I'm not sure that's the right title for this post. (For anyone that attended today's service at GBIC, I feel like I'm channeling Pastor John right now. But I don't have a better title, so, so be it.)
Anyway. Last fall I started attending Women's Bible Study as West Shore EFree Church. It's a huge program and I know a lot of women that attend it, and I made several new friends. I started going with my friend, and really, REALLY enjoyed the study we chose. In the spring, I invited another friend of mine to come with me, and in addition to her another friend from church joined us. Now there were four of us in this class. And, again, I really, REALLY enjoyed the study.
Independently, the friend I had not intentionally invited, and I were both feeling like we needed to have a Women's Bible Study at our own church. Walking past the rolling cart of group Bible Study materials, I saw a video series by the same woman I had just taken two classes of, and really, REALLY enjoyed. Bingo! I checked it out, we made plans, we talked to the pastor at church and rolled with it.
In October, we (I) officially started leading this Women's Bible Study. Can I just say - leading ANY Bible Study was never on my radar of things to do. Never on any bucket list of mine. But I have so, SO enjoyed it. And my friend, well, she's had a lot of life changes, and I feel as though I have somewhat bulldozed through another project "we" were spearheading, and run with it by myself. Not sure how she feels about that. But I guess if it were a problem, she would have approached me? Something to digest another day.
So, how does all this relate to my little children? Well, I'll tell you. I have been studying and reading and enjoying learning more about my Lord. I have been intentional about talking about what I'm learning. I (we, parents) have made it an (almost) nightly routine to read bedtime devotions and pray before bed. The kids and I pray in the car on the way to school each morning (almost every morning). It's been a slightly different atmosphere than in the past. I feel it; some people who know me have noticed it. I'm cool with that.
Tonight - tonight was harvest night. Tonight, daddy left for St. Louis for the week. The kids and I drove him to the airport - just to have a few extra minutes with him. (Who needs tv?!) And as we were driving along, our dear daughter said from the backseat, "Daddy, can I pray for you before you go on your trip?" And her sweet, sweet, honest, from the heart of a child's prayer brought tears to our eyes. It was so amazing. So, so amazing.
I can take no credit. I probably model "good Christian behavior" about 6% of the time I spend with her. But I am hopeful. Hopeful that she will continue to love her Jesus and be bold about her faith. She has been saying for the past few months how excited she is to move up to the youth group at our church. Our church, for anyone that isn't familiar, has gone through a bit of a rough patch with youth ministers. What was once a thriving, vibrant nugget of our church has been ravaged. It's barely a whisper of the awesomeness it used to be. There was a time period where we didn't even invite friends to events at our church. We just weren't in the right place. I am hopeful we are on the right track. And the mere fact that my daughter is excited to join that group - that gives me hope. And I'm excited for her to join that group too, because then I can join as well.
Kids are where it's at, people. Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV) "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." What kids see and do as young people, they will continue to do as they grow up. Lemme be honest here - I see the other 94% of my behavior modeled by my daughter too. And it's not pretty. And it's something I need to work on.
That's my story for today.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Friday, November 08, 2013
Back into the Blogging World
So I'm thinking about getting back into the blogging world. I don't know exactly what that entales (entails?) just yet. But it's been a lingering thought for a short while now and I am learning through Bible Study that "random" thoughts are not so random, and thoughts that keep coming back should probably be listened to. SOOO. After much searching, I found my old blog and even successfully logged in (clearly, as I am posting - duh).
So, as I let the thought of publishing my random thoughts to the world wide web, I am pondering, 1) What could I possibly have to say that would be able to benefit someone else? 2) Should I start a brand new blog? 3) Should this blog be about me, what I'm learning as I go through life, more about the kids (as it previously had been), or what?
I attempted a new blog about a year ago - the intention was the chronicle (not sure that's the word I really want to use, but I digress) my Pinterest attempts. Now, there are lots of blogs out there (Pinstrosity, for one) that feature people's failed attempts at creating items they find on Pinterest. I don't want to recreate the wheel. I'm also not good at documenting myself. That blog has sat dormant for, like I said, about a year, with a whopping 2 posts. Lame. I know.
