guess what

I think I officially have a life now. I am too busy to write my blog posts! haha

Yesterday Kyle and I spent the entire day at church, and we had so much fun. I got coaxed into going to the ladies Bible class in the morning, and for a first time experience, it wasn't so bad. I didn't have the impulse to go running out of there, so that was encouraging. I think I could handle going again. Then Kyle got a really good Bible lesson from Pastor Karl, which he said was better than if I had taught it. But that's ok. I mean, most everything I'm teaching this year (as well as last year) is over my head. But I do have to teach the next two lessons. We got to go to the grill for lunch...it was soooo gooood. Then we spent some crazy time getting stuff set up for our kick-off night of CBC. It was so nuts, running around getting the kids all squared away. But the night went great and I think everyone had a blast. (Well, except for maybe Kyle, who is more nervous now that the first night is over!) Next week everything should run smoothly with our balloon escape thing. Postcards are all printed!

What a fun (and long) day at church. I can't wait to do it again!

I made some scrumptious trail mix today!!

Can't wait to go running with Kyle tomorrow!

I just wanna be a super mom

Not much new here.

Mostly the same thing, day in, day out. Make bed, cook, clean up, do laundry, cook more, clean more, do more laundry, pay bills, do stuff for church, and more stuff for church….try to fit in exercise when possible. There really is nothing different from day to day unless I go out of my way to do something different. But the sermon yesterday about moms was so encouraging to me. I was reminded that all the mundane stuff we do as housewives and moms day after day is still important. I might get tired of cooking, washing dishes, folding clothes, cleaning the same things over and over… but if I do it all as unto the Lord it becomes more meaningful. I am valuable and my job is important even when I don’t feel it is.

Today I spent half the day standing in the kitchen cooking, making some meals ahead of time. I had Pandora on and sang and worshiped the Lord while I prepared food. It was wonderful… That’s not to say that I didn’t get tired after several hours, but it was sure nice to sing His praises.

Seriously though, nothing much happens in my life. Aside from a few bears and a pending court case my life is totally uneventful. There is really no one who calls me or comes to see me. My acquaintances from church live too far away to socialize with, so it’s just me and Kyle home alone most days. And that’s fine with me. I think this is where God wants me, for whatever reason. Maybe He wants me to concentrate completely on being a mom right now. So I have given up trying to go out of my way to "make" friends. If God ever wants me to have local friends in this life time He can send them to me in His own good time…

So Kyle and I did something fun Saturday night. We decided to camp out in our living room. We do have a blast together. Can’t wait to take him out driving…

Phil. 4:11b I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

Time for Packer game.

Go pack go…

never argue with a miniman

Ok seriously, what is my problem? Either I can’t say anything, or I say too much, or I say the wrong things. Always! I won’t go into detail, but suffice it to say it is not a good idea to “argue” with Judge Miniman. I didn’t know I was arguing with him. I was so nervous my knees were shaking, and I was confused by what he was saying, and I thought I was explaining things to him, but for some reason he thought I was arguing! Imagine that! Maybe that is how I sound when I’m nervous, I don’t know. Just know I’m pathetic. And he got REALLY mad at me. In fact so mad that he called for a recess as soon as he got done talking to us. Oh well, the short story is that we have to go back again in another month to have a trial. I am praying that the cop won’t show up. If he doesn’t, the judge will dismiss the case (try or dismiss).

Here are a few pics of Ryan from Grace Adventures and GBC.
During one of Ryan's practice sessions. That's a lot of hair.
Flying through the air off the BLOB! That is when he got the wind knocked out of him!

That is my note in the upper left corner that I wrote when we took him to the dorm.

Goldilocks and the Two Little Bears

As I was sitting on our deck today having lunch I caught a glimpse of these bears frolicking in our back yard! Startled me! I quietly snuck in the house to tell Kyle to get the camera. They were so cute to watch! They were having a great time playing. One came over and checked out the pool and then walked over to the deck and looked up the steps. I’m a little surprised he didn’t see me standing in the door…. I was waiting to see if he would come up the steps onto the deck because if he started to I was going to have to come out there and scare him away because my computer was out there next to a bag of chips!! So, that was our excitement for today. Kyle took these shots from our balcony. He did a great job!













Tomorrow is the first day of fall. I have to go to court to fight that “Improper Passing” ticket.

Daniel 3: 16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

Ok, so I’m not going to the fiery furnace, but even so, I will not bow down to our illegal “legal system” in Denville by pleading guilty to something I didn’t do. And even if God doesn’t step in and save me from the steep fine and the 4 points on my license, I will still worship Him.

end of summer

This will probably be my last official summer picture for 2010.

I never expected to spend all day in the kitchen, bent over the counter, and slaving over the stove… haha….but that is exactly what I did!! I know, not too bright with a sore back! I started out making a pot of homemade spaghetti sauce from a big pile of our tomatoes, fresh basil, oregano, parsley, and hot peppers from my garden. Then I made a large dish of mac and cheese with bacon on top to have with dinner tonight, and then I made a pot of chicken soup for tomorrow, and then an extra Pepperoni Pizza Pasta for the freezer for when Ryan comes back at Thanksgiving. So that consumed the majority of my day.

