Oh yes....they did work!

Today was such a longgggg day. Since we lost on Fri. we didn't play until 2===so thank goodness or we would have had to be there in the morning. Our game at 2 went very well and led to our next game at 7pm, which we also won, so we had to stay for the 3rd place championship game. Which we won as well! The boys were so happy...this is the summer league and so it really was their first game together. Some of the boys played in the short winter league that just ended, but this was the first game for this group. It's fun to watch a team just make sure that everyone is in on the action and play as a team. It reminds me a lot of how SFIU and Troy's philosophy was...each individual works as a unit and that is what drives the success of the team. Marlon really coaches so that there are no stars. From our tallest boy at 5'10 (oh yes, Tyree is a giant...lol) to our shortest boy at 4'6 (Lamar makes Izzy look like a giant!)....each boy is involved in the action. It's so much fun to watch! Here are some pics from today.

Elijah makes a great block on a throw in.

The team hanging out with their coach in between games.

Our speedy lil Lamar and Isaiah battle it out.

Oh my silly Elijah---forever the goofball!!

Parker, Elijah, Tyree and a friend gettin' ready to run to the store for some snacks. Way to represent Elijah!

So the boys are finally tucked in...Marlon's on his way home...and I am in my jammies. One thing I will say for basketball====I love that we can CHEER and YELL for our team...lol. So uncivilized!! I love it! It gets rough and rugged in there....I love it. There's nothing like a crazy game of basketball!

Nite!!

Still a good day....

Well, tonight I had hoped we might get to hang out with our friends, but that was not to be :( Waaaaa!! I tell ya, it is harder and harder with so many sports and other activities to find time to hang out with friends. But Amy I mean it....if we can't get a time soon with the four of us---then we are definately planning a girl's night out. We could go bowling, karoake, dancing....we'd have a blast!!

So today was a busy day for everyone. Jordyn worked and is at her dad's, Marlon had Ethan Allen (he is mentoring there weekly as part of his new role with BASICS), I had a birthday party for a friend at work and the boys hung out with my parents. Then I decided it was time to make a good home cooked meal...so after I picked the boys up we went to the store. I made one of Marlon's favorites-Chicken Alfredo-with a yummy salad and garlic bread. When he got home at 6, he was so excited. He wasn't sure who was getting home first and hadn't really given a thought to dinner so it was a good suprise! Now Izzy and I had our photo session (see photos below) and the boys and Marlon are watching Hell's Kitchen. Bed will be early as tomorrow is the rest of the tournament in Burlington.

A great thing happened for Elijah today. The other day I washed his I-Pod. :( This really was a tag team faux pa because when I washed his winter coat--neither of us bothered to check the pockets. So Marlon made an appointment to go in, thinking they'd have to mail it in to possibly try and replace the battery. Well, when they got there---they just replaced it for him---for FREE! Elijah was estatic and Marlon is now busily adding new songs for him.

I'm gonna go get in my jammies. I also got stuff to make Strawberry Shortcake for everyone (except me who I got jello and low-fat cool whip for) so I'd better get on that if we're doing bed early!!

Have a great nite.

Amy---I'm praying girl. Love you!!!

Izzy & I just wasting some time!!

Izzy's first attempt to take my picture...lol!!

Got a lil better....I only had to help steady it a little bit :)

Aw...in a few years I bet he'll die that I once posted a picture of me kissin' him!!!

Nothin' like a lil kissy from your baby!!!

And a photo session just isn't a photo session without a good goofy face picture!!

The Biggest Loser

I am really excited because my sister and brother in law are starting a Biggest Loser Couples Challenge!! All teams are going to put in $50 to the pot and whichever team loses the highest percentage of weight will win the money :) Jordyn and I are going to be a team. We've already started walking around the river every other day and really want to win. It should be fun!! We start April 5th and end June 28th. I think because of my past eating disorder...I've always made a conscious effort NOT to stress about my weight. I've been healthy despite my size and always had endurance to still participate in life. A main force moving me to do this is knowing how it will help Jordyn and kick start her weight loss. Also, I know as I get older (and I will be 37!! in May) the health issues can easily come---like high blood pressure, cholesterol... So it will be fun because I am a competitive person and love to win!! I'll keep ya'll posted on our progress :)

What Matters Most...

