"Must-See" Summer Show!

If you did not see this show last summer, it is a MUST SEE for this summer! If you need a good belly laugh over and over again...this is the show for you!

It premiered on ABC last night at 7:00 p.m. Our stomach muscles were hurting within the first few minutes!

Starts off with 24 contestants that go through different obstacle courses that are guarenteed to wipe out the contestants and make you laugh. They work their way down to 3 people to compete in a final obstacle course and the person with the fastest time wins $50,000. Here are a few pictures I found that show some of the obstacles.

We HIGHLY recommend it!!

And the Winner is...

Our Hometown Boy - KRIS ALLEN!!! WHOO HOO!!! WAY TO GO!

I must say that was the greatest Finale Show American Idol has ever done! American Idol will have a very very hard time topping it. It was hilariously funny and had some AWESOME performances!

Congratulations Kris!

This is American Idol - The Finals!

We have finally come to the end! One contestant that had a shoe in all season vs. one contestant who probably was not to even make it past Hollywood!

The guys sing one song from the season, one song chose by Simon Fuller (producer of the show) and the "No Boundaries" song co-written by Kara (these songs are always pretty cheezy...this one did not disappoint on the cheezy-ness).

Kris was in the driver's seat because he won the coin toss and chose to go second. It is only fitting since Adam had been last almost all season!

Round 1 - Song choice from the Season

Adam - "Mad World" - He is so smart...that is the only song all season that he did not do the shreaking and it was my favorite song of his because of that! Well-played...and speaking of "playing" did you hear Adam tell Simon he was "playing dress-up". Oh the theatrics!

Kris - "Ain't No Sunshine" - YES!!! That was his best performace of the season so excellent choice! And he nailed it again...we liked it with the piano! AWESOME job!

Round 2 - Song chosen by the Producer

Adam - "Change is Gonna Come" - Hmmm...a bluesy tune for the rocker...we just weren't totally feelin' him and that song. He sang it very well and it was a change of pace from the theatrical singing. Not sure...the little bit screaming threw it into an "odd" category for me.

Kris - "What's Goin' On" - Perfect song choice for Kris. That is the kind of sound he will be putting out on his album...we know that because he has been consistent all year. Excellent Job!

Round 3 - "No Boundaries"

Adam - This is a big song and fit him because he is a big singer. He was off on several of the notes and for one of the first times this season, I could not understand all the words from him. He did well in that he performed it and looked comfortable.

Kris - He is not a "big song" kinda person and bless his heart, the song was too high for him. He did a great job with what he had in that song. Although...when he picked up the mic stand I felt like he almost lost it. He seemed to realize this was the finale and I was afraid he was thinking about what he was singing and was going to lose it. He didn't and finished fairly strong.

Well the guys left it all out there on the stage and it was left up to America. Adam fans voted for Adam and I'm hoping that Danny's voters jumped on the Kris Allen Bandwagon....we shall see!

Check out BooMama for her witty opinion and her Mr. Linky for many other Idol opinions!

God Has Kept Me Here For A Reason

Repeat after me:

"God has kept me here for a reason.

I survived because He has a plan for me.

All my bad relationships, the addictions, the consequences,

the bad credit, the repossessions, the death of my
loved ones, the back stabbing from my friends, the negative thoughts, or
the lack of support; I made it because I am blessed!
I release and let go of all past hurts, misunderstandings and grudges
because I am abundantly blessed! I recognize them as the illusions
they are, and sent from the enemy to kill my spirit, steal my joy, and
destroy my faith; for God is all there is. All else is a lie!"

Now give yourself a hug, wipe your tears away and walk in victory!!!

I love you, but more appropriately God loves you BEST!

Be blessed and know that you are at one with THE SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD!

American Idol - Top 3

WOW! It is hard to believe we are down to the final three contestants on American Idol. I must say that this past weekend everyone was going crazy here in Conway, AR. Close to 20,000 people crammed into our downtown area to see Kris perform live. Funny how about 5 seconds of each hometown visit was shown. As tired as the guys were and as many appearances that were made and they only show the time of them getting their text message about what song.

This is one of the most best parts of American Idol...getting to see each hometown and all the hoopla that goes on with it. Not sure why Fox is keeping AI to one hour recently. This has been the season of them going overtime. Maybe they will change it for next season...by separating Paula and Simon. I mean they were all a little over-the-top childish acting last night. I wrote down a saying from Mrs. Following Footsteps "Kids, I'm gonna pull this show over!"

On to the singing:
Danny -
Song picked by Paula - "Dance Little Sister" - I had not heard the song but it was perfect for Danny. Funky song...we liked it! Good Job! Comment from Hubby "Shocking that Paula would pick a dance song."
His Choice - "You are So Beautiful" - Oh...FABULOUS! Love, Love, Love this song! EXCELLENT choice Danny-boy!

Kris - (sandwiched in the middle of the two they want in the finals)
Song picked by Randy and Kara - "Apologize" - Yeah...like this song. I liked that he played the piano. Song was like the original--the only one he sang like the original all season and he gets bashed. This song in my mind doesn't lend itself for much interpretation.
His Choice - "Heartless" - Started out acapella and then just him and the guitar! BRILLIANT performance! Excellent choice Kris! We loved it!

