Spring Break

Today is the first day of spring break! And boy I think I need it!!! I have lots to do this first day... I want to catch up on a little cleaning...but it was important to start the day slow too...and so I did!!!
This weekend we picked up a used car for Steve... we didn't want to start payments on another car.. but seemed we had no choice... Steve found a car that he really loves... it doesn't look or smell or run like it is an '04 and our payments fit where we needed them too.. so we are happy about that!
This week I hope we are able to get the pool drained and cleaned out.. but with the recent rain I might have to postpone that thought... I would hate to watch my pool float up! LOL
Ashley will be starting a new job next week.. I am so excited that she got out of the Nanny job she was in... she wasn't getting paid enough to survive.. and she wasn't being treated very professional.... so this new job will be good! Andy should be starting a job at Bestbuy very soon.. he finished his three interviews.. and is waiting now on word of orientation and the computer test... he is excited!
Worship at Fairview continues to be amazing! We have been bringing some new songs in and even finding new lead vocals that add to our amazing team. Steve continues to write awesome songs... and even got a chance to get back in the studio recently which is something that we hope he gets to do more of in the very near future... he has some awesome worship songs that would really bless other churches as well... God has really blessed his writings over the past few years!
Well... I guess I have started the morning slow enough... I guess I should begin the work before me...and then perhaps I can enjoy family and friends in my clean house the rest of the week!!!

Middle of the week.....

Well here it is Wednesday and I am at home... after a holiday on Monday... Andy came home around 3pm and has been in bed ever since....so Steve and I have been making sure that he was waking up and drinking some coke and taking meds ever so often.. I think he is about over the fever.. we shall see!!!
Ashley is enrolled in school again.. that is exciting.. and today she started getting her books.. we know that she can do an awesome job and hope distractions won't get in the way of that this semester!
Steve is still raising the final money for his trip to Cuba... hard to believe that he will be heading off on that adventure soon... I know that God is just waiting to use him in a mighty way there!! Can't wait to hear the stories.
I am preparing for my yearly trip to Austin.. I thought I only was making three presentaitons this year.. but I think another one may be added for a preconference event... we shall see... I love to share ideas and network with teachers there...
I can't seem to get rid of a headache today.. hope I didn't pick up some of the flu bug germs... we have many kids out at school and teachers too that are having to take their own kids home... I think the flu or something has finally hit our area!
I guess I should be doing laundry today since I am home anyway.. but haven't got that motivated to do so yet.... so I guess I will just lay low until time for rehearsals tonight!

Monday night....

Well... I had a restful day today... woke up in the wee hours of the morning with headache... and kept having to take meds to get rid of it as the morning started... so I just kinda layed low today.. but that is ok... it was a nice restful day of nothing.. my laundry and cleaning had already been done so all was good!!!
Steve came home to work on his brakes mid morning and for lunch he fixed me a big breakfast of eggs, bacon and pancakes...sure was good!!!!
Tomorrow we will head back to work and school... TV stations will be on all around my school watching the inauguration! It will be an historic event... not one that I voted for.. but a big step in our history...
Worship was awesome yesterday... my heart just keeps playing the songs over and over... it was a great day! We have an amazing band and the praise teams harmonies were awesome!!! Steve was awesome at leading us to the throne! God is good! All the time! What a blessing it has been to be serving at Fairview again!
I am ready for some really cold and snow... or for spring to hit and the sun to shine... this back and forth weather is crazy..but welcome to Texas right... LOL
Steve spent several hours again on Sunday night for training for his trip to Cuba... that will be coming up very soon... we are still working on gathering the funds and preparing for the trip.. but God continues to bless in so many ways!!! It will be a little nerve racking as he is leaving... because I will be coming in from Austin and prob won't get to see him for two weeks...so that will be crazy!!! I am still working on how to be in Dallas when he is... we shall see!
Ok.. that is all for now... back to resting before the week begins for real tomorrow!

Trans Siberian Orchestra

Well.. Fairview gave us an awesome gift... one that we have wanted to get before....but time and money never allowed it... they gave us tickets to go see Trans Siberian Orchestra at the American Airlines Center... it was pretty awesome!!! http://www.trans-siberian.com/intro.html
We had good seats.. Platinum parking and seating... but I think next time and yes there needs to be a next time... and Andy for sure needs to go.. he would absolutely love it... next time I would sit straight on to the stage so that I can take in every blast of light and flame that hits!!!!
It was awesome.. we had fun... we went with Simon and Heather and Jeremy and Sarah... afterwards we walked to West End and ate at Fridays... thank goodness Saturday was a warm day.. haha!!!
I would love to do that again!

