January 20, 2009 at 5:16 pm (Uncategorized)
I know I haven’t been on here in a while. After I came back from the trip, I had a week at home and then was off again to PSYM. I was supposed to have Internet access in my hotel room, but it was not working , so I was not able to log on. Also, I have had nothing to blog about. I did promise a blog on Mg as his birthday was earlier this month. Instead of trying to explain how amazing he is I had him do a small video in which he talks about his birthday and tries to tell a few jokes
January 8, 2009 at 11:03 am (church)
Tags: disney, travel, youth
So, I am still alive. I survived the trip and had a pretty good time. It was super busy there so much so that on New Years Eve the Magic Kingdom reached capacity and they wouldn’t let anyone else in.
The First Day of Travel
We left on Monday the 29th around 8:00 am. We actually go off pretty much on time. We got about an hour down the road when one of the youth threw up with no notice at all. We stopped the vans got out and cleaned everyone up. Even a police officer stopped to check on us. The girl who threw up assured us she was fine. We moved her to a seat closer to the front and pressed on. The rest of the day went pretty well. Besides the throw up event we only made three more stops before we made it to Pensacola. I think that is pretty good for 17 people.
Pensacola
I haven’t been to Pensacola in years, so I had no idea what hotels/motels were decent in that town. I looked on line and tried to find one that was a decent price, close to the interstate, and didn’t look to bad. I picked one. The youth freaked out a little. Truthfully it wasn’t that bad. The beds weren’t very comfortable and the place could have been a little cleaner, and it did smell like curry due to the Indian restaurant in it, and the apple juice at the breakfast bar did taste like beer, and there was some creepy guy roaming the halls rubbing our guy’s room door, but still it wasn’t that bad.
We made it out alive with on more youth getting sick in the middle of the night. She threw up once that night and once in the morning, and she didn’t feel well the rest of the day, but she always gets sick on trips.
The Second Day of Travel
The second day of travel went well for most of it. We made good time and only made a couple of stops. We were due to make our condos before 4:00pm until we hit a huge traffic jam. On the turnpike, I guess there was an accident of some sort, somewhere ahead. We were stopped for two hours. We got bored, so we got out of the vans and played around on the side of the road. The boys got out their instruments and played for everyone. Some of the girls really had to pee so they tried to go into the woods but chickened out. Some other people in the same traffic jam did not have problems peeing in front of everyone. Some guy even walked by our van turned his back and let it go.
We finally started moving, got to the condos, ate a really late dinner, watched the boys shave shapes into their leg hair, and then went to bed.
First Day of Disney World
We decided on the first day to hit the Magic Kingdom. This was evidently a mistake. We found out that New Year’s Eve is the busiest day of the year for Disney World. The Magic Kingdom was crowed by the time we got there, but not horrible. Tark, three youth, another man named Dan, and I went to ride the Haunted Mansion first. I don’t’ know why it was just on the way to other rides we wanted to ride. The line took about 25 minutes which isn’t too bad. We enjoyed the ride and decided to hit Splash Mountain next. That line took about 50 minutes but still not too bad. Everyone really liked this ride. By this time it was about time to meet for lunch. Dan said he would go to the van and get the sandwiches. He rushed ahead. The rest of us in our small group slowly made our way to the front. This was hard as a Christmas parade was making its way down Main Street U.S.A. We kind of joined the parade and followed it to the front. Once there we found Dan waiting for us with no sandwiches. He informed us that if he was to leave the Magic Kingdom, he could not get back in due to the park reaching capacity. The rest of our youth group walked up and said they were miserable as they couldn’t find any rides and hated all the people. I was a little angry at their lack of enthusiasm as it is not that hard to find rides if you have a map, and Disney World will always be crowed. Some of our group wanted to go back to the condo and play around. I said we came to go to Disney World and that is what we will do. We decided to go to the van, eat our sandwiches and then go to Epcot, which was still open.
Epcot was crowed as well, but not as bad. There were two rides at Epcot most people wanted to ride. Soarin’, and Test Track. There was a big sign listing wait times. Soarin’ had a wait time listed at 280 minutes. We decided against that. Test Track’s wait time was listed at 70 minutes, much more manageable. At 2:15pm, we entered into the test track line. This line went outside of where the line normally enters. By the time we got to where the line enters the wait time said 180 minutes. We thought hopefully it was for the back of the line and not where we were. Two and half hours later we were still in line. Some of our group gave up, but the rest of us didn’t want to throw away the two and half hours we had just spent. Finally after three hours and thirty minutes we made it to the front of the line. The filtered us into some room. In this room there was some kind of cheesy orientation video. After this video the doors opened up to more lines. Yikes! Fortunately these lines moved quickly and we got on the ride. It was a neat ride, but probably not worth the 4 hour wait. We then went on the Nemo ride which was a very quick wait and kind of a cute ride. We then watched some fireworks, got some free hats and horns and went back to the condo for dinner and bed.
