Our Adventurous Life

10 months...I guess there have been a few things going on

2011-08-03T12:30:00.003-04:00

Let see...according to my calculations it has been almost 10 months since my last posting. What has happened in the last 10 months. Here is a highlight:

Thanksgiving with my parents here in NC

Christmas with us and my FIL in NC

Ky got her permit and has started driving - scary but exciting

Had a birthday - still in my 30's. Yeah me!

Ky had some medical issues that are still unsolved but better than what they were

AJ had many choral concerts in the spring - Christmas Concert, All County Choir, Spring Concert

Both girls finished school - Ky finished 10th grade, AJ finished 7th

Ky turned 16 in June - no drivers license yet

Mr A turned the big 4-0 in July

Went as chapparones to summer camp with the youth group. I guess you can call that a family vacation since all of us were there together. Definitely a blast and looking forward to it again.

Surived another youth lock-in. The best one I have been to by far!

Mr. A's sister is going to have a baby boy anytime now (#2 baby for her)

My sister is going to have a baby in December (#3 baby for her)

Mr. A has a part-time job that he is loving! Yeah God! Huge answer to prayer!

Dealt with disability issues for Mr. A most of the early spring. Have our answer and moving on!

Wow...that was a lot more than I thought there would be. 2011 so far has been a lot of growth and a lot of new things. There have been a lot of changes and challenges but we know OUR GOD is faithful! Not to say that it hasn't been frustrating but we know that we are ok.

Our next big adventure is school is getting ready to start! I can't believe I have a child who is a high school junior and another that is in her last year of middle school! Next year I will have both girls in high school. That is just down right crazy!

Is anyone still out there?

2011-08-03T12:26:00.002-04:00

Is anyone out there still checking to see if I'm alive? Well I am and I am trying to get back on the blogging bandwagon again. Hopefully you will see some new posts on this blog shortly. Until then, "HELLO TO ALL MY BLOGGING FRIENDS!"

Corn Maze Fun!

2010-10-25T12:41:00.000-04:00

Our youth group went to a pretty awesome corn maze for the afternoon. It was a hang out time for our students and staff which was a total blast. The weather was rather warm considering it is late in October. I would have personally liked it a few (10 or so) degrees cooler than what it was but all-in-all a great day.

The maze is huge! This is an aerial shot of the maze that we ran through! Crazy huh?! This is a link to what it was last year. The coole part of this farm is $1.00 of the proceeds goes to the WBCA/Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Kay Yow's face is in the maze. If you can't make it out it is at the top in the middle of the shot.

They split you into groups and give you a huge flag in case you get lost which was not the most encouraging thought as you are about to walk in. There was a huge scaffold tower in the middle of the maze where some of the staff would watch for people waving their flags in case they were lost. They give you a list of questions that help you make your way through the maze. The right answer gets you out quicker the wrong answer will make you lost. It took us about an hour to get through the maze completely!

The other items to do on this working farm is the corn cannon (guess where all the boys hung out), hayride and the cow train. The cow train was the biggest hit with our youth! It cracked me up to watch them go all over the farm with their hands raised above their heads like they were on a roller coaster. Ky said it went pretty fast and was actually a little scary at times when they were swerving around.

We had a blast! It was nice to get out and do something fall like even though the weather wasn't really fall like yet. I can't wait for the upcoming weeks as the holidays get closer. I love this time of year.

Sings my Soul Saturdays - Joyful Noise by Flame

2010-10-16T08:26:00.002-04:00

I am going to shake things up this Saturday. I grew up with rap and hip hop. They are still some of my favorite types of music. I definitely like thing with a beat and a deep bass line. I found this video one day while watching Christian videos on tv. I had been listening to the music going on about my day but this song made me stop in my tracks.

The word of God is spoken throughout this song. The chorus is filled with worship. It is amazing.

If you don't like rap I am asking that you give this a chance. God loves all types of music. It is the heart of the worshiper not the beat of the music that God listens to. I have placed the first video with the words in case you can't understand what they are saying. I have also added the actual music video below that under it so you can see what I saw.

I hope you enjoy!

A leader remembered

2010-10-15T12:50:00.001-04:00

I found out yesterday via Facebook that the leader from my first missions trip had passed away. Todd MacDonell and his wife Linda had been the leaders of the yellow team with Royal Servants for many years. The year I went, Linda was pregnant with their oldest daughter, Kelsie (the brunette in the picture). Time has flown by as I found out Kelsie was married recently. I can't believe it has been that long because at times it really doesn't feel like it.

Todd had been recently diagnosed with CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease). This disease has to do with a mutation in protein, and is a rare, progressively degenerative, brain disorder. Unfortunately, CJD is not treatable or curable. Todd had been given weeks to live.

While we hadn't talked in years the fact of the matter is he had a part in my life. He and Linda mentored a 14 year old girl who had never been away from home longer than a week, who was now thousands of miles away from home in numerous foreign countries for a whole summer. I will forever be grateful for the time, wisdom, leadership he gave me that summer. The summer I experienced has stayed with me my whole life. It has made me who I am today.

I find it ironic that I had looked at those photos of that trip with my daughter recently. She is decorating her room with pictures from all over the world. We enlarged some of them for her walls. The pictures brought back such vivid memories. Ky is actually considering a missions trip this summer. She has wanted to go on one for a long time but I have been a little leary. She is ready. If she had leaders like Todd and Linda, I just think it would be the best experience for her.

Thank you Todd for your example. You will be missed!

October Goals

2010-10-02T18:37:00.003-04:00

I cannot believe it is already October. It is fall and I am a happy girl. Gone are the hot, humid days of summer and back are the cool days of autumn.

I am setting a few more goal for October and some of the ones that may have not been totally accomplished in September. If you didn't remember what my goals were for September here you go:

September goals:

Hang and hem curtains in Ky's room - Completed
Choose paint and paint AJ's room
Refinish mirror and hang in house
Enlarge and frame pictures for Ky's room - Half way done still need frames
Start making hats for Fall Festival - have the paper bags none made
Prep and paint our bedroom
Choose paint color for master bath
Work on flower beds along fence line - completed
Sit down w/Mr A and discuss future landscaping projects - went to home show
Begin walking - either on treadmill or outside
Reducing my food portions
Drink more water - at least 64 ounces a day (not easy for me!)

So I got a few things off the list. Still plugging along. This is a learning process and one that I am getting excited about.

October Goals:
Sand and prep the night stands for guest bedroom
Choose paint and paint AJ's room
Refinish mirror and hang in house
Frame and hang Ky's pictures
Make hats and flowers for Fall Festival
Prep and paint our bedroom
Choose paint color for bath
Begin walking
Continue to reduce my food portions
Continue to increase my water consumption
Start Christmas shopping - yes we buy early

Well, that should keep me busy for awhile. Not a lot added but some of the projects from last month that weren't finished were big projects that have been on our radar for a while.

Any one else have some goals they would like to share?

Sings my soul Saturdays - Beautiful Things by Gungor

2010-10-02T18:21:00.001-04:00

Another awesome worship song this week. This is sung by Gungor. Our youth band has been singing it for the last couple of weeks and it is just so awesome!

I LOVE FALL!

2010-10-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

It's finally fall!

I never thought it would get here this year. This summer was the hottest I have seen in the 6 years of living here. On the first day of fall it was 96 degrees! How crazy is that?! But over the weekend we had rain and it seems to have pushed that hot air out and brought autumn in. I can't wait to unpack my long sleeves, sweaters, scarves and fleece!

I used to think I loved fall growing up in So. California. There was a change in the air (or so I thought), pumpkin patches would show up, trips to Julian for apples and cider...ah memories.

What I found out was that those "changes in season" weren't a true fall experience. Living in an area now that has actually has seasons I found out that I am absolutely in love with fall. There is a distinct change in the air that you can not only feel, but smell. I know weird but so true! The sky even seems to change. It makes things seem more crisp or pop out at you.

I love the vibrant colors of the changing of leaves. It is truly God's masterpiece on a living canvas of trees. I find myself longing for it every year now. It is truly breath taking. Reds, golds, oranges so vibrant that they seem to pop like fireworks of color.

Some of other things I love about fall are:

Football - this chick is a football girl. I have raised my girls to love football too. No college teams but we love our Chargers (even though they stink), Green Bay Packers (hubby's fam is from Wisconsin) and we occasionally watch the Carolina Panthers. There is nothing like coming home on Sunday afternoon eating lunch while watching some football.

Lipton's Green Tea Cranberry Pomegranate - It is like fall in a cup

Chili or soup and homemade biscuits - YUMMY. My new favorite soup is a Chicken and Dumplings soup made in the crockpot. Can we say more please!!

Apples - I love apples in the fall. We have found so many other varieties out here that we didn't know about before. The family's favorites are Suncrisp and Honey Crisp. They are a little tart like a Granny Smith but has a texture of a pear. They make the best apple crisps! http://www.pickyourown.org/apples.htm

Suncrisp
A hard tart, long keeping apple.
Red over orange color; Golden Delicious-type
Ripens late in the season
Best for: Baking, storing

Honeycrisp
Introduced in Minnesota
Very sweet and aromatic
Great for juice, as it is a very juicy apple
Best for: Eating, pies, baking
Mid season

As you can see I am going a little fall crazy right now. I am so ready for this change in seasons. I am so ready for the holidays, cooler weather and friends coming over. Are you in love with fall as much as me?

Blog Hop with me - Five Question Friday - 9/10/10

2010-09-10T07:00:00.001-04:00

Decided to try and do something a little light-hearted for a Friday and get to know some more people out there in our "blog world."

1. Do you feel guilty spending money on yourself?

Yes - We are on a uber tight budget right now. I have never been into clothes, shoes, bags, etc which helps me not spend a lot on me.

2. How well do you know your neighbors?

We use to be really close. When we first moved into our neighborhood six years ago, we were one of a few houses on our street (new development). As people moved in we all began hanging out and doing things together. Sadly, we have all gone into our normal routines again. If we see each other we will stop and talk but we don't hang out like we use to.

3. What age are you looking forward to being?

I guess I am looking forward to 40. That is the next big milestone (even though it is a few years off). My girls will be done with HS and moving on to college. It will begin a new chapter in our lives. I think that is something to look forward to.

4. Do you get excited when the mail comes? Why?

Yes - I have always loved getting mail and opening it. I don't know the real reason but it is fun. I just hate opening bills - they stink!

5. What is your earliest childhood memory?

I don't have specific memories more like flashes of certain things - hanging out at home with my family, going to the zoo, Knott's Berry Farm and Disneyland. Like I said just more like flashes of memories but nothing specific.

Come and blog hop with me!

Any other tech-dinosaurs out there?

2010-09-08T13:02:00.006-04:00

Sometimes I feel like the cool mom. Someone who knows her stuff. I feel I am up with current trends and latest buzz but when it comes to technology, I guess I am a dinosaur.

While my husband is the biggest computer geek around, I am not. Even while saying that, he does not own much of what he researches or works with when doing consulting work. We have our 2 Macs at home and a dying laptop that we lovingly call "the frisbee." We have older tvs none of which are flat screens. We both bounce around on Facebook. I obviously have a blog that I attempt to keep up to date. I just starting using Skype last month after much prompting by my parents -yes, my parents used Skype before me. How sad is that?!

I would love to be one of the ones on twitter telling people about my day or any little adventures I go on but I just don't have the technology nor the willingness to go out and buy it. My cell phone is used for phone calls and texting. I don't have mobile access due to the cost. We are on budgets and that just isn't in the budget at this time. It has a camera but it takes ok photos and the ones that I have taken are still in the same place they were when they were taken - on my phone.

I see all these posts on twitter, FB and blogs with all of these cute updates and massive amounts of pictures chronicling the day's events of my friends as I sit here in awe. Part of me wants to join in the fun too. There are so many times I wish I could post something right there in the moment of the event when all the emotions are still in play.

The other part of me knows I would become obsessed. Is that really what I want to do with my time?

For now, I am the techno-dinosaur. You can reach me by blog, email, text, phone or even by....wait for it - snail mail!

Sing My Soul Saturdays - Whisper His Name

2010-09-04T11:01:00.002-04:00

I absolutely love this song. It is by Deluge. We sang it last week in our Encounter (extended worship) service. I have been singing it all week. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

September Goals

2010-09-01T10:35:00.004-04:00

A friend of mine, Nancy Ray, has begun to rub off on me in a good way!

She is a goal setter. Every month on her blog she sets goals for herself for the month. While Mr. A has been away, I have been getting to small little projects and making list of new projects that I would like to attempt. So with that I decided to make my first set of goals for September. I am going to try my best to do all of them but I am not going to be disappointed if it doesn't happen.

September goals:

Hang and hem curtains in Ky's room
Choose paint and paint AJ's room
Refinish mirror and hang in house
Enlarge and frame pictures for Ky's room
Start making hats for Fall Festival
Prep and paint our bedroom
Choose paint color for master bath
Work on flower beds along fence line
Sit down w/Mr A and discuss future landscaping projects
Begin walking - either on treadmill or outside
Reducing my food portions
Drink more water - at least 64 ounces a day (not easy for me!)

I think those are a good start on goals. I think this will become a monthly thing like Nancy's. Look for more of these posts on the 1st of every month!

Thanks for the motivation Nancy!

I heart Skype!

2010-08-28T09:12:00.000-04:00

Ok...I know I am a little delayed when it comes to technology but I can't say enough about how much I love Skype.

The girls and I were able to "talk" with Mr A and my parents using Skype. Oh my goodness if you could have heard the girls yell "Daddy" when they saw him on the screen. Yes they are 15 and 12 but still screamed for their Dad. He has been in CA since the 13 of August and this is the longest he has been away! They were so happy to see him...so was I! :)

I love being able to see the family and see the house I grew up in the background. It was just cool. We talk on the phone every week but there is something about seeing the person that makes it that much more special.

We heart skype!

School has begun

2010-08-25T20:00:00.000-04:00

It's that time again! Time for the school supply lists and packing up all of those items in a book bag that cringes due to the amount of stuff getting crammed in it.

This year, Ky is a sophomore in high school. Where does the time go? It is crazy how fast time flies. She has a crazy semester again. 1) Honors Composition, 2) Honors Civics and Economics, 3) Spanish 1, and 4) Honors Algebra 2. She loves the pressure and is excited about the classes for the most part.

My only complaint so far - due to budget cuts she has 2 temporary contract teachers. One for Honors Comp and the other for Spanish 1. The sad thing is the Spanish 1 teacher doesn't even know Spanish. Seriously!!! How can you put someone in to teach Spanish who doesn't know Spanish. We are hoping that things will work out. They are hoping to have a permanent teacher in sometime in the next 3 weeks to 3 months. Thank goodness I have taken 3 years of Spanish and kept some of my old books. I am teaching her a lot more at home then she is getting so far in class. Ky says there is a boy in class who is helping the teacher with her pronunciation.

AJ is starting 7th grade. Her class load is pretty standard with the exception of her electives - chorus and band. She had chorus last year and absolutely loved it so that I am not worried about. The band on the other hand is a sore subject in our house. Ky took band in 6th and half of 7th grade. The teacher was the biggest jerk of all time! She stuck it out and we are proud of her for following through. We made a decision that AJ wouldn't take band due the issues we had previously.

However, when we saw her schedule band was there. Luckily the teacher has changed and this teacher seems very happy to teach and pretty enthusiastic which is a happy change from the previous teacher. The bad thing is due to our financial situation the rental of an instrument is some thing we really have to think about. Unfortunately there are no other classes for her to transfer into. This was her absolute last choice on her electives but all the other elective classes are completely full that they are forcing kids to take band and chorus because those are the two classes that still have room. We might just have to bit the bullet and get her an instrument for now and see what might open next semester.

The bonus for AJ is she only has 1 teacher that Ky had in middle school. I like that AJ has been able to have other teachers than what Ky had. That way there is no preconceived ideas about AJ or comparisons to Ky. They are both great students but their personalities and learning styles are so different to compare them would be an injustice to them both.