As I am trying to find out who I am again....by that I mean---what my interests are, what floats my boat, what I'd like to spend my free time doing (not based on my kids dreams, Marlon's dreams, ministry goals...) I still need to keep in the forefront that I am nothing without Christ. Period. I can try and get by each day on my own...make my own way...get through each struggle...but without Him I will not be successful.
When I look back on my life...I do not have regrets. I know that what I experienced helped create me into the woman I am. I know that I am able to reach the ladies at Teen MOPS in a special way because of that. I know that I can challenge very closed minded Christians about their views because of that. I know that I can minister to the lost because of that.
That being said...I certainly hope that I might help someone NOT make the same mistakes that I did. Do not be fooled. It is only by the grace of God, His ordained plan for my life that I am alive. There are many times I got behind the wheel of the car...or in a car with someone that had no business driving. I was in an abusive relationship and choked to the point of passing out. I hung out at places where u stayed until the shootin’ started. Any of those times could have resulted in horrible, even deathly circumstances. As a Christian woman who now sees God’s sovereignty--I know that everything that happens is part of our story and our road to Him. I am thankful DAILY that He allowed me to survive the storms I have so that I might tell others how amazing life with Him is.
I don’t believe in luck. I do believe that we all have an ordained purpose. God can redeem ANYTHING AND ANYONE. There is nothing you can do...nothing you have already done that He can’t forgive. He is waiting for us. But why do we stay in the same old patterns, living the same old life and then expect that things are going to change. Why do we make poor choices and live without regard for our well-being and then "pray" that God will get us out of the jams that we got ourselves into? We have no right to expect that. And yet...
He will. All He is waiting for is for you to turn to Him. Admit that you don’t have it all figured out. Admit that you need Him. Believe in your heart that He was sent here to die so that our sins would be forgiven and we could have eternal life in Heaven with God. That is the ultimate gift.
My worst day with Christ is better than my best day without Him. He is and always will be all I need.

ok-i hate complainin’...but i’m gonna just a little bit. y has customer service just gone out the door? y is it that when i’m a paying customer, bringing my business to an establishment--ppl wanna act like they’re doin’ me a favor by waiting on me?? Now--i know there are still some friendly, thoughtful individuals in customer service who enjoy ppl & their jobs...but honestly more and more i see that is few and far between. this morning i stopped at Wal-Mart & i really think i woke the cashier up...then she spent the majority of time during our transaction 2 talk 2 her friend, then she gave me the wrong change & huffed like her world was ending 2 have 2 re-open her drawer... The crazy part is that this was not a teenager (which i almost half expect foolish behavior from) but a grown woman!!
Now im not sayin’ that i never get crabby or have bad days (insert hysterical laughter from my friends here!!) but u gotta put ur game face on for work! Whatever happened to being courteous, respectful, welcoming?? I just don’t get it.
Anyway---that’s all. Just wanted to vent & verbally throw up on all of u !!

Girl Scout Cookies

Ah thin mints
Why do you come
Only once a year?

Though I guess
That is good
Cuz otherwise I fear

That I'd eat 20 boxes
All in a row
Savoring the goodness
But feeling myself explode!!

