not for the faint of heart...

so as you may know...i do intern, stint and new staff application evaluating.   it seems more and more that students are dealing with a lot more issues...baggage...whatever you wanna call it.  (this is where i get specific, so guys, just a warning.  feel free to stop reading if you want.)   Women specifically...i'm coming across a lot more heterosexual & homosexual involvment, pornography, and masturbation.     I have to say I'm a little baffled at how quickly some of these areas have become often and prevalent showing up on applications.    Here are some of my guesses as to why this is the 'new trend'....

1.  Lack of people in the woman's life asking her about the moral area in general.   Receiving care, grace, truth and support is absent.

2.  Spiritual warfare...the enemy is attacking this generation in our culture through sexual sin/issues.  Undercutting some major potential laborers in the harvest by adding baggage that is crippling them from freely being sent out.

3.  Not understanding or believeing the pain, sin, hurt, ugliness of the reality of their choices.

4.  Maybe this generation offers information more freely then mine did?

What do you think?  Are students that you are working with battling similar issues?  ARe you talking about it?  Why do you think it's more prevalent?  How specifically do you talk through 'M' with a woman (from all I've heard...it's so different than men)?  

Movie BLOG from Texas....deep in the heart

I've seen 54 out of 239 movies (listed in here, but more probably from my own list!)

SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 85 movies, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 239 movies on this list. Copy this list mail, go to your own facebook account, paste this as a note. Then, put x's next to the movies you've seen, add them up, change the header adding your number, and click post at the bottom. Have fun!


( x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
( ) Fight Club
() Starsky and Hutch
( ) Neverending Story
(x ) Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane
Total: 6

(x) The Princess Bride
() AnchorMan
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
() Labyrinth
() Saw
() Saw II
( ) White Noise
() White Oleander
( ) Anger Management
()50 First Dates
() The Princess Diaries
() The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 8

() Scream
() Scream 2
() Scream 3
() Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
() Scary Movie 4
() American Pie
() American Pie 2
( ) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 8

( ) Harry Potter 1
( ) Harry Potter 2
( ) Harry Potter 3
( ) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
( ) The Village
( ) Lilo & Stitch
Total so far:9

(x) Finding Nemo
(x) Finding Neverland
( ) Signs
(x) The Grinch
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
( ) White Chicks
( ) Butterfly Effect
(x) 13 Going on 30
( ) I, Robot
() Robots
Total so far: 13

( ) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
(x ) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
() Along Came Polly
(x ) Deep Impact
( ) KingPin
() Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
( ) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
(x ) Joe Dirt
( ) KING KONG
Total so far: 17

( ) A Cinderella Story
( x) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
() Final Destination
() Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
( ) Halloween
() The Ring
() The Ring 2
( ) Surviving X-MAS
() Flubber
Total so far: 19

( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
() Practical Magic
()Chicago
( )Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
( ) Hellboy
() Secret Window
() I Am Sam
() The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 19

(x) The Day After Tomorrow
() Child's Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
() Ten Things I Hate About You
() Just Married
( ) Gothika
() Nightmare on Elm Street
() Sixteen Candles
(x) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
( ) The Grudge -US and japanese
( ) The Grudge 2
() The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
Total so far: 21

( ) Bad Boys
( ) Bad Boys 2
() Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number Sleven
(x) Ocean's Eleven
(x) Ocean's Twelve
( ) Bourne Identity
( ) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
( ) Bedazzled
( ) Predator I
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog
(x) Ice Age
( ) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
() Curious George
Total so far: 24

() Independence Day
( ) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
( ) Christine
(x) ET
() Children of the Corn
( ) My Bosses Daughter
(x) Maid in Manhattan
( ) War of the Worlds
( ) Rush Hour
( ) Rush Hour 2
Total so far: 26

( ) Best Bet
(x) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
( ) She's All That
( ) Calendar Girls
( ) Sideways
( ) Mars Attacks
() Event Horizon
( ) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
() Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
() The Terminator 2
( ) The Terminator 3
Total so far: 30

( ) X-Men
( ) X2
() X-3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
( ) Sky High
() Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
() Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
() Freaky Friday
( ) Reign of Fire
( ) The Skulls
( ) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
( ) The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
Total so far: 35

( ) Swimfan
(x ) Miracle on 34th street
( ) Old School
(x) The Notebook
( ) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf's Tribe
() A Walk to Remember
( ) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
( ) The 40-year-old-virgin
Total so far: 37

(x ) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x ) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(x ) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
() Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
( ) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
( ) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total so far: 40

( ) BASEketball
( ) Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
(x ) Elf
( ) Highlander
( ) Mothman Prophecies
()American History X
( ) Three
Total so Far: 41

( ) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(x) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
( ) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard
Total so far: 44

() High Tension
( ) Club Dread
( ) Hulk
( ) Dawn Of the Dead - original & remake
(x ) Hook
(x ) Chronicles Of Narnia The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
() 28 days later
( ) Orgazmo
() Phantasm
( ) Waterworld
Total so far: 46

( ) Kill Bill vol 1
( ) Kill Bill vol 2
( ) Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
( ) Kingdom of Heaven
( ) the Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
( ) Army of Darkness
Total so far: 46

( x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
( x) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(x ) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x ) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
( x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x ) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
() Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
( ) Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far: 52

(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix Reloaded
( ) The Matrix Revolutions
( ) Animatrix
() Evil Dead
() Evil Dead 2
( ) Team America: World Police
( ) Red Dragon
() Silence of the Lambs
( ) Hannibal
Total so far: 54


Now Add them up and......

put "I've seen -- out of 239 movies" in the subject line and repost it
I got this from Cindy:)

Roaring into 2007...

so we're back from Indy CC and have already plowed through some laundry and unpacking.  Mark's very motivated to get some stuff done.   which is good because i'm tired (and therefore feeling guilty) of just wanting to sit and maybe nap while the kids are napping....   I picked the title 'roaring' because time moved so quickly these last few weeks, because of Mark's energy to accomplish much and because the kids & I had 'raging & roaring' sinus infections going into Christmas Conference that kept us in our room for the first 2 days of the conference.   But alas, antibiotics, rest & time helped us recover and we were able to enjoy the last 2 1/2 days.    

