What's In a Name?

This moring I was feeling a little bit "Juliet-ish". Not that kind of Juliet. Don't worry, I'm not geeting sappy (at least not right now). But more like the Juliet that ponders "What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet."

Yes, its hard to picture the word "rose" without seeing the image of the infamous red flower.




I'm not a big fan of roses. They are very pretty, don't get me wrong, but they are also extremely typical. BUT...that's neither here nor there & it has absolutely nothing to do with this topic, so back to the matter at hand....

Why are names so important? That's how people know you, silly, that's why.

Our society, as a whole, is searching for independence ..... Independence from religion, sexual orientation, beliefs, morales, government, even independence from independence. Some of us are so independent, we forget everything about where we came from because all of a sudden we are better than that & don't want to be reminded...ever! But then some of us long to hold on to our heritage that we end up repeating history over & over again.

All throughout history, parents have been given the HUGE task of naming their children. Some take the easy way out & just name the baby boy after its father. Take the Bible for example. How many times have you been reading about someone's geneology & gotten completely confused & I'm not talking about those 10 cent words that no one can pronounce either. A family name was usually repeated generation after generation. Others step out on that limb that seems R E A L L Y hard to get to & pick some off the wall moniker that has everyone else saying "HUH?" Have you read about many celebrities that actually pick normal names? Take Brad & Angelina's kids? I don't think any of them have what would be considered main stream names. Just how many other Pilot Inspektor's due you know? (Thanks Jason Lee, your child is now scarred for life!) And that's not even the strangest! But for some reason, that's the baby name that sticks in my head. See for yourself.....

 http://www.cracked.com/article_15765_the-20-most-bizarre-celebrity-baby-names.html    

So, all of this got started because my husband & I absolutely CANNOT agree on a boy's name. UUUGGGHHH! This wasn't even an issue with the other two. I named Austin when I was still in high school, I just compromised on the middle name once we found out we were expecting. Even before we knew he was a boy, we also had Makenzie picked out. So when I got pregnant with her, there wasn't really a discussion.

Oh, the funny part of this story is that we have a girl's name picked out, not that its going to do me any good right now. Maybe later, who knows. And nope, I'm not telling what it is! LOL

What really drives me crazy is the fact that when we try to discuss names, Justin says something along the lines of Cochese or Billy Bob. Get real here. Speaking of being scarred for life! ....... Hello I would like you to meet my family. I'm Tracie Bauguess & this is my husband Justin. We have 3 beautiful children Austin, Makenzie & Cochese Bauguess ......... Can you just imagine!?!?

Now I know, he's only joking. But I'm a little bit anal about certain things (Justin used to tell me that I would alphabetize the cabinets if he wouldn't mess it up. I doubt its that bad, but some things....well, ok maybe) & this is really starting to bother me. Yep, I know that we still have a long time, but I would like to know just who it is that we are adding to our family. Afterall, I wouldn't want some strange little person invading my space.

Let's Go Fishing

When I was little, I can remember my grandpa taking me fishing. I loved this time with him. Yes, I was a little girly & wouldn't bait the hook or take the fish off, but still, these are some of my fondest memories of him.

I still love to go fishing. Nope, I still don't take the fish off of the hook (I could - I just CHOOSE not to! lol), but I do put my own bait on now .... sometimes. Unfortunately, I don't get to go fishing as much as I would like now that I am all grown up. But it sure does bring back memories when I do take the opportunity to indulge in this pleasure from my childhood. There's something relaxing & free about sitting on the side of a river bank with a fishing rod in your hand. I can just imagine: a couple of friends down by the river well into the night, the air has a slight chill to it like it gets in late summer, a campfire roaring in the background scenting the air with that unmistakable smoky fragrance that sticks with your skin, the crickets chirping peacefully like they have all the time in the world, fireflies blinking their excitement against the black sky. Can you see it? Doesn't it take you back down memory lane? Its hard to dwell on the problems of the world when you are out enjoying nature.

But the world needs more fishermen......... You know, Jesus was also a fisherman. That's right, He did a lot of fishing. But Jesus was a fisher for men. He told His Disciples that He would make them fishers of men as well. He didn't ask them if they wanted to go. He didn't tell them not to worry about it because they didn't know how. He MADE them. Jesus told them what He expected & they did it!

