God's word is for everyone!

Vacation Bible School was fantastic! (sorry no pics yet) It was wonderful to see the boys and girls having fun learning about God’s word. And it was good to see them opening up and sharing more as they got to know us throughout the week. I’m happy and blessed to belong to a church with a pastor who loves the children and makes them a high priority. We had over 100 kids this week and they all heard that Jesus died to take away their sins and that they can go to live with Him forever in heaven. I know that some of them made decisions for Christ, and now they will be going with us in the rapture! Praise God for that!

This morning I made a Double-Decker OREO Cheesecake for the church picnic tomorrow. No idea how it turned out because I never made it before. I have to try to keep it out of Darryl’s sight until I go to church tomorrow.

The rest of the day we were busy getting things organized for Ryan’s graduation/going to college party. No time to relax in the pool as planned. If we pull off this party it will be amazing! I don’t know how to do parties, I guess because we don’t get invited to any. I have no idea what I’m doing, and Darryl doesn't either. So, I guess it’s gonna be a surprise, all the way down to who is actually coming! Maybe it is not cool to RSVP anymore. Who knows?

I just really want it to be nice for Ryan and his guests.

High Seas Expedition

Busy week!

It was a long day at church yesterday getting some last minute stuff ready for VBS. Then on the way home we had some fun on 80 as our car was being blown by strong winds. Here’s one of the pics Kyle took of the storm clouds.

They were so big and ominous looking; as if evil itself was hanging from the sky.

Back to church last night to hear Pastor Mark, and then Gen Y. I was only slightly nervous when I found out there was a strange man lurking outside, and we couldn’t get the door to lock. It didn't help much when Spiro stopped by and started rattling the door trying to get in. =) Oh well.

Home by 11 and then bed at midnight. Morning came way too fast today.
50 minutes back to church this morning to begin our VBS week. (love rush hour on 80) Not sure exactly how many kids were there, but I’m guessing 100+. This is only the 2nd time in my life I’ve ever helped with a VBS program. And when I was a kid growing up, we never had VBS so I never even went to one. It’s all new to me. The kids seem to really love it there; most of them anyway. I know that a couple of them in Kyle’s group went a little ballistic during the Bible time so hopefully they will calm down for tomorrow.

Praying that the Lord will do miracles this week in the hearts of the little ones.

Kyle just saw a bear in our side yard when he went to get the mail. He came running in to find the camera but by that time the bear was probably long gone. Kyle was a bit too spooked to go out and get the mail after that, so we both went out. We didn't see the bear.

Kyle lost his new yoyo. Can’t find it anywhere! He’s having major stress over it because he needs it for Rethinkyoyo day on Thursday. Poor kid. I’m waiting for God to show him where it is!!

God's word is true!

Pastor Mark Wright

Cielo

Here's Ryan singing Cielo at Preakness yesterday. It was great! Love the VBS decor in the background!

country living...

We had a really nice time visiting with Mom and Dad, and Scott and Flo. It’s been great to be here. I’m glad we came down when we did, although I do feel a slight bit bad that we aren't at church to help set up for VBS. I'll just have to make up for it somehow.

Country living is great! We've had an abundance of fresh vegetables from Mom's garden, including fresh picked corn, and also fresh eggs from Flo's chickens. Can't beat that! Well, except for maybe if there was a freshly slaughtered cow in the freezer...yeah, I could go for a big steak....smothered in fresh mushrooms. hehe =)

Tomorrow morning we’ll make the drive back to NJ and get back to the real world. Next week: VBS. Then the church picnic, then Ryan’s graduation party, then the Jackals’ game, then Orlando, then my court appearance, then Ocean Grove, then Michigan. Then school starts. Phew! I haven’t even ordered the curriculum yet!

Dinner with Scott and Flo
Scott with his mushrooms
The local TV station is interested in doing a documentary on Scott's mushroom farm. Pretty cool, huh?

the simple life

Here we are enjoying the simple life of West Virginia, hanging out on the front porch, playing Frisbee, singing, listening to creatures chirping and singing nearby. Yep, things are slowed down a bit here and that is nice for a change. Our summer has been pretty busy and next month will be even busier, so this is a much needed break.

