summer Summer SUMMER!

School's out for SUMMER!  Three months of lazy, hot, sunny, slushie filled evenings by the pool! 

I think they are already bored.

I'm not!  The last week of May always finds me running ragged between:

• End of School Award Ceremonies
• End of Year Band Concerts
• Registration for the school year to come
• Baseball Games
• Baseball Playoffs & extra practices
• Fred's B-day
• Rose's B-day
• Memorial Day
• oh, yeah - I work full-time
• and - run a house full-time
• and hubby worked two extra 12 hour shifts this week
• AND we hauled 5 tons of rock around our back yard switching from grass to desert landscape....

Which means......

I can't WAIT for pool side rest & relaxation now that the kids are all old enough to play independently (in life-jackets, of course) to read a book and sip a slurpee......

Women of Faith 2010

I had a wonderful weekend get-away to fabulous Las Vegas (I know, it's in my backyard.... but a world away at the same time....) at the end of April to attend the Women of Faith Conference with 100 women from my church and 5000 other random women!  I stayed with a couple of friends at the MGM (kindly comped by a client of one of my friends, YAY!) and got to have some "girl time" as well as some "God time"!  It was much needed and I have made some good changes in my life because of it!  Here are some of the highlights for me:

• A day off of work (friday) and a day off of chores (saturday) to go enjoy speakers, music, skits and of course, book shopping in between sessions!
• A night away from the responsibilities of being a mommy and wife to spend time with good friends, enjoying good food, good drinks, high heels (and the inevitable sore feet that Vegas brings), and some face time with Elvis impersonators, haha! Not to mention the laughter, time to relax, and a good old cab ride... too bad we didn't get to play Cash Cab; although I think that our ride topped that!

• One of my favorite speakers was Marcus Buckingham who has a book called Find Your Strongest Life.  He has an online test you can take here Find A Stronger Life which will show you how to focus on developing the strengths that God blessed you with so you can live the life He intends for you.  It was wonderful to hear him speak about not worrying about your weaknesses, but finding your talents and your passions and working into them!  I loved that he wasn't just about "to feel good; do your best, be perfect, blah, blah, blah..." but gave very practical advice on how to change.  I am really enjoying his book as well.  I took the test and am amazed at the results; it pinpointed my strengths exactly! I am a "Caretaker" first and an "Equalizer" second; which means I want everyone to be happy and I want everyone to do the right thing because its the right thing (oh, yeah... it also says I love organization and I might have a fondness for spreadsheets..... !)  Told ya, it was spot on! 
• There were many other wonderful speakers including Sheila Walsh, Lisa Harper, Karen James, Lucy Swindoll, drama by Nicole Johnson and an amazing performance by Mandisa of American Idol fame (she was dynamic & I don't think there was a dry eye in the place!). 
• Natalie Grant!!  I was so looking forward to seeing her perform, and she was unbelievable!  I loved her and hope I have the opportunity to see her sing again.  She ended with a gospel song "His eye is on the Sparrow" and it was so moving.... My favorite song that she performed is Held, I only wish she would have performed In Better Hands.  Next time, Natalie?! Still, I Will Not Be Moved!
• Rich Stearns!!  He is one of my favorite people right now and I was like a kid at Christmas ready to see Santa.... I don't think some of my friends quite got why I was so excited to see him speak, but his book changed my life.  You can read my blog about The Hole In Our Gospel for why I love him so.  It was an honor and privilege to see him speak.
• I am now the proud sponsor of a new World Vision child who shares my youngest daughter's birthday and lives in Indonesia.  I can't wait to get to know her....

All the above made for a great weekend for me;
but this is why it was amazing to see God in Sin City: 

• 462 Women committed their lives to Jesus!
• 787 Children have new sponsors through World Vision!

Countdown is on for next year....

Women of Faith Las Vegas April 29-30, 2011

April showers bring.... May.

It's May!  In fact, it's half way to June!  Here is a re-cap of our Spring Happenings...

• I ran a 1/2 Marathon with a great friend of mine the day before Easter.  We had a great time running a couple of long runs (oh, how I love the conversational twists and turns of those lactic acid delirium runs!).  I beat my time from the Rock-n-Roll run by 4 minutes... woo hoo!  Oh, the hills by Lake Mead were killer, but we powered through and I had a great time!

