Sunday Funday!

Ready for the Caramel!

After a great morning at church, it was time for family fun time!!  The kids wanted to make caramel apples, which we have never done!  I thought it would take forever to unwrap the 50 little pieces of caramel but poof, I turned around and all my little monkeys had them all unwrapped.  Dan was in charge of the caramel on the stove since I have been voted “Most Likely to Burn Whatever is Cooking!”  The little darlings all speared their apples and waited in line by the stove, youngest to oldest. Ed was so cute and enthusiastic and told Dan he was such a “Good Boy!” and “So Nice!”  Everything went really great with no accident or injuries, which is always a challenge especially when you are dealing with apples on sticks and burning hot caramel!

Ed twirling his apple!

Then it was pumpkin carving time!  The kids picked out the design and our master carver (AKA Dan) went to work!  Everything was going along fine but then the design paper got wet with pumpkin juice and the paper started to disintegrate.  We definitely had to wing it!  I got a sharpie out and drew the rest of our helmet design and I must say, I did a pretty good job!  We got a candle and tried it out and were pleasantly surprised!

 

It's all about the []_[]!

Dan grilled an awesome dinner of steak and ribs and then it was time to try out the caramel apples.  When the directions said to put butter on the wax paper, I am thinking we should have listened versus spraying it with Pam. Mags came in chewing and chewing what ended up being wax paper!  The kids loved it and when I was trying to take a picture and get Ed to pose, he yells out, “I can’t!  KC is attacking me!” (For the apple)  Dan had to bite Annie’s to get it started for her and said they were delicious!  After dinner, we all went outside to light up our U pumpkin!  We went and got our Nole/Gator neighbors to come take a look and they were pretty impressed but probably not thrilled when they went back inside and their dog ate their loaf of bread.  When we went inside, KC ate a whole bag of steak scraps :/  All and all it was a Sunday Funday!!  

KC wanted to know where her apple was??

World Changers

It is stressful raising kids.  You worry about everything you do and everything you don’t do.  My game plan has been to saturate my kids in all things God.  I want them at church events as much as possible.  I am praying that God will make up for my lack.  Last week, they had the time of their life at a big church costume party.  I think it is awesome that our church has leaders who host such great events for our kids. I think it pleases the heart of God for kids to have fun at church! 

On the way to church costume party!

Last night, I took Bon and Bubs to Austin Adamec’s concert.  I was so incredibly blessed.  My kids had an absolute blast.  The music, testimonies and message were very powerful and my kids soaked it in.  They didn’t want to leave and begged to stay afterwards.  To see young adults, like Austin, going after their dreams, with their whole heart is truly inspiring.  It’s a shock when you realize that life and responsibility hedge you in and keep you from trying new things and taking risks.  You don’t have the liberty and freedom to launch out into new things.  Your mortgage and car payments stand in your way. I think it's so vital, while you are young, to go for it!  It makes you a more content adult and prevents a mid-life crisis.

Austin's Biggest Fans!

The concert was incredible but what really touched me was the young people in the crowd.  I saw so many young, beautiful faces, full of life and possibilities.  There is nothing like being around our young people. It gives me hope for my own kids who are blessed to have all these sold-out, radical examples to follow after.  I was always a Christian kid growing up but I never had the level of encouragement and inspiration to change the world and be used by God like this generation does.  We were entertained in youth group with lots of pizza parties.  I give people like Sean Yost so much credit for challenging youth to not settle for less than God’s very best.  He truly loves and believes in this generation of leaders, like no one I have ever known.  He truly has embraced the scripture in 1 Timothy 4:12…Let no one look down on you because you are young….  I love that about Sean.  He has never, in all the years that we have worked together, belittled or disregarded young people but has done the opposite.  He has pushed them forward in their faith, and has been a driving force in their spiritual growth.

THE host with the most!!

