Guatemala! Part 2!

This post is a little harder to write, partly because the artisan organization is more complicated to explain, and partly because of my response to meeting them. When we left the girls home of Casa Hogar I was full of joy and excitement seeing how these girls are flourishing. The other artisan group left me a little confused, but I think I have come to an understanding about it. But let me back up and introduce you to these beautiful people.

Years ago a man named Edgar was working for an NGO, helping people get micro-financing loans to start their own business. But he was frustrated at the fact that either the people didn't know how to take care of the money they were making or didn't have a place to sell their products. So he started his own organization and has employed people all over the country of Guatemala. On Wednesday Edgar brought some of his artisans to us and explained the process. 

This is Edgar and Rosa. Rosa leads a group of artisans who go all over the area and buy these shirts that are called Huipil (pronounced wee-peel). They are works of art and each design represents a different group of people in the country. Her group finds the used Huipils and gives them to Edgar.

This is Marta and she leads the group that buys traditional skirts from all over the area and gives them to Edgar. Marta was telling us that she has 4 children who have gone through university. Even Edgar was amazed at that. Only 2% of Guatemalans graduate from universities. 

Edgar then takes the skirts and shirts to another group up in the mountains and they cut it all up into pieces and gives the pieces back to Edgar. He then takes the pieces to another group outside of Antigua who make our products. We got to go visit them. 

These artisans sew our Turtle Backpack, Mosaic clutch, and Mayan clutch. Each Mosaic clutch you order looks completely different because they are made out of the Huipil shirts, so they are all beautiful pieces of art. They were working in the home of one of the artisans and it was the worst living conditions I had ever seen in person. That was the part I had a hard time with. It made me wonder if we were doing enough? Paying them enough? Setting them up for success? But these people were proud of what they were doing. They dressed up nice for us because we are their business partners. Most of them don't work there actually, but work in their own homes, which is great for the mommas and their babies. One of our founders on the group said this was her third visit there, and even though it looked very sad to us, she could see improvements they had made. They had a stove now in the kitchen instead of an open fire. They had built onto their home, and even though it was tin walls and dirt floors, they were renting out space to another family to make more income. One of our CE's was carrying her personal Mosaic clutch and those ladies were so excited to see that an American lady loved their bag.  

Since I've been back, I've been thinking about them the most, wondering if we are really making a difference or not. I'm reading a book called A Path Appears by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Its a book all about the different things people are doing around the world to help others. The chapter I read last night really helped me understand that we are helping these artisans get out of poverty. Researchers have been looking at groups who are entrenched in poverty, and noticing that many are spending what little money they have on alcohol. They are depressed and stressed because of their situations and see no hope. Their depression leads to a lack of cortisol in their brains which leads to a lack of energy and sharp thinking, which keeps them from wanting to work hard to change their lives. But when researchers offered the gift of hope, whether that took the form of livestock,

a monetary loan or simply encouragement and job training, their lives literally changed. They worked harder, had more energy, saved money instead of spending it on alcohol, sent their kids to school, and began climbing the upward cycle of success. Now their financial situations may still qualify as poverty levels in our eyes, but the hope they had changed their whole demeanor. 

"When lack of hope creates a 'poverty trap' the proper response is to inject hope." (p 124)

"The best three letter weapon against poverty is spelled not AID, but JOB." (p 128)

These artisans are working hard to make our products because it gives them a purpose, they make something beautiful they can be proud of, and there are people depending on them. They set the price they want for their products and when they earn it they can be proud of what they are doing to take care of their families. So while parts of this trip made me sad at first, I can see the difference we are making and I am more passionate about what we do. 

I'll have one more post with the fun stuff we did! Chocolate and coffee!

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Guatemala! Part 1

Last week I was honored to join 12 other women as we traveled to Guatemala to visit our artisan groups who make products for Trades of Hope. These trips are called "Vision Trips", hopefully giving us as Compassionate Entrepreneurs a bigger picture of what we do, and how it truly is life changing for the people we partner with. I'll be honest, the week before I was petrified and really had to ask myself why. I finally decided it was because I didn't know what to expect and wouldn't be in control of the situation. And face it, being with a group of women for a week that you don't know can be a scary situation. But all my fears were for naught, because it was an amazing week, I made great friends, I learned a lot about being flexible and taking what comes, and meeting our beautiful artisans in person was so eye opening and comforting in many ways.

We spent the first two nights in Jalapa, which is not a nice place to visit. It is on the path that the drug cartels take through the country, and we had extra security. But the hotel we stayed in was beautiful, and took very good care of us. Our reason for going to Jalapa was to visit Casa Hogar, a home for girls. It is not an orphanage. Most of these girls have parents who love them very much, they just can't afford to give them the life they desire. Some of the girls are there because of abuse in their families and the government has put them there to keep them safe. It is a very safe place. They are loved there with a passion by Madre Claudia and the other nuns helping her. They run a tight ship, though. Each older girl has a younger girl to take care of and each girl has chores to do. They wash their own clothes. They learn how to make tortillas. They keep their rooms with rows of bunk beds spotless. The older girls braid everyone's hair and that's how Madre Claudia can tell from far away if each girl has been cleaned up for the day. The younger girls go to school there and the older girls take a bus to school each day.

There were some very sad stories. The profile picture on Facebook right now is me holding a baby, and many have asked me why I didn't bring that baby home. Well, since her momma was standing right next to me, that wasn't necessary. Her momma is a teenager who was raped by someone but she and her baby are safe and happy in the home, and are healing emotionally, physically and spiritually. I won't post the picture, but we met another girl who is 12 years old and 8 months pregnant from a rape. The evil in this world just boggles the mind sometimes and breaks my heart. But those baby girls will now grow up in the home where they will be safe, and hopefully not ever have to experience that evil. I prayed for that sweet baby girl that I was holding, that God would protect her from evil, that she would grow up knowing love, and safety, and that she would one day live a full productive life, and be a world changer in her community. God has great plans for her!