• The easter egg hunt after the race was a highlight for the kids.  They had a blast getting easter baskets filled with candy, stuffed animals and a crayon box with a sharpener built in!  So amazing that my teenage daughter was so thrilled by the crayon box that we had to get her a new coloring book so she could use them!  I love days like that.....

• Easter was especially important to our family this year, we watched The Passion of the Christ with Rose & Bella.  So amazing to see them realize what Jesus gave up for them.  I am so grateful to be able to share his love and sacrifice with the very gifts that he gave me.  

• On Easter our friends came over for lunch and another Easter Egg Hunt!  Easter services were wonderful, we always go to the Sunrise service that the youth puts on in the courtyard of our church.  It was so moving, the songs sung by sweet young voices always move me as the sun rises against the backdrop of the steel cross in the middle of the walkway.  After the service we went to McDonalds for breakfast and were joined by most of the youth!  They always make me laugh, how I love those kids....  We then went back to the first "traditional" service and the music, complete with choir (including my favorite opera singer and Bestie), orchestra, organ and of course, an amazing sermon by our Pastor.   He is moving on to be District Superintendent in July and it was bittersweet knowing this is probably the last holiday we will hear his wonderful words. 

I'm sure there are more highlights, I may post later (pun intended....)

another year older... another year wiser?

Hubby and I had Birthdays at the end of March!  What a fun week it was!

I was totally spoiled by my family and friends and co-workers!  My office was decorated and I had a huge cake and balloons waiting for me when I got to the office on my birthday!  My girlfriends took me to Milo's for wine tasting complete with a cheese & fruit plate.... yum!  They gave me clothes, jewelry, sweet cards and lots of laughter.  I just love them and thank God for their friendship every single day!  They are amazing!!!

Hubby bought me an i-touch; which I needed!  I am sorry to not be using my old i-pod, though.  I loved it, I ordered it from the Apple web-site 4 years ago, it was red and had the inscription "The Lord is my Strength and Song" on the back and i enjoyed watching it travel from China to my house... eagerly awaiting my first i-pod.  Sadly, it doesn't hold a charge anymore and i will miss it terribly.  Luckily, my i-touch has stolen my heart and I love that I have a nike chip for my running shoes that the i-touch will track: pace, miles, and record workouts for me and I didn't have to invest in an expensive GPS watch!  Apple Rocks!  (Thanks, Hubby... you are super-techie cool!)

Speaking of Hubby.... he turned the big 4-0 this year and I threw him a surprise party!  It was a smashing success and he loved having friends and family surround him with love (and gag gifts galore!!).  I had told him we were meeting our friends for dinner and drinks and when we showed up, 30 of his friends were there!  His mom even made it to celebrate the occasion!  I am so thankful that everyone was there to love him up and we love you all!

Yes..... we are getting older, wiser, and more blessed in life and love every year!  Life is such a gift!

family, friends, lots of fun!

Hubby's Momma wanted to get him a Camaro for his b-day!  

He loved it!

The 88 car came with a coupon good for one Petty Driving Experience!

Which means he gets to DRIVE a Nascar!  Woo Hoo!

Don't ya just Love love?

boogety-boogety-boogety let's go racin' boys!

Hubby begged Santa Claus for Nascar tickets for Christmas!  Guess what?  He was a good boy this year and got them!  Sorry the posting is late, the race was the last week of February......

Friday was Fred / Daddy Day and I got Suite tickets from a vendor, so they got to visit the Neon Garage, walk the roof (where all the spotters and cameras are) and Fred got to eat Nachos (yes, I think this was the highlight for him, he's still talking about those Nachos!).

Fred & Darrel Waltrip

Saturday was the Nationwide Race and Hubby took Rose.  They sat in the rain and ate junkfood and loved every minute of it!  Hubby got tired of the rain and wanted to leave, but Rose talked him into staying and she fell in love with Nascar and has already learned all the Racers and their cars / sponsors, etc...

Picture taken by Rose! She's a camera hog!

They didn't get any pics together... a reason to go again next year?!