Here are some pics of our relaxing days
the boys with my dad
Frisbee game
hanging outsinging
mom and dad

mission trip pics

Today I did some investigating on my “Improper Passing” violation. Found out that this particular ticket is worth $140 and 4 points on my license. Not only that, but my insurance would go up if I’m found guilty. That really ticks me off. As a friend of mine says, the Little-Man Syndrome makes cops do foolish and arrogant things to hurt others. I also found out that NJ Statute #39:4-85 is a violation for passing on the right on a shoulder or on a 1 lane rural road, which I did not do. The NJ Drivers Manual clearly states that passing on the right is allowable on roads with 2 or more lanes going in the same direction, and that’s what I was on. My Dad (former police chief) was pretty upset that this little snot nose cop was picking on me. So, I have a court appearance next month to fight it. I’m not happy about it but I’ll do what I gotta do.

Here are a few pics from Ryan’s trip.Saying goodbye at Grace
rain and floodinga couple of girls had attempted to straighten his curly locks
sunset in Georgia =)

WV bound...

Ryan had a great time on the missions trip to Savannah, Georgia. Heard a story about a girl who got saved after hearing Ryan sing one of his songs that really touched her. Praise God! Here is that song.



He also played the part of Jesus in the Lifehouse “Everything” Skit. He did a great job! The LORD Jesus Christ truly touches everything in our lives.



So, yesterday some hot dog cop gives me a ticket for improper passing after he just got done doing the same thing, and without even signaling. I am going to have to appeal his decision to give me that ticket. I will ask my Dad what he thinks about the situation, if he thinks I will be successful or not.

It just so happens I am in the car on my way to West Virginia while I type this. Darryl figured out how to tether my laptop to my IPhone so I’d have access to it while we drive. The internet signal goes in and out, but hey, being able to type on my keyboard is way easier than typing on my phone. Ain’t technology grand?

A Closer Walk

What a weekend! Where do I begin? It was hot, wet, sandy, salty, windy, fun, tiring and memorable! A nice group of folks from church came out and enjoyed the water park, amusements, and boardwalk at Morey’s Pier in Wildwood. It was a great opportunity to actually meet and talk to people from church that I didn’t know, and to make new “friends”.

Here are some pics that Amy and I took on my IPhone.

the Boardwalk

singing with band
the girls in my tent
worship time
Friday morning fog on our tents
Kyle getting buried in sand

the men
my ride buddy

the fireworks were great, but my pics came out terrible

I got very sick of the sand everywhere….in the tent, in the sleeping bag, on my pillow, stuck to my face, hands, and feet: it was stuck to everything. After a while that gets a bit annoying, and I was tired of feeling sticky and yucky. But the bands (Pocket Full of Rocks and Building 429) were great and I really enjoyed the time of worship. The boardwalk was fun, the rides were cool, some cooler than others, and some made me sick. Some of the water rides I had to skip because I was getting panic attacks about the height. It was really hard to climb down those steps with my legs shaking! But oh well…my fears got the best of me.

I pray that the girls that were with me were blessed and that God would use this weekend in a mighty way. I also pray that many more will be saved as the result of the mission trip that Ryan went on. Can’t wait to hear all about it and post a couple of videos of him.

Signing out for tonight, Totally Exhausted.

what's good at Wildwood?

Anxiously packing for our camping trip to Wildwood. I’m nervous and excited all at once. I have so much stuff in my little car!! Hehe… don’t know how it’s all gonna get onto the beach at this point, but I’m hoping there are some nice strong arms there to help us!

I have no idea what this will be like. Will it be unbearably hot? Weather forecast says it will “feel like” 98 degrees on Friday! That’s not fun. Hope we spend the day in the water!! I’m taking a floaty thing that we found last time we went to the shore; somebody had thrown it out. We put a new rope through the hole and it's as good as new. And I’m taking a cool Frisbee that lights up at night!

Here’s what Wildwood will look like.
I pray I am able to be a blessing to the girls in my tent. I pray I don’t say anything stupid. I pray that the girls will be better off after spending time with me than they were before. Wow, that’s a lot to ask for.

Lord, You know all things. I give You this weekend.

Rockin' for God!

We had such a nice time praising God yesterday morning. It was wonderful to have the Tommee Profitt band there leading worship. Too bad I wasn’t feeling all that well. I thought I was coming down with what Darryl had recently. And then Kyle started feeling bad today too. Hope he’s ok!!

