Fred and I are still cooking along in the 101.6 – 102.0 fevered range, so not a lot going on in the Barthel home today. But I did receive a nice email from my dad and his wife with photos of his new “sea scapes” and I wanted to share them with you to honor him:   My father is an engineer by training and life experience, but in his retirement and as he has battled cancer and heart troubles, he has taken to creating these “sea scapes” from sand, shells, and hand-crafted sea creatures. I know he would love to sell them to anyone with an interest in underwater…

I received an email this morning from a dear woman who was actually one of my very VERY first “Tara’s doing a women’s retreat / not a formal Peacemaker Ministries staff member” event hosts. (I remember how AMAZED Fred and I were that our family had the honor of serving those women, their families, and their churches in that way. We’re still humbled and amazed.) ANYWAY … she made an off-hand comment about some of the ministries in which she is serving. (She is one of those people who serves and serves, but usually in secret–so people have NO IDEA in this life. But we’ll see the jewels in her…

If you are ever looking for a duplication company for your CDs or DVDs, I highly recommend: Above All Multimedia Partners, LLC. www.AboveAllMultimedia.com 847.506.0600 I found this company online YEARS ago (back when they were copying TAPES for me!) and I have never had ANY concerns with them. They are incredibly prompt, professional, and courteous. Their prices are competitive (if not down-right DEALS) and they don’t require HUGE orders to reach those competitive prices. I know that their profit margin can’t be that huge–I’m actually always thinking about margin when interacting with any small business … guess I still have a few MBA brain cells left in there–but it is…

I was SO surprised to find a PRINCESS at violin lessons this week! I never knew that Snow White played the violin. 😉  

Well … I’ve been struck completely OUT by the worst migraine I’ve had in YEARS. Started around 5PM, but by 7PM, I was incapacitated in a dark room with an ice pack on my head and STILL vomiting. I had a TINY bit of relief around 4:10AM. Oh! How I thanked God for only throbbing pain rather than excruciating pain. I have no idea how people in such CHRONIC pain (or our soldiers being tortured!) survive. (Not to equate my tiny suffering with theirs! I just marvel at what people can survive when they are REALLY suffering.) ANYWAY … this blog post marks the entirety of the time I will…

Here is the REASON why the dvd project exists: Joe Adams. Brilliant, gifted, FUNNY, godly, wise (SINGLE by the way as a little shout out to my single pals on this blog!) … This man sacrificed HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS of his personal time to make this project and it simply would’ve DIED ON A SHELF in a heap of unedited tara-BLERGH had Joe not persevered ALL YEAR.   I just can’t say enough about this guy. THANK YOU, Joe. Nothing without you, bud. — t  

Soph delighted us by playing “puppy” this morning in her Dalmatian costume from Grandma Chris. I loved the image of the  “two puppies” doing Bible study so I snapped some pics:  

PS One of the reasons I dug up Dave’s essay is because I am totally trying to preach the gospel to myself this morning. I had something very disturbing happen on my third flight yesterday (it was actually two of the worst hours I’ve ever spent in my life!). I shook for two hours on the plane and then had to–TRY TO–switch into “pleasant Tara meet the event hosts” mode … but really all I wanted to do was CRY and RUN AWAY. Couldn’t sleep last night–pretty much ALL night–and now I have to pull myself together to get ready, pack, and go to serve. Please do pray for me.…

NO PRESSURE (of course!) … But if you’re planning on taking advantage of our little “initial sale” price on my DVD series by the March 15 deadline Living the Gospel in Relationships … would you consider dropping me a note or leaving me a comment and letting me know? We’re down to like SIX SETS and I’ve put in a small re-order … but if there’s going to be a “rush” (of, you know, 20 or something 😉 ), I should probably increase the order.   Thanks thanks thanks! I’m going to webcam night-night with Soph and Fred now and try to get some shut-eye. With love from Virginia! —…