I can't begin to describe what my life, our life, has felt like lately. It has been a flurry of activity yet it hasn't seemed like work. It has been a blur yet it seems to have impacted us in so many ways. We are constantly changing, constantly finding something new to work on, constantly having some new "lightbulb" moment that instantly changes us. God has been working in our lives like I could never have imagined before last October.

Today can be chalked up to being a great day. We got up, got ready for church, laid out our Carribean pre-wedding party clothes, went to church, had a great service. Pastor Kevin imparts such wisdom that I find I am taking pages upon pages of notes...the only other place that has ever happened was when I was in Kansas City (or listening to their services via streaming video). After service we scooted home to get into our party gear and had a spectacular time at Kham & Darla's party. I am so happy for them!

Pastor Kevin was speaking to us about faith and of how faith is expectation. He said that many people, believe it or not, are suffering from a lack of faith because it hasn't been taught in its completion, for the most part. Most people in churches believe more in the powers of demons and in witchcraft than they do in the power of God; I have found, with some of the people I have talked to, that this is, for the most part true. They seem to have a big devil and a little God. They give the devil all this power and all this glory for all the things that go on in their lives and focus on the problem (they look for people to validate their feelings and support their problems) when all they really need to do is focus on the solution...God.

Being faithful doesn't just mean you go to church every day and eventually become the little old lady or man who has never missed a Sunday (that just makes you a regular attender). Just by going to church every Sunday doesn't give you the right, even, to the blessings-you've got to have faith! Taking up space in the church doesn't give you an automatic in...you don't win by default. We will not advance in the kingdom of God, in our walk with God unless we have faith!

A good question was brought to our attention: How does one meet with God and remain unchanged? I hear so many people say that God moved so powerfully in their service but not a single person came out of it unchanged. I have been in services where people have said that and I know nobody changed...they left and lived their same old lives, same old problems, same old habits, same old complaints. If God were to truly come down would the effects not be drastic? Would they not be noteworthy changes? Perhaps the answer then is that they truly haven't met with God-not really. I don't doubt that they believe they did but it goes back to the question at the beginning of this paragraph.

There is much more to this topic of faith for me to learn. This was just one sermon on it. I think he got through 2 pages of 12 pages of notes... I have never been taught on faith before and so it is helping me to just think this through here...

I can't wait for the next lesson!

Sure signs your babies are growing up...

1. Jayda and me were talking about cleaning supplies the other day... (granted her grammar needs some work)

2. Daddy could you pass me the dead cow? I really LOVE dead cow now! (from the 5 year old)

3. He wants to be a gangster when he grows up. (from the 7 year old)

4. Pardon me but could I be extused (excused) from the table for a minute? (from the 5 year old)

Ah, but at least the glimmers of wisdom and aging didn't last too long. They are now fighting over who has more books and if the picture of Moses on the one book is Moses or Jesus and they are rejoicing over finding Superman, Strawberry Shortcake, The Tawny Scrawny Lion and thinking that they are not strong enough to carry all the books they have in their piles...I've got my babies back-for a season.

Fianlly!!!! 8P

I just finished checking my emails and sorting through all the junk mail...my spam "screener" was full so I ended up with a lot of garbage in my account today...I came across a happy email, a surprising email, a jump for joy email.

You see Rush & I have gone years without getting so much as a cent from her biological father. We got Maintenance involved to help us but even they can't get blood from a stone and he managed to keep himself safe working under the table, putting all his assets in his mom's name (or maybe he just really has nothing), etc.

Back in May I got a letter from Maintenance saying that they had discovered he had a job and they were garnishing his wages effective immediately at $300/month until he got caught up. I was pretty excited. The checks never came, never came and still never came. I shot an email off to my worker who replied back with the explanation that his employer had just submitted the forms and that they were still in the process of figuring out if it would be one check or two per month...the check still never came, still never came...

I was beginning to think that he had taken another easy road out and had quit his job to avoid being garnished. In a last attempt to ease my mind about the situation, I sent an email to my worker last night and got an email back from her stating that a check had been sent (including back pay from May) and I should be getting a check from them within the next few days...

...for $900!!! I should also be able to expect regular monthly checks since he is being garnished!!! "If God is for me, who can be against me?" I just had to bide my time and let God take care of it.

Let the happy dance begin.

What was I thinking!?!

We began our Family Camp on Wednesday and that included people going on adventures on the 3 seater tube that the church purchased. Rush said it was the funnest, most scariest thing she had ever done (her words...school is out). I, on the other hand, chose life and did not want to go on it especially since I don't swim at all and have a paralyzing fear of water any deeper than my hips.

Yesterday they convinced me to go on the tube...well, Char did! She went with me and BigB said he would take it easy on us.

He lied!!!

(Not intentionally but still...)

Another boat came along and decided to "help" us out and began creating some nice waves for us. (By nice I mean incredibly evil, horrible, life threatening waves.)

Char fell off which left our tube unbalanced as we (meaning me) bounced over these waves. The moment the tube hit the water it was being thrown through the air again which means I hadn't even gotten my butt back on the tube and we were once again airbourn! I hung on for dear life but, alas, it was of no use.

I hit the tube for a brief moment with my butt before I was hurled through the air backwards over the tube. I was told by everyone who saw that I was thrown apporximately 10 feet into the air (get this picture) while doing my backwards sommersault. When I hit the water (which hurt a lot by the way) I went under so far that BigB said I probably could have stretched out my toe and touched the bottom of the lake ( I think we were only about 8-10 feet deep at that point.); when I opened my eyes, still under water, all I saw was greeny murkiness and I thought I was going to die. Yes, I had a life jacket on but I am so petrified of the water that I figure that my life jacket will be the one be faulty in some manner.

I eventually (sooner than it felt to me) got back to the surface and lay there bobbing in the water, panicking, thinking I was going to die and waited for the boat to come back to get me...Oh happy day!

Believe it or not they managed to get me back on a second time which was uneventful...minus the tears and screaming...LOL!

Here are a few shots. Unfortunately we didn't get the mid-air shot...you'll have to use your imagination on that one.

Uh, yeah. I am so brave; we hadn't even left the shore yet...lol

This was a genuine scream, unlike the joking one from above where we hadn't even left the shore...

Yo Ho Ho, a sailor's life for me.

Our church bought this boat so we could go out and have some fun. We work hard all week long, every week so we also want to play hard when we get to play. We also thought it would be great since we have a lot of single moms, to give them and their kids a chance to do something that they may not be able to do otherwise. Primarily though, we bought it for us all to have some fun...There will be other posts of how much fun it was while tubing...complete with pictures.The captain and his first mate.

Jellybean and Yoshi took a ride with BigB and Pastor Rob.

I think he may be too cute for words...

Canada Day 2008

This year Canada Day found us sticking around home. We had a quick visit with P.B. & J, met their new addition (Cash) and visited with Riss and Baby. The evening found me and some of my girls sitting around the table planning a pre-wedding service to happen at our church since the wedding is in Ontario. We got the kids in the pj's and headed down to the river to watch the fireworks where we ran into our friends the Capay's. I think a good time was had by all.

Goofish and her friend/sistah, Goofda

All I wanted was a smile, just a smile!

The family shot.

P.B. & J with Cash and Jellybean & Bug.

I couldn't believe I pulled off that shot!