a mish-mosh of Tupperware bowls, re-used butter tubs, plastic utensils, plastic cups, paper napkins, and paper plates. Martha Stewart would have had a heart attack. The philosophy is essentially that, \"fancy presentation doesn't add one lick to the taste, so why bother?!\" Now if it DOES improve the taste, then it is absolutely worth it! Case in point: My brother got up several times throughout Saturday night slaving over his \u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.biggreenegg.com/\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"color: #cc6600;\"\u003eBig Green Egg\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e smoking a turkey to perfection. This all makes perfect sense to me and my people.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"color: #ffffcc;\"\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\nNow, once all the worshipin', fellowshipin', and eatin' is done, the Easter Eggs have been dyed, hidden, hunted, and found - what's left to do? Why, launch said Easter Eggs down the street with a giant slingshot, of course. DUH! \u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/SePYKAO6LoI/AAAAAAAAAKI/XaQT4urHqxk/s1600-h/IMG_7076.jpg\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt\u003d\"\" border\u003d\"0\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324336850854882946\" src\u003d\"https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/SePYKAO6LoI/AAAAAAAAAKI/XaQT4urHqxk/s200/IMG_7076.jpg\" style\u003d\"height: 200px; width: 134px;\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/SePYRJiERgI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/XTdp_rhT-pU/s1600-h/IMG_7077.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt\u003d\"\" border\u003d\"0\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324336973610239490\" src\u003d\"https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/SePYRJiERgI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/XTdp_rhT-pU/s200/IMG_7077.jpg\" style\u003d\"cursor: hand; height: 200px; width: 134px;\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/SePYYwD8lvI/AAAAAAAAAKY/aHEYvqCDQFU/s1600-h/IMG_7097.jpg\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt\u003d\"\" border\u003d\"0\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324337104211973874\" src\u003d\"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/SePYYwD8lvI/AAAAAAAAAKY/aHEYvqCDQFU/s320/IMG_7097.jpg\" style\u003d\"height: 213px; width: 320px;\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: left;\"\u003e\nSee, you have to be resourceful in a small town to keep yourself entertained. My brother's neighbors have the right idea. Who knew slinging hard-boiled eggs through the neighborhood could be so fun?! Well, we did, obviously. I'm sorry for all you yankees and big city folk who have never had the pleasure of experiencing this little-known Easter tradition. It's a great time to catch up with the neighbors while displaying some athletic prowess - two things that Southerners LOVE to do - and if it involves two big pick-up trucks - well, then, ALL THE BETTER!\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/SePYgXfiE6I/AAAAAAAAAKg/5ywTtAFveLM/s1600/IMG_7102.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt\u003d\"\" border\u003d\"0\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324337235055743906\" src\u003d\"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/SePYgXfiE6I/AAAAAAAAAKg/5ywTtAFveLM/s320/IMG_7102.jpg\" style\u003d\"display: block; height: 213px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 320px;\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/SePYx_rhDOI/AAAAAAAAAKw/7htZntde-GU/s1600/IMG_7091.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt\u003d\"\" border\u003d\"0\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324337537901202658\" src\u003d\"https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/SePYx_rhDOI/AAAAAAAAAKw/7htZntde-GU/s320/IMG_7091.jpg\" style\u003d\"display: block; height: 213px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 320px;\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\nHope y'all had as much fun on Easter as I did!\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"color: #ffffcc;\"\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/feeds/2074899795887019103/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/2009/04/easter-in-small-town-alabama-looks-like.html#comment-form","title":"5 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/5617703709209272834/posts/default/2074899795887019103"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/5617703709209272834/posts/default/2074899795887019103"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/2009/04/easter-in-small-town-alabama-looks-like.html","title":"Easter in Small Town Alabama looks like..."}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Amy"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/18038313873825254338"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTaIGZILVcpZXMDQGukjso9jh2HvmiD6gAdZBi6dxG7cA6RYqs9Ig-XXDY91aou8F1IbpyNTs33tf6qNQvaUKLsAwttPfjAJuQBL3N-fZzASDIyRTYr-LqSdztvnbxe10/s113/Watercolor+Amy.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/SePYKAO6LoI/AAAAAAAAAKI/XaQT4urHqxk/s72-c/IMG_7076.