I do chronicle a lot of life via Facebook. But I don't think I can print that. I'm thinking it might be nice to be able to print out blog posts some day and let the kids read about our escapades. Cuz I'm clearly on the ball with the scrapbooking (has it been mentioned that the 8 year old boy still does not have a baby book? Yeah). While I have successfully organized all the kids papers and pictures and artsy creations since PreSchool into folders and file organizers....I have yet to get out the tape runner and actually apply it to anything.
I have lots of projects pinned on Pinterest and a beautiful craft room waiting for me to come make something. And yet, the siren call of the couch is so alluring....
I haven't been sleeping well - and I think I use that as a crutch for days when I accomplish next to nothing (I do get dressed - so that's something).
I see I have been all over the board with just this post. Perhaps a little organization is in order, eh? I will see what I can work up over the weekend. Until then, if you have any brilliant ideas......
~C
So, as I let the thought of publishing my random thoughts to the world wide web, I am pondering, 1) What could I possibly have to say that would be able to benefit someone else? 2) Should I start a brand new blog? 3) Should this blog be about me, what I'm learning as I go through life, more about the kids (as it previously had been), or what?
I attempted a new blog about a year ago - the intention was the chronicle (not sure that's the word I really want to use, but I digress) my Pinterest attempts. Now, there are lots of blogs out there (Pinstrosity, for one) that feature people's failed attempts at creating items they find on Pinterest. I don't want to recreate the wheel. I'm also not good at documenting myself. That blog has sat dormant for, like I said, about a year, with a whopping 2 posts. Lame. I know.
I do chronicle a lot of life via Facebook. But I don't think I can print that. I'm thinking it might be nice to be able to print out blog posts some day and let the kids read about our escapades. Cuz I'm clearly on the ball with the scrapbooking (has it been mentioned that the 8 year old boy still does not have a baby book? Yeah). While I have successfully organized all the kids papers and pictures and artsy creations since PreSchool into folders and file organizers....I have yet to get out the tape runner and actually apply it to anything.
I have lots of projects pinned on Pinterest and a beautiful craft room waiting for me to come make something. And yet, the siren call of the couch is so alluring....
I haven't been sleeping well - and I think I use that as a crutch for days when I accomplish next to nothing (I do get dressed - so that's something).
I see I have been all over the board with just this post. Perhaps a little organization is in order, eh? I will see what I can work up over the weekend. Until then, if you have any brilliant ideas......
~C
Saturday, June 27, 2009
More at the beach
So, where did I leave off? Wednesday....
Wednesday, my parents were due to arrive. We didn't have formal plans, but since it was my dad's birthday, we did plan to have a nice dinner with them. We spent a good bit of time at the beach late morning, and when we walked back to the camper, the sand and walkway were SO hot we all practically burned the bottoms of our feet. Abby, in particular was miserable. Wimpering and everything! Put some aloe on her feet and she was better within the hour. My parents arrived around 3pm and we enjoyed catching up. Spaghetti dinner with garlic bread, laundry and smores finished our evening.
Thursday was the big sightseeing day. And boy, did it dawn warm! You know it's gonna be a hot day, when you leave the shower house with dripping wet hair and it's dry by the time you reach your campsite - three rows away! But we all piled into our cars and headed out the see Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. AWESOME. And HOT! Before arriving, I knew that I would not be climbing, nor would my dad. The kids both wanted to climb, but we were a little hesitant to encourage that. Abby swore up and down that she would do it all by herself. Josh (fortunately) didn't meet the height requirements for climbing. Naturally, he was VERY upset about it. My dad and I tried to keep him otherwise occupied and distracted. He and I even walked up the steps into the bottom of it - but that didn't fool him. We toodled through the museum and the gift shop and got the kids passports stamped. He was a real trooper! After the climbers returned, we headed farther south for Ocracoke Lighthouse. It takes a 40 minute ferry ride to get there. But they didn't factor in the 2 hour wait (in the blinding sun) to get ON the ferry. Oye! We got some ice cream and called it lunch. When we finally arrived, we saw the lighthouse (you can't go up or even touch this one), took our pictures and went to find a place to eat. We called that meal dinner :-) and then waited another hour to board the ferry back to Hatteras Island. Josh fell asleep waiting for the ferry; and woke up after we boarded. Abby fell asleep about 5 miles from the campground and never fully woke up. Put the kids straight to bed and started making margaritas!
