Spur of the Moment Fun

I planned a very fun day at the beach today for my family. Darren got the boys ready at home and packed lunch while I helped my friend Jamie get VBS stuff to the church. It was still early, plenty of time to get there and have fun before the afternoon showers came rolling in.

So I thought. I got home at 10:30 (as planned) and we were out of the door in 5 minutes. By the time we got to NSB the clouds are thickening and the sky is darkening. We decided the beach wasn't a good idea. So...what to do, what to do. We were just driving down US1 looking at how much darker the sky was going north.

We remembered Spruce Creek Park & we have always wondered what it was. We have never been there so we pulled in to see if there was a place for us to picnic before the rain came. And sure enough, a pavilion! How exciting. There is a little playground and a nice place to eat, even a soda machine! As we finished lunch the rain was pouring. So, we went home....NOPE! We went for a walk to the Bird Observatory Tower and then to the fishing pier in the rain!! But the time we were done the sun was shining again. Momentarily anyway. The boys had a great time and coudl not believe that we let them go out in the rain. We saw beautiful birds, sludged through the mud, and Dylan renamed fiddler crabs "creek crabs"! Tyler decided he was done and kept asking to "get out of this place!".

I could not believe that I had never been to such a wonderful place after living here for so long. It was so beautiful and tranquil. A good place to go on a quiet date or bring a book and enjoy God's creation. We will definitely be back! Michelle - I didn't make it to Herbert Street, but you definitely helped this idea to come to life. We are going to start enjoying some of the things right in our own back yard!

Thought Closet Make-Over

[note: my question mark on my keyboard doesn't work. pardon punctuation mistakes] :)

I just joined a new Bible study for the summer and I am really excited about it. The book we are studying is Me, Myself, & Lies by Jennifer Rothschild. If I am understanding it correctly, it helps us to see how we lie to ourselves with negative thoughts and how to replace it with God's promises and His Word.

I am only on day 3, but it has been incredibly eye opening. I am truly excited but I am having some mixed emotions. I know that I have this issue so I should be so happy for something to help me face it and get victory over it, right. Well, I am finding it hard at times. Why is it so hard to let go. There are times in my homework that there is a question I am supposed to answer but for some reason I just stare at it. It is like I just don't want to write down what I really feel or think about that. Part of me thinks that is absolutely ridiculous, but nevertheless, I find myself there.

The Lord is so awesome and full of grace though! He is really helping me to work through things so I know He is going to work in me BIG time this summer. I was asked to write down a list of the lies that I tell myself. So, I did. When I was done I looked at them and I said, yeah - I don't always feel like those are lies. What do I do now. As I thought about that I realized something. The author calls these thoughts in our brain our "thought closet" and the thoughts are like clothes. I came to realize that, I have been wearing these clothes for so long, that I am at times becoming them, even though it is not who I really am. Things that started out as fears at the start of my life have worked their way into a warped reality b/c I let them take control instead of giving them to the Lord. AAAHHHH No what am I to do. =o) I have spent the last couple of days trying to replace those things with what the Bible says and promises from Him. Is it easy, no. It will be a journey that's for sure. But of this I am confident: The Lord will hold my hand the whole way down this path and I know there is something awesome waiting at the end. He promises in Jeremiah 29:11. "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I am going to meditate on that for awhile. That would do anyone some good!

What a day...

So I have officially had a weird day. I am not feeling overwhelmed or super busy or irritated. It just occurred to me on my way home that i have had a few more "blunders" than usual. For easy reading, I will list them in order.

• forgot one child's lunch box at home, better than both-I did that yesterday
• Good Note - Wanda had an extra lunchable
• took an extra half hour at lunch on accident - so i was late again.
• discovered I was late all day b/c the clock in my car is WAY off
• Good Note - i have amazing bosses that out up with me
• couldn't find any emergenC or a good lunch. settled for a yucky salad and halls defense
• wanted to go to zumba at the gym - couldn't make it in time - played volleyball instead
• because I went to volleyball i got hit in the head uber hard by a nice serve
• Good Note - had a great time @ new Bible study!
• because of my yucky salad at lunch, had to stop at a gas station to go potty on the way home
• got pulled over on the way home - had a headlight out and the wrong tag on the care
• Good Note - no ticket
• made it home and had to do laundry because the boys aren't allowed to bring their pillows and blankets back to school until i wash them I have forgotten them for the last 3 weeks
• heard something fall while doing laundry but didn't see it. Went I put the softener in and discovered that the spray & wash was what fell and the whole bottle opened and washed with my clothes
• Good Note - clothes should be stain free!

In spite it all, i feel like I had a great day. lol I am going to bed soon, expecting another great day tomorrow! Not sure anyone really cares about my random day, but it is fun to list it!

Public Disgrace

Our family had a wonderful Father's Day at the beach. It was awesome, the entire family got together. Dad & Eddie went early and put up canopies and umbrellas, mom made tons of food (as usual), and there were plenty of toys for the kids. It was the perfect day! I even let my kids get in the water above their ankles, they were very excited about this.

There are a few down sides to a fun day at the beach. Sunburn and sand in your pants are a few that come to mind. I remember when I was a kid playing and sitting just where the waves break on the sand...a bathing suit full of sand and shells! Now I am a mother of 2 young boys and by the end of the day they were just crying about their, you know, hurting. I checked it out and bless their hearts, they were covered in lots of sharp little shells.

