Dare I hope?

I just read on Dustin's Days page that the actress who plays Willow is leaving. Dare I hope they are finally getting rid of Willow? Could we possibly wrap up this awful storyline and let Salem's finest get to the bottom of who broke in to the Brady house in a timely fashion? Of course with the way Chelsea has been acting lately, I sure wouldn't mind seeing her go down with the ship for obstruction of justice!

It sure would be nice for Shawn and Belle to come home years from now (we all know they will drag their feet on that one!) to a Willow-free Salem. The question remains... what will they do about the baby? Will she leave pregnant and years from now a teenager reappears? Or will she lose the baby so they can neatly tie up all the loose ends? Who knows, in Salem time she could even have the baby next week and Beau and Hope could offer to raise it for her. As long as Willow is out of the picture, they can wrap up her story however they want!

So much for the Chelsea turnaround

I guess we can finally give up on the redemption of Chelsea. She seemed so close to being a real human and she just keeps going back to her old ways (kind of like Sami). I was really starting to like her and Nick together. I always hated the way she treated him like a "lap dog", so it was so nice to see her come around and see him as the nice guy that he really is. We all knew that would end as soon as she found out about Nick and her mom sleeping together, even though that happened when she wanted nothing to do with him!

Somehow, I was still managing to have sympathy for little Chelsea as she has been set up by Willow who has way overstayed her welcome in Salem. Poor Chelsea can't catch a break. Yet, she still hasn't learned from her mistakes! That's what frustrates me about her. She berates her "best friend" Abby about lying while she is doing the same thing. The difference is that Abby lied to try to spare Chelsea's feelings. Chelsea is lying for selfish reasons, like she always does. She is trying to cover her own butt and doesn't care who gets hurt in the path of Hurricane Chelsea! She even told Nick to his face today that she still didn't think she could trust him after he broke the law for her! Surely now he can see that she is using him to keep her name clear. When he finds out about her little rendezvous with Max coming up tomorrow, he will be so hurt. That's the difference between Chelsea and Abby. Abby may bend and break the rules sometimes, but she does it with the intentions of trying to help someone. Chelsea does it for revenge and selfish ambition. So much for the turnaround!

The Gallant Men of Salem

Nick, Lucas, Max, and Shawn really turned it up on the show today! Nick was by far my favorite. When he first came on the show, he was such a weenie! Now he has become so protective of Chelsea as well as Sami. I loved his scenes with Sami today, and the vulnerability that she shows with him is great. Of course it would be better to see a little of that with her own fiancee, but beggars can't be choosers! I like seeing that Nick has grown a backbone and is willing to stand up to EJ knowing that he is such a bad guy. Nick reminds me of a Southern gentleman and he has been a great addition to Salem.

And how lucky is Sami to have Lucas on her side as well. His scenes with EJ were terrific today. I loved that he called EJ on his crap in the hospital and told him that he needed to stop obsessing over Sami. EJ has still not done what he promised to about moving out, yet he continues to placate Lucas with excuses. I'm glad that Lucas is not falling for it. I really wish he were smart enough to call Sami on some of her lame excuses before another wedding falls through. If she can be honest with Nick and Celeste, surely she can be honest with Lucas.

Max is just adorable with Abby. I even like the girl subbing for the regular Abby. I loved hearing Max talk to Kayla about wanting to make sure he protected Abby's innocence on yesterday's show. It was a good way of acknowledging all of the character issues that he has been dealt recently. The way it is looking, who knows if this relationship will last, though, with Ashley Benson leaving show. I am hoping they will recast the role of Abby (maybe even with the girl who is subbing today) because this story line has grown on me.

Lastly, more Shawn love from me! I just love this story. I would like to see more of the vets featured but Shawn and Belle are the future of Days for me! I have enjoyed watching their relationship develop into what it is now where they trust each other completely. When Belle said, "We're staying" Shawn followed and trusted her instincts. A few weeks ago, he wouldn't have done that. Belle has finally been able to trust him when he said he loves her and honestly tell him that she loves him. That is a huge step for her. I think we are a going to see a big test in this new trust pretty soon. Gabby seems to have proven herself for now, but I think she is still up to something. As soon as they let their guard down, I think she will turn on them somehow.

Now, if only Phillip and EJ will get the memo that Salem men are to be more gallant :)

Max- Race Car Driver or Super Spy (& Shawn/Belle update)

I really enjoy having Max back on the show, but would somebody decide what he is going to do and stick with it. He was great as the new heartthrob in town: the race car driver living on the edge! Then he becomes the town womanizer. Next, he's just a boring car mechanic with a past trying to get the good girl. Now all of a sudden, I'm supposed to believe the town mechanic is jet setting to Italy to spy on one of the most sophisticated crime families in the world!!! I can totally see why Max asked Kayla why she didn't take Roman or Bo, those are the brothers you want with you for this mission. I think I would even take Marlena or Hope before asking Max!

