What Was I Thinking?

How To Be A Good Wedding Guest

2009-09-22T18:16:00.003-05:00

Some advice to help guests know what to do and what not to do at a wedding...taken from hours of my own observation of guests at weddings... enjoy and please take to heart!

* Arrive on time for the ceremony. If you are late, don't try to squeeze into a seat ahead of the assembled processional of bridesmaids. Certainly don't try to beat the bride into the church. You can always view the processional from the vantage point of the lobby or vestibule and take a seat in the back of the auditorium once the bride has reached the front of the aisle.

* If you RSVP saying you'll attend the wedding and reception - SHOW UP unless there is an actual emergency.

* Dress appropriately for the occasion! Seriously guys, wear a suit or other dress clothing. Girls, it's always stylish to wear a nice dress that covers the areas that should be covered. A good rule of thumb is: if you can't wear it to the office, don't wear it to a wedding. Also ladies, underwear is not optional... I'm just saying...

* Don't walk in on the bride or groom using the restroom. If you do, don't stare at her/him or try to start a conversation.... how awkward!

* Don't use the votive cups on the tables as a shot glass for the liquor you brought in. Wait, don't bring your own liquor unless the invitation clearly states BYOB.

* Don't melt, burn or otherwise set fire to the decorations (including table covers and linens). The bride and groom have paid good money for those items and some may be rented.

* Don't drink too much. An open bar is no excuse to get sloppy drunk at a wedding reception.

* Bring a decent gift; something you wouldn't mind receiving on your wedding day.

* Don't use the disposable cameras for inappropriate photos from under the table or the bathroom stalls.

* Don't tell the caterer, bartender, wedding coordinator, DJ, decorator, pastor, or other vendor how to do their job. They know their job, stop bugging them and allow them to do it.

* When possible, stay longer than dinner. You'll miss out on a lot of fun if you leave early but....

* Don't stay too late either. Receptions usually end after about 3.5 hours.

* Don't take the Bride and/or Groom outside for a private chat or otherwise monopolize them. It's their party, they have other guests!

* Don't leave a mess on the tables. It is likely there is no one getting paid to clean up after you. The couple's families will have to spend late night hours after the reception cleaning up when they're exhausted.

* Don't complain about the food...it's what the couple wanted to eat and serve. You're an invited guest, choose something different for your own special occasion.

* Finally, unless your invitation specifically states that you may bring a guest (ie.: Ms. Jane Doe & Guest), don't bring one. There's almost nothing worse than having uninvited guests show up at a wedding!

Check out Your Big Day Weddings & Events online!

Let's Hear It For The Wedding Chocolate Favors

2009-09-21T15:29:00.002-05:00

Belgian chocolate is one of the best chocolates in the world. But then again it doesn’t have to be Belgium chocolate to create a mouth watering effect to those people who crave for sweets. Wedding Chocolates are simply a quality choice as a wedding favor.

But then, chocolates are not just a token given to someone special on a special event. Chocolate wedding favors have become one of the greatest items a couple could use in their wedding as a favor If it is going to be your own wedding, perhaps you might as well consider this option.

It’s just to show that a wedding favor is not anymore particular to a home décor but it can now also be a usable or an edible thing. Intimacy and passion comes to mind when talking chocolates.

Perhaps it is the reason why they have been used as one of the options in the line up of wedding favors. And to make wedding chocolate favor more suitable for a wedding, different molds have been created to shape the chocolate into designs that would suit any type of wedding. Of course there are other tastes available as well in mint, dark, or white chocolate, and these can be appropriately matched with a particular shape of wedding chocolate favors.

Wedding chocolate favors can fit a royal wedding theme, an outdoor wedding, or Disney-type topic wedding. A chocolate favour lollipop can take about any shape or designs that could fit a wedding celebration. Those heart-shaped chocolate favors that have a design in the middle are the simplest design that you can have.

You can also use an oval, round, or rectangular forms since they are wide enough to make more patterns in the middle of the chocolate. Some of the more unique shapes in the wedding chocolates design world would be wedding gown, tuxedo, bride and groom image, flowers such as rose and calla lily, birds such as swan and dove, castle, wedding bell, wedding cake, and even elegant fans.

Furthermore, these chocolaty designs can also be modified a bit and use them as a wedding chocolate cake topper or centerpiece. You can add some more accessories to your chocolate favors.

A colorful mini stick and a ribbon can turn your favor lolly into a more amazing wedding favor. But Then, you can also give those chocolate wedding favors a personal touch if you want to. Individualized chocolate favors are also more inviting because your guest will see that you have put some extra effort into creating them

Looking for the best wedding favor can be alot of fun that you and your partner can do together. When you pick out to have chocolates as your wedding favor, rest assured that you and your spouse will share that sweet moment; designing your wedding motif together..

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/weddings-articles/lets-hear-it-for-the-wedding-chocolate-favors-842248.html

Your Big Day Weddings & Events has chocolate fountains available for your wedding or event. Check out our website for current pricing information www.yourbigdayweddings.net

Most Elegant Colors for Your Fall Wedding

2009-09-16T09:19:00.000-05:00

One of the first things that people imagine at the mere mention of the phrase, “fall weddings” is a wedding event with a traditional rustic autumn look complete with colors that match autumn leaves and pumpkins. However, it is necessary to note that a fall wedding color palette is not limited to these shades. In fact, a wide variety of autumn hues is available for couples to choose from.

To have a fabulous autumn wedding that will be the talk of the town, here are some tips on how to pick the right shades and some options on fall colors that would look elegant and exquisite on your wedding day.

* Incorporate the feeling of rich and cozy autumn in your color choices. When choosing your autumn color palette, it helps when you think about how autumn feels. The colors you choose should echo this same emotion.
* Combine your favorite color with autumn colors. Having a wedding during this time does not mean you cannot make use of your own favorite color. Sure, the color lavender is more ideal in April than in October but if this is your preferred shade, what you can do is to combine this with more rich shades of purple and dark brown to give depth to the event.
* Go for two or multiple toned color motif. If you cannot decide on a single wedding motif color, why not have two or more? This makes the event more exciting and more colorful than having just one color all throughout.
* Avoid cliché autumn colors. If you want to have chocolate brown as the main color of the event, avoid pairing it up with a traditional orange or sunflower yellow. Instead, combine it with purple or mint green for a unique and chic feel.
* Add depth by going for warm metallics such as gold, copper, and bronze. These shades are ideal for adding depth and elegance to your primary hue. The great thing about using these colors is that they can easily complement almost any kind of autumn color.
* Combine complementary colors. If you have an autumn color palette in your hand, you have to remember that not all of these colors would go well together when paired. While eggplant shade and chocolate brown look good, other shades like orange and pink do not blend.

Color Options for your Autumn Wedding

* Eggplant purple
* Burgundy
* Olive green
* Mahogany
* Cream
* Orange
* Sunflower yellow
* Green
* Chocolate brown

Ideas for Two-color Combinations for your Fall Wedding

* Eggplant purple and olive green
* Chocolate brown and red
* Red and orange
* Olive green and Mocha brown
* Chocolate and eggplant purple

Suggestions on Three-color Combinations

* Chocolate brown, red and orange
* Eggplant purple, olive green, and dark olive
* Mocha brown, chocolate brown and eggplant purple
* Chocolate brown, mocha and ivory

It is true that the fall is a great season for weddings, which is why many couples decide to get married during this time. Just make sure that you choose the right wedding colors to make the event more beautiful and memorable.

Source: Angela White is an expert article writer on ezinearticles.com and submitted this article especially for TheBridalCoach.ca, a wedding planning membership site specializing in wedding photography and wedding videography.

Where Were You When The World Stopped?

2009-09-11T10:25:00.002-05:00

I remember it very clearly. I was in my office where I worked 8 years ago. The phone rang, it was my mom. She said, "A plane just hit the World Trade Center in New York." I didn't know what to think or say, I was in shock. I barely knew anything about New York or the WTC but a feeling came over me that was indescribable, surreal. Perhaps fear, grief, or even awe.

As Mom continued to recount the news stories of the tragedy she was suddenly quiet and then, with a quiver in her voice said, "A second plane has just hit the other Tower, I just saw it happen."

We talked about what could really be happening as I tried to be a reassuring voice to her. Mom was frightened, she didn't want to be alone. We talked for a few minutes as the news of the horrific tragedy began to sink into my mind.
Throughout the day, my mom called with updates on what was happening in the United States... the plane crashing into the Pentagon, and a final crashed plane in a field in Pennsylvania. I couldn't wait to get home that evening to watch the devastation, to see it with my own eyes would make it real.

My son, Eric called from his school around the corner. He said that the teachers were allowing kids to call their families to assure them they were okay. I began to thank God for protection, Joe was to be on a plane to Baltimore that day but had decided to cancel the trip because September 11 is our wedding anniversary. Diego was safely at the babysitters' house, I could barely wait until the end of the day to be able to wrap my arms around my family; to know they were safe and to tell them, "I love you."

The world was changing yet again, it was another marked point in history; one that will never be forgotten. The enormity of September 11, 2001 is still being written on the pages of history...

Take hope in the Lord who saw every act of evil or good that took place on that day -

Psalm 33:18
"But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love."
Psalm 33:20
"We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield."

Where were you when the world stopped? In whom do you place your trust?

I've Got Mail!

2009-08-03T19:59:00.003-05:00

The thought struck me today as I was deleting some 372 junk emails that if I were to take advantage of all those 'wonderful' offers I'd:
25) Have warranties extended on everything from my TV, floor, car & possibly even toilets if only I cared to.
24) Be able to get overnight prints. For what?
23) Have a match made in heaven.... already have one :)
22) Look healthy for longer - really?
21) Be in a faith dating relationship (again, refer to number 3)
20) Get definition - whatever that means.
19) I could have a job, no scratch that, a career as a home business consultant.
18) Purchase all the Acai super food I could ever eat, store or throw away.
17) Be an insider in the EBay business.
16) Have so many platinum credit cards I could cover the entire outside of my house - twice.
15) Avoid bankruptcy... don't think I need to work at that one.
14) Buy a cheap home, find a foreclosed home and maybe purchase them using PayPal.
13) Have the lawn that all the neighbors would envy... like my husband needs more outside work.
12) Feel light, look trim and enjoy more energy with something called Dual Action Cleanse - not going there.
11) Get beautiful toes and pretty feet.
10) Avail myself to all sorts of medical breakthroughs.
9) Join all the other millionaires who have opened and/or reserved their account with the Bank of Montreal, Russia,
Boogleiwooglieland, etc....
8) Find all those classmates who never really cared about me, nor I them.
7) Purchase hundreds of Dell computers to send to Third World countries... yeah.
6) Get a radiant smile :) will that do?
5) Go to Costa Rica - maybe to take those computers?
4) Get 'ripped'
3) Enjoy a life-changing moment. If it's going to be life-changing it should last for eternity. I'm just saying.
2) Erase my wrinkles - those are laugh lines.

...And the number one chuckle in my junk file:

Meet a "Gas Fairy" who will give me free gas for life - are you kidding me?!?

WeddingWire Rated!

2009-07-27T15:01:00.002-05:00

WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, has just announced that Your Big Day Weddings & Events is officially WeddingWire Rated 2009! WeddingWire created the annual Rated program to honor wedding professionals, like Your Big Day Weddings & Events, for their excellence and to help brides and grooms easily find the right wedding professionals to match their needs.

“We are excited to unveil WeddingWire Rated 2009, now in its third year. With hundreds of thousands of reviews, WeddingWire has made it easy for engaged couples to find the nation’s very best wedding professionals,” according to Sonny Ganguly, WeddingWire’s Chief Marketing Officer. “WeddingWire Rated is an excellent way for businesses to showcase their continued success in the wedding industry.”

Your Big Day Weddings & Events has several reviews with an average of 5 Stars rating, making us eligible to hold the Rated title on the WeddingWire Network. Each review has been written by our former clients and includes detailed ratings and insightful descriptions of their experiences with our services. These reviews not only enhance our credibility, but also help differentiate our business within the WeddingWire Network.