And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren,

Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

Matthew 4:18-20

Real simple, huh? Then why don't we follow His directions?

He also told us to become fishers of men. That's right, He told us there would be lots of fish & very few fisherman. Now, if any one's ever gone fishing, they know that's a good thing because then the fish are more likely to bite!

But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them,

because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;

Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

Matthew 9:36-38

For some reason, some people don't like the idea of fishing for men. I understand completely! The thoughts of witnessing to someone else scares the daylights out of me. WHY? What can they do to me? Talk about me, slam a door in my face, laugh at me, cuss me, at the very worst - if I was in a different country - kill me? If I die, is that not a victory for me?! But seriously, what's the likelihood of that extreme happening today? Not very.

So, let's say that I take a stand & go talk to someone about God...... Then what? The person refuses to listen, they tell me they are not interested, the person orders me out of their home, the person tells me they don't believe, or maybe, just maybe my testimony sticks in their mind after I'm gone. A small seed gets planted in their heart from my obedience. What did I lose? Time, energy, a little pride. What does that matter in the long run? How do those things hold up on a set of scales with some one's soul on the other end? THEY DON'T!!!!!

Its time that we as Christians quit sitting down on the job! Jesus didn't save us just so we could hang out until He returned. He left us here for a reason! We have a job to do. I'm talking to myself just as much as I'm talking to anyone else! Let's quit making excuses & let's go fishing!

New Year Reflections

OK so I have never been one for New Year's Resolutions. They are usually just some kind of boring, standard desire to better your life that will be long forgotten within just a matter of months. What I have decided to do this year instead is to make a few Reflections upon the new year.

We all have more than our fair share of heartache, pain, & disappointment. That's life! I was always told & I find myself already telling my kids "That life's not fair". Well, in the grand scheme of things, who decides whats fair & what isn't, other than God? It's time that we all realize that His plan is the ultimate in fairness. He decides who gets to have a great day & who has to suffer tragedy & we all take our turn on this merry go round.

This year, I vow to spend more time with my children instead of worrying so much about the little things (& even the big things) that need to be done. I don't take nearly enough time out of my day just to appreciate them, to love on them, or to tell them how proud I am of them. I want to be able to drop what I am doing when one of them says "Mommy, will you play with me?" Because, unfortunately the day will come all too soon that they will not want me or need me around as much.

I will be a stronger support to my husband through loving & encouraging words, but most importantly through prayer. God put us together for a reason & we really do complete each other. When I am weak, He is strong. And in those times where he is lacking, I pick up his load as well as my own.

I want to be more domestically minded. I have already filled out the menu for the next month, so now I hope that I can stick to it. I want to take better care of our house and our garden when the time comes around. I want to be even thriftier (is that a word?) than I am  & try to save costs as much as possible.

I want to spend more time with friends. Friendship is something that you take for granted when you are younger. You think those people will always be there for you. Well, I've got news for you, life happens & things get hectic & sometimes its easier just to let things fall apart. Some bridges are OK being burnt & some bridges are worth the effort it takes to mend them.

I desire to have a closer relationship with God. I fail Him so much every single day & He has never let me down. I want to be a soul winner & an encouragement to others. That's the only thing in this life that really truly matters anyway.

I will turn loose of hard feelings before they have time to affect who I am. I won't dwell on the people who do not support me or who run me down. Its just not worth it. Life is too short for the added drama.

I'm sure that there are so many other things that I want (um, need) to work on this year. Its funny. God created the whole universe in 6 days & yet He's still not done with me. I am a work in progress. That's OK, because the closer I get to being the person I need to be, the closer I get to HOME!

I hope that you all have a Happy, Healthy, & Adventurous New Year!

Tales of a Homeschool Nothing - Back to the Grindstone

Well, after taking a MUCH needed break over Christmas, we started school back last week. We had actually taken almost a full month off from any "structured" learning. Of course, there were those days complete with reading Christmas stories, cooking, shopping, wrapping, visiting friends & family, teaching life lessons, & just living. But we also had a few days of doing absolutely nothing! That's neccessary every now and then.

It was a little difficult to get back in the swing of things. I think it was harder on me than it was the kids, but we had a successful week without a whole lot of drama, so that's always a good thing.

As I tried to plan that first week & even this week as well, I felt a renewed sense of purpose & determination. I was reminded again why we decided to homeschool our kids & I am so thankful that God has provided for us in order to achieve this dream & His will.

