Etheredge Farm

So, my parents own a big farm. It's 75 acres, 16 horses, 1/4 acre garden, an acre hay field and a nice little house that sits on the hill. In the garden we grow 34 tomato plants, two rows of butter peas, a row on squash, a row of cucumbers, a row of okra, a row of cantelope and watermelon, and a row of butter beans. sometimes we may grown corn and green beans but if we get too much one year we'll skip a year and then grow it again. All the horses are registered quarter horses. some of them are not broke yet, but most of them are. My father even has his own personal hay field that he gets about two or three cuttings off of a year. My parents farm is a retreat from life type of place. They've got a swimming pool and a hot tub. They've got the four wheeler that can be ridden over all the terrain. They've got the dirt bike my sister jumps the hills with. It's the perfect get away from the everyday! Every summer when the family gets together they do it at my parents farm. During the Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays when the family gets together again they do it at my parents farm. We never have a family get together that usually isn't at my parents farm. People we don't even know have heard about my parents farm. It's crazy and at the same time wonderful!!

Global Camp 2010

So this summer my church youth group took a trip to Chatsworth, GA for a camp called Global. I got to be an adult leader on the trip. This was my second year going and I had more fun this year than the last. It was a blast. The kids got to do lots of fun activities like horse riding and climbing a huge tower. They also got one on one time with God in their bible study groups. It was amazing. I hope that what the kids learned at camp stays with them. I hope they always remember that God Loved them and that they can do great things through him. I look forward to going back again next Year!!!

Jana Etheredge and Brett Aday

Yay! So we’re finally engaged! The way he proposed…..it wasn’t this big fabulous romantic proposal, but it was sweet! I’m going over to his apartment after class one day. I’ve no idea that he has the ring or anything. I get there and go up. As I walk in the place is empty. I yell, “Hello.” He says, “Come in the bedroom.” So I make my way to the bedroom. As I walk in there he is down on one knee with the box open. He says, “ Will you Marry Me?” I of course say YES!! It was sweet. It wasn’t some big romantic gesture, but it was his little romantic proposal! So the wedding sate is set for November 20th at 4pm at Moulton Baptist Church Moulton, AL!!!! I can’t wait!!!

Alabama Chicken and Egg Festival .wmv

Simplehelix keeps it Quick and Easy

I was reading the Huntsville times the other day and I read this article about a small company of 12 employees that specialize in making Web host services quick and easy. They're called Simplehelix and it was originally used for a company last year and they kept the name to help customers identify with what they do. So, what do they do? They specialize in cutting-edge hardware and technology which helps speed up loading time for websites. They also help businesses develop e-commerce(aka set up their own websites). The company just recently helped Google set up a faster Internet delivery 100 times faster than that of other search engines. Simplehelix has been getting plenty of business and hopes to keep their business with Google as well. You may be wondering why I wanted to write about this. Well, I saw it as opportunity. In the world we're living in today technology is growing at rapid speeds. It is changing at the drop of a hat. Classes in Schools and Universities are having to become more computer dependent than ever before. We, as humans, are having to rely more now on the computer. Like for example business now do a majority of their advertising on the Internet. Global companies have to rely on the computer in order to communicate with other countries. In ten years from now who knows where the computer an Internet will be. We rely on it so much that every year it has to change to keep up with the growing economy. Just some food for thought.

Watching Movies and Listenign to Music

So the other day me and my sister were in my car going somewhere. I don't really remember were we were going, but I do remember that we were listening to 100.3 The River. All of a sudden the song "This Will Be" came on and I immediately thought of the eHarmony commercial and the movie "Must Love Dogs." Then a little while later the song "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" came on and I thought of that movie "Ella Enchanted." At first I really didn't realize that I was doing that until my sister said, "Are you going to continuously keep relating songs to movies?" I said, "Of course." We dropped it and then the song "Bad Girl" came on and I did it again, I put it with the movie "Center Stage." I just seemed to not be able to stop. It was like a disease I couldn't get rid of. Then right before we got out of the car the song "Hungry Eyes" came on and I was like that song is from the movie "Dirty Dancing." Then after we had gotten back in the car hours later the song "Take My Breath Away" from the movie "Top Gun." I'm pretty sure you're thinking GAH! get to the point. Well, what I thought was it is very interesting how we often find ourselves relating songs we hear to movies they have been played in. I mean have you ever caught yourself doing it? Maybe you didn't think about it, but you were putting songs to movies? Just today before I wrote this blog I heard the song "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" from the movie "Remember the Titans." This was just a little food for thought. Enjoy!!

Life Hands you Lemons, Make Lemonade!

Have you ever found yourself in a difficult predicament and felt helpless? Ever thought something was going well and then the shit hits the fan? I fell a few weeks ago and pulled my tendon in my right ring finger. It swelled up as big as a balloon (exaggerating of course) and I couldn't bend it. A week later that was nothing compared to the hot 80 degree heat and sun beaming directly onto my skin. Now, I'm not ghost white but still a little sun HURTS!! I thought that after that my week would get better. I didn't see how it could possibly get any worse before it got better. I was wrong, completely wrong and clueless as to what would come next. This past Saturday I had to mow my grandmothers yard because if my family doesn't do it then it won't get done. So there we are my mother, my sister, and me slaving over thick clovers and weedy flower beds. My sister took the easy job of ridding the zero turn radius mower that does a 360 like it's nothing. My mother took the weed eater and left me push mowing. Thank goodness I have some arm muscles. Right off the bat I ran over a tree limb and gashed the front of my leg. OUCH! It didn't bleed but it left a nice dent in my leg. Still i thought my week would get better, but somehow it never got any better. I now have a horrible head cold and sinus infection and can't get in to get any medications for it until after the last day of finals....UGH!!! Life happens whether you want it to or not....get used to it.