How great was it to finally hear Belle tell Shawn "I love you" today? Can we finally get moving with this couple now? They have had so many things standing in their way, including Shawn's blind stupidity. How does he not see Belle's insecurity and jealousy of Gabby? That doesn't take a genious to figure out why she wants to leave the island all of a sudden. If they can just get off the island before Phillip spots them! Will Gabby turn them in? Has she been working for Phillip all along? There's something not right with her! Come on "Shelle" get it together!

Willow - Are her 15 minutes up yet?

I must admit I have never been a fan of Willow. I don't see where she fits into any of the storylines they have put her in. I did not like her paired with Shaun. We all know he belongs with Belle. I understand there must be bumps in the road of a relationsip to keep a soap opera going, but come on people, did you really think a prostitute was the right way to break up the next supercouple?

As if that were not bad enough, when Shaun finally got smart enough to break things off with her, you would think Days would write her off. So why is she still on the show? Her scenes with Phillip to try to get Claire back were awful! The only purpose they seemed to serve was to make Phillip more of a jerk and I think we all can agree that no one likes this side of him either. Victor makes a good villain. Phillip does not.

Now we are being treated to family members of Willow! I actually like Jed. I feel kind of sorry for him since he had no idea what his sister was doing to fund his college education! However, if this prolongs Willows stay then Jed can transfer to UCLA for all I care!

They are even putting her in front burner stories with EJ and Bo and Hope. TPTB know that the fans are screaming for screen time for their favorites that haven't been seen in weeks like John and Marlena, yet we continue to have new characters like Willow shoved into scenes where she doesn't fit. The only good thing to come of this, I guess, is that she actually did start the fire in Bo and Hope's house even though she is trying to pin it on Chelsea. The sooner Willow leaves Salem the better!

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!

My six year old heard my nephew say "Liar, liar, pants on fire!" recently and has decided it is the most wonderful poem ever! After watching Days today it sure seems to fit several characters!

I love this little romance blooming between Nick and Chelsea. TPTB have taken their time and built a nice, sometimes dysfunctional, friendship between them. They have struggled through this whole Shane Patton junk but Nick finally came clean and Chelsea is learning to forgive him. So the most precious line of the day is Chelsea saying, "Promise me you won't keep anything else from me ever again." Like so many before him, Nick has not learned from his mistake and does not take the golden opportunity to tell Chelsea, "Oh, yeah, by the way, I slept with your mom." Liar, liar, pants on fire!!! In the preview for tomorrow, we see him debating with Billie about telling Chelsea the truth. How long did he debate with Abby about telling the truth about Shane Patton? We all know they will debate this for weeks, Chelsea will over-hear, Nick will grovel, etc...

Across town, Sami is still in the church "confessing" when EJ overhears that her baby might be his. Why don't these people ever learn to pray quietly? So EJ demands an amnio for a paternity test. After he leaves, Lucas returns to find his fiancee freaking out and ready to run off and get married without the church wedding of her dreams. Clearly Sami confides in the man she is going to marry ... no she is a liar, liar, pants on fire! She continues to spin this same old tale of being afraid of what people will say at the wedding. Lucas seems to be smarter than that. Eventually he will have to put 2 and 2 together and realize that she is not freaking out when she is rational. She only freaks out when he leaves her alone. Maybe he will stick around and see who she talks to and what she does. Sami is always her own worst enemy! She loves to blame everyone else, but she usually does it to herself.

Oddly enough, on a day of liars, Billie had the opportunity and the motivation but told the truth to Bo. How about that! Somebody actually learned from their mistakes! Maybe she will listen to him about all the things he said about EJ. It didn't sound like she believed him to me. She may still be a little hard headed when it comes to matters of the heart.

Amazing Grace

This whole transformation of Sami has been a long time coming. I wasn't real sure I would like it, but the scenes in the church today were very well done! I think the things Lucas said to Sami described her transformation perfectly. He said their relationship was like the song "Amazing Grace" ... they once were lost without each other but now they are found. Of course, as a Christian, when the priest required them to come to confession I would have liked him to make mention of how we are lost with the saving grace that they were talking about. If you're going to mention it in front of a priest, shouldn't he mention the real reason you sing it?

