Random Thoughts

Every now and then I spend some time with a blog idea in my head. (Obviously most of the time I don't get it into a blog format. I'll try to be better at that!) God has definitely given us an interesting year, full of situations we were able to grow and learn from. Most, if not all of them, I wouldn't have asked for. Yet our family is much stronger because of them. It often makes me wonder what is coming next! And I look forward to that with both excitement and nervousness.

One of these situations brought a question to the front of my mind. Why do you/we go to church? A question we all answer differently at different times in our lives. We probably start out answering, "because my parents go." I have had varied answers...because I wanted to, because I was expected to, to see my friends, etc. Sometimes I have felt like going to church was our job (naturally, I suppose). No matter the reason, I have always been blessed by being there.

I have noticed that there are some people who go for themselves. The ministers need to preach about what they want to hear, their kids should get their way in the youth ministry, they should be able to sponsor activities they want to sponsor and do it their way, etc. Not only does this frustrate me immensely, it's purely selfish. It causes division, jealousy, anger, and so much more.

One visit I had at home triggered this particular thought for me. My granny was talking about my aunt, who is have some major health problems, and mentioned that she was disappointed that their minister hadn't visited them. The conversation continued about how visiting others wasn't this minister's strength, and they wished for more from him. Being the wife of a minister who has to deal with these issues, I told them to think about all the work this man does well. How much time he must spend caring about the congregation. No minister is perfect. If you are unhappy with how your ministers are serving, what can you do to pick up the slack? All of us our ministers. We don't get out of that responsibility just because we pay someone full-time to minister. (I have to say that Granny is probably more in tune with God and his Word than almost anyone I know, so please don't think I'm down on her spirituality!)

Look around you today and see how you can build up someone else, especially those who are paid ministers. Some rarely hear what they are doing well...only the negative things.

I so often fail to look beyond myself, but I'm trying to change that. God has taught me all year to look past my wants/needs and to rely on him. A lesson that I'll probably continue to learn for the rest of my life.

Summertime!

As most of you know, the minute kids are out of school is the minute our lives get crazy. I was much more prepared this summer for what to expect, and I have to say that it has been a really awesome ride. Mitch is finally doing "his" ministry with the youth group. We both feel more at home here among the church and the community. And the kids are responding in amazing ways.

Our summer checklist so far:

1. Jr. High 6 Flags trip to Dallas - was super fun! Jacey even got to ride some rides and really loved the waterpark.

2. Houston Opportunity Camp - There are only 3 days between the 6 Flags trip and this one, so Jacey and I visited family in between. We had a great time being with cousins and aunts and uncles. Camp itself went so smoothly. I hadn't been in a couple of years, so it was good for Mitch and I to do this work together.

3. 4th of July - My parents came for the weekend! They hadn't been here in almost a year. It was great to let them meet friends and be a part of our small town celebration.

4. Random trip to Dallas - Mitch's yearbook friends from high school had a reunion. I enjoyed meeting people he had told me about. We also got to stay with Tom and Donna (Mitch's aunt & uncle). Jacey was completely spoiled.

5. VBS - a full week of crazy fun. Very exhausting, but good.

6. Church camp - This week is always like a vacation, since we get to stay with Mitch's parents. Jacey was spoiled, and we had a great time being with family. For some reason we always get sick afterwards (probably the exhaustion kicking in).

We have done all of this plus our normal weekly events in the past 9 weeks. I'm always nervous about the summer starting, but God has really blessed us this summer. It hasn't been as hard as I thought it might be.

Next week Jacey and I head off again to Nashville to help my parents move into their new house. It's great to see what God has done with them this past year. I had no idea what to expect last year, and now they're buying their dream home. Definitely a God-thing. I can't wait to see the house and help them decorate. When we get home it'll be time for Jacey's 2nd birthday and our anniversary. Then maybe life will quiet down. At least a little. :)

The beach

A few weeks ago I posted about our trip to the beach, but I didn't put up any pictures. (Sorry Grandma!) Here are a few we got. Aunt Charlotte needs to send me the rest...hint hint.

Seeing the ocean for the first time

She decided it was ok and plopped right down

Chasing the birds

Vacation

We are finally home from our fabulous vacation at Destin, FL. We were able to spend the whole week with Grammy, Papa, and aunt Charlotte. There's nothing better than relaxing on the beach, swimming in the ocean and the pool, and letting Grammy and Papa watch Jacey! :)

Jacey wasn't scared of the ocean much at all. I was really surprised because I remember being terrified. She loved being able to make a mess!