When we first made the desicion to bring Austin home for school, homeschool veterans told me that it would probably be January (at least) before I felt confident & comfortable in our teaching. Although this week has been a little rough, I feel the best about my kids education that I have felt so far.

Continue to pray for us as we all learn something new everyday!

And Baby Makes......Me Tired!

I really thought that I didn't want any more children. I have 2 beautiful, healthy, happy children & I have also experienced loss, should I really test the waters again? It took us around 10 months to become pregnant with Austin. My pregnancy with him was very uneventful until the last month when I developed Toxemia & Preeclampsia. My labor with him was also rather easy & shorter than expected. Of course there are always a few issues, but only a few. I was 23 years old. My pregnancy with Makenzie was very similar. It only took 5 months to conceive her. I was a little more tired because I was also chasing a 3 year old around. I felt a little nauseous with her, but I still was never sick like so many of my friends. There was also the brief thought of multiples with her. There was a second sac that "never developed". Of course the doctors don't believe that was actually a baby, but I know better. God would not create another sac just because. I didn't really grieve over this baby because I was so excited about the one that survived. Again, I dealt with Toxemia & Preeclampsia in the end & my allergies were a little rougher than usual. My labor with her was a little more difficult, but still nothing to complain about. I thought, "Hey, maybe this is just my easy thing" because we all have something that comes natural to us. I also gained very little weight during pregnancy & lost 3xs as much after they were born (Austin - gained 22lbs & lost 65 lbs, Makenzie - gained 15 lbs & lost 45 lbs). Again, I feel truly blessed!

Then, we thought we were ready for another baby so we started trying. I joked that since Makenzie had taken half the time that Austin had, this one would "come like lightening". Little did I know that it only took 1 time - I know this because everyone at my house stayed sick the whole month of January so we weren't exactly in the mood. After less than 2 months, I changed my mind, I just wasn't sure that I was ready for another little one. Well, I was already pregnant but we just didn't know it. I "felt" pregnant - a woman knows her body, but several tests turned up negative. I even had my period right on time in February & when it came time for it again in March, the pain was unreal. I knew that I had never felt this bad & something wasn't right. After 3 days of trying to work through the pain & several calls to the doctor, they finally told me to come on in. On the way to the doctor's office, I felt the pop. Long story short - I was 5 weeks pregnant. Unfortunately, the baby had decided that my right tube would make a great home. It had ruptured & I needed emergency surgery. I had never been so scared in all my life! I was literally on the edge of death. If it had ruptured during my sleep, I wouldn't have woken up! I didn't have time to process the fact that I had lost a baby, I was busy fighting for my life. After recovering some, I knew that my family was complete.

So much can change in such a short amount of time. We had yet again reached the point in our lives that we were ready to add to our family. My doctor had given me strict instructions to inform him the very minute we decided to try again because the repeat chance of ectopic pregnancies are very high. When I called him towards the end of August, he told us not to be discouraged since I had lost my right tube, it would probably take us longer to get pregnant this time. Well, I had a positive test the first week in November & I was already 5 weeks so again it only took one month.

We immediately had an ultrasound just to make sure that this baby was where it should be. Thankfully, everything looked the way it should. The next 5 weeks absolutely drug by. I still haven't been sick, but I stay exhausted. I cannot breathe at all. My allergies & my asthma have been awful. I have also gained more weight than I should have by now & I'm already showing. I have easy pregnancies, remember. I'm not supposed to feel bad. Could it be twins this time? We were really preparing for this. Other people were also predicting this & my pastor's wife even bought a girl & a boy outfit already!

Well, come to find out, there's only one baby. Unless of course the other one is hiding really well. hahaha  I am just getting older (I'm 32) & its not as easy on my body as it was before. I also have an 1.5 inch tear in my placenta so I have been put on moderate bed rest. I can run little errands, but no housework (WOOHOO!) & lots of resting off my feet. Well, hello, I am a stay at home mother of 2 very active children, I am constantly running somewhere for something, I homeschool, & I am one of the youth leaders at church, my idea of taking it easy is walking v e r y s l o w l y around Walmart. I am not the greatest housekeeper, but clutter drives me crazy. Justin has told me not to worry about it & he knows he has to stay on top of it, or I'll just do it myself.  We'll see how this goes. Pray for my family! Hopefully my body will heal itself & hopefully we will not try to kill each other in the process!