So how does Trades of Hope play into this amazing place? Some of the older girls who are doing well in school and are responsible are picked to either work in the jewelry room or the sewing room where they make our products! The money they earn goes back into the girls home or pays the oldest girls who have already finished school and are actually hired to run the sewing and jewelry programs. They make our Identity bracelet and Julia necklace, as well as our Susy bag and headbands. They are working on some new products for us too! They are earning enough to give a very large check to Madre Claudia each month which supports the home, and she so appreciates the consistency of the money coming in. Because of the amount of sales we have been making, they are also about to hire three more girls who are finishing up school to work there more full time while they begin university. They are very excited to be a part of this program. It gives them job security, confidence, pride in their work and skills that will help them in the future.

I can't really put into words the experience of meeting these girls. They met us as we got off our bus, singing, and each girl gave each of us a hug! It was a long line of hugs, and I treasured every one. They were excited to braid some of our hair. We gathered in a big circle and the girls went around to tell us what they hoped for their futures. Many want to be doctors, lawyers, teachers and business women like us! At the end of they day they did a program for us with singing and dancing, and then we had a dance party and even though we didn't speak the same language, the language of music, dancing and laughing is universal. The sweet girls were so excited to show us their work. We got to do some shopping and purchase some products they make other than the TOH ones, and I spent entirely too much money. But to have a young lady get so excited that you are buying the necklace she made, well, it was money well spent. CE's who have been with TOH for awhile have a charm necklace, and they gave each of us a charm they made of the calla lily, the flower of Guatemala, and a charm of a silver fingerprint that they put our initials in. I am so proud of those charms! And then when they left, they all lined up and waved goodbye. I wanted to cry.

That was just one day of my trip. It was a sad day, but when we left the home, we all commented that we weren't sad at all. We were joyful, and excited for the future for those girls, and for what we could do in our businesses to help them. They had joy, and that joy was contagious!

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Summer experiment update... which leads to a tangent

My computer crashed a few weeks ago, like really died, crashed. So it was gone for over a week and it came back with a new empty hard drive. That became my excuse for why I wasn't blogging about meaningful moments with my kids. But to be honest, I just stopped looking. As with most great ideas I have, I am inconsistent in follow through. They have watched entirely too much tv, you tube videos, played too much on my kindle and the xbox, and I have excused it with, well, we've been out for baseball so much they need a break. Whatever. Baseball is over tomorrow so I will not be able to use that excuse anymore, and I will again have to be proactive in finding things for them to do, and making memorable moments happen. They rarely happen by accident. They take effort, sometimes planning ahead. Yes, sometimes the spontaneous events of life bring great memories, but spontaneous things will not happen if I let them sit in front of screens all day.

Can I be gut wrenchingly honest here? I'm having one of those "I'm a failure" days, for lots of reasons. This lack of purposeful parenting mentioned above is only one aspect of that. I know we all have days like that. I know in my heart that it isn't truth. It's lies from the evil one or lies from my fleshly side that think I should be super mom and wife and minister. I need God to speak His loving truth into my spirit. I've heard some amazing sermons the past few days. Check out Passion City Church from May 5 and May 12. I have to learn to love myself because God commands us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, so if we don't love ourselves, our neighbors will be jilted and not see the love of God the way He wants them to. I need to be reminded that I am loved, that the mistakes I make in being a wife, mother, friend or minister for the most part will not affect eternity. I need to learn from them and move on, because if I walk around down on myself, grumpy and sad, no one will want what I have. And that could affect someone's eternity.

So I will pick myself back up, go to God's word and read His truth about me, listen to and sing some worship so the attention gets off myself, pray for forgiveness and joy to return, and get up tomorrow and try again. His mercies are new every morning!

Moments this week...

Meaningful moments this week...

Hubby was out of town so my "baby" slept with me. I looked over at him with his puppy and blanket that he has slept with for almost 7 years, and yet he was so big. My baby is growing up.

The next night hubby got home in the middle of the night and got baby out of our bed to take him to his bed. In the middle of his sleep, he smiled the biggest smile at his daddy, and waved at him. The next day he didn't remember it. But I loved that moment.

I watched the sunset the other night and thanked God for His mercy and grace and goodness.

My man child had his first at bat with his school team. He got out at first, but knowing it was the first bat of hopefully great success, lots of friends, and hopefully the key to college was very meaningful.

NIV Bible notes "The exercise of one's personal freedom is to be governed by whether it will bring glory to God, whether it will build up the church of God and whether it will encourage the unsaved to receive Christ as Savior and Lord."
1 Cor. 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Meaningful Moments #2

Its really hard to get my kids away from all the screens in the house especially during a rainy day. But during a break from the rain, we ran to the pool. As usual, I didn't swim, so I was reading. Coop joined me towards the end reading his book. I looked at him and caught myself. Take advantage of the moment Mom. So I started a conversation. Took a minute to get it going, as it does with teenage boys. But then we talked about baseball, his new team starting tomorrow, his excitement and nervousness, who he wants to be friends with, how this is the first step of his long term plan. If you know him, you know he doesn't show much emotion. But I wish I had a picture of his smile as he talked about this passion. That was my meaningful moment today! I hope I can remember that smile for a long time!

We also made another memory this evening. We made it 13 years before there was a window broken with a ball in the backyard. It was just a wiffle ball. You wouldn't think that would make a big hole in the kitchen window, but it did. Luckily its a double pane, so we are ok until we can get it fixed. Life with boys!

Summer Experiment

It's no secret if you've known me long that in May I dread summer. Trying to keep three active boys occupied, away from screens, while keeping my sanity sounds like a daunting task. But every August, I look back and think I wish I could do the summer over. I missed so many opportunities to make memories, to have meaning. The summer flies by and I wonder where it went.