It was a rough night for sleep - very warm and muggy, not much of a breeze. Friday dawned warm again. At 10am, the girls went up to a beading activity organized by the campground summershiners. It was pretty lame, so only Abby made "jewelry". Then we dressed for the pool and enjoyed the cool water for close to 2 hours. After a light lunch, we piled into the cars again and headed north to Bodie Island and then Roanoke Island. We saw Bodie Lighthouse (and a brief rain shower) and then went to Manteo to see the "new" Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse (which is actually a recreation of an old lighthouse that stood out in the marshes many, many moons ago). We walked around downtown Manteo, shopped at the museum stores, and searched for fossils, all to the constant rumble of thunder and impending rain. When the first drops started to fall, we got back in the car and headed back to the campground. Where it was raining fiercely! So much for our steak dinner!!! We tried to build a surround to our tent, but it didn't work. We thought about waiting it out, but were too hungry. So, we loaded back into the cars and headed to Avon for dinner. We dined at Bubba's Too BBQ. It was good; but no steak dinner. The kids were in bed by 9pm and the grownups were enjoying Mango margaritas by 9:15.
It was another rough night with not much sleep in our camper. The previous night Abby was talking in her sleep (about climbing the lighthouse, no less!) and Josh was very restless. Last night Abby was up and complaining about a sore throat and not being able to sleep - for at least 2+ hours. She eventually fell asleep soundly in my half of the bed. So, I moved to her end of the camper and slept with Josh for a while. Didn't sleep well! No one did, it turns out. Between the heat and the neighboring noise, we were all a little grumpy this morning. But the steaks and fried potatoes we had for breakfast perked us all up a good bit!!
My parents hit the road for home. We are hanging out at the campground. We will probably do the pool for a while; hopefully the beach, too - maybe in the evening, when it's not too warm. T-shirt tye-dying is at 3:30 this afternoon - a can't miss activity!! Then it's burgers and dogs, baked beans and salad for dinner. We pull out tomorrow morning and head back to the Williamsburg KOA. We'll be home and sleeping in our own beds on Monday.
It's been a great vacation, and we will certainly enjoy our last few days of it; but we are all ready to go home. We have a few days at home to do chores and what not, then we head up to the Silver Lake cottage for the 4th of July. Then it's back to "real life". Trying not to think about that!!
Wednesday, my parents were due to arrive. We didn't have formal plans, but since it was my dad's birthday, we did plan to have a nice dinner with them. We spent a good bit of time at the beach late morning, and when we walked back to the camper, the sand and walkway were SO hot we all practically burned the bottoms of our feet. Abby, in particular was miserable. Wimpering and everything! Put some aloe on her feet and she was better within the hour. My parents arrived around 3pm and we enjoyed catching up. Spaghetti dinner with garlic bread, laundry and smores finished our evening.
Thursday was the big sightseeing day. And boy, did it dawn warm! You know it's gonna be a hot day, when you leave the shower house with dripping wet hair and it's dry by the time you reach your campsite - three rows away! But we all piled into our cars and headed out the see Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. AWESOME. And HOT! Before arriving, I knew that I would not be climbing, nor would my dad. The kids both wanted to climb, but we were a little hesitant to encourage that. Abby swore up and down that she would do it all by herself. Josh (fortunately) didn't meet the height requirements for climbing. Naturally, he was VERY upset about it. My dad and I tried to keep him otherwise occupied and distracted. He and I even walked up the steps into the bottom of it - but that didn't fool him. We toodled through the museum and the gift shop and got the kids passports stamped. He was a real trooper! After the climbers returned, we headed farther south for Ocracoke Lighthouse. It takes a 40 minute ferry ride to get there. But they didn't factor in the 2 hour wait (in the blinding sun) to get ON the ferry. Oye! We got some ice cream and called it lunch. When we finally arrived, we saw the lighthouse (you can't go up or even touch this one), took our pictures and went to find a place to eat. We called that meal dinner :-) and then waited another hour to board the ferry back to Hatteras Island. Josh fell asleep waiting for the ferry; and woke up after we boarded. Abby fell asleep about 5 miles from the campground and never fully woke up. Put the kids straight to bed and started making margaritas!
