Lifehouse's Everything Skit

This is totally off the chain!!!

On being an air head

Just what constitutes the term air head? Over the past week I think you could put my picture next to that word in the dictionary. I have had such a head cold, I can't think of or remember anything! My head feels like it is going to explode and my ears have so much pressure I want to scream. It is too bad neither come with a release valve. All I want to do is sleep to avoid feeling like crap. I hate this!!! Mike and I are both sick so little is getting done in our house. Letting the twins cook has actually crossed my mind. Our dinner would probably consist of peanut butter crackers, gushers and an apple with peanut butter on the side. Oh well, it is better than what I have been able to do!

Please Read: This is devastating for EVERYONE involved!

I got physically sick when I heard the news about the Dardenne Prairie teen who took her own life last year and the news that has recently surfaced. I am giving you all a link to an article from the Journal. (I also put the article below) If you have not read it yet, you need to. It is long but so important. To my younger friends, this is why you need to be extra careful. Remember your parents love you and even though you may not always like their decisions, they always have your best interest at heart!! Nothing is so far gone that it can't be fixed and nothing is worth being on either end of this story! Love you all!!
http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/articles/2007/11/13/news/sj2tn20071110-1111stc_pokin_1.ii1.txt

Space' hoax ends with suicide of Dardenne Prairie teen
By Steve PokinTuesday, November 13, 2007 9:08 AM CST
Roy Sykes photos Tina and Ron Meier look up at the mausoleum gravesite of their daughter Megan, who would have been 15 on Nov. 6.