-Bonus fact of Day 1-I was flashed. Yep, I saw a man’s stuff. What a way to spend a day in the Magic Kingdom
Day 2 of Disney World
Day two was much less hectic. We went to Hollywood Studios. It was not as crowed and we got on several rides with very little wait. The youth rode the Rock and Roll Roller coaster several times. I could not ride it as it goes upside down and that makes me very dizzy. They also rode the Tower of Terror and put one very scared youth on it who cried the whole time.
Tark and I ate in the park that day and were very surprised at how affordable the food was. In the late afternoon, we went back to the Magic Kingdom and everyone had a much better time. Tark and I rode Pirates of the Caribbean, The Great Stitch escape, and The Carousel of Progress.
-Bonus fact of Day 2-The Carousel of Progress freaked me out as I am scared of those robot/human things
Day 3 of Disney World
The last day was spent in Animal Kingdom and this was everyone’s favorite park. We rode the Safari, The River Rapids (several times), Dinosaur, It’s tough to be a Bug, and Expedition Everest. I am not a big roller coaster person, but for some reason I got talked into going on Everest. It scared the begeesus out of me, but I loved it. I would have rode it again but the line was super long. Tark even bought me a T-shirt to remember the event as he was surprised I went on it.
Bonus fact of Day 3-We got to see a Rhino drag his own poo across the road right in front of our vehicle on the safari. It took the Rhino like 8 minutes.
The ride back home wasn’t too bad; we stayed in Hattiesburg at a much nicer Hotel. One youth did get sick the second day of travel and the poor thing threw up all the way home and then some. She is better now though. We also stopped for a beach break on the way back. It was cold, but nice.
I have been exhausted and spending time with my kiddos and dog. I missed poor Mg’ birthday, but we took him to Dairy Queen on Monday and Tark’s parents are coming down this weekend to celebrate. My mom also took him out on his birthday and bought him a present. When my wits are about me again, I will put up a post on the awesomeness that is Mg.
December 27, 2008 at 8:52 am (Uncategorized)
So Christmas came and went. We had a good one. Christmas eve services went well. Mg was a shepherd in the play. He really wanted to be a shepherd so that worked out. When they handed out parts Mg asked which shepherd he was. The lady giving out the parts thought quick and told him he was Larry the shepherd. He was very pleased with that.
We opened presents Christmas morning. Mg got a remote control helicopter, a video camera (a cheap iflip), and some pixo sets from santa. He also got a video game chair from Nana. Westers got a Thomas train set (his favorite by far), a Cars tool kit toy thing, and some blocks from santa. He also got a Cars and a Wall E bean bag chair from Nana.
Tark ended up getting two DVDs, some socks, and his favorite candy. I got this…
It looks better in person, but isn’t it a cool gift? Some people in our church had made one kind of like it for our children’s ministry area, and I said it was really nice. So, Tark had them make me one for Christmas.
So our Christmas was rather simple, we didn’t spend too much money this year. Which is good as I am a youth director and Tark works for a company in which job security doesn’t exists.
Now it is time for Disney World. We are taking a dozen or so youth and 2 other adults besides Tark and I. We are leaving early Monday morning. My mom is coming today to take care of the boys. I really should have packed last night, but I didn’t , so I have to pack tonight as Sunday we have to go pick up the vans and then we have youth on Sunday night. So this will probably be my last post before we leave. When we get there I will post the link to the youth’s video blog is that actually happens.
For the new year, we are going to try to do several things. First we are pledging to not eat out at all except for special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries and in case someone comes and see us. Next, we will eat no fast food at all. This includes getting pizza. (That 0ne will be hard). Also, we are not going to spend money on anything that is not absolutely necessary. Tark and I have enough clothes, so unless something crazy happens such as our clothes do not fit at all, we will buy only what we need to get by and that is it. We will buy the boys clothes as needed, but will do so at consignment stores, goodwill, etc (we already do this mostly , so not a big deal). So I guess we are going to be cheapies this year, but we really feel we spend too much money on things that we really do not need. I don’t know how this will go, but I will get everyone posted weekly. Yes, I know you are on the edge of your seat.
