Finally it's more pictures!!

Sorry it took me so long, but I really didn't have a chance to take any pictures yet.. I had to stay home from work this morning to get these ones. They are not very good, but I was having trouble holding him and the camera, and he was moving a lot, the light was dim, and the camera I'm using is not that great.. and unfortunately my new camera just got put on hold :(
well, here are the pictures:

My Little man Eric :)

Check it out! A yawn and a wink at the same time!

happy little guy.. :)

I'm not sure just what that face means... halfway between a smile and a yawn I think..

He seemed to like looking at me better than looking at the camera.. lol

I think we've got a future gamer here!! :) :)

Well, it's even worse...

Well, last week's bed news has carried over into this week. I found out that the rear main on my engine had gone bad, and that cost $100 to fix. Also, the part to fix the rest of the problem with my truck is going to cost $335.99 plus labor to install it.. yuck... once again God was with me, because the first place I had my truck looked at said they couldn't fix it, but that the problem was going to cost a minimum of $500 if not quite a bit more. Well, now the total is going to be less than $450 :) And the people who fixed my truck said that the problem I had is pretty much the only thing that goes bad on the old 22R Toyotas, and now that that is fixed, I shouldn't have much trouble as far as that goes. It's still going to leak some oil, but any older vehicle will do that, especailly a 25 year-old pickup truck! Also, the guy I was talking about has decided to enlist in the National Guard through me, so in about a couple weeks I'll get my 2000 dollars, or actually about $1800 or so after tax!! :) :)
I have been really worried that I was not going to have enough money to fix my truck, but God provides, and I had plenty to pay for the imminent problem at hand, and the other thing doesn't have to be fixed at all unless I want 4x4 back (which I do, but there's no major hurry) I won't be able to get my camera, but I'm sure God will provide for that when the time comes as well.
As we look toward Easter this week, and remember that Jesus' dying on the cross gave infinite life to all, perhaps my wallet is dying so that it can come back to life in a few days and be more abundant than ever!! ok.. that's a lame excuse for humor, especially since I take the Easter season very seriously, but I couldn't think of anything else... so... anyway.. I keep trying to take pictures of my little brother for you guys, but I leave too early in the morning, and he's usually tired or cranky in the evenings :(
God bless!

Even when the road is hard, God is awesome!

Though this has not been the greatest of weeks for me, God is still good. It started on Monday getting an overdraft charge from the bank. The bad thing was, the atm machine said I had like $160, so I went and bought groceries. Well, then the bank suddenly changed and said I didn't have any money in my account... It took them three days to update my account, and blah blah blah... well then Wednesday the Army paid me through direct fund transfer, and the bank acknowledged it, but put it on hold or something, so it let me use my card, but apparently the bank viewed any usage as automatic overdraft.. so I got a total of $50 fee for that that wasn't really even my fault, but there's nothing I can do about it. Then... the Lord decided to put me through another trial. Halfway to Salem on my way to take the dreaded mid-terms, my truck started shaking really really bad, and making horrible noises like I had a flat tire.. well, I got out, and then I wished it had been a flat tire.. it was the drive shaft for my front wheels, it had jammed up, and gotten off balance, and it tore some stuff up pretty bad. So now, my truck has been demoted to a 2wd vehicle until I can get the time and money (the part that I'm afraid has gone bad is almost $300...) also, it messed something up so now my truck is leaking oil between the transfer case and the transmission :( oh snap! it's not bad, but I haven't been able to find where it's leaking or why, and I can't find where to put more oil in so I don't loose my transmission too... hopefully it's not a sealed system.. on the bright side however, at this time my truck is still fully operational other than 4wd. It could have been my rear drive shaft, and I would probably still be out there in the middle of nowhere trying to fix it.. God is great! It also could have jammed up so I could have had a wreck, or any number of other things, but it didn't :) please be praying that it's not the part I think it is, and that it's just a bad u-joint (a $9 part) As far as the leaking oil... I'm probably going to have to have somebody else look at it. Pray that the guy i'm trying to get into the guard will go through with it, because then I will get $2000, which after I pay off my laptop and school debt would leave $400 or so which would come in really handy if I have to do anything expensive to my truck. I was really really hoping to use that money to buy a camera I've been wanting for the last year or so, but it's going to have to wait some more I suppose... other than that my week has been pretty normal other than the two times I ran out of money so I didn't have anything to eat other than leftover microwaved fish sticks.. (they're pretty gross, don't try this at home...)
Some positive points of my week: I got to go to a party/dance tonight which was a blast.. and I watched some pretty sweet war movies- "Blackhawk Down" and "Band of Brothers" both great movies, though they are kinda violent, and the profanity level is about like the real army..
also playing a little ssbm with my 'big' little sister (kristin)
Have a blessed week! If anybody has a 2008 cobalt blue dodge 1/2 ton truck with aftermarket lift and tires on it that they would like to donate to me, please let me know!! oh yea, and I'd prefer an Altec sound system too :) jk
God bless!