His name was Josh Evans. He was 16 years old. And he was hot."Mom! Mom! Mom! Look at him!" Tina Meier recalls her daughter saying.Josh had contacted Megan Meier through her MySpace page and wanted to be added as a friend.Yes, he's cute, Tina Meier told her daughter. "Do you know who he is?""No, but look at him! He's hot! Please, please, can I add him?"Mom said yes. And for six weeks Megan and Josh - under Tina's watchful eye - became acquainted in the virtual world of MySpace.Josh said he was born in Florida and recently had moved to O'Fallon. He was homeschooled. He played the guitar and drums.He was from a broken home: "when i was 7 my dad left me and my mom and my older brother and my newborn brother 3 boys god i know poor mom yeah she had such a hard time when we were younger finding work to pay for us after he loeft."As for 13-year-old Megan, of Dardenne Prairie, this is how she expressed who she was:M is for ModernE is for EnthusiasticG is for GoofyA is for AlluringN is for Neglected.She loved swimming, boating, fishing, dogs, rap music and boys. But her life had not always been easy, her mother says.She was heavy and for years had tried to lose weight. She had attention deficit disorder and battled depression. Back in third grade she had talked about suicide, Tina says, and ever since had seen a therapist.But things were going exceptionally well. She had shed 20 pounds, getting down to 175. She was 5 foot 5½ inches tall.She had just started eighth grade at a new school, Immaculate Conception, in Dardenne Prairie, where she was on the volleyball team. She had attended Fort Zumwalt public schools before that.Amid all these positives, Tina says, her daughter decided to end a friendship with a girlfriend who lived down the street from them. The girls had spent much of seventh grade alternating between being friends and, the next day, not being friends, Tina says.Part of the reason for Megan's rosy outlook was Josh, Tina says. After school, Megan would rush to the computer."Megan had a lifelong struggle with weight and self-esteem," Tina says. "And now she finally had a boy who she thought really thought she was pretty."It did seem odd, Tina says, that Josh never asked for Megan's phone number. And when Megan asked for his, she says, Josh said he didn't have a cell and his mother did not yet have a landline.And then on Sunday, Oct. 15, 2006, Megan received a puzzling and disturbing message from Josh. Tina recalls that it said: "I don't know if I want to be friends with you anymore because I've heard that you are not very nice to your friends."Frantic, Megan shot back: "What are you talking about?"SHADOWY CYBERSPACETina Meier was wary of the cyber-world of MySpace and its 70 million users. People are not always who they say they are.Tina knew firsthand. Megan and the girl down the block, the former friend, once had created a fake MySpace account, using the photo of a good-looking girl as a way to talk to boys online, Tina says. When Tina found out, she ended Megan's access.MySpace has rules. A lot of them. There are nine pages of terms and conditions. The long list of prohibited content includes sexual material. And users must be at least 14."Are you joking?" Tina asks. "There are fifth-grade girls who have MySpace accounts."As for sexual content, Tina says, most parents have no clue how much there is. And Megan wasn't 14 when she opened her account. To join, you are asked your age but there is no check. The accounts are free.As Megan's 14th birthday approached, she pleaded for her mom to give her another chance on MySpace, and Tina relented.She told Megan she would be all over this account, monitoring it. Megan didn't always make good choices because of her ADD, Tina says. And this time, Megan's page would be set to private and only Mom and Dad would have the password.'GOD-AWFUL FEELING'Monday, Oct. 16, 2006, was a rainy, bleak day. At school, Megan had handed out invitations to her upcoming birthday party and when she got home she asked her mother to log on to MySpace to see if Josh had responded.Why did he suddenly think she was mean? Who had he been talking to?Tina signed on. But she was in a hurry. She had to take her younger daughter, Allison, to the orthodontist.Before Tina could get out the door it was clear Megan was upset. Josh still was sending troubling messages. And he apparently had shared some of Megan's messages with others.Tina recalled telling Megan to sign off."I will Mom," Megan said. "Let me finish up."Tina was pressed for time. She had to go. But once at the orthodontist's office she called Megan: Did you sign off?"No, Mom. They are all being so mean to me.""You are not listening to me, Megan! Sign off, now!"Fifteen minutes later, Megan called her mother. By now Megan was in tears."They are posting bulletins about me." A bulletin is like a survey. "Megan Meier is a slut. Megan Meier is fat."Megan was sobbing hysterically. Tina was furious that she had not signed off.Once Tina returned home she rushed into the basement where the computer was. Tina was shocked at the vulgar language her daughter was firing back at people."I am so aggravated at you for doing this!" she told Megan.Megan ran from the computer and left, but not without first telling Tina, "You're supposed to be my mom! You're supposed to be on my side!"On the stairway leading to her second-story bedroom, Megan ran into her father, Ron."I grabbed her as she tried to go by," Ron says. "She told me that some kids were saying horrible stuff about her and she didn't understand why. I told her it's OK. I told her that they obviously don't know her. And that it would be fine."Megan went to her room and Ron went downstairs to the kitchen, where he and Tina talked about what had happened, the MySpace account, and made dinner.Twenty minutes later, Tina suddenly froze in mid-sentence."I had this God-awful feeling and I ran up into her room and she had hung herself in the closet."Megan Taylor Meier died the next day, three weeks before her 14th birthday.Later that day, Ron opened his daughter's MySpace account and viewed what he believes to be the final message Megan saw - one the FBI would be unable to retrieve from the hard drive.It was from Josh and, according to Ron's best recollection, it said, "Everybody in O'Fallon knows how you are. You are a bad person and everybody hates you. Have a shitty rest of your life. The world would be a better place without you."BEYOND GRIEF INTO FURYTina and Ron saw a grief counselor. Tina went to a couple of Parents After Loss of Suicide meetings, as well.They tried to message Josh Evans, to let him know the deadly power of mean words. But his MySpace account had been deleted.The day after Megan's death, they went down the street to comfort the family of the girl who had once been Megan's friend. They let the girl and her family know that although she and Megan had their ups and down, Megan valued her friendship.They also attended the girl's birthday party, although Ron had to leave when it came time to sing "Happy Birthday." The Meiers went to the father's 50th birthday celebration. In addition, the Meiers stored a foosball table, a Christmas gift, for that family.Six weeks after Megan died, on a Saturday morning, a neighbor down the street, a different neighbor, one they didn't know well, called and insisted that they meet that morning at a counselor's office in northern O'Fallon.The woman would not provide details. Ron and Tina went. Their grief counselor was there. As well as a counselor from Fort Zumwalt West Middle School.The neighbor from down the street, a single mom with a daughter the same age as Megan, informed the Meiers that Josh Evans never existed.She told the Meiers that Josh Evans was created by adults, a family on their block. These adults, she told the Meiers, were the parents of Megan's former girlfriend, the one with whom she had a falling out. These were the people who'd asked the Meiers to store their