So, I am going to try an experiment this summer. I am really going to try to have at least one meaningful moment everyday. It might not take long. It might not look meaningful to you. But I will try to be present in a moment with one of my kids, with my hubby, by myself or with God. But I really want to make the effort to be in the moment.

I started yesterday. Little one and I made banana bread together. And then I took a walk with the dog, without any music. And today I invited the middle one to run a few errands with me. "Why?" he said. "Because I want to spend time with you." He smiled and turned off the video game and joined me. I really had to make the effort to have a conversation. We talked about how school ended, and friendships. It was meaningful. Of course at the grocery store he throws out, when its our turn to go on an errand with you, you should buy us something. Ha. He got a $1 drink. I can do that.

There has already been fighting and boredom, and its only the first weekend of summer. But maybe as my being meaningful muscle grows, I can come up other things to help them have meaningful summers too. That's my goal anyway. I'll keep you posted.

End of Another School Year

I'm enjoying my last hour of quiet and alone time in my house before the boys are home for summer. They technically have a few hours in the morning, but we are still debating whether its worth getting up for. I can't believe we have finished another school year, our first full year in MS. It was a wonderful year for all of us.

Jason still loves his job. His team is finally complete, and the student ministry is growing, with students being baptized almost weekly. He traveled to Dallas with middle school in March, and will go with high school to Atlanta this month for mission trips. We are so excited for student camp in July when we will all go to FL. We can't wait to sit under Louie Giglio's teaching and worship with Kristian Stanfill and the Passion Band! What an incredible opportunity!

The boys had a great year in school, all As, learned a lot. Cade was voted to his Student Council, Cooper participate in Academic Quiz Bowl, played trombone, and Campbell loved his teacher which translated to much better behavior. Cade will play percussion in band next year, and he and Campbell both made the gifted program for next year.

Baseball is all consuming this spring, as usual, and will not be slowing down. Cooper and Cade are both finishing up their seasons with their select teams, about a month left. Neither team has been hugely successful, but they have both improved, and made new friends. Campbell's coach pitch team won their season ending tournament, only lost one game the whole season. He plays really well if he can focus and stop talking! But the big, huge news is that after two days of tryouts, Cooper made the Northwest Rankin 8th Grade baseball team for next year! Its a really big deal, and he can see his high school and college baseball career beginning. Its going to be a lot of hard work and time, but he is ready. I just don't know if we are!

That leaves me I guess. The fact that I haven't blogged in months shows my status, crazy busy! But I wouldn't trade it. I finished up our school year in MMO and childcare this past week. I'll still work over the summer, but less more flexible hours. The year flew by, and it was filled with ups and downs. It is still my dream job, and I thank God everyday for it. We made lots of changes, ministered to many parents and children, loved on tons of babies. Most things I expected, but the part I didn't expect was how much I would have to invest in my teachers lives, not have to, but get to. I have 45 employees to shepherd and I had no idea what that meant really. There were births, deaths, joys and sadness, prayers in the hallway, texts in the early morning. I can't really go into all of it because they aren't my stories, but I was honored and scared and overwhelmed to be in the midst of some of their stories. And I couldn't have done it without God's strength. I don't think I did it all right, but it is what it is. Hopefully I did what God wanted. I am so excited for getting organized this summer and can't wait for next year! God has already done so much to prepare next year to be even better, and I can't wait for the ride!

I also have my Trades of Hope business. Because of baseball season and my ministry job, its taken a back seat in the last months, which I hate. I am trying to rebuild it over the summer. I found out last week that I was chosen to go with a small group of Compassionate Entrepreneurs to Guatemala in September to meet our artisans there, and I am so excited about that! My team hasn't taken a break though, and my ladies have been recruiting like crazy! I love meeting new people and watching their passion for helping artisans around the world take off and grow. I am looking for hostesses to have online and home parties so I can get my business back up if anyone is interested. Everything worth something takes hard work, and I am trying!

Me and my dog are watching the clock for 20 more minutes before the house gets louder and messier. But it promises to be a great summer with ministry, worship, fun and baseball! I'll try to blog more. If not for you, for me. It helps me review all that God is doing, and hopefully remember to give Him the glory for all of it!

Christmas 2014 Update

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family! We have been overly blessed in 2014. Words can not express our gratitude to our Lord and Savior for all the ways He has blessed us this year and we can't wait to see what 2015 brings us.

Jason has just celebrated his one year anniversary as Student Pastor at Pinelake. He has grown so much, adjusting to a large church, learning from leadership, leading his own team and watching students' lives change. He attended the Passion conference in Atlanta with our college students in January and then left from there to go to Ethiopia. He took the middle school to Memphis and the high school to St. Louis, which was craziness with that many students. And the middle school camp, high school camp, and every Sunday and Wednesday night student services. He's been busy! But loving every minute! We had his staff over for Christmas and they spent some time reminiscing about the lives they saw changed this year. Pinelake is all about life change, and we are honored to be a small part of it.

On the same note, I was beyond grateful and excited to be asked to join the Pinelake staff in June as the Director of Childcare and Mother's Morning Out. It is my dream job and I know this is exactly what the Lord created me for. Its perfect for my family too, working 20 hours a week, so I can still be available to pick up the kids from school and get them where they need to be. And I can somewhat keep up with the house too. I love being on staff with my husband. The other people make fun of us though because you will rarely see us together. We're too busy with our own stuff! We don't even sit together at staff meetings. I am loving getting to know my teachers, families and sweet children. There is much to do and that makes me excited to get up in the morning.

I am also still working for Trades of Hope, offering fair trade accessories that help artisans around the world get out of the sex trade, poverty and sweat shops. I've been with them 2 1/2 years, and basically had to start over with the move, but my team has exploded in the last few months and I'm excited to see what 2015 will bring. I even have an ad HERE! I'm praying for the Lord to bless it. I'll be heading to FL in a few weeks for our annual retreat and can't wait to be inspired to continue to grow my business.