As kids, we think about and talk a lot about the question, “What am I going to be when I grow up?”  I say to my kids, be everything you want to be.  Don’t ever limit yourself.  Take risks, explore new things and do it while you are young! Don't be afraid to fail and never let fear stop you from trying! Trust God and follow His lead!  I am one of those parents who think my kids can change the world and will keep encouraging them to do so.  In the meantime, I will continue to immerse my kids deep into Christian environments where they are spurred on by this generation of young leaders, who I feel confident, will truly change the world!!

World Changers!

Maw Maw's Grits

My Mother totally cracked me up today and I really needed it too!  I stopped by to visit her and Eddie immediately started hassling her to whip him up some cheese grits. I said absolutely not and got a quick tongue lashing from both Ed and Maw Maw.  I was kind of thinking Ed sounds sassy, like Maw Maw and maybe he gets that from her since she took care of him for almost two years, while I worked!  She hops up and they start cooking away.  I am not sure how Mom gets him to “help” her so much without him burning himself.  It’s quite miraculous.  He pours the stuff in the burning pot and everything.  They have a system and I was so obviously getting in their way!  He did ask me a couple times when I was leaving. LOL!

Maw Maw finished the grits, puts them on a glass plate, stirs them around like crazy, and then scraps them onto a fresh cold plate to cool them down for Ed. Then he runs in on the couch and she props him up on a pillow, turns on his show and mom spoon-feeds him.  I was thinking wow, not sure I sat on the couch being fed my cheese grits at his age!  Mom acts relieved that he is eating then she fesses up that she only had white cheese that Ed doesn’t like so she dropped a couple drops of yellow food coloring in there to disguise the cheese.  I lost it and thought good grief, no wonder he is so freaking demanding! He was reaching over to get her iPhone.  I think he was planning on texting while she fed him :)

I was laughing and telling Dan about it and he said he made grits and eggs for the kids Saturday morning (while I slept in, ahhhh!) and that Ed refused them and said that he only ate Maw Maw’s grits.  Dan was so mad because he said they tasted just like Maw Maws, loaded with cheese.  I have a feeling Dan may not know about the secret ingredient, food coloring!!!  

Legacy of Love

Death is the strangest thing.  I feel like I am in a fog of unbelief that Sherry is gone from our lives.  Sure, we are all busy and working hard to make her Celebration tomorrow perfect to bring her honor, but the sadness and loss is physically painful.  I remember after my Dad suddenly died, I honestly thought I was having a heart attack.  It went on for days and I even had Dr. Mark Messinese check me out so that I wouldn’t die and make my mom’s life even more devastating.  I finally realized that it was just a broken heart.  

Death doesn’t register in our minds.  It’s not natural for a person to be here one day and gone the next.   The hard thing is that life doesn’t care that you have had a loss.  It rumbles forward and forces you to come along.  I remember getting in bed, turning on music and never being able to escape the pain.  Everyone I have talked to the last few days, says the same thing. They haven’t been sleeping and they can’t imagine life without Sherry with us.  She surely had one of the biggest impacts on our community and abroad I have ever seen.  I even got a shocked and saddened Facebook message from France today about her.

I pray that all of us will assess the way we live our lives.  Sherry reached out, embraced so freely and truly loved others.  Life beats the heck out of us, people disappoint and hurt us, we cut them off and withdraw.  That’s not the way God wants us to live.  I watched Sherry over and over again forgive and continue to embrace people or students who had been cruel to her.  May we all live and love like never before in Sherry’s honor.  May we make kindness and affection our way of life.  May we all have people saying the same types of things they are saying about Sherry, when we pass on to the other side.  May we strive to make an impact and leave a true legacy of love!  Oh yeah, and let us wear scarfs, hats and accessories that would make Sherry proud too! :)

Her Legacy Will Live Forever

School Beach Baptisms

A light of so many lives has gone out today.  Sherry Robbins is the kind of person who makes you feel so very loved, accepted and appreciated.  I have known her most of my life and remember all the special times like when she married Bruce, when Warren was born and we celebrated with a baby shower but most recently was when I got involved in BCS when Bonnie began school in K5. What an honor to work with someone of her character and vision.  I remember fighting side by side with her in prayer and in effort to restart the high school.  She wasn’t sure about being the Principal but took the reigns in the interim and made a dream come true for many. 