Of course all this starts after Disney World. Though, we are only spending cash that we are taking and that we got for Christmas. We will be back on January 4th.
Happy New Year!
December 23, 2008 at 10:28 am (Uncategorized)
We did a fun Christmas thing last night. Tark and I took the boys to this place where they have small train rides through Christmas displays. It is nothing really big, just something a family and their friends put on each year. It is impressive what they do just on their land. I forgot my camera, darn it, but I will show you what it looks like by using pictures of the place.
Westers loved it! He was so excited to get on the little train. At one point they take you through Santa’s workshop and you stop and Santa comes and says hi to everyone. Westers kept saying, “ho, ho, ho!” all through the trip. Mg really liked the live nativity scene, though Westers wasn’t too impressed. He did like the donkey though.
After the trip they give you hot chocolate. They even make the kids hot chocolate just a little cooler than the adults. Everything is free, there aren’t even any donation buckets. It is very neat. They do ask that you do something nice for someone else this year, kind of a pay it forward thing. So I will make sure I do that, though I hope I would do that without having a free train ride. It is a nice thought though.
Christmas Eve is tomorrow! It is my favorite day of the year. The boys and I are home together. So we are going to sleep in a little (hopefully), make cookies, and watch Christmas movies. Tomorrow night, we have two Christmas Eve services. The first one Mg gets to be in the Christmas pageant. The second one Tark and I get to play hand bells. Then we are going to come home, eat lasagna, play a few games, and try to get the kids to bed.
I can’t wait until the kids open up their presents on Christmas morning. They are really great gift getters. They get very excited. I am not a good gift getter; I never know what to say.
My mom is coming down Saturday and then Tark, the youth group, and I are heading to Disney World on Monday. I hope it is going to be a great time.
Everyone have a Merry Christmas!
December 18, 2008 at 4:24 pm (Uncategorized)
I was leading youth bible study last night when out of the blue one of the youth asked me if I had every tried drugs. I told him no, that I had never even really seen drugs in real life. Someone asked if I haven’t even seen Marijuana. I told them no, and there was a short talk about drugs. I tried to go back to what we were doing which was reading a verse from the bible. I think it was John 8:6 or 6:8 or something like that. What I tried to say was John 6:8, but what came out evidently was Marijuana 6:8. I didn’t even notice I said it until my lovely husband pointed it out.
That pretty much did me in, and I am sure I won’t be able to live that down for a while.
December 17, 2008 at 3:25 pm (Uncategorized)
Okay, got my hair cut and I am posting some bad pics of myself so you can see it.
I ended up getting it done by one of my youth’s moms. This was a risk, because if it was a bad haircut that could really hurt parent/youth leader relations, but I was feeling daring today.
So she asked me what I wanted done, and I told her I wanted it about chin length with some layering. She told me she thought it would look better longer with layers. I said ok. She also said if I didn’t like it, I could come back next week and she would cut it shorter for free.
So here it is, and yes I am a dork who is holding her iphone taking pictures in the church bathroom
I think I like it, it is different then I have had. She also told me it will curl better if I put product in it so I don’t always have to straighten it. I might try that later and let you see the results. So beware of more pics of me on this blog. Ack!
December 16, 2008 at 10:38 am (Uncategorized)
Tags: hair, holidays, life
Okay this is a random, maybe a little whiny post. It is very cold and wet here. I really think if it should be this cold and wet then it should be cold and wet enough for me stay home snuggling my kids, drinking hot chocolate and watching Christmas movies. Instead I am at work, they are at school/pre-school, and it is still cold and wet.
I have one of those throat things where I don’t feel really bad, but I barely have a voice and I cough a lot. It’s not too bad, but I have had two kids so if I have to cough really hard I have to run to the bathroom or face the alternative.
I’m at work, which is usually a good thing. I like work, but it is kind of boring this week as I have everything planned and ready and not much going on the next two weeks due to the holidays. I mean we are going to Disney World, but that is all ready to go.
Speaking of the Disney World trip, I think the youth are going to do a daily video blog while we are out there. I am working on getting the parents OK, but so far it looks like it is on. So if you are interested in that, I will post a link on this blog before we leave so you know where to look. Hey, 15 youth, 4 adults (well two are adults, 2 are men who are technically adults but can be like having two extra youth with you), two vans, two condos, it should be interesting.