As they walked out of the house this morning my only regret was I didn't take picture for the first day. Mr. A has the camera in CA and I didn't feel like trying to find the girls cameras or take photos on my phone. I have a standard cell phone and the photos are pretty much junk!

No photos for their memory books but the memories will always remain in my mind and heart.

Exotic food weekend

2010-08-23T12:47:00.002-04:00

This weekend was a fun one with my girls. We chilled out since this was the last weekend before school started.

The weekend started on Friday night with Ky having band practice with the youth department. AJ and I headed to the grocery store to pick up some things to get through the next week. When we got back to pick her up, the group had decided to go out for ice cream after rehearsal. Talk about fun! We had fun coversations with friends, a nice evening and the best ice cream. I had Graham Station - Graham cracker ice cream with chunks of graham cracker and chocolate pieces. AJ had white turtle - vanilla ice cream, pecans, carmel with white and dark chocolate. I don't even remember what Ky had but it was good too! Update: Ky had Butter Pecan! My classic girl through and through!

Saturday night we decided to have Indian food. We found some naan and other Indian food items at Trader Joes. Let me say, it was so yummy! We ate our food while watching our favorite Bollywood movie - Bride and Predjudice. That was so much fun and something we will definitely do it again!

On Sunday, we decided to do sushi. Ky had been looking forward to this for awhile. AJ wasn't as excited until we told her she could have something else other than sushi. She settled on Sesame Chicken while Ky and I did a sushi plate special. It was the chef's choice of 5 pieces of negri. Luckily it was all stuff we had tried before and liked. We left stuffed and were so happy that we were able to do that as a special treat!

We had such a fun weekend eating our way through it. I can't wait to do some of these things again. I am so happy that my girls aren't picky for the most part and are willing to try new things. I am so thankful for their adventurous spirits with life!

Sings my soul Saturdays - Beautiful

2010-08-21T09:07:00.002-04:00

This song is by an amazing worship band called Unhindered. If you haven't found them, do so! You will be so blessed! They are just passionate about Our Savior and passionate about worshipping Him. Their latest album is BE. Definitely a must have! Hope you enjoy this song.

Another update on Jonah

2010-08-21T08:56:00.002-04:00

This is the best update of all!

Jonah is home resting comfortably in his own bed as of Friday, August 20th! The doctors were so pleased with his progress that they let him go home!

How awesome is that! A little over a week and a half after having a major surgery - a kidney transplant no less - and the sweet boy is now home with his family.

We serve an miraculous Savior! I am in awe of this whole situation.

Just had to come by and share the news. Thanks for all of your prayers.

Quick update on Jonah

2010-08-19T06:39:00.003-04:00

Look who is doing so much better!

He has been moved out of ICU. He is slowly gaining back his strength. Mr. A says that he is a hit with all of his nurses (he always has been a little flirt!)

He will be in the hospital a little while longer to monitor everything and get his parents trained on how to live with a child who has had a transplant. They have to be extremely careful with him for the next 3 months. No rough housing, jumping, falling, etc. All I have to say is good luck with a 2 year old!

Continue to pray that there is no rejection of his kidney and for wisdom and understanding for his parents as they learn all the new medications and procedures needed to help him in his new life.

On behalf of the family, we thank you so much for all of you who have been praying for this sweet boy! We love this kid so much and wish you could all meet him. He would have you a putty in his little hands within seconds.

Updates on Jonah

2010-08-17T08:26:00.002-04:00

Jonah is doing amazing! He is a living miracle. Mr. A got out to CA on Friday and they had started bringing him out of sedation. Mr. A was able to hang out and help the nurses which made him feel very useful already.

Saturday was a huge day - his breathing tube was removed. HOORRAAY! He is breathing on his own and was able to be out of sedation totally. Poor kid looked extremely confused as to what had happened but was doing remarkable.

By yesterday (Monday) he was already standing with assistance and playing with his toys. I know people say that kids bounce back quickly, but I know that everyones prayers have helped to. We serve an awesome, mighty Healer!

I haven't heard anything recently but it is just a matter of time before this precious boy is able to be back home with his family. I will keep everyone posted on the progress as I hear it.

Keep praying that there will not be any rejection of the kidney or complications.

Thank you for your prayers!

Pajama Day with the girls

2010-08-14T17:00:00.004-04:00

Have you ever had one of those days where you are just a total bum? We are having one of those days today. I asked the girls what they wanted to do and they wanted to chill. Not like they haven't been chilling all summer but I get it. Mr. A's away and it is just the three of us. We decided let's make it a chill day and be couch bums.

We caught up on a few shows, watched a couple of movies and just hung out under some blankets in our pjs. I love being able to just hang out with my girls. No crazy agendas, no big projects, just a chill time before school starts. I think we all needed this day to just be bums.

These are memories I will treasure. Just me and my girls hanging out, laughing and discuss movies, just being still and enjoying each others company.

Sings my Soul Saturdays - All in the Serve -

2010-08-14T16:54:00.004-04:00

I chose this video today because my girls and I watched the movie "Second Chances" and this is song is from the soundtrack. When KA heard the song in the credits stated that this is one of her favorite by Michael W. Smith. Personally I love this movie and if you haven't watched it, it is a must see.

The movie shows what is our family's heart cry. It is all about serving those around you. Being Jesus to those who don't know Him. Living our lives as daily sacrifices for him. This is why our family's blog is titled "Our Adventurous Life." We are choosing to live our lives as God's hands and feet to the world around us.

Enjoy the song that includes clips from the movie "Second Chances."

Prayer for Jonah

2010-08-10T06:45:00.003-04:00

This beautiful blue-eyed babe is my nephew Jonah, Mr. A's sister's son. This gorgeous kid has had a rough life. I blogged about his birth and what a roller coaster that was. Just after his 1st birthday, he was diagnosed with Denys-Drash Syndrome and which affects his kidneys. He had to have his kidneys removed in December 2009 so they would not start forming cancerous tumors, which is a side effect of Denys-Drash Syndrome.

We have been waiting for a match for him. The family got tested and his father was a match and began the process of getting everything done to get ready for donation. We finally had a date, August 18th for the transplant. Mr A booked his tickets to leave on the 13th to hang out with everyone prior to surgery and be there as both his nephew and brother-in-law go in for surgery.

HOWEVER….we serve a big GOD and yesterday morning, they received a phone call that a match had been found. Jonah had been on a donor list since his kidneys were removed but nothing had ever come up which is why his father was going to do it. Some one had passed away and was a match for Jonah. Then began the mass scramble of things.

WELL…he has his new kidney. Surgery went well. Doctors could not be more pleased with how well it went. I cannot say how happy I am for this family. They have been through some roller coaster events this last year so this was so worth it all.

Now we need to pray for a speedy recovery! He will be sedated for 2-3 days while his little body begins to heal. Then it is a matter of time to get him home. Mr. A is still heading out as planned and going to hang out and do whatever he can.

Please continue to pray for the Loader family, Jonah, Dwayne and Katherine. Pray for financial peace, healing and no rejection of the kidneys. Please pray for the family who lost their family member so Jonah could have life. What a selfless gift in a horrible time. I cannot say thank you enough to this family.

Mountain top experience vs our valleys

2010-08-08T08:24:00.003-04:00

I heard this on the radio recently and it struck me in the heart. I have never heard it explained this way but it something my heart has been clinging to.

We all long for those mountain top experiences. You know the ones like where you go to camp and you "meet" God. You have such a peace, a fire, a renewal. You are so "high" on God that you are on the top of the world (or top of a mountain).

Then there are the times were you don't know what is going on. Things just aren't working, God seems distant, life just keeps coming at you and you grow weary. We "Christians" call this "our valley". We long for our mountain top when we are in our valleys times.

But if we stop and look around at the top of the mountain, there is nothing growing. At times there is nothing there but snow. No trees, plants, just rocks. If you look around, it is pretty bare compared to the valleys. The valleys are full of growth - trees, flowers, grass are all in bloom. Life is growing in the valleys.

It is in "our valleys" where we grow. God is pruning, seeding, growing our faith and belief during these times. We cannot grow on the mountain top. It is a moment in time to meet Him.

But it is in the valleys where we grow! Our faith becomes in bloom. The roots of our faith can grow deeper into the rich soil of these times.

While we may long for the top of the mountain, let's not forget the beauty of God in the valley!

Being at peace with where God has me

2010-08-08T07:37:00.005-04:00

As I sit here and write, one of my best friends is making her self comfortable "at home" in CA. This is the third of my friends who have moved back to California in the last year. There were a lot of us who made a mass exodus from California about 6 years ago or shortly there before. Many of us were called to by God to move to other areas. Others moved for economic reasons. California is just so darn expense to live in. I had heard that growing up but it isn't until you leave and live somewhere else that you see just how expensive it really is.

As I talked to her while they were driving cross country it kind of made me home sick. She was talking about some of the places she wanted to take her kids and have them experience. Places we hung out and have memories of. Another of my friends who moved back within the last year was posting pictures on her blog of their stay-cation. They were just hanging out and being tourist in our hometown. I found myself longing to do that with my girls. Wanting my girls to experience some of the places, things and sights that my husband and I experienced growing up.

I guess it's not helping that right now I am in a funk. Things aren't bad, there is just a lot of stuff going on financially, spiritually and emotionally that sometimes you want to go back to what you know, what you are comfortable with. I will admit there have been times I have longed to go back to CA. Most of those times are when I am missing family or when an event is happening and I know there is no possible way to be there.

The grass is always greenier on the other side. The logical and practical side of me knows that nothing would really change or be better if we moved home. Same problems, prettier location to have them in. We would have family close and that is always a bonus. But when it comes to friends, I was the first in my group of friends to have kids. All of the girlfriends I mentioned have young kids. Kids that are infants or that have barely started elementary school while my kids are in high school and middle school. It's not like we wouldn't have things to discuss because we do, it is just we are in different phases in our lives.

So I just have to be thankful for where God has placed me. I can't be moving forward if I am constantly looking back. God has brought us to this place for a reason. There are times we scratch our head and wonder because we haven't seen "it" - the reason for coming. God has shown us little things along the way to confirm that this is where He wants us for now. Until God shows or provides another way, home is here. Home is where my God and my family are.

Love of musicals

2010-08-07T18:45:00.007-04:00

Ok...one of the blogs I follow is a friend of mine, Nancy Ray Photography. Recently she posted that she is in love with the classics. I couldn't agree with that more. She was absolutely made for another time where women wore tailored suits, white gloves and beautiful hats. She has a sophistocated grace about her. Classic, elegant and beautiful. I love that woman!

She got me thinking. I love, love, love the fashion of the 1940's. There is something so beautiful to me about that decade. I know we had a war going on and things were bad but there was something so beautiful how people came together to help each other. People became creative, inventative and resourceful with what they had. Maybe I have watched too many hours of old war movies.

I too love another era - the era where musicals reigned supreme. I could watch some of these musicals over and over. I absolutely love Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. I also love Showboat, Kiss Me Kate, State Fair, Oklahoma and so many others. Every Christmas season we have White Christmas playing while we put up our Christmas tree. There is something about a classic musical - the outfits are to die for, the men are handsome, the women are beautiful and built like "normal" women of all shapes and sizes and the added bonus the songs are songs that you will find your self humming days after you have watched.

The best part is my girls now have a love for musicals. They love these classics as I do but have started expanding into modern day versions of musicals. Their new love - Bollywood musicals.

As cheesy as they can be, we find ourselves trying to sing along. The best thing about most Bollywood movies is they are extremely clean by today's standards. There is not a lot of language or sex. For the most part it reminds me of some of the classic musicals from yesterday. I love that this is something we can all share together. I love that the girls can watch something and for the most part not have to worry about the content.

If you haven't watched any musicals or any Bollywood musicals, give them a try.

Sing My Soul Saturday - If We've Ever Needed You

2010-08-07T18:21:00.003-04:00

This song is amazing and so true for today! I have it playing on my MP3 all the time.

How much more?!

2010-08-06T12:48:00.003-04:00

Back in January, I blogged about My One Word. I mentioned that my word for 2010 was trust. I knew that word was going to mean stretching beyond my comfort level but I am to the point of "How much more?"

I know a woman who when asked how she is doing will reply everytime "Blessed. Blessed. I am blessed." Sometimes I want to just say "Really?! How is that possible? You can't feel blessed all the time. How do you really feel?" I say this all because right now I don't feel blessed. I feel scared. I am angry. I am confused. I am so done with it all.

I mean I know I am blessed - I have my health, my family, a job, a house...I am blessed. Just sometimes when you are faced with bills, appointments, uncertainity...you really don't feel blessed.

I know it is more of a mental thing. I need to believe that things will be better than they are right now. I need to get it into the marrow of my bones so it becomes a part of my being.

I am blessed.
I am loved.
I am His.
I can trust Him.

More milestones - Drivers Ed

2010-08-02T13:01:00.001-04:00

To even think that I have a child who is old enough to get her drivers permit is scary! But the truth is smacking me in the face today as my oldest, Ky, is heading to her first day of driver's ed. Luckily for her the classroom portion will be over by the end of the week. Then comes the best part for her and the true test of patience on our end - behind the wheel training.

I let her try and move my car once from one side of an empty parking lot to the other side with me in the car. I thought "how bad can this really be?!" Good gravy, she freaked me out! I told her to slowly put her foot on the gas. I don't know what she heard but it was like Dale Earnhart took over her body. She floored it and took off. All I could see was a telephone pole heading closer to my side of the vehicle. I screamed, "Take your foot off the gas!" After that she was only allowed to steer the vehicle from place to place. Yes, it may have taken us 5 minutes to get from one side of the parking lot to the other but at least I wasn't worried about my life.

Luckily for us, the school will give her behind the wheel training at some point in the next few months. Unfortunately her drivers ed teacher is also the HS football coach. With football season just around the corner, his time is extremely limited to do behind the wheel training. It could be November before she actually has time in the car with the instructor. I guess that means at some point we will take her out and let her get more familiar with everything. There is no reason to have her freaked out with an instructor yelling at her. At least she is used to us yelling!

A Child's Milestone - Sushi??

2010-07-26T21:21:00.004-04:00

Ky has always wanted to try sushi. I am not opposed to it, I just don't know a lot about it. We do the basic - california roll and crunchy roll, but other than that I didn't want to waste my money on something we just wouldn't like. On one of the last days that the family was here, my sister and I took the girls out for sushi for girl time.

It was nice to have my sister, who eats sushi often, to order for us. She gave some suggestions and let Ky really take the lead. AJ was not interested at all. We ordered a couple of rolls that we knew she would like and a bowl of wonton soup but after that we ordered for the rest of us. We tried yellow tail, red snapper, octopus, scallop and a few different rolls with eel, etc.

The verdict - Ky has decided she loves sushi! I have decided I like it a lot. Some of it is mind over matter, but all-in-all I really enjoyed it. AJ has decided she wants her fish cooked if she eats fish at all! We will definitely have to go back and do it again now that we know basics to order.

Are there any other suggestions for sushi beginners?!

Family vacation 2010 - Myrtle Beach, SC

2010-07-20T20:45:00.002-04:00

My whole family came out for vacation this summer. We were celebrating my mom's 60th birthday (May) and my parent's 40th wedding anniversary (July 11th). Originally we had wanted to go on a cruise but with the economy we had to downsize our trip. It actually worked out really well because my family was able to come out to and spend some time with us at our home both before and after the trip to Myrtle Beach.

We had many competitions on the Wii with the family, lots of people in and out of the kitchen, many games of cards and lots of laughter. My sister, parents and I have this thing about laughter. When we have been up too long or confined too long (car rides, etc) we tend to get a little giddy and you have no idea where things are going to go. We have almost been asked to leave restaurants due to our laughter and commotion once we get going. The best part is our husbands have learned to join in the fun. In fact sometimes they make it worse!

