Thank You...

Ok, so I am at Winterfest, thirsty. I have two options: coke machine or stand in line at the concession. I am closer to the concession so I choose to stand in line.
I get behind a girl from another youth group. I ask how she likes it to which she tells me this is her third year to attend and she loves it.
“Great,” I say.
She responds with a question, “Do you have a dollar I can have?”
“Well, I only have a twenty. How about you order and I will just pay for yours
and mine at the cash register.”
“Thank you,” she says (I think).
We wait in line for about two more minutes not really talking before we reach the lady who asks what we would like. “Two pretzels,” she says. My eyebrows raise, my thoughts flashback to her only asking for ONE dollar.
I order orange juice. She receives her two pretzels. I get my OJ and my wallet to pay. Then lean over and say, “So, you really decided to take advantage or me offering to pay for your snack.”
“Well, one is for me and the other one is for my friend,” she says. But for some reason I don’t quite believe her. She takes her two pretzels and heads down the hall. I wait for Crysty at the exit of the concession. While I wait, I am just baffled that this girl would take such liberty in ordering more than she first requested. What was it that made her think she could now order two pretzels? Why didn’t she ask me if it would be OK? I know, I could have told her and stopped her order and said that I was only go to loan her a dollar. But I didn’t even make her spend her dollar. So she got the pretzel she wanted, an extra pretzel, and kept her dollar. I felt scammed by an eighth grader who is now going to enjoy two pretzels on me.
I looked around the hall as I waited on Crysty, and I see the girl. She just stopped walking to stand next to another girl and begins to had one pretzel over to her. Her friend is surprised. I can see the joy and confusion on her face. It seems she knew that her friend only had one dollar to begin with. She is happy to get her own pretzel, but wonders how her friend was able to get one for each of them. I cannot hear them, but I can see that she asks her friend how that happened. Then the girl in line points down the hall in my direction and says something. And her looks my way and says, “Thank you.”

As a minister, a youth minister that is (who apparently is in his office too much) I get the chance (or the shortest straw) to meet several people who come to the church looking for some kind of help. We call this the Back Door Ministry. The needs range from bus tickets for local transportation to sometimes the Greyhound. Food, prescriptions, clothes, boots, money, a night at the hotel, gas for their car, utility bills are all needs that have been presented to me. Most of them are easy, but we never give out cash and never fill prescriptions so, those people leave mad. Others become more complicated as their list of needs grow as they tell their story. We also get repeats; people who come twice a month, sometime more.

We had a guy call down curses on our worship minister. Crazy thing was that this guy could pray. He had a deep voice, strong and energetic, which just fed these amazing prayers. We saw Nathaniel for like 3 years here and there. He came in Dec. 2007 saying that he was moving to Denver and will not be back to ask for help in 2008. He failed to keep his promise.

Our campus minister has this on going pen pal from prison. Problem is that he serves his time and then makes personal visits. I have had a couple of visits with Raymond. We do what we can while he is out. But then we receive another letter from prison. He is one of five of our non-official prison ministry members.

In the summer of 2009 I was helping a young man named Isaac who served some time. He worked part time at La Madeleine. So he had a little income but not much. He stayed with his sister sometimes, until she felt like he was not doing his part around the house or to find a new job and she would kick him out for a few days. I tried hiring Isaac a few time around the church. He was an awful worker, slow, non-efficient, and never on time. I had lunch with him several times. We would talk about job hunting, prison, and his family. Crysty and I were prepared to help him with a monthly bus pass so he could be where he needed to be. We did for two months. Then he stopped showing up. I hope he found a full time job, but I just don’t know.
I have been conned a few times. One guy I met around 8:00 pm sometime in 2005. My wife and I were at Target, and I get this call from our office administrator who is at the church for a prayer meeting saying there is guy at the door who will not leave until he talks to someone and he is being a little aggressive. Crysty and I rush home. I listen to his story and decide to help. I helped with a hotel room, bought him boots for his job, played some ping-pong with him, and bought him some food from Wal-Mart. I helped him for about a week. Then nothing. I didn’t hear from him. About a year later, he shows back up at the church, but this time he is using a different name. Bummer. I bring up the past help and his other name, to which he replies, “I was on the run last year.” Bummer. I gave him a bus pass and sent him on his way.