Days does a pretty good job of accurately showing things in the church, even if they onlygo to church for weddings and funerals! I loved that Sami kneeled down and said she would go ahead and have her confession right there because that's what it was really all about anyway! I've always thought it was a little sad for people who thought that the only way you can confess your sins is to a priest. I know there are plenty of Catholics who know that they can pray directly to God, but I seem to know too many who have missed that fact! It was nice to see that on TV.

The fact that Sami is still hiding one more lie from Lucas is proof that we will see old Sami again. Now that I have grown to like this reformed Sami I am sad about that. You would think she would eventually learn!

The tables are turned on Chelsea

I love that Chelsea has finally cleaned up her act and yet everything is falling apart on her! She was so easy to hate for so long! Now she is almost like a tragic heroine. She finally gets her life going in the right direction and the world is stacked against her.

Her true love "Lonely Splicer" is all a lie. Eventually she has to see how sweet Nick has been to listen to her pine over this guy right in front of him while he was in love her the whole time. Even if he was only pretending to try to track down Lonely Splicer, that is still going above and beyond when he really wanted her for himself. What she thinks is a horrible breach of her trust she will come to find extremely sexy and sweet!

How great was it to finally see Hope come around and forgive Chelsea? What a great talk they were having ... Chelsea was opening up, Hope was forgiving, Chelsea was holding the baby, then Bo comes crashing in! How great is this police work to think that a teenager was knowingly carrying information for the Dimeras? I'm sure that Patrick did ask questions and use the information that he heard from her, but she was just a dumb, self-absorbed teen who had no idea she was being played. Now her dad is falling for another ploy of the Dimeras and he is going to feel like an idiot when he realizes it and the therapy bill will swell even larger for dear little Chelsea!

Just as a side note... Abe and Celeste- ewwww! Were they really playing the romance music for them the other day when he asked her to move in and help take care of Theo? Please, please no! That is just way gross! You just don't make a move on your daughter's ex-husband! There are some lines you just don't cross! Come on, people!

Shawn and Belle

Shawn and Belle were plain adorable today! I love the looks they give each other. I can't wait until they are back together, but until then the actors are doing a terrific job of showing those stolen glances of 2 people who want to be together but can't yet. Days has been notorious for dragging these types of things out for way too long. Let's hope they keep these two moving forward and toward getting together eventually!

I love that Shawn is taking control and reassuring Belle that he can handle the situation with the immunization so she doesn't have to worry about it. Every woman wants a take charge guy and Shawn won major points with that today. Belle was showing how much she needs him and he was there for her. Now I hope they find a way to turn the tables and let him see how much he needs her. My fear is that they will be forced to marry ( a la Sami and Austin when Will was kidnapped years ago). Don't get me wrong... I can't wait for them to finally want to be married but it would be nice for someone to fall in love and then get married and then have kids for a change on this show.

John and Marlena

Could we please give the super talented Drake Hogestyn (John) and Deidra Hall (Marlena) a real story to work with here? This dream world is just horrible! I feel like I am back in Austin and Greta's secret garden ... and who wants to go back there!!!! I watch this soap for an escape from reality but this is too much of an escape for even me. You have to give me something I can relate to. I can already tell you what will happen - John will wake up with no memory of the shooting. He probably won't even remember Marlena. Sometimes I feel like the writers are just using old scripts and changing the names of the characters!

But oh how I loved Sami swapping the DVD at Kate's press conference. It is definitely time for Kate to get hers! Sami doesn't always do the right thing, but this time she really is trying to do what it best to protect Lucas. I actually feel sorry for her for once. Can't wait to see how Kate tries to spin this!

Days of Our Lives

So I totally love Days of Our Lives and am considering turning this into a DOOL blog so that maybe I will update it more frequently. I have watched Days since I was 12 (just during summers) and started taping everyday when I was 15 ... you can do the math on how long I've been watching!

Well, recently they've gotten a new writer and it has gotten really good again, like back in the day. I love having Steve and Kayla back. Bo and Hope are together, Belle and Shawn are together ... love is in the air. I love it! They have even begun to redeem Chelsea. Who would have thought that was possible?

But what is up with Philip? I don't so much mind him being a bad guy, but let's make it believable. This man was limping from his amputation before he left for his second duty at war (like that would happen!), now he is throwing people around in brawls like he is Hercules. I would believe this if they mentioned some new advanced surgery (like his miraculous no-healing time face transplant) that was performed on his leg. But nobody even acknowledges the physical differences in him- besides how he looks. I know there are amazing prosthetic legs out there, but his was always giving him problems- until now!

The other thing I really don't like right now is Nick and Billie. Eww, eww, and double eww! I was really rooting for him and Chelsea and I hope this doesn't ruin that. I'll have to see what they do with it.