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"5"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617703709209272834.post-367526558241108101"},"published":{"$t":"2009-04-04T10:43:00.018-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2022-03-30T13:07:27.961-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"friendship"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"love"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"fun"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"laughs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"NKOTB"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"April 4, 2008"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cdiv align\u003d\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/Sdd_VfNtuNI/AAAAAAAAAFg/wgo69E6zu5U/s1600-h/NKOTB.jpg\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt\u003d\"\" border\u003d\"0\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320861491894532306\" src\u003d\"https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/Sdd_VfNtuNI/AAAAAAAAAFg/wgo69E6zu5U/s320/NKOTB.jpg\" style\u003d\"display: block; height: 242px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\nThis was a VERY exciting day in my world. Something I never thought possible became official. Five faces I never thought I would see in the same place again...were in the same place again. There were rumors. Lots of them. There were rumblings. There was reason to believe in the weeks prior to April 4\u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_0\"\u003eth\u003c/span\u003e. But that day it became real. Very real.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ca name\u003d'more'\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\nNow those of you who are reading this and are not New Kids on the Block fans, I am sure you are rolling your eyes at me right now. That's quite alright. I've been watching people roll their eyes at me for 20 years now because of this. I know it is impossible for you to understand. I know it doesn't make any sense to you. I am not embarrassed. I am proud. This has been one of the best years of my life, and it's because of them.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nOne year ago, I was lying on my sofa watching the Today Show...and waiting. They teased us the whole morning about this exciting announcement that was to come. It was not a very well kept secret, mind you. The plaza was FLOODED - flooded with torrential rain and RABID BLOCKHEADS! Then the time came...\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThat red curtain dropped and there they were. Once again. I was 13 years old again. For anyone who isn't a fan, I KNOW this will seem \u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-corrected\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_1\"\u003eridiculous\u003c/span\u003e, but I was overcome. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. All 5 of them. Together. Smiling and loving every minute of it. They talked about new music. They talked about a tour (THUD), and they talked about how great it was to be back with their friends...US INCLUDED. Just amazing.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nI had no idea at the time, but that was the first day of one of the most AMAZING YEARS of my life. I have met some INCREDIBLE people who are now my friends for life. I have had some of my WILDEST DREAMS come true (pun intended, Blockheads, HA!)...twenty years in the making. These adventures have not been without some drama, mind you, but I wouldn't change a single solitary second of it.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eKristin and Brittany\u003c/strong\u003e - So happy we met you in Florida! You gals need to come to Atlanta, so we can hang out again soon!!\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/Sdd8Xi0gpnI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/QtxPtvmS_Hw/s1600/florida.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt\u003d\"\" border\u003d\"0\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320858228687414898\" src\u003d\"https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/Sdd8Xi0gpnI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/QtxPtvmS_Hw/s200/florida.jpg\" style\u003d\"display: block; height: 130px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 200px;\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eORIGINAL GUTTER GIRLS! Jenn, Whitney, Kristi, Sarah, Kerri, \u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_5\"\u003eMyka\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_6\"\u003eSanya\u003c/span\u003e, Kat, Katie, Logan\u003c/strong\u003e - Thank you so much for adopting me! I feel like I've known all of you for years! What a special group!! It has been such an incredible pleasure getting to know you.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_7\"\u003eLNS\u003c/span\u003e!\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv align\u003d\"center\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e(PICTURE TO BE ADDED THIS SUMMER!!! WOOOTTT!!!)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"color: #ffffcc;\"\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv align\u003d\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eJenny and Stacey\u003c/strong\u003e - \u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_8\"\u003eGREENVILLE\u003c/span\u003e 4! I HEART YOU SO MUCH! We have made some GREAT memories together. You are my sisters! I wish we lived closer so we could have slumber parties every weekend!! \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/Sdd9hC6cCAI/AAAAAAAAAEo/D4Q5eRKXPio/s1600/gville4.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt\u003d\"\" border\u003d\"0\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320859491432663042\" src\u003d\"https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/Sdd9hC6cCAI/AAAAAAAAAEo/D4Q5eRKXPio/s200/gville4.jpg\" style\u003d\"display: block; height: 152px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 200px;\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAmanda\u003c/strong\u003e - Girl. What to say?! You are one of the sweetest and most loyal people I have ever met. Thank you for all of your support when times were REALLY crazy. But mostly thank you for your amazing friendship now. I'm a lucky Blockhead to have a friend like you. I know there are MANY MANY good times ahead!! \u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_9\"\u003eEEEEKKKK\u003c/span\u003e!!!!