Adam -
Song picked by Simon - "One" - Oh the first half of that was BEAUTIFUL! I really like it when he just sings in his pure tone. Just as I was asking Hubs if this song lends itself to the tongue and screaming...it began. Dang...I was really hoping to like the whole song as much as I did the first part of it.
His Choice - "Cryin'" - The first half of this song was karaoke sounding to me. I get the feeling he did not try because he just knows he will make it to the finals.
Our conversation during this song was "I wonder what he sounds like when he is put on the spot to sing...you like "Happy Birthday" or something?

This one is a close call...I agree that all three are worthy of the finals. It was totally left up to America...however we could have all done with out Simon's plea to vote for Adam.

Niece's High School Graduation

Saturday this beautiful young lady graduated high school. It was a special graduation through the Home Educators - you see Kristi (our niece) has been homeschooled for about 8 years now. I thought it fitting that each graduate was presented the dipolma by their parents...as they are the ones who did the educating.

It blows me away that this precious young lady is moving into a new phase of her life. She is beautiful and confident and spiritually sound. God will use Kristi in a mighty way.

Love you Kristi and we can't wait to see what God has planned for you! Uncle John and Aunt Alison

Extra Special Friday Afternoon

Friday afternoon we got to spend some time with the "Following Footsteps" kids. I got to surprise Belle and pick her up from school and then later we drove out to get Luke from daycare and brought them back to our place to wait for their parents.

You can see that Belle uses the footbaord to show to flip over onto the bed and Luke followed suit. Then as we were brushing Belle's hair, Luke found the hair wax and wanted some, so the last picture of him is where he was showing me his spiked hair. We had a great time playing with them and snugglin' with them!

To ALL the ladies...

To all the moms, soon-to-be-moms, foster moms, adoptive moms, wanna-be moms, aunts, spiritual moms (mentors) - Happy Mother's Day!

An Extra Special "Happy Mother's Day" to my Mom and my Sister! I love you both so much!

American Idol - "What a Set-Up" Week

Knowing last week that this week was Rock and Roll, I knew that they (producers) were continuing on in their quest to have Adam win. However, after last night it was so apparent through the whole show, which is bad for Adam (at least in my opinion...since he will be locked into the way the AI folks want his first record) and not fair to the others either.

So the show starts...well at least at my house...I thought we were not going to be able to watch because our local Fox affiliate was having technical difficulties...like only hissing and no picture. We were getting a little upset. Oh...it came back on and looks like we just missed the filler at the beginning of the show and part of Adam's solo...which is fine with me.

Adam - "Whole Lotta Love" - Deferring to the hubs for opinion about this metal rock music since he prefers the rocky side of music..."Didn't like that". He is a man of few words (until the end of the show that is). The judges loved it and of course they did...he has won the show already...

Allison - "Cry, Baby" - I do love her hair...suits her perfectly and it sounds like from her interview that she and Adam had a "girl's day" at the salon. I thought it was perfectly Allison and she sounded great. I have always been a fan of her. And although I do not like the talking back to the judges...I felt as if Simon has been "testing" her confidence level...and last night she stood up for herself.

Thoughts so far: Both "rockers" got to sing first, which is appropriate and sad because this is NOT Kris or Danny's genre. So putting their duet and solos after Adam and Allison is pretty sad!

Kris and Danny - "Renegade" - Oh...I like the harmonies...they sound GREAT together! I expected nothing less...as music leaders in their churches they are probably used to singing all different parts with others. GREAT JOB guys! However, something just seems wrong with Danny. No sparkle in his eyes...Kris as well. Maybe it is not their week and they know they are going to be overshadowed...maybe they are tired...I'm not sure but both seemed distant last night.

Kris - "Come Together" - Great job...picked a song that he could put his signature "Kris Allen" sound on which is what Kara has loved all season...now she is not loving it? Simon has loved Kris more recently and now he doesn't like it as well? (refer to title of the post ... set-up...in Kris' case...set-up for "failure").

Danny - "Dream On" - I was saying during his practice time with Slash...Oh Danny you are going to have to really hit those 'screamy' notes. Worried about this risky song choice. Oh...that last scream...not good. Danny's eyes are so empty looking still. Maybe nerves? No final rehearsal time?

Thoughts up until now (this is where hubs starts getting quite a bit more wordy): Clearly they want Kris to be out of the competition tonight. Even after Danny's performance, the judges comments were not as harsh to him. Why at this stage of the competition would they choose a genre so suited for only two of the four contestants? This week would have been a perfect week to have them sing songs from the top 100 billboard songs this week. They would have been "relevant" (a word the judges use a lot) and would have allowed us to see with a current song what kind of album these contestants would make.

Adam and Allison - "Slow Ride" - First words from hubs "I can play this song really good on Guitar Hero!" I must say...that is true. When we had Thanksgiving dinner with friends this past year, this song we played many times by all playing Guitar Hero. Oh Adam...those striped pants...not good. It was what I expected from them.

So Adam got to sing first and last...hmm.

Final thoughts...this really sucks for Kris and Danny....basically they were thrown under the bus. I expected the Adam to overshadow everyone and he did. So really...it seems like AI producers "evil" plan is worked for them last night and not so subtly!

Check out BooMama and her Mr. Linky for other opinions!

Spoiled Rotten

Normally we only see a lump under the covers, however, one day I looked into the bedroom to see that Gus had gotten under the covers and had his head sticking out like a person.

This dog doesn't know how good his has got it...his life is MUCH better life than he could have been...we adopted him from the humane society back in 2003. Enjoy!