McCoy Winter Gathering trip at Disney

I remember finding out that she had throat cancer when we were on a trip together at Disney.  I have worked with her for years and have watched her battle so many set backs fighting cancer.  She has been a true hero and has modeled true perseverance and faith like no other person I have ever known.  She has never stopped fighting and never gave up. She even was planning on being back to work on Monday.  I've never seen a person look like she stepped out of a magazine every time I saw her!  Last week, I was joking with her about how good she made a BCS t-shirt look!!  I got sick in the spring and she was asking me how I was doing.  I told her I felt embarrassed to even complain at all with all that she was facing.  With her beautiful, enthusiastic way she told me that she didn’t complain because she didn’t feel bad and showed so much sympathy and compassion for me.  It blessed me so.  Countless times, we have grasped hands when facing something at the school and have cried out to God in prayer to intervene and do a miracle.  She is one of the most kind, hearted, positive, true examples of a Christian and I am proud to have had her as my friend.  My Annie got a bad report when she was about two that she had something called Apraxia and would never talk and may have to rely on sign language or pictures to communicate.  Sherry came to me and said she had a dream about Annie and she was talking just fine and I shouldn't worry.  I so appreciated her encouragement and she was right too! :)

Rain Forest Cafe

1st Day of the new BC High School

If you knew Sherry, no one praised the Lord with a whole heart like her.  I will always think of her in worship standing on the front row at church, shouting out praises to the Lord, and dancing unabandoned. I spent time this morning just thinking about her glorious entrance into heaven and all the loved ones who would be waiting her arrival.  She truly will have no more sorrow, no more pain, she will be whole and healthy with no more doctors, hospitals and chemo.  She will be in God’s presence where she was the happiest, shouting out praises again. She is one of those people who cannot be replaced.  She poured her heart and soul into everything and walked until she walked no more.   We love you and can’t fathom life without you but your legacy will live forever! Shout on, sweet Sherry, shout on! 

To Cancel or Not to Cancel

Yet another awesome Basketball Miracle.  I had a tough day.  I woke up to pouring down rain.  I had almost 40 little people excited about their Basketball game today after school and I hated the thought of canceling.  They all wore their uniforms to school both cheerleaders and basketball players so I started praying for God to calm the storm and bring out the sun. He answered my prayer and the sun came out and I was forced to walk the dog :)  Then around lunchtime, it storms up again and drizzled and drove me crazy.  I was at my friend’s church picking up the generator and scoreboard for the game getting soaked in the parking lot thinking, “What the heck am I doing?”  I was so tormented and wishy-washy.  I had a guest speaker and our STARS cheerleaders were cheering for the first time and I really wanted the sound system but what if it rains….I was going mad not knowing what I should do.  When you are in charge, you are the one that has to decide, right or wrong!  

On my way to the game.... :/

I almost went to email and cancel the game after lunch when dark, scary rain clouds hovered all around but then a ray of sunshine would burst through and stop me.  I couldn’t bring myself to cancel so I prayed for God to hold back the rain again and He did!  It was crazy!  By the time the game was over the sky was bright blue, and the sun was burning hot and bright!!

The best moment of the day was when Annie scored her first basket.  It was really cute.  I secretly think the boy’s let her shoot because none of them were blocking her.  She ran her little heart out and didn’t even get hurt! :)  A friend of mine picked up one of our players and brought them to the game.  He said the sweetest thing.  He said he had been praying all day that God wouldn’t let it rain and now he knows for sure that God answers prayers!!  Thank You Lord!!!