\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/Sdd9wrB_kuI/AAAAAAAAAEw/roAi64XQoRs/s1600/amanda.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt\u003d\"\" border\u003d\"0\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320859759899808482\" src\u003d\"https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/Sdd9wrB_kuI/AAAAAAAAAEw/roAi64XQoRs/s200/amanda.jpg\" style\u003d\"display: block; height: 150px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 200px;\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAnd Ashley\u003c/strong\u003e - WOW! What a year it's been! One year ago, I sent a PM to a girl from Atlanta who, like me, was making plans for an NYC trip in May. Little did I know what we had started! Can you believe all the things that have happened in the last year?! IT'S ALL HAPPENING! We have made some INCREDIBLE friends all while becoming best friends ourselves. Through our EXTREME highs and EXTREME lows (bipolar much?!), you know that I'll always be here for you. IT'S \u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_10\"\u003eMILEY\u003c/span\u003e! You are my friend for life.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/Sdd-kmU4MnI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/60PwjYjAjio/s1600-h/New+Kids+in+LA!+021.jpg\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt\u003d\"\" border\u003d\"0\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320860651990037106\" src\u003d\"https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/Sdd-kmU4MnI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/60PwjYjAjio/s200/New+Kids+in+LA!+021.jpg\" style\u003d\"height: 150px; width: 200px;\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/SdfF6XRSl_I/AAAAAAAAAF4/qxc_GzEFeyk/s1600-h/ESpecial3.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt\u003d\"\" border\u003d\"0\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320939091231152114\" src\u003d\"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/SdfF6XRSl_I/AAAAAAAAAF4/qxc_GzEFeyk/s200/ESpecial3.jpg\" style\u003d\"height: 144px; width: 200px;\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nLast but not least...\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eChanda\u003c/strong\u003e - You certainly are not a NEW friend, but one of my oldest, dearest, and most treasured. You have been with me every step of this amazing journey, if not in person, in my heart. I would not have wanted to experience May 16\u003cspan class\u003d\"blsp-spelling-error\" id\u003d\"SPELLING_ERROR_11\"\u003eth\u003c/span\u003e, 2008, with anyone else. It was the MOST PERFECT 24 hours EVER!!!! Thank you for being who you have always been to me!! I can't wait to be with you on MAY 29TH!!! Just as it should be.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/Sdd-4VAQe2I/AAAAAAAAAFY/8pIzc75RBiA/s1600/IMG_0522.JPG\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt\u003d\"\" border\u003d\"0\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320860990937529186\" src\u003d\"https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/Sdd-4VAQe2I/AAAAAAAAAFY/8pIzc75RBiA/s200/IMG_0522.JPG\" style\u003d\"display: block; height: 150px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 200px;\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nI'm now at the end of another crazy week due, in no small part, to these 5 gentlemen. I have bought tickets this week for what, I am PRAYING, will NOT be the last ride of this crazy adventure. But if it is, at least I will know that I made the VERY BEST of it. I have absolutely NO REGRETS. And my love has been renewed for at least another 20 years!!!\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv align\u003d\"center\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: 180%;\"\u003eBH4\u003cspan style\u003d\"color: #cc0000;\"\u003eLIFE\u003c/span\u003e!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv align\u003d\"center\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"color: #ffffcc; font-size: 78%;\"\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv align\u003d\"center\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/feeds/367526558241108101/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/2009/04/april-4-2008.html#comment-form","title":"5 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/5617703709209272834/posts/default/367526558241108101"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/5617703709209272834/posts/default/367526558241108101"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/2009/04/april-4-2008.html","title":"April 4, 2008"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Amy"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/18038313873825254338"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTaIGZILVcpZXMDQGukjso9jh2HvmiD6gAdZBi6dxG7cA6RYqs9Ig-XXDY91aou8F1IbpyNTs33tf6qNQvaUKLsAwttPfjAJuQBL3N-fZzASDIyRTYr-LqSdztvnbxe10/s113/Watercolor+Amy.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/Sdd_VfNtuNI/AAAAAAAAAFg/wgo69E6zu5U/s72-c/NKOTB.