Your Big Day Weddings & Events would like to thank our past brides and grooms for taking the time to review our services on WeddingWire.

If you are a past client of Your Big Day Weddings & Events and have yet to provide us with your feedback, visit reviews.weddingwire.com and review our services today.

My Sweet Boy

2009-06-09T22:11:00.002-05:00

Diego wanted to type on his dad's computer last night. I didn't realize he was actually typing an email to me. Here's the content of that email:

I love very much.I love seeing you every day.I like going to school with you I have a good time.Thank you for buying me Wii games.I enjoy playing them. My favorite one is Mario kart.When I look at you I feel different.I liked the cars you got me.I like to play with them thank you for buying them for me.I hope you have a good day tonight.It was fun when you tickled me.When I go somewhere I miss you.I love to play with you every day.I see hearts in your eyes when I look at you.It's okay if you cry.
Love,
Diego

I'm glad he said it is okay if I cry because his note did bring tears to my eyes.

Another Milestone in FASD World

2009-06-04T15:31:00.003-05:00

Today marks a significant milestone in Diego's life - his last day of third grade. He embarks on the journey to his last year in elementary school next Fall (I'm already talking Fall because it's going to be a loooong summer!).

Diego's done some incredible things this year. Maybe they're not measurable feats for a lot of kids his age but it's amazing he was able to overcome many of his sensory and relational issues to master them:

1) He started third grade reading at fourth grade level and advanced to the 4.2 level by mid-year
2) He learned the multiplication tables to 12
3) He wrote interesting and funny stories in his journal
4) He was chosen to participate in the Tri-County Science Olympiad (his team came in 5th overall) - his comment about not 'winning' was, "Mom, it's okay that I didn't win. I worked hard and did my best, and tried really hard."
5) He was chosen from a group of his peers to participate in a writing workshop that took place after school for a month
6) He was able to eat lunch with a group of friends without supervision by his teacher/para-pro - and he didn't run away!
7) He memorized "The Fifty States That Rhyme" song and sang it in front of his class (ask him to sing it for you the next time you see him)
8) He had one incident where his para-pro had to call me to explain something that happened.... one... for the entire year...
9) He won several awards for reading and writing during the end of the year program

There are more but this post would get far too lengthy. Diego has continually surprised and amazed me, he is beating the odds for an FASD kid, at least for now. And I am so very proud of him.

Moms

2009-05-06T09:47:00.003-05:00

A friend sent me the following in an email today. I have seen this before, it circulates around this time of year, Mother's Day that is. But today I really needed to read this again (thanks, Michele!) because today I am really missing my mom. She went to heaven 4 years ago today.
If your mom is still with you, call or visit her... be sure to tell her you love her.

In loving memory of Mom, Alberta Faye Frye 9.8.30 - 5.6.05
Mothers

Real Mothers don't eat quiche;
They don't have time to make it.

Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils
Are probably in the sandbox.
Real Mothers often have sticky floors,
Filthy ovens and happy kids.

Real Mothers know that dried play dough
Doesn't come out of carpets.

Real Mothers don't want to know what
The vacuum just sucked up.

Real Mothers sometimes ask 'Why me?'
And get their answer when a little
Voice says, 'Because I love you best.'

Real Mothers know that a child's growth
Is not measured by height or years or grade....
It is marked by the progression of Mommy to Mom to Mother...

The Images of Mother

4 YEARS OF AGE - My Mommy can do anything!

8 YEARS OF AGE - My Mom knows a lot! A whole lot!

12 YEARS OF AGE - My Mother doesn't really know quite everything.

14 YEARS OF AGE - Naturally, Mother doesn't know that, either.

16 YEARS OF AGE - Mother? She's hopelessly old-fashioned.

18 YEARS OF AGE - That old woman? She's way out of date!

25 YEARS OF AGE - Well, she might know a little bit about it!

35 YEARS OF AGE - Before we decide, let's get Mom's opinion..

45 YEARS OF AGE - Wonder what Mom would have thought about it?

65 YEARS OF AGE - Wish I could talk it over with Mom.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears,
the figure she carries, or the way she combs her hair

The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes,
Because that is the doorway to her heart,
The place where love resides.
The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole,

But true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.
It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she
Shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!

Walking Kindergartners

2009-04-21T18:10:00.002-05:00

I spent the day walking groups of Kindergarten students from their classrooms to another room across the school building where they were being tested for reading skills. During the course of the day I was asked some serious questions by my 5 year old friends....

What color are you? Correct answer would be: white. Apparently my tan makes me look like I'm a different nationality?

How old are you? Correct answer would be: you don't ask a woman her age. According to one group of youngsters I must be at least 17. When I told them my real age I heard how their grandparents are that old and they are almost dead so I must be almost dead. One little girl looked at me like she wondered how I could even be upright, let alone walking at my age.

Are you a mommy? Correct answer would be: yes. Obviously I'm waaay too old to be a mommy.

Why are you so tall? Correct answer would be: I have no idea. Answer given after the I have no idea answer didn't work: because that's the way I was made. Not good enough. Next answer: because I grew this tall. Nope, not going to fly with this tough crowd. Final answer: my mom and dad wanted me to be tall so they stretched me until I was this big. That satisfied the inquisitive bunch... not really, we were back at the classroom and I deposited them before yet another question.

What school do you go to? Seriously, guys? Didn't you already decide I'm too old to go to school?

40!

2009-04-13T12:18:00.002-05:00

It dawned on me yesterday during worship at church that it was my birthday. No, not the anniversary of my physical birth but the anniversary of my spiritual birth. I accepted Christ on Easter Sunday 1969 at the age of 9 years.

I remember it very clearly; my family went to Easter Sunrise service with Berean Baptist Church in Adrian; the service was held at Island Park that year. My sisters and I were able to walk to the park for the service as my parents drove along behind us (we only lived a couple of blocks from the park anyway).

Mom and Dad packed all 5 of us girls into the station wagon and took us to Sunday School followed by church service. I had been hearing about Jesus all my life but on that particular Easter Sunday, the Holy Spirit really made an impact on my 9 year old heart... it was as if I was hearing for the first time about how Christ died for me. My heart was nearly pounding out of my chest at the end of the service as I walked forward to tell the pastor that I wanted to accept Christ into my life.

I still have the bible that my Sunday School teacher gave me after that morning. Inside the front cover it simply says, "Faythe was saved Easter Sunday 1969", signed Mrs. Emerson. How cool is that?

Double Digits

2009-03-27T21:50:00.002-05:00

This is the eve of Diego's passage from single to double digits; tomorrow he will be 10 years old.

The time has flown by yet there have been moments when I look into his face and time is non-existent. You know those standing still while the world revolves around you times. But somehow, suddenly, time has marched on and brought us to this date, 10 years later.

So much happens in 10 years, you know? Seriously, when I try to remember even the milestones in Diego's life... where has the time gone?

Diego has learned to overcome so much without even realizing it. And he is growing up... all too quickly.

He's still my little love though, he always will be. Take this evening for instance. Diego didn't want to go to bed, he was very excited about his birthday and party tomorrow afternoon. The bed time routine went by the wayside and, long story short, he ended up going to bed only by threat of not having his party. He came downstairs five minutes later to hand me a small stuffed heart embroidered with 'XOXO' then fell into my arms sobbing. My little love.

So, happy birthday to my little man! I love you more than you'll ever know or I'll ever understand. You are the reason I rise in the morning and my reason for falling into bed exhausted at night. You make me laugh and cry. You are fun to be with. You work hard to overcome obstacles that would make me want to give up. I am so very proud of you!

Keep growing up, my little one... just not too fast, okay?

Today's Olympic Dreams - FAS Version

2009-03-16T10:04:00.004-05:00

While driving Diego to school this morning he struck up a conversation about the Olympics. I thought he might be talking about the Science Olympics which he will take part in next week (I'm so proud of him!). No, he was actually talking about the real Olympics.
Diego asked what I thought he would be good at in the Olympics and I told him he can do anything he puts his mind to. I went on to explain that getting to the Olympics takes hard work and effort with some talent sprinkled in. The conversation went like this:
Diego said, "So, could I be a runner?" I told him of course.
He said, "Do you think I would be fast?" I told him that I know he's a very fast runner.
"What if I was a super hero?" Well, being a super hero would mean you couldn't compete using your powers and besides, super heroes aren't real, remember?
"What if my super hero talent was flying?" Are we still talking about the Olympics because I don't know if there's an event for flying in the Olympics.
"Yes, I'm talking about the Olympics. What if I only flew a little bit and nobody knew I could fly?" That would be cheating and you must never cheat.
"I think I could be a jumper then because I'm a good jumper on the trampoline, is there jumping at the Olympics?" Yes, it's called the high jump or you could jump hurdles.
"I am sure I could fly just a little bit at the end of the jump and no one would know." That's still cheating.
There was a long silence and then in true FAS fashion Diego said, "Well then, I think I'll have to stick to flying paper airplanes and give up jumping."
That's my boy!

Hair

2009-03-05T19:05:00.002-06:00

Hair is a delicate issue with me. I have thin, fine hair and have been through everything from frizzy perms to short and long cuts and everything in between.

My hair was getting rather long since I hadn't had it cut in a year. As it grows out it gets scraggly on the ends and looks even thinner than it really is. So, I went for a hair cut on Tuesday... and again on Wednesday for more cutting... or finishing touches.

Diego, being the first to notice changes to a person's looks, asked if I got a haircut after school on Tuesday. My reply was that I had but I didn't ask what he thought of it.

When I woke Diego for school on Wednesday morning, (remember this was prior to the second cutting) he looked at me and said, "You still have that weird hair?" I don't know if he expected my hair would grow back overnight or what but his comment prompted my phone call for an additional cut.

I downloaded a photo of a woman with the cut I wanted (I understand it's Victoria Beckham), took it to the salon and got the cut.

So, this morning when I woke Diego for school his comment was in typical FAS fashion, "You still have that weird hair?"

Yep, still have the weird hair. Nope, didn't call for a third haircut.

My Boy The Schmoozer

2009-02-26T20:02:00.002-06:00

Diego asked me if he could send someone an email this evening. He said he was learning to write letters in school and this would be good practice. When I asked him who he wanted to email, his response was, "You, Mom."
Here's the email he sent:

I love you so much.I hope you are having a good day.I like what you make me in the mornings.I hope you are going to have a good day tomorrow.I think you are having a good day today.I enjoy seeing you every day.If I have the Wii tomorrow and if I have 30 min.I will let you play cars with me.I bet you will like it do you?I will see you in the morning. after I send this message can I play fun brain for a while yes or no?once again I hope you are having a good day.

Sincerely,
Diego

p.s.I will go get a popsicle right now. Thank you for letting me play the wii today.

What a schmoozer!

What's in that blanket? Wipe that smirk off your face!

2009-02-13T15:57:00.004-06:00

The other night Diego was having a hard time staying in bed (see my previous post, Full Moon).

On his second trip down the stairs Diego said, "Okay, Mom, you caught me. I had these toys under my bed and I'm going to take care of them in the basement." He had a backpack full of plastic animals in his right hand and his "Cars" fleece blanket in his left.

Diego went to the basement and was there for a bit longer than I thought it should take him to drop the toys and come back upstairs. When he emerged from the basement door he had his "Cars" blanket bundled against his chest, holding it tightly with both hands - like it was really heavy.

Naturally I asked what was in the blanket? "Nothing," was the reply. I asked again, "Are you sure there's nothing inside the blanket?" "No, nothing," as a red Lightning McQueen car fell from the blanket's fold onto the floor.

"Hmmm, looks like something to me," I said. "That was the only one," the look on his face was like he couldn't believe one of his favorite toys would betray him like that.

I told him, "If there's nothing else in the blanket, drop it right now." Diego didn't want to do that. See, the bright orange "Bob the Builder" lunch bag that holds his Cars contains almost 75 matchbox size cars and weighs around 10 pounds... it could break a toe!

