My 8 things meme...

Eight things to do before I die...

1) Rent a house in Boone, NC for a month and take a sabattical and write.
2) Go on a road trip with Savanna.
3) Go back to Africa as many times as possible.
4) Take a vacation at the beach with my family - my husband, kids, their spouses and kids once my kids are grown.
5) Go on an extended (few week) second honeymoon with Larry.
6) Get to my lifetime weight goal.
7) Read to my grandchildren and teach them to cook.
8) Get a book contract.


Eight things I cannot do:

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Eight things that attract me to my husband:

1) He's funny. This is the first thing that attracted me to him...now it's also sometimes the thing that drivest me craziest the quickest!
2) He looks hot in a black suit. Sometimes it's a wonder he makes it to church on time...
3) He gave me four kids (one in heaven) and he loves them.
4) He tells me I've got a beautiful mind. (He says I'm beautiful in other ways but he always compliments the mind first because he knows it means more to me.)
5) He isn't intimidated by me.
6) He's a good provider.
7) He's extremely faithful/trustworthy. I don't ever worry about where he's at or what he's doing.
8) He likes it that I'm sassy. Celebrates my ability to lead - and asks me to.
9) He smells good (like Curve) ...mmmmm....could just eat him up...
10) He loves God more than he loves me.

Eight things I say most often:

1) "Okay...okay.... Okay..." (picture saying this when tense, or rushed -- choppy like..."OKAY. OKAY. OKAY" while gritting teeth with wide eyes...)
2) "Shondi!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (said when happy, mad or frustrated as in, "Why is this car on "E" again and I'm running late? SHONDI!!!!")
3) "Dear Jesus!" (as in, "Dear Jesus, that car almost just hit us!" )
4) "Wow..." (Universal phrase with me, said with almost anything good or bad or indifferent... such as, "You thought the worship was too loud today? Wow..............." )
5) "You're going to drive me to drink!" (as in, "Stop it Jordan, you're going to drive me to drink...!" and he'll say, "good Mom, I think you might need a drink...")
6) "Come give Momma a hug..." (as in, "Dustin, I kow you're busy, but come give Momma a hug...")
7) "Is that my phone again, dang it?" (said way, way too much)
8) "I love you." (said as many times as possible to as many people as possible)

Eight books I love:

1) The Bible
2) Secrets of the Secret Place by Bob Sorge
3) Come Away My Beloved by Frances J. Roberts
4) Ten Lies the Church Tells Women by J. Lee Grady
5) Night by Elie Weisel
6) My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
7) Balcony People by Joyce Landorf Heatherly
8) Just Enough Light for the Step I'm On by Stormie Omartian

Eight movies I could watch over and over again:

1) Sister Act I
2) Sister Act II
3) The Preacher's Wife
4) Ghosts of Mississippi
5) The Color Purple
6) The Great Debaters
7) Schindler's List
8) Evening

Eight things I love doing on a regular basis:

1) Worship
2) Going to church.
3) Taking a bath in my big tub
4) Shopping
5) Going on a date with my husband
6) Talking to my kids about stuff
7) Writing
8) Sex

Eight things I would care less to have to do or see again:

1) Cleaning the bathrooms
2) Hearing the latest news report on Britney Spears
3) WEEDING!!!
4) Pumping gas
5) Answering the phone.
6) Cleaning out the fridge
7) Anything to do with ministry politics
8) Anything to do with LAZY people

Eight things I miss:

1) My grandmother
2) Friends and family who live far.
3) My car. Still not over it. Larry and I talked about it the other night. Truth is, I'm still not ready...
4) Some of the (good) mindsets and principles in ministry that seems to be ever slipping from us year after year with new crops of people coming up the ranks who don't seem to "get it"... (Dear Jesus!!! SHONDI!!!)
5) I miss having a baby. (really, I do sometimes!)
6) The fall season although I do love Florida.
7) Maryland crabs
8) Having teeth with NO CAVITIES (which I had when I moved here to Florida)

Eight things I don't miss:

1) Poverty
2) Bitter cold
3) Some of the old "stuff" Larry and I had to work through in our early years in marriage
4) All the extra pounds that were on my body
5) All night lock-ins
6) A few staff who were from hell. (Yes, it really was that bad at times, no exaggeration. Praise be to God for His delivering power. The past few years we've been so blessed, knock on wood.)
7) Anyone lazy.
8) Pollen from up north that used to make me sneeze profusely three months out of the year.