Cooper is in 7th grade and just turned 13 last week. How did that happen? I cannot believe I have a teenager! Crazy. He played on two baseball teams in the spring, played soccer in the fall, and is playing basketball now. He has joined a new select baseball team for this year, so we are excited to get to know these families and see how far we can go. He is planning on trying out for the middle school team in the spring, and is very hopeful. He plays trombone in the band and made the Academic Quiz Bowl Team. Yes, he's very smart. He's loving being a part of his daddy's middle school ministry. He's a really cool kid!

Cade is 10, 5th grade. He has a man teacher this year for home room and LOVES him. He makes up competitions in this classroom for learning and of course, my competitive kid eats that up! He's doing much better in school starting from the first day instead of coming mid year. He's my relational kid, and starting mid year last year was harder on him then we thought. He's much happier now. He also played two baseball teams in the spring, soccer in the fall, and is playing on two basketball teams right now. He's on a select baseball team, but is really enjoying basketball right now. He will blow you away on the court. He was elected to the school's Student Council, had to campaign and everything. And that allowed him to ride on the school's float during the Homecoming parade. So fun!

Campbell is 6, 1st grade. What can I say about Campbell? He's funny, crazy, frustrating, a debater and an instigator. But just when you are mad at him, he says something funny and you can't help but laugh. Last spring he got in trouble in school all the time, but this fall, he was the first to make the All Star wall with 10 pinks for good behavior. He played baseball in spring, tackle football in the fall (which I don't think we will do again) and basketball now.

People ask me how we handle all these sports. 1. We don't know any different. 2. I have a color coded calendar. 3. On days when we don't have anything, we are bored, and they are running around the house like crazies tearing up stuff. We need sports!

We have a new addition to our family this year. We brought our new schnauzer puppy, Sadie, into our family in October and it feels like she's been here forever. I was scared to get a new dog, but she has been a perfect fit for us. Still working on potty training, but every day gets better. If it would just stop raining we could probably get there. Cade and I are currently taking her to a puppy training class on Saturdays and we are pleased at her progress. She's very smart! But I've never had a dog before that we had to groom, and I am getting very picky about who I take my baby to. I'm not really pleased with anyone so far.

So that's our crazy, busy, wonderful life! We are so thankful for all that God has allowed us to experience this year. I think its almost been the best year of our lives, and that's a big statement! I put this verse on the back of our Christmas card, and its so true for us. "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21. God is good! We hope you are experiencing His goodness too!

My Favorites - in the Car and at Home

What I am Watching: Loving new fall TV season. My favorites have returned, NCIS, Big Bang Theory, Castle, Once Upon a Time. I watch Dancing with the Stars in fast forward, love only two or three of the celebrities. And I watch 19 Kids and Counting while I'm doing other things. But I have found a few new shows too! Not that I have time to watch anything else. But I am loving Forever, cute British coroner who can't die, and solves crimes. And I adore Mysteries of Laura, a mix of my favorite things, crime drama, a real mom and humor. Hilarious! Of course, its not getting good ratings, so I hope it sticks around awhile.

There are a few disappointments. I was so excited for NCIS New Orleans, but I don't know if its the fake Cajun accents or bad writing, but its no where near the original series. I have tried a few episodes, but I think I'm giving up. I am still watching Girl Meets World with the boys, but it is very cheesy and hard to watch. There are just enough references to the original series to keep my attention and its good lessons for the kids and something we can watch together.

What I am Listening to: The best CD we have gotten in awhile, Oxygen by Lincoln Brewster.

 

He's been around for awhile, but this CD is so fresh and fun and great worship! We crank it up in the car and the boys fight over which song they want first. I bought it specifically for the song "Made New" but there are so many great ones. We've actually done "Let it be Known" on Wednesday night at Pinelake. So much fun! Highly recommend it!

We also listen a lot to North Point worship, No One Higher. "Can't Stop Singing" is a favorite in the car too, as loud as we can stand it. Usually there are motions going on in the backseat.

 

 

If I only had more time to watch tv and listen to music! But at least the music can fill the time while I'm sitting in the car pool line.

 



New addition to our Family!

We have been without a dog for 4 years, the longest period in my life without one. And I will admit, I have enjoyed it. Its been nice not having to clean up after one, feed one, and most importantly, worrying about one when we are away from the house. And I was heartbroken after my Gabby passed. I just wasn't ready. But starting a week after Gabby was gone, the boys started asking for a new dog. And I came up with amazing excuses and put offs for a good 4 years. But after we moved, I had run out of excuses. So whenever they asked, I would respond with, "have you prayed about it?" I'll blame God, that works, right? But I really did want to wait on God's timing, even for a dog. I was worried we would get a crazy one, and I wanted the perfect dog for our family. I think it was August the last time one of them asked, and I said "October, we'll get a dog in October." I don't know why I said that, just wanted them to stop asking. Well, October arrived.

Last Thursday night, while the boys were getting ready for bed, I for some reason picked up my computer and searched for schnauzer puppies. I was appalled at how much some people were asking. $1200 for a puppy! Please! But one breeder was only asking $250, much better. They had a few pictures, so cute. So J texted them at 9 PM, thinking we wouldn't hear back until the next day. But within a minute, they called back. J asked if they had any black puppies left, and the breeder said he had sold the last one the day before, but strangely, the lady had just called him back and wanted to return her. The puppy was bothering her allergies. So within 3O minutes we had bought a dog. And I realized I must have been ready because I was jumping up and down and clapping my hands with joy.

We had so much fun Friday buying all the fun dog stuff while the boys were at school. I wanted to buy a collar with a bow, didn't happen.  And then we met the lady in the Kroger parking lot to get my sweet baby. I was in love from minute one. She is the most adorable thing I have ever seen. She immediately curled up in her new bed and conked out. And we got to surprise the boys, which doesn't happen often. We videoed it, but it wasn't as exciting as I was hoping. They were very excited, but they were quiet because she is so little and was sleeping. Awesome!