Diego was busted, he had to reveal the lunchbox and take the Cars back to the basement.

It was one of those parenting moments where you're angry because your kid just lied to you. The mind is buzzing with possible punishments for lying (he lost TV for the next day). However, if your husband is seated behind the child stifling a laugh, all you want to do is yell, "Wipe that smirk off your face!" This is serious stuff. And then you burst out laughing too... parenting 101 didn't teach this.

Full Moon

2009-02-12T08:07:00.002-06:00

Diego is always affected by the moon's phases, the full moon is probably the worst for him. In case you haven't noticed, the last couple of nights the sky has been occupied by a full moon.
I recently read the book "The Moon Children". Here's a description from amazon.com:
"Staring across the street, eleven-year-old Billy Ray is startled to see one of his schoolmates, an adopted Romanian girl, gazing at the sky and then writing in a notebook. She is keeping a Moon Journal, cataloging the phases of the moon to keep alive a secret memory that, eventually, Billy is the first to discover.

Although he has Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and struggles with many things that typical kids take for granted, Billy's curiosity and warmth intrigue Natasha, and the two children develop a friendship that gives them the strength and courage to reveal their deepest secrets and to reach for their dreams.

One of Billy's dreams is to enter a talent contest at the local park. He has been practicing yo-yo tricks over and over again, hoping to impress his father. Things don't turn out as planned, but under unfair circumstances that would make other children give up, Billy proves himself to be a steadfast example of the way hope elicits the power to carry on."

I found Diego in this book. And I found a deeper understanding of his disorder.

Another FAS Moment.... or Two

2009-01-28T09:24:00.002-06:00

Diego and I typically have tough mornings. He isn't one to rise early and cooperate in getting ready for whatever the schedule holds. My response is to remove privileges from his after school activities.
Monday (what is it about Mondays?) was particularly difficult before school. Diego wouldn't get out of bed which, of course, led to his imminent loss of privileges. No Wii ("Why do you always take the Wii away first, Mom?"), no TV or movies, early bed time. His schedule on the wipe off board was erased except for homework, supper, bath and bed time. Poor kid, right?

After school Monday, Diego began the conversation with, "I did well in school today, Mom so I should get to earn my privileges back." My reply was simple, "What's it going to take for you to realize you can't behave like you do in the mornings?" A lengthy silence broken by, "I don't know why I do that. I still should earn my privileges for being good at school." I know he doesn't know why, but he does know he behaves poorly.

Finally I offered Diego the choice: 20 minutes of Wii, 30 minutes of TV, or his usual bed time. No brainer, he chose the Wii.

So, Tuesday morning arrived and I had no sooner called out his name and Diego appeared in the doorway, completely dressed and smiling. Let's just say, he had gotten up at some point in the night and dressed and went back to bed. It only took one reminder to brush his teeth and wash his face, one request to eat breakfast, one "put your coat on". Who was this child and what had he done with Diego? It was refreshing, to say the least, to arrive at school without grinding my teeth during a discussion about things which have absolutely no bearing on the day, let alone his life.

As I put him to bed Tuesday night, Diego was sure he shouldn't have to go to bed on time since he had done so well in the morning for me and he had done a good job at school. He had looked at the TV guide earlier (he does that constantly) to find a movie he wanted to watch was on late; he really was trying his hardest to win a later bed time. His FAS brain refused to understand the reasoning behind bed time being bed time. Translation: no compromise on a school night + child in defiant, explain it to me again mode = meltdown.

It took a few minutes to calm Diego by doing deep compression massage on his back and legs, he even responded to my, "I love you" with his own, "I love you." As I closed the bedroom door his small voice called out, "I still get to stay up late on Friday!"

Cool video

2009-01-22T08:58:00.002-06:00

My sister sent me this link to a cool video. Check it out. If the link won't work copy and paste www.thephilfiles.com/2008/10/21/is-it-in-you/

It's Definitely Monday... or is it just me?!?!

2009-01-12T09:59:00.003-06:00

You know it's Monday when...

* your kid won't get ready for school because he's tired and tells you it's totally your fault.

* several of the items you usually buy at the grocery store are out of stock.

* the customer behind you in the check-out line pushes their cart all the way up to the point where the check writing stand is which forces you to write your check/pay at the bagging station. Maybe I should have asked her to pay for my groceries since she was standing where I needed to be.

* another car pulls up to the gas pump you were pulling into... and won't back up. THEN when you find another pump soon to be vacated (or so you hope), the person inside the vehicle starts and finishes a cell phone conversation before pulling away from the pump.

* thinking you're almost home free, the vehicle in front of you decides against using the left turn lane and stops traffic on a major highway - which ticked off a semi driver who goes around the line of vehicles blowing his air horn.

* when you open the trunk of the car you discover that the grocery bags ALL have holes in them.

* something smells like it died in the refrigerator and you can't find it and one of the items that was out of stock at the store was the baking soda.

Happy Monday!

Family

2009-01-03T19:51:00.006-06:00

Here is Diego on Christmas morning showing off what the "FedEx Guy" gave him. Okay, let me explain... I ran out of people to say gifts were from when I was wrapping Christmas gifts (we don't do Santa so 'Mom & Dad' was getting redundant). I signed this gift from the Fed Ex Guy because it had been delivered via Fed Ex.

We had a great Christmas with family and friends. My sister from Indianapolis surprised everyone by bringing my sister from North Carolina here. It's been almost 4 years since I've seen or talked to my sister in North Carolina. I took some 'sister' pictures since we were all together for this rare occasion. Here we are in all our glory....

And here is a shot of Tyler on his first Christmas...

For Unto Us...

2008-12-23T11:08:00.003-06:00

... a child is born, a Son is given.

We talked about Luke 2 & 3 in our small group on Sunday night where Mary was told she would conceive through the Holy Spirit and give birth to God's Son, Jesus.

We wondered what must have been going through Joseph's head after an angel appeared to him and told him that Mary's child was from God. And then the angel told Joseph to name the Savior of the world Jesus.

We considered how Mary must have felt during her pregnancy months, what she must have been thinking and worrying about.

As the moms in our group mentioned feelings of inadequacy and fear with how we raise our own children, we couldn't help but recognize the same feelings within Mary... with one huge difference. Mary knew. Mary knew. She knew, as she stroked the hair of her newborn, what Jesus was sent to earth to do. She knew one day that he would suffer, be beaten beyond recognition and eventually die for the sins of all mankind. Yet Mary didn't run from the mission for which she was chosen.

So, the baby was born to a virgin on a cold winter night in a stable surrounded by farm animals. Her first visitors after giving birth? Shepherds, the lowest of the low. Dirty and smelly from spending week after week in fields attending sheep. Do you get the symbolism? We, you and I, are the lowest of the low no matter what our social status may appear to be. We are the ones God sent His Son to shepherd, to look after, to save from certain death.

It seems simple, doesn't it? Sometimes I overlook the telling of the story because I've heard it told countless times in many different ways. It's the Christmas Story and it doesn't change. Yet, it changed me. And I look at it with new eyes today, through the eyes of Mary. May the story never get old for you. Luke 2

Merry CHRISTmas!

50!

2008-12-19T10:52:00.003-06:00

Today is a snow day for Diego. Usually on a cold, snow day I can be found curled up with a hot chocolate, Chai tea and a good book. Not today. Today I am getting ready for Joe's 50th birthday party that's happening tonight at our house.

With the monumental accomplishment of reaching 50 years I thought I'd make a 50 Joe's list:

1) Joe loves me
2) Joe loves God
3) Joe loves our kids (all of them)
4) Joe gives from the depths of his being
5) Joe uses his spiritual gifts to serve God
6) Joe works hard
7) Joe is a wonderful husband
8) Joe is a tremendous provider
9) Joe clears the sidewalks & driveway of snow
10) Joe clears the sidewalks & driveway of snow for our elderly, widowed neighbor
11) Joe does the yard work (also for the widowed neighbor)
12) Joe does laundry once in a while
13) Joe uses the vacuum once in a while
14) Joe cares for others
15) Joe likes Diet Coke
16) Joe takes care of himself for me
17) Joe has put up with me for 26 years, 3 months and 8 days
18) Joe knows when I need comforting
19) Joe is very insightful
20) Joe listens to my hair-brained ideas and even agrees with them sometimes!
21) Joe supports me
22) Joe defends me
23) Joe is Diego's best advocate
24) Joe leads our family well
25) Joe is the 'go to' person for countless people
26) Joe is respected
27) Joe is humble
28) Joe shares
29) Joe buys me flowers
30) Joe is funny
31) Joe loves to vacation 'up north'
32) Joe is a good judge of character
33) Joe completes me
34) Joe bought me a Honda Element even though he really wanted it
35) Joe is intelligent
36) Joe is wise
37) Joe loves looking at house plan books - no, we're not building another house
38) Joe doesn't argue
39) Joe does not use harsh words
40) Joe is quiet
41) Joe is a good listener
42) Joe is gentle
43) Joe loves others unconditionally
44) Joe is a great son
45) Joe is a terrific brother-in-law to my family
46) Joe is great at being a grandfather
47) Joe snores
48) Joe's smile lights up a room
49) Joe sometimes laughs until he cries
50) Joe gives me a reason to live every day to the fullest

Happy Birthday, my love!

Project Share: Food. Love. Hope 2008

2008-12-07T19:57:00.003-06:00

Project Share 2008 is in the history book. It's over but not to be forgotten. Take a look at the video taken from this past weekend here

This project had God's fingerprints all over it from conception to completion. Check out some of our "God Moments":

* Community Action Agency graciously offered to collect names and addresses of recipients through their office. It took countless man hours to compile the names and organize them into a list for us.

* Borchardt Brothers grocery store in Blissfield, MI carried the entire amount we owed them (over $41,000) for 2 months then sold us additional stock from their shelves 3 days prior to the project which allowed us to feed an additional 11 families.

* The boxes used to pack the product were generously donated by Pro-Pak Industries in Toledo, OH.

* 1000 names were signed up to receive a box within a little over 2 weeks from time of starting sign-up.

* Hunter Moving and Storage stored the product in their climate controlled warehouse for nearly 2 months and also did several pick ups of product for us. Plus, Hunter's truck was used to transport the product to LCS for packing.

* A week prior to Project Share 300 packages of pre-cooked bacon were donated.

* The day before the project, more than 1000 packages of rolls were donated by a local bread company.

* The Morenci Fire Department's ladies auxiliary collected money and decided to donate it to Project Share.

* The offering goal was $42,000; as of 12.6.08 more than $52,000 has come in. (The overage will be given to help heat homes this winter.)

* 1011 boxes were packed and ready to deliver in under 2 hours by nearly 450 volunteers.

* All boxes/maps were out for delivery within 1.5 hours with over 350 volunteers.

I'm sure there are many more God moments which I've not listed here. If you were involved in Project Share in any way, I encourage you to write your God moment(s) down and go back to look at it often. Like I started out, the project may be over this year but it will not be forgotten anytime soon.

It's Here!

2008-12-05T12:55:00.004-06:00

After many hours of planning, Project Share: Food. Love. Hope is finally here! Crossroads is going to help feed over 1000 families - check out the project on our website.

The food is being loaded into a semi as I write this and will be delivered in about an hour for unloading... and the process begins.

I have to show you what 4000 candy canes and about 1000 chocolate chip cookies look like in a Honda Element (yep, they fit!)...

Giving Thanks

2008-11-27T10:01:00.003-06:00

I planned on posting a list of things I'm thankful for today. I ran through several ideas in my head as I was going through my morning routine.
Then I received a call that a friend went to be with the Lord this morning after a long battle with cancer.

Char has touched the lives of and influenced many, many children and families through her ministry of Small Wonders Child Care. She is an amazing Christ follower who now sits at the feet of our Lord completely healed and whole.

While we rejoice for Char because she is no longer struggling with the pain of cancer, we grieve with her family and loved ones. Please lift up in prayer those Char has left behind. She will be greatly missed.