Eight foods I love:

1) Mashed potatoes - my absolute favorite!
2) Shrimp
3) Scallops
4) Fish
5) Crabs
6) Steak
7) Sour cream - anything with it!
8) Chocolate

Eight foods I hate:

There aren't eight foods I hate. That's part of my problem! The only three things I can think of that I don't like are liver, licorice, and sardines. Everything else, I like that I know of. When it comes to food, I'd make a great missionary, don't you think?

Eight Artists/Music Groups I love:

1) Amy Grant (my all time fav - oh how I would love to meet her! I have been her biggest fan for-EV-er!)
2) Frank Sinatra
3) Nat King Cole
4) Rascal Flatts
5) Sugarland
6) Earth, Wind and Fire
7) James Taylor
8) Whitney Houston

Eight of my favorite places to be:

1) Home
2) Church
3) Any beach but favorites are Miami and Clearwater
4) Bed
5) Pittsburgh
6) Baltimore
7) In my rocking chair
8) On my back patio

Eight of my favorite (solo) songs to sing:

1) I wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now
2) No one ever cared for me like Jesus
3) He looked beyond my fault and saw my need
4) When he was on the cross, I was on his mind
5) Precious Lord
6) He touched me
7) Heaven's Jubilee
8) Keys to the Kingdom
* Note: if Bill Gaither wanted me to join the Homecoming tour, I would be ready at a moment's notice!

Eight of my favorite worship songs:

1) Exceeding Joy
2) You Alone
3) The More I Seek You
4) You Are
5) Give Us Clean Hands
6) You Are Near
7) Amazed
8) Let the Veil Down

Eight things I like to hear:

1) "I love you"
2) "I'm proud of you"
3) "Mom, I got my report card, and it's good!"
4) "How can I help you?"
5) "When I read what you wrote, it changed my life..."
6) "You've got a beautiful mind..."
7) "Yes, the house is clean..."
8) "Yes, it was good for me too..."

Eight things I don't like to hear:

1) "I know I promised you I'd do this, but..."
2) "I just want to share something with you "in love"..."
3) "I said this would be done on time but some things have come up..."
3) My phone ringing.
4) "Don't you think it's alright?" (when something isn't done like I asked but somebody else thinks it's good enough...)
5) "Mom, she/he hit me..." "won't give me the remote..." "is sitting in my seat in the car..."
6) "I know I told you I'd be there, but..."
7) Any racial or gender prejudice remark. It's like nails on the chalkboard of my life...
8) When my alarm clock go off

Eight Issues I Feel Passionate About:

1) Racial and gender equality
2) Free Speech
3) Mentoring
4) Biblical teaching on and the cultivation of healthy sex lives within marriage
5) Being a courageous parent and teaching on such
6) Helping other women in ministry
7) Sunday School ...this is my 25th year of teaching
8) SERVING! (I've been on an anti-laziness campaign for 41 years...)

Eight things I don't understand:

1) Laziness
2) Most math problems
3) Kept women
4) Guavaween
5) Prejucide
6) How to turn my husband's TV on
7) Sin
8) Why some people die when they do

Eight songs I like to slow dance with my husband to:

1) Just the way you look tonight
2) Always and Forever
3) Because You Loved Me
4) Unforgettable
5) Just the Way You Are
6) You and I (Michael Buble')
7) Summerwind
8) Fly Me to the Moon