Bi-weekly check-in

Just jumping in this morning to let those of you still reading know we are all still alive here. As for most people, December can be an activity-filled month for us. One of those activities has nothing to do with the holidays... That would be the graduation of my husband's students. I don't play a huge role in this, other than to create the invitations in November and then make the graduation programs in December, once all the details (speaker, awards, etc.) have been ironed out. This year had to have been the latest I have ever done the programs. With graduation occurring on Wednesday, I didn't finish the programs until Monday and didn't print them out until Tuesday (when I got the paper for the job).  

In addition to those programs, once again I designed the programs for Emily's choir concert coming up next week. Her director like the job I did last year so well that she asked me to do them again. I got about a 2-week notice on that job. I was able to get these done and emailed the file to her a few days ago. The nice thing about that task is that it gives me credit towards the 20 service hours each family is required to do every year.

Speaking of Emily's concert, this year she is doing a duet with one of the guys from her choir. They are doing Pié Jesu. I am really looking forward to hearing them. I've looked at the music here at home and it is a really pretty arrangement.

Today is Halle's dress rehearsal for the Christmas program at church. We'll be heading out in a few minutes for that. Rehearsal is from 8:30 to 12:30. The performances are tomorrow at 9 and 10:45, so we will be at church from 8-12:30 tomorrow. During at least part of that rehearsal time, I'm hoping to make a couple of quick stops to look for some Christmas gifts. Also today, after I get Halle home from her rehearsal, I'll be taking Emily to a hair appointment at 1:30. Hopefully after we get back from that, I can be done running for the day. I know tomorrow will be extremely full... I'll probably have to go grocery shopping once we get home from church.

One really nice thing about the upcoming week is that Brian is taking a few days off and will be at home with us. I know the kids will enjoy having him around; so will I! He and I will try to get some time alone to take care of some of our Santa duties... should be fun!

On the first day of December....

Since I last posted, it has been much the same here, with various runnings to and fro. The Six Flags trip was fairly uneventful. The weather was perfect and it was blissfully not crowded, so it was actually somewhat enjoyable, except for the overpriced lunch that was so horrible no one really ate it.

On a more recent note, we spent a nice Thanksgiving with friends from church. This was the first Thanksgiving in a long while in which I didn't spend hours in the kitchen. All I made for this meal was a small ham, a coconut pie, and a chocolate pie.

Over the weekend, we got quite a bit of cleaning and rearranging done around here. Brian is a dynamo when it comes to that kind of stuff. We also set up a new computer area for the kids, tucked away upstairs in the walk-in hall closet. We developed a new set of guidelines for use and times and the kids have been really good about them so far.

In other news, I recently received a very nice compliment from Carrie. She nominated me for this blog award:

This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships!
These blogs are exceedingly charming.
These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement.
Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated.
Please give more attention to these writers!
Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

Thanks, Carrie! Here are my nominees:

Betty at  JettyBetty

Jenny at Enlightened Eyes

Dee at Finding Direction

Katherine at Raising Five

Donna at The Other Blog

Shane at Come Back, Shane!

Franklin at Youth Ministry Hilarity

Jim at Jim's Journey

Air miles

Someone in this family has been logging the air miles this month, all 9 days of it . Just one hint: it hasn't been me.

Yes, the ol' USAF has kept my husband hopping. He had a quick trip for a meeting in Tampa last week (had a 6am flight on Thursday morning and got home Saturday around 3:30 or so). All that way for a 2 1/2 hour meeting on Friday. While he was there, he was notified that he was needed at the base in Ft. Walton Beach this week. They booked him on a flight that left around 6am this morning. He isn't scheduled to get back from that one until around midnight Thursday. (I started to say he "wouldn't" get back, but if there is one thing I am learning this month, it's that I can't plan on anything right now.)  

Besides just missing him, his absence presents some logistical snags, which I have thankfully been able to get ironed out.... at least most of them. Tomorrow night is a rehearsal night for both me and Halle, but we have different start times and locations. My CR worship rehearsal starts at 6:30 at the home of one of the band members; her Christmas program rehearsal starts at 7 at the church. One of my friends whose son is also in the Christmas program is meeting me at my rehearsal and will take Halle on to the church. I'll finish up with plenty of time to pick her up when she is done.  Then Tuesday night, Hal has AWANA and I have a step study meeting both at the same time, a good 15-20 minutes apart from each other. Another church friend who lives a few blocks away from us is picking Halle up and bringing her home.