I guess this post is about thankfulness. I am blessed and thankful to have known Char. I am thankful she is celebrating her first Thanksgiving in heaven free from the cares of this world.

Here It Comes!

2008-11-13T20:10:00.003-06:00

On December 5 and 6 Crossroads Community Church volunteers will take part in Project Share: Food. Love. Hope.

This project will touch the lives of 1000 families and countless others in and around Lenawee County through the simple delivery of basic food items. I say countless others because not only will the family members of food recipients be touched but the lives of our volunteers will be changed... for good.

Helping with a project of this proportion is undeniably a rewarding experience. Rewards that are seen on the face of an elderly woman who answers the knock at her door to see a teenager standing there with a box in his hands, smile on his face and a "Merry Christmas" on his lips. Rewards felt through the tears of a single mother picking up a food box at the Daily Bread - the heat in her tiny apartment has been shut-off, she is faced with the dilemma of buying medicine for her sick baby or food for her 3 other children. Rewards for the little girl who gives up the annual Christmas party at her father's workplace to pack boxes with food for hungry children, possibly children in her classroom at school. Rewards expressed by the touch of a veteran's trembling hand as he reaches to take his box of food from a joyous family who is sharing this experience for the first time. Rewards for the countless Crossroaders who will make untold sacrifices to pay for the food we will pack into 1000 donated boxes.

Get ready, here it comes. It's going to be incredible and God's going to get all the glory!

Noteworthy quote...

2008-11-06T17:09:00.002-06:00

I ran across this quote a couple of weeks ago on a blog that I read. I've been holding it in my email inbox until now. It arrived at just the right time and seems quite apropos to my life right now...

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and 5 minutes to ruin it. If you think about that you will do things differently.” - Warren Buffett

See, I believe I've done things differently, guarded my reputation, taken steps to be careful and cautious. Still someone seeks to ruin my reputation. Sad, really that someone can speak harmful words allowing them to spread to others; burning with the flames of deceit. Sad that others would listen, people who know me, and not put out the wildfire. That's gossip, ugly gossip... and it spreads and changes and spreads some more.

So, I am faced with defending my honor against an unnamed force. But when I know their name...oh, when I know the name of my accuser...

I will have to forgive them for their ignorance, forgive them for the hurt they've caused me and my family, forgive them for spreading such a lie. It won't be easy to forgive because my nature says to lash out, destroy, to get even, and never trust again. God's nature however, tells me to forgive and walk away.

Notice I didn't say forgive and forget. I'm not God. I won't forget, I can't. That's probably the worst thing about this type of rumor, it can't easily be forgotten. So it will remain in my mind but not my heart because once I've forgiven, it's gone from my heart.

So, read that quote again. Let it be a reminder the next time you listen to or are tempted to share a juicy piece of gossip. You could be destroying a reputation... your own.

Tribute

2008-11-06T08:27:00.003-06:00

My niece Rebekah, put this tribute to my parents (her grandparents) together on youtube. She did a great job and I thought I'd share it with blog world. (You might have to copy and paste the link into your browser, I had some trouble getting the link to work here)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsXY-ePbTkk

Rhyme and Change of Time

2008-11-03T09:28:00.002-06:00

Daylight Saving Time always does weird things to Diego. Sometimes he gets downright naughty, other times he is plain silly. After coming down with a cold this weekend, Diego has been a bit of both naughty and silly.

This morning as I loaded the washing machine, Diego was supposed to be getting dressed and ready for school. I turned to see him standing in only his underwear in the upstairs hallway. With arms raised and hips wiggling he said, "Mom, I have something to tell you." Now, that's not always something I like to hear and in his chosen attire... I just wasn't sure what he would say.

His rhyme went something like this:
"I have a mom, she's so cool;
Now it's time for a little school."

Classic after time change FAS moment!

Halloween

2008-11-01T13:53:00.003-05:00

Diego usually doesn't get into the Halloween thing but for some reason this year he asked (a lot) if we could transform our front lawn into a grave yard. Well, we didn't do that because I think it's plain creepy to do but Diego did get to play a ghost for Halloween.

One of our 8 trick or treaters (you read that right, we had a grand sum of 8) thought that Casper lives at our house. At least they were old enough, and not too old, to be out trick or treating. I was very surprised at the number of costumed infants being pushed in strollers and/or carried by a parent (probably 6 out of the 8 who visited our house). There's no way they were eating the candy we handed out... I guess that's part of the 'trick'?

Here's a pic of my little ghost. I had cut a hole in the middle of the sheet so Diego's head could show but decided to sew it back up because he refused to wear make-up on his face. Without the make-up he would have looked like he was wearing a white poncho! Yes, there were eye holes so he could see where he was going.... don't email me and tell me how dangerous the costume could have been...

That felt great!

2008-10-23T09:03:00.002-05:00

After dropping Diego off at school this morning I ran an errand and then went to McDonald's for my Thursday morning treat of a Diet Coke.

While in line at the drive-thru, I noticed a young woman in the vehicle behind me whom I haven't seen for a long time. She was one of my favorite teenagers from back in the good old days. She has fiery red hair and the personality to match. I just love this girl. She and another teenager gave me the nickname "Tree" which they still call me to this day. She's all grown up now with 2 children and a third on the way (soon!).

Well, one of the teams I serve on at Crossroads was given the challenge last week to do intentional acts of kindness. I seized the opportunity when I saw this young woman in line behind me and I bought her breakfast when I arrived at the payment window.

The cashier asked me if I wanted her to say who had paid for the meal and I smiled and said, "Just tell her Tree says, 'Hi.'"

I'm going to be smiling on the inside all day.

Day Trippin'

2008-10-16T13:41:00.001-05:00

I went on a field trip with all of the third grade students from Diego's school yesterday. I was given a group of 4 students, one of whom was my son. The remaining part of the group was made up of 2 girls and one other boy. I must say I had a great group. They obeyed very well by staying within eye sight (most of the time) and if they weren't in my sight, they came back fairly quickly when I yelled their name. The classroom teacher gave me permission to use my best 'Mom Look' and honestly, I only had to use it once... okay, twice.

The other boy in my group became very interested in my iPhone camera and begged me to allow him to use it to take photos of points of interest at the Michigan Historical Museum. Together Daniel and Diego shot quite a few photos that were, well, interesting to say the least. Unrecognizable would perhaps be a better term :)

Here's a shot of my group. I have a new appreciation for teachers and totally understand why they get 3 months off during the summer!

Political Signs

2008-10-03T21:14:00.003-05:00

About a week ago a political sign appeared in our front yard, Joe had approved it. Diego looked out the front door - while taking his usual detour on his way upstairs to go to bed - and he said, "Well, it looks like we're cheering for Dudley Spade."
What a kid.

Why Do That?

2008-10-03T20:53:00.003-05:00

While shopping in a local drug store this afternoon I observed a young woman with 2 children; one was probably 3 years old, the other was an infant about 8 months old. The young woman held the hand of the older child and carried the baby on her hip.

The store has a couple of aisles of Halloween costumes, decorations and candy. The woman stopped at an extremely macabre looking skeleton hanging on an end cap. She turned the baby toward the skeleton and pushed a button on the thing. It came to life, moved and let out an awful sound.

The poor little baby jumped and began to cry, obviously frightened by the skeleton. The woman laughed and said, "Don't be such a baby!" She looked at me, shrugged her shoulders, stifled a laugh, and went on her way scolding the baby for crying.

I had all I could do to keep from shouting, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" That poor baby! Perhaps I don't have much of a sense of humor when it comes to frightening small children but I didn't find that to be funny at all. How about you?

Finished Reading

2008-09-25T16:45:00.003-05:00

This afternoon while waiting for school to let out, I finished reading "The Shack" by William P. Young. The best piece of fiction I've read in a long while.
Here's an excerpt from one of the last pages of the book: ..."This is not a revolution that will overthrow anything, or if it does, it will do so in ways we could never contrive in advance. Instead it will be the quiet daily powers of dying and serving and loving and laughing, of simple tenderness and unseen kindness, because if anything matters, then everything matters. And one day, when all is revealed, everyone of us will bow our knee and confess in the power of Sarayu (the name used in this book for the Holy Spirit) that Jesus is the Lord of all Creation, to the glory of Papa (the name used in this book for God)."

Pick a copy up and read it. I laughed, cried, and found myself realizing how little my faith really is.

Are You Dead Yet?

2008-09-23T13:39:00.002-05:00

Diego has been quite concerned about death lately... not his, Joe's and mine. This morning Diego again asked me when I am going to die. As usual, I explained that no one knows when they will die, only God knows that.

Diego then said, "You can't die yet. I don't know how to cut my toenails."

Classic Diego. Classic FAS moment.

Bragging on My Boy

2008-09-19T08:09:00.003-05:00

Diego has been doing very well in school this year (so far, so good!). His teacher told me he tested with the highest reading score in his classroom. He read 2 entire books (75 pages each) on Tuesday! He did AR (accelerated reader) tests on both and only missed 1 question on each test.

He's making wise choices and reaching goals, even unspoken goals.... like, he decided that it was better for him to eat in his classroom instead of in the gym because it's too noisy and confusing in the gym during lunch time and the other kids bother him. Diego decided to continue to take his sensory breaks the first thing every morning because it helps him focus.

This morning he actually got ready for school with only a couple of reminders (warnings, really). He told me, "Mom, I get to play the Wii today and have a movie night tonight and go see "Igor" tomorrow." See, he's been losing his privileges lately because of uncooperation at home with me in the mornings.

Sounds like he's made his plans for the weekend :)

9/9

2008-09-09T07:49:00.004-05:00

Today is National Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders day. At 9:09 (either a.m. or p.m.) people around the globe will stop for a moment of silence in recognition of the 1 in every 100 children born with Fetal Alcohol Disorders.
Diego has FASD, a prenatal brain injury caused by exposure to alcohol. Completely avoidable, the only form of mental retardation that is.

A few facts about FASD:
* Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is the leading known cause of mental retardation in western civilization.
* Of all the substances of abuse, including heroin, cocaine, and marijuana, alcohol produces by far the most serious neurobehavioral effects in the fetus.
* Over 50% of women of childbearing age drink alcohol.
* About 20% of women who are known to be pregnant continue to drink during their pregnancy. The incidence of drinking during pregnancy has increased substantially in the past several years, possibly due to the misleading media message that a drink a day is healthy.
* Women at risk of drinking during pregnancy include women who smoke, who are single, who are in college or have a degree, and women in households with incomes over $50,000.
* At least 5000 infants are born each year in the US with full FAS (like Diego) or approximately every 750 live births.
* People with FASD have serious problems with attention deficits, impulse control, judgment and memory.
* Fewer than 10% of individuals with FASD are able to acheive success in living and working independently.
* Among children with FASD up to age 15, the social maturation process seems to be stunted at the level of a 6 year old child.

It's almost overwhelming to me as I type those facts to think every single one of them applies to Diego, I see it and live it with him every day. Would I want him to be normal? Absolutely. But God created Diego with a unique personality and gifts and talents within this thing called FASD. God took something horrible and made Diego wonderful!

Please never attribute the 'just another bad kid' attitude to a child who in the news for doing something horrific, they may be living with undiagnosed affects of prenatal exposure to alcohol.

If you know a woman who is pregnant and is drinking alcohol, please urge her to stop drinking... for the sake of her unborn child.

First Day of Third Grade

2008-09-04T20:26:00.005-05:00

Diego started his Third Grade year on Tuesday. He was a bit nervous and apprehensive about Third Grade. I must admit I always was nervous the day before school started, in fact, I can remember not sleeping much the night before school started.
Last night after his second day of Third Grade, Diego told me he was used to school and Third Grade now. He even asked me if he could skip Third Grade and go into Fourth Grade. Hmmm... I told him he really needs to finish Third Grade as I am sure he will learn some new and exciting things there.