Tales of a Homeschool Nothing ~ Whoops!

It has just dawned on me...I messed up. Well now, thats not anything unusual because I make mistakes all the time, but this one affects my family.  I fell into the same trap that so many of us do.  I got excited about something & I acted on it...without taking enough time to figure out God's plan.  Oh, I prayed about it, but it went something like this......."God, this is what I want to do & I think its a good idea. If its ok with you, please let it happen."  Don't get all self righteous on me now because I know that some of you do the exact same thing.  Well, God let it happen & now I have a very heavy heart because I know it wasn't His will.

Being new to homeschooling, the only thing I had to go on was other people's opinions & ideas.  I decided to go one way because it looked & sounded really good.  Well, it was really good, but not for my family.  I take comfort in realizing I'm not the first to jump into a curriculum & figure out half way through that its just not working.  I also lost sight of our main goals.  I wasn't putting enough emphasis on God.  I can look back & understand why we struggled so much from day to day, why at any given moment I was ready to give up & run away screaming.

Now I have a dilemia because I know that God is leading me a new direction & I definantly do not want to get in front of Him again.  Do I just drop that part for the rest of the year & start fresh next year?  We don't exactly have the money to spend on another curriculum right now.  I know that God will supply my every need, I just have to turn loose & let Him.

Please continue to pray for my family as we slowly trickle down this journey!

Forgiveness & Dirty Diapers

“The Old Man collected dirty diapers – not clean diapers, dirty diapers. Some were antique; some fresh. They came in all sizes and smells. He knew the contents of each one. His favorite diapers filled a backpack that he wore everywhere he went. He kept these especially close to him for continual review. The not-so-favorite ones he brought out occasionally, and lined them up on the counter. Looking at the array, he remembered the time he collected each one. He could almost give the date, the hour, and the place where he found each soiled rag. The newest diapers were disposable, but to him, they were keepers. The Old Man spent many happy hours…well, you couldn’t call they happy hours…yet, he found some strange enjoyment in reviewing his collection.

When he met someone from his past, he would rummage through his pack. Next, he pawed through his pile on the table. Finally, if need be, he tunneled into his storehouse in the garage until he found one of their old diapers. Sometimes he put it right up to their face for a good look and a not-so-good smell. The previous owners usually didn’t even recognize it. But the Old Man knew whose it was. His memory failed him on many occasions, but never when it came to the source and description of his diapers. Even after sixty years he could describe them as if he had obtained them yesterday. His collection was impressive for its completeness. You could mention almost anyone alive, and he had one that once belonged to them.

The Old Man, his house, his clothes, and his car all smelled alike. Some folks could manage to endure a few minutes with him. Most avoided even a casual conversation. He grew lonely. In his loneliness, the diaper collection became more valuable than ever.

Does this man seem strange to you? He should. But don’t be too hard on him. You may have a secret diaper collection of your own.

Parents use diapers for babies that do not control themselves. They desire a clean and pleasant removal of a distasteful product. The purpose is to remove the offensive material quickly.

Many people have little control over themselves when it comes to foolish thoughts, words, and actions. People without self-control speak sharply to you. They steal your property. They lie to you. They come into your life, offend you, and then walk out. They leave behind a mess, just like a dirty diaper. What do you do when that happens? Do you save their offense to think about in the future? Or do you take their offense and throw it as far as you can?

The word “forgive” means to send it away from you. If you take the wrong that someone does to you and throw it away, you have forgiven them. You don’t throw away the person who has wronged you. You throw away the offense. And you throw it far enough to be out of your life and out of theirs.

Today, people get things mixed up. They throw people out of their lives and save the offense – just like the Old Man saving diapers. They have nothing to do with the offender, but they save the offense for their diaper collection.”

(taken from Boyhood and Beyond by Bob Schultz p. 69-71)

 
When I read this story with Austin this morning, it brought tears to my eyes.  We are all guilty of this.  We may say that we have forgiven & forgotten, but usually we haven't.  The "Old Man" immediately became real to me with the fact that Satan will hang on to our every offense & remind us of it when we least expect it.  Lets don't give the devil any more leverage over us than he already has.  Make sure you throw out your diaper collection!