The only snag that isn't completely ironed out is some fun we had scheduled for Tuesday. It is homeschool day at the Six Flags nearby and we have tickets to go. Brian was supposed to go, since Tuesday is a holiday (Veteran's Day) and he was going to be off work. He was going to drive the RV so that we could take a lunch break there and maybe rest our legs a bit. Plus, he is Noah's thrill ride buddy. We would have been able to split up at times so they could ride rides while I did the tamer things with the younger ones. Without him, we'll have to go at a much slower pace, and Noah won't have a ride buddy. Sigh Oh well... at least we can still go, I guess.

So now you know a little of what is keeping me away from the blog... all these things on top of the usual driving Emily to and from school, homeschooling, music lessons, CR, etc. I think about blogging, but seems there is always someone or something else screaming for me.

More Ipod fun

Ran across another Ipod meme at John Dobb's blog tonight and just had to play along (the laundry can wait 5 more minutes).

Directions:

1. Put your iTunes/Ruckus/Napster/etc on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Tag 11 friends who might enjoy doing this. 

Here are my answers:

IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?

I Adore You, Phil Wickham

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?

Miss Texas, Shaun Groves 

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?

Sing to the King, Zoe Group (thought this was fitting)

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?

Mystery, Phil Wickham

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?

I Rejoice, Matt Maher

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?

Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone), Chris Tomlin

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?

There She Goes, Sixpence None the Richer (this one made me laugh)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?

“Love Don’t Live Here,” Lady Antebellum (oops... remember this was random!)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?

“Brighter Days,” Leeland (very true!)

WHAT IS 2+2?

“Listen to the Radio,” Nanci Griffith

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?

“Your Grace is Sufficient,” Won By One

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?

“Grace,” Phil Wickham

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?

“If Wishes Were Changes,” Nanci Griffith  (Bingo!)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?

“Ordinary Life,” Mark Harris

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?

“We Trust in the Name of the Lord,” Keith Lancaster & Acappella Company

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?

“Does Anybody Hear Her,” Casting Crowns (Hmmm....)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?

“You Are My All in All,” Keith Lancaster & Acappella Company

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?

“Shout to the Lord,” Lincoln Brewster (although I would prefer Darlene Zschech’s version)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?

“In Christ Alone,” FFH

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?

“Fingerprints of God,” Steven Curtis Chapman

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?

“My Hallelujah Song,” Julianne Hough

WHAT’S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?

Ding Dong! Merrily on High, Chanticleer

HOW WILL YOU DIE?

“No Higher Calling,” True Lift

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?

“Once in a Very Blue Moon,” Nanci Griffith.  (Oh dear.... LOL)

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?

“Beautiful,” Phil Wickham

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?

“Everything Glorious,” David Crowder Band

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?

Hope of the Nations, Zoe Group  (I don't get this question at all.)

I'm not tagging anyone, but please feel free to play along and leave a link to your meme in the comments.

With hope in my heart

OK, it's been over a week again... but I really do have good reasons.  It seemed like we were under attack from all sides this week, but through God's grace, we were not defeated.  It began with the death of one of Brian's coworkers, an ENT surgeon who was much too young. It was unexpected and swift, and totally rocked the world of the staff at the hospital, including Brian. So while he was dealing with his grief, I was trying to keep things running here at home (and elsewhere).  

I also spent several days working on a project for our CR leadership team.  We collected statements from as many CR participants and leaders as wanted to participate regarding why they were thankful for Celebrate Recovery. I gathered them and printed them on colored paper, then put them into a gift scrapbook for our lead pastor as a gift for Pastor Appreciation Month. I just finished it this afternoon and will give it to him one day this week.

We had our usual flurry of meetings and gatherings during the week... something every night. I only managed to cook one meal, and that one was practically inedible (chicken and dumplings... I think I didn't get enough salt and pepper in them and the dumplings were terribly bland). That was Tuesday night... I can't even remember what we did Wednesday; Thursday we drove through BK and Friday, Emily made a Tombstone Pizza while Brian and I were in a meeting before CR.  I had to leave CR early in order to pick Emily up here at home and take her to school for homecoming. Then Brian picked her up at 11:30 that night.