Let’s see, Ryan found out he will be touring with the Grace Singers from January 7-17th. They will be going to Florida but I’m not sure where else. We definitely have to go see him sing!! I can’t wait for that; it’ll be so cool. He says he loves his guitar lessons and his voice lessons, so I’m real happy about that. So thankful to God that Ryan has adjusted to college life and he is doing so well there.

Chicken Paella

This is my first attempt at Paella. I knew my family wouldn’t like the seafood kind so I made chicken. I followed the crazy, convoluted recipe that came with the authentic paella pan that I got at Zingerman’s Deli in Ann Harbor. What a disaster. It made no sense to me… lol As you can see, I put pepperoni in it. One of the recipes that I saw online included Chorizo, which I thought sounded good. But I didn’t have any so I put the pepperoni in. Hey, pepperoni makes any dish better, doesn’t it? Oh well, I did the best I could, and it was tasty (everyone liked it), but next time I’m dumping the recipe. Even though I had a wonderful time when I bought the pan!! What a great Deli! =)

I did something to my back yesterday. So today I am immobile. I will be fixed permanently on the couch (or in bed) with my muscle relaxers.

random ramblings...

I’m in pain…went back to the dentist today to get a post put in my tooth that just had the root canal. There is a problem. The dentist told me when he did the root canal that he was going to send my tooth to heaven. But he lied. My tooth is still very much alive even though he really did try to murder it. Ugh…and now he goes and rams a metal post into it trying to put it out of its misery. Now it hurts!! I also noticed I have a bruise on the OUTSIDE of my jaw from all the shots I got last week!!

So this post is just the ramblings of an emotional woman on pain pills.

I still miss Ryan. I miss his singing, and his crazy voice practice that used to make me jump because it sounded like a cat being swung around by its neck. I miss how he’d get up and make the same breakfast almost every morning…including salsa on his eggs. I keep forgetting to ask him if they have salsa at GBC.

What’s good? I’ve been VERY busy gearing up for CBC at church. Lots to do, along with all my regular volunteer stuff. I think I have a full time job here! Today I did some new stuff on the new church website. It’s not official yet but check it out!! No, really, go ahead….click it….it won’t bite you: preaknessbiblechurch.org

Kyle got the thing made for us in one day. He is one amazing kid!! Just have to add sermons and stuff….so people who live far away in Michigan can still hear them.

What else? Dana said she got the first picture of her “blob” the other day. I guess mom and baby are doing fine aside from the usual morning sickness.

Time for ice cream. Hey, I have been running every morning, I can have a little ice cream!!

Thinking back on days when life carried very little burdens. 16 years old and a brand new Christian. Yeah, those were good days.

Grandparents Day

Here’s a great quote from my pastor:

Grandparents who love the Lord and who are devoted in prayer for their families leave behind a greater inheritance than any type of monetary value.

I loved that, especially since I’ll be a grandparent before I know it! (That word does not fall off my tongue easily at all!!)

Yesterday Darryl, Kyle and I enjoyed fellowship with a good-sized gang from Preakness at a football game in Easton, PA. Georgetown beat Lafayette, so it was a good day!!

#2 with the long hair is Jeremiah.
my sweet kyle

I'm going to be a grandma

Found out today that I’m going to be a grandma for the very first time. It hasn’t quite sunk in yet.

Decided to purchase an airline ticket for Ryan so he could fly home for Thanksgiving week…which is good because he needs to go to the orthodontist to have his braces adjusted! I wonder how long his hair will be by then. I know he had wanted to put in a purple streak once he got to college, but on the very day he checked in he found out it wasn’t allowed.

Today I got a really nasty root canal. The Dr. ended up giving me like 6 shots to get me numb. Man! Then I went out for supper tonight thinking it should be ok by then. I was wrong. The whole side of my jaw is hurtin’ so bad that I had to bring my entire steak home. Maybe just settle for ice cream tonight. =)

So, I was sitting in bed this afternoon after 6 shots of Novocain and my tongue feeling like the size of Manhattan, and I happen to look outside and saw this bear meandering through our back yard. It was so awesome. He just strutted through like he owned the place. Kyle got these 2 pictures after I screamed frantically to him on the intercom. We are going to name him and leave him peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in a picnic basket. Hehe… just kidding, Mom!
Patrick

back to school

Ryan’s been gone a week. I miss him. I get sad. And it looks like he won’t be coming home until Christmas.

Yesterday was Labor Day. I was supposed to have a big party but nobody wanted to come. But I’m glad it turned out that way. I wasn’t in the mood to see anybody and I was relieved to have one day to relax before school started back up. I ended up going through the 100’s of emails my dad sent me. I’m not done yet, but here’s a sampling of some of the interesting things he has sent.







