Run, Forest, Run!

Best 5k time ever yesterday! I must say, it was AWESOME! My friend, who is currently training for her first Triathalon and has run several 1/2 marathons, gave me a Runner's World beginners guide to running and it had some great tips. I followed the advice to have an energy-giving snack an hour or two before the run. I had a 1/4 cup of nuts and a banana... yummy fuel! I ran the whole 3.1 miles without walking (a first, please applaud!) and finished in 33 minutes. "11 minute miles" wooo hooo! getting better!

I am attempting to re-create my i-pod playlist, as I had it on shuffle and need desperately to remember what songs I ran like lightening to!

• Breakfast, Newsboys
• Author of Life, Phil Joel
• Bet on it, Zac Efron
• Watching You, White Tie Affair
• Panama, Van Halen
• Return, Needtobreathe

Good, but not long enough for me, I like to FF to the next song when I get bored...

Here is my actual Running Playlist as well;

• Welcome to the Jungle, Guns n Roses
• By Myself, Linkin Park
• Survior, Destiny's Child
• Rehab, Amy Winehouse
• Have a Nice Day, Bon Jovi
• Cheap and Evil Girl, Bree Sharp
• Fighter, Christina Aguilara
• Hollaback Girl, Gwen Stefani
• Kickstart my Heart, Motley Crew (my favorite when I need a push!)
• In Better Hands, Natalie Grant
• Smells like Teen Spirit, Nirvana
• Crushcrushcrush, Paramore
• Author of Life, Phil Joel (funny that this would come up on my shuffle list as well :)
• Funhouse, Pink
• Breakin Dishes, Rihanna
• Shake It, Metro Station
• You are my King, Newsboys

Well, there 'tis. I run best to the Newsboys or any worship music... something about focusing on what's important ya know!

Give me fuel

Give me fire

Give me that which I desire

beat, beat, beat, beat..... 160 beats per minute... I feel a run coming on...

WHAT???? There's no Metallica on my playlist. That's just wrong, man.

Spider Ranger

My son is the cutest little man I have ever met! He loves video games, cars, and all things "manly" - so much different than my three girls! Duh...
So he informed me the other day that he is a "Spider-Ranger". He loves Spiderman and the Power Rangers, so in his little mind, he can be whatever he wants, so why not be both?
I love that little dude.

Hot Baths & Coffee

My Father used to say there were two things that he had to do every day that he hated to do:

• Get up in the morning
• Go to bed at night

It seems that this is definately one trait that this "night owl" has inherited from him. Here is my remedy:

• Take a hot bath at night
• Drink coffee in the morning

Cuppa Java to ya! :)

Aquire the Fire 2009

Guess I should journal about Aquire the Fire before too much time passes. How do I put the experience into words? I'll try my best.


Aquire the Fire is a christian evangelical conference for teenagers. Wow. Sounds so boring. Let me translate. Rock Bands, Worship, The Word, Skits, Videos, Education. A good rockin', worship filled, hands raised, time with other believers to learn how to love God the way he wants to be loved! That's better.

Picture courtesy of http://www.scottshotsnv.com/

I decided to volunteer to drive / chaperone the youth group to ATF in San Diego. For some reason, the youth leaders always have a hard time getting parents to volunteer to go. Something about having to take time off of work, find babysitters for other kids and being "on" for three days straight to keep other people's kids safe for a long weekend. Truthfully, I couldn't wait to go! #1 had such a great time while she was there last year, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. The parents who do go repeatedly go. It's watching a miracle unfold right before your eyes, undeniable & amazing.


First,the car ride down. I drove the Expedition, and had seven (yes, 7!) teenagers in the car with me. There was much debate on seating arrangements which is really irrelevant to the story, but the group of kids I ended up driving were wonderful! My daughter was in a different vehicle, upon my insistence. She needed to be set free to enjoy the drive, not embarrassed by my craziness. San Diego is a 5 hour drive and was a quick, easy drive while being entertained by movies (listening to, not watching - silly), music, teenage conversation (which was surprisingly intelligent - including the editing of one girl's paper for school along the way). How did these kids get so smart? I don't remember spending my free time discussing verbiage and conjugating sentence structure to pass the time at their age!


