Happy 7th Birthday, Karlayna Suzanne!

We enjoyed celebrating Karly's 7th birthday with 16 friends/sisters and a gymnastics theme! Come on, are you surprised?!

This one says, "Yep, this is my day...so, I basically own this place."

Working on her back walkovers

We sang the goofy version of the Happy Birthday song again...as requested by Karly.  I love her smile with the nose scrunch.....when your nose scrunches with your smile, you know you're happy!

Birthday Fun....Part Dos at Los Tres Amigos

Mommy and our waitress decorating Karly's face with whipped cream :P  She didn't mind so much.

Karly, enjoying all the attention and the personal dessert!

My Beanie Baby's growing up!....I'm thinking she had a great day! :)

She asked us tonight, "So, how many days till my next birthday?"

To More Boldly Go

I heard yesterday that Leonard Nimoy passed away.  I didn't know much about him as a person...just that he played Spock on Star Trek.  I read some about him yesterday and it was all very interesting to me...like how he came up with his catch-phrase, "Live long and prosper"...here is a link to an interview with him where he describes the background behind it.  Awesome inspiration!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyiWkWcR86I

God totally has a way of putting weird things together for me....I can't even begin to explain how He works in my mind and through my world.  So, in the last few blogs I have been thinking about blessing people,  who am I? , and then, yesterday, I wore this weird shirt that was kind-of like animal print, but cartoon animal print that made me think of Pebbles from the Flintstones....which made me pick a picture with Fred's famous catch-phrase for my blog.  Then I found out Leonard Nimoy passed away, so I wanted to learn more about his life....obviously he has a famous catch-phrase, but I didn't know where it came from so I read some articles that said it originated with the Aaronic Blessing, "The Lord Bless You and Keep You"..... :)

Then, I read something that totally boggled my mind about two autobiographies Leonard wrote in his lifetime....the first, written in 1975 was titled, I Am Not Spock.  Many of his fans were upset with this work and misunderstood it, feeling betrayed as they so loved his character, Spock.  He encountered so much criticism over the work and believed people did not understand his intent that 20 years later in 1995 he wrote a second autobiography titled, I Am Spock.  Who am I?  Right!?

I am not sure what this means....if anything, I believe it is God reinforcing His lessons to me.....to ALWAYS be intentional to BLESS others and to be more confident and bold in who I am in Christ....regardless of what I do at any given time or what others perceptions of me are or will be....who I am IN HIM is constant because He is constant. 

That Is NOT How My Daddy Sings!

Brad and I got the privilege of delivering brownies to Karly's 1st grade class today for her to celebrate her 7th birthday!  When we walked in, they were just starting to watch Sid, The Science Kid and it was the rug time song....so we (well, I danced in....but, I was in front of Brad, so I am not sure if he was following my lead :)  Then, we washed hands and helped Karly pass the treats out to all her school friends.  Her teacher asked if we wanted to sing Happy Birthday to her and she looked at both of us very expectantly :)  We do sing, so I'm pretty sure she was anticipating something.  Well, Brad sang very loudly, but not in tune....she was laughing so hard and telling all her friends, "THAT IS NOT HOW MY DADDY SINGS....hey, guys....that is NOT how my daddy sings!"

"Karly, why are you so excited about turning 7 tomorrow?"  She has been doing a daily countdown for quite some time!  The answer is....she is most excited about 7 because it is so close to 8 when she does not have to sit in a booster seat anymore.  And there you have it, folks!  Life goals at age "I'll be seven in 1 more day" :)

Yabba-Dabba-Doo

Ever wonder what Fred meant when he said "Yabba-Dabba-Doo"?

I just saw that the inspiration for his phrase came from the saying, "A little dab'll do ya." :)  Funny!

 

I don't know about you, but I'll take a little more than a dab'a weekend, please!  :P

Question Marks

"Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth

Would care to know my name, 

Would care to feel my hurt?"