Labor Day, Zits, Baby

2008-09-01T20:56:00.004-05:00

Joe and Diego went for a walk today, about a mile. Diego told me later when I asked him how his walk with Dad was that, "It was a long way and my zit hurts." WHAT?! Well, it appeared yesterday on his forehead, a big old zit, it looked sore too. We got him all fixed up with a bit of soap, some zit cream and a kiss. Hopefully the nasty zit won't show in his "First Day of Third Grade" photo tomorrow!

I received a call from Eric this morning, we haven't heard from him for a couple of months. We talked for a few minutes and he asked me what I thought about his son. WHAT?! Evidently Eric has a son; someone failed to tell me about it :-( so I was a bit shocked with the news.

Eric, Angie and baby arrived at my sister's house and spent the afternoon with us there. I'm not so sure I like the sound of the name "Grandma" but this little angel is adorable, sweet, precious and perfect. Tyler Joseph Emens was born August 23. He weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces and was 21.25 inches long. I took a bunch of iPhone pics, here are a couple of them, one with proud 'Uncle' Diego.

Last Day

2008-08-29T12:39:00.002-05:00

Today marked the end of my tenure on staff at Crossroads. I want to share some of the things God's given me over the last almost 3 years at Crossroads:

1. Some great friends
2. The art of proofreading (I could do this prior to Crossroads but my skills were ever challenged and sharpened)
3. How to look at everything through the lens of an unchurched person
4. Did I mention great friends?
5. Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, youtube... what can I say, I'm hooked
6. Connection to several hundred people coming to know Christ as Savior
7. The privilege of working with incredible volunteers
8. I learned more about myself, how I work, why I do things the way I do them
9. Mac vs. Windows - Mac wins
10. My passion is serving God with all my mind, heart, strength
11. Great friends!!!

I've been asked if Joe and I are leaving Crossroads. My answer: No! See you Sunday!

It Doesn't Get Much Better Than This

2008-08-24T15:02:00.002-05:00

Today I turn another year older. Today at Crossroads we baptized 55 people!

I was struck by the variety of people who lined up to take the plunge. Children to teenagers and adults who enthusiastically answered, "Jesus!" when asked who they have placed their faith in. People thrust their fists in the air as they rose from the baptismal tank, thunderous applause from the crowd, and tears of joy from onlookers.

An amazing day, an amazing way to celebrate new life in Christ. I don't think I've ever had as incredible a birthday, ever.

Sleeping With The Pandas

2008-08-14T21:08:00.003-05:00

Diego didn't sleep much Tuesday night. He was up wandering the house and sneaking snacks upstairs to his bedroom... all night. I had sent him back to bed several times and had threatened to take away the Wii, TV and movies, nothing seemed to get through to him.

Around 3 a.m. I heard my bedroom door creak and thought the wind had perhaps pushed it open. It went creak again and I heard a scraping sound. Now, what could that be? Diego. I found him lying on the floor trying to hide the Wii remotes which I had placed on my dresser for safe keeping. I swatted his bottom and sent him back to bed with the promise that if he didn't stay in bed he would be a very old man before he played the Wii again.

Fast forward to Wednesday evening. Joe, Diego and I were in the car headed for an ice cream. Diego decided to remind me that he was tired (I wonder why). He then said something that was absolutely priceless...

Diego said, "I was in your room last night, Mom. I saw Dad sleeping and I looked at him and looked at him for a long time. I saw him sleeping with a panda in his hands."

Joe. Sleeps with a panda?

Priceless.

I Gave In To Technology?

2008-08-08T14:33:00.002-05:00

There is just a lot of talk these days about Twitter. Practically everyone I know is twittering, tweeting, or twitting...whatever it's called. Twitter is about the ONLY way I can keep track of my husband!
I caved (as Wendy would say) and signed up for a free Twitter account. Interesting how addicting it is. Beyond email, I don't know what else I check more often for updates.
If you're not on Twitter yet, check it out.

The other day someone said to me, "Hey Faythe, your husband just added me as a friend on his Facebook." What? Really? Facebook? Joe?
My nephew then sent an email asking if I had a Facebook page and if so, I could see photos of his family. I haven't seen his kids in over 3 years except for an occasional snail mail photo in a card.
I decided to check out his page and discovered that in order to view anyone's profile, you have to be added as a 'friend' and in order to be a 'friend' you have to have an account.
I caved (again) and created my Facebook page. Again, addicting. Especially when the network begins to discover your page and begins to send requests to be added as a friend on your page. I've received requests from people I haven't heard from in years! It's a lot of fun.

I am sure there is so much more technology that I don't have a clue about. I probably won't try to check too much more out in the near future after all, I've got to get all this other stuff figured out first!

Monty the Bug

2008-08-03T13:53:00.002-05:00

Joe's assistant (St. Susan) sent a Turbo Bug Vacuum home to Diego last week. This thing looks like a squirt gun only it sucks bugs up into a tube which will trap the bug so it can be examined through the built in magnifying glass. It allows studying up close and personal (well, through the plastic tube) any bug you want to suck up into it.

Now, you have to know that Diego has been deathly afraid of bugs lately. Yet armed with this wonder bug sucker, he was ready for any insect that might come his way.

Diego decided to go outside (after dark even!) on Friday evening to hunt bugs and suck them up into the vacuum. He found a moth and brought it inside to show off. When I asked him what he had, Diego replied, "Monty." Hmmm, Monty? "The moth, mom!" Okay, we've named a moth, and it was a little one at that.

After complete examination of Monty, Joe convinced Diego to release Monty the Moth back into the great outdoors... no bugs were harmed in this experiment :)

DMV

2008-07-31T16:02:00.002-05:00

So, I received notice about a week and a half ago that I needed to renew my driver's license this year and I COULDN'T renew by mail! AARRGGHHH!!! We all know what that means.... going to the Secretary of State's Office (or DMV) and waiting forever, or at least a really long time, for your number to be called and issued the standard license tests.

Well, I happened to have the form from the DMV with me today and I decided to drive past the office to see if the parking lot was full. It wasn't so I parked and went inside.

I picked #50 from the machine near the door and before I could sit down, a clerk called, "Number 50! Are you 50 or are you 49?" I told her I was number 50, not nearly 49 or 50 in age :)

This woman was a hoot! I explained that I needed to renew my license, handed her the license and she issued an eye exam complete with flashing lights (for peripheral vision testing). She then told me the cost for my renewal would be $18. I handed her a 20 and she made a comment about needing an advance on her allowance from her boss for change?!

She handed me the change and asked me to step over to the blue screen for a photo. She said, "Smile at the birdie." The birdie? Oh, there was a Beanie Baby bird hanging from the camera..... hmmmm..... okay.....

The clerk made my image appear on a computer screen and she asked if that looked like me. The photo looked like I was saying hmmm.... okay.... I did a chin count - 1, 2, 3, "Yep, that works for me."

She said my license will arrive in 7-10 days and I asked if that was all I needed to do. What no written test? She looked at her supervisor and said, "Does this woman need to take a written test to renew her license?" The supervisor said, "No, I don't think so."

Works for me. I was so happy I almost walked out without my old license which now had the upper right corner clipped off and a temporary license stapled to it.

Relatively painless process and finished in under 10 minutes! Things have changed at the DMV, either that or I picked the right day to visit :)

Bridal Show

2008-07-24T18:43:00.002-05:00

I'm going to have a table at the Elder-Beerman Bridal Show this weekend. I'm introducing some new services for brides! Stop in and see me on Saturday afternoon, I'll be near the Mall entrance between the cosmetics counters.

Diego-isms

2008-07-23T20:13:00.002-05:00

Following is a short list of recent Diego-isms... he's so funny!

* My tailpipe hurts (after he fell down the stairs yesterday)
* I didn't go in the water today, I just tanned like you do.
* It was very boring looking at the cars over and over, now I can see Bob the Builder and Cars at the same time (after tearing the border off his bedroom wall)
* Why are there mosquitos? Don't they know they make me itch?

Been working on...

2008-07-19T17:44:00.007-05:00

My website! Let me know what you think... (be nice, it's my first attempt at website building)

For some reason I can't create a link so just copy and paste the address - www.yourbigdayweddings.net

Thursday

2008-07-17T19:19:00.002-05:00

I got to hang out with my April bride this afternoon, she is a real peach... and I mean that in a positive sense of the phrase. She is a lot of fun. We checked out another reception venue and then went to my office to go over the "9 month to-do list".
Her big day will be here before she knows it. And I'm going to do everything in my power to ensure her wedding is perfect. I think I'm as excited as she is to see this wedding happen!

Just Finished

2008-07-15T12:17:00.004-05:00

I just finished reading this book. It is a phenomenal perspective on living every day to the fullest.

House guest

2008-07-14T10:34:00.003-05:00

Last Thursday I told Joe and Diego we were going to have a house guest over the weekend. Joe just said, "Really?" and Diego said, "Who? Maxiumus?" That kids is really good at guessing games (just a side note: don't play "I Spy" with him unless you want to lose!)

Maximus was the perfect house guest, he made himself right at home. Diego did a great job taking care of him and playing with him... he even got Diego out of the house for short periods of time!

Here's a shot of Maximus choosing his side of the bed (it's Joe's side, by the way!)

Stuff...

2008-07-14T10:17:00.002-05:00

So, it's been a while since I posted, lots going on recently and some not going on... read on, you'll understand in a minute.

Joe, Diego and I went up north for the July Fourth holiday weekend. We stayed with my sister and her husband at their cabin in Hale, MI. I tell you, that place is a haven for good times, good food, good friends, good rest, and great weather! We came home on Monday (7/7) so we wouldn't have to deal with the heavy holiday traffic. Must be the price of gas didn't frighten most travelers because the southbound traffic was pretty thick.

The Bender's stopped by to see us on Saturday night as they finished up their vacation. Diego was going through serious Chloe withdrawals.

We got home and I started in on all the stuff that had to be done around the house. Being the email addict that I am, I decided to see if there was anything in my in box that couldn't wait. Well, my in box wouldn't work, neither would my Internet connection... bummer! I even re-set the router and modem several times... still no connection. ARGGH!

Finally back online today after a helpful suggestion (thanks, Brian!).

July 2, 1995

2008-07-02T09:29:00.002-05:00

I couldn't sleep last night and thought it was because I had a Diet Coke not long before bed (caffeine, you know). When I finally drifted off I dreamed about the house I grew up in and vividly saw the detail in the woodwork and red carpeting (my mom loved red!).
Realizing the date is July 2 hit me like a ton of bricks... I lost someone precious to me on this date 14 years ago; my dad. No wonder I didn't sleep well.
Every year since his death I have trouble sleeping on the anniversary of his home-going. You see, my sisters, mom, grandmother, and I spent several sleepless nights watching and waiting for death to come and take him. Dad had Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. He won his final earthly battle and went to be with Jesus very early in the morning.
We buried Dad in the family plot in Sand Creek, a place I visit often. To return there somehow makes me feel a little closer to my parents although I know the ground beneath the headstone holds only the shells of the persons I knew as Dad and Mom.
I miss my dad, especially today, but find comfort in the fact that he left behind horrible pain and suffering to put on a white robe of righteousness... and I look forward to the day when I'll see him again.

Weekend

2008-07-01T12:01:00.004-05:00

We did some fun stuff over the weekend... take a look at the iPhone pics I took from our niece's wedding. We took Diego to see Wall-E on Sunday because he was really good during the wedding. It was his second time to see the movie... it's sure to be his new favorite!

Diego with Grandma B.

An Adult Child

2008-06-25T19:19:00.003-05:00

What do you do when your adult son calls and tells you he's hungry, no starving?

Now, before you go feeling sorry for him, you must realize that he's got a full-time job, a car, pays rent, buys several packs of smokes a week, spends most of his money on energy drinks and video rentals, and drives wherever he wants to go thereby filling his gas tank every other day.

Still, it's hard to hear your child say they're hungry and not be able to respond in a tangible way. He lives in Toledo, where exactly I do not know. He could have driven to my house to get something to eat but that would be a terrible waste of gas money (his words). Yet, he told me how good my homemade pizza would taste to him tonight.

So, what's a mom to do? I doubt he's starving, I doubt he'll go a full day without any food. Still, that phone call is really bothering me. My motherly instincts are heightened. I want the best for him but he won't listen to reason or healthy advice.