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"5"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5617703709209272834.post-5672216465157020263"},"published":{"$t":"2009-03-21T17:50:00.004-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2022-03-30T13:08:35.228-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"friendship"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"dogs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"love"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Chicago"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Beasley"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Let me tell you a little something about my best bud. His name is Beasley. He'll be 4 in June. He is black and white. He loves me unconditionally and is always happy to see me...and everyone else. All he wants in life is to be near me and occasionally some food, water, and a squeaky toy.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ca name\u003d'more'\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/ScVlaUAzi2I/AAAAAAAAABk/aJXh8A_-PeY/s1600-h/100_1494.JPG\" style\u003d\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt\u003d\"\" border\u003d\"0\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315766437903829858\" src\u003d\"https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/ScVlaUAzi2I/AAAAAAAAABk/aJXh8A_-PeY/s200/100_1494.JPG\" style\u003d\"float: left; height: 151px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003eI adopted Beasley back in the Fall of 2005 from a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.havanese.org/\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"color: #cc6600;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHavanese\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e rescue organization called \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.rescuedhavanese.org/\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"color: #cc6600;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHALO\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e. It was the best decision I ever made in my life - well, one of them. I was living in Chicago at the time and having a pretty rough go of things - for that matter, so was he. When I first brought Beasley home, he thought all humans just wanted to hurt him. He was just a shaky little ball of fur - a lot like his new mom minus the fur. He had no idea what he was suppose to do with those toys or that that soft cushy thing would be nice to sleep on. \u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/ScVo4CxSDEI/AAAAAAAAACE/KMoFtyxVWM8/s1600-h/P1010004c.jpg\" style\u003d\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt\u003d\"\" border\u003d\"0\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315770247206276162\" src\u003d\"https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/ScVo4CxSDEI/AAAAAAAAACE/KMoFtyxVWM8/s200/P1010004c.jpg\" style\u003d\"float: right; height: 143px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 200px;\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\nSlowly but surely we got to know each other. He learned that his favorite place to take a nap was snuggled into my legs on the sofa resting his little head on my knees. He learned that those little rubber squeaky things could provide hours and hours of the most fun he'd ever had. And most importantly he learned that I loved him and would never ever do anything to hurt him. From that point on we've been a package deal. We moved from Chicago where he loved the snow and walks along Lake Michigan, to Atlanta where he can run and run outside in the warm sun almost year-round. \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/ScVshQWqDFI/AAAAAAAAACM/BUDZj44e8b0/s1600-h/Beasley07+006b.jpg\" style\u003d\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt\u003d\"\" border\u003d\"0\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315774253762219090\" src\u003d\"https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/ScVshQWqDFI/AAAAAAAAACM/BUDZj44e8b0/s200/Beasley07+006b.jpg\" style\u003d\"float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 160px;\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003eAs the man in my life, he is my consumate \"protector\" - letting me know when ANYTHING (and I do mean ANYTHING) may possibly be afoot outside. Although it may annoy me sometimes, I love him for that and so many other things. He has licked a lot of tears off of my cheeks and jumped around with me when I've been excited about one thing or another. He's the last face I see before I go to sleep and the first one I see when I wake up. \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\nHe's my little man. My best pal.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv align\u003d\"center\"\u003e\n\u003cobject class\u003d\"BLOG_video_class\" contentid\u003d\"d0d9eb3f5811f6b2\" height\u003d\"266\" id\u003d\"BLOG_video-d0d9eb3f5811f6b2\" width\u003d\"320\"\u003e\u003c/object\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv align\u003d\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/feeds/5672216465157020263/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/2009/03/beasley.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/5617703709209272834/posts/default/5672216465157020263"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/5617703709209272834/posts/default/5672216465157020263"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.amysjustsaying.com/2009/03/beasley.html","title":"Beasley"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Amy"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/18038313873825254338"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTaIGZILVcpZXMDQGukjso9jh2HvmiD6gAdZBi6dxG7cA6RYqs9Ig-XXDY91aou8F1IbpyNTs33tf6qNQvaUKLsAwttPfjAJuQBL3N-fZzASDIyRTYr-LqSdztvnbxe10/s113/Watercolor+Amy.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cSRdB8sY4ZE/ScVlaUAzi2I/AAAAAAAAABk/aJXh8A_-PeY/s72-c/100_1494.JPG","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}}]}});