We once had a lady who came every Tuesday for help. Her name was Elizabeth. We continued to push her toward Central Dallas Ministries, but she said her needs were not that great. She had small requests (except one time our campus minister bought her a diabetic blood test thing that cost him $65). Every once in while she would test the waters and ask for cash, “I need ten dollars in quarters for laundry.” We (I) denied her request. She would get mad and leave. But not without a bus pass, and she would be back next week. She tried going back to school (or at least that is what she told us). We probably saw her for about half a year then one Tuesday she didn’t show up. That Christmas I got a letter in the mail at the church. It was Elizabeth. She sent Crysty and I a Christmas card saying thank you for the help and that she moved to Kentucky. It made me smile.

I wished more of these stories ended this way. With just a letter that says thank you. A letter that contains a little closure. I don’t feel bad, when I can’t help someone out, I do feel great when I do help someone out, but I wonder when I send them on their way if their story is going to change because of the help I have given them.

Jesus one time saw this man who was born blind. He then spit in the mud placed it on his eyes and told the blind man to wash in a pool. So the blind man went and washed and came home seeing. The rest of John 9 is this man telling a new story, a grand story, a story of redemption. As a blind man he was a beggar, an outcast, a person with no story. Even Jesus’ disciples weren’t looking to redeem this man; they wanted reasons for his blindness. Jesus shows us purpose. “That the work of God might be displayed in his life.” Am I looking for purpose in outcast situations? Was I looking for the work of God to be displayed in Isaac’s life, Nathaniel’s life, or Elizabeth’s? I don’t really know.

Today, I helped a couple get to Austin, TX. They have been in Dallas for three days. They said they have visited at least 40 churches asking for the same thing. I could see the hunger in their faces and the tiredness in their posture when they showed up. I bought them bus tickets and some lunch at Whataburger (it’s the go to fast food place for moments like these). I took them to the bus station, purchased the tickets, and handed them over. Last night they stayed in the ER room of a hospital. Tonight they will stay with family.

I may not ever hear from John and Donna King again. I might not ever know why they were stuck in Dallas and not somewhere else, but I do know that the work of God was displayed in their life. And I know that they have a new story to share with their family.

Preparing for a baby with John...

I am sure John will have a post later this week about our Winterfest Retreat with the youth group but I wanted to share a little paragraph with you that expressed so well what it is like preparing for our little boy with John.

Below I is a paragraph John wrote to his brother and sister updating them on how we're doing and what's going on. Please read with a sarcastic tone of voice.

"Crysty and I are hard at work trying to get a name for our child. It’s one of my new years resolutions. She is hard pressed to name him before May 11th and I tell her she is pushing the schedule up 7 months in advance (I have until Dec. 31). I threw out the name Diego, because I do think it’s cool, a little Hispanic sounding, and that was my name while I waited tables at Olive Garden, because the ladies loved it. My hope of naming our first Bruce and our second Wayne has been laid down to rest. We also have to find furniture for our kid, which already sounds like a pain. I mean we just visited the furniture stores for a TV console and end tables. Now I have to go back in these stores to find something for my child already. I was trying to get Crysty to go with, “If the child doesn’t ask for it we don’t need to get it” agreement saying it would save us some money, but she refused. So, now I have to go crib shopping, then look at changing tables, and maybe a dresser. The other thing to add to all this is the fact that we want at least 3 more kids. “We really need to get some thing nice and durable,” she says. So I had to throw away all my drawings of how to stack or move the furniture we already own. Let me tell you, seeing eight hours of drawings that include your couch facing the wall, or a pallet of blankets on your dinning room chairs all pushed together with their backs making a crib didn’t really settle well. I hope this is worth it. I am sure in hour ten I was going to revolutionize the baby furniture market. Babies are so demanding, and this kid has four more months in the womb. I have to take a class on just his arrival! "

My First Blog, Please Go Easy...

Write, write, write. I keep wanting to write something for this blog but I really haven’t been finding anything to write about. Much less anything to think about and have others think about. I mean, if you are reading this right now you have to be thinking, “Lame.” Which is exactly what I am thinking. So to get started maybe a few random things from my life.