Anyway, last night the concert was really awesome! Lots of people came out to hear it, and I’m guessing that those who didn’t are gonna regret it! I was glad Darryl went with us. Tommee has a great heart for the Lord, AND he likes to have fun, so that makes for some very interesting times.
After the concert some of us stayed to help pack up and ended up getting some pretty good food out of it. I always say it pays to be helpful. Um… well, not always. Sometimes I get yelled at for trying to help too much, or for planning ahead. That is one of my faults…wanting to do too much for people.

3 days to Wildwood!
1 week to West Virginia!

bittersweet days

We survived a few days of 103-105 temps, even one night when we lost power and had no air conditioning. It was pretty bad. Darryl jumped in the pool in the middle of the night to cool off.

Decided it was too hot to sleep in the tent, so we took it down before the rain comes (maybe today?). We would like to have a nice dry tent for our trip to Wildwood next week. And not only that, but our neighbor has been seeing a bear in her yard. I’m glad we didn’t see one in the night.

Yesterday we had the opportunity to take Tommee Profitt and his band out to dinner. We went to the Greenhouse Café in Wayne. Had a really nice meal and a great time hanging out with all of them. We’re so glad we got to do it. Looking forward to seeing them again Sunday for morning worship, and their concert Sunday night! Preakness is gonna be rockin’ for God! (Darryl might actually go with us!)Mike and Kiera
I am especially thankful that Ryan had a chance to talk to Tommee about Grace Bible College before he left for his mission trip early this morning. He is headed to Savannah, Georgia for 10 days! It’s gonna be terrible not having him here! At least part of that time Kyle and I will be away too, so that will make the time go faster. Oh, and I see that there are thunderstorms in the forecast for our camping trip. All I can say is, if I see those dark clouds rolling in I’m getting off the beach asap and heading inside a building somewhere. Did I ever mention that I’m not that fond of being outside when there is lightning?

Father, protect my son, and all the sons and daughters going to Georgia. Bless them and let them be a blessing to others. Bring them all home safely!

Little Miss Independent

In honor of Independence Day here’s a snippet of one of the stories I wrote when I was 14.

“While we walked, I couldn’t help thinking about the first time I met Gary. I remember it was in first grade. Gary had just moved in up the street and was in my class. When I got home that first day I saw him, I asked if I could go over to his house. My Mom and Dad were going out and wanted me to stay around the house, so I said OK. It really wasn’t though. After they left, I walked up the street to Gary’s house.”

Hahaha….yep, even back then I was an independent little thing; figured I knew best. But my parents disagreed. Later, when I snuck home I got spanked and then grounded for a week. It didn’t stop me though. When I was a teenager I used to sneak out to meet “Gary” after my parents fell asleep. (Mom, if you’re reading this….hehe… sorry).

Happy Independence Day! It was another gorgeous day! We tried and tried to have company over, but nobody could come. Next year I’m going to plan a couple months in advance because I know there must be SOMEBODY out there who would want to come over, whether they are friends with my husband or not, whether they go to my church or not, whether they eat red meat or not. lol I could grill some fish I suppose! But I have to say, the ribs turned out great! Everyone loved them.

My wonderful son, Ryan, came back from Creation today. It feels good to have him home again for a while (4 days) before he leaves again. We’ve been having a lot of fun together!

Had to clip low-hanging branches for high-flying birdies.
After all the years of having a swamp for a back yard, we finally have a nice yard to play in!!! Thank you for all your hard work, Darryl!
Kyle ripping up the court.
Ryan showing us a dance move from Creation.
The main course.
Our tomatoes and cayenne peppers are doing great for a change! Here’s Kyle on our pathway to the tent. We slept in there last night, and going to again tonight (Ryan too!). lol

Thank God for the freedom we still have in this country to go to church, to pray, and read our Bibles. We don’t know how long it will last, but ultimately we know that God is just and sovereign. Whatever happens in the USA is in His hands. One day soon, Jesus will call us away from this planet and we will be with Him forever.

John 8:36
Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

school's out for summer!