Once we arrived at the church we were staying at, it was time to unload and head of to the opening night of ATF! It was held in a church called "The Rock" which was a large, modern building, and reminded me of the theatres that are lining the strip in casinos - specifically the one Belle used to have her ballet recitals in at what is now the Planet Hollywood. Phil Joel opened up with about 30 minutes of awesome worship songs. Not his own stuff like I expected, just great songs that are popular in the Christian genre. It was really awesome to see 3500 teens with hands raised singing to God. Then a skit about how Jesus always created trouble wherever he went... the theme this year was "Here comes trouble". Loved it. They ended it by doing a reinterpretation of the Crucifixion behind a LARGE sheet that was back lit. I can't explain it... was very moved. We finished at 10:00 and had to be back by 7:30.... whoa... early.


The second day of ATF was a rush of activity which I can't describe without my ever-present bullets:

• Morning worship with Phil Joel!



• The Sex Talk - they broke up the boys / girls and had the most frank talk with the kids I have ever heard. A cute prego girl (maybe 25?) who actually didn't kiss her hubby (who was giving THE TALK to the boys) until her wedding day (!?!) spoke to the girls about saving their heart for the man God intends them to love forever... it was amazing beyond words. She talked about STD's, Abortion, Sexting, and "Safe Sex" and had the girls enthralled with her own story, which was pretty wild before she gave her life to God. I was completely overwhelmed and had tears rolling down my face for a good 20 minutes of her speech. Wow. One thing she said I heard repeated over and over from the girls all weekend was "A condom can't protect your heart." I pray they remember that and thank God for the courage he gave that speaker to address REAL issues, not just preach or talk down to them. She spoke to their hearts and minds (she did give many statistics and such, I did mention how smart these kids are... they loved it!) It ended by the speaker calling all the girls down who wanted to go to an "Alter call"... but not for salvation. It was to remind them that God will forgive ANY sin - 7 times 70. Every sin is forgotten in God's eyes when asked in Jesus' name (He knows your heart, so if you aren't serious, He knows). Today can be a new day, you can be pure again. Jesus will wash you clean! If you have been molested, had an abortion, had sex, messed around, or just watched shows or movies that put wrong thought processes in your mind, you can be clean again. Just ask for forgiveness and let Jesus cover you in GRACE. Amen, sista.



• The Trouble with Parents - I was absent for this one, as they had a parent class that I went to at the same time. So I got the lowdown from the kids on the way home. They talked about how parents deserve respect and love because they are imperfect, human, children of God, too. They need a teen's forgiveness for not being a perfect parent. Wow. Again... I am amazed. Many kids said this was their favorite part of the talks because they fight with their parents and needed to be reminded of giving grace as well as receiving it. Cool.



• The Parent Talk - LUCKY ME!!!! Phil Joel was the speaker for this one!!!! I was in the fourth row! And yes, a little star struck. I mean, we have been listening to this very talented artist's cd's for a while now and respect his gifts and talents. His speech was a review of the book Re-create, written by Ron Luce who founded and runs ATF. I bought the book, of course. And was reminded that I am in charge of my kids and the environment they grow up in. Thank you. It's not up to Disney or MySpace or MTV to tell my kids what to believe. It starts in my home, with my rules. Amen, brotha.



• Compassion International Alumni speech. An awesome kid who's life was changed by being sponsored by the organization told the kids his story and encouraged them to give another human being a chance. Very moving. This kid now has a college degree and is helping to change the lives of his fellow villagers in Africa.



• Concert by EsterLyn. Awesome music. Band named after their Compassion International Child. Missions minded. God Rocks.



• Concert by Thousand Foot Krutch. This is my kind of Christian Music!! Sounds like Metallica, AC/DC, or Motley Crue. Singing about Jesus. Sing it, boys! I was head-banging and worshiping all at once. Crazy Christians!



• Finale by Phil Joel! 'Nuf said.