I am having a boy. Awesome. I love the fact that it is a boy, because that is what I wanted. I kept calling the baby a boy way before we ever new. Which spurred some youth members and parents to keep saying, “It’s going to be a girl.” Which then put them on the “NO HOLD” list. That’s right, a “No Hold” list. But back to me hoping for a boy. I prayed about it quite often, but I can’t say that I always knew for sure. And as much as I would like to say it was all me, I must be humble or I will be humbled. My mom on the other hand decided to make a blanket for ‘Bruce (gestational name, not real name)’ which was a blue blanket on the day we found out we were having a boy. She is good, real good. My next step is to toss out all her pink yarn so it will always be blue blankets. Well, maybe not. Having a girl wouldn’t be that bad now that we have the big brother. (I think we need to have a girl next time so that my niece Katie will be nice to me. I told her we were having a boy and she gave the phone back to her daddy.) This whole pregnancy thing hasn’t been that bad either. Well at least not for me. I really thought I would be going crazy with the whole, ‘Crysty’s pregnant and can’t do anything because she sick every morning.’ But she’s not. She hasn’t been sick once. Which is so cool, because it makes things just a little easier when the smell or sound of vomit is not the first item in the morning.

That was longer than what I was shooting for. I don’t think I can do that again, especially not with this one.

Our youth group is amazing. This past week we have had just some great fun with them and they have really been participating in a lot of activities. Our fist Sunday here we had 4 in class. This past Sunday we had 40 from the roll with two visitors. Amazing. I was humbled, in a good way. Then we went to worship and 38 students sat up front. We filled 4 pews and spilled over onto the fifth. This was great for the congregation to see, and it was great for me to see. Three of our students even went and invited three others to come sit with us. That night, we had went to one of our students JV hockey games as a surprise to him. 24 showed up plus 12 adults and siblings. So we yelled and cheered “J-Ho” every time he touched the puck (His name is Jonathan Holt (I might need to ask his parents if I could use his name on the internet (privacy concerns (it could hurt his future job hunt)))). We went to IHOP to eat after the game and two elderly persons complimented their behavior in the restaurant. This weekend we have Winterfest. Small retreat, but great time with students. Although the singing (or sound, actually) is weak, the teaching does allow us to reflect on what God has done for us and how we share that with others. I am ready to go and watch our students do and say amazing things.

Wow, I thought of others things to say, but since I am at a page I thought I might need to save those for later. I am not sure if you read this far, but if you did, Why? Post a comment and let me know. Lame, Room for Improvement, or Stop writing and let your wife tell the stories. She’s good.

New Page, New Writer...

Well, I am finally updating the blog. After our trip to Italy the only news that can be more exciting than that is that John and I are expecting a BABY! I am due on May 11, 2010. I have update the blog now because John said he would start blogging if I changed the layout to be for our family. Alright John here's your chance.

Words Aren't Enough...

Words aren’t enough to describe the wonderful days John & I spent in Italy! I have posted only a few pictures here, but several more are on both myspace and facebook. I will keep this short because there is just too much to really go into, but Venice and Rome were my favorite cities. Venice is completely unique and I completely felt like I was going back in time, it was beautiful. I also learned so much, I had no idea the rich history that Venice has, it retains one of the longest records of a republic in history, from 500-1600 AD. And Rome, all roads lead to Rome and for good reason. Rome has everything, it was simply breath taking! Here are pictures.

Arrivederci!

Arrivederci! Tomorrow by the time that your alarm goes off John & I will be on our first flight to Italy! I am almost completely packed and still cannot not fathom that this trip is actually happening. It has been five years in the making, and in the saving. We have been so blessed to have both family and the church celebrate this trip with John and I through gifts. Both of which will make this trip even more wonderful.




I am most excited to experience a new country with John and spend time together celebrating the last five years of our marriage, and preparing for what God holds in our next five years of marriage! Below is a concise version of our itinerary; I will post pictures shortly after we return on the 24th of March.

• Thursday, Day 1- New York City, tour the city, the Broadway show Guys & Dolls.
• Day 2- Depart USA
• Day 3- Arrive in Venice, meet tour guide for dinner and explore Venice.
• Day 4- Venice, Pisa, Florence.
• Tuesday, Day 5- Tour Florence. Michelangelo’s David, the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio.
• Day 6- Florence, Assisi, Rome. Sun Route, Basillica of St. Francis.
• Day 7 & 8- Rome. Tour Vatican Museum and Ancient Rome, the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Arch of Constantine.
• Day 9- Rome, Pompeii, Sorrento. Mount Vesuvius, ruins of Pompeii, and the Forum.
• Day 10- Sorrento. A day at the beach in southern Italy.
• Day 11- Naples to Depart for USA.
• Day 12- New York, USA to Dallas.

