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

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?

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!

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

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

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

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

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!