Marriage Talk

I love when I see a husband or wife compliment their spouse.  I grew up with parents who were so kind and sweet to each other.  I honestly don’t remember them saying anything hateful to each other.  They were each other’s biggest fans.  Isn’t that the way it should be??  It’s so easy to criticize and get lazy about being nice to our spouse.  I really admire Carrie and John Wyatt for how they publically share their love for each other.  You can almost feel the depth of their love by looking at their faces in their pictures together.  They inspire and motivate me! When my Dad died, my mom missed his sweet companionship so much.  I think about that all the time and try to value the time I have with Dan and enjoy every moment.  Our life is filled with constant chaos but we do our best to enjoy the journey and not take the stress out on each other.  We truly love being with each other the most!  We are BFF’s for sure!

Dan has always been so easy to live with and talks so wonderful about me. So many times, friends or office people meet me and say how much Dan brags about what a great wife and mom I am.  I am really not but I appreciate that he thinks so.  I could be a much better housekeeper and cook for sure.  Dan doesn’t seem to notice at all.  He only says good things to me and about me.  He makes me feel so loved and special.  One time a youth group kid was saying how stupid girls were and Dan became indignant and set him straight saying, “My wife is the smartest person I know!”  We still joke about that!  

I also, compliment Dan on a regular basis and look for things to commend him about.  He takes care of himself by exercising and stays in shape and also dresses really nice and has good taste.  He takes care of the cars and the lawn and keeps everything so nice.  He irons clothes like an expert and cooks like a chef.  I believe that the more I encourage him, the more he will do (and yes I am trying to get out of cooking more and more :)  I wish more spouses would make an effort to look for the good in their significant other and focus on that more.  I could go nuts with how Dan leaves his tennis shoes out after running EVERY TIME or I can keep the peace and take Joel Osteen’s advice and “just pick the stinkin’ shoes up and throw them in closet to keep the peace!”  I know it probably drives Dan crazy that I refuse to unload the dishwasher and will wait for days until he or one of the kids does it (it’s one of Bonnie and Bubba’s chores but they are so dang busy.) Now if Dan would only stop being a Facebook hater and join Facebook then we could have public expressions of love too! :)

Concession Confession

When I signed the paperwork for Bubba to play Pop Warner, I read the part about parents being required to work at a game during the season.  I cringed and have been dreading it all year.  We get emails every week with the assignments and I was hoping since Dan is gone almost every night coaching that they would cut the Wogs some slack.  Well, my number was called up for yesterday’s game.  It’s not that I mind working, it’s just two more hours that I have to figure how to manage my kids and their dinner and bedtime.  

See that line?? I was not working thank God!

Bubba had a great game with a big win and then I was supposed to report for duty.  Dan had a bad headache so he was quick to head home with 4 Wog kids and Bubs and I stayed so I could work.  I went in the kitchen area and cracked up. The girl that seemed in charge used to be one of my youth group kids.  She was so happy to see me and so sweet. She put me on the register and gave me a crash lesson on how to operate the beeping thing. I asked if she trusted me and she said trusted me with her life. Wow!  I was really nervous.  I know I have a business degree from college but I was freaked out about this dang register.  Of course, people started lining up to get snacks in between games.  I broke out in a sweat especially when the register would BEEEEEEPPPPPP and then say “Operator Error.”    Honestly, it was kind of hurting my feelings! :(  My old youth group kid would yell up to me from the back, “What did you do now?”  She would come up laughing, press a couple buttons and get the blasted thing working again. The other parent that was helping was more clueless than me.  Eventually, I got the hang of it and even started giving correct change.  I know I shafted a lot of people and made quite a bit of money for Pop Warner. LOL  Dan had given Bubba money for dinner and I kept Bubba’s change in my pocket and quickly burned through it paying for all these cute little faces coming up and ordering something and not having enough money.  It broke my heart and I couldn’t resist. So next year, I won’t be going through the year with dread about working my shift!  Maybe only the backache that I have today from leaning out that short window! I really got a strange satisfaction becoming proficient and feel confident if the need arises, I could totally get a job at a Jiffy! :) 

Annie = Olympic Champion

Annie loves the []_[]!

