well.

Hopefully everybody had a great Thanksgiving! I sure did! Saw about 25-30 of my family members on Thanksgiving day, and that's only a fraction of them. Most of them didn't come to do illness or other plans or...other things. LOL. You just gotta know my family. Anyway, it was good to see everyone, and of course, the food was very good. And there were lots of leftovers. And let's just say I'm over turkey until at least...Christmas. One of the most exciting things that happened while at my grandparents house was that my grandma's microwave blew up. Apparently it couldn't handle all of the leftover reheating, so it started popping with this weird noise anytime anyone turned it on. Eventually it was shooting flames out the back and so we decided to stop using it. (We Smiths are a stubborn bunch, if you haven't noticed.)

And how about those CHIEFS on Thursday....takin it to the BRONCOS! Oh yeah, that's what I'm talkin about. AND SUNDAY...with the Raiders. Yup...it's gotta be a good week when the Chiefs beat both the Broncos and the Raiders.

So then on Saturday I got to sleep in (yay, sleep!) and then that night, spend some quality time with some good friends. That was great fun. Thanks for having us over, Jeff!

Then Sunday was good with really great services at church. The sermons were really needed and relevant and it was good to be able to worship with God's people.

Sunday night after church, Tami, Triston, Klaire and I went down to see the Christmas lights on the Plaza and at Crown Center and Union Station. These are some of my favorite places in the world, especially when they are all lit up for Christmas. Yay, Christmas lights! And yay, Christmas music! (I know that was random.)

So back to work today! Lots of people were out sick, or for other reasons, and it was pretty much a typical Monday. Except that I took a full dose of NyQuil before I went to bed at 12:30 AM, and I don't really think that was a good idea. I was pretty fuzzy-brained all day. But then again...nope, I won't say it. I know some of you are thinking it. But you just better watch what you say. Christmas is comin.... and so are bonuses.... (right Jeff?).... so that's all I'm gonna say.

Gotta go for now. Hope everybody has a fantabulous week! Be blessed!

Much love to all!

untitled.

Wow. Where did this week go? Actually, where did this year go?? Seriously! I can't believe we are about to celebrate Thanksgiving...Christmas is right around the corner!

The last couple of weeks, like I mentioned before, were pretty stressful, but they're over! Whew! Last Friday night was Homecoming, and all the work and preparation was well worth it. It was a beautiful night and lots of great memories were made. I'll try to post some pictures soon.

The past two days of school were, frankly, kind of unproductive. I'm not sure why we have two days of school before a holiday. Why don't we just take the whole week off?? We will have to hit the ground running after Thanksgiving and work hard till Christmas. (To all of my lovely students who read this blog -- consider this fair warning!)

I saw Happy Feet in IMAX last night. That is one funny movie. I really liked it. Great music too!

Today I got to sleep in (yay, sleep!) and now I'm doing laundry and trying to get ready to leave for Tulsa in a couple of hours. My parents and I are going down to spend the holiday with the Smith side of the family. It's always an interesting time -- with that many Smiths in one building, you never know what might happen! I'll be back sometime Saturday most likely, so don't miss me too bad.

I hope all of you have a wonderfully blessed Thanksgiving! Whether you're spending it with family, friends, strangers, or a combination of all three (I, for one, have a family that is pretty "strange"...haha) I hope you have a safe and happy holiday.

Much love to all.

i love my life.

Well, for anyone who's been wondering, I've been really stressed lately. The last couple of weeks have been very stressful. Then, to top things off, I got sick last weekend (note previous post.) I have said and done some pretty crazy things due to my stressed out tiredness, and there have been misunderstandings and dramatic interludes aplenty!

HOWEVER...all that being said, I love my life. I was thinking today about how blessed I am. I am so blessed to be working at a place that I love, doing the things that I love, with the people that I love! How much better could life get! Not to mention the fact that I feel I am exactly where God wants me at this moment! AND I've got amazing friends whom I love dearly, and who love me (I hope!) and an amazing church and church family who are supportive and understanding. I ALSO have an incredibly awesome family who love me and support me and understand me. I truly could not ask for more. God is good.

So as stressful as things are at the moment, I just want to go on record as being thankful. I'm grateful for the good things God has placed in my life and I'm determined not to take them for granted. I thank God for each of my friends and for the influence they have on my life. I'm grateful for my students who bring life to my days and a smile to my face. I am deeply thankful and indebted to each person who touches my life. You are one of them! Thank God for you -- thank you for being my friend and for the impact you have on my life! Without you, my life would lose some of its value and color. You are important and you are needed and I depend on you. Thank you for the person you are.

Thank you for praying for me, and please know as you read this that I have said a prayer for you.

Tomorrow is Homecoming at OCH. I will be spending the day in the gym decorating and practicing and getting ready for the big event. The senior class, which I sponsor, is in charge of concessions; and the Student Senate, which I also sponsor, is in charge of everything else! Thankfully, I have lots of good help this year, or I would be going crazy right now. I actually have a lot of things that need to be done tonite, so I am going to wrap this up and get busy.

I hope all of you have a wonderfully blessed weekend! Much love to all of you!

sick.

Blah. I hate bein sick! I stayed home from church this morning to try to get some rest and get rid of this...whatever it is I have! Anyway. I don't have time to be sick is the thing. I will just have to power thru. I miss goin to church tho. When I don't go, I have serious withdrawals. I miss all you people and I just miss bein there. I will be there tonite, no matter what!

This past week went really fast for me! I just can't believe how fast the year is going! Friday night I actually did some Christmas shopping - can you believe it?? I can't! I don't think I've ever done Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving! LOL. But it was cold and felt like winter outside so...it kinda put me in the mood. I have not started listening to Christmas music yet, but I'm about to. Anyway.

Yesterday was a fun day. In the morning, I went to my little nephew Jaydon's 7th birthday party. It was at Chuck E. Cheese. That is a fun place for kids! Then I met Lisa and Sophia and Bethany to go shopping for Homecoming decorations. We actually got everything at one store, which was great! (I'm not a great shopper!) Then last night was the Alumni Gospel Sing. It was great fun and lots of people showed up. The music was really good and several of the songs were a real blessing to me. If you couldn't be there, you ought to order the DVD! Of course, after the concert, Jeff and Tami and Triston and Klaire and I heard Applebees calling our name...and of course there was bunch of other people from the concert there too...and it was Klaire's birthday so the waiters came out and sang to her and gave her an Oreo shake, so she was happy.

Woke up this morning feeling terrible, as I've already said, so I think I'm gonna go try to sleep some more. It's actually kinda hard to breathe while lying down...you know how it is. Ugh. Have I mentioned that I hate being sick!?!

This week I got my new Michael W. Smith CD, Stand, and I'm still listening to it. It's amazing. I love the song Open Arms and it, along with what Aaron preached about in chapel Wednesday (I wasn't there, but I heard all about it...and it sounded like it was awesome!)...well, it's got me thinking alot about love. I think we all need to be a lot more loving. After all, didn't Jesus say the greatest commandment was all about love? Hmmm... Well, anyway, I will post those lyrics if I can ever find them online. It's a really good song and you should listen to it if you can.
Well, I'm out for now. Hope everyone has a marvelous, worshipful Sunday! Pray for me and I'll pray for you!