In his irrational world he makes all the right choices until he's in too deep. He then only wants to hear, not apply, our advice.

I love him but tonight, after that phone call, love isn't enough.

Sittin' In My Office

2008-06-23T14:19:00.004-05:00

On a Monday afternoon, watching the world go by and here's what I see...

* A t-shirt that reads, "Nothing could be finer than to be a 109-er" (in reference to
the bar across the street)

* A car going the wrong way down the one way street out front... must have missed the
sign!

* A guy walked up to a truck and rubbed the chalk mark off the tire that the meter guy
just put on there... should have taken a picture of that one.

* People walking with a child in a stroller, a dog on a leash, both with cell phones
pressed to their ears. What if the kid needs them or the dog needs to stop?

* A hand written sign that reads, 'Karaoke Tonight' hanging in the window of a bar
across the street... oh wait, I now see it's been stenciled, much nicer than
handwritten.

* Consumer's Power just blocked off the alley next to my office. The guy came in
looking for the basement, he's planning to shut off the power next door and wants
me to let him in the basement to do that. Can't do that... sorry.

* A guy wearing a winter coat, sporting a beard.. he looks very warm for the weather
conditions.

* Same guy just sat down on the ledge outside my window, right in my line of sight!
Like he can't see me in here and I can't see him?!

* It's pouring rain now!

Downtown Adrian's adventure for Monday...

Some pics

2008-06-10T20:59:00.004-05:00

Here are some photos I took on my iPhone Saturday of the wedding cake, ceremony site and the bride's hair.

06/07/08

2008-06-08T17:36:00.002-05:00

It was sure to be a BIG day for weddings... see the significance? 06/07/08
I was blessed to have a wedding yesterday and the couple chose this particular day because of those numbers.

The temperature was in the high 80's, 100% humidity (okay, maybe not that high but it seemed like it), with a 30% chance of a thunderstorm but we set the ceremony up outside anyway (without a tent!) and watched as the wind blew in and tipped over the decorative trees that had been placed around the perimeter of the seating area. No worries, we moved the trees inside to the reception hall and used them as decoration there. Note to brides-to-be... no tent is like no net in a high-wire act.

We had to work around traffic heading to a horse auction and a couple of shouts from vehicles passing by. A simple traffic re-routing was all it took to keep the dust down, couldn't do anything about the shouts.

The caterer's husband had been in surgery the previous day and was rushed back into the operating room Saturday morning. She arrived up with the food, a helper, and a back-up plan that allowed her to leave if necessary.

The bartender had been ill all week prior to the wedding but she showed up ready to work.

The bride's hair stylist changed the way she wanted to do her hair and exceeded the allotted time for the appointment (yep, my schedule went out the window for a couple of hours). The bride frantically called to say she wanted the flowers for her hair delivered to the hair salon instead of to the ceremony site as planned. Thankfully I was able to catch the florist (a terrific woman) at her shop as she was loading her vehicle, she was able to oblige at the last minute.

When the flower arrived, they were stunningly beautiful! The florist helped the baker place a cascade of orange lilies, gerber daisies, and peach roses down the side of the chocolate frosted cake... absolutely gorgeous!

We were able to rush the girls into the motor home they dressed in and have them all ready for a few pre-ceremony photos (back on schedule, much to my relief!).

The father of the bride dressed into a tuxedo that was a few sizes too large and decided to switch with the Best Man at the last minute only to switch back and have the person they rented the suits from do a quick alteration (another terrific woman).

The Maid of Honor had, for a very long time and very loudly, proclaimed that she would NEVER wear straps on her dress. After tugging on the dress repeatedly to keep it from exposing her top half, I was able to convince her to attach the straps to the dress.

The bridesmaids were 2 gorgeous young ladies who went with the flow and did whatever was requested of them. The flower girls were sisters who are absolute dolls. The ring bearer, brother of the flower girls, proudly sported his Mohawk haircut as he carried the monogrammed pillow (actually tossed it a few times...).

Once the handsome groom dressed in his chocolate brown tux was corralled, the bridal party lined up behind him to walk to the ceremony site, we were right on time :)

The radiant bride shed some tears as she rode up to the ceremony site with her dad in Wendy's Hummer. She was overwhelmed by the idea that all of her guests were actually there for her. She stepped out of the vehicle as the bridal attendants began their procession.

The ceremony was short but meaningful as the couple spoke their vows before 150 witnesses seated under the hot, June sun.

The groom made a tender-loving comment to his bride when they had come back down the aisle, he told her how beautiful she was and said he would love her forever.

The party was just that, a party. I'm sure the long awaited wedding day was over before the couple knew it. I hope their big day was everything they had hoped for and more. I'm glad to have been able to be a part of it.

I'll post some photos I took on my iPhone tomorrow. Tonight I'm spending some time with the boys... going to see the "Indiana Jones" movie... if I can stay awake.

Goofy kid

2008-05-29T08:07:00.004-05:00

Diego and I had some shopping to do at Wal-Mart on Tuesday evening after I picked him up from day care. Of course he wanted to check out the Wii games in the Electronics Department.

While he was deeply engrossed in looking at the new "Speed Racer" game, I saw a most frightening person and had to whisk Diego from the store. (It was actually Diego's biological father and I did not want to be accosted by this man... again)

Diego didn't understand why we had to leave his "favorite store in the whole wide world" so quickly. I tried to explain that I had seen someone who could be dangerous to his safety.

Wednesday morning while getting ready for school, Diego asked me about this person who had ruined his Wal-Mart experience the night before. I decided it would be a good time to review our address, phone number, and a description of Joe and me.

He looked me over and described what I was wearing. So I asked for a more physical description and gave him some hints... "She's very tall, has, um... blond hair (I corrected him there, and it's time for color!), she wears black shoes almost always, she has brown eyes..."

I then put my hands up on either side of my face and tried to coax him to say, "She's beautiful.." by mouthing the words. Diego looked at me and very seriously said, "She has a face."

I lost it, what a goofy kid. We never did get to Diego's description of Joe.

A Big Day!

2008-05-27T19:32:00.003-05:00

I'm down to the wire with prep for a wedding on June 7; it's going to be so much fun! Call me crazy but I love weddings!

Actually, it's been a fun ride already. I met Caitlin and Andrew back in October of 2007 and started working with them on their big day right away. We set the date, took engagement photos, sent Save the Dates, tasted scrumptious cake, selected gorgeous flowers, found a ceremony venue... 3 times :), shopped for flower girl dresses, designed and printed invitations, worked through the guest list, and so much more.

It's been a privilege working with this couple. I hope they will find their day relaxing, stress-free, beautiful, and basically everything they've always dreamed it would be!

Congratulations, Caitlin and Andrew!

Vacation

2008-05-27T19:12:00.004-05:00

We got to go up north over the Memorial Day weekend. It was a great time with my sister and brother-in-law and their 2 dogs at their cabin on the edge of the Huron National Forest. And the weather was beautiful!
We went out to eat on Saturday night with my Uncle Dave and Aunt Becky, Diego has a great time with Becky... she's a special needs teacher and always has a new trick to share.
Diego hugged Big Boy on the way into the restaurant and made his own super hero costume from place mats.

According to Diego....

2008-05-14T19:54:00.002-05:00

I rock! Well, in my opinion, so does he!

Three Years

2008-05-06T22:01:00.003-05:00

It's been 3 years since my mom went to heaven. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about her.
I was privileged to have had my mom for 44 years. She wasn't unlike a lot of moms. She worked outside the home for many years. She also volunteered at church and was involved in civic activities. No matter what, Mom was always there for my sisters and me.
I knew I could call her anytime and get good advice or a good scolding if necessary (and it was necessary a lot of the time!).
Mom was the best cook and she loved to entertain. She baked everything from cookies, bread, cinnamon rolls, to wedding cakes... mine included.
Mom made my wedding dress and all of the bridesmaids dresses; each hand smocked (a lost art).
She was one incredible woman. She loved her husband, family and God. She had a strong desire to see others come to know Christ and supported efforts of those who were called to reach people in other countries with the gospel.
So on May 5, 2005 when Mom said she wanted to go to see Jesus I knew it wouldn't be long before she was in His presence worshiping at His feet for eternity alongside my dad (he died July 2, 1995).
Mom slipped away quietly late on the night of May 6, 2005. Her earthly life over, her eternity was just beginning!
I was crying one day shortly after Mom died and Diego asked me why. I told him it was because I was missing my mom. He told me, "Mommy, don't cry. Granny is with Jesus!" He understood what I knew.

Stuffed

2008-05-05T13:23:00.003-05:00

Do you know how many stuffed animals and dirty clothes it takes to fill Mr. Incredible and Spiderman costumes?

No school today due to an in-service day for teachers. So, I'm catching up on the laundry and can't find any of Diego's dirty clothes, his basket is empty. Okay, I did laundry on Saturday but there really ought to be something in the basket, right?

I searched the usual places (closet, cabinet, ceiling fan) no dirty clothes. What did Diego do with them? Just as I was about to call out to Diego, interrupt a rousing MarioKart Wii game, and ask about the clothes, I noticed there were no stuffed animals in the tub in the corner of his room. Interesting... the clothes had absconded with the stuffed animals! Or had they?

Searching Diego's bedroom a bit further (under the bed, duh!), I found the aforementioned costumes stuffed with stuffed animals... and the dirty clothes. The costumes actually looked like there was a body in them, bulges and all (minus the head, hands and feet, of course)!

No wonder the child isn't sleeping. Mr. Incredible and Spiderman have been making appearances in Diego's room and keeping him awake!

Needless to say, Spidey and Mr. I have disappeared. The dirty clothes are in the washing machine and the stuffed animals, well, they are waiting for Diego to put them away - where they belong :)

Disappointed? Nope.

2008-05-01T19:34:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago, Joe shared with the church that he will be transitioning back to Adrian Steel and won't be continuing at Crossroads as Executive Pastor.

Several people have asked me since that day if I am disappointed. Nope. I'm very proud of Joe's strength and admire him for the courage to do what's right for his particular shape... the way God gifted him.

There's no way Joe will quit serving God. He's just getting into the 'right seat on the right bus'. I can hardly wait to see what God has planned for the next leg of our journey together.

We need to be like this...

2008-04-22T08:44:00.003-05:00

Talk about customer service! Check this story out, there's a lesson in here for sure!
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352063,00.html

Student of the Month

2008-04-02T21:02:00.004-05:00

Diego's name is in lights - outside his school that is. I know, I know, I need to be a good mom and get a pic with him standing next to the sign.

Blowin' Out The Candle

2008-04-02T20:51:00.004-05:00

Diego's birthday party was a hit! Here are a couple of pics...

Nine Years

2008-03-27T21:05:00.002-05:00

It was 9 years ago tomorrow: March 28, 1999 at 4:20 a.m.

I had been at the hospital with Diego's mother during a difficult and lengthy labor. As he walked out of the hospital room at 3:45 a.m., the doctor warned that it would be a long night and advised me to try to get some sleep. The nurse had to call him back to the hospital almost immediately when Diego decided he was going to arrive with or without medical supervision. At barely 5 pounds and nearly 3 weeks premature, Diego was born with a double knot in his umbilical cord; he was severely deprived of oxygen.

I feel blessed to have witnessed Diego's birth early that Palm Sunday morning. I admit, I was in love with him the moment our eyes met.

Little did I realize Joe and I would be further blessed to call him our son 3 1/2 years later.

Diego continues to be a blessing on my life, every day. He makes me smile, laugh, cry, and I am tremendously proud of him.

I used to ask God the "Why" question in regard to not being able to have "our own" children. I didn't think I'd have an answer this side of heaven.

I now know why... Diego. I wouldn't be his mom if I'd been able to have biological children. I wouldn't be raising this special little boy. I would not have known the sweetness of the touch of his precious little hands. My neck would not know the strength of his hug. I would miss the way he curls up on my lap to snuggle, even if he never had. How I would ache to hear his voice call out, "I love you, Mommy."