Last night, Dan and I were spellbound watching the Kentucky vs. Tennessee Girl’s Volleyball game.  There was a girl on Kentucky’s team that looked exactly like Annie grown up and another one that looked just like me and even wore my old volleyball number.  We of course started rooting for Kentucky because of it.  Dan started cheering for Annie and we just envisioned our baby girl killing the ball with a powerhouse spike.  

Annie???

Did I play at Kentucky?  LOL

Annie is a very unique little girl. She is very aggressive and was most proud of herself last year when she got the PE Award just like her brother!  The bad thing about her being so fearless and aggressive is she is always bruised and battered.  She seems to have no regard for safety at all.  Annie is very flexible and can move her arms and legs beyond what looks normal.  It’s always concerned me but I was taking the Ostrich approach (you know sticking your head in the sand and ignoring the problem)  I didn’t want a bad report on my baby girl so I avoided it.  


A month ago, her knee got hurt at school and we ended up getting X-rays.  My friend who is an orthopedic doctor suggested I follow up with a specialist because of her ongoing issues.  Once again, I didn’t follow up due to my fears.  The next week, my pediatrician calls me at home.  Even though I consider her a friend and was happy to hear from her, I asked, “Why are you calling me?”  I racked my brain to see if I was expecting a report or something.  She ran into my orthopedic doctor who is a friend of hers and he told her about Annie. My Doctor insisted that I take her to Nemours and find out what was going on.  She said she would get my appointment going….OK GOD, I WILL OBEY!! 

PE Award like Bubba

We went yesterday and I couldn’t sleep the night before.  I love Annie’s spunk and spirit so much that I dreaded her being limited in any way by a bad report.  They X-rayed her again and did a thorough exam of all her joints.  Praise the Lord, they said she was just fine.  They said she needs to always stay strong and keep her muscles tight and gave her some strengthen exercises to do.  I told the doctor that wouldn’t be a problem!  I asked if there were any activities to avoid and he said no!  I joked and told him good because her goal is to be an Olympic swimmer.  He laughed and said actually, she would have an advantage with her range of motion due to the way she was made.  

My Kickin' Karate Girl!

Annie loves playing on Bubs Flag Football team!

Here I am, woman of faith, thinking all my babies dreams would be dashed and she would have to give up her activities that she loves.  The doctor told her she was made to be an Olympic swimmer!  She went around all day having me tell people what she was made for….Olympic Swimming!  LOL It blessed my heart so much!  I was sorry I have waited years trying to avoid a bad report.  I could have been at peace had I been obedient.  Lord forgive me and thank you for forming my baby perfectly for her future!  #olympicteam2024

STAR-Studded Day

Today was our first STARS Basketball game.  I checked the weather and made the decision to go forward because the rain looked like it had finally moved on.  I had a great day with Annie, got a good report on her knees and joints at the doctor, picked up the team jersey’s and had a sweet lunch with my baby girl at Chick.  I picked up Ed and borrowed a generator and a digital scoreboard from a generous friend, to try and make it special for the kids.  I raced home, made a sports music playlist and headed to school to get everything else together.  My mom is out of town and I as I was driving by her house, I so wished I could drop Ed off.  I was wishing I had someone that could watch him while I figured out how to haul a bunch of stuff I had no clue how to use and that I can’t lift, out onto the court.  At that moment, I passed my sister’s truck.  The timing was nuts.  I called her and she was thrilled to have Edwardo.  I told her to get ready for a lot of chatting.  

I headed to the school and God provided help for me yet again help for me.  I ran smack into Warren who hauled the sound system to my car with help from Brianna.  I passed all the jerseys out to the boys in class and got two sweet high school boys to help unload everything at the park.  I had no clue how to set up all this stuff up and make it work and was just praying for God to help me again.  A school dad had just arrived and said he knew how to work everything.  I rushed back to school got the cooler for water and started checking off the boys for the game.  The Coaches and I took the boys to the park and my awesome parent had figured the whole thing out and we started pumping my sports mix music (which included a U2 techno mix…well just because!) It was unbelievable….rain encircled the park with dark, fluffy, scary looking clouds.  We all kept asking the Lord to blow the rain away and He answered our prayers.  The boys played hard and had fun and I was so very blessed at how God sovereignly provided for me.  So many people came to my aid and made the game possible.  I am so grateful to them and to God for making it a great day for a bunch of great kids.  It was a STAR-studded day filled with many blessings!  I am exhausted....but truly amazed at how my God always comes through for me!