We all headed down to Myrtle Beach during the 4th of July weekend. Talk about a mad house. That place is totally crazy during the holiday weekend. It was wall to wall people. Luckily things thinned out once Tuesday rolled around. Mr. A and I had a condo on the 18th floor right on the beach. Talk about amazing views. The best part was the best place to connect to the Internet was on the balcony. That became my favorite place to hang out. I could breathe in the salty air, look at the amazing creation God made and take sometime for myself. It was wonderful.

There was two downsides to the trip - we were all spread out from each other and the weather. Unfortunately we weren't able to be at the same location. My sister and her family were located in N. Myrtle, my parent's were located in Surfside Beach and we were on the southern end of Myrtle Beach proper. We did a lot of driving to see each other but it was well worth the time and effort.

Then there was the weather. Talk about hot! To make it worse, my poor family who is use to So. California weather about melted. They were not use to the heat and humidity. I do have to admit it was even hot for me and I am pretty use to this weather. It was so hot the one day we decided to play at the beach we about died. My poor nephew about burnt the bottom of his little feet because the sand was just so hot! Thank goodness my parents went out and bought umbrellas for us. It would have been absolutely miserable without them.

All in all we had a fabulous vacation. Hours at the lazy river, mini-golf at Mt. Alanticus, fireworks at Barefoot Landing and the best of all hanging out with family. I can't believe how fast the time went. I can't wait until our next family vacation - whenever that may be.

Happy Birthday, Mr. A

2010-07-19T13:37:00.000-04:00

Just a quick Happy Birthday wish to one of the best guys around. So thankful that God blessed me with you!

Then Sings my Soul Saturdays - Hillsong - More to See

2010-07-17T08:54:00.000-04:00

It has been forever since I did one of these but I am back. This song has been my anthem recently. There is so much more to see if I take my eyes off my situation or my persepective and put them on His.

Family photos 2010

2010-07-16T20:32:00.007-04:00

My family came out for a celebration/get-together. When we got the family together it only made since for us to do family pictures. We went to a park really close to our house that has some old farm buildings and great grass areas where we could take photos. My family always does the color coordinated thing when it comes to our pictures. This year we went for jewel tones. I must admit the colors really pop. I love my family.

She's like 15 now

2010-06-21T13:00:00.002-04:00

Ok...that was an attempt on my valley girl talk of yesteryear!

My oldest, Ky, just turned 15. When asking what she wanted to do for her birthday she began a list of paintball, airsoft, etc. Things that were just not feasible this year for us to plan and to be totally honest not on my list of fun, but it is not about me.When we realized that none of the previous options were available we began to plan for a party at home with a theme. We began going through various themes when it came to the 80's. As soon as it was suggested, we began to run with it. So many things that were available back then are back in style now. Crazy how fast that cycle happens! We decided the 80's theme would be a perfect idea for her party!

Let me tell you the party rocked! We had so much fun. We did 80's trivia, karaoke and best of all everyone dressed up. We had such a blast! We even set up a sheet that we had splattered paint on and called it a photo op area! I don't think I have laughed like I did that night in a while. It was a perfect event made even better by all those who came. Ky said if she could do it again she would keep the same people who came because they made the night.

I can't believe I am a mom of a 15 year old! However if I could be a mom to any 15 year old in the world, I would have it be her. She is amazing! I love her to bunches and am so proud of her. I can't wait to see what she is going to do in the future. I know it is going to be amazing because....
"Her future is so bright, she's gotta wear shades!"

Memorial weekend was memorable

2010-05-30T16:17:00.000-04:00

I am trying to catch up on things with my blog so my apologies to the mass attack of posts to come!

This Sunday was a huge day for our girls and their walk with Christ. Both of my girls were water baptized on Memorial Sunday. Some may wonder why they weren't baptized before this. My answer to this is I wanted the decision to be theirs and I wanted them to have an understanding on why this is so significant to them personally.

The girls have always expressed an interest when they saw those in the church being baptized. For me I know it was the thrill of the moment because it was never mentioned again until the next baptism. However, Ky has really grown in her walk recently and has really been looking for Christ on a deeper level. She had been praying about it and felt like God had been telling her to be baptized. Once she explained this to me and said that she didn't care if her sister was baptized on the same day as her because this was between her and God, I knew that she was ready. Also anytime she doesn't care if her younger sister does the same thing as her, I know her motives are true (coming from a mom of two girls who can't do things the same way or same time if at all possible).

AJ has been hounding me for months about being baptized. I knew in my heart that her desire to be baptized was pure. She has a heart for worship like none other that I know. She wants to honor Christ in everything she does.

The special part of the baptism was Mr. A and myself were able to stand right next to the baptismal and witness it closely. Mr. A was given the option of baptizing the girls himself but declined due to his back. This was the next best thing! I loved being right there with my girls as they made this personal step in their walks of faith.

We celebrated with a fun lunch with friends who adore our girls and were as proud of their decisions as we were! What a great way to celebrate this momentous occasion in their lives.

Ky and AJ, I am so proud of the "women" of God that you are becoming. I pray that you will never know a day without Christ by your sides. We all make decisions that change our lives and the decision you made to be baptized was one of those decisions. Dad and I could not be more proud of you both!

To my best friend

2010-05-27T12:26:00.002-04:00

My best friend without a doubt would have to be my husband. Today we celebrate another milestone in our marriage - 15 years! We have had an amazing adventure together as husband and wife. I couldn't imagine doing life with anyone else.
Even from the engagement things have been a little different. Me being the girlie girl I am (yeah right) gave him a hard time from the word go. He made me dress up for our dinner out - requirements were a dress and heels. This did not make me excited at all. I had just gotten off work, changed and then we headed to the beach. This added fuel to the fire! I was starving and I did not want to go walking around in heels on the beach or cove. When he parked the car I told him I was not walking all over the place. This made him change his plan. We started walking for the cove and I told him I was not moving another step - we could see the seals from where we were. Poor guy wanted to go to the benches overlooking the cove so I could sit down and he could get on his knee and propose but I was not going to move another inch.

We began talking and he looked at me and said "Will you marry me?" My response "Yeah, yeah." I thought we were just talking about the future. I hadn't really caught on to what was going on. I was expecting an engagement but not for at least another 6 months to a year away. Mr. A had always made it a point not to actually ask me to marry him even while joking because he wanted those words to be special when he said them. Of course he had just said them and I blew it off. We began talking again and he asked again, "Will you marry me?" I said, "Yeah," still not quite catching on.

Finally he pulled out the ring and said "Do you want to wear this now?" My reaction, "You were serious?!" He replied, "I can put it back." Obviously he didn't and we went on to get married 14 months later.

So as you can see the poor guy has had to put up with a lot in the 17 years together and 15 years of marriage. However, I wouldn't change a thing. It is us and good or bad, we will always do it together.

Love ya babe!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Jonah

2010-05-06T11:09:00.002-04:00

Happy 2nd birthday to the cutest little miracle around!

This baby has been through so much in his first 2 years of life! He was born 6 weeks premature. He has a syndrome called Denys-Drash that he was diagnosed with almost a year ago. Unfortunately with this syndrome he can get a cancer of the kidneys called Wilms Tumor so as a precaution the doctors removed both of his kidneys in Decemeber 2009. He is now waiting for a kidney transplant. His father, my brother-in-law, looks like he is the best canidadate unless another kidney comes in. They are hoping to have his transplant in the next few months.
Despite all this he has been through, he is a happy kid! He is always on the go. I have to laugh when I talk to my sister-in-law. Most of the time I hear, "Jonah, don't climb on that. Jonah, put that down." He is a typical 2 year old and I am so happy about that.
I was able to have breakfast with them when I was out there in March. He the the king of cheese! His smile is infectious. My sister-in-law says the nurses adore him. They let him get away with murder because of his personality.

They are having a party for him this Saturday and it is a medical theme. "Dr. Jonah" is in charge. The colors are green which is the color ribbon you would use to promote kidney health. I am so proud of his parents. They have been through the ringer and have come through stronger. We weren't sure how they were going to do when the original diagnosis came in but they are handling everything like champs. They have their moments, but Jonah is their priority!

Just want to say we love you little man! We wish we could be there to help you celebrate!

Festival of Hope

2010-05-02T10:16:00.001-04:00

Well, we survived another year!

Even though it sounds like I am at my wits end, this honestly is the one of the highlights of my year! I love this weekend. While the weeks/months of prep are exhausting, the event itself is so exciting. I am always shocked and humbled when they want us to bring the hat booth back.

For those who haven't checked out my blog before, the Festival of Hope is put on my our local Rescue Mission as a thank you to the community and to bring more attention to what services the Rescue Mission does on a daily basis. Our local mission rocks. They have a on-site medical program, day care and many more services besides just being a shelter. They have the most loving people who work there. I love this organization more than I can say.

This festival is totally free. Local churches, organizations and loving people donate their time and supplies to this event so the people of the rescue mission can attend and not have to worry about trying to pay. This year was the biggest and best by far. When I started attending this event 4 years ago, attendance was closer to a few hundred people. This year, they estimated that attendance was 3,000-4,000 people. Amazing is all I can say.

A little background on our booth - we make hats out of grocery paper bags. We crush them up, pop them back out, roll the brim and then spray paint them. The people who attend the festival then get to decorate them however they would like. We have stickers, ribbon, foam pieces - basically anything you can stick on a hat can be used. Our first year we made 100 hats and ran out with about an hour left for the event. This year we made 500 and had a few left over.

Every year we are amazed at the response. People love these hats. We love seeing the tough guys who wouldn't be caught dead wearing something like this, take such pride in decorating the hat then wearing it for the rest of the day.

My favorite moment was on the way home. We had just loaded up the car with a bunch of girls who had come to help and Ky was in the front with me. Due to the street still being closed as they were cleaning up, we had to go out and around. We passed by a park where many homeless are known to stay. We were stopped at the light and I looked into the park and spotted him. This gentleman, who was obviously down on his luck with his possessions next to him, sitting on the edge of a plant bed holding a pink balloon and wearing one of our hats. I tapped Ky and told her to look in the park. She began to scan the crowd and I saw her eyes light up and began to tear. She had spotted him.

She looked at me and said, "He is why we do this mom. This is the reason. This makes it all worth it!"

With tears in my eyes and my throat unable to produce any sound, I shook my head in agreement. Like the first little girl I made a hat for 4 years ago whose face and smile has been burned into my heart and mind, this moment made me remember what all the hours of prep work had been for.

He is the reason. God made him. We need to love him and show him Christ through our respect, love and a hat made of paper and spray paint!

Sanna Haynes

2010-04-23T12:30:00.002-04:00

Ok...I just have to give her a shout out! I think she is going to go so far. Remember this lovey's name - Sanna Haynes.

My family and I had the privilege of meeting her and her husband at our 1st church out here in NC. They were dating at the time. They are the most down to earth couple and are just as genuine as can be. They helped out with some of our church productions, both acting and technically. Mr. A loved working with them because they were willing to help out with big or little and also had a heart to learn. The girls and I had the privilege of attending their wedding in 2006 which was beautiful. It was one of the most memorable weddings I have been to and I have been to a few. We knew they were heading to school after their wedding for theater and film. They started in VA then ended up in CA which is awesome because it is my home state and they were heading to a school I was familiar with.

Anyway, recently she ended up modeling at LA's Fashion Week. She was absolutely gorgeous. She is a beautiful girl, but the best part is I know she is that gorgeous on the inside too!

Like I said, remember her name. God is going to bless her and "M" in so many ways through the arts and film industry. I can't wait to see what is going to happen next.

Love you Sanna and "M"!

I couldn't have said it better

2010-04-20T08:35:00.004-04:00

One of my high school friends and blogging buddies, Beloved Mama, recently wrote something that I feel everyone should check out. I couldn't have said it any better!

http://belovedmama.blogspot.com/2010/04/am-i-gulp-environmentalist.html

Top 10 things to know about me

2010-03-25T20:00:00.001-04:00

I saw this done on another website and had to admit that I loved the idea.

#10 - My favorite color is lime green.

I don't really know why necessarily, but I really do like it. I especially like it when it is paired with other colors that make it pop - black, pink, blue.#9 - I am a beach bum at heart.

Blame it on my upbringing, but I love the sounds, smells and the general feeling of being at the beach. I love just walking around on a day when too much has gone on listening to the sounds. It is "home" to me.

#8 - I love flowers.

I love peonies, tulips, hydrangeas, lilies....flowers!

#7 - I love photography.

I grew up with a shutterbug father. We were always in pictures, taking pictures or looking at pictures. I prefer photography to other art pieces. Give me a good black and white by Ansel Adams and I am a happy girl!

#6 - My favorite stores are Ikea and Crate and Barrel. I could move in and take up residence at both stores. I use to say I was never a contemporary modern type but these two stores tell me different.

#5 - Relaxing to me sitting on the couch with a good movie. Love a good chick flick or musical!

#4 - I love 80's music. Enough said!

#3 - I love genealogy.

I have always been interested in it, but with Ancestry.com, I have become a junkie. It is so cool to see and learn about other family members.

#2 - I love my family.

My husband is truly my best friend. My girls are a total blast most days (come on, we all have those other days!).

I have an incredible immediate family and awesome in-laws. I love all my nephews and have a blast when I get to hang out with them. I am extremely blessed.

#1 - I love my Jesus.

He loves me even though I don't deserve it at all.

Friends are truly friends forever

2010-03-13T08:49:00.001-05:00

I was blessed by my parents and my sister with an early birthday present - a trip to CA to hang out with my friends. We were having a reunion of the people who attended the youth group from the 80's and 90's. I didn't think I would be able to attend since I am 3000 miles away, but my family knew it was something I would love.

It was an awesome weekend. I was able to hang out with my sister and her family for the first and last night of my long weekend in Orange County. Being around my nephews during my visit was heaven. I had always dreamed that I would be an active part of my sister's childrens lives, like she was with my girls, whenever she and her husband decided to have kids. Little did I know that God had other plans for our lives which included moving us clear across the country while my sister was pregnant with my 1st nephew. Auntie T was now a person of phone calls, pictures and gifts from afar. I cherished hearing those little giggles and constant questions of "why" and "Auntie, guess what?!" during my stay. Though I will admit it has been awhile since I have been in a household with an 19 month old and 5 year old. They can be exhausting, but I loved it!

Friday we drove down to San Diego to hang out with my parents and attend the reunion which was on Saturday. I had so much fun seeing friends who shared those awkward moments in life called the teenage years with me. We laughed at memories of trips taken, cried for friends we lost both then and now and were in awe of where God has brought all of us.

During the time of hanging out, we had a video playing on the screens from a youth musical we did in my junior year called "Friends Forever," which is based on Michael W. Smith's song "Friends Forever." We did the musical shortly after we lost 4 girls within a 1 year span of time. The musical was fun and a much needed part of our healing process. That musical seem to express what we were truly feeling for each other at that time. We were going to be friends forever. Better yet, we became family.

I have seen many youth groups since and no one has ever seemed to have the geniune love and compassion for each other like we have for all of each other. We are now scattered throughout the US and world but we honestly care about each of our friends and want to keep in touch with them. We pray for each other across the miles, send notes of encouragement or congratulations for each life change and make an effort to keep in touch with one another in a world that seems to be losing the art of personal contact.

One of our friends who spoke at the reunion stated it the best. He referred to the closing line of a note that one of the leaders had written to him in high school that ended with FAFFITLTLOT. Friends are friends forever, if the Lord's the Lord of them. I agree...if God is in the center, anything is possible.

No matter how many years

No matter how many miles

WE ARE FRIENDS (FAMILY) FOREVER!

Confession

2010-02-24T20:19:00.004-05:00

OK...I have a confession to make. It's a good thing no one really follows this blog because this could be rather embarrassing.

I am 30+ years old and I love the HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL movies!

Yes, I said it! I love the High School Musical movies - 1, 2 and 3. I finally came to this conclusion after my husband and girls left for church and I was still watching the movie "High School Musical 3". I even went back and watched a couple more songs again. As a person who has done choreography for students in musicals I love all the dancing in the third movie! I think the chemistry both on and off the screen between Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens makes the scenes even more special. Yes, I really love these movies!