Much love, as always, to all!

Xanga

Don't forget to check my Xanga. I update it more often.

www.xanga.com/tawnyasmith

terror.

Well, Kelso posted something about this on his blog, and as I was reading it and commenting him, I realized...I have a lot to say about it! So here I am.

The school shootings this week have been all over the news, and maybe you're tired of hearing about them. But truly, unless you are involved in a school on a daily basis, you don't know the fear that is inspired by these events. The massacre in the Amish schoolhouse hit especially close to home for those of us in private schools. Honestly, for the first time ever, I actually forced myself to face the question "what would I do?" If some psychotic maniac charged into my school and into my classroom, what are my options? I mean, we can have a plan and we can be "prepared" but truly...who is ever really prepared? One of my students said, "If that happened here, I would take him out...I'd charge him and take his gun..." And the guys are all pretty certain that they would never leave the girls to face a gunman alone. All heroic and hopefully unnecessary sentiments. But as I mentioned, it became pretty personal for me this week. I came to the decision that, first of all, I am ready to go. If it's my time, I'm ready. If God says it's time to go home, it's time. Additionally, I would die before I let anyone hurt any of my students. I mean, good grief, I get pretty protective of my students even when their lives are not being threatened. Of course, you never know if, by your death, you are going to save someone else's life, but how could you live with yourself if you didn't try and someone died? I know these are some pretty random, and possibly morbid, thoughts, but hey. These are things I have faced this week, and if I can't write them in my "online journal" what's the point?

My thoughts and prayers have been with the students, families, and school officials who have suffered these senseless tragedies this week. I simply cannot imagine the terror and the grief they are facing. Families have lost sisters and daughters and granddaughters and nieces....teachers have lost students, students have lost classmates. And, in a larger sense, we have all lost. We've lost some of the innocence, some of the trust. We've faced the realization, once again, that cruelty and madness can invade the safest of havens. There are no easy answers, no simple solutions. All we can do is pray that our faithful Heavenly Father will hear the cries of the innocent, that He will bring peace to the suffering, and that the people of our nation will turn to God. We know that eventually His justice will reign supreme, and all will be made right. I am waiting for that day.

Stay true to Jesus. He is coming soon.

Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now.~1 Cor. 13:12

scattered.

Wow, I can't believe it's the end of the week already. This week has really flown by. It's been a good week. The weather here has been gorgeous. The trees are about to change colors, there is a definite bite in the wind, and I love it all! I absolutely love the season changes! Even winter. I know some people think I'm crazy, but I do love all the seasons. Of course, there are some things about winter that I dread, but there are lots of things I love about it too.

Anyway, in other news....there's not much news.

Tomorrow is the Walk-a-Thon. I guess I should try to get a lot of rest tonite so that I will be able to walk the full 5 miles. The way I feel today, 5 miles seems like a lot!! But I'm sure I'll make it.

Today we don't have to pick up our middle school kid, so bus run will be over early! Yay! The middle schoolers are out today and tomorrow, and everyone is out Monday! For public schools that is.

I'm so sad about what happened out in Colorado yesterday -- the school standoff/shooting in which a girl was killed. It's a very sick and sad world that we live in, my friends! Mr. Blake mentioned the verse today about "Men's hearts failing them for fear" as being appropo to this situation. It's true. It's a scary, scary world. Thank God we know the One who is in control!

Well, I know this has been a somewhat scattered and random entry. Welcome to my world! I've actually had a viscious, unrelenting headache all day today, so I'm just glad that I'm (somewhat) coherent.

Hope everyone has a lovely evening and a wonderful Friday!

Love to YOU!

restoration.

Today I made a choice. I have chosen -- made the conscious decision -- to forgive. I won't go into detail, but the choice has been made, and only by God's grace and strength. I choose to set myself free from resentment and bitterness, and I choose to release into God's care the choices and actions of others. Forgiveness = Freedom.


So last week was very busy! I got to spend lots of time with good friends, doing things I love to do. I am truly blessed by friends and family. I love all of you sooo much!

Tuesday night I went with my friends Suzy, Chantelle, Richard, Matt, Michael, Katie, and Bryan to Jose Peppers and then to Sheridan's. Well, only the girls went to Sheridan's becuz the guys went to the gym to play basketball (I think?) Anyway.

Then Wednesday night I finally got to go to dinner with my good friend Michael. It is always good to see him and get caught up on each others' lives.

Thursday night was an incredible evening with Tami, Jeff, and Chantelle at the Michael W. Smith concert. Did you guys know that President Bush calls MWS "Dubya"? Hah -- I found that very funny! Anyway, it was an incredibly worshipful experience -- one that I'm not likely to forget anytime soon. And when his new CD, Stand, comes out in November, make sure you get it. It has some really good songs on it.

Friday night Chantelle, Suzy and I went to Starlight to see Hairspray. First we had dinner with Sarah, which was awesome because I hadn't seen her for soooo long! (Hi Sarah -- I know you'll read this! ) Anyway, the show was totally hilarious -- we had such a good time! It was good to laugh and just have fun. The weather was beautiful and I'm so glad I finally got to go to Starlight before the season ended!

Saturday night a bunch of us were at Jeff's house for Mexican food and games. It was really great to get to hang out with all those great people! We'll have to do it again soon!
Then Sunday night after church was a gathering of a different group of friends at Sharen's house. Again, lots of fun, food, and games!

See what I mean? I am so blessed! God has indeed blessed my life with amazing friends. I am completely fulfilled, content, and at peace. My gratefulness for God's faithfulness knows no bounds.

Thank you, Jesus, for being so good to me and to the people that I love. Thank you for being who you are and for the gift of salvation which I so often take for granted. Thank you for my wonderful friends and I pray your richest blessings on each of them. Please lift up the fallen, heal the hurting, strengthen the weary, and lead us all into your perfect will.

I'll leave you with more lyrics from MercyMe's Coming Up To Breathe CD. This is track #4:

Something About You

Where... where do I begin?
How do I say what's on my heart with paper and a pen?
How... how can I describe
The God of all the universe and make it rhyme?
I just wonder if it's worth
Painting You with so few words
Oh, with so few words

Still there's something about You
That keeps me in pursuit of who You are
I will spend my days, finding ways to praise
The glory and the grace of who You are

Why... why do I even try?
If I could speak the tongue of every man
I'm still tongue-tied
What can I say about You
When everything I have won't do
Oh, it will not do

Still there's something about You
That keeps me in pursuit of who You are
I will spend my days, finding ways to praise
The glory and the grace of who You are

As long as life runs through my veins
I will live to praise Your name
And if a hundred years I live
I won't even scratch, I won't even scratch the surface

Still there's something about You
That keeps me in pursuit of who You are
I will spend my days, finding ways to praise
The glory and the grace of who You are

Much love, as always, to all who read!

potpourri.