I really, really need to get my hair cut. It is to the middle of my back when it is dry and straighten out now. Just above that when it is frizzy and kinky like it usually is because it takes way to long to dry and straighten it out. So, I really want to get it cut, but I have no idea what to do. Should I keep is longish and just put some layers in to tame it, or should I go back to the just below the chin bob, or something else? If you know me and have seen me and have input, please let me know. My hair hasn’t been cut since I moved to where I am now which means it has been about a year. I have also a little burnt part on the side due to my old curling iron going out and having one last, very hot stand with my hair. It burnt off a small piece, which isn’t really noticeable, but you can feel it when you touch it and probably see it a little if you know where to look.
Christmas is almost here. I have almost all the presents ready to go, just two more things to buy and I am done. I plan to do that this week. The holiday starts for us this weekend. The boys get to open presents Friday night and Saturday. They are very excited. They only get three presents on Christmas morning, but they get plenty more from others in the family so that don’t seem to mind the three present rule. I suppose I really need to buy one more thing for Tark, but I have no idea what to get him. I bought him a couple of shirts which he has already discovered and worn. So I would like him to have something to open on Christmas morning. Any ideas on what to get a dorky 31 year old man that doesn’t cost too much?
December 12, 2008 at 11:02 am (Uncategorized)
This video is a child from my church. He is a really neat, funny kid. It is hard to teach sunday school or do children’s time with him because he knows so much, he can pretty much take over. Anyway he learned the Christmas story from Luke so his parents taped him doing it. He receits the story and then just goes off and does what he does best which is being a ham.
If this sort of things annoys you then just ignore this post.
December 9, 2008 at 11:11 am (Uncategorized)
So I actually got ahead of the game and wrapped some presents last night. I even got the boys’ presents ready to go. They are hidden, but they are still ready to go. I will not be up all hours of the night Christmas eve getting things wrapped and put together. I mean I like staying up a little late and putting a few things together or laughing at Tark as he tries to put things together, but at about 2 a.m. it stops being funny.
We have finalized our Christmas traveling schedule. This is the first year we had to have one as we never really lived that far from family. We are going to Tark’s family on the night of the 19th. Then we are going to wake up the next day eat breakfast with them, and then go visit my family for lunch. We will then travel back home for church the next day. Not a lot of time for visiting but at least it is some.
On another note, I can’t believe it has almost been a year since I have started this job I have. This time last year I was packing things up and wondering how the heck we were going to find a house to rent in this small town. I also wondered how the heck we were gong to be able to move on Dec 26th. I also marveled at how everything worked out so perfectly so we could move here. Tark’s job ended but he received a good severance and got several weeks off while he was still being paid. We found a house that was very cheap and livable for the first few months by chance. It just seemed meant to be. Now that, no telling what will happen in the next few days!
Yesterday, Mg informed me that he knew Santa brought some presents early to our house. I asked him why he thought that, and he told me that Santa had a lot to do and liked to get things done early. Where did he come up with that?
Westers has figured out if he is sick, he gets to go home with me. I swear that kid can even raise and lower his temperature. Yesterday at daycare he had over a 100 degree temp and said he was sick. I got him home and he said he felt better and wanted to go outside. He had no fever. I told him we could go back to school and he went back to sniffling and saying he was sick.
December 8, 2008 at 10:50 am (God)
Tags: advent, christmas
Imagine a girl who has just given birth. She looks at her new baby and feels not just the normal bond of a mother and child. She feels not just the love for a child she felt growing inside of her for over nine months, but she feels something more. When she looks at the newborn in front of her something inside of her is stirred. She knows that this little child is not only a son she will raise, but the one who created her
Imagine a young man, newly married. He looks upon his new young family with pride and joy. But he feels something more as well. He feels peace and comfort, knowing what the angel told him is true. He knows that even though he is an imperfect human, he had this time listen to the word of God, and this time he got to be apart of something truly perfect.
Imagine a shepherd, out in fields on a cold, starry night. You are watching your sheep having a normal “day” on the job. Then something special happens. You are told where to go, and you hurriedly make your way. You finally reach your destination and find a young couple and a small helpless baby. You see that this baby is born into circumstances not above you. You immediately worship this small child. You realize this child may be on your social level, but you are not His equal.
Imagine yourself before this child. You know this baby is God in the flesh. He is the one who is all powerful, yet he has chosen to come down as a helpless infant. He is the Alpha and the Omega, yet he has chosen to come into a world full of pain, sorrow, and finalities. He is the creator of all things, yet he has chosen to come to a family who has nothing. He is Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us. What do you do before this new born king?
Christmas is coming. You are decorating your house, getting the gifts, and planning the menu. Don’t forget to get yourself ready as well.
Have a blessed Advent season, and a wonderful Christmas!