I don't know what it is about these movies that is so fun, but they really are fun. I think right now the third installment is my favorite. There is just something about that senior year in high school and all the emotions going on that all the songs seem to be hitting a cord with my soul. Wow...that is a pretty profound and deep thought for a tween movie!

I guess I am getting sentimental due to the fact that I am heading "home" to have a mini reunion with friends from my high school years. I love these people tons! They made me who I am today.

While there are times I dreaded high school and all that went along with it, I do remember helping my girlfriends get ready for proms, dances, dates, etc. Those are the memories I treasure. The laughter about nothing. The anxiety about the evening. The fears of how the night will go. I want my girls to experience those times with their friends. I can't wait to watch from the "wings" while my girls make on their own "scenes of life."
Well now that it's out in the open all I can say is: "Anyone want to come over and have a High School Musical marathon?!"

Help my friends

2010-02-23T20:36:00.001-05:00

I just want to post this for my friends, Travis and Beckie Kiker. They are the most special people who have a heart for everyone! They especially have a passion for adoption. They were blessed with their 17 month old daughter Nevaeh through adoption. However, God has dropped another blessing in their laps and they need help. God opened the door for them to adopt a baby boy who is due anytime now. It happened so quickly it can only be a God thing!

However, adoptions cost money. They had not planned to adopt this quickly and are in need of funds in order to receive this special blessing God has offered them.

If you would please take a look at this website and if you can help out in anyway, we would all be extremely grateful!

http://www.kikeradoption.com/

My One Word

2010-01-28T12:31:00.002-05:00

I have been hearing about "My One Word" for the last week on KLOVE as I drive to work in the morning. Basically the concept is you choose one word that you want express what you want God to do for you and through you in the new year.

The DJ's words were dream and present. I had been praying for God to show me what I should do this year as my word. What did God want to show me this year? What did God want me to learn this year? The word came to me pretty quickly and was confirmed by the song that played after God revealed my word and the scripture verses that came with that.

MY ONE WORD FOR 2010: TRUST

While I was hoping for a more creative word or something totally different from the norm, the more that the day went on, this word was exactly what I needed. Trust ... that is a hard concept sometimes to learn which is probably why God has chosen this word to signify what 2010 is going to be for me. Trusting others, trusting God, trusting myself...all things that God will be showing me.

I have to admit I am a little scared at this endeavor. Trust...what is God going to bring for me that I have to trust totally on Him? After all the stuff that happened in 2009, I thought my trust in Christ was pretty strong. Who knows? God knows and all I have to do is trust that He will not give me more than I can handle.

The scriptures God gave me on that day are found in Matthew 6:25-34 which speaks about not worrying about where our "things" come from. We are to trust in Him because He is the one who takes care of us. The song is Lincoln Brewsters "Today is the Day." I have attached the video for you to hear the song. This was just such confirmation to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B300gQkgDS0

So, what is God saying to you? What is your word? I would love to know so I can be praying for you this year as God reveals Himself in a way that you may have never seen before.

I will TRUST in HIM.

2009 Year in Review

2010-01-01T15:04:00.001-05:00

Well...2009 has truly come and gone. I can't say that I wasn't happy to see it leave. Don't get me wrong, we had some great times in 2009, but there were lots of changes.

Here are some of the highlights/changes that happened

January - Mr. A out on sick leave as doctors are trying to figure out what is going on with his hips and back. Months of injections, scans, x-rays, PT still ultimately lead up to surgery (see December for more details)

May - Mr. A and I celebrate 14 years of marriage. Still love the guy as much as I did when we started dating if not more.

June - Ky graduated from 8th grade. AJ graduated from 5th. Both are moving into new adventures in their academics while mom and dad struggle to figure out how we got here. Went on a vacation to San Diego to visit with family. Able to meet both "new" additions to the family, nephews E and J. Had a great time eating at our favorite dives while doing things such as the fair, going to Julian and the beach.

July/August/September - Get some disturbing news about nephew J. Has a genetic disorder called Denys-Drash syndrome . Wishing we could be closer to help the family as we all learn to deal with the new reality. Many surgeries to come but always hopeful. God is in control

August - Our new reality hits - Ky is in high school and AJ is in middle school. Where did the time go?! Ky's schedule as a freshman in high school looks like something I had while in college. AJ having to set her own path not to live in Ky's shadow. Luckily she doesn't have any of the same teachers until second semester so she will get to prove herself on her own.

September - Thanks to FIL, we are able to get away for a couple of days over the Labor Day weekend. Headed to Asheville and bummed around the area for a few days. We were able to do some gem panning/mining which we love and found some awesome stones including rubies. Still didn't make it to Biltmore - cost too much for this budget group -but it is still on our list to do one of these days!

November - Had a quiet Thanksgiving with the four of us plus Mr. A's dad. We went and watched Blindside in the morning then headed back for our small feast. We were thankful for all the blessings God gave us especially the ones sitting around the table.

December - Hit like a ton of bricks. Just the season alone is enough to drive some people clinically insane, but we had even more to add to this season. Our nephew J had his kidneys removed on December 1st. This is done to ensure that he won't get cancer in his kidneys (a side effect of his condition) A week before that we found out Mr. A's mom lost her job. She had worked at this place for a long time. She was a very loyal and devoted employee. As of today she is still looking for a job.

Ky and the band from the youth group were a part of the Battle of the Bands in honor of a student who was undergoing a bone marrow transplant to help with Sickle Cell. The band placed 2nd and Ky's confidence went through the roof. She is a singer while the rest of the guys play instruments and some sing too.

AJ turned 12 the same weekend this Battle of the Bands and the church Christmas production were happening. Talk about crazy...but wait...that Monday, December 14th Mr. A headed into the hospital for spinal surgery.

After months of back and forth with doctors, almost an entire year out of a job on short and long term disability, the doctors decided that the original fusion that happened in 2003 needed to be repaired. Surgery lasted about 3 hours and he was in the hospital for 4 days. We are so thankful for our church family who provided meals, visited Mr. A in the hospital and called to check up on me. We are truly thankful for Celebration Family Church. They rock!

While Mr. A was in the hospital, Mr. A's dad was rushed to the VA hospital on the other side of town with mysterious symptoms. At this point, I just wanted my parents there. Luckily they arrived on the 19th and stayed until the 26th. We didn't do much as Mr. A was still recovering but I was so glad to have someone else there to help take some of the pressure off of me.

Christmas was quiet and small but sweet. My family around me was enough. We had made it through some trials in 2009 but to have my family safe, secure and a little weathered was still priceless.

I know it may look like I hit some pretty low points, but looking back they are what got us to where we are today. We are still thankful that we have a God who provides. We may not have a lot materially, but we do have Him and each other. That's a lot in my book.

We are so looking forward with anticipation to see what 2010 brings.

Well, better late than never

2009-09-29T19:55:00.002-04:00

I say it every couple of months, but here I go again...I am here! Really I am here. I check all my friend's blogs and try to keep up to date but life happens. I am trying to be more disciplined about taking the time and writing down what is going on with our lives.

Here are some updates on the family:

Mr. A is doing pretty good. We are in a holding pattern currently for his back. He meets with the surgeon again on Friday to see where we go from here. He had a procedure a couple of weeks ago that was pretty brutal called a discogram. You think that with the word disco in it, it would be fun! That couldn't be further from the truth. They literally insert needles in to the discs of his back from his hip and then begin to fill it with fluid until he couldn't handle it anymore. It was basically to see what the pain level was. Again..not fun!

KA is thriving in high school. We couldn't be more proud of how easily she has adapted to the new environment. At her six week progress report she is averaging a 96% in everyone of her
classes. Now here comes for the really bragging part...the list of my 9th grader's classes in which she is holding a 96% - Intro to physics, Intro to biotechnology, Honors world history and honors English. I don't even think I was taking some of those classes in college let alone my first semester of high school! I am so proud of her!

AJ is doing pretty good in middle school. She is still adjusting to the work load and trying to balance different teachers. She isn't doing bad but it has been fun trying to get all her projects completed. Literally the first night of school she had to do a project that was trying to identify the socioeconomics of the city we live in along with the cultural and religious diversity of our neighborhood. ARE YOU SERIOUS??!! Really for a brand new 6th grader on the first day...why don't you just send all the parents homework because we are the ones who have to explain all of those terms in layman's terms so our children could even do the homework! Other than that she is doing well. I think we will be in a better groove come second semester once we help her establish new study habits.

Other than that, we have already had the flu hit our house! The girls both got the flu a couple of weeks ago. AJ tested positive for the flu and KA was told that she had the symptoms even though her test came up negative. Once the girls got better then Mr A who took care of them got bronchitis. We are finally doing better. I had a head cold, but luckily I didn't get anything they had.

Well I guess that is a quick recap of what has happened with us recently. I am off to help AJ with her latest project - a 3-D structure of the moon due tomorrow.

My new reality - I am getting old

2009-08-20T21:17:00.002-04:00

I had a new reality tonight - I AM GETTING OLD or should I say my kids are making me feel old!

Tonight was freshman orientation at KA's new high school. Yes you heard that right...high school. I can't believe I have a child who is entering high school. We made our way into the auditorium where they were handed a t-shirt and told to sit in the bleachers for further instructions. We watched as the cheerleaders tried to get new the students to participate in a school cheer while dazed and confused parents, much like myself, sat on the bleachers trying to figure out how in the world they got there. Wasn't it just a few years ago that I was sitting at some pep rally watching some cheerleaders do the same thing at my high school. How is it possible I have a child sitting next to me who is now venturing off to this same adventure called HIGH SCHOOL?!

We took the tour of the ancient school located in rural suburb. It is like a school that I have never seen. The schools in the San Diego area where I grew up were fairly new at least by comparison to this school. This high school was built in the early 1900's. It is three stories tall with all sorts of scroll work and marble floors. It is like all those schools you see in the movies. We walked up and down the stairs through these old hallways in an attempt to figure out where all of her classes will be. One of her classes looks like it is in the basement of the school. Like I said crazy!

I had to just stop at times and just look around. I am here with my child who is wearing a t-shirt that says "Class of 2013" on the back of it. I will only have her around with me for four more years. Time has flown by. You always hear people tell you that when you have a baby and you look at them lik they have lost their minds. How can that be when I am standing in pajamas that haven't been changed in two days, which was the last time you took a shower by the way, smelling like baby puke and poo as your child whom you carried for the last nine months is totally inconsolable in your arms. Time fly by...yeah right?!

But it does...time flies so fast that one day you are crying because you haven't slept in days and you can't make the child go to sleep and the next day you are standing at freshman orientation realizing you have four years left to "hang out" with them.

Don't get me wrong, I am so happy for KA to go to high school. She is going to learn so much and do so much. I don't want her to miss out on anything. But I don't want to miss out on anything either!

Oh well, enough sadness for tonight. The sun will come up tomorrow.

Never mind...tomorrow is middle school orientation with AJ. This year is going to be one roller coaster of a year!

Jehovah Jireh - Our provider

2009-08-16T17:13:00.002-04:00

We really do serve a miraculous heavenly father! We were singing today in church, "How great is our God," and I found my self just thinking how that statement is so true. Our God is so great there are really no words that I know of to truly describe how great my/our God is.

Our family had and is currently having some miraculous things happen that can only be described as a God thing. There is just simply no way to have these things happen other than with God's hand leading and moving through the process. I can't go into full detail yet as we are still awaiting true confirmation, but what has happened so far and what we think will happen next is truly an answer to prayer! There is no logical reason for it to be happening. We were hoping and believing for it to come true but realistically the world's answer would have been a resounding "NO!"

But we serve a BIG GOD who holds us in the palm of His hand. He is Jehovah Jireh - Our Provider.

Let me just say this as encouragement to those who are going through financial trouble right now...God is faithful. God will provide. It may not always be in the way we think it will be, but He is faithful. Trust God to open doors that seem to be closed and to close doors that need to be forgotten. Trust, believe and have faith that what He says He will do.

Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)- Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

Happy Birthday, Babe!

2009-07-19T19:47:00.002-04:00

Today is Mr. A's birthday!

Just a small shout out to the man I love. Today was a quiet day with church, lunch out and our little family playing cards and watching movies.

I know you probably long for the days when you went out splunking in caverns, hiking up mountains or riding your bike up and down the coast. I know this injury has not made it easy for you as you are such a go-getter, but I really do appreciate the times where we can just hang out and relax.

I love you lots and treasure the day you were born, even if you don't like to make it a big deal! You being born is a big deal!!

May God bless you this day and the rest of the days of your life. I look forward to celebrating many more birthdays by your side.

Our So. Cal Trip

2009-07-19T19:17:00.004-04:00

We were able to go out and visit family for the first time in over 3 years in the middle of June. We were so thankful to Mr. A's father who helped finance the trip. We couldn't wait to meet our nephews who were born in the last year and see the rest of the family whom we miss like crazy.

We left after work on June 16th and arrived in San Diego late that night. You gotta love the time change leaving from the east coast to the west coast. After a good night sleep and a lazy day catching up on a few zzz's, we hit the ground running.

The first major stop was the Del Mar fair, which is now called the San Diego County fair. Most locals still call it the Del Mar fair. You really can't change tradition. While we were there we met up with both sides of the family. Mr. A's family met us along with my parents. I felt like a cruise director or a travel guide with a huge crowd following us. Literally there were 11 of us in total trying to stay together as a group. We had a ball...fried food, games, rides and beautiful weather. We finished the day with a bite to eat with Mr. A's immediate family where we were able to catch up with each other and discuss plans for later in the week.

The next big event was my sister and her family coming down for the weekend. We were able to hang out with my nephews and take family pictures. This was a production with 2 small children under the age of 5 around lunch time. They were both well behaved just a little antsy. We got some great shots even with fidgety kidlets.

On Sunday, we were able to celebrate KA's birthday and Father's day as a huge family. KA only birthday wish was for everyone to be together at the beach. We went down to the bay and did a bbq and bonfire...a great San Diego tradition. We had a blast roasting marshmallows and hot dogs. KA was able to have both sides of the family with her on her 14th birthday. That was the best gift she could have ever asked for.

The last week as more of just running around trying to hit up the restaurants we love and seeing familiar spots that we love. We did a small trek up to the local mountains for apple pie and bread and a day at the beach. All in all we just hung out with family and enjoyed just seeing people face to face vs. phone calls.

At the end of the week we headed home on the red eye. We ended up with a layover in Newark, NJ and were able to watch the sunrise over NY city. That was awesome! We had a fabulous time with family unfortunately there wasn't any time to hang out with friends. I suppose we could have made a bit more time in our schedules, but it was so nice not having to run around like crazy people all day every day.

To our friends...we sincerely apologize. We love you all very much and appreciate you allowing us to take the time with family that we needed. It was a great time to just love on the people who love us unconditionally.

Off to camp

2009-07-05T15:03:00.003-04:00

OK...I have to laugh at this graphic for this post. KA hates the Jonas Brothers and Camp Rock, but it is the only thing that came to my mind when I was typing this post. It's not like it's her blog! ;)

This afternoon I put KA and Mr. A on the church bus to head off to camp for a week. They aren't going to far, about 1 1/2 away, but far enough to have an adventure. This is KA's first youth camp. She went to Kid's camp back in the 3rd grade and I about lost it. She had never been away from home for more than an overnight with friends or family. Today was much better. One she is older and two Mr. A is going to be on the campus. Trust me he will give her more than enough room to spread her wings. He would practically ignore her if that is what he needed to do to make sure she had a great time.

I know KA will have a great time once she gets there. She is my cautious child. She has to analyze everything. She is not one who likes change or disorder and unfortunately that is all camp is. Luckily we had a schedule of events by day and walked her through what would be happening so she could at least have an idea and won't be caught too off guard. Hopefully it helped and did not scare her more. I just want to make sure she makes friends how will stick by her and not cause drama. She really needs some good girlfriends. Some of the best friends I have were established in the youth group and I want the same for her. I hope she can break free of some of her fears and withdrawn side long enough to meet some really great people whom she can have a great time both now at camp and when they return.