A guy's take on makeup

So, you're probably wondering why a guy is talking about makeup.. well, think about it this way- It is probably safe to say that most makeup is applied for the guys right? Well, I just thought I would put down my thoughts on it, which by talking with some other people, you will see that many, if not nearly all guys who are worth anything think the same about this as I do.
:
First of all, I'm not saying makeup is "evil" or anything like that. To put a little on to help put some color on is fine. However, believe it or not, we guys really want to see the real you. God made every person special, including girls :) I look at using lots of makeup to "cover up" the "ugliness" you think you see when you look in the mirror like I would somebody coming along and painting over parts of Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel work because they think it looks bad. Really, when we guys look at you, we want to see the "real you" not a painting! If you're reading this, then you probably are listening to the music on my blog. If not, turn it back on and listen to the words. In the words of another song "You don't have to be picture perfect to be in my world."
American culture is raising girls nowadays to try to all look like the "perfect" woman. Girls spend all their time trying to make themselves fit into that "mold" of the perfect woman. The problem is, they were not created to fit that mold, and the truth is that there is no "perfect" woman, God made everybody different, and that's how it's supposed to be! Now, if you're a girl and you're reading this, you're probably saying "guys just don't care, don't listen to him!" but that's not true. I do care about appearance, but there's a difference between looking slovenly, and looking like a neat, but real true you. I personally think the most beautiful thing in anybody, but since this is about makeup that guys don't wear, the most beautiful thing about a girl or woman is what's on the inside, her personality, and next to that, the true glory of God's own handiwork without trying to cover it all up. So please girls, let us see you for who you are! Because, I hate to burst your bubble, but no matter how good of a makeup artist you might be, it never will look real, and even if it did, GOD himself created you to look just like you do- and by painting yourself to look like somebody else, you are telling GOD that His idea of true beauty is no good, and you know better. Please don't take offense at that, I'm not saying you're evil if you wear makeup, I have sisters, friends, and a mother who wear makeup, but I would encourage every young woman in America to think about why you are wearing makeup. If it's just a little to brighten up, especially in the winter when you can't go outside and let the sun do the work, go ahead by all means! Even a little mascara and eye shadow can look nice, but if you are always looking in the mirror thinking you're an ugly wretch, think again. I think most people, particularly the females have problems seeing themselves as the handiwork of a great an wonderful Creator, and truly beautiful just as they are. Any guy that's worth making yourself look nice for should like you just the same if you had messy hair and no makeup on. I know, it's ironical, the guys you want to look your best for are the ones who care the least about what you look like on the outside! But that's life. I would take this time to call America's young women in particular to remember that each and every one is the work of a perfect artist, and assuming that artist made a match for you, there is a man who will think you are the most beautiful of all women just as you are, without any false face all painted up. I think by looking around, the girls who fall on makeup the most have the least self-confidence, or self-esteem. That's something that's hard to conquer, but just remember that you are more than beautiful in God's eyes, and that is all that really matters.
As to hair, I will admit there are times that "done up" hair can really look nice, and it will really catch my eye. On the other hand, most of us guys like messy hair just about as much, just listen to my blog song, as well as several songs spreading over nearly every genre of music and poetry. I would say that taking a little time to at least neaten up your hair is a good thing to do, but don't spend hours trying to make it look "perfect" because nobody will notice if it's not done just exactly in a certain way.
I hope that this will help, hearing what a guy has to say about makeup and stuff. If you're a guy reading this, the most you will think is, "yea I agree," (at least I hope none of the guys reading this have trouble going out in public without spending an hour or two putting on their makeup!!) but perhaps someday some girl will read this and realize she doesn't have to spend so much time trying to cover her true self up. If such is the case, I would consider the thought and time put into this post a success. Thank-you for reading, and if you need to, go smash a few mirrors if that's what it takes to solve your problem.
God Bless, and have a nice day!

Sorry.. no new pictures yet :(

Well, I tried to get some new pictures of Eric, but he's in bed in the dark sleeping.. maybe tomorrow :)