Coach Sean and Edwardo

A Wog Day Off

KC still looking for the raccoon...

I so needed a 4 day weekend and have loved every minute of it!  I was so happy just to slow down, catch up around the house and hang out with the kiddos.  Today, KC hasn’t been on her best behavior at all.  You would think she would be so happy all the kids were home but I am thinking she is ticked that she can’t sleep all day or something.  She acts grouchy.  We started off the day with Annie and I taking KC for a walk.  Annie got ahead of me and that dog took off and dragged me down the block to catch up.  She was naughty the whole time, jumping up grabbing the leash and weaving all over the place.  I ran into a sweet friend who told me to bite her on the ear! LOL  Then to cap it all off, when we were close to home, a raccoon ran right across the sidewalk right in front of my Tree Walker COON Hound Dog…..OMG!  I had to squat like I was sitting almost to the ground, pulling to stop her from treeing the coon.  What was the raccoon thinking?  Did it have a death wish or what? Mom said it probably had rabies.

Kids "eating fresh!"

Then we came home and I treated the kids to Subway because Bubba LOVES to “eat fresh.”  It was the best $5 sub I have ever had,on toasted cheese bread!  Ahhh!  Of course KC stole half of Eddie’s off his plate :/  Then it was laundry time.  KC was still in her naughty mood and circled us the whole time, whining and carrying on.  Finally, she just stood in the middle of the clean clothes baskets…geez dog!  

I guess this is a laundry protest

The kids played at the park and watched School of Rock with Jack Black.  I walked in and suddenly remembered how inappropriate that movie is and was so happy that Ed was upstairs with me watching Peter Pan!  I am trying to avoid more bad notes home about things Ed does/says at school.  Somehow, I don’t think Jack Black would be a good mentor for Ed!  LOL! Later on, the kids started wrestling and thankfully no one got injured!  That pretty much equals a good day off!  Now it’s back to the Wog hamster wheel of activity and work!  So long Fall Break…I will miss you!

It's a miracle no one got hurt or none of
my china was broken....

Courageous

Wow, not sure I have ever had such a night at the movies!  Nothing is easy when you have 5 kids but I really wanted to see the movie Courageous, while it was in the theater.  We asked some friends to meet us there and were looking forward to a nice night out watching an inspirational film. I see about one movie a year and it’s usually Toy Story or Cars kid type movie so I was really looking forward to a kid-free, adult night out!  We got all our peeps situated and were pulling in the theater when I got THE call from Bonnie.  Ed threw up in his bed! :/  I dropped Dan off and raced home to clean up the mess.  Bonnie being the bomb of a firstborn, had put Ed in the tub, bathed and had him all clean and in new jammies.  I changed his sheets, Lysoled everything, put Ed back to bed and zoomed out again, dad-gum it!  I wasn’t going to miss my adult night out. 

Ivan "preachin' it" at the theater!

I got back right when the movie came on and everything was going along fine.  My sweet friend brought me my favorite candy ever, Raisinets!!  Woo Hoo!  I was enjoying myself, shedding some tears and then blackness came at the climax of the movie!  They experienced a power surge and the movie cut off (or you can say the devil did it…He really didn’t’ want us seeing this movie apparently!)  We had a whole row of on-fire Christians sitting behind us and one sounded just like my friend Pastor John Wyatt, saying Ohhhh  Yeahhhh!  I asked him his name and he said it was Ivan and indeed he knows and works with John.  A familiar looking guy, George suggested that why we wait for the movie to start, that Ivan should share his testimony, so he pops up and starts talking about how God had saved him and changed his life. Then some guy a few rows back asks if he can pray for Ivan and proceeds to lead the whole theater in a salvation prayer.  It was like the Jesus twilight zone and I was loving every minute of it!  We had revival at Regal!!  Right after the Gospel was preached and we all prayed, the movie came back on and we finished it! It is a very moving, powerful movie about men committing themselves to be Godly fathers and leaders of their home.  I told Dan he is getting the Resolution framed for Christmas!