Diego is my precious, damaged angel. But I am so very grateful that his birth mother chose to give him life; if she hadn't there would be a Diego-sized hole in the hearts of all who know him.

So, Happy Ninth Birthday, my little love; I thank God for lending you to me!

Are You Kidding?

2008-03-23T20:08:00.002-05:00

Friday, March 21 was Crossroads' Annual Flashlight Egg Hunt. Everything was set... except for the weather. Early in the week, the weather man promised balmy 47 degree temps by Friday. Somewhere along the middle of the week he changed his mind and gave a most ugly prediction of a winter storm to begin around noon Friday and ending sometime in the middle of the night.

(May I just say I'm SO over snow! After all, Christmas was nearly 3 months ago!)

Of course, God, in His infinite wisdom and most keen sense of humor caused the snow to start falling in downtown Adrian around 11:30 a.m.; it continued steadily throughout the afternoon. At 4 p.m. (set-up time), there was about 3 inches of fresh snow covering the ground. (Did I already say I'm over snow?!)

Crossroaders showed up, bundled in their winter garb, set-up, and waited for kids to arrive to hunt eggs... in the snow. Honestly, I felt like I was in a snow globe all night. But it was well worth the blustery temps, gusting winds, and oftentimes, blinding snow. The smiles on the cold faces of the little ones who gathered snow-covered eggs were worth every minute spent standing in that storm.

I am over snow (have I mentioned that?) but never will be over the lives touched and blessed by such an event. Way to go Crossroaders! I'm sure God was smiling at us... probably even having a good laugh!

What Happened To Your Eyes?

2008-03-19T21:03:00.004-05:00

Diego brought a red ribbon home from school today. Now, usually the color red is a bad thing; it means stop, there was negative behavior that needed to be addressed more than 2 times during the school day.

Today however, the color red stands for something very good! The ribbon has this written on it: #1 Meijer In Partnership With Lenawee County Schools Student of the Month

Written in Diego's daily report was, "Great Morning! Diego was selected Student of the Month from the entire Second Grade. Yea!"

My heart swelled with pride, my eyes filled with tears as I hugged Diego and told him how proud I am of his hard work and effort. He had no idea he was working toward this incredible award. He said simply that he was, "Doing all his work, listening to the teacher, and following directions"; that's why he received the red ribbon.

He looked at me and asked, "Mom, what happened to your eyes?"

And yet another lesson, the one about a mother's tears of joy.

Which Land?

2008-03-19T20:25:00.002-05:00

I received word that my step-grandmother lost her battle with cancer last Friday; she was 88 years old.
There were a lot of thoughts that passed through my head after I learned she had died. We weren't as close as some grandparents and grandchildren but that's okay, before ending a phone conversation or visit she would say, "I love you," and I knew she meant it.

My younger sister and I made the trip to Bad Axe for the visitation and funeral. During the funeral the pastor said something that has been on my mind since he spoke the words.

He was telling a story (not sure if it's true) about an elderly preacher who was writing his memoirs through a scribe. The preacher couldn't quite find the words to say as he lay dying so the scribe wrote: "I leave the land of the living to step into eternity." When the words were read to the preacher, he told the scribe they were not correct. He said, "Tell people I am leaving the land of the dying to step into the land of the living."

Those words, to me, are profound especially as Easter approaches. Christ came to earth to save the dying of which I am one. He died in my place so I don't have to die. He was buried and rose from the grave. He ascended to Heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. He did all of this so that one day when I leave the land of the dying I too will step into the land of eternal life.

God's love amazes me!

Time Change

2008-03-10T18:19:00.002-05:00

Along with Diego's FAS comes the inevitable issue with the Spring and Fall time changes.

It's difficult enough for nearly everyone I know to deal with the loss of that hour, but that hour might as well be days lost for Diego.

To a child with no real concept of time, the hour seems to disappear into a foggy tunnel of disorientation and confusion... and of course, we missed the digital clock on the DVD player when changing all the other clocks in the house!

Diego's argument that it was still light outside was, well... correct. But that digital clock glowing the wrong time was really hard to confront. It felt like 6:30, looked like 6:30, it was 6:30 the night before (if you know Diego, you get that), so it must be 6:30.

Poor kid, he thought he was going to bed an hour early... and he was! Or was he?

What Kind of Customer Are You (Am I)?

2008-03-06T18:08:00.002-06:00

Lately I've been the recipient of poor customer service at just about every public place I've visited.

Good (or poor) customer service is a pet peeve of mine. I've had years of customer service experience, either providing it or receiving it. I even had to provide good customer service when I worked in the jail with inmates!

I was going to blog about the poor customer service I'd received at the grocery store and the rude girl behind the counter at a sandwich shop, oh, and there was the person who ignored me at the gas station while I stood in the freezing temperatures to pay him. And then it occurred to me... customer service is 50/50... 50% provider, 50% recipient. Now, I know that's neither an earth-shattering nor an original fact. Interesting though, huh?

So I had to ask myself if I had been the kind of customer I would enjoy serving. Probably not. How about you?

His Prayers Have Been Answered!

2008-02-26T09:34:00.002-06:00

Our Nintendo Wii has been out of commission for a couple of weeks now. We have no idea what happened to it, it simply wouldn't power up... until today. It's a snow day so Diego is home from school. He was happily playing with his V-Flash educational game and somehow knocked the Wii off the shelf it sits on and sent it crashing 3 feet down to the floor.

Joe picked the Wii up, placed it back in its stand and plugged it into the wall. Suddenly the Wii had been healed! Diego jumped up and yelled, "Yes! I have been praying the Wii would work again and it is! Now I can buy the Ice Age game!"

All I can say is that God works in mysterious ways.

New Glasses

2008-02-22T22:41:00.002-06:00

Both of my boys got new glasses within the past week. I snapped this pic last night. Diego is saying, "Who's a handsome debil?" I think he meant devil.

Hot Dogs, French Fries, and Chocolate Mousse

2008-02-18T20:03:00.003-06:00

I've been meaning to blog about this for a week now. After Joe re-told the story last night in our small group I decided it had to be shared....

A week ago yesterday our sweet friend, Chloe came home from church with us to spend some time with her buddy, Diego. Joe had a meeting after church so I took the kids to McDonald's for lunch, came home and we had a nice afternoon.

Around 5:00 everybody was hungry so we decided to go to a local restaurant to eat. We ordered our meal and Chloe saw the dessert menu and asked, "What is chocolate mouse?" Joe explained the name is chocolate mousse and Diego says, "How do they make a moose chocolate?" It was over. Control was lost. Our waitress stayed away, people were staring.

We ordered dessert, and here's the good part, Chloe ordered Chocolate Mouse, Diego ordered a hot dog. When the "desserts" arrived Chloe decided she didn't like Chocolate Mouse, instead she ate Diego's french fries, dipping them into the Chocolate Mouse. I looked at Joe and said, "We've ruined this child's healthy eating habit, she's going to have to be completely reprogrammed." (Did I mention we'd fed her a forbidden meal at lunch time?) She then discovered an Oreo cookie on the bottom of the Mousse cup and dug for it.

Now, I am not picking on poor Chloe, I love that little girl like she's my own. Diego brought his hot dog home... in his mouth! He had not chewed it, he was holding it in his cheek! I asked him what he had in his mouth when he was getting ready for his bath (an hour after we'd left the restaurant!). His reply, "My hot dog." I made him spit it out. Can I just say, "YUK!?"

These two bring so much joy into my life; I am blessed by their naivety, sense of humor, purity, and love. If only we could all be like children in those same aspects.

Perspective

2008-02-11T21:08:00.001-06:00

Diego's school was closed today due to frozen/broken pipes and loss of heat. He played the Wii far too long, we went grocery shopping and had some lunch. I needed to go to my office this afternoon and he reluctantly went along with his Cars toys in tow (Cars toys are the toy he's stuck on lately).

Diego got a little bored and started talking about what he would be doing at school at any given time and whether or not he would have had gym class or music today. He then pulled a chair up to the window and stood on it watching the people passing by. Without trying he frightened a kid riding a bike, I don't even think He realized he had done that.

I asked Diego what he was looking at and he said he was counting how many people smoke. He also said he saw quite a few coming out of the door across the street (there are 2 bars across the street).

In typical Diego fashion, out of the blue, he says, "Mom, I know what kind of cars people who smoke drive." I said something like, "Really?" And then he said, "Yes, their cars have brown spots of rust on them and they are not shiny, they are dirty, there's one right there."

He was right, there was a salt covered, dirty gray car with rust parked across the street. Someone who was smoking had just stepped out of the vehicle. It makes perfect sense why he would come to the conclusion he had.

I did talk to him about how that conclusion wasn't quite right but he was out the window again, lost in thought.

Farewell to a Friend

2008-02-04T20:08:00.000-06:00

I received word tonight that a faithful, loving, four-legged friend died yesterday. Toby was a wonderful dog. He was a yellow lab. Toby had an extremely important job, he was a seeing eye dog for our friend Doug. And he did the job extremely well.

Toby was always ready and eager to go to work. Doug would bring the harness out and no matter how Toby was feeling he sprung into action to wear the harness proudly and be the eyesight Doug needs. Toby always had a smile on his face... yep, a dog that smiled.

I'm not exactly sure how long Toby was with Doug but I know it was many, many years. Toby was raised for the Leader Dog School in Rochester Hills, MI. The person who raised him was a school teacher who took Toby to her elementary classroom every day where Toby was showered with hugs, kisses, and a lot of petting. Toby loved kids.

Diego named his favorite stuffed animal after Toby (of course it's a yellow lab given to him by Doug and JoAnn). He never goes to bed without Toby. Diego said, "Toby has a long, wet tongue and he licked me with it, on the face! He played with me and I love him." That about says it all.

Goodbye our friend Toby Spade, you were a good boy, we love you.

He's so funny

2008-01-29T19:34:00.000-06:00

Diego just makes me smile. He comes up with the funniest things, out of nowhere, and completely unexpected most of the time. A couple of Diego-isms...

I picked Diego up from school yesterday afternoon, he was uncharacteristically quiet. I could see by his expression that he was lost in thought. He kicked his shoes off and tucked his feet up underneath him. All of a sudden he says, "Mom, if I won Eric's money, I would have like ninety-nine dollars."

What? Whose money?

Come to find out, he was referring to an adult at Crossroads who serves in the Kid Fusion experience, Eric Doyle. Diego loves most of the characters that Eric plays. In fact, he can't always tell me what he's learned but he can usually tell me what crazy thing Eric did during church on any given Sunday. Must be Eric gave away some sort of 'money' on Sunday and Diego is contemplating winning it the next time the game is played.

Diego's daycare provider told me he didn't eat much lunch today... Diego's explanation for not eating is because he's, "On the patch." (He wears a patch for ADHD and uses it as an excuse for not doing a lot of things!)

Tonight we are struggling to get Diego to stay in bed. His most recent reason for coming downstairs was to show us that his blanket is electric. "Watch," he says, "When I rub it on my head and watch it closely, there's electric stuff."

Stay tuned, I am sure this child will provide a lot of comedic relief in the future.

You Know You've Had Enough...

2008-01-21T09:10:00.000-06:00

Saturday was a great day for shaking hands, meeting potential clients, and presenting my business to a specific sector of the community. It was a blast.

I must say that 'crashing' afterward was not good. Allow me to explain crashing. I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and when I push myself too hard, I crash. Now, I haven't crashed like this in a very long time. Through the 8 years since I was diagnosed, I've learned to pace myself so that it doesn't happen very often. It would appear that pacing wasn't part of the schedule these past few weeks, however. I came home from the Expo Saturday afternoon, changed clothes, and went to bed... at 5 p.m.!

Even though I slept on and off for about 36 hours, I'm still tired. Can you believe it?

Still, I can't wait to meet with the bride who won my give away and help her plan her big day!