You know what potpourri is, right? Well, that's what today's post is going to be like, because that's what my brain is like. I have all these thoughts just swirling around and well...they're likely to come out in some disorganized fashion. Just be prepared. I will use subtitles to try to help you. I don't know if they will help you or not. You can let me know.

bubble gum.
First of all, when I got in my car this afternoon, my car smelled like bubble gum. That was nice -- and somewhat strange. I just hope there is not a bubble gum surprise somewhere in my car.

faithfulness.
God knew exactly what I needed after the mostly awful week I'd had. He sent, first of all, wonderful friends and family my way so that I would know He cares for me. Twelve of us went to the Royals game on Friday night, and even though they lost, we had a great time. Then Saturday I got to go to lunch with my grandparents, which was a nice surprise. I didn't even know they were coming into town until they were already here! Also on Saturday, my former student Carolyn got married. Her wedding was beautiful and I'm very happy for her! I got to serve about a million cups of punch at her reception. It was really a fun day though. Then that night, I went out to help celebrate Sophia's 16th birthday! Yay for parties! It was lots of fun, even though I thought I was gonna die while we were playing spoons. Some of you people are pretty violent when it comes to spoons! THEN on Sunday, God really spoke to me through several different things. My pastor spoke about PASSION in both services, and Steven spoke on FORGIVENESS in the afternoon service. Both topics really convicted me. I know there are so many areas in which I need to move up in my Christian life. THEN I got some really good news -- my brother called to tell us that yesterday he did some pretty serious business with God and completely dedicated and recommitted his life to God. That's some pretty amazing stuff right there, folks. And I'm being totally serious. God is so good and so faithful and He ALWAYS answers prayer! Even when it's not the answer we expect, or in the time frame we'd like!!

breathe.
All of you have to hear MercyMe's new CD, Coming up to Breathe. It is simply amazing, and I haven't even heard it all yet! I've read some of the lyrics and well...let's just say I'll probably be posting some of them in days to come. The entire album just really speaks to me. If you get a chance, get the CD and listen to it! It's awesome!!

lyrics.
Track One - Coming up to Breathe
I'm in way too deep again
I've forgotten how to swim
I can't tell which way is up or down
Save me before I drown down here
I just need some air

I'm coming up to breathe
Oh, I'm coming up to breathe
I've held my breath for all my life
But I am breaking free tonight
And I'm coming up to breathe

I just need to break these chains
I just need to leave this place
Before now this was all I knew
But with just one glimpse of You
I seeYou're the air I need

I'm coming up to breathe
Oh, I'm coming up to breathe
I've held my breath for all my life
But I am breaking free tonight
And I'm coming up to breathe

I've done everything I can
To get myself up on dry land
Lord, here I am again
Reaching for Your hand

I'm coming up to breathe
Oh, I'm coming up to breathe
I've held my breath for all my life
But I am breaking free tonight
And I'm coming up to breathe

This one is for my friends who are hurting. You know who you are. I could name your names, but I don't want to embarrass anybody. But this is for you:

Track 3 -- Hold Fast
To everyone who's hurting
To those who've had enough
To all the undeserving
That should cover all of us
Please do not let go
I promise there is hope

Hold fast
Help is on the way
Hold fast
He's come to save the day
What I've learned in my life
One thing greater than my strife
Is His grasp
So hold fast

Will this season ever pass?
Can we stop this ride?
Will we see the sun at last?
Or could this be our lot in life?
Please do not let go
I promise you there's hope

Hold fast
Help is on the way
Hold fast
He's come to save the day
What I've learned in my life
One thing greater than my strife
Is Your grasp
So hold fast

You may think you're all alone
And there's no way that anyone could know
What you're going through
But if you only hear one thing
Just understand that we are all the same
Searching for the truth
The truth of what we're soon to face
Unless someone comes to take our place
Is there anyone?
All we want is to be free
Free from our captivity, Lord
Here He comes

Hold fast
Help is on the way
Hold fast
He's come to save the day
What I've learned in my life
One thing greater than my strife
Is Your grasp
So hold fast

pray
One last thing before I end this. I know it's been long, so thanks for sticking with me to the end! But I think we all just really need to pray for each other, like never before. The devil has really been fighting. He has been causing conflict and division and misunderstandings. I know that I could really use prayer for my attitude -- that God would help me to forgive the hurtful things and to treat people with the love and mercy which He has given me.

God is good, all the time!

perfection.

The weather has been so perfect. When it's chilly enough to need the heater in the mornings, and warm enough for the A/C in the afternoons, well...that's perfection to me.



The last two days have been horribly stressful. I'm just glad that even though we don't always understand the things that are going on, God does, and He's in complete control. He has already proven His love and care for me, so I don't have to worry. Not that I always trust Him perfectly, but He's teaching me. I'd appreciate it if all of you would pray for me because I really need to have the right attitude.

Yesterday I read the book of James. There are some amazing things in there. It totally convicted me. You should read it. Here are a few verses that stood out to me.

1:26-27 -- If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
2:12-13 -- Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
3:1-2 -- Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.
3:13-18 -- Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

So anyway, I know that everything is going to be fine.

TGI(almost)F! Tomorrow night I'm going to the Royals game with my youth group. Then Saturday is Carolyn's wedding and Sophia's birthday party. I'll make sure and update with pictures!

Today I received a surprise visit from a former student, which totally made my day! Josh came to see me, and brought his fiance Heather. They are getting married next spring. Anyway, it was totally amazing to see him. He was truly a sight for sore eyes. I love that kid. He is doing good. He just moved to St. Louis and is still looking for a church, but I was happy to hear that he's still living for God. I was sad to hear that his little brother Andy is in jail and might be going to prison. You might pray for that family if you think of it.
I saw this today and it totally cracked me up...enjoy!

More Pictures

Here are some pictures of Brandon and Karen's wedding.


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Random Pictures

Stuff

So, I just finished reading The Da Vinci Code. I wanted to read the book to see for myself what all the "fuss" was about. I have especially been interested in finding out why some well-meaning people have been so intent on proving that a work of fiction is, indeed, false. It seems to have caused a lot of unnecessary panic and, possibly, overreaction. So, I read it. It was intriguing and hard to put down, frankly. It isn't particularly well-written, and many of the purported "facts" are in fact, false. But it's fiction -- what do you expect?! I don't know that it was written "maliciously" as an attack against the church, but I don't know that it wasn't, either. It doesn't seem that all of the "information" presented in the book could be completely harmless and innocent, especially to the uneducated, uninformed reader. Anyway. This wasn't meant to be an analysis of the book -- you can access many of those that are well-written and much more thought-out than I have energy for right now! I don't necessarily recommend the book, especially for young readers, as there is some "mature content," but I would just encourage everybody to not react until you are completely informed!

Tonite I'm going to see "The King and I" at Theatre in the Park. I'm excited about that. It's supposed to be hot today, but that's okay. Summer cannot officially start until I've been to Theatre in the Park.

So, how is everyone's summer going? It sounds like most of you are keeping busy and (mostly) staying out of trouble. Keep in touch! Comment!!

Love to all who read!

From You Bring the Confetti
By Luci Swindoll

A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24

A poet once described friends as "the sunshine of life." I myself have found that the day is certainly much brighter when I'm sharing it with my friends. Enjoying fellowship is one of life's sweetest blessings and joys. What would we do without people and the many shadings of companionship and camaraderie? We need friends in our lives, friends with whom we not only discuss "deep" issues and confide our secrets, fears, or sorrows, but with whom we can laugh, play, and even cry. The best times in life are made a thousand times better when shared with a dear friend.