Kyle and I are going to get some exercise every morning before school starts. Today we walked. It was so nice out. We passed a gentleman carrying a BIG stick. I asked him if it was for bears. He said, “Yes.” Yeah, I thought so. Maybe tomorrow we’ll take a bike ride.

Dinner with Bonnie and Dave

Short post tonight. I’m tired….

Last night Bonnie and David came over for a fabulous dinner of beef tenderloin and roasted vegetables, but nobody liked the Brussels sprouts that I mixed in with the other veggies. I thought they were good! Oh well, I like trying new things. It was great to get together with them for the evening and I hope we can do it again sometime.

Ryan called while they were here, and he agreed to sing part of How He Loves for us. That was so sweet of him.

It was a busy morning at church….I made chocolate and peanut butter chip muffins, and also a delicious crumb cake for coffee break. They were a huge hit!

Someone greeted me in the kitchen at church....but he was having trouble speaking.

getting on with life

Kyle wanted me to mention that when we were coming home from Michigan, an employee at one of the rest areas was so impressed with his yo-yoing that he asked him to come over to sbarro Pizza and do an impromptu show for all of the workers there. It was great. Kyle was paid with this slice of pizza. Haha… I keep telling him he needs to get a “Tips” belt or hat, or something!


I think we have a bear. When we got back from Michigan the wire fence around our garden had been moved and a lot of the stuff had been eaten and was a bit trampled. I don’t think a groundhog would be able to move the fence like that. Our neighbor told me she saw 2 bears together in her yard the day before we came home.

Today Kyle and I went for a bike ride. It was great to get outside again, away from the bills and insurance and phone and blah, blah, blah….. I decided to pick these cool wildflowers that God made. While I was taking them home in my bike basket, the cat tail fell out, so we had to drive back there to find it. I made this fabulous arrangement for our dinner tomorrow night. Hehe.. I really like it!

It looks better in person...

Then later when I was picking some fresh basil for a spice rub (for a delectable beef tenderloin), I spotted this adorable little fuzzy caterpillar. I picked it up to show Kyle and he snapped this picture.


Ryan called. He’s doing good, experiencing new things out in the wilderness. He says it reminds him of mission trips he’s been on. Yesterday he got the wind knocked out of him and injured his leg when he got "blobbed" into the water. He’s been rock climbing, and doing other neat things with his group… and he says it’s cold there. For some odd reason he is using his beach towel for a blanket instead of his blankets! Tomorrow he goes back to GBC to start adjusting to dorm life. I’m sure I will feel a bit more relieved when I see him “online” on Facebook, even if we aren’t chatting….just knowing he’s there!

is the nest half empty or half full?

The Sunday Show...this is the first time we heard this one. He sang it in Michigan. There was another one, but you know how temperamental blogger is when it comes to uploading videos.



We’ve been so busy since we got home that we’ve hardly had time to think. And that’s a GOOD thing because if I stop long enough to think I’m sure I’ll cry. It’s awful not having Ryan here. When we went grocery shopping, I had to stop myself from buying the things I would normally buy for him. He’s not here to give me hugs in the morning, but Kyle has taken it upon himself to hug me now… lol He’s not here to give Kyle critique on his tutorials, and all the many ways he helps Kyle. He’s not here to go to church with Darryl. He’s not here to sing for us, and I really miss that! He’s not here to smile and encourage.

Not only do I miss him terribly, but I am trying to deal with the fact that our lives are changed forever! We are no longer a solid family unit. After college, both boys will most likely move off wherever the Lord leads them, and then next thing you know, they will be married and have kids. I know those are all good things, it’s just that I am so sad that we’ll never have that close family unit again where we all live together. I have to tell you that I think our country has it all wrong. I think part of the reason why families get so screwed up is because we all go off and separate ourselves from our families as soon as we are old enough. In many other countries, the families all live together. Even in some poorer area of the U.S. they do it that way, where they might have a plot of land and there are several families all living on it. That is how things should be. It would solve the problem of having to travel so far to see the very ones who raised us, or the ones we gave birth to and raised. It would solve the problem of caring for elderly parents, because the whole family would help. It would solve the problem of having no babysitters, no caregivers, and loneliness. And there would be no need for family reunions because you could get together whenever you want. That’s how things should be.

I don’t know any other way to live through this painful separation than to keep busy working, and so far that hasn’t been a problem. If it’s this bad now, I can’t even imagine how depressed I will be when Kyle goes next fall. I plan on spending the next year hanging with Kyle at every opportunity. There is nothing more precious than our children. I will NEVER understand parents who say things like, "I can't wait till the kids go back to school." Or "I can't wait till they grow up and move out." What is wrong with them? Why did they even have kids if they don't want them? Breaks my heart...it really does.

This is from Ryan's graduation party concert. It is called What You See In Me



This is when he performed in the Lifehouse Everything Skit



God, please help me make the best use of my time.