Just a lil ode' to the Girl Scout Cookie.
I am also partial to shortbread and peanut butter.
I know. They're laughing at me and my lack of self-control!!
I got them this year tho'. We only got 2 boxes!!
As I'm starting to lose a little---gotta protect myself...lol :)

Good Friday

The Soldiers Mock Jesus
27Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and he gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said. 30They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

The Crucifixion
32As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). 34There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 38Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"
41In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42"He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.' " 44In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

The Death of Jesus
45From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. 46About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
47When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah."
48Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."
50And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
51At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. 52The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
54When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"

Can you imagine that day? The despair... Even his followers--who had been with Him and told what would happen, didn't fully get it. Even if you were there and DID get it...how do you watch? I could barely handle the movie, The Passion of Christ, much less the real thing. I think of how little we are willing to sacrifice for others and yet He laid down His life----WILLINGLY----simply so that our sins could be forgiven. And then God FORGIVES us.

I think of hurt, anger, frustration that I harbor. I think of people in my life who have done things---my first fiance' who beat me up, a ex co-worker who spread some lies about me, my mother in law who hurt my husband with her behavior, people I thought were my friends who most obviously were not...and those things hurt so bad...took a while to forgive...and they were such little things. In the scheme of life---compared to what He has had to forgive us all of.....forgive ME of.....it's crazy to me. We are such selfish beings. We hoard material things. We worry about what we have. We desire and covet and worry about ourselves soooo much. We do one small act of kindness and thinks that it makes us great people. We look around at our life with smug satifaction. We look at people who "REALLY" sin--those addicts, thieves, murderers, abusers...and think we are so fine because we certainly don't behave that way. But we are so lost. We have nothing aside of Him. Without accepting His love, His sacrifice.....without turning to Him and fully believing that He is our Savior....we are destined to an eternal death in Hell. We will miss the opportunity and it will be too late. Satan is banking on it.

If you've never experienced an Easter where you can truly rejoice in the Risen King---I encourage you this year to attend a service somewhere---where the bible is taught in its truth---and truly listen with an open heart. What does that mean? Try not to bring in your "religious" baggage. Just enter in the sanctuary and allow yourself to truly hear the words, sing the songs, realize the ultimate sacrifice He made.

Enjoy your Good Friday. Rest in the knowledge that today is not the end of the story!

He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!!

His Plan is ALWAYS Perfect!

So in the last few days God has been reminding me of something. I have to laugh at the way He humbles me and makes me rely on Him. Sometimes it's like----"ok, ok, I get it, I get it!" But apparently not because He keeps having to remind me...haha!! Here are just a few examples:

Yesterday was my first "solo" night in Clubhouse Kids. I had the teaching all set and ready to go, good worship songs chosen, I'd studied and gotten the curriculum all set...and then at 6:10 when we normally have our meeting...only 4 out of 9 teachers showed up (well, I did know that two wouldn't be there)...set up was taking much long than I thought it would...and I was stressing just a little, although in my head I just kept praying, just kept praying....Lord, let Your light shine tonight. And you know what? It was a great night. An old teacher came back to help for the night, two moms that are going to come from time to time to help out both showed up, I covered in the 1st grade room, the kids really seemed to grasp the teaching and worship continues to become a special part of the night. Was it tiring--heck yes! Was it a little chaotic--heck yes! Are the kids adjusting and pushing the envelope a little with a new teacher in charge--heck yes! :) But it is so rewarding and I can't tell you the impact those kids have on me. I love seeing them learn and grow and find out who Christ is.

Tonight was our Teen MOPS Easter Celebration. We had a great speaker lined up, we planned ahead and sent out invites, we secured extra help in the childcare room because of the large number we knew would come and then...it all started to unravel--or so it seemed. It started with the information that the extra childcare helpers were not going to be able to come! Then set up was taking forever because I didn't have the right code for James Place to get extra tables! Then our speaker had to cancel due to a family emergency! (Please pray for John's hand and that it heals well and quickly) Ay yi yi! I tell you it was a little nervewracking...lol. But as always, God has such a better plan. I think we ended up with 25 ladies there!!! So many graduates too that haven't been around-it's always good to see them. We took our time with dinner and just let them enjoy their meal and not rush through it. We sang three songs for worship and then Diane (one of the leaders) shared her testimony of how God healed her from cancer. It was very powerful for the girls to hear---especially since two of the graduates were there the night that we laid hands on her. Again---a situation where you could just feel His hand on everything. Afterwards I had a great conversation with Amy and Kristin--it was nice to just take a little time to catch up and talk.