Poor AJ is stuck at home with me. She is not eligible to attend youth camp until next year. I thought we could have a girl week watching HS Musicals, Jonas Bros, etc, but so far she has no interest in that. We will see how the week will progress.

Since they can't have cell phones (or any other electronic devices) I wil have to let you know what happens when they return on Thursday. Keep Mr A in you prayers. He is going to be extra cautious but I am praying that his back will cooperate and not cause any problems this week for him. He is not doing any of the activities but is going more as an extra hand to help the youth pastor.

I hope camp rocks for both KA and Mr. A. They both could use this time!

Just call me the real life scarecrow...oh, what the neighbors must think!

2009-05-13T20:19:00.005-04:00

I would love to say I have a green thumb but I have a feeling it is more olive green/brown than true green.

I just knew when I purchased my first house after living in apartments for most of my married life, I would plant every plant imaginable around my house and make it my oasis. I was going to have a house like one of the magazine covers with gorgeous colors, lush leaves, green grass and the perfect gazebo/sitting area to gaze upon my wonders. Fast forward 5 years and we have patchy grass with large bare spots, a couple of trees that look like a 3 year-old's family tree craft project with a few leaves here and there, and some bushes that are about 2 inches larger than they were when we first planted them almost 4 1/2 years ago.

Now that we have decided to stay in our home after a year of having it on the market, we are trying to finally get started on our ambitious plans to make the yard of our dreams become a glimmer of reality.

For instance, tonight I went outside and decided to plant one of the 4 Crepe Myrtle trees we bought late in the fall. We bought them when they were just twig looking things with no leaves on them and were a buck at the Habitat for Humanity Restore. By the way, if you have one of those near you, check it out. That is one of my favorite home decorating places now. They have been sitting in the original pots we picked them up in back in November and I felt like it was about time they were planted in a more permanent setting.

Anyway, the trees really aren't that big now so it shouldn't have been a problem except for our soil which is rock hard clay. I mean rock hard! Literally as you dig into the ground, it breaks up into larger rock like mounds of clay. My parents had this type of soil growing up and I dreamed of owning a house that had lush fertile soil. I moved across the US and what do I get...red clay!

This shouldn't be a big deal...just dig a hole, plant the tree and water. However in the last few years you can say I have relaxed a little on my physical fitness so I am not in great shape to be digging large holes in rock hard earth to plant a group of twigs with some leaves on them.

Some of you are saying, "Where's Mr. A?" Besides at a men's bible study tonight which I definitely feel is more important that planting twigs into the soil, his back is extremely bad right now (a protruding disc with a tear in it) and has been out on medical leave since January so the thought of him even picking up a shovel is out of the question.

Feeling ready for the challenge, I grabbed the wheel barrow, a couple of shovels, my work gloves and my mp3 player and attempted to look like I knew what I was doing. I strapped the mp3 player to my left arm and began to dig. Clank! The shovel didn't even break the soil. This was not looking good! I moved over a couple of inches and stood on top of the shovel. Break through. It actually cracked through the soil. I began to dig some more. This was going pretty well and I began to figure out why. I was digging a hole where there was a hole previously. See I attempted this gardening thing once before with dwarf crepe myrtles called 'Razzle Dazzles.' They were suppose to be like the crepe myrtle trees but in a bush. Unfortunately the 'Razzle Dazzle's' fizzled but the soil from where the plant use to be was loose and had mulch/planting soil mixed into it. Yeah God! I might actually get two holes dug up instead of just one.

I finished digging all of the good, rich soil that had been in there previously out and into the wheel barrow and started trying to make the hole a little wider since this tree was bigger than the previously dazzle-less bush had been. Here is where I started running into my issue. The shovel wasn't even making a dent in the ground. I was literally standing on top of my shovel bouncing up and down and all I was doing was just stayed there. Cars were driving by and I must have looked like a real life scarecrow with my whole body perched up on this shovel trying to make the earth move from under my feet!

At this point I surveyed my hole and deemed it ready! If this tree couldn't make it in this hole, I don't know what else to do. I got the tree ready to go and place it in the hole. Now all I had to do was fill it in, water and I would be done. I moved the wheel barrow closer to the hole so I could get the soil into the hole and began shoveling. This was taking way to long so I decided to be efficient and up end the wheel barrow into the hole. This is when I noticed my twig of a tree start to disappear. I dropped my wheel barrow and made a dash for the poor defenseless sapling of a tree. This lightening quick ninja-like reflex, which if were caught on camera would be more like a slow motion crawl, caused the wheel barrow to topple over on its side dumping what was left of its gold like quality soil all over the grass.

It was upon this last event that I took my rightful place of defeat on the grass next to the twig like tree shoveling in what little soil I could into the hole with my hands and the large shovel that I once bounced on. The earth had won this battle and I hung my head in defeat!

As I slowly gathered my wheel barrow, gloves and shovels, I stood back and looked at the tree that now leans a little to the right. I put my hands on my hips and decided that despite this little lean, I didn't do a half bad job. I was just about to beam with pride when I looked to my left and noticed the 3 areas still awaiting their new trees.

I decided right then and there that those trees might be the most expensive $1 trees ever bought as I hire some youth to come dig holes in my yard and plant them! :)

Happy Mother's Day 2009

2009-05-10T09:29:00.003-04:00

First of all...

As I am sitting here typing currently, my two girls are making themselves breakfast. When did they get old enough to make their own breakfast! The time has flown by extremely fast.

It doesn't seem like almost 14 years ago when I became a mom for the first time. A couple of young kids having a kid is what it truly was. She was, and still is, a precious gift that two young kids didn't quite know what to do with. Two years later, I became a mom for the second and last time to another precious bundle blessed by God. I am truly blessed by both of my girls.

On Mother's Day, I am also thankful for my own mother who is across the country this morning probably still asleep in her bed. She is a great mom. We have had our ups and downs as most mother-daughter relationships go, but we still love each other. I don't take my relationship with my mom lightly. Having the possibility of losing her twice to cancer makes me treasure every day I have the ability to talk with her. We talk at least once a week on the phone just to catch up. Not much changes in a week, but it is nice to hear from her.

The other mom I would like to honor is my mother-in-law. She is a great lady. She welcomed me with open arms into her family. I never had to question whether she liked me or if I would fit into their family. I want to thank you for raising a great son. He is a pain in the neck at times but I love him dearly. He is the guy that everyone likes to be around. He is a great leader, great friend, handy man, thinker and dad. You did a great job with him and you should be proud! He is a great man! I wish we lived closer so he could spend more time with you, but know that he loves you.

To my sister, sister-in-law and friends, treasure those precious babies you all have. They grow up too fast. There are times I wish I could go back and spend some more quality time when my girls were younger. I let some of those days fly by too quickly without taking time to really enjoy them. Now with my girls enter high school and middle school my time with them is short and I am realizing that more and more.

I have no idea what the rest of the day holds but I wanted to make sure I took the time to acknowledge all the mom's in my life and the one's who made me a mom!

Happy Mother's Day 2009

TSMS - Speaking Louder than Before - Jeremy Camp

2009-05-09T09:36:00.002-04:00

This song has become my anthem this month. Not only is it where my heart is on a personal level, but we are really challenging our youth to make this their personal declaration too.

In fact, we are working on a human video to this song for the end of this month at church. I am really hoping this song will be a starting point to speak louder in their christian faith than they have before.

Crazy 8's

2009-05-09T09:16:00.002-04:00

I haven't been blogging that much, so when a long time friend (practically my little sister) tagged me in this game, I couldn't say no.

8 Things I Look Forward To

1. Possibly going to San Diego to visit family and friends (still trying to work out the details.)
2. Watching my oldest graduate from middle school in June
3. Watching my youngest graduate from elementary school in June
4. Meeting my nephews for the first time face to face (they were born in May 08 and Aug 08)
5. Vacation - regardless if it is in San Diego or not in June
6. My husband's back being healed
7.
8.

8 Things I Did Yesterday

1. Made sure the girls were ready to go to school
2. Dropped AJ off at the bus stop
3. Went to work
4. Met the family for dinner
5. Headed to church to get ready for youth group
6. Popped air popcorn and put them into bags for the movie night with the youth group
7. Watched Princess Bride with the youth group
8. Came home for the first time since 7 am and crashed

8 Things I Wish I Could Do

1. Sew
2. Work from home
3. Visit my family more
4. Actually make myself exercise
5. Clean my house more often (really clean, not just pick up)
6. Be one of those cooks who can make something without a recipe
7. Travel the world
8. Spend more time with friends

8 "Grown Up" Shows I Watch

1. Greys Anatomy
2. The Biggest Loser
3. Amazing Race
4. Chuck
5. Heros
6. The Unusuals
7. Castle
8. Dancing with The Stars

I am suppose to tag some people, but I really don't have a bunch of blogging buddies due to the fact I am really not on here as much as I use to be. If anyone would like to do this and let me know, that would be awesome!

Hello there!

2009-05-06T19:57:00.002-04:00

I am here. Just bear with me. Things have been so busy around this house that I haven't just had the time to sit down and blog. The other reason is our laptop is dying. I use to blog a lot while watching tv at night. Without that laptop, I am having to make an effort to slow down and say "HI!"

TSMS - The Wrecking - You Remain

2009-03-28T20:41:00.004-04:00

It has been awhile since I posted a TSMS post. I have really missed doing this since music is so much a part of my life. Anyway, this song has been playing on the Gospel Music Channel and on Air 1 which is what I have been listening to in the morning. It is an awesome song and has stuck with me all week. Hopefully you enjoy it too!

I'm here...really, I am!

2009-03-28T19:49:00.002-04:00

Hey guys! I really do have a blog and I really do like to post. Things have just been a little crazy around here. I know it has been awhile but I am really going to try and be better at posting.

Let me get you caught up on what has been happening with us:

Mr. A finally found out what has been going on with his back. His has a disc that is protruding into his spinal column and nerve bundles. This explains a lot of what is going on with his symptoms - nerve pain in both hips and legs, light headness, dizzy spells, etc. He is still out on medical leave until the middle of April. The will re-evaluate and decide if he can go back to work full time or if adjustments will have to be made. We are praying that if God wants him to stay where he is, He will make a way.

Mr. A had his first of 2 spinal injections to fix the protruding disc. Unfortunately his blood pressure bottomed out and we had to stay at the hospital for an extra bit of time until he could stabilze. Next injection is April 13th.

I celebrated my 34th birthday on the 25th. We didn't do anything big, but the girls wrote their own cards that I am saving. They were so special and really made my day. They made me wait until I got to work before opening the cards. Note to self...go in the bathroom or another room to open the cards prior to going to work. Don't open at work unless you are prepared to explain to your fellow co-workers about the tears and blood shot eyes. They were really special and I will truly cherish them.

Mr. A & I joined the youth staff at our church. We are really loving the youth group. We are hoping to do human videos, drama and outreach with the students. Our youth pastor is really open to the ideas which is really exciting. Hopefully the students are as equally excited.

We survived our first lock-in with the youth group. Mr. A stayed all night with KA and the others. I had to come home to stay with AJ. We got home a little after 12 am and got up at 4:45 am to start making breakfast casseroles for the group. We don't have an oven in the room at church so I had to bring them in hot in the morning. Everyone had fun...Mr. A survived and the kids had a great time! That is what it is all about.

2009 has been hard on everyone. I am definitely not complaining. God has been faithful! It may not be what we are use to, but who says what we were use to is what we were suppose to do. We have enough. I am thankful that even though the circumstances haven't been ideal, God has made a way.

2008 and 2009 have definitely been about learning faith and trust. God is in control and I do not have to worry.

I promise that these updates will be more frequent. I really do miss my small community of friends.

Update on Betty - She is home in heaven

2009-03-11T06:32:00.002-04:00

For those who have check this blog and have been praying for Betty, here is the latest: Betty is now home in heaven as of Tuesday, March 10th. Below is the email from my friend Melissa, who is Betty's daughter:

It is with a heavy heart - I never really got that saying until now - my heart truly feels heavy like it could fall from chest at any moment - anyway - that I tell you all that Mom has gone to be with Jesus! Larry and i came home last night because there was just no way of knowing how long it would be. It was incredibly difficult to leave her yesterday knowing that the next time I saw her would be her funeral. But the gift was that there was nothing left unsaid between my mom and her loved ones. We are an incredibly close and open family and always say things to each other when we need to so there were no last minute apologies or anything like that and there is a peace. I had prayed that she would go in her sleep and that God will allow me to feel when she was gone. I actually took a sleeping pill last night because I had not slept in about 4 nights but maybe a couple hours and it was taking its toll on me. SO I expected to sleep until about noon today :) (like that could happen with the kids lol). Anyway, I sat right up in bed at 4:19 and knew with my whole heart that mom was gone. Then dad called me exactly 20 minutes later to tell me that they woke him up. He was upset that he was not right there holding her hand in that last breath and I wish I could have been there, too, but she went in her sleep. The nurses said it was right around 4:30, but after telling the doctor (her doctor is a wonderful amazing Christian man who loved her and loves my dad!) what I had told my dad the doctor said he was sure it was 4:19. My mother will be missed every second of everyday and I have been told that it does get easier! I know that my mom is dancing and praising God today! Her doctor said that Heaven has a new member of the choir and we said not a member a leader!! She will be teaching everyone their parts! :) Yesterday, before we left, I was singing to my mom and she tried to raise her hand and I know that today she is praising Jesus! I miss her already, but I am so happy for her! thank you all for your prayers and we ask that you continue to keep dad and all of us in your prayers! If you are interested in when the funeral is and location and all of that then just email me and i will send that information to you when I know it. we will be leaving to head back to Virginia either tonight or very early in the morning!
My love and thanks to all of you,
Melissa and Family

My kid is going into High School - how is that possible?

2009-02-19T06:37:00.003-05:00

OK...reality hit me between the eyes last night.

We went to the intro to high school meeting at her middle school. As I sat in that auditorium listening to them talk about high school credits and colleges I began to find myself wondering how I got there. How is it possible that my child is old enough to be going into high school?!

She has a few more months before she actually starts but it just doesn't seem possible. Wasn't it just yesterday I was sending her off to kindergarten! I can't believe how fast time flies.

And now as she is making breakfast she is telling me that she wants to become a doctor. I have known that but to hear that after everything from last night is just crazy. She wants to know what college I think she should go to. How crazy is this?!

I don't know if I am totally ready for all of this yet.

God knows better

2009-02-17T20:58:00.002-05:00

I know this is true, but it was made true this last week in our lives.

Mr. A works for a little know coffee store who is going through some serious cuts. Mr. A has always had people ask how he is doing but none of the cuts have affected this area...until now. Unfortunately we didn't know how bad things had really gotten until Saturday due Mr. A has been out on medical leave.

We happen to stop by a store on Saturday and Mr. A struck up a conversation with the manager. We found out that there had been a major layoff and many of Mr. A's friends and co-workers were let go. We were shocked. We were prepared to have some loss but the amount of loss was just more than we could have imagined. The kicker as little as six weeks ago, Mr. A held the same position that all of these layoffs held.

We had been praying for Mr. A to move to a location that was closer to home. He had been driving about 1 hour each way for the last 9 months and the commute and cost of the commute was getting old. Not to mention things at the store had gone from bad to worse. We really just needed a miracle to happen...either promotion, demote or leave the company.

Well, a promotion was offered at a store that was closer. Mr. A liked the idea of being closer but he had never wanted to be in a management position. He liked working with people, not numbers. This was really what he wanted to avoid. More hours needed at the store, more time away from family and having to fill in whenever someone couldn't make it in. He would be the one that everyone called.

Everything was pointing to the management position. Even though it would be tough, the economics of today just didn't allow us to have much of another choice. I was feeling peace however Mr. A was just frustrated. It was him in the position. It was him that was having to put in the time and effort. He reluctantly agreed to the position.