Camaraderie is definitely a part of friendship, and camaraderie itself can often produce friendships, too. When we reach out to others, they reach out to us. It's a two-way street, a street practically lined with balloons and streamers in celebration of the unique bonds of friendship.

My friends are the sunshine in my life. My friends have been there for me with words of encouragement, they've prayed for me, laughed with me, cried with me, and just generally been pretty amazing. So...for all of that, I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart.

God has truly blessed my life with many friends, and I am so grateful because it seems He always brings people into my life just at the exact moment I need them. His timing is perfect, and I could never ask for more.

Thanks for being my friend. I celebrate you today.

So I heard a sermon this week about "delighting in the promises." Several of the things the minister said really hit home for me. First of all, that we are supposed to be delighting in God's promises. Not just enduring, not just "barely making it," but delighting. This journey with Jesus is supposed to be a delightful thing. And then, the idea that we are not just "standing on the promises" (as the old song says), but we are depending on the promise-Giver. We don't just trust in the promises, we trust in the One who made the promises! If His promises are good, then how much better must He be! One of the promises He mentioned was that of "daybreak." Just as in the physical sense, the setting sun each evening is a promise of the day to come, the darkness that sometimes enters our lives and our souls is a promise of the Light of the world that is Jesus. The promise is declared at dusk, doubted in the darkness, and delivered at dawn. I know there are many, many dark and terrible things that many of us have gone thru, and will continue to go thru, but we can take heart that the God of the Light, is still God in the night!

Wow

What a week! This has been a crazy, crazy week!! First of all, my allergies have been worse than they have ever been, and so all week I have been really congested and yuck. Well, now I think it has turned into a cold. Not fun! Anyway.

Tuesday was the last day of classes. It was a half-day, and then the PTF (Parent-Teacher Fellowship) took the teachers out to lunch. That was nice! Tuesday night was the drama cast party, which about 50 people showed up to. I think we kinda overwhelmed Applebees, but it was all good. Wednesday was the school picnic, which ended up being lots of fun, and Wed. nite we had our youth group party -- to Jeff's for pizza then to the T-Bones game. THAT was totally cool! I have pictures which I will need to post sometime when I have my camera downstairs while I'm posting.

Thursday was a teacher workday, which I used to its fullest extent and got all my grading done, all my grades turned in, and all my awards and certificates ready to go. CARA got here around 1PM and helped me quite a bit...thanks, babe! Then Thur. night was the awards assembly, and after that we went and ate at Applebees with Michael. Oh my goodness. I think it must have been 8th grade prom nite, because there were all these little obnoxious kids who were SO LOUD we had to yell to each other to be heard! It was kinda hilarious!

Friday I had to be at the school for a meeting at 10AM, then we decorated for graduation all afternoon. THAT was stressful. Thankfully, I had some good help! Thanks to all the wonderful people who helped us out!! Yay for you! Friday night was graduation, and I will post pictures of that later too. It was a really good night. It was soooo hot!! The faculty had to sit on the stage and oh my word. In the middle of graduation, one of the light gels fell down onto some of the teachers. That was pretty funny, for those who saw it. After graduation, we did some party-hopping and got to see lots of cool people. I took a picture of a table-full of "kids" who are all either current or former students of mine. Wow. Some things just make ya realize that time has flown and you've been teaching a long time.

I just finished my 10th year of teaching, for those of you who don't know. Yep. Ten years. I graduated from college 10 years ago. Unbelievable. Of the kids who were in my first 8th grade class, three of them have graduated from college, one has a masters' degree, and two of them are serving our country in the military. None of them are married, that I know of, but one is getting married this August. Where has the time gone?

So today I woke up really sick, and spent most of the day in bed. Then this evening we went to a dinner over at the school that was a fundraiser for the college group that is going to the Carribbean in a couple weeks. THAT was cool!! We had so much fun! Then we went to Sharen's house and Jeff, Sharen, Cara and I ate Sheridan's and played Zobmondo. Fun times!!
Well, I guess I'd better wrap this up and go to bed so I'll be worth something in the morning.

Hope everyone is doing great and that you have a wonderful holiday! I'll try to update again soon -- with pictures!

Love to all who read!

For My Cuz

Let me tell you just a little bit about my cousin. His name is Aaron Wayne Skeen and he discovered America about 1 ½ years after I did. Although we have never even lived in the same state, we have always been close, which is why I’m writing this.

Aaron is getting married on Saturday. May 20th. He’s 31 ½ years old and he’s getting married. And I couldn’t be happier for him. He deserves this. But I can’t help feeling a little sentimental and nostalgic...and yes, a little sad. Because, you see, Aaron and I have been buds for a long time...

I cannot remember a time when Aaron was not part of my life. We grew up only seeing each other once or twice a year, yet that never affected our closeness. Some of my earliest memories include his sister (Debbie), my brother (Scott), Aaron and I playing together in my grandparents’ basement or yard, or at their farm. From the first, it seemed that Aaron and I were allies in fighting off the "obnoxious" younger siblings. The two of them stuck together, and so did Aaron and I. He was my protector and defender from a very young age.

Well, as most of you know and can probably guess, that hasn’t changed much. Yes, we’ve grown up and lots of things have changed, but Aaron and I have remained close. We've attended youth camp together for many years, graduating from being campers, to sponsoring teams together, and even served on the Youth Council together for awhile. Last summer, I was blessed to be able to go to Russia with him on a missions' trip.

Aaron has become a young man with a heart for God. I’ve watched him develop into someone who inspires me with his level of commitment and desire to serve God. He is deeply spiritual without having to talk much about it. He is deeply emotional and loves his family and friends with a passion that is sometimes frightening, especially to those who would challenge it. He is an amazing listener and can be trusted to keep everything from the smallest secret to the biggest confidence. When Aaron and I are together, nobody has to talk. We can sit for hours (doesn’t usually happen, especially with me) without ever needing to say anything. He understands me completely and always has, without ever needing an explanation.

My gratefulness to God for blessing my life with Aaron knows no bounds. I cannot express how deeply thankful I am for the many years we have had, and I am looking forward to many more years of happy times and fun memories!

Am I glad that Aaron has fallen in love and is marrying the person he wants to spend the rest of his life with? Yes, absolutely. Do I wish him and his new bride all the happiness in the world? Without reservation. Do I have mixed feelings, knowing that things are going to be different now? Yeah, I do. Somewhat selfishly, I am dreading the fact that this changes things. I know that Aaron and I will always be close. I know I’ll always be able to talk to him about anything. But this doesn’t change the fact that he will now have a wife. He will have an obligation and a commitment that he’s never had before. Does this change the fact that he loves me and is my cousin? No. Does it make me sad that I probably won’t see him as often, and that our time spent together will most likely be limited? Yep. It does. I’m happy for him, and kinda sad for me. I hope that doesn’t sound selfish.

I don’t think my feelings have anything to do with the fact that Aaron is leaving the ranks of the "singles" and joining up with the "marrieds." I really don’t. I have heard people say that they feel betrayed or rejected when a single friend or relative gets married, but I don’t feel that way. I just feel a little sad because of the changes that will take place.