In the picture I posted earlier today, I thought the sun and clouds kind-a made it look like there was a big question mark in the sky.  So, I was thinking about one of the biggest questions I know to ask.....Why does GOD love me...why does He care?...ever ask yourself that question?  I've been running the lyrics to this Casting Crowns song around in my head today.  It has been such a good reminder that it is not about me and what I do, who I am, or how I feel...it's all about who He is and what He has done for me....what He IS DOING for me.

Isn't it amazing that everything He has made has been with us in mind? and that in the scope of time, (where we currently live) we see these thoughts on us come about each new day....(warning: run-on sentence) and His thoughts are not passing thoughts like ours are so often.  Where we can only comprehend one thing at a time (or a couple things- if we are good multitaskers),  His thoughts and presence with us is 100% and far deeper than we realize.

I attended a Bible Study last night and was so excited to see the lady who had approached me on Sunday to tell me she just accepted Christ will be in my class.  I smiled and thanked God that she is already looking to grow and go deeper with HIM and that I get to be a part of this section of her journey as she also will be a part of mine.  It was a terrific session about what it really means to be a follower of Christ.

The speaker in the video was talking about a time when Jesus was teaching a large crowd of people what it meant to partake of the Lord's Supper....the meaning behind eating of His body and drinking of His blood that they would become a part of Him and of some of the trials they could face for His sake.  At the end, most of the people left shaking their heads and wondering how anyone could accept this teaching.  But, the twelve were still with Him.  He asked them if they would leave Him too and Simon Peter answered with this.....(I LOVE THIS ANSWER)....

"Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God."

WOW!  On the days when I wonder who I really am or why God would love me, I want to be mindful of two things....I am a follower of Christ wherever He leads me - NO ONE ELSE has the words of eternal life....and..... I am grateful that the other question IS NOT, Does God love me? :)....That never has to be a question mark because He gave me a way to be with Him.  When we love, we want to be near the ones we love.  He died to make that possible!

And He Saw That It Was Good

Hello, Sun On My Face

This makes me think of the verse where Moses blesses Aaron so that he and his sons can bless others.  Our college choir always used to sing this verse as a blessing over the congregation as our final song. 

"The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine on you, And be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace."

We would normally form a circle around the outer walls of the building where we were performing and sing them a blessing.  I remember that was usually an incredibly sweet and emotional moment.  I would look around at the people and they would be moved to tears that we were actually singing a blessing over them.  

If we have Christ within us, we have the power to be a blessing.  Let's shine His light! 

Keep Thinking Warm Thoughts

I think it is time to start making the pool noodle throne!

 :) What a GREAT thought for a day like today, right?! :)
CANNONBALL!

Time For A Life Pause

Today, I discovered I am really good at napping....yep, I can even do it with my eyes closed :)  I got home from work and started dinner prep because we were making a special dinner delivery tonight to some friends who just had a baby girl.  Then I decided to rest....I meant to just close my eyes for a couple minutes....

But, I totally fell asleep and didn't wake up until Kenna and Vannah came home from school at 3:15pm.  OOOPSIE!  How do you set a Jell-O salad SUPER FAST?!

I guess everyone needs a HORIZONTAL LIFE PAUSE every now and then.....I still like the phrase, EVERY NOW AND THEN, it's vagueness totally gives the person complete power to decide how often that really is.

The Best Return

Brad and I are getting ready to sit down and figure out our taxes.  We have been talking about it for a while and I started working through it one day, but we haven't had time in our schedules to go through every line item together.  That task can seem very daunting.

I had a motivation to clean yesterday and I focused it on our food pantry.  When you actually stop to go through things, item by item, and check dates and plan for future meals based on the surprising things you discover you have in the pantry, you realize you have quite a bit.  

But, no matter what we have or think we need because we don't have it yet, 

EVERYTHING IS A LOSS.

I want to invest in people and in works that matter for the kingdom...

things that are not a write off in the end.