Reasons to Celebrate!

I am not going to apologize for not posting in the past three months, everyone takes a while to post at some point and I am just lagging behind.

Anyway, two huge reasons to celebrate among all of the wonderful things that have happened in the last three months…our offices at the church are finished! We moved into them last Tuesday and needless to say I had my office set up that same day. And then this Tuesday John & I were so over productive that we cleaned out and set up all of the general office supplies. It is so wonderful to be in the place that will be permanent! And I have a window; if you ever need to know what the weather is like in Dallas just give me a call.

Secondly, this past Friday (January 9th) John & I celebrated our 5th Wedding Anniversary by planning and booking our trip to ITALY!!!!!!!!!!!! We are finally going; March 13, 2009 we will spend 11 days touring throughout Italy! Sadly though we will have to fly out of JFK and the travel agencies recommended that we arrive in NYC the day before just to make sure we have plenty of time for an international flight, so we will be adding in a trip to NYC also! It’s a rough trip but we’ll make due. We have friends that were so excited we are going to NYC too that one has offered to buy us Broadway tickets and another has offered to buy us tickets for a boat tour around the city. Any other offers? Well I bet that is all the excitement you can handle for today; I don’t want to overwhelm you. I will post again soon!

These pictures are from the Youth Specialties Convention in Pittsburg back in November 2008, but I thought you would like to some type of pictures.

When It's Not Working

Well I am running low on energy and the ability to concentrate today, so I will try hard not to just ramble. I got up at 5:20am this morning to take a friend to the airport and now John and I are watching their three kids while they are out of town for a couple of days. But the kids are great; it’s the lack of sleep that is affecting my ability to focus on anything.

The pictures up are from my grandmother’s 90th Surprise Birthday Party. John & I provided the church building and the excuse for her to come see us, and all of her sons (my dad & uncles) provided the resources for the party. It was wonderful, truly a blessing to celebrate my grandmother, Fannie Lucinda with all of our family and friends. John & I were also able to make an Imovie of all of her old pictures and the whole family growing up, it was so special and fun to see our families go through the growth over time.

Here is something I have been struggling with the past couple of weeks. Four years ago now I started a Middle School Girls Bible Study that met once a week, the group was small (between 4-6 girls each week) but it was consistent. And those girls that I started with are now freshmen; they are changing the leadership of our youth group and are the closest group of girls in our youth group. This year I am continuing their study, which is now a High School Girls Bible Study, but I have also attempted to begin the next Middle School Girls Bible Study. This is where the struggle is coming in. At what point do I justly declare that the new Middle School study is not working out and disband it? It has been four weeks, the first week I had one student, the second week I had two students (but it was like pulling teeth to get them to talk, simply painful), the third week only one made it so we went and got ice cream, and this past week it was canceled because no one could make it. So where is the line in this ministry that I can easily draw, and say this is not accomplishing it’s goal time to stop, pray, and see what will provide they unity and growth for these girls. What are your thoughts?

2 Floods and Some New Names

I am finally taking the time to update my blog, let’s see since I last wrote we have under gone some major construction at the church, the church experienced its 5th flood, John experienced his 6th office flood, we had our annual parents’ meeting, we have begun searching for our Italy trip plans and much more. I will just cover some highlights.

The 5th flood of the church was an amazing one, not the most amazing but one to remember. You see the new building was just installed with a fire sprinkler system that will eventually also be added in the old building, well a pipe on the second floor was not capped off when the water was turned on. For about 45 minutes pressurized water flooded the east side of the second floor, flowing freely into the auditorium balcony which then created a waterfall in the auditorium (which would have been so beautiful had it been made purposely). The water also came through the floors of the second floor seeping into the first floor and cascading down the stairs. So much fun! I could only laugh as we hastily swept water out of the balcony and second floor, praising God that it was not my office.

Last week John was interrupted in his work by water flowing through his ceiling tiles, we had to quickly evacuate his office of anything that might get ruined, nothing was ruined but his office reeks of stale water now.

Right now, I need your help with something John and I must decide this week. We have to name the three new youth rooms for signage purposes. There are two classrooms and a gathering/hangout space in the between the two classrooms. Since the two classrooms are separated by the gathering space I have been rejected to simply call them classroom A and classroom B. So what should we name these three rooms? I don’t mind some funny answers; I expect nothing less from many of you- but a few helpful ones also. They don’t have to be themed just simple.

