Go. Be. Do.

It was a day at the beach...and a wonderful one at that! Bill, Terri, and Daniel invited me and the boys to spend the day at Callaway Gardens beach with them and we were finally able to go! It was a fun filled day to say the least. Swimming, train rides, and mini golf...a little boy's dream day if you ask either of mine. Sunshine, sand, and smiles all around. Spontaneity does have its benefits.

Alex and Tim get so excited when our friends Ken and Anna come over to visit...and play. :) We all became friends during the time of being Youth Advance leaders together. Ever since then...and we've been through alot together...we've become the best of friends. Friends like them I hope to have around through the ages. Friendship can endure alot I have found out. And it usually gets better through the tough times...but here's to better times to come. (((HUGS))) to my friends...both near and far.

Alex and Tim have been in the water since they were both itty bitty tykes. It used to seem like they had swim diapers on more than regular ones...and from May til October I'd say that was just about true. They've always loved being in water...buckets, rain puddles, bathtub, pool, ocean...if it has to do with water they love it! I'm glad, too...it makes hot summer days so much fun. Just this past week alone we/they were swimming 5 days out of 7. It helps that Nana and Pawpaw have a pool...and, that our neighbor does too. We haven't been to the neighbor's pool yet this year due to mechanical issues, but I'm sure we'll get there soon. We hope so anyway. Alex and Tim can both swim without floats which makes being around the water alot more relaxing than their younger days. I've had my share of gasps sitting on the edge watching my babes in the water...but they always came back up. I so enjoy the water more now myself than when I was younger. Having not grown...

There's a running joke between my best friend and me that I can make everything all about me and most times without anyone ever noticing until it's all said and done...it's a phenomenon I don't understand and don't realize even myself at times, but it does happen. I tried to teach her how to do it, but you've either got it or you don't...she is getting better at it, though. :) I've said all that to say this: we are living in a society that is focusing on an "all about me" attitude. Self this and self that...this isn't a new concept. However, I started to take notice lately that alot of the songs being played on Christian radio stations are even "self" oriented. (Now, even the worst of these songs can be better than other options to listen to, don't misunderstand me). But, in a way, even Christian artists have started singing "self help" songs...songs to make you feel like someone else is suffering with issues ...

This past Saturday night I found myself once again in Grandma Miller's kitchen, surrounded by my family, listening to all the stories and laughter that resulted from them. There were more comfortable seats just feet away in the family room...but there we were after dinner just sitting and enjoying the time together as a family...around the kitchen table. Today, in the middle of my kitchen, I was thinking that something was lost once the "formal" dining room fad caught on in American homes...especially those with walls all around and only one little door to connect to the heart of the home (aka: the kitchen). Growing up everything that was happening was happening at/on/around the kitchen table. There was always room for one more somehow. Playing games, cleaning garden veggies, making/eating food, visiting, homework, folding laundry, and loads of other things as well...I learned how to cook at Grandma's and Mom's kitchen tables. In the Happy House, my new life i...

My week of camp is over for the summer, but what memories I have of an awesome time once again at BMC. It's always fun to look back over the week and see how God put into place the right people at the right time to make Himself real among His children. It was evident God had his hand on who would be speaking at different times throughout the week. Well before any of us knew what was in store for the week He did. Everything fell into place and almost led into each other as if we had sat down and planned it to happen. The awesome thing about God is that none of us had done that, so Him bringing us all together for the same week was so cool. Also, the leadership for the week was phenomenal. Everyone did their part and did it well. After 22 years of being involved I can honestly say that doesn't always happen, but it's wonderful when it does. We had an eventful Wednesday with first rain and then tornado warnings and 2 stays in the bathouses with the campers. Times that could...

Saturday was a day for comical statements from my boys. First, we wake up Saturday and decide to all snuggle in the king size bed for awhile...this always is a treat for the boys and we get to have family talks that are unlike any others that happen during the day. We were chatting about how well we slept through the night. Alex so matter of factly stated, "I stayed awake until I fell asleep last night. It mostly works that way." Now, imagine the giggles that followed that one...how funny and how great of a start it made to my day. Now, fast forward to about 7 pm that night...we're all outside; boys riding bikes and playing here and there, Scott working on the VW Bug he's restoring, and I'm working in the flower gardens. Tim's close by so I ask him to help me with holding some flowers back so I can get the shovel underneath them...he does it once and I ask him to do it again in another spot. He stops and looks at me and so cleverly states, "That's not...