I believe it comes down to deciding if we are ultimately going to be "takers" or "givers"....here's your word lesson....you ready for this?  The word surrender originates from a French word rendre...it means to give back, to return....it is not necessarily just "to give up", it is also to return possession or power to the other.  I actually really like the picture above...especially the carrot....and that this man is not enticed by it...because he physically turned himself to look a different way.  

I think when we walk with Christ for a while we begin to understand that the things of this world, no matter how tempting, will not satisfy us.  We do experience some brokenness (also a meaning of the word rend)  when we allow God to break the hold the world has on us.  It's not just about stuff, though....it can transcend to our talents and abilities.  Those things cannot be based on this world or we will experience much disappointment.  They have to be surrendered so we can turn and see the world through the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ....that IS and WILL CONTINUE TO BE the best return!

I know this is an older song, but when I heard it the first time, God used it to speak to me, so I will always love it.

One Pure & Holy Passion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LArCu3OxdEI

Remember Your First Love

I saw this one time and had to save it.....be it completely flustered and fumbling, 

I really, really like it :)

Well, at least I remembered one thing right...ha!

The topic of remembering my first love has come to my mind a few times today.  The first was actually after church when I was chatting with a friend and two ladies approached us.  One of them said, "I have been encouraging my friend to tell you something."  I said I was ready to listen and she told me that she had accepted Christ last week during our service and her friend thought it would be a good idea to tell someone about it.  She didn't quite know what all to say, but she was certainly grinning from ear to ear!  I encouraged her in her decision and for having the courage to begin telling others her story.

Then, during our choir practice, Brad shared a story from a meeting he had had earlier this week about a different lady who had come to know Christ as she was led to salvation by a lady from her church.  The lady who led her to Christ had been a Christian for a very long time and wanted to know what it was like to accept Christ later in life, so she asked her if she could describe what it was like to be saved.  She thought for a moment, then said, "There is nothing to compare it to."

Isn't that the best answer?!  THERE IS NOTHING TO COMPARE IT TO!

Sometimes, in the middle of all the church stuff....the planning....the practicing....the decisions....the busyness....I forget.

But, today I remembered...I love because He first loved me.

Rest In The Lord

The answer for a world that claims, "there's no rest for the weary!"

AMEN!

Counting My Cow-lories

Today, Vannah had a day practice for her band festival.  The rest of us were invited to Brad's folks for lunch and a time to visit with the Amish family we met several weeks ago when they invited us to their home for a sleigh ride.  This is the family who decided (and I found out today it was unanimous...there are 11 in their family) to name their newborn calf, Heather, after they met me......HAHA!  I'm still loving that story!  What an honor, right?! :)  Today, I got to hear how Heather is doing.  I know I should be very excited that there is a cow named after me and I am....but, there is this part of me that is like..."OKAY, I AM LOSING WEIGHT....FOR REAL!" I think I have burned a good amount of calories laughing about that little calf.

We heard we were going to be sampling some Amish jam at our lunch gathering and Savannah got so upset that she was going to miss that opportunity because of her practice that she said, "Man, I can't even get my Amish jam on!" HAHA!  :P I was able to pick her up from her practice and take her back to the gathering so she could sample some rhubarb jam and have some fun playing games with everyone.

Then, the elementary school was sponsoring an ice-skating event, so we took all the girls to skate.  All their lessons definitely paid off from their Christmas gift!  We didn't have to help any of them and they were buzzing by people left and right....even skating backwards a little bit.  I even skated without hugging the wall and didn't fall...yep, and my ankles are pretty sore...but, it was a lot of fun! And, just think of the cow-lories I burned :)

Daddy's Girl X 5

Tonight is the Daddy Daughter Dance!  It is a tradition for Brad and the girls every year....but, Vannah and Kenna are too old to attend now....so, they get a date with me :)  I was thinking a dessert date....something chocolate....I need to use my powers of suggestion to get us to Olive Garden for the Black Tie Mousse Cake....YUM!  We were busy doing nails, curling and crimping hair, and applying make-up for the younger three....Pretty dresses and cowgirl boots....LOVE THAT!