So, being the good mom that I am, I marched them straight to the shower. Without hesitation I pulled down their pants to rinse off the shells and give them a little relief from the pain. All of the sudden my mom is telling me to hurry up - people are leaving the shower area!

I am like why? She says because the boys have no clothes on! I made several people take their small daughters and leave. They were whispering and staring. I had no thought that this is unacceptable. When I was growing up their were naked children all over the beach shower area and this never bothered anyone then. I quickly wrapped them up in a towel and put them in the car. So, i will now have to figure out a new way to get the shells out of my boys pants. If anyone has any ideas, i would appreciate them!

Living Life = Cleaning House????

Well, I made an alarming discovery a couple of weeks ago while I was cleaning. I had every intention to sit down a talk about it at the time of discovery, but time has been a bit of an issue. Anyway, back to my discovery.

I tend to clean my house and live my life in the same way.

For those of you who know me very well, you know this isn't a good thing. I was cleaning my bedroom & bathroom when the thought occurred to me....wow, I never clean this because no one ever sees it but me and those closest to me.

Well, life for me can be the same way at times. There are things in my life that I would like to "clean up" and have every intention of doing so. But for some reason the urgency isn't there. Now, I have some urgency to keep the hall bathroom and the kitchen clean - everyone sees that. Just the same way I strive to keep my outward appearance in order. I don't really say bad works or tell dirty jokes. I do not go to bars and night clubs. I attend church regularly and I try and encourage my friends in the Lord. But what about how I treat my family at home or spending time in prayer and Bible study? I guess those things are the bedrooms and garages of life. The things that are easy to let get messy and it not matter much.

I am going to strive to clean up those not so often seen rooms Besides, you never know when the FPL repair man will want to go into the garage or a dear friend will need to use your bathroom.

Biggest Loser - 8 Week Challenge

So, my friend Jamie and I have been working really hard to get healthy and lose some weight. We started 3 weeks ago and so far I am down almost 5 pounds! it is so nice to have someone along for the ride.

We just joined a Biggest Loser 8 Week Challenge at a local gym. We will meet with a personal trainer in the morning at 8:00am. There is even free child care! I am going to be posting my progress each week here at my blog. A little extra accountability never hurt, right?
I think it is important for me to start taking care of the body that God gave me. He asks us to all over scripture. I will admit, part of this is selfish reasons but, who doesn't want to look good? However, I really do want to be healthy so I can do the work God has called me to do. I want to play in every game at Wired and play football and volleyball with my boys. Most of all I want to be a good example to my children and those that are closest to me.

So, be praying for us as we embark on this 8 week journey! I am sure it will be exciting!

From Head to Heart

We had our last youth leader meeting of the school year today. Now it is time to "relax" for the summer...or so we are told. Our youth ministry is so blessed to have an intern for the summer, her name is Katie. I have really enjoyed getting to know her and am really looking forward to the summer!

So, during our meeting Kevin let us ask her questions. One question she was asked was if she would recommend her school to other students. She said yes, but then she made this statement that has had me thinking all day. She said that the one thing that she has struggled with, and seen others struggle with, at Bible college is that you get a lot of head knowledge and it doesn't always transfer to your heart. She talked about how it is sometimes hard to keep that in check and not let it go to your head. That you have all of this knowledge and no ministry experience. (That is so a paraphrase, I have 2 kids and no exact memory)

I totally got that statement. I also went to Bible college and have struggled with that myself. Oh how I wish I would have realized it then instead of years after graduation. All day I thought about a lot of things. I thought about how I handled our church split that happened while I was there. About how my friends reacted when I started dating my husband (who was not a student there). I thought about how my relationships with my friends back home suffered and how I treated my parents. I think about how I thought (and still do sometimes) I know everything about ministry.

Now that I have been actually working in ministry for a little over a year I am coming to realize that the struggle still continues. There is always that little part of me that thinks that I can do it better or I could revolutionize something. And then I am like, whoa - step back a have a reality check. Any ministry I, or anyone else is involved in is God's. All His. He moves in the heart of people to do His will. Isn't He so awesome and gracious to use us at all. Thanks God for using us in spite of ourselves. Thanks for moving in our hearts and for friends that we can count on to knock a little reality into situations!

This is new and strange...

Well, I have been so touched, intrigued and lifted up from my friends' blogs that I thought I would give it a try myself. I have always joked with my husband that if I ever wrote a book I would call it My Roller Coaster Life. I guess this is as close as I will ever get.

God is so awesome and always working in my life, and all of ours, but what always puzzles me is the struggle within that comes with it. Why we are always trying to hold on to things while trying to reach out for Him. I am totally getting the new Jars of Clay song, If I had 2 Hands... I often wonder, what if. The ups and downs of life remind me so much of a roller coaster. Sometimes scary, sometimes exciting, sometimes things are unknown, and sometimes just riding along.

I used to think that life shouldn't be this way. That God surely didn't plan for my life to be so crazy, but as I grow and go through things I am not so sure of that anymore. I am now coming to understand that He is just sitting with me on this roller coaster life, leading me to the next one, and holding my hand all the way. As one who totally fears roller coasters in real life, that is comforting.

Well, my kids are fighting over over a blue crab stuffed animal and I think it is coming to blows. I better go for now. This as been fun...I think I like it.