Then the name discussions began. The last time we got a puppy, there were just two of us to make the decision, much harder with 5 people. We wanted something Disney, something Texas, and something not too girly. After three days, we finally agreed on Sadie Belle Wattly (in honor of JJ Watt). And yes, after the decision was made, I realized the Gone with the Wind reference. Hilarious if you catch it! And then I added on Ghirardelli at the end because she looks like dark chocolate!

She is the bestest little thing! I was dreading having a whining puppy all night, but only once in the whole week has she woken me up to go outside. She sleeps in her crate like a champ. She is almost perfect on #1 outside, but we still have a ways to go on #2 (TMI?) but I am so thankful that she is doing so well. We took her to the vet and they said she is great! The boys love playing with her! We bought some fun pink toys and she chases them around the house. I have never really dressed my dogs, but this may be the closest I get to dressing a girl, so I may have to this time. Her only downfall is, because she is so small and black, she will fall asleep somewhere and then we can't find her. Her favorite spot is between the ottoman and chair, I don't even know how she gets there sometimes.

Cade told me the other day that if we had gotten a dog four years ago, we wouldn't have gotten Sadie. And how God must have let that lady give her back for us. And how crazy it was that I just happen to look online Thursday night. Way to grow your faith buddy! See, prayer does work. Meet Sadie.

My ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

I was challenged by my sweet friend Lindsey Simmons to do the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. She later made it up to me with two pumpkin cupcakes which I did not share. I don't know if I will ever get around to actually dumping ice water on my head. Jason did it with the high school staff at our church in an over the top ridiculous way, very entertaining. And Coop did it in our back yard. We are donating money for research because I do want them to find a cure, but I just don't know if I will actually dump water on my head. And I don't know who I would challenge, because everyone I can think of has already done it. But it is important to me because this horrible disease has affected me personally.

My grandmother, Maree Cross, passed away from ALS in 1987. We were very close. As the oldest grandchild, we had a special relationship. Yes, I'll just say it. She spoiled me rotten. I spent many a night in her California king size bed, staying up past my bedtime playing Atari. She would always ask me right before I fell asleep what I wanted for breakfast. And it was usually the best cinnamon toast you've ever tasted. We would eat Hershey kisses and play Skip-bo. She taught me how to throw a bridge party, how to properly set a table and how to make peanut butter fudge. She introduced me to split pea soup.

My Memaw took me clothes shopping, buying way more than necessary. She had an oil painting made of me for her living room wall. My mom still has it. Its creepy. She loved to talk and I still remember how she would twist a piece of paper in her fingers while she talked on the phone. She would always have a Whatchamacallit candy bar waiting when she picked me up from school in her little sports car with no seat belts, or take me to Swenson's to get an ice cream sundae. We would sit outside and shell pecans or break the ends off of green beans. She had a birthday party for me where all the girls came dressed up, brought their dolls,  and we had tea and she taught us how to play Shanghai.

One of my favorite stories was when I was in 4th grade. She picked me up from school and I told her I wanted Tretorns. She asked what they were and I said I didn't know, but the other girls in school were talking about them. She picked up the phone and called her favorite department store and asked what they were. They were shoes. So we got in the sports car and drove directly there to get a pair with a turquoise swish. Did I mention I was spoiled?

She was President of the WMU at her church many years. And while sometimes, church was just what you did as a Southern Baptist lady, she also had a heart to serve missionaries and pray. She started the prayer ministry at her church and supported my grandfather as he served as deacon and in the media ministry. She worked hard.

She was diagnosed in January of 86 when I was in 5th grade and she died one year and two months later during spring break of my 6th grade year. She went down really fast. She took me shopping for back to school clothes in Aug. but by Christmas was confined in a wheel chair. I didn't see her much after that Christmas because it was too painful for me to see her. I do regret that. At the end, she couldn't move at all. But she would ask the ladies from the prayer ministry to bring her the prayer request list and tape it to the wall next to the bed so she could be praying. The day she passed away and my mom came home to tell me, I can still remember where I was standing in our kitchen. And I grabbed a sponge and started cleaning off the counters. I guess I clean when I am grieving? Even though we knew it was coming, I was devastated.

I remember her funeral like it was yesterday. The church was packed. She had touched many lives. Because it was spring break, I had spent much of the week with my friend Ashley while all the adults were taking care of things. And strangely I can remember what Ashley was wearing at the funeral. Isn't that weird? Ash and I had a great week and we were closer friends after that. She helped me grieve and tried to distract me from it all. I remember going back to my grandmothers house after the funeral and it was packed with people who felt sorry for me and pot luck food. And I quickly returned to Ashley's. Very overwhelming.

My grandfather passed away two years ago, and even though he was remarried, he was buried next to my grandmother. And even though I had learned later that she wasn't the easiest to live with, I was glad they were reunited.

I've been trying to decide what she would think about the ice bucket challenge. While I know she would be so grateful for all the money raised that will hopefully find a cure for this horrible thing, I can't decide if she would think the actual bucket of ice water on my head would be funny or improper. She had a little bit of both in her: Southern Baptist grandmother who had bridge parties and set correct tables mixed with a funny lady who drove a sports car with no seat belts and talked too much. That was my Memaw.

Back to School Update

It has been a crazy couple of weeks! I don't think I have ever looked so forward to Labor Day weekend before. I was asking myself the other day when was the last time I was this tired. And I think it was summer before last, during the week of VBS and All Star baseball. But its the good kind of tired, when you are working hard at what God has called you to do. I started my new job mid July and have worked a lot getting fall events ready. Everything started last week, and its all going pretty smoothly with only a few minor kinks, so I can take a breather and get myself into a routine. I still am in awe that God has brought me to my dream job. Its an amazing place to be. Now, my house is a wreck and is currently paying the price for my dream job, but it will get taken care of soon. I've taken spare moments to keep it picked up, but don't look too deep at the bathrooms or dust. The never ending struggle for working moms I suppose.