The girls kept this song on repeat while we were helping them get ready... :)

Daddy's Girl - One Girl Nation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uLhOw6ngIM

UHHHGGGG!  They grow up too fast!

He is always outnumbered....that's true!  But, he is well loved!

The One Who Knows

I got to greet at an event for international students tonight.  While I was eating dinner with my family before I left, Savannah said, "when you get home, I want to know how many languages you picked up."  Ha!  The funny thing was that three people were praying for the meal at the event and they were supposed to pray in three different languages, but the first prayed in English, the second in Korean, and the third, in English.  Afterwards, I was like, "What just happened because I only heard two languages spoken....am I understanding tongues?" I didn't say that out loud...just thought it :)  One of the people just started praying in English and totally forgot about praying in Mandarin....ooops.

On the way home I was thinking about all those sweet students...some are in high school and others in college...so far from home.  Having Cindy work with me and share her experience in the month of January helped me to understand how they often feel insecure and isolated because of language and cultural differences.  They are always so happy to get together for events like tonight's and hear their own languages spoken.  It really is a wonderful thing to watch them communicate with each other.  There is just something about knowing you are known and understood.

He Knows - Jeremy Camp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsccUg4TDd8

Nowadays!

Dear eyelashes, wishbones, birthday candles, the first star, shooting stars, necklace clasps, dandelions, 11:11, and pennies thrown into wells....just so we are clear, WARMTH,

I am wishing for WARMTH :)

Enjoying my Polar Vortex (without so much snow) day with the kiddos.

Your Mountain Is Waiting

One of the first songs I heard when I woke up this morning...well, ATSS (after the second snooze)... was Jason Castro's, Only A Mountain.  Considering my yesterday, I was thankful for that message this morning.  I was thinking...YES, this is gonna be a good day....I will move a mountain today....and then I thought of Dr. Seuss...

I may have said that to myself in the mirror if I am the sort of person who talks to herself  :)

I got to work earlier than most of my co-workers.  We all share a printer, so I like to get there early so I can get all my printing done before everyone starts lining up with their projects.  I knew we were going to be sending out a mass mailing today and I had to make sheets of labels for it.  I've done it tons of times, so NO BIGGIE....definitely not a mountain, you know?!

I started printing them and then, BAM! MISFEED.....PAPER JAM!  Normally, I can fix that, but since it was with multiple sheets of labels, labels had peeled off and were sticking to the inside of the machine in various places where I couldn't get to them....it was a very sticky situation.  We had to call a printer repair person to come and do surgery on our printer.

Usually I just give up coffee for Lent, but I think I'll just GIVE UP....in general.....ha!  Kidding!

Maybe tomorrow's my day?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OWLs1G3q1o

Remember To Breathe And Give Yourself Fully To The Work Of The Lord

I have to remind myself of that a lot.  I had one of those days at the office where you realize the thing you thought would be a cinch to accomplish is going to be MUCH more complicated :P  One step at a time, right!?

I think circumstances is a fun word to dissect.   The prefix in the word circumstance means circular, round about, around....and stance is how we choose to stand or position ourselves to stand.  Isn't that kind-of interesting?  (If not, have a great day...I totally respect your opinion :)  I'm weird, I know....I like words and meanings and spellings sometimes too much, but they came from somewhere right? And they have meanings and most of them have deeper meanings than we realize because we just say them without understanding them.  Anyway, there are tons of things swirling and twirling around us all the time that we have to encounter and have no (or very little control over).  They just hit us like the cyclone in the Wizard Of Oz and we find ourselves somewhere completely foreign to us.  BUT, part of that word, the STANCE part, is in our control...how will we handle it?  How will we brace for it or position ourselves in it?  