Fast forward to Saturday and finding out that the former position that Mr. A held was now eliminated, Mr. A and I looked at each other and had to smile. God knew better than us. All the times we fought over what to do, all we had to do was trust. God was is in control and knew the situation so much better than we did. We left the store thankful to escape the first of what is probably many cuts to come. We left encouraged that we are in the palm of God's hand and He is holding us during this time of craziness.

25 Random Things about ME!

2009-02-02T22:13:00.002-05:00

This has been going around on Facebook and I decided to post my response here on my blog so you could get to know a little more about me.

1. I was originally suppose to be named Heather.
2. My parents came up with my middle name after seeing it on the mud flap of a big rig while traveling while my mom was pregnant with me. I really do love it. I love it so much I gave it to my youngest daughter as her middle name too! :O
3. I was the first girl born in my family in over 40 years.
4. I have some of the greatest friends in the world even though every one lives so far away.
5. Mr. A & I went to the same high school but never at the same time.
6. My favorite food is Mexican - I could probably eat a form of it everyday. Especially chips, salsa and gucamole.
7. I never ditched school ever - even on Senior ditch day.
8. My hero is my mom. Having gone through so much with cancer and still have a positive attitude is amazing.
9. I HATE, HATE, HATE meatloaf but like hamburgers. I know...it doesn't make sense, but there is something different about meatloaf. ***GAG***
10. I haven't thrown up since I was 14.
11. Mr. A & I got into a disagreement just before he proposed.
12. I love the smell of the ocean...it is calming to me
13. I want to go back to school and get a degree...in what I am not sure. I just want a degree!
14. I love baby belly laughs and toothless gummy baby smiles!
15. I have always wanted to go to Australia
16. I can't imagine my life without God!
17. I love taking photographs and at one point in HS thought I would be a professional photographer
18. Even though I have a house there are times I miss living in an apartment.
19. I would love to start a non-profit for troubled youth
20. I drink way to much soda, but it is so good!
21. I love most anything from the WWII era - the clothes, music, history,
22. I would love to quit my job, homeschool my kids and travel the world taking photographs
23. I would love to adopt
24. I wish I could go back to the early years with my girls and not wish they would grow up. I miss those days now.
25. I want my whole family to live at least two hours away from each other again for the rest of our lives so I can watch my nephews grow up.

So where have I been?

2009-01-26T19:12:00.004-05:00

It has been awhile since I last blogged.

OK...it's been a long time since I last blogged. I just really haven't taken the time to sit down and write like I use to. I have been just relaxing which I haven't done in quite a while. I have also been doing something I haven't done in a really long time...READING.

I am not what you would classify as a reader. I like a good story, but I rather see the movie most times. I know...lazy! One of my favorite authors is Nicholas Sparks. I got hooked on his books after watching the movie "Walk to Remember." I began reading his books and absolutely love every one of them. I can pick up one of his books and usually finish it within 1-2 days. After that book is complete I usually am at a lost for what to read next.

However during some time off at Christmas, I picked up a book series that most of my family finished years ago. In fact, the book series I have is my grandmother's copy. It is the Zion Covenant Series by Bodie Thoene. I had started book one at least twenty times through the years, but this time I forced myself to stick with it for the first few chapters. It took me a couple of days, but I finally found my self enjoying the characters and storyline. Once I did that, I finished the book in a matter of days. I picked up the second book and finished it in two days. The third in three days. I am slowing down with book four, but I am still really enjoying the story.

I didn't realize how much I really do love to read. Once I can connect with the characters, I am lost in their world. I found that I really do like that escape every once in a while. I curl up on the couch with my blanket wrapped around me and tune everything else out. I can't believe how fast the time goes by. I think it has been only 1/2 hour but it is 2-3 hours later. My poor family couldn't find me sometimes. I would just hunker (yes, I just said hunker) down in a corner of the couch and just would just lose myself in the book totally oblivious to what was going on around me.

I am making a promise that I will continue to read, but I promise to blog too! It was a nice break, but I really did miss the connection with those ladies I follow and talk with. Hopefully you missed me too!

TSMS - Revelation Song

2009-01-10T16:47:00.002-05:00

For 2009, worship has become a priority for me. If anyone has seen my blog, you know that music is a huge part of my life. I really feel like music is a way for God to talk to me and for me to talk with Him. However, lately it has really been about making sure that I am turning my focus on Him more than I have ever before. I want to hold nothing back.

This song has just been on my heart. I really love this song when we sing it at church, but I have found myself just listening to it during the day at work and at home while on the computer. He is so worthy of praise!

I just hear this song and I think of heaven. I just know this is what heaven is going to sound like!

Urgent Prayer for Betty

2009-01-07T08:00:00.003-05:00

Betty on left, Melissa on right

Just before Thanksgiving I began posting about Betty, my friend Melissa's mother. Melissa sent this email out requesting urgent prayer for Betty. Please be in prayer for both Betty and her family.

Here is the update below:

I am writing to you for more prayer! My mom got the results of the body scan today. The tumor in her lungs has grown significantly and the lymph nodes on both sides of her neck are cancerous and the cancer is going into the brain. She has to have a brain scan tomorrow to see how far it has gone into the brain. She has told the doctor that she does not want radiation because they told her the radiation on her neck would burn her esophagus and she would have a lot of pain eating, drinking and just in general. Then also with radiation on her brain can also cause memory loss so she does not want to do that. She was told with the "chemo pill" she could have up to 6 months but if it is not working - may not be working since the tumor has grown so much while taking it - that it could literally be anytime - she told me 3 to 4 weeks. I am not sure where that time frame came from - she is actually taking it better than I thought but she is still having a rough time. They have moved a hospital bed into her house because she is having a very hard time breathing and at night she has to be elevated so she can get some sleep. That is really hard on all of us. We know that God is the only answer right now. I keep saying that I can be strong in this, but when I get information like this - I wonder how in the world can I be strong? She is my mom, my best friend, my biggest supporter, the grandmother to my kids and the best ever, too and then the great grandmother to my precious little grandkids and they will not remember her! That is so hard to even think about! Please pray for her and for all of us. At a time when we need to be praying the hardest it is so hard to pray. I begin to ask HIm for healing and fall apart. I am trying to have faith but then feel like maybe I need to pray for strength to get through and be able to be there for my kids. Ok, I am rambling. I will update when we know about the brain scan - please just keep her in your prayers!

Here is a picture of Betty at Thanksgiving with her children and grandchildren and another with just her children (my friend Melissa is the one on the right side): ALL PHOTOS BELONG/HAVE BEEN GIVEN PERMISSION TO USE BY MELISSA REEVES

TSMS - When I speak your name

2009-01-03T21:07:00.002-05:00

For the first TSMS post of 2009, I am posting a song that our church sang last Sunday. It really became our anthem for 2009, even though we hadn't officially started 2009 at that time.

2008 was suppose to be a "lucky" year, however it has been anything but lucky for many. Going into 2009, I believe God has something awesome in store. I just know that something big is about to happen. What...I have no idea, but I know someone who does.

This song states it all. Mountains are moved, chains are loosed, darkness flees in the name of JESUS! Miracles happen in the name of Jesus! Thank you God. We wait for great anticipation for what you are going to do in 2009.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

2008-12-25T19:05:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to all my friends and family who check the blog.

We want everyone to remember the true reason for this holiday - Jesus! He is the best gift that anyone could ask for. He is the only gift we ever need!

Treasure your families. Enjoy the memories.

Laugh a little more.
Love a lot more.
Live.

12 Songs for Christmas - Day 12

2008-12-23T18:57:00.001-05:00

On this last day of the 12 days of Christmas, I saved the best for last, at least in my book..."O Holy Night." This has to be my favorite Christmas carol. It truly was a holy night. The night our saviour was born to save us. What better Christmas gift can I ever get. It is a gift that doesn't stop giving! Thank you Jesus!

As you gather with your families, I want to wish you a very blessed Christmas! Remember the true reason for the season, our heavenly father's birth.

Day 12 - O Holy Night

12 Songs for Christmas - Day 11

2008-12-22T18:47:00.000-05:00

As we get closer to this blessed holiday, I find myself wondering how Mary was feeling. She was probably tired, exhausted, wanting this baby to come just as most women entering their 9th month of pregnancy. But did she really know what was in store for this child. We all have hopes and dreams for our children, so they achieve and some never come to pass. Did Mary have her own dreams for Jesus or did she just know that this child was never really hers? Did Mary really know what was going to happen or did she stumble along like the rest of us?

Mary did you know...

Day 11 - "Mary did you know" by Kenny Rogers and Wynonna Judd

12 Songs for Christmas - Day 10

2008-12-21T18:28:00.000-05:00

Mr A and I saw this movie a few weeks ago called "This Christmas." It wasn't a great movie but they definitely had some good points here and there. One of them was Chris Brown singing the song "This Christmas." It was at the end of the movie and it was a remake/version of a classic Christmas song. Mr. A and I loved this version of "This Christmas" the best.

Day 10 - "This Christmas" by Chris Brown

12 Songs for Christmas - Day 9

2008-12-20T18:16:00.000-05:00

This definitely brings back memories and not just for Christmas. Get a bunch of youth around with helium balloons and this song just becomes a natural choice to sing.

Day 9 - Alvin and the Chipmunks - The Christmas Song

Songs for Christmas - Day 8

2008-12-19T18:09:00.000-05:00

This song is just funny to me! I really hadn't heard it much growing up, but for some reason this year I have heard it a ton. Everytime I hear it, it makes me think of my kids and some of the outrageous requests they make for Christmas. None of them have been as outlandish as a hippo but they have been pretty crazy.

Day 8 song - I want a hippopotamus for Christmas

12 Songs for Christmas - Day 7

2008-12-18T18:05:00.000-05:00

Growing up literally about 10 minutes from the Mexican border, I heard this song a lot. Every school Christmas production seemed to have this song in it. It just doesn't seem to be Christmas without hearing this song from our neighbors to the south - "Feliz Navidad."

Day 7 song - "Feliz Navidad"

12 Songs for Christmas - Day 6

2008-12-17T06:43:00.002-05:00

While traditional songs bring back memories, it is nice to create new memories with new songs. I have been listening to Air 1 while I am at work and heard this song that literally made me stop and just listen. It was such a sweet little story. It took me 3 days to finally hear it again and get the information on who sang it and what the song was called.

I hope you enjoy it. Listen to it all the way through...it is touching.

Day 6 - "His favorite Christmas story" sung by Capital Lights

12 Songs for Christmas - Day 5

2008-12-16T06:48:00.002-05:00

I must be in a Bing Crosby mood. My next song selection for today is a Bing Crosby/David Bowie duet. This sounds like a strange combination but it works. I also happen to love the song that they are singing which is "The Little Drummer Boy."

DAY 5 - The Litle Drummer Boy sung by Bing Crosby and David Bowie

12 Songs for Christmas - Day 4

2008-12-15T08:00:00.001-05:00

Today's selection is Christmas to me! I love the movie "White Christmas." I watch it every year. I own it both on DVD and VHS. I have loved it since I was a kid. The best thing is my kids love it too!

I love curling up under a blanket, turn on all my Christmas lights and watch the movie. That just brings the Christmas season a reality for me. I know my previous posts said I love people changing the classics ang giving them a new twist. However, this song is the best in it's original classic version. Yes, I know it was originally in "Holiday Inn", but I like the movie "White Christmas" better.

I couldn't find the embedded feature for the finale which is my favorite part of the whole movie. So I put the link here if you want to see "White Christmas Finale."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00S-N3cy9DU

12 Songs for Christmas - Day 3

2008-12-14T19:04:00.002-05:00

I love the traditional Christmas songs. They are classic and bring back memories from my childhood. However, there are few updated renditions of the classics that I love as much as the traditional versions.

For Day 3, I chose Toby Mac's reggae version of "O Come All Ye Faithful." This version is as cool as the original to me. I hope you are enjoying these Christmas songs as much as I am. If you don't know what is going on or why I am doing this, check out my blog for Day 1.

Day 3 - Toby Mac's version of "O Come All Ye Faithful"

12 Songs for Christmas - Day 2

2008-12-13T16:08:00.003-05:00

For today's selection I decided to go with something from Disney. When my girls were small, they loved Beauty & the Beast. It was one of my favorite Disney movies too! One Christmas they came out with a Christmas version/story for Beauty & the Beast. Of course my girls loved it...and so did I.

One of my favorite songs was "As long as there's Christmas." I would go around the house singing and humming it all day. It just kind of sticks with you.

Day 2 - As long as there's Christmas - From Beauty and the Beast Enchanted Christmas

TSMS- Be Still

2008-12-13T09:42:00.000-05:00

It has been awhile since I posted TSMS. This song I have heard recently on Air1 and it just seems to fit with what is going on in my life and those around me. There are sometimes we just need to be still and know that HE is caring for us. HE hasn't left us. HE just wants us to focus on Him and put the things that are going on around us in perspective. HE is in control!

12 Days of Christmas Songs - Day 1

2008-12-12T19:24:00.006-05:00

I love Christmas! I love Christmas music! The sad thing is we really only get to hear these songs for about one month. The unfortunate thing is we blitz these songs so hard in that one month time that by the time January rolls around we cannot wait to get the songs off the air. Unfortunately many of these songs have special messages, meanings, memories attached to them that many people just ignore or bypass because they are too busy or are tired of hearing them.

For the next 12 days, I am going to post my favorite Christmas songs. Some of them have special meanings to me, others are just down right fun! I would encourage you to find songs that help you celebrate the season with others online! Pass on the Christmas fun!

P.S. I tried creating a little meme/link thing and it didn't work so if you have posted things just post in my comments that you have songs on your blog and I will come see your songs!

DAY 1 - Amy Grant's - My Grown Up Christmas List

I chose this song because I to want peace for our nation, world and the families in it. I love this song because it really describes what I wish this Christmas for everyone this Christmas season! This is truly my grown up Christmas wish!

Please pray for Betty & her family

2008-11-21T06:27:00.002-05:00

Mr. A & I met Melissa and her husband Larry when we first arrived here in NC. We have kept in contact through moves, changes in church, etc. Melissa and Larry have a house full of kids. They are foster parents and have adopted numerous children. They really are a special family.

I am asking for prayer for my friend Melissa and her mom, Betty. Betty is dying from cancer that has invaded her body. She has decided to postpone radiation until she is able to visit with all of her grandchildren and great-grand children. She wants them to be able to see her healthy and strong. Below is the list of the email prayer requests sent out by the family.

Please pray for this family. Please pray for a miracle! God is bigger than cancer. I know first hand. My mother was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer throughout her body and is now in remission. Also pray that the family will be able to get through the holidays so they can make many precious memories to hold on to.

11/20/08 PM - She left the hospital today and went to RED LOBSTER! lol she wanted shrimp. She has refused to do radiation until she can come here and spend time with her kids and grand kids. My sister and her husband and my brother and nephew are all coming here for Thanksgiving.
We are going to HONOR our mother's life with a performance for her and she will be blessed!! We are going to take a family portrait - we haven't had one in years ! If you are local and want to see my mom and honor her life and let her know how she has touched your life, please let me know and I will let you know when to come over! If you are not local and want her to know how she has touched your life email , message me, send a video - anything you want and I will make sure she gets it! I want her to know how many lives she has touched BEFORE she has a funeral! ! ! !!!!!