I wanted to share some memories & recollections of 2006 as it is already almost 15 hours gone....some highlights, lowlights, favorite stuff and some random thoughts...hope you enjoy and I invite you to share yours with me as well!   HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU!

My highlights of 2006:

1.  Miss Clara Jane joining our family and coming home!
2.  Moving to Bloomington (what a great city!),  being on campus & a small team again, our home & neighbors (& the Nieses)
3.  AJ's ability to join IU's speech preschool & his improvements!
4.  Finding & being a part of my 1st adoptive mom's group
5.  Training, competing & completing my first two 5K's
6.  Learning more about who I am & how God made me....

My lowlights of 2006:

1.  Missing friends from Indy and missing out on being on the other 2 possible staff teams (where we almost moved)
2.  Friends leaving staff and moving overseas
3.  Getting sick on Christmas and through part of Christmas Conference
4.  Choosing to walk in the flesh and live out some old sin patterns
5.  Hurting people I care about and seeing people I care about hurt

Traveling in 2006:

January:  trips to Bloomington & Chicago for campus visits
March:   trips to Novokuznetsk, Russia & Fort Myers for adoption trip #1 and recovery time with AJ & Cindy's parents in Florida
April:  trip to Ohio for Royce & Liz's wedding
May/June:  trip to Novokuznetsk, Russia to bring Clara home! 
July/August:  McCormick's Creek State Park, Lake Monroe
September/October:  Trafalgar, Indiana for a trip to the apple orchard/pumpkin patch and for fall retreat.   Also a little detour to Indy for Julie's wedding.   Orlando for a sending associate conference
December:  Indy & New Castle for some holiday celebrations & Christmas Conference

Top 5 favorite activities/events of 2006:

1.  Seeing the Wiggles in concert with AJ
2.  Seeing IU's performance of the Nutcracker
3.  Bowling at the student union and the mall
4.  Running (I can't believe I'm saying that)
5.  Tie between facebook stalking (haha) and swimming in the pool with the kids

Top 5 least favorite activities/events of 2006:

1.  APPOINTMENTS!:  pediatricians, surgeons, ENTs, physicals, INS, social workers, urgent care centers, eye doctors, dentist (though AJ did great at his first time ever), First Steps evaluators, and more...
2.  Watching the Colts through Mark's NFL Sunday ticket...the screen is sooooo small!
3. Flying Siberia Airlines
4.  Listening to Clara scream (yep, in between beautiful smiles, she actually does) and AJ repeat everything 20 times!
5.  Crashing my car while playing Mark in Nascar on Xbox

To end with some good laughs...my 3 favorite videos online this year...with many thanks to Weird Al, the Muppets & the Illinois Catalytic Team!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4668196322523357460&q=the+muppets+manamana&pl=true

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWNIuQuVIKQ

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1384277706451157121&q=weird+al%27s+white+%26+nerdy

EDIT:

I forgot one and AJ reminded me of it at dinner....here's our favorite commercial of the year.    Thanks to AJ!   If you don't know the story about AJ and our neighbor let me know and I"ll tell you.  HILARIOUS!!!!  Here's the link:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3532305999554959352&q=citibank+commercial

I think this is hilarious....check it out and have some fun for yourself!!!

AJ just made a total elf of himself. Check me out by clicking the link below.

http://www.elfyourself.com/?userid=73800cb1fe054193d04c153G06121510

I can hardly believe it's December 2nd....but I love December.   I love Christmas music, lights, Christmas events, our anniversary is this month too.   I also like that after Thanksgiving there is this more 'family feel' to the ministry for a week or two.   I love Christmas conference.  I love having avenues like Operation Christmas Child, Salvation Army Bell-ringing,  World Vision catalogs, and the reality of colder weather to talk with my kids (mainly AJ right now) about needs people have around the world and how we can love others by helping meet their needs.

I also really like that 2 new staff moved to town (and to our team officially) today.  Doug & Rene finished support and moved in to their new place this afternoon.  They have so much to offer and I just really like them.  

Today too, we took AJ to see the Nutcracker.  It was his first of any type of show.  He loved the mice, the smoke/fog effects, the music and the Nutcracker himself.   The rest of the time he watched but wasn't as much into it.  I love it!   Mark & I saw it at IU when we were dating/engaged and last year we saw it in Indy when a Russian troupe performed.   We actually picked Clara as a name partially because of 'Clara' in the Nutcracker....so today was the start of a very fun tradition in the Tirey house.   Hopefully Clara will be old enough in the next year or two to get to sit & watch with us.

Hoping to update more often.   Do many of you still use this?   Seems like since CCC staff specifically have been able to use facebook, not too many people have shown up on xanga.   Miss reading about some of you....

Are any of you going to Scott & Lindsay's wedding?  Will we get to see you?