Cool Mountain to a Fiery Furnace

From the cool mountain air to a fiery furnace, meant literally and a little symbolically. A week ago John & I returned from our greatest week of camp with Preston Road in the last four years. Literally the temperatures were average about 50-60 degrees it was wonderful to wear jeans and fleeces in the middle of the summer. We were encouraged to take 20 students with us to camp this year; two years ago we went alone to fulfill our teaching responsibilities. Therefore taking 20 students was exciting, but numbers is not the most exciting part of course or the real evidence of God’s hand. Throughout the week our students worshipped with instruments (provided by our favorite worship team ever from Dave Drake, Edwin Guerra, and Aaron Collier), they worshipped accapella, they opened up to one another, and included everyone. The Preston Road Youth Group actually looked like a group of students seeking Christ together, this is a huge milestone for a youth group that is spread through 25 schools and has had no leadership from students until now. It was inspirational and one of the few times in four years that John and I have been able to SEE the difference in our group now. This week was our cool mountain air.

We came back to a literal fiery furnace; the temperatures this week will stay around 102 degrees every day. I am not a friend of the heat, I have always been sensitive to heat and the sun with headaches and sunburns, but after getting heat stroke and dehydration last year I do all that I can to stay out of the heat now. Symbolically, it was not exactly a fiery furnace but it felt a little similar. I had a confrontational meeting with someone that expressed to me I had let them down, hurt their feelings, and had missed opportunities to show Christ’s love to them. My reflex was to defend myself, find excuses- but I had nothing and I could defend nothing- this person was right. I had unintentionally failed to offer support, give encouragement, or show Christ’s love in the past year. It broke my heart to be told this and know there was truth in it. I cannot go back and change my lack of actions, but I seek God to forgive me, and to allow this to be a building step in my ministry. One that will encourage me to actively seek more people out boldly if needed to show them care and encouragement. I strive to not let this confrontation tear any part of God’s work in me down, or give hold to any doubt of what I am doing for Him.

Revelations 3:19-20, here He is knocking

New Orleans Mission

This past weekend John & I took our students to New Orleans to work with Operation Nehemiah, to help rebuild the city. We had a great trip, some lessons in patience and flexibility- but still a great trip that we believe has been instrumental in forming and connecting our students. Here are some pictures of our trip. I’m headed to Nashville in the morning to have a girls’ weekend with all of my old Dallas friends that have abandoned me (see blog titled “And then there was one”). I hope to fill you in more on our New Orleans trip when I get back.

Breaking open the crawfish was so gross at first.

But well worth the flavor!

Going Solo

Last year in March I wrote a blog about the core group of friends I had made in Dallas, I told you how great they were and how much God had worked in our lives through each other. The title of the blog in March of last year was “And Then There Were Two.” Because from the three close friends that I had here in Dallas- one moved to the west side of Fort Worth, and one moved back to Kentucky.

Yesterday, I said goodbye to the third. Summer and her family moved to Alabama, her husband was our worship minister and took a job at a church in Montgomery. To say that I shed a few tears is a huge understatement, but I am thankful for the sorrow I felt. It means that Summer and her family were an important part of my life here, that God has made me more of the woman He desires me to be through our friendship, and I believe I will be a better mother someday from what I have learned from her! Though yesterday was hard, and it will be sad to enter into the church not hearing her little girls yelling my name in excitement, and I am still sad for how our friendship will have to change- going from weekly visits to yearly, but nevertheless I rejoice and have faith that there will be many more opportunities for God to use new friends to mold me.

For this is the day the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it.

A One-Woman Man

Madness, complete madness. That is what my schedule has felt like lately. In the past month I had an amazing trip to Nashville for Church of Christ women in fulltime Youth Ministry Retreat, and I was able to see one of my favorite people Lesli and her family that moved from Dallas to KY last year. It was AMAZING! I have started a new bible study at one of the private schools nearby after having finished studying with one of the girls that had some BIG questions about God (examples: If heaven is sinless how did Satan sin while there? How do we know Jesus was the Savior? Where did all the nationalities come from? Where did the Bible come from?) And she is in 6th grade. We just had a lock-in with 25 members of our church and 35 friends they brought! So fun!!! I want to stay up 24hrs every day. Ok, the lock-in was great but at age can I claim to be too old for that? We had a Deacon/Elders/Ministers Retreat, which I was the only female at- fun times. And from the retreat I have been given my first big task at Preston Road, well you know other then spiritually forming the lives of teens.