The boys started school Aug. 7, really early. But we were ready. Summer flew by and we didn't do all that we had thought we would do, but the boys were bored of being home and tired of each other. They were ready for purpose and routine for sure. They are doing really well so far, loving their teachers, making new friends. Coop is much happier in middle school, playing trombone again. Cade is much happier this semester. We knew he wasn't happy last spring, but until you see happy Cade back, we didn't realize how sad he was. And as always, life is a party for sweet Campbell. Cade and Campbell both received the character award for their class this week. Very proud of them.

Sports are starting back. Coop and Cade are both playing soccer, which they haven't played in years. And they are both on select baseball teams, but fall is a little slower baseball wise. Campbell is playing tackle football. Hilarious to see him in his helmet and pads. We'll see if it resembles football at all once they get going. And of course, hubby will help coach whenever he can, and I fill up those water bottles!

Church is still an amazing place to be. We love the worship and teaching each Sunday. Jason's student ministry is busy but life changing. They had a back to school bash this week, and there were 50 decisions made, 10 first time believers! Last Sunday our church had a baptism service at the local reservoir, baptizing 191 people who wanted to identify with Christ. We are so grateful to be in this place, no matter how tired we are. God is good.

More Favorite Things...

Yes, I know I have been doing a lot of these posts, but they are fun to write, and I'm just happy in my life right now, so everything makes me happy. Its a good place to be.

1. Map My Walk... I kept buying cheapo pedometers that were so unreliable and just way off. But then I found this app on my phone and I love it. It maps my route of walking, times me, counts my calories burned and tells me the distance. It really tells me the distance! When I hit one mile, it speaks over my music to tell me that I hit a mile and how long it took me. Its so cool! It is using up my data to have it on, but its worth it. Loving it!

2.

 

Its just a fun turquoise stapler, bought at Target.

 

 

3. Fun new hairdryer. Last week, half way through drying my hair, my hair dryer started smoking and had a nice plastic burning smell. I could not for the life of me remember how long I'd had it. So after it cooled, and my hair finished air drying, I went and bought this beauty at Walmart. Remington. It said on the box that it actually dries hair faster because of some ceramic part in it. I didn't believe them, but it REALLY does dry my hair faster. And for this red head with really think hair, that is a God send. And its a fun color.

Six Months In! Things I Love

I missed writing this a while back, but July 4 was six months since we had moved into our new home, seven months since Jason has been in his new job. And if you read my last post, then you know I now have a new job at Pinelake too. If I think about it too much, I can get overwhelmed with the goodness of God. Some days we still feel so new, as we are continually meeting new people and still trying out new restaurants, stores, etc. But some days we feel like we have been here forever, in a good way.

We are loving the weather. We haven't had to turn on a sprinkler yet it rains so much. And there have only been a handful of miserably hot days.  If you follow me on Facebook, you have seen too many pictures of the sky. I just can't get enough of it.

We are loving the people. The people's southern hospitality even carries over to driving. When you get to a four way stop, people go over the top trying to get you to go first, even if it wasn't your turn.

We are loving living in a smaller town. We rarely have to go over 55 mph on the roads, just no reason to. There are traffic jams, but only getting to school and getting out of church. When you mail something local, it arrives the next day. I called the other day to get an orthodontist appointment and got in the same day!

We love our church so much! Our pastor is starting a new sermon series on prayer. And this past week they started opening up our prayer room on Wednesdays over the lunch hour for people to come and worship and pray. I went for a few minutes and was struck with how grateful I am to be in a church where the staff and members were gathered in a room, sitting on the floor, standing, hands raised, worshipping and praying for God's will to be done in our lives, our community and our church.

Our church also places a great importance on staff having their families as their top priority. One of our TX friends asked J what was the best thing about our church and he said being able to go to worship with his family. Its been about 10 years since Jason has been able to sit with us in worship. Our leadership tells our staff that they need to sit with their families for a service, and that doesn't mean joining some time during but being at their seat when it starts. As a mom who has been trying to keep control of three boys in church by myself for years, it is heaven!

At lunch Sunday, I was telling J about one of the songs we sang this morning and how I cried. One of the boys asked why I was crying. Another one said "Mom always cries in church." Its not every week now, but most weeks something in some song strikes me and I shed a tear of thanksgiving. He truly has done more than we could ask or imagine.

Friendships

When I was in Shreveport this past week, I was in the Lifeway store and saw a girl that I went to high school with, but for some reason I didn't speak to her. At first I said it was because I wasn't sure it was her, but that wasn't true. I knew exactly who it was. I don't know if she saw me, recognized me or not. My hair makes it kind of hard to not recognize me. I had flash backs to when I was in high school and I went to get a Mother's Day card at a drug store and saw a boy that had been my "boyfriend" in 3rd grade. He even looked at me and neither of us spoke. What is up with that? But what really struck me about seeing this high school friend was, we are "friends" on Facebook. I can go right now and look at pictures of her three kids but I wasn't comfortable talking to her in person. I currently have 752 "friends" on Facebook, and yet how many of them would I speak to in person if I saw them.

It got me to thinking about friendships. Don't get me wrong, I love Facebook. I'm addicted. Especially since we have moved, Facebook lets me stay connected to people that I really do want to stay connected to. But how many of those 752 people would I say were really my friends? Moving makes you consider who your true friends are. Who do I miss talking to? Who do I take the time to call or check up on? And who takes the time to check up on me?

Its funny about making new friends. Its easier to make new friends when you have kids because you hang out together at sporting events, you have those kids in common, and yet having kids makes it harder to have free time to spend together to build your friendship. I feel like I have made three good friends here already, and other ladies that I have enjoyed hanging out with. But moving and making new friends makes you examine yourself and wonder what kind of friend you want to be. You can start from scratch and be whoever you want to be. I had a new friend tell me this week that one of the reasons she liked me was because I was real, and that was a huge compliment. I want to be real, and be a good friend. I want to be encouraging and fun to be around. I want to be friendly even to people that may not be a friend. And I am praying to get over my social anxiety and speak to people that I may not know, or may have not seen in years and run into at a store. Praying for God to make me the kind of friend He wants me to be, on Facebook or in person!