Tonight was the VBS program and once again my boys were overcome with butterflies when it was time to stand on stage and sing the songs. I do believe this is the third year in a row that they are perfect in practice...know all the words and motions and have a look of excitement and satisfaction as they do their thing. Bring on the program and it all falls apart and fast. Tim doesn't get through the first song, bless his heart before the tears start to fall...Alex holds it together enough to stand on stage but doesn't sing or do a motion the entire night and is constantly wiping away his tears. Poor guy. Okay, so I know what that's like...I understand for I was the same way, sort of. I got nervous and all that, but not to this extreme. I guess next year I will have to video practice and we'll just skip the evening program...(I remember thinking this last year, but had hopes for a better return on our week's investment this time around). There's always nex...

Like many people, I'm finding myself at another week of VBS. The week has gone by quickly I think. Maybe I just have really good help that makes my responsibilities easier this year. Vacation Bible School is far from a vacation for those of us leading a "station" whether it be group leader, music, crafts, snacks, games, or Bible class, but for some reason we always sign up to help again the next year. It's because it's not about us, but about reaching the boys and girls with a message we think is important enough to put our normal schedules aside for one week and entertain kids in a way that is fun and yet filled with basic Biblical principles that will help them to grow in their understanding of God. According to some on line research, VBS got it's origin back in 1894 by a teacher, Mrs. D. T. Miles. She was a public school teacher until she married and then continued to teach in Sunday School. Feeling the time on Sunday morning was too constrained ...

I was reading through "A Call to Die" by David Nasser for a second time not that long ago and it was interesting to discover new insights this time around that were there before, but for some reason, hit home hard as I read the words again. Nothing hit harder than when he went into detail about loving God more even than the things of God. Refering to prayer, praises, Bible reading, etc. We are to love God because He's God. End of sentence. That's all we need to know...and do. All the things of God have their place, of course, in bringing us to a place in our lives where we are closer to God and know more about Him and His unchanging self, but they can't take the place in our hearts and lives that God alone needs to own. The love of those things can't replace the simplistic notion that God wants us to love Him even more than the things we do for Him, because of Him, and by Him. Why hasn't that thought crossed my mind before? Maybe in some fashion it...

After seemingly a month of weekends away, the Roth's spent a weekend at the house doing "normal" weekend things. I guess they were normal, relatively speaking. Spent Friday night getting the boys' haircuts, then a bite to eat. This morning I went to Walmart at 7:30 am to beat the masses...then we were all taken out for breakfast by my in-laws for a late birthday present. (I love when my birthday lasts longer than a day). Mike and C's is a great little restaurant. Good service + great food = satisfaction. The boys had a chance to go shopping with G-ma and G-pa Roth by themselves...everyone seemed to have had a good time when we went over to pick them up. The garden the boys and I planted (with the help of Scott who did the tilling) is doing well. So far nothing too major has been eaten or destroyed. Had to replant some sweet corn in the very beginning due to some creature plucking it out of the ground, and a deer nibbled on some leaves, but left it standing. The...

It shouldn't surprise me anymore, but it does. Things going smoothly just does not happen for me as of late...and when they are for a moment, out of nowhere comes the sucker punch. I was left blindsighted tonight. Not for sure what got me the most; what I was hearing or who I was hearing it from (I know, I know. Don't end a sentence with a preposition. Forgive me). Left asking myself the title of this blog...What? What happened? What now? What next?

The boys and I had a nice first day back from vacation yesterday. Quiet morning at home, errands in the afternoon...and some fun in there too. Alex and I were reading/looking at his "I Spy" book from the library and we came down with a good case of the giggles. I so enjoy when this happens. It's as if all is right in the universe for that moment, and truly for us right then it was. Tim, Alex and I were all lying on the floor in the living room, they each had their books in front of them and I was helping them both spy things on the pages. Tim is getting more interested in books now...for longer periods of time at least. He's more into imaginative play than Alex. Give Tim 5 minutes and he'll have people flying, driving, or whatever-ing all over the place. It's so fun to watch. We had a lot of laughs together over our vacation, too...like when we went to hug this huge tree in Savannah. How funny it was I'm sure to watch us try to get our arms around that tru...

Had this blog page process started awhile ago, but was stumped at a name for it. That part was intimidating to be honest...still is, but since I had nothing to do with choosing my name in the beginning, it's a safe choice, right? I like my name, so I'll go with what works. The real question is "Why now?" I'm not yet sure of the answer to that question...stay tuned and maybe one will come. I'll let you know. Most of my thoughts these past few years have been posted on fb/myspace/twitter, but now I've opened myself up to yet one more internet time consumer. We'll see how it goes from here. The nice thing here is that I'm not limited to a certain number of characters. Freedom...maybe I've found the very thing I need right now.