I am a single person who believes in marriage and who supports my married friends in every way I can. I will support Aaron and Alyssa in their marriage and I will continue to be happy for them, knowing that they are following God and obeying Him with their lives. I am unreservedly happy for them both, and I welcome Alyssa to the family with open heart and arms.

I just hope you can understand the temporary sense of nostalgia and sadness that I feel, knowing that a new chapter in life is beginning. Definitely for them, but also for me. I gladly watch as my dear, sweet cousin begins a new life with his bride. I am happy to witness their wedding and their vows and to pledge my support to them as they begin their new life together. And I trust that the same Heavenly Father who fills all voids and who heals all hearts will lead them forever down the path of His perfect will.

Here’s to Aaron and Alyssa. Here’s to beautiful memories and bright futures. Here’s to a lifetime of happiness – past, present and future. Here’s to the knowledge that our Father leads us faithfully as we follow Him.

Wizard of Oz

To see pictures of the KCCBS drama department's production of The Wizard of Oz, please go to www.xanga.com/tawnyasmith.

Youth Retreat 2006

For a report on Harmony Hill Youth Retreat, complete with pictures, please visit my Xanga site.

Click here.

Lifesong Tour

If you get a chance to go to see the Lifesong Tour, do it!! We went last night and it was amazing! I wanted to take pictures, but the rules on the website for the venue stated "no cameras or recording devices" so we didn't take our cameras. Of course, EVERYONE else was taking pictures, so we were a little ticked. Oh well. Anyway, the concert was an incredibly worshipful and powerful experience. So many of the songs spoke to me but one especially that Nichole Nordeman did was especially meaningful. Here are the lyrics. Listen to it sometime if you can, because the music is also powerful. (You can read the story that this song is based on here.)

Lay It Down
To every son and daughter
Wayward and long gone
The love of a Father will leave the light on
I tried to throw you off track
A needle in the haystack
And I don't know how you found me
Or why you let me come back
Cuz it's a long way home when all you're left to carry
Is a heart of stone
And the weight of most the world
And I'd like to

Chorus:
Lay it down a little
Lay it down a lot
I don't want to hold it anymore
Lay it down in pieces or
Lay it down in whole
Everything I've carried on my own
Lay it down
Lay it down
Lay it down
Lay it down

I spent your money
Living on the fringes
But you threw a party for me
Invited all your big friends
And I have learned a little bit about a heavy load
All that gleams and glitters is not worth its weight in gold
And I know I should

Chorus
Lay it down a little
Lay it down a lot
I don't want to hold it anymore
Lay it down in pieces or
Lay it down in whole
Everything I've carried on my own
Lay it down
Lay it down
Lay it down
Lay it down
Lay it down a little
Lay it down a lot
I don't want to hold it anymore
Lay it down in pieces or
Lay it down in whole
Everything I've carried on my own
Lay it down
Lay it down
Lay it down
Lay it down
To every son and daughter, wayward and long gone...

So I know there are a lot of things that I need to lay down. God has been convicting me in a lot of areas, and trying to get me to the place that I can lay some stuff down. I don't want anything to clutter my life so that it becomes a hindrance in my relationship with Him. I'm sure we can all think of things that we need to give God control over. Why is it so hard? When we know that the safest place for all of those things is in God's hands. It must be human pride and stubborness, and perhaps a little stupidity -- at least in my case! As Nichole sang this song last night, I told God that all of the issues in my life are His. I am laying them down at His feet. I know that He will pick them up and use them. I trust Him that much. I just need to keep my hands off and let Him be God!

Check my Xanga

If you ever come here and notice that it's been awhile since I've updated, go to www.xanga.com/tawnyasmith. Sometimes I update there and forget to put it on here. I'll try to do better with that, cuz I know some of you only do blogspot. Anyway.

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Mine was extremely busy! On Friday night, I attended a really meaningful and special Good Friday service, then had a bunch of people over to my house for games and food. That was a lot of fun! Saturday, my mom, brother, nephew and I went down to Tulsa to spend Easter with the Smiths. My dad couldn't go becuz he had scheduled a revival prior to our planning the Tulsa trip. Anyway, we had a really good time with all the family there, and I will try to post pictures soon. If none show up here soon, again, check my Xanga. It's easier to post pictures there than here. Actually, it's easier to do most things there than here. Haha.

Today my family and I went to Ava, Missouri -- Mt. Zion to be more exact -- to celebrate the life of Ivan "Grandpa" Arnold who went home to Heaven on Good Friday. It was a really long trip for such a short visit, but it was worth it. It's important for people to know you care. And it's important to have the opportunity to say "goodbye for now" and to know the hope of meeting again someday. What a precious gift, to know that the "goodbye" is not forever.

Well, I'm very tired, and I'm not feeling the greatest, so I'm gonna go for now. Hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

Love to all who read!

Quote for the Day from Cara: "I need to pay more attention to her because I would want people to pay attention to me, if I were me."

Oh my goodness. I just realized that Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is doing a special "After the Storm" show tonite. That is only my favorite show in the world. So I might be a little distracted as I type this. Or I might just wait till the show's over. And you'll never know...mwahahaa!!

So today was interesting. Usually I have my jr. high class for 1st, 2nd, and 4th hours on Thursdays, but today their 3rd hour teacher was sick, so I had them all morning! Which was fine with me, because I love them (and yes, I would say that even if some of them didn't read this) but I think being in the same classroom for so long got to be a little much for some of them. They ended up being a little mean to each other and fighting and stuff. But it was all good. We had a good time. It was also interesting because the entire grade school went on a field trip and took the principal and the secretary with them, so we were quite literally on our own. Plus nobody unlocked the doors before they left, so we were all upstairs and completely oblivious to the fact that some of the late-arriving students were effectively locked out. I got a pretty humorous description from one senior of her attempts to get in the school. She knew her class was in there, but she couldn't see anybody, and come to find out, her class had been sent up to the library after all because their teacher was sick. It was just crazy, I tell ya! But we did get stuff done, in spite of it all!

Okay. I just have to say some things here that I have been needing to say for quite some time. I know that some of you are going to think I am targeting certain people, but I'm not. I have been thinking about these things for a looong time. And even though some of you are still going to think to yourself when you read this, "I know exactly who she's talking about" you don't! Cuz I'm not talking about anyone in particular. This is just a rant, okay?

Anytime I say things like this, I feel like people are going to think that I am against marriage. I'm not. I believe very strongly in marriage. I believe God ordains marriage and when it's done right, it can be the most beautiful thing ever. Key phrase: "when it's done right."
I am extremely disturbed when I see people taking marriage lightly. I believe that when you commit to marry someone, it is serious, and it is for life. No turning back. There should not be any thoughts of, "well, if it doesn't work out, we'll just get a divorce." NO. God wants the relationship between a husband and wife to be a picture of His relationship with the church. Has he ever divorced the church or been unfaithful to the church? NO. I believe marriage should be taken very seriously.

That being said, I do of course know that there are times when abuse and unfaithfulness make it impossible for marriages to work out. But that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about going into the marriage without a sense of true commitment.