My Favorite Things this Week...

1. My IPhone. I got Jason's hand me down last November when he upgraded, and compared to my flip phone it was great. It started telling me to update pretty quickly after I got it, but I never had enough space on it to update. I was going to have to delete my music and I was afraid that I wouldn't have space to put it back on after. And yes, my music is on my computer, so it shouldn't have bothered me but my music is like my babies, I felt bad deleting them. But my tech savvy brother explained I had nothing to worry about and once I updated it, oh my gosh! I LOVE my phone now. It does the coolest things! I'm still exploring all it does, and of course, there is room for even more music.

2. My new Texas stuff. When we lived in Texas I didn't want to have anything Texan in my house, but now that we are gone, I was needing something Texan. So while we were in Dallas I thought I would run by Hobby Lobby and got exactly what I wanted! I'm going to add some things around the big circle star. Love them!

3. My new tote bag! When I started my job last week, I knew I needed a bag of some kind to haul my stuff to work, but I am not a tote bag person. I'm more of a back pack person. So we went to Academy that night (because with three boys we are there quite often), and I headed to the back pack section. But then I found this! Only $15! So I became a tote bag person.

Summer Vacation 2014

Don't get too excited. We didn't go anywhere exotic or new. We decided pretty last minute we needed to go somewhere, and for some reason if we aren't going to Disney, we just can't make a decision of where to go. So we spent a few days at my moms in Shreveport. They put in a pool this past winter so my kids want to live there now. And then we went to Dallas. The two big boys were 2 and 4 when we moved away and we don't remember that they had ever been back, sadly. We showed them our house where two of them lived, and neither remembered it. :( We went to FBC Richardson Sunday morning for church. Jason warned the boys that there might be lots of people who knew them and wanted to pinch their cheeks and give hugs, and they wouldn't remember any of them. I was not sure that would really be the case, since we've been gone for 8 years. But as usual, he was right. There was almost a receiving line of people who wanted to say hi. It was a special time to see so many people who had been a part of our lives and ministry. We had an amazing lunch with some awesome friends and their kids, a sweet dinner with some other friends, and some pool time with a great family. It was so great to introduce our kids to so many people that we love and mean the world to us.

On Monday, we went to Six Flags and the Rangers game. Yes, we did both in the same day. But it was pretty good, not huge crowds, not too hot. And the Rangers were playing the Astros, convenient. We were torn, not sure who to root for. Astros won, surprisingly. Needless to say, by the time we got back to the hotel, and we had to have baths because we were all stinky, it was really late and we were really tired! But we had a blast!

Six Flags was a study in the differences in my kids personalities for sure. My sweet middle child would stress in every line about the plan of who was riding with who, and how many could be in each car, and what if we get separated. So cute. Little one never ran out of energy, could have stayed all day, riding the biggest roller coaster that he was barely tall enough for, or the ones made for toddlers that only went around in a circle. He didn't care. Just keep moving. My oldest, calm, even keeled, no, I don't want to ride that, I'll just hang here. Two of them took a turn with Daddy riding the Texas Giant. One of them got off and was pale as a ghost. I think it broke him because he didn't talk for about 20 minutes after. The other got off and said "that was awesome!", and one said, no thank you. I'll let you figure out which was which. And yes, I also said no thank you.

On our way back we spend one more night in Shreveport and got to see my brother which doesn't happen often. I think we had Tex Mex four times in a week, and saw lots of great people. Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure. Great memories for a last minute trip.

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My New Job...

I have accepted the position as Director of Childcare and MMO at Pinelake Church. Even as I type those words, I am overwhelmed with the responsibility and with gratitude to God and many ladies in my past that have brought me to this place. Some of you might just think, its a part time job, what's the big deal. But if you have been even a small part of my journey the last 12 years of my life, you'll know what a big deal this is to me.

When Cooper was a baby, I attempted to be a full time stay at home mom. It didn't work, for financial reasons, but also for mental reasons. I was bored out of my mind. So I asked our preschool minister at FBC Richardson, Tedye Schuehler, if I could put Cooper in the MDO so I could go back to working at the call center I worked out before I had him. She said I should just come work for her so he could be with me. She saw something in me that I didn't know was there. I started out as the Special Event Childcare Coordinator. Joyce Patterson was the main Childcare Coordinator and trained me how to do my job. It was more than training though. Joyce showed me what it looked like to love on babies, love on teachers and love on parents. Ironically, I signed my offer letter for my new job last Monday, and found out that night that sweet Ms. Joyce passed away the day before. I almost cried at the deeper meaning that had for me. I hope to pass on the legacy she left as I minister to the babies, teachers and parents I begin to work with.

At FBCR, I had to step into an MDO 2 year old class mid year as the lead teacher. I laugh now looking back. I had no idea what I was doing. I made those sweet little ones sit in chairs for circle time, and forced them to make their crafts look just like mine. I had a college and seminary degree, but in 8 years of education, had only had 2 semesters of childhood development and ministry to children, which included all ages. I had worked extended session in church and babysat for years. And I had an adorable, perfect one year old at home. But that was the extent of my childhood understanding.  But again, Tedye saw something in me that I didn't know was there.

In the fall of 03 I became the Director of First Kids Younger Preschool, helping the MDO become licensed by the state. I think Tedye could tell I was a rule follower to a fault, and that's what you need when you have to study a binder of the rules set by the state of Texas to run a childcare center. I loved my job! I loved building relationships with the teachers, meeting parents and hugging on sweet children. It was a great three years. And then we moved to Houston.