We've decided the best way to explain this week was in a top 9 most funny moments list. Here goes:

9. 5 adults, 1 child, and 2 dogs in a camper for a week. I think that's pretty funny in itself.

8. SPF 4 really DOESN'T offer much protection for white skin. Ask Charlotte about that sometime.

7. Jacey was proudly carrying a bucket of water back from the ocean when she tripped and face planted in the sand. Probably not as funny for her, but we thought it was precious and hilarious. Especially since her face was half covered in sand.

6. We generally left the screen door open during the day. Both dogs at different times didn't realize it was closed and tried to jump inside. Lexie, my sister's dog, ended up doing a back flip in the process.

5. Mitch was relaxing in a beach chair when it completely collapsed. Unfortunately no one was there to witness it.

4. Mitch also had a close encounter of the crab kind. He was out jumping waves when he was pinched by a crab. Apparently the crab hung on for a quick ride before letting go.

3. On the camper there is a LP alarm, which goes off to let you know there is a propane leak. The first two nights it waited to go off until we were all asleep. The funny part was listening to it beep, then hearing my dad smack it. This happened repeatedly. He did finally figure out how to unplug it.

2. One day my dad was napping. Jacey walked up to him, grabbed his can of coke, said, "Milk!" and proceeded to pour it all over him.

1. Eglin Air Force base is right next to Destin/Ft.Walton beach, where we stayed. Charlotte drove in very late Friday night. She misunderstood part of the directions Mom gave her and turned towards one of the gates. (To get to Destion you have to go over a toll bridge.) In her hand was a $5 bill, and on her face must have been utter confusion. Two guards saw her and probably had the biggest laugh of their year. They did eventually tell her how to get back to the correct road. Ask her to tell this story as well. Fanawesome. :)

Kitchen Table

So God granted us the opportunity to purchase new furniture...a table. Our old kitchen table was bought pre-marriage at the Salvation Army and then painted to be pretty. For the two of us it was ok, but it's gotten smaller and smaller recently. Our new one is gorgeous, and big!

Winter

This spring break we again took kids to Wolf Creek, Colorado to ski for a couple of days. I actually made it this year (no blizzards or knee injuries)! Jacey and I enjoyed experiencing the snow and hanging out in the lodge. She really didn't take good naps, so on the last evening she crashed...hard. Mitch and the kids (and the sponsors) had a good time skiing. Overall the trip went very smoothly.

For most of February and March we've had beautiful, warm spring weather. Today we got a blizzard just to mix things up! It's been very pretty, but very very cold. I've been wanting to go out and play but it's 21 degrees and feels like 7. As Jacey would say, "Brrr!!"

At Wolf Creek in our cute ski gear

Sliding down the mountain

Jacey, exhausted, sleeping on me before dinner

Jacey wanted to go "nigh night" with her baby under the blanket

Looking at the fire Dad built

Our Spring blizzard

My surprise flowers

18 Months

I know, it's been an incredibly long time since posting. The 7000 miles of traveling to Nashville, Branson, and Colorado Springs took it's toll. We're finally back enjoying the quiet peace before pre-summer events start.

Jacey is officially 18 months old today. It's so amazing how fast she's grown up already. She has her daddy's social skills, and is trying to say everything we say. The most popular words of the moment are "no," "ah duh" (all done/gone), "book," and "mae-mei" (baby). I love being able to communicate with her and know some of the things she wants/needs. She loves going to the park, where she gets to play on the bouncy ducks, climb on everything, and go down the slides. We knew early on that she was a climber, and it's evident now. She has no fear. I'm almost able to let her run free at the kiddie playground - since she's getting so good and the slides. (I still have the image of her going over head-first.) She also loves Sesame Street, in particular Elmo. Today she dancing for joy when I turned the tv on and she saw the little guy. She knows his theme song too, and will sing it with him.

Mitch's job is going really well. Neither one of us have any doubts that we are exactly where God wants us to be right now. He was able to baptize 3 of our teens this month following their trip to Winterfest. He also has started and new program where he is able to go one-on-one and challenge a handful of teens to study deeper. I get to go cook on Mondays with the ladies where we feed 100+ teens lunch. It's always a blast, and any of you who have cooked large quantities of food with other women know.

I need to upload our recent pics. Once that's done I'll post pictures for all to see.