foosball table.The single mother, for this story, requested that her name not be used. She said her daughter, who had carpooled with the family that was involved in creating the phony MySpace account, had the password to the Josh Evans account and had sent one message - the one Megan received (and later retrieved off the hard drive) the night before she took her life."She had been encouraged to join in the joke," the single mother said.The single mother said her daughter feels the guilt of not saying something sooner and for writing that message. Her daughter didn't speak out sooner because she'd known the other family for years and thought that what they were doing must be OK because, after all, they were trusted adults.On the night the ambulance came for Megan, the single mother said, before it left the Meiers' house her daughter received a call. It was the woman behind the creation of the Josh Evans account. She had called to tell the girl that something had happened to Megan and advised the girl not to mention the MySpace account.AX AND SLEDGEHAMMERThe Meiers went home and tore into the foosball table.Tina used an ax and Ron a sledgehammer. They put the pieces in Ron's pickup and dumped them in their neighbor's driveway. Tina spray painted "Merry Christmas" on the box.According to Tina, Megan had gone on vacations with this family. They knew how she struggled with depression, that she took medication."I know that they did not physically come up to our house and tie a belt around her neck," Tina says. "But when adults are involved and continue to screw with a 13-year-old - with or without mental problems - it is absolutely vile."She wanted to get Megan to feel like she was liked by a boy and let everyone know this was a false MySpace and have everyone laugh at her."I don't feel their intentions were for her to kill herself. But that's how it ended."'GAINING MEGAN'S CONFIDENCE'That same day, the family down the street tried to talk to the Meiers. Ron asked friends to convince them to leave before he physically harmed them.In a letter dated Nov. 30, 2006, the family tells Ron and Tina, "We are sorry for the extreme pain you are going through and can only imagine how difficult it must be. We have every compassion for you and your family."The Suburban Journals have decided not to name the family out of consideration for their teenage daughter.The mother declined comment."I have been advised not to give out any information and I apologize for that," she says. "I would love to sit here and talk to you about it but I can't."She was informed that without her direct comment the newspaper would rely heavily on the police report she filed with the St. Charles County Sheriff's Department regarding the destroyed foosball table."I will tell you that the police report is totally wrong," the mother said. "We have worked on getting that changed. I would just be very careful about what you write."Lt. Craig McGuire, spokesman for the sheriff's department, said he is unaware of anyone contacting the department to alter the report."We stand behind the report as written," McGuire says. "There was no supplement to it. What is in the report is what we believe she told us."The police report - without using the mother's name - states:"(She) stated in the months leading up Meier's daughter's suicide, she instigated and monitored a 'my space' account which was created for the sole purpose of communicating with Meier's daughter."(She) said she, with the help of temporary employee named ------ constructed a profile of 'good looking' male on 'my space' in order to 'find out what Megan (Meier's daughter) was saying on-line' about her daughter. (She) explained the communication between the fake male profile and Megan was aimed at gaining Megan's confidence and finding out what Megan felt about her daughter and other people."(She) stated she, her daughter and (the temporary employee) all typed, read and monitored the communication between the fake male profile and Megan ….."According to (her) 'somehow' other 'my space' users were able to access the fake male profile and Megan found out she had been duped. (She) stated she knew 'arguments' had broken out between Megan and others on 'my space.' (She) felt this incident contributed to Megan's suicide, but she did not feel 'as guilty' because at the funeral she found out 'Megan had tried to commit suicide before.'"Tina says her daughter died thinking Josh was real and that she never before attempted suicide."She was the happiest she had ever been in her life," Ron says.After years of wearing braces, Megan was scheduled to have them removed the day she died. And she was looking forward to her birthday party."She and her mom went shopping and bought a new dress," Ron says. "She wanted to make this grand entrance with me carrying her down the stairs. I never got to see her in that dress until the funeral."NO CRIMINAL CHARGESIt does not appear that there will be criminal charges filed in connection with Megan's death."We did not have a charge to fit it," McGuire says. "I don't know that anybody can sit down and say, 'This is why this young girl took her life.'"The Meiers say the matter also was investigated by the FBI, which analyzed the family computer and conducted interviews. Ron said a stumbling block is that the FBI was unable to retrieve the electronic messages from Megan's final day, including that final message that only Ron saw.The Meiers do not plan to file a civil lawsuit. Here's what they want: They want the law changed, state or federal, so that what happened to Megan - at the hands of an adult - is a crime.THE AFTERMATH IS PAINThe Meiers are divorcing. Ron says Tina was as vigilant as a parent could be in monitoring Megan on MySpace. Yet she blames herself."I have this awful, horrible guilt and this I can never change," she said. "Ever."Ron struggles daily with the loss of a daughter who, no matter how low she felt, tried to make others laugh and feel a little bit better.He has difficulty maintaining focus and has kept his job as a tool and die maker through the grace and understanding of his employer, he says. His emotions remain jagged, on edge.Christine Buckles lives in the same Waterford Crossing subdivision. In her view, everyone in the subdivision knows of Megan's death, but few know of the other family's involvement.Tina says she and Ron have dissuaded angry friends and family members from vandalizing the other home for one, and only one, reason."The police will think we did it," Tina says.Ron faces a misdemeanor charge of property damage. He is accused of driving his truck across the lawn of the family down the street, doing $1,000 in damage, in March. A security camera the neighbors installed on their home allegedly caught him.It was Tina, a real estate agent, who helped the other family purchase their home on the same block 2½ years ago."I just wish they would go away, move," Ron says.Vicki Dunn, Tina's aunt, last month placed signs in and near the neighborhood on the anniversary of Megan's death.They read: "Justice for Megan Meier," "Call the St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney," and "MySpace Impersonator in Your Neighborhood."On the window outside Megan's room is an ornamental angel that Ron turns on almost every night. Inside are pictures of boys, posters of Usher, Beyonce and on the dresser a tube of instant bronzer."She was all about getting a tan," Ron says.He has placed the doors back on the closet. Megan had them off.If only she had waited, talked to someone, or just made it to dinner, then through the evening, and then on to the beginning of a new day in what could have been a remarkable life.If she had, he says, there is no doubt she would have chosen to live. Instead, there is so much pain."She never would have wanted to see her parents divorce," Ron says.Ultimately, it was Megan's choice to do what she did, he says. "But it was like someone handed her a loaded gun."