I think there is a pretty good balance of love stories and villains. It is just so well written and I love to watch. There is a website that I love to check for updates (Dustin's Day's of our Lives page) but I haven't found a good blog yet. So maybe I'll just make one.

Bunko

How much do I love Bunko?!!! I went to my first Bunko game last night and can I just say, "Wow, we had fun!" Who would think 12 Southern Baptist women could be so rowdy? Most of us had no clue what we were doing but we picked it up pretty quickly. Maybe the clueless factor made it more funny. Everytime someone rolled a "Bunko" (three 6s) they had to yell "Bunko" and put on a silly pink hat. We had a ball trying to get that hat. Sadly I never got a turn with it :( After an hour of dice rolling and sheer silliness, we totaled up our points and determined who had won the prizes for the night. I love my children, but I sure had fun getting out for a night with the girls for a change!

Aren't Daddies Fun?

I've already written about what a great husband I have, but did I mention that he's a great Daddy, too? This is Alex playing on the floor at my grandmother's house with our oldest daughter and one of our cousin's kids during Christmas. I think my nephew is in the pile, too! The kids had so much fun. They kept screaming for more even after Alex was just too pooped to go on! There's just a difference between a Mommy and a Daddy (thank goodness!). I certainly don't want to do that!

Alex sometimes asks me what women find attractive in men. That picture is what I love about my husband (see previous post also). I love a man who spends time with his kids! There's nothing sexier than that!

Wanna Know a Secret?

I love the Ellen Degeneres Show (I'm sure that's trademarked). That is not a secret. Last week she had 2 guests on with a book and a movie of the book (I believe they made the movie) and I just had to write about what I saw! The book was called The Secret (probably trademarked as well) and it is written by Rhonda Byrne. Ellen seemed to love the book and the movie ... she even gave them both to the audience. After listening to the 2 gentlemen, Bob Proctor and John Assaraf, explain what The Secret was I couldn't sit by without adding my 2 cents.

Granted I have not read the book, but I understand it to be about the secret to happiness in life. Mr. Proctor and Mr. Assaraf talked about how we attract negative energy when we focus on negative things in our mind. Basically, we should focus on positive things to live a more healthy life. That is a wonderful philosophy and I don't disagree with the writer's premise. My problem is that Mr. Proctor and Mr. Assaraf stated on the show (whether it is in the book or not I don't know) that we focus on death and the fear of death so we are always moving toward death. Here's the real secret... the Bible says "It is appointed unto man once to die and then the judgment." (Hebrews 9:27) No amount of positive thinking will change the day that God has preordained for our death and judgment. That doesn't mean that we should dwell on it, but we do have to deal with it!

They also talked about focusing energy on things that they wanted like houses and other material things. One of them wanted a house. He cut out a picture of a house and put it on a board (I can't remember what they called the board). Several years later he came back and looked at it and that was the exact house he had bought. It's not surprising to me if you liked the picture enough to cut it out that you would like it enough to go look at it! You might even like it enough to look at it twice and buy it. That's not a supernatural event resulting from the focusing of energies. David and Mary (the Kentucky team from the Amazing Race) were on The View a few weeks ago. They seem pretty humble people happy with what they have. They don't have much. They love their family and they were ecstactic with the things they saw on the race. When they went on The View they were given three trips, a new car, a new computer, and a new house to be built on their land. They weren't focusing their energy on any of those things. They were blessed. I believe God blesses us. Does he give us all mansions? No, and I am so thankful he doesn't. We might take for granted His blessing if gave us all the same things. He knows just what we need.

In a recent post, I wrote about some friends battling cancer. Would The Secret people tell them to focus their energies on positive things and they would be healed? That does not seem to be God's plan right now and as difficult as it is, we are much more comfortable placing our friend into the hands of the Almighty God than at the mercy of The Secret.

I have the best husband

Hopefully, everybody at some point at least likes the person they married. This week I read in my Bible study something that quite frankly is a little scary to me. It talked about how sins of one generation tend to be repeated by following generations. There are things in my ancestry that I don't want repeated in my marriage. As the title of this entry says, I have the best husband. I am a person who was raised with lots of self doubt and no self worth. My husband, Alex, has helped restore that. His patience with me is indescribable. Most men would not put up with the baggage he had to put up with when we got married.

So I'm left wondering what keeps going wrong in marriages today? Do people just forget that there was a time that they were so grateful to find someone like I have in Alex? For me, I pray that I never forget or never take for granted what a gift Alex is.