New Year's Eve

It is New Year's Eve...tomorrow we will have to remember to write 2009 on everything we fill out.... what a year it has been! So many great things happening at the church...new people in the worship ministry... gosh it has been a year full... of course lots of other changes in worship too....David went to Branson to sing in one of the shows.. he has done a great job there... Chuck went to Hagerman to lead worship and Robby went to Anna to lead worship...both are doing a fantastic job!!!! We miss all of them! As the year has ended we have lost one of our sound guys, Billy, he will be missed.. still such a shock to all of us!
The end of the year has been REAL busy for us since around October 21st when we began work on the Fall Festival... seems like from there the weeks just ran together until we finished singing Christmas songs on December 13th for the Songs of the Season. The parades, commercial, concert/show all came together so nice with so many people helping out!
On a personal note Ashley got moved back to Denton at the end of July..wasn't long after that her car was broken into...Andy started college at Grayson... and was working at BattsAVI for a while... Ashley had tire problems, Andy had radiator problems and so did Steve... then Andy's transmssion went out on his truck and Steve's rear end went out on his truck... seems those pictures of us working on cars in the driveway became a huge reality yet again!!!Through it all God was good and took care of us.. he sent angels to help us out and provided ways for us to get it all covered... He is so good!
I am looking forward to 2009..... it has been so exciting to see God put things back together at Fairview... and to see some faces that were there before come back to worship with us... like a family reunion... we have missed them too!
Andy is looking for work and will continue in school at Grayson, Ashley is getting back in school at NCTC and continues working as a nanny for now... Steve and I continue serving at Fairview and I am working for the schools in Technology... great things are a head of us!!

Almost 09

Can't believe it is almost the end of another year! What a busy last few months it has been. Starting on about Oct 21st... we began building the big fun house for the Fall Festival.. I also traveled to Boston before Halloween... after that was over and the nearly 2 week tear down we began working on the parade float... with rehearsals also going for the Songs of the Season event.... The parades were fun... we took best of parade in Denison and just had a lot of fun in Sherman... we tore the float down that night and set the church back up the next day... and began looking ahead to the "Songs of the Season" that was another busy week and weekend... Andy was working as a Holiday temp at Academy during all this time too...so he was working 12 hour shifts and getting in at 1am ..... so we were all worn out!!!
So now Christmas has come and gone.... Ashley and Alex came up and celebrated with us... after Christmas Eve lunch we did a Christmas Eve service and then took Andy to Red Lobster for his 19th birthday... then home for gifts... and Santa even had to come early so that we could get Asley and Alex back on the road to Granbury.... I started feeling sick on Christms Eve so I have really stayed down and rested since then... Looking forward to all that is to come in the new year...

Summer is over and School begins.....

Well.. Summer is really over... sometimes it is hard to tell! I think I had a pretty good mix of work versus time off this summer... of course in a perfect world I would take June through August off....but I don't see that happening any time soon!
It has been a busy week! Sunday at church was awesome! Worship was just that so much worship!!!
Monday started out at our house with no water in the neighborhood... that was no fun... we all did what we could to freshen up and head off to work!
I think it was Tuesday morning that started off with Andy's semi-new radiator leaking...so Steve has been dealing with trying to get a replacement for that all week.. of course.. the company that sold it to us....sold their company... soooooo....
Andy got registered for college and will start next week! He has been working more than full time and that doesn't sound like it will change much...so he is having to pray about what he needs to do as far as work is concerned... time to focus on school!
Ashley has been working at her new job for I guess 3 weeks now... she gets to take the kids on school clothes shopping trips and hair appointments... I guess that is a little more fun than chasing around 29 three year olds!!
Steve is preparing for a trip to Cuba in November.... there is much to pray on there! Of course just praying for the group and the people they will encounter...
praying for funds to be available for all to travel... and now praying for the trip to still be available to them... seems with changes in government come changes in the ability to get mission groups into the country.
I am starting a new job this year... still in Technology.. but taking on 5 schools this year and some new software... so I will have my hands full for a while!
I have been asked to come make a presentation for one of our Vendors... so looks like I may get to travel to Boston in October.
We have many activities ahead of us at church! Fall Festival....parades floats... Christmas shows... it will be a busy fourth quarter... but we are looking forward to reaching out and giving back to our community.