Saturday night was a relaxing time for everyone to break off in groups to go to dinner and then return to the church we were staying at. Then time for talking with the kids to see how ATF effected their lives. The youth director issued a challenge to abstain from whatever is tempting them for a month and report back to her (if they wanted to). Several girls are giving up secular music, tv shows or are taking inappropriate posters off their bedroom walls. I thank God for the opportunity to be a part of that night. These kids had a very open, honest discussion about all they had learned.

Sunday was the last day in San Diego - you know my experience at the church already. I also spent some quality time with a friend and Prayer Warrior who is on my side! Then off to the beach for a while (beautiful pacific ocean, cotton candy, shopping, yummy lunch, toes in the water. Nothing better.) Then a fun ride home with 7 surprisingly still not tired teenagers. A car load of teenagers singing "I can only Imagine" over and over and being silly / crazy makes the trip go fast! Loved it!

Life Rocks. Pick Jesus.

Rose & Phil Joel

Calling all Angels

Whew. What a tough couple of weeks it has been parenting at my house.
When I was a girl, I so wanted to be a mommy and have little ones to love. After getting married and being confronted with the possiblity that I may never have children (endometriosis), I decided it was a dream I was willing to fight for. I had surgery, hormone therapy (chemically induced menopause at 21 is NOT fun), and a couple of years of "trying" to get pregnant. God blessed me with four beautiful little miracles to love and raise with my amazing husband.


Day to day life with four kids is an amazing thing to behold. It can be crazy, loud, fun, exhilarating and exhausting all at once. We may have the whole day to sit around in our pj's watching nothing of value on TV or be running around trying to acomplish 20 things in 10 minutes. I do relish this job - I love the pure joy on their faces when I come into the room or when they rush to the door to greet their papa in the morning when he gets off work. I love the unconditional love that these babies have taught me. Parenting has always come natural to Papa and I. We agree on almost everything and now know that we are raising these kids to return to God. But....


We are entering unchartered territory.

It's a new ballgame.

We are flying blind.

Somebody forgot to pack our parachutes.......


As poor child #1 enters the teenage years, and child #2 is now a tween, we feel more than a little overwhelmed. I have been to the bookstore more times in the last 3 months than I care to admit. Here is a list of some of the books that have been recommended or I saw on the store bookshelf and just HAD to buy:

• For Parents Only
• The Five Love Languages of Teenagers (the best so far)
• How to have a new kid by Friday
• Re-Create
• Parenting by the Book
• Reviving Ophelia
• The Power of a Praying Parent (thank you for giving me the words!)
• Boundaries with Teens
• The New Strong Willed Child
• One Tough Mother (my favorite for a good laugh!)

The most consistant thing these books agree on is that these next few years are going to be tough. The kids are trying to grow up and find their own identity. They are going to break free whether you like it or not. Love them and let them know the parameters and the consequences of their decisions. Ok. Easier said than done. But, we will do our best. Reminds me of a funny story.

One night a few weeks ago, Papa and I were harrassing the kids to clean the house up and teasing them that our house was always clean before we had kids. Belle, in her usual smarty pants style, quipped "Ya shoulda thought about that before you got pregnant!" It is now our new motto, and repeated almost daily!

In all seriousness, I have decided to continue reading (devouring) all the books I can on parenting effectively - after all, we only get one chance to raise children. Can't mess this up. But, I will stick to the one book I know will help me the most; The Bible. Here are a few of my favorite pieces of advice on parenting from The Best Book Ever Written: (I like to use different translations ie: KJV, NRSV, NIV, NCV. via blueletterbible.org)

Proverbs 22:6 - Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Psalm 139:14 - I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Proverbs 19:18 - Discipline your children while there is hope. If you don't, you will ruin their lives.

Ephesians 6:4 - Do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Proverbs 20:7 - The righteous man walks in his integrity; his children are blessed after him.

Matthew 18:19 - Also, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about something and pray for it, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.

and one to memorize and place on my heart;

Lamentations 2:19 - Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift your hands toward Him for the life of your young children.

Man, oh Man are Papa & I armed for the fight! Bring it on... we have the Ultimate Fighter on our side! We will pray with fervency for discernment and direction on how to love and raise the Q Crew the way we were intended to. Calling all Angels!!