I have been set as the chair of a committee of deacons and elders that will evaluate two things. First, potential deacon candidates, our church has not installed new deacons in six years. So they are asking me to chair a committee that will get it done in less than one month, gee thanks. And second, we will present to the elders a translation of what it means for a deacon to be the “husband of but one wife.” 1 Timothy 3:12. Literally translates a “one-woman man.” I don’t know where to go with this and how in the world I became the chair is beyond me. What is your church’s policy on this deacon qualification? Or what do you believe, I have done the research and I have my own conclusions but there are so many different situations. What do you think? And any advice for chairing a committee?

A Sad Realization & Working in a Wind Tunnel

Last month while cleaning out my parents attach I had a slight mishap, when tossing down a stack of heavy metal trays I released them to early- throwing them on top of a wooden pole which in turn flew up and hit me in the face. Sounds fun uh?! The stick came within an inch of my eye but thankfully only put a messy scratch on my eye brow. The next day after John & I went to a Couples Retreat with our church, where I was asked repeatedly what happened. Eventually one person asked if the scratch was still from the fall when I had two black eyes. I told him the story of how I got this injury at which point he asked…”are you a klutz?” Of course I said no, I really am not.

The following week that question came back to my mind twice when I once burnt my finger on the curling iron, and then again when I burnt my shoulder by dropping the curling iron on myself. And then this past week when a student in our youth ministry tossed me a cell phone and it hit in the face. So my family nickname of “Grace” has come to full tuition, and brought me to the sad realization that I am a klutz.

And now at this time I once again write to you from the wind tunnel of my office. Though my office took on no water it shares a wall with John’s office and a portion of the youth area that once again flooded for the forth time. Here is the sad part though; no matter if it is a foot of water all over the whole basement or about 10sq feet that got wet the process of drying out the walls and floor demand multiple days of huge drying fans and furniture moved. Hence now I am working with hair flying and ipod blasting to block out the noise of the fans. Oh, the adventure of it all!

This is the day the Lord has made, I will be glad and rejoice in it.

A Trove of Teasures

Two weeks ago John & I got the itch to do some cleaning, and well there was no cleaning out to be done at our house- we have simply gotten rid of everything we can. It is an amazing feeling! So, we went to my mom & stepdad’s house to clean out the attic. A place that evidently had not been cleaned out in at least 15 years! The task was huge, but we did it!

Among the treasures found in our parents' attic was an Atari box (not the actual Atari but just the box), a Speak & Spell, a plethora of KFC & Wendy’s memorabilia (my dad worked at each place for multiple years) , a Light Bright, Trolls (in various sizes and styles), Barbie’s, some toy zoo like creatures that we could not remember the name of (one was a lion mixed with bumble bee wings, and there was an elephant mixed with something else), many Pound Puppies, and a long lost Popple (see 1st picture if you don’t know what that is). It was a great time to throw about 10 trash cans of stuff away and see everything from my childhood!

Did these treasures bring back any memories for you?

Valentine's Day

I would love to take just a moment to brag about John, my husband. Last Monday he had his wisdom teeth out, which was in itself a hard thing for him but a hilarious experience for me. When John was coming out of the anesthesia he started right away asking if he could have his teeth that were pulled- so that he could put them under his pillow for the tooth fairy. Not just once, but repeatedly he asked…I started to let him know that I was no sure if we got them- at which point John shook his fist at me, as if saying “oh, you better get them.” The entire 15 minutes that he was coming to in the dentist office I could not stop laughing, it was great, not even drugs can take away my husband’s sense of humor!

Back to the real bragging part, John had is wisdom teeth out on Monday and Valentines Day was Thursday, which meant John would not be able to really eat so our plan was to just go somewhere with good soup like Corner Bakery or La Madeline. Also, let me tell you John is not much for celebrating anything other then Christmas and major birthdays/anniversaries, and definitely not buying gifts for such occasions, it is just how he was raised and I can see the value in not buying things for everything all the time, it makes some years even more special and memorable. But he is the type that does bring home flowers or little presents unexpectedly so it all evens out.