Getting Ready

2008-01-16T19:44:00.000-06:00

This Saturday is the biggest Bridal Expo held in Lenawee County and I get to be part of it; I'm so excited! I attended the show last year and promised myself I would be an exhibitor this year. Goal attained... gotta love that! :)

I'll have the opportunity to meet lots of brides-to-be (I've been told there will be around 500 in attendance).

I've put together a bunch of giveaways, printed business cards like crazy, made 500+ handouts, printed and will fold around 800 brochures, and I'm working at the final touches for my table look/layout.

Wendy will go with me to help handle the crowd; she's great at talking with people too.

The 2008 Bridal Expo takes place at Lenawee Country Club in Adrian from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, January 19. If you know any brides-to-be send them to see me!

I'll let you know how the event goes.

White, sandy beaches... Bahamas

2008-01-13T16:18:00.000-06:00

Joe had to go to the Bahamas this past week for a meeting. I got to tag along, thanks to our friends who kept Diego for us. Check out how much fun he was having!

This was the view from the resort where we stayed. One of God's most beautiful creations, don't you agree? (If you'd like to see more pics, let me know and I'll put them up on this page.)

This is SO me

2008-01-08T14:44:00.000-06:00

I am wondering how my mornings with Diego got recorded?

Copy and paste the link into your browser then listen, you'll understand....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxT5NwQUtVM

My logo

2008-01-03T21:44:00.000-06:00

I found a site online where I could create logos for free from stock graphics. I selected the one I liked best and bought it. Yeah, I said free but it was only the creating part that was actually free.

Here it is, with my business name....

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T18:00:00.000-06:00

Our New Year's Eve was quite uneventful. I had taken Diego to the store with me earlier in the day and had plans to do some things in my downtown office and at home before having a nice dinner and movie night with the boys.
Well, the flu took care of the plans. Diego and I arrived home to find Joe on the couch. He had gotten sick at the office and had to come home. He got as far as the sofa and was out.
Needless to say, Joe was on the couch all night last night and all day today. He is finally sitting upright this evening, reading a book.

Diego and I made the best of the situation and went to see Alvin and the Chipmunks (again) with some friends. This movie is one best seen with children and definitely better with the second viewing.

It was an early night, I fell asleep around 10, Diego was in bed by 8:30. No flashing light ball in Times Square for us. Maybe next (this) year?

Christmas

2007-12-27T12:03:00.000-06:00

Christmas 2007 is in the memory bank. We spent time with family, friends, all insane people, by the way.

Diego and Joe received a Nintendo Wii for their big gift. I don't think Joe has been on it at all, Diego logged almost 6 hours on Christmas day! We're limiting the time per day usage after that first day. He's mastered, for the most part, Cars and Shrek the Third games.

Eric, our older son, visited us for the day. We haven't seen him in about a year and a half. It was good to see him and spend some time with him. I discovered that I miss that kid, not that he could ever live under our roof again but he's a unique individual and he always makes me laugh.

Oh, and Joe (aka Santa) ordered an iPhone for me. It will be here tomorrow! I'm so spoiled.

I hope you had a great Christmas.

This is so sweet!

2007-12-20T20:43:00.000-06:00

Check out this youtube video, it's very touching. I can hear Diego doing something like this.

Incredible!

2007-12-15T18:25:00.000-06:00

Project Share: Food. Love. Hope. happened today.

About all I can say is INCREDIBLE!

God... beyond incredible!

Volunteers... incredible!

Team leaders... incredible!

People who gave money toward the cost of the project... incredible!

The blessings... incredible!

Hey, Would You Pray?

2007-12-12T21:32:00.000-06:00

If you follow my blog or others from Crossroads in Adrian, MI you know that we're doing a huge outreach called Project Share: Food. Love. Hope. and it happens this Saturday, December 15.

We have 400+ volunteers ready to serve. Pray for their stamina in unloading 1600 boxes from 2 semis. Pray for the details that must be done on each box before they are re-loaded onto pick-up trucks for delivery. Pray for the safety of our drivers in traveling the roads Saturday to deliver boxes of food and personal care items.

865 people (yes, there are 65 more than a previous report on my blog states) will receive the boxes and bags of food and personal care items on Saturday. Pray they will realize that it's not only important to feed their physical hunger but that they will have a spiritual hunger that can only be satisfied by a relationship with Jesus Christ.

2 semis loaded with food and personal care items are expected to roll in at 10 a.m. They are coming from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Now, if you have been watching the national news/weather, you know that Oklahoma has been hard hit with an ice and snow storm this week causing massive power outages and a state of emergency there. Pray for the safety of the semi drivers and that our trucks arrive on time.

Pray for the Project Share team leaders - they have all worked extremely hard to make this project a successful outreach to the community. Some have already put in countless hours and are weary. Pray for health and safety for these incredible folks.

Pray that God will receive ALL the glory for what happens during this project... after all, it is His.

How Amazing Is This!

2007-12-09T18:05:00.000-06:00

On this cold, icy Sunday we took the offering for Project Share: Food. Love. Hope.

Crossroaders - you are incredible!
God used you to do an amazing thing today, you brought it! You showed the stuff you're made of - love, compassion, sharing.

Check out Scott's blog for today's total. He does tease a little so be patient and wait for it. You won't be disappointed.

800

2007-12-04T20:02:00.000-06:00

800. Why 800?

800 is the number of families we set out to help feed this Christmas time through Project Share at church.

800 is the number of boxes loaded onto each of two semi trucks due to arrive December 15 for distribution. (that's a total of 1600 boxes!)

800 seemed like an unreachable goal when we committed to the project in October.

800 was downright frightening until...

Last Friday when we received word that -
800 is the number of people who have signed up to receive those boxes, in just under 4 weeks!

God is beyond amazing. He has assembled an incredible team to put hands and feet to this task. I can hardly wait to watch Project Share unfold as Crossroaders hit the streets to share the food, demonstrate the love, and provide a means for hope in this community!

What A Kid

2007-11-29T21:25:00.000-06:00

I received a call from Diego's school this afternoon. Usually when I see the school number on the caller ID I expect to hear a frantic secretary on the other end of the line tell me Diego has run away and the police have been called. Not today.

It was the principal. She wanted to tell me about something good and honest Diego had done today. See, Diego was having some trouble in Art class and needed to go out of the room for a break. On his way back to the Art classroom, he found a $10 bill on the floor. His substitute teacher saw him pick up the bill and immediately turn to tell an adult what he had found without even the slightest movement to put the money into his pocket.

The teacher decided to put the money into the his desk and instructed Diego not to tell anyone that he had found it. If no one mentioned the money, in a few days it could be Diego's.

Not long after, one of Diego's good friends said he had lost his lunch money. Diego asked, "How much was it?"

The boy said, "Ten dollars."

So, Diego said, "I know where it is," and took his friend to the teacher to retrieve the money.

The typical 8 year old would have shoved the money into their pocket and never said a word about it. I find Diego's honesty to be refreshing and his loyalty to his friends speaks for itself. What a kid. My special kid.

Just some stuff

2007-11-29T07:05:00.000-06:00

*So, Thanksgiving was a week ago... we had dinner at my sister's house in Temperance, MI and had a good time. Anytime the sisters get together under the same roof there is just too much fun to write about.
*Friday and Saturday I spent with my sisters shopping... what happens with the sisters, stays with the sisters!
*On Sunday, the announcement came about our new Pastor of Students! Yeah! Welcome Milan and Jen Bittenbender to the Crossroads family. I am confident under this new leadership our students will experience God in a way they've never thought possible.
*We had an incredible meeting for the Project Share team leaders on Monday night. I appreciate every one who has stepped up to help reach our community through Food. Love. Hope. Only 16 days before the event, I can hardly wait to see how the community will be impacted for eternity!
*Diego was student of the week last week, even though he ran away from school on Monday afternoon and the police had to find him and bring him back.
*I am going flower shopping this morning with the bride whose wedding is 6/7/08. It's gonna be fun!
*I don't have my Christmas shopping done, it's started but no where near finished. I really don't know when I'm going to get to it either.
*At this time of year especially, I miss my parents. They are both in heaven sitting at the feet of Jesus. I am blessed to have had such incredible, Godly influences in my life through them.
That's about all the random stuff floating around in my head today.

Contributing to the Delinquency...

2007-11-21T06:31:00.001-06:00

Those who know me and who have been in my home know I have a rather large Coca-Cola collection... no Pepsi, seriously it doesn't fit into my collection. Its taste is far inferior to Coke.

This past Sunday night we invited the small group that recently launched from ours to come over for a fun night and Mexicana Thanksgiving. Through the years of doing life with this group of insane folks, I have been the recipient of various, slanderous Coca-Cola comments, empty Pepsi bottles left behind hidden in the most unusual places, and if I didn't purchase Diet Coke to drink we would, at times have had only Pepsi products to serve.

We had a wonderful time, as always. As people were leaving, one of Diego's favorite babysitters (she's just turned 13, this is where the delinquency comes in) asked if I had perhaps already found the Pepsi bottle she had placed in my living room. Now, understand that her father, who serves on the Safety team at church with me, is usually the person who leaves behind the empty Pepsi bottle. He had taught her an unthinkable act... that of strategically placing the contraband somewhere to be found at a later time by the unsuspecting, trusting Coca-Cola collector.

I had not seen, nor did I as I turned to look at that moment, the Pepsi bottle in question. I knew I would find it sooner or later and hopefully before the deposit on it was out of date.

Well, Monday arrived and I got up with my usual 6 a.m. alarm to trudge downstairs to take a shower. As I pulled back the shower curtain my still glazed eyes noticed something sitting on the shower bench... anyone care to hazzard a guess as to what I found? Tom? Michele? Hanna?

Contraband found... an empty, 2-liter Pepsi bottle staring at me, startling me, waiting for me to scream at the sight of it. I must admit I looked for a hidden camera somewhere in the shower. Thankfully, I did not find one!

Food For Thought...

2007-11-16T09:28:00.000-06:00

This blog posting about church signage is cynically, sarcastically hilarious!
Check it out.

My boys got elfed

2007-11-15T17:59:00.001-06:00

Watch my boys bust a move!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9517061652

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9514896514

And my boy with his friend... watch out Dancing With The Stars!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9517061652

Customer Service

2007-11-12T14:06:00.001-06:00

In a previous life I worked in the customer service field. I dealt with people all of the time, nice ones and mean ones.
Today I became one of the mean ones. May I just ask why it takes an act of Congress to get what I need? Seriously, when something is legally mine, why is it so ridiculously difficult to take possession of it?
I'm told by a representative of this office to come in to pick something up, it will be ready in an hour. Okay, I take their word for it and drive several miles to the office. I am met by an inept woman who has no clue what to tell me about my request. However, she did produce the folder I needed but wouldn't allow me to have it. She said someone had just left for lunch and I would have to wait for their return.
In the meantime, the inept woman carries my folder around with her like it's public property and left it on the counter.
Now, I could have been bad and picked it up and walked out the door with it without anyone even noticing it was missing. But, I was still giving the benefit of the doubt that I would walk out in possession of said folder.
An hour later, I was confronted with yet another woman, rude and distasteful as she was, and told there is no way I can have the folder, she may be able to get to it by Wednesday or Thursday, if not then, next week some time.
I told her that wasn't good enough, I needed it today before I left. Now, hold on to your ears folks, because this is exactly what she told me... ready?
"You must realize we're doing you a favor by even copying this folder and there is no way you can have it this week."
I demanded to talk to her manager - you know, the one who had left for lunch an hour and a half previously.
Then, this is good, I was escorted to a private room where I had to wait for this manager. Must be I was causing a scene in the lobby or they thought I was going to anyway.
The manager is someone I have known for some time. She was not nice to me at first, I explained the situation and demanded that she do something about getting my personal property to me. She explained her plight of being understaffed. I must had had my "Who cares" look on and she told me, "I know that's not your problem."
Okay, I could have the pages I need faxed to the office it needs to go to this afternoon and she would do that personally.
I left without the folder but with that promise. Guess what, she called to explain yet another problem that I need to attend to.
Doctor's offices can be so frustrating.