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!

I LOVE FALL!

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

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?

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.