It was a rough night for sleep - very warm and muggy, not much of a breeze. Friday dawned warm again. At 10am, the girls went up to a beading activity organized by the campground summershiners. It was pretty lame, so only Abby made "jewelry". Then we dressed for the pool and enjoyed the cool water for close to 2 hours. After a light lunch, we piled into the cars again and headed north to Bodie Island and then Roanoke Island. We saw Bodie Lighthouse (and a brief rain shower) and then went to Manteo to see the "new" Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse (which is actually a recreation of an old lighthouse that stood out in the marshes many, many moons ago). We walked around downtown Manteo, shopped at the museum stores, and searched for fossils, all to the constant rumble of thunder and impending rain. When the first drops started to fall, we got back in the car and headed back to the campground. Where it was raining fiercely! So much for our steak dinner!!! We tried to build a surround to our tent, but it didn't work. We thought about waiting it out, but were too hungry. So, we loaded back into the cars and headed to Avon for dinner. We dined at Bubba's Too BBQ. It was good; but no steak dinner. The kids were in bed by 9pm and the grownups were enjoying Mango margaritas by 9:15.
It was another rough night with not much sleep in our camper. The previous night Abby was talking in her sleep (about climbing the lighthouse, no less!) and Josh was very restless. Last night Abby was up and complaining about a sore throat and not being able to sleep - for at least 2+ hours. She eventually fell asleep soundly in my half of the bed. So, I moved to her end of the camper and slept with Josh for a while. Didn't sleep well! No one did, it turns out. Between the heat and the neighboring noise, we were all a little grumpy this morning. But the steaks and fried potatoes we had for breakfast perked us all up a good bit!!
My parents hit the road for home. We are hanging out at the campground. We will probably do the pool for a while; hopefully the beach, too - maybe in the evening, when it's not too warm. T-shirt tye-dying is at 3:30 this afternoon - a can't miss activity!! Then it's burgers and dogs, baked beans and salad for dinner. We pull out tomorrow morning and head back to the Williamsburg KOA. We'll be home and sleeping in our own beds on Monday.
It's been a great vacation, and we will certainly enjoy our last few days of it; but we are all ready to go home. We have a few days at home to do chores and what not, then we head up to the Silver Lake cottage for the 4th of July. Then it's back to "real life". Trying not to think about that!!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Being at the Beach
Father's Day began our family vacation - a trip in the camper to Cape Hatteras, the Outer Banks. We pulled out of Dillsburg at 8:37am and headed south. By lunchtime we had stopped three times to pee and were finally pulling in to visit with some friends in Richmond. We spent about 4 hours of quality time with them and their three boys and their parents. It was almost like a family reunion! By 4:30 we were on our way to Williamsburg and our KOA for the night.
Other than a few minor mishaps at Williamsburg, like mom not reading the map right and totally missing the campsite and losing Abby for a while, it was a great night. The kids had a hard time settling down and going to sleep. By 10pm, when the grownups were ready for bed, they were still awake, so we all settled down together for some much needed rest.
By 8:37 Monday morning we were on the road for Hatteras. The original plan was for us to eat breakfast in the car - donuts. But DH saw a sign for Cracker Barrel, and we made a brief detour :-) Once on the road again, we only had to stop twice for potty breaks. We pulled into the Cape Hatteras KOA by mid-afternoon and the kids started clamoring for bikes and the beach and the pool and dinner and ..... Crazy!!
We took some time to get the camper set up and settled in. Then we walked over the dunes to the beach and spent a good hour or two there. We headed back for showers and dinner and a game and then put the kids to bed around 9pm. They were asleep within minutes! We didn't stay up too much later than them. It had been a VERY busy day.
Tuesday, we started with the KOA pancake breakfast - which was FABULOUS in Maine (fresh made to order pancakes with fresh Maine blueberries...), but was less than stellar here in OBX. The pancakes were frozen - "cooked" in the microwave; the sausage was also frozen and "cooked" in the oven; the coffee (I was told) was like drinking mud; and the orange juice was mostly frozen. What an experience!