Mrs. Too Much Perfume Lady

Brad and I were invited out on a date night for Valentine's Day by Brad's parents along with two other couples.  We were going to dinner at a Japanese Steakhouse and then to the Jackson Symphony.  The minute I knew these fancy details I already had my outfit planned....know what I'm sayin', girls?   It was a red dress, black shrug sweater, black and silver necklace, and leggings with my black boots (I AM FROM MICHIGAN...so leggings and black books complete all my ensembles right now :)

Brad was running the girls to their ice-skating lessons while I was getting ready...so I had plenty of time (to get in trouble!).  I decided I wanted to wear some fancy perfume since I don't wear it very often, so I was rummaging through the box of different kinds and found one I used to LOVE in high school.  I actually think it was still in there from high school...haha!  It was the Liz Claiborne, red triangle kind....like this....

I was so happy to see it in the box and thought, "That's perfect....I always love that one!"  I sprayed a couple mists on myself and my dress and thought, "That's kind-of weird....it smells a little like black licorice"  but thought maybe that was just because I had not shaken it up....maybe it was just too concentrated or something, so I shook it and sprayed one more mist....NOPE, definitely a strong BLACK LICORICE smell.  I'm thinking the perfume was too old and had gone sour.  Then I was  walking around the house thinking, "I STINK...but I have the outfit on that I really want to wear tonight!"  WHAT SHOULD I DO?"

I tried to cover the stinky smell with a different perfume, but learned you really shouldn't mix perfumes.  Then, Brad got home, came into our room and was like, "EEEWWWW!  WHAT DID YOU DO?!  I AM NOT SITTING NEXT TO YOU... AND IF YOU SIT BY MY MOM SHE WILL COUGH!" I changed up my ensemble a little bit to make sitting next to me more bearable.  Then, when we got to the auditorium, Brad and I were walking to our seats and he showed me the tickets for us...they were numbered 26 and 28.  I said, "Seriously, after all that, you really are going to sit a seat away from me?!"But, we were in a section with all even numbered seating!...haha! (Isn't that odd? :)

Until Then, Love...

Our challenge at church today was to live each day to the fullest, to make our moments count, and, instead of basing decisions on the past or immediate future from our own perspective, basing them on the Truth of the imminent return of Christ.   Would that change anything for you?

Valentines for Each Sweet Child of Mine

I'm kind-of continuing along with a theme....why give it up if it is still a hit, right?! First, it was the fun night the girls had at dinner with our pastor's family....then, it was the gift I got for Brad and I for our anniversary, so NOW, I decided Valentines gifts for the girls would be in a Nerf GUNS and ROSES theme :)  I thought they would scream when they opened their heart box of "chocolate" and found a Nerf gun in there :)

IT WENT OFF WITH A BANG!  Now they are having a BIG NERF WAR!  And guess what made me laugh even more....they asked me if they could put on some music while they are having their war.  So Kassi went to pick a CD and picked The Lion King soundtrack.

Welcome to the Jungle?

So Far, It's A Solid "Maybe"

Yesterday, Brad gave me a really sweet note telling me things he loves about me and why I am his Valentine and on the back of it was one of those "Will You Be My Valentine? if so, check the box for yes, no, or maybe" questions :P....I saw this one and had to laugh....

LOVE THAT!  I gave him a solid "maybe" (because I am buying time to figure out how to give him the best YES :)  But, that got me thinking about how real love requires a decision moment and then an action that lasts of...."forsaking all others".  Before I decided to write the "Love Is" blogs I had posted one with a picture of the verses from the love chapter and I had said something about how I believe it is that love never fails.  I still think that is because love never stops trying...but, it's not just flippant attempts,  LOVE PUTS EVERYTHING ON THE LINE.

I know Valentines Day is hard for a lot of people.  So much of the commercialism and cultural definition of it makes us feel like we should be in a relationship to celebrate it or, if we are in a relationship, there is pressure to evaluate it on (what my girls call) "The Love-O-Meter" for passion and romance :) I just know this day has made me feel lonely and unworthy of love in the past. However, I would encourage you to take a fresh look at the One who put everything on the line for you.  Through that lens you will see, in clarity, a love that cuts through all the grey.