11/20/08 AM - well, the cancer is in her lungs and lymphnodes and she is too sick for Chemo - her heart couldn't take it. So the only treatment is radiation - no surgery - again her heart couldn't take it. She is refusing radiation right now until she can come here ans spend some time with me nad her grand kids and great grandkids and she wants us all to remember her strong not weak from radiation. The doctor would not give her a time frame - her words were that it is up to God it could be today it could be a month. When my mom asked if she would be here Christmas the doctor said she could not answer that. I am trying to not be selfish and trying to let go, but man is it ever hard! I told her on the phone today that I did not want her to suffer and I would let go if she was ready and she said she is ready but not quite yet not until she sees AJ and sees Sydnee and Aiden and all of my k ids again and spends some time telling us all how much she loves us and how wonderful we have all made ehr life! She is truly a wonderful wonderful woman!!!! If you know her you know that and if not trust me she is wonderful!!! I will keep the updates coming, and just know that your words of encouragement are getting to her with pretty flowers and backgrounds - my sister is awesome like that! And keep the prayers coming!!!
Thanks and love to you all,
Melissa

10/19/08 AM - Just wanted to let you all know that I am copying your messages and words of encourgement to my AOL email and emailing them to my sister. Then she is printing them out with nice backgrounds and borders if I know her :) and she is taking them to my mom in the hospital. So please keep them coming and I will keep emailing them. You are all so wonderful and I cannot say enough how much I apprecciate your prayers and words! She did tell me today that she has AnenoCarcinoma but the origin is not yet known. It is near near her lungs but her lungs wee able to be "flushed" with a cutting edge procedure and they are clear of cancer, but they are not sure if the lung is the origin or if the breast is the origin. We should know more tomorrow after test results from yesterday and today come back. I will keep you all posted! and again thanks so much for the encouragement and prayers!
Love to you all,
Melissa

10/18/08 - Hello everyone! We need another miracle from God regarding my mom. She went to have a pace maker and defibrillator put in and all went well. She went home and then back to the hospital the next morning with severe chest pain. The pace maker and defib. were fine so they started running some other tests and saw that her lymph nodes were swollen and they did a biopsy on a lump there. They came in today to tell her that she has cancer in her lymph nodes and lungs! She does not have a plan of action tonight - the oncologist is supposed to come in and see her tomorrow. I am asking, again, for prayers for my mom! I cannot believe that God brought her back to us to have her go through this! Please pray for a swift miracle! I am trying hard to keep the faith, but this is one of those times I could really use my friends really holding my family and I up in prayer!

Thanks in advance,
Melissa

Really!...It's only November

2008-11-20T22:28:00.002-05:00

I love Christmas! I love the holidays period - Thanksgiving through New Year's is my favorite time of the year! But this holiday season is starting to get out of control.

People have been saying it for years that the Christmas holiday is starting earlier and earlier each year. I have personally been seeing Christmas decorations since the beginning of October, just after the Halloween decorations came out.

Two weekends ago we drove by the mall and they already had the reindeer decorations out on the lawns. As I drove down the street, there are banners hanging from the light posts. The tree lighting for the city is this weekend! The weekend before Thanksgiving we are lighting the city's Christmas tree.

The straw that broke the camel's back was tonight as I was driving home I was bouncing around on radio stations trying to get traffic information. I turned to one station and they had Christmas music playing. Apparently this station has been doing it for a couple of weeks as my kids and I heard the music as we drove home from the a friends house. We thought it was a fluke thing but apparently every night from 5 - midnight they are playing Christmas music.

Really...it's not even Thanksgiving yet.

Can we just get through Thanksgiving before we go into an all out assault on Christmas?

No, I am not a scrouge! No ba hum bugs here!

On December 1st, feel free to go as nuts as you would like - crazy sweaters, homes decorated with enough lights to be a secondary air landing strip, eat until enough candy until your sick and sing Christmas carols until you have no voice. But until then can we stop and enjoy the day where we give thanks for what we have been given. In this crazy economy and things totally topsy turvy, to stop and devote one day to give thanks is the least we can do. We really do have so much to be thankful for.

My First Blog Award

2008-11-09T20:12:00.003-05:00

I received my first blog award from a dear friend from high school, Christelle @ Beloved Mama. Thank you so much for this award!

Thanks C for this honor! I truly do appreciate it! And just as the award states, if you ever need a hand, I am here for you!

TSMS - God in this city

2008-11-08T09:30:00.002-05:00

After this election, God has really put it upon my heart that there is still much left to be done in this city - my city. I know that the call has been here all along, but there was something more on November 5th. As I was driving to work thinking about the election and what changes were coming, this song came on. God was telling me that there is still work to be done here.

As I said in my last post, there is a lot to pray for. But we also need to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ to our city.

What can you do to change your city for Jesus Christ?

I am always looking for new ideas. Post some of your ideas in my comment section.

10 ways to pray for our President

2008-11-06T09:41:00.003-05:00

A friend emailed me this today and I just had to post it. Whether you voted or agree for Barack Obama, the reality is he is our next President. We need to pray for him and his family. We have two options:

1. We can fight amongst ourselves regarding policies, bad decisions, or what could have been
OR
2. We can do our fighting on our knees. We need to set aside "our agendas" and focus on what God wants do. God is in control! We need to turn our eyes and focus on the Creator of everything not just on what is going on around us. Please get along and if you think you can't, turn it to God. When everything around us is falling away, God is our rock and our deliverer.

10 Ways to Pray for Barack Obama -
by Lee Grady of Charisma Magazine…

Whether you voted for Obama or not, you need to pray for him. Here are 10 ways I plan to intercede for him regularly:

1. Pray for Obama's protection. We already know that some weird, neo-Nazi fanatics in Tennessee plotted to kill Sen. Obama during his campaign. Let's pray that racist hatred is not allowed to spread. Let's cancel every assassin's bullet in the name of Jesus. May civility triumph over bigotry.

2. Cover his wife and daughters in prayer. It is not easy to live under constant media scrutiny. Pray for Obama's wife, Michelle, and their two daughters, Malia and Natasha, as they face invasive cameras, nosy reporters, maniacal fans and dangerous enemies. Obama is not only a politician but also a husband and a father.

3. Pray that Obama will govern with God's wisdom. God rewarded Solomon because he asked for wisdom instead of wealth, long life or vengeance on his enemies (see 1 Kings 3:11-12). Pray that Obama will order his priorities like that. Despite Solomon's tragic character flaws, his legacy was wisdom. We can ask God to give our president the same grace.

4. Ask God to keep our president humble. Many great American leaders became corrupt after they moved to Washington. The fatal attraction of fame, wealth and power proved irresistible. The only thing that will guard a man or woman from this pitfall is humility. May God deliver President Obama from the curse of pride.

5. Pray for wise and righteous advisers to surround him. Godly leaders cannot do their job alone. Even the best leaders have failed because they trusted the wrong people. Pray that Obama will not select his counselors based on party, race, pedigree or political cronyism but on godly character and proven wisdom. Pray also that he will not allow secret traitors into his inner circle.

6. Ask for the spirit of reconciliation. Some segments of our deeply divided society want nothing to do with Obama now that he has won the presidency. Even some Christians will be tempted to harbor resentment and nurse political grudges throughout his term in office. Pray that God will grant forgiveness and healing so that leaders on all political levels can have constructive dialogue.

7. Pray that Obama will adopt pro-life convictions. Many politicians have changed their views on key issues while in office. In the 1800s some leaders who favored slavery later denounced it. In the 1950s some who opposed racial integration later became champions of it. Even though Obama won approval from many voters because he sanctions abortion, God could soften and change his heart.

8. Bind all evil forces assigned to manipulate our president. The specter of Islamic terrorism looms over the United States, and dark forces are ready to infiltrate. Our only hope lies in prayer to the God who is able to expose and outwit the schemes of the wicked. This is truly a time for spiritual warfare, and intercessors must not come off the wall in this hour! Pray that no foreign government, terrorist organization or demonic principality will use Obama as a tool. We must stand strong against the spirit of antichrist that promotes dictatorship, persecution of Christians and hostility toward Israel.

9. Pray that Obama's door will remain open to the church. The loudest voices of secular culture-from Bill Maher in Hollywood to atheists in academia-would be happy if religion were removed from public life. Pray that Obama, who claims to have a personal faith in Jesus Christ, will unapologetically welcome Christian leaders into his company and seek their counsel. And pray that false religious leaders (who claim to know Christ but deny His power) will not have his ear.

10. Pray that our nation will enjoy God's peace and blessing during the Obama administration. The apostle Paul instructed early believers to pray for all in authority "so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity" (1 Tim. 2:2, NASB). God's will is for America to experience peace and prosperity so that we can continue to export the gospel to the nations. This must happen whether a Democrat or a Republican is in the White House. As we cry out for God's mercy on our wayward nation, pray that He will allow us to be a light to the world as we finance global missions, feed and heal the world's poor and share Christ's love at home and abroad.

Breast Cancer Awareness - Remember and Celebrate!

2008-10-26T22:24:00.009-04:00

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. This month has flown by without me even being able to sit down and address this serious topic. I think almost everyone in this day and time has had the unfortunate opportunity to know someone affected by this terrible disease.

I have had numerous women I have looked up to through the years who have been diagnosed with this vicious disease. I am grateful to have these women in my life and am blessed to say that all of them are survivors! Pam, was my mentor through high school. She loved, and still loves, me unconditionally despite my faults and insecurities. Edie and her husband were great leaders in our church and took over as our family ministers shortly before we moved. It wasn't until after we moved that she was diagnosed, but prayer does not know state lines. Thank God for that! The other woman was my head pastor's wife, Elnora, who saw me grow up - literally! I watched these women of faith walk through these days with such grace, strength and faith. They are all in remission which is amazing!

In my life I have had two incredible family members who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. One is a survivor and the other unfortunately lost her battle. My grandma, Marie Kilcrease, unfortunately was diagnosed too late. My grandmother lived a long and adventurous life, which in my opinion was still cut too short, but she still lived well into her 80's. Watching a once vibrant woman slowly be eaten away with disease was heart breaking. No one should have to go through that and no family should have to watch disease consume the family member they love.

The survivor in our family is my Aunt Marcia. She is married to my wonderful Uncle Lou and mother to my cousin April. The diagnosis was a shock to our family and especially to her immediate family. She was extremely health conscious and lead a very active life. To my knowledge, there was no family history of the disease either. She used both traditional and non-traditional remedies in her fight against this terrible disease. We can now say she is in remission and doing extremely well.

My cousin, April, who is a freelance writer (who is probably seeing numerous grammatical errors on this blog) documented parts of her mother's journey. One of her articles appeared in the New York Times. I have placed the link to the article below.

New York Times

Another link in case the one above doesn't work:
April Kilcrease - Mills College Profile

The whole reason I am writing this is to (1) - Honor the women in my life who have been affected by this disease. Putting a face to this disease makes it real!
(2) Encourage you to see your doctor if you haven't done so recently. (3) Self examinations can save your life. You know your body better than anyone. If you notice something that isn't right, go to the doctor. Early detection is life changing!

Breast cancer awareness does not just stop on November 1st. This is a 365 day awareness campaign.

New car

2008-10-25T18:45:00.003-04:00

Well after much consideration, Mr. A and I decided that he needed a vehicle that was a little better on gas mileage as he is driving about 1 hour each way. It's not that our 2003 Saturn VUE was hard on gas mileage but ever little bit helps.

After much consideration, we traded in Mr. A's Vue for a Honda Fit Sport. It is a pretty cool little car. It averages 33 miles per gallon which will help us quite a bit with gas prices. The seats fold up so you can put all sorts of stuff inside. They also lay down so you can put larger items in the back.

We put this new little car to the ultimate test today. We have been unloading the boxes we have had in storage for the last year and trying to make sure that they go back in our house nicer than they were before. We decided to put up shelving in the closets to hold more items. We headed to the Habitat for Humanity Restore - which by the way is awesome store if you haven't been - and found a bunch of Closet Maid items to re-do the closets. We also found a great deal on Crepe Myrtle trees - $1 each! Yep you read that right - $1 for a tree! We bought 4 of these trees - about 2-4 ft high plus numerous items for the closets. That car was packed but we were able to get it all in with nothing hanging out. You should have seen everyone's faces as we packed this car - especially when we added the trees in the car.

If you are looking at a new car, definitely check out the Honda Fit Sport. It is a fun little commuter car with some great benefits, especially on storage.

Fried foods, tons of calories - bring on the NC State Fair

2008-10-18T22:42:00.004-04:00

Today we went to the NC State Fair. This was my first time going to the fair. Mr. A and the girls have been before with friends while I was at work. I love the fair! I have been going to fairs since I was little. My family always went to the Del Mar Fair, which is now called the San Diego County Fair. The best thing for me was experience the fair with my kids. Seeing everything through their eyes was like seeing it for the first time.

The whole reason to go to the fair this year was to see Toby Mac. We found out he was going to be in concert today and knew we wanted to go. We had kept it a surprise from them until today at the fair. The best part is this was AJ's first concert experience. What an awesome concert to go to for your first concert!! Going to the fair was just going to be an added bonus to the concert in our eyes.

The fair was fun! A lot of walking, but they had some really cute things to do, especially for kids. Seeing as NC is a huge agriculture state, they had a cute area where they gave kids a basket and they walked through the exhibit collecting fruits and vegetables. At the end, the produce was weighed and the kids were "paid" for their labors. They then turned in their cash for a prize at the end of it all which included an apple, NC peanuts, frisbee and pen. It was pretty cute even for our almost teenagers.

Lots of animals, games and rides were available as in most state or county fairs. We don't normally let the kids ride the rides - a huge safety thing for me - but we were able to get a deal on some ride tickets so Mr. A and the girls did do one ride. We ate food that probably had enough calories to kill us. We also indulged with the fair favorite - funnel cake for a treat before the concert.

The only downer for the day was the weather. It was overcast, but it was cold! Even layered up, it was still cold! We about froze when we stopped to look at anything. We could have gone back in the exhibit halls but they were so hot you were begging to go back outside.

The best part by far was the concert. We went in a little early and found out that the seats I bought back in August online were awesome seats! Just above the floor but close enough that you could see everything! Toby Mac did not disappoint! If you haven't seen his show, it is high energy all the way through. We loved every minute of it. AJ was screaming and waving her hands around like a wild child - she gets it from me! Mr A, KA and I were laughing as she busted out with the lyrics at the top of her lungs. She may not have a voice tomorrow, but it was worth it!

It was a great day for our family to just hang out and have fun. We laughed a lot and had a great time hanging out. I love that our kids, for now, let us hang out with them at concerts and sing with them. I had to stop myself a couple of times and just savor the moment sitting between both girls singing at the top of their lungs with huge smiles on their faces. Today was a great day!

TSMS - Give me your eyes

2008-10-11T14:27:00.002-04:00

This song is my heart! I want to help those around me especially now in these times of confusion and uncertainty. I don't want to miss an opportunity that God has put in my path. Whether it is a smile, hug or something else, God show me those who are hurting. Let some one see YOU in me.

I wasn't able to embed the video but you can watch this video on You Tube here: Brandon Heath "Give Me Your Eyes"

Friends

2008-10-11T13:13:00.002-04:00

"A friend loves at all times" Proverbs 17:17

A true friend loves you for you. Not what you could be or should be, but for you.
A true friend laughs with you for no reason at all.
A true friend knows your thoughts just by the look on your face.
A true friend tells you how it is but also knows when to keep their mouths shut.
A true friend listens to you rant and vent without trying to fix the problem.
A true friend understands that your family is crazy but loves them just the same because they are family.
A true friend knows your secret wants, dreams and wishes and is your biggest cheerleader as you strive to achieve them.

I have been blessed that I was able to spend my whole childhood, teenage years and early adulthood in the same house, city and church. My parents moved into my childhood home when I was 2 1/2 and still live there today. I never had to move and make new friends until my husband and I moved cross country. I grew up with a great bunch of friends that I spent most of my crazy teenage years with and survived. We had our fair share of fights, boys, and life thrown at us, but we weathered the storms together.

Most of you would say I have a lot of "friends" that I keep in touch with even today, but in reality, I have really two strong friendships that I treasure besides my husband. A lot of the people I hung out with are friends and don't get me wrong, I love them all dearly, but when push comes to shove I know I have two people I can count on. They are SJ and Rae.