Well, this Valentines Day after showering and getting ready I go into our closet to get dressed and John has perfectly set up a dress and shirt that he bought me! He picked it out all on his own and did so great! It was so special that he not only went out and got me a present but got me something that he really likes too, I mean usually it is hard to get an opinion on any clothes at all- but he went and picked this out! It was wonderful! It was a great Valentines and John made me feel so special that he cared about a dress for me!

And the picture is exactly how it looks on me ;)

Foo Fighters Concert

John & I have these amazing friends, some of the coolest you could ever have. Their names are Edwin & Tami, and they among many other gifts, recently gave John & I two tickets to the Foo Fighters concert last week. It is amazing that someone would just give tickets away that they had paid for, but they did. Like I said these are amazing people we are friends with.
So last Wednesday, John & I made arrangements to skip church and went to the concert with Edwin & Tami (they had floor tickets, ours were in the first level of the AAC). The concert was pretty packed; I would not have wanted to be on the floor at all, way too much pushing and body heat and invasion of my personal space. Edwin & Tami are much more hard core then I am. The Foo Fighters were flippin’ awesome though, I didn’t realize how many of their songs I knew, they did great! My favorite part of the concert was the acoustic songs (still with the whole band but on the acoustic instead of the electric). And at the intro into the acoustic songs Dave Grohl (lead guy) begins strumming some acoustic riffs as he walks from the main rectangle stage that is set, down the cat walk in the middle of the crowd, to a circular band stage that is being lowered down from the rafters! It was so great, and once he got there, facing the opposite end of the AAC now he says to the crowd in front of him something like “I didn’t want to forget about you guys.” It was greatness, I really enjoyed their music and some of John’s dancing. Hahaha.

I had not been to a secular concert in years; John & I are usually too cheap to pay for the tickets that make it worth going. And even then we have only gone to Christians concerts. But this concert really reminded me how naive I am and pretty much sheltered by the church and people I spend time with I am. Not to my surprise, just a reminder. In between his great songs Dave Grohl threw in as much profanity as possible I think, plus a wonderful little tribute to smoking weed. I was a bit disgusted by it, especially the fact that it was not what he was saying that was getting the crowd rallied, but the profanity he used. I mean really “let’s all cheer for the f-bomb,” or “oh, he said s*%t, that’s our queue to scream.” That small part of the concert though is simply a good reminder of the world around me I think, not the reality but the world. I am glad I went, and so thankful to Tami & Edwin for giving us amazing seats at the concert!

Winterfest is a convention for teenagers in grades 6-12, it is held by the Churches of Christ in Arlington and gathers over 4,000 students together! They bring bands, commedy, artists, and all sorts of entertainment for the youth to experience Christ through. For us Winterfest was last weekend.

We took 25 students to Winterfest, the largest group we have ever taken, it was amazing! Our students built relationships, spent time together worshipping and learning about Christ, and learning how to Know, Be, See, and Share Christ. This is a weekend that John and I have been praying for and we feel that God has answered our prayers in big ways. Our youth group is finally becoming a community found on Christ. Of course it will never be perfect, but it is on the move. I hope you enjoy the pictures, there are tons more in the Winterfest Album on my myspace page, www.myspace.com/crystymarie .

What Everyone Wants for Christmas…

At this time of year I always hear friends, family, and other people talking about how much they wish they had more time off from work, to get shopping done, to be with family, to relax from the demands of the holiday…which is sad too that there are so many demands that you need rest from during a season of joy…but anyway back to topic.

On the vacations topic, John & I are in the unique career position that most of our out of town trips pertain to work for example; youth group ski trip, girls retreat, guys camping trip, summer camp in New Mexico, youth minister conventions in California or Colorado…it’s a tough life. Also, both of us being the youth ministers when we do leave town it takes extra work to fill in all of the whole and get the next weeks work done before hand, not to mention I don’t know anyone affords an out of town trip…they are so expensive. All of this to say, John & I almost never leave town without it being for our ministry the result of this is that John has 186 hours of vacation hours, and I have 208 vacation hours stored up! Which roughly comes out to John having 4 ½ weeks and me a little over 5 weeks of vacation!!!!

This past year our church came out with new policies for vacation hours, each employee can roll over up to 80 hours of vacation (2 weeks) into the New Year. Therefore before December 28 (because we leave for our youth ski trip then) John has 106 hours of vacation (2 weeks) and I have 128 (3 weeks) that need to be taken!!! What an amazing problem to have, sorry I cannot not give some of you these vacation hours to use too.