I am disturbed when I sense that people are rushing into marriage. What's the rush? I know that's going to sound funny to some of you because you're thinking, "well, that's easy to say, just cuz YOU haven't rushed into it." Please understand, I'm not saying people have to wait as long as I have. And I'm not saying people need to wait until I'm ready for them to get married. When it comes right down to it, it's really none of my business. But this is my blog, and I get to express my opinions here! I would just hope that people are waiting until they are ready! Ya know? People have their whole lives ahead of them to be married. Why put extra stress on a marriage by getting married so young? Are you going to go to college? Are you going to have good options for a career? What if you end up having a baby right away? It is my firm belief that people should not get married until they are ready to have kids, because it could happen. That doesn't mean they have to have kids right away, obviously, but be prepared for the possibility! Surprises (not accidents!) do happen!!

It is a proven fact that young people change tremendously between the ages of 18 and 25. You might not even be the same person when you are 25 that you were when you were 18. What if you don't like the person your spouse becomes after they grow up? Seriously!

I want to reiterate that I am not targeting the people you think I am. Yes, there have been four different couples I know who have announced their engagement within the last month. But I'm not targeting any of them. Or maybe I'm thinking of all them. You'll never know! The point is, these are the things that have been on my heart, and the things I would like for EVERY person who is considering marriage to consider. Marriage is serious. I have watched too many of my friends go through painful divorces. I have seen too many unhappy marriages and painful situations. I have witnessed too many regrets and hurts and "if onlys" to just let it all go by. God has a wonderful plan for each of us. He has only the best in store. I hope that we all truly seek out His will. My deepest desire is to have God's smile of approval on my life. I hope that's what you want too!

There is too much pressure in our society to get married. I feel it all the time. Sometimes you are made to feel as if you are not normal if you are not married. That's not okay. God has a different plan for every single (no pun intended) person He placed on this earth. There are many things that are much worse than being single! (I hesitate to say that, because by saying "worse" the implication is that being single it "bad" and it's not, but hopefully you know what I mean.) I guess I will have to resort to the motto that has been my quote for some time so in honor of Chris I will say: "It's better to be single than wish you were!"

Well,this hasn't been polished, and hasn't been said as well as I would have liked, but it has come from my heart. No apologies. This is how I feel.

I'd like to give a shout-out to all my single friends. I love all my married friends, but this is for you single guys and gals. God has a plan for you! You might meet the man/woman of your dreams tomorrow or next week or next year or when you get to Heaven and fall at Jesus' feet. The important thing is that we follow Christ and His will for our lives. I love you all and I know the struggles you face! Anytime you want to talk, I'm here!

Love, love, love to all who read!

I'm Lovin' It...

(And not McDonald's, neither!)

I love these verses I keep finding. Maybe they seem random to you, but they are meaning something to me, and this is my blog, so you're just gonna have to deal.

"Real wisdom, God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings.... You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor." James 3:17-18 (MSG)

The past few weeks and months have been really convicting for me. Through God's mercy and grace, I have grown a lot in Him, and He has been teaching me so many things. One of the things He's been convicting me of is that there are some things in my past that I absolutely MUST let go of. No other option. I really feel that God has led me right to the brink of a breakthrough. I know that He wants to free me completely from the captivity of unforgiveness. Would you guys help me pray for complete deliverance? I know God has the answer for me, and I also know that I have surrendered absolutely everything to Him. I want everything -- everything -- that God has for me. And I am open to His working in my life.

Here are some lyrics that I know you've heard before. Have you ever really thought about them though, and let God speak through them to you? Today I did, and the result was a lot of conviction!

"Voice of Truth"
Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
on to the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He's holding out His hand
But the waves are calling out my name
And they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again.
"Boy, you'll never win!"
"You'll never win!"

But the Voice of Truth
tells me a different story
The Voice of Truth says,
"Do not be afraid!"
And the Voice of Truth says,
"This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe
the Voice of Truth

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes
to stand before a giant
With just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand
But the giant's calling out my name
And he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again.
"Boy you'll never win!"
"You'll never win!"

But the Voice of Truth
tells me a different story
The Voice of Truth says,
"Do not be afraid!"
And the Voice of Truth says,
"This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe
the Voice of Truth

But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don't seem so high
On top of them lookin' down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me
But the Voice of Truth
tells me a different story
The Voice of Truth says,
"Do not be afraid!"
And the Voice of Truth says,
"This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices
calling out to me (calling out to me)
I will choose to listen and believe-
I will choose to listen and believe
the Voice of Truth
I will listen and believe
I will listen and believe
the Voice of truth
I will listen and believe
Cause Jesus you are the voice of truth
And I will listen to you, you are-

Thanks, guys, for listening -- or reading! -- and please keep me in your prayers!
Love to all who read!

Check it out!

Hey everyone! See what you think about this:

www.peachpunchjunkies.blogspot.com

Comment and tell me what you think!!

Thanks!!

Amazing Stuff

I just want you to know that

God is amazing!

I am in such awe of the things that God has been doing and teaching me lately! I had an amazing answer to prayer yesterday that I can't really talk about in detail (some of you know) but God totally led and directed in a situation with student and...well, it just pays to trust God! He is totally faithful!

Yesterday morning in my devotions I read the verse from Romans 8 that says,

"We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us."

And the emphasis was on the "through HIM" part -- that we just need to "let God do it!" Let Him fight the battle and trust Him to win! Pretty cool, and it was just what I needed!

And then yesterday, I listened to my new David Phelps CD, "Life is a Church" (really great CD by the way, and yes, I know, I'm behind because it's not really that new!) and heard the song "That's What Love Is" for the first time and that totally spoke to me! You have to hear it to appreciate it completely, but here are the lyrics, and for those of you that know yesterday's story, you know how well this fits. Again, just what I needed!

It’s the only thing worth life and death.

It’s the first moment and the final breath.

It’s a broken heart keeping a solemn vow

And a lost soul being found.

You pray for faith when it’s hard to believe.

You choose to stay when it’s easy to leave

And when hope is gone you’re the one who keeps holding on.

That’s what love is

When you give until there’s nothing left

And it makes you give the very best.

That’s what love is.

It can make you laugh and make you cry.

It can let you down and lift you up so high

When you find the only reason left to live.

That’s what love is.

It’s the dream you give up for someone else.

It’s being strong when you’re weak yourself.

Though it tears you up you trust again.

Hatred loses and forgiveness wins.

You turn your cheek when you want to fight.

Sell all you have and lay down your life

And when hope is gone

you’re the one who keeps holding on.

It’s reaching out and holding on so someone else will know.

Love is in the not letting go.

If you ever get a chance to hear the song, do it! The whole CD is actually worth listening to.
Anyway, my point in all this is to just let you know, if you were wondering or doubting, that God is entirely faithful. He does not just leave us to our own devices, but He always makes a way! It's so exciting to serve Him and to see Him work! I'm so excited about what He's done, and the work He's continuing to do, in my life and in the lives of those that I love!

God bless your weekend! Love to all who read!

Go There

Go to www.xanga.com/tawnyasmith to see pictures and descriptions of my spring break. I just don't feel like reposting it. So go there if you want to see! :)

Love to all who read!