Questions for God

So I'm going through a Beth Moore Bible study right now titled The Patriarchs. In Genesis 18: 16-33 God talks to Abraham about what is going to happen to Sodom and Gomorrah. God tells Abraham that Sodom will be destroyed because of the sins of the people. Abraham reacts like I would and thinks, "What about the innocent people?" Here is what I have never thought about before this study, God allowed Abraham to have this conversation with him ... to voice these doubts about His plan. I've read this account tons of times and never thought twice about why it was in the Bible.

This summer, one of my precious 1st grade Sunday School students and preschool choir students (siblings) lost their father (he also has an older son) to a long battle with breast cancer. He was a wonderful Christian man. He was an encouragement to me everytime I encountered him. When he passed away in July I really didn't see how that could be God's plan. Surely his children and wife still need him?

Now, just 2 months later, I feel like I am facing very similar circumstances. One of my sister's closest friends Kenny was diagnosed with melanoma this year. I think he is 35. He is married with 2 kids (ages 7 and 6). The oldest boy is good friends with my nephew. The cancer has proven very aggressive and has not responded to treatments. It has moved into his liver and his spine and the doctor's are not giving him much hope right now.

Here is where I feel like Abraham. I know my God! I know what He can do! He can take every bit of cancer out of my sister friend. He could have done that for my friend this summer. He chose not to heal Troy this side of heaven and I don't understand why. Will he choose to heal Kenny? I've always felt so bad for questioning what God was doing. God invited Abraham into this conversation about Sodom and Gomorrah. I feel like He wants us to know Him. I don't want to continue questioning why these things happen, but I think it's OK that I want to know God's plan and want to know God's in control.

Hurricane Katrina

OK, so this opinion has been sitting with me for a while and I just have to get it out! It's been a year since the hurricane of 2005 and here is Brad Pitt in my People magazine comparing New Orleans to the devastation he has seen in Haiti and Ethiopia. What a travesty that we in America have not done more to save New Orleans so superhero Brad must come save the day (or whatever other celebrity you want to insert into the story). Well, here's my issue. Many people have sent tons of money (yes even our government) - enough money that New Orleans was able to throw a humongous party known as Mardi Gras six months months ago!!!! IMHO that shows horrific mismanagement of funds locally by the government.

I was expecting a huge turnover in that government when the elections were held so that this city could be rebuit into something they could be proud of. Instead, they reelected the same crooked politicians that have abandoned them for the past year. The same ones who told them to go to the convention center with hundreds of buses waiting around the corner yet didn't use them during the hurricane! These are the leaders you want New Orleans and yet you complain about the lifestyle you are left in when it is the one you chose.

I am saddened for those who are too young to do anything about the position they are in. They are being raised in a city that values gambling and partying over rebuilding homes and restoring water and electricity. How do we explain that to these precious children? Better yet, how do we make their lives better? The government can't do it by just sending money. They tried that early on and were taken advantage of. Now there is so much paperwork involved (and it appears to be necessary because of the number of people who stole money from the government early on) that it takes forever to get anything done. So truly the only way change is going to happen in New Orleans is person to person. That's why I think it hasn't happened yet ... too many people are waiting for the money to arrive and not the people. New Orleans need leaders to change the city and people ready to work. That's my opinion!

Private Prayer Languages

So my Sunday School teacher keeps bringing this up and even posted a comment that sent me to do a little research about this. Of course I have an opinion. Whether it's any good or not is irrelevant. It's mine! So Reverend Dwight McKissic speaks at the chapel service of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary last week and referred to the fact that he and others used a private prayer language. He knows that this is hot topic with the International Mission Board right now. Now SWBTS has pulled his sermon from the website. My first thought was that he was not saying something that was false, but the manner in which he delivered it was disrespectful. I feel like he was being insubordinate to those he was invited to speak under. Then I read the letter he posted to Dr. Paige Patterson. While maintaining his difference of opinion with Dr. Patterson, he submits to his leadership and agrees to have further sermons proofread for content. He points out why he believes his point was scripturally sound, but agrees to continue to support the seminary. I sincerely hope that the IMB and SWBTS can eventually embrace the Biblical view of private prayer languages, and I feel like the way he worded this letter could be much more effective than the sermon to the chapel students.

This is me!

I'm trying to figure out how to upload a picture of myself. This is me on a trip to Australia in February 2006. My husband was invited to speak at a conference and there was no way he was going without me! I have always loved animals and could not wait to see Australia's animals. I got to pet this koala even though he was sleeping. I also got to feed kangaroos and wallabies at this wildlife park! Best trip ever!

1st blog

This is my 1st attempt at blogging so I kind of want to see how to set up this page.

Chandra