Stamina

Well friends, I am still at it. I missed one day of working out last week because my trainer was sick. I got measured today. Overall, I have lost 3 inches. That is, a little in my arms, a little in my legs, my waist and so on. My weight has not gone down but I am OK with that so far. Muscle weighs more than fat so they tell me. At least that is what I am going with!! I had a great week last week. Went out with friends Wed, Thurs, stayed up till 2 am Fri with my hubby and out again Sat nite. I am a little drained but each nite was great!! Have a great Thanksgiving!

Scared Kid

It's worth watching!!

If you watch this 100 times you will still laugh

I laugh every time I watch this

The Pain and the Agony

Ohhh, owwww,eeeeh! Now that I am past my prime I have decided to get in better shape. Gone are the days when I hoped to get second glances for looking good but I would like to be able to look in the mirror and think, hey, you look OK for a 44 year old. My neighbor is a personal trainer and he has offered to assist me in this great task. So far I have worked out 3 times and walked once. Now this may not seem like a big deal but this is longer than I have stuck to any exercise program since, well, college. Not to mention the humiliation when he told me he needed to take my measurements. My husband doesn't even know that!! The day after the first workout I could not sit down. My legs hurt so bad. I asked my trainer if it was common for his clients to hate him and he is someone I respect and love!! We are starting with 2 days a week but after 3 sessions I don't hurt quite so bad. So look out friends, I am planning on sticking this one out (please pray for me) I may never look like I did in high school. The sad thing is I hated the way I looked then and now I wish I looked like that! Oh I am depressing myself, but at least my muscles don't ache!!

Eric O'Shea - TV Commercials

This is too funny!!

To clean or play

We recently updated our chore chart in our house. Now if my kids would actually follow the chart, our weekends would be free for fun. This rarely happens though. So I spend lots of time cleaning during the week and they spend lots of time cleaning on the weekends. It pretty much sucks!! Well, this past Saturday was our first Saturday service at church and the sermon was on noise. Not just noise in your ears but everything that distracts you from God and His design for us. Sunday we slept in which was nice. In the afternoon we blew off cleaning and had a family karaoke day. The little ones ate it up. Our older girls actually got off the computer and spent time with us as a family, something we know is important to God as well as us. I would love to do this more often but I struggle with keeping a presentable home, making sure the kids have something clean to wear and spending time with my family. This does not seem fair to me, Mike or the kids. There has to be a balance. I am hoping this sermon series helps me find it!!