Play hard, Live long, Laugh Loud

Most of you do not know that I have Multiple Sclerosis. I was diagnosed with M.S. when I was a senior in high school. In the span of a year I had ten MRI's and saw at least four different doctors for one thing or another. My first day my senior year I left school early because my hand would not wake up and were constantly tingling. I had an MRI that day and they found nothing. So, we did nothing. About two months later I got Bell's Palsy on the right side of my face. I once again had an MRI for that. They once again said it was nothing and gave me some steroids for it. So, once again I did nothing. A month after that I got Optic Neuritis and went to see an Eye Doctor. They said it was nothing and just treated it. So, I did NOTHING! After that I started having numbness attacks in my feet. So, I had another MRI for that and had another doctor look at it. They found nothing and so I did NOTHING! After many more MRI's and many more doctor visits my family physician sent me to a neurologist. Finally some answers. The neurologist told me that I had M.S. and I immediately began my treatment. At first my treatment was shots every other day and now I am on a Chemotherapy Drug once a month. What I did not notice about the M.S. was the hidden symptoms. The strange moods I could be in, the many emotions I found that I had, and the Fatigue that I had to deal with. Every since I was diagnosed with M.S. I have to deal with days when I just need to cry for no other reason than my M.S. thinks I need to cry. Or days when I literally can't get out of bed without help because my legs just decided that they didn't want to move for no other reason than my M.S. thought I needed to stay in bed. Some days I have to deal with upsetting people because my M.S. thinks I need to change my emotions every five minutes. It has been a roller coaster, but I have found ways to control it and stay in remission now for three years. So, my six word story "Shit Happens, Frequency is the Problem" works perfectly for me. But this six word story "Play Hard, Live Long, Laugh Loud" also works well for me. So, when you think life has dealt you a bad hand then just remember to play a little harder, live a little longer, and laugh a little louder. Don't just give up because it got a little bit harder.

Social Networking Equals Loss of Privacy

So, I was reading US TODAY the other day and there was an article titled, "'Friends' no more?" It was an article about social networking. The heading read, "For some, social networking has become too much of a good thing." People are getting tired of social networking because they're losing any sense of privacy in their lives. Needless to say, "If there's a common theme to their exodus; it's the nagging sense that a time-sucking habit was taking the 'real' out of life." People are feeling harassed by friends and even strangers. Even celebreties are deleting their social networking accounts. Some of these networking accounts are Facebook and Myspace which let you connect to old friends, new friends, classmates, and all types of other people. Twitter is just a basic update your status 24/7. Yahoo and Google just allow you to surf the web and talk to people through an instant messanger.

So what do you all think about social networking? Do you think that it is a good thing or a bad thing? Some people are so into the social networking that they are giving their grade school kids a Facebook account. So their six year olds can connect with their friends. Seems a bit young to be giving your kids a Facebook account don't you think? Or is it too young in today's age?
All of the images I posted came from http://google.com/images

Death Happens, Sadness is the Outcome

So, Last night I got a very disturbing phone call that my cousins twelve year old son killed himself. I was devastated. He had gotten in trouble and his mom had taken his phone and play station away and he had gotten really mad. So what started out as a prank against his mother ended as his life being taken. He ended up hanging himself in his closet. So please keep my family in your prayers. Thanks!!

Times Change, but Life Goes On

So, as a kid I read a whole lot. If I wasn't reading Dr. Seuss or some other book, I was reading poetry. My aunt is one of these people that knows a little bit about everything. Her favorite past time, though, was reading poetry. Her daughter, my cousin Sarah, was only nine days older than me. As a kid I would often go on road trips with her family. Now on most road trips people play games such as I spy, spadoodle, or whatever. We didn't play those, instead, we recited poetry. My aunt would say a line from a poem and we would tell her the author or she would say the author and the title of the poem and we would say a line or two from the poem. This is what inspired my love for reading, writing, and learning. So, when I was in thrid grade I was reading higher level books than the other kids. I was reading Robert Frost and William Wadsworth. Today though it seems as though the kids would rather look at pitcures than actually read a book. I visit the Elementary School in my home town a lot to visit the kids I used to babysit. Some days I visit the kids have library day and it's funny how the kids like the one word per page books over the ones with at least two sentences on a page. They want to look at the pictures instead of reading the book. This, though, is just all part of times changing.

some poeple are just born crazy

So, the other morning I was in the drug store getting my medicine filled. I was just standing around when this lay walks in with a half reipped drug store bag in her hand with a bottle of cough syrup in it. she walks up to the counter and asks the tech if she can returen the cough syrup. The tech then tells the woman she'll have to ask. before the woman can get an answer she walks down to the other end of the counter and ask the other tech the same question. This tech preceds to tell her that if the medicine has left the store then they can not take the medicine back. The lady doesn't say anything to the tech, instead walks towards the door. On her way to the door she makes sure that she touches every thing she can. Once the lady had left I finally got my medicine and headed out to my car. As I was walking to my car I noticed the lady that was in the drug store was now sitting inher car in the middle of the street. I continued to get into my car. Pulling out of the parking lot I saw the lady weaving in and out of cars that were parked at the resturaunt next to the drug store. My first thought was what the crap this woman is crazy!?!? It was most definately a crazy way to start my day off. WoW....

I Lived, I Laughed, I Died

It's sad when anyone close to you dies. It's worse when they leave behind a wife, a two year old boy, and a four year old daughter. It's a blessing, though, to be able to say that he lived life to the fullest.; to be able to say that he lived, laughed, loved and died a very happy man. It's hard to think about the kids growing up without their dad, but it's better that he's in Heaven looking down on them than at home suffering. But for his six word story I would think he would have wrote: I lived, I laughed, I died.