Friends avoiding being in the Blog!
Dan ran away saying he has been in enough Wog Blogs!

The guy George looked really familiar so I asked him some questions and finally realized I saw him on TV playing keyboard with Austin Adamec on the news.  He was the worship leader at my nephew’s church in Gainesville and plays with my other nephew William Smith on a regular basis!  It truly is a small world! These young people truly inspired me and I am confident that they will change the world for Christ!   I have to say it was the best Jesus night at the movies I have ever had!  To top it off, we all got free movie passes too!!  Hope our friends aren’t afraid to go out with us again!! :)  You gotta be courageous to hang with the Wogs!! 

Family Bowling...Oh my!

Dan has been gone since August 1 with Pop Warner.  It’s been really fun but the girls really miss seeing him because he gets home late at night when they are asleep.  Mags said last week that we needed to have a family day.  It blessed me that she still wants to hang out with the family so I made a mental note to talk to Dan and make some plans.  Today, the kids had a day off from school and Dan came home early.  We decided to surprise them and take them bowling.  I gathered up socks and loaded them all in the car.  They kept trying to guess where we were going.  Bubba decided St Augustine, and the girls thought Rita’s.  We passed Rita’s and I casually asked Dan what time the Mission House closed.  They freaked out and decided we were going there to work with the homeless and Maggie burst into tears, saying she was scared.  Dear Lord…so much for a fun, family day!  I tried to calm her down and then Dan drives by the Mission House behind the Bowling Alley and all the kids start freaking out…then Dan starts lecturing them about how they need to serve and work with the less fortunate.

Finally, we pulled into the bowling alley and everyone was relieved and excited. We got our shoes (wow prices have gone us since I was young, especially times 7), picked out our balls and entered our names in on our high-tech lanes.  I am pretty sure Eddie took a couple hits of sugar and was running around in circles and scaring the daylights out of us.  I think he secretly was trying to get his hand sucked into the ball return.  I had really perfect bowling form and was a little shocked at the way my children bowled.  I immediately started giving them lessons how to be “graceful.”  (I figure whether you are good or bad, it’s a good idea to look good! LOL)  I was trying to document this experience taking pictures, since it was Annie’s and Eddie’s first time bowling, plus keep Ed from running down to the pins.  It was as chaotic as you are probably imagining with many near death experiences of whacking children in the head with bowling balls.

I was so not paying attention to the actual scores.  The kids were cracking me up with their mouths hanging open when I would strike or spare!  Bonnie asked is this what I do all day!   (I said, yes, I drop you off at school and spend the day bowling, LOL)  I liked the feeling of impressing my kids…it’s a rare thing for sure! Not sure if Annie was doing it on purpose or not but two times she hit the bumpers and knocked them down and got her ball stuck.  The bowling alley guy was so nice and would come save us.  I apologized profusely and he said no problem that he needed the work out!  Eddie was completely out of control and Dan and I both watching him, were having trouble keeping him from injury.  He was psychotic over his ball.  Annie liked using it and he would scream at her across the bowling alley exhibiting MAJOR Anger management issues.  Then he crossed the line….He yelled that I was an “idiot” across the whole bowling alley and I was forced to take him outside for some discipline.  The workers behind the counter were cracking up.  What a pistol he is.   

The boy table LOL!

The kids finally pointed out that I was winning and BEATING DAD!  I was pretty excited!! Dan is the worse loser of all time!  I started cat calling him and chanting “Gutter Ball, Gutter Ball…” (Which was pointless, because they had the bumpers out!)  I really think he choked and I got a strike and won the game!  I forgot what it was like to win!  I really liked it!  I didn’t gloat as nearly as much as I wanted to (You know besides screaming at the top of my lungs in the bowling alley!) In case you were wondering, no one was there but us there until the very end :)  Otherwise, they would have kicked out the Wogs for sure!!  Can you say bowling chaos?