Ty Pennington

OK, he is pretty cute to begin with but I am falling in love with what this guy does! For those of you who may not know, he hosts the show Extreme Homemakover". Yeah he gets paid for what he does but the guy has a heart of solid gold. I get more impressed with him and his crew everytime I see a new episode. The last show I watched (which was a repeat but an episode that I had missed) he replaced a single wide trailer with a 4500 square foot home that was to die for. This family had been through the ringer. Their youngest girls, who are twins, were both diagnosed with leukemia. Both went into remission, but one fell victim to it again. She had been in the hospital for 3 months, her mom by her side. She needed a "hospital type" sterile environment to come home to. Ty and crew not only built a fantabulous home but added two industrial hepa filters. I was crying by the end of the show. He is an inspiration to me. Most of us cannot afford to do the things Ty does but we can do our best to help those in need. Help can come in so many forms... a hug.. a phone call.. food... money... prayer...clothes...an email...physical labor...or maybe just a "Walk across the room" The options are infinite. Open your eyes and your hearts and see what is out there. I know it is on my priority list!

Youth Group

Well, we had a meeting last night for the youth groups leaders. I have to say, I am pretty pumped. We have 3 leaders for the middle school girls. Previously there were two, both who had kids in the study. I prayed a lot that God would provide us with someone younger, someone who was more hip and did not have kids in the group. He came through. Not only did someone step up, but it is someone who has been with the church since I can remember. The study we are going to do is a called "The One Minute Bible Study". It requires reading a small amount in the book daily and then going over Biblical based Q&A at the meeting. This will be great for the girls, to get the discipline daily and it will be great for me too. One thing I wish I was more faithful at is reading devotionals and the Bible daily. I plan on keeping up with my girls!!!

The Heart of a Child

Why can't adults be more like kids when it comes to forgiveness. Yesterday my son pushed our neighbor's son off the edge of our trampoline. I felt horrible. Did he do it on purpose or was it an accident? My heart hopes the latter. Then this morning at the bus stop he leveled him again! This time he was goofing off and accidentally tripped and landed on top of him. (he still has his awkward moments)When I asked him to apologize he buried his head in my hip. I got slightly irritated that he would not just say "hey didn't mean to run you over and I am sorry if I hurt you". The neighbor boy's mom, who happens to be one of my best friends, with her tender heart suggested I just let it go and that Matt was embarassed, he had afterall hurt his best friend twice in two days. The beauty of the whole incident was when Matt, my son, got on the bus he yelled with anticipation for our neihbor's son to sit with him. Without hesitation this little boy who had been toppled by my son, ran over to Matt and plopped himself in the same seat! His parents and I chuckled but it really made me wonder. Why as adults is it sometimes so hard to let go of pain and anger. Life experiences sure contribute as does wisdom but isn't just letting go easier? Granted, the issues we face as adults are more dramatic than getting pushed off a trampoline but the option to forgive, forget and release are there no matter what the cause. Anger hurts the person harboring the feelings just as much as anyone else and we know that, yet we continue to let that emotion sneak through. Not to say anger isn't healthy in certain situations and in small doses but we need to be more like my neighbor's son and just let it go.

Laundry

Where does it come from. I think it repopulates somewhere between the floor, the hamper and the washer. It never stops! I don't see my kids change clothes 3 times a day yet when I think I have everything caught up I find 2 more loads begging to be cleaned. If I miss a day, I have 6 loads to do. Is there something wrong with using a towel more than once? We have a rack and they will dry. And why do I find winter clothes in the laundry in the middle of summer. And why is it I seem to be the only one that checks pockets? In the event someone else throws a load in, we may end up with lip gloss, candy, gum or one of many unknown objects. What they don't know won't hurt them though... I keep any money I find!! Also, I don't know if anyone in our house knows how to put anything in the hamper unless it is inside out. Maybe they will get the point if I fold them the same way the throw them in the hamper! I think my house is infested with laundry gremlins!!!

Hey, give me your opinion on a young teen getting a my space account

Opening Blog

OK, I can't be left out of the loop. Gotta get with it and keep up with the times too, as if just keeping up with email and my kids wasn't enough! Nothing new in my life. Having a relaxing afternoon with the twins watching Open Season (again). Pretty hooked on the game Bejeweled too. Would much rather play that than do laundry!