I met Melissa Dutton before Jason even took his new job and she asked me what I would like to do in UBC's weekday. There wasn't anything administrative open, so I told her I would love to teach babies. Not sure where that came from, but I taught in the baby room for three of the next seven and a half years. That taught me a lot about recognizing that we are never just "babysitting," we are always teaching. Every time we talk to a baby, their brains grow and change. What a huge responsibility! I had flash backs to my physiological psychology class in college that I barely made a C in. But now I had a passion for how our brains work, and how God created this amazing thing! Melissa also knew about my background in those testy Texas laws, so I began leading at teacher training each summer about them, and I realized my passion for teaching teachers! I was able to do some different topics throughout the years and was always excited about that week. I am grateful to Melissa for trusting me with that training time. She taught me a lot about how to appreciate and encourage your teachers.

After my sweet Campbell was born, I took a little time off, and at that point April Lemley left the program and I took her position as Spiritual Curriculum Coordinator. I learned from April how to "send Jesus home" with those kiddos, even the unchurched ones, so their parents learned about Jesus too. And then my last year and a half, I was the younger preschool music teacher. And it turned out to be one my favorite things I did! I loved seeing how music got their brains and their bodies moving, and how excited they were to see me. My friend Laura Davis, who was the older preschool music teacher, said we were the "preschool rock stars"! My friend Colette Whitlock was the music teacher that came to my baby room the first year I was there, and I learned from Colette how to get those sweet ones moving and how to teach them spiritual truths through music.

In the meantime, Terri Neal came on staff as the preschool minister and we became fast friends. While at UBC, Vacation Bible School became my other life and I helped Terri by directing the preschool VBS for a few years. It was tough and stressful and time consuming, but I loved it. Terri taught me about volunteers, how to work with them and support them. And then, this past winter, we moved to Brandon, MS.

After a month or so of getting settled, I began looking for a job. I started working childcare at Pinelake one morning a week just to get out of the house. But I couldn't find anything else. I interviewed at another church and really enjoyed the process, but sensed from God it wasn't what He had for me. I felt that He was telling me just to enjoy the rest time, and He already had something picked out, it just wasn't time yet. And then this job became available. And God said, "that's it." So I applied and went through the interview process really not nervous, because I felt so strongly that God had called me to this place. I knew God had used the last 12 years to prepare me for this. A friend said this job "fits like a glove."

Our calling as a family to Pinelake has been so clear and amazing and God continues to blow us away at His power and goodness. I am overwhelmed at the size of my new job. Our church is so big! And yet, I know that God wouldn't bring me to it, and then leave me. I start next week, and I'll be working three days and one night a week. Its perfect for my family. I am not a good full time stay at home mom, but I also don't think I would be a good full time working mom either. And the fact that I got a whole semester to get my home and kids settled before starting is another testament of God's perfect timing.

There are lots of other details of the last 12 years I left out because this post is already so long as it is. But the point is, that God used every moment to prepare me. Our pastor Chip preached a sermon a few weeks ago about how God moves "upstream", preparing us for things we don't know are coming later. And then we sang "Never Once" by Matt Redman, and I cried through the whole thing out of amazement and gratitude. Our God is so good and big and kind and faithful!

Standing on this mountaintop 

Looking just how far we've come 

Knowing that for every step 

You were with us 

 

Scars and struggles on the way 

But with joy our hearts can say 

Yes, our hearts can say 

 

Never once did we ever walk alone 

Never once did You leave us on our own 

You are faithful, God, You are faithful

 

Walking... Part Two

I'm at my momma's but I have walked twice already. Its hard when you travel, having to find a different route. When I got ready to walk last night she asked me if I was going to take a stick. Why would I need a stick? Snakes. Excuse me! I don't think so. She said she had seen two dead ones in the road the past few weeks. Ok, then the snakes are dead. That is what I chose to believe as I headed out, stick-less. I prayed that if there were snakes, the Lord would keep them hidden from me. Two walks so far, no snakes. Fingers crossed.

I have discovered that the key for me to keep my pace up when walking is a good play list. And I am a believer that there is plenty of great Christian music to walk/work out to. You might as well be building up your spirit as you are building up your body. On my playlist right now are four songs from Hillsong Young and Free, two songs from Hawk Nelson, and For King & Country, Capital Kings and Unspoken.  Other great options would be The Afters, Sidewalk Prophets, Citizen Way, Toby Mac, Audio Adrenaline, the Newsboys and classic DC Talk. I'll probably change out some songs next week to keep it fresh. My playlist is 33 minutes long so I strive to get through all of the songs to time myself. Every day I feel better, walk faster, and I've lost another pound. Lets just hope I don't gain the weight back while I'm on vacation this week. The other question is when I start my new job next week, will I be able to keep up my walking schedule. New job? Yep, and that will be my next post! ;)

Observations of Walking

I've been walking almost every day for the past few weeks and really enjoy it now. I've made a few observations as I walk my subdivisions and the three around us.
1. I need to get a college banner, sign, statue something for our yard. We are in the minority without one. People have warned us that when college football season starts in the fall, we will be shocked at the craziness that will ensue around us. We are LSU fans, so I guess I need to go buy something to show our allegiance.
2. If I don't go college, then I need to go Saints or buy a big "G" for our front door. Yes, this is the Saints emblem in Christmas lights.

3. There are 14 houses in our subdivision for sale, including our next door neighbors, so you should move here.
4. There are these things here called "hills". They make it much harder to walk. Dallas and Houston did not have these strange things. My legs are jelly today.
5. I love walking at night. Its much cooler than the morning and I make sure I am walking facing the sunset. Its beautiful and the sky is huge.
6. This is what it look likes if they take out your driveway. This is one of the houses for sale. I'm sure they will put the driveway back if you decide to buy it.

7. Walking has become imperative as I am home all day with the kids. It gives me 30 minutes of peace. And I have great music on my phone, so it lifts my spirits at the same time. Very proud of myself!