And now for something completely different....

....a segue I'm undoubtedly going to use a million times in this blog. I knew when I started this blog, it would be hard to keep updating it, so my commitment is...to do it, when I feel "compelled" to do so. I can't promise any more than that. Now I have a reason to write, but it is a silly one:



Here's a link to the flash page:
http://www.chipotle.com/email/05-booUS/boobahbee.html

I like Chipotle. I mean, their burritos are obscenely large, but that's why you split one.

So, perhaps we'll wrap the kids in 25¢ worth of foil, call them robots and eat out next Monday. Thought I’d give whomever is reading this the heads up about this deal , because Chipotle’s mailing list was difficult to get on (in my experience), and I think it's the only way one can find out about such things. Unless they run commercials, cuz I wouldn't know about that! ;o) Bon appetit!

MOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Today, the boys and I visited Cagle's Dairy Farm with HA (Homeschoolers of Alpharetta.) Here are the highlights:
















Pretty sunbeams

















We saw a live milking. MOOOOOO!!!
























Half as tall as a heifer!
























Nathan chilling on the hayride.

We rode the hayride out to a field with cows that were in pasture. They used a dog to round up the cows and herd them to the trailer we were sitting in. They ate the hay out of buckets attached to the side, and I was near an opening, so a couple were eating it off the floor right next to us. This cow was literally eating the bale of hay that I was sitting on!

We visited the “calf barn.” I thought this was the prettiest cow I saw. So soft…

Silly cow! Don’t you love the tongue and the way their eyes look?

Nathan feeding a calf some cabbage. (He was very brave…)
























Jared after that goat inhaled the feed he gave it.
























Mmmmmm. Milk, it does a body good!!

Going Back to Murfreesboro for a Funeral

Today we are traveling to Murfreesboro for Johnny Harris’ funeral. He was Sharon Beaver’s stepdad, and we’ve known him from spending time with her family for the past few years. He was killed in a terrble car accident in the wee hours of last Thursday morning. Here’s a news article I just found on the web:

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Death brings I-24 wreck toll to 4

MANCHESTER -- A fourth person has died as the result of a fatal wreck on Interstate 24 near Manchester.

Devon Ziegler, 8, died Thursday night at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, a hospital spokeswoman said Friday.

State troopers said an eastbound pickup driven by Johnny Harris, 53, of Murfreesboro, crossed the median and slammed into a station wagon and then a tractor trailer around 6 a.m. Thursday.


Harris was pronounced dead at the scene.

Marcie Ziegler, 32, and her daughter Cassie Ziegler, 13, both of Franklin, Ind., were in the station wagon and also were pronounced dead at the scene. Joshua Ziegler, 12, was in stable condition Friday at Vanderbilt.

The tractor-trailer was driven by Scetoslav N. Krastev, 32, of Indianapolis. He was not reported to be injured.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


(clickable)

It is always disturbing to have someone taken suddenly like this. We knew Johnny, but I know we didn’t know him that well. And he wanted to be known: he was very friendly and liked to share things about his life with Dan and I ……You always think you have all the time in the world to spend with someone. Or at least you do when you’re young. And then, he can go to meet our Maker, just like *that.*

This has given me a new perspective on some of my relationships. There is no time like the present to fully share the love of Christ with the people in my life. What am I waiting for? Why hold back?

(The picture is Johnny with Sharon's Mom, Nadine, and Sammy Beaver when he was younger.)

GroupLink Part Deux

This evening we went to GroupLink at church with our friends Greta and Dallas Hyland to recruit new couples to our group. We have 3 couples, and they're the leaders, but so far no one else had joined, so they were a bit bummed about that. Well, we had 5 new couples sign up tonight, which was a huge shock!! Not sure how that's going to work exactly, but we have a BIG group now. We'll see how it goes tomorrow night. We met some nice, new folks, which in my limited experience with GroupLink is weird to meet people that you hit it with off so well from the start...

I will admit that I started to chew one lady's ear off about homeschooling (Hey! She asked...but I guess she didn't ask for that...) So, I apologized for pontificating, and she said it was okay, she was interested. So, maybe I'll yak at her again. The other homeschool mom that was in the group dropped out, but it's not like I don't have enough contact with homeschoolers, now that we've joined HA (Homeschoolers of Alpharetta.) That is an awesome group. Between community group and HA, I now have a full social life. Instantly. Praise God!

Yesterday I Made A Little Rant...

So today I decided to finally start a blog...I'm not sure if I'm really going to be able to keep this up, and it will probably be sporadic, but I'm going to try.

This is my little pocket of the blogosphere for you to visit for all things Marian. (I like it that my name is an adjective...) I think that's all I have to say right now. Sorry.

Okay....Here's a butterfly that Jared drew yesterday:






















He just came up behind me and read: "Mar-i-an-s...S(I helped him with the long "o")oap...Box." He thought that his mother having a "soap box" was hysterical. (Primarily because I don't think he knows what one is.) We're in the "Bobby's World" phase of development right now. It's fun.

Dumb Divorce Press Releases

I just happened to stumble across this article at the AJC.com and felt compelled to comment...

I am SO TIRED of people in the public eye (Christian or not) releasing these bull honky press releases when they decide to get a divorce!!!! Every statement in this thing is a finely-crafted, spin-doctored piece of tripe! And it just shows that you can SAY anything you want, in fact, you can BELIEVE anything you want, but that doesn’t make it TRUE. MARRIAGE is TOUGH. Some more than others. The average divorce takes place around the 9th year. The Edmonds made it a little further than average...Props.

I KNOW first hand what it’s like to be in a strained marriage (it takes two to tango), but that doesn’t mean you have to sugar coat the situation with this crap about how we’re splitting, but “We remain best friends.” ....but you won’t STAY MARRIED?!?!?! That does not make sense. And I’m not even going to start on "More importantly, we are parents of two wonderful children, and will continue to provide a loving, caring and stable environment for them." Right. Sure. Uh, huh. Seen that. I’m sure it will be just perfect. Just like you were married. Uh huh..... Who do you think you’re fooling? Too many people, I’m afraid. It’s sad, really. SIGH....

Preaching to the Choir,

Marian


Singer 'Babyface' and Wife End Marriage

NEW YORK — Add Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds and his wife to the growing list of celebrity bust-ups. Edmonds and his wife Tracey issued a statement Wednesday announcing the end of their marriage after 13 years.

They have two young children. The pair said they had already been unofficially separated "for quite some time."

"It is with deep regret that we announce our permanent separation. We remain best friends," said the couple, who have also produced movies and television shows together, including "Soul Food."

"(We) will continue to work together in our companies, and our various business ventures," the statement said. "More importantly, we are parents of two wonderful children, and will continue to provide a loving, caring and stable environment for them."

Besides his career as a best-selling crooner with hits including "Whip Appeal" and "Change the World," Edmonds has also written top hits for Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Bobby Brown and others.