Comments are welcome!! :)

Life to the full

Hey everyone. I don't even know if anyone still reads this, but I guess I'll keep posting. I get more comments on my Xanga, but oh well. I'm not really doing it for the comments anyway. Haha. (Altho comments are nice...so if you read this, you could comment to let me know...hint, hint! hehe) ANYWAY, I am still in Idaho -- it's about 1:30 AM here and I think we're gonna leave around 8 AM to go back to Colorado. But I just needed to share this before I hit the bed.

One of the great things about this vacation has been the extra time I've been able to spend with my best friend, Jesus. And it hasn't come naturally or easily -- being in a small house with four other adults and two babies doesn't leave much time for "extras" or a whole lot of privacy either. BUT I have been making an effort, and it has been paying off. I hope to be able to share some of the things God has shown me this week.

I received this in an e-mail today and it spoke to me so strongly that I wanted to post it. It's from a book by Bishop Jim Earl Swilley called A Year in the Now and it references the verse John 10:10.

1. Today I will live in the now because I have learned how to appreciate my life-to celebrate all of it-reveling in my victories, learning from my defeats and simply enjoying the journey. God is Good, Life is Good, It's all good!
2. I will be happy and thankful and positive and light. . . . . . with a good attitude. . . .
3. Today I will not waste my time for celebration by regarding regrets. . . . .
4. Today I will praise the Lord Who is great and greatly to be praised......
5. Today I will live in the moment...seize the day, rejoice and be glad in the day the Lord has made. I will embrace the world around me and love it unconditionally.
6. Today I will enjoy abundance and favor and prosperity and success......Joy flows out of my heart like a river, bringing life to the desert of depression where so many are dying.
7. Today is a day to thank Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals by making bitter experiences sweet. He has turned for me my mourning into dancing and has given me the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. I celebrate his life in me because he has girded me with gladness and caused my cup to run over. Today he anoints me with the oil of joy above those around me and today, I will LIVE IN THE NOW.

May God grant us all the grace and strength to truly LIVE IN THE NOW. To forget the past and all its hurts and regrets, and move on to all the wonderful things He has in store for us! I intend to live today and every day in the abundance of God's riches that are mine thru Christ.

God bless you all!! More Idaho updates will be coming soon...with pictures! :)

Idaho

It's beautiful! So beautiful here. I'm taking pictures, which I will hopefully be able to post when I get home! Here is a synopsis of what has happened so far:

Saturday my uncle and I left KC about 7 AM for Colorado. We went thru Iowa, a little corner of Wyoming (I think) and Nebraska, which I had never done before, and which proved to be quite interesting. I've always just gone straight west on I-70 which is completely boring. Anyway, we got to Berthoud, CO (where my cousin Aaron lives) about dinner time so decided to go eat Chinese. Cara finally got there (after getting lost--heehee!) and Aaron went to pick up Alyssa and we all met at the Chinese restaurant. It was really good food and we all ate too much, and we found out President Bush has eaten there before! It was snowing beautifully when we got done eating! We went back to Aaron's, and he put Cara and I on the hide-a-bed which was kinda hilarious. Especially since he only had one teeny-tiny blanket for us to share! But we survived and the next morning we went to the Loveland Church to see the KCCBS ensemble. They did a marvelous job!! It was so cool to see everybody!

My uncle and I left straight from church to head for Idaho. We drove for about 5 or 6 hours, up into the mountains, and discovered that due to the weather and weather-related accidents, they had closed the roads! So we ended up having to spend the night in a little town called Green River, Wyoming. It's a beautifully picturesque little town, and if you ever get a chance, you should go there. Of course, the only reason you'd really notice it is if you had to stay there, which would mean the roads were closed, so I wouldn't really wish that on you. Anyway, we got up and left at 5:00 the next morning (Monday morning) and made it to Caldwell, Idaho by about 3 PM. It was a brutal trip! The mountains were incredibly beautiful though!! I took pictures but they will probably not do them justice.

After we got here, we went over to Jeff and Deb's old house and finished moving them out (they just had a bunch of last minute stuff in the garage) and then we just sat around, I played with the kids, and we talked until like 1:00 in the morning.

This morning I slept till about 10 and then got up and we all just kinda messed around and then tonite after Jeff got off work we went into Boise and the guys shopped at Best Buy while us gals and the babies went to TJ Max. Other than Madison doing a nosedive out of the shopping cart, the shopping was uneventful. (She was okay -- mostly scared. Grandma was scared most of all.) Then we all went and ate at Texas Roadhouse, then came home and I read Madison stories before she went to bed. Then all the grownups went to bed. Except me, obviously, since I'm still up and typing like mad.....

I just gotta tell you, these kids of Debbie's and Jeff's are sooo cute! I know they're my cousins, but still. They are cute! I will post pictures of them and you will see! Madison is two (she'll be 3 in August) and she is pixie-cute! Chase is 9 months old today. He is precious! He has the biggest, bluest eyes ever, and the most adorable chuckle you've ever heard. He's very much like his Uncle Aaron.

Well, I am gonna quit for now. My brain is starting to shut down, and it's always dangerous to keep writing when that happens. I hope everyone is having a marvelous week and that you are warm, safe, and happy!! I miss all you KC people and Cara...I'll see you soon!! Love you all!

SPRING BREAK!!!

Okay, kids! I'm headed off -- out of town, for spring break! Tomorrow my uncle and I are leaving at 7 AM (actually, I guess that's this morning!) and driving to Denver and spending the night at my cousin Aaron's house. We will get up Sunday morning, go to church (I think we'll be at the KCCBS service at Loveland so I'll see some of you there!) then we're gonna head for Caldwell, Idaho, where my cousin Debbie and her family live! I'm very excited about seeing them and their new house and where they live and...just everything! It's going to be fun! I will not be back in Kansas City until the evening of March 20th. Yes, for those of you that are paying attention, that means I will miss that day of school! Never fear, you'll have a wonderful substitute and I'll be back on Tuesday!! I'll miss you all!! Hope everybody has a great week and I'll try to be in touch as much as possible. Hopefully I'll have some great pictures to post!! Love to all!!

God is faithful, God is good, and He definitely answers prayer! He has spoken to me in so many ways the past few weeks, and revealed Himself in such new and exciting ways that I can't even express it. It's much too late for me to be trying to express anything adequately anyway, but I just wanted to give a shout-out to God because He's awesome! I love Him with my entire being, and HE LOVES ME! AND YOU!

Thank you, Jesus, for rocking my world, and making me realize anew how amazing you are!

Hey Everyone! I heard this song today on my way to work. I have been rejoicing in recent weeks over the fact that God is always so willing to meet me exactly where I am. And this song says it so well! Not just in salvation or other "crisis" experiences -- as important as those are! -- but in the ups and downs, the ordinary and the extraordinary, my Heavenly Father goes the extra mile!


When God Ran
Almighty God
The Great I Am
Immoveable Rock
Omnipotent, Powerful
Awesome Lord
Victorious Warrior
Mighty Conquerer
Commanding King of Kings
And the only time
The only time I ever saw Him run

Was when He ran to me,
Took me in His arms, held my head to His chest
And said "My son's come home again".
Looked in my face, wiped the tears from my eyes
With forgiveness in His voice
He said "Son, do you know I still love you?"