His Love Never Fails!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgQ6vWEhH5E

Happy Valentine's Day to You!

And, if you are still stuck at "maybe".....I pray you'll say, "YES!"

The Perfect Man

Yep, I found the perfect man at Toys "R" Us

Sorry girls, I got the last one :P

I am always a little skeptical of anything that has to be advertised as "the perfect"....but, in this case, I figure if he makes one foul move, I'll just "bite his head off"!

I Give Up

Part of me wanted to give up writing the "Love Is" blogs at this point for fun....just because it would be a shocking way to present Love Always Perseveres, right? :) 

I can't do it, though....I saw these two awesome quotes a while ago and I have been saving them for now.  

and Albert Einstein is quoted as saying, " It's not that I'm so smart, 

it's just that I stay with problems longer."

Our moments of "throwing in the towel" usually happen when we think a situation is impossible, when we do not see a solution to a problem, or we are so caught up in the day-to-day BLECK that we are not paying attention to the joys that come from knowing we have purpose in Christ.  Obviously, this is bound to happen because our minds cannot see the things that GOD sees.... we can't see where He is taking us or why we have to go this way when that way looks much more appealing or this way really hurts.

Have you ever thought about marriage vows?....They are really built on perseverance.  "for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward 'til death us do part." 

I commit, I promise, I pledge....NO MATTER WHAT, I WILL STICK WITH THIS!  Feelings are really not a part of this aspect of love....it wouldn't be perseverance if the words "if I feel like it" were tacked on to those vows.  I work with a bunch of 20-somethings....it's just the nature of that type of job that they are normally recent college grads and someone is almost always about to get married or in the "honeymoon" stage.  There is so much giddy talk that goes on about love and finding the perfect one and it being so amazing....never a shortage of feelings...ha!  I love hearing them talk....they are always bubbling over with the goodness!  But those are not the moments that evidence our perseverance.  It's not like I have been married for a long time, but even after 13 years of marriage, Brad and I have seen some tough moments...enough for me to learn I can't make it on my own feelings or my own strength.

Perseverance in our walks with Christ and in our marriages takes a real dependency on GOD for strength and complete trust in HIM.  But, sometimes even when we ask for an answer from God, He seems silent.  I always love C.S. Lewis's works.....I know I use a lot of his quotes, but his insight so many times is just what I need to hear.  I saw this one night when I was asking GOD for an answer and it gave me chills.  

I've been thinking about that one for a while now.  At all times, the answer to persevering is Christ...it just happens that he sweetens the steps of our journey with other good things....

well, it doesn't just happen...HE LOVES US THAT MUCH.

  But, even in the really difficult times....HE IS JUST AS PRESENT.

AND, HE is the GOD of endless possibilities!

 Since nothing is impossible for HIM, we can never honestly say we have reached the end.

He is always with us and because HE IS, there is always a reason and a purpose to keep going.

Jesus, when I feel like giving up...You Lift Me Up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBy2D8p5Kpw

This Place Is A Zoo

Savannah came into our room early this morning to ask us a question.  It was before our alarm went off, so I was waking up out of a very vivid dream.  That is always weird....trying to go from that dreamy place to reality in such a short amount of time.  In my dream, I was really mad at Brad because we had had a super busy weekend and it was Sunday..my day to take a GOOD NAP.  So we were all sitting around the table eating lunch and I was saying how I was going to rest and he said, "No, I have invited the whole neighborhood to our house because I would like to meet them!"  I remember saying stuff like, "when were you going to tell me this?"  and "our house isn't even clean for company."  But, in my dream, Brad had purchased this insane amount of bacon and he said no one would actually be coming into our house.....that he just wanted bacon served to our guests in the backyard :)  I was frying up bacon while he chatted with people...but the people were eating up the bacon so fast I could not keep up with it....and that is when Savannah woke me up.