Apple

I, along with the world, was very saddened by the news of Steve Jobs' death.  The last two days, I have read several news pieces about him and his life.  On Facebook, I have read many of his quotes and have been truly inspired by him.  It’s quite amazing to think of life without Apple products.  My sweet Dan bought me a SIGNED U2 iPod for my birthday years ago when it came out and it blessed me so much.  I have used a Mac computer for over four years and an iPhone for almost two years.  I am a huge fan of all things Apple.  Can you imagine life without an iPod?  I bet Eddie can’t imagine his life without MY iPhone :)

Never seen a kid navigate
on an iPhone like Ed

I honestly didn’t know much about Apple’s founder and hadn’t kept up with his struggle with cancer.  Two things have stuck in my mind all day.  The first thing is the fact that even with Apple having a value of over $200 billion dollars and Steve having every available resource in medical care at his fingers tips, he could not save his own life.  How frustrating must it have been for him, to have literally created an empire and truly changed the world and not be able to figure out a solution in your own body?  That reminds me of the importance of being right with God whether you are rich or poor.  God holds the keys to life and death and no amount of money can change the will of God.  It’s a humbling thought. 

I have also been thinking about his four children a lot.  He was a few years younger than my Dad, who also left four kids behind.  I always tried to comfort myself with the fact that Dad did so much good in a short time, that even though his days were cut short on earth, his impact was huge.  That obviously is the same story for Steve Jobs.  Wow, can you imagine what he could have accomplished with another 30 years or so…mind blowing.  I read a great article today that talked about the circumstances surrounding his adoption.  I bet his biological mother is so happy she didn’t abort this genius, who transformed society forever. What a lose that would be. (I am so not judging people who have had abortions.  This isn’t a political rant, I swear.  I have personally watched the results of dear friends who have had abortions and live with the guilt and regret everyday.  My heart breaks for them.  I know they would make a different decision if they had to do it all over again.  I just wonder about all the world-changers that never had a chance to transform our lives.) May God bring great comfort to Steve Jobs' family, friends and co-workers and may his legacy continue in the Apple world.

Jarboe Park

I have to say I am not a fan of Jarboe Park.  I grew up playing there as a kid.  I am shocked that my mom would let me ride there at Bonnie’s age and play with my friends.  I know it was a different time when the world was not so scary.  The reason I'm not a fan, is having 5 kids.  Who puts all that water around a park?  I spent half my childhood “falling” in.  When I attended BCS, we had daily “slips” in the water especially by that bridge area.  I have had YEARS of near panic attacks at that park with my own kids.  Bonnie would love to hang out in the butterfly garden.  Bubba just wanted to play ball on the court, Mags would be swinging her heart out and Annie would of course climb to the VERY top of that dome and scare the heck out of me.  I have avoided it for most of Eddie’s life, thank the Lord. 

I am pretty sure a person with no children designed Jarboe Park. What’s up with the REALLY deep ditches on the sides and no fences or gate to keep our little people in there, right near the main road. No doubt, it is very beautiful but had I designed it, it would NOT have those 6 foot drop offs to death on the climbing areas and I would have gates and fences everywhere! (Especially around the water) I know most normal people have one or two kids to watch but I am always stressed to the max taking all my little peeps there.

Today, Mags met a friend over there to play.  I thought it would be a typical day at the park, hawking after my kids so they wouldn’t get abducted, bitten by a duck or try to swim across to the Butterfly garden.  I was wrong.  I talked to some sweet people that I just met and don’t know very well at all.  They ended up encouraging me spiritually and I left feeling so blessed. It was as though God himself was giving me a pep talk. I know it must have been a gift from God. I guess I need to repent for my bad Jarboe Park attitude.  God can speak to you anywhere, if you have ears to hear.