So I sit here tonight reflecting on the past few days. I see how I trust God to help me make decisions. I pray and wait on Him (okay--of course not all the time, but I try to be conscious about this) when it's time to plan. But once a plan is in place...and it starts to go awry or it seems as if Satan is just breathing down my neck...I wish I could say that I automatically rested in peace. But I so ofen don't. So often I stress...let my mind start to race with all of the problems...freak out a little about how thing are going to work out.

Why? It's all in His hands. He knows every little detail of every day. He is sovereign. My first reaction should be to take a minute, breath...lol, pray and focus. God will tell me what to do next. There are times I do that...but not as often as I'd like. That is something that I'd like to do more often than not.

It's been awhile since I've posted any prayer requests...but I'd like to do that tonight. If you feel led, please pray as you stop in and visit my page today!!

• Pray for my friends Jackie and Justin who went in the hospital tonight so her labor could be induced!! This is a first child and we are all so excited to meet little Annabelle :)
• Please pray for my new job. That the transition continues to go well, that I remember that I am not defined by what I do but by who I am.
• Finally, please pray that I live my life out loud for Christ. That I represent Him well in my daily life, that I spend each day as salt and light!

Many blessings <><

Ahhh the Sun!!!

So this might not be EXACTLY what it looked like today....but it sure felt like it!! I can't even begin to explain how lovely the sun was today---this whole weekend actually! I am sure all of you Wisconsinites can concur :) We sure needed it. It does put me in a spring mood---which means SPRING cleaning! It's funny because while daily cleaning gets overwhelming with my schedule and the chaos of our lives...lol...I LOVE spring cleaning. I like getting the winter's worth of gunk cleaned up. I like getting all of the wood work shining. I like clearing out the closets and passing on clothes. I like packing up winter coats and boots!!! (I especially like that!) So in the next few weeks I know that I'll get to do that fun job and can't wait!!

Teaching today went well. I used this neat "science experiment" to teach the Easter lesson. We've used it a lot with this age group over the years, but it was the first time I actually taught it. I love how kids at that age (K-1) are so enthralled with everything----they can't contain their excitement and don't try to hide that they think something is cool. Of course...friends, school, peer pressure haven't really gotten to them yet...lol!!

The boys lost their basketball game today. It was the last one for the Waukesha BB League so they were very excited. It was fun because two of the Isaiah's old teammates from soccer were on the opposing team-so it was fun to play against them. What made it more fun tho' is that one of the boys is on their AAU team, Wisconsin Warriors in Milwaukee. Marlon needed a few more spots filled and so he asked a few players that'd he'd seen around all season if they wanted to come and try out. It's going to be a good team. They have one kid on this team who is 5'8 and one who is 5'10! These are just 6th graders mind you...lol. They're so excited to play at this intense level and the travelling has them excited too. I say I like them both on the same team with Marlon as the coach because then I don't have to help with carpooling!! Since one night of practice is on Thursdays they get their buddy Colin to come and "co" coach those nights too. I get Izzy and baseball patrol. This is our first year with the select baseball team at this level and boy---they have games up the wazoo! I keep teasing Marlon and the boys that one of these days I'm just going to ban sports all together and we're going to all take a DANCE class!!! Yeah right mom----dream on!

Jordyn just informed me that she is going to bed??? That girl LOVES her sleep! It is 7:45 mind you!! I asked if she was going to have sweet dreams about the boy she likes...lol...she was like, "maybe...haha" Glad it's only in the dreams at this point...lol. That girl kills me. Sweet 16 and never been kissed!! Let's keep it that way for just a little longer if we can. :) Too many raging hormones!

Have a great night!!