Sunday was the Shelby America Sprint Cup and Hubby took Bella.  Bella has been the biggest fan all year and had gotten a t-shirt and cap of her favorite driver, Jeff Gordon for Christmas.  He led the race all day and lost at the very end, but Bella and her Daddy had a wonderful time together!  

Bella & her Papa

Now that Papa has infected the rest of the house with his "Racing Fever", sundays for the foreseeable future will be spent gathered around the Tele with racing gear on and nachos in hand! 

The Raining Season

I have been moved.


I went to a missions meeting at church a few months ago; ok I really had a staff parish meeting at 6:30 and knew there was a missions meeting at 6:00 and thought I'd attend for a few minutes before my Very Important meeting to meet our new Pastor.  I wanted to get missions information for the summer because I knew that the church was planning to go up to the UMCOR facility in SLC, UT to package and sort emergency supplies.  They had all been depleted because of the major earthquake in Haiti and I thought it would be a fantastic way for our family to go on a mission trip and maybe see some extended family along the way.  Instead, I heard the heartbreaking story of thousands of suffering orphans in Sierra Leone, West Africa.  Our Missions Lay Leader had arranged for the founders of a new orphanage in Africa that he had been interested in joining on a trip there to come and speak to our church and share their story.  I tell you, after the 30 heart-wrenching minutes I was there, I had to tear myself away and my heart stayed right there in that room with those amazing Godly women.  


At the time, I was reading the book The Hole in our Gospel by Richard Stearns, who is the President of World Vision.  Hubby had just finished the book and told me it was a MUST read and boy, was he right.  I was in the middle of the book when I attended the missions meeting and I know that God was preparing my heart for the message that The Raining Season was to bring to my secure, comfortable, safe environment to shock me into action.  


I have not been able to get the amazing stories I heard of how The Raining Season was founded out of my mind and how God moved in two women's hearts to cause them to step up and save the orphans of Sierra Leone.  I have read and re-read every word on their website and their blog and my God will let me rest no more.  Hubby and I went on a date Sunday night and had a very good conversation and decided to sponsor a child, we weren't sure how much to commit to or if we should sponsor one child or two.  


I must admit that I had a crisis of faith on Monday before committing to sponsorship.  Their were rumors of lay-offs at work (4 people did in fact get let go on Friday and I am heartbroken for them all) and I was nervous about that and decided to pray about it for the remainder of the day.  I prayed every moment I thought of it (which was a lot!) and had been reassured by God that he is in control and that I needed to surrender control and show him my faith in action.  When I came home from work and got the mail (like I do every single day), there was a letter from our little World Vision child in Albania.  He had sent us a thank you letter for gifts we had sent him for Christmas and told us how much he loves us even though we are half-way around the world and have not even met in person.  


Thank you, God!  I love it when you speak to my mind & heart and then back it up with tangible evidence of what direction you want me to go in.  You are an Awesome God!  I love your timing - how perfect to get a letter from Albania just hours after I had decided to leap out in faith!  Thank you, thank you!  


Hubby and I have signed up to sponsor two beautiful children at The Covering (the name of the orphanage).  They are brother and sister who only have each other in this world.  Our family has had several evenings this week just looking at the website and google earth-ing and wikipedia-ing Sierra Leone.  We decided to give up some of our luxuries so that we can assist these children into having a chance to grow up loved and healthy.  There is hope - I can't save them all, I certainly can't save them on my own, but I CAN make a difference to one (or two)!  


I have been blessed so abundantly......

http://www.therainingseason.org/

My Book Bender

Read

by Ann Turner

Do you remember

learning to read?

That book full of squiggles

like ants, escaped.

the teacher's big thumb

on the page,

your heart beating inside

afraid that all you'd ever see

was ants---

Then a word popped out.

"See," and another, "cat,"

and my finger on teacher's

we read "I see cat."

I ran around the room

so happy I saw words

instead of ants.

I just love this poem!  Fred is learning to read and it is so fun to hear him reading EVERYTHING and sounding out the words on signs, buildings, shirts, bags and of course, books EVERYWHERE we go! 

I just love reading, too.  So, I am starting a book blog... I hope you will check it out and I hope you enjoy my musings.  I haven't quite figured out how I am going to format it, so it will be a work in progress (just like me!). 

http://www.mybookbender.blogspot.com/