It caught me by surprise when God ran

The day I left home,
I knew I'd broken His heart
I wondered if
Things would ever be the same
Then one night
I remembered His love for me
And down that dusty road
Ahead I could see
It was the only time
The only time I ever saw Him run

He ran to me
Took me in His arms, held my head to His chest
And said "My son's come home again"
Looked in my face, wiped the tears from my eyes
With forgiveness in His voice
He said "Son, do you know I still love you?"

It caught me by surprise
It dropped me to my knees
When God ran


Then, in our faculty meeting this morning, Mr. Blake started talking about the chapter of "Lost Things" in the Bible (Luke 15) and how it's notable that with each of those lost things, the owner went out and physically and literally looked for it until it was found. And the father of the lost son was no different because the original language implies that the fact that the father saw the son coming down the road was no coincidence -- he was watching for him, and had been since he left! What a beautiful picture of the God that I serve! I'm so glad that He looked for me till He found me; and that even now, when I mess up, stumble and fall, stray from His path -- He meets me right there, forgives, restores, and heals. Praise Him forever!

Johari Results

Thanks to the 8 of you who contributed!

Arena (known to self and others) cheerful, friendly, giving, loving, trustworthy	Blind Spot (known only to others) able, accepting, adaptable, calm, caring, confident, dependable, happy, helpful, intelligent, kind, knowledgeable, logical, mature, observant, reflective, relaxed, religious, self-assertive, silly, warm, wise
Façade (known only to self) searching	Unknown (known to nobody) bold, brave, clever, complex, dignified, energetic, extroverted, idealistic, independent, ingenious, introverted, modest, nervous, organised, patient, powerful, proud, quiet, responsive, self-conscious, sensible, sentimental, shy, spontaneous, sympathetic, tense, witty

All Percentages

able (12%) accepting (12%) adaptable (12%) bold (0%) brave (0%) calm (12%) caring (37%) cheerful (50%) clever (0%) complex (0%) confident (12%) dependable (25%) dignified (0%) energetic (0%) extroverted (0%) friendly (37%) giving (25%) happy (25%) helpful (12%) idealistic (0%) independent (0%) ingenious (0%) intelligent (12%) introverted (0%) kind (37%) knowledgeable (12%) logical (12%) loving (50%) mature (12%) modest (0%) nervous (0%) observant (12%) organised (0%) patient (0%) powerful (0%) proud (0%) quiet (0%) reflective (12%) relaxed (12%) religious (25%) responsive (0%) searching (0%) self-assertive (12%) self-conscious (0%) sensible (0%) sentimental (0%) shy (0%) silly (12%) spontaneous (0%) sympathetic (0%) tense (0%) trustworthy (37%) warm (12%) wise (12%) witty (0%)

Created by the Interactive Johari Window on 26.2.2006, using data from 8 respondents.
You can make your own Johari Window, or view Tawn418's full data.

Check this out. You might have to copy and paste cuz I can't figure out how to make it into a link...grrr! I'm so computer literate! Hah. Or go to my Xanga -- whatever...;)

http://kevan.org/johari?name=Tawn418

Take My Quiz!

Take My Quiz - on - QuizYourFriends.com!

New Stuff

Hey, I've posted some stuff recently at www.xanga.com/tawnyasmith, if you wanna check that out. ;)

I just want to go on record as being extremely grateful to God for His mercy and love to me and to those I love. He is ever-faithful and He proves Himself to me on a daily basis! I cannot say enough about how Good God Is!

I hope you all have a wonderfully Happy Valentine's Day, and that you are able to truly celebrate the best love ever known -- that of God for you! When He is the Lover of your soul, then and only then will you be truly loved! And then and only then will you be able to truly love!

Bored!

Okay, Aaron says my last post did not make sense...whatever, Aaron! Just kiddin, I love ya!


Today is Alex, my little nephew's, 10th birthday. I miss him and wish I could see him! That's my nephew right there. :)
<<<<<

I am tired and it's been a long week and I'm bored with the Super Bowl! Urgh! I'm ready to do something else, anything else. The only exciting part of this game was watching Tom Brady do the coin toss!! And some of the commercials have been kinda funny.

Well, I know this has not been very inspiring. I just posted on my xanga and used up all my inspiration, apparently. That's not saying much either. =P

Love to all!! Have a great week!

Trees

So today I saw a bumper sticker that said, "Trees are the answer." I just wanna know -- if trees are the answer, what the heck is the question??!!

And, by the way, the bumper sticker was attached to the back of a truck that was pulling a wood chipper. The back of the truck was nearly full with chips of wood. I guess trees are the answer to that guy's...need for mulch. Hmmm.

For Aaron

Okay, this is just for Aaron, who says I never post anymore, which is kinda true, but kinda not. As I reminded him, I do post on my Xanga site more frequently. So go there if you want to read more!! Anyway, little buddy, this better get me a comment! :) Just kiddin.

So life is very busy and very good. I still miss Cara a bunch. It's very weird watching all of our TV shows together and just hanging out or wishing I had someone to do something with...oh well. Life goes on, right? Jane the dog misses her too...last night she kept going over to where Cara usually sat and sniffing around like she was looking for her! It was cute and kinda sad!

School is going pretty good, I think. We got some new students this semester, which should prove to be a challenge.

This weekend is the college retreat. I'm really hoping it goes well and that lots of people come!! I know there are lots of reasons to stay away (finances, schedule, etc.) but seriously, I think it will be very beneficial to all who attend!! Plus, you can't beat the good food (Betty's cooking!) and good fun!!

I guess intramurals starts this weekend too. I have no idea what that word means or how to spell it, so I usually prefer to call it the church leagues. This year, however, it seems that we have some "non-church" teams, so that should be interesting. What it used to be was all the area churches would put together one (or two, or three...) basketball teams and every Saturday night they would get together and play basketball. Well, in recent years, we have added some new things such as an alumni team and such. This year it seems some of the alumni have formed a couple of teams, so I think that will possibly be cool. I will let you know. :) haha

Hmmm...what else. Oh yeah. How could I forget. We're kicking off 40 Days of Purpose here at the school tomorrow. And our church is doing the same thing on Sunday. So it promises to be a very busy, but hopefully profitable and challenging and rewarding 40 days!! I told someone that doing it double like this makes it seem kinda like 80 days! But I think it will be really good. I'm a small group leader in both places (church and school) so that should be fun. I seriously am really looking forward to it.

Well, the bell just rang so I gotta go. Billie is in trouble. :P

Love to all!

(Aaron better comment!!) :):):)

Crazy Days

Hello my little friends. I know you've missed me. ;)

Happy New Year! I can't believe I haven't updated ALL YEAR!! I hope all of you are having a simply magnificent 2006 so far!!

Life has been incredibly busy and just plain crazy for me lately. I can't even tell you how crazy it has been...just trust me!

I am actually extremely exhausted right now. I just wanted to post something new. I don't know if this actually counts as an update or not. I'll try to post something interesting soon. Between now and then, if you really want to know about my life, just ask. Haha.

Love to all! G'nite.