SJ has been my best bud forever. She is practically a sister to me. We think we met in the 1st grade or so, but we can't really pin point the exact time we became friends. We just have always been by each others sides. When I look through photo albums of my life she is there at almost every important event. Proms, dances, boyfriends, graduations, illness, deaths, marriages...she was there. She was the wild-n-crazy gal while I tended to be quiet and reserved. She brought out the wild side in me when we were together. If she did it then I would try it. She was fashion forward while I was fashion challenged. She was constantly helping me try and update my looks, become more girly, wear makeup and relax. She is confident, loving and is sassy!

She moved away shortly after graduation to AZ. She was pursuing a degree at a university there, but when she came home, we always got together. Whether at Denny's for a BLT with french fries and lots of ketchup or her mom's house to watch movies. She met and married a great guy and now lives in WA. They have a daughter who is almost 3 and reminds me so much of SJ when I see her in pictures. We may go months without talking to each other, but we get on the phone it is like time has never passed. We just talk and talk.

My other true friend is Rae. I met Rae in high school. She hung with a different group of friends but we all did things together. She and I become really close after high school when we worked with Jr. Highers on Sunday mornings at church. She and I took some in coming 6th graders and helped them make the transition into middle school/Jr. High a little easier. Rae is quieter than me, but can be a pit bull if needed. She doesn't have a temper but when I person needs help she will fight for them. Rae is loyal, true to her word and has a heart that is bigger than Texas.

She moved away to go to school in IN. Why she thinks she was getting/running away from everything that was chasing her in San Diego, God had other plans. God shook her up in IN and she has never been the same since. Rae married a great guy and they have 3 children and are expecting another. Where do they live...still in IN! She thought she would get away from IN but God is doing some miraculous things in here life there.

Rae and I talk to each other about every three months and when we talk it makes me thankful for her in my life. She was my sounding board about everything recently. She was my biggest cheerleader when we moved out here and has continually supported me with prayer and encouragement when we have faced challenges. I know that when something goes down, I can call her and she will stop what she is doing and talk.

As I was on the phone with Rae last night just to wish her Happy Birthday and to catch up, I began the thank God for my friends. I know a lot of people who care about me, who laugh with me and will cry with me, but there is something special about a true friend who just gets you! The real you - battered and broken, goofy and embarrassing, mom of the year and the mom who drops the balls she is trying to keep up in the air. They are the ones who will love you when you are at your best and when you are your worst, who loves you despite the extra weight you have put on since high school and the one who knows the true beauty is your heart not your thighs and butt.

I know God has put every friend in my life for a reason. As I struggle to really make friends now as an adult, I know that God has blessed me with friends "who knew me when". They are only a phone call or email away, but I do miss the face to face. I know that if I need them they will be here. I am thankful for what they have made me to be and what they continually challenge me to be.

Thank you God for my friends both near and far.

TSMS - I know who I am

2008-10-04T19:33:00.002-04:00

Today's song I have been singing all week. We sang it for worship both on Sunday and Wednesday night. I love the truth in the song...I am His and HE is Mine.

Fireproof

2008-09-29T19:07:00.005-04:00

I just want to take a moment to say that if you have not seen "Fireproof" yet, you should go see it. Mr. A and I had a date night on Saturday that included this movie and we were surprised at how good it was.

I think we need to support this movie as it supports Christian values, family and marriage. The way to do this is go see the movie and prove to Hollywood and the powers with our dollars in the box office that be that we want movies that are have good morals or morals at all!

The other way we do that is to tell those we know to go see this movie too. If you are able to buy tickets for friends that would be awesome. Also, offer to babysit for those who cannot afford to have a babysitter plus movie tickets. Little things you do may change a marriage for a lifetime.

Go see this movie!

www.fireproofthemovie.com

TSMS - To Bring You Back

2008-09-27T14:13:00.003-04:00

This song has been in my head all week. I have heard it almost every day on Air1 radio and it grabs me every time!

God loves me so much that HE will search for me. Me...a lost sheep in a desert. HE finds me and returns me to His comfort, resting place full of peaceful rivers and green grass to feed on. I am safe when I am with My Shepherd.

Luke 15:3-7
Then Jesus told them this parable: "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

San Diego - My hometown - How true this is

2008-09-26T06:45:00.007-04:00

I saw this and had to laugh out loud. These are so true and unless you have lived in San Diego it is hard to explain to others. Mr. A and I watch as people look at us strange as we describe San Diego. I swear people think it is another planet! I love it!

I will always be a Cali Girl in my heart! I love San Diego and all the things there are to do and see. I love living here in NC, but San Diego will always have a place in my heart and soul.

You know you are from San Diego when:

-Your high school had a surf team

-You can correctly pronounce Tierrasanta, La Jolla, Rancho Penasquitos, San Ysidro, Otay Mesa, and El Cajon

-There are four distinct seasons: Summer, Not Quite Summer, Almost Summer, and Oh Hey Look Its Summer Again

-Chula-juana is a real town

-Your house is worth more than some small countries

-You know what MB, OB, and PB stand for

-Every street name is either in Spanish or Spanish related, and you're surprised when other areas don't have this

-You can determine the accuracy of someone's "i'm ghetto" claim by knowing their high school. For example, Lincoln, Crawford, or Morse

-You see weather forecasts for four different climate zones in the same county, and aren't remotely surprised. The Micro Climate Weather

-You've gone to Mt. Helix in July and known you still need a jacket

-You've tailgated at Qualcomm Stadium, and for bonus points, also tailgated when it was Jack Murphy Stadium

-You have a favorite- the WAP or the Zoo

-You've been on a field trip to see an Imax movie at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center

-You still call it the Del Mar Fair

-You say "i'm going to the track" and people know what you mean-You understand what May-Gray and June-Gloom is

-A famous skateboarder/surfer lives in your town

-There's a North County, a South County, and an East County but no Central County

-"Mossy Nissan! Mossy Nissan! Mossy Nissan Moves You!"

-You know what it means when a girl in a short skirt is walking on El Cajon Blvd

-You've gotten stuck in the Horton Plaza parking structure traffic after a Padres game

-You know what "The Merge" is, and will plan your entire day around not being on it during rush hour

-You know the difference between Clairemont Mesa, Kearny Mesa, and Mira Mesa

-You've gone to Sea World on a warm day and sat in the first few rows at the Shamu Show to get cooled off

-You've been delayed at the Border Checkpoints on the 5 and the 15

-There are more bands than people

-Your house doesn't have air conditioning

-Everyone has their favorite beach

-No matter what the weather is, there is always someone walking around in a t-shirt, shorts, and flip flops

-You live on, near or are surrounded by hills

-You hate tourists and their bad driving.

-You have family and or friends that have moved to Arizona

-You used to, and sometimes still do ride the carousel at Seaport Village

-You know someone who doesn't own pants

-You know what Santa Anas are, and that they have literally nothing to do with the city of Santa Ana

-If the menu doesn't have California burritos on it, forget it, its not real mexican food

Family Vacation - Part 2

2008-09-25T12:13:00.011-04:00

Grandfather Mountain

The second day of our trip was a little more of a whirlwind. We woke up and headed to Grandfather Mountain. We knew it was going to get warmer so we wanted to get there early enough to enjoy the sights before it started to get blazing hot.

The family at the 1st Observation lookout

If you haven't been to Grandfather Mountain before it is a definite must see. We didn't realize how much there was to do. You could spend all day there hiking on numerous trails all over the mountain. We did the top with the swinging bridge first. Now anyone who knows me knows that heights and I are not friends. I wouldn't say I freak, but I am definitely not in my comfort zone. I crossed the bridge with no problems. I just kept looking straight ahead of me and not to the sides or bottom and did fine.

The Swinging Bridge

Mr. A & the girls wanted to go out to the point and that is where I stopped. There are just rocks that you walk out to and stand on. No fences, guard rails or anything like that to protect you so I decided to plant myself on the stone wall and attempt to take pictures of the them from a distance. Mr. A said KA had a little trouble with the heights but eventually relaxed and enjoyed the scenery. Of course AJ was in her element. She is the little adventurer and tends do be the opposite of KA when it comes to new things or things that can be a little dangerous. She embraces them while KA is a little more reserved and cautious. (That's my kid!)

On the top edge of Grandfather Mountain
AJ on left, concerned KA on right

We went down to the museum and animal education/viewing areas. The best part of this is when we went to the bear exhibit. The bears were sitting right at the wall. I looked Mr A. and said "it looks like they are looking for food." Come to find out they allow you to feed the bears for $1.00 per cup. We grabbed two cups and went to feed the bears. It was a nugget that looked like a peanut at first glance, but probably was some sort of nutritional element. We laughed as these bears would catch these nuggets. One bear would stick out its tongue to get your attention. Of course that bear received the most food. There were other exhibits such as the bald eagle, river otters, deer and cougars.

The Bears

AJ feeding the bears
The funny bear with the tongue

As we ended our trip to Grandfather Mountain we decided we were close enough to go see Linville Caverns. The girls had gone to a different cavern area with my parents a couple of years ago and the girls really enjoyed it so we decided to try these. It was really fun. The girls said it was smaller than where they went before, but definitely still enjoyable. We didn't get many shots in the caverns as it was really wet and we didn't trust that our camera wouldn't get damaged.

We had decided prior to coming up that we would do some gem mining/panning. We have done it before at a little farm near our house and loved it. All the gems that get sent to the little farms come from the mines up where we were so why not go to where the gems come from. We found a little gem store that did the panning about a mile from the caverns. We decided to get one large bucket and split it between the four of us. We found some awesome stones: rose quartz, smoke quartz, moon stones, etc. They have a man on premises who can look at your stones and help you identify them. You can even have them cut if you had the time. That was one of the highlights of the day.

After a huge dinner at a local BBQ place (which by the way was amazing!!!) we went back to hotel and let the girls swim in the pool. I truly think the girls would have loved just staying at the hotel and swimming if we had let them.

Family Vacation

2008-09-24T06:27:00.010-04:00

This is a very late post, but I just haven't had much time to sit down and write everything down.
Mr. A had some vacation time he had to burn before the holidays. Working retail doesn't allow long vacation times if any during the holidays so he has to use most of his vacation before October. We decided that we would make Labor Day weekend a little longer by taking the girls out of school on that Friday too and head somewhere close but somewhere we haven't been before. After looking at the NC coast, DC, Virginia coast, we decided to head to the mountains. We have lived in NC for almost 4 1/2 years and never been to the mountains.

On Friday, we started off towards Blowing Rock, NC. We arrived in Blowing Rock around 3 pm and decided to check in to the hotel and then head off to the attraction of the area, Blowing Rock. There isn't much to "do" there, but the views are amazing! I can only imagine what it looks like during the fall with all the colors changing. We had fun just walking around, especially after being in the car for 4 hours, and taking lots of pictures.

It was nice to just relax and breathe. We have been going in so many different directions that it was nice to just hang out with the family and relax. We really didn't have any major agendas so we weren't worried about time. We were able to just do what we felt even if that was just hanging out and doing nothing.

Doesn't Mr. A look relaxed?! He just sat on top of Blowing Rock and chilled. We needed this vacation more than we realized.

Then Sings My Soul - Desert Song

2008-09-12T22:33:00.003-04:00

I heard this song one week as I was browsing around on You Tube. This song just stuck with me through the week. I know alot of people are going through difficult times right now with the economy, medical issues, divorce/separations, the list goes on and on. I have heard more and more requests for God to show up. I know people feel like the have been left in the desert, but know this is just a season. It may feel like there is no help - no oasis in the middle of the desert, but God has not left you. God is faithful. You are in this alone.

When you feel like you can cry anymore tears, when you have screamed and shouted with what seems like no one is listening, turn to praise. When you feel like there are no more words to say, start praising. I cannot tell you how many times I have cried during worship not just a release for me, but a surrender to God. I can't do it on my own - show me the way. Show me the way out of this desert. I love the "bridge" of this song, to me it says it all:

"All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship."

Also when I praise God, I turn the attention from me and my problems and focus my attention where it should be in the first place - ON HIM! I hope you enjoy this song as much as I do.

Hillsongs "Healer" controversy

2008-09-12T21:50:00.004-04:00

Imagine my surprise when I went to look for a You Tube video for Saturday's Then Sings My Soul and found this video:

I blogged about this song a couple of weeks ago after hearing it at church. This song is so powerful and it kills me that it is getting such bad press due to the author's con. Please understand me as I say this: I am not agreeing with what this man did by any means. This man obiviously is in a lot of pain and has some serious issues both known and unknown that he needs to get help with.

However, the song "Healer" is an amazing song. This song states some awesome promises and truths about God. Unfortunately, people are not going to hear that anymore due to the crazy fraud this man has conducted for the last 2 years.

Things such as:
"Nothing is impossible."
"You hold the world in your hand"
"You are all I need"
"You're my healer"

These truths are still the same as they were before this controversy. There is nothing that is impossible for our God. God holds the world in His hand. We have nothing to fear - He is in control. God is all I need - even if I lost everything, HE is all I need. God is my healer. I have proof all around me. I have seen miracle after miracle. God heals (period, end of story!)

What do I really think? I think this is a huge attack from the enemy. What was meant for worship and praise has been turned into trash. I think people will take this huge mistake - again, I am in no way condoning what this man did by any means - and stop singing the song due to the controversey.

My thought is to continue to sing the song despite the controversy. Sing the song to "Author and Creator of the world and us" not to the author of the song. We need to forgive Mike, but let's not forget the song.

9/11 - Never Forget

2008-09-11T06:38:00.004-04:00

I have always heard people talk about how they will never forget where they were when certain major events happened in history such as the attack on Pearl Harbor, when John Kennedy was shot and so on. I always thought how weird that was to associated when and where you were until 9/11. I truly will never forget where I was that day or how I felt.

We were living in San Diego at the time and I was working for an environmental remediation company on Naval Air Station North Island. We were civilian contractors on the base. Every morning I went and picked up our mail in our regional office downtown before crossing the Coronado bridge to head to work. At the time, Mr. A's truck didn't have a working radio so I listened to tapes/CD's in the truck vs news or radio stations. I was just getting into the elevator to head to the office when my co-worker said something I will never forget, "We are under attack."

I looked at her like she had just lost her mind, "What do you mean?"

"Don't you listen to the radio?! We are under attack. Something just crashed into the World Trade Center."

We hurried into the office and found a manager who had a small radio in his office. We sat and listened as they announce the second plane had just crashed into the second tower. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I grabbed the mail and headed back to my truck. I immediately grabbed my cell phone and called Art. I told him to turn on the news and get me more information. I was going to attempt to head onto the base.

When I got to the base security was higher than I had ever seen it. It was nuts. I made it to our work trailer and found only two other people there. We logged onto our computers trying to see what was going on. We started getting phone calls from co-workers that they had shut the base down and were not letting non-essential personnel onto the base. We were told to gather computers and files from the offices in case we weren't going to be let back on for awhile.

About that time, we had base security come and order us off the base. We were told we had to leave now. This was a guy we had seen every day patrolling the beach next to our offices with just a small gun in a holster. Now he had a huge automatic weapon of some sort. The three of us loaded up our vehicles with everyone's items and headed to our regional office. As we were leaving the base, there were jeeps and different military vehicles lining the main road in and out of the base all with their guns pointed at the cars attempting to leave the base. Barricades had been set up at the entrance and men and women with huge guns were set up all around. My first thought was "World War III has just begun."

I made it to our offices and unloaded the gear. We were on the 12th floor, the top floor, of an office building in downtown San Diego. We were less than 2 minutes from the airport. Could what happen in New York happen in San Diego? Could a plane hit our office building? We were told we could go home and spend time with our families if we felt like it. I headed home and Mr. A and I planted ourselves in front of the television watching the news footage over and over again for the rest of the day into the evening.

I now understand what people mean when they say do you remember where you were when ____________ happened.
I will never forget how scared I was that day.
I will never forget wondering what was going to happen to the US from that day forward.
I will never forget watching the towers fall.
I will never forget watching people jump out of the buildings prior to the collapse.
I will never forget the men and women who went to work that day and never came home.
I will never forget those brave firefighters who ran into the buildings as many were running out.
I will never forget 9/11.