The kids chose to hang out at the pool on Tuesday, so after much piddling around at the campsite, riding bikes (Abby's learning how to ride a 2-wheeler) and lunch, we headed up to the pool. We spent more than an hour there - with the kids riding down the slides multiple times each - we headed back for showers and dinner. We decided to dine out, and at 6:30 were heading out. The kids, very VERY tired, fell asleep on the 30 minute ride back to "civilization", and we had a very nice dinner at The Dunes restaurant. We were back to the camper by 10pm and put the kids to bed.
Wednesday will be another fun outdoor day. Plans are as yet undecided; but Grandma and Grandpa will be joining us before dinner. Thursday we will finally head out to see some lighthouses.
I love vacation!
Other than a few minor mishaps at Williamsburg, like mom not reading the map right and totally missing the campsite and losing Abby for a while, it was a great night. The kids had a hard time settling down and going to sleep. By 10pm, when the grownups were ready for bed, they were still awake, so we all settled down together for some much needed rest.
By 8:37 Monday morning we were on the road for Hatteras. The original plan was for us to eat breakfast in the car - donuts. But DH saw a sign for Cracker Barrel, and we made a brief detour :-) Once on the road again, we only had to stop twice for potty breaks. We pulled into the Cape Hatteras KOA by mid-afternoon and the kids started clamoring for bikes and the beach and the pool and dinner and ..... Crazy!!
We took some time to get the camper set up and settled in. Then we walked over the dunes to the beach and spent a good hour or two there. We headed back for showers and dinner and a game and then put the kids to bed around 9pm. They were asleep within minutes! We didn't stay up too much later than them. It had been a VERY busy day.
Tuesday, we started with the KOA pancake breakfast - which was FABULOUS in Maine (fresh made to order pancakes with fresh Maine blueberries...), but was less than stellar here in OBX. The pancakes were frozen - "cooked" in the microwave; the sausage was also frozen and "cooked" in the oven; the coffee (I was told) was like drinking mud; and the orange juice was mostly frozen. What an experience!
The kids chose to hang out at the pool on Tuesday, so after much piddling around at the campsite, riding bikes (Abby's learning how to ride a 2-wheeler) and lunch, we headed up to the pool. We spent more than an hour there - with the kids riding down the slides multiple times each - we headed back for showers and dinner. We decided to dine out, and at 6:30 were heading out. The kids, very VERY tired, fell asleep on the 30 minute ride back to "civilization", and we had a very nice dinner at The Dunes restaurant. We were back to the camper by 10pm and put the kids to bed.
Wednesday will be another fun outdoor day. Plans are as yet undecided; but Grandma and Grandpa will be joining us before dinner. Thursday we will finally head out to see some lighthouses.
I love vacation!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Oh, What a Day
Okay, so I feel the need to just kind of vent and complain a bit. Be warned....
Today was my son's class Luau at pre-school. I knew going into it that it would be an exhausting day. 28 3/4 year olds running around?! Yeah, I was going to go a little mad. I'm not really sure how it happened, but I was "in charge" of crafts (which I delegated to another mom - thanks, Jody!), face painting, toe nail painting and tatoos (the toes and tats I also delegated - thanks Kari and Margo!), AND ordering the pizza. WTF?! Anyway, between the delegations and the constant clock watching (so I ordered the pizza on time), all went well. But I was tired by the end of the party (12:30).
Dragged my young son home and put him in bed for a nap, then crawled into mine as well. I think I read 1, maybe 2, pages of my book before I fell asleep. I was awakened 10 minutes later by the phone. "Hello, this is the nurse at BBS, your daughter fell off the monkey bars and is here with me. Her forearm by the wrist is swollen and she's very much favoring it." OMG! Are you kidding me?! I told the nurse that I had just put my son down for a nap after a long morning and that if she's wasn't in terrible pain, I would just wait until the end of school to pick her up. The nurse said okay, but didn't sound too thrilled about that.
Called my DH and told him what went down at school. He, too, was surprised that I was leaving her at school. And he, wisely, said, "if they thought it was important enough to call you about it, you probably ought to go pick her up" *sign*, when he's right, he's right. Damn, I hate it when he's right!
Turned out that DS wasn't sleeping anyway, so we hauled off the get DD from school. She was curled up in the nurses office, looking almost asleep and VERY pathetic. She just wanted to go home. SO SAD!! Before we left the school, I called our doctor and got an appointment for 3:40. So, we went home to relax a bit before that.