So, I was telling that dream to Brad and he told me he had a crazy dream as well....He said in his dream we were at the zoo and we had our dog, Kooper, with us....But, Kooper was not on a leash, so he kept running into the wild animal exhibits and Brad had to keep going after him to save him.  We were also with friends and so Brad was helping to carry a tent somewhere across a very narrow, gravel bridge.  He slid down the side of the bridge and didn't make it.  Then he woke up.

After we had both shared those dreams, we saw Kenna come downstairs for breakfast and she said she had a weird dream too.  In her dream she was fighting with some robots from the future called the evil M.C.K.E.N.N.As....she said the letters stood for Multiple Cyclone Kicker Eventually Not Naughty Actually.....so funny!  I don't think I have ever had a dream with acronyms like that...haha!  Her mind was really working hard to get that made up and inserted into her subconscious...crazy!

I would say it would be interesting to have the dreams analyzed, but since I was a Psychology major in college, I am already seeing some patterns in these dreams.....maybe we're feeling overwhelmed?....out of control?  :)  Is Kenna battling herself or is there some weird mix of her Wizard of Oz practices in there making the cyclone reference?  I must have been still thinking of Kenna's bacon car before bed, but I really have no idea why Brad was at a ZOO in his dream....that makes NO SENSE....haha!  I love crazy dreams!

Built On Hope

We throw the word hope around a lot.  Our church is even named, Village Hope Church.  I have a favorite funny story of a time that Brad and some guys from church were working on creating the name of our church with landscaping bricks.  It was in the summer and I had taken the girls to swim lessons and stopped by to see their progress afterwards.  When we stopped at the church, the men where taking a lunch break so I went to look at their morning's work....It was one of those....OH SO SHOCKING moments to see what they had completed because they had gotten through Village and part of the word hope....so far it said, "VILLAGE HO...." in landscaping bricks....I always CRACK UP at that memory and that the guys were oblivious to it while they sat there eating lunch by these words.

Seriously though, we have complete HOPE in Christ...no matter our past!  What does that mean?  I think it means we can wait for our salvation with complete joy and full confidence that what GOD has done for us is TRUE and we will see it's FULFILLMENT!  The place where we are is not our final destination....there is always a BRIGHTER DAY ahead no matter the darkness we travel through to get there.  But this hope is not just for us, we should see everyone we meet in the same gracious way that GOD sees us...no matter where others are, what they are doing, how dirty they may appear to us (figuratively or literally)....there is always HOPE for them because GOD IS LOVE!

Love Always Hopes.

AWANA WIN, AWANA WIN!

Well, it was the AWANA Race night :)  Our girls didn't win 1st for speed....except for Savannah who entered the adult competition with an ice cream sandwich car.....It was so funny that she won because the car was still basically a block of wood with a bite taken out of it and it beat some really fancy cars....always gotta love the IRONY!  Here are a few pictures from the night.

Danielle, trying to smile for me and still catch the end of the race....love her crazy eyes!

Vanner, always the babe magnet.

Danielle won a design award for the Mr. Goodbar car....OKAY, this is the inside scoop.  She told me she wanted to make a Mr. Goodbar car, so I needed to go to the store and get her the candy bar...sneaky child....I am totally on to her!

Karly designed a cheese mobile.  The mouse's tail flew out the back for the car when it raced....she won 2nd place for speed in her age group.

This is the Love Bug car....it was going to be a Lady Bug car, but Kassi got carried away and added sooooo many dots.  In the end she said it was too many for a lady bug, so it must be a love bug...She's the bug expert! 

AND.....Kenna's bacon car really did pretty well....it smoked a few other cars :)  I realized when they were creating these cars that 4 out of 5 were pretty much comfort foods :)  BUT, I thought with so many other kids racing no one would probably notice that the majority of my children created FOOD cars.  However, during the races, the lady next to me leaned over and said "My, all your girls must have been hungry when they were making their cars!"  That made me think of my HINKLEY's blog today and I imagined that, had I made a car, it would have probably been a doughnut.