Yesterday seemed like a rather long day. After the week we'd had, even seemingly simple things like planning the menu for the week and making a shopping list seemed like gargantuan tasks. Somehow I managed to get it done, with just enough time from the time I got home from shopping left to finally cook another meal, only this time it wasn't for us! A family in our small group from church had a baby the morning Brian's friend died and the families in the group were taking turns bringing them a meal. I made chicken tetrazzini and a cherry dump cake for them and delivered it a little after 5pm. After I got home, Brian grilled steak for us. It was definitely the best meal we'd had all week! The rest of the evening was spent in more leisurely pursuits: Brian and Noah went to see "Eagle Eyes" while I played a couple of board games with Joel and Halle.

I am eying this coming with with hope that it will be filled with less drama. 

Is there life out there?

*tap, tap, tap* Anyone still here???  I am appalled that I haven't posted at all this month. I guess it is just a testimony to how little time I have these days (or maybe that I would rather watch this season's TV than blog....).  I could actually be doing more running around right now, but since Emily isn't standing in front of me asking when I will take her to the BX, I decided to take this opportunity to write. If I weren't here at home, I would be taking Halle to her rehearsal for the kids' Christmas program. Brian volunteered for that duty tonight.

Biggest news from the past two weeks is that we have a new 10-year-old in the house. Yesterday was Halle's birthday. We celebrated on Saturday and Sunday: Saturday with a ceramic-painting party followed by pizza here at the house and a small sleepover in the motorhome. I baked cinnamon rolls for breakfast and one of Halle's friends went to church with us. After church, we went to Halle's choice of restaurant for lunch (Tahoe Joe's) and then home for a little while. Then we went to the mall so that she could get her ears pierced. While we were there, I decided to get mine done again. My decision had nothing to do with wanting 2 sets of holes, though. My first set are just too high up and too close to the outside of my ears, so that earring with dangles or small hoops just don't hang right. So don't look for me to be sporting 2 pairs of earrings at a time; it wouldn't look right anyhow.

Had to take Emily to the Verizon Wireless store for a new cell phone after school today; her Envy was just dead. Thankfully we were in the zone for a new phone and got it for nearly nothing. She chose the Glyde phone, which will wind up costing us less than $30 after the $50 rebate. I am hanging onto my phone until it dies... or until the IPhone is unlocked for other service providers.

Well, my hiding is over... Emily is ready to go, so guess I will jet. Hopefully I will find (make) time later this week for more.

Sunday night stuff

After a week of coming and going, it was nice to be a little less busy this weekend. The week was full of things; worship team rehearsal for CR on Monday night, Joel's first drum lesson Tuesday evening, plus Halle's first night of AWANA this year, leadership team meeting for CR on Wednesday night, small group meeting Thursday night, and then the CR anniversary celebration Friday night. Insert big tired sigh here. 

Just a few comments about all that stuff up there: Joel loved his drum lesson. By the end of the lesson, he was playing the bass, hi-hat, and snare together and accompanying his teacher's guitar playing on the chorus of "Blessed Be the Name of the Lord." His drum set arrived on Thursday and I was lucky enough to know another homeschooler whose husband plays drums in the AF Band here and was more than happy to help us get them set up.

Friday night's CR was awesome. We moved the meeting from our small ministry center into our main worship auditorium. What a difference in the music between the two places! I hated for the worship to end. 

After taking care of business around here yesterday (laundry), the kids and I went to see Eagle Eye. It was pretty good.  Made me think of the old Sandra Bullock flick, The Net.  Then this afternoon, I went to see Fireproof.  GREAT movie! I highly recommend it.

This week looks to be a little less packed, although Tuesday night is full: Joel's drum lesson from 6-6:30, Halle's AWANA from 6:30-8:30, and I have CR worship rehearsal at 6:30 as well. Thankfully there are 2 parents available, so I will be able to drop Halle off on my way to rehearsal while Brian goes to lessons with Joel. Ai-yai-yai.

Monday meanderings

I'm trying not to go too long between posts, but often postpone sitting here to write in favor of the many other things vying for my attention (namely household management-type things). With school back in session, I have less time to devote to keeping things up, so it is important to grab the time when I have it or life will quickly become quite unmanageable. Can't have that. I am not a happy camper when I feel overwhelmed.