Had a great couple of days with Kyle while Darryl was away, and Ryan is still at Creation (he is having a fantastic time there!). Kyle and I took walks, went for cool bike rides, played catch (I love my glove), went swimming, grilled a pizza, and trespassed on some property near our house… haha… Good times. Oh, and did I mention Kyle finally finished his last school book yesterday? woo-hoo! Time to celebrate, baby!


Tonight we had so many laughs we were both practically in tears!! I found some stories and an autobiography that I had written when I was in 8th grade. Back then I had the opportunity to have one of my stories published in Teen Magazine, but I never took the time to do the extra editing. Wow! Kyle really enjoyed me reading them to him, and I thoroughly enjoyed remembering them, and getting a quick peek back into my childhood. As it turns out, I always wanted to be a writer. How funny is that?

Here are some pics of the house we were investigating on our walk yesterday. It's been abandoned for years.




Great bike ride today. No bears.
Tomorrow we are putting up the badminton net.

Forever is a long time

Kyle and I decided not to sleep in the tent last night because it was too cold. I even froze in my bedroom, had to double up my blanket.

Well, it's the first day of July and the days really are getting shorter. We have no plans whatsoever for 4th of July because both of the families we invited over can't make it. So it’ll just be the four of us as usual. I decided to splurge and get some nice baby back ribs to BBQ on the grill. Never tried that, and since we got a new grill for Father’s Day, we might as well do it. I am actually learning how to grill. I never do it because I’m not too fond of the fire/gas thing, but I have used the new grill a few times, so I am conquering my fear.

Alas, the end of another era in my life. I had my last physical therapy appointment today! Yay! The shoulder still isn't perfect, but it'll have to do. Just thankful I didn't need to have it ripped out of the socket like they were first talking about.

I always had pig-tails when I was little.

I’ve come to the conclusion that I'm getting old. I mean, it’s pretty obvious when I look in the mirror, but I’m still the same on the inside. I’m still that tomboy that loved riding horses, and playing with a GI Joe action figure instead of a girly doll.

Love the pants that are too short and the army boots. I'm sure I was in a hurry to get back to some important mission.

Yesterday I was reflecting on my life, looking back over it wondering how I got here, thinking about choices I've made along the way, and I started playing the old "what if" game.

For instance, what if I hadn't quit high school? What if I hadn't run off to get married when I was 18? What if I had gone to college instead? So many more…

It's probably stupid and pathetic of me to put myself through this, I realize that. But maybe sometimes it's good to look back, take a serious look at our mistakes so we can see why we made bad choices. I'm thinking about how much my life has changed since I was a naïve teenager. I can't even imagine if I lived to be 100 how many things I would be thinking about. I can’t help wondering if when I look back would I be smiling or crying? The Bible tells us to forget those things that are behind us and to press on…so that’s what I’m gonna do. God’s word also says to be content with wherever we are in life, whether we have all the things we want or not. God’s word is perfect, and I believe what He says.

The most important decision in my life was the day I got saved when I was 16 years old. It was then that I understood what Jesus did for me, and He became my Savior.

Got bored one day and made a pair of 43 inch stilts.

I don't know who reads this blog; maybe nobody. Sometimes I wonder why I write the things I do. I don’t mean to get all philosophical, but hey, that’s just me. Today while loading groceries into my car, I realized that I am constantly talking. Seriously, I don’t think my brain ever shuts up. If no one is around, I’m talking to myself, or I’m talking to God because He is always listening. He knows me; He knows everything about me and He still loves me. I know that I’m not worthy of His love, and I know that I will never understand why Jesus loved me enough to die for me, but He did. And He died for YOU too. Please stop and consider how long eternity is. Do you know how to get to heaven? I’m going to be there, and I want YOU there too. If you know me well enough to still be reading this, or even if you don’t know me at all and you just happened to stumble upon this post, it wasn’t an accident! PLEASE TRUST IN JESUS CHRIST TODAY. There’s nothing magical about it. Just believe in your heart that Jesus died to pay for your sins, so that you may be with us forever.

A Christian is no different from anyone else except that we understand that we are sinners in need of a Savior. We have placed our faith in Christ alone to save us from an eternity in hell. And since we know this, we want you to know it too. When we have unsaved loved-ones in our lives it’s a terrifying thought to consider that we may never see them again!! If I never see you again in this lifetime, please promise me I’ll see you in heaven!

Believe in Jesus Christ today!

"For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in (trusts in) Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16