The doctor palpatated her arm and was pretty sure it was fractured and sent us to the local facility that does x-rays (the doctor's office doesn't). We arrived there at 4:30. By 5:00 it was confirmed that her arm had a "buckle" fracture and the doctor's office recommended that we make an appointment with OIP (an orthopedict). Don't you know, they close at 5pm. Arg. So, I will call them tomorrow morning.
Meanwhile, it's a little after 5pm and I have not done anything about dinner. I have been up since 6am, with much energy outputted and not much nap time to recharge. My allergies have been flaring up the past two days and most of the time I cannot breath, what with my nose either being stuffed or so full of snot! My eyes are tired and my body aches.
My dear friend, who is having a birthday party for her son tomorrow, who has already rescheduled it once because we couldn't attend, called about something regarding the party tomorrow and I told her what was going on. I think we'll still make it.
DH called and asked what was for dinner (in a joking way, cause he knew how the day had progressed) and we quickly agreed upon dinner at the local diner. :-) Great minds think alike.
After dinner, we all got into our jammies and had a pajama party. And now the children are in bed. I plan to take some Nyquil soon and be in my bed shortly as well.
So, that's the skinny on my "Oye, what a day" day. Sorry to be all "my life is so much worse than yours", but I just needed to get it all out there.
Today was my son's class Luau at pre-school. I knew going into it that it would be an exhausting day. 28 3/4 year olds running around?! Yeah, I was going to go a little mad. I'm not really sure how it happened, but I was "in charge" of crafts (which I delegated to another mom - thanks, Jody!), face painting, toe nail painting and tatoos (the toes and tats I also delegated - thanks Kari and Margo!), AND ordering the pizza. WTF?! Anyway, between the delegations and the constant clock watching (so I ordered the pizza on time), all went well. But I was tired by the end of the party (12:30).
Dragged my young son home and put him in bed for a nap, then crawled into mine as well. I think I read 1, maybe 2, pages of my book before I fell asleep. I was awakened 10 minutes later by the phone. "Hello, this is the nurse at BBS, your daughter fell off the monkey bars and is here with me. Her forearm by the wrist is swollen and she's very much favoring it." OMG! Are you kidding me?! I told the nurse that I had just put my son down for a nap after a long morning and that if she's wasn't in terrible pain, I would just wait until the end of school to pick her up. The nurse said okay, but didn't sound too thrilled about that.
Called my DH and told him what went down at school. He, too, was surprised that I was leaving her at school. And he, wisely, said, "if they thought it was important enough to call you about it, you probably ought to go pick her up" *sign*, when he's right, he's right. Damn, I hate it when he's right!
Turned out that DS wasn't sleeping anyway, so we hauled off the get DD from school. She was curled up in the nurses office, looking almost asleep and VERY pathetic. She just wanted to go home. SO SAD!! Before we left the school, I called our doctor and got an appointment for 3:40. So, we went home to relax a bit before that.
The doctor palpatated her arm and was pretty sure it was fractured and sent us to the local facility that does x-rays (the doctor's office doesn't). We arrived there at 4:30. By 5:00 it was confirmed that her arm had a "buckle" fracture and the doctor's office recommended that we make an appointment with OIP (an orthopedict). Don't you know, they close at 5pm. Arg. So, I will call them tomorrow morning.
Meanwhile, it's a little after 5pm and I have not done anything about dinner. I have been up since 6am, with much energy outputted and not much nap time to recharge. My allergies have been flaring up the past two days and most of the time I cannot breath, what with my nose either being stuffed or so full of snot! My eyes are tired and my body aches.
My dear friend, who is having a birthday party for her son tomorrow, who has already rescheduled it once because we couldn't attend, called about something regarding the party tomorrow and I told her what was going on. I think we'll still make it.
DH called and asked what was for dinner (in a joking way, cause he knew how the day had progressed) and we quickly agreed upon dinner at the local diner. :-) Great minds think alike.
After dinner, we all got into our jammies and had a pajama party. And now the children are in bed. I plan to take some Nyquil soon and be in my bed shortly as well.
So, that's the skinny on my "Oye, what a day" day. Sorry to be all "my life is so much worse than yours", but I just needed to get it all out there.
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