Brian, Noah, and I were able to go see Steven Curtis Chapman last Friday night. It was a great concert (SOLD OUT!) and a testimony to the power of God to heal and comfort. SCC shared so much of his heart with us, including stories about Maria Sue, his little daughter he lost in May, in addition to sharing his music. I could have stayed there all night.

Saturday we did a lot of stuff around the house. Halle cleaned out her room and we helped her move some stuff out to make room for a small table where she can work on jigsaw puzzles (a favorite activity of hers). There is no room anywhere else in the house to do a puzzle other than the dining room table, and that location is no good for obvious reasons. Then we went to a local music store and ordered a drum set for Joel. He begins lessons tomorrow night from one of the musicians at church. 

We are helping the boys make room in their bedroom for the drum set. There is just a little work left to do in their room to have it ready. The drum set should be here by Wednesday, so we are doing fine with that.

Tonight was worship rehearsal for the anniversary celebration for CR on Friday. I am really looking forward to Friday... I cannot wait to see how many folks come and who will wind up coming back again.

Since Emily gave me permission, I will close out with one of her pictures from yearbookyourself.com. 

The time, it escapes me

I have been meaning to sit and write for a while now, but there seems to always be something a bit more pressing than a blog post demanding my attention (chauffeur duties, school, and housework/laundry, namely). Oh, and preparations for the 1-year anniversary of the Celebrate Recovery ministry at church. I've been making signs for the barbecue, name tags, and also doing some typing to revamp our operations manual. Then there's the research and development of the ministry website.  I have a meeting later this morning regarding that.

Since the last post, we celebrated Joel's birthday (twice!) and made plans for him to begin music lessons. Celebrations began on Saturday with a party at a local jump house. We were able to convince Emily to invite a friend and come along. It was fun to see them enjoying themselves almost as much as the younger kids. After the party, a few of the boys stayed with us for a pizza dinner, followed by a sleepover in the RV. We parked it in the FamCamp on base and Brian chaperoned. It seems to have been a rousing success.  Part 2 of the celebration was on his actual birthday, Monday. Joel chose Baker's Square for his birthday dinner. 

As far as music lessons go, Joel has been asking to take drum lessons. After much thought and consideration, we talked to a guy at church who does this (he actually gives lessons on both drums and guitars... trains a lot of our youth so that they can participate in the youth worship and eventually the main worship bands at church) and he had an opening. So now we are looking for a drum set for him. This will involve some rearranging of the boys' room in order to fit them.

I spent last night at a CR training session on leading the small groups and newcomers' group. I had plans to write last night after I got home, but got very sidetracked here. I wound up messing around with photos of me, Noah, and Brian. Emily even got into the act (of course, posting anything  of her here is an act punishable by death, so I will respect her wishes). Can anyone guess the year of this photo?

Yeah, I've been working on important stuff.

The day I learned some things

I think I've posted about our 9/11 experience more than a few times, so I won't go into that story again. If you haven't read it and would like to (or if you have, but feel like you would like to read it again), last year's post is here. 

Looking back, I realize that day taught me some things I didn't know. Or maybe they were things I knew but had forgotten and needed reminding of.  Like the fact that despite the myriad ways in which we try to deny our creator, His image often shines through us in the darkest times. We cannot deny we were made in his likeness when in times of terror and pain, true acts of goodness come out of broken vessels such as we.  For me personally, this was seen in the kindness and unselfishness of the driver who spirited us away from the chaos that was the Newark airport and drove us around looking for a rental vehicle so that we could return home. Or the man who reassured me he was helping me keep an eye on all of my children as we evacuated the airport and were being herded through the terminals and out the doors. Read any number of accounts of the day and you will find other similar stories. 

I was reminded that my husband was a man of duty and honor. As a military member, he realized that even though he was "on leave," his first duty was to his country. He called his immediate supervisor, whose first words were to not worry about coming back, but who after hearing that Brian was willing to do whatever was needed, went ahead and recalled him.  He went right to work once we made it home. 

I was reminded of how many people cared for us. The phone calls from friends wanting to make sure we were OK, letting us know they were praying for us... Our families, waiting to hear from us that we were safe...

Most of all, I was reminded of the God we serve... How He never left us before, during, or after those fateful hours. How a tragedy such as the one our country suffered could be taken by Him and made into something to bring healing to others and honor and glory to Him.